Please pray!

Friends..

Please Pray for Crystal's dad, Dave. He has cancer and they found another tumor on his brain, and the one on his back is growing. Their family needs much prayer!
Thanks, Susan

Mike and his Amazing Ministry

My friend Karen came over for dinner last week. Among many other things, we talked about the Tavern. I shared with her about receiving our very first reservation ! It's for 200 people in June for a graduation party in the Tavern Yards! I was telling her how Joe and I don't know how to cater, but we are going to learn!

She sat there for a few minutes and said something like this..."Susan, there's a guy at Solid Rock Church that runs this little restaurant on Thursday nights. He cooks steaks and Half-chickens, and homemade Eggplant Parmesean.. He's fantastic. WEll he just asked me to pray for him that he finds a job. He owns his own catering ocmpany, but he's been putting so much time in the ministry, that he let his catering company fall off."
He owns his own catering company!!!!

GOD.. GOD.. YOU .. YOU ... I can't barely believe what you continue to bring to Joe and I. What an amazing testimony we have to tell... and we will shout it from the rooftops! It is you LORD!!


So anyways.. Karen said she was going to contact Mike and see if she was interested.
She called us later that night, and said she was so excited she had to call Mike that night. But he wasn't home.
She called us the next morning..she talked to Mike. He was very interested.
Mike called us. He feels this is an aswer to prayer.

Mike runs this little restaurant..on Thursday nights. SO Joe and I went to visit him at the SOlid Rock Cafe! We feel Mike is an answer to prayer!

Mike cooks meals for about 40 people. Most of them are narcotic anonymous members. They love eating Mike's food and hanging out at the cafe'. Mike has an amazing ministry. We heard these guys thank him for the food, and he resonded with, "I love you Man"
Mikes mom and dad help him out by taking orders and doing dishes while he cooks.
I am so proud of him. He loves the Lord so much. He loves cooking so much too.
We all will make a good team I think!

So.. we have someone to help us cater! Just..amazing.. isn't HE???

a beautiful act of kindess (for Emily and Karen)

I can't help but to share this beautiful event that has touched my heart. It might not seem like a big deal.. but to me, it was beautiful. I find it hard sometimes to be a "boss" at my restaurant. Because I love my employees, they have become friends and family to me, sometimes it's hard to correct mistakes, or say anything negative. We truly are like a family. We love and care for each other.
I came to work this week and saw a bag sitting on the counter in my waitress station. It was a bag from Liz Claiborne. It had a note attached to it. "Susan, Karen and I bought you these shirts to wear for our Christmas celebration. They are a gift. We love you. Emily"
My employees... bought me two shirts. I was so humbled. I was so heartsick. I felt so unworthy. It is hard for me to accept gifts. I don't know why..but it is. It makes me feel embarrassed. Why would my employees buy my work shirts for me????? I should be buying their shirts for them!!!!! I am the one who gives!!

But I stopped and I thought.. they are not my employees that bought my shirts. They are my friends.
My tears flowed. I feel so unworthy. Why would anybody love me? Especially the people that work with me? I don't deserve their goodness and kindness. I am meant to give...it is hard for me to receive. It is really hard for me.
Emily and Karen..you touched my heart in a HUGE way! That was a beautiful act of kindness you showed to me! That was Jesus! I love you both so very much. You are a gift from God to me. Thank you. Your friend, Susan

Christmas in Volant!

Today is Christmas in Volant! It's the the celebration that begins the Christmas season in Volant, Pa. Each shop decorates their stores so beautifully and are filled with Christmas items that are hard to resist! Joe made homecooked Chicken-n-Biscuits, Pot Roast, and Oven-roasted Turkey. For dessert we made Pumpkin Pie and Coconut Cream Pie and Of course the Blackberry Cobbler! If you are in the area come by and see us! We are going to fill your bellies with wonderful treats today!
I hope you have a magical day today! I hope God pours love and joy and peace into your hearts and you feel fulfilled with His love! I hope you get lots of smiles and are able to smile in return! Let Jesus's love shine!
With His AMAZING and NEVERENDING LOVE,
In Jesus's Name, Susan L. Hougelman
(The daughter of a King)

"Enthusiasm is the greatest asset in the
world. It beats money and power and
influence. It is no more or less
than faith in action."
- Henry Chester

ALLY'S BLOGPOST :)

I am off today!! *YEAH*
My kids are sick and home from school today. *BOO*

But it is wonderful that I can be at home with them while they are sick. Poor babies!
Ally is laying in bed with me and she has asked if she can make a guest blog post!

