Pray for life...

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.' "
Ezekiel 37:4-6

Hello Prayer Warriors,
Greetings from Norfolk, VA! The Clayton Circus is doing well here. Ministry is booming. We are continually amazed at all God is doing here, and humbled that He is allowing us to be a part. Just tonight, Craig began to formalize plans with the Sunday School leadership for an event called the Big Serve. On Sunday morning, August 31, our church will cancel morning classes and services to participate in numerous local missions projects. We will gather that Sunday night for a time of celebration and praise for all the things God will accomplish. It’s thinking outside of the box, and it’s radical. We are seeing that God is calling us to radical living in everyday life to bring people to an intersection with Him!

Also, let me tell you about Teresa. She works at a Goodwill Store not too far from our house. She was working the cash register when we bought some great finds! After talking to her, we discovered that she is from Zambia, Africa. Without sharing who we were, she asked if we were missionaries. We, of course, responded, “Yes,” but were in awe of the Holy Spirit’s working. Then she asked, “Would you like to get together with me to talk about religion?” Well of course I said, “YES!” We’ve gotten together twice and will continue to meet. Please pray for her. She has said that although we’ve not known each other long that she feels like we’re “kindred.”

Now, you may be wondering why in the world I would be sharing verses about dry bones from Ezekiel. Some of you may know, but most may not, that the Jedi was diagnosed in December with Legg Calve Perthes disease. It is a degenerative disease of the heads of the femurs. The heads of the femurs are actually dying. Over time, they will actually re-grow, but there are many factors that play into it. When it was discovered in December, Jedi had shown none of the symptoms of limping or pain, which was a blessing. Unfortunately, he is having more and more pain. On Tuesday at 1pm we will see a specialist at Duke University. He is known as one of the top orthopedists in the country for this disease. We are asking you to pray for healing. We are asking you to pray that God will breathe new life into Jedi’s dry bones. We are also asking that what ever the outcome that He will receive all of the honor and glory He is due, and that more people will come to that HE is LORD.

Thank you for the continually holding the ropes for us!
Craig, Lori, and the Kids
www.theclaytoncircus.blogspot.com

Also, would you please change our email address to claytoncircus@gmail.com. Our pobox address will continue to work for a while, but we’ve made the permanent change to gmail. Thank you.

It's been too long...

It's been awhile. I am learning that if I don't just stop and blog, it never gets done!!! We are in our new house. It's wonderful, yet we still have no furniture. We have beds and a table and chairs and Craig's recliner, and a few rocking chairs. So, we are definitely fine, it's just weird. We found out last week that our furniture would be delayed another week, so we took the hint and painted! With the help of some very gracious and sacrificial friends we've painted almost the entire house. We have very little left to complete and we are so thankful. I will post pictures soon when I can remember where I packed the download cord for my camera!

God is also doing some incredible things. Ministry is going so well for Craig. We have a pastor that is so supportive when it comes to helping our church to be a New Testament church; he longs for it as much as we do! Also, God has given me some unbelievable opportunities to connect with people that I meet while just living life. I will ask this question, Do you know that God is working around us every single second of the day...and we just have to be prepared to notice it and join in? Here are two stories:

Teresa works at Goodwill. Within 5 miles of our house there are numerous thrift stores which is great for us frugal types! Well, Teresa helped us check out at Goodwill and as soon as she opened her mouth, I knew she was not from the US. She is from Zambia, Africa! So I found out about how she came to live in the US and OUT OF NOWHERE SHE ASKED US, "Are you missionaries?" Can you believe that??? We had not shared at all about who we were. We talked about where she and her husband attend church and where we attended. Then she asked, "Would you like to get together and talk about religion?" CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT???? I told her that I would love to! We are meeting for lunch on Thursday and she is attending a women's luncheon at church with me on Tuesday! Pray for her as she is obviously seeking....

Lynn lives next door to us. We've learned she is kind of the "queen bee" of our street. We've had a rough start with some of our neighbors because they are not used to kids living on the street. I kind of feel sorry for them because the Clayton Circus has come to town...and it's not a temporary visit :)! Yesterday she was out on her front porch and I was determined to "win her over!" After an hour long conversation she had told me that today was her birthday (which is personal in my opinion), and she told me she was looking for a change in a church. She wanted to know if she could visit FBC Norfolk!!! So...she will also be attending the women's luncheon with me on Tuesday!!!! Pray for Lynn....

So, God is doing miraculous things. Thank you for your continued prayers although we are not in another country. God is moving here in the Hampton Roads area, and we are excited to be a part of it.