This Sunday we honored our teacher, Dr. Wellum on the occasion of his Birthday. The following poem was composed and recited by our very own Travis Abraham to the beat of “Achy Breaky Heart” by Billy Ray Cyrus.

You can see the candles, the eighty billion candles
And you can feel the heat from far away
And you can see the hair, that slighty graying hair
He might be headin’ towards a new toupee
 
Now we could ask Ms. Karen to tell us all his age
I’m sure that it would give her quite the thrill
But we can’t count that high, no one can count that high
All we know is that he’s over the hill
 
So don’t tell the class, the Wellum’s Couples Class
How old Dr. Wellum really is
Cuz if you tell the class, the Wellum’s Couples Class
We might laugh like a bunch of little kids.
 
Allright, he’s not that old, he’s really not that old
But of course we had to razz him just a tad
The truth is that he’s awesome, its in the Word he blossoms
And he’s top-notch as a husband and a dad
 
His family is crazy, sons run track and aren’t lazy
The daughters draw nice pictures on the board
His wife, she is a hostess, a hostess with the mostest
Dr. Wellum leads his family in the Lord
 
An example to class, the Wellum’s Couples Class
Is the life of Dr. Wellum, wife and kids
We’d all do well to follow the example of this fam,
Enjoy life, love God, and pass on the Gift.

“See What A Morning” (Resurrection Hymn) by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend

See, what a morning, gloriously bright,
With the dawning of hope in Jerusalem;
Folded the grave-clothes, tomb filled with light,
As the angels announce, “Christ is risen!”

See God’s salvation plan,
Wrought in love, borne in pain, paid in sacrifice,
Fulfilled in Christ, the Man,
For He lives: Christ is risen from the dead!

See Mary weeping, “Where is He laid?”
As in sorrow she turns from the empty tomb;
Hears a voice speaking, calling her name;
It’s the Master, the Lord raised to life again!

The voice that spans the years,
Speaking life, stirring hope, bringing peace to us,
Will sound till He appears,
For He lives: Christ is risen from the dead!

One with the Father, Ancient of Days,
Through the Spirit who clothes faith with certainty.
Honor and blessing, glory and praise
To the King crowned with pow’r and authority!

And we are raised with Him,
Death is dead, love has won, Christ has conquered;
And we shall reign with Him,
For He lives: Christ is risen from the dead!

Before we get off the road to financial freedom, there are a few things we
need to remember. First, God created work: the first thing the Lord did with
Adam was to assign him work. However, after the Fall, work was made more
difficult. Second, God has a perspective on work: (1) work is necessary,
(2) it develops character, (3) we should work as for the Lord, (4) there is
equal dignity in all types of work. Third, God has promises for us in our
work: (1) He gives us our job skills, (2) He gives us our success, and (3)
He controls our promotions. We also have responsibilities. First, we have
responsibilities in work: We are to work hard, but not to overwork. We also
have responsibilities in regards to our relationship with our employers: we
must me absolutely honest with them, we are to be faithful to them, we are
to pray for them, honor them (and fellow employees), and we must share our
faith with them. With these final truths we can safely take the off-ramp
and begin our lives of being financially responsible for God’s glory.

Gen 2:15; Gen 3:17-19; Col 3:23; Exod 36:1; Gen 39:2-3; Prov 12:27; Exod
34:21; Dan 6:4; Dan 6:10; 1 Pet 2:18

This Christmas, our ABF gave Dr. and Mrs. Wellum a trip to one of Kentucky’s most-beloved restaurants, Patty’s 1880’s Settlement at Kentucky Lake. Since then, we had been waiting on a beautiful Saturday for my husband, Robert Patterson, to get us there in a 6-passenger, high performance Piper Saratoga II.

On February 2nd, we met at the Glendale Flying Club hangar at Bowman Field, where the Saratoga is kept. The Wellums had a flurry of questions before we took off. Robert happily explained the aerodynamics of the plane for a few minutes. Airplanes have many redundancies in place to ensure that no one has to pull over and lift the hood while in flight. Thankfully, it is much safer than driving in a car.

We pointed out the downtown cityscape as we flew out of Louisville. By the time we reached our cruising altitude of 6,000 feet, we had fantastic views of the rural countryside. The Ohio River turns and coils like a snake on the Kentucky/Indiana Border, and we cut over it several times. Making our approach to the Kentucky Dam Airport, the sun was glinting off the Kentucky and Barkley Lakes like glass. Although the Wellums had the back seat to enjoy by themselves, we talked together for most of the flight.

A van from Patty’s came to the airport for us, and soon we were seated in the restaurant, each with an enormous menu. Dr. Wellum ordered the world famous 2” thick pork chops, and we couldn’t believe he nearly finished it! Afterward, we made the waiter recite the 19 items on the dessert menu and picked four different pie slices. The waiter looked like he would tip over as he brought them all out!

After dinner we shopped at a few of the 10+ stores situated around the settlement. Karen and I swooped over to a 75%-off sale, while Dr. Wellum and Robert discovered an outdoors store. Several purchases later our stomachs were settled, so we said our goodbyes to the pork chops and mile-high meringue for good.

