Saturday Shout Outs!

Welcome to March and another edition of the Saturday Shout Outs! Apparently March did indeed come in like a lion for my friends in North Carolina in the form of a major ice storm. Many of them were without power yesterday and may well still be in that situation this morning. One of them (no names...well ok- it was Ashley Miller) even reported a freezing toilet seat! My prayer are with them for their safety and their sanity as they deal with a little bit of cabin fever. But as the old saying goes the news never stops, so the Shout Outs must go on!  Here we go!!!

• Congratulations to Christy Causey Allen (Springfield Friends Meeting) and hubby Greg on the birth of  Trevor Riley Allen on March 5th!  He weighed 7 lbs, 4 ozs and was 20" long, and shares a birthday with big brother Connor who turned 2 that same day. How cool is that?
• One of my all-time favorite people, Amber Herrick (FUMC-Kissimmee) recently announced her engagement on Facebook. Congratulations, Amber!  All of our prayers and best wishes are with you!
• Way back before the dinosaurs I remember when a baby was born to my friends Edith & Gordon Shepherd (New Garden Friends Meeting). They named her Katie. And now (again via Facebook) I see that Katie is also engaged! Seems strange as she can't be more that 12 years old. right?  I said RIGHT?  :)
• My old friends (we've been friends a LONG time; they are not old!) Denise & Beth (New Garden) are at the beach right now and I am very jealous. Not because they are at the beach- I live in Florida! But because I miss them both so much and wish I could be there trying to hunt down Krispy Kreme doughnuts with them!
• Continued prayers for my Twitter friends Drew & Andrea Ward. Andrea is about to have a baby and Drew has been dealing with some really awful church politics. Plus he's a New York Mets fan, so it's a tough time of year...
• Teresa Reep Tysinger (FUMC-K), after this week's conversations I only have one word for you- WHATEVER!!!! And yes- that is an inside joke!
• My buddy Jerry Hanbery (FUMC-K) said he told someone this week that he wants the Def Leppard song Pour Some Sugar On Me played at his funeral. After deep thought and reflection, I think I have narrowed my final (ironic) song down to 2 choices- Dead Skunk or Only the Good Die Young. So here's the question- what would be your choice of ironic memorial music?
• If you are on Twitter and you like being smothered in grace and God's love, check out the hashtag #POTSClive every Tuesday night at 10 PM eastern. It's a great group of folks, and I am usually there as well. We all need to remember was are People of the Second Chance!
• Lots of great texts recently from friends like Todd Willis (FUMC-K), Marie Allen Duke (Springfield), Jeremy Godwin (Springfield) and Jennifer Minnigan Kuramochi (FUMC-K). I'd love to hear from you as well! 813-919-3755
• I found out this week that my lovely sister-in-law Carol has been reading this blog as of late. Thanks, Sis. Love you!
• Lisa Jewett (Wesley Memorial UMC) I hope you enjoy your spring break and get lots of sleep! And stay strong- I know it's hard but you are doing the right things for you and your family!
• Many of my Twitter friends have inquired about escaping the brutal winter weather and visiting Tampa. Yesterday Liza (@itslizawithaz) and Pam (@psychomomi) asked about available space and said that snacks would be required, specifically chocolate. In the process of this conversation I invented a new indoor game called Chocolate Hide 'n' Seek. Reservations are going fast!
• My old friends (I have known them a LONG time and they are OLD!) Steve and Carl Semmler (New Garden) will be heading this way in a couple of weeks for a visit and some NCAA Tourny basketball. Can't wait to see the boys!
• The end of March is going to bring really mixed emotions to my life. I can't wait for the opening of the baseball season. It's going to be a great year for my Rays! But I dread the March 31st series ending of How I Met Your Mother. It'll be like losing old friends. There is a really good chance that Will and I will both have some man-tears...
• Had a great time recently talking old Quaker Lake Camp pictures on Marilyn's Facebook with Jay Osborne, Laura Wheeler, Terry Vanable, Dann Newfont, Susan McBane Tuggle, David Fields and Donna Haynes Myers. So many great memories of so many great people.
• I'm still looking for more guest writers for the #DangerDays series. Some of you have great stories of bold faith to tell. I'm thinking about you Ashley Goad & Becky Memmelaar (Springfield); and you Wayne Cook & Jill Painter Watson (FUMC-K); and you too pretty much everyone else who reads this blog!!! Help a brother out- let me hear from you! 
• And finally- prayers for Conner the Dog. He's getting groomed this morning (a traumatic time- we have to sedate him!) and he turns 11 on March 15. He's still doing well, but he's definitely feeling older. He's such a big part of our family.

So here you have it! As always, please let me know if you have news that needs to be shared, prayer requests, of just want to see your name in print! Have a blessed day and a wonderful weekend, my friends! Oh...and Go Tar Heels!

Because of Jesus,