Last week, I decided to shave my goatee for the heck of it. Apparently, this added about ten pounds to the look of my face because I had several people at work ask me if I gained weight over the break. Last time they saw me, I had facial hair.

I know for a fact that I gained exactly one pound from the beginning of December to the first week of January. So, I’m growing it back.

We went to Granny and Papaw Burkman’s on the 28th for a 55th anniversary party. (Burkman’s are Jane’s parents) It was a good time, yet bittersweet for me. Emma Rose, Jane’s great-niece, was there. She is a cute, 9 month old, blonde. Elizabeth and I were sitting on the floor holding her and loving on her. A pain hit me that hasn’t in a while. I horribly missed my Emma. So did Elizabeth. As Elizabeth sat there playing and smiling with precious Emma Rose, I held back tears. It made me hurt for Elizabeth as she has verbalized over the years, she misses her sister….. the one she never met. The one she got to feel kick her in utero. The one she knew was a girl because God told her so.
I asked her tonight, “Did playing with Emma Rose make you miss Emma Mae?” Her response….. “Yes, why? Are you and Daddy going to adopt a girl?” I can only pray God will someday bless Elizabeth with a daughter of her own.

OK, one more from my favorite Christmas album…
A Baby Just Like You

Another one of my favorite Christmas songs sung by John Denver based on a poem by Robert Bridges.

Noel - Christmas Eve, 1913

A frosty Christmas Eve when the stars were shining
Fared I forth alone where westward falls the hill,
And from many a village in the water’d valley
Distant music reach’d me peals of bells aringing:
The constellated sounds ran sprinkling on earth’s floor
As the dark vault above with stars was spangled o’er.
Then sped my thoughts to keep that first Christmas of all
When the shepherds watching by their folds ere the dawn
Heard music in the fields and marvelling could not tell
Whether it were angels or the bright stars singing.
Now blessed be the towers that crown England so fair
That stand up strong in prayer unto God for our souls
Blessed be their founders (said I) an’ our country folk
Who are ringing for Christ in the belfries tonight
With arms lifted to clutch the rattling ropes that race
Into the dark above and the mad romping din.
But to me heard afar it was starry music
Angels’ song, comforting as the comfort of Christ
When he spake tenderley to his sorrowful flock:
The old words came to me by the riches of time
Mellow’d and transfigured as I stood on the hill
Heark’ning in the aspect of th’ eternal silence.

There is a large military training center near Columbus called Camp Atterbury. One of the chaplains on the base goes to our church and for the past 4 years he has organized a night of caroling on the base. This year, people in the church baked over 6000 cookies to hand out while caroling. (Karen baked several dozen.)

It was a moving experience. Most of the soldiers there are preparing to go to Iraq. In fact, some have shipped out since we were there on Wednesday night. I have never seen a more appreciative group than the 10 or so groups of soldiers we sang to. Many were crying and were sure to tell us thank you and that it meant a lot to them.

We carried several large boxes of cookies around to different barracks, the soldiers would come out, we would sing and the kids would hand out cookies to them. Elijah, our youngest (almost 3,) was a huge hit with the soldiers.

He would grab as many bags of cookies he could carry and go running up to the line of soldiers yelling, “here soldier!” They were eating it up. Several of them were sure to come find him to thank him after we were done singing. There was one place that had this small ditch with a little bit of ice an water. Elijah went up to it, stopped for a second like he was going to jump… then he did. Several of the soldiers, in unison, said, “Airborne!” “He’ll be in the 101st.”

It was a great experience, much more than I expected. And I was surprised at the sincere and heartfelt appreciation we got from the troops. Please pray for these soldiers as they make their way to Iraq.

From one of my all-time favorite Christmas Albums:

Christmas Is Coming

I discovered a new (to me) podcast a couple of weeks ago that I’ve found pretty interesting, called White Horse Inn. They are heavy on reformed theology so beware if you are allergic to such things.

The past two episodes have been excellent:
Called By God - I wish I could have heard this and, read Decision Making and the Will of God by Gary Friesen, 5 years ago. I don’t know if I would have or would not have still gone into ministry with Campus Crusade but I know I would have done it with a much different (and I think more correct) attitude and mindset.

What Is Worship - This one has me thinking about how worship is done in every church I’ve been in over the past 15 years. Its not “contemporary vs. traditional,” its that there is a piece missing much of the time. We are self-focused even when we think we are being God-focused. How many times do we sing about what we will do, “I will worship,” “I will praise you,” “you love me,” etc, without putting the focus back on God and what his attributes are and why we worship him. We take verses out of context, build songs around them without giving the full picture. They give some examples early in the podcast, give it a listen.

About White Horse Inn:

Launched in 1990, The White Horse Inn (named after the pub in Cambridge, England, where the Reformation came to the English-speaking world), is a nationally syndicated radio broadcast featuring regular round-table discussions on faith, culture and apologetics. Hosted by Michael Horton, Ken Jones, Kim Riddlebarger, and Rod Rosenbladt, the White Horse Inn aims each week to equip Christians to “know what they believe and why they believe it.”

Though the hosts have different denominational and ethnic backgrounds, the White Horse Inn unites itself on the principle slogans of the Protestant Reformation, such as the sufficiency of Scripture, salvation by grace alone through faith alone by Christ alone, and the importance of a God-centered, rather than human-centered outlook. By renewed attention to these classic and central themes on a weekly basis, it is the aim of the White Horse Inn to bring health and vigor to a church that appears to have in some ways lost its sense of missions.

I went back for a 6 month follow-up from the spring. There was no change in the mammogram, which is good. However, because they can’t be 100% sure, I am to go back (as long as they are unchanged each time) every 6 months for 2 years. Two friends have given me the name of a doctor in Greenwood, in case something did change. I think I will call to see if there is anything different they would do. The Dr. here doesn’t think it warrants a biopsy but want to follow it to be on the safe side. From a lot of women I have spoken to, it seems pretty common to do this. Part of it doesn’t make sense….. instead of removing it or doing a biopsy, let’s wait and see if it is cancer, later. On the flip side, I see that the characteristics of the lump are not cancererous. Ugh, get older stinks, sometimes!

Yesterday at church, Karen and I were helping in “kids church.” Towards the end, the kids were split up into small groups for discussion. After it was over, a little girl named Shelby from Karen’s group came over to me and asked, “Are you Mr. Riley?”
“Yeah,” I said. She just looked up at me and smiled with her big blue eyes and gave me a hug then went on her way.

Karen asked me if I met Shelby. I said I did and that she came up and gave me a hug. Karen said that Shelby was telling her that her parents have been (in a whisper) fighting and that they have to go to see a judge and might get divorced. Karen told her that my parents got divorced when I was little.

Shelby knows the pain that she is feeling and in the midst of it, felt compassion for someone else that had gone through the same thing. I don’t get very emotional about much but that simple act of love and compassion really touched me. I pray that Shelby’s mom and dad can work things out.

Here is the text of George Washington’s first Thanksgiving proclamation and Lincoln’s proclamation that came in the middle of the Civil War.

WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”

NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed;– for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish Constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;– for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge;– and, in general, for all the great and various favours which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also, that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions;– to enable us all, whether in publick or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us); and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine.

(signed) G. Washington

The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.

In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict, while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.

Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well as the iron and coal as of our precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield, and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the imposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the divine purpose, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity, and union.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the city of Washington, this 3d day of October, A.D. 1863, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.

We have a family tradition that was started about 30 years ago when my dad was a single parent.
There was a greasy burger joint downtown when I was a kid called Lucas Brothers. One Thanksgiving Eve my dad decided to take my brother and I there for dinner. When we were leaving, we said we should do it every Thanksgiving Eve. We did for a few years and then kind of forgot about it.

About 10 years ago we decided to start it back up but Lucas Brothers had moved and they were no longer open on Thanksgiving Eve night so we decided to do the next best thing and headed to White Castle. We don’t make it every year but do our best to maintain the tradition.

I remember my dad coming home from the store one night when I was about eight with a new cassette tape, popping it in the Hi-Fi and telling me and my brother that we had to hear what he had just bought. It was “Best Of… The Lovin’ Spoonful.” I was hooked right away. It was one of the many tapes we listened to while in the car. Its part of the soundtrack of my childhood.
I later became a die-hard Beatle fan but I think the foundation of that appreciation was built on that collection of Lovin’ Spoonful songs.

John Sebastion was the brains behind the band. Primary song writer and singer. I’ve gone back and listen to their music lately and have come to the conclusion that he is a much under appreciated song writer. I saw an interview with him saying that he didn’t want to try and be a second rate Bob Dylan so he went the other direction, stayed away from politics and social movements. He wanted to write “feel-good” music. And I think he did. I’ve found several videos and songs on Youtube, I’ll share a few over the next few days.
Here is his Woodstock performance:

He shakes his head as he walks off stage. I think its because he only sings half the chorus the first time through.

Indianapolis has an annual film festival called The Heartland Film Festival. This year’s winner for Best Dramatic Feature was Bella.

A little over a year ago, Karen and I sat in on a pre-screening of the movie at a FamilyLife staff meeting. I blogged about it back then.

If you get a chance, go see it. It is an excellent movie, very well done independent film.

You can find out more about it and get theater info here:
http://www.bellathemovie.com

Bob Lepine of FamilyLife has started a new podcast titled Ear Reverent(iTunes need for link to work.)

His description of the podcast:
“Some people like to blog, but I often sit behind a microphone and interview people. This podcast is my audio blog so-to-speak about faith, culture, church, the arts… stuff that I like to think about.”

The first episode caught my attention. He talks with Jim Henderson who hired an atheist to visit churches with him in order to write a book, Jim and Casper Go to Church: Frank Conversation about Faith, Churches, and Well-Meaning Christians

Give it a listen…

Cool! The Jim Henson Company is working on a sequel to the 1982 fantasy puppet movie, The Dark Crystal called The Power of the Crystal. Apparently, this has been news for some time but I’m just now hearing about it.

I remember going to see the first movie with my brother when I was a kid. I don’t think it did very well in the intial release but I loved it. I have since bought it on DVD. It has quite a few “new age-ie” elements that I could do without but the story is action/adventure pitting good against evil.

The sequel is scheduled for a Spring 08 release.

It sounds very interesting:

In the late 1970s, with his creative instincts and Hollywood power swelling to their greatest levels up to that point, “Muppets” creator Jim Henson found himself obsessed with the dark, deranged work of English illustrator Brian Froud.

He befriended the children’s-book author and recruited longtime collaborator Frank Oz, and together the three spent the next half-decade developing an ambitious, human-free movie that would mix the world of Froud with equal parts “Lord of the Rings” and Kermit the Frog.

The result was 1982’s “The Dark Crystal,” a fantasy flick that debuted as a commercial and critical failure and has since lived on as a fondly remembered near-classic along the lines of ’80s movies such as “Tron” and “The Last Starfighter.” Frustrated by the limitations of technology, Henson, who died in 1990, took to discussing two different “Dark” visions in interviews: the film his imagination had longed for and the version hindered by fishing line and awkward action sequences.

Now, like a woodland creature called to action by Gelfling heroine Kira, “The Dark Crystal” is preparing to rise up again. And this time it has technology on its side, along with one of the hottest action directors in all of geekdom.

“I did television shows like ‘Dexter’s Laboratory,’ ‘The Powerpuff Girls,’ ‘Samurai Jack’ and ‘Clone Wars,’ and then I decided to go into features,” said highly stylized Russian director Genndy Tartakovsky, offering a preview of his upcoming film debut, “The Power of the Dark Crystal.” “I love the first movie. I saw it [when I was young], and it’s resonated with me throughout my life. Through all the jobs I’ve had, we always referred to it. We would go, ‘You remember that scene in “Dark Crystal”? That was great the way that shape was put in,’ or something like that. [I’m determined] not just to relive it, but also to honor it.”

Such a tribute would be impossible without remembering the man who was a quarter-century ahead of his time. And as the film enters production, it should be quite easy for Tartakovsky to remember Henson daily, since Henson’s daughter Lisa is producing.

“Puppetry has come a long way since ‘The Dark Crystal,’ ” said the amicable co-CEO of the Jim Henson Company. “When ‘The Dark Crystal’ was made, it was the first time that all those techniques were really refined to the degree that they could be put in a feature film. Since then, puppetry has come so far that the puppets we’re going to use are going to be much more emotive than the originals. In addition to that, we can augment them with digital effects, but very subtly.”

The “Power” script continues the tale of elfin heroes Jen and Kira, last seen returning the shard to the evil crystal and seemingly abolishing the vulture-like Skeksis from their land. Set many years after the first flick, “Power” casts Jen and Kira as king and queen, now overseeing a kingdom whose peace is disturbed by a visit from the underground-dwelling U-mun people. After the Gelflings refuse their request for a shard of crystal that could preserve the U-mun race, a desperate visitor takes it anyway, threatening their world with another thousand years of chaos.

‘Dark Crystal’ Sequel Gives Jim Henson’s Puppet Epic A Second Chance MTV.com

By the way, I’ve downloaded a bunch of images from Exoteric Roach that I use with PaperChange on my laptop.

For those that are interested, I’ve created a new version of PaperChange. (Click here if you want to know what PaperChange is.) I’ve added a few new features such as displaying the filename being displayed, randomizing the sequence the wallpapers are displayed and allowing faster transitions. The delay can be set as fast as 15 seconds now.

I also found a few bugs that have been fixed. If you find any bugs or any suggestions, let me know.

PaperChange 1.0

WOOOHOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After being on the market for a year and paying two mortgages for 4 months I am praising God BIG TIME that we will be out from under that house. Mike and I will leave here on Thursday morning and close on Friday. We didn’t have to go but we still have a few things in the garage. It will be a weird thing to say goodbye to that house, though. Elijah was only a month old when we moved there. I loved the floorplan and the view out the upstairs familyroom. I am thankful God allowed us the opportunity to be there, be a part of FamilyLife and Grace Church, and so thankful for the friends who I met and helped me grow. Aside from our friendships,in a way, it feels like we are cutting the cord. I am thankful for the lessons learned and the financial difficulties as a result of this season of our life. All of it has helped me refocus on where God wants me and what He wants me to do….. to be in His will and to love Him with all my heart, soul, and strength.

Back in the late 70s, Cummins Engine Company put out a promotional song called “Hummin’ Cummins.” They were cashing in on the trucker/cb-radio/country music craze of the times.
I remember when it came out, every employee got a copy of it. I think my dad still has his.
In a meeting at work the other day, someone mentioned the song so I went on a google search.

Here it is in all its cheesy Cummins marketing glory:

Classic.

Mike said I sound like a lush after reading Blue Moon. All I meant was that I would have a beer and sleep very well. I drink so seldom that one drink can make me sleepy. Is that better Sir?

If you have not seen the “LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE” video on YouTube, this won’t make any sense. If you have, its pretty funny.

LEAVE BILL BELICHICK ALONE!

My dad brought a digital video camera to Luke’s game today and got some much better video than before.

The first is a touchdown Luke scored off of a reverse. His coach practiced this play with the kids in practice all last week and milked it in the game. They ran it about 4 or 5 times with different kids running the ball. Here is Luke’s shot at it:

Here is another touchdown run. He’s got a talent for seeing the field as he runs, cutting and improvising.

I’ve referred to New England’s head coach Bill Belichick as the “Evil Genius” since he beat the Colts in the 2003 playoffs and followed it up in the 2004 AFC Championship game, which ended up being a complete dismantling of of the previously nearly perfect Colts offense.

Now he has been caught cheating. Video taping the opposing team’s coaching staff to pick up on play calling signals. And it sounds like he’s been doing it for years.

The strange thing is, this makes me sad more than anything. Now, instead of knowing that Belichick and the
Patriots legitimately beat my favorite team, they might have cheated to do it. He’s no longer the evil genius in my eyes, he’s the evil cheater. I don’t want to take away from the players themselves though. Brady is a Hall of Famer and you can’t take that away from him but Bill and his staff should face some stiff penalties. And, the league should crack down on others if they are doing the same. It sounds like it may be a common practice. The league should not turn a blind eye to it. Either have the rule against it and enforce it or get rid of the rule but don’t create an environment where “its OK as long as you don’t get caught.”

Bill had a press conference yesterday but didn’t say much. He seemed perturbed that the press wanted to know more about the details of how he cheated instead of wanting to talk about next Sunday’s game. Sorry Bill, you’re going to be getting those questions for a while, get used to it.

Apparently there was another unreported incident when the Pats played the Packers at Green Bay in 2006. After the game, Packers corner back Al Harris praised the Pats coaching staff:
“It’s almost like they knew what we were doing, you know? You have to tip your hat to them. They ran plays designed for us. They ran plays that made us check out of some things. I don’t know who calls their plays, but Belichick is pretty good. Honestly, he’s pretty good.”

Pretty good at cheating.

Typically, I can’t stand beer. It tastes like the smell of urine. However, during the last 3 pregnancies I craved it! I couldn’t get enough of it. That is when I discovered O’douls (non alcoholic) beer. That was great. I could satisfy my craving and not worry about the alcohol.
We go out with Jon and Jessica Ballard a few weeks ago. She orders a Blue Moon. What in the world is Blue Moon? Is that an orange with it? One sip and I new I would hate it………….Uh, hey, this stuff is good. Colts first football game and Mike tells me to bring him home a beer. Get Blue Moon since you like it is what he says. I go to a couple different stores looking for Blue Moon and finally find it at Kroger. All they had was a case of it. So now, we have a case of Blue Moon sitting in the basement refridgerator and …….I am sleeping very sound tonight.

“I wish I knew how to quit you.”

*credit to DougO

Man!
Looks like they picked up right where they left off. The offense is a 3rd quarter unit, same as last year.

The defense lost some key players in the off season but I’ve been saying that I don’t think that will have much impact this season. Injuries on defense last season gave backups some experience. But the biggest problems they have faced were learning to play Dungy’s Cover 2 scheme. I think they finally figured it out in the playoffs last season and it looks like they picked up right where they left off.
Its only one game and I’m not saying there won’t be missteps but I think we will see more of the 2006 playoffs D than the 2006 regular season D.

Great way to start the season and Reggie scored some serious points on my 2 fantasy teams.

I saw this referenced on another blog I read. Richard Dawkins, one of the most vocal of the “new atheists” interviewed Alister McGrath, professor of historical theology at Oxford University. Alister is one of the most vocal critics of the new brand of atheism and of Dawkins.

First, I find this conversation interesting because it remains cordial and civil even though the two are on polar opposites of the debate. Second, Dawkins isn’t as big of an (excuse my French) ass as he has been in other debates I’ve seen or heard him in.

Richard Dawkins and Alister McGrath

About half way through, Dawkins gets hung up on the point that if God designed the universe and all life on the Earth, who designed God. His line of reasoning is that if life is so complex that it required a designer then God would be infinitely more complex than the life he created. Its is essentially the argument of infinite regress. In other words, if God created life, who created God, and who created that God that created God and so on…

The main assumption that Dawkins is making is that God exists inside the universe instead of a transcendent being existing outside the bounds of the universe. McGrath touches on that but I don’t think he drove the point home enough and let Dawkins drag him away from it.
But anyway, it is a very interesting conversation.

One other thing about my visit to the BMV…
I’ve worn glasses or contacts since 9th grade. My vision has never been terrible, I can see without my glasses. I just needed them to see the chalkboard in class, watch TV from a distance, read street signs at night, etc.

Back in December, one of my contacts ripped and one of the nose pads on my glasses broke so I just stopped wearing either. My intent was to go to the eye doctor but I never got around to it. After a month or two, I noticed that I didn’t have to squint to read things on the TV and I could read street signs while driving at night.

When I went to take the vision test, I realized I didn’t have my glasses with me and thought for sure I was going to fail it. I told the lady I would try it anyway. I passed.
I had not passed the vision test since I first got my license. I couldn’t believe it. It was verifiable proof that my vision has improved over the past 9 months by not wearing my glasses or contacts.
Weird.

I’m only in one league this year but have a killer team, in my opinion. I got the first pick in a 14 team league.
Here’s the team:

Vince Young - QB Ten
LaDainian Tomlinson - RB SD
Chad Johnson - WR Cin
Reggie Wayne - WR Ind
Ben Watson - TE NE
Ahman Green - RB Hou
Jason Elam - K Den
Philadelphia Defense

Bench:
Jay Cutler - QB Den
Anthony Gonzalez - WR Ind
Fred Taylor - RB Jac
John Kasay - K Car
Indianapolis Defense

I went to the BMV at lunch today to finally get my Indiana drivers license. Apparently, when you have an out-of state license, you have to take a written test. Everything was fine until I got to question number 10.

Question 10 made me ashamed to be a Hoosier. The grammar was atrocious and the wording was terrible. I didn’t answer the question and made a note to bring it to the grader’s attention.

The question went like this:

“If a person is under 21 when their license expires and he or she applies for a new license, you must do the following:”

I don’t remember the options but the obvious answer was not listed. The correct answer to the question is “Nothing.” I am required to do nothing if someone under 21 has an expired license and applies for a new one. I may offer advice to someone in that situation but that is optional at best, certainly not required. Why is it any of my business or concern?

I took the test up to the lady to grade it and told her I did not answer question 10 because it did not have the correct answer. She said, “oh yes, the correct answer is there.” I said, “no its not.” I had to explain to her that I was not required to do anything if a person’s license expires and they are under 21. She didn’t quite get. The lady next to her did, I think. She said, “it means you are the person getting the license.” I said, “but that’s not what it says.” She informed me that I didn’t have to answer it and get it marked wrong and then handed me a phone number to call and complain.

