some good news!

first of all, thanks so much to everyone who has been praying for dave and for us. the Lord has definately been answering prayers! yesterday we had a meeting with the doctor to get some answers. basically, he said that he was treating dave's symptoms day-by-day. they still don't know what happened to him. some of you thought (because we thought) that it was an attempted overdose, but his doctor believes that it wasn't. that was a relief for all of us. right before this meeting, dave was not very responsive and they had sitting straight up and down in bed (basically laying down, but vertical). he DID NOT look comfortable! but, when we all came back last night, he talked to all of us, he had been sleeping, and he recognized most of us! praise the LORD!!! last night, they only had to suction out his lungs once, and this morning he was still sleeping...which i don't think he's been doing a lot of ;). thanks again for praying. ben and i are planning on coming home saturday or sunday. we have to go back to work on monday, plus, there's a little puppy who needs us :). we'll keep you updated as we get more news. peace of Christ.

update on dave

today, which i believe is wednesday, has been pretty hard. everyone left the hospital last night thinking that we were coming back tomorrow to the dad and husband that we all knew 3 weeks ago. it didn't happen. dave's breathing was a lot worse today. the nurses even told brenda that he might have to be put back on the ventilator. however, praise the Lord, he hasn't been! he has been receiving breathing treatments because his oxygen levels are so low. they also are having to do something called a trumpet to get the "crud" (as dottie myatt would say) out of his lungs. he's not able to cough on his own right now which really worries the doctors since he has so much fluid on his lungs.
PLEASE keep praying for a miracle. we want to see dave back at home, enjoying life. we just hope he does that and we know that we have the victory in Christ alone! so, we beg you to continue to pray for him. i'll keep you updated each day we know something else. thanks.

for all those who know and don't know...

(this is brenda and dave in hawaii last year.) ben and i have been in oklahoma for the past few days and we're going to continue to be here until saturday or sunday. ben's step dad, dave, was admitted to the hospital about 15 days ago. they admitted him because he woke up mumbling and couldn't even walk to the door from his bed. he was then put on a ventilator a week and a day ago. they tried to take him off the ventilator for several days, but he wasn't able to breathe on his own. on friday night, ben got a phone call (his mom) and brenda said that they were going to try one more time on monday morning to take him off the vent and if he made it, praise the Lord, and if he didn't, they were legally not supposed to put him back on it. ben and i came out here saturday to be with his mom and the rest of the family. on monday morning, they had tried to take dave off the vent, and he couldn't breathe on his own. they had to put him back on the vent immediately and they decided to check his oxygen levels in his blood to see how hight they were. they began to ween him off the vent and he is COMPLETELY off it now! PRAISE JESUS! they have since taken the tube out of his lungs and he has even whispered to some of his other kids. we are going to go up to the hospital later on tonight. we're still going to stay until saturday or sunday just to be with brenda and the rest of the family (dave has 8 kids and half of them have kids;))! we look forward to being back in jackson, but ask that you continue to pray for dave's mental state. we want him to have a fresh mind when he does come home. he will probably be moved to a regular room tomorrow and we're not sure how long he'll be in the hospital. he probably has a long road ahead of him, but we're very excited for his progress and we're very thankful that we could be here with the stover family. peace of Christ to everyone!

little baby williams!!!!

i went to the doctor today for my monthly checkup! the pregnancy is going WONDERFULLY!!!! i heard the heartbeat again today and they did it so quickly, i couldn't get my phone out to record it...sad! but the baby's heartbeat was at 150 today...very good :) and my blood pressure was REALLY good...:) we ALSO have a date scheduled to find out what the sex of the baby will be!!!!!
it is July 9 and we CANNOT WAIT!!!!!!! thanks for all your prayers for the baby and for me. i know that the Lord is listening to them and answering them :). we love you guys!!!!

tweeking

i'm trying to work with our layout. i did something last night that i'm not sure i can fix...so bear with me and we're going to have the coolest layout ever pretty soon :) (no offense to you other bloggers...)
much love!

