God Has Spoken Again ... Pre-Approval (PA)!

Dear Lia Faith,

We have been praying that God would show us your face for so many months now. And it has seemed like an eternity since we acted on His plan to try to find you. We’ve completed a lot of paperwork and we’ve prayed a lot and we’ve waited a lot. Suddenly, God has decided that the time is now. And we couldn’t be more excited! The past month seems to have happened completely in a single day that lasted for year. Sleep has been a commodity in short supply. Uncertainty has been present in record quantities. God is at work in an awesome way here at the Greens and we’re doing our best to keep up and keep obedient. His plans are unfolding before our very eyes and our choice is to participate or question His desires. We choose to participate, be obedient, and wait for His blessings, ever hopeful that we’ve made prayerful decisions and that God is pleased. We have seen pictures of you and don’t know how we ever made it this long without you in our lives. Lily Grace already loves you and keeps asking about you and when she will get to play with you. We need to tell you this story so that one day, you will know how God planned for you to come home with us and be our daughter forever.

Somehow, we’ve known since Lily Grace came home that she’d one day have a sister to play with and to keep her company and to share life with as time passed. We just kept it inside us, wondering if it was just us, or if it was truly God’s plan. Friends kidded us when we brought Lily Grace home that we should just go ahead and adopt again immediately. If only they knew, there are no more quarters under the seat cushions. No loose change lying around to accumulate into a small fortune. We laughed outwardly, but inside we knew that could be God’s plan. And so we waited. After having Lily Grace home for a year, we went back to Lifeline to complete her one year post adoption assessment. While we were there, we asked about adopting again. Your friends at Lifeline were very excited, but didn’t want to seem too forward. They wanted to make sure that it was our idea, not theirs. I’m sure that they would like to see every one of their families enjoy multiple adoptions, but they wait on God to make the call.

To be honest, at the time I didn’t know how we’d possibly do this again. The financial and emotional aspects seemed overwhelming. And the process had changed and was continuing to change. If there was one constant, it was change! But, we just kept praying and waiting on God. We asked Him if we should adopt again and He said Yes and that we should name you Faith, to be a constant reminder, not only in our lives, but yours also, that He is Lord and everything and everyone is His. Including you.

Austin really liked the name Faith and thought it went well with Lily’s middle name Grace. Connie picked out your first name Lia. I got to choose Green as your last name – original, don’t you think? Then, He started opening doors and making provisions for you. When I began asking “How, God, can we do this,” God said “Don’t worry about how, I’ve got it covered.” And He has. He has provided everything we have needed financially and He has loosened emotions within us to help us see why He wants this done. Suddenly, the company I work for started an adoption assistance program and provided the financial tools and instruments to make this happen. It is becoming apparent that when we finally get to bring you home, it will be God’s doing and not ours. He has provided everything and we have been blessed.

So, back to that year-long day that lasted a month. It all started when we attended the Memorial Service for Maria Sue Chapman, Steven Curtis and “Mary Beth” Chapman’s youngest daughter who was called home at such a young age. Maria Sue was a little girl born in China and destined to become an American girl, just like you. We don’t know why things happen as they do, especially when they happen to someone so precious as Maria Sue. Only God knows that to its fullest extent and I’m so thankful that He doesn’t burden His children with such heavy loads. The day before the service, Connie told me we had to go and I was reluctant. She said that since Steven Curtis Chapman had such an impact on us during our adoption of Lily Grace, that we should go. But Maria Sue’s service was a family and invited friends service, I told Connie. A private, family affair. And besides, I didn’t think I’d be able to sit through what I thought would be such a difficult thing. Connie's persistence eventually won out and we attended the service, Austin and Lily Grace in tow. By the way, the last time your mommy was so adamant about us attending something was the night we met another “Mary Beth,” the first little Chinese born American girl to run away with our hearts. Mary Beth was a little 3-year old girl whose father was speaking at Isom’s Chapel one night about his service in Iraq. Connie didn’t know about Mary Beth or her father, but knew that we were supposed to be there. This little Mary Beth was used by God to help us see His plan that would eventually bring Lily Grace into our family.

