The Hughes Family Completed.

I just wanted to show you all our first picture as a full family. Buffy will probably hate me for posting a post birth picture of her. I don't care what anyone thinks...She is the most beautiful woman I have ever laid my eyes on. Here is the picture:



The kids and Buffy are resting. I am waiting for the little one to wake up for lunch. Then it will be time for the race (Nascar). Go #17!!!

Thanks Davida

My sister-in-law has been great these last few days. First she brought us some dinner. That was much appreciated and needed. Then she called today and said that she would like to keep Micah, Abbi and Hannah (correction made 04/30) so that we could get some rest. That was great!

Thanks Davida for helping us out. I truly have a wonderful sister-in-law.

Tag teaming it...

Buffy and I have been tag teaming the feedings the last few days. Chloe is doing fine and all is well. We have been enjoying our time together. I took my vacation (one and only) to help my wife out.

The kids are doing well and loving the baby. Sorry such a small post. We are tired and need the sleep. LOL!

The smallest shopping cart.

This afternoon I needed to go to Kroger for some milk and stuff. I first picked up Micah and we headed to the store. Once there he wanted to use this little cart that they have for children to use. It really is just a miniature shopping cart. So we grabbed it and went shopping.

Micah enjoyed picking things off the shelf and putting them in the cart. I would tell him what I needed and he would put it in his cart. Needless to say it didn't take long until the cart was full and heavy. Micah refused to let me help him pull it. So we take it to the cashier and he then loads each item one by one on the counter. It was kind of neat to see my son acting like a big boy.

As a side note:
I am sure me and him will be making a lot of those trips in 10 years or so. With 4 females in one house the guys will go out.

We are home.

We are home with Chloe! I am so excited that I can't take a nap! Buffy and Chloe are in the bedroom resting. They both deserve it. We are happy to be in the comforts of our own home. I know we will have visitors this afternoon. My Bro has already called. Him and Rachel (future sister-in-law and better half are coming soon).

I am ready to see the kids. Mom and Dad have been keeping them. Thank you sooooo much Mom and Dad. We love you ! They have yet to post a picture of Chloe on the hospital website. Check here for her picture soon:

JPMC Baby pictures

I will also post some digital images ASAP.

All day with Chloe.

(As if it were Tuesday)
After a long night we woke up to see a wonderful baby girl. The rest of the kids came to see the newest (and final) edition. Micah is happy with the edition and made sure he kissed her before leaven. Abbi is excited and wants to constantly help Buffy with Chloe. Hannah is about the same she was so happy to see her little sister and brought her 3 flowers she had picked.

We had guest in the evening. I will not mention them all because that is just plain boring. Thank you all for your love and support. I would also like to thank Bro Dennis and Carm for the prayer offering last night. This girl will know who the Lord is and what he has done for her.

Love you all.

Trip to the hospital.

You might be wondering where the creative writer of this blog has been for the last few days (I don't think you can even call me a writer much less creative...lol). Well we have been a the hospital with the birth of our new edition to the family. I will recount the days for you.

(As if it were Monday)
Buffy didn't sleep at all last night. She said that she woke up at 2:00AM. I know that the baby is on the way. I had worried about her all day. Buffy of course being the hard headed woman she is (ain't they all) would not stay home and rest. She worked all day and then returns home not feeling well.

An hour or so later I tell her we are going to the hospital. She argues at first. But I put my foot down. Finally we get to the hospital and she is 4cm. Then as soon as the Dr comes she is at 5cm. Over the course of the afternoon and evening she would be ready for the birth. You know it is hard seeing the love of your life hurt and there is nothing at all you can do or say that will take that pain away.

Needless to say little Chloe Jamese Hughes was born at 9:52PM. She is 6 pounds and 18inches long. She is the first of all our children not to be put on oxygen. I am a happy father today!

Sunday fellowship meal.

We had a music conference tonight. The music was good I guess. Not my style but there was a good crowd of people. I stayed up in the sound room. Buffy is not feeling well and I wanted to be near a phone.

The fellowship meal was great! I am telling you the food was plentiful. You know you are not a true Baptist unless there is chicken present at every meal. I enjoyed devouring some fowl. I wanted to post a little something for tonight. I will get back in the music quest soon.

Catch you up.

Today I am going to take a break from the norm to give you and update on what all has been going on. It has been a busy few days and I am glad Saturday is over.

1st - Buffy was told at the Dr that we probably have less than a week before Chloe gets here. So that is new and exciting. I know I can say that a lot easier because I am not the one birthing the baby.

