Go Diamond Jaxx!!!

Saturday was Brandon & Bradley's 1st baseball game of the fall season. They are both on the same team this season, The Diamond Jaxx! This is Brandon's 3rd season to play. His 1st season of baseball was interrupted by a broken wrist, so this is actually his 2nd season to get to really play ball. He's working so hard and doing very well. He had the option to play one more season of coach pitch, so that is what we decided to do. It will give him another season of practice before moving up to kid-pitch.

This is Bradley's 1st time ever to play baseball and he has taken it very seriously. The only position he has shown interest in playing is catcher. He's talked about buying his own catcher's equipment and is actually saving his own money to buy it. He was so excited Saturday when his coach started him out as catcher. He was grinning from ear to ear as he walked out on the field with all the gear on. Of course, it is so bulky, it's hard to move about quickly. We were very proud of him. He did very well as catcher! At one point, Brandon played on the pitcher's mound alongside the pitching coach. He actually caught a pop-up ball hit by the other team which resulted in an out! Go Brandon!!!

Here are our guys ready to go! They were ready to get dressed way before it was time for the game to start!

Here is Brandon up to bat for the 1st time in the game. If you can enlarge this picture you will see him grinning from ear to ear!

Bradley's big "Catching" debut!!!

FIREPROOF

"People never crumble in a day. Daddys never crumble in a day. Families never crumble in a day. It's a slow fade." - Mark Hall (lead singer for Casting Crowns from the song "Slow Fade")

What a penetrating truth that is. People don't crumble overnight. Families don't disintegrate and deteriorate in a day. Marriages don't go into shambles in a week. It happens day by day. Days turn into weeks, then months, then years. Convictions compromised. Expectations lowered. Time passes. Hearts harden. Spouses grow a part. Anger escalates. Faith diminishes. Priorities change. Consumed by busyness. Do more - accomplish less. Children neglected. Pain intensifies. Emotions drained. Foundations fractured. Commitments forgotten. Love replaced. Pornography. Debt. Stress. Collateral damage. Desperation. Separation. Divorce. Dysfunction. Broken lives. Devestation. It's a slow fade. Sound familiar? Look familiar? Look around. It's everywhere. What is the answer? Is there an answer? Yes there is. His name is Jesus.

Our marriages and our relationships within those marriages (husbands & wives; parents & children; siblings with siblings) need desperate attention. The movie FIREPROOF comes out today. It is a movie with a Christian worldview that addresses many of these issues; and most importantly, points people to Jesus. I want to strongly encourage you (and your spouse, if you're married) to go see this movie. I would also strongly encourage you to invite others to go with you, especially those who may be struggling within their marriage or in their walk with God or who may not have a relationship with God through Jesus. You can check out info regarding the movie at: www.fireproofthemovie.com We spend our time and money on a lot of insignificant and meaningless movies. This movie will be a wise investment of your time, money, and future; and could change their eternal destiny (and yours). Tell everyone you know about it. posted by John

Out of the Mouth of Babes

I had the joy of going on a field trip today with Brenna and her Wee Ones class at church. We made the venture to "The Dinosaur Park." It was a very fun trip with Brenna and 31 other 4-year olds. While walking down the trail looking at the dinosaur replicas, I was visiting with our Youth Pastor, Tom Cottar, about he and his wife Heather who just found out that their expecting their 3rd child. Their son, Dillon, is in Brenna's class and will turn five years old on Friday. I was talking to Dillon about his birthday plans when he made a startling announcement. "I'm having a baby," he said. I said, "Really, I'll have to tell your mom that." Without missing a beat, Dillon said, "She already knows." I cracked up outloud seriously (as did his dad). Happy Birthday, Dillon! Congratulations, Tom and Heather. posted by John

More Encouraging News!

Here is the latest update on Kevin. Thanks for continuing to pray for his complete healing!