Maria Sue’s service was absolutely was about Him and His little girl, Maria Sue, with whom He was now celebrating, and we were allowed to be there in the background observing and being taught. He insisted that we see this powerful Faith through the Chapman family and take notice and learn from it. It didn’t even occur to us that there was a reason for us being allowed to be there. Duh? God must be so disappointed sometimes that He puts something right before us and we simply miss it. So, now another “Mary Beth” was a part of God’s plan to shape our family again. In this case, a mother who had just experienced the loss of her youngest child, taken Home at such an early age. And this time, God was showing us an indescribable Faith. “See My children’s Faith,” God seemed to be imploring us. “Even in the days of still mourning their loss, they have Faith to praise and worship Me, for I know the plans I have for you” He seemed to say.

Mary Beth and Steven Curtis’ Faith in God was absolutely overpowering and could in no way be dismissed or misunderstood. When God teaches, He teaches! God was beginning to work on building up our Faith for what He had planned next and He needed to have us there as part of His plan. Of course, we were unaware, and unsuspecting at the time, that He had planned something so miraculous, but needed to teach us a few things first. And to prepare us for something He would ask us to do in just a few short weeks. When we came home from that service, God continued to work on us. Even to the point of having me “preaching” to the church about a need to increase our Faith. We had long since decided to name you “Lia Faith,” not even thinking about how close the name was to “Leap of Faith.” God knew different.

So now, God had things in place and moving really fast. We got all of our paperwork completed in May and sent it to China to be reviewed to see if we would be allowed to adopt again. This step is called DTC, or Dossier to China. With all the changes in the adoption program for China, we had every reason to think that we’d probably wait another year before we would be blessed to meet you and see your face. But God had put us on the fast track and was beginning to line things up. I'm certain that He was thinking of you all along. Our paperwork was accepted by China and we were granted a Log in Date, or LID, pretty quickly. And while we were waiting on that, God decided to go ahead and show us His power and glory. And he decided to lead us to His fountain through a child – sound familiar? One night, Connie asked Lily Grace what she wanted for her birthday and she said “A picture!” Connie asked her “A picture of what?” And then Lily Grace spoke words that could come from only God, given what would happen next. Lily’s response was “A picture of Lia!” Of course, we didn’t understand or even think about what that meant. “Oh woe is me, oh Lord, for you have spoken yet again and I have failed to hear.” Oh, that was cute, we thought. The very next day, barely 12 hours later, Lifeline called us to say “Please, would you review this file we have. It is a file for a little girl in China who needs a home. There are pictures for you to look at. But we need your answer tomorrow.”

And just like that, God had shown us our daughter, Austin and Lily Grace’s sister, choosing to reveal her to us through Lily Grace. And now, we begin the process to bring you home. Today, that process was shortened yet again by a God who knows we can’t wait to see you. On Friday, June 27, 2008, we were granted a pre-approval, or PA, another important step in the journey. Only a few short months now until we hold you in our arms and thank Him for allowing it. In the meantime, we are praying for you every day. We have done a little research and have learned that your name means "To Praise, Glory and High Honor!" Wow, we are stunned and in complete awe of an awesome God, who even chose to have you named in His honor, both in your native Chinese and in English. See you soon, sweet tater!

Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, and Lily Grace
Green, Party of Four – and You’ll Make Five!


A special note to all of our friends. In deference to CCAA and due to certain other concerns, we have decided that we will not be able to post pictures of Lia Faith to this site unless the site becomes restricted. Since we have essentially used this site as our family happenings journal since we came home with Lily Grace, we do not wish to make this site restricted. Therefore, we are creating another site, Green, Party of Five, for updates on Lia Faith. We will restrict access to that site. You are all welcome to request access by sending an email or commenting to this post. While we certainly want everyone to share with us in the joy of bringing Lia home, we have been advised to be cautious about what we share and we don't want to do anything that might jeopardize our adoption. We will show pictures of Lia Faith on the new restricted site and hopefully this will allow all of our friends to see pictures of Lia, without them being disseminated to all users of the internet. We hope to have the site working in a few days. And then we will show pictures.

It's Official! We Have an LID!!!

"So Let's Dance and Celebrate!"

"Austin Gathers the High School Band to Celebrate the News!"

