Official Results ING Atlanta Half Marathon
ING Georgia Marathon and Half Marathon – Half Marathon
Our Friends Gary and Ona
We had an awesome time in Atlanta visiting with our good friends Gary and Ona Smith. Wow, we packed a lot in but the point of the trip was to be with Gary, Ona, the extended family and just fellowship and enjoy each others company. As you know if you read the blog or know me through church, Ona has cancer and has been battling for several years to fight this disease.
When we arrived in Atlanta on Thursday afternoon and got settled in, Gary reminded me that the ING Marathon was this weekend and that Ona and he had ran the Half Marathon in 2008, did I want to run this weekend? Well of course with my love of running it was tempting but I have not been training so I didn’t know.
To make a long story short, we went to the Expo at the Georgia Dome on Friday and got registered and I was in. This is when the praying and moaning started. Moaning that I was out of shape and hadn’t been training and praying that I could at least finish in 3 hours. I knew I could finish in 3 hours, I can walk that fast.
Gary and Ona live near Piedmont Park so I went for a 3 mile run/walk/drag on Thursday evening in the park. I was very sore on Friday because I haven’t been training. This was just another thing for me to moan about, knowing that I have 13. 1 to do early Sunday morning. We were able to be with Gary and Ona’s two daughter’s and their oldest son during the weekend as well as their children and families and you will see some of the pictures of them here.
They have/had this great “Little Jumping Bean” place for children just around the block from Gary and Ona’s and we spent some time there letting Samuel and the grand-kids jump in these big blow up things. It is great, the kids can fall and still not get hurt. I think each one of them were stepped on several times but they didn’t get hurt and it was a lot of fun for the little ones. I say had because the place was closing down this weekend so we won’t have the convenience of it being so close by when we visit.
As Gary and I had the kids away jumping there was time for Ona and Misty as well as Jessica and Misty to have some good conversation and not have to run the kids around. With Samuel the running was constant because he wanted to climb the stairs. Gary, Justin, Samuel and I did the grocery shopping for our meals and we ate lots of “Skinny Cows” over the weekend. I didn’t know those things existed but I will be looking for them in Cana Virginia.
It is funny and amazing at the same time, Gary, Justin and I went to the Ga. Dome to register for the race and after looking for a parking spot where we didn’t have to pay $10 we pulled up to ask someone where a certain gate was and they directed us through the service entrance of the Dome and we drove right up to the door and didn’t pay any fees at all. While we were there Gary and I each bought a pair of running shoes and I left my debit card at the booth. Needless to say when we went to the grocery store I discovered the missing card and we had to go back to the Dome and believe it or not we received permission to go back through the service entrance to pick up the card. They did check us out this time to make sure were weren’t up to anything bad.
On Saturday evening we were blessed to prepare and have dinner with Chris, Amanda and Cole. Chris is Gary’s oldest son, we enjoyed preparing the meal together and then eating steak together. Ona is not allowed to have very much steak but she did get to enjoy it on Saturday night with the rest of us.
There are pictures here of the home that Gary and Ona live in, it is where Gary grew up with his mom, dad and siblings. Ona grew up on a street close by and they have been together for 41 years. When they found out that Ona had cancer they decided it was time to fix the home place up and enjoy it. What a beautiful place, inside and out. It is more like a work of art, more than just a house. The most awesome thing is that anywhere Gary and Ona live it is a place where everyone is welcome. For the past 10 years I have been in their home many times and I have always been made to feel like it was my home away from home.
This trip was not unlike the many others that I have enjoyed at Gary and Ona’s. I have been many times before I was married and several times since Misty and I were married, along with Samuel, Kyle and at times other friends have been with us. Gary and Ona love to be active, we ran in the Atlanta Peach Tree Road Race together in 2007. In July 2008 Ona was not able to run the 6.2 miles and I ran in Ona’s place along with Gary. We have often walked around Stone Mountain Park together as well as taking walks with Skippy the family dog in Piedmont Park. We all also like to eat so we have enjoyed places like the Speghatti Factory in Atlanta, the famous Varsity Restaurant and of course we have been to Krispy Kreme many times.
There are so many great memories and this trip was one of the best in it’s own way. Ona is not able to get out and run with us anymore, we ate all our meals together at home because Ona is not able to run around town anymore but the thing we did was just enjoy each others company. Gary and Ona have taught us so much and we will be forever grateful for their friendship.
