just one more soul

Today we have the home going celebration for Luke Onley. Another servant of God has gone home. In talking with Rebecca one of her desires is that someone may be saved as a result of the funeral services. Please be in prayer for this today. The service is at 10:00 and the grave site is at 2:00. Thank you for your support and compassion. -David.

My Brother in Law

Ever since I can remember Luke Onley was fairly quiet. But I saw him get fired up once. At his ordination a preacher asked him, with all the missionaries needing support what is going to make you stand out. Luke answering in the diplomatic way said if you want to support me then great if not God has some that will. But the preacher persisted, he wanted Luke to show what was going to set him apart from other missionaries. And Luke finally showed him. Luke opened his heart, and shared his desire to go to England, Showed his compassion for the people and his longing to see them come to a saving knowledge of Christ. I never said it but I looked up to Luke for his dedication and committment. And I thank God for having brought Luke into my life. I am a better person because of Luke Onley. - David

Luke Onley

Luke Onley, my brother in law, died Saturday night/sunday morning. He was returning with his home church from the Men's Advance in Oklahoma. From what I understand, in Limon they hit some black ice causing the vehicles to crash. For those of you that do not know Luke was a missionary on deputation to go to the field of England. Luke's heart for the people of England was always big. When my sister and he went on their survey trip if they could have afforded it, they would not have come back here. Luke leaves behind his wife, his daughter who is 13 months, and his son who is 2 weeks. Please be in prayer for the Onley/Phillips Families. The flood of support for my sister in this time of sorrow has been great. Luke has family travelling in from Washington, California, New Mexico, Texas, and Doc Onley coming in from off the Field. Thank you for your prayers and support, The Funeral Service will take place at First Baptist Church. The Church Address is 3190 S. Broadway. Englewood CO 80113.

School has Started!!!

Well, School has started! The kids have had four days of school so far, and Katarina, being a substitute has worked two days. One was for a funeral and the other was for a doctor's appointment. Yesterday we went and watched our Hot Springs Tigers scrimmage a couple of other teams in preparation for the football season, And we are ready for football to start. Next friday is our first home game. I found out this week that Nina and Nikki are playing volleyball. and I guess Melanie is a cheerleader. Morgan and Rey are talking about being on the football team, we will see if they really do though. so in short the fall is going to be a busy time sports wise. I am excited that school started again because maybe we will see some consistency in people again. Our attendance at church has been kind of like a yo-yo in that one week it can be great and the next not so great. BUT God has been working! Last week Paul and Tabitha joined the church, Paul will join through baptism when his family is able to come down. I am excited to see what God has next for them. They are in the process of trying to buy a house, they have a cute little boy "JP" and they are looking forward to settling into their lives here in Truth or Consequences. The Travis family has decided to move down here too. Mr. Travis was a contractor that built our church. Oh, and Mr. and Mrs. Duffy are in the process of moving back to T or C. I guess they lived here before and then moved and now have decided to move back. God is working in New Testament Baptist Church, Through it all we must remember that WITH GOD ALL THIS ARE POSSIBLE!!! - David

In Colorado

Well, Katarina, Bambi and I are in Colorado. We came here for my brother in laws ordination service. Luke will be ordained friday night. I think that Katarina and I figured out that we are too old to be trying to drive over night. We wanted to get to Raton which is about 5 and a half hours from the house. as we got close we thought that maybe we would be better off going another 30 minutes and getting the pass out of the way. Well we got to Trinadad and were totally exausted. After sleeping (sorta) for a few hours we drove into Castle rock. Once in Castle Rock, Trina had a chiropractor appointment and she feels alot better now then yesterday. We got into denver about 11 and will be here for the week. We need to get some things laminated for the church. Katarina and I were going to go look at some music for our church specials. And I left with our sound system at our church broke. Pastor is going to take it down to Cruces to see if it can be fixed. We think the lightening storm may have fried some if not all of the system. After I managed to work out a make shift system for sunday I got to thinking that it may be one of the amplifiers as well as the board and mixer. Hopefully it will not take to much to be fixed. Thank you everyone for everything. -David

School

The teens may me but School is about to start and I can't wait. I have been waiting all summer for football season. I really enjoy going to the games and being able to cheer on our team. Rey and Morgan said that they were going to play this year (they are 7th and will only play in three games) I told them I would try to go to them. Katarina is looking forward to going to the Varsity football games. I got her hooked on them. Our Varsity team is ranked 1st in our district. Which is cool but no big accomplishment since there are only four teams. They hope to be able to do well this year. Last year was a little bit of a let down. None of our varisty teams in any sport had a winning season. Someone said it was the seniors and that they had been for the most part losing ever since seventh grade, so now we should be able to get back to our winning ways. Football season is coming and all I can say is GO TIGERS. - David

