I'm Yours(ukulele)

Too cute!

Adoption Update

Friday was the anniversary of the date that we first met with DSS and chose to add Reese to our family. This past Friday we had our monthly home visit with DSS and she came bearing Christmas gifts. It is almost as good as the gift we got last year!

We have a TPR date! This hearing is to terminate the birth mother's rights. It is set for March 25th with the possibility of being moved up sooner! If all goes smoothly and as planned there will be one more court date following this one (probably summer) to finalize our adoption!

This is a huge step! Thank you Lord!

What I really want for Christmas

What better gift could you give a child this Christmas? There really are thousands of children out there that need a home this Christmas. A family and the chance to meet our Savior...what better gift is there?!?!?

New Addition

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, we discovered that there is a new addition to the Holder family.

Apparently, this groundhog is living under our storage building. He keeps popping out and grazing in the back yard. Who knew there were ground hogs in SC?!?!?

Any suggestions on a name?

Crafts!

This weekend I finally got around to a project that I have been wanting to work on for a month. I found some chipboard letters at Hobby Lobby and wanted to use them as wall art in Reese's room. Here are the results:

Before

After

Now the next step is actually getting them on the wall. We'll see how long that takes!

David Crowder*Band - "How He Loves" OFFICIAL Music Video

Vote for Reese

Reese Is Entered in the Gap Casting Call

Gap is holding a nationwide contest to find the next faces of babyGap and GapKids, and Reese is entered into the contest. Check out Reese's entry here:

http://family.go.com/gapcastingcall/entries/crystalholder/392778526/

Go to the website above and vote for Reese. The baby with the most votes wins a trip to Disney World. You can vote once a day until November 17th.

Ask everyone you know to vote for Reese!

Party Time

If you didn't know, I love event planning. For sometime now I have been working on starting my own event (party/wedding) planning business. I have done several weddings and parties over the last couple of years. My next wedding is coming up in December and I am really excited about it.

Right now I am working on a baby shower for my dear friend Kelley. Yesterday I mailed out the invitations. I had a lot of fun working on them, so I wanted to share them with you. The pictures aren't great due to my camera. (The only white surface I could find was the blanket of my bed. Ignore the the edges.) You won't be able to tell from the pictures, but the pink and blue dots are raised off the page.

I am working on an event planning website, but if you or someone you know needs a great planner please contact me. My specialties are wedding and children's events. As soon as the website is complete I will share the link.

Adoption Update

In the last couple of months God has made it very clear to me that I need to pray differently concerning our adoption. Pray specifically, very specifically. Of course I have been praying for things to go smoothly and quickly, but that was not specific enough. You may remember that we originally had a court date scheduled for August. We never got a explanation of what happened, but that hearing had to be rescheduled. To make a long story short, after a long wait and finally praying very specifically, we got a new court date.

November 10th will be our pre-trial hearing. My understanding is that the birth mother will be appointed an attorney at that time and the judge will make sure that DSS has all the necessary paperwork in place to continue. Please join us in praying SPECIFICALLY that our caseworker and the DSS attorney will have taken all the steps necessary to move forward on that date and that we will be given our next court date at that time. The next date would be for the TPR (termination) hearing.

This is the HUGE one that we have been so anxiously awaiting. Most likely that date will be set for January or February, but what an incredible Christmas gift it would be to have it scheduled for December. December 22nd will be our 1st anniversary with our sweet baby and it would be so much sweeter to know that we were one step closer to legally making him ours!

Our monthly visit with the caseworkers is scheduled for this week, so maybe we will have more info then. Thank you for joining us on this journey and keep praying!

It's been too long!

Wow, I can't believe it has been a month since I have written anything. So much has happened and there are so many things to share. I guess there will be a lot of posts in November to make up for October.

Let's start it off with two tid bits on Reese:

1. Last night Reese saw a Fisher Price commercial on tv and discovered their "theme song". It was so cute. As soon as the lady finished singing he sang it right back to her, "play, laugh, grow". Play and laugh are a little hard to make out but grow comes out loud and clear. He has been singing it (in perfect pitch I might add) over and over ever since.

2. When I got out of the shower this morning I could hear Reese on the baby monitor. I put some clothes on and went to get him. As I walked through the living room the lights started doing crazy things. When I opened the bedroom door I found my 16 month old had pulled the remote to his fan/light off the wall and was playing with it. Somehow he has reprogrammed his remote to control the fan/light in the living room instead of his!

Are your hands full?

This week has been crazy and hectic. We have appointments today, tomorrow, and Friday as well as a wedding this weekend. Monday Reese started the week off with a bang and a good laugh. Check out the details here.

On my way home from work Monday night I was listening to the Billy Graham radio station 106.9. Charles Stanley or Chuck Swindoll was on (sorry, I heard both that evening and don't remember which was on at the time). He was talking about a book that he had read and quoted this line, "God can not pour His richest blessings into hands that are full."

This really struck me. I couldn't help but think of all the times I have held onto things and probably missed the blessings that God had for me. It was just one more reminder to me to LET IT GO! Let go of the grudges, let go of the hurt, let go of being in control, etc. LET IT GO and let Him richly bless your obedience.

Spaghetti up the Nose

Little Beyonce

green bean standoff

I saw this video on America's Funniest Home Videos a few years ago. It is too funny!

Something to think about

I came across this quote today and thought I would share.

Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things only hoped for. -Epicurus

Personality Profile

Robert Fortner recently posted on his blog that he had done a personality profile test. I have done the Myers Briggs before, but this one was a little different. Here are the top ten traits that characterize my personality:


Scrupulous
You are an honest, fair person. You don't lie or cheat to get ahead. You treat others with respect and hope for the same in return.
You do not feel that you are above the rules that everyone else follows; you are definitely not willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead.

Responsible
You fulfill your obligations and responsibilities, are true to your word, and generally obey the rules. While the majority of those who have a high score on the "responsible" trait enjoy traveling, they are usually very happy to return home — and don’t mind staying put for a while.
You're opposed to making hasty decisions, you don't insist that you're above the rules, nor do you feel compelled to color outside the lines.

Conscientious
You feel it's important to work according to a plan and finish every task, to do things correctly and thoroughly.
You are not the kind of person who abandons a project before finishing it, or slacks off when you've lost interest.

Organized
You like to think a task through before you embark on it. If it's the slightest bit complicated, you make a list (even if it's only in your mind) and methodically work your way through it. When you have a goal in mind, you're not satisfied until you reach it.
You are not one of those people who ignore the details, and you don't understand how anyone can get anything accomplished without thoughtful planning ahead of time.

