Today I am very thankful for my hubby, Kenny, but I am even more thankful for what God is doing in him right now. Kenny just got back from a Bible Conference in California with a new energy for God that has encouraged and inspired me as well.
Yesterday our pastor went with another man from our church, Jay, to witness to Jay’s dad. On their way back the car broke down and Kenny got the phone call that he needed to preach the main service. (By the way, Jay’s dad got saved!!!) Kenny had already prepared a message 
for the teens called “Stand up for Christ, or Shut up for Satan.” With our teens getting ready to start back to school in just 3 weeks Kenny has started a series to encourage them to do right and to stand for Christ when temptations come. Since we were in with the adults Kenny also talke
d to the parents about being an example to their kids by reading their Bibles and making church a priority.
Kenny’s new passion for our teens has spurred even more fervent prayers on my part for camp next week and for the weeks to follow that we would be able to see more teens come to know Christ as their personal Savior and follow Him with all their hearts.
I hope you’ll be praying for us!
This past Saturday my sister and I went yard saleing and I found several things to aid in decorating the house. I plan to blog about those this week and get them in place. Eventually, I hope, to do a “home tour” for every one here on the blog.
Kenny (finally) made it back home this morning from the Conference in California at 2:45am. Although we didn’t talk much last night, I know Kenny is excited about the things he learned out there and has already been planning some changes for the choir and youth group. Should be really good from what he has told me already.
Also, this week we are getting ready to take the teens to camp in Georgia for a week. If you think about it please pray for us as Kenny and I will be counselors for the week and for all the teens, that their hearts would be open to God’s word. - Along the same line Alton Beal was preaching at our church yesterday. His message last night was about the four men who brought the man of the palsy to Jesus by lowering him through the roof. Alton was saved as a young boy through the bus ministry run by four men. His message was “What are you doing to bring people to Jesus?” I know I’ve mentioned praying for our teens a lot but it is an important way you can help bring people to Jesus.
Last thing I’d like to share here today is Your not JUST anything! I follow the blog “Not JUST A Housewife” Its a Do-It-Yourself decorating, organizing and anything else you can think of kind of blog on a budget. (just my style!) She did a really good post yesterday about being proud of what you do. I really enjoyed reading it and hope you will too!
I know its not Thursday but the internet at work was down so I couldn’t send it out. But I hope you get a blessing from it no matter what day its on :)
I was looking online for some new ideas of what I could do for my personal devotions, I like to have a guide or a book to follow to keep me on track, and I stumbled across Revive Our Hearts – The Counter Cultural Woman. I had seen this series before and thought it sounded interesting so I decided to give it a try.
Before I go on I have to say that I don’t particularly like that fact that she uses every version of the Bible under the blue moon but I do appreciate her heart for God and that she really wants to help encourage women to live a Godly, Christ-honoring life.
For my Bible reading I’m taking the 31 day challenge to read Proverbs 31 every day. Its been really neat to see the things I’ve found in my own reading of this passage but what I want to share with you all is what Nancy, Revive Our Heart’s speaker, had to say.
Today she was giving an over view of the Virtuous Woman. Yes, she sews, she cooks, she has her own business but the heart throb behind all of her “works” is her love for God and her desire to please Him above all others. I really had to question myself about the motives I have for doing things.
Am I wanting glory and honor for God or for myself?
(ouch) This was a real burn as I thought “Are the things I do so that Kenny will be proud and praise his new wifey? or because I want to please God whether Kenny, and others, notice or not?”
Going back to the Virtuous Woman, she received her husband and children’s praise at the end of the chapter but how much better to receive the praise of our heavenly Father for work well done that brought honor to His name.
Well this week Kenny and our Pastor, Mike Haley, are out in California for West Coast Bible College’s Leadership Conference. It sounds like they are having a great time and really learning a lot from God’s Word and from other Pastor’s experiences. (and spending time in the coffee shop – Which is named “The Great Awakening” - and eating too much ice cream!)
While they are gone this week I’ve been staying with my Dad off the mountain and just enjoying spending time with family and friends.