Kevin worked hard today, he even sat up in an uncomfortable chair. We saw the speech pathologist and the physical therapist today. The physical therapist got him in the chair and left, but the speech pathologist evaluated him. She got him to write and discuss his job among other things. He was able to get his thought across with a little help and she was very encouraged. She says it is to early for a diagnosis, but he has a little receptive and expressive aphasia. That means he has a little trouble understanding (receptive) and speaking (expressive). The good news is that he knows he has the problem. Many patients who come out of surgery don't realize they have a problem which makes it much more difficult to fix. Kevin is extremely motivated to do better. He wants to keep talking and working on getting things in order. If he improves as much tomorrow as he did today he will be back in no time. One of the residents talked to Shanna and Kevin about a two week in house rehab program to expedite the recovery process, so I think we are going to look into it. The first 3 months are the best for a fast recovery and Kevin is ready to learn. All in all the best day yet.

A Great Report on Kevin

I received this wonderful report on our friend Kevin this morning! Praise the Lord for all He continues to do!

He is back. I just had an hour and half conversation with Kevin, and I mean the old Kevin. He called me by my name for the first time and asked me when I was going to Corpus to put the house back together after the hurricane. He still isn't thinking real clear, because when I asked him if he remembered that I told him that the Cowboys won their second game he said (with tears in his eyes) that he did but that, that didn't matter to him for some reason. What mattered to him was us and friends like Leck and George, so we got all emotional about what is really important and how to hang on to it. Now you can see that he is really back to the old loving and caring Kevin. Iwish all of you could be here to see and feel what we saw and felt, he was more eloquent than usual. He is ready to get into a room so he can keep talking and get things sorted out, but guess what, he is 8th on the list and it is NOT going to happen today unless we get lucky. Kevin was selling, selling, selling, and even tried to bribe them with cup cakes, all to no avail. Well that's all for now.

Let Us Pray

"Prayer does not equip us to do the greater work of God. Prayer is the greater work of God." - Oswald Chambers

That true quote on prayer debunks all the gobbly-gook about prayer being an idle pastime or a waste of time. Quite the opposite - it is the best possible use of my time.

Today is the international student day of prayer - better known as "See You at the Pole." It started some 19 years ago with a group of students in Burleson, Texas who wanted to make a difference on their school campus for Christ. I would say that they succeeded.

The first SYATP happened on Sept. 12, 1990; and around the world (literally) today millions of elementary, pre-teen, jr. high, high school, and college students will stand up, stand up for Jesus on their campus. My boys, Brandon and Bradley, were two of those students (way to go, guys. Daddy is so proud of you!). We went to their school campus, Nadine Johnson Elementary School, early this morning. We arrived about 7:15 a.m. There was no scheduled or structured time of prayer. So we went to the flag pole and prayed. What a thrill and joy for me as their dad to pray with and for them on their school campus. We prayed for their campus, administrator, teachers, and students - many who don't know Jesus in a personal way. I prayed that God would use Brandon and Bradley as a shining light in this dark world shining their light - Jesus - to all who see them. We prayed the same for students worldwide today. I hope you will as well. Parents, grandparents, church leaders, fellow brothers and sisters in Christ: join me today and everyday in prayer for this generation of students to make an eternal difference for God's Kingdom on their greatest mission field - their school campus. In the words of Steven Curtis Chapman from his song "Let Us Pray":

Let us pray, let us pray; everywhere and every way

Every moment of the day it is the right time.

Let us pray without end and when we finish start again

Like breathing out and breathing in

Let us pray.

"Pray without ceasing." 1 Thessalonians 5:17

posted by John

Whose Your Real Daddy?

