Half Way From Home

Song for the day: Alpha Rev – Sing Loud

Hey everyone!

Thanks for reading and staying in touch, the past few days have been the first time I (Josie) have felt home sick so it’s a comfort to receive your messages and responses to the blog. We've been on the road a whole month now, one more to go.

This week has been pretty exciting with lots to tell you and we’re about to move on from Texas for more adventures so I will try and keep on topic!

We left you last week while we were couch surfing in South Dallas which was pretty good but it’s a

The Village Church

little awkward being in a strangers house and trying not to get in the way of their everyday lives.

On Sunday we headed out to Flower Mound campus of The Village Church to see Matt Chandler speak live. The topic was on gifts of the spirit such as prophecy and tongues and it was the best biblical exposition of the topic I have heard so far, it makes sense to me now and helped me decide where I stand on this subject. It was helpful to listen again when we were serving back at the Fort Worth campus in the evening to let it all sink in. An extra bonus was that we also had donuts afterwards because it was the campus' one year anniversary!

On Monday 21^st we left our first couch surfing digs and were homeless for about four hours. We had decided against the second couch surf we had booked as it just didn’t feel safe. We told Britt at the Village, who had been letting us help out at church, at the weekend and she sent a message around to ask if anyone could host us. Amazingly we ended up with a whole house to ourselves because a kind lady named Meredith had just got married and had her home up to rent so it was sitting there empty! It was GREAT. So we spent the morning at church doing a few more odd jobs and having a super helpful chat with some of the staff about how the church runs and then we moved into Meredith’s for three nights. We had a microwave and a fridge and a real bed and air con and TV to watch some movies!! Backpackers’ heaven. Needless to say we didn’t do a lot but sleep, eat and watch movies on Tuesday…

Wednesday was cause for more excitement. Church jobs in the morning and then about 5pm we went out to Cousins BBQ house to meet Kerby. She has been on the welcome team with us for the last two weeks and invited us out to dinner while we are in town. We had a great time getting to know one another and tucking into some pulled pork and ranch beans! She then invited us to attend her home group afterwards which was such a blessing. There were about fourteen adults, plus three brand new babies who were all very sweet. We felt so welcome and really enjoyed the study based on a chapter in Knowing God by J.I. Packer. It was a strange relief to have a time of prayer with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and realise these men and women are just like us; yes they live far away and have a funny accent, but they believe what we believe and they trust the God we trust. We’ll be in heaven with these people and millions more we’ve never met…

Gaudalupe River - Float the River Tubing

After an amazing evening we got back out on a road trip past Austin to the Guadalupe River. For $15 each you can hire a tube and get shuttled out to float the river. We covered ourselves in factor 50 and then spent two and a half hours cruising along. It was pretty busy at first but still so peaceful and relaxing. The lush vegetation lined the banks as we floated by and then wriggled down over the shallow rapids with lots of laughter and occasional separation depending on who got stuck on the rocks! We were well and truly exhausted by the time we checked into our cabin at Leander KOA. On the Friday morning we hoped to see Hamilton Pool before driving back to Dallas but we didn’t realise it was such a huge tourist attraction and couldn’t get in. There was nowhere to wait nearby and we were on a schedule so had to leave it. A bit of a shame but there’s always google!

With the decision made we stopped for a quick lunch and arrived back to North Dallas by 5.30pm for our horse trail at 6. What a fun experience! I’ve been on a horse a couple of times and have even been lucky enough to do a horse trail in the states before. But for Jimmy it was a first. He was a bit intimidated by the horses at first, I don’t blame him as they are huge beasts and a couple of them didn’t like being tied up when we arrived, but that soon left once he had climbed onto the back of a gentle mare called Pina Colada. She was the cheekiest horse who loved to stop and munch on grass and Jimmy didn’t mind because he thought she deserved lots of treats! I was riding the grumpy old granddad of the group called Duke. He was easy going enough but assumed he knew best when to go and when to stop. The trail was two hours long in the blazing heat but even with all the sweaty backs and legs it was so memorable and well worth it!

After the trail the evening before we just chilled out on Saturday and watched a couple of movies

John 3:16 & Proverbs 24:16

as we are now in a lovely hotel for three nights as a treat! Eventually went out to have a quick dinner at In-N-Out Burger (spot the Christian company!) then drove downtown to the Granada Theatre for a gig we booked when we were back home. 

