One Man's Journey

Soul Sleepin...

2011-06-29T11:40:00.000-07:00

My grandfather passed away a few weeks ago, and not a day goes by that I haven't thought about him. Today I was reading this... "For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep." 1 Thessalonians 4:14

I've had a lot of people ask me over the years what the Bible means when it refers to the soul "sleeping." I think good ole Spurgeon said it best...

Let us not imagine that the soul sleeps in insensibility. "Today, you will be with me in paradise" is the whisper of Christ to every dying saint. They sleep in Jesus, but their souls are before the throne of God, praising him day and night in his temple, singing hallelujahs to him who washed them from their sins in his blood. The body sleeps in its lonely bed of earth, beneath the cover of grass. But what is this sleep? The idea connected with sleep is rest, and that is the thought which the Spirit of God would convey to us. Sleep makes each night a Sabbath for the day. Sleep shuts fast the door of the soul, and bids all intruders tarry for a while, that the life within may enter its summer garden of ease. The toil-worn believer quietly sleeps, as does the weary child when it slumbers on it's mother. Oh! Happy they who die in the Lord; they rest from their labors! They were laid in their last resting place, weary and worn, but such they shall not rise. They went to their rest with the furrowed brow, and the wasted features, but they wake up in beauty and glory. The shriveled seed, so destitute of form and comeliness, rises from the dust a beautiful flower. The winter of the grave gives way to the spring of redemption and the summer of glory. Blessed is death, since it, through the divine power, disrobes us of this work-day garment, to clothe us with the wedding garment of incorruption. Blessed are those who sleep in Jesus.

Blessings,
Frankie

Deaths, Births, and the Big Days In Between...

2011-06-28T08:57:00.000-07:00

Susanna and I just celebrated our 9 year anniversary! Herman and Debbie blessed us with a week of their time share to Branson, MO. And, my sister, Tiffany, came over from Little Rock and kept the kids for us so the two of us could have a nice vacation together. It's hard to believe we've been married 9 years and together for 11. God's good! We've had some amazing times and some very hard times. We've been through the thick and thin together, and yet, at the same time we learn more about each other every day. We've had two children! We've learned to comfort each other in the hard times and the loss of loved ones. We've learned to encourage the other. We've learned how the other feels loved. But aren't these things what make up a relationship? You learn and you grow together. I think more than anything, I've learned that Christ loves his bride, the church, unconditionally. It's my job as Susanna's husband to do the same... to love her and cherish her like Christ loves his Bride.
I was talking to my Aunt Eula yesterday and I asked her how long she's been married to my Uncle Bob. 63 Years! Wow! It's amazing, the power of love. I praise God that he teaches us more and more about him through his beautiful blessing of marriage. He's constantly revealing more of Himself to us. It's our daily and hourly opportunity to see how He's teaching us through the things and the people around us. How will you show Christ's love to others today?

Blessings,
Frankie

New Year, New Beginnings...

2011-01-12T08:05:00.000-08:00

Man, it's been a while. But, by golly, why not start this back. Better late than never.
This past Monday was our 1st snow day of the new year. I have no idea if we will have any more, but if you depend on nature to tell ya, then you can count on more of 'em. The hornet's nests are higher this year, which tells us it's gonna be a heavy winter for what that's worth. God's been so good to us. I was just thinking this morning about how everyone's doing so well. We have 2 healthy kids and Susanna and I are also healthy. Nothing too serious except the occasional stuff. Hayden is growing like crazy, and his vocabulary has simply exploded. There's not much he can't say, and Susanna and I are constantly laughing at some of the things he spouts out. It's a priceless time. Hallie's not quite walking, but she is crawling everywhere. I think this is week 3 of crawling, and she's now standing up on her own then dropping like a rock and crawling to the next place. I'm guessing it's only a week or two before she starts taking some steps and is truly walking around.

This holiday season was wonderful. I don't think I will ever take being home with family for granted again. We were away from our family for eleven years, and life still feels like we are living a continual vacation. To know that we don't have to go back to Texas is one of the biggest praises of my life. (No offense, Texans.) Susanna and I both love our jobs. We are so blessed to be able to do what we do with the people in this area. Our hearts are constantly stirred when talking and thinking about the people in Greenwood and we know God is doing something much bigger than us and bigger than we can even fathom. We are simply blessed to be His tools in the process.

We are still living in the barn. We are, again, blessed to have this opportunity. There's still the morning kicking from the horses. (I need to get out there with dad and fix the electric fence.) It's been super cold these past few days. This morning it was 14 degrees. The wind cuts right threw pj's when you are out trying to feed at 6am and it's that cold. That then usually causes me to need to potty, then I'm wide awake :-) TMI? I guess it's just one more area of nature's wake up call. That's enough for now.

Have a wonderful Wednesday,
Frankie

1 Year Anniversary...

2010-09-02T08:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was just like any other day for the most part. Nothing out of the ordinary. I came to work and I went home at the end of the day. I did the morning routine... get up, fix coffee, shower, fix Hayden's lunch, get him dressed, and head out the door. I worked all day getting ready for the long weekend, and at the end of the day, went to my grandmother's house for our weekly Wednesday night family meal. Very routine. But there was something special about yesterday to me personally. It was my 1 year anniversary at Community Bible Church. Now, let me clarify... this shouldn't be focused on too heavily. There was nothing outstanding or impressive about it being a one year anniversary of employment. To be completely honest, It feels like it's been a year long vacation! I wake up every morning rejoicing that I am where I am. I know my family is safe, we are together, and we are very very blessed to be living at home in Arkansas, and serving in our home town. Let me say it again, simply because I mean it. This year has felt like a vacation! It's interesting to me that while Susanna and I lived in Texas, we would always vacation at home, in Arkansas! So maybe that's why it feels so much more like a vacation. My nightmares, in fact, are when I dream that I am still living in Texas. Texas was fine, it's just that I'm now where I'm supposed to be. Let me clarify, too. I've said that it's a vacation. Don't take that to mean that this has all been easy. It's not. Planting a church and getting a campus started has been very difficult at times. There can be long hours and sleepless nights, but there's something about when your heart is so passionate about what you are doing that you don't care about those things. That's what I mean when I say vacation. And it's been a huge blessing in mine and Susanna's life to be asked to be such a part of this.

A lot has happened this year. We moved home. We received Hallie Jordan Post on March 8th, we celebrated our 8 year anniversary of marriage, Hayden turned 2, we got the church started, and now we are in a new building and beginning to renovate it! We've made countless friends since we've been home. There's so many relationships that have started, and I'm overwhelmed by all the Jesus stories I've heard since I've been here on staff about what God is Greenwood and the greater Fort Smith area. I really write this this morning because I'm excited about the next year and the next, and the next, and the next! I have no idea what God is going to do, but I am SO honored that I get to be a part of it! Pray for us, as we continue to serve Him and minister to the people in Greenwood.

Blessings,
Frankie

It Is Finished...

2010-06-30T14:23:00.000-07:00

Those three words can mean a lot, especially to a Christian. It was just a few months ago that we did a series here at Community on the final words of Jesus up to the Cross. "It is finished" are such victorious words. It's the Gospel of John that records those words in John 19:30. It's a beautiful passage because we know that the final task of bearing the Cross had been completed. He had been sent to drink of the cup of crucifixion and he had done just that. He conquered death!

I think so often we use those words and don't even think much about them. Our show on tv ends, we complete a basic task that we've been given, we get through the week and are walking out the door for the weekend, and the list goes on and on. But, rarely do we take the time and think about the deeper opportunities that await us, the goals we can set before ourselves that challenge us to grow. Because I think that it's only when we have previously weighed the task that we truly celebrate the completion. When's the last time you've really celebrated a personal goal being accomplished? If you struggle to answer that question, maybe you first need to ask yourself if you are setting goals.

I just finished a book today. It's really not that big of a deal because I read quite a bit, but it's not very often that after finishing a book I place it on the shelf. Today I did that. And, as I was placing it back on the shelf, I was grateful for the wisdom I received from it. It was only after that thought that I realized how much of an accomplishment I really felt it was.

How have you taken time to celebrate an accomplishment lately? "It is finished" are three words that can mean a lot, and for me they hold an eternal accomplishment that we will be able to celebrate in for all eternity!

Blessings,
Frankie

The Life Behind the Sermon...

2010-05-19T08:59:00.000-07:00

Something that I don't talk about enough but that is by far one of my biggest passions is my calling to preach God's Word.
One of the things I've always enjoyed and considered one of the biggest adventures and joys of my job is preaching. I love it, and it's such an honor to have the opportunities. Having since moved back home to Arkansas and now being a pastor in my home town, it's one of the greatest opportunities of my life.