Centered
You often feel balanced and on top of things, even when those around you are freaking out. You're in a pretty good state all the time, and not subject to drastic mood swings.
You don't usually react before you think; you're not ruled by your emotions.

Aesthetic
You appreciate art, beauty, and design; you know that they are not superficial but absolutely crucial to living the good life. You have good taste, and you're proud of it. Those with a high score on the "aesthetic" trait are often employed in literary or artistic professions, enjoy domestic activities — doing things around the house — and are enthusiastic about the arts, reading, and travel.
You don't think it's pretentious to be moved by art and beauty. You're not one of those who believe it doesn't matter what something looks like as long as it does its job.

Buttoned-Down
You like to know that everything is in its place; it's somehow empowering to know that the world around you is neat and organized. For you, schedules and timelines are great ways to stay on track, and mowing down the items on your "to do" list is a source of happiness.
You do not believe that a clean, orderly desk is the sign of a person who doesn't have enough to do; you don't thrive on a sense of personal anarchy.

Focused
You know how to lock in on what's important. You quickly prepare yourself for a task, you don't procrastinate, and you don't let up until the job is done to your satisfaction.
You are the opposite of scattered. You don't procrastinate before starting a task, and you almost never lose track of what you're doing.

Prudent
You look before you leap, think before you act, consider what you're about to say before you open your mouth to speak; that's why you rarely have to eat your words.
You usually don't get excited easily or blurt out the first thing that comes to mind without considering the consequences.

Sympathetic
You have a knack for knowing what's going on in the hearts and minds of those around you, without their having to tell you explicitly. People tend to turn to you with their problems because they know you care, and that you will likely offer good advice and a helping hand.
You do not feel that people with sad stories are just looking for attention, or have brought their problems upon themselves.

© 2008-2009 Signal Patterns. All Rights Reserved. Patents Pending.'Signal Patterns' ®, and the Signal Patterns ® logo are trademarks of Signal Patterns.

Instructions for Baby

One of my college roomates posted an incredibly funny blog today. If you are a parent or grandparent, you need to check it out. I promise you will get a good laugh!

Baby Instructions

Ministry Wives

I follow the Married to a Youth Pastor blog and this week a great question came up. If you had the opportunity to attend a women's Bible study, would you prefer to go to one at your own church or a different church? (You can read the original post by clicking here. ) I read the comments and then added my own. Here was my response...

First of all, I would love to be a part of a women's Bible study. I would choose one outside of my church though. My first choice would be to have a Bible study made up of pastor's wives from our area. I have been in ministry about 10 years (8 of them with my husband). Though my husband is the paid staffer, we generally serve as a team and the people in our church know that. That being said, they think that I am the inside track to the staff.

Many times when I am involved with other women at our church I get asked a million questions about private staff matters. I also get an earful about anything people aren't happy about. It is very draining and awkward. There really isn't a tactful way to tell people to mind their own business in certain situations.

Women outside of ministry don't understand the fishbowl and stress that we live under. Our whole family is on call 24/7. (Yes, we knew this was the case when we chose to follow God's call.) Often we sacrifice family time to deal with someone else's crisis. It would be such a blessing to have a connection with other women that understand the dynamics of a ministry family.

It has been my desire for quite a while to form a support team of ministry wives in our area. If anybody out there is in upstate SC look me up. I would love to get to know you!

The Marshmallow Test

How many times have we passed on God's best for what seems good right now? Unfortunately, we are to often like the red headed girl and don't even attempt to wait on God. How much more rewarding is it to be like the little boy and get the double blessing when we don't settle?

Somethings to think about

A few months ago I bought a new Bible. It was a $5 special at Lifeway, so I thought I would check it out. What a great purchase... I love it! The Holman Student Bible has some great resources. It would be a great purchase for any student (young or old). One of my favorite resources included are the quotes that accompany some scriptures. Here are a few that struck me today.

"You may as well quit reading and hearing the Word of God, and give it to the devil if you do not desire to live according to it." - Martin Luther

"If you're seeking God in the middle of shattered dreams, if you've become aware of your desire for Him but are having trouble finding Him, be encouraged that it bothers you. The more you're bothered by not finding Him, the more aware you're becoming of how badly you want Him." - Larry Crabb

A Little Encouragement

"One Heartbeat At A Time"


by Steven Curtis Chapman from the album This Moment


You're up all night with a screaming baby. You run all day at the speed of life and every day you feel a little bit less like the beautiful woman you are. So you fall into bed when you run out of hours and you wonder if anything worth doing got done. Oh, maybe you just don't know or maybe you've forgotten... You, you are changing the world one little heartbeat at a time. Making history with every touch and every smile. Oh, you, you may not see it now but I believe that time will tell how you, you are changing the world one little heartbeat at a time. With every "I know you can do it." Every tear that you kiss away. So many little things that seem to go unnoticed. They're just like the drops of rain over time they become a river. You’re beautiful, so beautiful how you’re changing the world, yeah you’re changing the world.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

A teacher, astronaut, fashion designer, model, dance teacher, and flight attendant. Those were my answers to that question through my elementary school years. In middle school I stuck with the dance theme and I wanted to be a professional dancer and own a dance school. High School brought about the idea of being a counselor or psychologist. On my college application I declared psychology as my major. (I graduated with a degree in Communications and Sociology.)

The college years came with the thoughts of being a music producer or entertainment management. Then I became "socially aware" and wanted to be Miss America (yes I was a pageant girl) and then become a politician. You know there are so many former Miss America's turned politician out there. The goal was to use my influence to change the world. Though I did not pursue politics, I did the next best thing... I went to work for a non profit agency.

Honestly, the only thing I ever knew for certain was that God had called me to ministry. I didn't know what ministry, but I was willing to try as many as possible to find out. My freshman year of college Dr. Susan Underwood at Carson Newman College (Go Eagles!) assigned a research paper to her English 101 students about their career goals. Since ministry was the only thing I was sure of, that is what I wrote about. I wrote about being a pastor's wife to be exact. My associate pastor's wife was the focus of my research. I further explored ministry by taking an internship with a local church the summer between my junior and senior year. (That was probably the best summer of my life!)

Like I said before, upon graduation I took a job with a non profit and after a few years I went to another non profit. I have considered many other jobs: event planner, graphic design, child care, teaching, acting, and a few more. It never made sense to me that I couldn't put my finger on my ministry and I could never find the "perfect" job for me. Don't get me wrong, I like my job and enjoyed most of the others that I have had, but nothing has ever seemed perfect. I was never making that huge impact on the world that I felt I should be.

Then came December...

