Saturday, January 31, 2009

I would like to crawl into bed at this point and probably will soon. Currently though we are babysitting several little ones which are a blast of energy. Avery enjoys the company but mommy and daddy are tired out. All good just wanting to head into the next month asleep...soon.

Fireproof is a highly recommended movie, so lets talk about why i think so for a moment. First of all it is a well directed and acted movie. Its got action and the story of love written all over it. It shows us how difficult marriages can be but why they are worth fighting for and working at. We bought the DVD and have watched it several times already, a great reminder every day of not only the love we are to have for each other but the love we are to have for God.

Facebook is proving to be a pretty neat way to connect with old friends and people from all over. The furthest out is David in Japan who works with the YWAM, he is out there working on a school of worship. Its a fine ministry and we commit to helping him and his wife and their three children as they work there. I remember the blessing we had from others while we were in ministry so i know how important it is to share in the work.

As i grow more tired here i am excited as well at the future and what God will do. Holly and I are looking forward to Valentines day since its on a Sat and we can enjoy the whole day together. We also still look to selling our home and trying for another baby. These are the desires of our hearts and we put them out there for the Lord and His will. We trust Him now and always. So even in the hard times we continue to give to His will.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

My wonderful new dell which is only four months old and not even paid for yet has died. I spent all last night with tech support trying to reload the OS and drivers only for it to still give me the same failure. Seems a virus or something got a hold of it. Unfortutnaly all my documents and important files are wiped out now. I think i can rebuild with out too much trouble. Once again i will have to rebuild my WOT email list, among other things. Its a mess.

On top of that my wifes car is still in the shop being fixed after my tailgate accident a few weeks ago. So she has to drive my darling 10 year old car. I at least have a ride since my brother in law and i work at the same place so he can drive me in. The ice storm came through last night making the roads real fun to drive on... well you know what i mean. So its going to take some time to get back on to gear. I should have a new hard drive for my computer in a couple days and will get going from there hopefully.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather appeal to him as a father, to the younger men as brothers, the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, in all purity. 1 Timothy 5:1-2Do not be so quick to judge your fellow man or woman; for at face value we are all in the same boat of grace. Not one of us can be held higher than another as the Bible reveals all have sinned and fallen short. Still I have found myself in the familiar spot from time to time forgetting who I am and who God is. Consider everyone around you to be a part of your family. In essence this is Paul’s instruction for he knows the love of a family is strongest. And true we can love despite the errors and mistakes, and faults. Throughout the years and my own failings it seems like my family has always been the quickest to forgive and love. We all desire to ask godly since that is what the Lord has commanded. So it is natural for our spirit to rise up within us when someone is around us falling short. Remember how Jesus lived and loved, and still loves us daily. God does not turn His back on His children. We in turn must never turn our backs on each other. For in the family it can go both ways and we want to love others; just as we expect to be loved. Treat men like brothers and women like sisters. This will help in your purity toward them. Be respectful of those older than you; trust the Lord will guide them as He has you. Our Holy Spirit within us shows us daily how much grace we have been given. So remember He is giving grace to each of us, for we are still alive to try again today.
Our economy is in trouble, the world at large is facing a very difficult time. We all have to tighten back our hedges and make sure we start saving every penny we can. The only hope this country has now is Jesus and the grace of our Lord falling upon us. Our Nations leadership must grab hold of the Bible and trust in God's help now. I pray they do because we need it so much right now. On my mind lately has been the subject of giving to God even in the midst of all these problems.

Last year was a very difficult year for us, between job changes and trying to sell our house there was much struggle. Holly went through a job change in mid summer which has worked out for her now, though it will be better next month once we can get onto her insurance. We have been on mine for a while now and its just not the greatest, we would have saved more money not having it at all probably. After losing my job in May and going through that period of hopelessness i finally found a job in July thanks to my brother in law and the Lord's provision. Its hard though because we literally took a 70% pay cut compared to what i was making. I don't know what the exact numbers are but its been hard.

