By Request: Where is Home

Where is Home
Written: December 9th, 2005

In the crowd she stands looking so sad yet trying to command a smile. Longing to be anywhere but where she’s found herself. Little children at her feet – wondering where would they sleep tonight?

In the aisle of the store he looks in a daze as he tries to decide. Would it be one can or two? He searches in his pocket – only a couple dollars and some change. Would it be enough to feed his family tomorrow too?

At the doctor’s office riddled in pain, trying not to show the tears, in her gentle ole voice she whispers, “Does anyone truly care?” In a room full of chattering people, no one hears a sound.

Rushing through the busy mall she grabs each item and says “Charge!” “This one is for Jimmy and this one for Jill.” When time to wrap them she tries to remember, “Did we give them these last year?”

Driving down the long highway listening to the roar of the engine, he forgets how long he’s been gone. With what seems like miles to go and needing some rest, he pulls over when to a little town has come.

He walks into the only place he thinks might be welcoming this time of night. With candlelight to usher him in, he hopes that he is right.

He walks up to the front of the room and gets down on his knees. He looks up at the cross and starts to pray, “Father forgive me if you would please? I’ve been away so very long but it’s time now to come home. You’re all I’ve ever needed. I’ll rest in you alone.”

As he gets up off the floor with tears streaming down his face, he finds he is not alone in this tiny little place. For waiting in a line behind him standing oh so near are all the others who have gathered home for Christmas this year.

One by one they start to share of what in life has brought them there. The woman with her little children had been looking for shelter in all the wrong places. The man had not taken seriously his responsibilities with his family finances. The older woman had looked to the doctors to heal her aching heart. Jimmy and Jill’s mother realized she had put everything else above being their mom.

Standing in a circle holding hands they all begin to pray. One by one their loneliness starts to melt away. For when we spend time with God just speaking from our hearts, He is there to listen and always will respond. Circumstances in life may not necessarily change, but how we deal with them through God can make for a better way.

For whether in the good times or the bad, or somewhere in-between, home is where the heart is and where Jesus should be King. For many years ago in a manager a little babe was born - His legacy to give us the greatest gift of all.

So this Christmas may you find where your home truly is? For it does not have to be decorated with gold ribbons and bows to be entered in with His presence.

The moral of this story I hope you will hear. Christmas is not about the tree, Santa Claus, or reindeer. If you’re feeling like you really do not have the spirit of the season, check inside your heart to find out who might be missing.

Slow Dance. Breakfast Served.

Well, yesterday I had planned on being gone by 8:00 a.m. this morning. My mother decided she could not go to our dear old friend's Celebration Service. It is being held where my parents were married all those years ago. It honestly was too much for her to handle right now. Yes, she has the boyfriend... but that does not mean she does not miss the man who had been her husband for 44 years especially this time of year.

As I sat in the kitchen at 6:30 a.m. this morning drinking my coffee.... hubby, myself, Travman, and mom all talked about how busy our schedules are this coming week. I came back to our bedroom and opened my Bible and prayed..... Hubby then said to me that he preferred that I did not go to the service for it is not close. That he thought I ought to stay home and rest this morning..... It's past 8:30 a.m. as I am writing this..... Obviously I listened to his wise counsel....

There are times when the dance is fast... Parker did indeed finish reading all 20 books now...... Others, when it is slow.... And hubby just made and served us breakfast....

The Celebration Service will carry on....

This moment, yet again, is made for worshipping and praising God!

Ticket Sale Vital Information

Dates and Times:

Thursday, December 13th
Doors open 5:45 p.m. - Simple hors d'oeuvres & music in foyer
Dinner seating begins - 6:00 p.m. (seating maximum 300)
Dinner begins - 6:30 p.m.
Performance Begins - approximately 7:25 p.m.
Intermission - approximately 8:15 p.m.
Act II begins - approximately 8:30 p.m.
Performance ends - approximately 9:10 p.m.

Friday, December 14th
Same Schedule as Thursday

Saturday, December 15th
Same Schedule as Thursday

Sunday, December 16th - PERFORMANCE ONLY - NO DINNER - FREE
Doors open 6:00 p.m.
Performance begins at 6:30 p.m.
Intermission - approximately 7:20 p.m.
Act II Begins - approximately 7:35 p.m.
Performance ends - approximately 8:15 p.m.

Other Important Information:
Childcare ONLY available for Sunday night performance. (3 and under)
Dress? There are fine linens being used along with wait staff for dinner performances. David will be in his tux. Suggestion are business casual to dressy to formal.

You may order online, at the kiosk on Sunday, or call Ms. E or me at the physical church building throughout the week.

Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow. Correction.

Yesterday:

Brother G got another phone call. This time a really hard knock on the door. Please pray for God's clear direction.

What a special night! TR pulled out all the stops and Linc led us in worship. He sang some of his friend, Charlie Hall, songs, played the cello, guitar, piano.... and of course sang.. Wow. Brother G & I were thankful to be hanging out with the deacons and their wives at their Christmas banquet. Of course, with several others of the ministerial staff as well. And Brother G even won a door prize!

