End of the Semester Break

Well, my month-long hiatus from blogging is nearing it's end. I'm in my exam week at seminary. I still have a couple of papers to finish and one exam left to take. I certainly have a lot of thoughts to share--thoughts that have been gathering over this busy last month. Grace and peace.

Buy My Home

This summer our family will be moving to Newport News, VA in order to plant a new church. So, we need to sell our home. There are a number of ways that you could help us in this process:

1) Buy my home. This would be great for two reasons. We would sell our home and you would get an great home in a great neighborhood. It's a win-win situation.

2) Tell other people about our home. Maybe you know a friend, family member, or co-worker who is looking for a great house in Anderson, SC.

3) Pray for our home to sell. We are confident that the Lord will make it possible for us to move to Newport News. Ask the Lord to bring the right buyers to us.

Coming Soon

For the last week I've been in Virginia doing a number of things: visiting family, preaching, meeting with church planters, hanging out with my church planting team, meeting new people, etc. This has been such an encouraging time and I look forward to sharing more about what God's been doing.

Drinking from a Fire Hose, Week 2

Well, it's time for my second week-long seminary course. Last week I took Church Planting and Renewal (which was great). This week I'll be in Systematic Theology III. These classes require pre-class readings and papers, as well as post-class readings and projects. Modular classes are like drinking from fire hose - lots of information in a short time. Hopefully I'll be able to share some insights that I've taken from these class in the coming weeks.

Another Semester Ends

Thanks to everyone who prayed for me during my week of finals. As always, the Lord's grace and mercy has surrounded me. On Sunday, we'll be arriving in Virginia in order to visit with our family. Be on the lookout for a number of new posts. I've got a lot of thoughts floating around in my head, and I'm sure some of them will make their way to this blog.

Family, Sickness, and Exams

So, I thought that I would be back to regular blogging by now, but that has not happened yet. We had family visiting with us last week for Thanksgiving. Then, over the weekend all of our family was sick. (And we're still recovering). Also, this is my last week of classes before exams. (I don't really want to think about how many papers I need to write or how many exams I need to study for!) I guess the best word to describe life at this moment is: busy. But busy isn't bad. It just means that blogs get neglected for a bit longer. For the two of you who are still reading this blog, I anticipate a return after exams next week. Who knows, maybe a blog post appear before that time. Only time will tell.

Neglected

Between family, ministry, school, and a bit of sickness, this blog has been slightly neglected.

Virginia is for Birthdays

Amy's sister Tiffany is turning 16, so we're going to be traveling to Virginia to celebrate her birthday and enjoy time with family. Unfortunately, since I have class in the morning, we'll be getting a late start on our trip. It usually takes us about 9 hours to make it there. Yet, when you are traveling with young children, trips can sometimes take longer than expected. On one occasion it took us 13 hours to make it home from Virginia! Lord willing, we'll have a quick (and safe!) trip.

Twitter

If you want to follow me on Twitter, you can check out the sidebar of this blog or go directly to www.twitter.com/EMAshley

"We now return to our regularly scheduled programming."

Vacation is over, so I'm now ready to reenter the world of blogging.

Low Tech, Part-Time

Since our family is enjoying some time away for vacation, my blogging will be reduced over the next week. I usually try to go "low tech," so that I can avoid the things that often distract me: internet, cell phone, etc.

Papa's Open-Heart Surgery

My Grandpa went in for a valve replacement this morning at 7:00am. When asked how he felt about the surgery my grandfather said: "If I come out of surgery, I'll be good. If I don't come out of surgery, I'll be good." In his own way, my Grandpa was reminding us that his hope (and ours) is in the Lord. The first question and answer of the Heidelberg Catechism puts it this way:

Question 1. What is thy only comfort in life and death?
Answer 1. That I with body and soul, both in life and death, (a) am not my own, (b) but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; (c) who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, (d) and delivered me from all the power of the devil; (e) and so preserves me (f) that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; (g) yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, (h) and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, (i) and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him. (j)

They began the open-heart surgery at 8:30am and finished at 11:30am. According to the doctor, everything went great. Praise the Lord! Please continue to pray for him as he recovers.

