Welcome to our Monday morning Pick-Me-Up!  For all of you needing a little something to get you out of bed on a Monday morning, check back here every week for a good laugh.  May we help your Monday become less of a chore, and brighten your entire week...

I have posted this video because it 'reely' is hilarious.  I love country music, and mean no disrepect for Carrie Underwood, who I voted for multiple times on American Idol.  In the video, Tim Hawkins performs a hilarious parody of of Carrie's "Jesus Take the Wheel."  Enjoy...

According to the Census Bureau Report released Thursday, Gainesville, GA is amongst the fastest growing metro areas in the country.   Based on percentages, the Palm Coast, Fla. area was the fastest-growing in the nation.  The population here jumped by 7.2 percent to more than 536,000.  The next areas experiencing the biggest surge in growth were St. George, Utah; Raleigh, NC; Gainesville, GA; and Austin TX.

Gainesville Population Growth
1990 - 17,885
2000 - 25,578
2006 - 33,340 (86% growth since 1990)

According to an article by Harris Blackwood in the Gainesville Times, Gainesville ranked fourth nationally, with a 4,5 percent population gain...

Read more from Harris Blackwood's article...http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/article/4477/

I received this email today, and hope that it will touch and inspire you as much as it has inspired me.  I found it especially appropriate since the Special Olympics is just a few weeks away.  It is a long story, but there is no way to edit or shorten it without taking away from the powerful impact that reading it delivers...

At a fund raising dinner for a school serving special needs children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten.  After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he posed the following question.  "When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection.  Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do.  He cannot understand things as other children do.  Where is the natural order of things in my son?"                                                                                                                                                                           

The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued.  "I believe that when a child like Shay, physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child."      Then he told the following story:

Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball.  Shay asked, "do you think they'll let me play?"  Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but he also understood that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.  Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play.  The boy looked around for guidance and said, "we're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning.  I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning."  Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt.  His father watched with a small tear in his eye, and warmth in his heart.  The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted.    In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team had scored a few runs but was still behind by three.  At the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field.  Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands.  In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.  Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.  At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?  Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat.  Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.  However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact.  The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed.  The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.  As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and it a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.  The game would now be over.  The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman.  Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.  Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates.  Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, "Shay, run to first!  Run to first!"  Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base.  He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.  Everyone yelled, "run to second, run to second!"  Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base.  By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball...the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team.  He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head.  Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the based toward home.  All were screaming "Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay!"  Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "run to third Shay, run to third!"  As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, "Shay, run home! Run home!"  Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team. 

"That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, " the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world."  Shay didn't make it to another summer.  He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and seeing his mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

AND, NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes through e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices, people think twice about sharing. The crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces...

If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're probably sorting out the people on your address list that aren't the "appropriate" ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the "natural order of things." So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up that opportunity to brighten the day of those with us the least able, and leave the world a little bit colder in the process?

A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.

... and m ay your day today, be a Shay Day!

My husband and I recently embarked on the mammoth task of finding ourselves a new mattress.  Our old one was a hand-me-down, making it now just over 20 years old.  We had no idea just how much research this new venture would entail, or how much information is available on mattresses, of all things!  Our old mattress has continued to fight valiantly for our loyalty and attention by holding us in a death grip and making it extremely difficult to release ourselves from it's sagging springs in the morning.  We must be one of the few couples in Gainesville who get our daily excercise just trying to get out of bed, and who greet the alarm each morning with an  "oh great, I'm so glad that night is over!"

During the course of my research, I found the video below on YouTube.  I found it very amusing, and thought it well worth sharing.  When my husband and I hit the mattress stores this coming weekend, you can be sure we'll be giving the waterbeds a very wide berth...

 

The National Weather service yesterday issued a freeze warning for most of the southeast, including the great state of Georgia.  According to the Channel 2 action news, the freeze warning will expire at 9:00 am.  Temperatures are in the upper 20's, and low 30's this morning, but will warm above freezing by 9am.  High pressure will move across the state today, that will bring in more southerly winds and push temperatures up a bit.  Starting this afternoon, we will be in a warming trend, with temperatures reaching the 70's by Thursday.  Next chance of rain is not until Friday night.

Snow flurries were even spotted in the North Georgia mountains and areas of Kennesaw and Marietta on Monday 03/24/08.

