The Neely Team

Last weekend, we were blessed with the privilege of hosting a Family Encouragement Weekend Conference (FEW Conference) here in our area. A FEW  Conference is a time for imperfect families to  come together to be encouraged and inspired in their walk with the Lord and their relationships each other. In August of 2008, and then again in 2009, we were able to attend the first two conferences in  northern VA, and ever  since the first one, we had been praying about having one here in North Carolina. Finally, the right time came, we picked the date, and planning and preparations  began in late January.

As the date of the conference drew closer, it was simply remarkable to watch as the Lord lined up the details. First, when we  picked the date (March 27-28), He allowed the Wilkes and  Staddon families – our dear friends who helped us host it – to both have that weekend available! Then He miraculously provided the perfect facilities for it.  Throughout the entire process, we saw numerous  “little” miracles  as the Lord led and blessed the project: everything from guiding us to  the right theme song, to orchestrating exactly who He wanted us to invite, to providing the heart preparation that we

needed, to stretching the amount of tape that we used to roll the silverware! As we watched His plans unfold, we were amazed and excited to see how He brought the families together and worked in everyone’s hearts.

“God’s will, done  God’s way, will never lack God’s supply.”

The weekend finally arrived, and after much  enthusiastic preparation, everything was in order and the conference began. During the course of the weekend, we heard sessions on Why Encouragement is Vital, Marriage  Harmony, A Form of Godliness, Blessing Your Children, and Developing Character in Your Children. There  were also many testimonies from many young  people about how the Lord has been working in their lives, and in between times, we had encouraging fellowship with the attending families, group prayer  times, music, outside activities, and a few scrumptious meals. [Click here to listen to the messages and testimonies from the weekend.]

One of the most encouraging parts of the  conference  was simply hearing the hearts of the attending families and seeing  how God is working within them. Though we live in a society that is destitute of  the knowledge and fear of God, our  Heavenly Father is  still in control and continues to work amongst His people. “Behold, the LORD’S hand is not  shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear…” (Isaiah 59:1) How inspiring it was to  realize again that we are not alone in this battle; there are many who are still fighting and living faithfully for  the Lord. Because we all need to be reminded of this, we must be constantly encouraging each other in  the Lord our God (1 Samuel 30:6), being confident that “he which hath begun a good work in [us] will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6).

May we all continue in the things that we have learned, knowing that it will be worth it all when we see Jesus!!

*For more reviews and some great photos, visit the Hynes’, Wilkes’ (Part 1 & Part 2), and  Staddons’ blogs!

A few nights ago, while Mom and Dad were out for the evening, we kids decided to spend our time by having a “cookie marathon,” trying to make as many batches of cookies as we could while they were gone. Soon, butter, sugar, flour, and chocolate chips covered the counters, while each person assumed the role that they would be playing in the grand process. We had the “head chef,” “official dishwasher,” “baker,” and numerous “assistant chefs.” And all total, we mixed up two batches of peanut butter cookies, one batch of oatmeal raisin, and two more of chocolate chip. (We ran out of time to bake them all that evening, so what we didn’t finish was completed on Thursday.) It was an evening of great fun, coupled with a spirit of teamwork that I thoroughly enjoyed. I thank the Lord for my siblings!!

Psalm 133:1 “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”

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After spending an entire afternoon cleaning out our “home away from home” a couple years ago, Amanda and I penned this giggle instigator. For a long time it hung on our van window. I just happened to spend another entire afternoon cleaning it again today, and I remembered it, so I decided to hang it up again and then share it with all of you. Have fun! (BTW, feel free to use this in your own cars. It is a humorous way to get people to think about the mess they are leaving in their area, and hopefully change their ways. )

Rules for Travel

If you wish to take a journey

In this family van of ours,

You must memorize these principles

To preserve the happy hours:

1. If you spill crumbs on the floor-board

You must brush them all away

In consideration of the ones

Who cleaned it yesterday.

2. Be sure you never touch the windows

With a sticky, greasy finger

Because the nasty stain you leave

Will always seem to linger.

3. If you want some entertainment

As we travel the world around

You must put it in a tidy bag

Not exceeding twenty pounds.

4. When you wish for something to eat or drink

Don’t ask in a whiny way.

Take a moment to stop and think

What you are going to say.

5. The secret for a peaceful van

Is “Never scream or yell.”

Be sure to consider others’ ears

When you have something to tell.

6. The last rule (certainly not least)

When you board this van of brown

Is put on your best smile

And leave behind your frown.

On January 9, Daddy led our family in a vision meeting where we reviewed the events of 2009, wrote out our family purpose, and then made goals to accomplish together in 2010. Right before we did this, Daddy had us separate into different parts of the house to spend time reading God’s Word, praying, and then writing down ideas we had. When the quiet time was over, we came together and began the official meeting. While looking over what the Lord has done for us last year, Daddy challenged us to compile a list of those who have been especially influential in our lives. Just doing that was a excellent way to cultivate a thankful attitude! With that completed, we put down our family purpose in writing. It was exciting to build together on the ideas that Daddy had already penned! Finally, we worked on making goals of things we hope to accomplish over the next twelve months. Some of them were spiritual goals, such as a specific Bible-memorization plan; others are physical, like getting more exercise together and taking certain trips. Some of them are things we will do together, like reading at least one book out loud a month; and still others are things that we will do privately. The day was very enjoyable, and now we all have a better view of the things to be accomplished within the months that lie ahead.

