A "Bandmember" of Mandisa

Life is crazy and I am wondering how we have come to such a busy point. There are times when working a little more is needed and good, but, as a whole, the rushing part is not enjoyable. I have found that my impatience and preoccupied state are a result of hurrying from one job to the next. I don't believe stressed is the word, but I do know about rushing. Thankfully it is only for a time; come Thanksgiving, it will be a whole new world!

The last Evening at The Cove I worked was Mandisa, from the fifth season of American Idol. Her concert was good, but her testimony was truly moving. However, what has gone with me was my interaction with another special guest. He and his son were at registration and stood out, as they were not acting like normal participants. When a volunteer asked him about his nametag, he responded, "Do I need a nametag?"

In reply, I asked, "Are you a band member of Mandisa?" To me, this made a ton of sense, who else could he have been with?

His response was, "No."

"What is your last name," I asked.

"Baucham."

"That sounds familiar; have you attended a seminar recently?"

Slight delay in repsonding, "Not for a few months." Then I saw his son coming back from around the building holding green namebadges, which signify special guests. One of The Cove administrators then escorted the speaker for our seminar the following day inside, a speaker who'd spoken at The Cove a number of times. I shrunk in my chair as I realized I had asked Voddie Baucham if he was one of Mandisa's band members and then continued to insert foot in mouth. He was most gracious though I cannot say the same about my co-workers.

I like to attribute my lack of common sense with the fact that Voddie did not look like his picture and that we'd had a number of participants recently by the last name of "Beauchamp", insisting upon a specific pronunciation. However, I know any excuse sounds pitiful at this point!

A Reason to Grow & a Reason to Rest

"We are always in the forge, or on the anvil; by trials God is shaping us for higher things."
by: Henry Ward

GROWTH

Communicating has become the backburner to life over the last few months. Brenton and I have been in a definite refining period. What we have learned; to persevere, to always hold integrity, that God is our Rock, to pray that the "... joy of the Lord would be our strength" (Nehemiah 8:10b). What we are processing; what is the purpose, is there more to be learned, are we living grace-filled lives as we are being refined, is there something greater going on. Have we been perfect in the journey, no; have we grown and been grace-filled, I believe yes.

What has been encouraging, is to see how past experiences have prepared us for this year and how we have become stronger. Never, the less, it has been a rough few months. It has been beautiful to see the Lord at work in us and refining us. I will have to admit that I never think the process is fun at the time, but there is no better place to be. That may come back as a gentle little kick in the bottom at some point, knowing the Lord uses stretching times to mold us and answers our prayers, often not in the way we expect. Always be prepared; He will answer us in the way He sees best, not as we see best.

To shed a little light, Brenton and his team have dealt with a number of disappointments. For weeks, it was about every other day. The season is under way and hope has come in glimpses. If you are reading this, just pray that the boys would be encouraged and able to finish strong, as their performance is obviously affected by all these outside circumstances. As a proud wife, I must say that my lover has been a man of integrity and has taken on the semester with grace.

REST

Aside from the immediate, our project and release has been working on our new home. It is ready for the most part, just pending a few projects. The only pictures I have are of the main floor as the other rooms still need a few cosmetic touches. Enjoy, as we definitely are.