Jennifer took the boys to baseball practice tonight, and I stayed home with the girls. Jennifer needed some time to work on her Bible study, and she did that while the boys practiced. I played "crack the egg" with the girls on the trampoline for a while. After that, they got a bath and got ready for bed. We came downstairs where I read them two of our favorite books, both by Liz Curtis Higgs - "The Pumpkin Patch Parable" and "The Pine Tree Parable." After reading both these books, which emphasize spiritual truths about the seasons of harvest and Christmas, Brenna began a discussion about God and her "real" daddy. "I want to talk to my real daddy," she said. "Baby," I said, "we don't know who your real daddy is." Little did I realize that her thought process was much deeper than mine. I was thinking in the physical realm. She was on the spiritual realm. "I'm talking about God, daddy. God is my real Daddy." "Yes, He is. He is your real Daddy." I didn't have to tell her that. I just had to agree and affirm the truth that she was stating. I'm not sure that she grasps the truth fully; but I believe she gets more of it than I realize she does.
The physical truth is that we don't know who Brenna's biological dad is. We never have; and we never will - never. Now Brenna may struggle with that when she gets a little older; but I'm hoping and praying and believing that it won't matter. I say that with cautious confidence because she, as a beautiful 4 1/2 year old, understands something much deeper and much more significant than knowing who her biological dad is. She knows that I'm her daddy; and that I love her very much as my own. She also knows that God, our heavenly Daddy, is "a father of the fatherless..." (Psalm 68:5). Simply put, God is her biological "real" daddy, and I'm her earthly "real" daddy. So as she gets older and wants to know more about who her biological father is and struggles with the reality that she'll never know, I'll be honest and open and transparent with her (and Brandon and Bradley and Bethany) and remind them all frequently that God is the Father to the fatherless and pray that they will rest in that reality and truth. posted by John

More Good News!

I received more good news this evening on our friend, Kevin.

The day is almost over and he is totally disconnected from all lines. He still wants the oxygen line on, i think it is a safety blanket. He has his favorite nurse tonight so we are looking for a good night. He will probably be moving to a room tomorrow. When he gets to a room he will have to go to the bathroom by himself and eat on his own. It will be a little scary but we are ready and excited.

Another Good Report

Here is another good report on our friend Kevin sent this morning at 9:55 a.m.

This is the email I have been waiting to write.It is a great morning. Kevin smiled, he is coming out of the anesthesia He knows Shanna and even said her name. He recognized Martha and called her Mom and asked about Dad. He knows he will get better and said "it will come". the nurse said it (his awarness) will still come and go. A 1 degree rise in fever could set him back or even getting hungry, so for us not to get upset at a momentary set back, but he was coming back from the anesthesia and drugs. Now we just need to see how far back he comes. We are all smiles. No matter how much or many times we are told about the effects of anesthesia it is good to know that they told us the truth. we are smiling so big it brings tears to our eyes. thanks for all your prayer.

Kevin...Making Good Progress

This update was sent tonight:

Dear all Doctor just left and is really happy with kevins progress, the fact that heis talking is huge, many don't talk this soon after surgery. He said "I spent a lot of time moving his brain around and it is swollen and until the swelling goes down he is going to be cofused. We/he is going to see a speech pathologist tomorrow. He may get to eat soon. He told shanna he loved her. Things keep looking up.

Thank you Lord for more great news!

More Kevin Updates - Great News!!!

I received two more updates on our friend Kevin that I wanted to share with you. They are posted below:

This update is from Saturday, about 3:45 in the afternoon:
Little update. The breathing tube is out. Oxygen levels are good. HE CAN TALK, not making much sense, still coming out of the anesthesia, but the words are clear. We are getting happier.

This update is from today shortly after noon:
Well he is being funny. The anesthesia is still in his system and he is talking silly. It is making for some funny stories. The nurses say they are really surprised at how quick he is coming back. The tube is out he is drinking and the 17hrs are starting to wear off. It could take a couple more days.

It sounds like he is coming along nicely! Praise be to God!!!

Another Update

I just received this update on Kevin:

Kevin slept good. He did wake up a little and wanted tubes out. Bloodpressure good. They are not letting anyone back to see him. They want himcalm. He is pretty swollen. The artiria (sp) gram showed that they got itall. Shanna stayed with him last night. Everything is moving forward. Thenext 48 hrs are the critical ones. More later.

Thank you for praying for he and his family. I'm praising God for a successful surgery! I'm now praying for minimal or no effects from the surgery. I pray that his eye sight, speech and memory will be completely normal when he wakes up fully. Please continue to pray for Kevin, Shanna, their children, and the rest of their family.

"Soccer Ball" Girl Debut

Today was Brenna's very first soccer game and she was very cute! She calls the sport "Soccer Ball" instead of soccer. Her team has 3 boys and 3 girls on it, and they played 3 kids at a time. We had lots of fun, and also had lots of laughs. At this age, they are very cute and also very funny when they play. I got some cute pictures of her before the game.

