Well, things have been great and a bit chaotic. It is amazing how much easier things are when I have my regular work schedule. I haven't been doing my quiet time, or memorizing scripture. That is pretty sad. I really need to make a better effort to work on what is important on my days off from work. I need to make a stronger effort, but usually when I get off on my days off it is because a kid is awake and needs attention. It is easier to do in the morning than trying to do it during nap time. But if that is the time available then that is when it should be done.
What about everyone else? Do you find it easier on your regular routine days or is it easier on a day off when you have more time? I could see it being very different without kids.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Starts Up Quick
So I finished Deuteronomy and decided to read Luke since it is the Christmas season. Man it jumps right into it. So much is going on. Zacharias receives a prophecy but doubts so he is punished by being mute so he can't really explain what is going on. His wife Elizabeth conceives. Then Mary is visited by the same angel and given a prophetic message. She believes the message and commits to serving God.
Then Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth who is filled with the Holy Spirit and blesses Mary. Then Mary praises the Lord. She hangs around for a few months then goes back home. John is born and named John instead of Zacharias after his father or any family name for that matter. Then Zacharias is no longer mute and prophesies praise to God.
A few important little details that are pretty cool:
45Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"
man, if Zacharias was in the room this may have stinged a bit.
63He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone's astonishment he wrote, "His name is John." 64Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God.
Go Zacharias. Now he steps up. Elizabeth had just said his name was John and the people thought her crazy and asked Zacharias what he thought. Apparently Zacharias wasn't in the room to know about Elizabeth wanting him named John. This amazed the people when both parents said his name is John.
Man this stuff is exciting. And this is just the prophet of the Most High. Wait until the Most High is actually born. Then the two get to meet.
Then Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth who is filled with the Holy Spirit and blesses Mary. Then Mary praises the Lord. She hangs around for a few months then goes back home. John is born and named John instead of Zacharias after his father or any family name for that matter. Then Zacharias is no longer mute and prophesies praise to God.
A few important little details that are pretty cool:
45Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"
man, if Zacharias was in the room this may have stinged a bit.
63He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone's astonishment he wrote, "His name is John." 64Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God.
Go Zacharias. Now he steps up. Elizabeth had just said his name was John and the people thought her crazy and asked Zacharias what he thought. Apparently Zacharias wasn't in the room to know about Elizabeth wanting him named John. This amazed the people when both parents said his name is John.
Man this stuff is exciting. And this is just the prophet of the Most High. Wait until the Most High is actually born. Then the two get to meet.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Slacking off on Memory Verses
Not sure why I have started slacking off. Things haven't really gotten that much busier. But moving on.
Obedience to God, Rom 12:1 and John 14:21
Use the first two days of the week to memorize Romans 12:1 and the next two days for learning John 14:21, then review both the rest of the week. Also, each day of the week review the first two verses learned. 2 Cor 5:17 and Gal 2:20
Romans 12:1 Read the context of Romans 11:32 - 12:2
questions to ask while learning the verse:
What is the right motivation for yielding ourselves to God?
What is sacrifice?
What is worship?
This is pretty much all taken from the Topical Memory System. I feel I need to reference it because most is a direct quote.
Obedience to God
Romans 12:1
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship."
Romans 12:1
For some reason I don't actually have a lot to say myself, so have fun with the homework.
Obedience to God, Rom 12:1 and John 14:21
Use the first two days of the week to memorize Romans 12:1 and the next two days for learning John 14:21, then review both the rest of the week. Also, each day of the week review the first two verses learned. 2 Cor 5:17 and Gal 2:20
Romans 12:1 Read the context of Romans 11:32 - 12:2
questions to ask while learning the verse:
What is the right motivation for yielding ourselves to God?
What is sacrifice?
What is worship?
This is pretty much all taken from the Topical Memory System. I feel I need to reference it because most is a direct quote.
Obedience to God
Romans 12:1
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship."
Romans 12:1
For some reason I don't actually have a lot to say myself, so have fun with the homework.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Blessings
Deuteronomy 33 has a record of Moses speaking to each tribe. He is giving a blessing to the tribes before he dies. This seems somewhat common, but it is surprising that it is done just before death. Think how many missed a blessing due to not dying of old age. The book "Raising a Modern Day Knight" speaks of having celebration type events to commemorate certain milestones along the way of becoming a man. I think the blessings could have a good part to play in this.
