I AM THANKFUL!

what a day

Woah... yesterday was very cool all around. Sunday, November 11, 2007. The first time I had an opportunity to preach at FBCGV. It was a great day, God really took control and calmed me and allowed me to preach His word. I know I have a long way to go to be a great communicator of the Word, but God will continue His work in me... He must, becasue I am no where close to a finished product. I am just thankful that He gave me a message and allowed me to present it!

It's a joy to be able to have your family in Church with you, and to have a Church family that loves and supports you. I could feel the prayers and love as I prepared last week and as I stood and presented the message. Thank the Lord for a great day in His house.

I stood behind the podium. I read a lot of my notes. There's a comfort there and hopefully someday I will be able to move around more and use my notes less...

Then... we headed off to a David Crowder show! WOW... what a day. DC*B is back and better than ever. We had a great night of worship at the 930 club in DC. How many people can say they praised the Lord at the 930 club?!!? God is everywhere his people are!!!

It was a great day all around... Thank you Lord.

one crazy summer

hello all. it has been just about two months, or an entire summer, since my last posting. I'm sure those faithful blog checkers are tired of looking at the last picture I posted some 63 days ago, so I am here to change your view and give you a little update.

Well, the summer is over and that means all the various fall activities are beginning. All of my student-friends have headed back to school and we have begun our 2007-2008 year of SMYDEK. Our first meeting was last night and, I must say, we started well. We jumped back into game time with a rousing game of kickball and then headed in for some fellowship and worship time. We ended the evening with re-mix groups.

I have a great group of guys in the re-mix portion of the evening. I have the privilege of hanging with the older guys... 11th and 12th grade. Honestly, I was blown away last night -- the guys shared openly and honestly about the current state of their relationship with God and where they would like to be at the end of the year. We shared some individual spiritual goals, group goals and prayed together. I was so impressed with how seriously the guys took our time together and that they truly had evaluated where they were and where they want to go with Christ. How refreshing to see young men seeking to know the Word, grow spiritually and increase their faith! I am excited to see where God takes our group this year.

on a side note. -- Jack rolled over last week... it is amazing to see him grow and figure things out! he has mastered the art of putting anything and everything in his mouth!!!

much love all

DY

p.s. to the college peeps... thanks for the updates on your new surroundings... it's great to see that you all are adjusting well to life away from home!

the wedding 7/7/07

 

a pic of my buddies wedding this past Saturday. What a joyous occasion... a wonderful celebration and off to Mexico for the newlyweds!

Lake Weekend

Well, here is an updated picture of my friend Matt. You remember, that guy who is getting married in a little over a week... I told you he has dropped some pounds and is looking quite svelte. Here he's pictured with his beautiful fiance Deb, and that fine young man in his arms is Jackson!

We had a great time this past weekend at the lake house. The weather was perfect and we spent much time out on the water... the best part of Lake Kerr is you are almost all alone on the lake! Apparently, 80% of the lake is owned by the Army Corps of Engineers, so it hasn't been built up and probably won't be. We had plenty of room to maneuver the boat, tubes and ski's. Unlike last time, we have no injuries to report! Guess we learned from our mistakes.

I sure missed my family, but it was a great weekend to hang out and catch up with some really good friends!!!!

Bachelor Matt

This weekend I am heading to Lake Gaston, VA with a group of my friends to celebrate the upcoming wedding of my friend, the real Matt Edmonds. Matt and I met in the 3rd grade and over the years have become best of friends... he's a brother to me. I am excited for Matt as he winds down the final weeks of bachelorhood and enters into the next phase of life -- the beginning of a wonderful marriage with Deb.
Matt's aunt and uncle have been kind enough to allow us access to their lake house. It is one of the nicest vacation homes i've stayed in and the views are incredible. I am looking forward to a great weekend of chillen out and catching up with old friends... also, boating, skiing (well, trying), tubing, campfiring...

In the first picture, Matt is standing far left. Please note: This picture is 3 years old. Significant weight has been dropped since and Matt is looking fit and trim for the wedding day.
The second picture above is supposed to be lake gaston.

who wants bologna?

DY

Golden Corral

Tonight, Jesse (J $) and I headed home from the Big "M" and decided to stop off and grab some decent grub. I say decent because, in my opinion, the Golden Corral has never been that great. With exception, ofcoarse, to the bread. Absolutley the highlight of the meal, in regards to culinary delights. The low point of the meal came when we decided to try the "yam sticks". Self explanatory and taste just as bad as it sounds! I think it made Jesse throw up a little in his mouth, but did not keep him from returning to the buffet for some mashed potatoes. Jesse and I shared an evening of good conversation and laughter. Points of conversation included:
- Baskin Robins million dollar taste tester
- Worship styles
- What you would want to be an expert at
- How Jesse's singing voice sounds in his head
I laughed so hard people were staring... or so he says. Jesse is an outstanding young man and I am blessed to be his friend.

If your wondering, the big "M" stands for Meleney Equipment. My current place of employment and Jesse's summer job. He works in the warehouse and completes monotaneus tasks with a joyful disposition. He found that Akon is not respected by the Big "M"'s current warehouse employees.

A good day... a great evening.

So long.

DY

We're Home

 

My boy.

