New Do

Who knew you could get a good haircut on a cruise ship???  And it was only $30 - way less than I expected it would be.  Now if I could just get someone to work on my clothes,, make-up,,,hahaha.  This is mainly posted for my sister, since the cut was inspired by her beautiful hair.  I miss you, Boo!

Random things in my Living room part 1

If any of you know me and my husband, you know that we are opposite in oh so many ways!  The one I want to focus on here is how I LOVE being organized, while he could care less about when things get put away.  I have decided to start taking pictures of all the random things that end up in my Living Room (and stay there until I move them!)  mostly just because I think it's really funny.  So here is the First edition of "Random Things in My Living Room".  I am still deciding on if i want to explain why these things are here!

Invasion of the Fruit Flies

Why me??? I think I need to read the story of the Plagues in the bible again. Right now, as I type, there are at least 3 or 4 fruit flies swarming around my head. Apparently while we were gone there were at least two flies who took the opportunity to breed a whole colony in one of my household plants. So looked up "How to get rid of fruit flies" and I was surprised by so many answers. The only solution I had the supplies for was to get out some bowls, pour in some sweet wine and then add a drop of liquid dish detergent. As my mom said - what a waste of good wine!!!! Well, it has worked for most of them - and yes, I do mean that there were probably at least a hundred, but they are not all falling for it. HELP!! And here is how I know I am probably supposed to be learning something from this: Last year in one of our old houses, we had an invasion of those GIANT flies - you know the ones that fly real slow and look like they could eat a small dog. Oh wait, do I also need to mention the mouse/rat problem of '07? Anyone with some wisdom on the plagues sent to me???

All advice would be appreciated

Home Sweet Home

We are back from Vacation! It was a wonderful trip in so many ways - Thank you, Tressie (Mom) for your generosity and love. The boys had a wonderful time with our Florida family and friends. Bryce has invited all of you to his 6th birthday party! Here are some pictures that make me wish I had taken 100 more, just to remember the time!





Could he really be 6 months old already??

What about your children?

I think one of the most popular questions people have for us when they hear about our ministry is "What about your children?" The follow-up questions include: "What about their safety?" "Where will they go to school?" "What about the peer influences that will bombard your kids as they grow up?" Believe me, Bryan and I think about these things all the time!
A simple answer that is SO profound is that God the Father did the unimaginable and sent His ONLY SON so that we may live eternally with Him. I have put so much hope in the fact that the Eternal God knows what I am going thru!
As I was having my time with the Lord this morning, I was so encouraged by the story of Abraham and Issac. It's another example of a parent who is asked to sacrifice his son. Now, by no means do I feel the need to "sacrifice" my sons on the altar- but I do believe that when the Lord called BK and I into ministry - He called our whole family, sons included. I believe that my sons will actually reap great benefits as they live with us as we do ministry and actively process with them the things they see and experience.
My favorite verse from the passage is Gen.22:12. The angel of the Lord tells Abraham to lay down his knife, "for I now know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld even your beloved son from me. (v 16) Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your beloved son, I swear by my own self that I will bless you richly." I know that the Lord cares about Bryce, Ethan and Levi and that as I obey Him, even they will reap the benefits. His promises of protection, refuge, growth in righteousness, and blessing apply to my children and yours as they learn to seek the Lord - no matter what neighborhood they live in!

Do not be ANXIOUS!

Isn't it sweet when the bible verses you read for the day are directly related to what you are going thru?
I am getting a little nervous about our upcoming trip to FL - the long car ride, 3 kids on a boat, the money we will have to spend.... And then this morning I picked up my "Read the Bible in a Year" bible and the section for today was Matthew 6 - DO NOT WORRY!!
I am so glad to know that my heavenly Father knows everything I need and promises to supply all that I need - as I seek FIRST HIS KINGDOM. Sometimes I wonder what that is supposed to look like on a day to day basis. I think for me it means being faithful in all that I know He has called me to, today. He wants me to point my children towards doing right and justly to those around them. He wants me to love my husband unconditionally and seek to serve him. He wants me to be patient, kind, sincere, joyful in my circumstances, and persistent in prayer. Each day is so similar ("groundhog day"), yet each day has it's own troubles. There are enough things to think about TODAY than spend time worrying about our upcoming trip - Pray for me!

Ringing in the New Year

How do you ring in the New Year? Firecrackers? Whistles? Champagne glasses? Kisses?

This New Year’s Eve was a bit unconventional for our family in many ways. On a funny note, we spent the first part of our evening at ….Chuck E Cheese’s! The kid’s had anticipated a fun trip to a farm, and so when that was canceled, we had to come up with something. We decided that it could be either fun or a disaster, but thought it was worth a try. I guess I began to realize how different my life really is when we loaded up in the van to pick up a friend from down the street to take with us. Brandon is almost 7 years old and over at our house all the time – he and Bryce have become pretty good friends.
When we pulled up to his house and rolled down the window we could see a group of about 10 kids playing some sort of ball in the street. Just then, we heard a series of gunshots. The kids began running in our direction and Brandon’s mom began shaking her head – “They are just so stupid.” The gunshots were just for “fun” in anticipation of the New Year celebration. I have so much to learn.

Well, Chuck and the gang was a blast – not so many people there and of course I won 66 tickets at the Bonus game again. (Should I take a trip to Vegas? The ministry could really benefit from my skills!)

When we got home Bryan and I watched the Ball drop at 11:00 and then he kissed me goodbye – he was going to meet a local pastor at a Watch night service. I must add in here that the Lord has given me the Peace of Christ that passes all understanding. I am serious when I say that I am perfectly fine with being in my house with my children at night. I have the Lord. And angels. And burglar bars. And an alarm system. And a German Shepherd. You get the idea.

Well, I had just fallen asleep and then I heard them. I thought they were fireworks and some of it may have been. But then I remembered what I heard earlier that evening. Gunshots. Lots of them. Semi-automatic weapons sounding off. Ringing in the New Year. I must admit it was a little scary sounding and strange. Why is that fun? Why aren’t fireworks enough?

The next morning we heard that a 7-year old boy was shot the night before and died from the gun wound. He was not Brandon, but it could have easily happened to any of the kids on our street. The shooting actually occurred in the Housing Project that is next to our neighborhood. We heard at first that it was a stray bullet from a “celebration” round. Then we found out that it was from a drive-by shooting – someone taking advantage of the expected gunfire. Thank you, Lord, that it wasn’t Brandon. Please be with the family of that sweet child.

How do you ring in the new year?