God is Great--Day 259

I suppose I shouldn't bring up how I've been feeling lately, but it needs to be addressed somehow, and Kim's not going to call me on it. She's not like that. She said she was sorry for her crankiness late Sunday and I told her "Me too." I told her I meant I was sorry for my crankiness, not hers. We laughed and made a few more humorous comments as we stood in the middle of the room holding each other up.

Monday seemed better. My irritability was not as noticeable. I must say it has a calming effect to open the Bible and read. I also re-started a book Jennifer let me borrow a while back. As I did last time, I read the page she had bookmarked for me then started reading it from the beginning. It's an easy read and attempts to challenge the reader to not be as complacent in their faith. It questions where all the childlike faith has gone. Some of it is in my house. I'm very proud of Gabrielle and Colton and their work in Sunday school, Awana and Son-shine park. They ask good questions and say some very earnest prayers every night.

I didn't get enough sleep last night and woke up irritable again. That irritability has to be reined in when you're watching a two-year old all day. He's going to ask the same questions over and over. And over. No matter how many times I answer, some questions will be repeated. If I read him a book, he's not going to be courteous and wait til the page is done before asking all his questions. When we're done playing cars or blocks or sometimes even sandbox he's dumping everything out when he gets bored. I thank God for these things. It's what makes toddlers great. When I'm irritable, though, I can get irritated by such little things. I do my best to make sure Noah can't tell. I don't have the patience many others have, which is probably why God only gave me one at a time to watch over an extended period of time.

Kim thinks I have cabin fever. I don't leave the house unless I'm looking for a job or making a bank deposit. Having such a tight budget doesn't leave me with many other options. This is fine with me, but I suppose I should spend my time more wisely at home. This cabin fever idea would explain why last Friday was so much fun, but that would also be explained by the company I was amongst that night.

She has given me a few ideas. She also says things like "That would be a blessing." It's great we can remember to be grateful to God for everything. Sometimes we take things for granted, but we always come back to Him. This time last year, that was not the case.

We found out today He has lowered our house payment by $100. He sent us a check for $75 for something we had not dealt with in 5 or 6 years. We were sent another check from our insurance agency. We found out we're not over the miles on our leased vehicles. We may be well under. He's providing and we're surviving. Against my better judgment sometimes I worry we're still too comfortable as in:

"He loved the poor and accosted the comfortable, so which one do you want to be?"

from the song "My Jesus". Things may get worse before they get better, but I can't worry about that. It's not in my hands.

I paused at that last sentence. I feel I must do my part, but that puts things back in my hands. Give me time, Lord. I'll figure it out.

God is faithful.

Give me one reason--Day 257

I think one of the reasons I may have enjoyed the sermon today is that it discussed maturity of faith. I would tell anyone who asks that I am immature in my faith. I have so much to learn. Sometimes I feel there are so many people to learn from. Pastor Don says in that it is not him we should be learning from. It is the Holy Spirit. Pastor Don dislikes and warns against getting attached to a "person." After many hours of thought (I wrote part of his Sunday, but ran into a mental stumbling block, and finished on Monday), this reminds me of Proverbs 2. If we accept His words and store up His commands within us, turn up our ears to wisdom, apply our hearts to understanding, call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, then we will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. We have to be able to discern whom the Holy Spirit is actually working through and follow Him.


Mature believers have a deeper understanding of the things of God.

My understanding is not yet deep. Although my belief is held very deep within me, my understanding is sometimes superficial and is not yet where I want it to be.

Mature believers are taught by the Spirit of God.
Again, I'm not all the way there yet. I listen to the sermons, I go to the classes, I question others, but I do not fully apply what I learn. One is not being taught if (s)he is not learning.

Mature believers accept the things (or teachings) of God.
I accept them, but I feel I ask too many questions. Questions are necessary, but many times would not be if I would accept what the Holy Spirit is trying to teach me. On the other hand, without the questions, I feel I will not gain a deeper understanding of what I'm learning.

Mature believers judge all things.

Being as introspective as I am, I judge nearly everything. The important thing here though is to adhere to the first three concepts of mature believers.

Yesterday's blog title was based on a song Colton and Garrett were playing on Rockband. Today it's named after a song Colton played air guitar to. I played air guitar to it one time long ago, and every time he hears it, he lets me know. There's a guitar solo near the end of it and he called me from his room when it was getting near. From the bottom of the stairs I watch as he breaks into full on air guitar. He barely missed a beat and we were both smiling at the end. I've added it to the playlist for now. It's nearly impossible to not bob your head or tap your foot as you listen to it. If you know how to play the air guitar, give it a listen.

God is groovy.

Nine in the Afternoon--Day 256

Kim got a message from what sounded like an excited Fran Maddock tonight. She said we're in her life group with one other couple. I chose to get into a life group rather than a discovery group at the last second. God gave us freedom of thought, but sometimes I wonder when or if the decision is made for me. God knows I need a push in one direction or the other once in a while. I figured Kim would have more time for this group since it meets less often and I don't think there is any homework. She is already in the Women's Bible Study group and works for quite a while on the homework. If there is a Men's Bible Study group, I hope I'm able to join that as well, but we'll see. I'm really excited to be in a group with the Maddocks. They seem so genuinely nice. I'm looking forward to our time together with them and the other family.

