Bridges and Tripp :)

I got 2 new books in the mail today. I ordered them from Amazon.com. I LOVE amazon!

This will make two posts for today and countless emails....but I haven' t been able to eat for 3 days because of a stomach bug....so I don't have much energy. And reading and blogging don't take much energy. :)

Book #1: Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands People in need of change helping people in need of change ~ Paul David Tripp

I have only read the preface and Chapter One but I can highly recommend it. Here's a quote as a tease:

"But consider this: we could never hire enough paid staff to meet the ministry needs of the average local church. The "passive body that pays the professionals" culture of the modern evangelical church must be forsaken for the ministry model God has so wisely ordained. To that end this book has been written."



I must add that the book is written in the positive sense in regards to that quote. He is equipping those who are kingdom-minded and who desire to be an instrument to bring about righteousness in themselves and others.



Book #2: Respectable Sins Confronting the Sins We Tolerate ~ Jerry Bridges

Though I have never read any of Bridges works, I can tell you that I love this man. I have read countless quotes full of insight and truth....I cling to every word. I have only read the preface of this book but I want to include a quote:

"The motivation for this book stems from a growing conviction that those of us whom I call conservative evangelicals may have become so preoccupied with some of the major sins of society around us that we have lost sight of the need to deal with our own more "refined" or subtle sins.

While seeking to address these "respectable" sins, however, I also want this to be a book of hope. We are never to wallow hopelessly in our sins. Rather, we are to believe the gospel through which God has dealt with both the guilt of our sin and its dominion over us."



AMEN??? Amen. You know what I love about these two guys? Every sentence they write has a purpose. There are no 'fillers'. That's why it takes me forever to get through them. I usually read one paragraph...perhaps even of the preface...and I have to pray, repent, send out an email asking for forgiveness, call Sylas and share it with him, and give thanks to anyone who recommended the book!!!!!!! NOt literally...more of my time is spent marking the books up. I'm sure that drives Sylas nuts because when he reads it he gets my notes as well.

One more thought...I just love how Biblical, theologically sound books always start with the gospel. I'm learning each day how vital that is to life and to sanctification. Both of these books, of course, do just that.

The wind is blowing here like crazy...a cold front is coming in!! That means it might get below 80 tomorrow!! I wish I could curl up in a recliner and read all night. HA!

Hymn of the Day..or of My Life

Thomas O. Chisholm
I just love this Hymn...and somehow it's been in my mind this morning. I was confronted with it's Biblical truth. It is saturated with Scripture. Let it run through your mind and soul today. It will bring thankfulness and peace!!



Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;

As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.


Great is Thy faithfulness!Great is Thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see.

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!


Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!



Words:
Thom­as O. Chis­holm, 1923. Ac­cord­ing to Chis­holm, there were no spe­cial cir­cum­stanc­es which caused its writ­ing—just his ex­per­i­ence and Bi­ble truth. The hymn first ap­peared in Songs of Sal­va­tion and Serv­ice, 1923, com­piled by Wil­liam M. Run­yan. It is the un­of­fi­cial “school hymn” of Moo­dy Bi­ble In­sti­tute in Chi­ca­go, with which Run­yan was as­so­ci­at­ed for a num­ber of years.



Check out this site for more info. on hymns.

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving marks the beginning of my absolute favorite time of the year. Time to get out the fall decorations, time to rake the leaves and jump in them, time for the temperature to drop below 90 :) and time to bring out the winter clothes (just in case it gets below 80).

One day last month I was at Hobby Lobby and I decided I would make a cornucopia this year to add to our fall decor at home. The night I made it, I was talking to a friend of mine and she didn't know what a cornucopia was. So I went to webster.com.

