israel's announcment video

now that i can post video, i wanted to include this cherished video. this is the video announcement we prepared for our church on the first sunday of his life. we were not in attendance and very few in the congregation knew about the whole situation. i think when they saw his beautiful face, all was forgiven.

thank you, Lord, for all the wonders around us. help us all to have a child-like faith.

now that i know i can load video (i'm still new to blogging), i wanted everyone to see the video announcment that we made. it was shown to our church on the first sunday of his life. we weren't in attendance that day and very few of the church knew. we kept it a secret lest there be a snag in the process. i think everyone forgave our secrecy once they saw his beautiful face.

thank you, Jesus, for the precious lives all around us. empower us to do our part to bring them up in the knowledge and admonition of the Lord.

a quick commercial

this is starting soon at our church.
call the office for registration: 513.683.0591

thanks so much to regina at lifeway for her help in bringing the main trailer to you. i only added our specific information.

long week

we all have them and we're not really surprised when they come. but, this has been a really long week. we've had work all day and meetings every evening.
it's hard to keep up. it takes its toll on everyone, especially the kids.
i always feel selfish when we cling to the small windows of freedom in these weeks. inevitably someone tries to schedule something in those spots. but, if it can wait until next week (which isn't so busy), then that's what we do.
i look forward to a time of refreshing this weekend with nothing to do. (and don't call me to do anything!)

Emmanuel, you are with us still today. grant us the peace of Your presence thoughout the busy times as well as the calm ones.

pix

here's one from early in the summer. israel made his stage debut as the Savior of the world--Jesus! we played the part of the christmas family for our church camp.

i'm only posting this picture because i'm showing a friend how to post pictures.

my other child (pix)

many have commented that kara has not gotten her fair share of picture time on this blog. i concur. however, the truth is that she has not done nearly as many "cute firsts" as israel has. i guess that's what happens when the stork doesn't bring her until she's 16.

anyway, you all know that i am as proud of her as i can be. she is a great blessing in our lives.

so, here are a few pictures from her summer adventure at solid rock--a sort of "music camp meets mission trip" that's sponsored by my alma mater/part-time employer, CCU.

more than cousins, more than neighbors--

just great friends

here's the whole group

taken at whitewater crossing christian church

she got to work with the flag team on one song. it was a beautiful thing to see the colorful banners flowing throughout the worship space and hear the music--stimulating for the eyes and ears, and therefore stimulating for the soul.

choreography isn't her strongest skill, but she did better than i did when i stood in the exact same spot during my years at solid rock (90-92).

Father in heaven, thank you for blessing my life with the life and companionship of kara. bless her beyond her understanding and give her grace overcome the past and become the woman of God You want her to be.

a tale of two mothers

once within God's creation, there were two women that made choices leading to pregnancy. both of these women felt instinctive attachment to these newly forming babies, but neither had been brought up with a clear definition of love (which is the true root issue leading to pregnancy in the first place).
how can i love this baby? what can i do for this baby? can i provide care for this baby?
when the first mother was faced with her choices, she chose, above all else, selfishness. she did what was best for her. her choices reflected a deep-seeded conviction that the best way to provide for the baby was to satisfy her needs and desires first.
"if i'm happy, then the baby will be happy," she reasoned to her self.
sadly, this mother's lifestyle quickly brought bad things to the baby. care, when given to the baby, was shoddy and improper. neglect was rampant and attention was given only when convenient for the mother. it's good that God created this baby with resilience because a weaker child would not have survived. that is to say, the baby's heart would have died of a loveless existence because as said before, this mother knew not about True Love.
the second mother, when the time came, admitted her ignorance and sought help. though she had no practical knowledge of God, she knew that there was more to this life than what she embodied. because she acknowledged her need of help from the Lord, He heard her cry and brought paracletes to her aid. she learned from them and realized that the path of self would not be the best way to act upon her natural urges for the baby. in the end (the beginning of the baby's life outside of her tummy), she chose the baby's needs above her own needs. for, she had learned in a short amount of time that True Love sacrifices self for the benefit of the other.
now, let's think back to the first child. it was the truest tragedy that as this child grew, she too, was not experiencing True Love. she was destined to repeat the cycle of selfishness.
but, God had a plan for her. he would provide glimpses and snapshots of love in her life. she began to see that there was more and that there was life better than to be the victim of her mother's choices. the young girl made a very grown-up choice and left her mother and her selfish lifestyle. now she is in a safe enviornment and she is learning about love and learning to love.
now, back to the second mother. because of her choice to sacrifice, her baby is growing in an environment of love. her baby will never know anything except love. True Love will permeate his existence and will be the mark he leaves on everyone he encounters.
and the moral of the story, as aesop might say, is: choose love. it is the highest call on our lives. no good can come from selfishness and no bad can come from True Love.