Garrett and Jiselle are staying the night again. Colton was the first to say his prayer and then Garrett said he wanted to go next. He has sort of a loud, authoritative voice. He thanked God for quite a few things. It was a wonderful prayer once again. He said he'd like to come to church with us every week. I hope he can. It'd be nice if the rest of his family could come to, and we'll probably bring it up, but not push it. It would be an even longer drive for them.

Just taking those two to church reminds me of something Laura said during the Awana leaders meeting before Awana started up again. She said something to the affect that we needed to remember we were not doing what we were doing for anything that was fitting our agenda in any way. We are doing it to help lead children to Christ and we were doing it all for His glory. I'm very glad to be able to take them.

We went sledding today. It was quite cold and I didn't have a hat. Thankfully, I had a hood on my sweatshirt I was able to pull up over my ears. We had a good time sledding, laughing, wrestling, and talking for a little over an hour. A hour later, Kim went with Gabrielle to the roller skating rink and Colton went to the Rec Center for an All-Kids Night at the Rec Center for a few hours. They both had a good time and both brought home a friend.

As a facebook friend put it, I'm excited for some Jesus tomorrow.

God is Good.

Honored--Day 255

I've tried to watch what I say better than I used to. If you can't say something nice, say nothing at all is something we teach the kids and something we try to do ourselves. Sometimes saying something nice may seem out of place, but most of the time I realize it can't hurt. I still feel most people aren't complimented enough. Anyway, I bring this up because I momentarily paused as I was about to shake Pastor Don's hand. I had felt honored to be invited over, and as we were leaving, I felt compelled to tell him so. Is "honored" the correct word? Would that be taken seriously? I thought something like this in a span of a few seconds, and I decided that yes, it was the correct word for this situation. Whether or not he would take it seriously was not up to me. So as I shook his hand, I thanked him for the invitation, and told him it was an honor to have been able to come by their home.

I'm not a conversationalist. I never have been. Tonight went reasonably well, though. It certainly helped to have a couple there where I knew we had at least a couple things in common with. I enjoyed every minute of my time there. Rich is as funny as I guessed he would be. Wendy is as enjoyable to be around and as sweet as I remember her being in class. I got to read some of Angela's writings and I got to hear some more of Pastor Don's stories I had not heard before. Lisa is the epitome of sweetness, and they have done a great job of passing that along to the kids. The pizza was good, the desserts were good, even the kids were good. It was a really enjoyable night. We talked and we ate. We talked some more and we ate some more. We talked some more and then we played a game. We finished the game and we went to go talk some more.

In our 15 years of marriage, Kim and I have never had a circle of friends we've gone out with. We have very rarely invited others over either. If we're going to start, and we most likely will in our life group, I'm glad it's with other Christian families. Glad may not be the right word there. I am ecstatic that it's with other Christian families. Maybe ecstatic is over the top, but I get the idea.

I pray the Holliday and Dionne families continue to be blessed by Him in many ways. I pray their fellowship with others continues to be blessed and others are able to see Him in them as we do. I pray our family continues to be blessed and God uses us all for his righteous plan. Whatever you want us to do, Lord, we are willing. Thank you for the fellowship tonight and thank you for all you have done, are doing, and will do for us.

Amen.

Day 254

Noah has this thing with opposites. While I'm changing his diaper in the morning, he'll turn the light on with his foot and say "Off." He'll want to be picked up and say "Down?". He wants to get put down and he'll say "Up.". Like I told Colton last night, almost everything Noah does is cute. I'm just glad he's in the right ballpark.

Colton got a good laugh out of a small anecdote I told at the dinner table last night. I told him how I had to sneeze while Noah was on my lap. I turned my head and tried not to. My "Ahh, Ahhhhh, Ah, Ahh" in quick succession gave Noah a look of concern. "Are you ok, Daddy?", Noah says. It made me laugh and took the sneeze away. Colton's got this awesome laugh that would make you think you just told him the best joke in the world. He thought it was pretty funny.

I enjoy our time together has a family. We seem to talk more at the table, we're together every night in prayer, and we're starting to do family night on Fridays more often. This Friday night will be spent at the Hollidays. I'm looking forward to that. I'm also looking forward to Easter Sunday at church. Last Easter was the first day I decided we'd be going back to church on what I was hoping would be a regular basis. That Sunday, I'll be up in the video area. While I'd always rather be with Kim at that time, that area was something I used to take for granted. Not anymore.

Bee's Nostrils...again---Day 253

The laughter started in the early morning. I was wasting a few minutes checking out some "flair" on Facebook. I found one that made me laugh and sent it out. As soon a I got up the next morning, the laughter began again. "Again" being the important word here. Noah has improved his pronunciation of many words in the last year or so, but "again" has needed no improvement. He still says it the same way he did a year ago. He says a-GAIN?? in a very adorable way.

Stop the presses. I had to pause in my blog writing to go say prayers. We said them in Gabrielle's room. Colton got up immediately to go to his room, and Noah was sitting up playing with some toys he had grabbed. I kissed Colton goodnight, and laid Noah back down. As I was covering him up, I said "Love you, Noah." As clear as day he said "I love you too." He has never said that before. He doesn't know what that means yet, but that still means a lot. I told Kim what he had said and when she came down she said, with a smile on her face, that he said it to her too.

Back to my "again" theme, Noah says "Again?" before I even get his pants on each morning. He knows that when I pull them up, I lift him up in the air as well. Eventually, he folds his body over my shoulder. On the third or fourth time, he is all the way over my shoulders while I hold him by his ankles. This morning he grabs the back of my pants as I try to pull him back up and won't let go. He let go after a few seconds, but it was funny and I was laughing again. We did that a few times before he was ready for something new.