So here's Ally. *Be good Ally!!*

Hello World!
I'm sick today :(... Home from school :) (yay!) Usually when I wake up I come downstairs, and see my mom laying in bed on her laptop writing on her blog. I find some of her blogposts interesting, so I decide to read what she has to say :) I asked her if I could write a blogpost, and of course.. she said yes! (whoohoo)
My mom and I have many similarities. I love writing as much as she does. I can explain things much better through writing. So I thought it might be funny if I shared with you an inncodent that happened to me yesterday with my puppy Nikki.
I stayed home from school yesterday too, my throat has been so sore and I have the worst headache ever! :( When I'm sick, I usually enjoy taking a nice, relaxing bubble bath. Well... Since my mom was at work, and my sister Lauren was at school. I was home alone.. well, not actually alone, alone. My dog Nikki (Nixon) was there by my side. everywhere I went. She was there.. This started to get REALLY annoying. I was sick, I didn't feel good, and I had a little dog bugging me. (ughh) So back to the bubble bath. I lit some good ole' Yankee Candles and jumped into the relaxing bubble bath. OF COURSE. Nikki ran into the bathroom and just sat down by the tub and watched me. THEN... Nikki started to whimper, and whimper, and cry, and cry!! I was getting so frustrated. "NIKKI, LEAVE ME ALONEEEEEE!!!" I shouted. But that didnt help, she still kept crying. I tried to ingore her by putting my ears under the water, and closing my eyes. About 5 minutes later a big THUMP hit my stomach. I opened my eyes and Nikki was standing right on my stomach. I figured she didn't realize if she took another step, she would land right in the water, so I picked her up, and took her out of the bathtub.. Sure enough, she jumped right back in! This time, she landed right in the water. I thought she was going to start panicking, but I was wrong! She started to swim around the tub, she seemed like she was enjoying it!
She swam for about 30 seconds and I said "Nikki, thats enough! GET OUT!" So as I went to pick her up... SHE GROWLED AT ME! She wanted to keep swimming! I laughed to myself, but then my throat started feeling worse and I needed some privacy. So I took her out once again, and I wouldn't let her back in. She started to cry and cry and even tried getting back into the tub... I think I was going to be the one crying.
So I shut the shower curtain, and waited for the crying to stop. WHAT COULD I HAVE DONE?!?!? Finally, the crying stopped, and I was relieved. So I closed my eyes, and soaked in a nice, hot, relaxing bubble bath. all to myself :)
I always think about this everytime I watch my mom write a blogpost. I think about how awesome she is, and every little word she says really means something to me. When she writes about me, my sister, my dad. Jesus Christ, The Tavern. It makes me so proud to have a wonderfull mom like her. :) (AWEEE) <3 HAHA. I believe her blog will be a keepsake that my sister and I will have in the future.. When my mom is no longer with us. I belive her blog will be a story, that I will read every single day when I'm older and away from her. CONTINUE TO WRITE MOM!!! CONTINUE "A PORTHOLE INTO MY SOUL" FOREVER!! :)
Love,
Ally :)

Pray!

Pray for President Obama. Pray for our country. Pray for each other. Pray that God heals us and forgives us for our sins. God hears our prayers.

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." (James 5:16 NIV)

God's Love

My sister Dianna is a beautiful woman. She is so very intelligent, and witty and kind hearted. She is clever. She is giving, of her time, her posessions, her heart, her life. She is beautiful on the inside as well as on the outside.

