Why I Voted for Kris Allen!

He melted my heart with his velvety voice and piano/guitar skills, but little did I know that was the least of his gifts. This man is passionate about Jesus Christ and has been blessed with the oppotunity to be the worship pastor at his home church in Arkansas. I believe that our newest American Idol has been ordained to change the world!

Turning Over A New Leaf

About 6 weeks ago, Chris and I were presented with the opportunity to step out of our current leadership roles in our Married Adults Sunday School Class and step into new roles as co-teachers in a Newlyweds Sunday School Class. What an honor to have even been asked! Our very dear friends, Ryan and Valerie, have felt the calling to start this new class and after much prayer and consideration they feel that we have been chosen by God to join in this new journey with them. Of course, as a result of our own personal prayer and consideration, we believe that we all have been chosen and are being obedient to the call. This is a bittersweet decision for us. 4 years ago, after searching and longing for a church body to belong to and a group of friends to be included in, we visited the Hartsell Newlyweds Class at HGBC North. Immediately, we knew it was where we needed to be. Only a few short months later, we were actively serving in the class and appointed as leaders among our group. Over the course of 4 years time, Chris and I have had the privilege of serving our class with our friends (Ryan and Valerie included) through fellowship/social coordination, inreach/outreach, prayer, etc. We have made beautiful friendships as a result of the decision to commit to this group of newlyweds every Sunday. We will miss seeing all of them as frequently, but we know we're being obedient to the call, and we know that obedience always precedes blessing.

Beginning on June 7th, 2009, we will officially be the leaders of the Haynes Newlyweds Sunday School class at HGBC North. Many preparations are already in place, but nothing can take the place of your commitment to pray on our behalf. We are excited to see who and what the Lord brings to us through this opportunity. But we also know that it will be a prime target for Satan in the coming weeks. Please be praying for us as we impart our wisdom, experiences, and love on these newlywed couples. We will be studying how to "Fireproof" our marriages. I ask specifically that you pray for protection over our marriage during this time. Not only will schedules/personal time be affected by this new commitment, but we will be more in the "limelight" which offers up opportunities to fail and be judged by those around us. I know that we certainly do not have all of life's questions answered in regards to marriage, but the Lord has taught us MANY things over the years to prepare us for where we are right now. We ask that you pray for unity of thought and action, wisdom in all decisions (personally/spiritually), guidance in the coming weeks, and preparation of the hearts of those who are purposefully chosen by God to be a part of this class.

We know GREAT things are in store and we can't wait for God to rock our worlds together!

You can keep up with how things are going through our new class blog: http://haynesnewlyweds.blogspot.com