Angie and I arrived in Bentonville today just in time to pick our daughter up from school. We were tired from the week, yet SO refreshed! We’ve been to seven or eight Oases and this was, by far, the best yet! An oasis is defined as “a fertile place in a barren land.” More on that in a second…

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Our little baby’s growing up! Few things are more precious, and more heart-breaking, than your six-year-old little girl with a backpack on, marching off to school. We’re happy for her, excited about her future, and prayerful that she’ll be used of God in mighty ways! But we also don’t want her to age another day.

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Angie was scheduled for surgery in Tulsa at 9:30 a.m. today. I set the alarm for 4:30 a.m. so that I could study and work a bit before making the two hour drive. The alarm failed and I awakened at 6:17, giving us exactly enough time to get ready and get out the door. All the way to Tulsa, I reflected on how good God was to be faithful to us in such a small detail.

Angie’s surgery went well - the doctor accomplished his goal of fixing some problems left behind from two previous surgeries and Angie’s insides are all better now. I can say this with greater certainty since I saw actual pictures of body parts that I really don’t ever care to see again. The only problem was with her recovery. She awoke in a panic, unable to catch her breath. Nonetheless, she’s recovering now with some abdominal pain that should subside in a few days.

After all of that, we managed to arrive back in Northwest Arkansas with an hour to spare before Bethel’s Missions Rally. More on that in the next post… Keep praying for Angie to recover well and for me to be a good nurse for a few days!

Isn’t summer supposed to be our vacation from the busyness of life? This summer, for the Cox family, is flying right by in a whirlwind of activity. We’ve traveled to see family in three different states (Missouri and Georgia for Angie, Kentucky for me). We’re getting ready to spend a week at church camp. And then, it will be time for Angie to return to work, for me to get busy with a new church year, and for Ella to begin Kindergarten.

In the midst of being busy in these bigger ways, I’ve also found ministry to families and needs to be rather pressing lately. My phones are ringing off the hook and I’ve done more “people work” in the last few weeks than ever before. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I’m very thankful to be needed, to be used in God’s hands, and to watch God at work in people’s lives. On the other hand, I hate what Satan is doing to the people around me that I love so dearly. It has certainly caused me to have an appreciative perspective on my own life. God has been so gracious and merciful to me, especially when I’ve least deserved it!

I will also say that the pressing nature of many of the issues I deal with drive me to my knees. I feel the continual need to remain constant in prayer so that my own spirit is not dragged down by the multitude of problems in the world. Depravity, and its results, can be draining on our frail emotions and if we aren’t careful, we’ll be tempted to despair. But then there is that verse in Romans 8:37, “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” More than conquerors, winners, valiant victors in the war called life. And why? Because Jesus died and rose again!

Today marks our tenth anniversary as a married couple. I’ve done quite a bit of reflecting back on that very special moment when we were pronounced husband and wife by my father-in-law. I showed up at the church a few hours before the wedding and it was pouring down rain. I wanted to wait until it slacked off and until I could be sure I wouldn’t see Angie a moment too early. She was inside wondering if I was re-considering!

I wasn’t re-considering, and I haven’t since. I wouldn’t trade the last ten years for anything in the world. We’ve had a precious daughter, served a couple of great churches as Pastor and wife, Angie has earned two degrees (I’m on the very long-term educational plan), and we’ve made a whole lot of great friends along the way. We’re thankful to God for the fruitfulness of these years and can’t wait to see what God has in store for the decades to come.

A marriage, when lived out biblically, is designed to show the world how much Jesus loves His church and how much they can accomplish together in the redemption of lost mankind. I wouldn’t dream of putting forth the image that we have one of those perfect, never-had-an-argument, syruppy-sappy, always romantic relationships. If you do that, nobody believes you anyway and you probably get on everyone else’s nerves. Nonetheless, I’m proud of the marriage we have. We don’t ever have to question one another’s faithfulness and commitment, and we’re slowly learning to communicate and to compliment one another in a way that glorifies God. I’m so very thankful for all God has blessed us with… to Him be the glory!

I love VBS week! I love to watch kids having fun. I love to see the people of God in action, doing their thing to accomplish ministry to families. More than anything, I love seeing little ones embrace the story of Jesus as their own. It’s awesome! This year’s VBS has been a blessing to my heart for quite a few reasons.

One is that we’ve started out with about twenty more kids involved than last year. Two is our Associate Pastor, Cory McCaig has done an absolutely awesome job of leading it and teaching the kids. Three, our Associate Pastor has led, not me! Angie and I, for a decade, have always spent our wedding anniversaries at Vacation Bible School, but this year, we get to run away for a night and celebrate our tenth (more on this in the next post).

I’ll have to report later on the results, but through two nights, I’m fired up about attending Avalanche Ranch!

This past Sunday, I began preaching in Genesis with chapter one, verse one. The message started a lengthy commitment to preaching all of the word. I don’t think I’ve ever been as satisfied by a message in all of my ministry. I had studied and prepared for about six weeks for just the first chapter of Genesis. So how was it? Exhilarating!

