today..

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 is....

 NiNe ...

mOnThS...

old!

AMAZING. ABSOLUTELY. AMAZING.

Monkey See...Monkey do

We all know that children mimic what they see. It's so evident all over the place. I see it all the time in youth ministry. Kids whose parents have deep meaningful relationships with Christ also have more spirit led attitudes. Kids whose parents seem to be "Sunday Christians" also seem to have little desire to grow in God's word independent of force or manipulation.

I was slammed in the face with the fact that Channing already is a part of this "monkey see, monkey do" society. We were at my Aunt's house the other day (another event in June that I actually forgot) & she offered him a little play guitar that was in her building. His reaction was similar to that of a kid who loves lollipops! He reached for it & held on & wouldn't let go.

He sees his daddy with one all the time. Literally, one sits in the living room everyday & not many days go by that John isn't playing a guitar. He's sees him with it and wants to mimic that behavior.

Daily I am blessed with the sounds of a little 9 month old following in his daddy's footsteps with songs and praises! What a joy it is. I wish I could freeze time sometimes as he "sings" and plays.

It also brings you to a place of reflection....what do I need to remove that Channing or others might be imitating because they see it in me? Makes Ephesians 5:1 more real......"Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children."

Where did it go???

June came and went before I feel like I was even able to blink my eyes. In reality, we were so stinkin' busy that I'm not sure I had time to blink very much. We started out June at the beach with the Berry family & our sweet friends the Hardins. Those were the only pics I got posted during the month of June. One thing I didn't get to include was our ride on the ferry from Southport to Fort Fisher. It was such a fun little adventure for us & Channing loved being on the ferry.

 This was the beginning of crawling at the beach, which he would master before too long. My sweet little 8 month old is crawling like crazy now & can go anywhere & everywhere!

 Riding the ferry! He loved watching the water move & the birds fly.

We came home for two days and had our last FUEL with the student ministry before the summer started.

We had to say goodbye to sweet Kathy & Teresa, who have been such faithful volunteers in FUEL! They will definitely be MISSED!

Channing & Daddy enjoyed the water slide!

The next morning we headed back down to Carolina Beach with our SENIORS. We wanted to do something that they would remember. Usually John would buy the students a really nice study bible that can range from $80-100, but all these kids had been with us the entire time we have been here and we knew that they had a WORD that they use & really didn't need another one, so we loaded them up & took them on a trip to invest some time into them as they embark on a new adventure! It's been such a privilege to see these young people grow & mature in their faith! So glad some of them will be sticking around!

Such an amazing group of students who we know God is going to use. So thankful that at least three of these guys will be around next year to SERVE in FUEL!

After we returned with the Seniors we had a day to recoup & go to church to worship & then headed out with the 6th & 7th graders for their annual retreat to Boone, NC! We enjoyed a couple days of cool mountain air, hiking (some of them had NEVER done this before) & some great Bible study about loving God with all our heart, soul, mind & strength! Luke 10:27

They loved the big hike of 6 miles to Hunt Fish Falls!

Channing loved the hiking too!

Daddy's day was in there, too! We celebrated with John. What an awesome dad he is to Channing!

This is a picture of my sweet boys & VBS! Yes, we threw VBS into JUNE too!!!!  Last count was 184 kids & 80+ volunteers! It was an awesome week of learning that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE with GOD!!!

 

Channing already follows in daddy's footsteps in his love for music. This little guitar is his absolute favorite toy! One day we were leaving for VBS & he was terribly upset. The only thing that made him stop was the guitar! It came along with us & he played it during the music....just like daddy! Kids really do mimic what they see!

Our FUEL band, led worship for VBS & gave us an amazing night of worship during June!I love these kids & that they use their gifts & talents for the Lord. Their commitment & dedication exceeds that of many adults. It's amazing to see how enthusiastic they are about worshiping their God & King!

 During June our sweet 22 pound little boy moved to his BIG BOY car seat!

So, as you can see, we had AN UNBELIEVABLE month of JUNE! We're so blessed to be apart of all God has us doing right now! It's amazing what all you can accomplish when you are walking with him! Though we stumble, fall & fail at times, his GRACE is definitely sufficient for all we need.