Wisdom from Grandpapa Neely
Several years ago, on January 1, 2001, Grandpapa Neely (my Dad’s father) remarked to his family as we were all gathered to celebrate the new year, “I have a feeling that the year 2001 will be different from any other year we’ve ever 
lived.” Little did we know that his prediction would be true in more than just one way! For just a few months later, while visiting his daughter and her family (our aunt), he was diagnosed with a Stage 4 cancerous brain tumor. After the first surgery to remove it, he was told that he would have, at most, eighteen months to live. Three more surgeries and seemingly endless chemo and radiation 
treatments later, the Lord finally called 
Grandpapa home to Himself, in July 2002. We had been blessed with the full eighteen months that they predicted, and we were left with an unbelievable spiritual heritage. Though we grieved for his loss upon earth, and though we still miss him greatly, we rejoice in the hope that one day we will be reunited in Heaven through the grace of our Savior!
Last Wednesday marked what would have been Grandpapa’s 76th birthday. That evening, as we sat around the table after supper, Dad pulled Grandpapa’s Bible off of 
the shelf. The cover is worn; the binding falling apart; the pages are yellowed and wrinkled with age and frequent use. However, it is a treasure beyond calculation, not only for the sake of the Word of God, but also because of the countless insights that are marked along its pages, and the numerous quotes, poems, and thoughts that he wrote on the 
flyleaves. Sadly, almost half of my little siblings never had the privilege of knowing Grandpapa, and some were too young when he died to really remember him well. But what a TREASURE, a wealth of spiritual RICHES we have in his Bible!!! So even the ones who never knew him can still partake of the incredible legacy he left for us – how I thank the Lord for that blessing!!!!!!! 
But getting back to my story… When one of our little ones observed that Daddy had “the wrong Bible” (instead of the chronological Bible that we usually read after supper), he replied, “Well, today was your Grandpapa Neely’s birthday. So I thought that we would read some out of his Bible tonight, and see what he has to say to us.” Immediately, I felt a choking sensation in my throat, and I wondered if I would be able to make it through this without crying. As we read through some of the the things that he had printed inside, some things brought a smile upon recollection; others even made us laugh; many were very thought-provoking; and a few even moved us to tears. As I sat there, I felt as if I had stepped back into time and was once again sitting with Grandpapa, hearing him read or quote these very things…
“FAITH – Forsaking All, I Trust Him”
“If a sermon pricks your conscience, it must have some good points.”
“Some will hate you, some will love you;
Some will flatter, some will slight.
Cease from man and look above you;
Trust in God and do what’s right.
Though the road be rough and dreary,
And its end far out of sight,
Foot it bravely, strong or weary;
Trust in God and do what’s right.
Perish policy and cunning,
Perish all that fears the light;
Whether losing, whether winning,
Trust in God and do what’s right.
Simple rule and safest guiding,
Inward peace and inward might;
Star upon our path abiding,
Trust in God and do what’s right!”
“If we please God, does it matter whom we displease? And if we displease God, does it matter whom we please?”
One poem that is not written in his Bible, but which he quoted to us regularly, still makes us laugh:
“Whenever you feel like a grump, and you look like you’re down in the dump,
Oh, how I dread when you get out of bed, and go moping around like a frump!
BUT… When you can get up and say, “My! What a wonderful day!”
It’s hard to be sad; you’ll surely be glad, for God is Who made it that way!”
“Don’t be afraid of opposition. Remember, a kite rises against, not with, the wind.” – Dr. Harvey Springer
“Nothing is ever settled until it is settled right; and nothing is ever settled right until it is settled with God!”
“My fear is not that I will fail, but that I will succeed in things that do not matter in eternity.”
“The Clock of Life” by George H. Chandler
“The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power
To tell just when the hands will stop, at late or early hour.
To lose one’s wealth is sad indeed; to lose one’s health is more;
To lose one’s soul is such a loss as no man can restore.
The present only is our own; live, love, toil with a will.
Place no faith in the future – for the clock may then be still.”
“Death is not extinguishing the light; it is putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.”