Cornucopia:

Main Entry: cor·nu·co·pia
Pronunciation: \ˌkȯr-nə-ˈkō-pē-ə, -nyə-ˈ\
Function: noun
Etymology: Late Latin, from Latin cornu copiae horn of plenty
Date: 1508
1 : a curved goat's horn overflowing with fruit and ears of grain that is used as a decorative motif emblematic of abundance

2 : an inexhaustible store : abundance

So, a cornucopia is emblematic of abundance, or an inexhaustible store. If you know me, you know that was enough for me to write a whole Sunday School lesson around. I'll spare you a link to it. :) But I wanted to share what the Lord is teaching me about His inexhaustible grace, His overabundant riches, and His eternal kindness to us. I came across this excerpt from a sermon by John Piper as I was 'studying the gospel' as C.J. Mahaney urged me to do in his book The Cross Centered Life. Check this out, it will give you something to be thankful for -- with every new day and with every breath:

1. Kindness in the Place of Wrath
First, notice what God gives in the place of wrath.
In verse 3 at the end it says that "We were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind." By nature we were so rebellious against the law of God that we were suitable objects of God's wrath.

Jesus' Merciful Warnings of Hell
Every Christmas when I sit in front of our living room fire, and watch it consume paper cups and marshmallow bags and hot dog wrappers, I cannot help but think of hell. It isn't fire and brimstone preachers who put these images in my mind. It is Jesus Christ.
He's the one who warned the church most vividly to cut off your sinning hand rather than go with two hands to hell (Matthew 5:30); that all evildoers will be thrown into a furnace of fire (Matthew 13:42); that the goats on his left hand will go into eternal punishment (Matthew 25:46); that there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12). Again and again he warned that it is appointed unto man once to die and after that comes judgment (Hebrews 9:37). And these are not the hostile harpings of a country preacher. They are all mercy—just like the glass doors on the front of our fire place are mercy to little Barnabas.

God's Merciful Promise
But now, in typical biblical fashion, after the merciful warning comes the merciful promise in verse 7. For those who trust Christ, God commits himself to the following purpose:
. . . that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Notice how Paul piles up words to make a deep and lasting impression on our hearts. God's settled purpose is to be gracious to those who are in Christ Jesus. And lest we miss the sweetness and gentleness and gladness of the word "grace," he adds the words, "in kindness toward us." Now ask yourself this question: If there were one person in all the universe the benefits of whose kindness you could choose, who would it be? Would it not be God? You might be able to think of a thousand things that would be kindness to you. But then your imagination would run out. But God's imagination will never run out.

Help for Faltering Imaginations
And to make this clear Paul uses the word "riches." God's purpose is to spend the "riches of his grace in kindness on us." And then to assist our faltering imagination he adds the word "immeasurable" or "surpassing" or "incomparable." How rich is God? I read in the paper recently that Queen Elizabeth is worth about four billion dollars. Now if you got a letter in the mail from Queen Elizabeth which said that she had taken an oath by the blood of her son to spend her riches to show you as much kindness as she could for the rest of your life, wouldn't you get excited? And her wealth compares to God's like a grain of sand to the Sahara Desert.
But that's not all. She could only show you kindness for a few years—ten, thirty, sixty maybe. But look what Paul says God intends to do for you? "That in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness to us in Christ Jesus." How long is an age? And how many ages are coming? Well, the answer is simple: all of them that lie in the future are coming. So it doesn't matter how long one of them is.
Do you know why Paul had to say it this way? Because that's how long it will take God to run out of fresh ideas about how to show you kindness. When eternity ends, God will have run out of ways to show you kindness. Now tell me, when does eternity end?

The Meaning of Christmas
This is the meaning of Christmas: Christ came into the world to die for sinners so that God would have a people who would value the riches of his kindness forever. Are you one of those? How can you not be one of those, when you compare the wealth of God with the wealth of Queen Elizabeth?
We were by nature children of wrath, BUT GOD has promised us eternal kindness instead.

SO, I think I will take a break from studying Ephesians in Sunday School this 'holiday season.' I have this idea to do a study called "From the Manger to the Cross." If I do it justice, I will be studying every waking moment between now and New Year's Day! All you budding theologians, I welcome your input! :)

The Cross Centered Life

Quotes from The Cross Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney:
"Have you realized," preacher David Martyn Lloyd-Jones once observed, "that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself?"

"The gospel," writes Jerry Bridges, "is not only the most important message in all of history; it is the only essential message in all of history. Yet we allow thousands of professing Christians to live their entire lives without clearly understanding it and experiencing the joy of living by it."

"Some might find it surprising that I would teach a nine-year-old about God's wrath toward sin. But I find it surprising that any loving person would withhold this truth from another person they love."

