Two Families Need Prayers

I ran across this blog just a few days ago thanks to a friend of mine (thanks Candi). The wife, Tricia, just delivered their first baby at just a littler over 24 weeks. She has cystic fibrosis and is on a transplant waiting list. The baby was a little over 1 lb and is stable. Tricia is still comatose due to meds. You need to visit their blog. It will change you forever. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.....

Here is link to a post where her husband, Nate, honors her. http://cfhusband.blogspot.com


Also, Logan Sankey is in need of our prayers. He is still battling a severe infection. I'm sure both he and his parents must be extrememly discouraged. Visit their blog at http://www.sankeyfamily.blogspot.com/

Vincent and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

As a general rule, our children do not participate in the fundraisers from the school. We do not want anyone to ever feel obligated to buy from our kids - especially in the position we are in as Pastor family.

However, this past week, Vincent brought home a fund raiser that we feel is a worthy effort - AND Vincent will benefit as well. They are doing a Math-a-thon in which the money Vincent can raise by doing math problems will be donated to St. Jude's hospital. http://www.mathathon.org/index.shtml


The St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is the largest childhood cancer research center in the world in terms of patients enrolled in research protocols and successfully treated. Since opening in 1962, St. Jude has treated children from all 50 states and more than 70 countries. St. Jude sees about 230 patients, on average, each day. No family ever pays St. Jude for medical treatments.

So, Vincent will have approx. 200 math problems to solve. So far he has $102.00 pledged if he can do all 200 problems in the 7 days he is allotted. He is still gathering pledges and he is so excited. Ok, so I am excited to. I pray that none of my children will ever have cancer but it makes me feel good that we are doing what we can to help another family.

Would you be this "mean"?

I think if we had more mothers like this mother, our society would not be in the situation it is. See Byron's blog entry (www.keepvillechurch.blogspot.com) about cigarettes in school. Those kids needs mothers like this one.

Meanest Mom On Planet’ Sells Teen Son’s Car After Finding Booze Under Seat

Wednesday, January 08, 2008

DES MOINES, Iowa — Jane Hambleton has dubbed herself the "meanest mom on the planet." After finding alcohol in her son's car, she decided to sell the car and share her 19-year-old's misdeed with everyone — by placing an ad in the local newspaper. The ad reads: "OLDS 1999 Intrigue. Totally uncool parents who obviously don't love teenage son, selling his car. Only driven for three weeks before snoopy mom who needs to get a life found booze under front seat. $3,700/offer. Call meanest mom on the planet." Hambleton has heard from people besides interested buyers since recently placing the ad in The Des Moines Register. The 48-year-old from Fort Dodge says she has fielded more than 70 telephone calls from emergency room technicians, nurses, school counselors and even a Georgia man who wanted to congratulate her. "The ad cost a fortune, but you know what? I'm telling people what happened here," Hambleton says. "I'm not just gonna put the car for resale when there's nothing wrong with it, except the driver made a dumb decision. "It's overwhelming the number of calls I've gotten from people saying 'Thank you, it's nice to see a responsible parent.' So far there are no calls from anyone saying, 'You're really strict. You're real overboard, lady."' The only critic is her son, who Hambleton says is "very, very unhappy" with the ad and claims the alcohol was left by a passenger. Hambleton believes her son but has decided mercy isn't the best policy in this case. She says she set two rules when she bought the car at Thanksgiving: No booze, and always keep it locked. The car has been sold, but Hambleton says she will continue the ad for another week — just for the feedback.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,321239,00.html

What is God to me?

I'm not one who is big into "new year's resolutions". Matter of fact, I tend to avoid them simply because when I fail to keep the resolution(s) that was too lofty to begin with, then I feel like a dismal failure. However, in the last few months, I've asked the Lord to help me have a deeper walk with Him and to give me an unquenchable desire for Him and His presence in my dull, everyday life.

I am thrilled that He has done that for me. I want so much to learn more about Him and to get to know Him as He wants me to. For so long, well, all my life I suppose, I have had this concept of God as a judge or a dictator. Someone who is just waiting for me to mess up. Someone who is virtually impossible to please. I have my ideas as to why I've felt this way. I've heard people say that how you view your earthly father will be how you view your Heavenly Father but, at least in my case, that couldn't be further from reality. My earthly father is everything I'd want my Heavenly Father to be like.

But, at any rate... in my quest to learn more about Him and make Him more personal to me, I've been trying so hard to have my devotions faithfully - the traditional way. Go into the room, shut the door (or at least try to get it shut past the pile of laundry that I'm going to try to NOT think about), try to block out the sounds of the kids killing each other, try to stop thinking about the gallon of cool aid they just spilled out there while I'm in here trying to have devtions, read the pre-assigned passages, try to gather my thoughts enough to pray and then spend time silently trying to listen past the banging on the door for His voice to speak to me.

