Is December Really Here?, Christmas Party, and Other News

Friends:

Good evening. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I know we did. We returned home from New Mexico yesterday afternoon. The trip was great, although I would have preferred to hear the Baylor Bear football team pull out a victory on the way home!

SNACK REMINDER

Us Nulls brought the goodies this morning. Next week, the Mays are in charge. Thanks for taking care of us, Steve and Jennifer! And, speaking of the Mays . . . . . .

CHRISTMAS PARTY NEXT SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MAY HOME!

Don't forget. Our annual Christmas party will take place next Saturday, December 6th, at 6:00 p.m. at the home of Steve and Jennifer May. I will send directions later this week. Rumor has it that Santa may make an appearance! In lieu of gifts, we plan, as usual, to purchase baby gifts for CareNet. This is a great way for us to bless parents with kids who need our help. You can buy diapers, baby toys, or anything else you think would be appropriate for little ones. If you wish to contribute, please bring your gift to the party next Saturday and I will deliver everything to CareNet.

Finally, I ask that you please send me an RSVP so that we can have an estimate as to how many people will attend. Of course, kids are welcome!

PRAYERS AND PRAISES

As usual, we have a number of prayers and praises for this week.

Praise God for little Severus's baptism! Everything went great this morning. Let's say a big praise for the Sanchez family!

Let's continue our prayers for our expectant mommies: Shannon Smith and Elizabeth Nemec.

Bernie Hookham brought a praise this morning that her sister had her baby. The baby's name is Zackery (yes, I'm spelling it right). He is healthy and mommy is doing well. Praise God for the great news!

Bernie also would like for us to pray for the daughter of one her partner's at work. She recently had a kidney transplant. Please pray for her complete and speedy recovery.

Jeff Fadal would like for us to pray for his Dad. He will be having surgery in a couple of weeks to repair part of his heart. He has been experiencing an abnormal heart rate. Pray that everything will go smoothly with the surgery and that Jeff's Dad will feel better soon.

We need to continue our prayers for Brian, Amy, and Mallory. Word is that Mallory is doing a bit better with her formula, but let's continue to pray for her and for Brian and Amy as they ask Santa for some sleep. : )

Please continue your prayers for Teresa Sullivan's Dad.

Dana would like for everyone to pray for her sister Shannon and the family of her friend Manuel. Manuel past away last week following an aneurysm. He was only 46, and the family has two kids. Please pray for comfort for everyone who is grieving this very sad loss. The funeral is tomorrow.

Greg Hudson has asked that we pray for the Patterson family. They have had two family deaths in just the last few weeks. Please pray for comfort and strength for them.

Last but not least, let's say a praise for great Thanksgiving holiday. Everyone I talked with this morning said they had a restful and enjoyable Thanksgiving. Praise God for a great week!

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As for next week's class, we will continue with the theme of Excellence by looking at how Honesty interacts with this idea. If you have a chance, take a look at Jeremiah 15:10-21 before next Sunday morning.

Dana and I hope that everyone can make it to the Christmas party next Saturday! This will be a great opportunity for us to spend some fellowship time together outside of class as well as celebrate this sacred season. Don't forget to RSVP!

Have a great week,

Wes

Prayer Request from Christina G.

Wes,

My friend Angela Brewster who taught middle school math passed away last night after being removed from life support. From what I understand, she got pneumonia, and due to a lack of oxygen to her brain, she was literally brain dead. I know that she was married and had a son. I am not sure if she had anymore children. She was a phenomenal math teacher and a great person. Please pray for her husband, son, and family during this difficult and emotional holiday season.

In Him,

Christina

Happy Thanksgiving, Prayers, and News

Margaret Hargrave Pieratt (1974-2008)

--You didn't know her, but she was a good friend to Dana and me. She was a terrific friend, a true joy to be around.

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Friends:

Good evening. Hope you've enjoyed your weekend. As for us, we spent some time putting up the Christmas tree this afternoon. It's feeling a bit like the holidays at the Null home!

CHRISTMAS PARTY AT THE MAY HOME!

