The Neely Team

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.” Psalm 84:11

Graduation… a time to reflect on the abundant goodness of the Lord in the past. A time to evaluate your direction in life in the light of Scripture. A time to set goals and make decisions. A time to commit everything anew to the Lord, knowing that in His perfect sovereignty, He will work it all together for His own glory, and your best good.

By God’s grace, I walked through this door this past Saturday as we celebrated my high school graduation. Many dear friends and family members came to join the festivities, and the Lord gave us a joyful, tremendously encouraging afternoon and evening together.

An oh-so-extra-special blessing was having both grandmothers there, as well as a dear cousin who came all the way from NY at the age of 94 to see her namesake graduate! 

Family shots

Music presentation

Fellowship…  glorious fellowship!

Willing helpers

An emerging tradition – that of doing some shooting after the graduation — turned into a painful, educational, and actually quite hilarious experience. (That 50-caliber beast – an elephant gun for safari hunting that was loaned to us for the occasion – had the audacity to “scope” us!) Needless to say, for the rest of the evening, we sported beautiful cuts and goose eggs.

To God be the glory!

… and learned just how much we REALLY appreciate our siblings!

You know, there are times in life when you imagine something beautiful… something perfect… something romantic…… to commemorate, bless, or honor someone or something or some occasion… you just want to make things extra special. You imagine a peaceful atmosphere, complete with candles, a well-thought-out note of love, maybe even roses or daisies…

And (sorry to tell you this), there are times in life when your dreams of fun, fluff, and fantasy just don’t happen!

That’s when you get a prime opportunity to trust in our Sovereign, loving God and blossom right where He places you!

We let you all know about Sibling Appreciation Day, all the while mentally preparing for our own celebration (a lovely picnic by the river). Then……………

There was mulch to spread!

(A HUGE, double-load.)

We faced a choice. Not exactly whether or not to spread the mulch, but whether or not to spread it with joyful hearts, accomplishing the duty set before us with smiles and laughter.

By God’s grace, the Team collectively chose to do right.

Though the evening’s events were completely different than we had anticipated, we were all reminded again just how much we really appreciate our siblings (just you imagine trying to spread that trailer heaped with mulch all by your lonesome! ) and we really did enjoy the project. It was work… hard work… hot work… exhausting work… but it was rewarding work and quite fun as we did it together.

So, be encouraged next time your plans for something wonderful are altered… or maybe even blown away completely. There are treasures in the darkness… hidden riches in secret places… a delicious-grilled-salmon-rice-sauteed-asparagas-sweet-peaches-dinner-made-by-Jessi-at-9:30 pm (with chocolate-mint brownies for dessert!) awaiting you when your work is finished –  if you will simply trust the hand of God as He takes you through the process of life.

(aka 12 happy Neelys)

A few weeks ago we were blessed by a brief-but-oh-so-wonderful visit from Nana, Aunt Lisa, and three of our cousins!! They squeezed us in on their route to SC to see one of our other cousins at college, and it was truly a joy to be with them for a few days.

First moments – - spent in catching up

The fellowship continued!

Dad had to work, but we were able to meet him for a picnic lunch at a nearby rest area.

A couple rounds of “Bible Runners” – - and we must give congratulations, reluctant though they be, to the “secret police”! (who almost never win, but through an unusual amount of sneaky perseverance made this game one-of-a-kind!)

One of the biggest highlights of the time together was a late-night cousin prayer meeting in the woods. An excellent suggestion on the part of a certain individual led to a sweet hour of sharing requests with each other around the campfire and then presenting those needs to the Lord. What a privilege to not only have a close bond as family, but also as fellow believers! Praise the Lord! 

Thank you, Nana and Conns, for including us in your trip! May the Lord bless you as you continue to seek Him first, bringing Him glory in every endeavor. We love you!

Much anticipation had been built. It was time for the conference to begin. Then all of a sudden, it was over. It all happened so fast! But we came away having seen the work of the Lord and encouraged to press on. We were challenged by the Word, motivated by testimonies of young people striving to serve Christ, and encouraged and uplifted by the fellowship and prayer times with other families.

The North Carolina FEW was the first of four planned conferences this year. We look forward with great excitement to the next FEW and the continued work of the Lord! May Jesus Christ be praised!

If you are interested in receiving information on upcoming FEW Conferences, leave us a comment and we’ll add you to the contact list.

We have known the Sorensen family for a few years now, and what an encouragement they have been to us! Enthusiasm, energy, joy, creativity, educated refinement… these traits combined with a wholehearted love for Jesus Christ make this family a shining example for the Lord. They are just… well, simply Sorensen.

With great anticipation we looked forward to a visit with them for several months, and finally, it happened! The hospitality of the Sorensen Lodge was incredible. We came away immensely blessed and refreshed.

Playing Airsoft and walking the perimeter of their property:

Fun with the swing:

The Sorensen’s treated us like royalty. On Saturday, we took a trip to a local bowling alley for an afternoon loaded with strikes and spares… well, not exactly. A sparing few were so blessed, but the rest of us just realized how strikingly rusty our bowling techniques are. At any rate…

Then… they took us to a Japanese Steakhouse for a special birthday celebration. Most of us had never visited one before, and what an interesting, delightful meal awaited us!

On Sunday, we attended church with them and were privileged to be there on a week when Mr. Sorensen was preaching. He spoke from the life of Peter; we saw the perfect timing of the Lord played out again as the message seemed tailored to the current events of our lives. Praise the Lord! Thank you, Mr. Sorensen, for letting the Word dwell in you richly, and for standing boldly to make an impact for the Kingdom of God.

Thank you, Sorensens!

The FEW Conference “season” for 2012 is beginning!

Please be in prayer for our family, as well as for the Wilkes and Staddon families, as we prepare for the 2012 conferences. Pray that God would grant us wisdom, direction, and unity; that the He would go before us and work out every little detail in His perfect way; that we would trust in His sovereignty; that families would be encouraged,strengthened, and drawn closer to the Lord; and most importantly, that Jesus Christ alone would receive the glory and honor due His Name!

“But thou, O man of God…follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith…” 1 Timothy 6:11-12

If you would like to receive more information about the FEW Conference ministry or about upcoming conferences and locations, please contact us.

For several years now we have had the privilege of knowing the Walker family. What a delight it is to watch them grow in numbers and in the Lord, being conformed into His likeness as they seek to pattern their family after the truth of Scripture! A few weeks ago, they invited us over to their home for dinner (which, I must point out, is quite a remarkable undertaking, as not many are brave enough to let twelve people invade them for any length of time. ). Delicious dinner, a to-die-for dessert, time to learn from the Word and sing, and sweet fellowship made a joyful and encouraging evening. Thank you, Walkers, for opening your home, but especially for your love for our Lord! May you continue to let Christ’s light in you shine brightly! (Matt. 5:16)