These are just a very few of the things that are written in Grandpapa’s Bible. However, probably my favorite is a poem called, “We’re Home,” by Willard Thomas. Daddy read this one at Grandpapa’s funeral, and to this day, I cannot read it or hear it being read without the tears coming to my eyes. That night around the table, Dad started to read it, but tears forced him to stop at the end of the first six words. Then he looked around the table, and, sure enough, we were all crying! After some shaky laughter and much debate over whether to finish reading it or not, he finally mustered up the will-power, and read the sweet, heart-stirring lines. This was the heart cry of Grandpapa; one which my parents have taken up and still press untiringly on toward; one which is my heart’s desire for my children someday; and one which I pray will continue to be striven for in our family until the Lord returns!
“Over the years when the children would come in, they would call out, “Mom, Dad, we’re home.”
I guess we just always assumed it would be like that, we would never be alone.
But with the passing of time, circumstances, life, and duty robbed our home of this youthful beauty.
Oh, they still drop by from time to time, or call us on the phone.
They stay a while and then they leave because this is no longer home.
Now when Mama and I go out and drive around and roam,
In jest I open the door and call out, “Children, we’re home.”
It just echoes through and empty house and brings my eyes to tears.
They no longer run on little feet to meet us, and fill our hearts with cheer.
Precious memories of two fine girls and a boy,
Thank God memories are one gift of God that time cannot destroy.
One last request I would make to my God, that beyond Jordan’s dashing foam;
That Mama and I could hear our children call out, “Mom, Dad, we’re Home.”
Psalm 16:6 – “The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.”Memories with the Wilkes Team!
After a long six months of waiting, the 
Wilkes Team was finally able to make it down to North Carolina! The meeting, after so long, was, on a small scale, what our meeting in Heaven will surely be like when we meet 
all of 
our loved ones, and most importantly, our dear Savior! We are thankful for such encouraging, uplifting friends with whom we can fellowship.
One of the blessings of being around the Wilkes Team is their constant pointing of everything back to the Lord. In our fast-paced world, it is very easy to take our 
eyes off Christ and become distracted with temporal cares. They are a living example of the principle found in Proverbs 3:6 – the command to acknowledge God in everything we 
do. Even in games, at the table, or just simply laughing over a funny incident, when we are with the Wilkes Team there is almost always a comment, story, analogy, or special insight that turns everyone’s hearts and minds back to our all-mighty Creator. What a desirable testimony to have!
Much of our time during the weekend was spent praying 
about and planning for 
NC Family Encouragement Weekend conference, which will, Lord willing, be taking place near our home on March 26-27. What a blessing it was to 
give ideas, plan, organize, and just 
work together to accomplish the common goal of getting everything in order for this upcoming ministry opportunity.
One of the fun points of their visit happened rather unexpectedly on Saturday
afternoon. Someone came down after looking out our upstairs window and announced that something had been caught in Herman’s live-trap. Several went and looked again, 
discovering that it was a cat. Upon closer observation, it was realized that we had actually caught a young female bobcat!! 
We enjoyed looking at it, hearing it growl and snarl a gracious plenty for our liking. 🙂 A 
little later, a trapper/friend who sells animal pelts came and took care of it for us.
Sunday evening all of the young people worked together to act out a silent demonstration of Daniel and the Lion’s Den for the parents. 
Complete with everything 
from nobles, townspeople, a king, the king’s page, soldiers, and even lions, we had a blast and made quite a few side-splittingly-hilarious 
memories.
We love you, Wilkes Team, and pray God’s richest blessings on you for your faithful service to Him and others. Looking forward to many more such times together!
