Art work

Walker was asked by a church to do some art work for a series on Nehemiah. They originally wanted a full comic book, which Walker was really excited about putting together. I think when they realized how much work it was going to involve and how much time they decided on some other options. The church printed out movie sized posters and are using his art work on their website www.prestontrail.org . Go check it out!

Doing Life Together

I miss life groups! One thing about living this far out is that the programs and opportunities for involvement are more limited and not as varied as being closer to the metroplex would be. Walker and I have talked to a few of other couples about developing a “life group” type group in Wolfe City. We have noticed that we have to do a lot of explaining about what it is, why it meets in a home, etc. These are very valid questions and when I was first introduced to the concept, I definitely wondered about all of the logistics. Over the next few days I’ll be breaking down what a life group is and painting a picture about how to go about implementing a life group.

Walker and I have been privileged to be a part of a couple of different life groups. While attending a church in Frisco, the church had three or four service times to choose from and had in attendance 500-750 people per service, sometimes more. In place of Sunday school they offered life groups. I have seen this offered in other churches and love the way it works out. When we expressed interest in joining a life group, we were paired with a group that had similar life circumstances, were approximately in the same stage of life, and whose location was in close proximity to our neighborhood. The first group we were paired with was when we were expecting Remy. The host house was within walking distance of our own home, and there were three other couples that agreed upon a meeting time, agreed upon food & drink, and agreed upon a mode. I’ll break all of these down into more detail in just a moment.

The second group we were paired with was a few weeks after Remy was born. Two of the other couples had newborns or were pregnant. This group ended up being an ideal fit for us and we stuck with this group for about a year, before we moved. This was a group of church leadership and constantly used the phrase “doing life together” as a way to describe our group, what we were doing when we met, etc. We are doing life together.

There is something that is truly apostolic about believers gathering with their families in a home to break bread and do life. We started a group in our home that met for the first time a couple of nights ago. It’s just a couple of families who have agreed to gather every other week. It is not associated with a church. I’ve been asking myself a lot of questions regarding the group.

What is a life group? Is a life group always associated with a church? What are the functions and expectations within the group? Does it take the place of Sunday school? Is it in addition to Sunday school or Wednesday activities? Is it a Bible study? Is it a devotional? Is it prayer or worship or encouragement or support?

Something More: Defining a Life Group

Things I am seeking: friendships, accountability, family time, sharing our home, swapping recipes, gleaning from others’ life experience, having meaningful adult conversations involving Christian life, praying for the needs of others in our community.

Several years back I went with a group to Germany to teach English to German students. The big draw for the Germans was coming to learn English from Americans. Built in to every evening was a time of worship, prayer and a message. In German it was called “Etwas Mehr” , “Something More” in English.

I’m not sure if the group that is emerging in our home is a life group, and I still have many unanswered questions. However, I do know that it is the “Something More” that I’ve been seeking.

WCMS Drum Corps

I’d like to brag on my husband a little…okay, a lot. He asked permission at the end of last year to start a drum line in the middle school. It took some negotiating but our superintendent and principal agreed to the start up and Walker has been diligently and fervently working on putting this together to offer our 7th and 8th graders as an alternative to athletics. They will be playing at 4 home games this season. The drums came in last night from the repair shop! (last week - I wrote this but forgot to post it) The students have 1 week. ONE WEEK. Before the first game. About half of the nights over the last 2 weeks I haven’t seen Mr. P until 10 pm after he gets in from working on drumline stuff. He is very dedicated and excited about this new endeavor and the town is geared up to hear what he can do with these young musicians. This is the only music program our district offers. When the Elementary school heard what he is doing they started a music appreciation class for K-5.

I would love to be able to post pictures and video of the drumline but without the permission of all of the parents and students involved that could be a real hassle. I certainly would think twice about my own children’s teacher posting stuff on the internet about them….and for good reason. I would like to invite you all to come out and watch a game or two, if you can. This is not for our high school team, it is for the middle school. Their games are on Thursday afternoons at 5:30. This year Walker decided to focus on rifts for touchdowns and cheers with the cheerleaders. Next year there may be a halftime show, but getting it started this year he decided to focus on basics. There is usually a concession stand with food and drink. Our school colors are blue, black and white. There are 8 instruments (drums, percussion) and 10 students in the class, some alternates.

The first performance was tonight, and I know the students were ready and able to show off their groovin'.

If you make the trip out I will even throw in a bonus tour of our parsonage!