When we begin to lose the battle for freedom in our own lives as must trust God. Trusting Him is something He has been laying on my heart lately to do. I had been trying to decide on giving but did not know the answer. Last Wed a fellow brother in Christ and co worker reminded me completely out of the blue just what i needed to hear. God will use other people to speak into our lives, but its always regarding something He has already been dealing with us. We were talking about our paychecks which come on Thursday, and he made mention of still how important it is even though our paycheck is going right to the bills, its important to give back to God in tithe. Offer back what He has given to us. Amazing since he had no idea this had been on my heart.

So my challenge is to trust God now even more. If i do not give even when the times are hard I am not showing i believe His Word or even His voice through my friend at work. So no matter how difficult the road gets ahead trying to cut back all we can should not cut back our giving back to Him. For that matter he is the one who keeps us going every day, has blessed us with work to do, and given us grace to accomplish all things for Him.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

A new era has begun, a new president, and a new country. I really do not know what is in store for this land in the coming months and years; but i trust God. Regardless of what policies i do not agree with, regardless of what i do not like about the leadership; i trust God. I will trust Him because if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without Him knowing, than a country or man can not rise to power without His hand. All things are in His control. His grace be with us and His wisdom be with our new president. The first African American President. We shall see what is ahead for this land.

A little closer to home I am currently waiting here at the ITT computer library for my class to begin. I discovered i new hobby online, that is the facebook. Its cool because it allows me to catch up with old friends from high school, and Water of Life youth group. I forgot how many people there are i used to interact with on a daily basis out in California. Seems like i am living in a different world in Oklahoma with a whole new crowd of people. Hopefully I can find my place at our home church here in much the same way. My spirit is yearning to be involved with what God is doing, and I pray He leads us and gives us wisdom. Its my desire to be the man of God my wife and daugther need. I work hard toward the goal, but struggle. I guess we all do.

So times are going by fast. Watching the market carefully and hoping we can sell our house so we can move into a better area. Also waiting and praying for the right time to work on having a second child. We want to start working on that in the summertime. Avery could really use a sibling to run around with. I will trust God. So between busy at work and school, time with family, and time online there is not much more. I look forward to catching up with some old friends i havent heard from in a while. Makes me smile when i think about how far God has brought me since highschool. Married to the best wife a man could ask for, and father to an amazing toddler who is the expression of her parents in such amazing ways. She is a load of fun. Well thats all the updating for now....

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Already off to a busy start for the new year, hard to believe its almost the end of the first decade of this century! We hardly began, which is funny since Hol and i also started dating in Aug 2000, so for it to be 2009 makes it really seem like time has flown. But that is the nature of life.

So with the new year and excitment there is also the overwelming task of saving and making it through a difficult ecomomy currently plauging the world. I have made my new years resolutions, or more or less desires for the new year. Hard to believe the first month is already almost up. My goals and hopes are set though on getting a new house and a new baby on the way by this time next year. I know it sounds crazy, even more so with the straps the world is in right now. But the last thing i want to do in a time like this is allow it to keep me from living life and enjoying what the Lord has in store. So we need to keep in prayer for both of these desires.

Avery continues to come up with new words and strengthen her vocabulary. For example she can repeat pretty basic words and point things out, flowers, train, moon (she loves the moon). She also knows who mommy and daddy are as well as knows us by Holly and David too if we ask her to point us out. She can say Diane, Laurie, Cole, Haye, Beth, for her five aunts. She also is working on her last name which is coming along. She understands more than she can say of course, though she is a wise and wild child, still very much a toddler. I think she really could use a sibling! So could mommy and daddy. And a nap too, which is what both my girls are doing now.

We bought a treadmill and Wii for Christmas and have been enjoying those greatly. Its nice to go for a stroll from the comfort of my own guest room, not having to worry about the weather or any other distraction, just listen to the quite music and enjoy. And of course I am also enjoying the game system in between doing school work. Right now I am working on my math courses, so there is a lot of catching up and remembering to do with that. Its been a while!

I got done watching You've Got Mail for the hundreth or so time, I love that movie. It really just captures the whole excitment me and Holly felt when we were doing the whole net chatting and emailing thing so long ago. Times have changed so much though, i hate to even think about letting my own daugther online. Its just not the same world it was ten years ago. Ten years ago this November is when she first emailed me. I read that email every year, makes me smile and be so thankful God brought us together.
Okay enough of that i need some ice cream!!