Timely Reminders
The Lord uses many ways to remind us of simple truths at various times in our lives. One way He chooses to do this is through fellowship with other believers. I had the opportunity to experience this first hand this last weekend, with our blessed visit from the Wilkes Team! We were able to spend a few days with them, and during the whole time it seemed I was constantly challenged and encouraged through the conversations that took place as well as in just observing the godly actions of the Wilkes and my own family. On Saturday evening, I finally took the time to write down the things I had been reminded of in my journal. What a blessing! (It was well worth staying up the extra time to do it!) Here are some of the things the Lord reminded me of through their godly examples and words:
– acknowledge the Lord in all my ways (Proverbs 3:5-6)
– seek a gentle, meek, and quiet spirit (I Peter 3:3-4)
– consistently honor, obey, and love my parents (Exodus 20:12; Colossians 3:20)
– treat my siblings with love and respect (Ephesians 4:32; I Peter 5:5a; Hebrews 13:1)
– pray without ceasing and constantly be seeking guidance, grace, and wisdom from the Lord (I Thessalonians 5:17)
– maintain an attitude of humility and dependence on the Lord (I Peter 5:5b; James 4:6-7; Isaiah 57:15)
– choose topics of conversation that are encouraging and uplifting to the listeners (Ephesians 4:29)
– accept all people where they are in life but seek to lift them higher toward the Lord (Ephesians 4:29; I Thessalonians 5:14)
– be ever ready to share what God is doing in my life (I Peter 3:15)
– keep godliness and godly character as a first priority in my life and obtaining knowledge as a secondary one (II Peter 1:5-8)
– control my tongue (Proverbs 10:19; James 1:19-26)
– be immersed in the Word of God – read it, study it, memorize it, meditate on it, share it, but most of all, live it (II Timothy 3:14-17; Psalm 119:11; Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2; Psalm 119:15)
– do not allow bitterness to dwell in my heart (Hebrews 12:15; Ephesians 4:26-27,31-32)
– seek to have such a close relationship with my Creator that His joy and glory radiates from my face, words, and actions (Isaiah 49:13; Habakkuk 3:18; James 4:8; Philippians 4:4; Psalm 71:8; Psalm 63:1-2; Psalm 50:23)
Thank you, Wilkes Team, and the rest of my family, for allowing His Light to shine through you and encourage me in the right direction once again. The Lord is good!
We’ve got BOYS!!
Genesis 1:27 – “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him…
Seven years ago, I remember that there was a great amount of excitement 
going through our home. Mommy and Daddy, who had left sometime earlier, put Amanda in charge of 
everything and everyone here at home. A friend was on her way to stay with us for the day. It was probably around 7:00 am, maybe a little before, but it didn’t really matter. Everyone was too excited to be thinking about what time of day it was.
I walked into the kitchen. Amanda told me that Mommy and Daddy had gone to the hospital! Baby number seven was on the way!!
Any of you who have had the wonderful privilege of being an older sibling probably know what I’m talking about… the incredible ecstasy that quickly spreads through the house as the message is told to everyone that another blessing is being placed in the family.
Then, after the initial excitement, there was a time
of waiting. A couple hours went by on this particular morning, and we were all very restless. Finally, not being able to stand it any longer, we decided to call. The lady who was with us called Daddy on his cell phone. We all waited breathlessly. We were kind of huddled around her,
wondering the same thing: boy or girl?? We waited for what seemed like forever. Then we found out! Daddy’s exact words were, “I’m going to lose a fortune in hand-me-downs.” That was his way of telling us it was a boy! After six girls, I’m sure people were wondering if we were going to ever have a boy. That was the wonderful day that God blessed our home with 
Samuel Patrick, otherwise known as “Herman.”
Well, life went on. We were blessed by the addition of two more girls, both priceless treasures! Then, in February, almost a year 
ago, we had another day very similar to that incredible January day so many years ago! Mom had been on bed-rest for three weeks, and every day we were wondering when this baby would make its arrival.
Finally, the time had come. We helped Mom pack her bags, Dad came home from work, and off they went to the hospital. Another friend came to stay with us kids. We tried to go on with life in a semi-normal fashion, but it was nearly impossible. We waited with great anticipation for the phone call we knew would come.
