Just when I thought the weather would cooperate with the season changing to fall…last week was just a teaser. It was 94 degrees today in Odessa. Oh well, tis the season…Thanksgiving is knocking on our door. It will be here in like 2 ½ weeks…so tis the season of meal planning, decorating and shopping. The first part of November is when I start planning for the holidays…this might be a little late for some people and a little early for others. Nonetheless it all gets accomplished… I am particularly excited about this upcoming season. Cal is a little over 2 ½ years old…and for those of you that have kids or have small grandchildren then you know these are fun and memorable moments for not only the child but as a family.

This upcoming weekend our older kids know that “Santa” starts the shopping…and I’ll go ahead and tell you a little sthing sthing “If “Santa” hears that you do not believe then you get underwear.” So, in our house YOU BELIEVE! I take an annual trip with my closest of friends. It’s a chance to break away from our families, make them realize you are needed and reconnect…we laugh…somebody always cries (I’ll never disclose who) …and we laugh some more. For the last two weeks I’ve been asking the kids what are some things on their list…thankfully, a little hint or two have been given, but Brayden…oh B has a list…a list that Josh said would take $5,000 to cover. Like I can’t even go there with B…we absolutely do not indulge in the kids to this magnitude.

Even though my thoughts are running towards holiday preparations, my thoughts would frequently reel back to where we are in our bible study lesson. This last week I was mulling over when Jesus appeared to the disciples late in the evening…and just thinking about the moment, the temporary moment when Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit on them. An experience they were able to share together. I sort of would get lost in my thoughts wondering how they looked at each other…were they still, fidgety or in awe…and then I wondered what their conversations were when Jesus left. Then my thoughts would race towards the story where Jesus ascended into heaven, but in the middle of these two stories John writes about Thomas. Have you ever given much thought about the lives of his closest followers (disciples). I mean when the Bible speaks about them, they are already men…I think sometimes we forget these men were once babies…just babies growing up to be men…some with a Jewish background and some not…working hard in a trade…then in one day their lives are forever changed…and they have no clue of the magnitude of this change. They just stopped working in their trade and allowed Jesus to intersect and take over. It’s just mind blowing to me…his closest followers were able to live daily with Jesus, witness His miracles, watch and listen to how Jesus talked to the Jewish religious leaders, saw his death…and still the disciples in the end were fearful and doubting…they only believed when Jesus showed his closest followers his hands and side…

Not to belittle the disciples but I bring this up bc even today people just want to see Jesus or audibly hear Him. Here it is…are you ready…some of my favorite words that Jesus spoke…”Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. This is me and Jesus says I am blessed, bc I have never seen Jesus. I have never heard His audible voice. There is no need. John wrote his gospel to new Christians and searching non-Christians. John’s gospel is not about the life of Christ, it is a conclusive demonstration of who Jesus was, and is. The only source of eternal life. May we not be like Thomas, demanding a physical face to face encounter, but accept the eyewitness testimonies of Jesus disciples. We have all the proof we need in the Bible and the testimonies of the disciples. I believe a physical appearance would not make Jesus any more real to me than He is now.

I just cannot believe it’s the last day of October. The weather is finally cooperating, and it feels like fall.  I woke up this morning and just looked around at all the different pictures of our kids of past Halloween costumes that adorn our entry, living room and dining room. You should see the adorability in these pictures. There are a few pictures that just completely melt this momma’s heart. We live simple lives and I love taking pictures of my kids to remind them of the things we have done as a family, such as the church carnivals, trunk or treats…and our favorite…going to Ma and Pa’s house in the evening for pizza and looking over a buffet of treats and bubbling punch from the dry ice and trying to decide what should be eaten first. These are sweet and precious memories.

Last week was filled with Homecoming festivities and getting ready for Brayden’s school carnival. Kara is a Junior at Odessa High and is a co-head trainer for the Bronchos. We were up most nights last week preparing for all the Homecoming festivities. I cannot even tell you how many cupcakes I ended up making last week, but I hope I do not see a piping bag for a while. Last week was Brayden’s first time to tell me he wanted to be dropped off at the school and meet up with his friends during their school carnival…and he said that I should just come back and get him. I looked down briefly at my outfit and realized I had gotten dressed all to make another run to Market Street instead of walking around with Brayden at the carnival. It was very odd not to be there with him, but this is him slowly pulling away…

Amid the fun stuff that comes with Homecoming (mums, pep rally, treats, bonfire and spirit week outfits) and then getting Halloween costumes ready for tonight… last Wed night after the girls came home from the Homecoming bonfire…Josh and I decided to tackle a “situation” that had been brewing for months with one of our kids…and as most of you know, tackling teenage emotions, making sure the perspective is reality, asking the real hard questions, trying to remain calm all to swing in the opposite direction of getting worked up and realizing a small retreat to the bedroom for a break is needed. A 5 second break from the nightmare to get some sort of perspective all to go back into the dining room for round 2…3…and 4. We’ve all been there with our kids and I love that Josh interrupts the perversion of Satan and spoke truth over this child…even when darkness has found temporary roots in one of our kids, Josh immediately begins to speak truth. Life is messy, raising kids is the hardest job out there.

That night as I laid in our 2 year old bed…I could hear Josh’s voice in my head making the following statement, “somedays it’s chicken, somedays it’s feathers.” Then I thought what if it’s chicken and feathers in the same day. It doesn’t matter because God is here and none of this took him by surprise. He knew, he knows the ups and downs that will take our family on a journey. On a journey that will force us to dig deep, to dig deeper with the Father.

Josh will be sharing shortly from John 20. A story of Jesus appearing to the disciples behind locked doors. Do you realize this is on the same day when Jesus was not found in the tomb? Do you realize it is the same day when Jesus appeared to the two believers traveling to Emmaus…the same day just later in the evening. My favorite part of this story is when the Bible says in vs 22 …”and with that he breathed on them and said, “receive the Holy Spirit.” The disciples needed this from Jesus…they needed the insight.

The Holy Spirit plays many roles: comfort when we are hurting, helps us recall the things we’ve learned about God, helps us tell others about our faith, “Counselor” who will guide us in our everyday lives, will help us pray…even when we are not sure how to pray or what to say…the Holy Spirit interceded for us, saying the prayers for us.

Just as the disciples received the Holy Spirit, I have received the Holy Spirit. I found myself last Wed recalling the things I’ve learned about God and speaking alongside of Jesus as we spoke truth over our child…and lying in bed asking the Holy Spirit to intercede and pray on my behalf…

May we never be complacent to what Jesus did on the cross for us…may we always believe in the resurrection and never doubt His omniscient.

Josh will share with us The Risen King on the Emmaus Road. Jesus is with us in our sorrow and confusion, He is the focus of all the scriptures and Jesus makes Himself known to His people.