But, for me it goes much much deeper than just the fact that I'm home. The reality is that I feel like I work on the best church staff there is. I think a lot of pastors say that, but I mean it. I'm not trying to encourage anyone by saying it, because I doubt that our staff even has the time to read this. But I think it's true. I am a part of one of the best church staffs, period! Everybody strives for the best, and challenges each other to do the same out of love for God. It's one of the most Biblical and at the same time, non-legalistic staff teams as well. I say all of this because we clearly work as a team, and I think the love that we have for each other (as almost family like) flows over to our congregation and they are able to see us fleshing out what we teach. It's amazing! What does that mean for me? It means that I'm on a preaching team that does the same thing. We get together and work on these sermons. It's a beautiful thing to be a part of and at the same time, one of the toughest and most challenging, yet by far the most rewarding.

One of the things that we know as teaching pastors here at Community is that the beauty of the process of preparing the sermon is that it first becomes so real and heavy in our hearts that the congregation is truly able to understand where we are coming from because of How God has worked in us to reveal His message through the Spirit.

This past Sunday, I was preaching in Greenwood on Luke 3, the genealogy of Christ. How God specifically used the imperfect and normal people in the lineage of Christ and how this should encourage us, that if God can use normal people that we don't even know much about, surely he can use us. I also said that our main purpose might be to never fully see or understand how we are serving that greater purpose because it might be how we influence God's people down the road or how our kids will or our grandkids because of how we raised them. It was such a blessing to me to preach on this idea because I love the stories throughout the Bible and the way we see it all come together and we see the "Fullness of Time: (Gal. 4:4) unravel before our eyes.

Once I finished the sermon and prayed and we had a last song from the worship band to really reflect on the message and God's work in our lives, my grandma came over to me to talk. I was really suprised that she was crying. She said, "I'm going to say something that might offend you, but I think you should know..." I was a bit concerned but I was ready. She said, "You know how you said Rahab was a harlot who God used to bring Christ... well, you're grandpa's momma was a harlot in this town and she knew that that was the only way she could provide money to take care of your grandpa."

Isn't it just like God to reveal more of the story to you... more of His story of how He has worked in your life to bring you to where you are? He loves to show how He works in your life if you will just let him! How has he shown you lately?

Blessings,
Frankie

Worship...

2010-05-13T12:34:00.000-07:00

What does that mean?
I think any more, it has this idea of going to a building for about an hour a week and having an hour of stuff that's split in half with roughly 30 minutes of music and 30 minutes of a message. Do I dare say that one could better "worship" outside of that? Probably not "better" because Scripture is clear in the coming together of the body of Christ. But one can definitely worship outside of that setting, and at times it might even be less distracting. I saw a video this past week that greatly bothered me and got me to thinking about our weekly worship services. It was sort of a mockery of what takes place, but at the same time, a reality check for so many that we protect ourselves so that we are not more focused on that time than we are the people who come to gather at that time.

As I'm typing all of this, God is doing amazing things with our Greenwood Community Bible campus. Two weeks ago we had our first baptism in the back of a pickup truck. It was a very special time. We are currently a portable church that has met in one of the schools that's part of the public school system in Greenwood. Well, this past Sunday I had the opportunity of telling the church congregation that we've purchased a building! It was a huge moment! It was a very exciting and worship filled moment. It's only been 9 months since our launch and we have reason to celebrate. But, the other side of that is that we don't want to focus too much on a building. It's about the people, not the steeple. I've been a part of churches in the past that put way too much influence on the building and not enough of the calling of the body of Christ. Another part of what God is doing is bringing new families. We had 3 baby dedications this past Sunday, with our baby Hallie Jordan Post as one of them. It was a very special Mother's Day service indeed :-)

So, what does that have to do with worship? I think it's easier to "worship" when things are going good. Right now, things are going great. It's a blessing, and it's easy to give thanks for what God is doing. Last night was an awesome night... Kari Jobe and the Desperation Band were here at our Fort Smith campus. It was a time in which I had a real opportunity to worship. What I mean by that was that I didn't have a sermon in the back of my head before I walked up on stage or a concern for how the production worked out and the order of service, etc. It was just simply a time for me to worship... to give back and to absorb Him and to give thanks to Him for what He's done/doing/going to do. It wasn't a time about me. It was a time about Him. Sure, some moments were distracting, but that's reality. I think we live in a cloud if we think that we can be in that state all the time. We aren't called to live that way, as a matter of fact. We are called to minister to people. How can we do that if we are constantly "worshiping?" We can't. Don't get me wrong, we can "Pray without ceasing." But, we also have to take time to go into the trenches and reach out to the world. Now, afterwards we can worship, but not always in the midst of the work. What am I saying? Simply this... worship is complicated because we complicate it. We think it has to be a certain way or that lights have to be a certain shade or guitars have to have a certain sound, etc. When the reality is, we were made to worship. We weren't made to be concerned about the settings for worship, we were simply made to worship. What's the purpose of man? What's my purpose? What's your purpose? The purpose of man is to glorify God. It's not to judge others and the way they worship. It's to worship Him and let Him worry about everyone else. Oh how the burden is lifted! I praise God for our worship teams on our 3 campuses because I feel like for the first time in my life, I can go to one of our campuses every Sunday and it's a lot like the Kari Jobe worship service that we attended last night. The worship is powerful! The music is simply that, music. It's great stuff. It's not a fancy production... it's our way of worship. Our people are real. They have stories that are powerful testimonies of God's work. They worship God on stage because of what He's done/doing in their lives and that moves us to worship Him as well. Our sermons aren't trying to express our own knowledge or trying to persuade someone into something... they are us as teaching pastors expressing our worship to God through His Word in how He has revealed his beautiful truths to us and us, in return, sharing with the people who attend our services.

What are you worshiping lately?

How are you worshiping? When?

Worship Him,
Frankie

What I'm Reading...

2010-04-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

There's not a lot of books that I will just rush out to pick up simply because someone suggested it. But, this one was. And, thanks to technology, I didn't have to rush anywhere. I simply downloaded it to my Ipad. I'm loving this technology age. Do I think the paperback books are dying off? I hope not. There will always be something special to holding a book in your hand and smelling the pages. But that's not my review of this book. This was a powerful book that I think everyone should read. It's all about two main characters, a white man named Ron and a black man named Denver. Their stories are told in 1st person narrative by themselves, rotating each chapter. It's amazing to see their stories which are so opposite from one another come together. It's a beautiful and very moving story. I strongly recommend it. It makes you think about what you are prioritizing.

For some reason, I have all of Donald Miller's books. I'm not big on his beliefs. In fact, I think he's a bit off in some areas, but this book of his is all about his story. He's been asked by some great movie producers if they can make a movie about his life. The funny thing is, once they've spent some quality time with him, they don't think they have much of a story. It's another great book that makes you think about where you are finding joy and what your life looks like to others. I'm not finished with it, but I'm greatly enjoying it simply because I think Miller is a great writer. He's funny, entertaining, though provoking, and culturally aware.

We are wrapping up a series at church right now on addictions. This book was written by John Owen over 400 years ago, and yet the concepts behind one wrestling with sin are as if he's aware of the current sins that surround so many people today. I had lunch with a friend a few weeks ago who has had a struggle with a certain addiction. He recommended this book to help me better understand what he's been going through and how to better be able to relate to people who have these struggles. This is an amazing book, and it's simply shocking to be reminded that there's really no sin that's new under the sun. Sin is sin and it doesn't change much. We should really learn from our mistakes or others and be educated on sin so as to avoid it all the more. It's a great read if you can look past the old english. I think it's actually out of print, but you can download the kindle version for about $2.00 on Amazon!

So that's what I'm reading right now. Some people have asked me in the past how I find time to read. Simple, turn off the TV in the evenings. We don't really watch much TV anymore. With a couple kids and living in a barn, it's actually pretty difficult to watch tv without the fear of waking one of them. So, Susanna and I are reading more and more. It's been a blessing.

Blessings,
Frankie

Raising up kids...

2010-04-21T08:14:00.000-07:00

There's so many opinions when it comes to how one should raise kids. So many, in fact, that it can be overwhelming if you're not careful. It seems everyone has advice. What worked for some doesn't work for others and then there's the need to take that child's personality or birth order into context. Something that might seem so simple can become so complex so quickly. And yet, the reality is that we have this perfect parenting book known as the Scriptures. It tells us something that I think a lot of the time gets taken out of its context as well. I hear this old phrase a lot... "Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it." It's actually Prov. 22:6, and it's an excellent verse, but it's a proverb. In other words, it doesn't always come true.

I've heard, and seen lived out, these horror stories of parents raising children who end up being little "hellions." It becomes, then, an even bigger fear for me knowing that my children are PKs (Preacher Kids)... because of the old reputation of PKs, I guess. But, from what I know of those kids, they were taught one thing and the parents lived out another. I've found, and I know I have a long way to go still, but I've found that the best type of parenting is simply by demonstrating life to your kids from day to day. It's not easy. It takes work. It's not something someone else can do, either. Your kids will look up to you like no one else. You have to constantly demonstrate for them a Christ-like attitude, etc. If you don't, they know it. They are constantly watching you and will mimic you when you least expect it!