The weather service says freezing temperatures will threaten outdoor plants, and those with agricultural interest in the warned area are advised to harvest or protect tender vegetation.

According to an article by Harris Blackwood in the Gainesville Times, this freeze warning is bad news for some North Georgia farmers, where acres of peach trees are already in bloom.  Harris Blackwood spoke with farmer Drew Echols, who reported that he and a crew of workers had spent Monday placing 6 huge fanes to cover about 2,500 trees of the family-owned Jaemor Farm orchard near the Hall and Habersham county lines.  The article goes on to say that the wind machines keep things churned up and attempt to draw down warmer air from about 40 feet above the ground.

We pray that the wind machines have been successful in their plight and have managed to minimize the damage to Jaemor's delicate peach buds.

In order to add your event to the Hall County Upcoming Events category, please send the following information to: debbie@hallcountylife.com

1. Name of event, with a short description of event
2. Date and time of event
3. The location, street address or short description of location

In order to be listed, please have this information in at least 1 week prior to your scheduled event.

This link is for those of you living in Hall County but travelling elsewhere within this great state of Georgia - may it bring you the information you're needing to make your commute a little easier...



      http://www.georgia-navigator.com/

Here is something to make your Monday a little less of a chore - may it cheer up your day, and brighten your whole week!

This is a hilarious recording of a witness to an accident.

It was played on a radio station in the Fort Worth - Dallas Area ... and
was so popular they put it on their website. ...

http://www.chumfm.com/MorningShow/bits/march24.swf

MissionsResources was started in 2005 by local Christian businessman and entrepeneur Clint Bokelman.  

MissionsResources provides practical and experiential tools for Christian missions.  They carry an extensive range of Christian Resources aimed at equipping individuals, churches, mission teams and organizations with the tools needed to minister effectively within local communities and throughout the world.

Being a 100% Internet Based Retail store makes MissionsResources one of the new generation retail stores, and makes these great Christian Resources available worldwide via the internet.  Missions Resources also has an extensive range of Spanish and bilingual resources, which are very helpful for missionaries and mission teams travelling to Spanish-speaking countries.  The company has received emails and queries from as far away as Australia and the Seychelles, which is a tiny island off the east coast of Africa.  MissionsResources currently serves the whole of North America and Canada, and processes orders from other countries, such as Australia, on a case-by-case basis.  Many of their resources are used by missionaries and mission teams travelling to South and Central America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and other parts of the world.

Each one of the MissionsResources staff members is a believer, and involved in fulltime missions in one capacity or another.  This means that they are passionate about what they do, and do it well since they are ultimately serving God through each of the individual customers and ministries that they serve.  This makes a huge difference in the way in which the company is run, and differentiates MissionsResources from similar companies and stores. 

The MissionsResources office is open from 9am-4pm Monday through Friday, and their website and online ordering features are available 24 hours/day.  They accept all forms of credit card payments, and special arrangements can be made for check payments.

MissionsResources: 1515 Skelton Road, Gainesville, GA 30504

Phone Number: 888-816-9068       

Visit the MissionsResourceswebsite:                 

            http://www.missionsresources.com

For our 11th Wedding anniversary in March last year, my husband, daughter and I headed up to a cabin in North Carolina for the weekend.  While there, we spent a lot of time talking, sharing, and looking back at how much God had blessed our marriage, our home and our family.  We had been unable to have children, and God had blessed us with a baby girl in 2002.  Her adoption story is also an incredible one, and I will have to share it with you one day.  Christie Grace was now almost 5 years old, and had been praying faithfully every night, for over a year, for a baby brother.

Driving home from the mountains, we stopped in at a store for supplies.  As we walked in, Christie turned to us, and told us that we had to buy food and clothes for our baby.  We were surprised since we were nowhere near the baby supply isle, and wondered what had brought this statement on.  We explained to her that we had to be patient, and that Jesus had already chosen our baby for us, but we had to wait until that special baby was born.  She looked at us in surprise, and told us that our baby was coming on Monday. 