While playing with him today, he made me laugh out loud quite a few times. We had a good time today. Later on, I checked out Facebook and I had gotten a bumper sticker in Haiku form. It's safe to say the word refrigerator had never seemed so out of place and so funny in my life.

Kim made meatloaf with potatoes and dinner with the fam was great as usual. Soon it was time for Awanas. Allison and I talked all the way there, and most of the way back. She enjoys laughing and makes me laugh everytime we go. Awana was great. Brenda's pretty smile and calm demeanor always begins the night with a relaxing atmosphere...before the chaos begins. Tara went through an amazing 11 sections including rattling off every book in the old and new testament. Trent hadn't been to Awana in three weeks, but was able to do a few verses himself. Caleb was his usual slightly mischievous, but humorous self. All the different personalities bring a smile to my face for one reason or another. There are many great parents out there.

Mental note: no more stuffed animals in Noah's crib. It is very late and he is still up there talking with them all.

P.S. The odd title is borrowed and embodies the silliness of the day. I think of bee's nostrils and I smile. I think of Noah's "aGAIN??" and I smile. I think of trying to say "Irish Wristwatch" and I smile. I think of Kim trying to say "Irish Wristwatch" (Irish Wish Wash) and I chuckle. I think "Refrigerator" and I nearly choke. P.P.S. The number 253 must be off. I will total 365 days in late April, but that is only about 100 days away (253 + 100 < 365). It would help if I wouldn't do things like have two "day 251"s. That's just silly.

Revelations--Day 251

Another song has been added to the playlist. I had it stuck in my head as we came in from Colton's basketball practice. As with many songs I get stuck in my head, I was repeating a couple of lines over and over:

Give me a revelation. Show me what to do.
'Cause I've been trying to find my way. I haven't got a clue.

I am trying to find my way right now, but that doesn't mean I'm lost. It's almost impossible to get lost if you know who to follow. If I take my eyes off Him though, I will certainly feel lost. I learned something important (many things actually) from Adam. He would often say "Go back to what you know." Many times when I think about that, I find myself going back to that night exactly nine months ago. Sometime between 11:10 and 11:20pm, I had a very important revelation. I went from believing in God to KNOWING He is always there, always has been, and always will be. I felt his presence in that small room. That helps reminds me He is here with me now and He is with my family while they sleep. He is with my friends. He is everywhere. I've probably written pretty much the same thing on different days, but some days it impacts me more than others.

Back to the present. Back to positivity of the present. Noah's attention span in getting longer. I read four and half books to him before he started to really show his boredom. The first was a little hard cover ABC book. We made it through that one and moved on to his fairly new Elmo book. He pushed the musical buttons at the right times, and sometimes he didn't. He just wanted to hear the noises. Either way, he listened to me read the whole thing. I had also grabbed the O, P, and Q books. Colton had the whole collection of these books memorized by the time he was four. We read to him quite a bit and it shows. He's a good reader. Noah listened to O, got restless while listening to P, and lost it halfway through Q. He enjoys answering questions throughout the books, but he didn't care anymore on the last one. It was time to find something else to do.

Colton had a collection of good grades to show me when he got home from school. That was good to see. Gabrielle struggled a bit with her homework about money, but she pushed through it and did well. Later on, Gabrielle had Girl Scouts to go to. She came home with a sock puppet. I could tell she really liked it. Kim showed me some pictures of others girls sock puppets. They were all really well done and looked like they had fun doing them. Almost as soon as she stepped in the house, it was time to go to Colton's practice. Gabrielle likes to go because she has a new friend there. Colton practiced well, hustled, and listened to his coach. That's all I can ask for. Gabrielle played with Brooke almost the whole time.

Gabrielle and I thanked God for her new friend in our prayers tonight. I really should thank Him for all the wonderful people who he has put in the path of my life.

So I will.

Dear God, thank you for revelations. Thank you for the people you use to help bring these revelations into light. Thank you for Kim, Colton, Gabrielle, Noah, Pastor Don and Lisa, Pastor Bob, Dennis and Jennifer, Adam and Keri, Jim T., Mom B, my mom, Wendy and Richard, Wendy and Dave, Jim and Cheryl, Jerry and Fran, Tracy and Lowell, Angela and Scott, Jim and Ginny, Jim Stein and Jim Priest, Brenda, Anne, all the kids at Awana, Mary, Allison, Emily, Ray and many others. I have been truly blessed by a wondrous God. Please help me remember all the things you have done for us. You sent your son to die for us. The least I can do is live for you.

In your son's name I pray,
Amen.

Moo--Day 251

I've mentioned odd coincidences several times in this blog. Hearing the same joke from two different sources qualifies as a coincidence to me. I was watching a kids show with Noah one morning, and a monkey says (yes, a monkey) "Knock knock." The other monkey says "Who's there?" First monkey: "The Interrupting Cow". Second monkey: "Interrupting Co--" First monkey: "Moo." That was a new one to me. I thought it was kind of funny and told it to the kids later. Colton thought it was hilarious. He had to tell Mom when she got home and she thought it was funny too. I was watching a movie tonight (Half Nelson with Ryan Gosling. Don't bother.) and the main character's sister says "Knock knock." He says "Who's there?" In what seemed like the next 10 seconds, I thought of that joke and how very highly unlikely it was that the next line in the movie would be "The Interrupting Cow." She then says "The Interrupting Cow." I had to laugh.

