Doing Well

Here is a short update on Anniston...she had a good day today. They retested for the infection again today. We will see in the next day or so if it is gone. We are praying that it is so they do not have to remove the pic line. They increased her feeds today and even tried to give her milk through a bottle. She will need some practice learning how to eat from the bottle. I'll write more tomorrow. I think I am going to get some sleep!!!!

Missing CrossOver

I am pretty sad as I am writing this because tonight is Wednesday night and ordinarily I would just be crawling into my bed after a long day at Crosspointe. One thing that has hit me hard today is how much I miss the middle school students there. Apart from my family and a few close friends, nothing else on earth is as important to me as they are. I am really missing not being there to hang out with them at CrossOver. Their encouragement has really meant a lot to me during these difficult days!!

After all, my family is by far the most important thing in my life. I am very unapologetic about that. I know that I am where I am supposed to be, but I still miss those students a ton!

Here is the latest update on Anniston: She seems to be doing well. The antibiotics appear to be working. Her color looks good and she has gained back up to her birth weight (2lbs 9ozs). We are hoping and praying that the infection is cleared up soon!

Some of you have asked about Brayden. He hasn't been back to see Anniston due to the fact he has had a runny nose. We just don't want to take any chances. Therefore, he thinks we just go up to this cool place with lots of elevators (which he loves). We will take him back to see her soon. He is the best kid on the planet!!

Pray for Anniston

The tests did come back today showing that she does have an infection called "staff eppi". The doctor really did a good job of explaining the whole situation to us and helping us to understand. Basically, there is an infection in or around her pic line. He is giving her antibiotics through the pic line to hopefully get rid of it. He will test her again on Friday to see if the infection is still there. If it is still there, he will have to remove the pic line. They try hard not to do that because that means that they have to give her shots instead of giving them through the pic line. They would put in an IV for a couple of days and then try the pic line again. She did look way better today. She doesn't seem to be working as hard to breathe. Her color also seemed really good. Dr. White seems to think we are ahead of the infection. She appeared to be doing pretty well this morning. Please pray that her infection clears up and they do not have to remove the pic line. This will be very painful for her if they have to do so!!

The doctor also said that this should not delay our transfer. This excited us because we are all ready to get back to Memphis! Although things might seem a little less chaotic here than in Millington!!

Further Proof...

One thing that I have been convinced of by this whole situation is that God is certainly in control. That is one of those things you say to people and they think, "Duh stupid, of course He is in control. He created it all." In fact, I generally don't like to say that to people too often because it seems too cliche. But now more than ever, I have seen this play out in everyday life.

Examples:
1. We decided not to take our kids on vacation this time. Sounds like a great plan, right? You have no idea. It would have been difficult to take care of him and be able to give Joni and Anniston the attention that they needed so badly.

2. JR and Devin were with us. It was a tremendous help to have them there to help with the first few days. It was also great for Devin to be there for Joni. Newsflash -- We guys can't figure girls out. They do better at helping each other! Devin being there for Joni was priceless. Also, it was fun having JR here to keep my mind off the craziness.

3. Through a chain of phone calls and emails, Temple Baptist Church, here in Hattiesburg, has helped us so much. They have not only provided us a place to live for free. They have also taken us to dinner, brought gift certificates by, and brought meals and groceries. We are so grateful for them.

4. The doctor that delivered Anniston was a great Christian guy. He was able to reassure Joni that everything was going to be good. He helped her to remember that God is trustworthy. He also brought me some Andy Stanley CD's before we left. The staff here has been amazing!!

I could go on and on about how God has met every need that we have had. He has provided. God is faithful!!

Today was another example of that. We were sort of bummed out because we were going to have to stay here for another week. To be honest, it kind of frustrated me. But then today happened and I was once again reminded that God is in control.

