On Growing Up...

This morning Austin and I had another bonding experience. Since he officially turned 16 yesterday, it is time for the all important step of getting his first real paying job. He called or email the individuals that he hoped would be references for him. Upon their agreement, he filled out his first application. (real mommy moment there... shhh don't tell him I said that. lol)

He proceeded to get himself ready and looked rather sharp. (no, I'm not the slightest bit biased. just speaking the truth according to his mom.) We drove up to the place in which he hopes to work. Since he does not have his license or permit - I got to drive. Sorry, Austin. Good thing I have had a change of plans today work wise... Oh wait, being Austin's chauffeur still is one of my jobs at the moment.

We walked in and spoke to the various managers that were present. Austin will be meeting with the store manager again on Monday to see what they can work out. It is okay for a parent to go with their *cough* child... when asking for and/or turning in their first application. After that... all bets are off unless otherwise directed.

Overall, it was a very positive experience. I'm sure one of these days, Austin, will enjoy sharing how he handled his mommy's growing up days.

Thanks, Austin, for holding my hand. It's easy to look up to you... Oh, wait. I have to any way given your height. Can someone explain to me again HOW that happens?

Prayer Requests

1. Mo...... and her little boy especially...

2. Ms. Mae is having x-rays made this morning. Appears she may have a fracture..... Given her age... that can be bad... She is such an amazing woman. I am privileged to be one of her care givers... The 10th marks the year anniversary of her 88 year-old husband's passing...

3. Ms. Mae's family.... What a dear and precious family.... they are going through so much...

4. "No-name"...... Issues within the leadership of the church he is pastor of.

5. "No-name"...... That he would let go of past hurts and get out there.

A Son and Mom Moment....

On Tuesday afternoon, Austin and his mom went to the foot doctor. We were sitting in the waiting room having a good time talking. We are incredibly blessed with a great relationship with each other... But Tuesday afternoon..... well......

Suddenly... this mom noticed one of the women behind the window checking out her son... I mean totally checking him out... It will remain one of the weirdest moments that he and I have ever shared. Shared? Yes... you see I pointed out to him that she was checking him out. I also later on pointed out to her that he was only 15..... Oh.... I can be such a mommy.....

Yet, it is in openly talking about such things with Austin that makes us closer....... that truly provides the jumping board for real in-depth conversations. Now, I know that some might say that I should have never pointed that out to him. But had I not... we would not be even closer now... this moment... I'd rather be a fool any day than to not have open lines of communication with him.

I have his permission to share this with you. He hopes it will help other parents want to talk with their child(ren)... especially if they are a teenager. He also hopes that it will help teens want to spend time with their parents... You never know what real benefit will come from it..

Oh.... Austin is 16 today! There are times when he teaches me more than I ever could him.

Today! ATTENTION!

Today is the day. I officially put back on the bacon hat on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I will be gone from 8:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

Have you ever tried bacon cooked in the oven? Yummmmmmy. Hubby cooks it that way. lol

ATTENTION: Those who are listed as contributors here... please feel free to post! If you're not listed but would like to.... send me an email at cameybelieves@charter.net

You've been prayed for today...... God is good ALL the time!

Pool. Thunder. Teacher. Her.

The younger boys and I went to the highly secure gated community club pool for one last time this afternoon. After today.... the pool is officially closed for the summer. This summer has definitely been different as far as the pool goes. Why?

Thunder..... Yep. We had only been there a short time AGAIN today... when THAT all too familiar sound was heard not only by yours truly here but by Ben - the main lifeguard. "EVERYBODY OUT OF THE WATER." Good bye pool for the summer. Thank you to all the lifeguards who came every time the pool was open even though it seemed to have been closed more so than not due to the thunder/rain. That is Texas weather for you.. especially THIS summer.