Ona’s time on this earth is beginning to come to a close but we will never say goodbye. We will never say goodbye because Ona will leave this body and immediately be with Jesus and one day and it will not be that long for any of us, we will be with Jesus and Ona again.
When a loved one leaves us in this world there is an emptiness, a void that no one can fill. However, as in this world, when a person leaves to go on a journey, as they go out of sight, we say, there they go!
We don’t question that their departure means they will be arriving at some other place in a short time. When they arrive at that other place they say, here they come! Likewise when someone we love who knows Jesus as Lord and Savior leaves this world, we say they have departed! But, in heaven, they say, here they come! They are absent from these frail bodies and they are absent from us but they are present with Our Lord.
Death causes us loss and grief to be sure but death is overrated for the Christian. Death is not our enemy but our friend. Death is the gateway that leads to Eternal Life. Death is the key that opens the gate and relieves us from this pain and suffering, this groaning to be with Our Creator. Death is the gateway to our being in the actual Eternal Presence of our Living Savior. Death is the gate into a land where there is no sorrow, no more separation, no more pain and no more tears. It is a place not made with human hands but with Our Creator’s Hands.
No eye here has ever seen nor can our minds imagine the things that Our Lord has for us when we meet with him in that Eternal Home.
This is not goodbye, this is only the beginning. This is simply a time that we can rest assured that we will see each other again. This is a time where we say everything that needs to be said but we rest assured on the promise of Our God that we will be together again.
Calvin Miller says, “Death is not the terror that we suppose. Jesus dying the most excruciating way, He was not dead for long. In the chronicles of God, no death has ever lasted long. We fall asleep on this cruel planet and wake up a world away. It is amazing just how often the New Testament speaks of death as sleep.
What is death at most?
It is a journey for a season.
A sleep longer than usual.
If thou fearest death, thou shouldst also fear sleep.
Ronnie
P.S. I had several friends encourage me that I would do much better than 3hours in the half marathon because I was running in honor of Ona. I finished in 2 hours, 16 minutes. To God be all Glory!
Baby Collins (Judah Wayne) @ Week 32
Your pregnancy: 32 weeks
How your baby’s growing:
By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You’re gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she’ll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.
See what your baby looks like this week. (Or see what fraternal twins look like in the womb this week.)
Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby’s development.
www.babycenter.com
ING Marathon Atlanta 2009
I woke up on Sunday morning wondering what in the world I had gotten myself into. To be honest my training has been next to nothing for the past 6 months and I just wasn’t ready to run 13.1 miles.I put my running gear on and headed off to the start line which was pretty nice. In a typical City the size of Atlanta when there is a run with 15,000 people you would have to get up hours before the start time to get to the run, find a place to park and then walk a good distance to the start line. It pays to have friends in the city, I got up at 5:30 and Gary drove me right to the start line and I only had to stand around and wait for about 30 minutes.
To say the least I told my family and friends not to expect me in less than 3 hours and I expected the run to take me that long. With 15,000 people, the race started at 7:04am. It was about 7:15 when I made it to the start line because it takes a long time to get that many people through the gate. The first mile felt good. Mile 2 and 3 felt OK but I thought at mile 3, I ‘ll do good to finish this race. I started feeling pretty good around mile 5 and I ran every step of the first 10.1 miles, I couldn’t believe it myself. For the last 3 miles I would run and then walk through the water stops. My feet were hurting and I could feel a blister but by the end of the race the blister was gone. While I was finishing my last half mile, 5 of the 26.2 mile Marathon finishers came around me. I would love to be able to run 26.2 miles with just over a 5 minute pace but I will be happy with my 2 hour 16 minute finish for 13.1 miles.
This race has reminded me once again why I love to run. I love the people, the challenge and just being outside enjoying God’s beautiful creation.
It was a great race!
Ronnie
1 Hour to Race Time
I just looked at the ING Marathon Web Page and the count down clock says one hour to race time. If I were in Atlanta on my own I would already be there trying to find my way around. However I am here with friends who have lived their whole lives here so I am going to slide in there just about 20 minutes before start time and not have to wait around. I am excited and glad to be doing this race but I didn’t plan to do it. I didn’t train for it but then I have been training for this the past 10 years so I will be fine. I would like to have a very respectable clock time, we will see how it goes. I feel pretty good at the moment.