I gave in and went ahead and answered it. I had to guess since I failed to brush up on Indiana laws and regulations regarding people under 21 getting licenses since I’m 35 years old.

I passed the test but missed question 10. Had that caused me to fail, I would probably still be there on the phone with some uneducated bureaucrat in downtown Indy.

We left the chair upside down all night with his dish of food. This morning there were little food crumbs scattered around the dish. Still, no sight of the critter. This afternoon I concluded that he was either stuck in the chair or had gone on to greener pastures. I flip the chair over and sit the dish on it. About 20 minutes later, out of the corner of my eye, I see something moving on the floor. IT’S NEMO!!! HE’S ALIVE! HE’S ALIVE!

I bet you were expecting to read about a little orange fish, weren’t you? That would not be the case. Nemo is Isaiah’s hamster.(also happens to be his teddy bear’s name, too) Nemo is MIA. We woke up yesterday to an empty cage. Since I have no desire to care for the little critter I told Isaiah to look for him. He cried a few minutes and then went to play.
This evening I am sitting on the couch with my laptop because I can’t sleep. What is that noise? I realize I hear a little chomping sound. I move the laundry off the chair but see nothing. I go get Mike up to let him know I may have found Nemo. We turn the chair upside down in an effort to find him. Mike then asks, “how do you know it’s Nemo?” “I don’t, I am assuming it is.”
I keep hearing the noise but have not seen the little guy. We put his food dish on the chair and his cage next to it. With the chair upside down and my eyes becoming droopy, it is 11:21 pm and the Nemo vigil begins……………………………………………………

We signed Luke up for PAL Flag Football this year. And, he’s a natural.
I hate to be one of “those dad’s” but this kid has natural athletic ability, something I never had.
He is, by far, the fastest kid on the team and probably the league.

It is a non competitive league designed to teach the kids the basics of football and the coach does a great job doing that as well as spreading the playing time around and making sure each kid gets the opportunity to run or catch the ball. Although, at this level, there isn’t too much passing.
He plays half the team on offense for one half of the game and then they switch to defense and vice versa.

Luke has played two games and carried the ball about 7 times and scored 4 TDs. On the defensive side, he stops almost every play.
Here are a couple of plays my dad caught on his digital camera. They are a little shaky, so don’t get sick:

This is another article for the women’s ministry newsletter I had written in the spring.

Hello! My name is Karen Riley and I have been attending TLCC since January. My husband, Mike, and I have 5 children: Elizabeth 9, Luke 7, Emma (who is with Jesus), Isaiah 4, and Elijah 2. Although we are native “Columbusites,” we have recently moved back to Columbus from a short stay in Little Rock, Arkansas. I am excited to call Terrace Lake our new church home! My move back to Columbus is just one of many milestones I have journeyed through on my walk with the LORD.
Everyone goes through milestones during their life. There is your own birth, turning one, first day of school, graduation, marriage, baby, retirement…..Of course, those are just some of the big ones. What about Spiritual Milestones? You know, those events in your life that you totally see how God is working and sense the presence of the Holy Spirit. There is usually also one of those “Aha” moments when you fully realize what God has done in your life. As I journey with the LORD I like to keep a journal as well as keeping visual reminders of each of those milestones. I am going to share 6 of my spiritual milestones with you.
1.) I was a senior in college when my mom died unexpectedly at the age of 46 of a heart attack. I had only been a Christian for 3 years and talked it but didn’t walk it. At the hospital, I was with my mom when she died. About 45 minutes later I went back into the room. The LORD made it so obvious to me that it was not my mom laying there. She had had a soul, it was no longer there and I better be confident I knew where mine would go. That’s what jumpstarted my Christian walk. I have a beautiful picture of my mom and dad from my brother’s wedding that I keep in my living room. I also have a small locket with their pictures.
2.) After the birth of my first child, Elizabeth, I understood John 3:16 in a whole new light. I thanked God for this new understanding and of His Son’s sacrifice. I keep newborn photo’s of each child in our living room.
3.) From 1998-2001 I was enslaved to sin. I was in bondage to fear, worry, anxiety, and panic attacks. I went through a couple Bible studies and much prayer. My day of deliverance came at a ladies day out in Seymour. Kathy Troccoli was the guest speaker and singer. During one of her songs she gave an alter call and included those who were in bondage to come forward and be set free!! It was like God turned on the light and simply said “trust me.” I have a framed photo of me with Kathy Troccoli receiving her autograph on a cd I bought that day.
4.) On March 1, 2002 I gave birth to Emma Mae born 16 weeks prematurely (24 wks gestation). Although Emma was only with us briefly (35 ½ hours), God has used her life in HUGE ways. My prayer was for the LORD to use her life for Elizabeth’s salvation, He did! I also prayed the LORD would use her story for His glory, He STILL does! He showed me how to have peace, contentment, and joy in the midst of what we would ordinarily view as horrible and tragic. We have plaster footprints of Emma‘s feet. We also have her birth/homegoing announcement on her foot/hand prints framed with a 5×7 photo of her hand in mine.
5.)One of the hardest milestones in my journey was the strained relationship I had with my dad. When I moved to AR we did not say goodbye to each. In April of 2005 my dad and I were reconciled. In June he entered eternity after battling cancer. I had the privilege of writing a Tribute to honor him. I presented it to him the day after we were reconciled. The framed Tribute, which includes photos of my dad and I, hangs in my bedroom.
6.) In the fall of 2001 we accepted God’s call to serve Him in full time ministry with Campus Crusade for Christ serving at FamilyLife. We began raising support in 2003 and moved to Little Rock, Arkansas in 2005. The LORD taught me many lessons while we lived and served in another state. The LORD brought us back to Indiana late in 2006. That has been my most recent milestone and one of the most emotional. We have many wonderful memories and I have a bulletin board filled with prayer cards of our missionary friends we had the privilege of serving side by side with. We also have many FamilyLife books and resources.
I hope, that as I have shared these milestones with you, the LORD has reminded you of your Spiritual Milestones, as well. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4NIV.

This is a small article I wrote for our women’s ministry newsletter at church for the fall.

I enjoy this time of year. Two of my four kiddos just started back to school (and one more starting pre-k in a couple of weeks). That is only part of the excitement. For me, this time of the year means organization and a fresh start!
I tend to purge things that have been accumulating all year. Have you ever sat down at your desk and “sorted” through what is piled there? It is so freeing to throw things out. Due to my lacking summer organizing I found outdated coupons and receipts for that matter. There were also worksheets leftover from summer school. Ah, into the trash bag they went!
Another thing I enjoy is walking through the back to school isles. Not for reasons you may think. When I was little I LOVED school. I loved the new clothes shopping , new shoes, but most of all, the new school supplies. There is something about a fresh clean spiral notebook and a brand new pen that just gives me a tingle of pure joy!! That reminds me of a line from You’ve Got Mail starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. He says he would send her a “bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils” if he could. He is talking about the fall season and how it makes him feel. I find myself repeating that line during this time of year. Hey, for a weirdo like me, that is real romance! When stocking up for school supplies I actually buy myself a new pen and notebook. I can’t resist. What do I do with my new stuff? Hey, I am glad you asked.
I use the “fall” season and my new supplies to begin something new. In the past I have journaled or written letters. This year, my notebook is house to items and notes from my geneology. My pen? I will be using for a new Bible study.
Another reason I look forward to this time of year….it is like a clean slate for my spiritual life. Most people use January 1 as a time for resolutions for a new year. I use August to map out what I want to accomplish in my spiritual life. I was excited to see the excerpt in the bulletin for this fall’s Bible study. Since my move back to Indiana from Arkansas in December, I have been in a “spiritual slump. ” I have heard others call it a rut. Whatever it is called …I am ready to climb out! I am ready to apply what I learn in my walk and serve others! I am thankful God gives us new seasons to learn about him. I am thankful for fresh starts because right now….I have a lot of learning to do. Hey, that is an excuse to get another notebook!

Who knew?! I spent the majority of last week, in about 98 degree weather and equal humidity in the garage, stripping a dresser. It was given to us last spring and was a dingy white color. My front living room needed some extra storage and I did not want to just throw the white dresser in there. I stripped it and then stained it black. That was one of the ugliest things I have ever seen. Then, aha, I decided to prime( Mike’s suggestion) and paint. It is called “tea kettle black.” It is a flat paint so the dust has been collecting too easily. However, it looks nice in there.
It wasn’t without trial and error, though. I had never done this before. After the staining disaster Mike suggested I prime. Okay, no big deal. I go to Lowe’s and get my primer and paint….. Did you know you are supposed to have primer stirred? I didn’t. I opened the can, began painting, basically a layer of oil, onto the dresser. I was curious as to why a white primer was green looking and not white in the can or on the wood. I stuck a stir stick in and discovered why………………………… Mike took the can back to Lowe’s for them to thoroughly shake. Much better…..Once dry….apply black paint. Much easier said than done. Ever tried to paint black over white primer…Want a hint? Use black tinted primer!!! After about 2 1/2 coats of black paint the dresser was done.
This is so much fun we have 2 end tables and a coffee table to do this week! Oh, I also painted a quilt rack black.

One of my best friends, Jon Ballard, finally got married on July 29th to Jessica Turner. I’ve been friends with Jon since 2nd grade and he’s more like a brother than just a friend. Our other friend, Jamie, was in the wedding. We all three ran around together from grade school through high school and beyond. We weren’t sure if Jon would ever actually get married. I guess he just wanted to take his time.

It really was a great weekend. We had rehearsal on Friday, bachelor party on Saturday and the wedding was Sunday afternoon at Valle Vista country club in Greenwood, IN.
Jon is a law clerk at the Indiana court of appeals, that’s where he met Jessica. She is in the IT department and is in law school.

The bachelor party was awesome. I had been looking forward to it since Jon told me the plans a month before. Jon, Jamie, Jon’s brother and I all met at Jon’s house for dinner and then we busted out the Axis and Allies board game. We used to spend hours playing that game when were were in Jr High and High School. Jon was Germany and I was Japan. We destroyed Jamie (U.K.) and Dan (Russia and U.S.)
We also had a Smithwick’s, Jon’s favorite beer.

The wedding was performed by the judge that Jon works for and another judge that Jessica works for (I think that’s who she was, not too sure)
And the reception was a blast. Seeing people I had not seen in a while, and having fun acting stupid on the dance floor.

After the rehearsal dinner.

(Left To Right: Jamie, Amber, Jon, Jessica, Karen, Mike)

Jon and Jessica at the reception.

Mike and Karen at the reception.

Mike and Elizabeth cutting a rug.

Lee Strobel has put up an entire library of videos of interviews with scholars and theologians on a wide array of topics. Its a valuable resource, I think.

http://www.leestrobel.com/

Select the “Video Channels” menu item.

Here are a couple of videos of Antony Flew.

On the Afterlife

On C.S. Lewis

Back in April, my brother was sent to prison. If you remember, I posted about it here.

He got out July 5th at 12:01 am. My dad and I drove down right after fireworks on the 4th to get him. Its a 2 hour drive and they were an hour behind us so we didn’t get back home until around 3:30 am on the 5th. He was in for a short time but has a bunch of stories. Some funny, some not so funny.
He was in a level 2 facility which is almost like a dorm setting but with guards, razor wire and murderers as bunkmates.

He said there is a large number of members of the Aryan Nation there. Most are very large and very scary dudes. He said they leave him alone since he’s a white guy who shaves his head and has an Irish last name.

Anyway, he said their favorite pastime is playing Dungeons & Dragons. These huge, musclebound white supremacists sitting around a table playing D&D. Only they are not allowed to have dice so they use spinners instead. They sell the books in the commissary and guys have people on the outside zerox books and send them by mail a little at a time.
He was watching them play one day and a dude almost got in a fight with the dungeon master because his dwarf almost died.

There’s another group (non-Aryan Nation people) in his dorm that play. The dungeon master there is a gay guy who’s in for murdering his boyfriend after catching him with another man. He was sitting out on the porch one day and heard them playing. They came across a creature and attacked it. After they killed it, the dungeon master said, “Aw, you killed a baby dragon” in a very gay sounding voice. He said that was a running joke between him and one of his friends.

He was telling us how everything in prison has a value. A scoop of instant coffee, ramen noodles, ketchup packets, cigarettes, they are all traded and have a price. Two scoops of instant coffee = 41 cents, one “rollie” cigarette = $2.00 (3 rollies can be made from one standard cigarette.) His theory is if prisoners are willing to pay $6 for a regular cigarette, tobacco companies could charge whatever they wanted for a pack.

So anyway, he was telling us how they get the tobacco into the prison since its illegal to have it there. They have crews that work on the grounds outside the prison. Those guys have friends and family hide tobacco (and other drugs I assume) in the area where they work. Then, guys in the work crew smuggle them in… in their rectal cavities. The tobacco was compacted and put in cans about the size of a small tomato paste can.
He said one guy was the main “mule” for getting it in because of his carrying capacity.
They called him “Two Can Sam.”

He also shared some pretty gruesome stories about the violence and brutality he witnessed there. Its not some place I would ever want to be and I hope he never has to go back.

…lays the smack down.

I wanted to say more about what happened to me on Monday but that post was getting too long…

I like being in control. Whenever I drink alcohol, I do so slowly because I don’t like the buzz. Call me crazy but it makes me feel like I’m starting to loose control and I can’t stand that feeling. I don’t think I would like being drunk or getting high from any kind of drug. Even when I’ve taken pain medication, I can’t stand it.

What scared me so much on Monday was I had no control over what was happening to me. My heart was doing crazy things and I couldn’t do a thing about it. All I could do was pray.
I’m sure there is a lesson here for me to learn, I’m just not sure I want to learn it.

Its been a while since we’ve written on a regular basis. I think we’ll be getting back to that soon.

As some of you know from Karen’s mass email. Monday evening was crazy.
We dropped our kids off at VBS at my parent’s church. I started to feel “spacey,” as I walked to the kitchen area to get a drink of water, I began to feel light headed and a little dizzy. I asked for a drink of water and felt like I really needed to sit down or I was going to pass out. I sat down and drank some water and put a cold washcloth on my neck.

Over the course of the next 45 minutes or so, my heart rate would jump up to over 100 and my blood pressure would sky rocket then come back down after a few minutes. Then it would start all over again. One of the guys working at the VBS was a medic in the National Guard and had just gotten back from a 14 month stint in Iraq and Afghanistan. He kept an eye on me, then we decided I should go to the hospital. Karen was going to take me to the hospital in our van but as we were getting ready to leave, it started again. I got scared and the medic guy suggested we call an ambulance. (In hindsight, I really wish Karen had driven me herself. I am not looking forward to the bill.)

On the ride to the hospital, I had a couple more instances of high heart rate and blood pressure but by the time I got to the hospital, it was pretty much over. They took some blood and gave me an EKG. All looked normal. I was in and out of the hospital in less than an hour and we were back to the church in time to pick up the kids. I haven’t had any further problems since.
The ER doctor concluded that it might have been stress induced although I did not feel any stress at the time. But, our overall situation is stressful. Two mortgages, a foundation problem with the house we are trying to sell in Little Rock, etc.

I went to the doctor yesterday. He took some more blood for tests and ran another EKG. The EKG was normal, although he said there were a few things on it that may be indicators of something. Still haven’t heard anything back on the blood work.
The doctor said I should be on the lookout for any reoccurrences and if there are, he will get me in for some sort of hear test. It was a real long technical sounding name, can’t remember what it was but he said it maps out the “electrical circuitry” of the heart.
He said that I could have sinus tachycardia which isn’t serious or Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome which is a little more serious and could require surgery.

Anyway, all is good right now so I’m thankful for that. Now I’m just stressing over the bill for Monday’s events.

Ten years ago, while pregnant with Elizabeth, Mike and I traveled to California. My dad and Cindy were there as was my brother, sister-in-law and my nephew. The purpose of our trip was to surprise my Grandma for her 80th birthday. Boy, was she ever surprised…. We all agreed that if Grandma lived to 90 we would repeat the trip.
A lot has changed in 10 years: Grandma now lives in Nevada, my dad died, Duane has another child, I have given birth 5 times, moved 4 times…………………………….and now, thanks to a house in Little Rock that won’t sell, have no “extra” funds to make that trip.
July 4th is Independence Day…..It is also my grandma’s 90th birthday. Grandma, if you are reading this:

I MISS YOU! HAPPY 90th BIRTHDAY! I LOVE YOU!!!!

Thankfully, we close on our Columbus, Indiana house today. Miraculously, we don’t take money, we are actually getting some back….woohoo! I can’t tell you what a relief it will be to sign those papers today. I am looking forward to it. When we established a closing date last week, I began pulling off wallpaper. This weekend I hope to remove the hedges so we can actually see the front of our home. We get to rip out two rooms of carpet that is covering hardwood floors. I can’t wait! There is lots to do, but I love it. I love turning a home into “mine.” I told our realtor friend I am ready to constructive deconstruct!

Something happened last fall that I have not been able to stop. When Mike came back to Indiana and I was still in AR with the kids I noticed I had TONS of gray hair. Maybe it was the stress of being a single parent for 2 1/2 months but I needed to do something. That something is L’Oreal Preference Creme 8G. The stuff is great and it is easy to do. I have had many compliments on my hair color too! (hey, who doesn’t like to be esteemed??!!) However, the actual color has yet to be determined….Is it red or is it blonde????

Back in January my gynecologist gave me a referral to have a baseline mammogram. Like a lot of women I put it off. At the end of April, after hearing and seeing tons of stuff about Susan G. Komen and breast cancer, I decided it was time to make the appointment.
I had a little spot I was concerned about in my left breast.
My appointment came and they asked if I had had a mammogram before. When I stopped nursing Elizabeth in 1998 I had one to check on a little post nursing problem. They only scanned the left side. About 4 or 5 years ago I had an ultrasound to check on the same problem but they did both sides.
They told me after the mammogram that if they had any concerns they would call me. A week went by and I didn’t receive my letter in the mail or a phone call. I called them. They said they were still waiting on the previous scans from Indianapolis. (Columbus didn’t have a breast center back in ‘98) Another week went by. I still hadn’t heard anything. No news is good news, right?
Yesterday, I am relaxing in front of the computer and the phone rings. It was the breast center. Instant panic set in. They said they had a spot they wanted to double check because they didn’t have a previous scan to compare it to. The spot they were concerned about was in my right breast not the left that I was concerned about. Longest night I have had in a long time. The following verses from Philippians popped into mind each time I allowed fear to enter my mind 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
This morning we took the kids to school and then took the boys over to Grandma’s. We got to the breast center and I was pretty nervous. The workers there are very sweet and good to put up with my chatting. I chat nonstop when I get nervous. Mike is in the outer waiting room as I go back to prep for the mammogram. I sit in the women only waiting room with a couple of other nervous women. We nervously chat. It is my turn. The tech lady explained that they were doing some close up shots of the area of concern. Hey, I didn’t know my breast could squish that way!!! There were a few different scans. She showed me the lump they were watching.
I go back to the women’s waiting room watching other nervous faces come in and out. My name is called again. I now go in to have an ultrasound. That lady was good. We were talking about colors and how they can cheer us up. For a minute or two I completely forgot what I was there for. Bless her heart…she tried for about 10 minutes to find the lump. She got the films from the mammogram to help her find it. She never did find it with the ultrasound machine.
I go back to the women’s waiting room and I had a peace come over me. Thank you, LORD, for this peace.Another nurse led me to a dark office and Mike walked in. The radiologist had all the scans hanging on the screens. She said it appears that the lump is a lymph node. Two good things: 1. it had smooth edges. 2. there was a black spot in the lump which indicates it is fat. Cancers do not have fat in them. Whew! Then she says she can’t say with 100% confidence that it is a node because they couldn’t find it on the ultrasound to confirm it. She was great. She explained what all the tissues were and why she believes it to be a lymph node. She said because they had no previous scan to compare that side to, they want me to come back in 6 months for another mam on that side. If there are any changes in the lump they will do a biopsy on it. She said if I anguish over it before now and then we can go ahead and do a biopsy for peace of mind. I don’t know why, I tend to trust female doctors more. The fact that she was not too concerned made me feel better. She said, it may be how I am made and that is why I go back in 6 months. That way they will have a solid “baseline” mammogram. I remarked something that made Mike blush and the doctor and nurse laugh.
Most know that I nursed all four of the kiddos and I had pumped at the hospital after having Emma. That means things (what little there is) have become like little saddle bags. Those scans were deceptive…..they looked so perky and firm on there!
Go get your mammogram! Men, tell your women to get one!

Due to a clerical error on my part, the site was down over the weekend. Our domain name expired and the hosting company had an old credit card on file so they couldn’t renew.
Welcome back to the Life Of Riley.

Love, love, love, love, the Gospel in one word is love. Love your neighbor as yourself….love, love, love. Those are lyrics from a song that we sing at The Walk to Emmaus gatherings. I have been thinking a lot about love recently. What does it mean, do I truly love those I am around and think about? The Bible has much to say on the topic. It is mentioned in at least 600 verses throughout the Word. That’s a whole lotta love to share! John 15 9″As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
If it is important enough to be in the Bible so many times shouldn’t we be a little less selfish with our love? Shouldn’t we freely tell those around us we love them?
Next time I see you and I tell you I love you, don’t take it as me being fresh, I am just trying to share God’s love and His joy!

I get up this morning to walk the kiddos to school and take a walk around the block. I am pushing the double stroller so the little guys could also get fresh air. Fresh air…… ah, hard to enjoy it when the humidity is 94%! Takes me back to Arkansas…..the only thing is in AR, the humidity stays until late October! At least here, it will go away after a couple days.