We highly encourage every family to do this! (It is never too late, and we’re still in the first month of the year!) Why? Proverbs 29:18 states the main reason: “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” As we look around, it is heart-breaking to see how many families are truly perishing because of a lack of vision – a vision that is Christ-centered, biblically based, family oriented, and one that is led by the God-ordained head of the household – the father. So, take a few hours and sit down together as a family to think, pray, and then plan. The results are immensely rewarding, as the whole family will have a good idea of what Dad is thinking (and he will know that he has your support), others can give valuable input and suggestions, and then the first steps of action can be charted and begun.

Thank you, Dad and Mom, for taking the time to pass your vision on to us, so that we can see where you desire to lead us! We love you and are very excited about where the Lord will take us and what He will allow us to accomplish together, as a Team, this year!

One of the Neely Team idiosyncrasies is that we like to set up our Christmas tree before Thanksgiving every year. While some would say that this makes them forget about the true and important reason for Thanksgiving, it has quite the opposite effect on us! The soft lights, homey smell, and peaceful atmosphere make us slow our busy life and enjoy each other, and give praise and thanks to the Lord who has brought us through yet another year.

In the fall, Daddy and Herman usually go away for a hunting trip, and while they’re gone, all of the girls do very girly things. By the time they come home, everything is in place and very Christmas-looking. This year, however, Herman stated that he REALLY wanted  to help with the tree, much to our surprise, and so “the boys” helped us set everything up! What fun! Daddy headed up getting all of the decorations out the their hiding spot in the garage, while Mommy and Jessi strung the lights, and the rest of us fluffed  the branches. (By the way, we do use a fake tree, and we LOVE it!! ) After those things were done and the tree  was standing straight, tall and beautiful, Mommy took an excursion into the kitchen and made warm, ooey gooey chocolate chip cookies for all of the decorators while they put the  ribbons, flowers, and bows on. It got late, so after enjoying our luscious snack, we went to bed and then put the ornaments the next afternoon. Now everything is up and in order: the lit garland above the cabinets, the front porch décor, etc, etc.

One thing I particularly enjoyed about putting   everything up was the  cheerfulness and joy everyone displayed. Even when one of the strands of lights wouldn’t work and Amanda, Jessi, and I had to run to the store, delaying the progress a tad, the little ones made the best of it and played a game while we were gone. Many hands did indeed make light work (only this was rather fun work ) and in snip  -snap- lickety-split, everything was complete! As the Christmas season approaches, remember to thank the Lord for the unique and special family He has given you!

A couple weeks ago, we had the opportunity to take a day-trip down to Dahlonega, GA, to get some much-needed bunk beds. After getting them home, set up, and then organized into a semi-workable position, we then faced our next household project. With four extra beds, we suddenly didn’t have enough bedding, and the odds-n-ends that we DID have just didn’t quite agree with the eyes of the beauty-conscious young ladies of the house. With the help of our favorite store and Mommy’s knack for sewing, we set about to collect and make sheets, pillowcases, pillows, comforters, curtains, etc. Then came the fun part – painting the rooms! First, we moved the couch from one of the rooms down one flight of stairs and up another for excellent muscle building . Next we pulled all of the furniture to the center of the room, (thus creating an almost ceiling-high junk pile!!), and spread out the necessary supplies. After deciding on a lively stem green for one room, and a softer, elegant gray for the other, we spent a couple days priming, painting, and then re-painting. Mommy (the patient veteran of the process), Amanda, and Jessica got an excellent system going, while the rest of us tried to keep the house running smoothly. When the paint was dry, Jessi and I got assigned to a delightful, tedious duty that we enjoyed tremendously! Soon, rings and dots were rapidly taking formation over the green walls, and, a little later, geometric squares were “thrown” like confetti all over the gray! This detailed painting experience helped me become more comfortable with home decoration and Jessi and I loved working together, creating beauty and having meaningful conversations. At last, the major part of the project was complete, and we enthusiastically set into (even though it was 9:00 p.m. ) organizing the furniture, making up the beds, and getting the rooms looking decent again! It’s a good thing no one rang our doorbell at that time – the upstairs hallway, which can be seen from the front door, was the convenient spot for DUMPING anything we didn’t need in our rooms! STUFF was piled SO high that one literally had to HOP over six piles to get from one room to the next, trying all the while not to break anything valuable, including arms, legs, and other appendages! (I know that sounds like an exaggeration, but, frighteningly, it’s NOT!!!!!) What a joy it was when, the next day, all of the junk was gone, either to the thrift store or simply put where it belonged!!!  The whole process was fun, educational, and exciting, and I was blessed by the joy and originality that was portrayed while we cleaned up the official, glorified pig-sty that we’d created!!