Goodbye Tonsils and Adenoids

Adalynne just finished having her tonsils and adenoids removed. The surgery went great...she's already back at home, resting in her bed. The doctor said that it will be about two weeks before she can resume full activity. The good news for her is that she gets to eat pudding, jello, ice cream, and other yummy food for the next few days. (I'm sure that she won't complain about that!) Thanks to everyone who has taken time to pray for her.

Also, please remember my grandfather in prayer because he'll be having open-heart surgery on Thursday.

Amy's Edible Art

Just in case you missed the link in my sidebar, I wanted to point out that my wife is blogging again. The web address is the same (www.amymashley.blogspot.com) but the name and theme have changed a bit: Amy's Edible Art - A beautiful collision of art, cake, family, and friends. Currently, she's posted pictures of two of her cakes, but there will be more to follow.

Six Years

This past Sunday (May 24th), Amy and I celebrated our 6th anniversary! It is hard to believe that we have been married for that long. It seems like it was just yesterday when I first saw Amy's beautiful face on the campus of North Greenville College (now, University). I am so thankful that I asked her to smell my hemp key chain. (For those of you who are confused by the last sentence, if you'd like to know the whole story, I'd be glad to tell it over a cup of coffee sometime.)

Away with the Carpet

When our family moved into our home last April, we knew that the carpets would eventually have to be replaced. Thankfully, we were able do do away with the 10-year old carpets this weekend! (With three young girls, it didn't take long for the drink spills, dirt stains, pee-pee accidents, etc. to signal the demise of our carpets.) We replaced carpets with bamboo hardwood floors. (Do we get environmental brownie points?) Of course, we certainly didn't have the financial resources to replace the carpets, but the kind generosity of Amy's family made it possible. Chris, Theresa, and Keagan came to SC this weekend and helped us rip up carpet and install the new floors. If you ask me, I don't think the pros would have done a better job. Needless to say, our weekend was very busy and it will take a while longer before our house is back in order.

(I'll post pictures when our camera decides to cooperate.)

Exams are over...

...so blogging will begin once again. Soon.

Passing By So Fast

Our time in VA has passed by so quickly, but we're had a great time. In case you're wondering here's a few of the things we're done so far.

On Tuesday, we celebrated Amy's birthday with family and friends. It had been 9 years since Amy's been in VA on her birthday. As you can imagine, she shed a few (happy) tears.

On Friday night we went to a high school play of the Wizard of Oz. Amy's sister Tiffany did an excellent job. I can't remember her character's name, but she was the lady who welcomed Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tinman, and the Lion into Emerald City with a song...and she sang beautifully. This was Alora's first play, and she loved it. She especially liked the Tinman.

Today, we went with Amy's mom to see the circus in Norfolk. This was the first time Alora or Adalynne had visited the circus. After the circus we went out to eat for Amy's birthday (since today is actually her birthday). After lunch, we went to Amy's uncle's home for a cook-out. Then, after eating, we finished up the day with a game of soccer.

Tomorrow, we'll be worshiping at Amy's home church and spending the day with family.

Then, on Monday, it's back to SC.

Virginia is for...

...family and vacations! We had a great trip from SC to VA today. The traffic was light, the girls were great, and the gas prices were low! We'll be celebrating Amy's birthday tomorrow night (even though her birthday isn't until the 18th) and enjoying time with family throughout the week.

The Ghost Hornet

After getting home from seminary today, I went outside to feed my dogs. Unfortunately, it was raining and the gate to our new fence was stuck. (The wood had swelled and caused the gate to fit a bit too tightly.) Once I finally got the gate open I was greeted by two wet and muddy dogs who decided that it would be a good idea to make sure that I shared in their muddiness. Well, in the midst of trying to avoid the onslaught of my dogs and attempting to close the fence, I managed to cut off the tip of my thumb by closing it in the gate. It didn't take long for my thumb to go numb and begin bleeding. By the time I made it back inside the house Amy said that I looked "pale as a ghost" and "angry as a hornet." Thankfully, after I cleaned the blood off my hand, it wasn't as bad as I first expected. But I have a feeling that it's going to be sore in the morning. On a brighter note, at least it was my left thumb instead of my right one.