The book speaks of how today's culture is more turbulent and confusing for boys. By laying out a path with milestones it gives a son better confidence and a stronger sense of identity. Some example milestones would be turning 13, or just the onset of puberty, turning 16 and having the freedom of a car, high school graduation, and marriage. I really like the ideas presented in this book, and I feel it is also easy to incorporate scripture into this thinking. As a man we are told through scripture about how to live. Ephesians is a great book on the Christian life. As they grow people need to gain responsibility and freedom. I think most would agree with this. As a parent your job is to raise adults, not big kids.
What do you guys think? Does this culture make it harder? What about lawsuits... they define who is responsible for what, which tells me our culture isn't doing very well guiding children to be responsible adults.
The book speaks of how today's culture is more turbulent and confusing for boys. By laying out a path with milestones it gives a son better confidence and a stronger sense of identity. Some example milestones would be turning 13, or just the onset of puberty, turning 16 and having the freedom of a car, high school graduation, and marriage. I really like the ideas presented in this book, and I feel it is also easy to incorporate scripture into this thinking. As a man we are told through scripture about how to live. Ephesians is a great book on the Christian life. As they grow people need to gain responsibility and freedom. I think most would agree with this. As a parent your job is to raise adults, not big kids.
What do you guys think? Does this culture make it harder? What about lawsuits... they define who is responsible for what, which tells me our culture isn't doing very well guiding children to be responsible adults.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Tough decisions to be made in everyday life
Today is date night. But the roads are still pretty much frozen. I'm pretty sure my wife would like to get out of the house, but is it going to be worth it? I should have a better idea after I drive into work. the roads weren't real terrible, but it was only me in a light weight car. I would think a heavier vehicle may be harder to control.
Hmmm, I just thought of a pretty good date idea. It isn't too far from home, so hopefully it won't require a lot of driving.
Hmmm, I just thought of a pretty good date idea. It isn't too far from home, so hopefully it won't require a lot of driving.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Winter is here
I can't imagine bike commuting today. I woke up this morning, checked the weather to see that it is 15 degrees Fahrenheit. You would definitely need to cover all the skin. If anything is exposed I think it would be very uncomfortable. On top of that is the possibility of slick roads. I'm not worried about the bike losing control, but the car losing control next to me.
Days like this make me want to get the house better insulated too. We purchased some windows from Window World, but they aren't going to be ready to install until January.
Days like this make me want to get the house better insulated too. We purchased some windows from Window World, but they aren't going to be ready to install until January.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Saturday Morning
Well, here I am on Saturday. I really messed up Julie's plans with my own selfish desire to play Battlefield. She has been wonderful and adapted her schedule for me. Still need to figure out what to do with the kids while we play. I'm thinking Katie may just be on the floor, and David could play in my lap... maybe. Maybe I'll let him use the mouse. That would be a challenge. I wonder if there is a keyboard button to fire. I still think it will be a lot of fun. I just don't know why Katie didn't sleep better tonight.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Traditions
So, it seems one of my favorite Christmas traditions is getting started this weekend. Battlefield 1942 lan party. Everyone should celebrate this tradition around the world. Lan parties are a fun way to spend time together.
Next will probably be the massive amounts of food tradition and then the gift exchanges start. Actually I think we have a gift exchange this weekend.
I look forward to all the festivities. I'm not too keen on gift exchanges because it is typically an item of little use, but they are still fun. More for the social interaction. I've gotten some nice gifts before.
Hopefully with the holidays coming and me being of work in a couple weeks I'll be able to continue to be disciplined and work on memory verses, working out, and continuing to have a quiet time. Maybe I'll even take time to write in this blog too.
Next will probably be the massive amounts of food tradition and then the gift exchanges start. Actually I think we have a gift exchange this weekend.
I look forward to all the festivities. I'm not too keen on gift exchanges because it is typically an item of little use, but they are still fun. More for the social interaction. I've gotten some nice gifts before.
Hopefully with the holidays coming and me being of work in a couple weeks I'll be able to continue to be disciplined and work on memory verses, working out, and continuing to have a quiet time. Maybe I'll even take time to write in this blog too.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Improving Christmas
Gifts for Christmas aren't really gifts. They are somewhat required... doesn't that take away part of what a gift is?
Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday because there is family and food. It is a nice restful time. I think Christmas should be a wonderful time too, but I think we(as a culture) focus too much on giving gifts. I know this is supposed to reflect the great gift of Christ. We started drawing names which helps with some of the chaos, but I also think I receive too many gifts. Us kids need to get the parents to lay off or something. Or maybe gifts aren't even the problem.
Maybe it is just me, and I took too long to start shopping. Maybe I have a problem and it is unrelated to the culture and events. Maybe it is simply a need to change my attitude. Maybe I simply get annoyed with all the traffic on the roads and all the people in the stores. It even makes grocery shopping harder.