both children, either despite their mothers' choices or because of their mothers' choices, are now learning love. they are safe. they are provided for and cared for. they receive concern and compassion for woes and cheers and praise for triumph. another moral to the story is that God provides.

a third truth comes upon reflection about the mothers. though through much discussion and debate, the true nature of man is still not completely understood. but, i am confident to say that neither of these women are inheritantly "bad". we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but some are ingnorant of their actions. they have never been taught truth; they have never for themselves experienced True Love. while there are many fingers that could be pointed and much blame to be shifted, the truth is that Gospel of Jesus Christ was never presented to them in a way that they heard and understood.

it's true that we, as mere men, cannot save the world--but we better try.

Gracious Father, Giver of Life, Fount of Blessings, teach me more and more truth and morality in the simples stories i see in life.

pix

today is his 5 month birthday. as you tell, he's very excited about it. actually, it takes about an hour to end up with the perfect shot. it's not because he's fussy or crying, but because he just can't sit still long enough!









he really likes to help with the food prep, but this time, it was just too much for him and he fell asleep mid-slice.








semi-naked baby pictures are always the best kind. in this one, he's doing his impression of the (in)famous Chief Hottom-Bottom.











you've heard about him before, but now you can see for your self--he sure loves his uncle tony. tony's actually the one who can get him to smile long enough to snap a shot with the camera.










once you start them on cereal, they think they can eat anything. his newest favorites? green beans (which he literally picked for himself!) and orange peels. in fact, he cried when i took away the orange peel.













well, this will be the one that goes in the book as his 5-month head-shot. as you may know, we take a head-shot of the boy on the monthly date of his birth. they are kept in a seperate album for a sort of time-lapse experience.

another bad moment

for those who read my blog, you know i am very upfront and hopefully transparent about who i am and what i do. i don't want it to be about me, but about a presentation of the world as i see it--that Christ would be seen in me and that my puny questions are a reflexion of a quest to know Him deeper.
having said that, let me tell you that i had more bad news this weekend (read a previous blog about my last bad news). here's my conundrum:

what is the measure of how certain news hits as good or bad?

i remember a book from my childhood "that's good; that's bad". the things that were thought to be good were actually bad for the characters, but that which was thought to be bad was actually good for the characters. it was a kids' book, so it wasn't too deep.

but, when i hear of one person and the results of their choices, it was all i could do to compose myself for the next moment. still, as i type this today, am reeling under the heartbreak of the news. yet, it was about a person that i know not well. in fact, though we share a certain connection, i've only been in their actual presence a couple of times.

and yet, when i hear news about someone for whom i have a distaste, but share a greater bond and connection, i moved quickly past it. the news of this person, though much worse by anyone's standards, barely made me blink before moving on to anger at "letting this happen" to them.

where is my compassion for humanity?
who made me judge of the world's morality?
why am i choosing to harbor this bitterness?

i don't have answers, but i'm looking for them. if you have some advice, i'm listening. in the meantime, i'll look to the Lord--He's where my strength comes from. actually, i guess i need to talk to Him about it, too. i haven't done that yet (shame on me).

Lord, i need You in my heart more than ever before. i confess you to my misguided motives and i repent of anger and hatred. my need for grace is so strong and my need to give grace is stronger still. "restore unto me the joy of Thine salvation and renew a right spirit within me." let your grace overflow my life to those around me in need. return me to the status of Your vessel, ready and willing to be used by You.