The last eight months have brought a lot of things to light for me. I have finally found my niche. As much as I like my current job and enjoy the children's and youth ministries that I am involved in, nothing is a better fit for me than being mom. Don't get me wrong, I am learning a lot as I go. I don't have it all figured out and never will. What I do know is that I am changing the world everyday. Changing the world of one little fella who knows that his Mommy and Daddy love him more than he can imagine. My ministry is my family.

It all became very real to me this weekend when I asked my 15 month old, "Who loves Reese?" Without prompting, his reply was, "God." There is no other job I would rather have!

200

This is my 200th blog. Just thought I would share my milestone with you.

It's NEGATIVE!

Those long awaited words just came on the other side of my cell phone. In December we were presented with information about our potential child. After leaving that meeting, we had A LOT to consider. One thing we never expected to hear was that this child may have a potentially life threatening disease. You see, Reese's birth mother has a disease and up to that point, there were traces of the disease in his blood.

After consulting with several medical professionals and much prayer, we decided to proceed. We have been seeing a wonderful specialist every three months to have lab work done. The first two tests showed that there were still antibodies of the disease. Dr. Johnson had assured us that he expected these to have flushed out of his system by 12-18 months. The 12 month test was negative, but Dr. Johnson wanted one more negative before he cleared Reese. On Tuesday we had the 15 month test. Well, the call just came and Praise the Lord... It is NEGATIVE!

Our God is so good! Thanks Dr. Johnson and nurse Helen. The next time we see you will simply be a visit to say hello!

Lessons from a child

Yesterday Reese had his first official play date. He was worn out and seemed to have enjoyed himself. I don't know about him, but mom learned a few lessons from the experience. The morning started with a visit to Dr. Johnson for a check up and blood work. My little man was such a trooper. He behaved so well. Dr. Johnson was checking his ears and was planning to check his throat. Before the Dr. had a chance to say anything, Reese opened up wide and kept saying "Ahh". It was so cute and totally caught Dr. Johnson off guard. After the exam, nurse Helen put some cream on his little arms to get him numbed up for blood work.

I am always nervous about blood work, but I was even more on edge this time (for several reasons). The child before Reese was FREAKING out. He made quite a scene and you could feel the tension in the waiting room. I just knew that Reese would follow suit and flip out. Boy was I surprised. He didn't make a peep. We laid him on the table, the nurse stuck him and it was over. She bandaged him up and we were gone without a tear.

We got in the car and headed to the mall to meet my friend Natalie and her boys. In the 5 minutes it took us to get to the mall he had stripped the bandage off. "I'm a tough guy mom. I don't need no stinking bandage!"

Lesson 1: Don't worry about what may be. Focus on the now!

The little boy ahead of Reese was probably 4 or 5 and apparently knew what was coming when he entered the lab. He was thinking about it way too much and freaked out before the nurse ever touched him. Reese, on the other hand, had no idea what was coming next. He was concerned about the cookies I was feeding him at the moment. He did not allow himself to worry about what may be coming. Because his focus was on the here and now, he didn't have any need to freak out.

Matthew 6:34 (The Message)
Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

After a quick visit with cousin Brant at GAP kids we headed to the play area. There was a little girl playing that looked about 2. Reese kept watching her and trying to play near her. She was a cute little girl (he has good taste). I wish I could say she was a sweet as she was cute. Natalie, Brant, and I watched this little girl shove Reese several times. This was not an accident, it was almost like she was on a search and destroy mission. My goal was to keep Reese away from her, but like most boys, he was drawn to the pretty girl.

Were I in his place, my first reaction would have been to go right back at her. I know, turn the other cheek, do unto others, yadda yadda yadda. I wish I were strong enough that those were my first thoughts. No, I don't typically act on them, but they are my initial thoughts. If you were really honest with yourself, that would probably be your initial reaction as well. Not my boy. Each time she pushed him, he would get up and giggle, then he would give the little girl the biggest hug.

Lesson 2: Love speaks volumes

I am ashamed to say that my 15 month old handles things in a more Christ like manner than I do. Somehow, I can't see Jesus shoving the little girl back. Like Reese, He would have found a way to respond in love. For Reese, the only way he knows to show love is hugs and kisses and that is exactly what he did. That little girl did not stop pushing Reese as a result of his hugs, but that didn't stop him from giving the hugs either. Christ doesn't stop loving us because we don't show Him love back. THANK GOODNESS!

How many times have I shoved Him or even spit in His face and His response was to turn around and embrace me. Like Reese's "friend", I am undeserving of His love, but how blessed I am by it.

My prayer is that I can be a little more like Reese, and in turn more like my Savior. Oh, the lessons I am learning from my little one.

The Biggest Loser's Amy Parham talks about the value of LearningRx

If you would like more information about LearningRx, please contact me. We have locations all over the country and 3 in upstate SC.

A New Law

Repost of Sept 1. The video is lost on the original post, but read my thoughts there.

Memphis 09

I can't believe that I am just now getting to this. Sorry! Our mission trip to Memphis was incredible as usual. God never ceases to amaze me. I took (literally) hundreds of pictures. I have included links to the pictures. ( Album 1, Album 2)You can also find them in my facebook albums. There is so much that I could share, but I will give you my highlights.

Every year as we prepare and help our students prepare, we always think about how we are going to change those children and their community. Every year God changes us! You would think that we would get it by now, but apparently we are slow learners. There was one student that we thought would be a great part of the team, so Bryan approached him about going. After some consideration (and I am sure parental consultation) he decided to go. I knew that he was afraid of kids, but thought that he would enjoy other aspects of the week. The first day he was a little reserved on the site, but he began warming up on the second day.

That night we took the team to WalMart. On the way back I heard the student talking to his parents on the phone. "I'm pretty sure I am not afraid of kids anymore." The tears began to flow as I thought about how HUGE a thing that was for him. I am tearing up now just thinking about it. God is so faithful to use us and change us to be more like Himself if we will just be willing to step outside of ourselves.

On Thursday, we were sure that our Bible Club was going to be rained out. Determined not to give up on the next to the last day (Friday was the close of the summer), our site missionary Austin, told us that we could go door to door and just talk to the kids or play with them on their porches where it was dry. Our team was so excited and immediately figured out ways to adjust their jobs for the day. After dropping our students off at various locations in the neighborhood, Bryan and I drove over to an apartment complex where we dropped some students off earlier. Some of our students were sitting in a covered area in front of one of the apartments with several kids making salvation bracelets.

The rain was letting up, so we started driving around telling our other students to come over to the apartments. Within 20 minutes or so, the rain had stopped and we had filled the parking lot with kids. There were bicycle games going on, crafts, Frisbee games, and ball games. Kids we had not seen all week were hanging out with us. Since our story that day included a gospel presentation, we didn't want to miss that opportunity. The boys leading that day, adjusted and did GREAT!!! The kids were more attentive than any other day. (If you look at the pictures you will see the apartments and some of the houses surrounding them. These apartments are luxurious compared to the rest of the neighborhood. Don't let them fool you. We are in one of the 5 poorest neighborhoods in America.)