Ephesians and the Sermon on the Mount

ok, it's been about 6-7 months (if not longer than that) since ben went to our pastor and asked him about a situation he was in. Dennis said "Read the Sermon on the Mount everyday for 30 days and you'll have your answer." well, this is never the answer that you want from anyone, but you go into knowing that the Lord is going to show you things that a person couldn't tell you because it's in scripture and you can't argue with scripture. SO, when ben started reading this, we had MULTIPLE people come up to us at the most random places asking for money, i had some things at work to happen where i needed to love and turn the other cheek instead of judging, and i ran into some families that i could've judged immediately, but God said wait. also, in the process of what turned into several months of studying the Sermon on the Mount, a guy started coming to our house asking for work for money. well, ben is SO GRACIOUS and much more compassionate than i am, and he ALWAYS found something for our friend (i'll call him greg) to do around the outside of the house. whether it was pulling some branches to the curb or cleaning out our gutters, all greg wanted was $5 to get him some dinner. well, greg recently moved to paris, tn, and i never thought i would say this, but i miss him coming to the door, knocking really loud, petey going C-R-A-Z-Y and having to hold him down while ben went out and found something for greg to do. please pray for greg that he's ok in paris. thanks!
now, how all this relates to Ephesians, you might ask, came about in a strange way. my book study (yes, janie williams is in a book study...i know it's amazing!) is reading a book by watchman nee called Sit, Walk, Stand and it's just really slapped me around. it talks about how you have to sit first in your salvation and Christian life instead of just going and doing immediately. well, i'm a fixer, and i like for everyone (even if i don't know you) to be happy. well, this is impossible to do, and i'm realizing that more and more everyday. so, the 3-5 chapters of Ephesians talk about walking along side other believers (i think it actually starts in chapter 2.). lately, i have been overly focused on myself because of the baby. and although it is an answer to prayer that we're pregnant, that doesn't mean that i have a "one-up" on everyone else. so, i encourage you today to turn the other cheek, walk the extra mile, and go the distance for your brothers and sisters in Christ. and if you're not a believer, i urge you to look for this in Christians. i pray that we show you that we don't judge, that we will walk beside you no matter what has happened in the past or where you've messed up. Jesus never leaves our side. we shouldn't leave each other's sides as a body of Christ. and it's my new venture to NOT judge, to walk the extra mile, to not worry about what's fair or not fair, but to simply trust that God IS sovereign and He does everything for a reason and sometimes just for a season in your life. i also urge you to read Ephesians and the Sermon on the Mount for a month everyday. it's amazing what will happen. Peace of Christ to everyone.

a little teaser...

i really want to post some things that have been on my mind lately. however, i'm at work and i have some paperwork to do right now, so you will have to wait until tonight. (i don't even know if anyone reads this daily) so, for now, i urge you to read a little bit of Ephesians because that's where this post is going. more to come later. lates peeps.

do the hustle

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so, this is what happens when melissa gruver comes home. the whole world stops and you try to learn a new dance :). i give jenny an a+ for effort!!!

we ARE still alive!

ben and i went to florida with the williams fam and had a GREAT time. i think it was the MOST relaxing vacation i've ever had! SERIOUSLY!!! we laid around on the beach, in the house, did nothing but had a great time. (I will worn you...there's pictures of my stomach...but since i'm pregnant, that's ok ;))oh yeah, we saw 2 sharks, too! yeah, meri was fishing one day with a lot of other people and a regular shark swam about 7-10 feet away from the shore! then, the next day, an even BIGGER hammerhead shark swam all along the shore about the same distance away. it was CRAZY! just so you know what a hammerhead looks like...

ok, also we ate at this great neighborhood bar that has wonderful oysters (according to pop and meri) and has really really good hotdogs and good beer on tap (according to everyone else but me). it was great! that's what our vacation consisted of. wonderful and relaxing!
also, here's a picture of what i looked like last week and i do believe i have grown since then! we were able to have another ultrasound at the doctor last week. our little baby is just moving all around and his/her (we don't know what the baby's sex is yet) heartbeat is very very strong! YEA!!! thanks to everyone for all of your prayers. we feel them and God is being so good to us right now. Praise Him from Whom all blessings flow!!!! Peace of Christ to you!

video

i know i haven't posted in a while, but this is just a little teaser for you. we are nearing the end of the Easter season at Christ Community Church (we follow the church calendar). so, this past sunday was ascension sunday. we've been talking a lot about the mystery of the ascension and how it just makes the puzzle go together. it's like the piece that fell on the floor at the very beginning of doing a puzzle and you don't find it until it's the last piece to put in. (at this point, i urge you to read the last 10 verses in the gospel of Luke...it's pretty great stuff) so, i was looking at blogs this morning and found this video that i think demonstrates the love of Christ for us and includes the ascension. so many times, we stop with the crucifixion, but as walton padelford says, that's not the whole gospel. the gospel is the death, burial, resurrection, AND ascension of CHRIST. the Lord of Lords, and King of Kings. anyway, i hope you enjoy it. i will post some updated things about us but i just don't have time right now. we hope you're all doing well!!!

some new news going on...

well, there has been several things to happen over the past 3 weeks that i have yet to post. first and foremost, ben and i found out we're pregnant! we're due on december 14 (yes, along with both of us and mimi and meri's birthdays...there WILL be one more :) so, thank you ALL for your prayers. this is just an amazing time for us. we know that God has an amazing plan for this child because he/she has already been prayed over so much. we know that you will continue to pray for us as we make decisions about parenting and what to do with our child. we will let you know how we progress.
i have been at an autism conference yesterday, today, and will be tomorrow. it is SO interesting. I'm learning all kinds of new things about working with children who have autism and am loving every minute of it. i could really see myself working with children that have autism full-time some day. it's crazy (and this sounds silly), but i've even learned to adapt some of it to petey (that's right), our baby, and nieces and nephews. it's fun. also, i found a new love for training petey today, so, beware, because next time you come to see us, you might find a COMPLETELY different dog...in a totally good way. still excited to see you, but much more well behaved. :) (that ones for you, rachel) we love all of you, and again, thank you so much for your prayers. we will keep you updated on what's going on! come see us soon!

