Saturday, December 24, 2005

Monday, December 05, 2005

This Is Beautiful

THIS IS BEAUTIFUL ......AND YOU WILL CRY... for sure you'll cry

Sally jumped up as soon as she saw the surgeon come out of the operating room She said: "How is my little boy? Is he going to be all right? When can I see him?"

The surgeon said, "I'm sor! ry. We did all we could, but your boy didn't make it.."

Sally said, "Why do little children get cancer? Doesn't God care any more? Where were you, God, when my son needed you?"

The surgeon asked, "Would you like some time alone with your son? One of the nurses will be out in a few minutes, before he's transported to the university."

Sally asked the nurse to stay with her while she said good-bye to son. She ran her fingers lovingly through his thick red curly hair.

"Would you like a lock of his hair?" the nurse asked.

Sally nodded yes. The nurse cut a lock of the boy's hair, put it in a plastic bag and handed it to Sally. The mother said, "It was Jimmy's idea to donate his body to the university for study. He said it might help somebody else. "I said no at first, but Jimmy said, 'Mom, I won't be using it after I die. Maybe it will help some other little boy spend one more day with his Mom." She went on, "My Jimmy had a heart of gold. Always t! hinking of someone else. Always wanting to help others if he could."

Sally walked out of Children's mercy Hospital for the last time, after spending most of the last six months there. She put the bag with Jimmy's belongings on the seat beside her in the car.

The drive home was difficult. It was even harder to enter the empty house. She carried Jimmy's belongings, and the plastic bag with the lock of his hair to her son's room. She started placing the model cars and other personal things back in his room exactly where he had always kept them. She laid down across his bed and, hugging his pillow, cried herself to sleep.

It was around midnight when Sally awoke. Laying beside her on the bed was a folded letter. The letter said:

"Dear Mom, I know you're going to miss me; but don't think that I will ever forget you, or stop loving you, just 'cause I'm! not around to say I LOVE YOU. I will always love you, Mom, even more with each day. Someday we will see each other again. Until then, if you want to adopt a little boy so you won't be so lonely, that's okay with me. He can have my room and old stuff to play with But, if you decide to get a girl instead, she probably wouldn't like the same things us boys do. You'll have to buy her dolls and stuff girls like, you know. Don't be sad thinking about me. This really is a neat place Grandma and Grandpa met me as soon as I got here and showed me around some, but it will take a long time to see everything. The angels are so cool. I love to watch them fly. And, you know what? Jesus doesn't look like any of his pictures. Yet, when I saw Him, I knew it was Him. Jesus himself took me to see GOD! And guess what, Mom? I got to sit on God's knee and talk to Him, like I was somebody important. That's when I told Him that I wanted to write you a letter, to tell you good-bye and everything. But I! already knew that wasn't allowed. Well, you know what Mom? God handed me some paper and His own personal pen to write you this letter. I think Gabriel is the name of the angel who is going to drop this letter off to you. God said for me to give you the answer to one of the questions you asked Him 'Where was He when I needed him?' "God said He was in the same place with me, as when His son Jesus was on the cross. He was right there, as He always is with all His children.

Oh, by the way, Mom, no one else can see what I've written except you. To everyone else this is just a blank piece of paper. Isn't that cool? I have to give God His pen back now. He needs it to write some more names in the Book of Life. Tonight I get to sit at the table with Jesus for supper. I'm, sure the food will be great.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I don't hurt anymore. The cancer is all gone. I'm glad because I couldn't stand that pain anymore and God couldn't stand to see me hurt so much,! either. That's when He sent The Angel of Mercy to come get me. The Angel said I was a Special Delivery! How about that?

Signed with Love from: God, Jesus &Me.

Let's see Satan stop this one.
Take 60-seconds and send this to five other people, within the hour, you will have caused a multitude of believers to pray to God for each other. Then sit back and feel the Holy Spirit work in your life for doing what you know God loves.

Friday, November 18, 2005

TN/KY Tornado

You know it's going to be an interesting day when Paris, TN and Madisonville, KY make the national news on the same day. Paris being the home of Acappella Ministries and the warehouse. Madisonville being the hometown of Bruce, Rhonda & Will Coleson, and family still live there.

I checked in with the weather channel about third thing on my morning list Wednesday. Tuesday night had been an uneasy one for us here in Alabama as a front of storm weather was expected and showed up in the wee hours of the morning. Fortunately, we did not have the bad weather other areas further north suffered from that front. Regardless, waking to sound of loud thunder and hard rain will get your attention. I grew up running to the basement and for all of my adult life, have not had a basement. Anyway, the weather channel. Well, lo and behold, they had Paris, TN and video of workers at a plant there in town who had weathered the storm as the building was destroyed. I picked up the phone to check on Ryan at the Acappella warehouse. He was fine and we had no damage but then asked me about my home town of Madisonville, he thought they'd been hit. Well, I signed off with Ryan and with one hand was dialing my sister in laws' house, the other was typing in The Messenger website to check the news. Reached both at about the same time. Wow.