When we got to the hospital today, Anniston's breathing seemed to be more difficult for her. To be honest, it made me a little nervous. The doctor came over and told us that they were going to test her for some infection. They also started her on some antibiotics and did some testing. The doctor explained that he didn't think that she an infection. However, they had to start her on some meds because with a baby you don't really have time to wait and see if they have an infection. You have to react immediately. They even talked at one point today about putting her back on the ventilator. Praise the Lord, they didn't have to do that.

Once again, I can see how God has this thing planned out! What if we had been travelling back to Memphis today and she would have gotten sick? God's timing is always perfect. He knew that today would not be one of her best days. We are so grateful to serve a God who cares about every detail!!

Joni Holding Anniston for the First Time

Todd Holding Anniston For the First Time

Today was a great day!

Joni and I spent most of the early part of the day cleaning up the mission house because David, Brenda, and Brayden were on their way here. We were so excited they were coming. Especially since we have not seen Brayden in almost 2 weeks. He seemed a little freaked out when they first arrived. It had been so long since he had seen us and we were at a different house. However, in just a few minutes, he was back to normal. Running around everywhere and saying the few words that are in his limited (but growing) vocabulary. It felt so good to hold him and hear him say "da da". I missed that so much!

We also got to hold Anniston for the first time today. We have been trying to do so for a few days that there have been several circumstances that have prevented us from doing so. Today was the day! It was so awesome to hold her in our arms. It made the whole situation seem much more real. It has, until this point, seemed somewhat surreal. She is sooooo tiny! I love her so much already. We met her new doctor today. He seems really nice and said that since she was doing so well, he was going to push her a little this week. Especially in the area of feedings and trying to reduce her air flow on the CPAP machine.

We are still a little disappointed that we are going to be here for another week. In all actuality, it really doesn't matter to us as long as we are where Brayden is!

Bad News...Good News...

We asked the doctor today about the transfer to Memphis, since there was an RSV case in the NICU. We were concerned because Joni's parents are supposed to be driving to Memphis tomorrow. We didn't want them to drive there if we were going to be here for more time. The doctor called Baptist East and the doctor there said he would prefer us to wait a week. I understand why he would say such a thing, because he doesn't want a baby to come in and infect the babies that are already there. So we will be in the great town of Hattiesburg for another week.

Now the good news! We get to see Brayden tomorrow. David and Brenda are bringing him here for the week. I have really missed him more than I could have ever imagined!! Also, Anniston has still tested negative for RSV. There are several things that make it easier for us to be here. We are 3 blocks from the hospital, which is a lot closer than the 45 mins we would have to drive to get to Baptist East from Brighton. We are also able to stay in the mission house, which prevents us from having to pay money to stay in a crowded hotel room. Best of all, we get to see Brayden a day earlier!!! God is good!!

I still cannot thank everyone who has prayed for us, Anniston, and our situation. We are so grateful for such amazing friends and family. It has been especially encouraging to receive all of the comments, email, and calls. We love everyone!!

Still Doing Good

Today was another great day for Anniston. She still seems to be getting stronger day by day. There was some concern today because the doctor called this morning and informed us that there was a baby that was transferred into the NICU that had RSV. For you and me that is nothing more than just a cold, but can be a really big deal for a premature baby. Fortunately, she has tested negative for RSV. They will have to test her again tomorrow to see if she can still be transferred on Tuesday. I really believe that she is ok. But is certainly a matter that we would like for you to pray about!

Joni and I really miss Brayden! We can't wait to see him on Tuesday!!

New Orleans

Joni and I found out on Thursday that Hattiesburg is just an hour and a half from New Orleans. We decided that since Anniston was doing so well, we would take a little trip to check out the condition of the area since Katrina. It has been almost exactly a year since the hurricane and we were amazed at the devastation that is still there. There was a huge storm that got to New Orleans about the same time we did. It only seemed fitting it would be raining so hard. It was very heartbreaking to see the way that those people have to live their lives. The most obvious thing was that the people that were most affected were the people who were extremely poor. As we drove around through some neighborhoods, we saw that most of these people were still living in the houses that certainly should be considered unfit to live in. There were FEMA trailers everywhere. It would have to be so depressing to live there and see those horrible conditions day after day after day. It was good to get away from Hattiesburg for a day. However, I realized that even though the last week has been pretty crazy, I don't have any huge problems. It really helped me to keep things in perspective.