With every passing day, we inch a little closer to being able to wrap our arms around a little sister for Austin and Lily Grace. Her name is Lia Faith and she waits for us just as we wait for her. The other day, Austin remarked "We need to hurry up and bring Lia Faith home or somebody's gonna burst with all this emotion!" I couldn't have put it better myself (and I think a couple of us have already burst, some of us more than once!). But we know that God is arranging things in His time and according to His plan. And so we wait. Others have certainly waited longer and continue to wait. And we pray for them and thank God for their demonstration of Faith in His plans.

"Aunt Martha Drives Up from Mobile to Celebrate!"

In the course of our preparations for bringing home our little Lia Faith, we have had a very exciting and very emotional past few weeks. Long nights spent praying for God's direction, trips to doctors' offices to learn of things we'd never before heard about, and late night exchanges of critical information that had to be in a certain place by a certain time with a certain accuracy. Through all this, we have learned that our little planet is not really that big when God gets involved. Unfortunately we cannot say much more about our exciting news right now. But one day soon, we hope to be able to share more of the good news we've been receiving. And to tell you about the miracles and amazing things God's already done and is doing, even now, to bring Lia home. It's very difficult to explain the emotions to which Austin was referring and the awkwardness of asking someone to pray for circumstances which you cannot share. But, we have made a decision based on a little information, a lot of prayer, and a supply of Faith. And we're excited to see how God's plan now unfolds. We'll tell you more when we are able.

"Walking and Talking About Lia Faith"

In the meantime, we learned this week that our Dossier was received by the Chinese Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA) and we were granted an official Log In Date (LID for all the Adoption Acronym junkies!). The CCAA received our DTC and reviewed it quickly to grant us an LID. Now I know my ABCs, next time won't you BLOG with me! May 29th, 2008 is a day that we will always remember as the day that CCAA became officially aware of our intention to follow God's heart and bring home one of His little children. A day that CCAA noted that they have more work to do, preparing for yet another adoption. LID, May 29th, 2008.

Every day we inch a little closer to bringing home our little Lia Faith. Please pray with us and for us, that we may see God's plan brought to fruition before somebody bursts!

Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, Lily Grace, and Lia Faith
Green, Party of 5ive

A Worthy Cause ... and a Round of Golf

Every year, Lifeline Children's Services hosts a Celebrity Golf tournament and this year, they asked us if we'd like to volunteer to help. Of course, if you've read much of the writings and ramblings on this site, you know by now that we think Lifeline placed the moon in its earthly orbit. Lily Grace is with us today because, first of all, God had planned it that way, but also in no small part due to the efforts of the Lifeline staff. And now, we are blessed to be waiting for another little angel, Lia Faith, who has also benefitted from Lifeline's dedication to children. So there was no question. Of course we'd help. And since Austin is such an avid golfer, we knew that he'd fall in line and do his share. What we didn't know was how much fun we'd have, especially Austin. But then the day arrived for the tournament and ...

There's absolutely no way I have time to take off work, I thought to myself Monday morning. With three projects, no four, waiting to be finished in June and with a significant new project set to get started, I simply had too much work to do. Customers and employees were depending on me. Ditto for Connie. Deadlines and end dates. Meetings and working sessions. All lined up like the cars of a Southern freight train. And so what did we do Monday? We got off the train for a day. We took the day off!! And spent it with some of our new best friends. Best friends because they work tirelessly for the benefit of children they've never met. Best friends because they volunteer to support a cause for children they will never know. Best friends because I see them now and know of the contributions they have made and are making to bring our children home. Children who need an angel working on their behalf, without whom they would have very little hope. Left to wonder whether they belong in a world that seemingly doesn't know they are there at all. Best friends toiling away to make the lives of children better in any way they can. That's why we like to think of them as our best friends.

So, even with the customers calling my cell phone as we arrived at the golf course in Birmingham, I didn't flinch. "Hey Karla, oops hold on a second while I answer this - yes I can go to Washington Thursday, but I have to go now, I am busy." Stick to the plan. Tell them no, we have other priorities today. I'm already in Birmingham, a hundred miles away. I can't be bothered right now.

That was really cool, but don't tell my boss I did that. On second thought, go ahead and tell him. Fortunately, he understands, having adopted a little girl of his own a few years back. And Connie's boss? Couldn't ask for better. God knows where our heart is and so He makes a way for us to pursue that, even on a busy workday.