That evening (Sunday), in our quiet time together, my husband (Athol) and I spoke about adopting again.  Being involved in fulltime missions meant that we couldn't afford the $30K plus for an agency adoption.  During the preceding months, we had mailed out several of our family profiles, and had been praying that God would bring the right baby or child along for us.  We decided that even though we'd been praying about it, we hadn't been praying as seriously, or as earnestly as our 4 year had been. That night, we turned the situation over to God, and started to pray earnestly for our baby.

Imagine our surprise, and delight, when the phone rang on Monday afternoon, and it was a midwife, from the same practice who'd delivered our Christie almost 5 years before.  They said they had a perfect fit for us, but the family wanting to give up their baby for adoption was an African American family, so they wanted to know whether race was an issue for us.  Of course it wasn't - this was the baby that God had chosen specifically for us!  The midwife said she'd give our profile to the family, but couldn't influence them one way or another, so we'd have to wait and see what they decided to do.  I immediately called Athol at work, got him out of a meeting, and told him that we might have our baby this very same day!  I was crying so hard that I don't know how  he understood a single word I said!  We prayed right then and there, over the phone, that if this was indeed our baby, that God would make this abundantly clear to us.  We were simultaneously filled with such a profound sense of peace, that we knew that this was of God.

When Athol got home from work, we still hadn't heard anything from the family, and the first doubts started to creep in - after all, we're human!  Unable to stand the waiting, Athol dealt with the wait like he deals with any other stressor - he takes it on the road with his bicycle.  We still hadn't heard anything by the time he got home an hour later, but his stress was completely gone.  He told me that he'd prayed the whole time while riding, and had asked God, that if this was our baby,  that He would then reveal it before midnight.

We were eating dinner (or pretending to!) when the phone rang a single time, then stopped.  I turned to Athol, and said "that sounds like someone trying to build up the nerve to call!"  Sure enough, the phone started ringing again, and it was the baby's grandmother calling.  We clicked immediately, and within minutes of her saying that she wanted to meet us, were piling into the car and on our way to the hospital, where our birth mother was having her labor  induced. On the 1 1/2 hour drive to the hospital, we started calling close friends and family, and asking them to join us in prayer for the birth mother and her family, and for the health of our still unborn baby.

Once at the hospital, we immediately bonded with the birth mother's mom, who said that yes, they definitely wanted us to have the baby.  By this time, the birth mother, a 16 year old, was in labor, and too uncomfortable to meet us.  The midwife explained that delivery was still many hours away, so we headed back home to Gainesville, to get Christie to bed and try and get some sleep ourselves.  Adding to our excitement was the fact that the baby had been very shy and refused to reveal it's gender during the ultrasound, so we were in for a wonderful surprise!  Driving home, we started discussing names.  Joshua was Athol's favorite biblical character, so we soon settled on that, and Steven was my brother who'd died in a car wreck when he was 20, and I was 19.  I tried calling out some girl's names, but Athol refused to consider any of them.  He flat out told me that this was the son God had promised him, so we didn't need a girl's name.  Nothing I could do or say would convince him otherwise...

After getting home, Christie and Athol went to sleep, and I lay in bed, way to excited to sleep.  At 3:28am, the phone rang, and it was the midwife, saying that we had a healthy baby boy!  Joshua Steven Barnes was born at 3:08am, 20 March 2007, and weighed in at 7 pounds 1 oz.   We did a happy dance together, before Athol, knowing the sleepless nights ahead, climbed back into bed and went back to sleep.  I ran to the bonus room, and started calling our parents and families in South Africa, telling them that they had a brand new grandson and nephew.  I was scheduled to work, and called in sick, saying that I was suddenly on maternity leave, effective immediately!  My coworkers went ballistic, and I could hear them squealing and shouting the news to everyone in the background.  Oh what a joy it was to wake Christie up for school that morning, and tell her that she had the baby brother she'd so faithfully prayed for!  She had a huge grin on her face even before her eyes were open!

We were at Walmart when they opened their doors, buying baby supplies, and speaking with our attorney the minute their office opened.  We were on cloud 9 and I don't think our feet touched the ground for several weeks.  Joshua came home on the 21st, just over 24 hours after he was born.  The whole adoption process proceeded without a hitch, and we celebrated his Gotcha (adoption) day when everything was finalized in court on the 30th of July 2007.