My "Soccer Ball" Girl! Please excuse the shin guards. Mommy didn't realize that they were supossed to be inside the socks! I'm still learning! We fixed them at the field.

Brenna and "her boys" (so she calls them). They were proud big brothers today!

Daddy and his "Soccer Girl". He couldn't be more proud!

Mommy and the girls!

Here she is about to kick the ball!

Kevin's Surgery is Over

Well, Kevin's surgery is finally over after about 16-17 hours (not sure of the exact time). Below is an email update from Shanna's mom:

Kevin is out. It is over. The AVM is gone. Dr. said it was tenacious. They took their time and felt like they did a really good job. It took 7 units of blood. You can imagine what it would have taken it he had not had 3 embolizations. The skull bone is left out because of possible swelling. They just closed his skin. The bone will be replaced in about a month. The Dr. said our guess is as good as his about speech, sight, etc. After Kevin wakes up we will know more about any problems that he may have. Dr. Welch is on call this weekend and Kevin will be waking up slowly because of how long the operation took. Tomorrow morning at 7 they will do a routine angiogram to check for bleeding. The Dr. said that he would be surprised if there was any bleeding because they were so carefull. Shanna can see him in about 30 minutes, and for the most part the rest of us are going to the hotel to rest. We will give another update after the angiogram. Thanks so much for all of the prayers and thoughts. You helped Kevin pull through.
Love to you all,
The Family

The Wal-Mart Witch

The onset of Halloween propaganda is upon us; and it's only September 18. And it started well before this day. Only six weeks to go - great. Lest you have any doubt about what I think and how I feel about this "holiday", let me set the record straight - I hate it. There's not one single thing that I like about it. What's to like about witches and ghosts and goblins? My wife walked in to Wal-Mart this afternoon with my four kids no less; and right at the front of the store in full view of everyone was a life-sized, green-faced, decked-out-in-black, eerily-talking, scary-looking witch holding a crystal-ball with a skull inside. Yeah - that's what I want my kids exposed to. Thanks Wal-Mart (and every other retailer going the extra mile to promote the most wicked and evil "holiday" on the planet)! I'm glad we can depend on you to promote & choose that which is family friendly over the almighty pursuit of another dollar - NOT!
OK - enough already. Wal-Mart and other like-minded, Halloween-hungry retailers are an easy scapegoat; but they're not the reason I have such disdain for this. The truth is that I'm a Christian; and I don't want my family and children exposed to anything that is remotely related or connected to (as far as it is within my control) Halloween. Although the Bible does not give direct prohibitions regarding Halloween, it does give clear admonition and caution regarding that which is evil and dark in 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22. It says, "Test everything. Cling to that which is good. Abstain from every form of evil." BE CAREFUL. BE SURE. BEWARE. posted by John

Kevin Is In Surgery

When I got home this afternoon, I checked my email and found this email from Kevin's wife, Shanna. I thought I would share it with you:


To Our Precious Family and Friends,

I just wanted to send a quick note to you all. They took Kevin back at @ 6:30 this morning. He was a little groggy from lack of sleep and many, many drugs. He saw the kids this morning and they got to tell him they love him. He was secure in the knowledge that all is in God's hands. I read Due. 31:6 to him and that is where we left it. I want to let you all know how much I appreciate everything you have done for all of us. We could not make it without your love, suppport, and prayers. Please continue to pray for us today as we finish up with his surgery and in the days ahead as he recovers. God is so good.

We love you,
Shanna, Kevin, Blake, Connor, Daniel, Nikki, MaryGrace


Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or terrified for the Lord your God goes with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you.
Deu.31:6

What a wonderful verse to hear before going into surgery. The promise that we do not have to be afraid, because God is with us through every circumstance of life. Thank you Lord for always keeping your promises.

Something else I wanted to mention that I thought was very sweet. This prayer came from my 4-yr. old daughter at the lunch table today. After singing her "Thank you God for the food" song, she prayed ever so sweetly, "God, please help our friend Kevin, and help the doctor's not to make any mistakes." I couldn't have said it better myself. I'll post more as I hear!