Dad and I have gone for coffee several times with the Mourers
This is my Snickers Frappe’ – Kenny was only a little jealous when he got this picture :)
Yesterday Jessica, my sis-in-law, (and Mikaela) kidnapped me for the afternoon!
They went with me to the Social Security Office to get my name officially changed to “Rebecca Gail Godby” YAY!!!!!!
Mikaela likes cheese roll ups from Taco Bell :)
By the way… Have I mention that I cut my hair?
Don’t worry, I did this before Kenny left so he is already aware of how his wifey will look when he comes back :)
Last Wednesday Kenny and I took six of our teens hiking the Grandfather Mtn. Profile Trail. Let me just say right off the bat it is not a trail for the faint of heart! (unless your only planning to do a small portion) None the less we had a great time huffing and puffing up and down the sides of the mountain peaks and enjoying all the wonderful views.
Here we are getting ready to embark on our grand adventure at 10:30am. In this picture (left to right) Becky (me), Brock, Mary Kathryn, Emily, Kenny, Dustin and Dakota.
This is the first peak on the profile trail, one of three that we would climb!
After Hiking for two hours we took break #13 for lunch
I couldn’t resist putting Brock in “tree jail.”
Break # 21 - This place was called “Shanty Springs” the sign said that this was the last “for sure” watering hole… do you see the black pipe Dakota has his water bottle under?
Break # 25 – I had everyone get on a different rock, I thought it turned out nice except for the fact that you can’t see Mary Kathryn :S
Break # 26 – the guys trying to move the boulder.
Our first Mountain Top Experience…
…and break # 31. It was up here that my phone ran, it was my nephew, Austin, calling me from Kansas to tell me about camp and spending time with his cousins. Yeah I’m pleased with my cell service :)
I wanted to show this picture because that is the trail they are standing/sitting on. And yes, that is aprox. 70-90 ft drop off to the right! Like I said this trip was not for the faint of heart!
Break # 52 – Mountain Peak two. I was too scared to look over the edge so i held the camera out and took a picture instead… needless to say I backed off that ledge VERY carefully!
We next had to hike down the other side of the peak we had just come up. We all started referring to this section of the trail as “The Cliffs of Insanity.”
And back up again, you know its steep when they give you a ladder and rope instead of stairs and a hand rail.”Excuse me, Kenny, next time can we just take the elevator?
This was the last and highest peak. The sign on the ladder they are climbing says “Macrae Peak, 5844 ft.”
Worth every step!
I didn’t take very many pictures on the way down – not much to look at when you’ve just seen the top of the world.
Break # 79 - The last picture of the weary travelers! By the time we finished it was somewhere around 5:00pm so we drove into town and got a bucket of chicken for supper and went to a picnic area on the Blue Ridge to eat and have our Teen Service.
Just for the record, I didn’t actually keep track of how many breaks we took but there were a lot! Brock said he wanted to design a shirt that says; (front) “I survived Grandfather Mtn. Profile Trail…” (back) “Never mind how many breaks I took!”
We had a great time with the teens and will probably go again next year… after the soreness wears off :)
This is our Motorcycle, its a Honda Interceptor… Yes I had to ask Kenny what model it was but I did know it was a Honda :)
About a week or so ago we received in the mail our personalized license plate :)
I told you it was “ours” :)
I know I’m a couple days behind but this really is something I am truly thankful for. I’ve mentioned in an earlier post about my trip to Africa and how thankful I was for the little things like Toilet paper. We have so much in this Nation that makes us “rich” in the eyes of those around us. Is our country perfect? No. I’m I 100% pleased with the direction our country is headed? No, but I can say that there is no other place I’d rather live! :)
Now for a brighter note :) here are some pictures of our 4th of July celebrations. We went to Watauga Lake with our Pastor and his family and Craig – now that I think about it, I don’t think I ever got a picture of Craig :S maybe next year.
I did get his picture! Well the back of his head… but its a picture! 
Brock and Kenny tried to be “Ninja” and stand up on the raft…
…It didn’t last long!
We also went to see fireworks but I didn’t take any pictures… Sorry :S I hope you all had a good 4th of July and that you remembered the reason we celebrate.
