I have to say that February has been a pretty good month for me and my family. We finally got a month without a doctor's visit or some kind of sickness that caused us to have to go to the pharmacy to get some over-the-counter medicine.
As a matter of fact, we have felt so good lately that me and Eli got to go to the range and shoot our new guns, and we've even gotten some yard work done around the house.
Seems like with the weather breaking and temperatures rising; you just feel more energized, and just feel like getting out the house and doing something.
Back at the first of the month we had our monthly JOY Group Fellowship Dinner and we had a wonderful time with all those that attend these dinners. Since Valentine's Day is in the month of February we decided to play a little game called tell us how you met. It's a game where couples or an individual can reflect back and talk about how they met their spouse and what led up to them getting married.
We heard some wonderful stories; some were funny, some were sweet, and some were very interesting. It was wonderful to get to hear how some of these strong Christian followers met the love of their lives.
One thing that came to my mind while listening to those who told their stories; most of the individuals in that group were still married or maybe one of them has gone on the with the Lord.
But what impressed me the was the fact of how few of our seniors are divorcees. Maybe it's just a generational thing, maybe it's because they were raised up in a time where divorce was almost looked upon as a scandal (it was kind of look down upon) compared to today where it's just commonplace. It seems like people today can get married and if at some point they come to where they just don't like the other person much at all, they just get a divorce seems; like it's no big deal anymore.
But these people,(our seniors) the foundation of the congregation at Greeneville First Church of God; they are people who stuck together through the good times and the bad times of marriage, and now we get to see incredible examples - of couples who have loved each other and been married for 30 or 40 or 50 years. They have committed their lives to Christ and each other.
I just want to thank them for the example they have been and still are.
Also, the JOY Group took a special trip up to the Gray Fossil Museum, and got to see some of the amazing fossils have been found underneath the earth; followed by a wonderful dinner at the Cracker Barrel. Everyone seemed to really enjoy the trip and are looking forward to the next trip in March.
Finally, I would just like to say I truly enjoyed being back home this past Sunday morning the 27th. The congregation in Tacoma invited a pastoral candidate to speak Sunday morning and Sunday evening; and this allowed me and Heidi to worship with our brothers and sisters at first Church!
A servant of HIS!
John Deyton