A 23 year old young man is a billionaire because he knows adults like to keep in touch with friends, find old friends, join groups and generally be as silly as the internet will let them. I joined Facebook in 2007, but never used it. I had read an article about him and Facebook and how he had turned down 1 billion dollars from Yahoo last year. He has sold parts of it, but still owns 20 percent of it. If he sold it now, he'd have $3 billion dollars in his pocket. That's pretty amazing he was able to start this thing from his dorm room. I've started using it recently and had a bit of fun. Kim has joined as well and has found some friends she went to school with. It's a new, small part of our life and we're enjoying it.

I thank God for the strength He gives me through the good and bad times. Right now, I'm looking for more self-discipline in more parts of my life. I have prayed for it, but it hasn't taken hold as much as I would like. I'd like to prove to myself that people CAN change. I'm too old for the military, so if you know where I can get some, please let me know.

God is faithful (Thanks Wendy and Kelly).

Sunday--Day 250

Another Sunday has come and gone. Another Sunday of Sunday School sitting next to Kim and listening to a man make so much sense on the subject of raising our kids to be worshipers of a wonderful God.

Another Sunday of spending time up in the video area with a nice view of the whole congregation. There was a part of a song that asked us to put our hands in the air. I usually only see women do that for one reason or another. This time, there were three people with their hands up, and they were all men. Marty had both hands straight up, Jim Buongiorno had his left hand up and Pastor Don had his hands up creating a half circle with his arms. I'd never seen Pastor Don do that before. It was glorious to watch.

Another Sunday where Gabrielle falls on my chest and lays there while I sit in a chair. She just curled right up. She got up for a second, and then laid back down. That's something Dad's get to enjoy for just a short amount of time. I cannot take it for granted. Gabrielle and Kim made doughnuts today. They were really good.

Another Sunday of playing cars and trains and dolls with Noah and chasing him around the house whenever he feels like not giving up whatever you're asking for. He just starts laughing and running away. I think he wants to be caught, but the chase is fun as well.

I asked Colton if he thinks about God every day; even when we're not saying prayers. He said he did. He said he thinks about Him all the time. I told him I was glad to hear that and wanted to take the conversation further, but didn't know what to say.

It was a good day. I would like to one day appreciate every day as much as I do Sundays.



I actually came upon this video back in November. My favorite part is when he says "If you think He doesn't change lives, you've never met Him."

Get well, Clark--Day 247

When you have three children to take care of, are jobless and hear the rumors Kim is hearing in the Flint school system, it's tough not to worry. This is why I like Philippians 4:4-7 so much. Not only does it remind us to bring our request to God, but it reminds us to rejoice, not once, but twice. No matter what happens, we need to rejoice in the wonderful plan He has in store for His children. Adam explained to me how we must always have joy in our hearts. That does not mean we will always be happy, but we will have joy in our hearts knowing the Holy Spirit is residing there. Those verses literally fill my heart with joy every time I read them.

Gabrielle thinks we need to make up a handshake before kisses and hugs at night. We'll work on it, but not tonight. It's too late.

I gave Noah a bath this morning. Here' proof:



I'm looking in the camera. He's making faces at himself.


We had cake and ice cream at Dennis and Jennifer's. It was the same singing, banter, and laughter as the rest of the parties. Everyone had fun. Dennis mentioned something about going down there sometime during the day. I probably should. If it's going to be Bible related, I need to come up with something to discuss other than what we already have. That's going to be tough. I used to have something for Adam all the time, but now that he's not there, I've got nothing to discuss. We differed in some areas, but we did some bonding through our discussions that I found with no one else. Considering how many options there are, that seems odd. Until I'm led to someone else or they're led to me, it's just God and I. That's fine with me.

I'm really praying my friend makes it through everything he's going through o.k. He has two really great twin sons. They haven't been over in a while, but they treated Colton great even though there's about a 6 or 7 year age difference. I think Colton remembers them more than he remembers Clark even though he sees Clark at least once or twice a year. Clark's a great guy, too. Maybe that's why his stroke has upset me so much. Get well, Clark.

Kim and kids--Day 246

I was told it was hard to tell who was the bigger kid was tonight, me or the kids. It was sort of a compliment. I made a little pac-man sort of thing with a piece of paper and gave it to Sloan. Jaselle wanted one. Then Gabrielle and Ryan and E.J. and Brandi and Carson and Blake and Shane and Delani. While the ladies were picking up, I was doing origami.

Awana went well. Carson brought a friend. I introduced myself and told him what would happen tonight. He seemed sort of quiet, but ready to enjoy himself. I also talked with him while Carson recited his memorized verses. He doesn't know a whole lot about Jesus, doesn't go to church and can't remember if he's ever read part of the Bible. I hope he can keep coming and/or maybe even attend church with us. I hope a lot of things for him. He seemed like a very sweet young man and asked some good questions.

I created a Facebook page for Kim. We had a few good laughs as we tried to coherently type together. She found some friends she had not seen in a long time. Talking and laughing with Kim was an excellent way to end the night.

I know you don't read my blog, but I love you, babe.

'night.

Day 245

I found out through an e-mail from Adam this morning that a good friend of mine had a stroke this morning. I prayed for him when I found out, but didn't mention him in our nightly prayers, so I asked Colton to pray a small prayer for him before he went to sleep as I kissed him goodnight. He asked me if I would say one with him, so I did. I took a deep breath and we prayed for him together.