My sister Dianna has been hurt so deeply by her past, so deeply within her soul, that it causes her to feel rejected and unloveable.She doesn't feel worthy of love. She is scarred. Because of this she pushes people away so they can not hurt her. Because the hurt of rejection is so very painful, it is hard to bear. Because of this, she has incredibly strong emotions that are like tidal waves. Some are more calm then others. Some wreck havoc in her life. She can't control these waves all of the time. It causes sadness in her heart, that I'd give just about anything to take away.

It breaks my heart for my sister, because she can not see herself the way God sees her. She is his child. His baby girl. His princess. God thinks she is so beautiful and delightful and so very worthy of His Love. It's not her actions that He loves. She doesn't have to do anything. He loves her because she is his daughter. He loves her because of who she is, not what she does. It's the same way we love our children. Think when they were born, they didn't have to smile at us, they didn't have to do anything to gain our love, We just fell deeply, head over heels in love with them. Our love is unconditional. God's love is a million times stronger for us.
AND...

He WILL NEVER, EVER, EVER, REJECT YOU DIANNA! No matter what you do, what you think, what you say, how unworthy you feel.. HE WILL NEVER REJECT YOU!!! And my beautiful sister, God's love is all you really need. We all want the love of friends and family. That is something we must earn. Sometimes it is given freely, but unfortunately sometimes it is not..BUT THE LOVE OF GOD, doesn't have to be earned. It is given to us freely and can never be taken away. AND.. It is really all we need. You know that. Because you have CHrist in your heart.

Dianna, and anyone else who has felt lonely, rejected, unloveable, or just insecure. Look in the mirror, but see yourself the way God sees you this time. You are beautiful. You are a supermodel, a ballerina, a star... honestly. God sees you that way. YOU ARE THAT BEAUTIFUL!!! Now.. believe it. See yourself that way too.
Then go out and change the world. : ) Peace to you ALL MY SISTERS. I love you with the love of Christ! That is AMAZING LOVE!!! Susan

Free Coffee at Starbucks if you Vote Today!

The Leadership America Needs

by Rick Warren

America needs leadership. As we head into one of the most talked-about elections in American history, we’ve heard about a lot of different issues. But we’ve talked very little about one of the defining issues of elected government – leadership.

I don’t know a lot about politics. But I do know a lot about leadership. I’ve been studying leadership for 35 years. I’ve read hundreds of books about it. I’ve been training leaders for 28 years. Saddleback teams have trained well over 500,000 leaders in business, government, and the church in 160 countries in the last 28 years.

Sure, I’ve been a leader. But the biggest reason I know something about leadership is the Bible. It is the greatest book ever written on leadership. The kind of leadership America needs right now is the kind of leadership God blesses. The Bible says a lot about the kind of leadership God blesses, but let’s focus on three primary characteristics: integrity, humility, and generosity. If you read the last issue of the Toolbox, you’ll recognize those three characteristics. In the last issue, I focused on the need to develop those characteristics when we find success in our ministries. This time, I want to look at the upcoming U.S. election through the lens of those characteristics.

1. God blesses leaders who live with integrity.

The Message paraphrase says, “Love and truth form a good leader. Sound leadership is founded on loving integrity” (Proverbs 20:28).Above all else, a leader needs his or her credibility. If you have no credibility, you have no trust. If you have no trust, you have no leadership. All leadership is built on trust. If people trust you, they follow you. If they don’t trust you, they don’t follow you.

Where do leaders get that trust? All trust comes from integrity. All of our leaders used to be known for integrity. We talk about the honesty of Abe Lincoln. Today, many leaders are much more interested in image than they are in integrity. Image is what people think you are. Character is what you really are. Character is what you are in the dark.

Some people say that it doesn’t really matter what a leader does in his private life. It matters if you want God’s blessing. What you do in your private life always affects your public life. In fact, that’s the definition of integrity – your public and private life is the same.

Integrity does not mean perfection because nobody’s perfect. God has never used a perfect person – except Jesus. God only uses imperfect people. You don’t have to be perfect to have integrity. You have to be honest.