I resisted the urge to quote the whole book on my blog. :) You should read it, though, really. It's very short and concise and simple to read. But it's a profound truth.

I have learned something about myself recently. I am a legalistic person when it comes to my own salvation. I find it easier to try to earn God's favor than to just accept that He purchased that favor for me on the Cross. And, consequentially, I find this misunderstanding of mine spilling over into relationships I have with the people I love the most. I have heard these truths dozens of times, even taught them, but until recently...it didn't really sink in that I haven't grasped the finished work of the gospel. And I'm still trying to roll around in that truth so that I can just soak it up and let it permeate to the deepest, darkest parts of me.

You know, the truth is, it already has...it's just a matter of me realizing it and living like it. Does that even make sense? If you know my past, you'll understand better why it's hard for me to grasp this. I went on a little trip this weekend and everything I went through in the height of my rebellion came flooding back - and that condemnation that is not from the Lord came flooding back. Can I tell you of the kindness of God to give me a husband like Sylas who just listened and poured out forgiveness and kindness and patience all over me??? He's amazing. And I mean that with all my heart. Pray that I will live like it...and learn to accept his forgiveness the way I'm learning to accept Christ's. And that, in turn, I would forgive and live in the freedom Christ purchased for His Saints on the Wonderful Cross. Pray that I would be still in my heart and that, in the words of my dear brother Ryan, I would "allow the Cross to speak peace to my heart."

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of Glory died
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride
See from his head, his hands, his feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down
Did ever such love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown
O the wonderful cross,
O the wonderful cross
Bids me come and die
and find that I
may truly live
O the wonderful cross,
O the wonderful cross
All who gather here
by grace draw near
and blessYour name
Were the whole realm of nature mine
That were an offering far too small
Love so amazing, so divine
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
The Wonderful Cross, Chris Tomlin style (sorry Kari) ;)

Happy Belated Reformation Day

The reason I'm posting today is simply to share these pictures of some adorable boys. I hope they bring you as much delight as they have brought us!!

Kyle was a pumpkin for halloween. This costume was hand crafted by Nonnie (aka Debbie) about 4 years ago when Jacob first wore it. Then Ty wore it two years in a row and passed on the tradition to Kyle. I promise there will be no more Politte babies next year to wear this costume...so, Ryan and Sarah, the pressure's on. You wouldn't want this precious costume to miss a year, would you?? :)

In other news, Kyle is sitting up and 'scooting' across the floor. He is becoming a master scooter -- he can now move himself across the floor to get whatever he desires to put in his mouth. Your prayers are appreciated, as Ty thinks it's really cool to feed Kyle random items.

Finally, I will leave you with a plead for you to pray for my sweet sister. She has a wound on her arm that has not healed completely and is having other symptoms consistent with a severe infection. The situation is serious but our God is great. I am focusing on this:

Psalm 4:4-5

Tremble, and do not sin;

Meditate in your heart

upon your bed and

BE STILL.

Offer the sacrifices of righteousness and TRUST IN THE LORD.

You can read more about Cara's missionary journeys here

Your Reaction?

This is comical and seemingly pointless. But I just have to post it anyway. Jacob's pre-K teachers send a folder home with him each day for us to look over. There is stuff to 'keep at home' and stuff to 'return to school'. They usually just send home his worksheets or projects and sometimes notes regarding upcoming events. Well, today, taped to the front of the folder was this note:
"We do not want the students wearing cowboy boots to school. We have had several problems concerning cowboy boots. The boots have hard soles and if they hit or kick someone.........it hurts. We are on the floor together for circle time and centers and accidents happen! Do not send your child to school with cowboy boots. Thank You."

That is word-for-word what the note said. I did not leave anything out. Now, can you imagine a cowboy boot lifting itself off the floor and hitting or kicking someone?? I would ban them too. They're about as dangerous as guns without a hand to pull the trigger. So I guess we will now form the National Boot Association and we will work alongside the NRA to ban boots in Elementary Schools across America. Because, as you can see from the note, they are dangerous objects.
;)

***disclaimer*** I am not trying to be tacky....just some thoughts I had today and I wanted your reactions as well. Jacob's teachers are precious and are clearly looking out for his best interests.