I got a sweet comment from a friend of mine. She helped me remember how faithful God is.

Kim made chop suey on rice tonight. It one of my favorite meals. She usually makes enough people for 10, so I'll probably have it for breakfast and lunch tomorrow as well.

We went to Allison's band concert tonight. It was short and sweet. Allison did well and we all enjoyed ourselves.

Special--Day 244

It's Monday. Some days it's tough to pick out the positives especially when I don't get all that I wanted to done. I think sometimes I'd like to look over the positives and dwell on the negative. Well, that's why this blog is here in the first place. I would dwell on the negative way too much. I suppose the positive of my day could be the same old stuff. I enjoy getting Noah up. He's usually standing up or bouncing. Yesterday he was bouncing and saying "Oh yeah." repeatedly. I asked Colton if he had taught him that and he said that he had. It was pretty funny. Maybe I'll try it when no one's around. We had another good day together and the kids came home with good grades. I took Colton to basketball practice and he is improving as are all the kids in at least some small way. Kim had her first Women's Bible study class tonight. She said it went well. Sometimes I think that none of this would've happened had God not revealed himself to me last April. I would not have met so many wonderful people. I would not be helping out in Awana. Kim and I and the kids wouldn't be going to Sunday School. I wouldn't be joining a small group at church either. Kim and I wouldn't have taken Jim's class. I wouldn't have had that interesting conversation with Diane (she's been missing for a few weeks from church. I hope everything's alright). Kim and I wouldn't be trying to regularly read our bibles and we wouldn't be saying prayers every night. I wouldn't think of the Bible as the word of God, but rather a book I should be reading. The list goes on. He did reveal himself to me that night, so all this did happen. My life and my family's life has changed.

One of the more positive moments of the day was reading something Gabrielle had written. She had colored a paper stocking at school. It is mostly green with some red on top. It says:

The best thing about Christmas is knowing that it's God's birthday! Because God is very special person. He died for us and to let us be alive right now. That makes you feel very special knowing that someone died for you. Everyone should believe that! And that is the best thing about Christmas!

by: Gabby

Gabrielle is a very special person herself. I should remind her how special she is more often.

Let's go backwards--Day 243

I'm blogging.

I got a compliment a few minutes ago. Compliments are nice. I've heard from people that have come from out of state that Michigan seems very cynical. When I heard that some time ago, I thought how true that seemed. I was cynical and many people I knew were the cynical type. I fight the cynicism with compliments occasionally. It's nice to see when others have joined the fight. :)

Kim gave me a kiss goodnight after giving instructions on cooking a roast tomorrow. Sounds like fun.

I felt the urge to go tell the kids how much I loved them after they had been in bed 15 minutes or so. They hugged me back (twice) after I had hugged them and given them a kiss on the cheek. They love me too.

We said prayers and the kids headed off to bed.

We played puzzles and read books with Noah. As when Gabrielle and Colton were little, I grab the last piece when they're not looking and when they're looking for it, pull it out from behind their ear. As with the other kids, Noah grabs behind his ear looking for more.

Garrett's dad picked him up. Garrett told his dad our church was different from others. They listened to stories and got to play games. It was good to know he enjoyed himself today. As I've said before on this blog, he's a good kid.

We had pizza for dinner. It was really good. Two mediums are not big enough for this family anymore especially with Garrett over.

We went sledding. It was cold, but we had fun. We only had a couple sleds and no snow board, but we made it work. While I stood at the top most of the time, two of them would sit on one pulling the other sled in a variety of ways. Many of the ways caused wipeouts, but sometimes that seems like it's the best part. Most kids I see get up with a big smile on their face.

I did some stuff on facebook. Wendy and her husband Richard are hilarious. She introduced me to some new Christian music. I'm forever grateful.

I enjoyed church today. During the fellowship time after Pastor Don's sermon, I introduced myself to Jim Priest, the drummer during praise and worship time. I introduced him to Colton and Jim was nice enough to give Colton a try on the church drums. Colton's face lit up when Jim gave him the drumsticks. Colton gave the impression he thought it'd be really difficult (it probably would be), but he came away still wanting to play. Jim really encouraged him to give it shot. Garrett is learning the guitar, so he and Colton are already thinking of names for their band.

I really enjoyed Pastor Don's message and his stories really struck me this week.

I enjoyed I Corinthians 1:2

...those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:

and I Corinthians 1:9

God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

We are called to be holy, so we should be holy. There are so many little and big ways to help others. Together as a church, as a community and as united individuals, we can change the world one child of God at a time.

Sunday School was interesting. It started out slowly. I wasn't expecting a video. The more the speaker laid the foundation, the more I enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to more in the coming weeks. Fortunately for us, the kids enjoy Sunday School as well and Noah is content to play in the nursery. Thank you, God, for that.

We wanted to leave for church earlier than normal, but we ended up leaving at the normal time. We were still there a little early.

There wasn't a whole lot of time to get ready for church, but the kids were fed, Noah gave no hassles, and we were off with time to spare.

I awoke.

