Are You Looking Forward to Fall? {A New Creatively Made E-Course by Jeanne Oliver}

Are you looking forward to fall yet?  I am...and I am even more looking forward to Jeanne Oliver's (and friends) new e-course, in her Creatively Made Home series..."Home for the Holidays". 

Check it out here.

See you in class!  Please slip a little note in, when you sign up, letting Jeanne know that I sent you!

It Was Her First Birthday {Aidyn Esther}

I will never forget the day when I heard for sure what I knew for certain: that this little being inside my daughter's womb was, for a fact, distinctly female. The ultrasound tech actually "shushed" me.

And I hadn't been shushed for 40 years.

I will never forget the day she was born, all pink baby flesh and dark hair and darting tongue, searching for something yummy to eat. She had the eyes of an old soul - everyone remarked about her eyes. I pulled her to my face, mingling our breaths, as I had done with her momma, and every other baby of mine. I watched her closely, and out of long experience, loosely divined what sort of baby she would be, and of course I was right.

I will never forget the day of her first birthday. That day when The Unseen Divide is passed over, and the early baby-days are left forever behind, as images and bits of too-small clothing and memories too intense to be forgotten. There she was, in all her granddaughter glory, making me achingly proud with her sparkly ways:






This one is destined for church life. She is happiest in a crowd...completely at home in an atmosphere of worship. When she was days old, I bought her a tiny stuffed baby chick, dressed in a pink skirt, holding a tiny cloth cross, with a yellow fluff of fuzz on the top of its head. Embroidered on it, the words "Church Chick".

Had you seen her light up when she came into the sanctuary yesterday morning, you would know that I had a prescient moment when I snatched up Church Chick for this baby girl. She has already spent more of her time with the body of Christ than without them.

She and her momma are my female legacy. Neither can avoid or erase the fact that they came from me, and thus will never not love the church. They will feel burdened by her, serve her past the point of human ability, and sometimes wish they could stop loving the church. But love her they always will.





And being well dressed on a Sunday is a non-negotiable, because we are also southern women. We like to be well turned out for church, even if that simply means our flats match our jewelry, and our jeans are the dark wash skinnies.





Oh, how she loves her PopPop...he is "Mr. Incredible" to both of his grandchildren. (Taking note of his shirt...) He calls her his Pumpkin Girl, and she loves to whisper his name in long affection, "poppoppoppop, PopPop, poppoppoppop, pop-pop."





Even as a one-year-old, she managed an appropriate reaction to each gift, making the givers feel certain they had pleased her. Again...Southern Charm at its best.





And finally...her first birthday cake. She knew exactly what to do, and loved every bite of the tiny bit she was given.







Sweet baby girl. I will miss all this, your very first year of life.





But we will share in many more. You are loved beyond belief, and your Mimi is so proud of you. I love having you just two minutes away from my front door...scooping you up for ice cream over the weekend was the highlight of my Saturday.

Others can be about whatever it is they are about...but when all a woman has to show for her life are the things, animal-vegetable-mineral, that her money can buy (or the things her husband's money can buy) she may be rich, but she has no wealth.

True wealth is found in relationships. Biblical wealth is in the generations all relating to one another in love.

I have not earned it, and do not deserve it, but I am wealthy. It has been by Grace Alone that I have this wealth.

The Lord hath been mindful of us. He hath blessed us. He will bless the house of Israel, He will bless the house of His spiritual leaders. ("house of Aaron")

He will bless those who love what He loves ("fear Him") both small and great.

We are the blessed of The Lord!

Grace and Peace,

Sheila Atchley

All blog content is the property of the writer, including all "In the Middle" intellectual and visual art property...

Speaking Next Week {Conference}

Next week, I will be speaking here:





Ridgecrest Conference Center, in North Carolina.

I will be speaking to the women on Building Community, during the Master Builders National Conference - Master Builders being the network of churches all over the nation (and the world) that we are part of. I covet your prayers as I prepare...and your grace. If I blog a little less often over the next week or so, you know why.

Grace and Peace,

Sheila Atchley

All blog content is the property of the writer, including all "In the Middle" intellectual and visual art property...

Identical Twins {My Daughters}

On this day, 26 years ago, my adventure into motherhood began in earnest. I had discovered only two weeks before that I was expecting no, not one big...big...big baby, but two babies.

Plural.

Dude. When the doctor informed us, the Preacher and I (he wasn't a Preacher then...well he was, but not for a living) nearly fainted.  We didn't even have a stroller for one at the time.

In two weeks time, we went from not having enough for one baby, to having more than enough for two. God so provided, through family and church family (and strangers who happened to hear our story!), over and above what we could ever have done on our own.

And so...at 4 in the wee hours, on July 31st, 1987, my water broke. I woke up The (later-to-become) Preacher and we called the doctor, prayed, and made our way to the hospital.

 How can I ever, ever forget that drive? We were both completely...and very uncharacteristically...silent. Though we knew our lives were about to forever change, the silence wasn't a pensive silence - it was the tangible peace of God. Honestly, I have never felt it quite that way since that morning, as we drove in the humid, soft, southern-summer darkness. I remember thinking what a beautiful night-breaking-into-dawn it was.