My Boys

God is so faithful. I look at this picture and I have to restrain myself from weeping over His goodness. There is great responsibility represented here, but I pray that not one day goes by that I don't praise God for the gifts He has given Sylas and I in Jacob Ryan, James Tyman, and Justice Kyle. He is GOOD.

Ministry in Eldo

I want you all to know that God has given me a fresh perspective on Sylas' ministry here. I often gripe and complain about him being gone four afternoons of the week and on Saturday for YMCA football...but recently I have opened my eyes to the way the Lord is using it to draw people to Himself. I have gone to the past two games, one in Big Lake, the other in Ozona. Sylas is an amazing coach. I have never seen 3rd and 4th graders make 15-20 yard pass completions!!! It's almost more exciting than the Varsity game the night before!! Check this out...how cute are they?

Jacob's World

Ahhhhhhhh, where to begin? I have so many pictures and so many ideas for posts. I just don't have any time!

I can't wait to show you what Jacob has been up to. First of all (yes, first of all...and yes, I miss Camp Buckner already) Jacob and his pre-K class got to ride on a firetruck last week. He was so excited. I was the only nerdy mom following the firetruck and taking pictures! Jacob thought that was cool -- give him time, he'll realize it's not. Anyway, I went up to Pre-K and the kids were learning things from the firemen. Well, the whole class walks off to get on the truck and Jacob stays behind and chats with the firemen...until his teacher comes back and gets him!! I love that kid! I just hid behind my vehicle and watched, laughing to myself.

Tonight, Jacob and I cleaned up and re-organized his room while Sylas and Ty went to football practice. I bought him a 'reading' chair at Target today and we had to make room for it in his 'reading nook'. About 30 minutes after we finished his room, he comes in and goes "Mom, could you bring Kyle in here so I can read to him?" So I br0ught Kyle into his room and set him in his bumbo in the reading nook. God is so good. Do you know how my heart was filled watching this take place???? I can't even tell you.

Ty Turns Three

I have a lot to update you all on...so I thought I would start at the beginning. Ty turned 3 on September 15th...these are the pics I took of him on September 14th. He didn't cooperate as well as his older brother but we still managed to get some ok shots.

After this he said he wanted to take some pics at the football field. It was Thursday night and JV was playing in Harper. So we went over to the deserted field...I was trying to be creative and think about how I could take his pics by the goalpost and stuff....and suddenly the sprinklers came on!! The only problem with that was that to me, that clearly meant we needed to leave. To Ty, that was the PERFECT opportunity for some great pics. I managed to convince him to stay dry long enough to get a few more shots.-

This is the last shot we took...he was getting bit by mosquitoes and was SO ready to go home!! Hope you enjoyed Ty's photo shoot!!

It's been too long...

Well first I will officially apologize. It has been way TOO long since I blogged. It's certainly not because I haven't had anything to blog about...but rather because I haven't even had time to upload our latest pics of our boys...much less write something intelligent on our blog! Ty has turned 3, I have his 3rd Birthday pics coming soon. We had a fun Buzz Lightyear party which was a big hit among the town's 3 year old population. Sylas was in charge of entertainment so you can imagine how fun it was.

Ty's birthday party was just a few hours after Voddie Bauchom spoke at the High School here and over 200 people attended. It was amazing. God is so faithful -- this was a vision that Sylas had over a year ago. It took a year to plan it because when they began the meetings, Voddie didn't have any open dates for an entire year! Anyway all the work, planning, praying and preparing paid off. My heart rejoiced with the Truth that he preached. I only wish he could have stayed longer.

Kyle turns "6 months" old in 2 days!! I can't believe it! Jacob is absolutely loving preschool and he thinks that next month he goes to preschool. You can keep one of his teachers in your prayers...Mrs. Rojas. Her daughter was pregnant and had her baby yesterday -- at 25 weeks. He weighed less than two pounds and was airlifted to San Antonio after his birth. We are praying that he will come through this but they have given him a 50/50 chance of survival. That doesn't sound too promising...almost pointless to say it...50/50?? What hope does that give? Oh well, we know Who's decision it is so we are asking Him to bring that baby through this. It's a miracle that he even made it through the birth (they gave him a 3% chance of living through that). Anyway, keep them in your prayers. Sylas had the privilege of being invited into the NICU by the family (they are Catholic) to pray over the baby and then to pray over the mother.