We did see one thing that was really funny. Since it was raining so much, there was water standing everywhere. We were downtown and there were plenty of business people walking around. We were stopped at a light and there was 2 ladies standing on the opposite corner from us. A bus drove by and hit this enormous puddle of water and water splashed all over both the ladies. It was pretty hilarious!

A Week Old!!

We just got back from visiting Anniston and she is doing great. It looks like at this time that we are going to be going back to Memphis on Tuesday. I am pretty excited about this because I certainly don't want to rush anything. We have made contact with Baptist East and they are ready to receive us. The main hold up is that this all falls on a weekend. Joni and I will be able to hang out together before we get back to Memphis, where I am sure things will be extremely busy!! I will update everyone later today about her condition. Keep praying!!!

An Idea of Just How Big She Really Is...

Anniston

Today was a good day...

Not only was it the birthday of my favorite girl in the whole wide world, but it was also a good day for Anniston. We called this morning and they said that they would probably not take out her ventilator. However, when we went to see her, they changed their minds and removed it while we were there. Now she is only on a CPAP, which is 2 prongs up her nose. They also removed the last of the lines from her embylical cord. Now she only has a pic line, a small tube in her mouth for feedings, and her IV (they had to run some extra meds into her which could not be combined with the things in her pic line). She looks much better and is breathing 100% on her own. This was a very important step in getting her moved back to Memphis. We could move as early as this weekend!!!

I told you yesterday that I would explain why we were not going to Leboneur. When Dr. Henderson called to fill them in on all that was going on with Anniston, they told him that the hospitalstressed that there was a surgery center for babies in a more critical state. They explained that they did not want to tie up one of their beds with a baby that is as far along as Anniston is. This was a real encouragement to me because it helped me to know that she is really not in a critical state.

Also, every time they have discussed moving her in the past, they have said that she would have to be transported by air because she could not withstand the long ride to Memphis by ambulance. However, now they feel perfectly ok with her riding in the ambulance. There is obviously an extreme difference in the price for the 2 types of transportation. It was going to be about $30, 000 to fly her and it is only about $8,000 to take her on the ground. Talk about an expensive ride!! Thank God for insurance!! Therefore, we will probably be going to Baptist East. They wanted to send us to The Med but I don't own any bulletproof vests. I really wouldn't feel comfortable with Joni going there by herself. We should find out more details tomorrow about the move tomorrow. Be sure to check back for the updates. We love you guys!!!

Thursday Update

It is so hard to believe that Anniston is almost a week old. In some ways, it seems like this time has flown by and in other ways, it seems like we have been in Hattiesburg forever. The people here continue to be incredible and amazing. They brought us some food last night and some cake today. JR was extremely excited because he loves cake. Yesterday was a pretty busy and important day for our family. They did the brain scan and found no bleeding on the brain. We were extremely excited about that. The heart ultrasound also came back showing no holes in the heart. They also started her feedings again. We are not sure if she was able to digest the food. We will find out when we go to visit her in a few minutes. They did put in the pic line and that went ok. It was pretty sad to see her little arm with that line running up it. However, this will be better than them having to stick her over and over again.

We talked a little more seriously about taking her to Memphis. The doctor began to call the hospitals so we could determine where we should take her. It is looking like Baptist Women's at this point. I will blog later to explain why that would be the place to take her. Dr. Henderson wants her to come off the ventilator before she is transported, which could happen pretty soon. Possibly even this weekend.

Today is Joni's birthday. We got her a gravy biscuit from Hardee's for breakfast (her favorite!). I got her some flowers, a digital camera, and some cake. I am really sorry that she has to spend her birthday in Hattiesburg. At least we can be together and Anniston is doing ok.