We don’t need more visionaries in America. We don’t need more smart leaders. We need leaders with character. We need leaders who aren’t interested in image, but are willing to say: “What you see is what you get.”

2. God blesses leaders who serve with humility.

Jesus gave us a whole new standard for leadership. In Mark 10:43b (NLT) Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant.”

Jesus said you measure a leader’s effectiveness not by how many people serve him, but by how many are served by him. Most people genuinely start off wanting to make a difference with their lives – that includes government leaders. But slowly service becomes serve us. It becomes how do I feather my nest? How do I consolidate my power? How do I get re-elected? How do I get people to serve me instead of them being served by me?

Why is humility important? The Bible says in James 4:6b (NIV), “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Grace comes through humility, and disgrace comes through pride. The fundamental problem with pride is that it makes everything all about us. It’s the root of every other problem in our lives – and it’s the antithesis to good leadership.

The Bible tells us that God opposes the proud. That means every time a leader thinks he’s “hot stuff,” God opposes him. Every time. And when God opposes a leader, he’ll lose the battle. Every time. The Bible says be humble or you’ll stumble.

We need leaders in our country who’ll be humble.

3. God blesses leaders who share generously.

Generosity matters to God because it makes us like him. Everything you have is because of the generosity of God. You would have nothing if it weren’t for the generosity of God. You cannot say I’m a loving person and not be a generous person. They are synonymous. Generosity is love in action.

Psalm 112:9 discusses generous leaders: “They give generously to those in need. So their good deeds will never be forgotten. They will have influence and honor.”If you want to be a leader of influence and honor, you must learn the principle of generosity.

Jesus said it like this: “Much is required from those to whom much is given, for their responsibility is greater”(Luke 12:48b TLB). A few months back when I interviewed John McCain and Barack Obama, I talked to them about this. America has been the most blessed nation in the world. I believe we have to be a blessing to other people. It is our responsibility. We have not been blessed just so we can enjoy it. We have been blessed to bless the rest of the world. We need leaders who understand the principle of generosity – we’re blessed to be a blessing to others.

We need to be generous with our money, but we also need to be generous with our influence as well. The kind of leader we need for America will do what Proverbs 31: 8-9 says: “Speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves; ensure justice for those who are perishing. Yes, speak up for the poor and the helpless, and see that they get justice.”We need a leader in America who sees how much we’ve been blessed as a country and wants to use our influence to speak for those who have none.

The purpose of influence is not to build one person – or one nation’s power – it’s to speak up for those who have no influence. We are to judge our leaders on what they do with the influence they are given.

Tomorrow we’ll have an opportunity to pick a whole slate of leaders in our country. I’m not just talking about the presidency. We’ll have a chance to pick local, state, and national leaders. How can we prepare for that election?

First, we need to pray, and we need to encourage others to pray. I hope you’ve been doing this already. Pray for the candidates. Pray for yourself. Ask God for wisdom.

Second, check the candidates out. Check out their character and competence. Know where they stand on the issues that are important to you as a Christian.

Then you need to vote. And make sure as many of your church members as possible get out and vote. If you don’t vote, you are giving up the privilege that people died to make possible. I’ve been all around the world. There are many places around the world where the people would die to have the freedom to vote. We need to take advantage of the freedom we have.

The Tavern Blog!

Sweet! I finally got our Tavern Blog set up today. It's not finished yet, but if you get the chance check it out! Tommorow I will write more about the journey that God has taken us on..to the Tavern and also add some links to other New Wilmington web sites. I LOVE BLOGGING!
www.thetavernonthesquare.blogspot.com

My loves..

Found this forgotten picture in my cache'. This was from Joe's birthday in July. I love these three beautiful individual people. Together we make an awesome family! We are much better together..than we are apart!

Spreadin' the Love..to Jackie!!!!