Family is all fine but some friends have lost everything and Madisonville has a mess. Looks like the south/east side of town had extensive damage and the twisters jumped the parkway and continued to damage areas further east. No deaths in Hopkins County but one in Marshall County near Benton. The weather service being able to forecast and monitor the storms saved a lot of lives Tuesday afternoon. Sounds like it hit the area about 3:30pm and some came out of their homes with all the other walls and roofs gone except the one they were holed up in. I checked today and some are still without power, the rest are cleaning up the mess. It's gonna take a while. Some lost everything. Reminds us of just how temporary all 'this' is. Share a few hugs today. You never know when you're gonna need the reservoir.

Friday, November 11, 2005

The Guyana travel challenge

What can I say? What a day it was and now a new one starts. Thursday was a challenge, in that one of my guys, Robin, wasn't allowed to board his flight to Miami this morning, leaving at 6:27 a.m. We're still not quite sure why the AA flight was denied him but do know, we serve a God who can get anything done, working through our feeble minds, and in grand fashion.

Robin spent his day at the Nashville airport. There is no telling how many people passed him today hurrying to their intended destinations. I wonder what they thought, observing this quiet gentle person deal with a most uncomfortable situation. For you see, not only did he not make it to Miami, he missed his scheduled flight to Georgetown, Guyana SA as well. For Robin would not be traveling with the rest of Acappella on this day. Just when we think the dominoes will all fall, God makes a way.

The day was spent making phone calls, scouring the internet flight sites, negotiating with airline ticket counters and then, redirecting our attention to the north, for no seats were available from Miami this evening. The planes are full. The only AA flights available to New York seemed to route through Dallas/Ft.Worth and the cost was steep, $1280 +. Plus the ticket counter wouldn't take my credit card, for you see, I would have to be there in person on the flight day or Robin would have to have cash to hand over for the purchase. Robin spends his day at the Nashville airport with no credit card and about $50 in his pocket. Hmm, what to do. I admit to pondering out loud to the Lord today. How do we fix this?

Thursday I learned that Southwest will let me book a flight using my credit card from my office in Alabama, on the day of the flight. And so, Robin had a flight headed for Islip, leaving at 4:45pm, arriving at 7:50 pm., less time than the AA flight thru Dallas and for $173.70. Now that is something. A flight for the morning is secured from JFK taking Robin to Georgetown, Guyana. Now, to figure out how to get him from the Islip airport over to a hotel close to JFK. I find one that will take my credit card and has a shuttle to the airport. I'm also concerned that Robin isn't traveling with enough funds to get himself from Islip to the hotel, so I call upon my Vocal Union friend, Brian Wiersma, who calls upon Nic Gaultney to take Robin some more pocket money. Bro. Brian has helped me out before but that's another story for another day. Thanks Brian & Nic.

In the meantime, my sister, Monda, calls in and learns of the dilema of the day. I ask her if she knows anyone on Long Island since she travels to New York regularly for Dillards. It is her birthday and she is shopping this day with our sister, Sonda, at Dillards in Little Rock. They recall that Nick Hamilton, a minister at Pleasant Valley Church of Christ in Little Rock, goes to Brooklyn often and knows good people there. Sonda calls Nick. Guess what? That very night Bill Johnson is scheduled to drive to Islip airport to pick up Chuck Monan, another minister from Pleasant Valley, heading to Harlem to preach, if I understood correctly. Big Bill was also planning to be at JFK the next morning. Now Islip is about 54 miles from JFK, and Bill is planning to be there already. A $150 cab ride will not be necessary. The Lord provides a friendly Christian brother, driving a van, coming to the airport, to be His hands and feet for Robin. And so, Big Bill calls me tonite, to let me know that he has our Robin, has already fed him, and all is well.

And so, it was a long busy day. We pray for Robin's good night of sleep, for he has earned it and for his safe, smooth travel Friday, where he will arrive and walk on stage and sing with Acappella this night. God must surely have something special happening in Georgetown, Guyana this weekend. For you know, He has been mighty busy putting all the pieces, bringing all the people together to make it all happen. And, we count ourselves blessed to have been in the middle of the moment, watching Him work it all out, for our good. He is a faithful God.

Peace!

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

All That I Need by Acappella is in my cd player these days. It's the message I need as I adjust to the empty nest. Will is off to school at Oklahoma Christian University. We're so proud of him but miss him dearly.

Thanks,
Rhonda

Tuesday, February 01, 2005

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.
THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
FOUR. When you say, "I love you," mean it.
FIVE. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.
SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.
EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much. NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.
TEN. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.
TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.
THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"
FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
FIFTEEN. Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.
SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.
EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.

Friday, January 21, 2005

In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me. Psalm 86:7