JR and Devin are leaving tonight to go back to Memphis. We will miss them greatly. They have been such a huge support and help while we have been here. I know that they really don't want to leave, but they have to go back to pick up Lexi and London. Teri and Maddie are driving here to pick them up. What would we do without such great friends? I have no idea!!! While they are all here, we will do a little birthday celebration for Joni.

Again, I know that we have said this over and over but we cannot thank you enough for all the prayers, calls, cards, etc. You mean more to us than you will ever know!!! We love you guys and hopefully we will see you soon. Better yet, maybe you will get to see Anniston soon!

hey everyone! this is joni. i know that todd has kept you all informed and updated about what's been going on here in the great state of mississippi. i wanted to send my own message to let you all know that I am alive and doing fine. most importantly, i want to tell you how grateful i am for the many prayers that you have prayed already; for the emails, comments, and calls. the outpouring of love and support has been a huge encouragement to us. this was certainly unexpected, but God has proved that He is in control and He knows exactly what is taking place and why. i can't wait for you all to see Anniston. she is just the most beautiful little thing. it brings tears to my eyes just to tell you about how amazing she is. i spoke with her doctor just a few minutes ago. they are going to turn down the ventilator today, in hopes that they will be able to take her off soon. once she is off the vent, they will put her on a CPAP, which will be oxygen given to her through her nose. that will be exciting! her echo (heart ultrasound) results were good and showed no problems. they should be doing a brain scan in the next day or so to make sure there is no blood on the brain or any other complications there. they will put a PIC line in soon, which is sort of a permanent IV, that way they don't have to continually stick her in her arms and legs. she is doing great. the doctors and nurses have done nothing but brag on her so far. we do realize that we have a long road ahead and she will be in the NICU for an extended period of time, which is why we need you to keep praying for her, that her body would keep getting stronger and stronger each day. some of you have asked about Brayden. he is good. he is in south carolina with his grandparents and will meet us at home hopefully on monday. todd & i miss him very much. it is hard for us to have two babies that we can't hold and love on. sad thought, isn't it? well, to wrap this up- words will never be able to express how grateful i am for all that you have done so far- your thoughts and prayers are a huge blessing! i love each of you so much!!!!

Tuesday Update

We are planning to go see Anniston in a little while. I wanted to post now because I think we will watch a movie when we get back. She is continuing to do well. They took her off the Billie Light (for jaundis - not sure I spelled that right?). Her color looked really good today. She was resting well. They decided to wait a day or so to try to take her off the ventilator. They told us that they will have to put a pic line in through her arm to help with IV, meds, and other things. This is not uncommon and keeps them from having to put needles in her arm. They have been using the embylical cord for such things, but they can only use it for 7-10 days. We talked a little more today about moving her to Memphis. I called the insurance company and found out how much they would cover for the transportation. I found out that they cover 80%, which will be a blessing. Now we just have to get in touch with Leboneur and get the details worked out. I will post later tonight if there are any other changes. Thanks again to everyone who is praying for us. You mean more to us than you know!!!

A little break!

Ok, this is my third post in about 30 mins. I have done 2 thing today that have given me a break from all that is going on here. 1) JR and I have been working out at the YMCA here in Hattiesburg. It has been good to be able to go and run and lift weights. Some people may think that this is strange, since I have a baby in NICU. However, it has given me an hour break from dwelling on all that is going on. 2) We have rented lots of movies. The house that we are staying in only has regular TV channels and we had to buy an antenna to get those channels. We rented movies and then the DVD player did not work. I went back to Blockbuster and they gave me a DVD player to use. Isn't that crazy? No one gives stuff away in our world, but they were so kind. Today we watched Benchwarmers. It is one of the funniest movies that I have ever seen. It was so hilarious in a stupid kind of way. A nice break from a stressful situation!

Today is a good day!