Ronnie
Kicking Adult Kids Out of the Nest…In a Loving Way
Dear Ronnie,
With the current economic times, many parents are finding their kids wanting to move back home. This can then create adult kids who have a difficult time leaving the nest. Dr. Charles Fay addresses this issue.
Kicking Adult Kids Out of the Nest…In a Loving Way
While it’s fine for hard-working and respectful adult children to live with their parents for limited periods of time, it never makes sense with irresponsible and disrespectful ones. On page 147 of my new book,Parenting Kids to Become the People Employers Really Want and…America Desperately Needs!, I include the following letter written to a “responsibility-challenged” 23-year-old.
Dear Lex:
I need to apologize. I am so sorry! I’ve been stealing from you for years.
I haven’t taken anything like money… or any of your things. What I have stolen is your self-respect. I’ve also stood in the way of you becoming a man. I haven’t done this on purpose. I did it because I love you very much. I really thought that I was doing the right thing by protecting you from the world. Now I realize that you need a chance to see that you have what it takes to make it in the world.
When you were just a little boy, you were afraid to learn how to swim. Because I worried that you might drown if you ever fell in a pond or a pool, I forced you to get in the water for your first lesson. You were so mad at me! That’s until you learned how to float and paddle your way around the pool. Then you were so proud. On the way home from the pool, you smiled from ear to ear.
That’s what I want for you now. That’s why I’m expecting you to dive into adulthood by moving out and becoming completely self-supporting.
If you decide that you would like to continue your education by going to trade school or community college, you may live here with us as long as you are doing your fair share of housework, are fun to be around, and are earning money to help us with utilities, food, and other miscellaneous expenses.
Let me know what you decide.
Love,
Dad
Thanks for reading!
Dr. Charles Fay
Another beautiful day in Atlanta
It is raining this morning but it is another beautiful day in Atlanta. Last night I looked out the window of Gary and Ona’s home where we are staying and I could see all these tall buildings all lit up and it was beautiful. Certainly not a sight I will ever see in Cana Virginia. There is something about Atlanta that I love and have for years now. I will never forget the first time I came to Atlanta, I was about 23. I was so frustrated trying to find my way around that I vowed never to return. Like many times making vows I have been back to Atlanta many times.
I know that part of what I love about this city is the fact that Gary and Ona are here and anytime we want to come then we have a place to stay with open arms and hot coffee. Gary and Ona are more than Christian Family they have become close Family to Misty and I. It is hard to explain but there is a closeness that God has placed in our lives and hearts that is rare it seems. Gary and Ona are 60 and 62, Misty and I are 34 and 43 and yet there is a close friendship. Part of the friendship is the fact that I see Gary as a Mentor. He is an intelligent and successful person whom I admire and like to learn from. Ona is the picture of a husbands best friend and I admire that in her so much. She is Gary’s greatest fan and his best friend. They can teach us so much about relationships.
Well, I don’t know what today will bring. It is a day of opportunities. It is a day to be with friends and family. It is a day to reflect on the blessing of the past 10 years of being near this family. I have made coffee and the rest of the house is quiet this morning. Misty and Samuel are still in Bed. Ona is resting and Gary and their grandson Justin are still sleeping. I haven’t even heard a siren fly through town and that is rare. I hope that we are going to take Skippy for a walk this morning and enjoy the Park. I believe that Samuel and Justin are headed back to the Jumping Bean this morning. I have to get mentally prepared for the 13.1 miles tomorrow morning. And in the midst of all this we will gather around Ona and love on her today. She is a special lady and I already feel the void in my heart that is coming.
Ronnie
ING Atlanta Marathon & Half Marathon
I had no idea the ING Marathon was being run in Atlanta this weekend and even when I found out I had no plans to run in it. However, plans have changed and I am signed up to run the 13.1 Half Marathon on Sunday morning. We are here visiting with our good friends Gary and Ona and they have both run in previous years so I am running in their honor.
I haven’t trained at all but I have run quite a few half and full marathons so I hope to have a respectable time.
Ronnie
On Death and Dying
I am reading a book “On Death and Dying” by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, M.D.
