April 26, 2009 in Owensboro and Fordsville, Kentucky

Sometime in February I looked at Bobby's schedule (our schedule) to see if there might possibly be a Saturday evening service we could eventually get to at our own church. When I excitedly announced that maybe Saturday, April 25th, we could go to Cornerstone, Bobby shot me down with, "Well, I'm trying to book that date so don't hold your breath." I understand that we need the bookings in order to make a living, of course, but at the same time, I love being able to attend our own church. It's refreshing! We WERE able to attend this past Saturday night and no one in our house was disappointed.

The following morning we rose early and headed up to Owensboro, Kentucky to Wings of Faith Church of God, pastored by Larry Bidwell. We sang here the first weekend of August last year after being home 7 weeks in a row. It felt kind of like starting over that day. Brother Bidwell replied to Bobby's email asking if we could come minister, not having any idea who he was. It used to be that when Bobby would contact a church, he wouldn't bother telling the pastor that his family traveled with him or that we took part in the service. So that morning back in August, Pastor Larry was surprised when the whole family got out of the van and walked into the church. He visited with us that morning before church but I could tell he was really checking us out. He was reserved and observant. By the end of the church service, he had totally opened up to us and we became good friends. As a matter of fact, he called Bobby the following day and invited us to come back in April of 2009. And we did.

Sister Mary Jane Bidwell is a hard worker, playing the piano and leading the singing, preparing the lunch yesterday and just tying all loose ends.

Pastor Larry had not planned to preach yesterday but he had just come back from 2 weeks of police training and it was a very dry and lonely place for him. If you know anything about going through a dry and lonely place, you know that is the place you can best hear God speak to you. Brother Larry had revival in his spirit during the 2 weeks prior to us coming and he was bubbling over with the joy of the Lord yesterday. In about 20 minutes he testified and glorified the Lord before Bobby sang. At the end of the service, he laid hands on us and the church circled around us. We'll take all of that we can get!

They gave us a wonderful lunch afterward as well as 3 boxes of clothes, a case of juice and some small boxes of snack foods. (They have a charity clothing closet as well as a food pantry.) We are so blessed to know these precious people and we hope to come back and visit them soon.

We drove on to Fordsville for the evening service. Since it wasn't but 30 minutes from Owensboro, we had a couple of hours to just sit and rest yesterday afternoon. It wasn't like there was a mall or even a Wal Mart to go and kill time, so we sat.

Sunday evening was challenging and we learned a difficult lesson. When Bobby first contacted River of Life Worship Center Church of God of Prophecy, the pastor's wife, Cathy Green, declined because she didn't want to go through the humiliation of not having very many people attend. However, Bobby assured her it didn't matter how many people were there and so they welcomed us. Well, it WAS a small crowd but that wasn't the difficult part. The difficult part was that every question Bobby asked and every statement he made, he got absolutely no response from the congregation. He couldn't get a smile, a nod, or a raised hand. As a matter of fact they looked at him like a mule looking at a new gate. After the third song he was ready to pack it up and leave but he hung on. Another problem was that a two year old was allowed to roam all over the sanctuary during the service and it was very distracting, of course. By the end of the service, Bobby, who was ready to get out of there, skipped the altar call because he figured if he got no response to any of the simple and fun questions he'd asked them earlier, he surely wouldn't get a response for an altar call.

After the service, we had a quick fellowship with food in the church basement and after everyone else had left, Pastor Neville and Cathy shared with me some interesting things that have been happening in their church. One was that the couple with the two year old that was allowed to roam during church, were recently married after receiving counseling, have been very faithful in attending church and he has been very faithfully working for Pastor Neville. The only catch is, they're not saved. The other interesting thing that happened was that a young man showed up at their Sunday morning services yesterday named Paul who said, "I don't know why I'm here." Paul wasn't saved either but he returned last night for the concert. When I told Bobby about this on the drive home he immediately felt bad about skipping the altar call and said he was going to have to ask God to forgive him. It was a wake up call once again for us that it doesn't matter whether or not we're getting feedback from the people; it doesn't matter how WE feel things are going in a given service. What matters is that we sing and speak the things God has called us to sing and speak and not rely on man's approval. I believe God is really trying to help us fully understand this because we had a similar situation last weekend in Charleston, Mississippi.