The choir was tuned up and did an awesome job. Singing Shout to the Lord with them was great. They also sang a favorite of mine, There Are No Orphans of God.  Angie (my wife) and Tamara (the Choir Director) sang Nothing But A Miracle Will Do. These special numbers highly exalted the King, but it was the congregational song How Great Thou Art that moved my heart most deeply. I’d been studying about the magnitude of creation, the vastness of the universe, and the miraculous nature of all that God brought into being. So when we sang “I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed” I did something rather unorthodox, especially for me. I stood. I stood in reverence and fear of the awesome God we serve. I was overwhelmed emotionally and spiritually. The Spirit of God moved in my heart in that moment, and I stood, raising my hands high toward the God of heaven, not caring what anyone in the auditorium thought! It was unabashed worship, and it ought to be that way all the time!

I can’t wait until Sunday, to move on to the next passage. The Word of God is so inexhaustible, it seems I’ll never preach the unsearchable wisdom of God in this one short lifetime, but I’ll live and die trying!

Last night, the local association officially voted to name Larry Hendren the new Editor of  The Baptist Banner, which will free up that much more time each month for me to spend doing the things that matter. Please keep praying that I’ll have all of my priorities right, spending adequate time in prayer, in study, with people, and with my family. And may God get the glory as we learn to fear Him, love Him, and stand in awe and reverence of Him!

Today was kind of tough… for Momma anyway. We saw our little girl “walk the line” to graduate from Preschool. The theme was What A Wonderful World, which all nineteen graduates sang together. They actually played Pomp and Circumstance as they marched in. She got a diploma and an award for Developing the Most in Confidence throughout the year. We’re so proud!

Angie handles moments like these with a mothering sadness. Her little girl will never graduate from Preschool again. I, on the other hand, handle things a bit differently. While Mamma shed a few tears, I was frustrated that the camera wasn’t working quite right. For me, it’s just one more step toward adulthood, which is the goal. I know that the time will fly and I’ll be crying at her wedding far too soon. Nevertheless, I tend to look forward to each next occasion while Angie wants to hang on to her little girl.

One thing I know, I’m going to enjoy another graduation someday. I’m not referring to Ella’s High School graduation, though I know I’ll enjoy that too, but the day I “walk the line” at the judgment seat of Christ. On the one hand, I view that day with trepidation - there is so much more to be done here in this life. On the other hand, I can’t wait for the eternal reward God has promised to all who place their faith squarely in Him alone.

Our little baby is all grown up… or at least about to head for kindergarten, but I feel that we have so much work to do. If she’s out of the house by eighteen, then we only have fourteen more years to prepare her heart to be forever sensitive to the Savior’s voice. We want to pray her into the family of God, model a genuine love for Jesus, and watch as she surrenders herself to His will daily. May God so prepare us for our graduation day!

Well, we’ve been the parents of but one child for almost five years now. I remember Bill Cosby saying something about us not being allowed to use the title “parent” until there were at least two. This morning, we had three. Me, Angie, Ella, Jayden, and little Quinton all headed down to the Hotel breakfast area… so the adventure began. It was a packed house and we found one little tall table in the corner. We made about six trips for food, napkins, drinks, forks, and then some more napkins.

Then on to the pool where we promptly got in and started having fun… until I felt my wallet which was still in the pocket of my trunks. After handling the wallet, along with a boy who splashed a bit too much and a girl who can’t stand splashing, I noticed some very scary looking elements floating around in the pool. Yes, you guessed it, somebody else’s kid (thankfully) had decided he or she just couldn’t hold it any longer. So we made our exit and notified the front desk of the potential health hazard floating around. My shirt was soaked because my four-year-old had used it like a towel and left it laying in a puddle of water… we’re still working on the whole “be considerate of others” thing.

After blow-drying my wallet’s various contents and getting settled back down in the Hotel room, I sat down to the computer to write this blog and reflected on what great champions all of you multi-kid parents really are. On a serious note, please pray for us. Angie had an ectopic pregnancy last fall, which was one of the hardest things we’ve gone through. But it’s really just part of a larger struggle to expand our family. Knowing that others within our church family are struggling with the same issue, some of whom don’t have children yet, makes us rely on the Lord that much more to invade our varied situations and bless with more little munchkins.

For a few hours we tasted having three or more kids, and how sweet it really was!!

Today begins a very hectic season in our lives - well, hectic if traveling is hectic. We’ll be leaving the middle of this afternoon for the great metropolis and returning tomorrow evening. Week after next, it’s on to St. Louis for a three-day jaunt where I get to see the Cardinals play at the new Busch Stadium! The following week is Vacation Bible School, interrupted by a one-night stay in Tulsa for our Tenth Anniversary (which you’ll hear more about later). The following week, I take Angie to St. Louis and I return to Northwest Arkansas the next day while she goes with her family to Griffin, Georgia for several days. Then, a week later, I meet her in Kentucky for a week to visit with my family. All of this in June… and I’m not even missing a Sunday service!

It’s really a good thing I love traveling. I especially love Branson. Why, you might ask? Well, it’s not the country music, the craft festivals, or all the super-expensive shows. It’s certainly not the outlet malls either. It’s really the fried green Tomatoes served up hot at MacFarlan’s and the cheap breakfast buffet at Starvin’ Marvin’s! You should have known it would all surround fried foods! I also love the drive through the Ozarks, a movie at the Imax Theater, and especially being with my wife and daughter! They make these moments wonderfully special.

See you in Branson! I’ll save you a fried green tomato… maybe.