The first chapter is entitled ”On the fear of death” and this is is direct contrast to what the Bible says in Hebrews 2:15. Jesus death takes away our fear of death. I am enjoying the book and I am finding many things that are helpful. I never cease to be amazed at the things I find through study. The author says that the Indians would shoot arrows into the air in order to keep the evil, bad spirits away and this may be the origin of the military firing into the air. I don’t know for sure but I certainly intend to check that theory out.
The tombstone may be there for keeping the bad spirits in the ground. There has always been a lot of taboo and fear of the unknown in death and dying but this author says that the increase in medical technology has made death worse in many ways.
“The more we are making advancement in science, the more we seem to fear and deny the reality of death. How is this possible? We use euphemisms, we make the dead look as if they were asleep, we ship the children off to protect them from the anxiety and turmoil around the house if the patient is fortunate enough to die at home, we don’t allow children to visit their dying parents in the hospitals, we have long and controversial discussions about whether patients should be told the truth – a question that rarely arises when the dying person is tended by the family physician who has known him from delivery to death and who knows the weaknesses and strengths of each member of the family.”
There is a lot of great information in this quote. It is obviously a book that was written originally much earlier than 2009. There are few who have a physician today from birth to death, as a matter of fact I do not know such a person.
Ronnie
Thoughts on death and dying
We are preparing for a trip to Atlanta in the morning to visit with our great friends, Gary and Ona. Ona has been living with cancer for a few years now and the time has come that she doesn’t have very long to live here on earth. I along with Ona and Gary will be planning for the funeral that is destined to happen in the near future.
First, I can’t imagine the pain and anguish that Ona has experienced with all of this. Second, I can’t imagine the pain and anguish that Gary has experienced in this same time. Gary and Ona have 4 children and several grandchildren that are also going through this experience with them.
Hebrews 2: 14-15 NIV
14Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
The Message
14-15Since the children are made of flesh and blood, it’s logical that the Savior took on flesh and blood in order to rescue them by his death. By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil’s hold on death and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death.
After visiting with Gary and Ona several times over the years and Ona living with cancer I can attest to the fact that Ona has no fear of death. Of course she would like to be here with her family but she is not afraid of actually dying. Ona knows that she will finally be face to face with Our Lord.
I never really pondered these verses until yesterday when a friend responded to a facebook statementI had made. Why are we so afraid of death? As a Christian there is no fear. There is however great anguish at leaving behind our loved ones. I rest assured that God has taken care of me for 43 years and He is going to care for our loved ones just the same, if we are here or not.
Death is like flying for me. It is not my favorite thing to do but I can do it. I don’t like flying because I like to be in control and when I am flying I have absolutely no control. I don’t know how to fly a plane and I really have no desire to learn. When it comes to death we have absolutely no control. We have advanced in this world to the place where doctors can keep us alive longer but the fact is they cannot stop death from happening. It is like flying for those of us who do not know how to fly.
However, God is the Pilot, the Creator. He knows exactly what is happening and He is in control. Even more than I place my life in the hands of the pilot and trust them to get me to my earthly destination, I can trust God to get me safely to my eternal destination. I think the fear is in the fact that we cannot wrap our minds around the how of all this.
I will be blogging my thoughts the next several days as we are able to visit and talk more about Ona’s home going. This is one of the most awkward things I believe a person could be called upon to participate in and at the same time it is one of the greatest honors one could ever have. I am being allowed into the life and death of a dear friend. What an honor. I do not feel worthy of such an honor, yet I stand in awe of an awesome God that has called me to this task.
This period of time, the next 4 days and the days that pass until the time the funeral comes will no doubt be a time of stress, pain, anguish, frustration and yet a time of celebration. A celebration that I have been allowed to know and be a friend with Ona for the past 10 years. A celebration that God is allowing me to be with this family at such a difficult time. A celebration that one of God’s children is allowed to teach me and those around her the way that a Christian should die to this life and anticipate the next.
God is the Father who loves us so much more than we love our own children and that is a lot. He can be trusted and He has been preparing us for this time. There is so much to think about. My mind is just racing from one thing to the next, yet it is stalled on this time and this experience that I wish we could avoid. I wish that God would miraciously heal Ona and we wouldn’t be thinking about such things.
This is a time that each and every one of us will have to face. Sooner or later each one of us will have to walk this road.