I was reading Donald Miller's blog yesterday, and I was surprised to see that he was suggesting warning labels on cell phones. But one of the best things I read was when he said... "The truth is, our children’s generation will grow up believing we loved our phones more than we loved them. It will be the battle cry of rebellion, that their parents were too busy checking facebook on their phones to pay any attention to them. I can see an entire movement of kids who don’t want phones because they represent neglect.

I think the worst parenting is the parents that neglect their kids. And yet, I see it all the time. But it's something I have to constantly put in check for myself as well. All it is is simply a love of self. This neglecting, I've realized, is not even necessarily an intentional neglect. It's simply a love of self. It's a love of self, though, that's gotten out of hand. I think that's a reason there's so many PKs who have issues... They were raised watching parents who were constantly living life one way at one place, then another at home, still focused on themselves.

The best answer I have for raising up kids... selflessness. When Jesus was asked, "What is the greatest commandment?" His response was to "Love your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself." What Donald Miller said yesterday about cell phones has really stuck with me. I hope maybe this sticks with you. Constantly ask yourself if you are pouring enough time into others. It's our sin nature to pour our time into ourselves. Take time today to spend with your kids. If you don't have kids, spend it with your family or friends, and maybe... just maybe, turn off that cell phone while you do it.

Blessings,
Frankie

Addictions...

2010-04-14T07:49:00.000-07:00

We are doing a new series that started last week and will continue for the next three weeks on the topic of addiction. It's a tough topic, but it's one that's very clearly addressed in Scriptures... specifically with Paul in passages like Galatians 5:17, Colossians 3:5, Romans 8:13, and of course, our text this Sunday, Romans 7:13-20. Scripture is thorough on how this is all to be handled, but it's amazing to me how often we choose to take on the work of trying to rid ourselves of our addictions, thinking we can do it. We fail to seek Him. We fail to allow Jesus to work in our lives, even as Christians! It's interesting to me that as I started preparing for this sermon on Sunday, I had the thought that "I don't really have any addictions, but I hope that I can help our church members or an attender who might have a struggle in this area." My thoughts have now changed to doing a personal inventory check, if you will, to ask myself "What are the addictive traits or areas in my life that I'm trying to control?"

This idea of addictions is not anything new, either. John Owen wrote a book called "Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers" as a Puritan in the 1600's. Addictions are not new, and unfortunately, I think the enemy uses our own addictions, our idols, if you will, to make sure we, as Christians, don't fully worship God like we are supposed to, instead we worship ourselves.

I was shocked yesterday, to be honest, when I read an article on Jennifer Knapp (a Christian singer/song writer, who announced she was gay.) Then, I was pretty quick to ask myself, "Why am I so shocked?" We live in a world that seems to culminate on the "bigger sins." The reality, though, is that they are all the same. For someone who is addicted to nicotine, pornography, a homosexual relationship, gossip, shopping, bad attitudes, stealing, etc. It's all the same in God's eyes! It's clearly not the same in our eyes, I think, because we categorize all our sins into groups of how they will effect others the most. But those aren't the correct categories for us as Christians. There should really only be two categories... one box for all the things that help one grow in Christ, and one box for all the things that hinder our relationship with Christ.

I've struggled with journaling lately. (You've probably seen a statement very similar to this in the past few blogs) My reasoning is really because I don't want to become addicted to doing this. I don't want writing a blog to take up more time in my life than it should. I would rather devote my time to learning more, reading more, learning more (maybe another addiction.) Regardless, it's healthy, I think, to observe all the things we do and ask ourselves if we are spending too much time doing them. Eating? Exercising? Facebooking? They are all good things, in and of themselves, but done too often or without barriers, they can become very dangerous. I have recently tried to step away more and more from any type of entertainment to devote that time to my kids. The result, I feel like I'm addicted to them :-) It's hard, but it's a road of balance that we are called to walk. It's a lifetime of checks and balances in pursuit of a mighty God. It's a road of living out Matthew 16:24, where Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Luke, in 9:23, says one must do this daily! Daily... deny yourself daily. What a challenge for me and for you! If we would only truly live like this, I think others would be able to see the beautiful Savior that lives, through the Spirit, in each of us and we would get ourselves out of the way, acknowledging His work in our short lives.

Blessings,
Frankie

Season of Spring...

2010-04-08T11:57:00.001-07:00

It's a beautiful time of year right now... A time in which we have really warm days followed by cool days or cooler afternoons. It's a season in which our cars are covered with a light yellow tint from all of the pollen in the air. That also means it's a season of alergies, sneezes, etc. But at the same time, a time to take the top off the convertable and cruise town. I love spring! I love that baseball is starting back up, the snow cone shop is in full swing, and we can sit out on the patio at night and not get too hot or too cold.

I am still constantly shocked that we are back and living at home with family in Arkansas. It's a dream come true! It seems like I will probably be reminded every season of the year for at least this first year. But, seriously, it's been 10 years since I've experienced a spring in Arkansas. It's wonderful!

Here's a couple of pics from lunch today with Susanna and Hallie at Fridays :-)

Blessings,
Frankie

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Easter Weekend...

2010-04-06T08:29:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a weekend it was! I feel as though I don't even know where to begin. It was quite a memorable time and yet it was one of those times that I thought, "Is this really happening?"

First off, it was a great "Good Friday." We spent the day hanging out here at home, then went down to Greenwood to look at houses. While we were out, we stopped for a late lunch at Geno's Pizza, then headed just up the road to stop and look at the building we would be announcing to the congregation on Sunday. It was such a special time. It was pouring down rain, cloudy, windy, and beautiful. On probably most days, I would think it was dreary, gloomy, and maybe even a little depressing, but on Friday, it was just gorgeous! It was really cool to stop and just reflect on what God's been doing these past few months while we've been home.

Saturday... Well, I've been interested in this whole Ipad hype, and Saturday morning I had planned to take Hayden and hopefully just get to see one at Best Buy. I thought I would try and get there when they opened just to see how crazy it would be. I took Hayden with me, expecting there to be hundreds of people when we got there. To my surprise, there were maybe 10. It was fun to take Hayden in with me and head back to the Apple Store. After only a couple of minutes, we got in line and I purchased one. Very exciting :-) I'm a Fanboy when it comes to Apple, & I don't care to deny it.

We got our new toy and headed home after swinging by Wally World for Hayden some diapers.... just keepin it real! Hayden got a new toy too... Matchbox car... he's easy to please. We headed home and then got ready to head to Susanna's grand parents for Easter with her family. We had a great time hiding eggs then helping Hayden and the kids hunt them down. Next up, Easter Service at our Fort Smith campus. It was a great time because: 1. I had the opportunity to attend the original campus & see so many people I hadn't seen in so long. 2. I had the opportunity to sit with my family for the service!

Sunday morning came early... We had been up with a fussy baby girl till around 1, and getting up at 4:45 just doesn't accomplish enough rest. Regardless, I always have an insane amount of energy on Sunday mornings. I absolutely love Sundays and the early mornings of heading to the Fort Smith campus to get the trucks and trailers to pull down to Greenwood and set up. I think half of the extra excitement was two-fold... Easter Sunday and the big announcement... We have a Building! :-) It was such a great time to share such exciting news!
Then, after all of that excitement, we had the opportunity to drive across town and be with all the Post family. We are so blessed, and we have a Risen Savior who loves us!

Blessings,
Frankie

My Mom...

2010-03-30T11:32:00.000-07:00

It's no coincidence that today is my mom's birthday. But what is coincidental is that today in teaching meeting we worked on our Mother's Day sermon. I sat there thinking about how blessed I am to have such a great mom. As we wrestled with working out an outline for the sermon, I couldn't help but think of how often my mom must have prayed for me. As she watched me grow up and saw me making decisions and getting into trouble and making mistakes, I can't help but think of how often she must have prayed for direction, discernment, wisdom, insight, etc. over my life. I remember as a little kid when she would tuck me in bed at night how she taught me how to pray, how we would pray for my future wife, how we would pray for my friends and my family, how we would sing Psalty tapes in the old Chevy Astro Van that we sported around town and how she would teach me the stories of the Bible. I have wonderful memories of my childhood, and that is because of the love and devotion of my parents. My mom has taught me a lot.

Today I'm mindful of my mom's teaching...
Proverbs 6:20-23 says, "My son, keep your father's commandment, and forsake not your mother's teaching.
21 Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck.
22 When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you;
and when you awake, they will talk with you.
23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light,
and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life..."

So it's with great love and appreciation that I celebrate her life today. Happy Birthday Mom! I hope you have a wonderful day!

Blessings,
Frankie

Crazy weekend...

