There is so much on my mind today as I write. This has been a long weekend for us. Tom & I both took Friday off and we went to visit Layne & Zeke. Saturday was my birthday so we went up there to celebrate with them. Layne & I helped Zeke set up for a "Fifth Quarter" after the Smith Co. football game and I spent my birthday money at Magnolia's (Melody Westbrooks Tackett's store in Carthage). Tom wasn't feeling too well so he stayed at their house most of the time. I went to the first half of the ballgame then we went to the Fifth Quarter afterward to hear a friend Zeke had invited down to speak at the Fifth Quarter.
The speaker, Melvin Swafford, was one of the pastors that repeatedly brought teams out to Vegas to help us in the early years of Hope. Their team even helped us move into one of our houses out there. Melvin was later called from that church to be a church planter himself. He, along with his wife April and I am sure many others started a church in Oak Ridge. A couple of months ago, he was asked to step down as pastor. Why? Well for those of you who are curious I am including the link to their blog, The Swaffords . This will take you directly to the letter their board presented him with and pretty much all the explanation they gave him.
Why do we do this to our pastors? There was no more mention of prayer in this letter than there would be in a pink slip handed to you at a secular job! My goodness, why are we acting like the world and then expecting them to see something in us that makes them want to join our churches?? I just truly do not understand! I share this not to badmouth this particular church but just to maybe make someone think before they do these things! Do you realize that you will stand before a Holy, Mighty God one day and account for this? Do you realize the consequences of going against a man of God? Oh my! I don't think we do! Sorry, I don't mean to get on my soap box but how do we try to tell a lost and dying world that they need Jesus when we treat one another like this? Please pray for Melvin and April Swafford.
Back to the real first subject of my blog post and that is to ask you to pray for Tom. We get results from his latest scan this Tuesday, which I have all faith it will be clear. However, he is not feeling well and running a fever. I know I am overprotective, just ask my daughter! But we covet your prayers so much! They have gotten us through so much over the last year and a half. Sometimes when we look back it is a bit overwhelming! God has been so faithful to us and we are so blessed.
Thank you to Layne & Zeke for a great birthday weekend!
Love you all,
Jan
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