I ran into the little store and walked down to where the bread is kept. There was this woman standing there. She looked at me. I knew immediately who she was but since today is a holiday and school just started... I wasn't going to say a word to her. She turned around and then said, "I know I know your face. I just can't remember which child you belong to." When I told her I was Park's mother.... she began to smile. (Note: THAT'S always a good thing as a parent!) She talked about what an old soul he is... Funny... She has a good handle on him already. We had a good but short conversation... Parker just smiled when I told him who was in the store.... He and Trav were sitting in the van eating lemon chills. They had been on sale in the teen room as we were leaving the pool... Ahhhhh the end of summer.

When walking up to the check out line... I saw her behind the cash register. I've posted about her before. She is a teen, pregnant and yes... of course... single. I asked her how she was doing and we talked for just a bit. She remembered me from the couple of times before. She looks so tired. I know some of it is the strain of standing on her feet all those hours. Yet..... well... that's enough said for now... Please continue to pray her. For while she knows who I am and about the group..... there is that fear of judgement... That's not something she has to worry about with me or the others in the group. That's not my job or theirs...... Please continue to pray for her. Our arms truly are open wide.... His are far wider than ours.

His love is deep. His love is high. His love is long...... His love is wide..... What about yours?

Grateful Offerings.

This morning as I sit here reflecting back over the weekend... and especially Sunday.... Grateful is how I am found the most.

When walking out to the vehicle I drive on Sunday mornings... one of our sound/video guys was with me, Travman and Park. He said to me, "While I was waiting for the service to start, I was looking at everyone in the sanctuary. I looked where you normally sit and found Park immediately. I looked beside him and there you were. WOW! Can you really see all your gray hair from the sound booth." We laughed.... and I was beyond grateful. Why? It was Austin. He has started taking a class called Tech Pro that is taught by our dear Andrew.. Andrew has Austin working with him during the first two services now on Sunday mornings. He will not allow Austin to work the third service because that is when the students have Bible study classes. Andrew is truly being of encouragement to Austin in learning how to use sound/audio in ministry.... and especially in worship. Way too cool.. Thank You, Lord, for Andrew... and yes.. for Austin. Austin turns 16 on Thursday....

The four of us were talking about the morning and laughing while driving to meet some sweet friends for lunch. (Oh... the lawn pastor works some on Sunday afternoons/evenings as needed. It all depends upon whom is requesting him and their schedule as well. So.. he was not with us. Thank You, Lord, for the lawn pastor and the lawns/gardens/lives he tends to.) As I was walking through the buffet line, my face must have been tellin on me... Next thing I know.. the manager, who is a buddy of mine, said to me, "What do you want that you're not seeing?" I told him what I wanted and he brought them out to me... Three pieces of the most delicious Canadian bacon and black olive pizza I've ever eaten. When he was standing there at my table... he said to me, "If your group needs any thing at all, you let me know personally. It is always a pleasure serving anyone you're associated with." Please keep in mind here that I eat with sinners and saints alike. If you know what I mean.... And he knows that.. if they are needing extra food to take home... he always takes care of them. Thank You, Lord, for his servant's heart as well.

The sweet friends we were eating with are such tremendous blessings to our family. We have much in common and the conversations flow with ease. The head of the family is a widow... then there's her two daughters, one married and with kids.. the other single and has worked with my brother for years. Their living arrangement is similar in some ways to our own. The one daughter who is married has two teenage sons that the five of us have a blast hanging out with. Oh... One is Michael S. He shared a testimony here on the blog not long ago. Every single member of that family we've met thus far... it is like we've known them forever and a day.... Thank You, Lord, for the gift of this family. For each individual that is a part of it.....