2010-03-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

Well, it was just that... Friday was morning # 2 of Hayden running a fever. He had also had odd symptoms: irritation to light, sore neck, tummy ache, pulling at his ears, and running a fever. My dad called to check on him and suggested we get him to the doctor because he thought it might be Meningitis. Oh how the fear overwhelmed us! We called the pediatrician immediately! Scheduled an appointment, and got ready to go. It's crazy how you find yourself wanting to bargain with the Almighty in these situations... I knew that the first thing they would want to do is a spinal tap to check his spinal fluid if it could possibly be Meningitis, and I was fearful of the pain that my little boy would have to endure. It was one of those... "Lord, if there's any way... please let me endure some sort of pain so he doesn't have to." You find yourself making odd agreements.

Upon arriving at the doctor's office, she ruled out Meningitis! (PRAISE GOD!) Luckily, Hayden was able to move his neck up and down and left and right and just like that we were in the clear... sort of. She said he has Pharyngitis. He's on antibiotics now, and doing much better.

But that wasn't the end... it was so nice outside that we went and sort of celebrated by getting snow cones then we went over to Susanna's parents and managed to just never leave. I went and got us pizza. Came back and chilled out. Hayden fell asleep and we didn't want to wake him up because he was finally sleeping good... so we all stayed there and he slept right into Saturday morning... 9AM. :-) By this point, the weather had drastically changed.
Friday night I had been wearing shorts, t-shirt, and sandals, and went to get the pizza with the windows down and Kings of Leon cranking. That was not the case Saturday morning! It was freezing cold outside and raining! I guess we should have driven home listening to blues... Dave Matthews was close enough. :-)

Saturday night we went over to my mom and dad's house to spend time with Tiffany, Aaron, and Aleah before the three of them had to head back to Kentucky. We had a great time, and it was sad when we had to leave to get the kids ready for bed. Sunday morning was quite a different story... I woke up and went in to brew my coffee only to realize that we had received several inches of snow... on March 21st! Crazy! Dad and I headed out to the Fort Smith campus to hook up and pull the trailers down to Greenwood. Once we got to Greenwood, the roads were actually pretty bad. We got halfway set up for the 10:30 service when we lost power. Needless to say the power never came back on. So, we had our worship service completely unplugged and acoustic while sitting in the cold dark... and it was AWESOME! It was such a beautiful time... Singing about how our sins are forgiven and we've been washed white as snow as the snow fell outside. It was powerful. The message was excellent, reminding us that Jesus said, "It is Finished." That the work had been done, and there's no work for us to do. It was a Sunday that I will never forget. It was a great time of fellowship, teamwork, and worship.

Needless to say it was one of the most bizarre weekends but I praise God that it was as adventurous as it was... that's life. You just never know. He knows, and it's our decision to rejoice and enjoy the crazy times and trials or to panic.

Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, Rejoice!"

Blessings,
Frankie

Boys & Toys...

2010-03-16T11:56:00.000-07:00

This is one of the many backup toys I now keep in my office just in case Hayden comes in and doesn't have a toy to play with. I think we won't ever really grow up. It's part of us, this desire to be a kid... this idea that we are the action figures we watched as a kid/teen, that we are able to go and do whatever whenever for forever. When we grow up, we just get ourselves into more trouble... more expensive trouble. We are then big boys with big toys. Do I speak from experience? Of course! Am I going to share my experiences? NO! Today I'm mindful of us men. I think it's simply because it's one of the men in my life's birthday, my father. Today, my dad turned 52. But he's really got all the toys he needs/wants. If not, he buys it for himself before we ever have the chance. I've come to realize that I'm much like my father. He's got the new Corvette parked in the garage next to his shiny motorcycle, and an entire garage full of collector's items. I can't excuse myself from this club of guys either. I've got my share of guns, knives, toys, etc. And as crazy as it is, my son Hayden, I've realized, is right there in the midst of it all. The other day he told Susanna he wanted to take Papa's Corvette to church. He knows the names of his toy cars, and he even knows what model they are... i.e. Chevy Camaro, Jeep Wrangler, etc.

I'm a very proud father, but I'm also a little concerned at times. Toys & trinkets can so easily entangle us if we aren't careful. (Hebrews 12:1) It's such a reality check, is it not? Here recently, I've been burdened to begin just simply getting rid of stuff. Stuff that I haven't used/warn/needed. I've been slowly either giving it away or simply trashing it. I can't begin to describe how good it feels to be free of the clutter. Spring cleaning of the soul, if you will. It's been good, refreshing, and a great reminder that our minds are to be set on things above, not on things of this earth. (Colossians 3:2)

I guess I rant about this today because what's more important to me than these possessions is the fact that I have a dad who I get to celebrate another year with today. I have a son that I get to lead and influence. I'm so blessed. My prayer for you today is that you take time today to spend with the people in your life, not the stuff you've acquired.

Blessings,
Frankie

Our Beautiful New Addition...

2010-03-15T07:46:00.000-07:00

There are some things in life that take our breath away... for me, it's been lots of things over the years but recently it was the birth of our baby girl. Hallie Jordan Post was born this past Monday, March 8th at 9:54AM. She weighed 7 LB 1 OZ, and was 20 inches long. It's been an amazing first few days, and we've been so blessed that she's a good eater and sleeper, unlike her brother. :-)

Something I never expected was that the doctor, at the last possible minute, asked me if I wanted to deliver her. It was an amazing moment when I was able to hold her and bring her out, and it won't ever be forgotten. It was a powerful time. Then, to take our baby girl and lay her on her mommy's chest and cut her cord was even more powerful... such a blessing these babies are. We've already shared our first dance in the kitchen :-) I'm happy to report that mommy and baby are doing great and big brother Hayden is adjusting well. Life is good!

I couldn't help but think of her feet last night as I took the picture of her toes. Just where will her feet will one day travel? If she would follow in ministry the steps of her mother and father? If she would travel the world, etc. Time will tell and what a beautiful time it will be.

Blessings,
Frankie

Nesting, Parenting, & Discipleship...

2010-02-25T07:49:00.000-08:00

I can't help but sit here and think that the only reason I've not blogged lately is because I didn't feel like I had much to say.
I picked up a book this morning and brought it to the office. It is one of my 20 I'm wanting to knock out this year, but I haven't started it yet. Man, I hate procrastination. :-) The book is by Donald Miller, and it's called "A Million Miles In A Thousand Years" I can't recommend it. It looks good, and a lot of great writers have recommended it. But, it's where I start. Picking it up, though, I reminded myself... "I've always wanted to write a book!" I've thought this a lot over the past few years. I've not ever written one. I journal a ton and honestly thought about making that a book. But who would read that besides maybe my family? Then, what if I did and nobody read it and it just ended up on the clearance rack? Those are what I define as excuses. That's what I'm doing... giving you excuses. :-) It's easy. Easier than writing, I guess. I digress.

What sold me on the book was what Miller said at the very beginning, "If you watched a movie about a guy who wanted a Volvo and worked for years to get it, you wouldn't cry at the end when he drove off the lot, testing the windshield wipers. You wouldn't tell your friends you saw a beautiful movie or go home and put a record on to think about the story you'd seen. The truth is, you wouldn't remember that movie a week later, except you'd feel robbed and want your money back. Nobody cries at the end of a movie about a guy who wants a Volvo. But we spend years actually living those stories, and expect our lives to feel meaningful. The truth is, if what we choose to do with our lives won't make a story meaningful, it won't make a life meaningful either."

I think the greatest points in my life have been in the moments that I've been able to impact people personally. So, what's the best way for me to impact the world? One person at a time. Discipleship and Parenting. There is something very healthy to remind ourselves of. It's a reminder that Isaiah gave us when he was most used by God. It's a reminder that I can't best impact the world unless I'm mindful of who God is. Once I get rid of worrying about who I am, and I have a right understanding of who God is, I won't be able to say much more than what Isaiah did in 6:5 "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips..."

The biggest thing going on with us is that our baby Hallie Jordan is almost here! For me and Susanna, this is another opportunity in which we have to impact the world. This is an opportunity that God's giving us to disciple a little girl. We are so excited and ready to see our baby girl. Susanna has been working like crazy "nesting." She's been getting the barn all ready for living with our new addition to the family. We are excited beyond measure!
If there's one thing I can say about Susanna it's that I fall more in love with her every day. Do I tell her that? Of course! But still, not as much as I should. She's amazing, and she's daily working harder and harder to make her family function as best as possible. I asked her a random question this morning as we were getting dressed, "Where do you see us raising the kids?" I was insinuating where exactly we would want to live in the Greenwood area. Her first words were, "Not in the barn." :-) We are hoping to find something sort of out in the country, but not too far out. We want neighbors, we just don't want neighbors looking into our windows because they live so close. I want an area where the kids can play outside and I feel it's safe. I want them to have what I had, plenty of space to grow up and play, and possibly woods that they can enjoy exploring. When I think of discipling and parenting, I think of the teammate that God has given me. What a blessing! God is good!

Who are you discipling?

Blessings,
Frankie

Ash Wednesday...