Here is an update on Anniston's condition. She is having a really good day again. They are discussing the possibility of taking her off the ventilator tomorrow. They also started to give her some caffine (no, not Coke) to help her to remember to breathe. Apparently, babies who are born premature cannot remember to breathe for a while. Caffeine helps them to do so. Annistion also comes off minimal stimulation tonight at 8. That means that we can touch her when we go to visit her. I can't wait. Obviously, there will probably be some good and bad days ahead. The doctors are encouraged because they feel that the good days will far exceed the bad. Please pray because they begin to do lots of testing tomorrow to determine any major issues that she might have. I'll keep you updated!

Overwhelmed!

I am overwhelmed at how amazing God is! He has been so good to my family over this past weekend. I am sure that it seems crazy to someone who doesn't have a relationship with Jesus to say that God is good. I have constantly been reminded of God's faithfulness and His love for me. Another thing that has overwhelmed me is how many people love us and have been praying for us. We have had people in TN, SC, FL, GA, TX, VA, and several other states praying for our family. Wow! That is so awesome. If you know me well, you know that I would never ask a lot from people, but I will ask you to continue to pray!!!

Update

OK, I have to type this quickly. I am in this house that has really weird electrical outlets and my laptop battery is about to die. I wanted to catch everyone up to speed. Joni was discharged from the hospital this morning. We are currently staying in a mission house that belongs to Temple Baptist Church. She is doing excellent. Anniston is doing amazing also. She is doing better day by day. Today was a really good day. She is breathing on her own more and more each day. She is such a precious gift from God. The doctor said that we may be able to start talking about moving her to Memphis after next weekend. That is provided everything goes well until then. The doctors and nurses here have been amazing and so helpful!! We love everyone and appreciate your prayers so much! Keep checking back for updates. I plan to try to put some pictures up tomorrow.

God is good...

Not that I have to remind you, but God is so awesome! I have been really concerned about what was going to happen when Joni is discharged from the hospital. We are not sure how long we will be here and it could get really expensive paying for a hotel every night. God has worked all of that out.

Someone from Woodstock called a church here in Hattiesburg and told them about our situation. The church sent out someone to visit us yesterday. I explained to them that we were not sure what we were going to do after Joni was released. They called back and told us that they have a mission house that is 3 blocks from the church. They explained that we could use the house for as long as we need it. This is so awesome! JR and Devin have been staying there. By the way, I owe them a debt that I cannot pay for being here for us. This provides us a place to stay, free of charge.

God has met every need that we have had over the past few days. He is so amazing. I am overwhelmed at His grace and mercy!

Introducing Anniston Brooks Lollis

I apologize to everyone. My laptop has been acting crazy and certain letters have not worked on my keypad. I am using a really old laptop and I finally realized that they would work if you beat on the thing a little bit.

Let me catch you up to speed. Anniston was born last night at 8:00 pm. It was one of the most amazing things that I have ever seen. She is so tiny!!! She weighed 2lbs and 9 oz. I case you haven't figured it out, that is really small! The doctors seem to think she is doing very well. The game play for the first 72 hours is to keep her sedated and minimize the amount of movement. The first 72 hours are very critical. According to the doctor, most problems arise during that time. She is on a ventilator, but breathing 30% on her own. I am really grateful for the way things have turned out. The doctors and nurses have been so helpful. They have made this whole situation easier by their kindness. Obviously, we are really saddened by the fact that we are here away from our family and friends. However, the staff here has helped with the process so much.

We will be here in Hattiesburg for at least a week. We are already investigating what we have to do to have her air lifted to Leboneur in Memphis. We will find out in a couple of days what we are facing and what the road ahead looks like. Please continue to pray for Anniston and us.

Joni is doing really well. I plan to write another post about what an incredible woman she is! Well, I will post again after we get to go see Anniston. She has me wrapped around her finger for sure!!

New News...