Later in the afternoon, the phone rang.. It was one of Park's buddies... He had been gone most of the summer and now that school is back in session, he is able to hang again. While it was not originally in my plans for the afternoon/evening... saying no was not in this mom's vocabulary at that moment in time. His mom brought him over... he and Park ran inside and took up where they had left off the last time he was here... I talked with his mom for a while in the driveway.. I won't share the majority of the details... except to say this.. I'm beyond grateful for the house we live in. It is not ours as was the house before... but in so many more ways.. it is the best house we've lived in. Park and G. hung out a few hours, and then Park's dad and mom took G. to find his mom. The highly secure gated community has a celebration at the main clubhouse every holiday... that is where she was found.. G. said he enjoyed riding around with us and talking. I had not called his mom before we left the house... If I had... we would not have had to drive around looking for her. I'm thankful I didn't call first. G.'s face spoke volumes when he and I walked to where his mom was. Thank You, Lord, for plans being changed.. For G. and his family..... for friendships that come with being a child and having children.

After we had found his mom... hubby and I went to the little store... Hoover's girlfriend decided to stay at home... therefore, the woman of the house was expecting dinner. Nothing fancy mind you... We came home and he immediately started cooking everyone in the house dinner. We all sat down together and ate... the six of us... He cooked dinner? Yes, he and I take turns cooking dinner. Thank You, Lord, for a son-in-law/hubby/dad who considers it a blessing to cook for his family. I couldn't ask for him to love You more.... or us....

This morning... these are just a few of my grateful offerings..

What are you grateful for? Stop... and give an offering... of praise and thanksgiving.

Shaken. Stirred. Poured.

Yesterday was the service for Josh Fant at our church. According to Wiley's Funeral Home... it was the biggest funeral Granbury has ever seen. The same, obviously, is true for our SP and our church..... There was standing room only even in our foyer.... Count probably around 1,000 individuals or so... The amount of tears even higher... Weeping.. sobbing... Please continue to pray for his family, friends, our town and our church... Shaken.....

The last couple of days, I've been stirred.... I had been fighting to stay away from a certain type of part time job. As some of you know..... I am a part of the bringing home the bacon for our family. While I am a full-time so many other things... I too work outside our home. It is a conviction of ours that whatever I do outside the home must go hand-in-hand with being a pastor's wife and women's minister. The meeting on Friday was about being a caregiver for a precious woman in her 80's... I start on Wednesday. This particular job is only for the month of September.. Yet, upon calling the family to let them know I would take the job.... a real peace came over not only myself.. but my hubby and my mother about it... While it was okay for me to have some time away from giving someone medicine... bathing them... whatever the case may be... that time is over. This job works well with all the many other hats I wear. I consider it a privilege, honor, blessing and a responsibility to not be taken lightly.... I have no doubt that this amazing woman and her family are just the first to come my way this time... this season....

Today our SP, John, preached on waiting.... I couldn't help but smile and laugh.. That's okay to do... Seriously.. it is.. The summer months I was requested to let go of the bacon hat. I did what was asked.... our schedules were crazy enough on their own... The summer was the waiting. Now it is time to pour out what has continuously been poured inside of me... I am full...

Yesterday at the service for Josh... when I was ministering in the foyer... in walked this woman. We immediately walked over to each other and hugged. She had not forgotten me or our family.... definitely not my daddy.... She works at the hospital he was in... we spent so much time together. She said she had wondered if she would see me at the church... When I told her that daddy had indeed passed on.. she wasn't surprised and said she had continue to pray for our family. She also shared what a difference we had made in her life during that time.... That she had really felt cared for.....

It just goes to show.... One can be a caregiver no matter the circumstances... What truly makes the difference though in the care given is who truly is giving it and where it comes from. My help.... my strength... my HOPE comes from HIM alone.

Where does your help, strength and hope come from?

How long has it been since you've been shaken, stirred and poured....... out?

Josh Fant Memorial Fund

The fund is set up through the First National Bank of Granbury. The following sites have placed donation cans at their locations as well to help this family:

1 Valero (JJ's Fastop at the light by Wal Mart)
1 Wings and more
1 Mr Sparkle
1 Firehouse Café
1 Movie Gallery
2 Mi Familia
2 Montana’s
1 Cotton Patch
1 Grumps
1 Mobil across from Cari's
1 Jovi Wireless
1 Chicken Express

A Meeting.......