Do others think there is a problem?
Am I crazy? Yes, but am I completely off base on this topic?
How can we improve Christmas?
Help me out here.
Other Ideas
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Marriage is great
Marriage is indeed great, and another wonderful part of it is that it can get even better.
I recommend:
Mistletoe for Marriage - 25 days of comfort and joy
Family Life
Due to being so busy I haven't been doing very well with the Mistletoe for Marriage assignments.
For December 3
Dear Julie,
I love you so much. I love you for who you are and what you do.
You are a wonderful daughter of God. I feel so fortunate to have you as my wife. I love you very much and probably don't say it often enough. Or maybe I just say it too casually. The words are still true even if I do a poor job communicating it. Hopefully I do an adequate job of communicating it, especially without using words. Love requires action, and I plan to continue to show you my love.
You have been so great to me. You are a beautiful, loving and serving wife. You are a caring and loving mother. I love to see your face when I come home from work. You are warm and welcoming. I enjoy talking with you and hearing your insightful view in matters. Thank you for helping me think things through better.
I am COMMITTED to you and look forward to continuing our life together. Merry Christmas.
Love,
Bobby
P.S. In the final sentence "life" is intentionally singular. Think about it.
I recommend:
Mistletoe for Marriage - 25 days of comfort and joy
Family Life
Due to being so busy I haven't been doing very well with the Mistletoe for Marriage assignments.
For December 3
Dear Julie,
I love you so much. I love you for who you are and what you do.
You are a wonderful daughter of God. I feel so fortunate to have you as my wife. I love you very much and probably don't say it often enough. Or maybe I just say it too casually. The words are still true even if I do a poor job communicating it. Hopefully I do an adequate job of communicating it, especially without using words. Love requires action, and I plan to continue to show you my love.
You have been so great to me. You are a beautiful, loving and serving wife. You are a caring and loving mother. I love to see your face when I come home from work. You are warm and welcoming. I enjoy talking with you and hearing your insightful view in matters. Thank you for helping me think things through better.
I am COMMITTED to you and look forward to continuing our life together. Merry Christmas.
Love,
Bobby
P.S. In the final sentence "life" is intentionally singular. Think about it.
Order in the Chaos that is Life
So, Julie is done with her women's Bible study. So that means it is time to go back to the memory verses with her. And at the same time we are trying to work out at least 3 times/week. The thinking for the workout was after David went to bed, but we are feeling that we are too drained at that time. So we are trying to think of a better time.
I'm afraid that will the holidays coming up so soon this great plans we have just won't work out. On top of it all I would like to try spending 10min a night cleaning the house. It has been a long time since our bathrooms have been clean, and I'm pretty sure I could get one done in 10 minutes.
Then another piece I would like to add to my chaotic life is encouragement. I want to encourage others, and I try to, I just feel the words I use don't seem to come across that way. Maybe I really just need to work on communicating better.
So with the holidays coming life gets more chaotic, and to make it more of a challange since it isn't once already (sarcasm), we are trying to accomplish some additional goals. YAY!
I'm afraid that will the holidays coming up so soon this great plans we have just won't work out. On top of it all I would like to try spending 10min a night cleaning the house. It has been a long time since our bathrooms have been clean, and I'm pretty sure I could get one done in 10 minutes.
Then another piece I would like to add to my chaotic life is encouragement. I want to encourage others, and I try to, I just feel the words I use don't seem to come across that way. Maybe I really just need to work on communicating better.
So with the holidays coming life gets more chaotic, and to make it more of a challange since it isn't once already (sarcasm), we are trying to accomplish some additional goals. YAY!
Monday, December 8, 2008
Balance Work and Vacation
Too much vacation. The problem isn't the vacation, it is how much there is to get done at work. I plan to take off a week after Christmas, but I still have vacation time, I just don't think I can spend it due to the amount of stuff I need to do at work.
Also, it is hard to get going once I get back to work after being gone so long. Too many things left in the air that I have to get back to juggling when I return. I look forward to the vacation, but it would be nice to have these projects done as initially planned.
All well, I'll do what I can, but I'll enjoy the vacation.
Also, it is hard to get going once I get back to work after being gone so long. Too many things left in the air that I have to get back to juggling when I return. I look forward to the vacation, but it would be nice to have these projects done as initially planned.