Prayers--Day 242

The Lanza girls didn't want to leave when their brother came to pick them up. They were busy playing with Noah's blocks in the living room. Before that they were in Gabrielle's room all morning. I supplied them with lemonade and some Nacho Chef Boyardee Noodles I had never seen before and they were set for quite a while. Allison and Emily came over while Kim and Mary went shopping. Emily and I got into a shooting match with Colton's nerf guns and bullets. Someone's gonna get an eye taken out. I don't know if Emily was aiming for the face, but she somehow shot through the glasses I was wearing. It was a pretty good time. Allison got tired of watching us have such a good time and wanted to play. She took mine and I moved on. I blew some bubbles with Noah and we played with some Flarp when he wasn't playing in his car. Speaking of Noah, he's been eating dinner lately. He usually won't. He'll push it away right away and say "I don't want it, OK??!?" He started with the applesauce and moved on to the pork steaks.

Colton came home really late from Garrett's house. Garrett is staying the night and is going with us to church for Sunday School and then Son-lite park. Kim was just getting in bed, so we said prayers in our bedroom. Garrett goes with us to Awana on Wednesdays, but I didn't expect him to stick around while we said our prayers. We asked him if he wanted to say a prayer, and he said he really didn't have much to say. Colton went first, then I, then Kim, then Gabrielle. We asked Garrett again, and he proceeded to say a short, albeit quite beautiful, prayer.

Me: "Amen. Very nice, Garrett."
Garrett: "Yeah. I don't say prayers very often, but I'm really good at saying them."

LOL. That's awesome.

Day 241

I had made it a week, then forgot to post. I do that a lot. Forget that is. I forget my keys. Forget my wallet. I'll even forget to finish an occasional sente

The Lanza girls were over tonight, while Colton spent the night at Garretts. As I've said before, they are very sweet girls. Jiselle is more silly and energetic. Jalina is younger, quieter, and has a really cute smile.

I haven't been up to much lately, but I'm looking forward to the Sunday school class on parenting, the discovery group (if I end up joining one), and the Love and Respect conference. I pray that God's will is done in each.

He is good.

Noah, Awana, and Gabrielle--Day 239

I look outside and I see a short term benefit of not having a job. The roads look pretty bad. I've never liked driving in the winter. If you've been driving between Lapeer and Oxford in the early morning in the winter in the last 10 years or so and came across a long line of cars going 25-30 mph, I was probably at the front of the pack. Don't get me wrong. I'd rather be still driving to work, but I can still look at the positive side of this.

The layoff also came at a good time in that we have either almost met or already exceeded the amount of miles we are allowed on both of our leased vehicles. Now, they're rarely used and not costing us more money. Don't get me wrong. I'd rather be losing money with the miles on the car rather than losing money not working, but I'm trying to be positive here.

I've also been available to volunteer during school hours and see Gabrielle and Colton. That's been fun.

Of course the best part of not currently having a job is all the time I spend with Noah. Stick around him for 5 minutes or so, he'll get to know you, and you'll see how much of a joy he is to be around. Don't get me wrong, I'd rather be working, but...

I can't finish that sentence. It'd be a total lie. I'd much prefer to be home with him. So, for now, I'm very lucky and blessed in that regard.

I'm hoping good things come out of the time I spent at the staffing service Monday, but I'm enjoying this while I can.

As I was taking Noah up to change what would turn out to be an horrendously dirty diaper this morning, I paused to ask him who the people were in the frames I had put up yesterday.

"Who's that, Noah?"

"Colton!!!"

"Who's that?"

"Noah!!!?"

"Who's over there?"

"Gabrielle!!!"

"Who's that, Daddy?"

"That's Garrett, Colton's friend."

"Who's that?"

"Who is it, Noah?"

"It's Em-i-ly!!!"

I proceed to go upstairs. A couple feet from the pictures we still have our nativity scene out.

"Who's that, Daddy?"

"Who is it, Noah?"

"Je-sus!"

I had to laugh. It was unexpected. I didn't know Kim or the kids had told him. I told him he was right, and spent the next 15 minutes changing his diaper and applying some lotion. Good times.

Awana was later. We had fun as usual on the way there, while we were there, and on the way back. Garrett couldn't come this week, so Colton took our neighbor, Tim. While we were there, the kids got to put red stickers (measles) on a leader of their choosing. Brandi counted 25 on my face and ears. The kids were so gentle putting them on. Not one child put a sticker on my face hard enough where I thought it would stick. That gentleness evaporated when I asked if they wanted to take them off. I had bent down to their height, closed my eyes, and soon had a bunch little fingers scraping at my eyes, ears, cheeks, nose and mouth. I supposed I shouldn't have asked if they wanted to "tear" them off. I'm hoping I'm needed with Gabrielle next year. The kids are really great.

On the way home, I stopped at a gas station and we all got something to drink. When we got home it was time for showers and bed. After prayers, Gabrielle tells us that there's only five months left in the school year and she can't tell time as well as she'd like to yet. After Kim had given her a kiss and gone downstairs, I asked her about the time again. She said that when she asks when lunch is, her teacher tells her. She doesn't know when that is, so she asked her teacher how long that is. She said her teacher tells her to "figure it out." If my life was a TV show, this is where the crowd would say "Awwwwwwwwww." I could tell that made her sad. We spent the 20 minutes or so going over it. She struggled with it as expected, but she had at least learned a little bit. She seemed happier. Seeing her smile and say "Good night, Daddy." was probably the highlight of my day.

Question asked by a song currently playing off the playlist:

"How great is our God?"

Answer:

I don't believe we'll ever be able to truly answer that question, but it's great to think about.