3rd Embolization is Complete

Below is the update I just received about Kevin:

To all. He is out. And all is well. Took over 5 hr. No complication. Next procedure6:30 in the morning. We are all a little shakey, but hanging in there. The kids will be here soon and that will help shanna get through. The operationwill be a long one so don't expect anything early. Hopefully before 5:00.

I talked with Shanna on the phone this afternoon and she sounded good but very tired. She has been staying in the hospital with Kevin except when he's been in ICU.

Thank you for your continued prayers for our friends! Tomorrow is his actual surgery and it could take up to 15 hours. I will post an update when I receive it.

Good Night for Kevin

Hello Everyone! I just got another update on our friend Kevin Sherman. Below is a note from his father-in-law:

Good morning to all.

Kevin had a good night last night. He slept good or as good as you can when you get prodded every hour and a half. The schedule has changed. He was going to have the procedure at 7 this morning, but he is now going 2ND, not first. I'm/we are not sure what that means time wise. The procedure will probably start by 11 or 12, which means it will be over between 3 and 5. I will update you then if I can, because if it is to late my relay manager (Omar) may be gone. As a side note Shanna got a good nights sleep and is ready for another day of waiting. All in all things are going great.

Please continue to lift him up in prayer! Our God is Big and He remains faithful! Thank you Lord for what you've done so far and what you are going to do in healing Kevin!

Harder Day for Kevin

I just got this update on our friend Kevin Sherman. Please continue to pray for he and his family. He has 1 more embolization procedure tomorrow and then his brain surgery is Friday. Here is the update from his father-in-law:

Last night wasn't good, lots of pain and discomfort, which causes his blood pressure to go up. Imagine laying on your back for a 4 hr procedure and then 9 hours to keep you leg from bleeding. You would have back pain too. His head is hurting too. They want the blood pressure below 120 so keeping him out of pain is important. If we get the pressure under control he will move to a room if not he will stay in ICU till the next procedure tomorrow. I will update you more when there is more to report.

As you can see, his day yesterday was much harder. I also had an email from his wife Shanna that said he has been in alot of pain and they pretty much have to keep him knocked out to keep his blood pressure down. One good thing is, their children are coming to Dallas to the hospital tomorrow night and will be there on Friday for the surgery. I know they will be thrilled to see their kids.

So, if you keep up with our blog, please stop for a moment and lift this family up to the Lord. They need God's healing power to touch Kevin's body and bring complete healing to him. I'll update when I hear more! Thanks for praying for our dear friends!

The Reality of Life in a Fallen World

"Thank You." "The Anchor Holds." "I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb." "The Altar." "Watch the Lamb." "Feel the Nails." This list could on and on and on. The question: what do all these song titles have in common? The answer: they're all songs by former contemporary Christian musician Ray Boltz. If you're remotely familiar with any of his music, you probably know that it is widely popular in Christian circles and sung probably weekly across the nation. I even sung his song "Thank You" when my grandparents renewed their vows at their 50th wedding anniversary.
I was in staff meeting yesterday when I heard the news. Our associate pastor got the email. He gasped out loud. Ray Boltz admitted that he has been and is currently living a homosexual lifestyle. No hint of change. No sign of repentence. No kidding. If that's not a reality check, I don't know what one is. I guess I shouldn't be surprised or shocked. But the truth is, I was and am. Our world is messed up. I may write more on this later - after I finish throwing up. God help us. posted by John

My Adventurous Little 3-Year Old

As you scroll down and see the photo at the end of this post, you will see a situation that my sweet little 3-year old often finds herself in. She so often gets herself in a place where all she knows to do is cry out for help. That is what happened this afternoon while I was trying desperately to finish cooking supper. The girls were playing out on the back porch while the boys finished their homework. When the back door opened, I heard sounds coming from Bethany that indicated there was a problem. I walked over to the door to find her hanging from the top bar of the porch swing. She was afraid to let go and looked even more panicked as her hands began to slip. She seemed relieved when I walked over and helped her down. I caught her not long ago in the same type of situation except she was hanging from the ledge at the bottom of the stair rail. I'm thankful that God's hand is on her protecting her in ways that I don't even see. She's my child who has scared me the most. She's also been to the ER more than any of my other 3 children. She climbs, flips, hangs from things, and thinks she can try to do anything her siblings do. So, hope you enjoy the picture. It will definately be one I have to scrapbook!