Blood orange rays were peaking through the trees as we got to the airport. Our ascent into the air was silky smooth as the cool of the day kept winds at bay. The city lights were the only boundaries we saw to distinguish the land from the stars. With a near 60 mph tailwind, Louisville’s lights appeared like an artificial sunrise in 40 short minutes, having traveled at nearly 250 mph. Back at Bowman, Robert softly landed on Runway 24, ending the peaceful flight.

We had hoped the day would allow Dr. and Mrs. Wellum to relax and enjoy being treated to delicious views and venues. On several occasions, the Wellums expressed their gratitude to the ABF for giving the gift. They themselves serve us faithfully each week, and it was a privilege to be entrusted by the class to make the trip possible.

———-

Visit the Patterson’s Picasa Web Album for photos from the Flight

As we make the third turn of our adventure, the landscape is filled with idea of giving. In this week’s lesson, we find that there are three important things to remember in regards to giving: (1) giving with the proper attitude is crucial, (2) we must give to God first, and (3) 10% of our income is only foundational for our giving. We also saw that there are four advantages to giving: (1) giving draws our hearts toward Christ, (2) giving develops character, (3) giving allows us to invest for eternity, and (4) giving produces a material increase to the giver. Finally, we learned that there are three entities to which our giving should go to: (1) our local church, (2) Christian ministries, and (3) the poor. Next week we will pass the final mile marker and complete our journey to financial freedom!

As we shift into second gear while on the road to financial freedom, we find many practical steps we can take to begin our journey out of debt. First, we must know what Scripture says about debt: it is discouraged, it is slavery, and we have a responsibility to repay what we owe (Rom 13:8; Prov 22:7; Prov 3:27-28). Second, we must know how to reduce our debt: keep the car long enough to pay off the loan; prepay a little each month on your mortgage; borrow for investments only when the investment is the sole collateral for the debt; and carefully consider the stability and edge that accompany operating a business debt free. Finally, we must learn 11 ways on how to get out of debt: (1) pray for strength, (2) start giving regularly, (3) do not accumulate more debt, (4) establish a budget that allows for debt repayment (5) set up an emergency account of at least $1000, (6) list your assets – determine if you should sell some items, (7) list your liabilities, (8) establish a repayment schedule, (9) consider earning additional income, (10) consider changes in your lifestyle, (11) don’t give up! With the Holy Spirit’s leading, we can be confident as we cruise to the next mile marker on the “Road to Financial Freedom.”

From the Anizors!

Hi everyone,

We just wanted to let you know that on Monday morning at 6:01am, Mel gave birth to our beautiful little girl! Zoe weighed in at 6lbs and 5 oz and is 19 inches long. The labor was pretty intense (as all labors are, I suppose), but Mel did wonderfully, making it the whole way through with no drugs. I am happy to report that both mom and baby are doing fine and just got home this afternoon. We are so thankful for God’s grace in giving us a healthy daughter. We chose the name Zoe (meaning “life” in Greek) because over these past few months especially, we’ve really come to see that God truly is the giver and sustainer of life, and we are so thankful for His gift of life to us in our little girl. Isabella (meaning “devoted to God”) seemed an appropriate fit in describing our greatest desire for our daughter - that she would be someone whose life is passionately devoted to serving and loving our great God.

Thank you for all of your prayers and for rejoicing with us! Here are a few pictures of our little girl. Enjoy!

From the proud, thrilled and giddy papa,

Uche

In Psalm 113, the writer considers the greatness of God; “From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord be praised.” There is not a single moment in the course of a single day or an entire year for which we are not dependent upon God. From January 1st to December 31st, “his glory is high above the heavens.”

And so it is on January 1, 2008.

As Christians, we know what it means to have a happy new year, because with each year we are one year closer to the day when, according to Malachi 1:11, “from the rising of the sun to its setting” God’s name “will be great among the nations.” We look forward to the new creation when God will “wipe away every tear from [our] eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” In this hope we rejoice.

Praise God for sending his Son, without whom a “happy new year” would be an oxymoron.

For the maximization of your happiness in Christ, consider how you might read through the entire Bible in 2008. Crossway, the publisher of the ESV Bible, is offering several ways to get yourself in and through the Bible each year.

Subscribe by Email
Subscribe by RSS feed

Happy New Year!

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Congratulations to Chris and Stephanie Dilley on the birth of their daughter, Emma. Here’s an update from the family!

Greetings! We just wanted to let everyone know that Emma Lynne Dilley finally decided to make her grand entrance into this world on Friday, November 16, at 11:47 a.m. She weighed 8 lbs, 2 ounces and was 20
inches long. Stephanie and Emma are doing great, and I am a proud husband and daddy. Please continue to pray for Stephanie as she recovers from a difficult labor and as she and Emma adjust to life outside the womb. We have attached some pictures for you to enjoy. If you would like to visit us, please call me first at (502) 407-2747.

In Christ, Chris and Stephanie