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Sunday, April 28, 2013

To Everything there is a Season....

This weekend we have had two celebrations - one in a grand fashion and one observed quietly within our family.

Our church celebrated the 10 year anniversary of our pastor today. Shawn Parker is a true man of God and he leads our church with genuine wisdom and true faithfulness to God's calling. He has been with our family in the hospital, he has counseled with us in his office, he has prayed for us and he has prayed with us. He baptized all three of our children and he has taken the time to know Brian and I in such a personal way. We count him and his wife as friends and true examples of what it means to be a follower of Christ. It is hard to imagine our church without their family, and I am so thankful that God placed us in First Baptist Church to serve beside them.

We also had another milestone achievement this weekend within our family. Brian celebrated the anniversary of 20 years serving the United States Air Force.





The top picture is a of Brian and I at a 70th Anniversary celebration of Columbus AFB. The second picture is when we found out Brian would promote to E-8 last spring.


Brian has never made his career more important than the kids and I. He has gone wherever the Air Force has asked but he has always taken into consideration what is best for our family over what is best for his career.

I stand in awe of his devotion to defend our country against enemies, both foreign and domestic. His allegiance to the United States is displayed daily as he puts on the uniform that means at any given minute he might be called to serve anywhere in the world for the cause of freedom.

God has blessed us through Brian's time in service, as we have traveled overseas and back home and as Brian spent almost a year in the deserts of Kuwait. I believe God has used Brian to impact the lives of many of the airmen he has come into contact with over his 20 years because he takes time to listen to them and get to know them. He has received countless awards and achieved many goals in his time in the Air Force, but providing for our family has always been his priority and for that I will always be grateful.

As we realize that the end of his career may be fast approaching, it is amazing to think how quickly the time has slipped by. Brian and I dated as he began his early days working Labor and Delivery at Barksdale. We had our children while he worked shift work in the ER and God provided clinic hours all the way over in Guam so we could spend more family time together.

We have grown up in this Air Force and looking back it is amazing to see God's hand on our path. Our friends cover the globe and we are thankful for them and the memories that we made with them. Ultimately, God led us to Columbus AFB in March of 2002 and to a home in First Baptist Church that we were in desperate need of. So, this weekend has been a time to reflect on the season's of life.

I have no doubt God planned for us to be in Columbus, to serve in a church with such great leadership with friends that we love. And as we quietly celebrate this huge achievement in Brian's military career I am ever more reminded that God has a plan for us and for our children. My prayer is that we walk with Him daily wherever He should lead us doing whatever job He puts before us to bring Him the honor and glory.

Jeremiah 29:11-13


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