Big Girls Bunk Beds

Brenna and Bethany now think that they are super big girls after sleeping in their new bunk beds. A family in our church blessed us with these beds and the girls are so proud of them. Brenna is the queen of her castle now, and Bethany is enjoying a bigger bed. This is a step up from the toddler bed that she is used to. Thought you would enjoy this picture of the girls on their new beds.

Another update on Kevin

I received another email update this morning about our friend Kevin Sherman. It is posted below:

Just left Kevin and he is doing great. I had about a 15 minute conversationfrom health to hurricanes. He had a good night all in all. They did a CATscan at 2:00 for everyone on the floor (they do that every night) and thedoctor said that everything was normal(no bleeding). His eye lid still won'topen all the way but he can see out of it, and the doc says he is pleasedwith it. It may still take a month or so to get back to normal. He has aheadache which is to be expected. he will be getting into a room thismorning or early afternoon. his spirits are good. Carolyn and I will becoming back to Abilene this afternoon for homecoming. The next embolizationis tuesday so don't expect much more updating till then. No news is goodnews.

Thanks for your continued prayers!

1 Embolization Down, 2 To Go!

I received an update on our friend Kevin Sherman today. His first embolization was this morning and went well. Below is the email update I received from Shanna's dad:

Well the good news is it took a little longer than we thought so they plugged
a few more vessels than they thought. Kevin's left pupil is a little larger
because the had to tug on one of the vessel to remove the needle and they
bruised a nerve, he will have good night vision for a while, but it should go
back down in a month or so. They did a CAT scan to check for bleeding and
they did not see anything bad. He is in ICU today but will probably get into
a room on Saturday and then the next embolization will be on Tuesday. All is
well so far. Keep us in your prayers and things will be okay.

Kevin's next embolization is next Tuesday, the 16th. Please continue to pray for him and his family. If you're not aware of this situation, please scroll down to a previous post titled "Please pray for our friend" and the details are there. I've sent word to Shanna that all of you are praying for them. She was very encouraged and said she felt "covered in prayer". Praise God for a good report today!! Thank you Lord!

Declarations and Questions (of a four-year old)

Last Wednesday night I was on my way home from church with Brenna. We stopped at a red light just a few blocks from the church. As we waited for the light to turn green, a big firetruck came roaring past us. Brenna asked me if they were going to help someone who was hurt. I told her it was very possible that they were going to help someone in need. Without hesitation, she made her first amazing declaration of the evening, "We need to pray!" she said. And so we did. We prayed for unknown people facing unknown challenges being cared for by unknown firemen and paramedics. We prayed. Brenna informed me that everytime she hears or sees sirens, she stops to pray and ask God to help those in need. When I told Jennifer about our firetruck encounter, she told me that Brenna had been praying each time she saw emergencies in progress. Sirens. Emergencies. People in need. We need to pray! If my four-year old gets it, I can't believe how often I or others like me don't get it. When the sirens of life indicating an emergency go off, our initial and immediate response should be to pray. Thank you, Brenna, for reminding your daddy about the priority of prayer. God says, "Call unto Me, and I will answer you..." (Jeremiah 33:3)

Later that night, I was praying with Brenna at bedtime. I had just prayed for our families in Houston and for their safety and protection from the approaching storm off the Texas coast. Brenna asked me if the storm was coming towards Houston where our family was. I told her yes, and that is why we were praying for them. As I was leaving her room, she asked me a speech-stopping question. "Why is God doing this, daddy?" For Brenna, my silence was deafening and all too long. I'm sure my speechless seconds seemed like an eternity to her. I couldn't believe the question on everyone's mind was verbalized by my concerned, compassionate four-year old. After an eternity of silent seconds, she asked a second heart-wrenching question. "Is it so people will die?" For a change, there was not a hint of sarcasm or silliness in her voice. She was as serious as could be. And I remained, well, speechless. I knew in my mind that people had already died in the path of Hurricane Ike. And I knew the likelihood was good that others possibly would when it hit the U.S. mainland on the coast of Texas. So in her mind (and maybe in yours or others' mind), if God allowed this storm and could equally make it stop (as he did in Matthew 14:22-33) but chose not to, then is He responsible for any subsequent deaths from the storm that He allowed?