We have some other very serious situations here in Eldo right now as well. Please pray for us as we counsel. I have an insatiable desire to know more of the Word of God -- a greater desire than I've ever had in my life. So I am learning to balance that with my other duties and delights. :) Jay Adams, John MacArthur and David Powlison have really helped me out with nouthetic counseling...not to mention Sylas Politte and Ryan Bebee.
Well, I guess I better head over to Wednesday night church. Sylas said there were 50 kids at the pole this morning so that's exciting. Hopefully they will be here tonight to hear the Word of God preached by my gifted husband.

Comments

OK for some reason I'm not getting the comments people are leaving on these last 2 posts. If you don't mind, try again...I'm trying to figure it out. Thanks!

Seeing With New Eyes

I am reading a book called Seeing With New Eyes: Counseling and the Human Condition Through the Lens of Scripture. It's a MUST read -- especially for people like Sylas and I who counsel on a weekly basis...if not daily. I wanted to blog some of the quotes I find especially great from the author, David Powlison.

On anger:

"When Paul writes, "Be angry, and yet do not sin" (Ps. 4:4; Eph. 4:26), he again shifts the direction of application in addressing a very different context. The original appeared as part of an extended meditation on stilling your heart into peace and trust, so that you would not sin when you are upset at the wrongdoing of God's enemies. The fresh restatement develops the necessity of dealing quickly with anger, primarily in the context of the remnant sins that can irritate and provoke those in Christ. It develops the devilish dimension, how unresolved anger plays into the divisive agenda of the accuser of the Brethren. It sets our dealing with anger in the larger context of "learning Christ" (Eph. 4:20), one piece of the transformation of our lives. Psalm 4:4 has been adapted to a larger vision. The quotation sparkles with new meanings, not contradictions."

The first chapter in this book is called Counsel Ephesians and he deals with the ways the book of Ephesians is sufficient to counsel with, saying "What a remarkable, provocative, and unusual door Ephesians opens into the rest of the Bible! The light of the Lord Jesus Christ and current ministry needs lead Paul to rework Scripture and put Scripture to work."

Powlison refers to the OT quotes in Ephesians (and the rest of the NT) as being "Christified" -- or seen in a new paradigm because of the birth, death and resurrection of Christ. Interesting, isn't it? I'm sure you seminary folk would get more out of this than I do. I have to sort through background noises such as Baby Einstein, pleas for milk and juice, and the phone ringing incessantly. :) It's not necessarily an 'easy read'...at least not for me. I'd love it if someone read it and reviewed it on the booked blog!! I highly recommend it!

The First Day of Pre-K

Well, I had all these ideas for an elaborate post on this momentous day in our lives. But it is now almost 1 am on the SECOND day of Pre-K and I just now uploaded all my pics. SO here are a couple pictures of Jacob's morning...

Sylas and I were both able to take Jacob to school because Cara is here. So she stayed with Kyle and Ty -- praise the LORD for that! I spent most of the morning being made fun of while I cried over Jacob's introduction to the real world. We took his backpack and supplies to the class room and then went to the cafeteria where they serve everyone breakfast. Jacob was thrilled to find blueberry muffins and cocoa puffs. I don't let the boys have that cereal because Ty plays 'Cocoa Puff Stomp' and grinds them into the carpet. So it was quite a treat. He was also thrilled that he got milk AND juice. We had a lesson on holding your tray at a 90 degree angle with your body -- not 45 degrees as he originally had it. I think he and Michael were making plans for after school.

When I asked him how his day went, he told me "We didn't learn anything about something." I figure that means he didn't learn anything significant. Then later he told Cara that they didn't teach him about God. I'm pretty thankful, however, that at least 5 of the kids in his class attend our church regularly. So all in all it was exciting and emotional. This final pic is Jacob and the young and beautiful Kiely. What a stud, right?? I'll blog more later. I'm pooped.

Jacob's All Growed UP

The chubby, mostly cranium infant we called 'Tubbies' will be heading off to pre-K in 9 days!!

