Sunday, September 23, 2007

The Announcement...

We had a young couple come to our church today. This young couple also came to the picnic we had afterward and at one point stood up, asked for everyone's attention and shared their special news.

Setting the stage: One of these young people is a young man I have known since he was born, nearly 20 years ago. The young lady I have known for about four years. She was one of my son's very good friends in high school and even dated my son for a few months. I love both of these young people and have been praying for them both.

Their announcement is that they are engaged and are planning to wed either this winter or next summer.

I should be blessed for them, and I seek with my heart to bless them, yet deep within me is a lot of concern for them for many reasons. I'll not go into those reasons here, but suffice to say that I shall be praying for them all the more, and even more than that I shall be praying for God's timing for them, and for them to hear God's timing for them.
I know so well that it is easy to be anxious and impatient when we are young and desiring to be with someone that we care about, that we love. We were there once too.
I also know how difficult the road is, and can be, if we are moving forward without vision and especially without God's vision.


Lord God, I trust you with this young couple; with their lives; with their love for one another. You know that they are dear to my heart, and I know that they are even more dear to Yours.
I know Lord Jesus that they both love You and desire for You to be first in their lives. Help them to hear Your voice above all the voices that are speaking to them. I pray, Father, for Godly counsel and wisdom to be spoken to them from those to whom they will listen. I ask, Lord, that their ears won't be closed to the words spoken to them that may not agree with what they think and feel.
Please, dear God glorify Yourself and Your Name, for Your sake and Your testimony in their lives.
--Amen

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Hi - It's Me Again

I'm here to make a posting. Shocking! Yes?

I didn't even look to see when my last post was. I know it's been a while.
Summertime has been here and I have not been on my home computer much. I hit it a couple times a week and that's about all it seems that I have time for. Check the email, sit down to pay bills, maybe try to read a blog here and there...
Tonight was pay bills and since I'm still on and Kerry went to pick up our youngest from youth group, I figured I'd do something strange and actually "POST."

I have been wanting to post this family picture we had taken while we were in Jackson, Wyoming (a.k.a. Jackson Hole, Wyoming). It is one of those rare times when we are (were) actually together as a family this year. We had a wonderful family vacation time and I am so grateful to God for allowing us the opportunity to have it. I had wanted to take my family to Yellowstone for many, many years and we were finally able to go, in what may have been the last family vacation for just the five of us.


Daughter number one (our middle child) started college (see last post) a few weeks ago. Though she calls frequently and isn't far away, I know this is the beginning of her independence and she is starting to learn to exercise it.
Our oldest is now in his junior year of college. He is working as a resident assistant (RA) this year and probably won't be home until Christmas and even then it will be right about on Christmas because he has some friends getting married in Texas earlier that week. One of these days some fortunate young lady is going to figure out what a catch he is and to latch on to him and he will be off somewhere else forever thereafter.
As for our youngest, she is always busy. She has a pretty tough class load, so she is often doing homework. She loves doing the school musicals and got a chorus part (extra) in this years production of Hello Dolly. She also has a job that she works on weekends. So we are already getting used to not seeing her around.
My wife has started a new job, putting her freelance days behind her for now. By working from home she was lacking for socialization (it's important for kids to be able to socialize, it helps them be well adjusted). I think she is enjoying the new job, but sometimes it is difficult to be certain. She did receive some encouraging news that one of her submissions going to be published in "Chicken Soup for the Empty Nester's Soul." Pretty cool! As our youngest stated, "Now you can be published like me!" Which for clarification, youngest had a poem of hers about the "Heroes of 9/11" published a few years back.

As for me these days... I go to work, try to get out and ride my bicycle at lunch, go back to work, go home, sleep, and then repeat that cycle. The most excitement is, as my wife says, playing connect the dots with the latest scratches and scrapes accumulated from the days bike ride. It's not quite that bad really, but sometimes it seems she is right.

That's all for tonight.

May God richly bless you and lead you in His wonderful paths of life.