2nd - The kids are doing well. Micah is finishing school and is doing well. He brought back a picture from school he made and it was awesome! If you would like to see it I might try to get it on here. Abbi has been talking about Pre-School a lot. Little does she know that it will be after Summer before she goes. Hannah is growing faster and faster. She is sad that Abbi has moved to the back of the van in preparation for Chloe.

3rd - I am on the down swing of 2 classes. I think I might get my first B in a class. I blame it all on blackboard (I curse thee blackboard..lol!). The other management issues is closing fast. My cohorts got me and Buffy a gift certificate at Wal-mart for a baby gift. That my friends would never happen at a regular college.

4th - We just got back from a Youth Experiencing God weekend. It was GREAT!!! I was refreshed as well as the youth. BTW the adults beat the 11th-12th grade in a MEGA relay.

Finally a side note to my parents. Thanks for mowing my yard. I have been soooo busy I didn't know when I would get that done. I have been gone almost 24hours in the last two days.

Have a great night....

American Dream.

American Dream
Scriptural Basis
Mark 8:34-37
Ephesians 5:25-33

I really like the way the NLT version puts Mark 8:37:

37 Is anything worth more than your soul?

A person could have everything earthly they dreamed of but still have nothing. Does that make sense to you? It does to me. When I die and they put my body to rest the ground will not care how much I made. The ground will not care what car I drove or clothes I wore. The ground will not care how well I did in the business world. The ground will only hold my dead body. A poor body is the same as a rich one.

So that leads us to the question, what is worth anything then? I would have to say your destination after death. Where that destination is totally relies on you. That is right you control your own fate. You have the power to go where you want. Sounds easy huh? Well the problem is that people don't want to admit that the world (ground) is not the answer. They won't listen to God calling out to their hearts. Instead they drown out Christ with the world.

This song is as powerful as one can be. I like this part:

He use to say "Whoever dies with the most toys wins"
But if he loses his soul what will he gain in the end?
I'll take a shack on a rock
Over a castle in the sand.

The final passage of scripture simply states that the marriage commitment is to be held highly. If you put Christ first, family and then the rest you will begin to see that the eternal far out weights the worldly.

Who am I?

Who am I?
Scriptural Basis:
Psalm 139, Psalm 52 and Ephesians 2

In the above verses the Lord showed me 3 basic but profound points. The first is that we are in God's constant watchcare. The knows where we are at all times. This reminds me of when our parents always wanted us to tell them where we were going and what time we would return. This was not because they wanted to control our life. It was simply that they cared for our lives and safety.

The second is that we need to trust in God's protection. This is probably one of the hardest things for us humans to do. Why is this? I think it is because we want to see physically our protector. We line out homes with security systems, locks and cameras. The vehicles we own are the same way. We have a keypad to enter our car. BTW who has ever seen someone use that? I never have...

The final thing is that it is only by God's special favor that you have been saved. We proved through the whole old testament that man could not restore a broken relationship with God. We tried and failed. God in his great grace and mercy had a plan. That was Christ! That special favor is the Lord himself. Now our personal relationship is restored with our father. Time to have a family reunion.

While listening to this song one scripture keeps popping up in my mind. This would be:

Psalm 8:3-5

3 When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers--the moon and the stars you have set in place-- 4 what are mortals that you should think of us, mere humans that you should care for us? 5 For you made us only a little lower than God, and you crowned us with glory and honor.

What is man? Why did God do it? Why did he create us? Simply what the last part of the song says.

"Cause I am Yours,
I am yours."

He loves us and we are his. Parents you get that last part. Kids you will someday.

The voice of truth

The Scriptures that are used at the top of this song are:

2 Corinthians 12:7-10
1 Corinthians 1:20-2:4

Let's look at the chorus of this song:

But the voice of truth tells me a different story The voice of truth says, "Do not be afraid!" And the voice of truth says, "This is for My glory!" Out of all the voices calling out to me. I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth.

The basic summary of the above verses are that God will work through the weakness in us. That the world will be shamed by our weaknesses or what they consider weak. In the song it tells of two stories. The first is about Peter and Jesus. We all know the story so well where Peter walks on the water. Then he looks around and notices that the waves are huge. He sinks and calls out to the Lord "Save me!". In his weakness the Lord saves him. The next story is that of David and Goliath. Little old Shepard boy David decides that the Lord will win this battle between the weak and what is considered strong. David the underdog in this battle wins. In his weakness the Lord saves him.

God is trying to tell us that he is different than the world. He calls out to us "Fear Not!" for he is with us. With the strength of God brother and sisters nothing is too big for him. He will receive Glory when we humble ourselves and let him work through earthen vessels.