I got a sitter last week and Jacob and I went shopping for school supplies. We had a great time. He's not at the age yet where he knows exactly what he wants, so we actually got out of Target for less than $25. I'm training him to be a bargain shopper. ;)


While we were shopping, we even took some fun 'extended-arm self portraits.'

Then on Thursday I took him out for some Pre-K Portraits. You can check them out here. Here's my personal favorite:

Abortion

Many of you know my heart yearns to begin some sort of crisis pregnancy center here in Eldorado. The purpose would be to minister to pregnant women here and in the surrounding areas. I had kind of put the idea on the back burner for now since I have my hands full with my precious boys. But tonight I was watching a video online that stirred up the passion in my heart to offer hope in the midst of a crisis pregnancy situation, with the main goal to be evangelism and abortion alternatives. I'm going to put a link to it on here but I want to warn you first. There are graphic pictures on this site of unborn children ripped from the womb. That is an understatement. I couldn't even watch the whole video -- honestly. I was weeping. I had to look away. This site seems to be dedicated to exposing abortion for what it truly is. Don't let your kids see this. But let the vulgarity of it create in you a passion for spreading the gospel and a love for life and for the grace of God despite the sin that is in us and is surrounding us.

www.abort73.com

Another Wild Weekend

Sylas took the youth to Rock the Desert in Midland, Texas this weekend and I sucked it up and stayed home with the boys. Little did I know, we would have an addition to our family for the weekend...Mr. Michael Creek. So the weekend turned into camp Politte. Friday we went to the snuggle factory and made animals. Best story from that place: You have to pick out a star and 'make a wish' and then put the star in the stuffing that goes into your animal. Ty's wish? "I wish we could just go home." Ya never know with that kid.



Then on Saturday I figured we better do something fun, so we got out the Creek's inflatable water slide. The thing is gigantic. The boys obviously had a blast. In the picture where Ty has the noodle -- I had told the boys to wrestle in the water and I would take pictures. So Ty picks up the noodle, smacks both Jacob and Michael in one swing then goes "I WIN!" We all got sunburns and had a blast! Kristin Mittel was my sidekick for the weekend -- I couldn't have done it without her!

New Pics

I've been anxious to share some new pics with all of you but I couldn't get my software to work with the camera/laptop setup I have. Ugh.

Anyway here are a couple pictures I took so that you could all get a taste of Eldorado.

This might be my favorite...only in Eldorado!! ;)





Eldorado sunset







A random, abandoned church building








That's it for now -- I have boys with swords and a hungry infant. More later...I'm sure the suspense is killing you.

Bring the Rain

So today has been a rather trying day for us. I will spare you the details in order to avoid a lot of sins that might occur if I blabbed the situation on a blog post. Let's just say that Sylas and I are facing some major decisions in our life. Sometimes I think about being responsible for three kids and caring for my husband and I still think I'm this little girl inside trying to act all grown up. Sometimes it works better than others ;)

I want to share the words to the chorus of Bring The Rain by Mercy Me. I realize that my trials are trivial in comparison to some of you - but this has helped me to refocus and has become the cry of my heart today:

Bring me joy
Bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings you glory

And I know there'll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise you,
Jesus bring the rain.

I am yours regardless of
The clouds that may loom above
Because you are much greater than my pain
You who made a way for me
By suffering your destiny
So tell me what's a little rain

HOLY HOLY HOLY IS THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY


'nuff said

Picasso Politte

Tonight things have been insane getting ready for our girls retreat tomorrow. We leave at 9am tomorrow morning...which is actually only 8 1/2 hours away. But in the midst of it all, sweet Jacob drew me a picture. He said it's me and him with a heart between us. Being a mom brings me immeasurable joy....most of the time. ;)

A Public Service Announcement

I heard this on CBS or NBC or some network like that. This beautiful woman -- probably a famous person but I don't know her name -- fills the screen and confidently recites the following:

"You may not realize it, but everyone is born with their one true love, themselves. If you like you, everyone else will too."

Things that make you go hmmm. She's kinda right...in a weird way.

Ty's Little Eye

I have decided that this whole blog thing, coupled with myspace, facebook, weather radar and email, could potentially become a colossal waste of time. Although these days I don't have much free time so I have to use it wisely. I must admit I watch the weather radar and 'loop' it (animate it?? I don't know how to explain it...) between 3-4 times a day. Ryan shares the obsession, though, so I'm not alone.

