My Office...

I am starting to feel more at home today. I had a couple of guys here at the church to help me get things organized in my office. My new Dell computer came in, Randy King put my furniture together, my books are on the shelf, and now the pictures are slowly going on the wall. Almost there...

Funny how once your stuff goes into a room it feels more like home. That is a good lesson for church. People need to take ownership and feel like they are at home and not visitors every week. What are some things we can do to accomplish this? I love the mailbox idea. I'm trying to get some built for our foyer.

This church is going to rock! I am so excited to be here. Also, Cindy popped in to see me today. It is wonderful to see her getting back to her old self. God is indeed at work in our lives...

Getting Started

I love the church. I have dedicated the rest of my life to the church. It is so cool to be able to look and see where things are (broken) and be able to spend a little time and effort and get it back up and running at 100%. I praise God for the gifts that He has given me. I am so excited about the work He has called us to in Boone.

We are spending the first few months focusing on breaking away from old habits and learning new ones. It is so easy to get hung up on the way that things must be done. Thoughts like, "We can't possibly change because we always did it this way", or worse yet, "If we change it might hurt so-and-so's feelings". Change is good when it is done right and for the right reasons!

I am also trying to establish relationships with key players. The church is already starting to grow. We had two new families here this weekend, so it is key that I get busy establishing good relationships with my leaders. We have got a lot of work to do, and not a lot of time to do it in. Our sanctuary needs a little more work done to it. I'd like to see it done by the holidays. We are going to put a lot of work into this so to get it done.

A couple of prayer requests... Cindy did not sleep at all last night. She thinks the chemo is messing with her sleep habits. She has an appointment today to meet again with the surgeon. Please keep her in your prayers. Also, we still need to sell our home in Hawley. Please pray for that as well. Thanks :)

Have a great day!

Boone

Hi Friends,

We are alive and well in Boone. Sorry I haven't blogged in a long time. Tons of things happening with the Lawson's. Yes, we are in Boone. We absolutely love it here. It is a fun place to live. We miss our friends in Hawley very much, but are confident that we are right smack dab in the middle of God's will for our family.

The church here has accepted us with open arms. There has been very, very little opposition to anything we have suggested. We have already began to see new faces in church. Cool stuff, indeed!

Cindy had her first shot of chemo last week. The first part of the week was tough, but she was feeling much better by Thursday and just like new now. She goes every other week for a total oif eight treatments. Seven more to go!

The boys are adjusting to school. Zach is working at a daycare playing with children after school, and Josh is buried in football. He is already starting! They both have girlfriends and are doing just fine in school.

I'll write more later. Please pray with us that our home in Hawley sells quickly!

Cindy

Hi Friends,

I want to thank you for your prayers for my wife, Cindy. She had surgery on Tuesday to remove cancer from her breast and lymph nodes. The surgery went very well, but the surgeon was very suspicious of several of the connecting lymph nodes, so he took all of them in case they were cancerous. He was very optimistic though that he got all of the cancer.

Cindy was able to come home from the hospital on Wednesday. She was pretty tender and sore, but for the most part she was doing very well. By the time I left on Friday to come back to Hawley she was back to her good old self. Her parents are in Iowa staying with her while I am in Hawley speaking this weekend.

We did get some more good news about her cancer. When we went back to the surgeon on Friday for her follow-up, he told us that the other lymph nodes were all clear from cancer. He is now confident that it had not spread. She will still have to undergo chemo and radiation, but I think the worst is behind us.

Thanks for your prayers!