Giving Your Time

I told you that I am learning about investing my money in people (giving). One of my Bible studies talked about the joy of giving. There are so many scriptures that say that you will be blessed when you give to others. That's certainly not the reason you give, but it just happens. Since we have been doing Chocolate Tastings and Parties with a Purpose, the Lord is just blessing us. We bought our first piece of furniture and a second car (in the 9 years that we've been married, this is the first time we've had a second car) all in one week!

Yesterday, I learned something else...how to give your time. I am a people person, but when it comes to our work, I'm very task oriented. We had a lot to do yesterday in order to get ready to leave tomorrow. In the midst of all of our errands, Brock (who is ALWAYS a people person) pulls over and helps some ladies change a flat tire. Something amazing happened yesterday. I thought that we were going to have to come back in town today and finish some of our errands because we had so much to do. We got done early! We actually had time to visit with some of our friends at Aux Choux, a dessert place in downtown Franklin. The Lord also blesses you when you give of your time. Time is such a valuable thing here in this country.

Go and read Brock's blog today and find out more about how he ministered to the ladies as he changed the tire, and it only took 6 minutes! www.brockgill.com/blog.

WAY-FM Show

Last night, we did a show for WAY-FM (the local Christian radio station here). It was up in the club room of the Titans stadium. It was fun to go there. I've never been to the stadium much less performed there.

They had some yummy food and then we performed right off the bat. Some of our friends came. Then, Third Day played. It was fun! We saw many people we knew.

After that, we walked from the stadium across the walking bridge in downtown Nashville and went to the Christian tattoo parlor. Many of our friends work there. It was fun to see them "at work." They have a very cool working environment. They all seem to be good friends. They play Christian music, and they don't allow bad language. It's cool!

One of our friends that we met at a camp a few years ago, Amber, is here with us. She came along and helped out some. We bought a new truck to pull our new trailer from Orlando and she happens to live near Orlando. Therefore, she drove it down for us. She flies back today, but we had a great time with her during her short visit.

Anxious and Excited

I'm trying not to be anxious about this summer, but it's difficult not to. We leave Sunday for a month. Then, we come back for just a couple of days and head out again. Therefore, I'm trying to get everything ready before we leave. Once we get there, it's hard to do anything but camp. We are in our own little world at camp. Sometimes, I simply forget that life is going on outside of camp. The main reason that I'm a little anxious is that we don't have Shannon with us this year. That's going to be interesting.

However, I'm so excited! Camps and festivals are so fun. They are different and I enjoy participating in them every year. We get stretched and challenged in a lot of ways because we don't just come in and do one of our shows. We are there for an entire week. Plus, Brock speaks a lot more. I love to hear him speak.

This year, I'm trying to take a few precautions. The good thing about camps is that we stay in one place for a week or longer. The bad thing is that we do so many shows that by the end of camp, we are completely drained spiritually, physically, and emotionally. So, this year, we aren't doing any other projects except shows. Then, when we do have days off (which are precious few) we are going to rest and not work. After all of our camps are finished, we are taking two weeks off. We aren't going on vacation. We are going home. There's lots of stuff that we must catch up on at home after being gone for two months. I hope that this works better this year!

Pictures from Last Weekend

The Drive-In








The Triathlon









Pancake Pantry


Hanging out at Jacob and Lucas' house

They are all playing Wii except my triathlete. He was tired!

Action Packed Weekend

What a great weekend! First, Kristin, a.k.a. Crackhead (we only call her that because she's so crazy), came to stay with us on Saturday. Brock grilled and a couple of other friends came over as we ate on the back porch. Then, we met some more friends at a drive-in movie. We made a big bed in the back of our truck with loads of blankets and pillows and such. It might have been too good because Brock and Kristin whom were on either side of me both fell asleep.

Sunday, we went to church. It was a great service! After eating lunch in a restaurant where we could sit outside on the patio, we went to buy a couch. I was so excited! This is the first piece of furniture that we've ever bought except our dining room table which was such a good deal that we had to buy it. The rest of our furniture we either made or was given to us. We found one at such a good price! That only took about 10 minutes to find it and order it and everything. (Brock and I are very decisive.)

