Yesterday was an exciting day for my family. It was my first Sunday back home (I got here on Saturday), and our preacher, John Massie, gave an intensive lesson over deacons being servants. It was very information-packed. He talked about how the word "deacon" simply means "servant," that deacons were selected for their spiritual qualifications (godly men, men of only one wife, etc.), that they should advance the unity of the church, and that they are under subjection to the elders of the congregation just as the rest of the members are.

Earlier, before the lesson had started, my dad had asked me to take pictures throughout the lesson. I had no idea why he asked me this, but I agreed, and it's not until this lesson was half-way through did I remember that it was the 21st and that the installation of the deacons was to take place on that day. I felt incredibly stupid as this all dawned on me, but it quickly evaporated when John called all the deacons up and my dad walked over to the side of the podium. John spoke of how these men, beyond a doubt, met all of these qualificatins; they were selected by the church. And then he called up all the families of the men to go up as well and told the church that they were to be examples for the congregation now, to help look out for others.

Before we were called up, while just my dad and the other 3 men chosen were standing there, I stood at the back of the room videotaping, and I felt so incredibly proud of my dad. He and my mom have had a lot of ups and downs in their experiences with the church, and I felt that my dad had finally been recognized as the servant-leader he's always been.

I looked over at my mom and she was crying, and then I just looked around at my siblings, back at my dad, and thought: God has blessed me so much. My family is my team. And there was just this feeling there, this joy in knowing that we were all working to serve God, and that we are only a little segment inside our greater family: the church.

Family is nothing but a blessing, and I praise God for giving us one another. He always knows best for us--"It is not good for man to be alone."



And speaking of my family--while I was writing this blog, my aunt and cousin walked in and told my family that a boy named Kris Lerma (who is the grandson of my grandpa's sister) died in a car accident. He was with four other kids, and we're not sure if any of them died or if they're in critical condition. I taught Kris a few years ago, while my family worshipped in Nixon. He didn't come from a good family, and he was one of several cousins who all have similar backgrounds. Please pray for his family, that this would impact them to look to God rather than blame him. And please pray for the other kids who were in the car and their families as well, that they would all just turn to God.