Thursday, December 23, 2010

Over the river and through the woods . . .

When I first heard the song
Over the river and through the woods,
To grandmother's house we go . . . 
I never really pictured that WE would one day be the grandparents!  Now here we are!

We are having a wonderful visit with Kelsey, Zach and baby Charis.  Here are some highlights of our grandparenting so far . . .

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Christmas will be a special time in the Tunney home.  Holding a sweet baby
reminds us of the gift of Jesus, who also came to the world as a little one.
Merry Christmas to you and your families!

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"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.  
And the government shall be upon His shoulder.  
And His name will be called "Wonderful, Counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace".  
(Isaiah 9:6)

Sunday, November 28, 2010

We give thanks



Hard to believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone.  We're now headed towards Christmas. I know we ask this question at this point every year . . . where has this year gone?!  As we look back on the 2010, we find ourselves thankful for many things.  Here are just a few:

We have a new granddaughter.  Charis Lynlee Bohler was born July 14, which means that she just celebrated her 4 month birthday!  On December 17, she will join her parents, Kelsey and Zach, and come to Franklin for her first visit to Mimi and Poppy's house.  


Whitney and Shawn are doing great, living 8 minutes away from us (but who's counting?).  It's such a blessing to have them close by ~ perfect for a spontaneous meal or a quick trip to an antique mall or the farmer's market.


Both of our dads have dealt with cancer this year, and we thank the Lord that He is sustaining them day by day.  They are beating the odds.  Or more accurately, God is working in their bodies, doing more than we could ever ask or imagine.


We are blessed to be involved with some incredible ministries.  Dick is still playing for Steve Green, Mel is back at FBC Columbia, Dick and Mel are on the road in between those two things leading worship and doing concert events.  Very, very grateful for these wonderful opportunities.  


To celebrate Thanksgiving, we made a quick trip to Ohio to be with Mom and Dad Tunney. Keebler came along (he's a fabulous traveler!) and we all had a great visit. 


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Here's Mom, getting ready to serve a delicious meal.

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Dick and his dad, enjoying some special time together.

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Dad and Keebler hanging out.

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Dick's sister, Ginny, and our brother-in-law, Dave, came by to say hello.

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 With Ginny, Dave, Sara, Becca, and Becca's friend, Ryan.


Hope you and yours had a blessed Thanksgiving.  But more than that, we hope that you are thankful for all God has done and is in the process of doing in your life!

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Smiles

Our little Charis is growing up before our very eyes!  And since we live in Tennessee and she lives in Oregon, we are extremely grateful for technology ~ photos, videos, skype, cameras on the computer ~ so we can SEE with our eyes how she is growing.  
Kelsey just filmed a new little 30 second video that brought smiles to our faces.  
Hope it brings one to yours!


"Smile.  It is the key that fits the lock of everyone's heart."
Anthony D'Angelo

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Poppy meets Charis

We haven't had a chance to post these fabulous pictures, but on Saturday night, September 11, Poppy met his sweet granddaughter, Charis.  Here are some of her thoughts . . . 


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"Hi Poppy, I'm Charis."

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"Want to hold me for a while so I can take a nap?"

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"Or we could just go enjoy the beautiful Oregon scenery together?"

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"And I'll let you steal a little kiss or two!"


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"Mimi needs a little Charis time, too."


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"I LOVE my Mimi and Poppy!"


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"I love Mommy and Daddy, too."


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"Night, night."


Needless to say, we enjoyed every minute of our time getting to know Charis.  She is a beautiful blessing God has given not only to Kelsey and Zach, but to Mimi and Poppy, too!
Can't wait till the next time we can see her, hold her, kiss on her, play with her, cuddle her . . . you get the picture! 


The simplest toy, one even the youngest child can operate, 
is called a grandparent.  





Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Dreams come true

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For all of my life I’ve been a close follower (yes a rabid fan) of Ohio State University football.  One of my fondest childhood memories is watching or listening to (it was often a radio broadcast in those days . . . ) games on crisp Saturday afternoons in the fall.  The players and coaches were bigger than life . . . Woody Hayes, Rex Kern, Archie Griffin (the only player to win 2 Heisman Trophies), John Brockington, John Hicks, Jack Tatum, Randy Gradishar, etc.  The home games are played in Ohio Stadium which is also known as The Horseshoe because of its shape.  In recent years the stadium has been renovated and expanded as to where The Shoe has kept its history and legacy in tact and now seats over 105,000.  The former open end of The Shoe now houses a grandstand that seats around 17,000 folks.