Now...how 'bout some good news? We've been given a motor home! Here's the letter I sent to Pastors Davis and Sarah last week, telling the whole story:

"At the end of February our family prayed one evening around the dinner table for that specific vehicle that God would provide for us. We prayed that even at that very moment He would be preparing that vehicle that He knew was exactly what we needed to travel as a family in ministry.

The following weekend we were at Balko Baptist Church in western Oklahoma and a gentleman there visited with us at length, telling us about his older brother, Darrell, who was severely physically injured in Vietnam. His parents cared for him for 36 years and he passed away 3 years ago from congestive heart failure. After seeing me feed Grace, a lot of memories of his parents caring so long for his older brother came back to this gentleman. I don't remember that he told us his name and we left that church with little consideration of ever seeing him again.

Two days later, while at home, Bobby received a call from the pastor of Balko Baptist Church who asked if we remembered the gentleman that visited with us after church. Dale Naylor was the man's name and he had a motor home that he didn't need and wondered if we could use it. Needless to say we were pretty excited and even more so when he told us it had a washer/dryer in it, a full-size whirlpool bathtub and a handicap lift. Mr. Naylor asked 2 things of us. One was they requested a receipt for a tax write-off which we worked out with their church since we're not a non-profit organization. The other was that he wanted me to share my testimony with his mother the next time we were in the area. Not a problem! Does God hear our prayers and answer them? I should say He does!

They sent pictures of the motor home and we offered to come get it but they insisted on driving it to us. We were in Texarkana the week before Easter, so Dale and his wife, Jackie drove the motor home to us there on Good Friday. This vehicle was customized by the manufacturer to accommodate Darrell. They had a hospital bed in the back and they bathed him every day, hence the whirlpool tub in the back across from the bed. There is a lot of work to be done as this is a 1984 model. It's almost retro! When Bobby first started looking at it after Dale left to go back to Oklahoma he was tempted to get discouraged. And, I'll admit we both felt a bit of a pride issue concerning driving around in this old motor home. But Bobby said it runs GREAT, it handles very nicely and the problems are going to be more cosmetic than mechanical. The day we drove it home, Grace and I were in our van alone all day as Bobby and the other 3 children were in the motor home. I fasted and prayed that day and right away I believed the Lord was reminding me of our family prayer for a vehicle and that if He provided that vehicle, He didn't send it to be a burden, but a blessing.

We are enjoying what God has for us to do and we know that it's only for a season. We're not trying to be stars and we don't live glamorous lives (1984 musty motor home, still changing Grace's diapers after 10 years, and homeschooling) but we're called for a purpose: to encourage and exhort the body of Christ. When we look at the President's agenda we know that our time is short and that we need to hurry about the Lord's business while we still can so we are extremely grateful for His provision in our lives to do what He's called us to do.

See? Good things CAN come out of Oklahoma!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TwIJrAAEQ0

With His sufficient grace,

The BowenArrows

Charleston, Mississippi

Once again, Pat and Mary Johnson kept our children all night while Bobby and I went out to eat Mexican food and then on to Cornerstone Church where we enjoyed watching, "The Imposter" a Christian film featuring Kevin Max and Cornerstone's very own, Jeff Deyo. The red carpet was rolled out (literally) and the aroma of popcorn filled the air as we neared the front doors of the church. Tickets were sold for $5 a person and the money was used to support the youth group's mission trips this summer, so we were glad to go and support Jeff and our youth going to minister in Jamaica. The movie lacked in several areas but I'm always happy to support those who make the efforts to contribute some godly influence in the film industry.