Today:

Please call and reserve your tickets for Two From Galilee! They are going fast. Friday night is sold out. Austin is doing the lighting. He says it is amazing! The cost is for the highly quality meal that is being served.

Tonight we will be spending time with hubby's family. His dad is being honored at a retirement dinner for the major company he has worked with for 40 years! We look forward to seeing them and hearing great stories of days and years gone by....

Tomorrow:

My mother and I will be attending the Celebration Service for our old friend that passed on. Please continue to pray for all involved.

Tomorrow night we are hanging out again with hubby's parents, sister and her little girl, and one of his brothers and his wife. We haven't seen some of them in a year plus. Two nights in a row. Can't wait!

Correction:

Parker realized yesterday while at school that he had not read one of the twenty books. So, he is not finished reading all the Bluebonnet books yet. Thank you Parker for being honest. We're even more proud of you now than before.

There are numerous prayer requests... Please pray specifically today for the P family and the A family. Thank you.

Sabby Man. Thataboy Parker!

Sabby Man:

His name is John. He and I were talking as we were waiting for the school bell to ring. I had the pleasure of picking up Parker.... he was there to pick up his son and daughter. He has been on a sabbatical since May. He is a journalism professor at a major university.

One thing that really struck me about our conversation.... John said he totally relates to stay-at-home moms now. He is aching for adult conversations daily. Even though he has been engrossed in his research work, it is met with relative quietness. Their two children are gone for 7 hours Monday through Friday. His wife has a high demand job outside of being a mom.

He also said that it unnatural for him to not be at a job. He has been working since he was 17. He is 49 now. And again, even though he is doing research from his home office, still not the same.

I admire him for his honesty. No wonder he needed to ride 21 miles today, in our 73 degree December weather, to be out and about away from the house.

I wonder how many men can relate to the Sabby Man?

Thataboy Parker!

Parker has completed reading all 20 of the Bluebonnet books for the state of Texas. He is the first in his intermediate (4th and 5th) school to do so. Oh, if you've ever heard me talk about the son of ours who almost died 3 times in his first month of life and who doctors say was born two months early.... that son would be Parker. We were told that he would have all types of disabilities. Nope. Not that kid. And actually... he was born when he was supposed to be.

He came home from the NICU after being there his first full month in the outside world. He had to wear a breathing monitor. On Sunday evening, Father's Day, 1998, his breathing monitor stopped working. Parker's dad told me we were not going to call the tech guy out. We stood over Parker's crib, held hands, and prayed. Parker's dad thanked God for the time we had had with Parker up to that time and that no matter what happened during the night, we were thankful for his life. Parker was an exceedingly quiet baby. He rarely ever cried. Even when he did... you could still barely hear him. We went to our bedroom and closed the door. The baby monitor was beside our bed...

The next morning, as I walked in to Parker's room... not a single sound could be heard. And yet....... as I peered over the side of his crib.... there he laid just smiling from ear to ear. We never used the breathing monitor again. For in reality...... monitors are just that... It could not save his life if his time was up. But it wasn't up..... And God is using Parker to this day to inspire the heck out of those who know him. And he loves Jesus with all his heart.....

Thataboy Parker! Thank you also Mark Schultz for the song "He's My Son" that meant so much to us during that time and still does...

Thank You God..... for the gift of reading... for life... for sons...

Especially for Your Son Jesus. For no son could ever truly compare.

Tears Flow. Faith Still Holds Secure.

On my way home from a meeting at the physical church building this morning, I got the word. An old family friend has passed away. His name was Billy Jo. He called me either his Darlin'Girl or Little Miss Sunshine and would squeeze the heck out of my shoulders with his side hugs. The tears flow because I'm thankful for the life he lived. They also flow because of and for her....

Her name is JoAnne. Billy Jo is her second husband to bury. She is only in her 50's. She has always been an example to me and any one else watching her how a wife should be. She also buried one of her sons shortly after his daddy past away. She and Billy Jo were an unlikely pair and yet they loved each other deeply. In truth, I always laughed watching the two of them together. They were beyond cute and mushy. Having known both of their previous spouses (both of whom were deceased), in some ways made them even more endearing to me. Today, she is a widow yet again.

Another thing about JoAnne has been her unwavering faith in God. No matter what trials and suffering has come her way, her faith still holds secure.

Thank You Lord for Billy Jo and his life. Thank You for JoAnne and her unquestionable testimony of faith through each moment of life in-between the dashes and her own.

Please pray for all connected. Yes, even me. This makes the twelfth person I've been more than remotely close to in my life pass on since 2005. And my faith is secure as ever... and tears flow as natural as dew on the lawn that is evergreen in my soul.

"Physical Church Building"

Question: Why do you call it the physical church building instead of the church?

Answer: The church is people. Not just a building up on the hill.

In Local News - GAS!

According to texasgasprices.com and our local newspaper:

Brookshire's and Texaco, both on South Morgan St., have the lowest gas prices in Texas.

$2.54 per gallon for regular unleaded as opposed to $2.96.