If we are the body.

Day two...
If we are the body.

James 2:1-9
My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim that you have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people more than others? 2 For instance, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in shabby clothes. 3 If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, "You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor"--well, 4 doesn't this discrimination show that you are guided by wrong motives?
5 Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn't God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren't they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? 6 And yet, you insult the poor man! Isn't it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? 7 Aren't they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear?
8 Yes indeed, it is good when you truly obey our Lord's royal command found in the Scriptures: "Love your neighbor as yourself." 9 But if you pay special attention to the rich, you are committing a sin, for you are guilty of breaking that law.

God was never partial. He loved his people unconditionally. Jesus was the greatest expression of love that the world would ever see. Why is it then that we sit in our churches today and only accept those who fit the mold of a "church goer"? Why is it then that we are focused on those who can bring more opportunities to our church such as money, resources and services. In all reality the church has become like a fortune 500 company. We have lost our focus. The focus is ministering to the LOST. These lost people are all in the image of God. Some may look, speak or act different but we must present the gospel to all. After all Jesus did. What did he say about what the world considers lowly?

Mark 10:31
"But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

When the rubber meets the road. Who are you? Children of God are called out of the world to minister to the world. Christ has given us the Holy Spirit to minister to those in the darkness. That means we have to let our light shine in it. Doesn't that mean that we have to enter the darkness?

19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.

Jesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the body of Christ
Jesus is the way

Children of God it is time we take a stand for Christ. We must reach out with our hands, heal, teach and walk boldly. The path for all leads to Christ. Start acting like it!

What if his people prayed?

I have decided to do a 10 day devotional focus on Casting Crowns CD. So if you would like to hear the songs I will be using as a spring board go to their website:

http://www.castingcrowns.com/

Day one...

What if the people prayed?

And what if the people prayed
For those raised up to lead the way
Maybe kids in school could pray
And unborn children see the light of day

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)

...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

This verse is in a central part of an amazing story. The dedication of the temple was happening. Solomon had completed that in which is father dreamt of but could never do. The blood on David's hands was to great. After a great prayer of dedication was made by Solomon the people would witness a great fire from heaven come down and consume their sacrifices and offerings. The presence of the Lord filled that place. The presence of the Lord was so great that even the priests could not enter it.

After the dedication ceremony had ended the Lord would speak to Solomon. The Lord explains that hard times may come. Then he says:

...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

This is a great statement by the Lord. Then after a few other verses we see the consequences of not humbly following the Lord:

2 Chronicles 7:19-20(NLT)

"But if you abandon me and disobey the laws and commands I have given you, and if you go and worship other gods, then I will uproot the people of Israel from this land of mine that I have given them. I will reject this Temple that I have set apart to honor my name. I will make it a spectacle of contempt among the nations.

Following the Lord takes more than just speaking great prayers or attending a worship service. Following the Lord takes humble sacrifice. So IF the people prayed to the Lord he will hear our cries and fill this bodily temple.

Sunday tiredness

Just a quick summary about today for I want to spend it with the family. First we went to Church worshipped a risen Lord. It was AWESOME! Then home to get changed and head to the family get together and Easter egg hunt. After the hunt we came home. The kids were exhausted and I took a power nap as well. Buffy and me watch the rest of The Chronicles of Narnia. I will mention that I will never watch anymore of those with her. LOL!!!! It was either I don't understand what that is...Why did that happen or that was just dumb, why don't they go home. I think her imagination left her body. Although it returns when Steel Magnolias is on.

Tired and ready for bed! I will post something better tomorrow.

You ever had one of those days when???

You ever had one of those days when you worked all day? Then at the end of the day you had accomplished so much that you felt relaxed inside. That was today for me. I got up early mowed the lawn, trimmed back the brush and prepared the outside for summer. I pretty much spent all day outside in the yard. Oh yeah I have to mention that Buffy was so kind to remind me that our septic tank filter needed it's yearly cleaning. Blaaaaaahk!

Then we had Hannah's birthday party. Although her actual birth day is Tuesday it is the weekend before. She just keeps growing. You know I will look back on these days and wish we had spent more birthdays and holidays together. They don't stay little long so cherish every minute you have. Make memories that will last.

I am sure you all have plans for Sunday. If not get your booty to church. It is about time you started worshipping Christ. For those that will, I hope you have a great Easter. Remember all he is ALIVE!

L.I.F.T.

I wrote yesterday about a wonderful presentation of the gospel. I just had to share it with you. You may need this in your life or walk with Christ. There is a great website that you can look at for more information. I will list it at the bottom. All of this is from Tony Nolan's presentation.



