Class News April 27 Style, and Steve May is Out of Retirement!

Friends:

Good evening, all! Hope you've had a good weekend. If you didn't make it to class this morning, you missed some world class jokes. And I'm not kidding! I think folks even laughed today. I'm on a roll.

We also enjoyed celebrating Ms. Dana's birthday, which is tomorrow. Thanks to Jeff and Bernie for helping me to pull off the surprise. I thought we may as well do something exciting. Dana only turns 21 once, after all!

Thanks, also, to Jennifer and Steven Owens for bringing donuts. That's right; we had donuts and cake today! Glad to see that our health kick is paying real dividends these days. Next week is OPEN as far as snacks are concerned. Any volunteers? Let me know if you're interested.

I plan to send a separate message about the VanZee Brisket Blowout, but be sure to let us know by today if you plan to be there!


PRAYERS AND PRAISES

Franci and Robbie Rogers are traveling this week to Minnesota. Please pray for their safe travel.

We need to continue to pray for Amy Nicholson's dad. He's had a very difficult couple of weeks. Pray for comfort for Amy's family and for better days ahead.

We also need to keep up the prayers for Amy and the little baby she's carrying. Pray for health and strength for Amy and their baby boy. : )

Vince Erickson is in Arkansas this week. Pray for a good trip and safe travel for Vince.

Steve May has asked that we pray for one of his friends, Steve Fallon. Steve (Fallon, that is) had a heart attack last Sunday. After surgery that included 7 stints being put into his chest, he seems to be doing a bit better. Please pray for Steve's recovery.

Also on the May front, Steve brought a praise today that he and Benjamin had a great trip together this week to see Rush (the rock band, that is). They enjoyed some good male bonding time. This event also has led me to develop a new appreciation for Rush. I even got a free CD out of the deal. Thanks, Steve!

We need to pray for David and Ashlee McCrary. David has been looking at some job opportunities in Houston. Please pray for discernment and good decision-making for the McCrarys.

Jennifer May has asked that we pray one of her little ones at school. She has been having some difficult problems at home. Please pray for better days for her.

Let's pray for the Methodist Children's Home and everyone there who is helping the 45 or so kids that they recently received from West Texas. Pray, especially, for these kids as they go through such a difficult time of transition. Salley T., I suspect that you are in the middle of this effort. Please let us know how we can help. I know that several people in our class mentioned this morning that they would be interested in donating to the Children's Home to help with this effort. Be sure to let me know how we might be able to help.

Steven Owens mentioned this morning that someone in our church experienced a house fire last night, most likely due from a lightning strike. Off-hand, Steven couldn't remember the name of the people (it was an early morning call for our friend, the keeper of the peace, after all!), but please pray for the family. If anyone knows the name of who is dealing with this fire, please let me know.

Last but certainly not least, please pray that my beautiful wife Dana (yes, I'm sucking up here) will have a great birthday tomorrow. Happy Birthday, honey!

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BREAKING NEWS: STEVE MAY COMES OUT OF RETIREMENT!

I have an important announcement to make about our next class book. Unlike Brett Favre, Steve May is coming out of retirement (but as a teacher, not a quarterback). Steve has run across a book that he would like to teach to our class. I think this is a terrific idea. The book is called Lord, Save Us From Your Followers: Why is the Gospel of Love Dividing America? For more, click here. I think the book will lead to some very good discussions. Thanks to Steve for thinking of the book!

As others of you run across other books, I would like to do more of this. As I've said many times, this is OUR class, not MY class (or Dana's class!). The more we share our interests and our walk with God, the better. So, if others of you out there have a book that you think our class would enjoy reading, please let me know! I certainly don't have to teach every class. I would like to see us share in the teaching as much as possible. Steve will plan to start with the book on May 18th. It should take 5 weeks or so. By popular demand, I have agreed to continue to bring along my world-winning jokes. I'll also continue to take care of prayers, the blog, our weekly newsletter/email, and related matters. I look forward to Steve leading us through this book!

I think that covers class matters for this Sunday. In a separate message, I will send out everything that will help us to get organized for the Brisket Blowout.

Have a great week, everyone. See you next Sunday morning!

Wes and Dana (the birthday girl)