Today marks the one year anniversary of this miracle in our lives, as Joshua turns one year old.  It has been an incredible year, filled with God's richest blessings.  Joshua is a very contented little boy, and is so happy and full of giggles and smiles, that strangers approach us in stores and at restaurants to ask whether he's always that happy.  We are delighted to tell them that he is!

According to the National Weather Service, more showers are heading our way today.  The afternoon forcast for Gainesville, GA, calls for high winds and heavy thunderstorms.  A few of the storms may be severe.  High of 64F.  Winds S at 20-30 mph.  Chance of rain 90%, with rainfall possibly over 1 inch.

The National Weather Service has also issued a Wind Advisory.

The following alert is taken from The Weather Channel's  Local Severe Weather Alerts Details link: 

A WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR MOST OF NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA.

A STRONG UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH AND COLD FRONT WILL MOVE FROM THE SOUTH CENTRAL U.S. INTO THE SOUTHEAST U.S. WEDNESDAY. SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 20 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS OF 30 TO 35 MPH ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP IN ADVANCE OF THIS WEATHER SYSTEM WEDNESDAY MORNING AND CONTINUE INTO THE AFTERNOON...SHIFTING TO THE WEST AT SIMILAR SPEEDS BEHIND THE COLD FRONT DURING THE AFTERNOON. WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE NORTHEAST GEORGIA MOUNTAINS.

A WIND ADVISORY MEANS THAT SUSTAINED WINDS OF 20 TO 35 MPH OR WIND GUSTS OF AT LEAST 35 MPH ARE EXPECTED. WINDS THIS STRONG CAN MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT...ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES. USE EXTRA CAUTION.

---

The severe weather of last weekend has had a positve spinoff.  According to an article published by the Gainesville Times, the rains associated with Saturday's storms helped to increase the level of lake Lanier by nearly three-quarters of a foot.

In his article, Harris Blackwood states "At midnight Thursday, the lake level was 1,054.77 feet above mean sea level.  By midnight Sunday, the level had risen to 1,055.50 feet, and increase of .73 feet.  This is the highest level the lake has reached since setting a record low of 1,050.79 feet on December 26."

Hall County is not only beautiful! It has a past steeped in a rich history that not many may know about.  Here are a few interesting facts to share with your family and friends...

• Hall County was established on December 15, 1818 from Cherokee Indian treaty lands. 
• It was Georgia's 44th county
• Hall County was named after Dr Lyman Hall, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and later 9th governer of Georgia.
• The county seat and largest city is Gainesville, Georgia.
• Gainesville was formerly called Mule Camp Springs, which was the second settlement in the county.
• It  was later renamed after Edmund Pendleton Gaines, a general in the war of 1812,
• Hall County has a total area of 429 square miles, of which 394 square miles of it is land and 36 square miles (8.28%) is water.
• Gainesville's municipal power plant was built in 1899.  Gainesville was the first southern city to have electric streetlights.
• Gainesville is often referred to as the "Poultry Capital of the World."
• Hall County is split by the Chattahoochee River and Lake Lanier, the most northerly impoundment of the river.
• Lake Lanier is a major recreation and tourism site and served as the venue for many of the rowing and kayaking events in the 1996 Olympic Games.
• Population of Gainesville: 97,204
• Population of Hall County: 139,277
• Average Household Income: $43, 170
• Average House Value $110,800

Sources: Georgia.gov - Regions, Counties & Cities; Wikepedia.org; Roadsidegeorgia.com - Hall County, Georgia, History, Resources, Links and Events.

The wicked weather of this past weekend sent me scurrying in search of the details surrounding the tornado that hit Hall County in March of 1998, and I found the following statistics in a Storm/Damage Report issued by the National Weather Service in  Peachtree City, GA, at 4pm EST April 15, 1998:

• 12 fatalities, 10 in Hall County, 2 in White County.
• All were occupants of a mobile home or motor vehicle.
• More than 80 people were treated at hospitals for injuries.
• Damage to at least 2 schools, numerous homes, outbuildings, trees and vehicles.  Dollar amount in the millions.
• Tornado strength rating was "F3".
• Tornado touchdown around 6:30am, March 20, 1998, about 2 miles south of Murrayville in Hall County...travelled 11 to 11.5 miles northeast and crossed into White County north of Clermont.  Average width of damage path was 100 yards.  Storm's forward speed was 45 mph.
• It was the first killer tornado to hit Georgia since May 2, 1997 (Walker County - 1 fatality)
• Deadliest tornado to hit Georgia since the 1994 "Palm Sunday" event (outbreak of several killer tornadoes with 18 fatalities across northern Georgia.