In Memory

Today is July 22, 2009. Two years ago my son Keagen Ty Phillips passed away. I still remember thinking that it was not good that a specialist was wanting to talk to Katarina and I. I still think about having to sign the papers. And watching as the nurses and staff cleared the NICU. The other parents were asked to leave. We (Katarina, Me, and our parents) got to say goodbye to Keagen. A little bit later he was gone. It was hard for me losing my son. It was hard for my parents losing their grandson. But I think that it was especially hard on Katarina and her family see on July 22, 2009 they lost Keagen and Katarina lost a grandma. Some people don't realize the wave of emotions that was going through Katarina and I. anxious excitment as Keagen was being born. Fear and confusion as we found out there was complications. Anger, exaustion, peace, frustration, saddness, and every other emotion as we found out that he had died.
Keagen died on a sunday. We had his viewing wednesday afternoon. At the evening service Katarina played the piano and I led the songs. Thrusday morning was his funeral. Following that we loaded up in Jimmy's pickup and headed to Kansas. Katarina's Grandma's funeral was Friday morning. Then Saturday morning we went to Denver to see Luke and Rebecca (my sister) married.
Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways adknowledge him and he shall direct thy path. God will take care of you. Regardless of what comes up in your life "God still thinks he's God." God cares for you, and he will guide you.
Through it all, God has been with us. Caring for us, comforting us, watching over us. We don't understand why it happened the way it did, but we do trust in the Lord. We Trust him to keep his promise that he will never leave us or forsake us. We Trust him to direct our path and guide us through this maze of life. We Trust that God is still in Control. - David

yard work

So, anyone who has been to our house knows that when we bought the house it was more of a fixer up than anything. We are still finding things that were done wrong. Don't get me wrong the house is liveable and comfortable. Life seems to not slow down but finally it did and Katarina and I undertook the task of removing the rocks from the center and relaying plastic, screening out the dirt from the rocks and replacing the rock. This circle once was full of yucca, cactus and well just about anything that would grow. we have all the rocks removed and now have sprayed the ground to kill the roots and weeds still trying to grow. we still need to screen and replace the rocks but it makes me feel good. This project will cost us about $25.00. That's it. Katarina and I have a list of projects that cost much more but we don't have much more. We do all the work, so we don't have to pay anyone to do it (though it would be easier that way). But finally we are getting some things done with our house. I know, we are just moving the rocks, but we are making our front more inviting. Instead of a center to the drive full of weeds and whatever, we will have a center that is rocked and ready for whatever landscaping, or decorating idea we have. I am glad that we have the health and the ability to work on our own home. Last year with Katarina's chemo (from complications with the miscarriage) she was not supposed to be in the sun and well it is no fun being out there without her. I guess I should wrap this up. Thank you for reading my ramblings.

Keagen Ty Phillips

Tomorrow will be two years. Two years ago my son Keagen Ty Phillips was born. Complications came with him and on July 22 he passed away. I have said it before and I will say it again, My son touched more lives in his four days alive then some people will living to be 100. As I write this I find myself revising it alot. Trying to make sure that I don't come across bitter. Because I know that God will take care of Katarina and I. I know that Keagen is with HIM. and I know that through everything we have been through God is the only constant.
Others may forget what happened with Keagen. But I don't, Katarina doesn't. Some may think they know what we are going through but they can't know for sure. Not a day goes by that we don't think of him. Some days are harder than others. Some days I don't want to get up. Others I don't want to talk to anyone. And yet we keep on. We are faithful to our God day after day.
Tomorrow July 18 2009 is two years from the day that Keagen Ty was born. and July 22 will be two years of his passing. Please understand that these days will be trying for us. Pray for us. and ask yourself if you are doing all that you can for God. God bless you. -David

Back from camp!!

Sorry I didn't post earlier. I guess I just didn't want to dive back into our wonderful world of technology. At camp we had four girls make a profession of faith. One is sort of questioning her decision and we are planning on talking to her tomorrow. One of the girls that got saved also surrendered her life to Christian Service. Our camp week was excellent. Our teens are supposed to give their testimony on sunday. Hopefully these will be more than just a couple weeks committment. I got back on track, I had been rushing my personal devotions and made a choice that GOD was going to be my priority. Thank you to all that prayed for our youth group as we went to camp. David