Alpha Rev & Levi Weaver

Every week we listen to the Relevant podcast by the guys at Relevant magazine down in Florida and they feature different a music artist every podcast. A while ago they spoke to Levi Weaver and we really enjoyed his music, so when we found he was playing in Dallas while we were here it was only a few minutes before we bought tickets! If you listen to our songs of the day you will have heard one of his tracks a little while ago. He was the first act so only had about half an hour but he was great! We met him afterwards and picked up two of his CDs, lovely guy too. There were three more bands throughout the evening and only one of them sucked. The Rocketboys and headiners Alpha Rev we’re both awesome and are now on our youtube playlists. Overall – a great night!

Today was lovely and a little sad. It was our last day in Texas and our last day at The Village Church. This morning we went over to Flower Mound again and heard their campus pastor as Matt

Josie & Kerby at The Village

is on holiday now. In the afternoon we skyped mummy Hill to catch up and then for the evening service we went back to Fort Worth which has become our home church of sorts while we are here. Pastor Mason was preaching tonight and spoke on Colossians 1 which was really helpful on how we view the character of Jesus, have a listen to any Village sermons online. Afterwards we had a couple of thank you cards to give out and goodbyes to say. Brittany, Kerby, Mason, Randell, Stephan and Jill and their home group and more – thank you for your welcome and generosity! We’ll miss you guys.

And now, I’m finishing up this post so we can pack up and get ready for a nine hour drive to Albuquerque tomorrow then onto Monument Valley and the Grand Canyon the rest of the week.

Us with Levi Weaver & merch goods!

Please pray for us as we journey on the next few days, for safety and that Jimmy gets enough sleep each night when we're back in the tent and it's crazy weather.

So goodbye from Texas and onto more adventures!

All our love,

J&J x

Dallas Days

'So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows' Matt 10:31

Song for the day: The Gentlemen - I'm Not Leaving. A tune from our teens! The days when long hair on guys was cool...

Hi Friends & Family,

For much of this last week we have been ‘on holiday’. At the beginning of the week we were camping in extreme heats out past Fort Worth and just wanted to relax. I’m now reading my forth book this trip and Jimmy has listened to umpteen sermons and podcasts and is on his second book for his summer reading list for September. We’ve been in the pool a lot as well!

Last Saturday we took a trip into Weatherford for their Annual Peach Festival. ‘Peach Festival?’ I hear you say. Yes, lots of peaches. Peach juice, peach ice cream, peach cobbler and just plain old peaches.

We parked up at a shuttle stop and were taken into town in one of those classic American yellow

Weatherford Peach Festival

school buses. After being given a hand fan in the shape of a peach (surprise surprise) on the way in, we wandered through four blocks of endless food stalls from all over the world and craft stall after craft stall covered in more wooden crosses than you could shake a stick at. There were also three stages with local country musicians playing throughout the day. It was hot, very hot. And not totally interesting if you’re not keen on peaches. So we tried some peach ice cream and sat in the shade to do some people watching. One thing that helped with the heat that I haven’t seen in England before (maybe because I’m not a festival girl) is a mist tent. Just a small gazebo with an automatic water spray and a fan. If there isn’t a pool handy, walking through those is the quickest way to cool down.

That afternoon the humidity and heat hit an all-time high so we went out for dinner and to the cinema to see the new Transformers movie. You have to get creative to find places with AC, right now I’m writing from a mall in Dallas with free wifi and parking! But now we’re hiding from the rain, not sun. (Quick tip for Transformers fans – the first hour or so is good, then it just gets crazy pointless. And you will encounter a very strange Irish accent by a guy who was actually raised in Ireland but sounds like he’s been hanging out with Americans too much.)