Right off the bat tonight, I want to remind everyone that our Christmas party will take place at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 6th. If you haven't yet, be sure to mark your calendars! Instead of hosting the party at our home (as I mentioned last week), we have decided to have it at the home of Steve and Jennifer May. This will be a great opportunity for us to enjoy the Mays' beautiful new home! When the date gets a bit closer, Jennifer will send directions. Thanks for hosting us, Steve and Jennifer! They live in China Spring. We're looking forward to it!


PRAYERS AND PRAISES

We have a number of prayers this week. First off, Dana and I would like for you to pray for the family of Margaret Pieratt. You see her picture above (on the blog). Margaret was a good friend of ours from college. She was one of Dana's Chi Omega sorority sisters. To make a long story short, she died tragically late Thursday night/early Friday morning due to carbon monoxide poisoning at a home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Margaret's children were in Dallas with her husband. Margaret was in New Mexico helping a friend pack to move to Dallas. She has two young children, ages 5 and 2 (we think). This is, of course, a very sad and tragic death. Please pray for everyone who has been affected. Margaret was a good friend to many of us during college. By way of tribute, I've posted her picture above. She was originally from Carlsbad, New Mexico, and has many family there. The funeral will take place in Carlsbad Tuesday afternoon. Thank you for your prayers for her family and, especially, for her two children.

Vince has asked us to pray for Mary as she works to finalize the closing on her grandmother's home. It looks like the closing should take place soon. Pray that everything will go well. Pray, also, for Mary as she juggles so many responsibilities in her life right now, not to mention that precious new girl Malia!

Vince was a bit hesitant to give us this prayer, but I believe in praying for pets! Vince lost one of his cats a few weeks ago. Her name was Kipp. Please pray for Vince as he gets accustomed to life without Kipp.

Ben Sanchez would like for us to pray for his parents as they travel from Colorado to visit them this week. Pray for safe travel and an enjoyable Thanksgiving while they're here.

Also for the Sanchez family, Nicki would like for us to pray for her little brother Jessie. He recently started a Christian rock band that has had some great success already. Please pray that God will be with Jessie and his band as they launch a new album.

We need to pray for everyone who will be traveling this week for Thanksgiving. Here are the folks I know about: Teresa & Ben Sullivan, Greg & Courtney Hudson, and us Nulls.

Shannon Smith would like for us to pray for her son Colton. He will have surgery on Tuesday. Pray that everything will go smoothly for Colton, that he will recover quickly, and that he will have an enjoyable Thanksgiving.

Jennifer May would like for us to pray for her school as they search for a new Assistant Principal. Pray that God will help them to find the right person.

Also with the Mays, Steve goes to Dallas tomorrow for another interview. Please pray that everything will go well for Steve and that God will lead him to the right position. We'll be anxious to hear how it goes, Steve. Keep me posted!

Last but not least, we certainly need to continue our prayers for Teresa Sullivan's Dad. He is still having a hard time with shortness of breath. Pray that he will take things slowly as he goes back to work. Pray, also, that he will make steady progress each day. We also need to pray hard for the Sullivans because Teresa's Mom is looking for a new job. Please pray that God will lead her where she needs to be. We are praying for you, Teresa! Hang in there!

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I think that covers everything for today. I truly hope that all of you have a joyful Thanksgiving. May God be present with us as we celebrate with family, and may we thank God for everything that he has given to us.

Safe travels. See you next Sunday morning.

Wes and Dana

P.S.--Here are some additional prayer requests/praises from Christina Gilliam. Thanks for praying for her concerns:

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Wes,

Here are some prayer concerns I have:

I am struggling in my faith and what God has in store for me.

I am still struggling financially (which is hard when my significant other makes a lot of money) and it is very humbling.

I am frustrated with some things and decisions I will have to make soon.

Praises:

I get to see my significant other in a few weeks

My aunt and uncle are coming to visit for almost a week! which rarely happens.

Thanks, Wes.

--Christina

Update on Teresa Sullivan's Dad

Friends:

See the update below from Teresa Sullivan. Thank you for your continued prayers for her Dad.