Well, we're home now and we've had a good day. It's funny the things you get excited about with a newborn... We jumped for joy when we saw his dirty diaper this afternoon! i know, it's crazy, but you just want assurance that everything is working and that's a big indicator!

Anyhow, he's doing great and Jill is feeling better everyday. It will take her a little while to get back up to par, but in the meantime her mom and I are taking good care of her!

Thanks again for all your prayers. For more pictures of Jack, click the yovis picasa link.

DY

Baby Jack...

Praise God!

well, i found internet access in our hospital room... so i've decided to give you the first entry on the baby situation! He's here and he's a healthy baby boy! Jackson Davis Yoho arrived at 2:17 am after something like 30 hours of labor... but who's counting?!!? He stands (lays) at 22" long and weighs in at 8 lbs. 13.5 ounces. And, if i do say so myself, he is quite a handsome boy. You'll have to take my word for it though... i don't have any pics uploaded yet...

If you have seen John's blog latley, see link to yohoster, then you'll know the kind of party that took place in the waiting room! What a blessing to have so many family and friends gathered in support, I know these and many more were praying for us during this time.

We are thrilled to have this beautiful boy as an addition to our family... GOD is soo good. He has blessed us beyond measure!

Well, it's been a very long and special day... Jill is trying to get some well-deserved rest. I am so proud of my wife... what she did today was nothing short of amazing.

i'd better get some rest too... so, more to come!!!

thank you all for your prayers. Please continue to lift up Jill as she recovers and Jack as he grows!

Fatherhood is already great!
D

It's happening!

Well, it's 6:20 am and little Jack has decided he'd like to come out now! We are heading off to the hospital soon... Will keep you posted, but for know i have to tend to my lovley wife!

much love,
DY

God's calling...

It's been a long time since my last posting, but it's time to update those faithful blog-checkers on what's been happening in my life... I am making an attempt to keep this up to date as life goes on!

This past sunday during worship service, I answered God's call on my life to enter the ministry! The Holy Spirit's leading was undeniable and I could not stand in place any longer. I felt God's leading to tell my church family of His calling on my life. What a relief! God put this on my heart (and Jill's) about a year ago, but I had put it off trying to make sense of it in my own head. What a mistake, I had convinced myself that this couldn't be God's timing becasue of all the other things happening right now. It's a funny thing... when WE think we have God figured out, HE shows us that we don't and we can't! Once I convinced myself this wasn't going to happen, GOD renewed the calling and made it undeniable. There was no question what He wanted me to do... doing anything else would be blatent disobedience. God is so good. Even through my doubt and lack of faith, he continued to reveal His plans for me. Praise Him for not giving up on me!

Over the past year, Jill and I committed to praying over this and waiting to hear a confirming... GO! Well, clear confirmation came Sunday during service and my heart is overjoyed! I am looking forward to what God has in store for us. We desire obedience in our lives to go and do whatever He calls us. Please pray for us as we begin this journey of life together. Pray that we would continue in obedience and that God would increase our faith and trust in Him! It's all in His hands... everything... What's next? I don't know... God does. Thankfully, He'll prepare and equip us for it.

There is nothing better than family, and church family... After service, Jill and I were met with tears of joy, hugs and many many encouraging words by our family in Christ!

Good friends last a lifetime

From Pig & KG

From Pig & KG

The two gentlemen pictured with me are Pig and KG, aka Brent and Kevin, two of my close friends from college. We recently got together and hit up the National Aquarium in Baltimo. As you can see, we really enjoyed the exhibits and the time spent together. The strange bird we are standing next to is called a blue footed boobi (sp?), a fascinating creation, and a very appropriate name.

As I look back on my college experience, I can't help but feel blessed becuase of some great friendships that were created there. These guys are definitley a part of that for me. I met both of these guys as a freshman, we played a lot of basketball together and became really good friends on and off the court. For a time, we were virtually inseperable.

Even though God has taken us different directions in life, we remain great friends. God allows us to continue relationships even when we aren't right in front of each other! I am thankful for the true, honest and lasting friendships that survive through the different phases of life...

WINTER REATREAT '07

Winter Retreat '07 is here! SMYDEK and Arundel Baptist youth are heading back up to Sumitt Lake for another great installment of this mid-winter break! The theme for this weekend is "greater than hollow" which comes from the book of Ecclesiastes. God is calling us to live lives that are greater than empty! If we allow Him, He will fill us up with His spirit and give our lives purpose greater than this world!

It is an understatement to say I am looking forward to this time of retreat from the distractions of the world. God is going to do amazing things this weekend as we get into his word and spend time together worshipping our creator! I know that He will be in our midst, changing hearts and drawing people closer to Him!

The icing on the cake of winter retreat is that we get to go snow tubing! Can't wait to hit the slopes with my friends!

a new template for gravis

It's almost been a month since I last left a note. I hope you had a very Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and that this season you took time to reflect on the real meaning of Christmas - Jesus. Both holidays passed and not a peep from me on this here blog. I had a wonderful Christmas and an excellent New Years celebration! It was a very busy holiday season with visits from many family and friends.

Here's to a year full of God's guidance, recognition of His great blessings and some beautiful bloggin from us all!

It's a new year and a new template!