WFW # 10 Remembering Homecoming

There really are no words to describe how you feel when your VETERAN arrives back at home. But the scripture that we claimed for the entire deployment filled our minds and hearts. (As they ran out our eyes.) This week is a wonderful time to remember... to thank... to pray for those still serving (some in harm's way).

THANK YOU - JONATHAN

PRAISE YOU FATHER!

All of Psalms 91 - but for today - particularily these verses...

9 If you make the Most High your dwelling— even the LORD, who is my refuge-
10 then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
3 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."

(for more WFW's visit with 160AcreWoods)

Wordless Wednesday # 17

MY VETERAN...

We are SO proud of you!

WFW # 6 Raising Sons

Following my last post,

I wanted to share this photo/plaque that my children

gave me for Mother's day.

That is actually a picture of our Soldier/Warrior/Son.

My scriptures for today are posted below.

"Train a child in the way he should go,

and when he is old he will not turn from it."

Proverbs 22:6

"Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead,

bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."

Ephesians 6:4

(for more WFW's visit with 160AcreWoods)

What a Difference a Year Makes

This has been a reflective week. Anniversaries of events bring memories – and often we even “re-live” those days in our minds and hearts.

Last year on September 21, we had the “Send-off” picnic by the lake at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. On that Sunday, our soldier was on the way to Iraq/Kuwait. (You can read about my thoughts on that day here.)

I knew then that a year was a short time. But when you are facing it – it seems like an eternity. Especially when it is such an UNKNOWN.

And we did miss him tremendously. We tried not to be fearful. We succeeded most of the time. Psalms 91 was our constant prayer. We have no doubt that our Loving Heavenly Father protected our Son, our Soldier, our Warrior.

So, this year, how fitting that on September 21, we are going to a much sweeter event. There is a “Yellow-ribbon” celebration in honor of our guys. And I can just tell you that it is MUCH easier to go to this one.

It is a celebration. It is an awareness of God’s protection.

Thank you Father. We are so blessed.



(pictures will follow)

Word-filled Wednesday # 5

CHRISTMAS IN MAY

Luke 2:10-14

And the angel said to them,

"Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy

that will be for all the people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior,

who is Christ the Lord.

And this will be a sign for you:

you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."

And suddenly there was with the angel

a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"

(ESV)

How wonderful it was to celebrate Christmas (in May) with our son,

who is home from war.....I had to decorate a little bit!

(for more WFW's visit with 160AcreWoods)

Love and Blessings,

DeeDee

Wordless Wednesday # 15 REALLY HOME

WE ARE SOOOO BLESSED

It is Monday morning... and we have plans today at the lake. But OH do I have things to blog about.

• the return on Thursday to Cullman
• the family together on Friday night
• the CHRISTMAS IN MAY at our house on Saturday
• Sunday- all together at church
• Memorial Day - at the Lake

COMING SOON!

Love to you all

We are sooooooooooooooo blessed!

Ps. 86:12 "I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify Your name forever."

Word-filled Wednesday # 4

Psalms 91

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say to the LORD,

"My refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust."
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler

and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his pinions,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

You will not fear the terror of the night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,

nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you.

You will only look with your eyes

and see the recompense of the wicked.
Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place—

the Most High, who is my refuge—

no evil shall be allowed to befall you,

no plague come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways.

On their hands they will bear you up,

lest you strike your foot against a stone.

You will tread on the lion and the adder;

the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.
"Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;

I will protect him, because he knows my name.

When he calls to me, I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble;

I will rescue him and honor him.

With long life I will satisfy him

and show him my salvation."

Praise be to God...

Who is the Faithful One...

Who Protected our Son at War...

This is the passage that we prayed/claimed for him

(along with many others) for his deployment.

Thank you to those who prayed with us!

We truly are blessed beyond measure!

for more WFW posts - visit 160acrewoods

WW # 14 Deployment - Before and After

leaving...

back at home...

Our Visit with Jonathan

Just the facts....


We (Hal, DeeDee and Brantley) left immediately following the morning worship service to go to Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.


About 5 miles from Camp Shelby, and immediately after talking to Jonathan - for him to let us know where to park and wait for him to be released - our car stopped. It just quit running! We were able to coast to a service road. After talking to Lee (our mechanic) he determined it was our timing belt.


Lee and Anita loaded Anita's Toyota Highlander on the tow truck - and began their journey to Hattiesburg. Thank the Lord that Lee is not only our mechanic - but Lee and Anita are WONDERFUL FRIENDS!


Then a wonderful Hattiesburg Police officer came to our rescue - and drove us to the base. (Note - Hal and DeeDee in the back seat - Brantley in the front seat) No, I did not take a picture of this... LOL. He even turned the lights on for a short time!






We arrived at the base before Jonathan was released... but we were not far from where he was unloading and he spotted us.




(He did not see us getting out of the police car though).

When we realized that it was him coming our way - I had to hurry to throw down all of my stuff in order to get the camera out - but I was able to capture the run to each other - and Brantley jumping into his arms!
























What a precious moment!

Then after a few phone calls - Mark Windham's twin brother (who lives in Hattiesburg) - came to the base and let us use his car. What a special blessing to us! We were able to go out to eat (at Copeland's ummmm) and visit with Jonathan until Lee and Anita arrived.





We unloaded Anita's Highlander... drove to where the car was parked... Lee loaded the Camry on the tow truck and headed back to Alabama. We were able to stay and visit a little while longer before we drove back.

It was not as hard leaving him there this time. For we know that this time - he is home. He will be back in Alabama in a few days. The deployment is over. He is safe.