The last thing that I want to share is probably the most important. Our kids were truly changed! There was a fire ignited in them to change their own community. Before we made it back to Powdersville they had plans and weren't going to let us talk them out of it. On Saturday, August 15th (2 weeks after our return) they got together and canvased the neighborhood around the church. They made fliers and handed them out inviting all the kids to a Saturday Bible Club at Marathon. The next Saturday 17 high school students (there were only 14 on the mission team) arrived at the church at 9:00am, prayed, walked the neighborhood collecting kids, and had a Bible club.

There were 16 kids and only one of them was a child that comes to our church. They have a club planned for one Saturday every month with hopes for more during the summer. It was a great day! The kids enjoyed it and our students did an incredible job. We were so proud of them. There were 6 or 7 adults there to help, but it was completely student led. Our students are amazing and are serious about serving their community. Several more projects are in the making, so be on the look out for more doting!

The hands and feet of Jesus, that is what our students are becoming and we couldn't be prouder!




*We made friends with some very cool Vietnamese students from Houston. (There are a lot of pictures of them as well.)

Confession!

If you have followed this blog very long, you may remember that last summer during our mission trip to Memphis our mail was stolen. Someone stole a box of checks from our mailbox. (Yes, I learned a lesson and we have the mail stopped during trips and we got a PO box for important mail.) Thanks to the WONDERFUL (and yes I mean that!) folks at our sheriff's department, we had a suspects name within a week or so. What we didn't know was that this fella had been on an ID theft spree. Ends up that he was linked to numerous cases of mail theft and identity theft in multiple states.

Last night one of those awesome detectives told me that our suspect had finally be extradited to SC from TN. On Tuesday the suspect was brought into the detectives office for questioning. The detective said that my name was the first one he asked about and the suspect confessed. Because we had reported the incident to the postal inspector it became a federal crime. Our suspect will soon be facing a judge and spending about 10 years in prison for his little crime spree.

While it gives me satisfaction to have closure to the incident, I really hope this guy has learned a lesson. He is only in his early 20's. Pray for him that he will spend those next few years getting himself together.

A New Law

A Facebook friend posted this video. I couldn't help but think about how often I walk through life blind and begging for a new law rather than living in GRACE!

More local coverage of signing day

T.L. Hanna's Hall signs with Brewers : High School : Anderson Independent-Mail

Shared via AddThis

Offically Brewers Fans!

Monday was an exciting day for my family. We all had the privilege of being part of my cousin's MLB signing. Brook's was a 4th round draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewer's. Monday it was made official with his contract signing. Here are links to the local news stories:

WYFF 4

Brooks Hall Signs Contract with Brewers WSPA

Shared via AddThis

Local Stats on Foster Care

These are some statistics that I found today on the number of kids entering foster care.

Children Entering Foster Care State Fiscal Years 2008 and 2009Statistics are from July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009.

Anderson County 132
Greenville County 380
Pickens County 125

These are the three counties closest to me and that our church reaches. Again these are the numbers of children entering foster care. It does not include the children that were already in care.

These numbers show you the importance of good foster homes. Please consider opening your heart and home to one of these deserving children. Remember, they are in care because their parents can't properly care for them, not by any fault of their own!

We have a preliminary hearing on our case this week, so please pray that things go well!

Something to think about

I love great quotes. Here are a couple that I have come across lately:

Character is like a tree, and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing. Abraham Lincoln

Wise men talk because they have something to say, fools talk because they have to say something. Plato

Waiting Children

A facebook friend sent out the following message today:

"FYI - Amy Wood with News Channel 7 will air a special report on the kids in SC waiting to be adopted this coming Monday July 27th @ 6pm. She also plans to feature a new child each week on her blog theribbit. This is exactly the kind of coverage the waiting children in our state need. Kudos to Amy and her station!"

I want to encourage everyone to check out the report if you live in upstate SC. If you live outside the GSP area follow the story on line at http://www.wspa.com/.

There are so many children out there waiting for great homes. You don't have to be wealthy or even live in a large house. All you need is a little room and love to share.

If you have ever considered adoption, this may be just what you need to get you moving in the right direction. Private adoption is not the only option out there and you can adopt for VERY little money!

Check this story out and pass the word along.

Memphis or Bust

We are inching closer to our Memphis trip. This is my favorite trip that we do with our students every year. I am very excited about returning and can't wait to jump right in. This year, the trip will be bittersweet for me.

After a lot of thought and discussion, we decided not to take Reese with us. My heart is breaking! I have to leave my sweet baby for 7 days. I am dreading that! Please pray for me. I am not a worrier and don't stress easily, but I am already emotionally bogged down about this. We know that he is being left in more than capable hands and will be treated like a king.

I know that this is a natural feeling for most moms, but I don't want Satan to use this as a way to distract me. Thanks to the wonderful media guys at our church we will be able to iChat with him while we are gone. Hopefully that will ease this mommy's nerves a little.

My biggest concern is that he will fear that he is being moved to a new family again. Please pray for us and Reese. Also, please pray for our mission team. We want to make sure that we are all focused and prepared to put ourselves aside.

Be prepared... I have no doubt that I will have much to share!

Mommy help needed!

I need some advice! My little Houdini has figured out how to pull the covers out of the electric sockets. I have put a baby gate in front of them, covered them with tape, and moved furniture. All with no success. Reese has managed to figure them all out. Here is what I just caught him doing as I am writing this:

Any suggestions? Please help me before my little one shocks himself!

That was tough!

Bryan and some of the other staff guys have been working out together in the mornings. For a while they were doing P90X. They would often talk about how tough of a work out it is, but they got results. Over the past couple of years Bryan has lost about 20 pounds and dropped 2 or 3 pant sizes. I have been so proud of him.

Unfortunately, I can't say the same for myself. For a long time I have been unhappy with my current state of physical fitness. The older I get, the lazier I seem to get and the more junk I eat. The days of wearing size 1's & 0's and walking everywhere I went slowly began to fade away after I walked across the stage at CU and received my degree nearly 9 years ago. I am at least 20lbs heavier and 3 sizes bigger than then (I found everything Bryan lost). Any hopes of fitting into my wedding dress for our 10 year anniversary seem to be fleeting dreams. For the longest time I have complained, but that is all I have done. There just never seems to be any motivation to change.