We went out to the Lentz farm today. It is the hog farm we lived on prior to our move to Arkansas. (Elizabeth has been home with strep throat but is feeling better.) I needed to get out of the house. It was a beautiful day so we drove out to the hog farm. Much to our delight there was a fresh litter of piglets. I mean, just birthed……..bloody and umbilical cords still attached dragging on the floor. It was precious to watch the newborn piglets nuzzle, wobbly legged trying to find a nipple for milk. There were 7 of them so she probably wasn’t finished delivering. An average litter is between 10 and 12. On the way back through the barnyard we found a cracked bird egg. We opened it the rest of the way and there was a dead baby bird inside. It was developed but had only about 2 feathers on it.
It was bonus day….we drove over to the property next to Bill’s house where he was on the tractor. Bill was thrilled to see the kids. So much so, he had them ride on the tractor with him to plant soy beans. They got to ride with him to do about 3 rows. He also gave us a soybean to eat. It was actually pretty tasty. I wanted to ride on the tractor too but Elijah was scared of it. We watched from the van. I did receive a lesson in soybean planting from Tom, though. It was actually interesting to me. I would love to live a farming life……don’t think it is in my future though!

Found some bugs in the first version. I think I have most of them accounted for.
Try this new version.

Thanks for the emails, but leave comments so that others can see if their problem has been addressed.

PaperChange - Beta 0.2.0

Today was race day and it was a blast! There were 13 of us from our church, Terrace Lake Community Church, who went up. I didn’t sleep well last night and I felt weird this morning. I was a little concerned I would fizzle out. God answered my prayer for strength, energy, and endurance! The starting corrals are set up according to the predicted length of time to finish as indicated on the registration. So, I started in corral X. The race officially started at 7:30 a.m. My corral didn’t cross the start line until a little after 8:00 a.m. That is what happens when there are 35,000 registered runners/walkers. It was great. My shins hurt around the second mile but after that I was fine. I had one of my power gels at mile 4 and then mile 8 as I was going around the Indy 500 track.
A weird thing happened….I actually ran! During training all I did was walk. Today I would run in intervals. It felt awesome! A couple of times it actually felt better to run than to walk. I maintained a good pace (for me). My goal was to do 15 minute miles. My official pace was 14:28. WOO HOO. All the work paid off. Here is my official standing:
Karen Riley
bib number: 39333
age: 35
gender: F
location: Columbus, IN
overall place: 23604 out of 29211
division place: 1689 out of 2197
gender place: 11117 out of 15244
time: 3:09:23
pace: 14:28
guntime: 1:15:28
5mile: 2:26:41
10mile: 42:42

Considering it was my first mini-marathon, I think I did pretty well. Out of the 13 of us who went, I came in 4th! I am stoked about the next race………….. Our group is talking about going to the Disney mini in January.

Late this week, things were set in motion that will hopefully allow us to remain in and purchase the house we are living in. Karen came to visit me at the office this week. I recently moved to a new building and she wanted to see where I work.
While she was there I introduced her to our HR manager, the lady that hired me.

Karen was talking to her and she asked how things were going with selling our house, etc. Karen explained our situation and that we might have to move again by the end of the month. She also mentioned that she and the kids may move back to Little Rock for the summer to save money and allow me time to find a rental.

The next day the HR manager called me into her office and asked what LHP could do, financially, to help. I told her what I needed per month to buy the house here and still make the mortgage payment in Little Rock. She didn’t seem shocked by the number. She told me she would talk it over with my manager and let me know. On Friday, my manager called me into his office and told me that they would be able to do it on a per diem basis until our house in Little Rock sold.

This is a small company with limited resources. I know this is a sacrifice for them. I’m in manager meetings and know that they have tight margins. Increasing my cost by the amount they did isn’t easy.
My manager told me they were willing to do it because they think I am a good fit for the company and they want me to help grow the company. They want to do what they can to help alleviate stress. I have never felt more valued in my professional life. They don’t realize the amount of loyalty they just invested in. I won’t be going anywhere soon. A company that is willing to go the extra mile for me… I won’t be going anywhere soon and I will be doing my part to help them grow. (On a side note, they all keep reasonable hours, even the owners. I won’t be working 60 or 70 hour weeks.)

I went to the mortgage company Friday afternoon and was approved for a loan on the house. We signed an addendum to our offer to close on the house no later than May 31st.
Things are going to be tight until our Little Rock house sells but things are definitely looking up!

We received an offer on our house today. We received an offer on our house last week, too. When we were in LR in March a man stopped by our house and made an offer on the spot……for $1. YES $1. Well, MR. ONE DOLLAR OFFER MAN finally wised up and made a “serious” offer last week. As expected, it was too low and even with us countering, he couldn’t buy the house.
Mike called to check on the OPEN HOUSE that was held on Sunday. That is when we found out there is a new offer on the house. We countered the low offer but came down $900. Hopefully, with this being the third offer on the house (we had one back around Thanksgiving)….it will be THE one!!!! Let’s pray.

I had an idea for a Windows utility a few years ago and finally got around to writing it.
The idea is… I thought it would be cool if you could pick a directory of images to use as desktop backgrounds and then have the utility cycle through them at a set interval.

Its called “Paper Change” and its pretty self explanatory. Pick a directory, select the images you want displayed, set the interval and click “Start.”
Then minimize it into your “application tray.”

This is still a Beta test. I’ve got most of the bugs out but have not been able to install it on different systems. I installed it on my XP laptop and my wife’s Vista laptop. Mine has no problems but it sometimes stops working on Vista. Not sure why that is yet.
If you install it and find any bugs or have any problems, just leave a comment here.

Download: PaperChange
(right-click, save as)

April 25th is rapidly approaching. That is the date this house goes back into the MLS. And so…..I have begun the task of packing and cleaning….AGAIN! I am tired of packing boxes…seeing them for that matter. I am choosing to walk by faith as God knows where we will be living after May 10th (when our offer expires on this house and the owners can accept another offer). The idea of staying in AR for the summer is becoming very appealing…..it would be less expensive too. I cry out…LORD hear our prayers.

Big Boy Luke is 7 today! He decided at the last minute that he would like to share cupcakes with his class at school. In an effort to make this birthday extra special I walk him to school, get a head count and tell Mrs. Knight I will be back after I take Isaiah to preschool. Around 9 am I walk into Luke’s class with 24 cupcakes and a little treat for teacher. Luke immediately walks up to me and says, “Mommy, my tummy hurts.” I usually ignore those comments because my kids get “nervous stomachs” when they are excited. Birthday hat, birthday pencil from the front office and cupcakes to share with the class…..what little boy wouldn’t be excited??!! I give him a hug and kiss and tell him he will be okay.
Around 10 am I get a phone call from the school nurse, “Mrs. Riley, Luke is in the office and he has vomitted twice, ..once IN the classroom and once in the office he needs to go home now.” I get there and walk into the front office. On the floor of the front office are two rolls of paper towels spread up obviously absorbing something…….he had literally thrown up on the office floor!
Poor guy, they had just passed out the cupcakes, he had taken one bite of frosting and then lost it.
Nurse was so kind….she gave us a vomit bag for the road.

I have been training with a group from my church to participate in the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon. This has been a great opportunity to shed some unwanted pounds and to just live healthier. Last week we walked 10 1/2 miles in about 40 degree weather. Yesterday we walked 9 1/2 miles in the rain and wind. It was crazy….I had to ask myself…”why am I doing this?” I didn’t think I would make the last mile yesterday…my left muscle behind my knee was killing me to the point I couldn’t stretch my leg out to complete a stride. It was tough but good because I found myself praying and asking God for strength to get to the end of our route.
This is the first time in my life I have enjoyed exercise EVEN WHEN IT HURTS!! I have always heard no pain no gain. In this case it is no pain no lose! I have been training for a little over a month and have lost about 10 lbs and one dress size. That is encouraging. I need to lose about 3O more. I want to leave the mini next month with next year’s race in mind. That will hopefully keep me motivated so I will stay in the groove.

As some of you know, one of my brother’s (the next oldest to me) has had some trouble with the law. He had some drug addiction problems and stole some prescription drugs from the hospital a few years ago. He continued to battle addiction through his legal battles, did some time in jail and did house arrest last year. He’s been doing well, staying off drugs (I’ve seen him on them enough to know when he’s on and when he’s off.)
He had some fines to pay as well but has not had the income to get them paid off in time.
Last week, a judge sentenced him to 6 more months in prison. He will have to serve 3. Seems strange to me since he has been paying on the fines and has stayed out of trouble but the law is the law.

He is in the local county jail for now. I went to visit him last night. That was the first time I’ve set foot in a jail. It was just like in the movies, he was behind glass and there was a telephone to talk to the “other side.”

There were 6 or 7 visitation stalls. Down at the end, a lady was visiting with a guy that looked somewhat familiar. While my brother was talking to my mom, he wrote on a piece of paper that the guy was Bobby Bassett. He murdered a woman and three kids a few years ago, buried them in a wooded area by a creek.
In the stall next to us, there was a lady talking to an older guy. That guy looked familiar to me as well. I thought I had seen his picture in the paper not long ago for child molestation. When I got to talk to my brother, he whispered in the phone that the guy next to him was in for child molestation. I was right, I did see the guy in the paper.

I stood there, as my mom was talking to my brother, thinking about the terrible crimes these guys standing a few feet from me had committed. Unspeakable crimes. How could these women still care enough about them to take the time to visit them in jail? They didn’t deserve any love at all. What kind of women were they that they could over look what these guys had done and still tell them that they loved them?

Then the obvious hit me. We are all criminals in God’s eyes. We have all broken his law and are all undeserving of love from anyone, let alone God’s love. But he gives it to us anyway. He extends grace and mercy.
Just like the ladies visiting the criminals at the local county jail. They were painting a picture of grace for me and they didn’t know it.
I don’t know the circumstances of their relationships but I know that they cared enough about these “undesirables” to visit them.

Those guys deserve to be where they are and I’m glad they are behind bars where they cannot do any more damage to society. But they have also had all hope removed from their lives. Maybe the grace and mercy extended by those that still love them will give them hope and desire to change…

A dear friend of ours suggested I read a book. Most everyone has heard or read the book Every Man’s Battle. Did you know about Every Woman’s Battle? I bought it the other night and I just can’t put it down. It has been healing for me in many ways. The strange thing about it, which is good, it has brought to light my thinking patterns. If you (women) are struggling with emotional issues I highly recommend it. I suggest men read it too. It will help you understand why we females are the way we are

In my despair of no sunshine….(It is April and it was snowing yesterday!!!!!!!!) I decided to try some of that lotion that brings out “your natural glow” with a “touch” of tanner. To my delight, after one application, my fair-toned skin did look darker….
Wait a minute….do I look tanned or jaundiced????!!!!!!!!
In an attempt to believe in the product that I bought I have faithfully applied some everyday for about four days. Sure, I can tell a difference in the color of my skin. I look jaundiced in places I was hoping to be tan. Also, it is like the reverse of how I get sun…you know, like in the summer when you get a real tan and your feet are white from wearing socks but the legs are tan. My feet are ‘tanned’ and my legs are white. Oh well, maybe I will just wear long pants all summer.

Know anyone moving to Little Rock, Arkansas? BUY OUR HOUSE PLEASE!! Our offer on the Columbus house expires at midnight tonight. We signed a paper to extend the offer. We got it back with two stipulations. 1.) They want to raise our rent by $300.
2.)If we don’t have a firm offer on our LR house by April 25th the seller wants to relist it through MLS. (the new offer would expire May 10th which means even if we are showing their house for them they cannot accept an offer on the house until after May 10th).
So, now it is the “waiting game.” Waiting to see if someone buys our LR house or not. Praying God will bring resolve soon.

Have you noticed over the past few years that car dealers have coined a new phrase for used cars? They are no longer “used,” they are “pre-owned.” I’m guessing that they think it sounds better, like they are trying to distance themselves from the pejorative term “used.”

Think about the term for a second, pre-owned…
Like Inigo Montoya tells Vizzini in The Princess Bride when he keeps using the word inconceivable, “you keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.”

If a car is “pre-owned” then that means it is before it has an owner. In other words, it is new. A pre-owned car is a new car. The exact opposite of what they are trying to use the term to mean. What they mean is a “previously owned” car. But people really don’t think about these kinds of things and just go along with it, but in the process we are dumbing down our society.

I rented Idiocracy recently. (warning: its got quite a bit of bad language in it, most of it is there to prove a point though) The idea behind the movie is that stupid people have taken over the world 500 years in the future. Its funny but a little scary because a lot of what goes on in the movie is just an exaggeration of today’s society. Sadly, some of the things that are portrayed in the movie don’t seem all that far fetched. I can see our society moving in that direction as we continue to cater to the “lowest common denominator.” People winning lawsuits because their coffee was too hot, stupid “don’t try this at home” disclaimers on every commercial we see, teachers not telling kids they have the wrong answer because it might hurt their self esteem, etc…
Its all ignoring reality to make ourselves feel better.

So next time you are looking for a new car, ask the dealer to show you their selection of pre-owned cars.

If you didn’t read my previous post, we are back in Little Rock and staying in our empty house. But, we did leave behind a TV and rabbit ears so we can watch TV if we want.

This morning I was walking through our family room and I over heard Luke say to himself, “yes! It got through!” He was watching the weather on the local news. I asked him what got through. He said, “its going to be warm and sunny on Wednesday. I prayed and asked God to make it sunny on Wednesday.”

Luke has always seemed to have a strong faith for an almost 7 year old little boy. He can be our biggest trouble maker but he comes out with some pretty profound comments.

We’ve been back in Little Rock since Saturday evening. The kids are on Spring Break so we decided to visit our “Summer home.”

We’ve been staying in our empty house, doing some painting and minor repairs and visiting friends. Its been really strange being back, it feels different, not like home.

Anyway, we hope the new paint and repairs helps our house sell soon. We are not sure how much longer our renting situation back in Indiana is going to last. We need this house to sell soon.

Do you ever stop and look at the moon? …
I mean, really stop and look at it. Studied the details you can see with the naked eye. Studied the edge of the shadow on a non-full moon.
I did yesterday morning as I got out of the car in the parking lot at work. (Thanks to daylight savings time, its dark when I get to work.) I caught a glimpse of the moon and just stood in awe looking at it. It looked almost just like the picture up above.

As I stood there, I tried to comprehend the distance I was looking across. However many hundreds of thousands of miles that is, huge to me but small compared to the vastness of our solar system, which is an almost immeasurable fraction of the size of our galaxy which is just an average sized galaxy out of hundreds of billions of galaxies in the universe. Which was created by a boundless God. That all went through my head as I stood there studying… and I don’t even smoke pot.

Then I started remembering looking at the moon when I was about 8 years old. At the time I thought for sure that I was going to be an astronaut when I grew up. I didn’t even question it. I looked at the moon imagining what it would be like to walk on it one day, because one day I would walk on it. I remember what it was like looking at something with that intense awe and wonder, even anticipation. I remember it but I can’t manufacture it again. I now know I will never be an astronaut and will never walk on the moon. It would be so cool to be able to forget those facts and look at the moon in that way again…

I’m a big dork.

Last Sunday night the church we are attending had an all music worship service with these young guys playing amped up versions of standard praise and worship songs. The guitarist played a solo on one of the songs and put his leg up on the monitor all cool like.

The church asked me to play guitar this next Sunday. During practice this week, I thought it would be funny to imitate that guy. Not to be cool but to sort of mock it in a friendly kind of way (the guy was running the sound for practice.) Only when I did it, it was on the monitor on the other end of the stage. The angled, top heavy monitor. The monitor not designed to have a foot placed on top of it. As I did, it rolled backwards… and so did I. Landed flat on my back, guitar still in hand. A loud gasp went up from the other band members and singers. I think I even heard an “oh my God! Is he ok?”
I got back up and the practice continued on but I felt pretty stupid.

Got home and told Karen. She got a pretty big kick out of it.

Congratulations to the Indianapolis Colts, Super Bowl XLI champions!

I’ve followed the Colts pretty much since they came to Indy. Endured through a 1-15 season, several 3-13 seasons, had a glimpse of hope with the Harbaugh era (a hail Mary pass from the Super Bowl) and 8 seasons of being on the verge of greatness.
They are a different team now, a championship team, a team tested by fire.

Yesterday, they had a parade from the airport to the RCA Dome in below zero weather. That’s about 10 miles or so and people lined the streets. The Dome was filled to capacity, the parade ended there with a big party staring the owner, coach and players.
Rally Video
Man! I wish I would have gone there. I’ll make sure to do it next year.

“We’re going to win one. But we’re going to win one the right way. We’re going to win it with great guys. We’re going to win it with class and dignity. And we’re going to win it in a way that will make Indianapolis proud.” -Tony Dungy

Mission accomplished. Couldn’t have happened to a greater coach, quarterback, team and organization.

Can’t wait until next year!

Drum roll please…

My Super Bowl XLI pick is… The Colts.
Yeah, I know, big surprise. Here’s why I pick them:
1) They are the better team overall.
The Colts
Offense: They have struggled some in the post season and yet are still number 2 in the post season rankings. Plus, they played two of the toughest defenses in the NFL, and came out the other side.
Defense: In the regular season, they flat out sucked. Since week 14 and the post season, they are ranked 10th. In the post season alone, ranked 1st. Has any defense ever turned around that dramatically and that quickly? That’d be an interesting stat to see.

The Bears
Offense: They’ve been up and down and yet still had the 3rd highest scoring offense in the regular season, 1st in the post season. But they also have not met that tough of a defense yet.
Defense: Their regular season strenght has become their post season liability. Since week 14, they are ranked 28th. This is the reason I think its going to be a long day for the Bears.

Special Teams:
This is the one chink in the Colts armor. They can’t afford to give up field position like they did against the Pats. And the Bears have a strong return game.

2) They slayed the dragon.
I don’t care what any Colt player or coach says, beating the Patriots was more than what they’ve made it out to be. Something in the Colts died two weeks ago. Doubt. They killed it and they are stronger for it. In the world of intangibles, what happened in the AFC Championship game is invaluable.

I’ll be a a friend’s house watching the game on a 72″ HDTV. Its going to be awesome.

I had the opportunity to put on a lunch seminar on football at work on Friday.
As I’ve mentioned before, my place of employment is predominately Chinese and Indian. A few weeks ago I was talking to a couple of guys about football and they had no idea of how the game was played. They said it just looked like chaos with guys running around on the field. So, I attempted to explain the game to them and soon realized that I had my work cut out for me. They didn’t even understand the field itself, the endzones or really anything about the game.

The president of the company is always encouraging people to share different aspects of their culture with others. Holidays and celebrations usually. I emailed him and told him that I would put on a “Football 101″ class. He loved the idea and even ordered a giant Subway sandwich for the event.

They’ve done several of these types of lunchtime events before and I was told this was one of the biggest turnouts for it. It was standing room only. And they were seriously into it. People were taking notes, asking questions and paying very close attention to everything I said. Its like it was an actual college course or something.

I went through a power point presentation going over the basics of the game. The key was getting them to under stand a “set of downs.” I had a football with me and a couple of other Americans helped me demonstrate a few things. After that we actually watched some of the Colts v Pats game.
I had the NFL Replay of the game recorded. I brought in my DVR unit and walked them through the second half. Showed what a kickoff, field goal, pass, run play, etc looked like. Then I got to show them one of the greatest interceptions to ever happen in a game

I never realized how much of the terminology and basic aspects of the game are taken for granted when we talk about football. It was a pretty difficult task but a success from the feedback and questions I got afterwards.

If anyone wants a copy of the presentations you can download it here:
http://www.therileyfamily.org/misc/football101.ppt
Be warned, all the pictures are of Colts players.

I’ve been meaning to write a blog about the coaches in the Super Bowl this week. Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith, who, if you haven’t heard already (maybe you live in a cave) are both bla… I mean African-American.

First, let me say that I think its great that our society is progressing and that stereotypes are breaking and that race is becoming less and less of an issue. The NFL has made great leaps in the past 20 years in the area of race.
However, I think those barriers are mostly gone in the NFL and the hubbub over the past two weeks as been nothing more than politically correct self back-patting. There have been black head coaches in the league for some time now so it was only a matter of time before one of them made it to the Super Bowl.
The P.C. stuff is out of control if you ask me. Its to the point where a black commentator (Shannon Sharpe) has to stop himself mid-sentence on national TV to keep from saying “black coach” in order to defer to the politically correct and more ambiguous “African-American.” (Side note, I went to college with a white girl from South Africa. She got her citizenship, making her an African-American.)

OK, on to coach Dungy. He’s had some great comments on the whole thing over the past two weeks. He’s said that he is glad to be a role model for black kids to look up to and to know that they have the potential to reach such heights. But he has also done something else, he’s been sure to say how his Christian faith has shaped him as a coach and a person.

He told of how he experienced discrimination as he interviewed for coaching jobs, not because of his skin color but because of his demeanor and his attitude. One interviewer asked if he became coach would the team be the most important thing to him. He said no, that his family would come before the team. He didn’t get the job.

That has long been the critisim of Dungy. He’s too soft. That’s what they said when Tampa won the Super Bowl the year after he left. Dungy built the team but he couldn’t get them there. They’ve done the same thing since he’s been in Indianapolis. He even had some of his onw players saying it (remember the ‘idiot kicker’ comments?) The same sports media that is putting him on a pedestal because of his skin color were the same people cutting him down for his personality and, indirectly, his faith.
His style is atypical of an NFL coach. They are usually red faced on the sideline, cursing, belittling players on and off the field. Those are the tough guys, those are the guys that win championships. Not Dungy, he lets his faith inform his coaching. He has a quite but firm sideline demeanor. He treats his players with respect, treats them as men. And, here’s a shocker, they respond as such. And now he’s collecting the dividends, playing in the game that’s the ultimate goal of every player and coach in the NFL.