The following morning we picked the children up in Bellevue and headed west on I-40. Bobby has been talking every weekend about driving the scenic route and I always resist. Well, this Saturday seemed like the perfect time for this since we were only going about 55 miles south of Memphis and we weren't singing Saturday night. We drove the Natchez Trace down to Highway 64 and headed west. We continued to zigzag cross country until finally arriving in Batesville, Mississippi taking 7 hours when it could have been a 4 hour trip. As Bobby pulled into the Days Inn, I asked him if he got the "desire to drive the scenic route" out of his system. He gave a very quick, "Yep!" and was out of the van to check in. A few moments later he drove us around to the backside of the hotel to our room and as we started to unload the van to enter our room we had flashbacks to January 3 in Cleveland, Mississippi. That was the night that someone tried to enter our hotel room and scared us silly. Just as we entered the hotel room, a car approached right outside of our room with the woofers booming and Bobby said, "Let's go!" He didn't ask the front desk clerk, he told him to credit the church's credit card because we weren't staying. We drove to the Holiday Inn Express but they were booked up with guests from 2 weddings not to mention Ole MISS having their spring football game on Saturday. So we moved on to the Hampton, which is my personal favorite. Good news! There was room at the inn! I put everything in place in our room, even breaking into the coffee when the kids discovered a couple of ants on the wall near the headboard. Bobby and I knew that where there were "a couple" of ants, there were probably more. We found two trails both coming from two different spots in the ceiling where it meets the wall and both trails went toward the beds. Yes, there were actually ants on and in one of the beds. Once again we loaded up and went back to the front desk. Very patiently we told the front desk clerk that we needed a different room...an "ant-less" one. He sent us to the top floor on the opposite side of the building and called us after we had had a few minutes to get situated, checking on us. At last, we were free of booming woofers and ants and ready to get cleaned up and a good night's rest.

After a big breakfast the next morning, we drove about 40 minutes south of Batesville to the small town of Charleston to sing at the United Methodist Church. We were greeted my Mrs. Louanne Cossar, the Director of Music, and her two granddaughters. We enjoyed a good Sunday School class where the discussion was about being witnesses for Christ and the Holy Spirit empowering us to do such. Nothing was mentioned about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit so I took liberty to mention it. That's ALL I did...mention...I promise.

The congregation was much more quiet than what we're used to and it was difficult to get through the service but afterward several came to us with warm, receptive words filled with gratitude. Just like all people are individual and unique, so are congregations different from each other. Some churches are taught to shout "amen" and be audibly responsive, encouraging the preacher/singer but many churches are taught it's not polite to interrupt, or as my mother swayed me, "be careful that you don't draw attention to yourself." Either way, we're not dependent on the encouragement or responsiveness of the congregation but on what the Father tells us to sing and say. If we don't get a response from the people or a warm hug after the service, we move on and know that we're still to do what the Father has called us to do and to do it with purpose.

We're headed home as I write this. Our Sunday evening service was canceled due to some ornery sheep in the fold. The pastor called Bobby two days before and gave him the bad news. And bad it was because this was the second time this particular pastor canceled. But here's what the saint did. First he apologized and then he told Bobby that their church would still take an offering and drive it from Grenada to Charleston after the morning service. And that's exactly what they did. That was an honorable thing to do and we commend them for their integrity. Going into the weekend, Bobby had some financial concerns considering the cancellation, but God, who is ever faithful and always provides for us, blessed us over and above once again.

April 12, 2009

Resurrection Sunday in Conroe, Texas

Another home school mom shared the recipe for Resurrection Rolls. So on Good Friday we went ahead and had school but took extra time on the subject of Good Friday and Easter and what it's all about. Making the resurrection rolls was a great illustration for the kids and we even got to share one (and it's meaning) with a neighborhood boy who stopped by Papaw and Mamaw's house with his parents to purchase a lawn mower. Just as coloring eggs for Easter was a tradition in our home when I was growing up, I think making Resurrection Rolls may be the tradition for my own children.

I was so glad that time allowed us to take the children to the Easter Egg Hunt at Faith Assembly on Saturday morning which is where Bob & Tena attend. It was a much smaller crowd than what they're used to hence the competition wasn't as great. I don't suppose it was sin to watch them hiding the Easter Eggs, since Bob & Tena live behind the church, do you?

We left Texarkana right after the big “hunt” and headed toward Houston again. This time going only as far as The Woodlands to our hotel for both Saturday and Sunday nights. My cousin, Shannon, who lives in Houston, graced us with her presence Saturday evening and the kids fell in love with her. We had soup for dinner in our hotel room and a fun visit. Shannon works for a local news station in Houston as a field reporter. She's traveled all over the world and just has a fun and easy going personality. She's just plain fun to be around.