After seeing the results of P90X, I considered it myself... then I thought better of it. Not having exercised in some time and being asthmatic, I thought that may be a little much. Soon I saw the infomercial for 10 minute trainer which was created by Tony Horton (the P90X guy). I thought this may be my answer. Being the working mother of an infant, I don't have a lot of down time, and I don't want to leave my baby anymore than I have too. Not being one to buy something from an infomercial, I went online to check it out. I ordered 10 minuter trainer online with the best of intentions. It has sat at my house for weeks now untouched.

Sunday morning I woke up at 5 am and couldn't go back to sleep. What better time to start? Oh my gosh... that lower body workout kicked my tail! I seriously thought that I was going to throw up. I never thought 10 minutes could be so intense. I didn't let it get me down though, today I did the cardio workout. It didn't get me quite as bad, but still intense. Hopefully I will stay faithful to this.

Horton encourages you to weigh & measure yourself before you begin the program. He also encourages you to take a before picture. I would rather not share those with you right now. Maybe if I get some awesome results I will put them up as a testimonial.

Pray for me... I really want to stick to this (and not let it kill me!).

Skating Babies - Evian

This is really funny. Some one sent this to Bryan because they thought one of the babies looks like Reese. Too cute!

Monthly Update

Reese had his 12 month check up this week. Our chunky monkey seems to be growing into himself. He is now 30 inches long and 22.10 pounds. At his 6 month check up he was in the 90-95% percentile. At 9 months he was in the 75%. He is now in the 30-50%. We were a little surprised that he didn't weigh more, but he has started walking a good bit and has gotten so long. I guess it all evens out. He had grown nearly a full inch and only 1/2 a pound.

It is kind of sad when I look back in the car. I am starting to see a little boy instead of a baby. It is just a reminder to cherish everyday because they grow up so fast.

We had our monthly visit yesterday. Things are still on track for a pre-trial hearing in early August. It is not necessary for us to be at this hearing, so most likely we will not attend. If that date goes well, we may have a TPR hearing as early as September, but most likely October. After that hearing, the BM has 30 days to appeal and then the judge has 30 more days to review her appeal and the paperwork that DSS's attorney draws up. At that point we are turned over completely to adoptions and will not deal with foster care any more.

Unfortunately, we miss understood what happens next. We were under the impression that we would be able to finalize almost immediately at that point. We now know that it may take another 4-6 months to finalize after that. Of course, our hope is for the shorter time frame. In our minds we would be final by the end of the year. It now seems that the spring is a more accurate guess, but a guess is all that it is. (God is in control and anything is possible!)

Consequences to follow

As a supporter of Mark Sanford, I was disappointed when the news broke last week about his affair. I must say that I respect the fact that he released this information on his own rather than waiting until he was forced to address it. Yes, often we hold people in the public eye to a higher standard. I don't necessarily agree with that, but we do expect more from our leaders and icons than we expect from ourselves.

This incident just goes to show that no one is immune from making mistakes. It also shows that no one is immune from grace. Regardless of the standard we set for others and the repercussions we think should be placed on them, Grace is the ultimate standard.

The night that this news broke, my devotion happened to be about repentance and consequences. In 2 Chronicles 12 we see that King Rehoboam has turned his back on God and is ruling in his own power. The King of Egypt rises up to destroy Israel. Rehoboam realizes that he and his people are going to die as a result of his disobedience. In verse 6 we see that he is sorry for what he has done and says that the Lord does what is right.

King Rehoboam wasn't trying to get out of his consequences, he simply saw that this was what was due to him. He didn't admit his fault to get out of anything. As a matter of fact, the Egyptians continued to attack. However, no one was destroyed and Rehoboam went on to rule, this time trusting in God.

Many times we admit our wrongs in an effort to get ourselves out of trouble and usually this tactic does not work. We can't cry a few tears and bat our eye lashes and get out of everything (despite the fact that many of our parents have perpetuated this belief in us). People get hurt and bridges are burned as a result of our bad decisions. However, grace still abounds and it is by grace that we are given the opportunity for a second chance.

Romans 5:20 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
The law came along to multiply the trespass. But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more,

Romans 5:20 (The Message)
All that passing laws against sin did was produce more lawbreakers. But sin didn't, and doesn't, have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace. When it's sin versus grace, grace wins hands down. All sin can do is threaten us with death, and that's the end of it. (Emphasis mine)

As believers, regardless of our social status, we are held to the highest of standards, Christ's standard. Because of this we can expect that we will face much more scrutiny for our actions as we have seen with Gov. Sanford. This means that we have to be even more careful of everything that we do and count the cost of all of our decisions. It is of utmost importance that we live our lives above reproach.

Luke 12:48 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
But the one who did not know and did things deserving of blows will be beaten lightly. Much will be required of everyone who has been given much. And even more will be expected of the one who has been entrusted with more.

Guard your heart and count the cost! There will be consequences to follow.

Monthly Adoption Update

We had a visit with our Foster Care worker this morning and things are moving along. Foster Care Review Board is next week and we have a pre-trial court date in early August. My understanding was that this is a time for the birth parent's lawyer to ask for an extension of the treatment plan if they feel it is necessary. Due to the fact that BM is still incarcerated and we expect that she will be at that time as well (and for some time beyond), this doesn't seem likely. Part of her treatment plan was to stay out of legal trouble, so she has obviously not followed through. However, I am not the one in control and anything is possible. Our case worker should be able to give us the TPR (termination of parental rights) date by this trial date. She thinks that it will be before the end of the year.

At this point we would ask you to join us in praying that there will not be an extension or appeal and that we would be able to get a TPR date quickly. Thank you for your prayers and support. We know that God is in control and that His plan is perfect.

The Storm Before the Calm

Yes, you read that right...the storm before the calm, at least I hope that is what is going on. Our students camps start this Friday (Middle School Friday-Sunday and HS Sunday-Friday). Last year on the first night of HS camp Bryan and two students ended up in the ER. The next day we had one more in the ER and one at the Dr. At MS camp Bryan got bit/stung again and almost ended up in the ER.

I am hoping that yesterday's visit to the ER is making up for any at camp. Bryan often plays basketball with other staff guys and students on our new outdoor court at the church. While playing yesterday, Bryan somehow tore his calf muscle. He was in a lot of pain and afraid that he had torn his Achilles. We were in the ER for a few hours. It looked like it was going to be a fairly quick trip, but the ER doc decided to call in the orthopedic doc and it took him over an hour to get there. (Of course we had already been there over an hour when he was called.) We ended up with a pair of crutches and a couple of prescriptions.

Bryan had already been at the hospital that day visiting with our friends Chris & Kathy. They too were supposed to be a part of our HS camp. Kathy's dad is not doing well and the Dr has suggested that they not leave town.