Wes

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Wes:

Sorry I haven't emailed before now. Dad is at home now, taking medicine to help with the enlarged heart. He is still being monitored closely. He has to weigh himself everyday and if he has gained any weight at all, he needs to go straight to the ER because it is likely water around his heart and could cause a major heart-attack. He is still short of breath and doesn't sleep well because of it, but he is still on the mend. It is basically a wait and see time right now. He is at home for at least another two weeks before any doctor releases him to go back to work, however minor that it is. That's about it for an update. Ben will be heading into Granbury on Friday to help with things around the house and we will all go to Granbury for Thanksgiving. We hope to be in church this weekend, but of course, Dad comes first. If you could keep him on the prayer list I would appreciate it. He is not the sort of guy to sit around and watch TV all day, so it is particularly hard for him.

Teresa Sullivan

Uh, Winter's Here, and Other Prayers

Friends:

Good afternoon! Hope you're enjoying the cooler weather. I know that I am! I guess this means that winter has arrived?

Is there any way that I can start off without bragging on the Baylor Bears? Take that, Aggies! All in all, it's been an exciting weekend for Baylor athletics. On top of the football win and the Men's basketball smashing last night, the Lady Bears, at this writing, are up by 1 at half-time against #2 Stanford. Go Lady Bears!

Speaking of sports, let's say a big thanks to Vince & Mary E. for bringing our donuts this morning. Appreciate it, guys! Next week, us Nulls are signed up. Us buying donuts will make the Null kids happy!

REMINDER ABOUT CHRISTMAS PARTY

I want to remind everyone that our annual Christmas Party will take place on Saturday, December 6th, at 6:00 p.m. We will be having a dessert reception. Dana and I will supply the drinks. For the rest of you, please bring your favorite dessert. Plan for an exciting time! The kids will enjoy playing with one of another. On top of that, rumor has it that Santa may indeed make another surprise appearance at our Christmas Party again this year! Don't miss it!

PRAYERS AND PRAISES

We have a number of prayers to get to this week. First off, Vince brought a praise that it looks as though Mary's grandmother's house will be sold soon. They received an offer right away. Praise God for this great news!

We also need to pray for Vince's parents, who are in town visiting this weekend. They will return home tomorrow. Please pray for their safe travel.

We learned this morning that Ms. Mallory Nicholson, the newest member of our class, has been having an allergic reaction to her milk. Yep, that's right. The Nicholsons are 3 for 3 when it comes to allergic babies. Please pray that Brian and Amy will get everything figured out so that Mallory will have the milk she needs. We're praying for you, Amy!

Brian VanZee is out of town this week hunting in South Dakota. Please pray for a safe and successful trip for him Let's also pray for Jill, Raelynn, and Breeley while Brian is out of town.

Steve May continues his hard work on the job front. He had several good interviews last week. Let's continue our prayers that God will put Steve to work exactly where he needs to be. Pray that God will be with the Mays as they make an important decision sometime soon, hopefully within the next 2-3 weeks. Pray for lots of good options for Steve.

Kristin Dobogai would like for us to pray for a friend of her Mom. She was diagnosed with cancer recently. Please pray for good treatment and better health soon for her.

Also from the Dobogais, Matt would like for us to pray for the lady here in town who had a car crash into her house last week. She is doing fine, but needs our prayers as she, literally, puts her house back together. Matt worked the scene and said that, as expected, she was having a hard time with what happened. Matt also would like for us to pray for the man who caused the collision.

Jennifer May would like for us to pray for the mother-in-law of one of her friends named Teresa. She has been diagnosed with cancer and is not doing well at all. Pray for strength, comfort, and healing for her and the family.

We need to continue praying for our expectant mommies: Elizabeth Nemec and Shannon Smith. Pray for full terms and healthy babies.

Let's also keep praying for the families in our class that are still working to sell their homes: the Schneiders, the Coltrains, and the Fadals. Pray for resolution!

Last but certainly not least, we need to keep up our prayers for Teresa Sullivan's Dad. Please pray for healing for Teresa's Dad and for safe travel for Teresa as she goes to be with him this weekend.