Lovie Smith was originally hired into the NFL by Dungy. Lovie has followed much the same pattern as Dungy in form and style. And he leads with his faith.
Both coaches are good men, and good friends. Whoever wins, the best man wins.
Tony and Lovie are good for the game not because of their skin color, but because of who they are as people and because of their faith.

Ever thought about something and it kind of made you mad and then the more you dwell on it, it becomes humorous?
We had our first auto insurance claim (Hopefully last!!)on the Odyssey. Mike drove around the corner to pick up a couch that was for the taking. He gets back to our house and is backing into the driveway. OK, no big deal. He wants to back in so it will be easier to get the couch out and into the garage. I am inside talking to one of the kiddos and I hear a weird sound. I go outside and asked what that sound was. I looked down after he says, “guess what I did?” There is shattered glass everywhere. I didn’t say one word. IGood thing we don’t always say what we think GUESS WHAT??!! YOU CAN’T BACK THE VAN INTO THE GARAGE WHEN THE REAR DOOR IS UP!!!!! (lol)
In Mike’s defense, I can honestly say that the dings on Mike’s car are mostly from me. I backed into a tree. (Our 18th Street driveway was not normal) The Plymouth van had a dent in the top where I backed out of the garage and the garage door wasn’t all the way up yet. I could tell you some stories about the 1974 Olds Delta 88 (aka Boat) I used to drive……..maybe another time.
Anyway, I am surveying what’s left of the window. Mike looks at me and says, “I’m glad I did this because I would be yelling at you if you had done it.” I am not even going to discuss this further……
Window replacement guy comes yesterday and I am telling him what happened for insurance purposes. He smiles real big and says, “I wish I had a dollar for everytime I have replaced a window like this because it was the HUSBAND’S fault.”

AAAHHH!!!

I’ve been derelict in my duties by not commenting on the greatest football game I’ve ever watched.
That being the 2006 AFC Championship game.

Man! What a game. I went with my brother to a local theater that was showing the game, pretty cool seeing it on a big screen.
The first half wasn’t the most fun I’ve had watching a game, that’s for sure. But I always try to remain optimistic, being the homer that I am. I looked at it this way, New England’s first touchdown was a lucky bounce off their own fumble, their third was off a dumb throw by Peyton (troubling but not a big deal as long as he didn’t turn the ball over anymore.) So, from my optimistic outlook, things were not that bad. The defense had only given up one TD. But they were also giving up some major run yardage. I wasn’t sure if they were going to show up in the second half.
The field goal at the end of the half gave me a glimmer of hope that they may be able to overcome the 15 point deficit.

The second half was a gut wrenching rollercoaster ride but, man, was it worth it. The high powered offense showed up and tied the game on a two-point conversion by Marvin Harrison. The defense stepped up and held off the Pats despite some terrible play by the Colts special teams.
Then the sea-saw portion of the game started. The Pats scored, the Colts scored, etc. A game of catch-up.
Then the Colts went 3 and out, Peyon hurt his throwing hand tumb. It wasn’t pretty and with Brady on the other end, I thought the game may have been slipping away.
Then the defense did it again, stopped the Pats cold with around 3 minutes left. Pleanty of time for Peyton.
When Addai walked through a whole in the Pats defensive line that a Mack truck could have driven through, the theater went nuts! High fives all around, and a feeling of reliefe. They had the lead for the first time, with one minute left. Dang! One minute is an eternity with Brady at QB. He was born to do this stuff. Mr. Clutch, Mr. Never-Lost-In-A-Dome, Mr. 12-1 In The Playoffs, Mr. Puppet-of-the-Evil-Genius-Belichick.
The defense stepped up once again. Mr. Clutch chocked and Marlin Jackson made the big play. Intercepted the ball, took a few steps before realizing that all he had to do was fall flat on his back, which is exactly what he did.
Again, the theater went nuts and I felt a certain sense of vindication. I’ve been a fan for 23 years and now they are going to the Super Bowl with the guy that “can’t win a big game.”

I can’t wait!

(I’ve got some more comments I’ll make later, particularly around the whole “the first two African-American coaches thing.)

We have been “back Home” for a month now but it doesn’t feel like home. This move has reaffirmed that, as Christians, this world is not our home. We no longer belong in Little Rock. Our new home is here, but it doesn’t feel lhomey…….

We don’t have a church “home” yet. (ok, for the record….we decided before we came back here that we would treat it like our move to AR and visit other places, rather than just go back to our old church. Sometimes, fresh starts are best!) The church we are visiting is great…..

Trying to find my place of ministry. I am still praying through the disappointment of no longer being at FamilyLife. It is too cold to walk around the neighborhood with the little guys. I have a desire to begin a neighborhood Bible study using the HomeBuilders studies from FamilyLife.
(im)Patiently waiting for the LORD on this one!

Upside of this….the LORD keeps reeling me back into Him. Isn’t that what it’s all about anyway?

I’m going to get my thoughts on the game on record before the game this week.

Colts vs. Patriots

First, I’m not 100% convinced that the Colts defense is going to show up again. I was afraid they wouldn’t be there for last week’s game but they were. With the Indy crowd behind them, I hope the D will be there in force.

Peyton will have a big game. I don’t see him having 3 sub-par games in a row.

If the Colts score on their first drive and hold the Pats to 3 and out on theirs, game over right there. If not, it will be a dogfight for at least 3 quarters, with the Colts pulling away early in the 4th.

Assuming the D shows up and Peyton doesn’t get “happy feet,” Colts by 10.
Colts 31 Pats 21

What is the difference between Mike Vanderjagt and an Adam Vinatieri (is that better Jon?) field goal?

A: Neither are missed.

Colts pull out a big win on the road and their defense outshined their offense again. However, the offense had some major clock eating drives. That last one in particular. Ball control and defense, that’s not Colt football is it? Either way, I dig it.

All fieldgoals, no TDs. Polian is a genius, canning Vanderjagdt and picking up Vinitiary.

I’ve been telling people that I thought the Ravens were over hyped (not over rated, over hyped.) In other words, everyone was concentrating on their strengths and ignoring their weaknesses. All the while, ignoring the Colts strengths and concentrating on their weaknesses. At least that’s what I was seeing in the national sports press and even at the local level to an extent.

I did not go out on a limb and predict a Colts win because I didn’t know if the D would show up two games in a row. I’ll call it a late Christmas present.

I heard an interesting question posed on the radio this morning.
Would you rather have 13 kids or 0 kids?

While 13 kids would be a logistical and financial nightmare, the thought of having no kids is even worse for me. I would have to go with 13.
Plus, if you raise them right, the older ones would be able to take care of the younger ones. And, in my old age I’m sure at least one of them would be willing to take care of me.

I was thinking that the best option would be moving to the country and living off the land. Deer meat, home grown veggies, a milk cow. It could be pretty cool.
Hmm…

The kids started at a new school here in Indiana on Tuesday. They seem to be adjusting well and are making new friends quickly.

They go to arguably the best public grade school in Columbus and left the best public grade school in Little Rock. Luke had been held back in Kindergarten in Little Rock because he was behind in a few areas. It is all-day there. Here Kindergarten is half-day and it is voluntary. It turns out that the Kindergarten work in Little Rock is equivalent to First Grade work here so we move Luke up into First.

Elizabeth is pretty much on track in Second grade and already knows a few of the kids in her class from before we moved to Little Rock.

We live a block from the school so the kids can ride their bikes or walk which is so much more convenient than taking the bus or driving them. Plus the school has one of the coolest playgrounds I’ve ever seen. It will be a great place to take the kids to play in the Summer. I’ll have to post a picture tomorrow.

Who would have guessed that the Colts D would show up that big. Larry Johnson ran for 32 yards. The second best running back in the NFL was held to 32 yards by the second worst run defense in the league.
I should have posted before the game because I did predict that the Colts D would show up for this game. I posted on a messageboard I frequent that the Colts would hold LJ to 100 yards. Really… I did. They play better at home plus they had Bob Sanders coming back.
If Herm Edwards had a better play calling strategy I think Larry would have gotten closer to my 100 yard prediction.

Next up is Baltimore, best defense in the league. If Peyton and Marvin get their signals crossed again, throwing 3 picks against the Ravens will be a real problem because every possession will be critical against that defense.
The question is, can the Colts D show up for two games in a row. They’ve had some decent games this year, the problem is they follow them up with games where they give up 300 yards rushing. Plus, they will be on the road. I hope they can get it done.

Oh, and did anyone else get a kick out of the Tony Dungy / Motorola commercial? That was kind of funny.

Since I’ve been out of the blogging loop for a while I have a backlog of stories I wanted to share. This one comes from about 3 weeks ago. I was in Little Rock, we had just sent all of our stuff off to Indiana in a trailer and we were hanging around waiting for the kids to finish school. Since we didn’t have any furniture, I went to the SanFransico Bread Co. to get some work done (they have free Wi-Fi, allowing me to connect to my office via VPN.)

I was sitting at a table getting some work done when this 45+ year old lady walked by, stopped and looked at me for a few seconds uncomfortably close. She said something to the effect of:
“I’m an artist and I study faces. You have a nice face. I bet your wife really likes your face, do you have a wife?”
“Uh… … … yeah,” I said.
“Oh. Is she the right one?”
“I hope so. We have 4 kids together.” I think my sarcasm was lost on her for a moment.
“You hope so? Shouldn’t you know so? … Oh, you were being facetious.”
I can’t recall everything she said after that but it was something about making sure I take care of my kids.

Now, even though I was being hit on by a very odd middle aged woman, it was nice to get a compliment… I guess.

So, we spent the Saturday before Christmas unloading our moving trailer and unpacking. Actaully, we are still unpacking and will be unpacking until sometime after Elizabeth finishes grad school.

Since our home was still in boxes on Christmas, we spent the night at my parents and spent Christmas day there.

My little brother bought a Nintendo Wii. Man! That thing is a blast. Here is Luke playing Wii Bowling:

Its been a while since I’ve blogged. Been busy with starting a new job, going back and forth between Southern Indiana and Little Rock (a short 600 mile commute), moving my family and unpacking. Anyway, I plan on posting at least once a day. Call it a New Year’s resolution. A resolution that I’m sure will be broken within a week.

Another resolution that I’m sure is on everyone’s list is losing weight or getting in shape. I need to do both. I’ve eaten out more in the past 3 months than I think I ever have. Partly due to our crazy lifestyle over that span and partly due to laziness. As a result, my waistline has been expanding. I’m pushing 210 right now, at just under 5′10″, that’s not good. My ideal weight is somewhere around 170 or 175. I hope to be there in the not too distant future but for now I’ll shoot for 190 by March.

I have been asked numerous times how it is going with the house….I am to the point of laughing. Here it is in a nutshell……………………

Second week of November, after going back and forth with counteroffers, we accept an offer on the LR house. All is going great, we put an offer on our favorite house in Columbus (INDIANA not Ohio). The week before Thanksgiving there is a horrible downpour that causes flashflooding around the area.. I wake up the next morning to a flooded lower level. Water in one room was about 2 inches deep. Ugh…..what will happen with the sale?……I immediately call Mike and he leaves that morning to get here ASAP. Within an hour there is a crew of wonderful, servant people in our home cleaning….we get the house dried out, padding replaced, clean the carpets and find out the walls have over 100% moisture….in come the fans and dehumidifier.  We got the moisture levels down to the “normal” range……The Monday immediately before Thanksgiving was the house inspection……Lady decided to withdraw her offer stating “Inspection unsatisfactory to client.” Ugh, what about the other house we are buying? Put on hold…… During inspection it was discovered there is moisture in our downstairs bathroom ceiling. Call the plumber….comes to about $1200 in new plumbing to resolve a problem we didn’t know existed and believed to have been going on the whole time we have been here. Mike had to plan a trip back here to repair the holes the plumber left in the ceiling. In the meantime, Marty, our bugman comes out and resprays because the roaches loved all the water. (He had come the day before the rain did).  Mike arrived this past Tuesday and left today, Sunday. The house was shown 3 times over the weekend before any of the repairs were made. Mike is coming back, again, day after tomorrow and staying until we go back to Indiana for Christmas. Want to know the best part?! The owners of the home in Columbus are allowing us to rent until we are able to close on this house, at which time we will purchase that one! We are using ABF trucking. They are dropping the truck off this coming Thursday and will pick it up on the following Monday 18th.  The kids’ last day of school is the 20th. We get to be here 2 days without furniture…that should be fun….We are picking the kids up from school and heading north. The truck will arrive in Columbus on the 23rd. It will be nice to be settled under one roof. The kids start at their new school on January 9th. (I think). Isaiah will get to do preschool. (Yeah!) Luke will go from full day kindergarten (AR) to only half day in Indiana. He could go full day but it is $75 a WEEK! If appropriate, we will check into bumping him up to first grade. Anyway, lots to do in the next two weeks. Joy to the World the LORD has come.

As this chapter of our life comes to a close I have to step back and say “God is Good!” There are so many lessons I have learned since we have been in Little Rock. It has definately been a learning experience. For sake of trying not to shed tears, I am choosing to look at it kind of like college. We have been here for almost two years and, we have graduated and are moving on. Isn’t each phase of life like that? God wants to teach us something and He won’t let us move on until we have learned it. 

I have wrestled back and forth with, ”we are not missionaries, anymore, so what greater purpose is there?” That is the enemy trying to get me down. If you read scripture closely you will see it. We are to go and make disciples of all nations. (that includes the nation we live in!) My mission field abounds. My primary outreach right now is to my children and their friends.

During a class while still working for FamilyLife, I had to write a life purpose statement. I can’t remember the exact wording but it was the jist to minister to whoever I am with wherever I am……Isn’t that what God is all about….Isn’t that the purpose of a missionary? God is good, all the time, through our trials, through our joys. 

We are finally moving “back home.” Strangely enough, that doesn’t sound right. Little Rock has become home. That is a whole other blog entry. We are moving over Christmas break. We have not sold the house (another blog entry) but the owner of the home in Columbus is being gracious. They are going to let us rent until we are able to purchase the home!! Praise God!! He has been working in so many ways I would have to write a couple more entries. We are excited about being back together as a family, again.

I won the bet with Grant.

Here is my guest entery at the G sides.

The G Sides had an interesting post on decision making this morning. I started to write a comment on it, once I got to paragraph 3 I decided it should be a post on my own blog.

Grant was talking about a couple of people that have come to him this week for advice on making tough decisions. I did the same thing when we were deciding on whether to stay on staff with FamilyLife or not. He didn’t give me any answers but what he did do is ask me a few key questions to help me formulate my thoughts and help equip myself to make a good decision

I also started reading a book by Gary Friesen called Decision Making and the Will of God: A Biblical Alternative to the Traditional View. I cannot recommend this book enough. Go get it.

Back to our hard decision…
We are not yet on the “other side” of it. I am living with my parents, Karen and the kids are 600 miles away. Karen is about ready to pull her hair out, its already going gray,  waiting for our house to sell. (anyone looking for a 5 bedroom 2300 square foot house in Pleasant Forest?)
But, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, something I couldn’t see on the other side of the decision. All I saw was a very large, very thick brick wall. After we commited to our decision, its like that wall just crumbled in front of us. I got a good paying, fun job in less than a week with no interview. That was like the weight of the world being lifted off my shoulders.

Another thing we wanted to do in this decision is continue to seek places where we can be used by God to further his kingdom. The place where I work is about 70% Chinese, 15% Indian and 15% white American. I am working in a mission field. There is a chinese woman who leads a Bible study with a handfull of other Chinese Christians here. I want to work with those guys to help reach out to our co-workers. And I am in the process of laying a foundation with one of the younger guys here, his name is Hao. I invite him to play basketball with me at lunch and had him over for dinner last night, then we played Starcraft for a couple of hours with my younger brother. I don’t know where he stands spiritually, but I am in the middle of earning the right to talk to him about it.
We have also visted another church here. We decided when we move back that we are going to visit several churches and plug in where we can best be used. That may be the church we left when we moved to Little Rock but it may not be. Anyway, this church we visited is big on the members serving the body of Christ. The first sermon I heard there was about just that, about serving in the church using your talents and abilities. It struck a chord with me.

So, like I said, we are still in the middle of this decision but we see God at work in the midst of it and we take comfort in that.

I have been coloring my hair myself to cover up the gray. This was a last resort as the price for highlights around here are expensive. I also haven’t found a person (reasonably priced) to do my hair.  Anyway, the hair color box says it is the best for stubborn gray hair.  I must have some REALLY unruly gray.  I left it on for the extra time Plus some for the “stubborn gray.”  Didn’t work! On my way to get a haircut I noticed gray popping out all over the place.

I turned 35 and can’t get rid of the gray! Ugh

The Colts play the Denver Broncos on Sunday. I emailed my friend, Grant English, giving him a few thoughts on the game. He is a big Broncos fan.

We made a wager on the game. The winner gets to “guest blog” on the losers blog.

For now, I’m keeping my mouth shut. Just as soon as I start talking trash before the game, it’ll come back to bite me.

Elizabeth was on cloud nine yesterday.  On the way back to Little Rock from Columbus, we stopped in Tennessee.  One of Elizabeth’s very favorite movies is Coal Miner’s Daughter. It is the rags to riches story about Loretta Lynn’s life as portrayed by Sissy Spacek.  She just loves that movie (and Mr. Holland’s Opus). Whatever town it is, we went stopped by the Loretta Lynn Dude Ranch. It is quite a spread. Elizabeth was just ecstatic.  I told them they could each get a little something in one of the four gift shops. Elizabeth’s newest prized possession (that went to school in her backpack today)?  It is an 8×10 autographed photo of Loretta Lynn.

Times like now I question my sanity.  The kids and I left Little Rock at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon.  After a 45 minute traffic delay in West Memphis and an hour stop for supper in Jackson, TN we arrived in Columbus at 3:30 a.m. I had been up for 22 hours, handed the kids over to Mike and went straight to bed. I woke up around 9:30 or so. I have been fortunate enough to have naps everyday. 

We looked at houses all morning, yesterday. I found one I really like. Mike found 2 he really likes.  Think they are the same? NO!! I have to admit, one of the 2 Mike likes is really cool.  The problem……It sits on N. Wood Lake, yes, a lake. 4 kids, under 10 and not allowed to have fences up…….MOMS, need I say more?  The back side of the house has 2 decks, up and down, kids leaning over, falling off and going splat.  Anyway, cool house, wrong timing. 

The one I like is in town but on a quiet street. Has a huge front yard and a long driveway.  No associations or anything so we could put a fence up if we wanted.  It has a pool and hot tub in the backyard.  We would have to put up another fence that locks directly around the pool. It is a very traditional 2 story house, functional and we can be there, long term.  It has 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, laundry room, hardwood floors in the living, dining, and a bedroom. (Pretty sure it is throughout and just covered by carpet.) Family room has a fireplace, there is a full unfinished basement.  It is a great house to host a small group and entertain. Ideal for some kind of ministry outreach.  It is one block south of Parkside Elementary and the community soccer fields, park, and People Trails. It is also within reasonable bike riding distance of Grandpa and Grandma’s new house.

Someone please buy our Little Rock house!!! Pray for our home to sell!  

He did it! He pulled it off without telling me. Mike arrived around 3:00 on Friday afternoon.  After a big hug and kiss he handed me a “key” to a hotel room.  He had arranged childcare with 2 families to keep the kiddos. He told me to go to the hotel and he would meet me there later. He took care of packing up the kids and dropping them off. I had a couple of hours to myself in TOTAL SILENCE. It was AWESOME!! We had two nights at the Embassy Suites-Little Rock. 

When I first arrived I wasn’t sure what to do. I sat down and read the downtown Little Rock guide, did some journaling and then….took an hour nap! It was great…a fluffy bed, fluffy pillows. 

When Mike arrived we walked across the street to Kobe. It is a Japanese steak and sushi place.  As a birthday treat, we had our picture taken by the Kobe staff and I was sang to in Japanese.  It was fun! I kind of felt like a kid again.

We enjoyed swimming in the pool and soaking in the hot tub.  The silence in our room that evening was nice.  No one to tuck in, no one’s teeth to brush but my own….. We enjoyed the breakfast buffet on Saturday morning.

We picked up the kids, let the dog out, and then went back to the hotel to swim.  The kids were thrilled!!! Later we went to the Big Dam Bridge. Yes, that is the real name of it.  It is the world’s (largest and/or longest) pedestrian/bike bridge. We got some great pictures. We also got to watch a boat go through the lock at the dam. The kids really enjoyed that! We then ordered pizza and went back to the hotel. The kids had an absolute blast swimming and hot-tubbing. 

Mike, you outdid yourself. Thank you for an awesome birthday. I miss you and I can’t wait to see you later this week. I love you.  

Tomorrow is Friday the 13th. It is also my 35th birthday.  That sounds weird….35.  Only 5 years away from 40……ugh. 

I have been thinking about what each of my children’s “love languages” are, and mine.  I love giving gifts. I just haven’t been able to give the kind of gifts I love to give because of having a limited income for so long.  Anyway, I like to receive gifts too

I am getting the best one ever tomorrow.  It is MIKE!!!! He is driving here and has the whole weekend planned out.  He is quite awesome at planning surprises, he just can’t keep it secret very well I have an idea of what he may have in store. I will just wait and see if my suspicions are correct…

Weird Al has a new song out based on my life…

White and Nerdy

Elijah. I miss our “I… love… YOU!” game. I miss how he actually prefers me over Mommy (our only kid that does.) I miss his hugs and kisses.