Sitting here, right now... this moment... I am beyond thankful. This afternoon hubby and I had a meeting with a family. The circumstances that brought us together are not necessary for me to speak of yet..... What I can say is this......

The Lord works in mysterious ways... I would rather be guilty of seeming like a fool than to not listen to His voice any day....

Lord? What can I do for you?

How long has it been since you've asked the same? Are you willing to look like a fool?

On Grief.....

There are so many hurting right now over the death of Josh Fant. While many find comfort that Josh was a Christian..... naturally that does not completely take away the grief that is felt from the loss of someone special to them.

My sista in Christ, Kat (reGen) left a comment on the last post. I hope you will take the time to read it. Thank you dear woman!

There are stories that tell of grief over losing someone special... My personal favorite story is that of the women who came to Jesus' tomb after he had been beaten and died upon the cross. WHAT? Seriously? Seriously. Why? Had it not been for his death, burial, and then resurrection.... what point would there have been to life? We would have been separated from God forever.... eternity. Not just for a moment.......

The women were the first to find out that Jesus was not there.... HOPE was alive and well.... They came to his tomb expecting to find Him... He was not there.... Death had been conquered! He was truly alive!

In my own personal story of grief.... The fact that Jesus died for me (and you) means more to me than any one else dying... Do I know the pain of losing someone near and dear to me? Yes, my daddy. Do I know the agony of watching him have highs and lows with numerous nights and days spent in the hospital? Yes, I do... Yet, had Jesus not died.... Honestly? It would matter not about my own daddy.

I know you're reading my words and thinking to yourself perhaps.... "Man! Is she ever in denial about her daddy dying." Nah.... My daddy was just a man. An amazing man but still just a man. Jesus is Jesus.... He is/was God. And nothing or no one can compare.

There is grief that comes with the death of someone special. Grief can be overwhelming... no doubt... But it is what we learn from our grief and how we live on in and through grief that counts so much..... Grief can make one bitter... Don't let it keep you that way.....

God is there for you...... And that my friend is the best source of help any one could ever have or receive.

There Is A Time....

The times are as follows:

Visitation... Wiley's, Friday night from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Service....... Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at our church building.

Fant Family Fund:

Friends of the Fant Family have set up a fund to help pay funeral and hospital bills. Please consider donating to this fund. More information coming...

Thoughts:

Last night as we gathered at our church building at 10:00 p.m. - you could cut the grief with a knife and never come out with the sounds like what was heard. From txt msgs to cell phone calls, within a hour, there were over hundreds there.. This is one thing our community and town gets right. We gather together... as one body.

And Shelley and Ryan? Thank you for loving God and loving people... especially students. And pointing them to Jesus.... Josh was a Christian.

Keep praying! Thank you.

Josh Fant. 08-29-07.

Please continue to lift up the family and friends of Josh Fant.

He passed on this evening. His fight is over.

Thank you.

Testimony - Love Granbury - Kayla

Hello, my name is Kayla, and I was one of the many youth that participated in the Love Granbury weekend. The Love Granbury weekend was where youth from different churches across Granbury participated in random acts of kindness throughout the town. We did things such as: mow lawns, highway cleanup, run a full service gas station and help people out with their groceries, just to name a few.

One of the things that I did was hand out water bottles on the square. As we handed them out we would usually say things like, “Jesus loves you!” or “God bless”. Some of the responses that we received were really surprising. We heard people say things from, “Oh, thank you so much, keep living for Christ!” to “What do you mean it’s free? I don’t get it, no really how much is it?”. Some people even stopped to talk to us for awhile, usually saying things like, “Why are you doing this?”, and that just gave us a better opportunity to speak with them about God.