Now that news worth talking about.

Fill er up!

Better Than A Wide Screen TV

So earlier today, I was called into the physical church building to work for Ms. E. at the main receptionist desk. I said to myself as I sat down in the big black chair, "Wonder what Eugene will have to say to me today?" (No, I don't answer myself... lol)

Sure enough... A few minutes later, there was Eugene at the desk. The conversation had to do with Christmas presents. I shared with him that Brother G normally does not make requests for Christmas presents from me. What he really wants, I cannot buy for him. It is a God thing. Eugene is one of the individuals in Brother G's Wednesday night Bible study class.

An hour or so went by after Eugene left the building. He had gone to Wal-Mart and immediately thought to call me..... He just started talking as soon as I said, "This is Camey. How may I help you?" He responded, "Well, yes. You can help me. There's a 42-inch TV with your hubby's name on it that you need to buy him. I know he would like it." I just busted a gut.

What's funny about Eugene is that he was there the day I was training. Okay... Confession here: I was the President of Future Secretaries of America back in the 80's when I was in high school. There are just some things one does not forget.... Eugene told me that day that he expected me of all people to know answers to his questions when he calls the physical church building. That with sitting at that desk in particular, I should know every single thing that goes on in the church 24/7. Cough. Choke. Cough.

Ring. Ring. His name is Eugene. And honestly, I'm thankful I do not know every single thing. What I do know about Brother G is really rather simple. Christmas is not about any thing that I could purchase for him myself. The best gift came some 2000 plus years ago. And He was/is better than a wide screen TV.

Prayer Request.

Ms. E's son-in-law had his grand dad pass away. Please pray for all involved.

Ms. E. is a wonderful mother-in-law... She is taking the afternoon off from working at the local church building to help take care of the five grand kids.

Things change in a flash. Now their phone won't ring every night at 6:30 p.m. To some that might have seemed like a bother. They cherished it.

Please pray. Thank you.

Moments of Thanks.

Every day.... there are moments of thanks and individuals to be thankful for. Here are a few for today:

1) A man named Bob. He handled the widow woman on the other end of the phone with dignity.

2) A man named Taylor. His time today with hubby helped the future not seem so far away.

3) A man named "Camey's husband"..... lol Even though he is in the big city all day today and won't be home until later tonight.... he has listened to his wife every single time he has called. Really listened.

4) Two men... David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons. unChristian is more than worth the read.

5) ______________ (fill in your name)

Have you been thankful at least once today? And if not, why?

"Situational Christianity"

Over the course of the last few months, this is a term I've used more and more to relate to various things happening with individuals.

What does it mean?

That a situation in an individual's life has changed; and, therefore, they have changed their thoughts and beliefs on Christianity to try to justify their actions.

This is especially true of a growing generation of ........

Senior citizens.

Ex: A man or woman who was married for years. Their spouse passed away. They had a good marriage and took care of their spouse in sickness and health. Now, they believe they are entitled in a sense to do whatever they feel like doing with another individual that they claim to love and care about. To quote an individual: "I've graduated from being married in the traditional way. I did my time. Now, I'm free to live with someone and we can consider ourselves married without all that other hassle. I do not care what any one else thinks about it."

Situational Christianity....

His Name is Stephen

Last night hubby, the boys and myself went to the big city. We did a little shopping and then went to a restaurant for dinner. That's where we met Stephen. He was our server.

It was very obvious that he was having a difficult night. The table to my left, he give them our ticket by mistake. He forgot to order our appetizer and never brought hubby his soup. Hubby ended up eating only salad for dinner. The couple behind us were there with their third child... a baby just a few weeks old. He brought them their food before he ever brought their drinks. His pain was more than evident.

Hubby, with the same mercy and grace he showed last Saturday night with dinner, never mentioned to Stephen about the appetizer or his soup. Stephen realized about the soup when he was starting to clear dishes from our table. He kept apologizing over and over. Hubby told him not to worry about it, that he wasn't all that hungry when we came in any way.

Early on in our time with Stephen, I had mentioned that we do not have one of those restaurants where we live. Stephen had asked what was the special occasion that brought us out... family time was our answer. He smiled. As he continued to clear some of the dishes and had taken care of our ticket..... he told more of his story to us.

He has only been in the big city for a month. He followed his x-wife and their two children there. They've been divorced since June, but have started dating each other again. She got a great paying job, and so there he was as well. When I asked how could we be praying for him specifically, he almost fell over the chair he was leaning against. He asked for us to pray for him..... he wants to get his act together not just for her and the kids but because he realizes he needs to for himself. "I'm 31. I've always had a mother, a girlfriend or a wife to do every single thing for me. I need to learn how to take care of myself and stop being like a child."

He also would love to own, operate, and cook for his own restaurant some day. He said he realized that he needed a lot of help to ever come any where close to that dream. He thanked us and looked a bit more refreshed as we were leaving. Truth is... we did not need the appetizer to begin with either. And he did not charge hubby for his salad.

His name is Stephen. Please pray for him..... his x-wife and their two children. Let us serve up some prayers on their behalf.