This past January Mel and I were leading worship at the President’s Conference for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.  These good folks, led by president Les Steckel, are on a passionate mission to affect the lives of young people on behalf of the Gospel through camps, coaches and clinics.  In our preparation for this conference we found out that one of the speakers was to be Jim Tressel, head football coach at Ohio State.  I was eager to meet this man who has risen to the top of his profession by winning a national championship at Ohio State, taking the team to bowl games in each of his 9 years as head coach, and previously winning 4 Division II national championships while the head coach at Youngstown State University.  The morning came and as Mel and I were in the vacant ballroom of the hotel finishing up a sound check, Coach Tressel walked in.  I immediately walked over to him, introduced myself, struck up some small talk and basically had a nice 10-15 minutes just to chat.  Of course I expressed my devotion on that day to Buckeye football by wearing a scarlet shirt with gray slacks, the school colors.  As the morning ended Coach Tressel handed me his business card.  Later that week we exchanged e-mails and he told me to look at the OSU home schedule and find a time when Mel and I could come to a game as his guest.  Oh, my goodness.  OH, MY GOODNESS!!  Within minutes I was on the Internet searching for just the right game to attend. As it turned out, the only game that worked was opening night, Thursday, September 2.  The opponent was Marshall University (you probably saw the movie, “We Are Marshall” that chronicled the 1970’s plane crash that claimed the lives of most of the football team.) Ohio State was ranked #2 in all of the college football polls in the preseason, so the game didn’t look to offer much of a test for the Buckeyes.

Mel and I decided to take a couple of days, visit my parents in Dayton (who strategically live just an hour from the stadium) and go to the game from their house.  Mrs. Tressel was gracious to exchange a couple of e-mails giving us directions of how and where to get our tickets and how to handle the protocol of being guests of the football staff.  Seems that the NCAA has a lot of rules about coach’s guests at college sporting events.  I bought a new shirt for the occasion and Mel also purchased a hoodie, both of which were emblazoned with the Ohio State logo.  Game day came and we arrived in Columbus 3 hours before game time only to be part of a 2 mile-long traffic jam heading to the stadium.  We parked about a mile away and walked through the campus towards The Shoe, my beloved bride snapping pictures all along the way.  Our tickets were available 2 hours before game time and we had about 15 minutes to wait so we pulled up a nice plot of a grassy area at the “bottom” of the Horseshoe where the main tunnel enters the stadium.  Just a few minutes into our wait an usher with a blowhorn came out and started clearing folks out of the way because the band was coming through.  THE BAND?!?!?!?!?  The Pride of Ohio?!?  The Best D*** Band in the Land?!?!?!? (Their moniker, not mine!).  They had completed their pre-game rehearsal and were marching with military precision in full dress uniform back to the band hall for final instructions.  Yep, I teared up.  It wouldn’t be the last time.

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Back to Will Call, grab the tickets, headed for our seats, and stopped to ask the usher near our section where the seats were specifically.  He looked down his nose and said, “Wow, you have to know somebody to get THESE seats.”  Yep, we do.  Coach himself.  Then he said, “You probably should wait about 45 minutes and go get something to eat.  The sun will be down below the opposite side of the stadium then and it will be much cooler.”  Good advice.  We did the obligatory pizza/hot dog/nachos stadium food and browsed around beneath the seats looking at concession stands and merchandise.

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As we wandered back into the stadium we found ourselves near where the player entrances were located and saw that 25-30 of the Buckeye players were on the field in t-shirts and shorts warming up, stretching and going through some preliminary drills.  These guys were huge.  The usher in that particular area was even kind enough to snap a few pictures of us.  Soon it was back to our own seats, which, by the way, were adorned with padded stadium seats that had a back.  Seems that this is an “upgrade” for some season ticket holders at a nominal fee.  You couldn’t have picked out two better seats.  Row 16, 50-yardline, seats 1 and 2 on the aisle.  Perfect.

