Everything's a buzz.....

Hello everyone! Sorry it's been a little while but everythings just a buzz around here right now! We're getting ready for our Christmas production this weekend. It may be a small scale right now but there is plenty to do. We're excited about it and looking forward to it.

Then of course, many of you may know, we're getting ready for our family to come in today actually. So, we've had many things going just getting ready. We're excited about the next couple of weeks, not only with family but for the church.

Hope you all are having a wonderful season! Enjoy the hustle and bustle and make a memory! We'll be back with a post soon!

Love you all and miss you.

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

The lights are up, the tree is decorated and bears are everywhere! You may or may not know, but we are getting ready for a wonderful family Christmas! Our family from Fresno will be arriving in just a week and we can't wait! Gingerbread houses to decorate and Christmas lights to see, and the ICE Grinch at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, and Christmas cookies to bake.....all waiting for the family to arrive and start enjoying our Christmas together!

Decorating was fun but a little bit of a challenge. Considering we are working with less than half the space of last year, trying to figure out what to use and where to put it all was quite interesting and fun!
I love my huge NOEL letters!

Christmas Moose (is it moose's or meese or mooses???) are some of my favorite things!

Love my big sleigh full of Christmas bears! Some very special friends gave me my big sleigh for Christmas last year and it's quickly become one of my favorite things!

This is one of my favorite areas! I love the whole woodsy theme. Someday I'm going to have a cabin in the mountains! I know, something few people know about me but I love that!

Max wasn't really the least bit interested in any of it. All he knew was he kept having to move from place to place in the middle of his naps!

So, I wasn't planning on using our big white tree this year just because we were so limited on space, but Ashley insisted! This tree is one of her favorites that we do. So, she put it up in our entry way area, might I add, our small entry way area! Oh well, it's Christmas right! So what if the house is way more cluttered than I would normally have it. Except for the fact, we will be having more people in it than we've had before! That's the holidays!

Then we have our regular tree. This is the tree that has all of our sentimental ornaments. The ones we've all collected since we were kids. We normally use our big tree for this but we didn't have the room so we had to use the smaller tree but it worked ok. We like to raise it up off the floor so we have plenty of room for the kids train and bears, climbing Santa and presents of course!

This is my favorite globe that a dear friend gave me last year before we moved. When you turn it on, it glows inside the house and the little people move around and it plays music. It is very dear to me because of the person who gave it to me. Brought tears to my eyes when I opened it because it made me miss her so much! Love you and miss you my friend!

Just a couple of our many Christmas bears! I have to say I do love them though.

Then of course, above the fireplace! I just love the glow of the lights.

So, there you go! Can you tell we are ready for a wonderful Christmas! We are so blessed to have our family all together again especially at this time of year!

Hope you're all getting ready for a wonderful Christmas! Take the time to enjoy it with your kids and families! It only comes once a year!

Love you all!

Sunday Update!

Hello everyone! Just wanted to pop in again and share a quick update with you. We had a great service today. God is always so faithful. We are so excited about what He's doing here in Nashville. We know God has something great in store. We know that Nashville is going to be known for more than just country music! It's going to be known for a move of God. This place is ripe for it and there are many other ministries and pastors that are believing for the same thing. We know the God is going to pour out His Spirit on ALL flesh!

We have been blessed to have developed relationships with several of the other pastors here in the Bellevue area. These guys are tight in relationship! We've become friends, encouraging and supporting one another. Even though we may have different views on some things, there is one thing everyone agrees on! And that is that in order to see a move of God, we must be united. Not fighting one another over people or places, but joining together in the fight!

We were honored a couple of weeks ago by being invited to a luncheon one of the other churches was having. This pastor has developed such a love and connection with Rick, it's been amazing. They invited us to this luncheon they were having for their entire volunteer staff. At this luncheon, this pastor called us up in front of his congregation, to welcome us to the area, to honor us and to pray over us. He presented us both with a gift. That was amazing! That just doesn't happen a lot with pastors in the same town. We are blessed by the relationships God is developing here and we are excited that we are all working together for a common goal...and that is to see God turn this city upside down!

Continue to keep us in your prayers. There is never victory without a fight! We love and miss you all!

All I Needed Was A Little Push.....

As you saw from our last post, Zach and Cortnee are visiting this week. Well, in the course of talking about Cortnee's lip piercing, I made the comment that I had always wanted to get my nose pierced. That was all it took for Cortnee. It became her mission to find a piercing salon and push me to get it done! Then Cindy gave the challenge that if I did it, she would too. Well, I really wanted it done, but honestly wasn't sure if I wanted to take the plunge. I used the excuse of my hair. No, I couldn't get it done until I got my new haircut....that bought me a little more time. Well, then haircut day came! Cortnee and Cindy had found a great place downtown! Now was the time to do it if I was going to. So.........

I DID IT!

