THIS IS WHO WE ARE

This is what we do for the joy of the King,
For His peaceable Kingdom,
For a world in despair.
And this is why we bring any hope we can give,
Any bread from the table,
Any touch of His hand.
This is what we do.
This is where we go.
This is why we sing.
This is how we live.
This is who we are.


Thursday, September 25, 2008

Francis and Billie: My Parents-In-Law

Lyn just spent a long weekend with her parents in Lakeland, FL.  She had a wonderful visit with them and took several pictures--some of which I'm posting here.  (The one above is of Lyn and her folks--Francis and Billie Joyce Reid--at the Red Lobster in Winter Haven, FL, after church Sunday.)

A few personal words here.  I have been greatly blessed to have these amazing saints as parents-in-law.  When Lyn and I first started out in marriage and ministry, we lived about 40 miles away from her folks. They helped us in countless ways as we settled into the day-to-day, week-to-week aspects of homemaking and ministry. I couldn't even begin to list all the things that they did to help us poor-as-church-mice newlyweds live comfortably. Lyn's dad was always a master of repairing things and building useful things out of materials at hand. He wasn't a "master carpenter" or craftsman, but the quintessential practical fixer-maker.  We still have the cradle he built when Lyn was pregnant with Kristi.  It will probably still be here when we're long gone.

When I was young and clueless about practical matters of ministry, I spent hundreds of hours in their parsonage living room, asking questions and learning much from their years of practical experience. I will treasure the memories of those conversations always.  (To this day, whenever I happen to look at a clock and see 12:22, I always think of them and those conversations:  they lived at 1222 Baldwin Drive in Orlando.)

Thank you, Mom and Dad Reid!


Billie and Francis at the fireplace at the 
Cracker Barrel Restaurant in Lakeland

Billie on her daddy's lap.  Her dad was
"Bill" Holmes--her namesake (she was the first-born)

Billie and her brother and sister (Damon and Barbara)
I'm thinking the sun was in their eyes--they're TRYING to smile!

Billie with her parents Bill and Pearl Holmes
at Billie's high school graduation

The Holmes siblings--grown up--with their parents

A four-generation picture:  L-R, Lyn's great-grandmother,
Stella Daymond; grandmother, Pearl Holmes; Billie, and
Lyn around age 13.


Lyn's grandmother's family.  She (Pearl) is on the left;
Great-grandma Daymond is in the center.  The other 
folks are Pearl's brothers and sisters.


This is the movie theatre in Lakeland where Lyn used to
enjoy films with her Aunt Barb.  (Elvis appeared here
once--Lyn's grandma was there!)


Lyn's folks eat lunch at Wendy's nearly every day of the week!
(This picture, however, is at Cracker Barrel, Lyn corrected.)

Lyn's brother Dan lives near their parents.  Here he and Billie are
 with Dan's wife Angie and 2 of
 their children--Seth and Danielle.

Dan's first-born, Nate, with Billie at half-time 

Francis with John Hasty (L) and Jim Reed.  John was 
the founding president of Florida Christian College (which
met on the campus of First Christian Church in Orlando
where Francis ministered for 14 years.  Jim is the 
minister of the church in Winter Haven where Francis
 and Billie attend each week.

Billie is the organist at Winter Haven Christian Church.
Impressive for an octogenarian survivor of a broken hip!

2 comments:

Kristi said...

I loved looking at these pics. Especially the 4 generation picture. Mom looks the same as when she was 13 (she just has better hair!!!!)

Also...jeez louise. Grandma was a hot little thing! :o)

johnsonandjohnson said...

that's funny---when I was looking at these pictures on my phone---I wasn't reading the captions too much. I saw the picture of mom at age 13 and thought, that woman looks just like mom---then I read the caption. She looks the same!

Mom---I looked at the picture again, I don't really see Emily in it....I see Adam.