Isaiah. I miss how he “jokes me.” I miss how he acts goofy on purpose. I miss how he mispronounces words.

Luke. I miss his energy. I miss his curiosity and how he asks insightful question, the kind that let you know he’s really thinking about stuff. I miss his drums. I miss him wanting me to play with him.

Elizabeth. I miss her hugs. I miss reading to her and her reading to me. I miss helping her with her homework. I miss riding bikes with her. I miss how she can sometimes say the sweetest things out of the blue.

Karen. I miss everything about her. I miss her hug and kiss when I get home. I miss helping her around the house. I miss having her in bed next to me. I miss how she does that one thing when we are… well, never mind. I’ll keep that one to myself.

Someone hurry up and buy our house. Please!

The house was “listed” last Thursday and there have been 8 showings and Sunday there will be an open house from 1:30-3:30.  It is interesting the feedback from those who have seen the house.  Someone liked the house and the space but not the “different colors” of paint.  If someone doesn’t purchase a house because of the paint color they may have some bigger “issues” that need addressed.  Another did not like the way the formal living room and dining room furniture were arranged……….. UHHHHHH, need I say more on that one?! Last one was that they didn’t like Berber carpet. Ok, compared to the other two, I can live with that one…..seeing how Berber carpet is in almost every room.

As my friend, Anne, said, “People are just weird.”

I was so overcome this week by the expression of God’s love as deomonstrated through some precious people.  I sent out an email on Monday or Tuesday asking for help when I realized there was no way I could finish getting the house ready to sale.  Tuesday Debbie and her two daughters came over to help with laundry. That was like a lead weight being lifted off my shoulders.  After Bible study on Wednesday Sue came over and helped me clean…..even things I didn’t think of cleaning…..I just love Sue, she has been like a mentor to me.  Also on Wednesday Susanne came over to help…….her request was to clean my bathrooms…..WHAT?! gasp gasp…..you want to what???!!! I pray God blesses her in a special way…..we have 3 bathrooms….3 FULL bathrooms, two of which males regularly use. The downstairs and two of the bathrooms are now off limits, in an effort to keep the house clean.  Mike O and Doug came over to do lawn work…They went above and beyond what I needed help with. ( I guess I didn’t realize how much needed to be done!)  Mike O was Mike’s accountability partner. They have similar personalities and sense of humor.  He organized the garage, too!

Tammy picked up the kids numerous times for me last week to take them to school.  Very helpful as I was in the midst of a raging bladder infection and dehydration. Thursday night my back went into a muscle spasm so bad that my legs buckled and I fell  to the floor.  Holly brought us supper one evening. 

Now all we need is for someone to buy the house.  The pictures online are great. 

I am thankful for each and everyone of the people who have helped and/or offered words of encouragement.  I couldn’t do this without their help. Thank you, LORD!!

It is official, the house is for sale and there were 3 showings on the first Saturday it was listed.  Please pray it sells quickly.  Today is the 7th day of single parenting.  I stand in amazement when I think of how single parents do it.  I am to the point I just try to laugh when the kids do something irritating.  I am looking forward to a small break tomorrow evening as a babysitter will be coming over for a while.  Tonight we go to Target to buy a boardgame. (I am looking forward to shopping at the Columbus Target.  It opened shortly before we moved….it is bigger and better than the one here in LR)  We end up in the accessory department with all of us trying on hats, scarves and mittens.  Isaiah was a hoot. I wish I had had my camera with me for that……speaking of which, I am not sure where it is at the moment.  All the while, I believe, we left a trail a popcorn throughout the store.  We all miss “daddy” and can’t wait to be with him.  Next time you meet a single parent give them a word of encouragement. 

I found a pretty cool blog the other day by Doug TenNapel.

If you remember the video game “Earthworm Jim,” he is the artist that did the art work. He’s done album covers for a few Christian musicians (Terry Taylor, Five Iron Frenzy), comic books and tv shows.

He’s a little rough around the edges but writes some entertaining posts that ususally make a point and make you think.

http://www.tennapel.com/

I found some excellent New Testament study guides here:

New Testament: Introductions and Outlines

There is one for each book of the New Testament, giving notes on authorship, dates of writing, purpose and theme. And each includes an outline of the book.

In a discussion one evening Mike told me he had not had peace or joy the entire time we have been here! gasp gasp what?!  I told Mike whatever decision he made I support him.  The final decision was made on August 27, a Sunday night. About an hour after we verbalized our decision Mike says, “I have no idea where I am going to work, where we will live, or what we are going to do, but I have peace about it.”  Monday afternoon Mike put his resume online.  Tuesday, he received a phone call and on Friday he had a job offer, without an interview!  Once again, we saw God’s fingerprints all over us.  They wanted to know if he could start  the next week.  Mike reassured he needed to give a two week notice.  The time has flown by! 

What is awesome is to see what God has taught me (us) along this 5 year journey.

We have learned about stewardship. Not just of finances..but, time, relationships, our family, our gifts.

We have learned that He is the Provider. We have had to trust Him through some very thin times. He has always provided above and beyond my expectations: financially, emotionally, physically……………

He is the Sustainer! He has carried us through the birth and brief life of our daughter, Emma, death of my dad, Mike’s grandma, 3 moves, a career change, health issues with our children, and countless other circumstances. He is sustaining me right now with Mike being in IN.  (I don’t see how single parents do it!)

Our time here has been equipping.  We have a love for the ministry of FamilyLife. We are not severing our ties. We are excited about going back to Columbus to tell (more) people about the ministry and encourage them to attend conferences. We look forward to leading a HomeBuilders Couples study. We also want to volunteer at the Indianapolis conference.

Some of the programming skills Mike learned are very handy for his new position.

I can honestly say that for the first time in my life I truly understand Grace.  There is freedom in God’s Grace!

We have made many mature friendships. The Christian maturity of most of the people we have met blows my socks off!

We can take the resources we have learned and share them.

We don’t have to be part of a ministry to be missionaries. As long as we are fulfilling the Great Commission, we are in God’s Will!!!!  We are excited about what the LORD has in store for us and who we get to minister to.

We are absolutely thrilled that we will now be able to financially support others! We have lived on the other side and know what the real needs are and are blessed to be able to give. 

The Monday after the job offer I get into the van. It doesn’t want to start…….the starter is going out.  I called Mike to let him know. We knew we would need a newer vehicle very soon.  I would especially need reliable transportation with 4 kids when he leaves for Indiana. 

Once again, the LORD provided above my expectation.  We were able to get a 2005 Honda Odyssey EX-L with 34,000 miles. It has CD player, rear DVD, everything. I tell you this not to boast but to explain how God cares about the details. Honda “just happen” to be offering 4.9% financing on Certified used.  First payment……due one week after Mike’s first paycheck. 

I have probably shared too many details.  I just get so excited when I see the LORD moving in so many ways.  He truly cares about the details of our life.

Part 3 to come

Something I meant to blog on a few weeks ago…

Back in August FamilyLife had a two day staff conference. One of the big surprises during the conference was we all got to see a pre-screening of a Toronto Film Festival move, Bella. They also had the director, executive producer (a guy that worked with Mel Gibson on The Passion and Braveheart) and the star of the movie, Eduardo who is apparently “hot,” just ask Karen next time you see her.

These guys are all Christians that have been in the entertainment industry in one way or another and want to create art that has a message but is also not beating people over the head. They succeeded with Bella.

This movie was literally sprung on me, I had no idea what it was about or who was in it. I wish I could see more movies under those circumstances, I think it made it that much more enjoyable. I don’t want to say too much about the story because I don’t want to ruin it for anyone that might see it. It is a story of sacrifice and redemption, is very well acted with real characters that have depth. And just like real life, things are not tied up in a neat little bow at the end.

Like I said, it was shown at the Toronto Film Festival in the same slot as Brokeback Mountain last year. Bella was well received and won the People’s Choice Award. Apparently several past winners have gone on to win Oscars.

I like seeing this return of Christians to the arts. If you get a chance, see the movie.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

We have closed another chapter of our life and have opened a new one.  Last Friday was Mike’s last official day at FamilyLife.   When we moved here it was with the intention of being here long term.  We were open to God’s leading and said we would be here until we were “lead” elsewhere.  I never dreamed we would only be in Little Rock for a year and a half. 

There is not really one reason why we left staff.  There are many.  God used support (lack of) to get our focus back on Him.   We worked hard on our MPD (ministry partner development) the entire time we were on staff.  We did everything we were supposed to: mailed monthly prayer letters, sent thank you’s, sent thinking of you cards, received, called and followed up on referrals and countless other things, MPD related.  

Mike had made 3 support trips, yet only a minute amount of support was cultivated.  Since spring of this year, especially, we had worked extra hard on increasing current and appealing to new.  We were not seeing any fruit from all of our hard work.  When we had two short paychecks ($200 and $700) this forced us to step back and look at the whole picture. 

It wasn’t so much about the support, it was about trusting God for His provision, in His way.  We were praying for our Crusade account balance to increase.  The LORD had other plans for us.  We began praying for wisdom and discernment in how to provide for our family.  Our church in Indiana paid our mortgage and our church here paid our groceries. 

We sought counsel with a couple from church who once served with FamilyLife.  We spoke to our senior staff MPD coach.  We prayed. We prayed more.  We read a book, Decision Making and The Will of God by Garry Friesen. This is an excellant book. I can honestly say that after reading this book I experienced God’s grace for real, for the first time.  I have felt a freedom that I have never had before.  After reading this book, many of our questions were answered:  would we be turning our back on God or His plan or will for our life? Would we be turning our back on our “calling?”  Are we missionaries if we are not part of a “ministry?”  We have answers to all of these questions now! We prayed even more. 

part 2 later

So it was kind of cool that the NFL set up a game like this but it was way over hyped. It will only be outshined by Super Manning Bowl at the end of the season.

NY:
Tiki and Plaxico made Eli look good. He made some good plays on his own but those guys make him look better.
They killed themselves on penalties.

Colts:
The running game is weak. They showed signs of life here and there but it won’t get them through the season. Rhoads has a cool spin move. But, he got stopped on the goal line where he went outside his blocker instead of cutting back in. Addai can catch the ball, has speed and strength. I hope he can come into it as he gets some carries under his belt.
Defense had a real problem stopping the run, even more so than last year. Granted, Simon is out so there was not fat man to block the middle.
And who knew Peyton could scramble? He must have been working on that in the offseason since he knew James wouldn’t be there to pick up blocks.

Fantasy Football:
I’m losing in both my leagues but I still have several players left on Monday night. I have Santana Moss on both my teams, hope he comes up big tomorrow night.

The kids and I were looking through videos on YouTube this evening. They got real excited about all the fan made lightsaber duels and wanted to make their own so I got out the digital camera and recorded this:

The Riley Lightsaber Duel

Next, they want me to figure out how to add the special effects…

We had our draft for my work league tonight.
 I picked 6th out of 12 teams.

STARTERS:
Eli Manning NYG QB

Tiki Barber NYG RB 
Clinton Portis WAS RB 

Santana Moss WAS WR 
Donald Driver GNB WR 
Keenan McCardell SDG WR 

Jerramy Stevens SEA TE 
John Kasay CAR K  
Denver Broncos DEN D/ST

BENCH:
Byron Leftwich JAC  QB
Michael Bennett KAN RB
Joseph Addai IND RB
Eric Moulds HOU WR
Brandon Lloyd WAS WR
Ben Watson  NWE TE
St. Louis Rams D/ST

And for my last pick of the night…
Jeff George

Jeff George was just signed by the Oakland Raiders.

No joke! Click the link.

I have had a lot on my mind.  We are facing a huge decision about our life right now.  I step back and reflect on how different people have impacted me and I them.

Grace is now pastorless. Grant’s last ’sermon’ was yesterday. It was probably one of the best one’s I have heard, ever.  (why did you save the best til last?) ok, don’t take that the wrong way! One thing you have to understand about Grant is that he is REAL. I know that can be a catch word, but it is true. What you see is what you get. I appreciate that in people.  You know when someone is like that, they are not hiding anything.  Thanks, Grant, for the impact you have had on me.

That reminds me….  Every month we send out prayer letters to our, very much appreciated, financial and prayer partners. I have been writing these for 3 years.  The most recent we sent for August has produced the most responses from any of them.  Most of them were encouraging, one was out of concern (and still encouraging) and one was extremely negative ( which in a weird way I still found encouraging).

I went back to re-read the prayer letter.  I can see how some of what I wrote could be misunderstood so I will include a “disclaimer” next month.  I was merely trying to point out that people should not be put on pedestals.  It is easy to do, I have done it myself.  I was trying to point out that we (FamilyLife staff, missionaries, evangelists such as Billy Graham, well know speakers, and ministry leaders such as Bright, Rainey, Dobson etc) should not be elevated. All we do is for God and the abilities that we use are God-given.  The people I quoted have done just that, put FamilyLife on a pedestal.  With that in mind, I was pointing out my and my families own flaws. 

Please be praying for wisdom for us.  Tomorrow is like the “deadline” of the decision we need to make.

I just love Holly. She can crack me up just by speaking.  I mean that in every way possible. She has certain words she uses: chomp…that word is just funny anyway. She will be talking about her dog named Mac and say something like, “he chomped right down on the shoe.” It just cracks me up. 

I had my first fantasy draft of the season last night. Its a 10 team Yahoo! league and I picked last. All the top RBs were long gone by the time it got to me but I got two picks in a row each time. Edge was the only top back left but he is viewed as “damaged goods” since he is with Arizona this year. I’m hoping his skills will win the day there. Reggie Wayne was available when I got to wide receiver, that’s a no brainer. With the Colts running game in limbo, Manning and crew are going to open up an aerial attack. With Harrison double and triple teamed, Wayne is going to get plenty of catches.
Joseph Addai (the Colts first round pick) was available late so I grabbed him too on the off chance that the good things Manning and Dungy have been saying about him are true. There is talk that he could be the starter early in the season.

QB Daunte Culpepper
WR Reggie Wayne
RB Edgerrin James
TE Heath Miller
WR Santana Moss
RB Ronnie Brown
RB Chester Taylor
QB Ben Roethlisberger
RB Joseph Addai
WR Reggie Brown
WR Matt Jones
QB Mark Brunell
K Shane Graham

Tuesday night is the FamilyLife IS Department Fantasy Football draft.

 I’ve read several news stories and blogs about Pluto being downgraded from “planet” to “dwarf planet” which has outraged many people. I say good riddance. I’ve always hated Pluto, thinking its better than the rest of the solar system, being all “stand-offish.” It got was was coming to it, you don’t want to join the rest of us? Fine! We won’t let you in our club.

OK, seriously, what I really wanted to say about it is this:
I think this is a good lesson in the nature of truth. Just because a group of astronomers change how we classify Pluto does not change what Pluto is. Pluto is what it is.
I can think Pluto is a large ball of twine floating at the edge of our solar system but that does not change the true nature of Pluto. Pluto remains what it is despite what anyone thinks it is.

And what is the deal with every news story ending with the astrology angle? Do enough people really take that stuff serious enough to warrent the international news agnecies commenting on it? And even if astrology wasn’t a load of “Barbara Streisand” how would no longer calling Pluto a planet change how it interacts with my aura or whatever that new age garbage is?

The 24 hour news media gets ahold of a story and they all sound the exact same, reporting the same thing from the same angle. I guess they work off the same press releases or something. It gets quite tiresome.
What do you think?

I don’t want to go into much detail right now, here on our blog but we are going through some rocky waters right now (not marriage-wise, just life in general.) That is part of the reason we have not been posting much here. If you are so inclined, would you please pray for wisdom, joy and peace for Karen and me?

Thanks.

Luke cracks me up sometimes. I am thankful for those times because his sweetness can often be overshadowed by his irritability that stems from his ADHD. We are sitting here watching Shrek and out of the blue he jumps up and starts this funny dance in which he bobbs his head front and back like a chicken. He also does this slinky thing with his body. It is pretty funny. That’s my Bober Head.  That is my nickname for him….Actually, he probably has the most nicknames: Chobers, Chobie Bobie, Bubby, Bubbers.  It was Bobo until we got a dog already named that.

He is also the most sharing out of our kiddos. If we ask the kids to share he is almost always the first one to do so. He has a sweet, kind heart. It will be fun to see how he turns out when he is older. He loves to snuggle too. Many mornings I wake up to the little freckled face sweetie snuggled up next to me.

Lukie Dukie is ready to repeat kindergarten this year with Mrs. Shelton. He is excited about getting to “show the ropes” to others in his class. Mrs. Shelton is excited too.  She could already see a change in him from last year.  We went last Sunday to the kindergarten ice cream social.  I will miss the little guy when school starts.  He is often my comedy relief throughout the day.

We send out a monthly letter to our supporters to let them know what we are up to and how they can be praying for us. I’ve been negligent in getting them posted to our website in a timely manner but am getting back in the habit of doing it.

The August letter is up if you are interested in reading it. I will be posting here each time I put a new one up.

Yes, we are still alive. Just not blogging much the past few weeks. I’ll post some witty thought provoking prose on bodily functions soon. Stay posted!

There is a list of things I need to do each day that I have been either poor or negligent in doing since we moved to Little Rock. I feel like I am moving backwards spiritually (ie my “Christian walk”) and it needs to stop.

Here are things I need to do every day:

• Spend at least 30 minutes reading the Bible and in prayer.
• Pray with my wife.
• Do a devotional with the kids.
• Spend at least 30 minutes playing with the kids.
• Pray for at least one family that supports us.
• Make at least 5 ministry related phone calls (calling supporters and potential supporters.)
• Give the laptop a rest.

If I do those things I can say I had a good day. But, as my dad says, “you got the easy part done, little man.”

Although accountability could be categorized under Christianese, there is much to be said for it.  Most of my Christian walk I have been blessed with older, godly women who have helped me stay “on track.” 

I am a slacker, I admit it.  Unless I am in the midst of a Bible study I struggle with prayer and getting into the Word.  This carries over into my everyday life and how I function.  Right now I really don’t have an accountability partner……so I am really slacking……………………..

I want to be asked hard questions. I want to be challenged to apply scripture to everyday life.    I NEED ACCOUNTABILITY.  

A few names are popping into my head…..Sue, Carol, Ellie, Laura,………

It is 3:16 a.m. and I am wide awake.  I am taking an antibiotic for a never ending sinus infection and one of the side effects is insomnia. Wonderful, I can sit and listen to the other side effects…..gastrointestinal. Since about 11pm there has been nonstop gurgling from my stomach. I hope the increase in yogurt helps with that! 

I think I am allergic to Arkansas.  Since moving here I have had more sinus allergy trouble than what I have had in years.  In early June I developed an infection and was treated toward the end of the month (with antibiotics and a steroid shot).  I don’t think it was quite cleared up because within 2 weeks all of the symptoms were back, but worse. Hopefully, this time it will get knocked out.  I am tired now. I am so boring, I put myself to sleep.

ool news from Cummins. (press release here)
(For those of you that don’t know, in my former life I was an engineer at Cummins, Inc. I worked on the electronic controller (ECM) for the mid-range engines.)

They made a big announcement this week that they were partnering with an unnamed auto manufacturer to put a new, high performance diesel engine in SUVs and small pickup trucks. The press release claims that the diesel engine will get up to 30% better fuel economy than the same vehicle with a gas engine.

The problems with diesels in the past were noise and exhaust. They were loud and the exhaust was soot filled and smelly. The problems are all but gone with developments over the past ten years. I worked on the 2002 and 2003 midrange engines (same size that Dodge puts in their pickups) and on those Cummins introduced “pilot” fueling which makes them run almost as quiet as a gas engine. Plus, the EPA has ever-increasing emissions requirements that have helped the exhaust problems of the past. This approach, introducing diesel engines into the auto market, could end up being a more realistic approach to oil conservation than hybrids. Lower cost and less specialized equipment on the vehicle.

The last year or so I was at Cummins, we started hearing rumors of a new engine that had been kept top secret for several years (a big feat at Cummins, they don’t keep secrets very well.) The rumor was it was going to be a V6 engine designed to go in SUVs and the rumor at the time was they were trying to get Dodge to put it in the Durango. And, once they got a customer they would build the engine at the main Cummins plant in Columbus which has sat virtually empty for the past 6 years. The press release from Cummins said they can’t announce the auto manufacturer and they have not decided on a manufacturing location. But, I would not be surprised if they announce Chrysler as the customer and Columbus as the manufacturing location, they already own an empty, 2 billion square foot manufacturing facility there (well not that big but it does take up about 10 city blocks.)

The only reason I can think of for the customer not being Chrysler is that they have their own similar engine they developed a few years ago in Germany. I can’t wait to hear more about this. It can be huge news for my home town, all my friends that still work there and for my mutual fund

Thanks to this post over at Greg Fielder’s “everything that’s on my mind” I’ve discovered the genius of Lark News. It is a fake news site written by Christians to satirize, lampoon and generally poke fun at Christian culture (sort of a Christian version of TheOnion.com.) I was reading some of it yesterday at my desk, in tears, I was laughing so hard. If you are easily offended you may want to stay away but if you have no problem laughing at yourself I’m sure you will enjoy it as much as I do.