Then, we went a friend's house to swim in her pool. It was a beautiful day! When we got too hot, we went over to another friend's house and freshened up a little. Then, we went to eat at Macaroni Grill. Brock needed to eat a lot of carbs.

We got up bright and early yesterday morning in order to go and see Brock do a triathlon. He did it! I'm so proud of him for that. Then, we went to Pancake Pantry (a famous place in Nashville) to eat. Brock was hungry! After that, we went to another friend's house and watched a movie and played wii. Kristin left from there to go back to Atlanta. After an early dinner there, we went back home. I slept 10 1/2 hours last night. What did you do this weekend?

Investments

My mom always told me that it doesn't matter where you live. You can live on the beach or in the mountains or wherever, but it's not about the place. It's all about the people around you.

This year, I've learned how to invest in others with my money. Brock's always been very giving, but it doesn't come naturally to me. I'm not stingy, I just didn't know how to give to others. I just tithed my 10% to the church every month. That's great, but Brock has taught me that giving over and beyond is when you are truly giving. It's that sacrificial giving that really blesses everyone.

I've learned something thinking about Lucas, Frank, Delaine and Travis, and Nikki. We make money investments for our future which is great. It's responsible to make investments so that in 30 years, your investments will pay off. However, one thing that I'm learning is the investment we need to make in people. It may take years to see the results if ever, but it's worth it! You intentionally make money investments. Well, I want to intentionally invest in people. The value of stocks will go up and down. Banks can fail, but an investment in a person is priceless.

Nikki

I wanted to share the letter that I got the other day with you. It's from Nikki who was in the youth group at a church that we were a part of when we lived in Conroe, TX several years ago:

I'm not sure how much you remember me because it's been almost 9 years since I used to hang out with ya'll when you lived in Conroe, but I found these letters I never mailed, and I just thought I should send them to you. I wrote these letters after our ski trip that we went on to Winter Park with the West Conroe Baptist Church youth group.

Anyway, I'm 24 years old now---I've been married for almost 2 years, and I live in College Station, TX. I'm still following the Lord, and I just wanted to thank you both for being my friend in high school and for setting an example of leadership and godly living. Some of my best memories in high school were spent hanging out with ya'll.

Well, enjoy these two rather belated letters. I hope that you're doing awesome.


She then added the two letters that she wrote to each of us in '99. They are funny. In mine she talks about a guy that she likes and is praying about whether she should date him or not. It's amazing that after 9 years, she found those letters and thought of us. What an encouragement to us!

Delaine and Baby

At the "baby shower" which was our Party with a Purpose for May, it was so funny when I saw our friend, Lucas (the bmx rider whom I blogged about the other day) and his friend who is a tattoo artist (both single guys) going through the registry trying to choose a good baby gift. The tattoo artist asked what a snugli was and I told him that I'd been advised from one of my friends who is a mother that it is really good. Then, Lucas said, "I bought them the gate. Think about it! What if the baby starts to crawl down the stairs into the basement...Think about it!" Who knew that the same guy who back flips his bike several feet in the air would be so concerned about safety?

While Brock was out in L.A., he stopped by Travis and Delaine's house (the ones that we had the baby shower for). Brock took a few clothes and stuff given to us by one of our friends whose baby has outgrown the clothes. Delaine was blown away by the generosity of everyone. She showed him notes from people who said that they heard about the need on this blog and decided to give. She pointed to something and said that she didn't know whom that was from but she thought that it was a cool gift...it was the gate from Lucas! Thank you so much to everyone who contributed!!!

Frank

This is a very special family to me and a very special guy. The guy's name is Frank. We first met Frank at Freedom Experience several years ago. He's also a bmx rider. At one of the FX's where he rode, Frank gave his life to the Lord. At another FX, Frank's son (the older kid in the picture...he's grown up so much since then) got saved. Then, we did a Freedom Experience in Memphis, TN. Frank met a wonderful lady named Rachel while we were there. They eventually got married, and Frank moved from Iowa to Tennessee.

They always come to our shows when we are in the Memphis area. Last week was no exception. The only exception is that they brought their two week old baby with them. What a wonderful family and testimony. FX is changing lives in more ways than we can imagine. That baby boy, that life, would not be here if Frank hadn't performed at that FX in Memphis. God has a plan for everyone's life and He had big plans for Frank when Frank became a part of Freedom Experience!