Well..... its not been working. I simply can't do it like that. So, I prayed and told Him. Yesterday as I was working the thought very plainly came to me, "I will meet with you in the place where you can best express your thoughts and feelings." For me, that is the piano.

So, for 2 days now, I've been meeting my Heavenly Father at the piano.

Ever read some of the old hymns? I've been going through the song book. Playing. Singing. Praying. I've felt His presence in such a sweet way. Today the song was, "Day by Day". Wow. Just what I needed!! "Everyday the Lord Himself is near me...." "Day by day and with each passing moment, strength I find to meet my trials here...."

1. Day by day, and with each passing moment,Strength I find to meet my trials here;Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment,I've no cause for worry or for! fear.He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure,Gives unto each day what He deems best,Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,Mingling toil with peace and rest.

2. Every day the Lord Himself is near me,With a special mercy for each hour;All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me,He whose name is Counsellor and Pow'r.The protection of His child and treasureIs a charge that on Himself He laid;"As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,"This the pledge to me He made.

3. Help me then, in every tribulation,So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,That I lose not faith's sweet consolation,Offered me within Thy holy Word.Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,E'er to take, as from a father's hand,One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,Till with Christ the Lord I stand.

Author: Lina Sandell
Composer: Oscar Ahnfeldt

It's so good to know that my Heavenly Father wants to meet me where I am. He loves me that much!! I know Bible reading is important and I am enjoying my reading so much more now that I don't visualize my heavenly Father as just waiting to punish me for not getting X amount of chapters read that day - or feeling guilty because I didn't feel a great rush of emotion or feeling while reading.

Nowadays, I'm reading for growth and knowledge and then I meet my Father at the piano and we make sweet music together. And my heart is full in the melody of it.

Midnight Musings

Please excuse the cheesy title.

Now that we have that out of the way....... here it is 11:32 PM and I am supposed to be sound asleep for over an hour now. Here's the deal: Byron is a morning person. Crazy, huh? Yeah. I agree. He loves to wake up while it is yet dark outside. That'd be OK if we lived in a large house made out of something sturdier than tin foil. Since, however, we do NOT live in a house - but rather a tin can - typically we all are awake at sinfully early morning hours. As you've likely figured out already, I am the normal one of our delightful duo - I am the night owl. I find that I can accomplish more from 9:00 PM - 1:00 AM than I can all day (Do ya think that would have anything to do with the fact that at that time of day I don't have 4 kids wildly seeking whom they may devour and husband seekign to get his money's worth from his "help mate"?). It is such an awesome feeling to climb into bed at 1:30 AM and know that the house is cleaned up, the clothes for the next day are laid out, lunches packed, etc. Well, anyways.....

Since it was obvious that something had to give, I decided that starting Jan 1, 2008, I was going to start going to bed at 9:30 with Byron and getting up willingly, on my own accord, when he gets up. Well, between holidays, sickness, etc - tonight is the first night this was actually going to take effect. Well....... I did make it to bed on time. But, after tossing and turning for 90 min. I decided to give up.

So, here I sit. I'm about to get off here and go sweep and make lunches. Guess "they" were right... you can't teach a mature dog new tricks.

Please Welcome My Sister!!

My sister just started her own blog!!!! Welcome Shandra!!!

http://stephenandshandra.blogspot.com/

Special Evening

It never ceases to amaze me how the Lord knows just when we need a nudge of encouragement along "the journey". Tonight was one of those times of encouragement to us. Larry & Betty Miller, a dear couple who attend our church, invited us out to eat with them. Larry & Betty are both 81. They are so dear and so fun to be around. Larry is a farmer (and a hunter) so we were never lacking for things to discuss.

I am so very thankful for our dear parishioners. We are truly blessed. Thank you so much, Larry & Betty!

Here is a very informal, candid shot of Larry & Betty.

Alyssa Gets a Birthday Treat

This evening we were pleasantly surprised to have the Rodgers come spend some time helping Alyssa celebrate her birthday. Thanks so much for taking time to share with us Bro. & Sr. Rodgers!!

Alyssa Turns Three!

Three years ago today our Alyssa was born. She is the clown of the family and brings so much laughter. Lyssy we love you!!!

Newborn




4 Months


1 Year


2 Year


3 Year

Back to where it all began

For Vincent and Kendra!!!

Today we were back to Zanesville, OH. Both Vincent and Kendra where born there. Dr. Downing was the best doctor I've ever had and I will be forever thankful that I was able to have him for 2 of my children's deliverys. Also, the hospital there is also the best of the 3 hospitals I've been a patient in as well.

(P.S. Please excuse my son's dirty shirt. He has just finished partying!!!!)