I prayed for wisdom in those brief but life-changing moments that God would give me the words to share with Brenna. I wanted to be honest with her, but I didn't want to wax eloquent in a manner that she wouldn't understand. In a nutshell, I simply shared with her that God allows storms like these so that people will trust Him and turn to Him. Do we really mean it when we pray and ask God to do "whatever it takes" to turn people to Him or turn people back to Him, especially those whom we love and care about? Will we trust Him even when He works in ways that make no sense humanly speaking? Thank you, Lord, for reminding me through my four-year old and Hurricane Ike that You are truly in control and completely trustworthy. posted by John

Back to WeeOnes

My little girls started back to preschool yesterday. They attend the preschool at our church called Wee Ones. It is a wonderful Christian based program that centers around God's Word and I love that! Brenna is now in one of the Pre-K classes. It's hard to believe that this is her last year before she will begin Kindergarten. I had to send a baby picture with her to school yesterday for their "All About Me" unit, and I couldn't believe how much she has grown and changed over the last 4 years. She is a beautiful little girl. She is also very impulsive, independent, and determined to do whatever she sets her mind to. Her favorite things are her daddy, cheese (which she loves), puppies, teddy bears, soccer, and playing with her brothers in the backyard. I truly believe that God is going to use Brenna to make a difference in this world for Him! She has a loud voice and loves to be heard.

Our little Bethany, is quite opposite her big sister. She is beginning the young "3's" class at WeeOnes. She was very excited to start school yesterday. We are working hard on potty training now, and she is doing very well. Bethany has a very quiet personality. Don't get me wrong, she can be loud when she wants to be, but for the most part, she is quiet. She is very loving and likes to snuggle and hug her Mommy. I love that too! I hope she never grows out of that. She loves purses, high-heeled shoes, baby dolls, strollers, she is definately going to be my "girly girl". She is also a climber deluxe and has scars and several trips to the ER to prove it.

What a blessing from the Lord these little girls have been to John and I and to all who know them. They also have to great big brothers, which I will talk more about in a later post.

Daddy and his girls on their 1st day of preschool!

Brenna is in Mrs. Robin's Rhinos class. Here she is outside her classroom.

Brenna walked in and immediately sat down to paint! What fun!!

Bethany is in Mrs. Cissy's Caterpillars class. Here she is outside her classroom!

Bethany walked right into her classroom, sat down at a Lego table and started playing. She was as content as can be! The girls had a wonderful 1st day at WeeOnes

Please Pray for our Friends!

We have some very special friends, Kevin & Shanna Sherman, who live in Abilene, TX. They are the adoptive parents of Mary Grace. What is so special about this little girl is that she is the biological 1st cousin to our adopted daughters, Brenna and Bethany. So, you can understand why we will always have a close connection with this great family. I'm writing this post so that all who read it will pray for Mary Grace's dad, Kevin. He is about to undergo a series of procedures that will lead to brain surgery. He found out back in February, after having a seizure, that he has an Arterio-Venous Malformation, or an AVM, on the left side of his brain. With this AVM being on the left side, there are some risks/side effects of removing.

The main risks are partial vision loss, short term memory concerns, and problems with speech. The risk of not having the surgery to remove the AVM, is it could bleed which could be fatal. So, after much prayer and talking with his wife Shanna, and other family members, Kevin has decided to have the surgery even though there are risks involved.

The process begins on Wednesday with blood work. And then he will have 3 seperate embolization procedures which will help reduce the blood flow to the AVM before the actual surgery which will be on the 19th.

Please pray for this special family. They have 3 biological sons, and two adopted daughters (pre-K, and Kindergarten age). They are blessed to have grandparents who will be helping with their children while they are in Dallas. Kevin will be in ICU most of the time and I do not know at this time when he will be able to go home. It's hard enough raising 5 children when you are home with them everyday, so it is even harder when you have to be away and depend on others to care for them.