Lucas

Lucas is a real person, unlike Betty whom I talked about yesterday. We met Lucas several years ago when he was riding on the bmx team at Freedom Experience. At that time, he was a new Christian and still rather angry. He's a different person today. He's the most gentle person with a big heart. Plus, he strives to please the Lord.

He now lives in Nashville. (He lived with us for a little while.) He manages his own bmx team now. Last week, he performed at several school assemblies with just his team and did great! If you can do a school assembly, you can do any show. School assemblies are tough. I'm so proud of Lucas!!!

Betty

Betty is our secretary. We take her everywhere with us. If you call Brock's cell phone, Betty will take a message for you. When we are on the road, Betty gives us directions. Betty is what we call the electonic voice on our cell phones and our GPS. It's so funny when you call Brock's cell phone because his message says something like this: "Betty, show them what to do." Then, immediately, her electronic voice comes on and says to "Leave a message after the beep" or whatever.

Also, we just got a GPS. I don't know how we lived without it before. She tells us how to get everywhere we want to go no matter what state we're in or what old country back road that we're on. I feel like we have an extra person with us when we're driving and have the GPS on, because she will come on often and say stuff like, "Turn onto HWY 150 in 200 feet." Anytime you get off the path like to get gas or something, she'll say, "Recalculating." If you don't correct yourself quick enough, she'll say (I promise she sounds more impatient when she says this), "There's a better route!" She's funny that Betty!

Party, Party, Party

We've been doing nothing but going to parties since I got here. Mom had a small group party with a mexican fiesta theme at their house Friday night. Saturday, we went to a graduation celebration at Buca Di Pepo. Yesterday, they had Homecoming at the church, so they had a big meal after church. Then, we went to a birthday party. Today, we are going out to celebrate Mother's Day and dad's birthday. I'm going to gain 10 pounds while I'm here!

Yesterday was fun seeing a small community come together. They had a silent auction for the GA's. They were auctioning off gift baskets that you could use for Father's Day or as a graduation present. Well, dad kept bidding on this one that had some homeade blackberry jam in it. Then, I decided to get it for him for Father's Day and be able to contribute in the process. I tried to keep it a secret from him, but I'm not as slick as Brock. I had the last bid when he came over to see what it had risen to. I simply covered my name with my hand. He was debating on bidding $1 higher than me (even though he didn't know it was me). Then, he pushed my hand out of the way to see who had bid that last bid. Oh well! I still got it for him!

Dad is going out to the poor area of this little town every Thursday night and telling them Bible stories since they cannot read (it's called Bible storying which missionaries use in foreign countries a lot). Some of the people from this group have been coming to church and were there yesterday. They were so funny! They asked me all kinds of questions about Nashville and country music singers. They thought that I was a singer because of my hair I think. One lady told me that she liked to sing but she couldn't sing those "Lakewood songs." She could only sing along with the hymns. Lakewood is a big church in Houston, and I guess that she called any chorus that wasn't a hymn a "Lakewood song." She also said that Red Blanchette, the judge here in town, should be president of the U.S.A. They were a hoot! I kept thinking how much Brock would enjoy hanging out with them!

Books, Books, and More Books

Well, I'm a reader. I'm a slow reader, so it takes me longer than the average person to read a book. However, I spend many hours on a truck or in a plane, so I have a lot of time to read. I figured out that I read about 40 books a year on average. That really adds up when you're buying so many books! I tried the library thing, but it's not convenient at all for me due to location and my lifestyle. I thought about maybe joining a book club, but I don't even know if they do that anymore.

Last night, I found the answer! AMAZON.com. They have all of the books that I want for really cheap. I don't care if they are used. I found some books for 1 penny. Of course, I had to pay $4 for shipping and handling, but $4 isn't bad for a book, especially when it comes right to my doorstep. Anyway, I cut my yearly spending on books in half by using amazon.com.