2010-02-17T11:28:00.000-08:00

Well, It's been too long since I've written. Let that be the first confession.
Every time I've thought I would get a chance, something's come up. So, here I am, taking a few minutes to let you travel these past few days with me. It's been an adventure. This past weekend was great. For Susanna's birthday, Fridays gave her a day off, so we were able to take it on Friday and the three of us headed up to NW Arkansas to shop and see friends and family. It was a great time! We got home super late Friday night and I headed out super early Saturday morning to hit the hiking trails with the guys, Kiley London and Brad Grizzle. Fun time. Amazing waterfalls, and beautiful scenery. We got to see the Glory Hole. It's in the middle of nowhere. But, it's worth the 1.5 hour one-way drive to get there. Sometime in early January, I picked up a Tim Ernst book on Arkansas Waterfalls, and I've decided that as one of my goals this year, I will hit up as many of those waterfalls as I can. So, we saw this one. Amazing. Here's a few pics...

That was Saturday... Sunday was awesome! Sunday was my first Sunday to teach our Discovering Membership class in Greenwood. I'm excited to get to know our people more and more and to simply do life with the people in Greenwood. It's such a blessing. When I got home, we all took naps and watched the great Daytona 500... something that we could all sleep, then wake up and practically take up right where we left off. That seemed to be the longest race ever, but a good one. Who would have thought... potholes on a Nascar race? Crazy.
Monday was good. Hayden wasn't feeling good, so Susanna stayed home with him. It always hurts my heart to see little man feeling bad. But, knowing that Susanna got to stay with him helped. When I got home, we all had a great family night and Susanna had brought home Whole Hog... BBQ!
Tuesday started off great then threw a surprise. My dad called me and informed me that my Great Aunt Connie had just passed away. I went straight over to my Gramma's house to spend time with her. It was one of those times in which I simply thought I would go and visit with her and encourage her through all she's been through, but something I didn't realize was just how God would minister to me through it all. My Gramma is such a woman of faith! And that was the subject of much of our conversation... Faith. It was one of the best conversations that I think we have ever had. It was such a blessing. There's so much we can learn from our grandparents, especially when they are one of the oldest of 12 kids!

My Gramma told me that my Aunt Connie had requested that her body was cremated and that her ashes were buried next to her late husband's grave site. As we go into the season of lent, and I'm reminded of Ash Wednesday and all that that entails for so many, I'm simply reminded that just as I came from the dirt, so will I one day return. We are only given a little time on this earth. It's my prayer that we make the most of it. Spend time with your spouse, your kids, your parents and grandparents, your friends and family, and don't be distracted by the toys and trinkets of this world... there's no time. Live life to the fullest! Share your faith!

Blessings,
frankie

Suffering Well...

2010-02-11T11:24:00.000-08:00

I took this picture just up the road from our barn the other day. It is an oil well that means a lot to me. It reminds me of where we came from. It reminds me of the good times and the bad times of Texas. You see, as small of a world as it is, this same oil rig was on one of the many plots Susanna worked with in Texas every day at her old job. Little did we know that it would be located less than a mile away from where we would live once we moved home. We would always come by and see this old rig just pumping oil like crazy. It was such a peaceful moment to see it stopped, frozen stiff in the cold.

I was tucking Hayden into bed last night, performing our evening ritual of the many different books we read, then finishing with our Bible story and our prayers. It's become such a special time when I hear him repeat after me my prayers... such a beautiful thing to hear your child talk to God. Afterwards, he pulled out a couple of matchbox cars from under his pillow to play with while he went to sleep. I told him, "Hayden, it's time for the cars to go night-night too." To which he fussed for a millisecond, but then suddenly handed them right over. It made me think, "I know what's best for my son. He needs to go to sleep now so that he will feel rested in the morning when he has to get up and go to school." I laid on the pillow next to him, with one eye open as I watched him slowly fall to sleep. While I was laying there, I thought, "I wonder how often God has to discipline us to better us?" He knows what's best for us, but why do we so often fuss or complain about it? Why do we think that we are maybe even suffering? That is what we do, is it not? We don't like it when God disciplines us, so we maybe label it suffering? I'm not discrediting genuine suffering, either, please don't take it that way. There is true suffering.

God, who loves us so much, allows us to suffer. It should come to no surprise. We've lived in this world long enough to know that. But it's a question people often ask. I think, though, that it's one of the hardest things for some people to grasp. I hear questions like, "Why would a loving God allow suffering?" I think that sometimes it's to teach us, but I think it's also to give us opportunities to teach others. It's opportunities for us as "Christ Followers" to demonstrate that our lifetime is not really just here... that we are truly looking forward to the life ahead.

In John 17:20–19:16 we read about Jesus, “Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to Him, went…”
What follows that sentence in the next few chapters of John is absolutely unbearable brutality. Betrayed by His closest friends, rejected by His own people, tortured beyond recognition and eventually murdered—Jesus, the perfect Son of God, literally became sin for us so that we could be made right with the Father. And knowing the things that were going to be done to Him, knowing He had the opportunity to run or fight or lie, He still moved forward.
When Peter attempted to prevent Jesus’ capture, Christ said, “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” In that moment, as in the rest of His life on earth, Jesus chose obedience over comfort. Knowing that He faced betrayal, rejection, torture, and death, Jesus chose to move forward in obedience, directly into God’s plan for Him, directly into suffering.
Sometimes we think the absence of suffering is the will of God. We think pain couldn’t be a part of the Christian life. Where did we get that? But Jesus promised suffering to anyone who would follow Him. It's not just about some fire insurance... that we won't have to suffer eternally. Being a Christian is much more than not having to go to Hell. Christ's example shows us how suffering and obedience are inseparable for the believer.

In the days leading up to Jesus’ death, the suffering He endured was unimaginable, but the result of that obedience changed the course of history. Because He endured, going willingly to the cross to die for our sins, we can have hope and life in Him. Knowing everything, Christ still obeyed. But what about us? We don’t really know anything, do we? We can’t see beyond this moment. How can we endure the suffering of life? Betrayal? Rejection? Pain?
I think it then gives us the opportunity to look at the life of Paul, who said in Philippines 1:21, "To live is Christ, and to die is gain." What is suffering? It's an opportunity to give God more glory.

I love the book of Colossians, and in that book, Paul says "And whatever you do, whether it's in work or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." I have a friend by the name of Matt Chandler. He's never told me this personally, but he has through his life's testimony, and most of all, through his most recent battle with brain cancer, "Suffer, and suffer well."

It's my challenge for all of us that we suffer well for the kingdom of God. Maybe if we aren't, we need to step out just a tad of our comfort zones.

Blessings,
Frankie

Happy Birthday, My Best Friend...

2010-02-09T12:30:00.000-08:00

Birthdays are a special day for all of us! Today's a special day for my wife... It's her birthday! It's not just any birthday, though, it's her 30th! She's such a blessing to me! It's hard to believe that we started dating 10 years ago, and have been married for almost 8! We've been through a lot together, and now that we are 36 weeks along, we are about to have an addition to the family, little Hallie Jordan Post will be here soon! But what makes today more special than any other? Maybe not much to everyone else, but to me, it's a day that I'm reminded of what Scripture says about my wife...

Proverbs 31:10-31
The Woman Who Fears the Lord
10 An excellent wife who can find? (I did!)
She is far more precious than jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
14 She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from afar.
15 She rises while it is yet night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her maidens.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17 She dresses herself with strength
and makes her arms strong.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
20 She opens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates
when he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many j women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates.

On the day of our wedding, we had a dear friend pray over us. He chose to pray over Susanna Proverbs 31, a passage he saw her living out then, prayed over her for her future, and I can proudly see she walks in daily.

Love you, Susanna!
Happy 30th!

Frankie

The Lego Lowdown of King David...

2010-02-04T12:16:00.000-08:00

The Lego Lowdown | King David from Granger Community on Vimeo.

When I was a kid, I played with Legos like crazy. I still have a lot of them, but this gives me a whole new idea of what I could do with them. :-)

Blessings,
frankie

Sacular...

2010-02-03T13:00:00.001-08:00

I was reading Romans 2 today and came across vs. 11 "For God shows no partiality." I find it interesting that we do. We are very partial beings yet God is impartial. It reminded me of week-before-last's sermon we called "Sacular," focusing on how we are supposed to combine the sacred with the secular. We coined it sacular based on trying to live partial lives. For example, we are one person at home, one person at work, one person at church, etc. We live our lives like an orange... which can be separated into sections. When in reality, we are called to live like an apple... which isn't separated, it's the same throughout. When I read this passage this morning, though, that God shows no partiality, I'm reminded of how we are also to be in action, showing no favoritism from one person to another. What a blessing for us, that our God doesn't have favorites, that He's not inclined to one person over the other! God is a righteous Judge. Praise Him for who he is!

Blessings,
frankie

Having a Hay Day...

