The Neely Team

A few days ago, we received in the mail the monthly newsletter of the Arden Road Baptist Church in Amarillo, Texas. As I was looking over it, the article on the back caught my attention and was such a good reminder that I thought that someone else might benefit from it, too. Here is an excerpt:

“As some of you might remember, there were survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attack. Many of these were from just some little thing that happened to them on their way to work.

• The head of a company survived because his son started kindergarten that day
• One was alive since it was his turn to bring donuts
• One was late because her alarm failed to go off
• One was late due to a traffic jam on N.J. Turnpike
• One spilled food on her clothes and had to change
• One was late because his car would not start
• One was late because she could not get a taxi
• One was late due to a blister from wearing new shoes and had stopped to buy a band-aid”

That really impacted me. I can’t stand to be late, and often I get frustrated and irritable when things don’t go exactly the way I think they should work. However, seeing delays and aggravations in the light of these examples helps me to keep the right attitude about what God is doing in my life. Sometimes God chooses not to reveal why we got stuck in that slow traffic or why we can’t find the specific book that we’re looking for, but other times He does disclose His reasons. One of the most significant of those times in my life happened almost exactly one year ago, on August 6, 2008, when God blessed me in an amazing way through a frustration. Actually, it started a little bit before that, when I began shopping for a laptop computer.

When I first started looking for a laptop, I had no idea what kind I wanted. Then, some friends showed me theirs, and I liked it, so I started looking more in that direction. I picked one out, but was disappointed to discover that the limited edition I wanted was already discontinued, and that I’d be getting a different one. It was actually a slight downgrade from what I’d wanted, and I felt disappointed at first. However, it was still much better than what I needed, so I gave the whole situation to God and was satisfied, knowing that "This, too, was from His hand." Then I had a few problems with my password; again, it was not something that I wanted to thank the Lord for. I called technical support, and, long story short, God prompted me to witness to the girl I was talking to. Although I was reluctant and scared at first, God moved in an incredible way, and it turned out that she was already saved, but needing some encouragement at that time in her life, as her family was unsaved and very unsupportive of her decision to follow Christ. We had a wonderful conversation, and I think I was even more blessed than she was, because I was the one who had seen God work out a hassle for good! If I had gotten the computer I wanted originally, and if hadn’t been having trouble with the one I did get, I would not have called the computer company, I would not have talked to that girl, I would not have had the opportunity to share Christ, and I would not have met a dear sister in the Lord! God works in mysterious ways!!!!

So next time you run into an obstacle in your life that seems frustrating or insurmountable, give it to the Lord, pray for His peace to fill your heart, and then watch to see how He moves!

Psalm 25:4 – “Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.”

Isaiah 55:8-9 – “For my thought are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

For many summers, we have had the privilege of going with some friends of ours (the Otts) to a local blueberry patch (owned by the Ott’s neighbor) to pick blueberries and stock our freezers. We are thankful for the generosity of the owners, who let us come and pick all we want for free! Well, this week the call came that they were ready, so Mommy and all of us kids went over there to pick them. Before we went, Mommy told us that the Ott’s had invited us to go swimming when we were done! There was one catch, however: because of our schedule that day, we had to be done picking blueberries by 11:00 in order to have time to swim. And anyone who didn’t work didn’t get to swim, even if we were done by the deadline. So, when we got there, the Team jumped out of the van and set about to diligently accomplish the task at hand! Enthusiasm was prevalent,  laughter was frequently heard, and Mrs. Tammy Ott even developed our own little motto for us. It went like this: “If there isn’t a blueberry under your nose, then move your nose!!” Though it was a smaller crop than normal, we got around two gallons… well, after you count the ones that we ate in the field!

Next came the reward of our labors – the pool! We quickly went to the Otts’ house (right across the road), got changed, and plunged ourselves into the blue depths… aahhhh! It felt so good! Ever  since Titus was born, we have wanted to put him in, because we have heard that if you put a baby in the pool early on, they will remember the swimming motions they used in the womb and it will actually be a lot easier to teach them. We got to put him in this  time, and were a little surprised by his response: he liked it! We also got to work with Bethany and Hannah  with some of their swimming fears – things like getting water in their face, having the “big girls” let go of them, and using only one floatation device instead of two! Susanna and Lauren worked on things like back floating, etc. The cool water was simply refreshing, and since “the desire accomplished is sweet to the soul,” we all enjoyed the reward of our labors immensely!

One thing I really appreciated about that day was how Daddy and Mommy provided a reward at the end of the project. At the FEW conference last weekend, during a session on family harmony while working together, we were challenged to find rewards for the diligent ones at the completion of a long task. Even though it would have been easier to just go home after picking, and not go through having to do all of the laundry from 10 soaked people, when the offer came up, Mom worked it out so we could do it. Thank you, Mommy!