I couldn't believe I actually followed through with it. It took a lot of coaxing and pushing from Cortnee, Ashley and Angela but finally Cindy and I decided to just go for it!

Ashley is trying to convince Cindy that it won't be that bad and she'll look soooo cute with it!

We all ended up getting something done but this is all you see! I don't want to let the cat completely out of the bag for the others. I'm sure they'll post on their own blogs!

It was such a cool tattoo and piercing salon. Right in the heart of downtown Nashville. And the whole place is owned and operated by believers! All the artist and people working are Christians and they work to Christian rock playing in the background. They were the nicest and coolest people. We had 13 people in there when we were all getting done and they were so much fun and great about it.

Get this! They even have New Testaments on a bookshelf to give away to people who come in! How cool is that?

And downtown Nashville is absolutely beautiful right now. Christmas lights and decorations everywhere! We just love it down there.

Ok, my face looks pretty bad in this picture. My eye was all red and watery and the guy had wiped off some of my makeup. But other than that, I liked the picture so I wanted to share it anyway.

Cortnee....

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Sunday Update!

We had some special visitors with us on Sunday! Zach and Cortnee came to Nashville for vacation! They said they came to see Mike and Cindy but I think they really came to see us! (Just kidding.....) We've enjoyed visiting with them and seeing them.

So, if you look at the above picture, knowing Zach and Cortnee are so tall, you're probably wondering how it is that we show as tall as they are......This is how! We had to stand on the steps just to meet up with them!

Short people....do what you gotta do!

We had a great service on Sunday. People engaging in worship and just so

receptive to the Word. We decorated for Christmas! Yeah! We'd love to have done more but with setting up and tearing down every weekend, we're just a little bit limited. A huge tree would have been great but don't think we'd have time to decorate it and un-decorate it every weekend! We'll have to wait until we get our own building for that. But for now, this was great. Ashley did a great job on planning the set and getting it all put together!

Thanks for stopping by. We love and miss you all!

Be Thankful!

We just couldn't let this day pass without reflecting on how good God is. We feel so blessed. First of all, just that Christ saved us from our sin and gave us an abundant life is enough. But He didn't stop there. We are so blessed to be doing what He's called us to do. He's blessed us with wonderful family. Not only a beautiful daughter, Ashley, but now also a son, Travis. We are so thankful for them. They bring so much joy to our lives. And the rest of our family, Mom, Hugo & Kristi, Mike & Angela, Grandma, and all those wonderful kids, we are so grateful to have such a close family, a family that truly loves being together and loves each other so much. And then to top it all off, wonderful friends who love you and support you unconditionally. That's a treasure!

Yeah, life's really good right now! We're so thankful to God for all He's done! Take some time today to just reflect and give thanks for everything God has done in your life. He's amazing!

Love you all, have a great Thanksgiving!

Sunday Update!

Well, here we are after another Sunday! What a service we had. Today, we finally saw a breakthrough in the manifestation of what we have been believing God for here. Just a tip of the iceberg, but still, it was incredible.

We've talked before about how we are breaking through the traditionalism and strong religious walls here. We've been pressing on the areas of praise and worship hugely! Most people are not used to being able to worship freely or that they are actually to spend time worshipping God. Well, today we had breakthrough. We had the best praise & worship we've had since the church started. We had people that made their way down to the front area, worshipping God, even getting on their knees. No one was in a hurry and God was moving in that place. It was truly amazing.

We are so proud of those God has brought in this house. They are so hungry and eager to learn and take part of everything God has for them. God is so faithful to us and He is blessing this house.

Thank you for your continued love and prayers. We know God has many more things in store and we are so ready to possess the land!

Girls Night Out!

We had our "Girls Night Out" enjoying Teppanyaki at a restaurant here in town. We had such a fun time. A couple of the women had never had it or experienced it before so it was quite a treat for them. We had a great chef who really enjoyed our enthusiastic cheering.

Ashley and Lisa (Angela's mom) having fun through the steam of the grill!



Here our chef was tossing shrimp into our mouths from across the grill! That was fun! You should have seen the splats on foreheads and eyes!

And here he is putting out the fire with his little squeeky toy!


Angela was enjoying the visit with her mom, Lisa

This was his version of an "egg roll"

After dinner, no one was ready to go home, so we walked to the ice cream shop to finish off the evening. We had such a great time. Again, it seems like everytime we do something like this, everyone just gets to know each other better and better. That's what these are all about!

Love and miss you all! Keep us in your prayers!

Sunday Update!

Hello again. So sorry we've been quiet lately. We just wanted to pop in and give you a quick update on our services since it's been a little while.

We had a great weekend. We really felt a shift in the spirit realm. We are beginning to see people experience greater freedom in their worship and engage in the service on an even greater level. We are excited to begin to see a shift in the hearts of people. Just to see the difference from where we started from is powerful. We are still fighting through some of the religious traditionalism but we are so determined to help usher in a move of God. We have a people that are hungry for that and are desiring to experience God on an even greater level.