Are you ready?
Ecclesiastes 7 (The Message)
Don’t Take Anything for Granted
2 You learn more at a funeral than at a feast—
After all, that’s where we’ll end up. We might discover
something from it.
3 Crying is better than laughing.
It blotches the face but it scours the heart.
My heart is being scoured!
Steve Urkel is my hero
I say all the time that Steve Urkel is my hero and I love that guy. I hope that no one takes this the wrong way. I found it on Facebook and I just think it is hilarious. I pray for our President all the time and pray for his service to this Country. But I also have a sense of humor as I know he does.
Ronnie
The first one is the real Steve Urkel.
Guess What……More Puppies
This one is Solomon and he is the only one we are keeping! These actually belong to a family member. The mother was taken in as a stray a couple of years ago.
There are 8 of them. 6 Boys and two girls, typical in the Collins family. There are 3 solid black ones a brown and black mix, a solid red one (looks like a chocolate lab) and some red and white mix.
Storytelling @ Out Of The Box
On Saturday Night April 4th @ 7pm
522 Main Street Hillsville Virginia
276-728-2434 or 276-730-0002
Free Coffee and Snacks with lots of Fun and Laughter
Charles Maynard
Master Storyteller
Charles Maynard is a storyteller, author, and an ordained United Methodist minister. He has authored or co-authored over 28 books, including 21 children’s books. Charles served churches in the Holston Conference for twenty years. He worked as the first executive director of Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Charles is currently the director of development for Holston Conference Camp and Retreat Ministries. He tells traditional Appalachian tales, personal stories of growing up in the Cumberlands, and stories from American history. Charles has traveled extensively with his wife Janice and their two daughters, Caroline and Anna. He is the proud grandfather of Anastasia and Ainsley.
“I left my heart in the hands of Nicaraguan children.”
SNL this week: 6:30pm Sunday night March 29th @ FUMC Hillsville
SouledOut will play at 6:30 and then Laura will speak. You don’t want to miss this opportunity. Invite your friends and let’s pack the house on Sunday Night!
Ronnie
“I left my heart in the hands of Nicaraguan children.” The most beautiful, dirty, scarred, most perfect hands of children. This trip completely wrecked my life…
in the most amazing way possible. come find out how. 
“
Laura will be speaking about her recent trip – stories, etc. The highlight is that she will then speak about how it affected her spiritual life.
“What I learned and what changed me, etc.”
Laura spent a week in a refugee community in Nicaragua called Nueva Vida (meaning, New Life). Nueva Vida was destroyed by Hurricane Mitch a few years ago and has since been an area of extreme poverty. The people living in the community are either unemployed, or work in sweat shops making barely enough to survive. Most families have barely enough money for one or two
meals a day.
They spent a week focusing on the Children in the community.
“Basically – we took them out of their everyday surroundings of poverty and let them have FUN and be normal kids. We built relationships with these kids and by the end of the week had difficult goodbyes facing each of us. I was taught true joy, true happiness, and true compassion through this trip.”
“By the World’s standard these people are poor, but spiritually they are the richest people I have ever seen.”
Come hear about the change in Laura’s life through the trip she took to Nicaragua. Hear her stories about a Tarantula in her shower, rats in her room, and eating rice and beans every day. Hear about worshiping outside, teaching the kids a song from SouledOut and having her body completely covered in face paint by the children. Hear about Marvin’s Shoes, Anielka’s ear rings, and the festival for families affected by prostitution. Hear about the community living in the dump, but most importantly come hear about what God has taught Laura and the change in her life that took place outside her Nation’s borders.