The following morning was Resurrection Sunday and we made a return visit with our friends at Whispering Pines Baptist Church in Conroe, Texas. We sang here on Labor Day Weekend in 2008 to a very small but enthusiastic crowd and they were gracious enough to invite us back. Not only was it a holiday weekend but a major hurricane was coming and people were getting out of Dodge, so to speak. Not even the pastor and his family attended that evening last year because his entire family was sick. So Felicia, the worship leader and Peggy, the church secretary, two of the few at the concert last year, delighted us when they welcomed us once again and this time for Easter Sunday services.

I enjoyed a great visit with Pastor Dewayne Wolfe's wife, Denise, who home schools her 5 children. She has worked so diligently with them that her two oldest, who are only 16 and 18 are now in college. Her 16 year old actually started last year but had to do her studies on-line because she wasn't old enough to be on campus. Now that her older children are “on their own,” and her middle child is just beginning to work independently, she can now give her youngest two the attention they need. Her youngest who is 7, is a little behind in her reading but Denise is calm and confident that as she spends more of her time with her in the next couple of years she will quickly catch up and excel in her studies.

Bobby sang for about 30 minutes and then Pastor Dewayne had a very simple and direct sermon Sunday morning laying out the plan of salvation for the non-attenders and visitors. Most of them came back that evening and we had a fun concert with refreshments following.

We drove back to Texarkana on Monday morning for reasons that I can't reveal just now. 'Tell ya later!!! We're excited about being home again by Tuesday evening and getting to go to Cornerstone Wednesday night!

April 4 & 5, 2009

Santa Fe, Houston & Port Arthur, Texas

We survived a 16-hour drive to Houston on Friday, April 3 and live today to write about it. It was 10:30 when we got to the Comfort Inn (uh-oh, a Choice Hotel!) and quickly settled in and went to sleep. After our two break-ins this year we now park the wheelchair in front of the door at night. I just hope that, if another break-in should occur, I don't forget the wheelchair is there and run into it as I'm charging toward the door.

The following morning as we finished breakfast in the lobby, Landis discovered the loop going up the stairway, riding the elevator back down and ending up in the lobby again so with permission and me watching them, he and Faith walked up the stairs together. The second floor was open to the lobby below and I could see them the entire time until the elevator doors closed. Safe enough, right? Both children got on the elevator and descended to the lobby. But it couldn't be that easy, could it? As I waited for them at the elevator doors, I realized the doors should have opened much sooner. I could hear their voices inside the elevator and then I heard Landis say, "Mom, the door won't open." So we got the attention of the hotel staff, who spoke very poor English, and I remained at the door of the elevator speaking calmly, even laughing, to keep Landis at ease. A couple of times he asked me, "What happens if we can't get out?" I assured him over and over that he'd be out of there soon. Finally, Bobby came looking for us and walked upstairs to push the buttons at the second level. This caused the elevator to descend the last 3 inches and open it's doors, releasing our imprisoned children. When Bobby walked back downstairs I told him that the young man from the front desk had done the same thing and it didn't work. Of course Bobby's answer was that he had the magic touch but I think the truth is, if it had been the young man's own children, he probably would have succeeded in getting those kids out of there. The next time we walked through the lobby I asked Landis if he wanted to get on the elevator. He looked at me for a second and said, "No!"

We received good news from Pastor Del Toler, of Calvary Crossroad Church in Santa Fe, Texas. As Bobby was setting up his equipment, Pastor Del told him that over 300 people had come through the doors of their church in the last year because they really reached out to the community in 2008. Some stayed, some didn't, but we were encouraged to hear of a pastor and church making an effort to actually reach people. Pastor Del has a long history in Gospel music and at age 59, he's writing more songs than ever. He shared some of his music with us as he served as the "opening act" Saturday evening. I especially liked his song, "1969" which said, "No longer a boy, yet still not quite a man, some went off to college and some to Vietnam..." With it's chord progressions and an occasional minor thrown in, combined with those familiar words, it really took me back. Alright, I was only a year old in 1969 but I'm familiar enough with that era that it stirred some emotions in me.