the newest myatt!!!

i got a call at 7:15 from mimi myatt saying that ben and i have a new nephew! welcome to the world samuel tate myatt, weighing in at 9 lbs. 5 oz (yes, you heard me right!!!), 22 inches (and yes, again, you heard me right!!!)! we are so excited that he's finally here and that we get to spend the rest of our lives with him!!!! congrats to bill and mel and bless mel as she recovers from the delivery!! both mom and baby are healthy, healthy, healthy!!!!

what is community?

i've been thinking a lot about church in general and i would love to hear your thoughts on what you think church should be about. i come from several different "types" of churches and we have settled at Christ Community Church which ben and i love. I married into it, but am glad i did. however, i've just been thinking about how important community is and wonder how "tight" community TRULY is. we feel that we have a very "tight" community (close knit, everyone knows everyone and some live around each other). however, it's hard to be tight with everyone you want to be tight with. i have NO idea if this is making sense or not, but just bare with me. CCC prides itself on being close knit and having what true community is. i believe we do have true community. i'm just interested to see what other people believe community to be. do you think it's something where you spend everyday together? is it something where you see each other on sundays and wednesdays and maybe some in between or do you have community because if it you're hurting, you know that you can go to someone whom you might not go to on a daily basis.
i've also bene thinking a lot about friendship and actually "clicking" with people. sometimes it's hard to find that niche. that certain group of people that you long to be with to hang out with. so, what do you do in the mean time? do you sit on your hands or do you get out there and try to figure it all out?
it probably sounds like i'm whining...sorry. i'm not meaning to. i would love to hear your thoughts though on community. please let me know.
God bless your week.

a fun day at the park

before all of the wonderful, green, yellow stuff appeared ALL OVER tennessee, ben and i enjoyed a picnic in the park with petey. we like to take him to north park in jackson to the soccer fields on sunday (when no one is there) and let him run loose. he ALMOST got away a couple of times, but he learned some new tricks that day, like lay down, and bring it to me. good times with the peter williams. :)



we also want to echo brian's congratulations for our great friend ben hickey! HE'S ENGAGED!!!!! (just in case you hadn't heard). he and Pepo will be married this summer in Ethopia with a reception/party in the states. we are SO excited for them and wish them the BEST!!!!
There's not a whole lot else going on. we did halfway finish our sunroom and i love to sit and talk to my friends, ben loves to read in there, and it's just nice. we painted it a cream yellow color. anytime you want to come and sit with us, feel free!

the virb

so, there's this new thing called virb.com. it's like myspace and facebook, only cooler. not spam-a-licious at all...very "mac-y"...very cool. you should check it out. good times, good times.

just for the fun of it.

this will take you way back and then also will take you possibly back just a few months ago. i think i've participated (or tried to participate) in most of these. you'll understand. turn up your speakers :)

what do you think?

i need some help on our template. it's not really us. any suggestions? thanks!

it's petey of course

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our dog's got mad skills.

thoughts

wow. ben and i have been thinking a lot about evangelism and how it relates to us, as we are surrounded by many, many Christians; we've also been thinking a lot about our lives and how encouraged we are in many different aspects. since my surgery (this is janie) SO many people have been more encouraging than i could ever imagine. after hearing from the doctor about a month ago that my endometriosis is back, my heart sank. through all of it, everyone that we come in contact with asks me how i'm feeling, i know that they pray for us daily, and are truly concerned. unconditionally concerned at that. even people who i don't talk to on a regular basis whatsoever ask me how i'm doing whenever i do get to talk to them. my friend has been in the hospital for a day with some other complications, called me last night to tell me that she WAS indeed in the hospital, and before we got off the phone, asked me how i was doing and feeling in the midst of her heartbreak for even being in the hospital. ben and i are EXTREMELY blessed! we don't understand it sometimes. the only only only way that we can describe is the shear fact that Christ is caring for His bride and He cares the utmost about His people. Matthew 5-7 is a familiar Bible passage titled "the sermon on the mount." here's what the scripture says...
26"Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27"And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28"And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30"But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!"
I'm so glad that Christ cares SO much about the church and about His sons and daughters. He DOES take care of us even when we feel like all is coming down on top of us.
In the midst of all of this, we've had a lot of good times. we got to go to oklahoma to see family and friends there. we also have been able to support several friends in their upcoming marriages. we are SO excited about all the weddings that will take place this summer and pray that the Lord will bless you and keep you, make His face shine upon you, and give you peace. (i'm at work, so i would post some pictures, but it always messees up when i'm trying to post, so i won't do it.)
in conclusion, i have written all of this to say thank you to all of the people that have encouraged us over the last few months. we continue to covet your prayers for healing for my body, and a larger family (of course). we thank God for our friends and family. come see us soon!!!

IT SNOWED!!!!!

i know that this isn't much compared to a lot of our readers, however, i'm like a 5 year old ready to sled when it snows!!!! so, here's our pretty little house in the snow and i wish it would stay around forever. however, it's 4:45 on the same day and it's already gone...so sad. hope everyone is doing well!!!