Some sample headlines:
Outsourced prayer lines confuse callers (my favorite)
Youth pastor hazing on the rise
Suburban church celebrates minute level of diversity
Man arrested for drunk-in-the-Spirit driving

Here’s one for Grant:
Youth Pastor overestimates preaching ability after wowing main service

Someone once told me that bobo in Spanish is silly head.  I would certainly agree!! Our dog, Bobo, already named when we got him, is definately bobo.  He has a water bowl that sits next to his food dish in the kitchen. The bowl is always full of water.  Yesterday he kept following me into my bedroom.  Everytime I went in there, he was right behind me. When I went into the bathroom he got all excited and jumped into the bathtub.  He does this whenever he wants a drink. He will stand there looking at me and at the faucet until I turn it on and he gets a drink from the stream of water.  He is nuts.  Instead of drinking out of his bowl or one of the other two toilets (he does quite frequently) he waited all day for me to go in there so he could get a drink from the shower.  I found this particularly humorous since he was panting most of the day. 

 When I think about it, I guess it is not too strange…… for him.  He takes great oral delight in poopy diapers.  The first time I noticed this unusual practice, he was in mine and Mike’s room with both paws on the diaper.  He was “possessive” of his newfound delicasy.  I could hear the slopping sounds as he was licking out the very soft…………..If you think that is disgusting……once a month I have to set my bathroom trash can up on the counter out of his reach after once finding some surprises under my bed!!  Ok, I am grossing myself out.

Despite his disgusting habits, he is a sweet lovable dog……He loves to be loved on and have his belly rubbed….I just don’t let him lick me.

I was going to post this yesterday and forgot to do it.

I finally got to play guitar at church again this week! I played once back in November and then had to run the soundboard a few times when I was scheduled to play (I like running the soundboard too.)

I got to play electric. Its been a while and I was a little rusty, a sour note or two, lost my place on one song, but I felt like I hit a groove on one or two of the songs. I think I play again towards the end of August. Looking forward to it.

I made my first ride to work on my bike. It kicked my butt.
I can run up and down a basketball court for an hour, no problem but riding a bike uses different muscles and I guess those muscles are out of shape.

The ride down the hill was fun. I was probably topping out at 35 MPH. The”flat” portion of the ride was harder than I thought it would be. Small inclines that go unnoticed in a car are greatly amplified when you are pedaling up them. I think it took me about 20 or 25 minutes to get here. Not sure how the ride home will go. I’m pretty sure I’ll be walking the bike up hill.

Oh, and I forgot to pack a pair of socks…

Reading Karen’s post about Emma, I realized its been a while since I’ve thought about her and about that experience. I used to think about it several times a day but as we get further away from it, the easier it is to have days and weeks pass without thinking about it. I don’t know if I like that. I don’t want to forget that experience (I know that sounds weird but its true) and I don’t want to forget her.
It was surreal while we were going through it, almost like it really wasn’t happening to us, like I was observing it happen to someone else.

I remember holding her while she drew her last breath, I remember how tiny she was… how it seemed like she wasn’t in the blanket because she was so light. And I remember the most painful part. Coming home without her, that hurt but watching Elizabeth realize that she was not going to have a little sister at home with her was far worse. We got home and then had my parents bring her and Luke back home (Luke was just under 2 and doesn’t remember.) Elizabeth came running into the living room all excited to see her new sister. We had to tell her that Emma wouldn’t be coming home, that she was born too early and had died at the hospital. She didn’t believe us, ran to the bedroom, turned on the light and saw the empty crib. That’s when it hit her, her sister would not be coming home. She came  running back to us, Karen embraced her. She cried, Karen  cried, I cried…
I will never forget that scene.

Last week I got this bright idea that I could save money on gas and get some exercise by riding a bike to work. So, today I went and bought a Target special for $80.

Its just under 4.5 miles from my driveway to the FamilyLife building. The ride there is going to be a piece of cake. The first third of the ride is downhill and the rest of the way is flat backstreets. Its the ride home that has me worried. The 1/3 downhill is 1/3 uphill, and its a pretty steep uphill. I may take a longer route and ride around the outside of the steepest part of the hill.

The other challenge is geting stuff with me to work. I can fit my laptop in my backpack but I also need to fit shoes, clothes, and a towel. I think I can cram it all in. We’ll see how it goes.

Oh, and tomorrow is FamilyLife Wild River Country Day. 3:00pm to close plus Corkey’s BBQ. It will be a good day, not sure who’s more excited, me or the kids.

Since we have moved to Arkansas we are continually asked how many children we have. (That is a common question, especially if people know we are on staff at FamilyLife. Four children around there is average) In the back of my mind I am always thinking five even though we only have four with us. On March 1, 2002 I went into preterm labor and delivered our third baby 16 weeks prematurely.  Emma Mae was born at 24 weeks gestation weighing 1 pound and 10 1/2 ounces. She was 12 1/2 inches long. Emma was with us for 35 1/2 hours. She died from a pulmonary hemmorage (a major vessel in her lung “popped”). 

From time to time the kids will ask about her and we explain (again) what happened.  Elizabeth was the most impacted and still longs for a baby sister.  I sometimes feel cheated when I look in the mirror and see all the stretch marks. I have been pregnant and given birth 5 times and have 4 to show for it. It is those times I recall the way God worked through our lives during that time and that His plan is perfect. There are times I still wonder what she would look like or how girlie would she be. She would have been 4 this year.  Then I look at my family and thank God for each and everyone of them.

Here is a link to the page Mike made in 2002.

http://mikeriley.freeservers.com/emma/emma.html

In one of the pictures you can see a normal sized syringe.  Also, my hand is next to her in one of them. It is really hard to grasp how tiny she was.  The diaper is about the size of a panty liner.  Her head was about the size of a large lemon. Her hands were so tiny that she could only grasp my pinky half way.

On her grave marker is the scripture: Psalm 18:32 It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.

There is quite a conversation going on over at the G Sides about the Church, politics and how much the Church (along with Christian organizations) should be involved

Rowland (former worship pastor at our church) made a good point about churches returning to and focusing on what is important. In it he said:

You wonder if so many churches are just spinning their wheels doing all the programs and even praying so hard for “the Spirit to come down”, but it never happens because they forget the basics….the poor, the destitute, the lost. Makes me think we just need to return to the basics of preaching the Gospel, Worshipping, feeding the poor, visiting prisons, etc…

Why do we separate out “worship” from those other things. “Worship” has become a euphemism for singing songs. I’m not picking on Rowland here, I do the same thing and most other people do too. I typed “worship” into the search on BibleGateway.com, only one verse actually mentioned music along with worship.

The whole assembly bowed in worship, while the singers sang and the trumpeters played. All this continued until the sacrifice of the burnt offering was completed. 2 Chronicles 29:28

A good majority of verses use some variation of the therm “bowed down and worshiped.” Several also talk about serving along with worshiping, that is, putting actions to our worship. I love music and singing praises to God and it is definitely part of worship but worship is so much more.

So Rowland wasn’t wrong but all of the things he listed are worship, not just music. We worship God by humbling ourselves before him (bowing down), and making ourselves available to be used by him, to put actions to our worship.

Today was a high maintenance day. Everytime the kiddos spend time with Grandpa and Grandma they are crabby when they return. Who would want to return to mom and dad?  Especially when G&G take them to fun places, do exciting things and spend a lot of time together! From the time they got up until bedtime ( including getting up out of bed)……. I want Grandma, I miss Grandma, You don’t know what it is like to not see your grandparents everyday. Fine! Just take me back to Indiana so I can stop crying.  Elizabeth is the worse. She whined all day. Isaiah was pretty whiny too. He and Luke fought and argued a lot as did Luke and Elizabeth. Whine whine………………..can I have a drink of wine to get me out of my misery?  I don’t drink but it is pretty appealing right now.

Charles and Susie Moman are friends and supporters of ours from Indiana. We’ve known them for more than 10 years and I played in our home church’s worship band with Charles for years.

Last month they had a harrowing experience. Their 21 year old daughter, Becky, fell over 70 feet out of a tree and lived. Not only did she live, she suffered only minor injuries. Becky is a funny girl with a very quick wit. The first thing she said after falling was, “Did I fall with grace?”

Their hometown newspaper ran a story about it, here it is:

Falling With Grace
By JANUARY WETZEL
Longtime Seymour residents Charles Moman and his wife, Susie, were planning to take a vacation this summer to visit their youngest daughter, Becky, in Montana.
But after a freak accident involving a 70-foot-fall, Becky, 21, will now spend the next three months with them.
“I don’t have to worry about being bored,” she said jokingly, while sitting on the couch in the family room of her parents’ home Tuesday morning. “I’m sure they will find plenty of projects for me to do.”
“Maybe you can help me clean out the basement,” Susie said with a smile.
“Or you can scan every one of our family photos so we can put them on CDs,” her dad chimed in.
“I’m not supposed to lift anything over five pounds,” Becky countered. “At least that’s what they told me.”
The only physical sign of what could have been a tragedy is a confining back brace Becky will have to wear until her body heals. Even after hitting a number of tree branches on her way down and striking the ground with enough force to paralyze or even kill her, she is able to walk and live normally. The Seymour High School graduate suffered a hairline fracture in her shoulder blade and a compressed vertebrae.
Becky’s story begins earlier this summer.
Living and working in Whitefish, Mont., near Glacier National Park, she had picked up a part-time job to occupy her downtime.
During the winter months she is a property manager for ski condos at Big Mountain Ski Resort. With no skiing action this summer to keep her on the job, Becky decided to get a job at the resort’s summer attraction - “Walk in the Tree Tops.”
As a tour guide, she began training to lead groups of up to 12 guests on a suspended boardwalk that takes visitors 70 feet into the trees. Harnesses and cables secure all participants as they journey along the walkway.
The day Becky fell was supposed to be her first day giving a tour by herself.
“I was so excited because I was going to get to lead my very first tour without being supervised,” she said. “I was never scared or nervous about it.”
But when she went to hook her harness onto a cable, she hooked onto the wrong spot. At first people thought the cable was not secured properly, she added.
“In my opinion I should have been better-trained,” she said. “What I actually hooked onto was held together by duct tape. Had I known that, I would never have used it.”
Emergency personnel had to hike into the woods to rescue her and take her by emergency helicopter to Kalispell Regional Medical Center.
Becky says she doesn’t remember all the details of her fall, but that witnesses told her about it afterward.
“I remember being in the air and I knew my ropes weren’t going to hold,” she said. “One of the guys told me that when they rescued me I asked if I fell with grace. I didn’t really believe him, but then someone else said the same thing.”
The fall may have knocked the wind out of Becky, but it didn’t shake her adventurous spirit or her sense of humor.
“I can’t wait to go back up again and see the spot I fell from. But that’s not to say I would work there again,” she quickly added.
“She’s always been adventurous, and she’s traveled all over the world,” Susie said. “I don’t think this will stop her.”
But her fall from the trees to the forest floor may be the trip she remembers most, and it took only a few seconds, Charles added.
Becky said she sees the incident not as a setback but a reminder that God is looking out for her.
“I really don’t consider what happened to me an accident. I don’t call it one either. It was really just a tiny part of God’s perfect plan for me,” she said. “I’m not saying that my being in Montana wasn’t what he wanted, but I was just about to make decisions for the fall and winter. This definitely got my attention and will make me consider his opinion more, that’s for sure.”

Mike and I have been together long enough (almost half of our lives) that we often find each other thinking or acting the same way.  Mike is the king of one liners. He and I may be rolling while the person he is speaking to just has a blank stare. There lies the problem………..he has such a warped since of humor that people often miss the humor. 

I have aquired some of these skills. I sometimes surprise myself with the cleverness of such words. This can also come across inappropriate to others. Example, the post about Frump. Sarcasm is laced throughout! (I am the farthest thing from Hot!)

OK, this post does not make sense unless you know us.

Kids have been home for less than 24 hours and we have already had a time-out, apple cider vinegar (mouthful for saying mean words), diarrhea, vomitting, and a doctor appointment. When Elizabeth walked in last night she had a crusty looking spot on her face. She also had spots all over her belly and some on her neck and face. Since Luke was vomitting and Elijah had diarrhea (Elizabeth also had both) Mike and Jane said they would take Elizabeth to her pediatrician. She has Impentigo. She had cut her ear on her earring and had been infected. (Impentigo is a type of staph infection). She also has a virus which is causing the gastrointestinal upset.

We have inflatable sword fighting, crying, yelling and more crying….”I miss Grandmaaaaaa!!!” It is back to normal for the Riley’s! 

Time flies when you’re having fun and enjoying the peace and quiet. Around 7:30 this evening I was checking email in my bedroom when I heard yelling and squeals……………….Mommmmmmyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ahhh, how precious are the little faces and hugs!  Within minutes the peace and solitude of the past week was erased from my consciousness. They had so much fun staying with Grandpa and Grandma. A week was plenty of time to hear stories about Daddy when he was a kid. I am so thankful for Elizabeth, Luke, Isaiah, and Elijah. They are precious gifts from God…………………..just really noisy ones

It seems that I go through seasons of frump with my appearances. This should be expected as I have very little fashion savy. ( I really miss my mentor, Christy, from Columbus, who had her Bible then Vogue right under it!)

I am in between do’s right now and when I look into the mirror it is frightening! I have been in Little Rock for a year and a half now and have yet to find a great hair person. Actually, I did find someone but she charges $45 just for a trim/cut. Can’t afford that! So, out of desperation I went to Wal-Mart salon and got a perm. That was about two months ago.

My hair is so goofy looking right now, it is driving me crazy. The intent is to grow it out for Locks of Love. Michelle, a friend from FamilyLife, is growing hers out with me. 

Mike insists that I am “hot” in the picture at the top of this blog. (go back and hit refresh until the photo of me in gray and pink pops up) OK, I will say, that was one of my favorite do’s, but it was free. I had won a makeover through a local t.v. station and it was televised. (that is the lady who charges a lot)

[here’s the picture - mike]

I guess I will remain in my season of frump until it grows back out and I can be “hot” again.

With Elizabeth, Luke, Isaiah, and Elijah out of the house, it has been extremely quiet.  With so much time on my hands I have had time to realize some things about myself. I have been in a lull with my prayer/Bible quiet time. I thought about why I haven’t taken the time to spend time with God lately, especially with everyone out of the house. I was able to come up with a couple of reasons which probably pan out to be excuses.

1. I am extremely selfish, especially, in the flesh!   I want to do whatever I want, whenever I want. 

2. I lack even the desire to spend time in my Bible or prayer right now.  I asked the LORD yesterday to plant that strong desire to spend time with Him.

I discovered I have bad habits that creep to the surface during those lulls.

1. Spending: I find myself drawn into stores. I am tempted by the orange clearance prices and try to justify why I “need” something. If I do purchase something, I end up returning it or feeling guilty.

2. Ebay: This probably falls under the spending bad habit. It is loads of fun to make a bid on something. (I know when to draw my line on this one) There is great satisfaction in knowing you have purchased 3 pieces of Tupperware for only $14.99! Hey, I wanted a hamburger press and the seller threw in two storage containers! Seriously, it is fun just to get on there and see the things that people sell.

3. World Wide Web: I have spent so much time online this week.  It is interesting to look for something specific and then click on the various links. I don’t do this when the kids are home. There is too much junk that could pop up on the screen.  People searches are addictive.

4. Distraction: I find that I can’t stay focused on anything long enough to attain the goal. Even with my to-do lists. I am distracted by the world and the flesh.

Through all of this I realize what is going on. I am trying to fill the void of where God should be in my life. I thank God He never stops teaching me lessons even when I have distanced myself! I step back and say Thank you for never leaving me nor forsaking me. I do love you and help me focus on you, again. Thank you for my salvation.

Got a speeding ticket today on the way to work, out on Highway 10. I was speeding but I don’t think I was going as fast as the officer said. Court date is August 16th.

Here’s what happened… My car kind of sputters when it has been raining or when it is real humid, this morning it was real humid. So, to get it going when it does that, I step on the accelerator until it takes off. Then I will let it go for a minute to blow out the gunk. That’s what I did when I got out on Cantrell this morning. As I was slowing back down, I looked in my mirror and there was the cop. He must have clocked me just as I hit my peak.

Oh well, I hope the ticket isn’t too much. Maybe they will let me work restitution instead of having to pay a ticket. Do they do that here in Arkansas?

Free time ends tomorrow evening as Grandpa and Grandma bring back the kiddos. I have enjoyed the quiet and have had some great introspective time. However, I will be glad to see the kids. I think it may be for selfish reasons, though. Mike as picked at me the whole time they have been gone! He even told me that for a split second while stopped at a gas station the thought went through his head, “Now’s my chance!” He was referring to leaving me and Bobo at the gas station. My mom once told me that people (dad and brother) pick at me because they love me. Mike must love me a whole bunch! Actually, I think it is the other way around. He dishes out but can’t take it. It is kind of humorous!

Since we are kid-less, we thought it would be a good idea to go to a movie over the weekend. And… being the loving husband I am… I let Karen pick the movie. She chose The Lake House. Although I don’t care for most of Keanu’s movies and I can’t stand Sandra Bullock, I have to admit that I wasn’t totally opposed to seeing it. It had the whole “time warp” aspect to the story and I like a good chick flick every now and then.

Overall, it wasn’t too bad, I would have rather waited for the DVD. Keanu did a decent job. He still has that flat delivery but he wasn’t distracting. And Sandra was still annoying but didn’t do to bad either. The plot was completely predictable and had several holes. It seems the fact that they could communicate with each other although separated by a two year gap was accepted as an everyday occurrence by several of the characters.
 Just before the start of the third act I leaned over and told Karen how it was going to end, and it did. Exactly.

After the movie, I told Karen that since I took her to a Keanu Reeves chick flick she would have to watch The Matrix with me.
Side Note: Keanu was made to play three roles. 1) The boyfriend in Parenthood 2) Ted 3) Neo.

We got through half of it last night because Karen had to get to bed early. We will finish it tonight. So far, she isn’t impressed. Somewhere in the Kung-Fu training scene she turned to me and asked, “how did we end up together? We don’t have the same tastes in music or movies.” (paraphrase)

That’s a good question. I guess we have the “making fun of people in public” thing going for us.

I’m a master at it. Today’s Savage Chicken made me laugh:

One other thing about our home town. The Commons Mall is a pretty cool place in downtown Columbus. Its one of the many “architectural wonders” there, the building itself and the sculpture inside called Chaos I

The Commons is a strange place. It is a mall (although the shopping portion seems to be dying),  a playground, food court, live theater and movie theater all in one. As a kid I saw all kinds of cool stuff there. Chinese Circus, talent shows, a puppet version of The Griffin and the Minor Canon (the coolest puppet show I’ve ever seen. People dressed all in black manning these life-sized, totally wicked looking puppets). Junior and Senior proms were there. Oh, and the first date I had with Karen was to see Heywood Banks there.

The playground there is an indoor city playground.

 It used to be an awesome playground, back in the day. That 4 foot mound used to have this giant circular monkey bar thing that was about 8 feet high. We could climb and sit on top of it… 12 feet off the ground.
You can’t see it all in the picture but the thing the slide on the right is in is one of two, 2 story cylinders made of bars. They both have platforms (enclosed by bars) on top and they exit out into the upstairs of the mall (right by the movie theater entrance.) The second cylinder had stairs that now just go to the top of the slide but they used to go all the way up to the platform on top. And the cylinder with the slide used to have two fire poles, one that went from the top platform to a second platform that was where the top of the slide is now, and a second pole that went from there to the ground.
It was all very dangerous but to an 8 year old kid it was like heaven.

They are supposed to be tearing it all down and building some new playground. I’m sure they will make it all “safe” and remove all possibility of “broken limbs” and “severe head trauma” but there is no way it will be as fun as it was when I was a kid.

We went back to Indiana last week for the 4th. Did some fishing, took in a movie and set off fireworks. By the way, everything is legal in Indiana now. We had it all, bottle rockets, fire crackers, roman candles, mortars. If it went in the sky and blew up, we had it. As my dad would say, “Its Fireworks Display 2006.”

Dad testing a bottle rocket. Checking the atmospheric conditions, wind velocity, etc.

We got to have homemade ice cream:

And we went to see Jon, best friend since 2nd grade:

(we were not supposed to smile, we were recreating a photo from 16 years ago)

We left the kids with Grandma and Grandpa last Thursday and they won’t be back until this coming Thursday! Woo hoo!
Its weird getting used to a quiet house and free time to do whatever we want.

Mike keeps annoying me to write a  post on the “new” blog….so here it is honey. I am bored of sitting out here in the 90 degree weather waiting for people to come by and buy something! Yard sales are hit or miss. Next time we will put an add in the paper.

Here it is, the new and improved Riley blog running on Wordpress 2.0.3.

Still got to figure out these “widget” things. I keep getting errors. Lots of tweaking left to do. Now all I have to do is teach Karen how to log in and post.

See the RSS feed to the right to subscribe.

Boy, this summer is flying by! I am finishing up the laundry and packing our bags to head to Indiana. We are leaving tomorrow when Mike gets home from work and driving all night. (We decided that supper time and after is the best driving time with the kids because they are worn out) That will give us all day Friday in Columbus, as well. Looking forward to fireworks at the in-laws. I must admit, I am a bit disappointed I won’t get to see my brother. I am looking forward to visiting our home church and small group on Friday night.

Greg Fielder’s blog

Vintqage21 Jesus Videos

It is hilarious! To bad Grace is almost done with their series on My Feltboard Jesus. These would make for a great intro.

(Note to those who may be offended by these videos: They are NOT making fun of Jesus. They are making fun of people’s misconceptions of who Jesus is.)]]>

and that Warren Buffett will be donating $37 billion (that’s billion, with a ‘b’) to Bill’s foundation.

Kudos to both of them. The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation was already the world’s largest charitable organization worth over $29 billion, now it will more than double. Their money and efforts can go a long way to meet the physical needs of the entire world. With these guys taking care of the physical, what better opportunity for the Church to follow behind and meet the spiritual needs.