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About 30 minutes before game time the players cleared the field and it came time for the band to make its’ entrance.  This band is widely known for its precision and musicianship.  There are 225 in the band, about 35 or so are drummers and percussionists and the rest are all brass players.  It’s a massive sound.  After their dramatic and high-energy entrance, the stadium announcer informed us (and our 105,000 friends) that the tradition of the Alumni Band was a part of the evening’s festivities and, low and behold, here came the Alumni Band entering the stadium through the exact same tunnel with the exact same energy and precision.  There were a little over 800 of them, including about a dozen alumni drum majors.  One of these gentlemen was around 90 and marched right down the field with the rest of them.  The next 15 minutes were musically electric.  Imagine nearly 1,100 brass and percussion players playing the National Anthem!

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The game started by OSU kicking off to Marshall.  The Marshall player fumbled the kickoff, the Buckeyes recovered and 3 plays later we were ahead 7-0.  Two minutes later we were ahead 14-0.  Six minutes later we were ahead 21-0.  At halftime we were up 35-7, and as announcers sometimes will say, it wasn’t even that close.  As the younger and inexperienced players finished up the game, the scoreboard said: Ohio State 45, Marshall 7.  Every part of this day for me, the lifelong fan, was charmed.  Even the weather . . . half way through the first quarter a light, misty rain began to fall.  It lasted about 10 minutes and was just enough to cool things down.  Mel gave me great perspective when she said, “The Lord has given you a real gift today.”  It was amazing.

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As I’ve searched for some spiritual aspect or imagery to take from this experience, a couple of things struck me.  When we approached the Will Call office we came to a man with a large clipboard.  We gave him our names and he said, “Yes, right here Mr. & Mrs. Tunney.  Come right in and head over to that window.“  There will come a day, somewhere in eternity, when we stand at a gate and the “person” with the clipboard will find our names and invite us right in.

And go back to our usher friend who pointed us to our phenomenal seats.  Yes, we KNOW somebody.  Somebody REALLY important!  The head guy!  He took great care of us and rewarded us with a place better than we could have ever asked for or imagined.  Now I’m not at all comparing a visit to a college football game to the eternity that we’ll spend worshiping around God’s Throne, because eternity in the very presence of Jesus can’t compare to anything that we even perceive as being a tiny slice of heaven on this earth.  But isn’t it great to know that no matter how wonderful some experiences are in this life, they will pale in comparison to spending forever at the feet of Jesus, worshiping with heavenly musicians and the saints of the ages?  Hmmm, do you think that any of them will be wearing Scarlet and Gray?

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Thursday, August 19, 2010

Still waiting

Still no action on our house.  And God continues to say, "Wait."  The reason we want to move, sooner than later, is because our house is about 80% packed up and ready to go!  We're stopped right now ~ not wanting to unpack and not wanting to continue packing until we know we have a buyer for our house.

So God is my teacher, I am the student, and the lesson is . . . waiting.

"Wait for the Lord.  Be strong and take heart 
and wait for the Lord."  
(Psalm 27:14)

What am I called to do during the waiting time?  Be strong.  Take heart.

"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits.  and in His word I put my hope.  My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning."
(Psalm 130:5-6)

What am I called to do during the waiting time?  Put my hope in God's word and pro-actively watch for the Lord to work.

"In the morning, O Lord, You hear my voice.  In the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation."
(Psalm 5:3)

What am I called to do during the waiting time?  Lay my requests before the Lord and expect Him to answer ~ not in a presumptuous "Answer me!" kind of way.  But knowing God loves me and as a parent knows what is best for a child, He desires to do what is best for me.  When the time is just right.

"Yes Lord, walking in the way of Your laws, we wait for You.  Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.  
My soul yearns for You in the night; 
in the morning, my spirit longs for You."
(Isaiah 26:8-9a)

What am I called to do during the waiting time?  Continue to walk closely to Jesus, seeking His glory to be seen through me.  Longing for Him, desiring Him, lifting Him up.

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.  
Do not fret when men succeed in their ways, 
when they carry out their wicked schemes."
(Psalm 37:7)

What am I called to do during the waiting time?  Be still and wait with patience.  Don't look at what others are doing or not doing (or houses that may be selling when ours isn't :).