Battle Cry Memories
There were hundreds that went forward on Friday night to make a first time profession of faith, and hundreds more that went forward to rededicate themselves to Christ following Mike Guzzardo’s message entitled “Trouble Town.” The drama was told through the eyes of a modern day Mary Magdalene who is interrogated by a crime scene detective who discovers through his investigation and her account that Jesus was killed without cause, but did not resist when as he willingly sacrificed himself for to save mankind. Mike also clearly explained that we have “needs” and we have “wants.” Wants are those things we think we need like a great job, the latest computer, the coolest shoes, designer clothes, money, a girl friend or boy friend. Needs are those things we can’t live without the air we breath, food to eat, water to drink, friends, family, and most assuredly Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
On Saturday, Ron Luce spoke and his message was also interspersed with live drama. The scene included Jesus’ huge cross surrounded by our crosses that lay at the foot of Jesus’ cross. He challenged us to deny ourselves, cast away those things that hinder us from being totally sold out, and put Jesus first by taking up our cross in His name. The youth by the thousands wrote down what they wanted to deny of themselves, or rid themselves of that would allow them to walk closer and bolder with Jesus. It was a very powerful scene when the crosses were carried to various parts of the coliseum and each youth nailed their sins/issues on a cross. The thing that made the biggest impact on me is the thought that with I-pods and My-space and Face-book that the world is all about me, but to truly follow Jesus we must deny ourselves, and make Jesus Lord of our hearts to be His true disciples and to change the world for Him.
There were some great concerts by Newsboys with newly acquired Michael Tate formerly of DC Talk, Leeland, and Jeremy Camp. But my favorite was the house band praise and worship group Unhindered who were truly spirit filled and it spilled over to us all.
Greg Huff
Mission Weekend a Great Success
Saturday was our Flea Market, Yard Sale, Auction, and Bojangles Dinner. Overall the church raised $4900.00 for Missions.
Awesome!
The Youth are to be commended, there were about a dozen of them here at 6am and they stayed most of the day. Hey, they had fun!
Ronnie
Boys and sticks
What is it about boys and sticks. Every time we go outside Samuel and Christopher always want to pick up sticks. Then I think about my dad when I was a boy and we would go out to the field to check on the cattle or really to do anything, dad would pick up a stick.
I think it is something in our makeup, our DNA. We like to work with our hands. I don’t know, any ideas?
Ronnie
Life is about to change in the Collins Household
After blogging Baby Collins at 31 weeks I started to think about what is going to change for us in just a few short weeks. I can attest to the fact of living a busy but wonderful life. With all the children who hang out at our house life is never boring.
We have 7 children in the family and 5 of them are under 3 years old. Judah will make the 8th child in the family. It has become very difficult to eat out and that is something that we love doing as a family. We love being together and not having to worry about the cooking or the clean up. However with all the little ones it is so much more comfortable being at home where they can play and not have to worry about them running around while the adults get to eat a meal.
One of my favorite times is summer vacation and going to the beach. This past year we had 16 family members and Sophie the family dog. It was a lt of fun but this year we are hoping to find a place big enough for all of us to stay under one roof. A place where we can have some meals in and not have to go to a restaurant, although we enjoy that it is difficult to do.
Things will change even more when Judah is born and we can’t wait. God is so good and we are blessed to have such a large family.
Ronnie
Baby Collins @ 31 Weeks
Your pregnancy: 31 weeks
How your baby’s growing:
This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He’s probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby’s kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.
See what your baby looks like this week.
Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby’s development.
www.babycenter.com
Beth White @ Out Of The Box
Beth White from Christ Chapel SPORTSTOWNE in Macon Georgia was with us on Wednesday night @ Out Of The Box. We can never express enough the gratitude that we have for Beth’s part in Out Of The Box. We presented Beth with a few gifts, including the drawing by Donna pictured below.
Ronnie
O the blessedness of those who mourn
Misty and I received the call yesterday that our good friend Ona has been told she has 1 to 3 months to live. Misty immediately started to cry and I started trying to process why.
Reading our Bible will let us in on the fact that we were created to live forever. God created us to live forever and we were to live in close communion with God. Nothing was ever created to die. However, sin entered our world and with sin comes death.
This is not the way it’s supposed to be. God has sent his son Jesus to be the cure for sin and death and we again have the ability to live forever in close communion with our creator. However sin and death are still present in the world in which you and I live. Mourning is a natural process for us to move through the troubles of this world.
Ronnie
Ecclesiastes 3 (New Living Translation)
Ecclesiastes 3
A Time for Everything
1 For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
2 A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
3 A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4 A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
5 A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
6 A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
7 A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
8 A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace. 9 What do people really get for all their hard work? 10 I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. 11 Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. 12 So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. 13 And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.
14 And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God’s purpose is that people should fear him. 15 What is happening now has happened before, and what will happen in the future has happened before, because God makes the same things happen over and over again.
O the blessedness of those who mourn (weep)
SNL this week is based on the Matthew 5 passage that says a person is blessed who mourns. What in the world does that mean?