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I think that covers matters for today. Next week, we will continue our theme of "Excellence" by looking at a study on discernment. For those who want to read ahead, take a look at Jeremiah 7:1-15. Our lesson next week will focus on these passages. I think you'll enjoy it!

Dana and I hope that all of you have a great week. See you next Sunday. Thanksgiving in almost here!

God bless,

Wes and Dana

Teresa Sullivan's Dad, Your Prayers

Friends:

Please pray for Teresa Sullivan's dad and for her as she travels this weekend. See her message below. This sounds like a serious situation, so please pray that Teresa's Dad will get to feeling better very soon.

Wes

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Wes:

Could you add a prayer request to the list for this week? My father was admitted to the hospital on Monday after going to the doctor complaining of chest pains and shortness of breath. He was in the first stages of having a heartattack. He's been in the hospital since then undergoing tests. They finally told my mother last night that he has congenital heart failure. This is a worry because from what I know, it means that he doesn't have that long with us. Please pray for his health and for our family right now. We plan to head to Granbury this weekend to see him and check on my mom so i don't believe that we will be at church. I appreciate you adding him to the list. Thanks!

Teresa Sullivan

Prayers, News, and Christmas Party!

Friends:

Good evening, all! I hope you've enjoyed your weekend. First off, let's say a big thank you to the Goolsby family for bringing our snacks this morning. I think Sean had something to do with this! Next week, Vince and Mary are in charge. Thanks for taking care of us, Vince and Mary!

Let's go ahead and get to our prayers and praises before other news.

PRAYERS AND PRAISES

Steve May has been out of town this weekend. Please pray for his safe travel. Steve also has a few interviews lined up this week. Pray that everything will go well and that God will guide Steve to the right kind of position.

We need to continue our prayers for Bernie's sister, Margie. She should have her baby any day!

Brian VanZee is headed out of town this week for a trip to South Dakota. Please pray for his safe travel and for Jill, Raelynn, and Breeley while Brian is out of town. Be sure to call us, Jill, if you need anything!

Vince has asked us to pray for Mary and Malia. They are also headed to South Dakota (what seems to be a popular destination these days!) to visit Mary's family. Pray for a safe, enjoyable trip for Mary and Malia. Malia will get to see snow for the first time!

Also on the Vince front, Vince's parents are coming to visit later this week. Pray for their safe travel and for a good visit while in town.

Finally, Vince would like for us to pray for a friend of his from work named Dennis. Dennis's appendix ruptured last Tuesday. He is still incapacitated in the hospital. Please pray for everyone who is helping Dennis get back to full health.

Ben Sanchez has asked us to continue our prayers for their friend Jessica. She is currently living with Ben and Nicki. Jessica has four kids and currently no place to live. Please pray that Jessica will find the kind of home that she needs (by the way, we're working on a Christmas idea that will give us a way to help Jessica and her kids; more on this later).

One of Jeff Fadal's friends, Brittany, had emergency surgery this past week. Please pray for a quick and complete recovery for Brittany.

Jennifer May has parent-teacher conferences all day tomorrow. Pray that everything will go well at her school.

I would like for everyone to continue to pray for two families that are struggling with cancer: the Allen family and the Moore family. You can follow their stories here:

http://mjallenboys.blogspot.com/

http://andrewsupdates.typepad.com/
(for this one, use "andrew" for both username and password)

NEW BOOK NEXT WEEK

We've had good luck with the Bible studies series, so I think we'll start another one. This one is on "Excellence". I think you'll enjoy it. In case you want to buy it, click here.

The first lesson within the Excellence study is called "Pleading Inadequacy". For those of you who want to read ahead, take a look at Jeremiah 1:4-16.

DESSERT CHRISTMAS PARTY ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6TH, AT 6:00 P.M.!

Last but not least, us Nulls will be hosting a Dessert Christmas Party at 6:00 p.m. on December 6th at our home. I'll send directions when the date gets a bit closer. We have a Christmas party every year. Some years we have dinner and some we don't. For this year, we've decided to make it a party in which we have dinner beforehand on our own and then come over to our house for desserts and beverages. (With the exception of my world-famous little smokies. I'll have enough for everyone!). I hope that all of you can join us! Please put the date on your calendars. We'll work on the details later. Kids, of course, are more than welcome! We'll have ours!