A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman.

"I've been thinking," he said, "I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone."   

"The Wise Woman's Stone" 
 Author Unknown

Founded in 1948 in the basement of Mary Battle's Hall County home, Gainesville Whiteprint has proudly served the imaging needs of planners and architects for more than a half-century of building in the region.  In the 1940's, executive vice-president of First Federal Savings, Buford Battle, was told of a local need for a service to provide blueline prints in Gainesville.  Battle bought a used Ozalid ammonia development blueprint machine, which he set up in the family's basement.  His wife, Mary, learned to operate it, and continued to run the business out of her house for the next three decades.  Mary worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the plans for Lake Lanier, and helped provide blueprints for the wave of growth brought on by the poultry industry in the 1950's and 1960's. 

As one of the oldest providers of blueprint documentation in the Southeast, Gainesville Whiteprint has been central to the growth in Hall County, developing lasting relationships with architects, surveyors, and builders who have helped make Northeast Georgia the thriving commercial and residential region it is today.

In 1983, Mary's son Tracy joined the business, and the company was finally moved out of the family home and into an office on Spring Street, near Brenau University.  Gainesville Whiteprint expanded to provide drafting and blueline printing equipment and supplies.  Shortly thereafter, manual drafting gave way to computer-assisted drafting, or CAD. 

After Mary's death in 1995, her son Al joined the business.  Together, Tracy and Al pooled their assets and purchased the company's present Bradford Street building, a former office supply store.  There they have offered myriad, diverse services and products, from topographical maps and trade show displays to large and small format black and white and full color printing.  Since 1995, the company has changed gears dramatically, aligning itself with the Association of General Contractors of America's Georgia Branch.  Gainesville Whiteprint also houses the Northeast Georgia location of the AGC Builder's Exchange planroom.  In addition, the Battle brothers started a virtual planroom business known as "The Internet Planroom."  After 5 years of establishing a new way to view building plans and specifications online, the Internet Planroom merged with the Cincinnati, Ohio based Construction Software Techonolgies, Inc.  This expanded on the foundation established by the Battle brothers and created a web site named iSqFt.  In 2004, iSqFt ranked 50th in the Fortune500 fastest growing companies, with a four year annual sales growth of 496%.  Gainesville Whiteprint looks to expand its services as technology continues to change the face of the imaging industry.

Gainesville Whiteprint, a local institution since 1948, continues to play an integral role in the growth of Northeast Georgia.

View Gainesville Whiteprint website...http://www.aimages.com/

AIM (Adventures In Missions) is an interdenominational missions organization that focuses on discipling. They emphasize prayer and relationships in their work among the poor.

In the 17 years since AIM was established, they have taken 65,000 people to the mission field, some for a year or longer.

They have 14 missions bases around the world, and a year-round ministry to places where “the least of these” are found. They believe that by giving people the opportunity to hold orphans, bring hope to the hopeless, and pray for the sick, lives are transformed.

From the AIM web site: "We seek to disciple as Jesus did – our vision is that God would use us to raise up a generation of radically committed disciples of Jesus Christ!"

Visit the AIM website for more details: http://www.adventures.org/

Seth Barnes, AIM Director Read Seth's Blog at www.sethbarnes.com

As I went off to college, I knew that my future lay in overseas work. I was convicted by God's heart for the poor and oppressed in Isaiah 58 and determined to commit my life to helping them.

During my senior year, a great human tragedy was unfolding. The Khmer Rouge was killing nearly two million of their countrymen. The Cambodian people were fleeing to the Thai border by the hundreds of thousands. As they spilled across the border on the brink of starvation, they were placed in large refugee camps.

So, I went to work in a refugee camp. I chose to do this in spite of the fact that I'd recently fallen in love with my wife to be and was earnestly courting her. As shocking as the situation in Thailand was, it inspired me to go deeper in pursuing a life of ministry.