All well, I'll do what I can, but I'll enjoy the vacation.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Worry
So, I have anxiety issues. It is something that just adds stress to my life that I don't need. yesterday when David got up from a second nap he had some weird bumps on his face, so we thought maybe he got some sort of bite while he was in his crib. We checked the crib and didn't find any bugs or anything, so we took pictures of his face and watched him for a bit. The bumps went away within 10minutes and weren't that bad to start with. We also checked his belly and back for maybe some sort of allergic reaction to something, but fortunately found nothing.
Well, during bath time I noticed some more bumps on the back of his legs. Then I noticed a whole lot on his little left butt cheek. Well, this was a bit freaky, so I called Julie in to look at it and she didn't know what ot make of it either. We cleaned him off and got him out of the bath and paged the doctor, but now I'm pretty sure it went wrong because we haven't heard back yet. So last night I was very parinoid. I would have liked more time to watch him, but felt he needed to go to bed. So I put him to bed and turned on the monitor. I was about to get in the shower when I thought I heard some weezing, so I put on a robe and called Julie and grabbed David. Who was completely fine. I'm pretty sure everything I'm so worried about is just in my head messing with me. So I prayed with David and Julie after I got him up. It helped me relax a bit. David was up a little more just hanging out, I checked him again and it looked like the bumps were going down a bit so I read to him and put him to bed again. Now I'm trying my best to wait and not wake him up since he went to bed so late, but for some reason I still worry about him.
Well, during bath time I noticed some more bumps on the back of his legs. Then I noticed a whole lot on his little left butt cheek. Well, this was a bit freaky, so I called Julie in to look at it and she didn't know what ot make of it either. We cleaned him off and got him out of the bath and paged the doctor, but now I'm pretty sure it went wrong because we haven't heard back yet. So last night I was very parinoid. I would have liked more time to watch him, but felt he needed to go to bed. So I put him to bed and turned on the monitor. I was about to get in the shower when I thought I heard some weezing, so I put on a robe and called Julie and grabbed David. Who was completely fine. I'm pretty sure everything I'm so worried about is just in my head messing with me. So I prayed with David and Julie after I got him up. It helped me relax a bit. David was up a little more just hanging out, I checked him again and it looked like the bumps were going down a bit so I read to him and put him to bed again. Now I'm trying my best to wait and not wake him up since he went to bed so late, but for some reason I still worry about him.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Busyness of the Holidays
Well, I quit WoW. This should give me a bit more time for holiday happenings. I'm not sure if I'll start up my subscription again or not. While I was active I wasn't spending much time with the family or getting much done. So now I have a bit more time and a bit more money. Time will be gone with everything that is happening. Hopefully we will setup the Battlefield 1942 lan at the parents' house.
That is one reason why I love laptops. To go to a lan you just bring a small bag, get there, plug in power and mouse and you are ready to go. So much easier than a desktop. Yes they are more costly for the same performance. Yes the screens are smaller. Why is there such an obsession with large screens? It is my computer, I could understand wanting a bigger screen if others were watching, but I'm sitting about 18 inches from it. I don't need a big screen.
For those who are following along on memorizing scripture, Julie is almost done with her women's bible study, so then I'll get back into the Navigators topical memory system verses. But for now I'm going by an old list of memory verses I want to learn.
Topic I chose for this was missions. I feel that by thinking of missions this verse should easily come to mind.
Reference: Matthew 28:18-20
"Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'"
Matt 28:18-20
That is one reason why I love laptops. To go to a lan you just bring a small bag, get there, plug in power and mouse and you are ready to go. So much easier than a desktop. Yes they are more costly for the same performance. Yes the screens are smaller. Why is there such an obsession with large screens? It is my computer, I could understand wanting a bigger screen if others were watching, but I'm sitting about 18 inches from it. I don't need a big screen.
For those who are following along on memorizing scripture, Julie is almost done with her women's bible study, so then I'll get back into the Navigators topical memory system verses. But for now I'm going by an old list of memory verses I want to learn.
Topic I chose for this was missions. I feel that by thinking of missions this verse should easily come to mind.
Reference: Matthew 28:18-20
"Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'"
Matt 28:18-20
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Short term goals
Well, Julie has a short term goal to lose 5 lbs before Christmas. This is great, I'm so glad she is actually making goals for herself. I'm going to join her in her fitness, not the losing of 5 lbs. I would rather gain weight, but I could use the training and exercise.
Unfortunately this reminds me of my goal of memorizing scripture which I have already got messed up with. I think that is my biggest problem with the holidays. It messes up any routines I have.
Last time I was working on:
Judgement, Romans 14:12
"So then, each of us is to give an account of himself to God." Rom 14:12
Yeah yeah, I know it is easy, but it is on the list. It just gets balanced out by the new one.
