Callie's Birthday...Again!

This is Callie. She and I have been friends since our family moved to Florida. 

I love everything about Callie and was happy to celebrate her birthday earlier this month during our Thursday women's Bible study at my house. This Thursday, instead of meeting for the study, we met because Callie decided she not only believes in Jesus but also wants to follow him.

She was baptized at Terry and Maria's house, where we only met briefly because Maria is still recovering from her C-section. It was enough time to witness Callie's birth into God's kingdom and get the party in heaven kicked off.  

Luke 15:3-7: Then Jesus told them this parable: Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, "Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep." I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

Our Newest Blessing

Many of you know we have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of Terry and Maria's second son. Kevin came by C-section on Friday, because that really is the best way to deliver an 11 lb. 3 oz. baby! The nurses at the hospital call him "our three month old." Here's a picture of the proud family, including big brother Jake:

Over the past two years we have come to know this family well and couldn't love them more if we shared the same DNA. One of the greatest blessings in the world happens when God allows us to go from believing a biblical promise to experiencing it. The fact that I truly feel as if I've just welcomed a nephew into the world is proof of these scriptures:

Matthew 19:29: And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

Mark 3:31-35: Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you." Who are my mother and brothers?" he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."