So, we got to catch up with Anna and Karla and visit with Lauren again. We met two new friends, Crissy and Kristin - I hope they don't mind me posting the picture, but here they are smiling beneath the Lifeline banner. Crissy and Kristin worked diligently to make sure things went according to His plan. There were certainly many other volunteers, God's army clad in blue and bearing the battle slogan Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Hope and a future for His children. Indeed God does have a plan and He has Lifeline Children's Services hard at work on that plan!

The coolest thing of the day - ask Austin. He was privileged to caddy for John Croyle, you know, he of the Big Oak Boys and Girls Ranch and father to Brodie Croyle. Drove him around all afternoon, ate dinner with him. Even got to putt and drive and chip a little using John's clubs (oops, ignore that, scorer's table!).

Austin had a great time and was blessed to spend the day with an awesome Christian man chatting about golf, football, and life -what a cool day for a young teenage boy.


In the course of this day, we met several more of our Lifeline friends, angels doing God's work. We met one lady who had been foster parent to over 50 children since starting her ministry a few short years back. Over 50 children!!! God Bless Her. We also met two new interns with Lifeline - smart move interns, absorb all you can! As an added bonus, we got to mingle with lots and lots of former Alabama and Auburn athletes. And most importantly, we got to see how God works in developing funds for Lifeline to carry out His plans. FYI, John Croyle is one funny man and auctioneer, though he may have a few broke (ex)friends today!

Thank you Lifeline for letting us hang out with you. I hope we weren't in the way too much! And thank you to all those who participated, athletes from Alabama and Auburn who know a good cause when they see it (a round of golf and a steak dinner notwithstanding).

Oh, what about Lily, you ask? She spent the day drinking Sun Drop with Papaw. But Papaw wasn't allowed to drink Sun Drop "cause he would be wild" according to Lily Grace.

Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, and Lily Grace (and Lia Faith, out there somewhere)
Green, Party of Five

A Lesson in Faith ...

and A Reminder that God is in Control.

Sometimes we become so entrenched in our daily routines and the complexities, such as they are, of our lives, that we forget that these lives actually belong to God, Himself, and not to us. He created us ... for His pleasure, not our wishes, whims, and desires. The world provides so many opportunities to get distracted and stray from His plan and His truth. And so we trek along on our paths, claiming God's blessings along the way and questioning why things we deem bad happen to us. And what about Faith? Are we not continually stockpiling this precious commodity for the rainy day that is sure to come? With a certainty that only He knows, God shows up and implements the next phase of His plan. Sometimes, we're pleasantly surprised at His script and sometimes we are shocked, left to ask questions for which we will not find easy answers or even any answers at all. And that's when our Faith becomes important. Doesn't His Word tell us in Romans 8:28 that "All things work for the good of those that love Him?"

Connie, Austin, Lily Grace and I drove to Nashville today to attend the funeral for Maria Sue, youngest daughter of Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman. By now, all of you know the sad, tragic event that occurred in the Chapman family. You know the details and I am sure you are in deep prayer for the Chapmans in their time of remembering their precious Maria Sue. I did not want to go, but Connie kept saying that we should since Steven Curtis Chapman has been such an inspiration to us during our adoptions of Lily Grace and Lia Faith. That we should stand with the Chapmans and for them in their time of need. I said that should be private, with only family members and invited guests. But after much discussion and prayer, I agreed (around midnight last night) that we would go. I had no idea that God had laid out plans for a lesson in Faith for all of us. It turns out that a large number of others also decided they would go and God had His plan for this day's lesson in Faith and Worship all mapped out. It wasn't about anybody or anything but Him, and Faith in His plans.

On this day, God allowed us to participate with the Chapmans in a Worship service that lasted nearly three hours and along the way, He showed us a powerful Faith that lives within Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman and all their children. He used this immeasurable Faith to His Glory in the day's lesson. We sang, we cried, we sang some more. We laughed, we cried, then we sang some more. We heard the Gospel and the blessings of this great truth and we cried with joy knowing that Maria Sue had met her Jesus. We sang, we cried, and then we cried some more. We heard stories from many of the Chapmans, including Steven and Mary Beth, and learned more than we ever knew about the miracle of Maria Sue. We thank the Chapmans for being so open and sharing their memories of Maria Sue and the intimate, tender emotions that describe their world in her passing.