Joni had dilated to 7 cm. That means a baby will be here soon. The doctor projects that the baby will be here before midnight. My life changes forever in just a few hours. I can't wait. She has already stolen my heart!!

Update...

Alright, here is the update. Joni has been resting since she got her epideral. Since she has been able to rest, her contractions have slowed way down. They are 14 mins apart. This is really good because they had to give her some steroids (I guess she could beat Hank Aaron's record). These shots help Anniston's lungs to develop rapidly. Therefore, the longer it is before she is delivered, the better. Thanks for your prayers and I will update this blog in a few hours.

Talk About Crazy Days

I have been all jacked up about going on vacation for a couple of weeks. So excited that we decided to leave last night, instead of this morning. JR, Devin, and I jumped in the car at 7:00 last night to head to Destin.

Last night about 11:00, Joni started hurting really bad and having contractions 5 mins apart. She was hurting so badly that she called her doctor at 12:00. The doctor said for her to drink lots of water. It didn't work. She called him again. He said to drink more water and take a bath. It still didn't work. He told us to go the hospital.

Fortunately there was a little hospital right across the street from our hotel. They monitored her for a couple of hours and decided to transport her to Hattiesburg (I don't know where it is either!) When we arrived at Forest General Hospital she was dilated to 2.

She is now dilated to 4. They just gave her the epideral, so she is feeling pretty good now. We are just waiting for Anniston's arrival. We need you to pray for the baby. The doctor said we would probably be here for at least a week. If the baby is doing well, then they would transfore us back to Memphis. We'll see what happens! I really have a peace about the whole situation. I am concerned obviously, but not worried. I really believe that everything is going to be alright. We sure could use your prayers!!!

Big Boy Like CrossOver!!

Last night was our kickoff for the 2006-2007 school year. I think in the time that I have been here, I don't know of a kickoff that went smoother. Everything seemed to fall into place. The band did a great job! The technical guys made it all happen!! The rest of the adult leaders were here to hang out with students and build relationships with them. I couldn't say "Thank You" enough to those who made the night possible. It certainly kept my stress level down!!

Let me just say that I love Middle School students! They are so much fun to hang out with! I am so grateful that God allows me to do this for a living. What could be better than that?

I Wish It Could Get Here Quicker!

I am so excited! It is 16 days, 8 hours, 47 minutes until the kickoff for the Clemson football season. This season looks promising! In fact, we are ranked in the Top 16. For some schools, this might not be such a big deal, but for the Tigers it is huge! We are ranked ahead of South Carolina (the fake USC), UGA, Tennessee, and of course we are ahead of Memphis. After all, we know who the real Tigers are (sorry Memphis fans, I really do like the tigers....blue/gray just doesn't do it for me like orange).

I must admit, these kind of seasons scare me. What if they don't live up to the high expectations? Well, I'll will rant about how I am going to change teams. But the bottom line is that I am passionate about football. As much as I talk about it, I would never ditch the Tigers. I am pretty sure if I cut my arm, it would look like a puddle of carrot juice right now.

Tigers -- we need a good one! Let's go make it happen!!

This is strange!

Ok, this has happened 2 times in the last week. On 2 different occasions, JR ( http://www.jrleereveal.blogspot.com )and I have posted almost the same exact thing in our blogs. The thing that makes this more scary is that neither one of us read the other person's blog before writing it. How strange is that? I guess great minds think alike!!

The Gospels

I have just finished reading through the Gospels as a part of my plan to read the Bible chronologically. I love reading them because I am reminded of how amazing Jesus is. I love being reminded of the high price that Jesus paid for me and you.
I love being reminded that He came to "seek and save that which was lost".
I love to read about the feeding of the 5000.
I love to read about all of the people that He healed.
I love to read about His birth.
I love to read about His days here on the earth.
I love to read about His death.
I love to read about the resurrection.

I am so grateful for all that Jesus has done in my life. I hope to never get over October 13, 1983, when I came to know Christ!! Jesus has been so good to me!!