Special thanks to the Ott family for bringing their joy and enthusiasm to the blueberry field, letting us use their pool, and for taking the pictures for this blog post when we were so smart as to forget our camera at such a memorable time!!    

The crew starting out to pick the corn: Mom, Lauren, Herman, Bethany, and Hannah

$5.00 to the first person to find Lauren…            Never mind – we found her.

More busy members of the picking team!

Bringing in the bounty: 23 dozen ears of corn and… well, we didn’t even TRY to count the tomatoes!

“Peter Dutchy” is in sad shape, but he and “Bobby Lee” faithfully kept the crows where they belonged!

We shucked it all in the garage.

Duke enjoyed the cool, concrete garage          Herman was the much-needed 

         floor while WE were working.                            cleanup man!     

Jessi and Kathryn blanched it all, and then it was stacked to drain before the creaming part of the process.

  “In all labour there is profit…”  Prov. 14:23

Bethany enjoys the fruit of her labors

Hooray!! Twenty-six more quarts in the freezer!

“The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich…” Prov. 10:22

A few nights ago, around the dinner table, Daddy told us a story that, without God’s mercy and protection, would have been fatal. We all listened with dropped jaws and shocked expressions as he told us the details.

A man was driving a small pick-up truck on his way back to work after being on a sales call. Suddenly, he noticed smoke coming out from under the hood, and pulled off the road. As he climbed out of the truck, he realized that the vehicle was on fire, so he quickly found a fire extinguisher and tried to put out the flames. The fire extinguisher did little to stop the fire, however, and, realizing that the truck could explode, he got as far away from it as he could. The truck continued to burn, and even tried to start up somehow. He watched in shock as the fire burned everything off of the truck, including the tires, leaving only the metal frame as evidence of the truck’s existence. 

The man in this story is a man by the name of Rick, a designer at Andrews Truss (where Daddy works) and a personal friend of our family. He was on his way back to the office on Tuesday, August 11th when this incident occurred which startled all of us with it’s reality and the brevity of life. We marvel at God’s goodness and compassion.

As I was pondering the situation, I realized that there are several lessons we could learn from this.

• Occurrences like these remind us of just how short our life is and how quickly it can be changed. We never know what the next minute of our life will bring. Proverbs 27:1 – “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.”
• They also remind us of our need for complete and total dependence on God in every area of life. Had Mr. Rick delayed in getting out of the truck, he probably wouldn’t have lived. But because of God’s mercy and grace, he survived without a scrape. Lamentations 3:22 – “It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.”
• You could also say that our lives are like this truck: here one moment, gone the next. James 4:14 – “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”
• Sin is a lot like fire. It is deadly, spreads easily, is hard to stop, and leaves it’s scars. Proverbs 6:27-28 – “Can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?”
• Our thoughts are also a lot like fire. The longer we tolerate sinful thoughts, the farther they spread, the harder they are to stop, the more damage they do, and the more obvious and disastrous the consequences are. The thoughts we entertain will form our desires; the desires will shape our actions; the actions will become our habits; the habits will develop our character; and our character will determine our destiny. We have a choice to think on good or evil, and all that we do begins in our thought processes. Guard your mind. Philippians 4:13 – “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

We are rejoicing and praising God for His unfailing love and grace, and for His ever-abiding mercy and protection over us. Take time to thank Him for the circumstances He puts in our lives to draw us closer to Him, and praise Him for the incredible ways in which He works in and through our lives!

Last Sunday we had the opportunity to celebrate a very special day in the history of our family. Ten years ago, after a three-year gap between siblings, we were overjoyed to find out that God was blessing us with a new life to love, cherish, and invest in. On August 9, 1999, Susanna Joy entered the Neely Team, bringing with her buckets of cheerfulness and loads of happiness!  As her nickname implies, “Sunny” adds much joy to our home through her loving daily care of the little ones and her cheerfulness in the many family projects we do together.

Susanna, it has been a wonderful blessing to watch you grow in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. May you continue to let your light shine before all, that your Heavenly Father may receive the glory due His name! Happy Birthday!

You, my sister, are sweet and fair,

With bright blue eyes and golden hair.

Your lovely smile, much like the sun,

Cheers all around you ‘till the day is done.

You, sweet fair maiden to whom I speak,

Jump up to help when there’s a need.

Love the LORD with all your heart

And always strive to do your part.

You’re growing up so fast, you see,

And all the years, how quick they flee!

But oh, so soon, I’ll see you there

At the altar, kneeling in prayer.

Our own dear father by your side,

Giving you away – a lovely bride!

So keep your heart, oh sister dear

For that special, glorious year;

When you join yourself – heart and hand

To that one blessed, special man.

Guard your heart – don’t give it away!

Save it for that joyful day.

You’re making a path for many souls

So follow Christ, keep your eyes on the goal!

I love you more than I can tell –

Oh follow these words, and hearken well!

Written by Kathryn M. Neely (14)

For Susanna J. Neely on her 9th birthday

August 9, 2008