Broken Glass--Day 238

I've moved stuff around in the living room in the last couple days. I'd wanted the tv on the other side of the room for years, but it's difficult to do without having a cable running along the drywalled ceiling. I decided to do it anyway. I brought down a bookshelf from Colton's room and put it in the living room. The other bookshelf was too small for all the books I wanted to put in it. Colton and Gabrielle were unexpected excited when they saw the new configuration to the room.
I also decided to put some pictures up on what seemed like a really bare wall where the tv used to be. I grabbed a hammer, some nails, some pictures we had put up without framing and some frames. I put a couple up, letting Noah hammer in a few nails. I went to the kitchen to grab another frame and come back to see Noah with the hammer in the air ready to pound on his picture and the big frame it's in. "Noah, No!"

"Whyyyyy?"

Such an innocent question. If it's fun to tap nails into the wall, why not some glass too?

It looks pretty good. Maybe I've got too much time on my hands, but that's not always a bad thing.

So Proud--Day 237

Kim got a call from someone at about 6:15 tonight when Gabrielle was just starting her dinner. I can't remember who called her, but she mentioned something about a ball. Oh no, I thought. Colton has basketball practice at 7. He hadn't had a practice since the week before Christmas. We asked Colton to make himself a sandwich and we were on our way. At the beginning of practice, the coach made a kid a captain who had stuck out to him for one reason or another. He asked him to pick a co-captain by the end of the practice. I wondered how the kid would be able to choose. He'd be too busy just trying to get through the practice. By the end, the coach pulled the kid aside while the rest of the kids got a drink and asked him if he'd made a decision. He looked at the kids as they walked out, thought about it, but didn't say anything. The coach asked if he could make a recommendation. Perry said "Sure." The coach said _______. I couldn't make it out. When the kids came back, the coach asked Perry if he wanted to make the announcement. Perry stood in front of the other kids and said "Colton, you're the man." Colton smiled and looked at me. I smiled back. We talked about it on the way home. He thought it was pretty cool, but he didn't know what he was supposed to do. I told him to just keep hustling, listening to the coach, helping out the other players and stepping up to help out once in a while. He's great at all of the above, so he has nothing to worry about.

Gabrielle got her last Christmas present today. I had ordered her the cookbook she wanted at the last minute after finding it half off at Wal-Mart. She tore open the paper, and after a long process, she decided she'd make some Stuffed Noodles. It tasted like lasagna with extra cheese and was very good. I wasn't home to see her and Kim put it together, but she did a great job.






Noah found the Santa hat and put it on. Merry Christmas!



I found Kim reading the bible by flashlight tonight as the kids had fallen asleep next to her. That's all I need to say about that.

God is good.

Hello--Day 236

Sundays always start out positive.

Kim and I had a short conversation while on Oakwood Road. I told her that people, including myself, tend to remember the bad things that happen to them or the bad things that effected them emotionally. The better stuff does not usually have the same sort of impact.

The positive energy at church is almost intoxicating. There are weak, there are weary, there are those with cancer, those with children in harms way, and those without jobs. Most everyone is able to put on a smile, and why not? We're there to celebrate our Lord. During the first song, I noticed the drummer and remembered what Colton had been saying since he got the drums for Rock Band a week ago: "I want to be a drummer when I grow up." I whispered to him that if he really wants to know how to play, he should talk to the drummer on our praise and worship team. I don't know his name, but I'll introduce Colton to him if I get the chance. After I told him that, he seemed transfixed on the drummer the rest of the time. Each time Colton enjoyed something the drummer just did, he'd look up to me and smile. Ya gotta admit, it does look like he's having a great time praising our Lord over there.

As always, I looked around during the praise and worship time. There were two girls somewhere between 9-11 singing there hearts out. I cannot help but think of the things Diane told me a few months ago. She believes lovers of the Lord should act like Jesus is visible up on stage. If he was, would we stand there, straight as a board, with our hands clasped in front of us? She doubts it, and she makes a good point. Are we singing about Him, or TO Him? The two girls looked like they were singin to Him. It brought a big smile to my face, but my hands remained clasped.

During his sermon, Pastor Don brought up the several new programs that are being started at the church. One of his biggest points is that while the programs are great, they are not what will attract others to God. It is people like Pastor Bob, Dennis and Jennifer, the Maddocks and the McDaniels. So true.

He also brought up how people tend to remember the bad things that happen to them or the bad things that effected them emotionally. The better stuff does not usually have the same sort of impact. I would later ask Kim on the way home if Pastor Don would talk about anything we talked about in the car on the way to church. She said she didn't know, but based on how many times it's happened, it seems likely. It's almost kind of spooky.

After the sermon and communion, Pastor Don came down to say hi to us. To our surprise, he guessed Kim's name was Pam. LOL. I thought he knew.


I said hi to Dave (McCone?) on my way to get Noah. He seems like a guy I'd like to get to know. I talked to Wendy a bit as I picked Noah up. She had a couple cute stories to tell.

I got to see all the members of our table during Jim's class. Besides Wendy, I saw Lisa, said Hi to Sharon as she walked out of the auditorium and said Hi to Jenni after we picked up Noah.

I talked to Jerry about the groups. I'd like to get into the Discovery Group, but I'd like to have Kim's input a bit. I told Fran (with the great new haircut) about my plans and she said "Yeah. That's you." I found that comment interesting.

The last three gifts I've gotten from Kim and the kids have been religious books. I don't want to get away from the Bible, but I want to take advantage of these books as well. I want to take advantage of a couple of other resources available to me as well. I feel as I'm being led in that direction and I did a few things today and last night that will make it easier to do so.