"We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.  In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name.  
May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, 
even as we put our hope in You."
(Psalm 33:20-22)

What am I called to do during the waiting time?  Wait in hope!  Rejoice in the Lord, trusting in who God is ~ Redeemer, Savior, Father, Provider, Rock, Guide, Friend . . . 

Okay.  It's a sure thing that there will be seasons of "waiting times", or all of these passages wouldn't be in God's word.  I'm clinging to every word of every one of these verses right now.  Thank you, Lord, for the instructions on HOW to wait.  I want to learn the lessons well.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Waiting

Several weeks ago, we got a contract on our house.  It had only been on the market for a short time, so we were obviously very excited.  The only hitch was that we needed to be out of the house in about 15 days.  We got very busy and our lives began to revolve around packing boxes.  God opened the doors for us to put a contract on a new house that is literally across the street from a house we lived in for 16 years.  We love the neighborhood and were thrilled to be moving back.

I enlisted the help of some wonderful friends and family to clean and repair and give some much needed TLC to the house we were headed for (it had been sitting empty for over a year).  About 20 people gathered last Saturday to clean out cobwebs, put shelf liner in the kitchen, scrub floors, clean bathrooms, pressure wash the outside . . . we worked hard and got it ready to move into.

Later in the afternoon on Saturday as I was getting ready to leave, Carolyn (our agent and the owner of the house) walked in and proceeded to tell me that the buyers of our current house had found a few things in the home inspection that were not to their liking and now wanted out of the contract. Because of the nature of what these issues are (thankfully, they aren't serious issues for us to take care of) they had the right to do that.

Interestingly, in that moment when I should have panicked, I felt extreme peace.  And I told Carolyn that.  God has not brought us this far to leave us stranded.

So here we are.  Our house is about 80% packed and ready to move.  The new house, ready for us to move into.  But we no longer have a buyer for our current house.

Sunday night, I was pondering what I needed to do.  Originally, I had been planning on continuing the packing jobs since we would be potentially moving 4 days later.  But now, we were on hold. Did I now need to UNPACK these boxes and get the house ready to show again?  I felt like God gently said, "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10).  "Don't take a picture off the wall, but don't put any back on the wall either.  Just be still."  So I did.

And now we wait.  We wait with hope.  We wait with the assurance that none of this is a surprise to the Lord.

This morning, I was thinking of some of the "heroes of faith" mentioned in the Bible and thought it would be good to just quote some of these men, learning from their lives that God will ALWAYS be faithful.  And He does have a plan for us (Jer. 29:11).

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."  
(Moses, as he stood before the Red Sea wondering how he would lead the people of Israel with Pharoah's chariots in pursuit).

"But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold." 
(Job, in the midst of his extreme suffering).

"I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills His purpose for me.  
He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me; 
God sends His love and His faithfulness."  
(David, when he was fleeing for his life from Saul).

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord.  I will be joyful in God my Savior."  
(Habakkuk, as the Babylonians were about to take over Israel).

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  
(Paul, writing from a Roman prison).

Even as I write this, I'm very aware that the fact that I'm in limbo in boxes, wondering if our house will sell, wondering if we will still move to the house on our old street . . . those are not life and death issues.  We aren't in prison like Paul, being chased down by military enemies like David, or infected with sores all over our bodies like Job.  And yet, God cares about everything we're experiencing and He is watching over us, COMPLETELY aware of our circumstances.  These seasons are when the Lord shows us His creativity in answering our prayers.  He will not leave us hanging.  Yes, we may have to learn to wait.  But there is purpose in the waiting.  And His timing will be perfect.

"Wait for the Lord.
Be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord."
(Psalm 27:14)

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Lessons Learned From a Child

I've been in Oregon for about 5 days, with several more to go.  Enjoying every minute of getting to know sweet Charis.  It's amazing how much of her personality is already developing.
She's a very content baby.
She prefers to be swaddled very tightly.
She loves to be kissed all over her cheeks (well, I like to DO the kissing so I'm just blindly assuming she likes it!).
She enjoys soft music (her favorite so far is "Dreamsongs", a lullabye album by Kirk Dearman).
She's a good sleeper, although she seems to sleep more soundly during the day than she does at night.  But that will get changed around in time.