On Sunday we had our first visit to The Village Church where we will be worshipping for three Sundays and on the welcome team. We are also popping in two mornings a week to help out with odd bits and bobs that need doing around the building. The Village Churches lead teaching pastor is Matt Chandler, we often listen to his sermons online back home. The Church we are visiting is a

satellite church so each week the church gathers, has a live introduction and music and then Matt’s message is played up on a screen. We thought it would make a difference to the congregations’ responsiveness but it doesn’t appear to. When he did a hand raising exercise to demonstrate a point people lifted their hands, when he made a joke they laughed. It still feels like a normal service. We do intend to visit Matt’s home campus sometime just to see what it’s like but we don’t have to miss our own service because they run once on a Saturday and three times on a Sunday. Everyone we have met so far has been really kind and welcoming. One of the members is also a local weatherman we’ve seen on TV!

Speaking of weather, it’s been pretty unpredictable here. I’ve seen some pictures of the storms back

Fountains at Sundance Square

home but here when the thunder booms you can feel it in your seat. We went into Walmart to pick up a few bits and as we got to the counter and looked outside we couldn’t even see the first row of cars because the rain was so heavy… Scary. Hence we upgraded from the tent to a cabin for a few days. Luxury!! Loved the cabin!

We’re currently couch surfing with a family right near central Dallas. Yesterday we spent the afternoon in Fort Worth, laughing as dozens of kids’ splashed through Sundance Square fountains screaming their heads off.

Love Shack

For the evening we drove further north to the Cowtown Coliseum for the Stockyards Rodeo. After grabbing a quick dinner at the coolest little bar called ‘Love Shack’ that was set up squashed between two shop sides with live music we filed in to find some seats in the Coliseum. With the pleasant whiff of farm yard manure in the air we settle in for the two hour show.  It was fantastic! Real life cow boys with beautiful horses and those crazy bulls! The true Texan experience.

Stockyards Rodeo!

Today was pretty exhausting because we walked alllll over Dallas. Old Red Museum, JFK Memorial, Dallas Museum of Arts… we saw an original Monet! Then for lunch we stopped at House of Blues. (Remember that from Freaky Friday?!) A very surreal part of the day was walking by the road where JFK was assassinated.

After all of that, we just came home to rest weary legs. Looking forward to the Village Church tomorrow!

Love love love  J&J x

p.s there’s a Lush store here in Dallas, all the way from little old Poole :) 

Let me walk upon your waters

Song for the day: Hillsong – Oceans (close your eyes, lay back and listen to the beauty of it!)

Hey y’all, (gotta speak the lingo or you won’t be understood)

Currently writing from somewhere in Texas while on the drive to Dallas. We’re about six and a half hours in from Memphis. 102F outside, that’s 36C! Melting!! But to pick up where we left off…

When we last wrote to you we had stopped in Johnson City with the lovely T. family. We were hooked up with them through Mr T’s parents as they live in our hometown and go to our mother church. The family were so generous and kind to us. Three of their five kids were at home during the summer and they taught us how to catch fireflies in the garden, the sons wore Jimmy out with football and cricket and I chatted Jane Austin with the mum and daughter – women after my own heart!

Pancakes at Cracker Barrel

On our second day with them they took us out for breakfast to Cracker Barrel which has the best pancakes around! Then to Sam’s which is like super market but all the products are supersized. That afternoon Jimmy and I took a quick trip out to Jonesbourgh which is the oldest town in Tennessee. It was beautifully quaint and historic. But we didn’t stop long as we wanted to get back for Jimmy to practise his sermon for the afternoon. He had been invited to speak at H. Church youth group and the pastor decided to bring his community group to hear him as well so it turned out to be quite a crowd. We think it went well and felt very blessed by the people we spoke to afterwards. We’ve since listened to some of H. Church’s sermons and feel sure we will say in touch with the Pastor and T. Family.

Once the serious stuff was over the Youth Leader, who was perfectly suited to his role, invited us to stay and play some games. We played Sockie, with a soft ball and sponge ended hockey sticks. You could use the stick or your feet to move the ball but no hands. We had three teams that rotated each time a goal was scored and it got pretty competitive between the Hills! It was so much fun and good exercise! The kids we’re all amazing, it was sad not to stay longer in the area. We went home and chatted into the evening with the family about all kinds of things.

The next morning we bid farewell to the T. family and they loaded us up with supplies for our

Whaaaat?

journey. Nashville was our next stop with a drop into Pigeon Forge on the way. I thought Pigeon Forge looked interesting and much smaller and cuter than it was. Turns out it was a tourist trap with really busy road. So we stopped, saw an upside down Wonder Works house and got back in the car!

