TWO LITTLE BOYS

TWO LITTLE BOYS

After a hardy rainstorm filled all the potholes

in the streets and alleys,
a young mother watched her two little boys playing in the puddle
through her kitchen window.

The older of the two, a five year old lad,
grabbed his sibling by the back of his head and shoved his face into the water hole.

As the boy recovered and stood laughing and dripping,

the mother runs to the yard in a panic.
Why on earth did you do that to your little brother?!'
she asks as she shook the older boy in anger.

'We were just playing 'church' mommy, ' he said.

'And I was just baptizing him.....in the name of the Father,
the Son and in...the hole-he-goes.'

This was sent to me today from my friend Paula Lewis - and then forwarded to me from another friend Joanie Richards.

Thought you would enjoy it!

Reflections from Sunday at NRN

If you missed last Sunday at NRN - WOW - You missed a great time! I want to express my appreciation to Karen DeSollar for teaching our "Spotlight" Connections Class on the history and doctrine of the Church of the Nazarene. As we prepare to celebrate the Centennial of the Church of the Nazarene - this is an excellent time to learn the answer to the question: "What is a Nazarene." It's not to late to get in on this excellent class - each Sunday in September in the Community Room beginning at 9:30am.

This past Sunday was Student Ministries Sunday at North Raleigh.

When our Family Pastor - Pastor Brittany Cottle - asked the students is any were interested in leading the worship- over a dozen students responded.

They selected the songs and did a great job in leading us in authentic worship!

We especially appreciated the trumpet solo from Sean Baker for the offertory:

Pastor Brittany shared an excellent message. The service closed with a time of prayer with the students at the altars and people taking prayer cards to remember our students in prayer throughout this school year. The closing challenge was simple: Plan to join Pastor Brittany as we See You At The Pole - at 7:00am on Wednesday September 24th around the flag pole at North Raleigh Church of the Nazarene. This is an opportunity to let our students know that we are praying for them. On Sunday evening our students participated in ONE. Be sure and check out this clip: ONE

Be sure and check out the 2nd picture and see the guy in the brown shirt...

Recently I preached a message at NRN entitled "GREAT EXPECTATIONS". The response has been amazing. (You can download the message notes and hear the message on our web site.) Due the high response of those desiring to go through a Focused Living Retreat we are revising our schedule and planning to add another FLR in the near future. Our goal is that we will not leave anyone behind in our refocus process. The last FLR was one of the most meaningful retreats I have led. The Holy Spirit met with us in a tremendous way as we reached a point of surrender to God. Contact the church office if you are intrested in attend the next FLR.

This coming Friday [ Sept. 19th] we will begin this season of FRIENDSHIP CAFE at NRN.

Friendship Cafe is a outreach program for teens and adults in our community with special needs. The Cafe is open on the third Friday of each month from September thru April (except December) in the Community Room at North Raleigh Church of the Nazarene. It's a night of entertainment, friendship and fun! This is our fourth year and our ministry is growing! We always need volunteers to chaperone, help set up and tear down or provide snacks or two-liter drinks. Please contact Bob and Sandy Floyd to if you'd like to help

This ministry is meeting in our Community Room this Friday night at 7:00 p.m.

It’s “Open Mic Night.”

These are exciting days for us a NRN! I look forward to being back in the pulpit (that means I'm going to preach this coming Sunday!) after several Sundays of special emphasis and guest.

More about that later this week.

A great week at the beach

As our family vacation at North Topsail Beach is coming to an end, we are enjoying a beautiful day at the beach. Josh, Steph, and Danielle are down at the water soaking in the sun. I just held Alyse as we watched a VeggieTales sing a long DVD. She fell asleep (and I did not even say "take your Bibles...") and I carried her upstairs to her pack and play. Sharron and I are enjoying a quiet day or relaxing at the beach.