Our scripture focus through much of this has been Galatians 6:9, "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." We know that as long as we focus on the assignment God has for us, we will reap a harvest!

We were blessed to receive an email this week from a couple who started attending Gateway Life just a few short weeks ago. We wanted to share it with you today.....

"Dear Pastors Rick and Sheri,

I wanted to let you know how much we are enjoying this church, that we are excited to be part of what God is doing here. We wanted to encourage you that we feel a refreshing taking place in our lives and that we sense we have just stepped over a threshold that has been out of reach for too long. I know it is not an easy assignment the Lord has given you, but we are here to lift you up in prayer, to hold your arms up , and whatever else you need. I hope you have a wonderful day overflowing with the Lord's blessings because you have been a blessing to us and an answer to prayer."

That blessed us so much. Thank you for your prayers and support of the vision God has called us to here. Each of you who have been so supportive and prayed for us have a part in the reward of those whose lives are being forever changed. We can never let you know how much your believing in us means to us.

Thank you again and we love and miss you all!

We're Still Here!

Sorry it's been so long since we've posted. Things have been a little busy. It's all good though. Rick has really had some things stirring in him and we wanted to share it with you today. So here's his greeting:

Hi everyone! I just wanted to encourage you to FIGHT FOR YOUR DREAMS. There may be some of you who are face to face with the enemy and the doubts and negative things are screaming at you saying, "It'll never happen!" I'm here to tell you IT WILL!!! Don't give up.

John 10:10 says, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." Stop doubting the dream that God has placed on the inside of you. That dream is custom designed by God for your life. So get back to dreaming and don't let the enemy rob you of it! The next step to seeing your dream come to pass is "the plan". There is a step by step plan that also comes from God. The Bible says that "the steps of a righteous man are ordered of God." You are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. So get back to dreaming and walking in it. Listen, it takes faith to see it and faith to walk it out, so fight for those dreams. God has a great life for you.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." So, there you go! The only way we can fail is if we give up and let the enemy steal our dreams! Don't let go of what God has promised you.

We love you all and miss you greatly. Thank you for your continued prayers for us as we continue what God has called us to do here! Be blessed!
Pastor Rick

What a Reward!

God is so good! We just wanted to share something with you about what God is doing in the lives of the people here. Below is a link to a blog of one of the families who attend Gateway Life. They came about four weeks after we started and have been here since. This couple has grown so much that we have literally seen the transformation right before our eyes. We only wish you could have seen how far they have come. They have given God complete control of their lives and they have jumped right in to help carry the vision. To read the words in her post brought tears to our eyes. Take a few moments to read the entry in her blog. For all of you who have prayed and supported what God has called us here to do, this is just the beginning of our reward! Thank you again!

http://katyandchris.blogspot.com/2008/10/big-thanks.html

Pumpkin Patch

This weekend was a busy one for us. We had set up on Saturday morning. Then on Saturday afternoon, we had a church event at Honeysuckle Hill Farm, which is a great pumpkin patch that has some great fall activities and fun things for kids. It was about a 45 minute drive but it was well worth it. We spent the afternoon just enjoying everything they had to offer. There were two different corn mazes, one for kids and then the regular huge corn maze. There was a cow train ride, hayrides, water balloon slingshot, Hillbilly Pig Races, the small farm animals with calves, horses, goats, bunnies, donkeys, and baby chicks, there were lots of fun play structures for the kids to play on including a huge 40 foot slide, tire swings, and many others. Then at dusk, we all met for a group bonfire where we roasted hot dogs, marshmallows and made smores. We enjoyed time around the bonfire, sitting on hay bales and just having a great time together. It was a great time for the church family to bond and get to know each other.

BEWARE!!! I HAVE WAY TOO MANY PICTURES ON THIS POST! PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

My little pumpkin, Alex

Alex at the Milking Parlor

Michael at the Milking Parlor!

Roncie and Alex picking their pumpkins!

I hope Angela doesn't wring my neck for this! I thought it was such a funny picture. If you look closely, you can see Cindy's pink shirt peeking out from behind her. See the four feet! I think Cindy was hiding behind Angela so she wouldn't be in the picture!

Beautiful fall colors, pumpkins and flowers! I love this time of year.
So we ended the evening around 8:30 pm or so. It was a great time of fun and fellowship.

There was something missing though! That was our family. We always do a family outing to take the kids to the pumpkin patch every year. It's become one of those traditions that we just always made happen. It was one of our favorites, right behind our annual Christmas Tree Lane night. We missed you all, Mom, Kris, Hugo and those wonderful three kids! It wasn't the same without you there! We love and miss you guys.

Well I guess we should close this post now since it's gone on forever. Thanks for looking and we'll post again soon. Love and miss you all!