By time we arrived at Nashville KOA it was dusk so we popped up the tent and had a quick pasta dinner. About 90% of the Americans we’ve met so far have been really friendly (excluding when they drive and most appear to be fools…) and as soon as they hear our accents they are even nicer. Our new tent

Free dessert!

neighbours were no exception and when we arrived they had a full banquet cooking. As we sat eating dinner having said our ‘hello’s the Dad of the family came over with a plate of melon, strawberries and cake with whipped cream for us to have for dessert! It was delicious. And they had the cutest little dog called Diesel who always wanted to play with us.

A couple of our days or mornings in Nashville were spent just relaxing; reading, writing, swimming, sleeping – we are on holiday after all. But in between the quiet there was adventure.

Post Fireworks Face

4^th July we caught the shuttle downtown and were dropped in Honky Tonk central on Broadway. Bar after bar live music poured out onto the streets and people dressed in red, white and blue sprawled out as far as the eye could see. At the end of the road a huge stage had been erected with more famous bands playing all day. We stopped for dinner and watched a band then headed to the waterfront to get a spot for the fireworks. Nashville is heralded as the 2^nd greatest firework display in the country for 4^th July – and it was true. We sat and waited for three hours with some odd characters around us until night fell and there was no room left to move. The display lasted twenty-seven minutes and received multiple rounds of applause and “USA! USA!” chants. It was pretty spectacular.  And so was the two hour wait for the shuttle home with about one hundred other campers on a sidewalk. Fortunately we did have some entertainment as we bumped into our new young and excitable neighbours, all three fresh out of high school with not a care in the world – but surprisingly intelligent.

The 5^th July was a chill day with free BBQ, ice creams and a ‘dive in’ movie around the pool at the campsite. I quite liked The Croods!

Sunday 6^th we visited two churches and enjoyed both. In the morning we went to CHURCH. A self-titled church plant and individual in every way. Jimmy’s sister linked us up with her friend in Nashville who was kind enough to give us all kinds of sightseeing advice and met us at CHURCH that morning. Unusually for a Bible belt church they have a congregation of only thirty or so and don’t own their own building. But we felt at home here because of what we’re used to back in the UK and it has been the only place we have known one of the songs! And we love it so much it’s the song of the day!

For the afternoon service we visited Crosspoint which was similar to Elevation but with a slightly less intense welcome team and Jimmy and I both disliked opposite things about it. I wasn’t a fan of the worship (all sounded a bit samey and forced to me) and he wasn’t a fan of the preaching method so much. It was their youth pastor preaching so they can sometimes be a little OTT because they are used to talking to a different audience. I found his message helpful though and gained a new perspective on how and why I was lost before God opened my heart to Him.

Monday 7^th we had a very interesting meeting with the pastor of CHURCH at a great café/market

Blue Bird Cafe Monday Blues gig

called the Turnip Truck. We discussed church planting and the religious culture of the USA and came away with a lot to think about and a new friend and contact in Nashville. The afternoon was filled with a trip to the Parthenon replica, The Ryman Auditorium (which was fantastic!) and more live music and food at the Honky Tonks. In the evening we had an extra special treat by getting into the famous Blue Bird Café for a blues gig. Some of you may have seen it and the Ryman on a little show called ‘Nashville’.

Finally we reach yesterday, Tuesday 8^th. We checked out of the amazing campsite and had a quick

Opreyland Hotel Riverboat Ride

drive around the corner to the Opryland Hotel which is just mind blowing. They have three thousand rooms, yes I said THREE THOUSAND. And just to top it off, an indoor botanical garden and river with riverboat ride. Just check the website for your own peace of mind…

LifeWay Publishing was our very last stop in Nashville. As I said before about Jimmy’s sister putting us in touch with a friend of hers, E happens to work at LifeWay and offered us a tour of the place. They do so much more than books and it set our imaginations on fire with all the options of Christian media, marketing and literature. She was even able to get us into the live filming of The Exchange, which is an online show where Ed Stetzer plays host to Christian pastors, authors and leaders and discusses such topics as evangelism,church planting and much more.  Here’s the link to The Exchange website, the show we were in the room for was discussing Church Planting. We got to meet some more great characters and learned some of the history of LifeWay, all starting with a man seeing the need for better Sunday School Resources in the 1800’s.

