Beach 2010 (Day 3)

Our beach trip continues. Though it started off rainy, with a spectacular lightening display, it ended up beautiful. A number of you have wondered if we've seen any oil. Well, we are glad to report that we are oil free so far. But if the news reports are right, it appears we may not be as fortunate in the days to come. They are forecasting oil to come ashore in our area late tonight or tomorrow. So... We'll see.

Until then, all is well on Fort Morgan!

Beach 2010 (Day 2)

We enjoyed another good day on the beach. It was a special day for me, because it was my birthday! Everyone made it special for me. They took me out to eat and bought me a delicious "chocolate volcano cheesecake." It was some-kind-of rich!

Beach 2010 (Day 1)

It was a good first day at the beach. The kids had a blast, and so did the parents! (That's always a plus!) Though the weather was supposed to be rainy, it faired off early this morning and turned out beautiful. And so far, no oil!

Hope you-all are having a great Memorial Day.

Hot New Wheels

We decided not to take our old bikes with us when we moved to TN. So, one of the first orders of business was purchasing new bikes. Here's a picture of the kids sporting their new wheels!

BTW: They've really gotten good!

The Mill's Visit to Franklin

We were recently blessed to have our good friends, Brad and Carrie Mills, visit us in Franklin. It was so fun! The only problem was that it was too short!

This is one of the very cute pictures of the kids as they played in the backyard.

It's Ice Cream Time

As so many of you know, ice cream is one of the favorite past times of the Shurden family. We are enjoying the many good ice cream options in downtown Franklin. The pictures below are from one of our recent ice cream runs to Ben and Jerry's.

The Flood of 2010

We want to thank so many of you for your calls and e-mails, and especially your prayers for us and our community. It's been a long couple of weeks with the flood, and I know many of you have been looking at the pictures on the news. It really is worse than it even looks, if that's even imaginable.

Our church here (Parish Pres.) has been actively sending out mission teams into local neighborhoods, to help people begin rebuilding. We are just at the beginning of a long recovery, so we ask that you would continue to pray for us.

Below are just a few of our many personal pictures of the flood. They are glimpses of Franklin, just off of the "5 points" intersection in downtown. It was quite a site.

Update

I am finally sitting down to update the blog and let you all know what we're doing. We moved to Franklin, TN on March 1 and are still unloading a few boxes and organizing rooms. We left the kids at the grandparents the first week of March so that we could get some work done without them around. That was a huge help! The last post I did was one about selling our house and thankfully it sold! We closed on it on March 12. We love being here in Franklin. Nate has actually had the whole month off so that we could settle in without the pressures of work. The neighborhood we live in has a playground in walking distance from our home and great little trails in the woods. Our backyard is fenced but we can open the fence and play in a big open area. The kids have loved it! Nate spent Saturday preparing the yard for our vegetable garden and the girls and I went to Home Depot to pick out some flowers to plant in our little flower garden. The church members of Parish have been so kind to us. We've had some good fellowship with alot of them. The girls have made some new friends and Rosalyn is actually itching to find her "best" friend. They have really surprised me at how easily they go up to other children and start playing with them. We miss our friends in Jackson and FPC but we are really looking forward to getting into the ministry of Parish Presbyterian and thankful that God has sent us here. If any of you need our new address or phone numbers, just email me and let me know!

I don't know where the cord is to upload pictures to the computer but when I find it, I'll post some.

Selling Our House!

Our house is now officially on the market. Please take a look at the pictures and write up below and make contact with us if you or someone you know is interested.

Classic English Tudor Style Home in Belhaven

Built in 1940
2100 Sq. Ft.
Price, $199,900

3 Spacious Bedrooms with large closets
2 Full Baths/Master Bath has Whirlpool tub with separate walk in shower, and expanded vanity with double sinks.

Living Room & Den w/ French Doors opening onto patio
Formal Dining Room

Fully Updated Kitchen w/ eat in. Granite counter tops, tile, new paint, stainless steel appliances.

Hardwood floors, new roof, new wood fence, new sewer line, newly landscaped front and back, lots of new updates throughout the house.

Contact us at cjshurden@yahoo.com or 601-842-4524 for an appointment.

A New Path

I still have our fun Christmas pictures to post but I'm going to take time now to update you all on what the Lord is doing in our lives.

In the first 2 weeks of January for our family worship we all memorized the scripture Psalm 16:11..."You will make known to me the path of life. In Your presence is fullness of joy. In Your right hand are pleasures forever." The girls learned it quickly and said it regularly and we explained the meaning of it. How perfect of a verse it was for us. On January 11th, Nate accepted a new call to ministry in Franklin, TN. We had prayed and prayed for a few months to where God was leading us. We love First Presbyterian, Jackson and have made some wonderful friendships. The kids love it. So to uproot us all and move, in the middle of the school year, was a hard decision. But we know we made the right one. God has confirmed it in so many ways and has made it clear repeatedly. The girls are excited about the move and know several little kids in Franklin. We have had lots of tears shed and know the next few months will be hard but we trust in God to comfort us and take care of us. We will be moving the first of March. I am going to post the letter that we sent out to several of our friends that describes the job and our feelings. Please pray for us as we try to sale our house, pack, find a home in Franklin, and leave some really great friends and a wonderful church.

Friends,

It is with sadness and hopeful anticipation of God’s call that write to inform you that I will be stepping down from my position as Minister of Discipleship and Young Adults to accept a new call to ministry as the Assistant Minister for Church Planting at Parish Presbyterian Church in Franklin, TN.

This opportunity presented itself several months ago, and through much prayer and advice from many godly shepherds, the Lord began to slowly warm our heart in this direction. Christy and I now have a “fire in the belly” for this new role, and we look forward to serving Christ and His Church in middle Tennessee .

Our final day at First Presbyterian Church will be February 28, 2010. We will transition to Franklin , TN , during the month of March and will begin laboring at Parish Presbyterian Church on April 4, 2010 (Easter Sunday).

The six years we have been in Jackson and a part of First Presbyterian Church have been marked by deep joy and contentedness. The Lord has grown us, shaped us, credentialed us, and called us during these years, and we have absolutely no complaints or regrets. We express with the hymn writer, “Blessings all mine, with 10,000 beside.” Please know that we have chosen to accept this new call for no other reason than a strong sense of God’s leading. In accepting this call, we have experienced tremendous peace and confirmation, but at the same time, we fight back the pain and sadness of leaving. When you see us, you will more than likely see smiles on our faces and tears running down our cheeks. The reason for this is that Jackson and First Presbyterian Church have become home, and it is never easy leaving a place you love so much.

In the eight weeks we have left in Jackson , I look forward to speaking with many if not all of you personally. Thank you all for the ways you have cared for me and my family these years. We love you, and we will miss you. May God bless you all.

“You will make known to me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”—Psalm 16:11

Grace & Peace,
Nate, Christy, Rosalyn, Katie, and Knox.

A few from December

Rosalyn had her school Christmas Party and it was so fun for me to attend. I love to see her interact with her sweet friends.

While I was busy in the kitchen baking one morning, Katie and Knox decided to pull the covers off her bed and all the toys off the shelf and make a huge mess. Katie was so proud of herself. She came in the kitchen and said "Mommy, come look what I did!" I thought it was something creative but instead this is what I walked in and saw. Well, atleast they had a good time and got along and I got the baking done!
I took so many pictures of the kids this year trying to get the perfect one for our Christmas card. I felt sorry for them for all the time it took. I thought I would share a few shots....

Kids Christmas