Please also pray for Kevin's parents, Shanna's parents, and their 5 children as they walk through this difficult time. They are a Christian family and know that all of this is in God's hands. Kevin stated in an email that he expects nothing less than a full recovery. Let's join him and ask God to heal him completely.

Thanks for praying! I'll update as I know more.

What Children Need Most

By definition, a NEED is a must-have. Something you can't live without. A matter of life and death. WATER. FOOD. AIR. Needs. It's a good question. What do children NEED most? What do children need most from parents and teachers and grandparents in their life? I pondered this most probing question as I was preparing my remarks tonight to a group of teachers and parents of preschoolers. Tonight was Wee Ones orientation. Wee Ones is a ministry of our church to preschoolers designed to provide them with educational, physical and spiritual learning & growth opportunities prior to beginning their Kindergarten year. Both Brenna and Bethany are a part of this ministry. And even as a Children's Pastor, it can be quite a daunting task to share some brief but encouraging words to a group of parents, grandparents, and teachers surrounded by a host of babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. God led me to the perfect passage of Scripture to answer a most essential question: what do children need most? Stated more personally: what do my children need most from me? Matthew 19:13-15 (NLT) says:

"Some children were brought to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. The disciples told them not to bother him. But Jesus said, 'Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.' And he put his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left."

What a powerful passage. God gave me at least three things in this passage that my children need most from me. 1) My children need me to BOMBARD heaven on their behalf. Simply stated, we call it prayer. Why were these children brought to Jesus? So He could lay hands on them and pray for them. This passage doesn't even say who brought these children to Jesus or how many children their were. Regardless, they knew what the children needed most: prayer. Jesus prayed for them. That's probably a good example for me to follow. Talk to God about them. Talk to God with them. Talk to God for them. We don't pray because of who we are; we pray because of who He is - almighty, all-powerful God. I need everything He is and provides; and so do your children. Follow Jesus' example. Bombard heaven for your kids. 2) My children need me to BLESS them. That's right - bless them. Again, Jesus did it in this passage. He placed His hands on their heads and blessed them. I'm not exactly sure what that looked like; but my best guess would be that Jesus showered these children with verbal bouquets like: "I love you." "You are special." "You are one of a kind." "You are precious to me." "You are mine." And on and on and on. He lavished on them kind, encouraging, comforting words of affirmation, appreciation, and praise. He paid no attention to performance, appearance or ability. No superficial stuff here. None of that matters. What matters is that He made them, He loved them, and He in turn blessed them. Children are a blessing from God (Psalm 127:3). Let's bless them in return - just like Jesus did. 3) My children need me to BRING them to Jesus. Whoever brought these children to Jesus knew that an encounter with Him would change these kids' lives forever. It will do the same for mine - and yours. Nurture them, train them up, lead them to follow Jesus. Set an example worth following in word and in deed. Let them see and hear the difference Jesus makes in your life. Bring them to Jesus. You'll never regret it.

BOMBARD heaven for them

BLESS them

BRING them to Jesus.

That's what children need - yours, mine, adopted, biological, handicapped, normal, American, Asian, Australian, red, yellow, black, white, athletic, musical, intellectual, tall, short, cared for, abused, safe and sound, bruised and broken - let's give them what they need while we still can. posted by John

Fun with Friends!

Some friends invited us over yesterday for hamburgers and some fun playtime for the kids. They set up their water slide in the backyard and the kids had a ball! Here are a few pictures from the day that I thought you might enjoy!

Brenna is waiting at the top of the slide! I'm not sure what she is looking at, but I liked this picture!

Here is Bethany at the top of the slide. She tried several times to sit on the raft and slide down, and the raft kept sliding by itself before she could get on it. She finally did it and was so proud of herself!

I love this picture! This is a typical toddler who did not want to share her raft with her brother. "Why do I have to share?????"

Bethany's sweet friend, Kenlie, is consoling her! Too cute!

The boys also enjoyed some baseball in the backyard. John played catch with them. This is our friend Garret getting in on the baseball fun!

Thank you Mike and Lori for having us over. We truly enjoyed our visit and the kids loved playing in the backyard.

Thank you Lord, for blessing our lives with friends who love You! We are thankful!