2010-02-01T12:46:00.000-08:00

The past couple of days have been amazingly special. This past Friday we received between 7-10 inches of snow. It's one of the most beautiful things, and yet it can be so dangerous for so many. I'm mindful of the postmen who have to deliver mail in this, my brother-in-law who's out de-icing planes, etc. But, in the midst of it all, there's time for play and time for rest. It seems like the playing came along great. Hayden absolutely loved the snow! He kept saying, "Snowman, Dadda" and "Careful, Dadda, Ice!" The playing has been fun, but the resting hasn't quite come like I would expect it.

I've learned that living in a barn can have it's challenges... The challenges are the horses. I've learned more than I had ever thought I would learn about horses since we've moved into the barn... You see, these horses seem to be a little different than others. They are pretty much big dogs. I think that can easily be taken more ways than one, and I'm ok with that. They aren't interested in letting anyone ride them, and they like to eat. They really like to eat. They are on their schedule, too. They prefer a feeding between 5-5:30 in the evening and another between 6:30-7 in the morning. If you are late, they know they can just kick the walls of the barn to remind you. Some may think this is brilliant on their part. At least that was the case up until this most recent snow storm. It was Saturday night/Sunday morning (depending on who you ask) that the two of them, Harley and Patches, decided they were hungry. I hadn't considered that they might not want to dig under the snow for food. So, at 2:30 they began kicking the walls of the barn. To best explain what this is like, it's as though someone has a pan and they are banging it against a support beam in the wall next to where you are sleeping. It wakes you up immediately. I remember thinking that wouldn't be such a big deal if I wasn't preaching the next day. (I've since learned that I was wrong there, too.) So, I fed the horses. I fed them again at 6AM that same day. It would have been one thing if this is where the story ended, but it's not. Last night was even worse. They were ready to eat at 3AM, 4:30, 5AM, and 6. Which makes for a grumpy morning to say the least. I will say, though, that Hayden has taught us to smile through this issue. He's recently learned the song "No More Monkeys Jumpin' on the Bed." So, in this situation, he's begun singing "No More Patches Kickin' At The Barn." Pretty cute, especially when he randomly sings it. I thought it best to ask someone via text message what I should do. The response I received was that "God might be trying to teach you something." I'm confused by that. Every time I would fall asleep, I would just start to dream. That's when I would be woken up. The funny thing that I remember waking up thinking about was Peter on the rooftop when he was told "Kill and Eat." I don't eat horse, so I'm assuming that's out of the picture. The only other thing I can possibly think of is that God's trying to get us ready for those long nights of waking up with a newborn. If that's the lesson here, I think I'm ready for the newborn. Atleast with baby Hallie, I won't have to go out in the snow in the middle of the night :-)

Today's blog is not super spiritual or spiritual at all for that matter. Just me taking a few minutes to vent my thoughts. I think that's what blogs are for anyways, right? I'll stop by just giving you some pics of our "Hay Day."

Blessings,
frankie

Photo Friday...

2010-01-29T21:27:00.000-08:00

Here's some pics that I meant to add earlier today... I guess it's still technically Friday :-)
I took these first two earlier this week, the rest of them I took today.
I'm planning on hitting the outdoors bright and early to get those morning shots of all of the beautiful snow and ice.
Gonna be a lot of fun!

These two are of the sunrise on Tuesday morning.

These two are of my son, Hayden. He really enjoyed watching the snow today from the window, and I know he's going to have a blast playing in all of it tomorrow morning.

This last one is an old school house... I took this one tonight around 5PM just as it was beginning to get dark. It's pretty special to me because it's where my Gramma Rena went to school when she was a kid. In fact, the land we live on now used to be part of the land from our old family dairy farm years ago. The structure is in amazing shape for such an old school house. That's even the old bell from when she went to school there. I had to get some shots today of it in the snow. It gave me, Susanna, and Hayden a reason to get out and drive around a bit too.

Blessings,
frankie

See A Ring Around the Moon, A Storm Is Sure To Follow Soon

2010-01-28T07:54:00.000-08:00

Have you ever heard that old phrase, "See a ring around the moon, a storm is sure to follow soon?" I don't think I had. Tuesday night, I was walking outside from the house to the barn and I looked up and saw this. I had never really seen one of these before, or at least not that I remember, so I ran and grabbed the camera, took a couple shots, then went in to research it. According to Farmer's Almanac, "A lunar halo is caused by the refraction, reflection, and dispersion of light through ice particles suspended within thin, wispy, high altitude cirrus or cirrostratus clouds. As light passes through these hexagon-shaped ice crystals, it is bent at a 22 degree angle, creating a halo 22 degrees in radius (or 44 degrees in diameter). A double halo, sometimes with spokes, may be seen on rare occasions when light reflects off water or ice. The prism effect of light passing through these six-sided ice crystals separates the light into its various colors, resulting in a halo tinged with very pale rainbow colors with red on the inside and blue on the outside. The phenomenon of a lunar halo is similar to a rainbow produced by sunlight and rain falling between your eye and the sun."

What does this mean for us? Apparently we are going to be getting some nasty weather. Isn't it interesting that nature tries to tell us these things in some form or fashion? Granted, the weather man on channel 5 has been telling us this for a few days, but it's interesting to me that nature communicates these same things. I've heard it before, and it tends to be true that if you see cows laying down, a storm's coming.

The other day I was having lunch with an old friend. He's a Christian, and a skeptic. He asked me about people who never have the chance to hear the Gospel. He said, "say they are on an island and they never see other people to tell them about Jesus, where would they go?" My first response was that I'm not to judge, but my second was that of Romans 1:18-20 "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse." It's a powerful word, but it's the Word nonetheless.

According to nature and the weather people a storm's coming. We are supposed to get rain, freezing rain, ice, and snow. Will we/how much we never know. I'm reminded today of the story of Joseph in Genesis 39-41 in which Joseph, in the good season, prepares for the famine. When the famine comes, they had plenty of food because Joseph had helped them think to prepare for the famine. Sometimes it's a famine or a drought, sometimes it's a storm. My question today is really, how do we prepare for the spiritual storms? It's interesting to me that we don't always have people telling us about the spiritual storms or the droughts are coming. I think it's scary that all too often we are probably distracted by the idols of our lives that we fail to see some of the storms around us or maybe even beginning to brew in our own lives. It's my prayer that we take the time today to consider our spiritual state as well. That we be mindful of the fact that we are spiritual beings, and that when we have dry seasons we should use those as times to prepare. 2 Timothy 2:4 tells me to 'preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching."
Are you prepared for a storm? What season are you in?

Blessings,
frankie

Fishing...

2010-01-26T13:59:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken by a friend of mine, Brad Grizzle, when the two of us were out on the White River fly fishing and bait casting for trout, back in 2003. I think we came away with more pictures than fish. Today I'm reviewing our sermon for Sunday, and we are addressing Matthew 4:18-22. It's the passage where Jesus says, "Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men." What a challenge! I love to fish, but sometimes I think we forget that we are called to fish for men. I'm reminded today of the fact that as we claim we are Christian that we are "Christ Followers." It's my prayer that as Christ Followers, we will demonstrate to the world around us what Christ looks like. God, help us to remember your Great Commission, and may our hearts be stirred to do your work wherever we are.

Blessings,
frankie

Photo Friday...

2010-01-22T08:32:00.000-08:00

Here's a shot of the barn taken with the iphone. The rest are shots of the beautiful moon and stars last night taken with the Canon Rebel out front and with the old tree on the side. It was a lot of fun. Exposure shots outside are hard. Used a tripod :-)

Blessings,
frankie

Making a bargain with the Almighty...

2010-01-21T12:27:00.000-08:00

Last night was a pretty awesome evening. We had just eaten dinner at Grandma’s house (the new weekly norm), stopped by Wal-Mart for a few groceries, and then headed home. I fed the horses and came upstairs. We put Hayden to bed, and then chilled out. It was about that time that the lightning storm began off in the distance out towards Bonanza and Hackett. It's not too often that we get thunderstorms and lightning shows in mid January, but last night was one of those nights. Two weeks ago it was 6 degrees at night; last night it was probably 60! Hayden has been sick so he went to bed earlier than usual, and was snoring by 8PM! Susanna and I both sat down to read our books, and I was blown away by just how peaceful it was. I don't think I've mentioned it on here yet, but we live in a barn. It’s not what most people think of when they hear “barn.” It's my parents' barn, and it's pretty amazing. The downstairs is the tack room, horse stalls, and garage. Upstairs is the loft where we live. It’s beautiful and such a blessing!

So, I'm setting in their leather recliner, surrounded by these beautiful wood walls with a very large window at the east end of the barn and French doors at the back (that currently open up to a 10 foot fall down below... my excuse for still having the Christmas tree up while we have Hayden running around.) The windows provided the evening views of the lightning show and eventually the rainfall. We don't have Internet at the barn, and for that I'm thankful. It helps me take advantage of my time with my family. We do have cable and the TV, but as surprising as it is, we've had no real interests in watching it these days. I think once we do build, I may not want us to have cable just so that we will be disciplined to stick to all of this reading time and healthy family time we’ve had lately. Hayden watches his movies, but that’s about it.

