Man it's COLD

Look, I'm from Minnesota. I grew up there. I spent many a cold winter in the land of the frozen tundra where the world-renown cold spot of International Falls is located. And I've felt my share of cold weather. I've been outside when it's 30 degrees below zero and I know what a windchill really is. In fact, they've closed school in Minnesota before simply because of the windchill - wouldn't want a bunch of frozen kindergartners out at the bus stop.

But after 8 years in FL, I guess I've thawed because this morning when I woke up and it was only 25, I was freezing. Plus, I'm too cheap to really heat my house and so when I'm working, my nose and fingers are cold - and it's 65 degrees in here! What a sissy I am. But listen, I have to go and get some hot cocoa or something to warm me up so I can watch out the window as a couple of my kids play outside in the sub 50 weather wearing their short sleeve shirts....I gotta admit I'm a little envious.

Scared

That's my little girl Sarah. Yesterday she threw up on me, today she scared me.

My wife was getting ready to go teach a class and thought Sarah was outside with her brothers waiting to go. She asked the boys where Sarah was and they told her she was in the shed. Well, she wasn't. I got called outside to help look for Sarah. Now, you've got to understand that we have acres of thick woods behind our house, a shallow creek running beside it, and a missing 2 year old. After 5 minutes of looking all over and yelling and searching, we still hadn't found her. My pregnant wife tripped over some roots out in the woods and fell on her pregnant belly and scraped herself up, and we still have no idea where Sarah is.


I walked to the road and started walking down it to look in neighbors yards and what do I see? My two year old daughter walking with my neighbor from 5 houses down! In moments, my two year old had wandered that far away from home, and that far away from safety. If my neighbor hadn't been looking out her window, there's no telling where she might have ended up or what might have happened to her. Thank God we'll never know.

So I get to babysit while my frightened, moments from hysterical wife goes off to teach a class. If this is what it's like now when they're little, what will happen if my kids grow up and wander away from "home"? How many of us have simply gotten too far away from the safety of our home and wind up lost? I know people who are lost and it's no different than doing what my neighbor did. I need to take action. Recognize the danger and do something about it. I think I'll do that when Sarah wakes up. I've got someone I need to talk to.

What A Way To Wake Up

So I got up this morning and spent some time praying and reading my Bible but before I finished, my daughter got up. She's a lap person and so I was finishing up reading my Bible with her in my lap when she starts to gag, then coughs. No big deal right? Wrong. A second later she's barfing on her blanket and my Bible. Now that's what I call a quality quiet time.

Actually, I don't love her any less because she made a mess. In fact, I feel bad for her and want to help. Isn't that how God is with us? Not only do we disappoint him, but sometimes we make a monster mess all over his people, his church or his world. Still, I was reminded this morning that he doesn't want to punish his kids, he wants to help and comfort them. Actually made me feel good to get barfed on because I had the opportunity to model Jesus to my daughter and for once, I got it right.

Ready To Go

First blog entry and first thought I'd like to share is about something that I care deeply about - my family. My wife and I were just talking this morning about how hard it is to be a parent and how little encouragement we sometimes get. There are days where it seems like all you do is correct or punish your kids and it starts to feel like you're not accomplishing anything because you've "told them a million times already"

Well, yesterday Lora got some encouragement. A lady who helps teach Tanner in AWANA was braggin on him saying that of all the ADD kids in her class, he was the ONLY one who controlled himself and was so polite. Now, you have to understand why that's significant.

TANNER MAN
Until a couple years ago, Tanner was very impulsive and often downright nasty. He was constantly in trouble for his behavior and his words. There was constant strife and tension. He had no self control. If he did one thing wrong, correcting him would lead to frustration and his frustration gave him the 'opportunity' to do something else wrong and it just snowballed. Then he truly had an experience where he began a personal relationship with Jesu. We wondered about it since he was only 5, but the change was obvious, although only when you'd step back and look.

So back to yesterday. It was one of those days where he was really just being a pill. He was complaining about all kinds of things and bugging his little bro. But the day ended with an unsolicited compliment about his "heart".

Made me reflect on my heart. My heart is for my kids. It's for my wife. It's for Jesus. And even though I'm sometimes a pill because of my behavior or words, there's somebody who knows me and can honestly compliment my "heart". What an encouragement