This has been a great week at the beach! There are many things we have enjoyed and I will miss about this time at the beach. Here is one thing I will definitely miss:

On Saturday we pack the vehicles and make our way home. I am looking forward to Sunday at NRN as Pastor Brittany will be speaking and we celebrate our Student Ministry Sunday at North Raleigh as students lead our worship and share testimonies of life changing decisions. This is a Sunday I do not want to miss. It is a clear message that God is at work!

Remembering 9.11.01

On this anniversary of September 11, 2001

- May we never forget -

Here is a 4 minute reminder of the events of September 11, 2001. It features gripping photos to Greenday's "Wake Me Up When September Ends":

Day two of the Hudgens' Family Vacation

Day two of the Hudgens' Vacation at North Topsail Island.


Last evening the family gathered for a delicious meal as me use the new grill at Dolphin View and prepared one of my favorite meals - steaks, potatoes, corn on the cob. This meal was also in honor of Josh as we celebrated his belated birthday.


The fatigue of the last several weeks began to show it's toll as I slept in on day two of our vacation. I am so refreshed already after coming to the ocean. To hear the waves crash , smell the salt air, pause and give thanks to God, and then turn too see my family together is awesome!


Following lunch we headed for the beach. Danielle, Stephanie, Josh and Alyse enjoyed it during the morning as the weather was beautiful. The clouds begin to darken and sprinkles began to fall so I came up to the house but the family remained at the beach. Thought this would be a perfect time to post. One BIG difference at the house this year is the ability to connect to the Internet.

If you want to see more pictures check out Stephanie's blog.

Anticipating a great family vacation

We had a great service at church today! I really enjoyed the presentation of Doug Whitley as James - the brother of Jesus. Thanks Doug for your ministry today. Also, I really enjoyed our lunch together with you and Cheri.

After lunch and running a few errands - I headed to North Topsail Beach for our family vacation! Sharron, Danielle and Alyse arrived in Topsail on Saturday. Soon after I arrived on Sunday afternoon - Josh and Stephanie arrived. The dogs were ready to run - and Alyse smiled with glee!

We love staying at the beautiful home in Topsail. It is hard to believe that this home was boared for the protection of the winds from Tropical Storm Hanna on Saturday morning. The weather here is beautiful! As I walked into the house I had a sense of memories from last year. This is a place we feel so at home. As I stood on the porch and looked at the ocean waves I just soaked up the moment. Sharron prepared a great Sunday afternoon meal featuring a pot roast with potatoes and carrots - just the way I love them.

I am anticipating a great week with family. I have my sunscreen and two books I hope to read this week. One goal is to relax. That is why I am in sitting in a comfortable chair, watching TV with Josh. I think I hear snoring ... oh it's just the dog...

Oh, by the way, that is a trustworthy statement.

Live long and Prosper

According to this article the Primetime Emmy Awards will celebrate some of TV's most memorable lines from the past six decades in honor of the ceremony's 60th anniversary.The lines, which may include "Good night, John Boy" or "Live long and prosper," will be recited by such TV stars as Alec Baldwin, William Baldwin, Ricky Gervais, Kelsey Grammer, Heidi Klum, Denis Leary, Helen Mirren, Jeremy Piven, Doris Roberts, William Shatner, James Spader and Donald Trump during the ceremony, which airs from 8-11 p.m. Sept. 21 on ABC


This got me to thinking about great lines of days gone by. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Bang, Zoom, to the moon Alice!! [Ralph - Honeymooners]
• Live long and propser! [Spock - Star Trek]
• Wilmaaaaaa! [Fred - Flintstones]
• This is the big one! I’m coming Elizabeth. [Fred - Sanford & Son]
• Norm! [All - Cheers]
• Sock it it me! [All - Laugh In]
• Heeeey! [Fonzie - Happy Days]
• What you talkin’ about Willis [Arnold - Different Strokes]
• Engage [Picard - Star Trek TNG]
• Up your nose with a rubber hose. [Vinne Barberino - Welcome back Kotter]
  
  
  What about you? Any favorites that you'd like to share?