Last year we had a lot of crazy things happen at camp, but God also showed up in ways that our kids had never experienced before. On top of the hospital issues yesterday, we had to change our camp plans three times before finalizing about 3 weeks ago (we usually have this done by January). As much as this adds to the hecticness of getting ready for camp, it excites me. Why? God is up to something. I just want to get out of the way and let Him do His thing!

Please pray for our camps and for Kathy's dad.

By the way... I have come to the conclusion that student ministry is hazardous to Bryan's health.

What more can I say?

I saw several of these signs on my way to work this week. I wonder what the name says about his politics? Let's just say I'm glad I don't live in Pelzer.

Welcome Baby Carson

I have a new nephew. My sister, Kristi, gave birth to her first child on Wednesday around 7:55pm. Carson Vance King was 9lb 1oz and nearly 21 inches long. We went to visit him yesterday, but Reese had to wait outside. Little ones are not allowed. We are looking forward to visiting Baby Carson at home. Aunt Kristi promised he wouldn't have to wait outside.

Kris Allen singing God of this City

Kris was my favorite early on this season. I didn't know until last week that he was a Christian and an incredible worship leader. Let's pray for this young man as he has enters this new part of his life. Just imagine the awesome ways that God can use him!

Sleepless Nights

We were so blessed that Reese was already sleeping through the night when he came home to us. There had only been a couple of rough nights... until Sunday.

Last week Reese started showing some signs of separation anxiety. According to all of the books I have read, this is common at this age. I had no idea that it carried over into the night. Sunday night Reese went to sleep at his regular time and everything seemed normal. Bryan and I went to sleep as normal. 12:30 came and normal went out the door. Reese was wide awake and screaming with panic. I went into his room and held him. We laid on the couch until he went back to sleep. I put him back in the bed, and as soon as he hit the mattress he was up and screaming again.

This went on all night. Bryan and I took turns holding him. This was the only way he would sleep. One of us had to be touching him all night. His preference was to have his arms wrapped around my neck in a death grip. He hardly napped on Monday, and feel asleep nearly an hour and a half early that night. Monday night was a repeat. The problem is that we don't sleep if he is in our bed. We both worry about rolling on him or him getting caught in the covers.

Tuesday I did a lot of research, talked to a lot of parents, and my friend Crystal who is a child psychologist (she has been an invaluable resource!). I got many suggestions on ways to handle it, and determined that he was either having nightmares or the separation anxiety was carrying over into the night. We had a plan for what to try last night, but that will have to wait.

Before I went to bed last night, I went into Reese's room and prayed for him. THANK YOU LORD! He slept all night! I didn't because I kept anticipating him waking up. Hopefully tonight will be good for us all.

Monthly Adoption Update

We had our monthly meeting with our case workers this morning. Little Buddy put on a show for them today. He was full of smiles, squeaks, giggles, and plops as he tested out his new standing skills. We were glad to see him show off that personality of his.

I am amazed at how God continues to make His hand in this process so clear. You may remember that the grant paying for DSS's lawyer had run out. We were concerned that this was going to slow things down. Yesterday we were told that the lawyer has continued to work on our case despite the fact that she is not being paid. She has never lost a TPR (Termination of Parental Rights) case and is confident that our case is cut and dry. This was blessing #1 of the day.

Blessing #2 came when the foster care worker told us that cases are being pushed through very quickly right now. She is filing the TPR paperwork for our case on May 22nd and it could be as quick as three to four months to finalize. This is incredible news to us since other cases we know of have taken MUCH longer.

Blessing #3 is one that I will not share the details of for now, but our case worker got a phone call while she was here. If all goes well, this call could mean that things would move even faster. Someone outside the case is willing to intervene and try to speed things up. We don't know this person and they don't know us.

We were both overwhelmed by this news and would like for you to pray! Please join us in thanking God for the lawyer and her servant heart. Thank Him for making things speedy in court and thank Him for this stranger that is willing to help. Also, please for Reese's birth mother.

Thank you for your love and support. We appreciate it more than you will ever know!

I love my boys!

Here are some recent photos I have taken of my boys. I am very blessed!

The Little Things

Tonight Reese and I went to the grocery store. Usually I make an effort to go when he is not with me because it is easier that way. At first he was talking loudly. I don't mind that, as a matter of fact, I think that it is sweet that he babbles so empathicly. The longer we were in the store, it turned into loud fussing. He was hungry and tired. I got to the dairy section and picked up a small can of biscuits. (By this time Reese has been fussing really loudly for 15 minutes.) I put the biscuits in the cart. He proceeded to take the biscuits out of the cart and started eating the can. EUREKA! He giggled and chewed on those biscuits the rest of the trip. I hated to take them away from him in the check out lane.

Next time you need a quick fix in the grocery store, grab a can of biscuits!

Walking in Memphis

Well, we are not technically walking in Memphis. At the moment I am sitting and Reese doesn't know how to walk. Reese is actually sleeping. I guess he has adjusted to the change of time zone well because we still have 30 minutes before he would be awake at home.

We could not have been more proud of him yesterday. He was a trooper dealing with the airport, the plane, and all the craziness of settling into a new place for a few days. Even the TSA people at ATL commented about how cute and sweet he was. You know those TSA people aren't always friendly especially at 8:30 am in the country's busiest airport. I guess this is why it surprised me when two different sets of people asked to be moved from the seats behind us on the plane.

Reese got a little fussy in the terminal, but that was because it was time to eat. He is always a little fussy at meal times, especially if you don't feed him fast enough. Once we boarded we gave him some snacks and a bottle and he was good. I was very concerned about his ears, but it didn't seem to bother him. He never got upset, but was excited and laughed a lot. If you have ever been around this child, you know everything he does is full speed ahead... even laughing. He was a little loud, but that is the sweetest sound to me.

We started out with a man behind us and before we even took off, he asked to be moved. Soon two ladies were behind us. About half way into the flight we realized that they had moved also. I am not sure why, they missed seeing my sweet baby sleep. He went to sleep about half way through the flight which was his regular nap time.

He was a real trooper yesterday and had a lot of first experiences. You can check out his blog to see the photos of those. Well, it is time to feed the Reese man then we're off to Mississippi to the outlet mall. (Bryan is playing golf. We'll do some serious tourist stuff when he returns!)

It was a crying day

A friend posted this article on her blog this weekend. It was written by a man in her church for the Elk Grove Citizen (Elk Grove, CA). It is definitely worth sharing.

Many of us have friends and family serving in the military. Personally, my nephew and brother-in-law both have served in Iraq. I couldn't help but think of them when I read this.