I go through different phases with authors and genres of books that I like to read. I got some Lori Wick, Karen Kingsbury, Dee Henderson, and Francine Rivers (I had to get one of her old ones because I've read everything that she's written within the last 10 years). For my Bible study time, I got some John MacArthur New Testement study books, some Women of Faith study guides, and a Mark E. Moore book. Recently, while I was studying "Acts," I read Francine Rivers' book "The Scribe." It really brought the scriptures to life. That was a great combination! What authors do you enjoy?

Travel Day

I began yesterday in Memphis and I ended up in Houston. We drove the three hour drive home yesterday morning. Then, we packed everything up and drove to the airport. Brock went to L.A. for a few days to work on some business stuff. He's also going to ride dirt bikes with some friends out there. I went to TX to hang out with my family.

Since I got back from vacation in January, I've taken on some of Shannon's job of road managing, Parties with a Purpose, Chocolate Tastings, and we've done a brand new show. Plus, we have some business changes that we are making. I feel like it's been mostly work for me for the last few months. I need this break. As I've said before, all work and no play doesn't sit well with me. This is perfect!

Miracles Show in Memphis

The show last night went really well. We had some people filming it to make a promo dvd about it, so that complicated things. Sometimes, things that make the show better such as little to no lights in the audience, makes the filming worse. It's difficult to do both a good live show and a good taping. I think that we pulled it off last night, though.

We still had some challenges. We were in the gym at the church instead of the auditorium. That was tricky since this show is better in a theater of some sort. Also, our hand held mic that the emcee was using broke right as we started and the first illusion Brock was about to do broke. We had to improvise. I thought that this show was going to be rough with such a bad start. However, the rest of the show went very smoothly.

It ended up being great! I love going to Bellevue in Memphis!

Dirt Bike Riding

A few days ago, we went dirt bike riding together at some trails near our house. Brock went up some very big hills. It was fun!









Pray for us tonight. We have another Miracles show in Memphis.

Not Your Typical Baby Shower

Last night was wonderful. It was a smaller group, but we still had 17 in attendance. We made our own pizzas and I made a couple of fruit pizzas for dessert. At the beginning of the night, we went on ichat with Travis and Delaine. They are the ones whom we were giving the shower for. It was so special to be able to talk with them. They were almost tearful at some times because they were so appreciative of what we are doing for them. They were really encouraged that strangers on the other side of the country would provide for them. Travis kept saying that this was "all God." I liked being a part of something that is all God.

After we prayed for Travis and his family, we continued making pizzas and people got online to order gifts for the baby. I had four computers set up to order. After that, we all watched movies since Travis is in Hollywood. I had four different movies set up in four different rooms of our house. It was fun!

Moms and Anniversaries

Speaking of anniversaries, we acknowledged a different anniversary the other day. Tuesday was the second anniversary of my friend, Lindsey's mother's death. She died of cancer two years ago. The night before she died, she called Lindsey to come to the hospital and entertain her, because she was bored. When Lindsey got there, someone happened to be shooting off fireworks outside her window. She had a perfect view of the fireworks and thus had her entertainment. Therefore, on Tuesday, we lit some fireworks in Lindsey's mom's honor. We made a "toast" with our firecrackers to Lindsey's mom's life and the life she created with Lindsey. It was special.

To all of you mothers out there, Happy Mother's Day. You are all very special especially to your children!

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Contest

Yesterday was wonderful. We took it easy in the morning. "Walk the Line" was on TV and we watched it as we were leisurely getting ready. Then, we headed over to our new favorite lunch place which happens to be only 5 minutes from our house. We had some fabulous seafood there. Then, we went shopping a little around there at some of the new shops that are popping up near us.

After that, we went and watched "Iron Man." It was better than we thought that it was going to be. I always enjoy super hero movies because they are fairly clean and fun, and the good guy always wins.

Then, we grabbed some sushi and went to Aux Chou. It's a dessert place that we love in downtown Franklin. They don't have fondue there like the Cocoa Tree did. However, last night Brock made special arrangements with the chef and she provided us with some great fondue! It was so good!!! It was so sweet of Brock to set that up for me.

Okay, here's the contest: When we came home, we went through all of the photo albums that we've collected over the last 9 years. We've traveled all over the world and I enjoy taking pictures to archive everything. If you can figure this out, we will give you one of our new dvd's when it comes out next month. How many photo albums do we have?