A call to missions

After college, Karen and I were married. We went directly to Indonesia where I did economic development work to help the poorest of the poor. Later, we moved to the Dominican Republic and did the same thing there.

Barnes Family

Several years later, after business school, the crossroads couldn't have offered two more divergent paths. On the one hand was the more conventional route that my peers were all choosing: a career in business, the promise of success and material gain. The other route made no sense to my peers: help start a mission agency with a friend. What was that about?! For me, the decision was complicated by the financial needs of a family with three small children.

Wanting to trust God, but unsure as to what His will was, my wife and I put a fleece before Him. To go into missions, we'd have to raise support. We'd have to do it in four months. Karen said I looked like a deer in the headlights. She suggested, “If God brings a quarter of the support in during the first month, then that will be His sign to us to follow a call to missions.” How did she come up with that? Just a shot in the dark, I guess. It seemed reasonable – four months, a quarter of the support a month.

With just one day left, we were significantly short of the goal. I think we were a little relieved. The path of missions seemed to have a lot of sacrifice involved. I didn't have any plans to try and gin up the support from other sources; Karen and I were persuaded that God had a different path for us.

Then, before the day was over, seemingly out of left field, a number of people contacted us with large commitments. At the last second, God provided far more than we needed. We had opened the door to walking the path of abandon, but hardly in a reckless manner. Still, that was enough for God to lead us.

I found this article in a free publication and loved it!  I hope that you enjoy it and find it as thought provoking as I did...

Bible vs Cell Phone

What would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?

What if we flipped through it several times a day?

What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?

What if we used it to receive messages from the text?

What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?

What if we gave it to kids as gifts?

What if we used it when we traveled?

What if we used it in case of emergency?

This is something to make you go....hmmm, where's my Bible?

Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry about being disconnected, because Jesus already paid the bill.

...and there are no dropped calls!

Author Unkown

Hall County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population of Hall County was approximately 140,000, and growing rapidly. The Census estimates for 2005 shows a population of 166,000, which is an 18% increase!

The county seat of Hall County is Gainesville, Georgia. There are several other quaint towns in Hall County:

• Clermont
• Flowery Branch
• Gillsville
• Lula
• Oakwood

Sidney Lanier, a notable poet from the 19th century, put Hall County on the map well before the lake that bears his name began to fill the valleys of Hall County in the 1950's. His poem is below:

Song of the Chattahoochee
by Sidney Lanier (1842–1881)

Out of the hills of Habersham,
Down the valleys of Hall,
I hurry amain to reach the plain,
Run the rapid and leap the fall,
Split at the rock and together again,
Accept my bed, or narrow or wide,
And flee from folly on every side
With a lover's pain to attain the plain
Far from the hills of Habersham,
Far from the valleys of Hall.

All down the hills of Habersham,
All through the valleys of Hall,
The rushes cried Abide, abide,
The wilful waterweeds held me thrall,
The laving laurel turned my tide,
The ferns and the fondling grass said Stay,
The dewberry dipped for to work delay,
And the little reeds sighed Abide, abide,
Here in the hills of Habersham,
Here in the valleys of Hall.

High o'er the hills of Habersham,
Veiling the valleys of Hall,
The hickory told me manifold
Fair tales of shade, the poplar tall
Wrought me her shadowy self to hold,
The chestnut, the oak, the walnut, the pine,
Overleaning with flickering meaning and sign,
Said, Pass not, so cold, these manifold
Deep shades of the hills of Habersham,
These glades in the valleys of Hall.

And oft in the hills of Habersham,
And oft in the valleys of Hall,
The white quartz shone, and the smooth brook-stone
Did bar me of passage with friendly brawl,
And many a luminous jewel lone
- Crystals clear or a-cloud with mist,
Ruby, garnet, and amethyst -
Made lures with the lights of streaming stone
In the clefts of the hills of Habersham,
In the beds of the valleys of Hall.

But oh, not the hills of Habersham,
And oh, not the valleys of Hall
Avail: I am fain for to water the plain.
Downward the voices of Duty call -
Downward, to toil and be mixed with the main,
The dry fields burn, and the mills are to turn,
And a myriad flowers mortally yearn,
And the lordly main from beyond the plain
Calls o'er the hills of Habersham,
Calls through the valleys of Hall.

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