We've kind of settled into a routine each morning in the Bohler home that I really love.  Around 5:30 a.m. or so, Kelsey brings Charis into me, so that she and Zach can get some more concentrated rest.  Charis will have been fed and I try to keep her happy for 2-3 hours, until her next feeding.  These several hours have been wonderful bonding times for Charis and her Mimi (at least Mimi thinks so :).  We talk about things, sing some songs, talk some more, look around the room as the sun begins to peek through the blinds, then when her eyes start to get heavy, I settle her in to snuggle next to me and sleep.  Precious, memorable, sacred time together.


Charis in a little sleeper Mimi bought for her.  Note the butterflies . . . 


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A more awake Charis, during one of our morning talks together


Several years ago, Dick and I wrote a song called "The Lessons Learned From a Child".  The chorus went like this:
I want to learn all there is to know
Cause they're small for just a little while
Let me have the faith to see
Through the eyes of a child

Charis is teaching Mimi little lessons in contentment, trust, resting, unconditional love.
She's teaching me that as we spend time together, we not only bond deeper, but we learn more about each other.  I love this little girl!  And look forward to the day she comes to know her Heavenly Father.  He already knows her, of course . . . 
"I have cared for you since you were born.  Yes, I carried you before you were born."  (Isaiah 46:3b)
And one day, she will know Him.  

The last verse of our song went like this (now, I substitute the word "granddaughter" for "daughter" even though it may not sing quite as well).    :)
As I hold my daughter close to me
I feel her trust and loyalty
She's taught me what love is supposed to be
Oh, the lessons learned from a child
Oh, the lessons learned from a child



Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Mimi meets Charis

Yesterday afternoon July 20, at approximately 4:40 p.m., I (Mimi) met my first grandchild Charis Lynlee Bohler.  Any words I could write to try and describe the feeling of holding her in my arms would fall so short of the deep, actual emotions of my heart.

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Amazing.
Marvelous.
Life altering.
Precious.
Tender.
Treasured.
Sweetness.

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Priceless.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Unexpected Blessings




Oh the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God.  How unsearchable 
His judgments and His paths beyond tracing out.  (Romans 11:33)


"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways", declares the Lord.  (Isaiah 55:8)


For You created my inmost being, You knit me together in my mother's womb . . . 
All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.  
(Psalm 139:13, 16)


Many of you have probably heard by now that Kelsey had her baby on Wednesday of this week.  4 weeks early.  With an emergency c-section.


Here's the short version of the story:   The baby had been incredibly active all through the pregnancy, up until this particular Wednesday morning.  Kelsey had gotten acquainted with her movements ~ the timing, the regularity, the intensity.  That awareness possibly saved baby Charis' life.


As the morning of July 14 progressed, Kelsey noticed that the baby didn't seem to be moving at all.  She called her doctor, who suggested that she drink a full glass of ice water, and if the baby wasn't stimulated by that in about 5 minutes, they should head to the hospital.  She drank.  Nothing happened.  They made their way to Mercy Hospital in Roseburg, Oregon.


As they were checking in, Zach called to tell us the news.  The plan would be to see if there was still a heartbeat, and obviously try to figure out what was happening.  They hooked Kelsey up to many machines and found that yes, there was a heartbeat, but the doctors weren't sure if the baby was functioning properly.


At this point, prayers began . . .


About 20 minutes later, Zach sent a text saying, "Prepping for a c-section.  Will keep you updated.  Love you."


Prayers got more regular and fervent . . .


A few minutes later, Zach and I began a text conversation:


"Kels is in there.  They won't let me go in yet, but I'll go in a minute.  Kels is having a hard time, but no news on Charis yet."
"What kind of a hard time?  Physically?  Emotionally?"
"Yeah, just emotionally."
"How are you?"
"Okay.  I wish they would let me in."
"Me too, Zach.  Don't understand that.  Hang in there.  Cast your cares on Him.  Be strong in the Lord.  Love you so."


Let me interject this word picture here:  you know the time period when a spacecraft re-enters the earth's atmosphere and for whatever reason, they are not able to communicate with the ground crew?  It's called "blackout time" and it was portrayed intensely in the movie "Apollo 13".  At this point in our day, July 14th, we were experiencing blackout time.  We didn't know what was happening on the other side of the USA.  We prayed, we committed this family to the Lord, we waited . . .