It's funny, every time I think I've got this blessing thing figured out, God has to set me straight. We thought we were paying our respects and that our being there amongst all the other well wishers and comfort givers would somehow help the Chapmans see the impact they have had on so many lives. You know, a show of force for the sake of love. Not that they would even know who we were, only that we had come. And God said "Guess what? Here's a blessing for you!" as He held up this most awesome family in the palm of His hand and allowed their Faith in Him to be a blessing and a lesson to us all. Thank you Jesus for that, and thank you for Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman, and for all of their children who demonstrated a Faith that moved mountains on this day.

Please continue to pray with us for the Chapmans and their entire family. And thank you Connie for making sure we attended class today.




Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, and Lily Grace (and Lia Faith, out there somewhere)
Green, Party of Five

DTC!!!

Wonderful news! Our Dossier was sent to China today, so we are now officially DTC - May 20th, 2008! DTC!!!!!! Again. How cool is that? We are ever so slightly closer to a sister for Austin and Lily Grace. The confirmation that this is what God would have us do is all around us. Just like with Lily Grace. I'm not usually an emotional person, but this adoption, even moreso than with Lily Grace, registers a 10.0 on the emotional scale. When I close my eyes and think about Austin and Lily Grace and Lia Faith in the future, I see God, up close and personal. So personal that tears fill my eyes and blur images of two little girls playing together, safe and loved more than anything, observed by a young college student, home for the holidays to spend a few more precious moments with his sisters. Two little girls, comforted and provided for, not by us, but by God, Himself. And the comfort of knowing that when Austin heads off to college in a few years, Lily won't be left behind without a playmate, a soulmate. She will then become the older kid in the house, showing her little sister how things work around here (she already shows us!). Wait a minute, as I write this, it's not Austin who's ventured out, but Lily Grace. Spending the night with Memaw to allow his Mom and Dad to spend some extra quality time with Austin.

Today was a bittersweet day, however. A milestone reached with great joy, yet tempered with sadness. Sadness that so many children in the world's most populated country live, no they simply exist, with little hope for their future. Please don't misunderstand. Obviously, there are hundreds of millions of children who live in China and who are loved by caring and good parents. But there are also many who do not share in the riches of a parent's love. To be sure, the same is true around the world, including here in these United States. And these orphans are the "least of these," the focus of God's plan for our own lives. We have been lead, once again, to adopt from China. We can only bring home one, that's what the paperwork says. One child. One dream. And even now, as the earthquake aftershocks continue to strike fear among the least of these, more and more children are left alone and in desperate need. Yet, I believe God has it in His plans for something extraordinary to emerge from this seemingly hopeless situation. Reaching Back, God's Plan of Salvation for the Lost Children of China, how will we answer His call? Please pray for the people of China in their time of need and celebrate with us that we are now one step closer to walking in God's plan for adding to our family. And know also that this isn't something that we chose to do on our own, nor that we take lightly. Friends will tell you that I said no initially. But then God ... . I can't explain it, but you just know that you know that you know. You know?


While Each Child Cried

A world full of children with bright, happy faces.
Suddenly, noise all around, everything shaking.
No where to run, nowhere to hide.
Just sit silently, while each child cried.

Is this world ending, they must have imagined
As everything they knew around them came crashing.
Try as they might, they couldn't withstand
The shaking and the rumbling of their great land.

Schools without books and lessons undone
Children left wondering and wandering around
Classmates gone in an instant of horror
Those who remain wonder if there's a tomorrow.

Never before have so many felt so helpless.
Never before have so many felt such pain.
Each passing day brings less and less hope.
Each passing day so little to gain.

A child gives his parents a world of hope.
Then taken away in an instant.
No where to run, nowhere to hide.
Just sit silently, while each parent cried.