I’m currently reading a book called “Cloudland Journal” by Tim Ernst. It’s book one in what will one day be a trilogy. It’s his journals about living in his cabin off of the Buffalo River, an area he nicknamed “Cloudland.” It’s an interesting read about him slowly leaving his life in the city of Fayetteville to eventually live in his log cabin (my other suggestion for when we build our own place). It’s a simple book about his daily life, his work on the cabin, and the creatures he sees as well as the plant life and just the simple beauty of the land. It’s a beautiful book and when I look up from the book it’s as though I’m there. The inside of our barn is all wood so it looks much like a cabin.

As Susanna and I sat there and visited, I realized just how blessed I was. We talked about what all God has done to bring us to this point; about His attributes and about how we truly love to come to church because we love to learn more about Him. We talked about the different names of God. We talked about the church, the Greenwood campus, our family, the friends we are making, and the friends who are all over the country. It wasn’t much longer that she headed to bed. I stayed up reading.

It was about an hour later that I received a text message from someone very dear to me. It was a message informing me of a medical situation that required surgery the next morning (today). Without going into detail or giving names, my heart became very heavy very quick. It was a time in which I sat my phone down and picked up my journal and thought that it’s times like this that I want to bargain with God. I want to strike up a deal. “God, I’ll do this if you will protect this person. I’ll do this if you will just do this.” Why do we do this? Is it our sinful nature? What makes us think we could ever bargain with the Almighty? My journal entry read: “God, this is one of those situations in which I want to bargain up front, but it’s simply my prayer that you be with them, that you keep them safe, that you be with the doctors, but not my will, Lord, your will be done.” He knew I wanted my will. I know I want His to trump mine. Oh how I pray those two wills can be the same.

I went to bed praying. I literally fell asleep praying. But I woke up this morning reminded of how I went to sleep. I am reminded of how my evening started yesterday and how it ended… the impact that a little news can have on someone. The news I received is kept silent to protect them, they’ve asked that it remain that way and I will honor it. I think, though, that it still has an ability to minister to all of us when we remember that God is the same when all is well, in the midst of the storms around. God knows what’s best. He will do what’s best for his people. It might hurt, and we might just absolutely hate it, but it’s what He knows is best for us. We can’t bargain with God like we could our parents when we were kids. But we can learn from God. We can observe what He’s doing around us. We can watch and be mindful of how He’s using the lives of people around us to minister to us.

People have asked me before, “What’s God’s will?” The Bible is very clear on what God’s will is…

1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. 8 Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

1 Peter 2:13-17 13 Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

1 Peter 4: 1-2 Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.

The Bible is very clear that God’s will is that we grow in sanctification… that is, that we become more like His Son, who experienced pain and suffering. For us, claiming Christ can and I’ll go so far as to say it will involve pain and suffering here on this earth. I think it’s the sinful attitude of man that makes us think we won’t experience any of this suffering or that we should avoid it; that our evenings should be like mine was last night before the phone call, but the will of God can be and often is much different. The next time you want to bargain with God, keep in mind that it might just be His will that you experience a bit of a roller coaster ride. He might just want you to experience the mountaintops and the valleys, the sunshine and the storm.

Blessings,
Frankie <><

Irony...

2010-01-19T18:22:00.001-08:00

It goes without saying, those times when you say it... "isn't that ironic." And yet, today was one of those days for me. I woke up a little early to feed the horses and read a bit before starting my day at the office. I had a feeling it was going to be a day of meetings, but to my surprise, some of those meetings got cancelled once I got there. Anyways, things were pretty normal for the most part... The morning coffee, journalling, listening to some tunes, etc. When I began reading Romans 1 this morning, a few verses stood out to me...

Vs 16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."

This verse has always meant a lot to me, but I don't think I've ever considered what it meant for Paul. It was revolutionary for his ministry.

But Paul went on to say in Vs 24, 26, & 28 that "God gave them up...". He was talking about men and women who turned away from God and how time and time again they chose their sin rather than Him. One of the things I love about God is that He has no borders. He loves us no matter who we are or what we've done and yet it's a scary thing to think that the God who has the "power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, Jew and Greek" is the same God who gives some people up.

So it begs the question, "Why would God do this?"
It may seem like I'm pointing out a contradiction in Scripture, but there isn't one. The reality is that God, in His all knowingness, knows that those who keep sinning would never turn towards Him. I think that's what GRACE is... This concept of unmerited favor, that I did nothing, but He chose me and knew that I would choose Him given the opportunity & given what I know of Him. I'm reminded of what John Piper once said on this topic... "praise God for His discipline because God disciplines those He loves." Have you been disciplined lately?

I took these thoughts with me to the office this morning, and when we started our Preaching Team meeting, it was interesting that the passage was Jesus' last words "It is finished." -John 19:30. Our discussion was surprising to me because I had been moved to tears this morning after reflecting on God's grace, mercy, and discipline in my life, and yet reminded of how I discipline Hayden. It hurts so much to have to send him to time out when he's disobeyed, but I know that it's teaching Him. I was reminded today that Jesus endured that "time out" for us and voiced the misery that we can never, as Christians, experience... "my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Praise God, praise Him, because we who are followers of Him cannot be forsaken! And yet, He endured the cross out of love for you and me. When Jesus had finished his work "it" was finished!

As I sat there and pondered Jesus' experience and death, I received a wonderful phone call that my baby neice was born! How appropriate, reflecting on the results of man's sins, my sister had been experiencing the pain of labor. To reverse the Curse, Jesus died. Baby Aleah is just starting and today is day one in her book that has yet to be written, but the beauty is that Jesus' work for her has already been done!

Blessings,
Frankie <><

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Photo Friday...

2010-01-15T09:05:00.001-08:00

My parents got us a new Canon EOS Rebel XS for Christmas, so I'm getting into photography and loving it. Here's my best so far... living in a barn with huge trees outside has given me some fun opportuniites to bird watch today ;-)

Blessings,
frankie <><

Blessings...

2010-01-14T09:07:00.000-08:00

When's the last time that you took the time to consider how many ways you are truly blessed? I feel that for me it's been a reminder today in spite of what's going on in Haiti, the news around the earthquake, and so many who have lost their lives.

Family- It was just two weeks ago that my grandmother (AKA "Gramma Rena" or "GG" Great Gramma, but Hayden calls her GG) asked that we start doing dinner together every Wednesday night at her house. It's been such a blessing for us to have these opportunities. Oh, how we take things for granted! I never would have thought growing up how easy it is to assume that you can have dinner with your family. It's work to get us all together these days, but the rewards are priceless. Knowing that Hayden loves his "GG" and wants to go spend time with her is such a blessing to me. That she is in such great health as well as four of our other grand parents, Hayden's great grand parents! We take family for granted. How's your relationship with your family?

Food- Are you kidding me? People pick on me because I so often twitter & facebook about what I eat and the places we eat. I love food, and the thing for me is that I don't even have to concern myself with where my next meal is going to come from. Someone just about every day swings by my office from our church staff and asks me if I want to grab a bite, and a lot of the time I have to turn them down because of other lunch plans. If I am at home and want something to eat, we always keep a fridge and pantry full. If I go out to dinner, which we do often, I have a menu that's given to me to choose anything I would like, and I can choose from a menu what I would like rather than having something given to me that I didn't choose or having to eat the same thing night after night. Last night, I was amazed at Gabe. He's a foreign exchange student from Sao Paulo, Brazil, who's living with my aunt and uncle for the year. He had never experienced mixing butter and honey for biscuits. It was a pure delight to watch his face as he tasted something like that for the first time. I can go so far as to say that I took my French press backpacking with me up to the Buffalo River over New Years... because I love my Starbucks coffee! We are spoiled when it comes to food! When's the last time you were truly thankful for a meal?

Shoes- Yes, Shoes! I can go there. I received three pairs of shoes for Christmas. Was it because I was in need of shoes? No, they are trendy. I've got a closet full of shoes, and so does my wife. In fact, I bought her two pair of Toms for Christmas because they make a great shoe and they give one away with every pair you purchase. They have an amazing ministry that's headed towards Haiti for drop-offs soon. Even though I bought her two pair, she also received 2 more pairs of shoes for Christmas from other people. My point? We live in abundance! Not just the Posts, but Americans. We are blessed.

We are so blessed! It's my prayer today that we not only consider the material possessions we have or even the family and friends we've been given, but we are blessed because we've been given the opportunity to live, to serve, to worship, and to glorify Him. We've been created. We've been set apart. We've been called. We've been appointed. We've been elected. We are Saints of an amazing King. I end with this:

The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein,
2 for he has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully.
5 He will receive blessing from the Lord
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
- Psalm 24:1-6

Blessings,
frankie <><

All Dogs Go To Heaven...