Finally, around lunch time, we heard the phone ring,
and of course, it was a race to see who could answer it first. I happened to have the advantage of already being close to it, so I answered. Dad was on the other line, and I heard him say, “Do you have a Bible handy?” Everyone was jumping up and down with excitement. They scrambled to get me a Bible, and waited anxiously to hear the news. “Go to II Corinthians 7 and read verses 5 
and 6.” I began to read them out loud, while everyone waited in breathless suspense: “For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were 
fightings, within were fears. Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus…” Here I was interrupted when everyone started yelling and screaming. Another boy!! I could hardly hear Daddy, so I tried in vain to hush the chaos so that we could hear the rest of the information. The full 
name is Titus Peyton. He has been such a blessing in our family. His vivacity fills our lives with great gusto every day!! 🙂
Recently, we girls made the discovery that we have BOYS! It is now in plural form. It sounds really simple, but the amazing thing is that we have two! As I sit at the table, I watch in amazement what those two boys do. Their energy is seemingly boundless, and the laughter is almost endless. (We have learned that God gave boys the incredible ability to manufacture energy at an astounding rate!) Those 
two boys have been a great blessing to our family, and we praise God for putting these two boys into our home and lives! Our prayer is that they will both “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
“… open thy mouth…”
One of the things that I set as a goal for 2010 was to read last year’s journal. I have a two-fold purpose in doing this. First of all, it’s interesting to see what all we did last year and refresh my memory on the little stories, incidents, and happenings that I didn’t remember. I also enjoy looking back to see what I was doing on “this day” a year ago! 🙂 Secondly, I often write down thoughts, spiritual insights, and Bible verses that have special meaning to me at different times of my life, and it’s encouraging to go back and see God’s hand working in ways that I didn’t notice at the time, or have already forgotten. While reading through a few days ago, I found today’s entry (January 25), and it included a verse that the Lord showed me that day, which I hadn’t entirely forgotten, but needed to be reminded of!
Psalm 81:10b says, “…open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.” That seems to be very commonplace language, but the more I meditated on it, the more I found. (God’s Word is like that: perfectly inexhaustible, just like He is!! I Corinthians 2:7-10; Psalm 90:2) In the context, the Lord is speaking to the children of Israel, recalling the signs and wonders that He had done for them since the beginning of their nation. He reminded them of the ways that He had miraculously preserved them as a people, protecting and helping them, and delivering them from bondage in Egypt. Then He pauses His narrative to deliver a singular plea and promise, “… open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.”
When I first read this, it reminded me of Matthew 7:7 – “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” God promises that “…[He] shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus”, and that “…no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” But we must “ask,” “seek,” and “knock.” As I pondered this, I immediately thought of the example of baby birds. When they are first hatched, they are tiny, defenseless, and totally dependent on their parents for their warmth, shelter, and food. Anyone who has cared for, watched, or studied birds knows that the chicks seem to be hungry all the time. Often, looking into a nest, one can see several little mouths gaping, waiting for their parents to come fill them with the life-sustaining food. However, what if one day, the babies decided that they could live without their parents’ help? What if, when feeding time came, their mouths remained stubbornly shut, refusing to take the nourishment absolutely necessary for survival? Of course, we know that they would soon die of starvation.
As God continues His story in Psalm 81, He sadly tells of Israel’s response to His promise in the next verse: “But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me. So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels.” Our Father is more than willing, yea, He longs, to bless us, but we must prepare the fields of our hearts to receive His showers of blessing! In verses 13-16, we see God lamenting over what He wanted to give to His children, and which they stubbornly refused: “Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries. The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves unto him: but their time should have endured for ever. He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.” What a sad commentary on the perverseness of the human heart!! And yet what a beautiful elaboration of the mercy and love of the Lord and His desire to bless His children!!!!