Please pray for the Lost Children of China. Many of those lost in the recent earthquake in China were children, going about their daily activities oblivious to the danger that would eventually claim their schoolhouse and their lives. Had anyone told them about Jesus, yet? So many times people ask "Why do bad things happen to good people?" None of us know the answer and so we can only offer comfort and encouragement to those at the epicenter of a crisis like this. And from such a distance, we feel so helpless. As parents of children from China, we know beyond a shadow of doubt that these children were good people. And their parents were good people too. Trying to raise their children and do their best for them under the circumstances. Some children lost parents and some parents lost children. For some, there is now no one else. Hopes erased in a moment of unfathomable fear and distress. And what can we do? Everything seems so futile, but yet it is not. Especially if done for His glory. Jesus said that "anything you do for the least of these, you do for me." Anything. And so we are thrilled that we are now DTC and one step closer to receiving the blessings that God has preordained. Anything.

One thing we can certainly do is pray. We can pray and ask God to have mercy on the good people of China and to lift them up in their time of great need. Pray that through this, the Chinese will be able to witness "good works, which He has prepared for us in advance." Pray that relief organizations focus squarely on the needs of the people, letting their "good works" be the only witness to God's great love. We can pray also for the mommies and daddies who now have lost their only child, a child treasured as no other, because he is the hope and the object of their love and for them, there is no other. And pray for the children who remain. Pray that they will be cared for and loved in accordance with God's will.

For the members of Athens Families with Children from China, someone has already mentioned that we should get together and pray for the Chinese and do what we can to help out those many, many people in need. Please, let's pick a date, separate from our June Dragon Boat Races (that's a plug for June!) and pray together and do what we can to help out. Perhaps we can make a donation to one of the orphanages in China as they do their best to provide for the Lost Children of China.

Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, Lily Grace (and Lia Faith, out there somewhere)
Green, Party of Five

Tagged ... A Silly Response

OK, I think the way this works is that somebody answers a few questions about themselves or their lives and then "tags" a few others to respond. I assume the same questions apply, so here goes a response. Silly, I know, but I can't think too seriously of myself.

5 things on my to do list:

1) Learn How to Play White Dove by Casting Crowns on My Guitar. Haven’t heard it? After the last song on “The Alter and the Door” CD, let CD player continue for 2:31. Mark and Megan sing in Korean at the North Korean International Arts Festival. Song is by unknown North Korean author.
2) Get Lily and Lia’s new Bedroom Done, er, I mean Started. First, I have to get it cleaned out. More toys and stuffed animals in there than a late summer county fairground.
3) Build a Putting Green for Austin in the Back Yard – He’s divoting my sod to death! But he loves the game.
4) Fix Connie’s Fountain in the Front Landscape – I’m going to regret bringing this one up. Soon as I finish this, I better go work on that. Maybe she’ll still be napping with Lily til I get done.
5) Teach Austin How to Drive (But Pray First) this summer.

5 snacks I love



1) Strawbabies (That’s Lilyese for Strawberries)
2) Ice Cream
3) Apple Pie (OK, that’s not a snack, but combine with 2 and wow (make sure pie is heated))
4) Orange Blossoms - They only come once per year at Christmas (thanks Memaw) but they are absolute heaven.
5) My Neighbor’s Strawbaby Cake

I were a billionaire-
Ha! God doesn’t have time for that. He knows I wouldn’t know what to do with it. Listen, I’d be like a kid in a candy store. I’ll take some of that, oh, gimme some of those. Oooh, check that out! Don’t spend it all in one place, He would tell me over and over and over. There was a man having a conversation with God once who asked “God, what’s a million dollars like to you?” And God said “A penny.” They continued their conversation and eventually the man asked “God, what’s a million years like to you?” And God said “A minute.” After a little more conversation, the man said “God, can I have a million dollars?” And God said “In a minute!” He knows what we need and what we can handle. But it sure would be nice to try and figure it out, wouldn’t it. “God, can I have a penny?” Beyond the obvious, like giving to our church and making sure all of our family members were taken care of, I would finish paying for our adoption and then anybody else’s who needed help. I would pay for Lily and Lia’s college education (Austin’s is already paid for), because I’m certain I’ll have my billion blown before they make college age. I would probably pay for our house, just in case things got tight (you see, now I’m a billionaire and I’m still thinking like Jed Clampitt). My Upward Ministry would get a significant increase in its budget (budget, Connie says, what budget, you mean My budget?). I would sponsor a 1000 kids through Compassion International - Olvin and Shirley would have 998 new siblings! Check ‘em out at www.compassion.com. And finally, I would buy a strawbaby patch so we could eat strawbabies til we puke!

