Norm Bell, Linnie Dickson & Blue Howell at the "Blue-Bell" Birthday Party

To hear Blue tell the story, he wanted to do something special for his birthday.  It was one of those milestone years that ended with a "0" and he felt a celebration was in order.  Despite his and Kay's (his wife) best efforts, none of the details would come together. One place was too expensive, one place was unavailable, this date or that would not work out - this was becoming a hassle.  

One evening as Blue was taking his late day walk he began talking to God and asking the Lord why it was so difficult to make what would seem like a simple birthday party come together.  As the Lord often does, He spoke quietly to Blue, "Blue, why don't you stop making it about you and make it about Me."  Well, needless to say, Blue had a new direction when it came to celebrating.

Needing to secure a place to hold the event, Blue called his close friend Norm Bell who works at their church, Vaughn Forest Church in Montgomery, AL and explained his situation.   Norm asked Blue, "Well, I'm having one of those special birthdays this year as well.  Do you think we could go in together?"

And thus was born the makings of the "Blue-Bell" Birthday party.

A few hundred invitations later, family friends and co-workers from all over Alabama, Georgia and as far away as South Carolina were crammed into the Hil-Way House at Vaughn Forest to celebrate and that's where this story gets exciting!

Blue and Norm asked family and friends to disregard personal gifts and instead contribute money toward the purchase and renovation of GiGi’s Place, a quadplex housing ministry project of The Shepherd’s Staff that will provide haven for families in need of tangible assistance and new direction. So at the center of the room, the "gifts" for Blue and Norm were dropped into a collection box one by one.  Young and old contributed, cash, checks and even single quarters were available for the youngest children so they could also be a part of this special evening.

At the end of the night Blue spoke about how God had ordained this special evening. Linnie spoke about the vision and purpose for GiGi's Place and The Shepherd's Staff and Norm Bell spoke about family and giving.

The folowing quote by an unknown author, shared by Norm during his address to the crowd succinctly sums up the theme of the “Blue-Bell” Party:

“It’s not what we gain but what we give that measures the worth of the life we live.”

Five years from today, the Howell and Bell grandchildren present that evening will probably not remember the delicious food, nor who they sat beside or what their grandfathers wore to the birthday party but they will remember that their granddads gave their birthday “gifts” to make life better for other people.

Because Christ reigns in their hearts, these Godly men merely reflected the example He had set for them 2000 years earlier. Their generosity will make life better for others for many years to come.

Thank you again Blue and Norm.