Our services usually end with Bobby and I singing, "Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus" and trusting in Him is mentioned. Praise God that one woman came forward Saturday night shaking and weeping in repentance that she had failed to trust God in the past but desired to fully trust Him with her future. Another young woman came to me after the service and told me that her two-year-old neice, Zoe, was born with a hole in the back of her head and how her sister, Zoe's mother, questioned whether or not she could have faith enough to stand on the Word if Zoe's healing didn't manifest soon. This young woman was encouraged and couldn't wait to speak with her sister to tell her about another mom that has been standing on the Word for 10 years. To be honest (you're supposed to blog honestly, right) I've wondered about my faith lately. I told my sister today that I've said things recently that make me realize I need to do some soul searching and re-encourage myself in the Word again.

On Sunday morning we were privileged to join our friends, Pastor Larry and Robin Sopchak at The Anchor Fellowship in Houston again. We were there the first time on Labor Day Weekend last year just before Hurricane Ike came through. Thankfully, they only lost a pavilion and not their building. Bobby, the kids and I had about 30 minutes and then Pastor Larry preached a power-packed sermon and Robin complimented him so well at the altar call with her piano playing. Hmm. Sounds familiar. I was so tickled to see the LifeSaver Man, Mr. J.C. Johnson and his precious wife, Nelda, a.k.a., "Nana," come through the doors to see us Sunday morning. Mr. J.C. is known as the LifeSaver Man because he carries a leather case on his shoulder

filled with Lifesavers and he literally passes out Lifesavers by the package. Obviously, my children love him too.

After a big Chinese lunch after the Sunday morning service, we headed east to Port Arthur. We found our hotel first, the Park Central Holiday Inn on Jimmie Johnson Boulevard. My! When we find a hotel with furniture as nice as this one, we'd rather stay than go home. This hotel is updating and they're doing it right. We had about 30 minutes there...that's just enough time to wash faces and change clothes...and then got back in the van for just a couple of miles to find Grace Church of the Nazarene. The pastor, Mark Snodgrass was a very young man, probably in his 20's. I know what you're thinking. They will all look younger and younger to me as the years go by. This is true.

This was the first service in the 15 months we've been traveling that I took Landis, Hope and Faith out of the sanctuary at altar call time with the intentions of spanking each of them. I walked down a long hallway thinking that I possibly found a room far enough away from the sanctuary but then remembered the sanctuary was round and I had just wrapped myself around the backside of the stage and was just as close to the sanctuary as when I started, just on the opposite side. I considered taking them outside but we were in a very residential area and there were many backyards backed up to the church with no privacy. When I turned around and

looked back down the hall I had just walked, there were 3 ladies from the church all peeking with curiosity at us from the opposite end. They had been in the kitchen preparing for a baby shower right after the service. We found a classroom with pews and I demanded they sit in the front row while I paced and preached. I explained to them why our church, Cornerstone, doesn't allow children 2 years and younger in the sanctuary. I explained to them that during the altar time it is of utmost importance to be still because God might have something to say to someone in the room. And I explained to them that if they chose to disobey and not be still during altar time that they were actually allowing the devil to use them to distract people from God's voice. I assured them they didn't want to keep people from hearing God's voice. Landis was crying (I think because he thought he was going to be spanked), Hope was trying to act like an angel (she's prone to performance-based acceptance) and Faith was just trying to be still and not get in more trouble. I finished my preaching and released them but Landis wanted to stay in the room and contemplate. Well, actually I think he was sulking. But that's ok. I allowed him to stay there alone and kissed him goodbye. I was always amazed at how my mother could discipline us or yell at us in her frustration with us as kids, but as soon as the disciplining was over she was just as cheerful and sweet to us as if it had never happened. I knew she wasn't mad at us and I knew she loved us, but she had succeeded in getting her point across. Now I'm the same way with my kids and I know it's not difficult at all to be sweet to them when the disciplining is over.

We're in Texarkana this week at Elizabeth's house, our home-away-from-home. Elizabeth is working in Dallas and thankfully, she allows us to stay here when we're in town. We'll have lunch with Bobby's parents tomorrow and we're going to enjoy some very nice weather here this week...sunshine and 70's.