Off To Camp

Well tomorrow we head off to camp. Last year we had a group of 7 and this year after a possibility of 18 we are going to be taking a group total of 9. That was a little discouraging but I know that Great things are waiting for us at Silver State Baptist Youth Camp. Once again I am only taking one boy. Last year I took Logan and he had a good time, but he moved. This year I am taking Jarod. He is excited, I don't know if it is about going or being the only boy. But he is ready to go. There are a few things that are making this year unique before we even go, but I think I have got all that worked out. PLEASE be in prayer for us this week as we are taking up 4 teens that have not been to camp before. Thank you to everyone for your prayer and support. I will hopefully be posting in about a week about how camp went. -David

quick update

So Our parking lot sale was a huge success. We were able to raise a little over 1500 dollars. I still think that people have way to much junk but at least we were able to sell it. Since I last posted Katarina has been asked to be a fill in at Sarah's wedding in Albuquerque. so tomorrow we will be heading up there. Most of our teens still need to raise about 50 dollars to have the funds to attend camp. We took one out the other day and in an hour and fifteen minutes she raised 177 dollars. Once she started she saw how easy it was and easily passed the 50 she needed to raise. in a week and a half we will be leaving for youth camp. Like almost every other church we will leave after the morning services and our drive is about 9 hours. I know of another church that drives from Maryland (not our week though) and one comes from bakersfield california, so our drive is actually fairly short. I know that this post is all over the place and I guess that is a result of the way my life is right now. I found out this morning that a member of our church nearly died from some heart problems. and everything is rushing toward us with a full head of steam. Please pray for Edd Proft, for our teens as we go to camp, for Sarah's wedding, for everything that is going on in our crazy lives right now. If we blink we will miss everything. Thank you for your time and for your prayers. -David

people and junk

One thing I have noticed in getting ready for our Annual Parking Lot Sale is that people like junk. And what seems like stupid junk to me is the must have for others. This week Katarina and I have been sorting through, pricing, and cleaning all the stuff that everyone has donated. Our Yard sale, unlike others, has everything priced to go. I did some checking and most of the stuff that we sale is priced at 10-20 percent of the regular price. Our shoes are 2 dollars a pair. Last year we sold washers and dryers for 40 dollars. If anything we price things too low. But I figure if we price it all low we can get rid of more and people will be more tempted to buy more. Last year this fundraiser brought in over 1000 dollars, and based on the items we have this year I am anticipating a profit of only 400-700 dollars. Of course just this week we have sold about 50 dollars worth of stuff so far, that is nice because it gives us a base amount for Saturday. Hopefully we will have a good fundraiser and we will be able to raise all the money needed to go to camp. I heard that my brother raised all the money for the teens in a dessert auction, we may try it this next year. In case you have not figured it out, This blog is my destresser. I use it to get out what I am thinking so that I don't worry about it. I hope that through them you are encouraged, challanged, and inspired. Thank you.

Double Standard

Why is it that people must have double standards? They expect one thing of themselves and another of everyone else. Why are they so much easier on themselves? Why can't they just be real? If you don't expect yourself to live up to those standards then don't expect others to do that. Parents expect the school and the church to be able to control their kids but the truth is that the parents can't control their kids. Why should the school/church be the primary place for education? Parents spend way more time with their kids and yet they can never take the time to teach their own offspring.
Well, maybe it is for the best. If some people were to be the primary educator of their kids the kids would be in for a world of hurt. A teacher was telling me the other day that a parent came in and was asking why their kid was having problems listening and getting their assignments done. The teacher asked how do they do at home. The parent had to admit it was about the same. At some point in time we have gotten off track. No longer is it the parent's responsibility to educate their children, now it is the school and the church.
Am I saying that if you send your kid to public school you are in the wrong? As a Public School educated kid, NO I am not. But what I am saying is that if you do not take the time to instill in your children your standards, then how can you turn around and hold the school or the church responsible. We as a people have got away from the idea that the kid is to be educated by the parents. We have forgotten that the Public School is suppose to be one of many tools to educate your child. When will the teachers and the educators stand up and say YOU as parents must take your position as primary educator of your kids.

Suprises !!!

I should probably tell you a little about me but that is going to have to wait. I have something else I was wanting to get out. I guess that I shouldn't really be suprised but Saturday we were at the kindergarten graduation and one of the teachers got up and thanked Katarina and I for being at "all the kids activities." We go, because we want our church kids and teens to see us involved in their life. We want them to see that we are taking a special interest in them outside of church. I felt honored that a teacher would notice that we are "at everything," and I wondered if the people in our church knew how invoved we were. Sure they see us interacting with the kids at church but do they really know that there are some weeks that we go to a game or activity almost every day? Do they know that we don't just preach to the kids at the church but we try to practice what we preach in front of them through out the week. Sometimes I wonder how valuable Katarina and I are in the eyes of our church members. That being said, Last night after church Katarina and I were getting ready to head home and Mrs. Emery came up and asked if we had any kids to take home, then said that Bro. Emery and she would like to take us out to Denny's. I know this may not be a big thing to some but the Emery's were one of the first to feel led to help us financially when we were going through everything with Keagen. and Bro. Emery makes it a point to ask God to help Katarina and I as we lead the Youth. I am really thankful to the Emery's. At a point when I was wondering if anyone cared and if anyone noticed what we do, they reminded me that they do. It is amazing how God will send those people to encourage you when it seems like you need it the most. If you are faithful to Him, He will be faithful to you.