Having said that…

While all of this is great, I get a little put off by the news media’s comments and the fact that they are overlooking past great philanthropists, mostly Christians. Buffett is giving away 85% of his wealth late in his life. He’s still got $7 billion in his pocket, at 75 years old I don’t think he will be burning through it anytime soon. I’d like to hear at least one news story comparing Buffett to R.G. LeTourneau. That guy gave away 90% of his money and lived on 10% for most of his professional career. Or even C.S. Lewis who, while not in the same wealth ball park as these other guys, lived on a small portion of his income and gave away a large portion of his wealth through what he called the Agape fund.

Anyway, I’m glad to see these guys not loving money but recognizing the responsibility they have to use their wealth for good.

In my quest, I stumbled across this site. Looks to be a valuable resource:

http://community.gospelcom.net/Brix?pageID=4130

It has lyrics, sheet music and recordings of hymns.

It was about 45 minutes up, hung out on top for about 45 minutes and then another 30 minutes back down.

Man it was hot! But we had plenty of water and we had a good time.

I need to get into the habit of going up once a week.

The other day at work, we had a discussion about the generic term for soft drinks. Do you call it soda, pop, the generic “coke” or something else. One co-worker pointed us to this map that gives a county-by-county breakdown:

Man, I’m glad people have that kind of time on their hands to waste because this stuff is fascinating to me.

The Arkansans seem to favor “coke.”
One guy is from Michigan and was a strong “pop” proponent.
I’m from central Indiana (Bartholomew Co) where it seems to be an even split between “coke” and “pop.” I’ve said both but I don’t think I’ve ever used the term “soda.”

On a related note, I am a connoisseur of fine root beers. Something I’ve encountered more than once in restaurant when asking if they have root beer. “No, but we have Dr. Pepper.” What?!?! Since when is Dr. Pepper anything like root beer? I guess they are both brown but beyond that, I got nothin’.

Oh, and by the way, Barq’s is not root beer.

Here is something I meant to post last month when I was on my trip to Virgina. A post over at the G Sides reminded me of it.
Grant said:

To imagine that the pimple-faced kid who can?t look anyone in the eye could one day be the reason thousands know Jesus is hard - no, impossible - when he (or she) has just spilled the 4th Dr. Pepper on your white carpet. Years could go by without affirmation that what you do is working and the parable of the 10 healed but 1 returning makes perfect sense now. 

My trip was to Williamsburg, VA. The last time I was there was 16 years ago on a mission trip with my church youthgroup. My youth pastor at the time was from the area and while I was there last month I tried looking him up. After about 3 minutes on Google I discovered he was pastoring a church in North Carolina. Since I was already in a nostalgic mood I decided to give him a call. We talked for a few minutes about what we were doing now and about our trip way back in 1990. A few days later I got an email from him and he said this:

Just wanted to drop you a quick line to say ?thanks? for your phone call the other day. It really has been awhile since I thought deeply about my experiences back in Columbus, but the contact from you was a welcome invitation to reminisce a little. I enjoyed our conversation so much, in fact, that I?m using it as a sermon illustration this Sunday?it (along with some other experiences of this past week) allows me to consider how the various ?stories? of our lives are never really finished, but are continually being used by God to keep writing the ?grand story? that he is creating in and through our lives. 

Wow, I’m a real life sermon illustration!

But seriously, it is neat to see how God uses people in our lives to help guide us and form us into who he wants us to be. And you don’t have to be a youth pastor to do it. Every time we come in contact with someone, we have the opportunity to be used by God to make an impact on their lives.

The flip side of that coin is I pass up those opportunities on a daily basis. I need to find the “ON” switch for that radar.

As I’ve been reading my Bible the past two mornings, I have been going over Matthew 6:25-33. In light of my last post, it is something I am needing to learn right now. I didn’t go looking for that passage, as so often happens, it just happened to be the next chapter as I’ve been reading through Matthew and it ended up being very applicable to my current situation. 
But, I did go back and revisit it yesterday and I kept coming back to this phrase:

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness 

I’ve read that countless times, heard people talk about it, even sang about it but I’ve never really thought much about how to actually do it.

How do you seek first his kingdom and righteousness?

I don’t know. I think I have an idea, there are all kinds of things I can do, good works, reading my Bible, praying, etc. But is that really what “seeking first his kingdom and righteousness” means?

I’ve got questions, time to look for answers.

Sunday afternoon, our van’s transmission began to slip in and out of gear. Got it to the shop and found out it will be $1200 - $1400!

Still not sure how we are going to pay for all of it. Sure would be nice to have back the $$$ we spent on our trip.

Fortunately, it did not die on us on our trip.

On top of that, Karen has been sick, and I have been trying to find ways to get to and from work without being to much of a burden on others.

And… I have a bunch of ministry support raising stuff to do this week and next.

It all keeps adding up.

We made it back from Destin over the weekend and we had a GREAT time.

We spent most of our days like this:

- Got up, fixed breakfast while watching cable TV. The kids and I fought over Cartoon Network vs Discovery Channel. Most of the time, they won.

- Spent a half hour putting sunscreen on everyone.

- Made the 150 yard trek to the beach and set up camp.

- Played on the beach for a few hours.

- Go back to the condo and eat lunch.

- Visit the pool.

- Head back to the beach.

- Eat dinner back at the condo.

- Take a walk on the beach.

- Play in the pool until bedtime.

We fought off some sickness and had some “rough seas” for a day due to the tropical storm but a good time was had by all.

Our Condo, we are on the right.

Playing on the beach

Isaiah found a shell

At the go-cart track, look at the intensity!

At the pool.

You can see all our pictures here:

http://www.therileyfamily.org/photos.php

Mike said the blog about vacation made it sound like a horrible time. There is the humor, to me at least. Despite all of the junk surrounding our health and the van, WE HAD A WONDERFUL TIME!!!

The Lord is gracious to let me see through the affliction and trials. There, are you happy, my sweet, honey?

I had to pick up Luke’s t-ball trophy, pick up a medication refill, make a doctor appointment, and get some groceries.

On the way to Florida we had to stop so I could get some Robitussin and Hall’s for my cough and congestion. The whole time it kept getting progressively worse. I called yesterday to schedule an appointment and the first thing was that I have a balance I needed to take care of. Mike was in training all day and was hard to contact.

I ran out of Zoloft while on the trip and yesterday was the 5th day without it. NOT Good. I know when my kids pray about me being grouchy, something’s gotta give or be tweaked. I NEEDED a refill.

While on our way back from Florida the van was jerking alot and not running smoothly. Yesterday, I dropped off the kids and the van was going very slowly. Right after I pick up my Zoloft I am headed toward Wal-mart and drive into the FamilyLife parking lot because van is REALLY acting up by this point.

I finally coasted into the parking space in neutral and call Mike on the cell through tears. He comes out to help me switch car seats and boys over to the car. Tells me to pay the balance at the doctor and call my friend to babysit so I don’t have to take all 4 with me. Thank God for Holly. He prays for me and our vehicles in the parking lot and I make it to Wal-mart before time to pick up Elizabeth and Luke.

I get to the doctor and am thinking, I will just go in, get an antibiotic and be on my way. ahhahahahaha… I am in the patient room and looking at the brochures on the wall. Not a good thing for someone to do who hasn’t had a quiet/prayer time in over a week and having 5 day Zoloft withdraws! By the time Dr.Felton got into the room I had diagnosed myself with heart disease, skin cancer, and menopause, yes, menopause. Anyway, back to the symptoms at hand….allergy symptoms began when I was taking care of extra pets for a friend (she has cats, which I am +4 allergic to)and progressively got worse. I came out with a steroid shot in the right hip, a prescription strength sudafed, and a script for an antibiotic if it gets worse. Worse? How can it get worse? I have been blowing green and yellow snot out for over a week, have had itchy, watery eyes along with headache and cough! Anyway, the steroid has been extremely helpful and am feeling better today.

As for the van…NOT GOOD….the transmission must be completely rebuilt……

We are suppose to leave a week from Thursday for Indiana. I am trusting the LORD for His provision. We have been looking forward to this trip about as much as we were the beach.

Know anyone who would like to donate a year 2000 or newer van or Suburban? If donated through church or Campus Crusade for a receipt it is tax deductible!

We had a great week of fun in the sun! We experienced everything you might expect for a first time family vacation.

allergy sinus flare up~ Robitussin and Halls` me

upset stomach~live with it~ Karen, Luke

diarrhea~ Luke, Isaiah, Elijah, Karen

vomit~Luke, Isaiah, Elijah

headache~Luke and Karen

Karen and Luke downed Pepto chewables (first time I have ever had Pepto and it did NOT make me vomit)while all of the boys had increased water, Gatoarade, and Pedialyte.

After realizing our “waterproof SPF 45″ sunscreen really wasn’t waterpoof, we lubed up even more. (we switched to another brand and went through a total of 2 1/2 bottles of sunscreen. Still got sunburnt!

I came to the conclusion the boys were drinking the sea water everytime they were splashed. Elijah’s diapers were strangley smelling of salt water. Luke had more fun in the pool at our complex than he did in the ocean.

Despite the mucous, diarrhea, and vomit, it was very relaxing to just sit and listen to the waves. The water was extremely clear and very warm. It felt good when the waves smacked up against my back. We were fortunate that we only received a tiny bit of rain and thunder from Tropical Storm Alberto. That happened in the overnight hours. The LORD really blessed our trip.

Elizabeth and Luke chose body boards for their souvenirs so they had fun riding the waves. I was in college the last time I was on one of those things. I couldn’t seem to hit the wave at just the right time so I ended up flipping over the board and losing my headband and sunglasses. I recovered the headband but not the sunglasses. A couple days later I tried relaxing in the tube Mike had bought. Same thing…missed the wave and toppled over to come up with my headband down over my eyes, sunglasses in hand and the rope of the tube wrapped around my neck. I gave up on the toys at that point. I stuck to hunting seashells after that. Ironically, on our last evening while looking for shells, I found a pair of sunglasses. If I hadn’t already bought a funky new purple pair I would have kept them. The lady I was talking to kept them instead.

The kids also enjoyed viewing Cartoon Network in every free moment they had. (we are too cheap to pay for cable!) Mike enjoyed the history and discovery channels. I have to admit the Discover Health channel had some very interesting programs.

There was obvious, but minimal, hurricane damage from last year. Looked like minor things likes decks and steps and driveways. A few homes/condos had been completely destroyed.

It is a beautiful beach. I have been to the beach in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Daytona Beach in Florida, and Pismo Beach and LaJolla Beach in California. I have to say, Destin, was by far, my favorite.

First time at the beach for the kids. Well, Elizabeth was at a beach when she was 1 1/5 and Isaiah went when he was a few months old. But now they will remember it.

Oh, and Karen has taken Draconian measures. No laptops for the WHOLE TRIP

I guess I’ll be forced to enjoy the sand and water…

1) I guess if “gay rights” activists want to press the issue we need to protect an institution that has been around since Adam and Eve. But I’m still not sure that a Constitutional amendment isn’t an over reaction.

2) I’ve heard several radio ads by Focus On the Family and I’ve got to say, I’m pretty disappointed in them. Can’t remember the exact phrasing but in them they say something to the effect “Gay rights advocates don’t think children deserve a mom and a dad.” That is way too much like political campaign speak for a Christian organization for me. At best its stretching the truth, at worst an out and out lie. Isn’t that more of an adoption issue?

I don’t like the attempt at pulling at my heart strings with a half-truth.

3) .This blog got me thinking about it.

Homosexuals have the very same right to marry that heterosexuals do - to marry one person at a time of the opposite sex. No rights are being denied to anyone. 

I’ve said that to people whenever the subject comes up. I’m all for gay marriage. A gay person can marry one person of the opposite sex.

Anything else and we are no longer talking about marriage.

File this under “Useless trivia that only Mike and Karen would find interesting.”

Indiana license plates use an ingenious system that informs you of the origin of the car just by looking at the first two numbers. The number represents the county by alphabetical order. Adams County is 01, Whitley County is 92.

When we first moved to Little Rock, we noticed several Indiana plates. Ah, a little piece of home. One day Karen came home and said, “Hey, I saw a Columbus car getting onto 430 today.” (Columbus is our hometown, Bartholomew County, 03) Then, a week or so later, I saw a Columbus car, then another and another. I would see them on the interstate, at the grocery store, or just going down the street. Really strange. Bartholomew County is about 70,000 people, 40,000 of which live in Columbus. Seeing one 03 Indiana plate in Little Rock would be a rarity let alone seeing several a month.

We finally saw a lady getting out of a “Columbus car” in the zoo parking lot sometime last Summer and discovered that they are rental cars. For some reason, most of the cars of a local rental place (not sure which one) have Indiana plates with a large percentage of those being from Bartholomew County.

If you read this far… like I said, at least its interesting to Karen and I…]]>

I ran across this story today:

Lioness in zoo kills man who invoked God.

Basically, a guy at a zoo in Kiev jumps into the lion enclosure and runs up to a lioness yelling, “God will save me if he exists.” And then the lioness does what God created her to do: “A lioness went straight for him, knocked him down and severed his carotid artery.”

OK, for the moment lets forget that the guy was either deeply disturbed or just an idiot.

Many people might ask, “if there is a god, why didn't he save him?” and conclude that this is proof that God does not exist… not so fast.

There are several things wrong with this guys “logic.” It is apparent to me that he did not actually spend much time looking for God or if he did, he didn't pay attention to his findings.

If he was really looking for God, he would have come across the Bible somewhere in his search. He would have seen in the Old testament that Israel was warned numerous times not to test the Lord (Numbers 21, Deuteronomy 6)

And there are reminders in the New Testament that, guess what, God still doesn't like to be put to the test. (1 Corinthians 10)

The other very important part of this guy's story is the second part of his statement, “if he exists.” If you are going to put your life on the line, God is going to require a little more faith out of you than “if you exist.” That is always a requirement in the instances in the Bible where God does miraculous things through people. Look at Gideon “casting fleece.” (Judges 6) Gideon wasn't short on faith in God, he had a relationship with him. He was wanting to know what God wanted him to do.

Every other instance I can think of, the people have no question of God's existence or who he is.

If you are going to try and play games with God, do a little investigation work first to learn the rules.]]>

Hey, a lady can dream, can't she?! First of all, with the history of skin cancer in my family, it is Coppertone SPF 50 or BUST!!! As for the bathing suit…I have been pregnant and given birth 5 times, need I say more? Now for the drinks……..I may have a nonalcoholic one on our anniversary (10th). (they are way overpriced, anyway!)

We are looking forward to putting our toes in the sand and seeing the kids' reactions the first time a wave rolls up. It will be fun! Tonight we get to dig out the suitcases and the pack-n-play and begin the tedious job of washing clothes.

We made hotel reservations for halfway…Haddiesburg, MS. Looking forward to stretching out after a day in the car with 4 kids.

What I am really looking forward to is no computer, internet, etc. I am banning all of it from our vacation!]]>

The teachers have already sent home pencils, crayons, glue, etc. They have already torn apart some of the classrooms because ALL of the classrooms are moving for next year. So, tomorrow is probably a wasted day for many of the teachers who have to have everything moved out of their rooms by the 6th.

We are getting up early tomorrow and taking our time. We are taking the kids to Burger King for breakfast and then taking them into their classrooms. I think tomorrow will be kind of quiet at Fulbright. Almost every parent I have talked to is keeping their child home. Ah, the last day of school is always fun…..for the kids. I, however, find myelf saddened that my kiddos are a little bit older.]]>

They showed me great hospitality even though they are extremely busy right now. They let me stay in their home and provided me with a long list of contacts. They were able to offer help to me in the midst of a very hectic life (Dave has a new job which is currently in the midst of a crisis and Rebecca has two under the age of 3 at home.)

Thanks so much for your help!]]>

I just wanted to say a word or two about the friends I stayed with in South Carolina, Greg and Fonya Page. We met the Page's in our hometown back in 1998. They started attending our church and our small group Bible study. Got to know them and their kids very well and even started our own Bible study with them.

Here is the deal about the Page's they are all about showing the love of Christ to others. They were always there when anyone has needed help. They moved to Mexico for a couple of years. While they were there they befriended a local woman, helped her out financially and spiritually. They helped with a rural church plant there as well.

We were in the middle of our initial support raising when they moved back to the states. They were a huge help during that time, watching our kids at least one night a week.

They helped me tremendously while I was on my trip. Never had to pay for a thing. Every time I reached for my wallet, Greg was in front of me paying already. They also got me in contact with some quality people in SC. And Greg is already talking about how he can help us again in the future. Something about using he Sky Miles…

I have seen the love of Christ in action because of the Pages.]]>

When that happens we discovered if we ignore it they go back to their bed. Not that night. A few minutes later they were back, this time louder and they sounded really scared. So I gave in and let them in and we all went back to sleep.

The next day, after school, Luke told Karen about seeing two men in our living room when he was banging on our door. He gave very detailed descriptions. A fat guy wearing a hat and a normal sized bald guy. I repeatedly asked him details about it and he gave the same details every time. Isaiah went along with the story too, but did not give any details, he just confirmed what Luke said.

We checked all the windows and doors. No signs of entry. Luke said he heard them come in the front door but it was dead bolted.

We have concluded that it was a vivid dream Luke had and that Isaiah was a victim of the power of suggestion. Luke has vivid dreams almost every night and recounts them the next day with details. I think that is what happened that night too. However, it is a little unsettling when our 6 year old tells us that he saw people in our house.

I have been double checking the locks at night.

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Warning: If you are avoiding spoilers for Lost, stop reading now?

Lost is my favorite show on TV and is fast becoming my favorite show ever. If you have not been watching it, go rent the DVDs.

The season 2 finale was on last night and it was awesome. This whole season there has been an underlying theme about faith. To make a very long story way too short, there is a guy on the island named John Locke. Before the plane crash (the show is about these people that crash landed on an island) Locke was paralyzed, we don?t know why we just know that he couldn?t walk. After the plane crash he could walk, he experienced a miracle (we are lead to believe it is because of the island.) Through a series of events over the course of both seasons, he develops a faith in ?the island? (I know it sounds weird but it makes sense in the context of the show.)

So, in season two we find out that there is this computer in this hatch that has to have a certain sequence of numbers entered in every 108 minutes or the world will end. Locke believes it whole heartedly, it is part of his faith in the island. Others question the reasoning and suggest that it may all be a game and that the world really will not end. Locke is undeterred and is faithful in pushing the button. That is until a series of events cause him to question the reason for pushing the button and his faith in the island.

Someone lies to him and tells him that they didn?t hit the button and nothing happened when, in fact, they did hit the button (which we don?t find out until the finale.) That lie put a crack in his faith which was split wide open when he finds another hatch with an instructional video instructing the residents of that hatch to monitor the button pushing hatch and record their actions, as a behavioral experiment. Once Locke finds this out he has a crisis of belief and rejects his faith, thinking he has all the facts, thinking that he can see the big picture, thinking the button did nothing and that it was nothing more than a psychological experiment. Then he acts on that unbelief and the error of his ways almost destroys the world.

In the finale we find out that the button actually does something. It discharges some sort of electromagnetic field that builds up every 108 minutes. Locke doesn?t believe it and is determined to keep the button from being pressed in order to free himself and everyone else from the ?oppression? of having to press the button. He destroys the computer so the button cannot be pressed, the counter reaches 0, alarms go off, and the whole hatch starts to shake, metal starts flying towards the center of the hatch and Locke begins to see the error of his ways. His faith is restored when he sees that his assumption (arrogance) that he knew the whole picture begins to literally blow up in his face. And not only that, the consequence of his actions threatened him and everyone around him.

As I watched that I thought, ?what a great allegory!? I don't think I've seen matters of faith treated so well and so intelligently as they are on this show. Its just not so obvious at first glance.

If you want to know what happened next, you?ll have to watch the show.

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-

I have always been a wand'rer, over land and sea.

Yet a moonbeam on the water, casts a spell o'er me.

A vision fair I see, again I seem to be.

Back Home again in Indiana

And it seems that I can see

The gleaming candlelight still shining bright

Thro' the sycamores for me

The new mown hay sends all its fragrance

From the fields I used to roam

When I dream about the moonlight on the Wabash

Then I long for my Indiana home.

Fancy paints on mem'ry's canvas,

Scenes that we hold dear

We recall them in days after,

Clearly they appear.

And often times I see, a scene that's dear to me.

Back Home again in Indiana

And it seems that I can see

The gleaming candlelight still shining bright

Thro' the sycamores for me

The new mown hay sends all its fragrance

From the fields I used to roam

When I dream about the moonlight on the Wabash

Then I long for my Indiana home

I was going through a ?thing? a couple of weeks ago when I was really missing Indiana. Although I know we are called to ministry and we love Arkansas, Indiana will always be home.

May is a great time in Indiana. School gets out for the summer, there are blooms on all the trees and all the flowers are popping out. There is the Indianapolis mini-marathon and the Greatest Spectacle in Racing: the Indianapolis 500, which will be this weekend. I had been to the qualifications or time trials many times but never to the race. That is something I always wanted to do but never did.

This got me to thinking about other things that I love about Indiana and Columbus and the things I miss or just bring warm memories.

I love springtime. Washington Street is beautiful with all the white blooms lining both sides of the streets. When the wind blows it showers white petals from the trees. Also on Washington St is the Commons Mall. The playground in that place has been around since I was a kid but it is so stinkin dangerous. Any parent who has been there will know what I am talking about. Ah, the Chaos and its metal ?bowling balls.? Do you know if I close my eyes, I can see and hear the cycle of that thing? It was always fun to throw pennies into the water around it. I enjoyed it as have Luke and Elizabeth. It was always fun to see kids fall in that thing, my kids included!