There are nine different Greek words used in the New Testament to refer to grief in some way, nine different Greek verbs used to describe sadness.
There need to be a lot of words because sadness is a large part of life.
As I was doing research for the sermon I came across this picture and I have blogged about it before. Watch it at your own risk. There is a risk that you will become so burdened that you life could change.
Ronnie
Caring for Kyle
I have debated for a long time as to whether or not I should write about our 10 year old, Kyle. I have decided that in order for others to understand the need for adoption that the truth needs to be known.
The truth is, this is the hardest thing that Misty and I have ever done. Kyle is an awesome young man. He is one of God’s greatest creations and he is also hurt. We don’t have the privilege of knowing everything that Kyle has been through but after living with him for almost a year now, many things are obvious.
When we first brought Kyle into our family in June of 2008 he couldn’t read and he could barely write his name. He was 9 years old and you could understand very few words that he spoke. Kyle was on several different medications for ADD, ADHD and Bed wetting. The only problem was that he still wet the bed every night, he had a facial tic and he was just as ADD as anyone you could ever meet. Kyle had no appetite and was very small for his age. The medications would cause him to lay in bed at night until 2 or 3am and unable to sleep.
The first thing we did was to make an appointment with a pediatrician and get his advise on the medications and his physical health. After lots of thought and prayer we took away all medications and in just a few days the facial tic was gone, Kyle slept like a rock and his behavior was actually better. The biggest problem was that Kyle had taken so much medication that he felt it was a trophy to take pills. We had to keep an eye on cough drops and antacid tablets because he would take them and eat them.
Over the past 10 months Kyle has grown to his normal size and weight without the medications. We can hardly believe the growth. The clothing and shoes he wore just 10 months ago look impossible. Kyle is reading so well that he voluntarily read the scripture that I was preaching from last Sunday night, the Beatitudes. Almost without missing a word.
We have to constantly remind Kyle that we are not going to take him somewhere and leave him. He lives with the fear that he is just going to be dropped off and never remembered again. For the first several months Kyle would talk about wanting to die, this is from a 10 year old. I tried to use psychology on him and ask how he would feel if I died and he said that would be cool, we could die together. He no longer talks about wanting to die.
For the first 6 months Kyle would throw tantrums to the extent of throwing up. There were a couple of times that I had to sit and hold him to keep him from doing damage but only a couple of times. At this point there are no more tantrums, however as with other things I know they could return. We have taught Kyle that he will never get his way by throwing a tantrum. When he would get to that point we told him go to your room on your own or we can help you, he always chose to go on his own. Shout as loud as you want, just close the door. If it got too loud we would ask him to go outside and continue. That stopped it, when his audience was taken away that took away his leverage.
Hygiene issues are tremendous. Kyle is learning that it is important to stay clean. Of all the battles this has been a constant one and still at 10 years old in order to make sure he is clean we have to treat him as if he were much younger and check behind him and many times redo the wash. We have had many bathroom accidents and we have had to learn to go prepared or leave places early.
Kyle loves to sing and he wants so bad to someday play in a band. He loves people and many of his troubles come from wanting to help but not understanding that sometimes his helping is not needed. He has a great big heart to help anybody and everybody.
We have learned that Kyle can never be left alone in the house unless he is sleeping. Lots of things tend to get broken and lost if he is alone. When Kyle came to live with us we soon learned that Misty was pregnant and Kyle wanted to know when I was going to have a baby. I explained to him that men don’t have babies and he seemed to understand. A couple of weeks later we were in a restaurant having dinner and Kyle says “dad, I know men don’t have babies and then he pointed to a gentleman in the restaurant that was heavy and said “but that man is getting ready to have one.” It was not in his quiet voice that he said it, as a matter of fact Kyle doesn’t have a quiet voice.
Just last week we were going over Kyle’s vocabulary words and the word brook came along. Kyle thought this was a persons name and I explained to him only if that word is capitalized was it a name. I explained that a brook is like a creek. At 10 years old Kyle doesn’t know what a creek is. We are going to take a walk through the woods soon and just explain everything that we see. We are learning every day that things that are so common to us and so foreign to Kyle. We have to always go to extra lengths to make sure Kyle understands because the simplest of words mean nothing to him but he will tell you he understands to keep from being embarrassed.