It was a crying day

Published: Friday, April 17, 2009 7:59 AM PDT

Every day at the Air Force Theatre Hospital has been a little different for me. I’ve had rewarding days. I’ve had boring days. I’ve had angry days. I’ve had indifferent days. I’ve even had a few happy days.

However, in the three months I’ve been here, I haven’t really had a crying day.

Last week, I finally cried. There had been so many reasons to shed tears on this 120-day deployment, but as precious as water is in the desert, I suppose I thought I needed to conserve them until the end.

The tears started as I sat at my office desk. I think they caught my chaplain assistant off guard.

What had brought the tears? Both of us had a lot of guesses. Perhaps my tears came while thinking of the soldier who recently lost his arms and legs. Both he and his battle buddy had been “med evac’d” out of the country so quickly that none of us really had time to cry for them.

As quickly as they left, another wounded squad arrived to replace them. They too, had been blown apart by an IED. Among them was a wounded medic who was tearfully asking if she had done everything possible to save her battle buddy -- an expectant father. He had pled with her to save him even as he bled to death.

Or were my tears for her other battle buddy who lay in a nearby bed begging me to explain God’s purpose in all of this? His shoulders heaved as he asked for a new Bible to replace the one that had been blown up. Could I share with him a purpose?

Perhaps the tears were for the soldier who told me last month that he was worried he’d grown used to killing insurgents. His eyes moistened as he told me how his parents saw him as a hero. “They wouldn’t call me a hero if they knew what I do,” he declared. “Is it normal to see killing as routine?” he asked. I assured him that he wasn’t crazy or he wouldn’t have come to me. While some of my tears were for him, I was likely thinking of my son who joined the Marines two years ago. “Dad, we’re learning to kill from 500 yards,” he wrote from boot camp, “Is it wrong to kill?”

I answered him with an ancient scripture: “There is a time to kill.” Sometimes we are compelled to eradicate evil with deadly force. In so doing, we run a risk of destroying our own moral fiber.

In the process tears will come. They are a way of protecting our core being. If we didn’t shed tears for such horrendous losses, we wouldn’t be human. That’s the simple difference between the “good guys” and the “bad guys” -- we cry when we are forced to use violence, they don’t.

As I considered my tears, it occurred to me that maybe they were proud tears. We were asking so much of our young heroes. Most of them knew the price they’d pay and many of them had overpaid. “You going to be alright?” my chaplain assistant asked as the office phone rang.

It was the ICU. The soldier who asked about the purpose of all this wanted to see me again.“I want you to pray, chaplain” he said. “I want you to pray for the insurgents that did this.”

“What should I pray?” I asked.The soldier responded by telling me to pray the prayer that Jesus prayed from the cross,” – “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

I’m not sure I’m finished crying.

Chaplain Norris returns home next month and will be available to do community speaking. Feel free to contact him at Norris@thechaplain.net or write him at Norris Burkes P.O. Box 19522 Sacramento CA 95819-0522

No matter where you stand on the war, our men and women (someones brother, son, nephew, father, husband) are putting their lives on the line because they chose to. They deserve our prayers and support. They make sacrifices everyday so that we don't have to. Many of them make the ultimate sacrifice.

We can not imagine the things that they see and live with everyday. Pray for their safety and that God gives them a way to process the things that they deal with. Next time you see a solider, offer them the honor and respect that they deserve.

Info on visit with birth mom

Our case worker just called to give us an update. She visited with BM on Wednesday at the jail. Unfortunately, at this point she is still adamantly opposed to relinquishing her rights. She says that she is going to get herself together and get her baby back. She believes that she will be able to make bond within a few months and will then have a period of time before she is sentenced on her charges and returns to prison. The case worker says that BM told her that she didn't do all the things they have her charged for. According to the Guardian Ad Litem, this is always the case. BM never believes that she actually did the things the police catch her doing. When she is charged, she will be serving at least a few years. The sheriff's department has told us that it could be 5-15 years, but some of that could be suspended down to probation.

Crystal, our caseworker, assured us that this is typical with birth parents. BM can still chose at any time to relinquish. Please continue to pray that she will realize that this is best and make that decision. With BM's track record, we have no reason to believe that anything is going to change in her personal life. I hate that for her, but I also know that even if she does make that effort, she will be in prison. No matter how sincere she is, she can not parent from prison.

The formal complaint is scheduled to be filed on May 20th unless she relinquishes before then. Thank you for your prayers and please continue!

No news

We have no news for now about the adoption. Our case worker has been out of the office so she has not been able to meet with BM yet. Please continue to pray!

Update on Reese

You may have noticed that it has been a couple of weeks since I last posted. There are many reasons for that, but the main one is a sick baby. Last week we had our first round of the stomach bug. NO FUN!!! We had 6 days of nasty poo poo. Nasty, runny poo poo.



There was no time to write because I had to bathe Reese every time he pooped due to the fact that it was running down his legs. We visited the Dr. and got some dietary supplements that were pretty much a wonder drug! I will give it up for Culturelle! We used it for two days. Almost immediately solidified the stools and cleared up the problem in 2 days.

It is an understatement to say that we were very excited to get over this issue.

Prayer Warriors Needed: Adoption Update

This morning we had our monthly visits with both of Reese's case workers. The state is proceeding with the termination of parental rights. The formal complaint will be filed on May 20th. At that point the birth mother (BM) will have had 6 months to comply with the stipulations DSS gave her. She has failed to comply or attempt to comply with any of them.



Next week (probably Tuesday) our foster care worker will be visiting her at the county jail to let her know that the state is proceeding with the case. She will also let BM know that she has the option to relinquish her rights. By law she can not "talk her into" this, but she can offer the option. If, by the grace of God, she chooses to do this our process would move forward quickly.

Please pray that BM would consider this step. Pray that she will think about the best interest of Reese. Pray for Crystal (the case worker) that God would give her the words that she needs when dealing with BM.

Crystal is supposed to contact us after the visit. I will post as soon as we have more info.

God is good and He is in control!

Help Please!

My I Tunes has been "screaming" at me for weeks about downloading the newest version. I finally gave in on Tuesday. I took my laptop to my office (we have dial up at home) and gave in to the constant harassing. To my surprise, the new version wiped out my library. More than 1000 songs gone. All my podcasts...gone. All my apps and photos... gone!

How do I get my library back? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Mommy made me mad

I love magazines. We generally have 3-5 coming to our house on a regular basis. The line up of magazines has changed though. Currently, I have 3 infant & toddler related ones coming and one family related one. New issues came this week, so I skimmed one of them last night.

Several children were asked this question, "what did mommy do that made you mad?" There was one answer that cracked me up. Three year old Jason said, "She makes me poop in the potty. It's dangerous."