We were such babies ourselves, looking back. The Preacher had hair. Big hair. I had big hair. It was the 80's. We were kids, having two kids.

These daughters of ours have been the joy and blessing of our lives. We worked so hard to love them and teach them and give them those proverbial roots and wings. We made so many mistakes...especially me...but all of it is to be expected, and none of it matters, because mistakes are what sinners make.   We all have to get over ourselves and our raising, don't we?  Move.  On. 

We taught our daughters about the grace of God - it covers our mistakes, and so do they.  Our girls have always honored us well and truly.

Happy Birthday, Hannah and Sarah! You are treasured beyond description.

Smartphone App Review - Hair Makeover

My daughter Hannah discovered a fun smartphone app called "Hair Makeover". She snapped my picture, and then proceeded to send me lots of new 'do ideas!

To give you an idea, if you haven't met me, this is my hair...{well, it is also a shameless grandson brag, but you'll grant grace? Thank you...}






Now. Hair makeover magic...behold!





What do you think? ::cough::

Or this:






This is closer. Too dark, but closer.

What do you think of this:





Call me crazy, but I love this color. Not so much the style...this style is too twenty-something-long for my forty-something face. I can do side buns, but not long, long braids.

This:






Actually, most of my girlfriends loved this one. But my hair would never look this way unless I flatironed the heck out of it every. single. day.

I should have been suspicious when the next photo text was quite some time later:






Meet The Preacher. In a manner of speaking.

I have no idea what app she used for this!


Grace and Peace,

Sheila Atchley

All blog content is the property of the writer, including all "In the Middle" intellectual and visual art property...

Legitimate Authority {Leadership 101}

It has been four years to the week from the point in time which a controlling spirit tried to take out the church where my husband serves as senior pastor.

I call it a controlling spirit, and I am being nice. That is a restrained assessment.

God delivered us, and I can honestly say we are insanely blessed. Not even lying. Anyone who knows us intimately will agree.

Back to what we learned, four years ago. And I can speak of it freely now because...well, because it's been four years. Our church is in a healthy place, with no "controlling spirit" issues.

Perfect time to address issues of control and manipulation, and how it always guns for a legitimate leader.

Manipulation always starts out by assuring a leader that it has that leader's best interests at heart. But give it time. When you cross opinions with a spirit of control in a serious way, things get stiff and ugly. Only the strongest, most legitimate leaders are left standing after an attack of manipulation and control.

The weird thing? The spirit of control always plays the control card. It accuses a leader of being controlling. Always. Bank on it.

Please get this down, and get it down quickly. This is for your good:

All legitimate leadership is strong, decisive leadership.

I know, I know. History shows us that all controlling tyrants were/are also strong, decisive leaders.

Therefore all strong decisive leaders are controllers and tyrants?

A cat has four legs, and a dog has four legs, therefore a cat is a dog? Come on, now.

Friends, let me do something I have not done on this blog in a long time: let me tell you what I sense God is about to do next. We are about to see God show His support of legitimate leadership in amazing, obvious ways. Those who come under the covering of legitimate leadership will be quite blessed.

Why is this?

Because a covering...covers. ::cough::

I am sorry to seem like I am pointing out the obvious, but a covering is far more profound than most Christians know. The enemy of your soul has a goal: to "rain down upon you" all kinds of obstruction and destruction. Being under proper covering keeps some things from hitting you upside the head, that would otherwise hit you upside the head.

I hear some say, "God is my covering." Sorry...but you are not the exception to all Divine Order. You simply are not. God has ordained leadership...He has set human beings in positions of spiritual authority.

Now...before you freak out because of all your bad past experiences, just remember:

A cat is not a dog.

The difference between illegitimate spiritual authority and legitimate spiritual authority lies entirely in two things: track record and motive.

There is no perfect leadership, but the church has been blessed with some leaders who serve the flock of God willingly, and from a motive of the glory of God. And they have a long track record of faithfulness, instead of a string of broken significant relationships.

If you have a leader like that in your life...one that seeks God's glory, preaches an undiluted Gospel of Grace, and has a record of faithfulness....run, do not walk, run under his covering. Place yourself there with great joy.

You will be....covered.

That, in days ahead, will be worth everything to you.

I have more to say, but ye canst not bear-eth it now-eth.

Nah...just kidding! I have more to say, but I will make that another post for another day. I have stirred up enough trouble for one evening.

::smile::

Grace and Peace,

Sheila Atchley


All blog content is the property of the writer, including all "In the Middle" intellectual and visual art property...

Our Son Josiah {on a TV morning show...}

It was a local television morning show...we were so excited, and proud of our boy's musical gifts...

Josiah is also branching out, taking gigs in other cities. He has a regular show in a Cincinatti Ohio casino. He also does weddings and private parties, as well as playing venues all over our city of Knoxville.

To book him (or just tell him that his momma sent you by to say hi...please do, it would be hilarious) you can find him here, as his personal web page is still being built...


Grace and Peace,

Sheila Atchley

All blog content is the property of the writer, including all "In the Middle" intellectual and visual art property...