2010-01-11T10:43:00.001-08:00

This past Friday night came as a surprise... I had asked my beautiful bride on a date, and we planned a dinner and movie type of evening. That wasn't the surprise. What we didn't know was just how our plans would change. It was around 5:00 Friday night that my mom informed me that one of our Chihuahuas was sick. Back in April, we gave our 2 Chihuahuas, Mocha and Latte, to my grandmother to keep. She no longer had any dogs, and we knew that with our situation of moving and the chaos of not knowing what was going on with us that they needed something consistent. Grandma's was just the place, and they grew attached to her just as fast as she grew attached to them. It was a blessing for all of us. But, Friday night, once we received news that Mocha wasn't feeling well, we made plans to swing by and check on her before we went on our date. It was to our surprise once we arrived, that poor Mocha couldn't even catch her breath. Grandma said she hadn't slept last night at all, and it was obvious that Mocha was very tired as her eyes were red in the corners and her eyelids kept wanting to close. We thought that with our presence, she might perk right up. That was partially the case. She got a drink of water... something she hadn't done in a day. Still, though, she wouldn't eat. And with every breath, you could tell she was suffering. She would start to fall asleep only to quit breathing completely, then out of fear for that next breath, wake herself up breathing even harder. Susanna and I couldn't handle her suffering, so we took her to the Emergency Room Vet here in Fort Smith, off of Zero Street. I was amazed at how sweet, kind, and tender the assistants and the doctors were with poor Mocha. She was maxed, and her slow suffocating was tearing us all up. She allowed them to check on her, check her temp, open her mouth, etc. Something that was unheard of with Mocha in the past... if a stranger went to touch her mouth, he or she would just about lose that finger. So, we knew she was desperate when the doctor opened her mouth and managed to put his finger down her throat to check for anything lodged. As we realized just how serious the situation was, the vet helped us come to grip with the situation that Mocha was suffocating and that there was not going to be a cure... she had some sort of tumor lodged in her airway in the larynx that was slowly starving her and shutting her down. The doc said it was a rare situation, but it was our situation. So, it was a very very hard decision that we had to make to allow them to put her to sleep, but we knew that she was ready to do just that... she was ready to sleep. To prolong anything meant for her to have to continue to suffer. She wasn't even strong enough to be sedated so that they could do more research on her. She was just too weak... not the Mocha we'd all loved and known for the past 6 years.

Death comes to us almost always as a complete surprise. It's never an easy thing to face, and I have never been involved in a decision process to allow death to occur. It's hard, it's very very hard. And yet, once that decision was made, I think I speak for myself, Susanna, and my Grandma, that the burden was lifted. I know it was for Mocha. This has shifted my thinking this weekend. For one, veterinarians are blessed with a calling to minister to people. Just as they bring new animals in the world, so too they comfort those who are having to say "goodbye" to their loved ones.

Some of you may say, "It's just a dog!" To be quite honest, I always thought that about Mocha & Latte, and especially about movies like Marley & Me. But it's different when it's the love that you had for that animal. So many children and even parents have asked me over the years... do animals go to heaven?

Ecclesiastes 3:18-22 gives us one of the only glimpses of what the Bible really has to say on the issue... 18 I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but n beasts. 19 o For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. 20 All go to one place. All are from p the dust, and to dust all return. 21 Who knows whetherq the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth?22 So I saw that there is r nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, fors that is his lot. Who can bring him to see t what will be after him?"

So, what can we conclude from this? That it's only God and His sovereignty that knows if animals go to heaven or if they end in this life. No where does it say. Man has been placed over animals. I can say this, though, that I know God loves. He doesn't just love humans. He loves all of mankind and animals. I'm sure it hurts his heart when any or all perish because it's a result of man's sin that any have to die.

I close with this, that it's because of sin that creation must suffer. Romans 8:20-22 says: "20 For the creation p was subjected to futility, not willingly, but q because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that r the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that s the whole creation t has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now."

Do all dogs go to heaven? I don't know. But what I do know is this, death has been conquered! Death will not always have a victory over us. But, until His return, we must persevere and rest in the fact that He's still on His throne, and that He has the victory. It's not so much of a concern for us to consider whether or not animals go to heaven, but a concern for us to make sure we are headed there ourselves. Ecclesiastes says sometimes it's better for someone to die than to be born so that we, as those who are living, consider our lives. May we stop and consider our lives today. What do we need to adjust? What do we need to change so that we can demonstrate His love more?

May you minister to others more than your dog ministers to you.

frankie <><

Role Models...

2010-01-05T13:02:00.000-08:00

After 29 years, I feel as though I can say I have learned a lot. And yet, I know for a fact that there are still so many unchartered waters still to swim. But what I do know is that it seems to me I always learn the most from things I've maybe done wrong. Ten years ago, I would not have been willing to admit that. But it seems I've also learned a lot through other men's mistakes too. I learned the significance of wedding vows and a lifetime of monogamy from my father. I also learned the value of forgiveness from my mother. I've learned the consequences of addictions from close friends and family members. I've also seen them suffer from the humiliation and the penalties of those sins. I've experienced the blessings of having a first born son. One who will and is already observing me very closely to see how I react in different situations. But what has recently taken me by surprise maybe more so than most things over the years is the way one man has handled something that's recently entered into his life. Maybe it's because I know he's not committed some great moral failure, and because I'm a fallen human being, I want to naturally connect a sin to his situation. But the truth is, this guy has done nothing more than pray for removal for this inflicted misfortune with the condition that it be removed only if it be the Lord's will. He's also praised God for his "Blessing" the same thing I refer to as a "misfortune." How is it that some people can persevere through trials and continue to seek His face no matter what comes their way?

I think it's the simple story of Job and Mrs. Job. At their worst moment, she simply tells her husband to curse God and die. We put this negative label to her name simply because she says "Curse God and die!" But the reality is, I probably wouldn't last as long as she did. Instead, I think the way we are to look at negative things that come our way is by looking at them with the lenses Job looked at them. Job, who had pre-determined that no matter what came his way, he would continue to have faith. Mrs. Job didn't have this. I think so often "Christians" don't have this. But the purpose behind these trials is always to make us stronger! James 1:2-4 says "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds... for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

If we struggle, it's for God's glory. Job demonstrated this. Paul demonstrated this. He prayed three times that God would take away his thorn and yet God never took it away, rather He ministered to him through it. We would never ask for the trials. We would never ask for the thorns in the flesh. And in so doing, we would never pursue Him on our own. Praise God that his Grace, Mercy and His Glory is so abundant! Oh how He's the Divine Romancer!

My Prayer: Dear God, thank you for the blessing of Matt Chandler and how he can praise You for blessing him like You have, even if it means through cancer in his brain. May people grow in the grace and knowledge of You through His testimony. Bless his family through this trial. Amen.

Eternally His,

frankie <><

New Year's Resolution...

2010-01-04T11:36:00.000-08:00

As a new years resolution, I've decided I would begin the process of blogging. So, here I am. I've journaled for years so I guess it's time I do this too. So many pastor friends have encouraged it. Maybe it will be cool. Maybe not. I'm ok with that :-)

This past week, I went backpacking with my friend Brad Grizzle up at the Buffalo River. We had a great time, but one of the things he asked me was what my goals were this year as a Christian. To which I couldn't answer. Not initially. Probably because I hadn't given it much thought. He also asked me a couple of other questions: What was your biggest accomplishment of 2009? What was the hardest thing you faced in 2009? It's odd to me that these last two are so much easier to answer than the first one. My biggest accomplishment in '09 was moving my family home so we could begin pastoring in our hometown... What a blessing! My hardest thing I faced was leaving my last church. If I had that to do all over, I would want it done all over. Not that I would change anything on my end, but I won't go there. The amazing thing is that I guess I would go there all over again if it meant God was going to bring me here. In Ed Saucier's sermon yesterday, he said he would have chosen things differently if he could go back and do them all over again, but that would not have put him here and that would not have placed him where he is today. So true that is, and I praise God that He's guided our steps.

Now, back to that first question... the reason I think I struggle with answering it is because I've never had that leadership in my life that's really demonstrated how to set or cast a vision and truly demonstrate that well. Sure, I've read tons of books on the subject of visioneering, casting vision, etc. But I've never really functioned like that or known someone who's demonstrated it well. I've set goals. I set goals for myself and carry them out as best I can, but what vision do I set from here? I feel like God has blessed me with the vision I've seen over the past three years... A vision to return to the people of the Arkansas River Valley and minister to my own. It's with great prayer that I enter these next few days as I seek to discover what God would have in store for 2010 and how I should challenge myself to grow in Him. Praise God, I'm on a church staff that wants to help better me as a pastor and help me develop and grow in my own abilities as well as my own goals. One thing's certain, I will be welcoming a daughter into the world come March, Miss Hallie Jordan Post :-)

Eternally His,

frankie <><