Today, my wife turns thirty something again. Yes I do know how old she is but I am told that it is rude to tell how old a woman is. By the way, I don’t understand that AT ALL!!! Why can’t women just be happy with their age and proud that they have made it this far. I mean…my wife has bore 3 amazing kids, she is an amazing mother and wife, she is a gifted musician and teacher…who cares how old she is?

My wife does truly amaze me. She is so awesome. It seems like the older I get, the less energy I have. The older she gets, the more she has and the better she is. She takes care of our house, she is a fantastic mother to our kids, she makes sure they have clothes (I have come to realize that if it wasn’t for her, Everett would still be wearing onsies!!), she goes through the good and the bad with me, she has an amazing voice, she wants to share joy with others, she is a good friend, she even likes to watch live baseball (man, there is nothing better than a woman telling you she wants to go see a baseball game). I think the most important thing about Christy is that she loves God. She is not afraid to share her faith with those that she works with. She is not afraid to express her love for God in the way that He gifted her. I love my wife.

I want to make sure that anybody that reads this knows…I’m not saying these things because she’ll read this. In fact, I don’t think Christy even knows I blog!!! I’m saying these things because they are true and because God has blessed me with the exact woman I needed and that I need.

Father,

Thank you for Christy. Thank you for giving her to me and me to her. Thank you for putting the heart you did in her. Help her to continue to discover more of her heart. Draw her closer to you. Continue to use her to spread good news around her. Use her to reach Scott for you and so many others that she makes friends with all for Your glory. Heal her foot. Take the pain away. Continue to draw us closer together so we can be more effective for you. Thank you that she laughs at me when I try to be funny. Thank you that she cares for me when I’m scared and tired. Help me be the man she needs. Help me lead her closer to You. Thank you God...thank you!

So, tonight, I’m going to pick up our new Dishwasher (since Christy is getting old!!!HAHAHAHA…man I’m funny) and attempt to install it. Every time I start a project like this at our house, it turns out to be SO MUCH MORE than it should. I hope I don’t through it out the front window!

So…if anybody reads this blog…what is your favorite thing about Christy Corder?

Doyle

Man it’s been a busy summer. We have had so much going. I used to think Summer would be a time to relax with my kids…too bad we just fill our lives so we can’t enjoy each other. That’s not right…we have enjoyed each other…we went on a great vacation..we spent a week at Camp Blue Haven together and had an incredible time but since we’ve been home, it’s been one thing after another. Some times I just like to settle down and enjoy being a dad and a husband. Some day, I’m gonna look back and miss these days. Even next week, when the kids start to school and all of that starts happening…I’m gonna miss this.

Although, I do look forward to school starting. I like the routine. I like knowing what is going to happen next. That’s why walking as a disciple of Christ is sometimes so hard for me. I like routine and knowing what is going to happen. Being a disciple is an adventure. I do love the adventure too!!!

Yesterday in my adventure I preached a funeral for a baby. Stillborn at full term. MAN THAT STINKS. The good thing about this is that the mom was a member who is not “faithful” (most of you know what I mean by that). She was baptized at Southwest about a year ago but has been back and forth so much…so, when she lost her baby, she called the only family she could trust that would love her through all of this…her church family. I was so proud of our family…we did. Even though she wasn’t a member who is at every event or even any events. Even though she has more tattoos than I have…well she has a lot. Even though she lives a life that we don’t agree with or condone, we loved her and are loving her like Jesus would and does. Yeah, it was a hard funeral to preach…but when you have good news to tell people, when you get to tell people that there is more to life than what they see going on around them, when you get to talk about Jesus…it makes it so easy. I love that I have a message of hope. Who else has this…who else? No one!!! No one has good news like we do!! Why aren’t we all telling everybody we know about this great news? Probably because we are so much like “them”…we only remember our hope…we only look to God for strength…we only look up when we are knocked down.

Father, thank you for using me to speak good news yesterday. Father, I pray that you use word or hugs or just that we are available to turn this entire family to you. I believe you can use this tragedy to bring them to you. Father, I pray that if it takes breaking us down to get us to remember what you have done for us…that you break us down. I want to speak your good news as passionately to a rich “got it all together” guy as I do to the hurting. Just use me to speak your good news.

Thinking…maybe this is why Jesus said he came for the blind, sick, imprisoned, enslaved, etc. They are the ones that will listen to a message of hope. Hopeless people need hope. People who think they have it all together…I don’t guess they need hope. Father, open our eyes to our sin and to our hopelessness without you.

Big things have been happening in my life over the past couple of weeks. God is working in my life and there may be some big changes on the horizon. I feel more dependent on God through this than I ever have in my life. I’m scared…I’m excited…I’m dependent…I love this adventure!!!

Father, I am Yours…use me as your will. I’m totally depending on You. I can fail….YOU CAN’T. You are sovereign and holy. You can’t mess up. So, if I depend on you…no matter how hard it is, I won’t fail. Thank you for the confidence I get when I follow you. Forgive me when I seek confidence in me and do it on my own. Forgive me often because it happens often. THANK YOU FATHER!!! YOU ARE MY ROCK!

Your Son,
Doyle