Matthew 28: 18-20
"Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'" Matt 28:18-20
Now that is going to be much harder. So now I have some more motivation to spiritually exercise since Julie is wanting to physically. I just don't want to fail at my job as being priest to my family. I think this is one area where most men fall short. But reading Romans 14:12 you really don't want to have to stand before God and give an account of how you were too busy with hobbies/entertainment to train your family.
Unfortunately this reminds me of my goal of memorizing scripture which I have already got messed up with. I think that is my biggest problem with the holidays. It messes up any routines I have.
Last time I was working on:
Judgement, Romans 14:12
"So then, each of us is to give an account of himself to God." Rom 14:12
Yeah yeah, I know it is easy, but it is on the list. It just gets balanced out by the new one.
Matthew 28: 18-20
"Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'" Matt 28:18-20
Now that is going to be much harder. So now I have some more motivation to spiritually exercise since Julie is wanting to physically. I just don't want to fail at my job as being priest to my family. I think this is one area where most men fall short. But reading Romans 14:12 you really don't want to have to stand before God and give an account of how you were too busy with hobbies/entertainment to train your family.
Monday, December 1, 2008
2008 Thanksgiving Review
Had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with the in-laws at NLR. Julie's brother drove in on Wednesday, and I worked Wednesday, but got off at noon. That was crazy. I have no idea why we got off so early, but I'm pretty happy about that. We enjoyed a nice meal with Travis and Beka and all the kids. Then we headed to the ranch.
Thursday morning was the "Casserole Crawl". This was 5k that was organized by some NLR staff. And this was to be the 4th time, so it was fun to partake in this. Julie's family isn't the most athletic, so it was great when Julie, Travis, and Beka did it with me. Little David even came along. I brought my child carrier backpack that Julie got me for my b-day. It was great. The pack with David gave me a decent workout so I didn't feel that the walk was boring at all.
We had a good Thanksgiving meal at about 1pm. Then sat around for rest of the day.
Friday morning the ropes course was opened up, so the four of us went over there with Abigail and David. We did the 4 person zip line while some others held David and Abigail for us. It was a lot of fun. Later that day we had an outing to town. Had mazzios pizza for dinner and strolled wal-mart. Oh, and somewhere in this day we had a 1 mile walk.
Saturday the weather changed. Morning started out nice but it got colder throughout the day. Not a lot happened here, I did take the dogs out for a run on the trails. I have no idea how long it was, but it was pretty good distance. I guess this would be a good time to mention that we brought our dog Sandy along for the trip. The dogs ended up breaking out of the fence every night. It wasn't just a cleaver escape or anything, they literally broke the pickets to get out.
Sunday was mainly spent packing up and coming home. David, Katie, and Sandy all slept on the way home. It was a good trip. We just need to remember to bring Sandy's tie out stuff so she won't be escaping all the time.
A few highlights:
David and Abigail had a great time together. They played together really well and had fun.
Somehow all the kids were asleep for the Thanksgiving meal. This wasn't even planned.
We were active!
Thursday morning was the "Casserole Crawl". This was 5k that was organized by some NLR staff. And this was to be the 4th time, so it was fun to partake in this. Julie's family isn't the most athletic, so it was great when Julie, Travis, and Beka did it with me. Little David even came along. I brought my child carrier backpack that Julie got me for my b-day. It was great. The pack with David gave me a decent workout so I didn't feel that the walk was boring at all.
We had a good Thanksgiving meal at about 1pm. Then sat around for rest of the day.
Friday morning the ropes course was opened up, so the four of us went over there with Abigail and David. We did the 4 person zip line while some others held David and Abigail for us. It was a lot of fun. Later that day we had an outing to town. Had mazzios pizza for dinner and strolled wal-mart. Oh, and somewhere in this day we had a 1 mile walk.
Saturday the weather changed. Morning started out nice but it got colder throughout the day. Not a lot happened here, I did take the dogs out for a run on the trails. I have no idea how long it was, but it was pretty good distance. I guess this would be a good time to mention that we brought our dog Sandy along for the trip. The dogs ended up breaking out of the fence every night. It wasn't just a cleaver escape or anything, they literally broke the pickets to get out.
Sunday was mainly spent packing up and coming home. David, Katie, and Sandy all slept on the way home. It was a good trip. We just need to remember to bring Sandy's tie out stuff so she won't be escaping all the time.
A few highlights:
David and Abigail had a great time together. They played together really well and had fun.
Somehow all the kids were asleep for the Thanksgiving meal. This wasn't even planned.
We were active!
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