In a way, we are much like baby birds, dependent on our heavenly Father to care for us. We cannot possibly make it on our own; He is the One Who created us(Isaiah 64:8), and He is the only One Who can keep us alive, both physically and spiritually! However, as the story of the children of Israel sadly illustrates, we must be willing to receive His blessing. If we shut up our hearts, pursuing temporal allurements and insisting on our own way, we will soon perish in our sin, starved of the life-giving support from the Word of God and His Holy Spirit’s work in our lives (Jeremiah 5:25). God will not force Himself upon us (Genesis 6:3); He has given us a free will, and though He calls us to leave the world’s shallow pleasures and follow His loving path for us, He ultimately leaves the choice to us, for He wants us to choose to love Him! (Isaiah 57:15-16; Revelation 3:20) We must forsake the idols of self, possessions, position, or aspiration, and seek His will for our lives, living only to give Him glory. (Mark 8:34-37; Mark 10:21) Then, when we have given up the idea of finding contentment and peace outside of Him, and have turned our whole heart over to His control, He can pour out His matchless grace upon us (Jeremiah 6:16)! He wants to bless us; He holds out His gifts and offers them to us (I Corinthians 2:9; Isaiah 64:4); all we have to do is “open our mouths wide, and He will fill them” with the goodness and blessings that only He can give!
Psalm 31:19 – “Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!”
Family Vision Meeting 2010
On January 9, Daddy led our family in a vision meeting where we reviewed the events of 2009, wrote out our family purpose, and then made goals to accomplish together in 2010. Right before we did this, Daddy had us separate into different parts of the house to spend time reading God’s Word, praying, and then writing down ideas we had. When the quiet time was over, we came together and began the official meeting. While looking over what the Lord has done for us last year, Daddy challenged us to compile a list of those who have been especially influential in our lives. Just doing that was a excellent way to cultivate a thankful attitude! With that completed, we put down our family purpose in writing. It was exciting to build together on the ideas that Daddy had already penned! Finally, we worked on making goals of things we hope to accomplish over the next twelve months. Some of them were spiritual goals, such as a specific Bible-memorization plan; others are physical, like getting more exercise together and taking certain trips. 🙂 Some of them are things we will do together, like reading at least one book out loud a month; and still others are things that we will do privately. The day was very enjoyable, and now we all have a better view of the things to be accomplished within the months that lie ahead.
We highly encourage every family to do this! (It is never too late, and we’re still in the first month of the year!) Why? Proverbs 29:18 states the main reason: “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” As we look around, it is heart-breaking to see how many families are truly perishing because of a lack of vision – a vision that is Christ-centered, biblically based, family oriented, and one that is led by the God-ordained head of the household – the father. So, take a few hours and sit down together as a family to think, pray, and then plan. The results are immensely rewarding, as the whole family will have a good idea of what Dad is thinking (and he will know that he has your support), others can give valuable input and suggestions, and then the first steps of action can be charted and begun.
Thank you, Dad and Mom, for taking the time to pass your vision on to us, so that we can see where you desire to lead us! We love you and are very excited about where the Lord will take us and what He will allow us to accomplish together, as a Team, this year!
North Carolina Snow Storm!
When Amanda, Jessica, and I got home from the 
Wilds, the skies had dumped a regular blizzard on our area and our front hill was perfect for sledding! (Keep in mind a “good snow” for our area is about four inches! Ha ha!) The rest of the Team had already had quite the time out there enjoying it with some of the 
neighbors, and they had great tales to tell and wanted us to experience it too.
So… on our first night home, out we all went – even Titus and even though it was only 10 degrees – and what a time we had! We started at the top of the hill and were able to fly to about 15 -20 feet from the creek! (Come see us to completely understand the Neely geography.) 
It’s a wonderful blessing that we didn’t go any further – it was a little too cold to take a refreshing dunk in the stream. 🙂 The evening was lots of fun and made a lot of funny family memories! Hurray for the snow!!
The Wilds Music Conference 2010
Wow! What can you say after a week of incredible preaching, inspiring music, 
fun activities, and refreshing fellowship?? That is what we experienced this past week. Amanda, Kathryn, and I were blessed with the opportunity to attend the Wilds Music Conference with some friends, Katie Hornor and Martha Guzman. This was something that we have all dreamed about doing for several years, but it has never worked out for a number of reasons. It was really exciting to see how the Lord 
orchestrated every little detail to make it actually happen.