Colton and I made some club sandwiches for lunch today. They were delicious.

I have to believe many people have asked God how he wants to use them. Some probably get firm, immediate answers and others not so much. When I asked a couple days ago, I got a quick answer. I can't really say it was God talking to me. It may have been the first thing that entered my head. On a slightly negative note, I found myself thinking, "But Lord, that's impossible." I caught myself, though. Whether it was just my meandering mind or not, nothing is impossible for Him to accomplish. Thank you Lord, for reminding me of this.

God, please bless everyone in our church. Please relieve them of any major crisis or difficulties in their life. Reside in their hearts and make them whole. I pray that Sharon is made well very soon, and I pray for all of the children at Oakwood. Please help keep their eyes on you for the rest of their precious lives. Bless my family and extended family. Thank you, Lord.

In your son's name I pray, God.

Amen

Dance Mix!--Day 235

It's amazing how quickly Noah is learning. We were playing a Blues Clues game I've had probably since Colton was little. "Mailbox" and Blue write letters to other characters on some lined paper. The letters in the letter are all black except for one. One letter is grayed out. I didn't think he'd be able to recognize what he was supposed to do, but he had no problem pointing it out. At the bottom of the letter were five letters. We're supposed to figure out which of the five letters is supposed to be in the grayed out spot. I asked Noah which letter looks like "that one" and he pointed it out. We clicked it and put it with the others. We did this a few times before I called Kim over. She was just as proud of him as I. We did this a couple more times before he was bored. It's fun how he'll play things in little spurts then move on to something else. We were playing on my lap for a while and then he got down and stood and we used the arms of the chair as slides. Then he put Spongebob and Patrick inside of his big Voltswagon Beetle, then we drove that around. Then I chased him around the house with the car. Then he stops in our bedroom and sits down to play next to some toys. We play in there a bit, then he gets up to close the doors. He opens the bathroom door up again and goes in and closes the door. We play a game there a bit and he closes all the doors again and sits to play again. We play for quite a while and then it's on to something new.

****************************************************************************

Here's something I read today by Dr. Jack Graham.

His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.

--Psalm 112:2

What do your children need and want more than anything? YOU!

The cry of "generation next" is for their parents. God has placed your children in your hands, not just to provide for, but to shape and mold. And that takes your time, energy, and presence.

You and I have a responsibility too great to waste the moments, days, and years we have as parents. We must take every opportunity to teach, train, nourish, nurture, love, and prepare them for the world.

I remember reading an article in Newsweek about the next generation. One 17-year-old was quoted, "There's a lot of anger in my generation. You can hear it in the music. Kids are angry for a lot of reasons. But mostly because parents aren't around."

Your children need your attention, because the time really is fleeting. I can't believe how quickly the time has passed since my children were born. Now, they are grown. So, I want to urge you today to make every moment count.

Now, none of us are expected to be perfect parents. And that's good because none of us are, myself included!

But God does expect you and me to be priority parents. Parenting is a full-time responsibility and we are called to put our children and our families first in our lives.
When you do, Psalm 112:2 says this generation will be blessed.

SPEND SOME ONE-ON-ONE TIME WITH YOUR CHILDREN THIS WEEK.

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Noah danced to the new song on the playlist. I think he liked it.

Angels (Love is the Answer) by Morandi

Back to Blogging--Day 234

Another fairly uneventful day except I finally finished some drafts on my blog. The last few blogs were all done today. I haven't really felt like blogging. I'd even thought I didn't "need" it anymore. I don't need a blog to keep me positive, but it helps to remind me of Him.

I'm also reminded of my friends from my last job. I miss my job and miss them. I miss my talks with Adam the most. I got an e-mail from him a couple of days ago that was encouraging and, in so many words, said he was just a phone call away. He reminded me to keep serving God and growing my faith. He also recommended I keep finding positive things and to write them down. Hmmm. He may be the reason I'm finally getting this done. Thanks, Adam.

I got a call today from a staffing service. I'll be going in Monday to fill out the full application.

I didn't mention the Christmas presents I got from Colton and Gabrielle. I got "90 days with Jesus" by Beth Moore from Gabrielle and "The Greatest Words Ever Spoken: Everything Jesus Said about You, Your Life, and Everything Else" by Steven K. Scott from Colton. They would have never gotten me those books in past years. It's a wonderful thing. Gabrielle saw me writing in the book she gave me (there are several places to do so) and asked me what book that was. She looked at the cover and smiled. She watched me write a few more seconds and went on her way with the smile still on her face. A couple days later, she asked me which book I used more. I told her that her book was meant to be read once a day and Colton's book was more of a reference book, so they wouldn't be the read the same amount all the time. And anyway, it's not exactly a contest. "I know.", she says. "So which do you read more?" I smiled and told her that I was reading hers more often. "O.K.", she said.

Life is still good. Thank you, Jesus.

New Years Eve--Day 233

We spent New Years Eve at my sister-in-laws. She made an excellent dinner of roast and mashed potatoes and beans and corn. There were snacks and deserts all over the place. We had a Wii bowling contest and played some Rock Band and talked a bit and just generally had a good time. We celebrated the New Year with Dick Clark and Kim and I had a kiss that spanned two years and 5 seconds at the same time. We stayed up about another hour or so and were asleep by 1:30.

New Years Day was quiet and uneventful, not that there's anything wrong with that. I made some nachos and burritos and quesadillas for dinner.