If I am able to figure out how to post a clip from my husband's message - I will do so soon. Which by the way - was a wonderful message to our graduating seniors - but also to all of us - about living a life that matters - and not wasting your life. So... go to the website http://www.calerabaptist.org/ and listen to it all... but for this particular blog... you really need to hear a clip. I will let you know if I am able to add it later. It is priceless considering our day!

But let me end by telling you all this: It was worth it all.

A broken down car
A blessed policeman who focused on serving
A friend coming to our aid and lending us his car

A wonderful friend/mechanic (and wife) who went far beyond the call of duty

Worth it all - to see our son.

To put our arms around him and get a wonderful hug.

To talk to him face to face.

To see him with Brantley.

To soak in the reality that our Loving Savior and Lord - protected our Son in the midst of war.

IT WAS WORTH IT ALL.

What a wonderful day! We are blessed beyond measure!

I still do not know how to load a video from youtube... so I will just end with this link.. go listen if you have time. It Has Always Been the Soldier.

Blessings!

He's on the Way HOME!!!!

SPC Jonathan D. Warren

Our soldier is on the way home...right now!!!!

Psalms 138:7-8 :

Though I walk in the midst of trouble,

you preserve my life;

you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,

and your right hand delivers me.

The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;

your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.

Do not forsake the work of your hands.

We offer our praise to our Lord for his hand of protection..

My heart is full this morning. I am sitting on the balcony of the condo looking at the water and the beautiful blue sky...

Lots of praise going on in this heart of mine....

And as I think about Jonathan ... I want to share with you a song that has been my song for him for about the past 6 years....Our friend, Rick sings it for us at church (maybe we can talk him into singing it again soon).

Here are the words:

Mercy Said NO

I was just a child, when I felt the Savior leading

I was drawn to what I could not understand

And for the cause of Christ, I have spent my days believing

That what He'd have me be, is who I am

As I've come to see the weaker side of me

I realize His grace is what I'll need

When sin demanded justice for my soul

(Chorus)Mercy said no

I'm not going to let you go

I'm not going to let you slip away

You don't have to be afraid

Mercy said no

Sin will never take control

Life and death stood face to face

Darkness tried to steal my heart away

Thank You Jesus,

Mercy said no

For God so loved the world,

that He sent His son to save us

From the cross He built a bridge to set us free

Oh, but deep within our hearts,

there is still a war that rages

And makes a sacrifice so hard to see

As midnight fell upon the crucifixion day

The light of hope seemed oh so far away

As evil tried to stop redemption's flow

(Repeat Chorus)

And now when heaven looks at me

It's through the blood of Jesus

Reminding me of one day long ago

Mercy said no

I'm not going to let you go

I'm not going to let you slip away

You don't have to be afraid

Mercy said NO

Sin will never take control

Life and Death stood face to face

Darkness tried to steal my heart away

Thank you Jesus,

MERCY SAID NO

I'll probably be singing it all day. :)

Blessings

Chat Tonight is Cancelled

Sorry ... we will not be available to chat tonight....



Lots to do before our Jonathan comes home

Word-Filled Wednesday # 2

Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed,

Because His compassions fail not.

They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

“ The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,

“ Therefore I hope in Him."

Lamentations 3:22-24

(A beautiful sunrise in the eastern skies - over Iraq)

So thankful that his mercies (compassions) are new every morning.

No matter what side of the world we are on.

For more Word-filled Wednesday entries visit the 160acrewoods

WW # 12 Almost Time to Come Home

Quick Update

Thank you for your prayers.

He was able to call Brantley tonight. He is at the next base. He is safe.

He was very tired and going to bed. Maybe we all will sleep better tonight.

Thanks again.

Calling All Prayer Warriors

Just need to ask you to be praying.

The last we heard (Brantley talked to him on Wednesday) ... Jonathan was headed into a very dangerous area.

And now, we have not heard from him. He usually lets us know when he gets to the next base... We know that since there is alot of activity going on right now, that he may not be able to get online or to a phone.

So... please continue to pray for his safety. And pray that he will be able to contact us soon. Our faith is strong... but emotions are running on the weak side.

I don't want to be anxious... but I must confess - today I am battling it.

Thanks!

The Land of "What If"

Don't go visiting in the Land of "What if ?"

There is no victory there.

Your land may be different from mine...there are many versions out there. But none of them are worth visiting. Trust me.

Some advice I am trying to apply.

Pray

Jonathan is traveling - through dangerous/dark area. We talked Saturday night... he asked for us to be praying.

So join me... We are asking for an UNEVENTFUL trip all the way back to AJ!

Thanks and Blessings!

Happy Birthday Jonathan

Happy Birthday my Jonathan.....

Here is the plan for those who visit with me.

I am asking that you will comment and add a birthday greeting... a special thought...fun time....memory together...etc for Jonathan to read. He should be back at Arifjan later today.....

Join me in telling him Happy Birthday...

(even those of you who never post comments.....) .

Thanks and blessings!

So... here is my comment... I added it to the blog for those who join me later and maybe do not read all the comments... :)...

Jonathan loved scaring me...and for a long time we had a small rubber snake that we passed back and forth. Of course, he was never scared when I would hide it in his pocket or drawer or wherever! However, he made me jump out of my skin MANY times! Even when Hal and I took a trip to England...Jonathan (somehow) put it in my suitcase. The really funny part is that one morning...as I got my clothes out of my suitcase... the snake fell on the floor (without me knowing it) and when I came out of the the bathroom...it was laying there...and I nearly had a heart attack! I laughed my head off and called him immediately... I did not even care that it was an international call...and that the time was not good. I told him if he was going to give me a heart attack...he at least needed to be close enough to give me a hug. We laughed and laughed at how worked just as we wanted it too. Oh, me...it has been a while since I have seen that snake. (Maybe for now, I am safe... since he is on the other side of the world)... LOL! Love you JON.

WW # 9 My Soldier... In Iraq...