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I think that takes care of everything for this Sunday. Have a great week, everyone. We'll look forward to seeing you next Sunday morning!

God bless,

Wes and Dana

Self-Sacrifice Tomorrow, Sic 'em Bears!

Friends:

Good morning! I hope everyone's enjoying the weekend. Just a quick reminder here to let you know what we will be discussing tomorrow in class. We will be looking at the virtue of "self-sacrifice" based on the scripture verses found in Mark 10:35-45. In these passages, Jesus is teaching James and John why self-sacrifice matters and how to develop this part of our character. If you have a chance, take a look. I'll bring copies of our lesson.

In other news, I predict a revolutionary victory for the Baylor Bears tonight! Sic 'em!

Dana and I look forward to seeing all of you in the morning.

Wes and Dana

At Last, Pictures of Mallory Grace!

Thanks for sending these, Amy.

Enjoy!

Wes

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Prayers, Lunch Pics, and Other News

Friends:

Good afternoon! Hope everyone has enjoyed this beautiful day. Thanks to everyone who made it to Fuddrucker's today after class. We had a great time! A lunch like this is an opportunity for us to enjoy some fellowship time outside of class. We'll plan to do it again a few months from now!

Hope you enjoy the photos. I realize these aren't of the highest quality, but, hey, I took them with my phone!

PRAYERS AND PRAISES

Let's go ahead and get to our prayers and praises.

Please continue your prayers for Amy Nicholson and Mallory. We should see pictures of Ms. Mallory any day now (but, of course, that's not a hint to Mr. Brian! : ) ). Brian says that Amy is recovering, but she still has a ways to go. Thank you for praying for strength and healing for Amy.

I would like for everyone to continue their prayers for Andrew Moore, the young boy is fighting cancer. His hand is recovering fine from surgery, but they recently discovered that the cancer has spread to his lymph nodes. He will need more surgery. Please pray for nothing but good news for Andrew. To keep up with his story, click on this link. The username and password are both "andrew".

http://andrewsupdates.typepad.com/

Lots of people struggling with cancer. I would like for you to continue praying for Jennifer Allen. You can follow her story here:

http://mjallenboys.blogspot.com/

Christina Gilliam's friend Vie (sp?) was recently diagnosed with liver cancer. She is 71. Please pray for her recovery as she battles the cancer. Pray, also, that she will allow her family to help her with the struggle.

Vince E.'s parents will be traveling this week to visit Ms. Malia, their new granddaughter! Please pray for a safe trip for them and an enjoyable visit with Vince, Mary, and Malia (or "Meela" as Corbin puts it!).

Also on the Mary front, she and Malia will be traveling to South Dakota later this week. Pray for a safe travel and a good visit with Mary's family.

Bernie Hookham has asked that we pray for her sister Margie. She is due to have her baby any day now. Please pray for a healthy baby, a smooth delivery, and a speedy recovery.

Nicki Sanchez would like for us to keep praying for her friend Jessica. It looks as though Jessica and her kids may be moving in with the Sanchez family for a few days while Jessica finds a new place to live. Please ask that God will be with Jessica during this difficult time.

Mary E. has a friend named Amy who is struggling with an MS flare up after having her latest child. Please pray for better days for Amy so that she can do all of the tasks that come with having a newborn at home.

Last but certainly not least, Jeff Fadal has a couple of prayers for us. First, Jeff's Dad has been experiencing some irregular heartbeats lately. It looks as though everything can be controlled with medication, but Jeff has asked that we pray for this condition to go away so that his Dad can be back to completely health. Second, Jennifer and Jeff are still working to sell their home. Please pray that a buyer will come along soon.

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I believe that covers things for today. Next week, we will continue our Bible Study by looking at the virtue of "self-sacrifice". Take a look at Mark 10: 35-45 if you have a chance.

Have a great week, everyone. We look forward to seeing you next Sunday morning!

God bless,

Wes and Dana