Outside LifeWay

After this lovely day I really must rush through our drive through Memphis and the horrible hotel 

we stayed in last night. Fortunately we don’t care that much about Elvis because even if we did I wouldn’t have hung around any longer this morning to drive past Sun Studios or Graceland before getting on the road to Dallas. Just yuck.

A side note to this that we also experienced at least a seven hour storm last night that started while we were on the road and continued on as we went to sleep. While I took a nap during the journey to Memphis the thunder and lightning started. Jimmy carried on driving and as I woke up the rain came down. We got through the worst part of it and only after this did Jimmy tell me that while I was sleeping a fork of lightning came down and struck the grass verge between the two sides of the highway just in front of him. Pri-teee terrifying. This unsettled us just a tad but at the same time what a blessing that it didn’t hit us. If He takes care of the sparrow, he’ll take care of us. J

I was also saved from observing the bust up car with slashed tires in the corner of our hotel car park until we were leaving and our car is fine. Altogether not a great night, but all is fine and God is good.

Better go as we are almost at our new home for the week and I need to psych

Hi & Bye from Jimmy in the pool - as usual!

myself up to leave the gloriously air conditioned car to put up our tent in 35C heat…

Love to you all as always, stay in touch!

J&J xx

P.S. Jimmy has worn his Elevation Church shirt 3 times and every time someone has said ‘hi’ and introduced themselves as a brother or sister in Christ! Once in Walmart, once in Carowinds theme park, and the last one was while we we’re eating dinner in Nashville! Love this place!

snippet of Oceans lyrics:

Your grace abounds in deepest waters

Your sovereign hand will be my guide

Where feet may fail and fear surround me

You’ve never failed and You won’t start now

So I will call upon your name

And keep my eyes above the waves

When oceans rise

My soul will rest in Your embrace

For I am Yours and You are mine

Spirit lead me where my trust is without boarders

Let me walk upon your waters

Wherever You would call me

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander

And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of my Saviour

Watching Fireflies

Song for the day: Owl City - Fireflies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psuRGfAaju4

If I forget to say it later, praise God for fireflies. They’re awesome.

Setting out to Charlotte KOA

We’ve had an exciting few days since the last blog and being on the move is beginning to feel normal.
On Friday afternoon we picked up our hire car and had a pretty nervous drive to Walmart with Jimmy learning to drive an automatic on the wrong side of the car and road, while I tried to navigate with pictures on the Ipad of the map route we’d found earlier on google.
Fortunately we made it in one piece and Jimmy was cruising like a pro in no time. We picked up all our camping supplies and headed back to the hotel to sort all it out - with the new Tomtom we picked up guiding us…
 Saturday morning we went down to retry making our own waffles at breakfast and after a tasty maple syrup covered success checked out and headed to the Billy Graham Library – which is much more like a museum but that title doesn’t quite fit.
The effect of Billy Graham and his teams work has rippled through multiple generations and is still very much alive and at work today. He himself is still alive but very elderly and no longer in the public eye, the Billy Graham Evangelical Association is headed up and watched over by his son, Franklin.
The Library tries to focus on what God did through the work of Billy more than Billy himself (he never even wanted his name in the title of the Association) but he is just such an incredible guy with a unique life story that it can’t help but be about him in the most part. You learn about his upbringing as a farmhand in Charlotte and his conversion when Mordecai Ham rolled through town. Then onto his bible college education and how he met and married his wife Ruth (I’ll get to her later – she’s in a league of her own). After that he had a short time working in a church with lots of other speaking engagements before he took advantage of the new technology and started broadcasting on radio. Youth for Christ was also launched and he travelled all over the USA.

Letters sent to Billy Graham from all over the world.

Then came the LA Crusade, booked for three weeks but it ran for eight! From there Billy Graham was a household name and the crusades spread everywhere, to every country and tongue, broadcasted and recorded for television and radio. He and the team we’re the first religious organisations allowed behind the Iron Curtain! The stories, pictures, memorabilia, keepsakes, honours and awards are so humbling to see what God has done through a good and faithful servant. And by this I mean Billy, his family and his whole team, for he couldn't have done it without them. He befriended, counselled and prayed with no less then eleven US Presidents and took tea with Margaret Thatcher… What more can I say? God was with him every step of the way.

