From Homeless - to - Home at last!

It is awesome to see how God is at work in our life!

In my last posting I shared a portion of the journey to bring
us to date at that time. Here is the unfolding of the following days:

On Thursday morning of October 18th we closed on our house in Raleigh. Sharron and I decided to celebrate with a meal at our favorite breakfast restaurant - Cracker Barrel. We purchased a few needed item and then made our way to our new house. With the turn of the key - Sharron re- keyed the house locks to our set of keys. We returned for our final evening at the home of Phil and Joanie Richards.

We arose early on Friday morning to meet the movers at our house. It was a great crew that unloaded us on the rainy morning of Oct. 19th. It did not take long and our house and garage was full of boxes waiting to be unloaded. The movers laughed when I told them I was a minister and they saw the pulpit come out of the trunk and into my garage.
One asked "Did you move the "kitchen sink" as well?

Sharron and I really appreciate the efforts of Joanie Richards as she began the task of unpacking the boxes marked "kitchen". I did not even notice when she slipped away to the store and returned with a house warming gift of chocolate ice cream (with splenda) to place in my empty freezer. THANKS

Also, Phil Richards was there with a pencil behind his ear - his tool box and drill to hang blinds on the windows of our home. WOW! I tried the night before to hand the blinds in our living room but did not have good success.
Phil went to task and I admit I was impressed that he actually read the instructions and placed the blinds in perfect position on all our windows
through out the house. I am thankful and my wife is thrilled to have this task accomplished!

It was so nice to welcome our first guest to our home when Donna and Roy Philemon stopped by with a basket of fresh fruit and cookies. This short visit really encouraged Sharron and I as we felt the transformation of seeing our house become a home.

One of the final task was the removal of our empty boxes and paper to the local recycle center. When Cindi Whiteside heard of this need she moved into action. Jan LaLone (left) and Cindi (right) arrived at our house with a
truck which we loaded to capacity with empty boxes and they took them away for us. This is a real blessing and helped us soooo much! Thanks to Cindi and Jan for their labor of love.

The biggest surprise of all came when Josh, Stephanie and Alyse arrived for their first visit to "Grammy and Papa's house". We enjoyed an
evening together and then Josh returned to Charlotte and Stephanie and Alyse have spent the remainder of this week with us. Our house has become a home. There has been the sounds of laughter by our granddaughter. Tonight there were even tears before she settled for the night.

On Sunday morning my voice was almost gone due to my allergies however, I was able to preach the final message in the current series.

The church board surprised the pastoral staff with a special presentation
for Pastoral Appreciation Sunday. I was so thankful for the church family at
North Raleigh and the generosity shown to me and my family. I am so blessed!
Sharron and I are so happy!

We are now home at last!

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers for us during this time of transition. Sharron and I have dedicated our home to the Lord! It is amazing to see how God set everything into order, in the perfect time, in His perfect way. I am reminded of a passage of Scripture I recently shared on a Sunday morning:

"The One who called you is completely dependable . If he said
it, he'll do it!" 1 Thess. 5:24 (MSG)

This my friends, is truly a trustworthy statement!
PR

HOMELESS

It's true - Sharron and I are now truly homeless! It was about 2:30pm on Monday October 15th when we received a phone call from our realtor in Topeka,KS to report that the closing was complete and that we are no longer home owners in Topeka. Then came the best words about our house: "The money is in the bank!" We have never been so excited about being homeless.

Though sometimes I do feel like Mr. Farlow - Right now - all seems well!

On Tuesday we met with our realtor in Raleigh and conducted our walk through of our new home. Wednesday was the day to purchase blinds and needed "stuff" for the move in day. I spoke to our driver (Bill) this afternoon who reported that he was in Missouri with all our personal belongings. This afternoon we secured our cashiers check for the scheduled closing of our new home.


The closing takes place in the morning at 8:30am. This means this is our last night to be homeless. Our moving van is scheduled to arrive at our new home on Friday at 8:30am

We once again wish to express our thanks and deep appreciation to Phil and Joanie Richards for their hospitality. The guest room in their home has been my home away from home for several months now. I cannot imagine my ministry in Raleigh without their support. The sweet tea with "splenda" and the chocolate ice cream has been more that I could have ever hoped for. My wife Sharron is convinced that truly you have "spoiled me" - THANKS.

I also want to thank the family of NRN for thier patience and support during this extended time of transition. The prayer support and the words of encouragement have meant sooooo much!

THANKS Josh and Steph - Thanks for opening your home to use for such an extended time. We love you, Alyse and Danielle so much!

I look forward to my next posting to give you an update on our new home. We have felt God's presence through this time of transition.

God is good all the time - All the time God is Good!

This my friend is a trustworthy statement . Thanks for stopping by. PR

Moving Day in Kansas

On Tuesday Oct. 9th Sharron and I returned to Kansas to meet with the movers and begin the final phase of our transition to North Carolina. We appreciate the members of Topeka Transfer and Storage that packed our belongings for the move. They did a GREAT JOB!

On the day we met the "packers" at the house we noticed the road in front of our house had been recently prepared for paving. As the morning began the equipment arrived to pave the road in front of our house. Our house was filled with activity as the moving process began and the smell of fresh and hot asphalt filled the air. The packing took place on Wednesday and Thursday.

Sharron and I enjoyed the Wednesday evening meal with Pastor Alfredo Barreno and his family. They invited us into their home for a delicious meal and great time of sharing. We will truly miss Pastor Alfredo and his family.