"Where's Dad?", "I think he's out fixing the fountain?"5 bad habits- 

1) Procrastination
2) I’ll identify the rest of my bad habits later
3)
4)
5)

5 jobs I've had

1) Information Distribution Agent (Paper Boy)
2) Lawn Mower
3) Music Instructor (Guitar)
4) Salesman (My Dad’s Music Store)
5) Engineer

5 Places I've lived

1) Mobile, AL; Spent 6 Months in the Port City When I was, Well 0-6 Months Old
2) Athens, AL; Dad Lost His Job in Mobile, So We Set Out for Chicago to Live With My Grandfather When I was 6 Months Old. The Car Broke Down in Athens and so Here I am!
3) Athens, AL; Lived with Grandmother instead of Grandfather
4) Athens, AL; Connie and I Built Our First House Together
5) Harvest, AL; Connie and I Built Our Second House Together

5 bad habits-the last three 

3) Spending Too Much Time Away from Family (Especially During Upward Season)
4) Worrying Too Much (Worry is the Opposite of Faith)
5) Spending Too Much Time in My World and Not Enough in His Word

(Pretty clever how I managed to only list 4 bad habits. I guess the last one might be not paying attention to instructions).


"Let's Play Tag!"

So, someone has to be tagged for this response to be in full compliance with the rules. Therefore, Jamiesons, Morgans, and Hodges - tag, you're it!

Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, Lily Grace (and Lia Faith, out there somewhere),
Green, Party of Five

Soul Stocked!

As darkness gave way to morning light, I had a feeling that something cool was going to happen that day. But the clouds filling the sky echoed their own prophecy. "Who Am I" to think that something cool would happen today. It looks like rain, not reign. But "This is the Day" that the Lord has made (and I should rejoice and be glad in it), right? I wanted a sunny day and instead, all I got were clouds threatening rain and thunder and muddy fields for my favorite Saturday of the year - SoulStock!

Looks like umbrellas and raincoats might be the order of the day, on this anniversary of one of the coolest gatherings our fair city has ever hosted. Shame on you, Jerry, for I know the plans I have says God. Plans for an awesome day, filled with My believers worshiping and leading others to My truth! And so around noon, an hour before the gates were to open, the clouds' prophecy was dismissed and a beautiful day dawned. A day fit for outdoor activity, a day the Chamber of Commerce would like to bottle for future events and outdoor gatherings.

How is it that God blesses a city the size of Athens with some of the most awesome names in Christian music every year? Audio Adrenaline, Third Day, Kutless, Newsboys, etc ... Wait, I know what it is - it is unity. You see, the music festival is presented by the local churches in Limestone County and all denominations are involved, yet it is not about the denominations, it's about the message of Jesus! And it's presented in a way that is cool to the youth of our community. And its' free. That's right, free. And now, we're seeing youth from as far away as Kentucky show up for this day of worship. But it's not just youth - they even let some of us old-timers in the gates to raise our hands in praise too!

This year's offering consisted of Skillet, Building 429, DecembeRadio, Ohio Avenue, and Alabaster Box. Brother Joel Carwile fired us all up with a fiery message of hope for the future. Skillet was really good, but my head is hurting from all the banging and screaming! If you haven't seen Building 429, do whatever it takes to see them next opportunity. I promise you won't be disappointed. I have seen them three times now and they get better each time. In addition to having some of the best Christian music on the charts, they share a message of giving and of supporting hurting and lost children around the world. Their message was almost as long as their musical performance and encouraged the believers to demonstrate their faith by stepping out on a World Vision and sponsoring a child. Our pastor's wife got to ferry the lead singer and his family to and from the concert site. She said he was stunned at the turnout - well over 18,000. Austin and I quickly became fans of DecembeRadio - they were awesome. Ohio Avenue is definitely an up and coming group. And Alabaster Box has the current Number 1 song on Christian radio - in Australia!

Lily Grace didn't get to go this year, because she was invited to a birthday party with her Grandma Sara and well, you can't take little ones away from their grandma's plans, now can you? If you're not doing anything next May 3, why not plan to come to SoulStock X - it is shaping up as a must see for 2009! And did I mention it's free? I can't wait. See you there next year.




Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, Lily Grace (and Lia Faith out there somewhere),
Green, Party of Five