After packing what seemed to be an enormous amount of luggage, we loaded our little green van, said our goodbyes, and left to pick up our friends. We then headed over the mountain, bound for the Wilds. We were looking forward to the week ahead. We knew that we would be spiritually refreshed, and thought that we would get rested physically. What a joke!! But more about that later. 🙂
The key-note speaker was Dr. Jim Binney – a powerful preacher who we have now been privileged to hear twice, once at a family camp held at the Wilds. 
There were also other men who spoke, such as Matt Herbster, Ron Hamilton, and Tim Fisher. Topics included the fear of the Lord, praising God through trials, seeing God’s beauty, forgiveness and confession, having a vision for the impossible, and the sufficiency of God. The messages were all inspiring and encouraging. We would go back to our room at night and discuss them all over again, talking about what we’d learned and what stood out to us in the sessions. Most nights, the 
discussions carried us well past 1:00am!!
During the day, we enjoyed fellowship with other musicians and music pastors, whether it was between sessions, while eating the wonderful meals prepared by the Wilds kitchen staff, or sipping delicious concoctions in the famous CoolBeans coffee shop! We also did a lot of our fellowship while walking, because there was a lot of that to do to get from session to session to meal to back to the dorm, etc. 🙂 Our schedule was extremely busy (activities were planned from 7:45 a.m. until 10:30 or 11:00 p.m.!), not allowing for the 
physical rest we had thought would take place, but from the beginning we were all immensely spiritually refreshed! We came home with more musical knowledge, a whole list of challenging things we each needed to change in our relationships with others and our walks with the Lord, gobs of new music, and several new friends. The Lord is good! Praise His name!
By the way, if you are involved in sacred music in any way, we highly encourage you to check out the Wilds Music Conference for 2011!
The Blessing Week – Part 3
As an excellent conclusion 
to our week of blessings, the Barnes family came for a wonderful time of fellowship! Target shooting, playing in the freezing outdoors, working jigsaw puzzles, looking at the 
amazing pictures 
from their trip to Yellowstone this past summer, playing PIT, making music with the guitars, etc., filled our time and brought great joy! They were able to stay for church on Sunday, and Wesley helped us praise the Lord in song 
with his guitar. Our 
time together was exciting, encouraging, and lots of fun – we’re looking forward to next time!! Thank you, Barnes family!
The Blessing Week – Part 2
About 28 hours after the Conns left, 🙁 we had the joy of 
hosting the Staddon family for a few days!! While passing through on their way back to West Virginia, they blessed us by spending their 
New Year’s Eve with us! It would take hours to tell about all of the JOYFUL activities that took place; but we’ll spare you the
time and just give a few highlights. 🙂
– watching “The Star of Bethlehem” and then discussing 
the incredible power, sovereignty, majesty, and wisdom of our Creator
– playing many games, including Dutch Blitz, Occupation,
Catan, Duck-Duck-Goose, Swap, Kings-and-Peasants, etc.
– listening to the Staddon family practice beautiful family harmony – with voice (esp. the quintet 🙂 ), piano, violin, and 
handbells
– getting to feed many large appetites 🙂
– spending quality times around the table, reading the Bible, relating our most embarrassing moments, sharing spiritual insights, singing, laughing, 
writing 
lists of everything else we wanted to do, etc. 🙂
-gaining experience and knowledge regarding photography and operating a website and blog (special thanks to 
James and Robert!)
– staying up to a record time of 4:00 a.m. on New
Years Eve
– blowing up our gingerbread house
Well, needless to say, when the “Staddon 
Wagon” pulled out of our driveway on Friday, we were left with a sense of loss but also one of having been wonderfully refreshed! One particular thing we appreciate about the Staddon family is their 
constant JOY!! (That comes from having Jesus first, Others second, and Yourself last.) Whether in helping prune our fruit trees, eating a peanut butter ball, helping clear the table, or playing Catan, they constantly had smiles and words of encouragement! Thank you, Staddons!
Note: 
For more stories and pictures, please visit the Staddons’ blog!! (We promise, it’ll be worth it just to see the incredible gingerbread-house-explosion shots!!!)