So long to the Gospels (for now). Hello Acts!!

Elvis and A Lesson Learned

Yesterday, I ran in the Elvis Presley 5k race. It still seems to weird to me that I actually go out and run 3.1 miles on purpose. I ran with JR, Bill Dunn, and Jeremy Hayes. We got there early to register and walk around and look at all of the lunatics that were out in full force. We knew it would be interesting because the race is right in the middle of Elvis week. I saw white Elvis, black Elvis, fat Elvis, skinny Elvis, oriental Elvis, and even female Elvis. It was pretty funny!!

Before we ran, we noticed that the gates to Graceland were opened and they were allowing people to walk by Elvis' grave. We saw people carrying stuffed animals and flowers to leave at the graveside. We also saw a few Elvis freaks crying...yes, I said crying about Elvis' death. Get a life...it has been almost 30 years. I admit the guy was talented but nothing to cry over, especially 30 years later. Sorry I am done with my rant about crazy Elvis fans.

The race went ok. I was definately disappointed with the results. The 2nd mile kicked my butt!! (If you want to see the race results, you can check them out here: http://www.memphisrunners.com/uploads/mrtc/Elvis%205K.txt ). It kindof put me in a bad mood until I realized that it was just one race and 6 months ago, I couldn't have even run 0.0005k. There's always next time.

Now for the lesson learned, I finished the race and was pretty hot and disappointed. Usually, they have crackers and different types of food for the racers. No crackers at this race. Instead, they had hotdogs. So, here's the scenario, it's 8:30 am and I just finished running a race. What do I do? I decide I need to eat a hot dog (it was the gross red kind of hot dog) because I am starving. BAD IDEA!! I took 2 bites and immediately felt like I was going to hurl. I felt miserable for the next 20 minutes. I didn't throw up, but I almost feel like it would have been better if I had.

Moral of this story: Don't eat a hotdog at 8:30 am, after running a race and crying over a guy who has been dead for 30 years!!

The Answer is No!

For those of you that are wondering if I got lost in blogworld, the answer is NO! It has been an extremely busy couple of days. The bad news is that the next week will be unbelivably hectic. It always is at kickoff week! Tomorrow morning is the next 5k race. This will be the 3rd one I have ran. It should be an interesting one because it is a part of Elvis week. I am sure that the Elvis freaks will be out in full force. I'll be sure to post tomorrow so that you can hear all about it. I think I am going to bed now, so that I can run my best!

A Week Away!!

We are one week (that's 7 days...168 hours...1440 mins...depending on how you want to look at it), from the kickoff of CrossOver for 2006-2007. To say that I can't wait would definately be an understatement. I have thought about and prayed for this day all summer long. I am so anxious to get back into the routine of hanging out with Middle School students every Wednesday night. It is going to be awesome, amazing, and incredible to say the least. If you are a student get there anyway you can. If you can't get there, figure out a way...it'll be worth it. Invite your friends. You'll be glad you did!!

Pray for me this week, this is always one of the busiest and most stressful weeks of the entire year. God will be faithful, of that I am sure!!

She Has A Name!!

We finally named our girl! Her name will be Anniston Brooks Lollis. We will call Anniston and no one is ever allowed to call her Ann or Annie! She is due on Nov. 12, which is a Sunday. She has be be really careful not to interrupt any football games on Saturday (jk...i really am, i think). I can't wait for her to get here!!! I am sure that Brayden will be somewhat confused when a new person pops up in the house.

Graceland 5k

JR and I drove to Graceland (Elvis' home) yesterday morning. Now I know that you are asking yourself why in the heck would they drive there. Glad you asked! We are running in the Elvis Presley 5k next weekend. It is in the middle of Elvis week here in Memphis. A whole week to honor some guy who has been dead for almost 30 years. Talk about ridiculous! We had a few people that were amazed that we were willing to go and run down there because it is not the nicest part of town, if you know what I mean. We drove around so that we would be familiar with where we are running. It is a pretty tough course. We both ran holding our phones, just in case we had any trouble. I told JR that I was going to go ahead and dial 911 and hold my finger on the send button...lol. We got back and found out that a police car got carjacked near where we were. It was pretty crazy and I am grateful that we didn't get involved. That could have made for an even more interesting post...lol!!