Ruth Bell Graham was an amazing woman, wife, mother and friend. It seems she had a brilliant sense of humour and a courageous faith. Whenever Billy went away on mission she kissed him goodbye and prayed him through each trip, writing him letters continuously. She had to play both role of the parents to their five children while he was away and they have all grown up with love for Christ and have gone into ministry work. She appears to have had the biggest beautiful heart I have ever known, and still was just as real as the rest of us. If I were ever to have an idol, it would be her. I was humbled to sit at her grave and know her race is done and she is with the Lord. Her grave stone reads “End of construction – Thank you for your patience.” – A sign she once saw when driving down a highway.
I could go on about the Library all day, the whole experience is flawless. But if you can’t get there I suggest you read this book: Billy Graham Autobiography, Just As I Am.
 Next! We went on to find the Charlotte/Fort Mill KOA and setup our tent and camping equipment for the first time. All very exciting and pretty successful. The second it was done Jimmy was in the pool! Finally he got out and we made quick dinner.

While I was finishing the cooking I looked up at the trees and almost knocked the whole camp stove over as

Dinner at Charlotte KOA

I called for Jimmy. Somehow I had forgotten about fireflies up until the moment I saw one dart though the trees just a few yards away from our tent. I only saw them once or twice on my travels here last time but here the South they are everywhere. Each night around twilight they begin to flash and dance in the foliage all around. We both sit fascinated and watch this natural light show play out. We watched for ages and laughed at the thought of God just plain showing off with this bit of creation. These tiny little bugs that would look like any other, but they have a mini light bulb stuck on the end that glows! It’s one of our favourite parts of the whole trip!

Outside Elevation Church - Matthews

Sunday 29^th was also a great day! We went to two Elevation Church Services, morning and evening, to get a feel for how they work in different locations. We often listen to their lead pastor Steven Furtick online but he was away on a break. At Elevation Matthews we heard Tim Fara and Elevation Blakeney, Chris Allan. Both were excellent speakers. They are just finishing a series called ‘Your Verse’ which they spoke on their favourite verse and explained them. The whole way Church is ‘done’ at Elevation is very different to how we know it in the UK but a really good kind of different. There is absolutely no way you can walk in and out of a service with being greeted at least once, we had interacted with at least four e-team members before we’d even sat down and felt so welcome. The music was so loud you couldn’t hear much congregation singing but that made you feel you could sing and praise as loud as you like because no one could hear you. None of the musicians had music stands, it was all memorised. The preaching was Christ centred and genuine. There are a lot of things we took away from Elevation and intend to use in the future – including our free t-shirts

J Quick note to say that in between the two services we found a place nearby called Squirrel Lake Park to eat our lunch and had a beautiful nature walk with lots of photo opportunities. Plus, a goat on a leash. Is this normal in the States?

Home again to our tent for the night and Jimmy made some exemplary omelettes for dinner and I introduced

Smores with a Cadbury twist.

him with Smores  - English style!

Monday was lie in and laundry day followed by a cheap twilight entry to Carowinds Theme Park. As the crowds faded out it only took us three hours to blast through all the major rides before a storm came in and they had to shut them down. We made it back to the car just in time! If you’re ever in Charlotte, stop by Carowinds, it’s Alton Towers on steroids.

Yesterday we packed everything up in the car and bid farewell to Charlotte as we wove through the Smoky Mountains into Tennessee and arrived in the afternoon to stay with the relations of a family from our home church back in England. They have all been so welcoming and generous with their home and time. They also invited their pastor and his wife over for dinner so we could meet and chat to them. This afternoon we are going to their church for Jimmy to speak to their high school age youth group and the pastor is bringing his home group in as well. Should be exciting!

Oh and also, last night we ran around the garden with the kids catching fireflies!

There’s things I've missed out but this essay is big enough. Tomorrow it’s Nashville, just in time for 4^th July celebrations!

Love to you all,
J&J  x

Viewpoint on the way to Johnson City.

 
Romans 8:14-17
 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.