So I've been thinking soooooo much..trying to spread the love! (See previous post on spreadin' the love) Honestly..I've been trying...I couldn't find anyone to be a blessing too. I was going to pay for someone's meal at my restaurant..I've done this before..feeling God's nudge.. I write "Paid in Full" and then tell them someone paid for their meal.. People LOVE it!! They will probably always remember it. That's so Jesus isn't it?? It's so much fun.. I love to see people's faces..watch them look around..wondering who on earth paid for their meal! What a great feeling!
But anyways..I've been looking..I want to pass on the blessings! Well, I finally discovered a way to spread the love, last night (at about 4:00 in the morning!) (I guess that makes it today and not last night!)
Jackie Nicklas (Well that's her maiden name) used to go to my church. She also worked for me for a summer. She's so sweet. I love her inner beauty so very much. She blogs..actually she Xanga's and I have read her Xanga for geez..probably a few years! I don't read it daily..maybe just once a month or every other month..to see how she's doing. She's good at sharing her heart. Well, Jackie got married a few months ago, and she moved to Italy with her husband, who is a graduate student.
I'm thinking..woah..that is so cool. She's living in Italy..that is an amazing adventure and huge blessing!
But Jackie is really homesick. You can just feel it in her Xanga posts... She misses American food. I'm going to send her a care package!!!! I haven't talked to Jackie since she worked for me. It's been ...about two or three years now! So she will think it's really, really random that I would send her a package...But isn't that what it's all about! A RANDOM act of kindness!!
haha!! I love this!!!!! I am going to go shopping this weekend and send it out to her next week! She will get it in time for Thanksgiving! Click on the link to read about Jackie and her experiences and woes in Italy! If you can think of anything fun that I could add in this care package..feel free to let me know!! Give me some ideas!!! Here is Jackies Xanga site address. (For some reason I can not get my links to work!!!) grrr.
http://www.xanga.com/jackieshmacky
Just copy and paste this into your browser!



WOoooHOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

listening to..

Gravity! I love this song!! I've always liked John Mayer but all of a sudden I'm really diggin' his music! hmmm...interesting!

Good Morning!!

I couldn't sleep last night... AGAIN! I was up all night. This is happening a lot to me lately! My mind is spinning..in a good way! I have so many thoughts and ideas and the excitement inside me is MASSIVE!! Last night, I looked up recipes for baked goods. I am going to get a notebook together and start printing out my favorite recipes for the restaurant/bakery! It's getting closer! It happens this month!!!!! This is our last month in Volant. This is our last month of being the owners of the Neshannock Creek Inn.
Our lives are about to change..drastically!!!! This is such an adrenaline rush!

I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : )

P.S. I am off today. I am spending the day catching up on emails and blogs. Today I am creating the Tavern on the square Blog! I want to publicly keep track of our journey! I also created an email address for people to send us their recipes!!

On our way to school this week, we saw a horse running on the road in the opposite direction which we were driving. The horse had it's reigns and stuff on, so we figured it must have escaped from a buggy. A police car was following the horse with it's lights on. I said, "oh poor horse.." Lauren said, "What???? Poor horse?? That horse is probably having the time of his life...screaming..catch me..go ahead try to catch me cops!!!!" I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe!! Lauren was probably right!!

My weekend!

Friday morning, I sat down and talked to Frank and Darlinda from our local newspaper. We talked for about two hours about the Tavern, our church plant, pastoring, Christianity, people in general and a whole lot more!! Friday afternoon Ally and I stopped at The Pointe's ribbon cutting ceremony and congratulated Suzy and Dean Ligo on their accomplishment! Then we headed over to the Wilmington Greyhound football game and watched the Hounds get hammered by the Gremlins.. Ack...it was their first loss of the season. Afterwards we went out with friends to Rachaels Roadhouse! Joe and I got home after 1:00 am and I was up at 6:00 am cleaning the house! I couldn't stand the messiness any longer! Then I went grocery shopping at 7:30 in the morning on Saturday...picked Ally up at her girlfriends house in New Wilmington and took her home and then went to work and worked 10 hours!!! Whew! Sunday... We had a huge breakfast in the morning! Then we all helped finish cleaning the house and went to visit Joe's dad. We went out to dinner at the Hickory Grille afterwards. Oh..before we went to visit Joe's Dad, we stopped at the Tavern to unload a new oven that we bought from Dunkin' Donuts!
It's been a whirlwind weekend! I feel so fulfilled : )

Cheeseman's Fright Farm!