This morning, I had a meeting with my small group leaders at Perkins. I am really excited about the new school year. I believe that we have a great year ahead of us. Not because I am all that, but because I have great adult leaders. They are the greatest!!! They genuinely love Jesus and students. I think we are going to see God do some cool stuff this year!!

Betrayal

I am reading through the Gospels chronologically and I read something that reminded me so much of the way we are. I was reading today about the Last Supper and how all of the disciples asked Jesus if they would be the one to betray Him. It specifically says that Peter said he would never betray Jesus. Yet, he was one of the first. I was so reminded of how we so many times promise Jesus never to turn our back on Him. Yet time after time, we seem to fall back into the same trap. We get so caught up in our own little world that we simply ignore Him. We live our lives in such a way that it is as if we are saying "Jesus who?" We acknowledge Him so often with our lips but turn around and deny Him with our lifestyle.

Then we wonder why we are not as effective as we should be at school, home, and in the workplace. Imagine how horrible Peter must have felt when he heard the rooster crow. Sometimes I get so convicted about sin in my own life that it is almost as if I can hear the rooster crowing!!! The good news is that there is hope for us. If you read the book of Acts (I can't wait to get there!), you will see that God used Peter in an amazing way. He preached one day and 3000 people got saved. Thank God for 1 John 1:9. THERE IS HOPE!!

Sad Day!

Tomorrow is the last day for our summer interns. I begged them all to quit school and hang out with me and JR for the school year. They were pretty excited about the idea but we thought that their parents might strongly object! They have been invaluable this summer. We have had about 9 high school students that have volunteered their entire summer to help the student ministry. They were responsible for the Wed. night services for the summer and planning for the school year. They created some of the funniest skits that I have ever seen. Also, they helped us to be more effective in reaching out to the students in North Shelby and Tipton Counties. It has been so much fun having them around this summer. I will miss them greatly! The good news is that some of them are going to hang around a little more during the school year!

Thanks Cameron, Kelsianne, Sarah, Ashlin, Justin, Jared, Jesse, Josh, Kandice, David! You guys rock my face off!!!!

Another Random Post

There are 2 things that I love to do on a daily basis! They are things that would seem pointles and a waste of time for lots of people, but they have had an affect on the way that I do ministry. So here they are:

1. Myspace (www.myspace.com/crossoverstudents) : I know that some people think that this is the worst creation since Satan himself. However, it is great for ministry. I am able to stay in contact with students on a daily basis. Before, I just saw most of them on Wednesday nights and Sundays. It has helped me to stay better connected with the student culture and the world in which our middle schoolers live in. I love the connection!

Now, I will agree that there are some negative things that happen with Myspace. But there are also negative things that happen to people that drive cars (for instance -- sometimes they have a wreck and die!). However, I am not going to sit home and never drive again! Myspace rocks!!

2. Blogs: A year ago, I could not even tell you what the word "blog" meant. I just thought some people were having a hard time when they were talking about parts of trees. Now this is a daily part of my life. I know you are thinking, "he doesn't write in this thing everyday". You are right! I am trying to get in the habit of doing so. You would have to say that I am doing much better. Especially after Star's rebuke...lol. Even if I don't write, I read other blogs every day. It is a great way to see what others are thinking and doing. I am really challenged as I read things that people like Perry Noble (www.perrynoble.com) and Gary Lamb (garylamb.blogspot.com) write. They are some of the great leaders for my generation! I also read blogs written by people that I am close to keep up with what is going on with them.

These 2 things have shaped the way in which I think and do minstry. You should check them out!!