Today (Friday Oct. 12th) The moving truck arrived. The crew began about 8:30am and by 2:30pm the truck was driving away. Thanks to Bill and his crew for a great loading day! Sharron and enjoyed a lunch with David and Nell Deck as we shared goodbyes. Our heart is filled with many emotions. Sharron and I thought of the first time we saw our home in Topeka. The last time we stood beside a moving truck filled with our belongings was on the morning of September 11, 2001. Today was a much different day!

Though we miss many friends in Kansas, we are very excited about our future and the ministry at North Raleigh Church of the Nazarene. It is a new chapter in our lives. We say goodbye to Kansas for the final phase of transition and look forward to closing on our new home next week and unpacking our belongings into our new home before the end of next week.

Sharron and I realize that we have said goodbye to Kansas. In many ways it has been difficult to say goodbye. The many friends we leave behind mean very much to us. The labor of ministry for six years has given me a love and appreciation for the church family in Kansas. We will miss them!

A new ministry awaits us in North Carolina. This is a dream being fulfilled to return to NC. As we explained our move to many people we simply said "We are going home." Those words to explanation seemed to satisfy every inquiry. It is amazing to see the hand of God upon our lives. Sharron and I are truly amazed at the faithfulness and trustworhtyness of our great God.

As I finally began reading my book of the week I read a very simple yet profound dedication in front of the book. The book is "One thing you can't do in heaven" by Mark Cahill. The dedication reads as follows:

Very special thanks to: Jesus Christ for giving me a reason to live, and a reason to die.

WOW! That is a great and powerful trustworthy statement for consideration!

- Hey - let me know you stopped by by leaving me a comment. Thanks PR

LIFE COMES AT YOU FAST

Since my last posting - my life is been hectic and full. Just like a current commercial on TV says: "Life comes at you fast". We enjoyed a great family vacation and then prepared to resume life in the fast line.

On our way back to Raleigh for our first weekend back - I was sitting in the passenger seat as Sharron drove. She asked me "did you feel that?" Soon we were on the side I-85 with a flat tire.

About an hour later we were on our way to the home of Phil and Joanie Richards. Sunday was a great day in the Lord with a time of worship and service and God's presence was with us!

On Monday Sharron and I departed for the mountains of North Carolina for the annual pastor's retreat with the NC District of the Church of the Nazarene. It was a time of making new friends. It was a time of reflection as I took in the sights of beautiful mountains of North Carolina. The last time I was on a retreat at Ridgecrest was shortly after graduating from college when I served as youth pastor at St. Paul Wesleyan Church in Charlotte, NC.Sharron and I especially enjoyed meeting the area General Superintendent for the Church of the Nazarene. We asked the pastors to join us in the request for the sale of our house.

As we gathered in NC for our retreat I remembered that many of the pastors in Kansas were gathering for the annual retreat in the Colorado mountains. I contact our friend Rob Stewart and asked that the pastors join us in prayer.

On Tuesday evening I received a phone call from our realtor, Jerry Brosious, and after several counter offers - WE SOLD OUR HOUSE IN TOPEKA! When we shared the good news with our Nazarene brothers and sisters a cheer was raised with praise!


NOW a NEW CHAPTER of our life begins to unfold:

The next Monday Sharron and I met with our agent with Countrywide Home Loans to pre-qualify for a house loan. Tuesday we met with our new realtor in Raleigh and by Wednesday we had signed a contract for a new house. Words cannot express our excitement when the offer was accepted and Sharron and I stood outside our new home in Raleigh.

God has richly blessed us with a new 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath home with a living room, family room, dining room and a loft upstairs for a home study. We are scheduled to go to closing on Thursday Oct. 18th and the moving truck is scheduled to arrive on the morning of Friday October 19th.

I have shared with several friends that Sharron and I had prayed and prayed and finally shared with the Lord that we were at the end of our rope. We believe that God heard not only our prayers, but also those of the pastors in NC and Kansas and the faithful prayers of the family at North Raleigh. I am so thankful for the patience shown by the family at North Raleigh and their support for us during this extended transition. We can hardly wait to establish our new home in Raleigh NC.

I also believe that when God answered our prayers it was like a row of dominoes set forth. I could picture my heavenly father looking down at us with a smile on his face. When we asked in faith it was like God saying "Okay, you asked for this... then with a thump of his thumb on the first dominoes - the progression took place quickly as each piece of his will for us began to unfold. When I look back at the last 2 weeks it is almost a blur to see the powerful hand of God at work in our lives. It is always good to see God active in our lives and give credit where credit is due.

I was out of the pulpit for the first Sunday since becoming Lead Pastor at North Raleigh as Sharron's father and brother traveled from Canada to join us for the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend (over our Columbus Day weekend). We enjoyed the family gathering on Sunday with the traditional Thanksgiving meal. It was a special treat to have Sharron's Dad - Emerson Wiltshire with us to see his first great grandchild. The four generation picture is of Em with his daughter Sharron and her daughter Stephanie with her daughter Alyse. I really enjoyed the time with Dad and Les (Sharron's brother). We appreciate the hospitality of Josh and Stephanie. We also appreciate Joyce Ford opening her home for us for the overnight time. God has blessed us with family and friends.

Dad and Les departed from Raleigh on Monday. Sharron and I departed on Tuesday for Kansas to meet with the movers as we pack the house on Wednesday and Thursday and plan to load the truck on Friday ( in the morning) and see the truck depart for our new home in Raleigh. Sharron and I fly back to Raleigh on Saturday and I look forward to preaching on Sunday!

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." 1 Thess 5:11 These my friends, are trustworthy words which I want to apply to my life. PR