Washington Street is also the town?s parade route, whether it be Ethnic Expo or the Christmas parade. Where else in America can you see the city?s newest trash and/or recycling truck in the parade?..oh yeah, don?t forget every Girl Scout/ Boy Scout troop in the county!

Zaharako?s, also on Washington Street, is an excellent place to get a cinnamon coke. They are AWESOME!!

Incidently, Washington Street is shown in the movie, Madison. The men go to steal a jet engine from an old military plane. That plane sits right outside the Columbus Courthouse. Also, the bank that is in that movie is across the street from the Commons Mall.

Indiana is also home of some famous people: David Letterman, John Cougar Mellancamp, Jane Pauley, Sandy Patti, Larry Bird (Indiana State University alum (woohoo!), and Tony Stewart. If I sat here long enough I could think of a lot more. Oh, this is the part where Mike would chime in???He would say ?Karen almost married Tony Stewart.? Completely false, of course. My junior year of high school, Tony was a senior. No one had asked me to the prom so I asked him if he wanted to go. He said he would like to but had a race the same night. I went ahead and asked another friend instead. The next day Tony came to school and said his car was in the shop and wouldn?t be finished in time. He asked if I still wanted to go to the prom. I was too much of a nice person to cancel with the other person.

At this point it is just easier to list all the great things that I miss and love:

Knowing exactly where someplace is without needing directions or street names, the Crump theatre, Bartholomew County 4-H Fair (where else can you see someone you haven?t seen in years?) watching airplanes take off at Bakalar while eating in The Hanger restaurant. The farmhouse and the many memories made for my kiddos there, 2941 18th Street and boy and girl neighbor & Katie dog, 460th 25th Street (the first house I ever lived in/ Mike and I moved in right after our first anniversary), 2018 Fremont Drive (my mobile home address for 24 years).

Aldi grocery store (dirt cheap and you can actually stay UNDER budget), stopping by Grandpa?s classroom to watch robots and/or cars, seeing people I know almost everywhere I go, not fearing for my life every time I drive!, fresh watermelon, tomatoes, corn on the cob, and ?Fireworks Display (you fill in the year)? at Grandpa Riley?s. We miss Donner Park with the shuffle board court and public swimming pool, the Hospice concerts at Mill Race Park and the fun Kiddie shows at Donner in the summer, First Christian Church Preschool and Moms at Heart, CNHS fall football games, Hoosier Hysteria, Colts, Pacers, Indianapolis at Christmas (especially Monument Circle), Mexico Viejo,

There is also a ?country? smell of the surrounding corn fields, driving on the back roads at dusk, Hardin?s Christmas Tree Farm, Youth Camp, Grouse Ridge, going by Garland Brook to put flowers on Emma?s and my mom?s grave, taking walks down Franklin Street, Popfest, softball games at Lincoln Park, Bulldog Lanes (bowling alley), Columbus Skateland (Celebration?long live Kool and the Gang!), Lucas Brothers, having donuts with the kiddos at The Olympia, going to Brown County in the fall, Beckers (which will always be A&W to me), cow tipping, Homemade Ice cream and lemon shakeups, Oktoberfest, ISU, family gatherings at CERAland and Dad?s house, Community Church of Columbus, my family and friends.

I am looking forward to the 4th of July as I will be back home again, in Indiana!

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- I told them I would do it. Luke decided he wanted to be bulbed (bald)and Isaiah wanted a buzz. Elizabeth wanted a boy cut.

I began with Luke, did Isaiah's, and finished with Elizabeth. I will leave Elijah's first cut for a salon or barber so we can tape and take pictures.

After about 45 minutes of cutting and shaving, Luke became a hairless little boy who looks like a little cancer patient! He likes it. The past two mornings we have lubed his head in sunscreen. Last night Elizabeth decided to use that shiny white head as a fresh slate for green permanent marker. What did she write? “Elizabeth,” respectively!

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- …everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” Isaiah 43:7

Each one of us was built by God with the purpose of glorifying him. I don't know why he did but he tells us he did.

How do we glorify God? I'm guessing there are nearly infinite ways to glorify God but there are some ways that come natural to you.

You know, those things you do that you have a knack or talent for, those are the things you can do to glorify God. The things that God has called us to do.

“So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the LORD has commanded.

Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work.” - Exodus 36:1-2

Bezalel and Oholiab had been given skills and abilities by God. And, here is the key, they were willing to work. Willing to work in the area that God had gifted them. Have you ever seen someone trying to do something where they clearly do not have the gift? It is usually obvious to everyone around them before it is obvious to them. And it usually isn't bringing glory to God.

Here's the thing, we are glorifying God whenever we are doing what he built us to do and when we are doing that it brings us pleasure and joy.

The preacher preaching a sermon,

The teacher leading a Bible study.

The musician crafting a song.

(those are the easy ones, we see them in church every Sunday)

The mother raising her children.

The doctor treating a patient.

The policeman walking a beat.

The pilot flying a plane.

The architect designing a building.

The carpenter building a cabinet.

The engineer designing a machine.

The programmer writing code.

All of those things can be done in a way to bring glory to God and they bring pleasure to the person doing them. Those last two are what I was built for. I get excited about them, I enjoy them. If I were independently wealthy, I would still want to do something in either of those fields, just for the fun if it. I like it.

I am at FamilyLife doing what God designed me to do. Its behind the scenes, I'm not out planning FamilyLife events or counseling couples or speaking on the radio. I am behind a computer, working with others to design and build software, without which, the ministry could not operate or at least could not operate at the level it does and reach the number of people world wide that they do.

Every one of us has a gift, talent or ability that can be used to bring glory to God. In fact, that is the reason you have that very talent. So, quit reading this and go find where you can use it to bring glory to God. And have fun!

Side note: I know there is a difference between a spiritual gift and being gifted with a skill. I recognize I've sort of blurred that line here.

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asparagus urine (#1 by far with 16 hits not counting the other variations. What sort of freaks search for this kind of stuff
As The Dear Panteth words

Ezekiel horse emission(See this post for details)

as the dear panteth

as the dear panteth for the water chords

asparagus smelling urine

asparagus-urine

chicken necks

dog returns to its vomit. bible

familylife and missionary staff

isaiah's blog

nip it barney midi

toenail dirt smell

weird smelling urine

andy griffith song about barney to the tune of my darling cleme

as the dear panteth in the bible

joseph addai-highligh-

toenail dirt toejam

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- Weekend To Remember conference attendees that I will be meeting with plus some friends of my friends.

Not sure how its all going to turn out or what my final schedule will look like. I'm a little nervous about it, not knowing if I will be able to gain new monthly supporters. Fortunately, I'm not in control.

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We layed him on our bed and smothered the tick with alcohol. Once it was dead Mike used tweezers to get it out. Although it scared Luke, it was pretty humorous to watch him as he realized it wasn't a leaf that was stuck on him. The more he tried to rub it off the more worked up he got. MOMMY THERE IS SOMETHING ON ME!!

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Joseph Addai yesterday.

He's the first round draft pick for the Colts that will compete with Dominic Rhodes for starting running back.

After seeing that, Bill Polian just might retain his title of “Draft Genius.”

Addai looks like he has many of the same skills as James and then some. He can make holes, cut on a dime and has a killer stiff-arm. Plus he has more speed than James. The only thing missing from the reel is blocking plays. I'd like to see if he can lay down a block like James.]]>

Hollywood is working on a Knight Rider movie. This coming on the heels of Starsky & Hutch, The Dukes of Hazard, and the upcoming Miami Vice.

Ok Hollywood, you've been at this for about 100 years now and it is obvious that you are tapped out of ideas. Time to hang it up and let someone else give it a shot.

And they wonder why ticket sales continue on the decline. What movie exec gives the go-ahead to these things?]]>

Over the weekend I pondered what the past year has been like as far as the spiritual and nonspiritual growth in my life. Also, I have had many opportunities I would otherwise not have.

Next Saturday I will participate in my first 5K Walk/Run. It is called Run for Their Lives. It is a benefit for a couple different local ministries. I thought it would be fun to say I “have done that.” Actually, since we had been walking 3 1/2 miles each day I know I can walk 3.1 miles. It will be fun plus I get a new t-shirt

I have been on t.v. twice since we have lived here. The first was the Knock-Knock makeover last December. The camera arrived at my door at 4:30 a.m. I went to a local salon, received a free makeover, while being televised throughout the morning newscast.

About a week later the kids and I were on the same station while we were visiting “Santa” at the River Market.

I have served on the Women's Ministry Team at our church and I am now on the planning committee for the FamilyLife Women's Retreat.

I am enjoying myself and am thankful I have been able to do these things.

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The East side is shorter but much harder.

Time up: 24 minutes

Time down: 23 minutes

Climbing down the rock piles is difficult.

I found a little plastic football close to the top. I thought, “Sweet! I wonder how far I can throw this.” Its so steep up there it looked like I could throw it to the bottom of the mountain. It went about 50 feet. :-(]]>

Monthly Man

:-)]]>

Geek Alert! If you are not a geek, please read no further…

http://www.therileyfamily.org

Ok, for the past month or so I've been working on updating the website. I've been toying around with CSS and PHP figuring out how to make things work in IE and Firefox (no small task.) Finally got a design I'm happy with (for now) and will soon be porting the blog section of the site over to Wordpress (very cool, free blog software.) Before I do I want to get it to look like the rest of the site.

I'll also be porting Karen's blog over too. Does anyone know how to run multiple blogs from the same Wordpress install?

Check out the rest of the site. Any graphic or web designers out there? I could use some pointers.]]>

I have pondered this issue for sometime. I understand that Wal-Mart is some mega-empire of the discount superstores and they can waste money on plastic shopping bags. There needs to be a line drawn at the amount of bags they waste, though.

When they do cashier training they should really work on bagging skills, as well. Haven't you noticed you could have one bag worth of items and somehow walk out of there with enough trash can liners for a month?!

What is even worse, they insist that EVERYTHING needs a bag….. even the diaper packages that come with handles! I often tell the cashier that he/she can put more in a bag or I will say, “go ahead and load it up.” They will look at me strangely.” Oh, if you really want to offend the cashier try rebagging the items while they are still on the bag carousel.

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Why do TV and movie producers think they have to patronize their viewers when it comes to computers? Its so stupid.

Anytime they show a computer screen it has some strange looking interface with huge flashing text, animations, etc. And when text goes across the screen they play goofy sound effects.

I think a majority of the viewing public has enough experience with computers to know that they don't go “beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep” when someone is typing. My 78 year old grandpa has a laptop for crying out loud!

I think we can handle it.]]>

There is a podcast I listen to every week called Stand To Reason. This week's broadcast was called “Engaging the Emerging Church.” Pretty interesting.

Thoughts?]]>

I'm not 100% sure what my time was, didn't have my cell phone (clock) with me. But I think it was about the same time - 20 minutes up and 20 minutes down.

There are markers on the trail, 0 at the bottom and 10 at the top. I can keep an almost running pace to the 7 marker then the mountain kicks my butt. Those last 3 markers take almost as much time as the first 7.]]>

For anyone with access to a child under 6, here is an experiment to try: 

1) Take an object small enough to hide in one hand. Present both closed hands to the child and ask him to pick the hand with the object.

2) If he picks the hand with the object, take both hands behind your back and switch hands. Then bring both closed hands back to the front, then open the empty hand.

3) If the child first picks the empty hand, open it.

4) The child should then pick the closed hand.

5) Make the behind the back switch and then show the empty hand again.

6) The child should pick the closed hand again.

Keep doing this until you or the child tire of it because he will never figure out that you are making the switch behind your back.

I love messing with kids.

I’m not sure what age they figure it out. I think it may be around 5. Everyone try it out and report your results here.

I’m anxious to see what you find.]]>

Before we moved here in February of 2005 we had closed on the house in December of 2004. The house had been vacated and on the market for about 7-9 months previous. That is a long time for bugs and spiders to take up residence. Two weeks before we moved in the realtor let the “bug man” in to spray.

We are on a first name relationship with the bug man. It is Marty, respectively. Marty is a nice, early 30's, gentleman with a young family……….getting off subject here…..and Marty KNOWS bugs!Every 3 months Marty comes and sprays the inside of the house, garage, and the outer perimeter of both.

It is a good thing that we have an ongoing contract with him. Have you seen those Madagascar cock roaches? We get some that are just a bit smaller than those! When we first moved her there were roaches EVERYWHERE…in the closets, bathrooms, kitchen, downstairs, It was just gross! I am thinking it is about time to call Marty again, because this week I have seen 2 roaches and a spider in the house.

Speaking of spiders……………. Last year in March I had been out late at a FamilyLife women's meeting. I was coming down the driveway, opened the garage door and saw some leaves on the floor. I didn't think much about it until I saw one of those leaves crawl. It was not a leaf…I pulled the van a little closer so the headlights would hit it. My worst fear had come to pass!!!! It was the largest spider I had ever seen outside of an aquarium/cage!!!! I knew it had to be a tarantula. At 10:30 in the night I am laying on the horn so Mike will come out….. He comes outside looking at me like I am crazy and when I tell him, he kinds of shrugs me off like I would make up how large this spider was. He took one look at that spider and his eyes got as big as golf balls! He squished it and I could hear it from inside the van. It was disgusting. We found out it was a Missouri Wolf spider. My question was why was it in Arkansas?!?!

I was told that there are alligators in the rivers in southern Arkansas. I will take extra precaution and keep this God-fearing body out of any water other than my shower or swimming pool!

Before we moved here we were told about the scorpions, tarantulas, black widows, and brown recluses. Oh, did I mention the copperheads, rattlesnakes, and cottonmouths?? Speaking of copperheads…….

One of the first people I met here has become a dear friend. Her youngest daughter was playing in their backyard. She went around the fence to get something and when she did she came back saying she had hit a thorn with her toe. That thorn turned out to be a Copperhead snake with fang marks an inch apart. What is creepy is that they did not even see the snake. It apparently struck her and got away quickly. When they took Meredith to the ER she was given IV antibiotics and the Dr. said it looked like a “classic” copperhead bite. This happened on Saturday. As of yesterday she was having swelling in her leg and her leg was blue about half way up.

Lovely, as if the spiders and scorpions aren't enough to gross and creep you out, now we have to be concerned about the little ones getting bit on the toe by a “thorn.”

There is much to be said about flowers and trees in this state. Today is the first time I have had my windows opened this week. Already, there is a yellow layer of pollen on the window ledges and dressers near the window. A black truck across the street temporarily has a yellow hood. It is pretty but disgusting as the pollen has caused me to be itchy, sneezing, coughing, and have itchy eyes, not to mention the headaches and upset stomach, and dizziness. (thank goodness for Claritin D, and Nasocort!)

…………and I thought Indiana was bad……………………]]>

One of the best depictions of Christ and the Easter story that I have seen is The Miracle Maker. Yes, its claymation but it is GOOD.

If you haven't seen it, go rent it, buy it, whatever… but see it.]]>

Yesterday's sermon at Grace was the first in a series on “Felt-Board Jesus.” Meaning that in Sunday School and many other times in church we get a 2-D picture of Jesus. He was a nice guy and a good teacher. Well… yeah, but he was much more than that.

The message was about getting a fuller, 3-D image of Jesus. I say 3 dimensions is a good start but still, we are only getting a glimpse of who Jesus really is. In his message, Grant said that God created a 3-D universe. He created that, plus some. But let me back up for a second…

The New Testament seems to suggest that Jesus created the universe.

John 1: 1-3 says:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

And Colossians 1: 15-16 says:

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

The Universe and String Theory

Now, hang with me here. Astrophysicists tell us that the universe has at least 4 dimensions, the 3 that make up space and a fourth that makes up time that's where we get the term “space-time” which you'll hear if you watch enough Star Trek.

But, there is a relatively new theory called “String Theory” that is being used to attempt to bridge the gap between Einstein's General Relativity (how big objects move and operate) and Particle Physics (how tiny objects move and operate, and when I say tiny I mean real tiny. like the particles they think make up gravity and electromagnetism and the nuclear forces.)

I don't know a whole lot about String Theory but I do know that they need at least 6 additional dimensions to make it work. It makes my head hurt just trying to think about it.

So, we have Jesus, who actually exists outside of the universe and who created (or at least helped create) a universe that is at least 10 dimensional. We are apparently tied to operating in just 4 of those dimensions but what if Jesus had the ability to operate in all 10? Is that how he walked on water? Is that how he turned water into wine, healed the sick, raised the dead? I have know idea but I think it starts to give us an idea of how vast our universe is and more importantly how much more vast our Lord is.

3-D Jesus? Its a start.]]>

My Dad Part 3:  

The biggest lessons my dad taught me were never things he said or lectures he gave, they were the things he did, and does to this day. Growing up, I watched him live out his faith in very real and tangible ways.

He would reach out to other kids in the neighborhood, especially those that did not have a father figure. I can remember playing at the playground and my dad befriending other kids and encouraging them to join in our games. A Game which was normally “Monster,” one of the coolest games ever invented. I’ll have to explain that later but suffice it to say that every kid that has ever played “Monster” has absolutely loved it. My other friends always said my dad was cool. I think it was because he would come out and play with us which a lot of other dads didn’t do. Plus, he was younger which made him easier to relate to. He is a big Star Wars fan and I think he liked going to the arcade more than my brother and I. (I’m getting off track here)

Another way I saw him live out his faith was reaching out to others in need. I remember Bret. Bret was a mentally retarded man that was about my dad’s age, maybe a little younger. He went to the Salvation Army church, which we were attending at the time. My dad would take Bret with us to do fun things, like go to the arcade. He would talk to Bret and listen to him. It was something you could tell Bret didn’t get very often. My dad showed him Christ’s love.

I also see my dad live out his faith through his service in the church. He used to run the coolest puppet ministry I’ve ever seen. He was doing Veggie Tales type stuff 20 years before Veggie Tales. The puppet shows were not patronizing to kids, they were smart and funny. And they spoke truth. My dad was “Barry Blue,” a big blue puppet with sunglasses and a hat. It took two arms to operate, he had a blue glove as an arm and hand. I tell you that so I can explain one of the best puppet bits an 8 year old has ever seen. You get a room full of kids in any country, any culture, and I guaran-dang-tee you they will be laughing and screaming. It went like this: Barry would come up, looking for his hand, “Kids, have you seen my hand? I seem to have lost it.” His had would pop up at different spots on the stage, under the stage, beside the stage. Each time Barry would turn around, the hand would disappear. He would eventually find it and they would wrestle. Barry would fly in the air, his hand would fly in the air and the kids would scream and laugh.

His service didn’t stop there. He has served in setup crews, men’s ministries, Sunday School classes, and in the Emmaus community, to name a few.

Like I said before, my dad has played the single biggest role in making me who I am today. I have seen him handle a divorce, and have watched him live out his faith. He has given my something to shoot for both as a dad and as a Christian.

Thanks dad. I love you.

Oh.. and happy birthday even though that was almost a month ago.

The story left off with my dad being a single parent with two boys. He raised us for 3 years by himself (with a lot of help from my grandma.) This is where his example shows me where I feel I am falling short as a parent. Through all the stuff he was struggling with back then, working overtime, going through a divorce, having to temporarily move back in with his parents, etc… He still made time for me and Jonathan. He got down on our level and interacted with us, spent time with us and just played with us. Sure we ate a lot of instant egg-fu-young (that stuff is actually pretty good), ate out at the Kroger cafe and got our clothes straight out of the dryer but… we still had fun. We took trips, we went to church, we had Big Time Wrestling matches in my grandma’s living room. Even though the divorce was scarring me in ways I still don’t quite understand, we knew our dad loved us and was trying to make things better.

When I was 8 years old, in 1980, my dad got remarried. The 19 year old daughter of Bob, one of the friends that helped lead him to Christ. Her name is Jane and, fortunately, she had no idea what she was getting herself into. I’m not going to lie and say that things were easy and hunky-dory, because they were not. I don’t care who you are, blended families are not easy but it worked. My brother and I saw what a Christ-centered marriage was supposed to look like. I still think they are crazy for trying it but I’m glad they did.

The 2006 Colts season is almost a sellout and it's only April.

RCA Dome Seating: 55,506

2006 Season Tickets Sold: 55,000

Reserved Seats for Opponent: 500

That leaves 6 seats for games where the opposing teams use all their seats.

That is unheard of in Indianapolis. For whatever reason, the Colts have always had trouble selling out games until last year. Two years ago, at the start of the season, there was at least one game that came down to the “blackout” wire. They sold out just in time, and that was the season Manning broke the passing record.

If you told me they would be selling out games with season tickets back in the mid 90s when they had moderate success I would have said you were nuts. In those days my friend Jon and I would drive up to the Dome on the day of the game and get tickets for face value or less off of scalpers (which is legal in Indiana.)

So selling out a football season in Indiana, let alone before the draft, is a big deal.]]>

Suddenly, I find myself relating to Paul in the book of Romans. He has a problem with Do-Do! So do I!! “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And If I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do: no, the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want ot do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” That comes from my NIV Romans 7:15-20.

Do you struggle with do-do? It seems anytime I start something good (getting up early to walk and have a quiet time)I struggle with keep on keepin’ on!(going back to bed instead of being alert and having a quiet time with the LORD.) Ahh, the Christian walk, although fruitful and fun, can be so challenging. We don’t just struggle with daily problems that come up. We are in a war…… Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 10 beginning with verse 3 that “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” Did you catch that? Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

I just love God! He gives us instruction for every facet of life. We weed out the what if’s by focusing on “whatever is