L = a Life changing event happen to me.

I = I was diagnose with a terminal infection in my heart.

F = a famous person, who has been in movies, TV and is a regular on CNN, FOX, ABC, CBS, and NBC news. He donated me a new Heart.

T = I had a heart transplant and it was so successful, I am going to live forever!

You need to be reading the best Health Book in the World written by the greatest Heart Specialist in the World. The Book is the Bible and the Doctor is God. He says in Romans 3:23 that we all have the same infection and it is called sin. The infection is terminal in that is produces Eternal Death in Hell, Romans 6:23. That is horrible news, however, The Famous One, Jesus Christ died on the Cross for our Sins, in so doing He gave up his heart to give us a new one, and instead of suffer eternal death we can experience eternal life, John 3:16.

Do you need that transplant? If so email me at theyouthguy@hotmail.com. I would love to show you how to receive a new heart.

All Information for this post was taken from Tony Nolan's website. There is all sorts of information and items that you can use from this link: http://www.tonynolan.org

Concert (Casting Crowns)

Tonight we went to a Casting Crowns concert. This group did a wonderful job of ministering to youth and adults through song. There was an awesome speaker that presented the Gospel straight up. I will try to post tomorrow his points (L.I.F.T.) .

I had the wonderful opportunity to stand and watch youth and adults receive Christ. I had volunteered to hand out cards wait on the Lord and then see him work in lives. Every minute was sweet. To see person after person be so bold to come up...say I have just been saved ...and I want to tell the world.

Awesome is all I can say...God moved in Murray, KY!!!

The ark...

Tonight in youth bible study we chatted about Noah and the ark. I have to admit we didn't get very far. This was because of this verse:

Genesis 6:16
6 Make a roof for it and finish the ark to within 18 inches of the top. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks.

Notice there was only one door in which they could come into. Lets now realize a few points:

1. There was only one way.
2. It was a door.
3. The outside meant death and destruction.
4. The inside meant life and salvation.

Does this remind you of anything? Look at these verses:

Luke 13:24-25
Someone asked him, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?" He said to them, 24 "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.' "But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.'

Jesus is that door. Only through him will salvation be made. If you try mans way it will lead to eternal destruction and death. If you take God's way (Jesus) you will inherit a kingdom of eternity. That is something to think about.

Whew...another A.

I finally got my Economics grades back. I was really worried about this class. It was the most difficult I have had so far. The teacher was from China (very nice and intelligent). His course work was not easy at all. I received my final paper and grades back. I got an "A" in the class. I am really happy and relieved. The paper was a 100 percent which is my first paper that was that high in program.

I slaughtered Wal-mart pretty good. Maybe that helped me, I don't know. I am tired and ready for bed. I hope you all had a blessed day and I will see you tomorrow. I think I might start a new series of posts again.

Night you all!

Blogger template was messed up.

If you notice a change in my Blog it is because of a programming problem with the last template. It wasn't noticeable on Internet Explorer but on Firefox it is very noticeable. Until I find a new template this will be the one I use.

It has been another beautiful day in Murray, KY. I think I will kick back with a cup of Joe and watch some TV. Night all!

Philippino candy

Today Jonathan Higgins (one of my youth) gave me some candy from the Philippines. It came in a weird red wrapper. This candy was almost the size of a circus peanut candy. The taste is hard to describe. I can tell you that it is powdery and almost impossible to eat. The very minute you touch it the candy will dissolve.

Jonathan said that it was made of mostly wheat and sugar. I have to say the taste was ok but I would buy it off the shelf. It is almost like the Philippino version of a pixy stick.

The bird nest is almost built.

You all know that women in the last month or so in their pregnancy go through what people call "nesting". I agree fully to this description. Buffy has been crazy in preparation. She made a list of things that need to be done before Chloe gets here. We are almost finished with them all. Some of this stuff really has little to do with Chloe. One that comes to mind is the pictures that we have in boxes need to be organized. I mean Chloe doesn't care if pictures of family members are put in albums.

Today I cleaned out the van and I mean cleaned. I took out the seats and removed the skid plates. I washed it from top to bottom and moved the car seats to prepare for Chloe's seat. We can check that of the "Buffy to do list".

I hear Buffy calling me.... the bird has almost completed the nest.

Oh maaaaan!

Short but sweet tonight. You all know that we have been having horrid storms lately. Today on the way back from lunch me and Bro Dennis were admiring the blackness of clouds that appeared to be far away. We make a turn to come down our church road and bomb the flood hits. Then pink by pink we hear little pieces of hail. Then it went to thud.. thud... and every time it would hit Bro D's car he would yell "Oh maaaaan". I tried not to laugh at him, but this was funny the way he said it. It reminds me of Dora the Explorer's Swiper the fox. If you have seen Dora you know what I am talking about.

