So, my Grandpa (dad’s dad) wrote a book. It’s called The Chattahoochee Boys and it’s full of stories from my Grandpa’s childhood involving him and a group of boys from the neighborhood. Basically, they got into a lot of trouble and lived to tell about it ;) 

The boys grew up together in Whittier Mills, a mill village in Northwest Atlanta. They loved to sit and chat on the stoop of the “company store,” play baseball, and swim “nekkid” in the creek. Needless to say, there was a lot I did not know about my Grandpa prior to reading some of these stories. 

On Saturday, the Whittier Mill Village Neighborhood Association held an event to celebrate The Chattahoochee Boys where Grandpapa and a few of the remaining boys told stories and reminisced. The event was held at First Baptist Church of Chattahoochee, in the heart of Whittier Mill, where some of the boys went to church as children.

 
First Baptist of Chattahoochee. 
Grandpapa reading Stories. 

The boys back together again on the stoop. 

The inside of what used to be the “company store.” 

Evan and I got to play music for the event! 

If you can’t tell, I’m one very proud granddaughter. I am blessed with four awesome grandparents who have a great appreciation for life! 

Check out Grandpapa’s book here! 

Here’s a recap of 2011:

I began the year with my very first Passion conference experience. It was phenomenal, and it really made me reevaluate my walk with Christ.

Soon after, I made the decision to take a semester off of school. God gave me peace about the situation, and that was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

I was still working for Georgia Classic Images, a school portrait company, but for several reasons, I wanted something more.

I started looking for a new job. 

In March, I got the opportunity to nanny for a couple of awesome kids, which was enough for me to quit my other job. But I was still searching in the meantime. 

This was one of the most frustrating times for me. SO many applications filled out. SO many interviews. SO much hope. 

Nothing worked out.

I had been volunteering with my youth group at church and loved it. So, I started looking into internships with churches. 

I found the perfect one. It was in California, and it was everything I wanted. But God didn’t want me to go. He kept telling me: Your work here isn’t done yet. 

Shortly after, I was asked to come on as the summer youth intern at my own church. The youth pastor had left, and there was a need for someone to fill in. I was more than ecstatic, and I graciously and gladly accepted the position. 

Then came the Summer. May-August 2011 was one of the most challenging and rewarding summers of my life. I devoted 40+ hours a week to youth ministry. I built relationships with these students and learned how to love better. 

I took one week of vacation and went with my family to Sarasota, FL: my favorite place. It was during that trip that I realized I needed to go back to school. So when I got home, I registered for Fall 2011 at KSU. 

At the end of my internship, I was asked to stay on as interim youth minister. I accepted the position, and with the addition of school, the job became more challenging, but never less rewarding. 

I loved school more than I have since I began. I learned a lot, and I am finally in a major that suits my interests perfectly. 

I met some really fantastic new people, and I strengthened some of the relationships I already had. 

This year absolutely flew by. It was a great wonderful one. 

God taught me a lot about myself, and I pray that with this coming year my relationship with Him grows more and more each day. 

2012: Greater things are still to be done here. 

This is Your last month of 2011.

Make the most of it! 

So, I’m preparing a lesson for Youth tonight about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 

We all know the story, right? 

King creates gold statue.
King demands that everyone worship the statue.
3 dudes refuse to worship any other god but the one true God. 
They get thrown in a fiery furnace.
God sends and angel to save them.
King is amazed.

You know how you can hear a story so many times and still manage to get something different out of it? Well, today I have a new perspective. 

My focus is not on Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (though their faithfulness to God is incredibly admirable).

My focus today is on King Nebuchadnezzar. 

I have a friend who needs Jesus so badly. And sometimes I wonder if he’s ever going to come to know Christ. 

But today I realized something. 

God used Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s extraordinary act of obedience to bring King Nebuchadnezzar, someone who was an absolute enemy of God, to the point of confessing His name. 

What would it look like if we all relentlessly obeyed the God who relentlessly pursues us? 

If we would all turn from our selfish ways and live for God, others would see Him. And maybe, just maybe, people would begin to confess His name. 

I want to live in utter obedience to God. I want my friend and other nonbelievers to see that this God, my God, the God of the universe is ABLE. 

“For NO other god can save in this way!” 
-Daniel 3:29