The one other thing that I did was help in the cleanup of yards that were basically destroyed by the floods that came earlier this year. I was amazed to see the horrible condition in which some of these homes were. A few of the homes were actually picked up by the water and moved to the other side of their lot. To mow some of these yards, first we had to clean up all the trash in the yard itself. When the water rose, it was actually in these houses and brought almost everything out into the yard itself. We picked up not only trash, but also in the midst of all the litter were things like, old Polaroid Christmas pictures, and other priceless family pictures that at one time probably meant a lot to the family members who lived there. But all of these items our now sitting in their yard, just waiting to be destroyed by the Texas heat.

I guess that the main thing that I learned from this experience was that this happened in our own city, not another state, not across the world, but in our own city. It really shows you that there are mission opportunities all around us. We just won’t take the time and look for them.
I came into Granbury Love weekend not really knowing what it was all about. In the end, I realized that there are so many people in this world who don’t know our loving Savior. I also learned that you don’t have to go to Africa or some other foreign place to find people who are desperate to know him. I thought that this was a great event, and I hope that we realize that we can do this any day of the year. My prayer is that we would strive every day to reach out and do the little things that make a big difference.

Kayla

Prayer Requests...

Please pray for the following:

1) Josh Fant & all involved..... he has blinked his eyes and nodded. They have found a medicine that they think might help him. He is surrounded by numerous family and friends. And Fox 4 - our local news will continue to follow his story.

2) Found out last night that my mom's brother Joe has prostate cancer. Joe has been a pastor for many, many years. Most of the time as a bi-vocational pastor.

3) A couple of other pastors who are going thru a really hard time right now.

4) Hubby's brother David. I'll leave it that he is a Marine.

5) Joy..... no not a person.... that more individuals will find joy in living life because of Jesus Christ. Not happiness... JOY! (Thanks Leonard)

Stay tuned..... A testimony about Love Granbury from Kayla coming up!

Josh's Story...

Josh Fant's story is going to be on Fox 4 at 9 and 10.

At this moment.. he is still hanging on.. They say there's nothing else they can do for him.

Keep praying!

URGENT Prayer Request Update

Josh Fant is a freshman in college. Within the next hour or two he is expected to pass on.

Please continue to pray for this family and all involved.

Urgent Prayer Request

Please pray for Josh Fant. He passed out during baseball practice last night & is now in a major fight with his body. He is Mo's best guy friend.

Life Itself.

Life Itself is a song by Aaron Shust. As I sat in the parking lot of the front circle of the highly secure gated community waiting for Trav's bus to arrive.... I spent time talking with Lisa via cell phone.

In the midst of her continuing battle with Lyme Disease.... Lisa's love for the Lord is beyond encouraging. While we no longer physically live close..... it is like we're in the room with each other. I'm not really sure who encourages who more.... With the type of real friendship we have.... it can be exchanged freely and without reservation.

I ask that you continue to pray for Lisa and her family. The battle is raging strong right now and the outlook of her husband being without a job in a couple of months is becoming more of a reality.

Life Itself..... Lisa would tell you that the Lord is good to her. Amen Lisa.... Amen!

Keep Singing...

Last night as I was studying.... the phone rang. On the other end of the phone was a woman who I had not talked with in a couple of months. Every time I've thought about stopping by to see her (them).. there's been a vehicle in the driveway. She's given me permission to come by even if she has company but, I try to limit visits like that. So... she rang... I went....



I will not share the details of our conversation except to say..... This woman lives with her husband who has been ill for many years now. While she is physically healthy, she considers herself homebound like her husband. As we sat in the kitchen drinking white tea out of china cups..... I couldn't help but think of a song by Mercy Me called "Keep Singing"......



Her dedication to her husband is beyond words. Yet, it is her love for God that keeps her singing more than any thing else. Actually? I believe it is His love for them both that truly creates the music in the silence.



This color represents the artist in her that uses charcoal to create masterpieces. Some thing she has time for since they are homebound.

It's OFFICIAL!!!!!!!!!!!

Today has found me making a stunning announcement.....










Austin misses his brothers who are back in school today! He's only been up an hour... lol