The hail was about nickel size. It didn't appear to leave any damage to his car. The weather continues on...Night all time to watch for "nados".

I want my dollar!

My DSL is out and will be out until sometime Friday afternoon or so. What is this all about? Why me? What did I ever do to deserve this abuse? LOL!!! This is what a lot of people are doing right now. My sister-in-law actually said someone called them and said that it was the only way they talked to anyone. This is sad people. Have we become so dependent on a computer for our social life that if the internet fails us we go into depression. Eeeekkkk! I think it is time for some people to have a reality check. Get out an live!

A battle

I am making this brief simply because the computer screen is not friend to headaches. This afternoon would wind up being a battle with a migraine. This thing crept up from out of the murky pits of hell itself. No worries though I have God on my side.

I first tried Imitrex and Tylenol to sooth the savage beast. This did not tame it one bit. In fact I think I may have angered it. So then came the secret weapon. I only use this as a last resort. This would be Fioricet. This little blue pill packs a punch. With the 3 drugs coursing through my system I would fight a battle to win. I completely darkened my bedroom with sheets over the curtains and blankets piled at the bottom of doors. There would be no light in this room. I went in at 4:30 PM and won the battle at 9:00PM.

Victorious and sore I live to go on another day. My neck is killing me so I am getting off this pc. Nite Nite all!

Another Tuesday and my views on some spring break activities.

It is just another Tuesday. Today is work and class. I don't have to take my son to school today simply because it is Spring Break. Ah....... Spring Break. It is really hard to enjoy Spring Break because I know what is happening as we speak.

Youth are on Spring Break doing things that are not edifying to their spiritual walk. I speak to only Christians on this manner. The reason is that there should be no expectations for non-Christians to act moral. To you youth that check your moral and ethical hat at the door and head out to experience all there is offered on Spring Break (Drugs, Drinking and Sex). I must say this...you are an example of Christianity. If you are going to the party scene you are taking Christ with you. This is a bad thing because the world will look at the Christians and say "those hypocrites". They will say "they talk one way and live another".

I have to say to anyone that live the lifestyles of the world and makes no effort to live a Christian life. What you did is check your moral hat. I say you need to check your salvation. You can get past the "Don't judge me attitude". The word is specific about the lifestyle you lead. I say if you deny Christ by the way you live and your words. He will deny you before the father. Sorry if you are offended but don't take that up with me. Look at your maker. He is the one you have to give an account for all that you do.

A blood drop has been assaulted.

I just heard today on WPSD TV that some teenagers assaulted a person dressed up as a blood drop. This was at a blood drive. The poor guy was upset...with every right to be. The thing that got to me was that they interviewed him in his costume. That to me was a bit strange. It becomes very hard to stay serious when a stuffed figure is telling you how he was mugged.

All this makes you wander. I mean that was a serious incident. The video editing made it look humorous instead of sad. Way to go WPSD!

Nite all!

Sunday has come and gone.

Today was sort of an uneventful day. I mean we did have church and I always enjoy worshipping our Lord. Then we came home and did our regular thing:

• Eat
• Sleep
• Lay around
• Listen to the race
• Get up
• Then back to church.
  

Tonight we voted to get an architect and surveyor. Poplar Spring has outgrown it's parking and Sunday school spaces. Plus the biggest Sunday school rooms are upstairs making it hard to reach for elderly and handicapped. More than likely we will have to put in a lift or elevator. This is a good thing. I am anxious to see what the Lord has in store for PSBC.

8 dollar pants

Tonight we went on our birthday date. It is to our favorite restaurant in the world. That would be the Olive Garden. It is worth it just to eat the salad and bread sticks. Of course Buffy had the traditional Alfredo (she eats it everrrrrry time). I have something different a lot this time it was the Parmesan encrusted Tilipia. It was the bomb.

Afterward we traveled to Kohl's (my new favorite store). This is where we found deal after deal. I needed some pants. So I travel over to look at some. I find some and think well those should be about 25-30 dollars. But what to my wandering eye should appear but a price slash which would catch my ear. The tag said $7.99 I was like a kid in a candy store happy about my new find. So needless to say I bought 2 pair and a shirt for nearly nothing. The greatest shopping day ever.

Plus we ended the date with a banana milk shake for Buffy (from steak and shake) and a Mocha from Joe Muggs. What a great date...a wonderful woman, deal and drink (coffee).