Thursday night we took the kids to Cheeseman's Fright Farm in Portersville! WOAH! That was soooo scary and soooo much fun!! We had such a great time! Ally got put in a coffin...I was forced to go through a dark maze alone... and we all screamed ALOT!!! We can't wait to go again next year! I highly recommend Cheesemans' Fright Farm unless you are a scaredy cat!!

Perry Noble's thoughts on this election.

Many of my friends are political radicals. It is unbelievable to me, how far our country has swayed from God. BUT..I keep proclaiming that It's okay..no matter who wins.. GOD IS IN CONTROL! Read Romans 13: "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience (vv. 1-5).


Here's Perry's thoughts.. I agree with them! Don't worry ya'll!

Perry Noble
I’ve just about had enough…and am so glad I left the country yesterday…that way I don’t have to listen to this crap anymore.

And no, I’m not talking about the politicians and their crazy adds on television that are right in line with a middle school “yo mama” fight!

I’m talking about the Christians who have prostituted themselves with the political process and taken their eyes off of Jesus as their Savior and put them on either McCain or Obama as their Savior.

It’s STUPID!

Should we have a political opinion as Christians? HECK YES! Should we vote? ABSOLUTELY! I think a Christian who doesn’t vote is completely missing an opportunity that God has blessed us with as citizens of this country.

BUT…we can’t actually think that the salvation process is tied to who happens to be in the White House!

In reading through the Gospels the other day something HIT ME like a ton of bricks…the Jews missed the fact that Jesus was the Messiah because they were looking for someone to deliver them from the politics of Rome.

Let me say it more clearly–they missed Jesus because of politics!!! (And religion as well…but that’s another post!)
For a Christian to claim that the world is going to be doomed to hell because a particular party happens to “control” the White House is a slap in the face of a Sovereign God.

He reigns! Read through Scripture & it is so clear…God has used kings and princes that were sold out to Him…and He’s also used those who had no love for Him at all…all for HIS glory!

So…next Tuesday…go vote! “For who,” you ask…well, here’s an idea…ask Jesus who to vote for…and then do what He says. (Yes, it REALLY is that simple.)

Then…whoever gets elected…PRAY FOR THAT MAN OFTEN! Even if the guy you want to win doesn’t…all the more reason to pray!

One more time…YES, we should have political opinions…and YES, it is OK if they are strong AND we believe in the cause…BUT PLEASE let’s not make the mistake of thinking that God is somehow limited by the policies and philosophies of a particular party!

The Silk Road Fair Trade Market!

I found a new favorite... YOU'VE GOT TO CHECK OUT THIS PLACE!!

WWW.SILKROADMKT.COM

One of the women in my mastermind group is named Wendy Farmerie. She is the owner of the Silk Road Fair Trade Market. I LOVE..LOVE..LOVE Wendy's store! It is wonderful! Not only does the store carry beautiful things from all over the world but when you buy an item, it helps people in impoverished countries! This is not a plug by the way..this is what I truly feel! Not only am I going to buy most of my CHristmas gifts at The Silk Road, but I really..really want some things for my Christmas gifts from Wendy's store! *Joe* and *Girls* HINT HINT!!!!!!!
Wendy carries Nativity sets from all over the world! I am in love with these Nativity sets. I don't collect anything...I'm not one that likes things..but I have fallen in love with these Nativity sets!! I want to collect them..and some day I want my grandchildren to come to my house and look at these little Nativity sets and I will be able to tell them the nativity story. I can just see their little hands touching the little figures..and asking questions...*SIGH* I desire!







These are some pictures of the Nativity sets I love the most! I am going to buy myself two of them! The Zulu ones from South Africa and the coconut shell from Haiti! THe rest are on my wish list *cough* *cough* Joe Hougelman!! :