After an ETERNITY (probably 30 minutes) the phone finally rang.  Zach, on the other end, said 6 words that were the greatest words he could have ever uttered.
We have a healthy baby girl!


Charis Lynlee Bohler made her entrance into the world at 12:44 p.m. PST.  She weighed 5 lb., 6 oz. and was 18 inches long.  They did an emergency c-section and as Charis came out, she uttered the cry that her mom and dad were longing to hear.  Zach said that he and Kelsey added their own tears to that moment.


What caused all the drama?  We don't really have the answers we'd like, but one thing that was found during the surgery was that it looked as if the umbilical cord was detaching from the placenta for some reason.  The baby wasn't getting the full oxygen, nutritional connection that should have been there.  But from all indications, God protected her and saved her!


Charis is dealing with a few premie issues, and will have to remain the hospital a few days more than if she had been born closer to her due date.  But all in all, she is just what Zach said ~ a healthy baby girl.


Now, it's time for the pictures!  You can bet that this blog will continue to display photographs of this precious little one as she grows . . . our online brag book!


Charis Lynlee Bohler


Holding Daddy's hand


Proud Daddy and his girl


Mommy and her baby girl


The Bohler family of 3


Charis, you came a little earlier than we expected!  Will this be a sign of things to come?  Who knows?  We're just thankful you're here.  And we can't wait to meet you!  

In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.  (Proverbs 16:9) 






Thursday, July 8, 2010

Travels

For about 15 years, we were on the road mostly performing concerts in local churches.  The girls grew up traveling with us, meeting lots of pastor's kids, staying in hotels.  It's a life that definitely has its perks ~ getting to know new people, seeing fun places, and of course, the incredible opportunity of using our God-given talents in music ministry.  Through the last several years, our lives have taken a different road . . . we were on staff at FBC, Columbia and Dick has been on the road with Steve Green.

We now find ourselves in this new chapter of life . . . Dick is still playing for Steve, but now our phone is beginning to ring again with opportunities for the two of us to be out and about again.  We just got home from about 10 days on the road together ~ first, at the Lifeway Worship Conference in Ridgecrest, NC and from there, to the Alton Bay Christian Conference Center in Alton, NH.  Here's a little taste of our trip.

At Ridgecrest, Dennis Jernigan was one of the evening concert artists.  A fun connection with Dennis is that his wife, Melinda, and I went to high school together.  Melinda and I were both involved in women's choir, mixed choir, PR groups, piano ensembles . . . lots of music connections. Talk about a small world!

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This is Dick with Dennis Jernigan, writer of MANY Christian music favorites . . .
"You Are My All in All" . . . "Who Can Satisfy" . . . 

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Mel and Melinda Jernigan, high school buddies

In Alton Bay, we did a concert on the grounds at an open air church.  Talk about quaint and charming!

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July 4th was a free day for us, and we tooled around Lake Winnipesaukee (remember "What About Bob?" and "On Golden Pond"?)  We stumbled on to a Fourth of July parade in the oldest resort town in the U.S. ~ Wolfeboro, NH.  Enjoy some highlights . . . 

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Beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee

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Loved this place for obvious reasons :)

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The parade begins

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Nothing says America like a Fife and Drum Corps on July 4th

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Pretty fun idea!  The Flag People

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Many of you know about my new love for butterflies . . . I just had to sit in this chair!

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We needed this peaceful day to just take a deep breath and be together.

Little did we know that the next day, when we traveled back to Nashville, our trip would not be so relaxing.  Up at 4:15 a.m., drove an hour to the airport in Manchester, caught a 7:00 flight to Philadelphia, changed planes and flew to Charlotte, one more flight on to Asheville.  We went to pick up our car at a hotel lot and saw that the rear door had been bashed in pretty severely.  One of our suitcases didn't make it (until the next flight an hour later).  And the final blow came when Dick's travel accordion was inadvertently run over by the shuttle driver as he backed over it.  THEN, we had to drive the 5+ hours back to Nashville.

Glad to be home, but enjoyed every minute of our trip (well, except the final day . . . ).  Hope you've had happy summer travels, too!