Adopting a kid like Kyle is not an easy thing. He will go to school and complain to the teacher that his dad (me) is mean because I put him on discipline. Yet he will come home and complain about the mean teacher who makes him work. I have taught Kyle the story of the boy who cried wolf because he has a hard time with telling the truth but he is learning.
Here is my thought. Maybe if we had known how hard this was going to be we would have said we can’t do this. I don’t know for sure we would have done that. Maybe if we had known how hard this was going to be we would have missed seeing a hurt little boy growing into what God created him to be. No, he doesn’t like the discipline but neither do I when I do wrong things. No he doesn’t like to go to school but I don’t like that either. It is hard cleaning up after him when it looks like he is big enough to do better. It is hard being on guard 24/7. It is so hard teaching and reteaching simple things. But, what happens to the Kyle’s who are left in the system until they are 18 and on their own? Who teaches them these things?
Misty and I do not regret taking Kyle into our family and we will likely do it again someday. Not tomorrow! But someday. We desire your prayers, with all the hard stuff comes a lot of laughter and to hear Kyle laugh is a joy. He has actually had to learn to laugh and to cry. I am glad that God has allowed my family to be a family for Kyle.
I will write again to let you know how things are progressing and someday I hope that Kyle will write to let people know how God has cared for him.
Ronnie
Good Life, Great Life, God Life
Which one of these do you have? I truly believe that I have all three to some degree. Beth White was with us at Out Of The Box last night and did an awesome job as always. Beth spoke about the above title.
A person can live a good life without God. If you work hard you can have a good life and the good life is characerized by working hard and having things. However things only satisfy for a very short period of time and then you have to have something more and better.
The great life can be obtained by acknowledging God in you life and working hard. The great life is characterized by doing. You work hard, have things and do. You have to do to be fulfilled but before long the doing has to be increased to have the same effect. You can never do enough.
The God life is characterized by letting God love us. Submitting to God’s Will for our lives and total surrender to His plan rather than our own.
We most often plan for a good life in the way we see good. God always plans the best for us.
Pass up the good and the great and let’s live the God life!
Ronnie
Warning about YouTubes
It was brought to my attention tonight that one of the youtubes that I had posted here on my blog was possibly leading people to bad sites.
I apologize for anything that may have been offensive. Apparently anytime you post a youtube video they automatically recommend others that may have to do with the content of the first one.
Be careful and I will take that advise as well.
Ronnie
Unwrapped @ Out Of The Box
On Monday night beth White spoke about the raising of Lazarus form the dead.
When Jesus came on the scene Lazarus had been dead for four days and people said that he stunk at this point.
John 11: 38-44
38Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39“Take away the stone,” he said.
”But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
40Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
41So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
43When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
Jesus raised the dead body and Out Of The Box is here to raise up dead souls. Jesus will give them new life and we will unwrap the body.
You don’t want to miss this event!
We are being blessed beyond measure at Out Of The Box. As many of you know we were inspired to start OOTB after visiting Christ Chapel Sportstowne in Macon Georgia in the summer of 2008. Last night we were blessed to host the United Methodist Women at OOTB and Beth is in town and truly blessed us with her presence.
Today I learned that we are headed for another Great Blessing. Beth is going to be our special guest @ OOTB on Wednesday Night. This week March 18th @ 6:45. You do not want to miss this special event, orchestrated by our Father.
Come and receive a HUGE Blessing!
Ronnie
Wednesday March 18th 2009 @ 6:45 and you can come early to hang out and get to know Beth.
Ronnie
About Ronnie G. Collins
I am one of the Pastor’s of First United Methodist Church in Hillsville Virginia and FUMC Downtown “Out of the Box”, Youth Ministry. We now have two campuses. The main church is at 225 Fulcher Street and our newest location is 522 North Main Street Hillsville, FUMC Downtown “Out of the Box”. I have a rich history of different church backgrounds to pull from and I believe that is why I am where I am in my Christian Life today. I have a Passion to see hurting, lost people come to know Jesus Christ. I believe that we as Christians have to demonstrate God’s Love to them, rather than just telling them they are loved. I am married and have 4 sons two very special nephews that are like sons, 2 grandchildren and 3 great nephews that are like grandchildren. I am a blessed man.