OK, now that confessional is over, I must update you on our crazy little Tyman. He has a bite below his left eye and it has gotten progressively worse over the past couple of days. The first picture is from Sunday (day one) and the second is from earlier this evening. We've been asking him what happened...Last night, the story was "I got bit by a monster....in the backyard...and he looked like a mosquito." Then yesterday after church he told us that the church nursery lady "flicked him" and then spanked him. (Never would have happened) The best story, however, was today when he said "Um, it was the bears. They bit me on Monday night." He's hilarious. I'm not laughing at this point, however, because his eye is swelling rapidly and I am counting down to his dr's appt. at 9 in the morning.

I'll give an update tomorrow after the doctor.

I'll leave you with a pic of my hysterical husband who decided to 'ride bikes' this evening. I said "How many bikes do you plan on riding?" He didn't think it was funny. Especially because he got a flat tire about 30 seconds into it. HA! ;)

I DID IT!

I can't believe that actually posted with all the links and pics and everything. This was my first attempt with no help from the hubby. The only thing is, the pictures didn't come out positioned where I wanted them. Ty is in the gray shirt and Jacob is in the green polo. Kyle is obvious. :) Just thought you all might want to know (those of you who don't see us on a regular basis). Thanks for reading!!!!

Happy 7-7-07

SO I thought the day might go by without anything significant happening...then I remembered I had a blog!! Actually, I was finishing up my Sunday School lesson and I read a quote and thought "Man, if I had a blog, I would for sure put this on there." Then I remembered I had a blog!!

I will close with the quote but for now I figured you might all want an update on our family of FIVE. Kyle is doing amazingly well, considering Ty tries to squeeze every inch of his body at some point during each day. We are on 24/7 bodyguard duty when it comes to little Kyle!! I don't remember having to do that when Ty was born... :)



Jacob is going to start Pre-K in 5 weeks (but who's counting?)!!
He has a Pre-K wardrobe that is growing rapidly and tonight after his bath I heard him bragging to Ty "I'm going to PRE-K! I'm going to PRE-K" A few months ago I received a letter announcing the Pre-K objectives. I am happy to announce that Jacob has already mastered all ten of them. Let's pray he doesn't get bored and get into trouble.

Sylas is doing well now that things are finally slowing down a bit.
He was gone for a week at Pre-Teen camp in Abilene and then Kyle and I went with him to Youth Camp at Glorieta while my parents and Ryan and Sarah kept Jacob and Ty. Then we high-tailed it to Liberty Hill because we were both having withdrawals from missing the boys so much. We were thrilled to see them, and we spent the next 5 days celebrating July 4th with the Bebee family minus Cara. You can read about what she was doing here. You also might be interested to know about the american family reunion that my dad is heading up.

As for me, well, I'm trying to hold things together. Sylas and I make a good team with this parenting of 3 boys. It has it's moments when I think we'll never make it through the next few hours...but most of the time I'm overwhelmed with the understanding that we are blessed exceedingly abundantly above all we could ever ask for or imagine. I am also reading a book called The Joy of a Word Filled Family. It is so informative and encouraging. I am thankful for a husband who values this virtue so highly and supports my desires to discipline and teach according to the Word of God. So I will now close with a piece from the first Bible printed in Scotland in 1576:
Here is the spring where waters flow,
To quench our heat of sin:
Here is the tree where truth doth grow,
To lead our lives therein:
Here is the judge that stints the strife,
When men's devices fail:
Here is the bread that feeds the life
That death cannot assail.
The tidings of salvation dear,
Comes to our hears from hence:
The fortress of our faith is here,
And shield of our defense.
Then be not like the swine that hath
A pearl at his desire,
And takes more pleasure from the trough
And wallowing in the mire.
Read not this book in any case,
But with a single eye:
Read not but first desire God's grace,
To understand thereby.
Pray still in faith with this respect,
To bear good fruit therein,
That knowledge may bring this effect,
To mortify your sin.
Then happy you shall be in all your life,
What so to you befalls:
Yes, double happy you shall be,
When God by death you calls.