I am sure we will soon have our fair share of mommy made me mad stories. In the meantime, I will continue to laugh at the mishaps of others. I may regret this!

Opinion Poll

Last weekend I purchased a pair of shorts for Reese to wear for Easter and family photos. So far I haven't found the perfect shirt yet. I really want a green shirt, but no luck yet. Bryan is wearing a white polo shirt and brown shorts. I have brown carpi's and a white polo, though I am looking for a button down shirt. Please help me. Below are Reese's options. Tell me what you think...Choice 1: Brown safari style polo

Choice 2: White linen

Also, if you know anyone with bunnies or lambs, please let me know. I would like to have his picture made with either a bunny or lamb.

They Are My Students Too!

Maybe it is just me, but I feel like the students in our youth group are just as much mine as they are my husband's. Over the years, I have gotten to know many of the students and been involved in their lives. I love these kids and enjoy the time that I get to spend with them.

One of my gifts, or faults as it may be, is that I often see what people can't see in themselves. Maybe it's the mother in me or maybe it truly is a gift from God. Despite their immaturity and mistakes, it is easy for me to see what God can do with their lives. I don't mean this in a prophetic way or anything. When I see their struggles, I can just imagine the ways that God is shaping them to use that experience in the future.

Knowing what they can be makes it hard to see them fall. I know that I had to learn my lessons on my own and so do they, but that doesn't make it any easier to see them hurt. Recently a student whom we love dearly and are very close to, came to Bryan with some tough news. The student was broken and and honest. A bad decision had been made and the consequences were coming quickly. Unfortunately, the student wasn't alone in this decision or the consequences. Bryan cried with the student as they discussed the situation. When he came home and shared with me, I broke down. It broke my heart not that the student had made a bad decision, but knowing how the world would respond to this decision. I wasn't hurt or disappointed in the student, but hurting for him.

I want to shelter all of our students from the dangers of the world, but I can't. I want to guard their hearts for them, but I can't. I want to take their burdens for them, but I can't. What I can do, is love them through it and give them every chance possible to make wise decisions. I can also be an ear to listen and hands to hold as they face the consequences of their decisions.

Our challenge now is to learn how to support them and love them through these things , without down playing the seriousness of their decisions. We can't ignore their sins, but we can show them the same GRACE that our Father showed us. It is our job to be Christ to these kids and show them not how Christian's respond, but how Christ responds to their situations.

Please pray for our students. They face some huge things everyday. Our students have some heavy burdens. Pray that Christ would give us what we as a ministry team and church need to reach them and support them.

Adoption=Frustration

Our friends Brooke and Chris are STILL waiting for information about their adoption. Dillen was a year old in December. They have gotten no updates or information about Dillen since Thanksgiving. Please pray for them! They have been waiting over a year to bring her home and many people from their agency have already brought their children home. Some of those people started the process long after Brooke and Chris. They were recently informed that their paperwork has reached the government agency and is in line. This makes it seem like they are back tracking. It breaks my heart to know the pain that they must feel everyday when they think of Dillen and the fact that she is not with them.

As for our adoption, we were supposed to meet our caseworker for the first time last week. (She has been on maternity leave since the day Reese was placed with us.) Due to some miscommunication that did not happen. It has been rescheduled for this week. We are hoping that she will have information for us as far as a timeline. Since we know that the birth mother has gotten into more trouble, we think things could move faster. Originally, we were told that April could play a significant role in our process. We are hoping that she can give us some info on that.

Please keep praying for us and the Myers. Also, pray for the children who are waiting. Ask God if He may intend one of those for you!

Blessings of Heartache

In Genesis 37 Joseph's brothers throw him into a well and then sell him as a slave to the Ishmaelites. You can imagine the heartache and abandonment that he felt. These are very much the same feelings that orphans feel. It is so important to remember that God knows each one of us individually, including orphans. He knows their circumstances and He has a unique plan for each one of them, just as he did Joseph.



Often God allows our heartache because He has something much bigger in mind. In The Purpose Driven Life Rick Warren says that God never wastes a hurt. Through the pain, we gain character and learn any number of virtues. These invaluable lessons could not be learned any other way. However, it is not His intent for these precious little ones to face these lessons alone. You may think that helping one orphan is insignificant. There couldn't be a bigger lie.



Your love and support makes a huge difference in the life of that child and in turn all the lives that he touches. You are becoming Christ to that child. What greater gift could you give?!



In Hope For The Journey Kerry Hasenbalg says, "Let us imagine God's perspective. When someone adopts one of these orphans, it is as though God is saying, 'Little one, you are so special to me. I knew where you were, and I picked you out and placed you here- I knew you would be here from the beginning of time.' "



God is fatihful and will bless us through our circumstances, if only we will allow Him. What an incredible gift to know that God intended for little Reese to be with us before the beginning of time and He has an incredible plan for his life.

Psalm 138:8 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
The LORD will fulfill [His purpose] for me. LORD, Your love is eternal; do not abandon the work of Your hands

Love and Respect

Yesterday we got some new information about Reese's birth mother. It seems to be good news for us. The crazy thing is, I couldn't help but feel a little sad. Why?! That seems ridiculous since we are waiting on her rights to be terminated so that we can finalize our adoption. The more trouble she gets into, the more chances we have for the process to be hurried along.

Despite this, I can't get past feeling sorry for her that she can't get her life in line. It is so sad to think that people can be so trapped in destructive lifestyles. Looking at my baby's face everyday, I can't imagine being separated from him. I can't imagine him not being the motivation to break away from addictions. She is in my prayers. She has a long road ahead of her as she will likely be incarcerated for several years.

I know that God is bigger than any addiction and He can restore her. I know that He loves her and wants her to live a healthy lifestyle. My prayer is that she would come to that realization and be able to live a productive life in the future. We will always be indebted to her for giving us our sweet baby (even though it is not willingly). Though she will probably never know us, she will always be a part of our lives and we can't ignore that. It is important to me to make sure that Reese understands that as well. He doesn't need to know all the details right away, but he does need to know that she deserves his respect and love. Please pray for us as we learn how to teach him that.

Who's The Big Deal

I recently bought a new devotional Bible. The Bible that I have been using since we got married 8 years ago is worn out! This summer a portion of the New Testament fell out. Who needs Philemon through James anyway, right?! The devotion that I read a couple of days ago was titled Who's The Big Deal.

The author says that our job as Christian's is to make a big deal out of God. Our goal is to make God famous. This sparked many thoughts in my mind. As a ministry family we have tons of opportunities to make God famous to those around us. We have been given a huge responsibility to make sure that the students in our community not only know God, but make him famous by the way they live their lives.

More importantly, my new job is to make God famous to my own family, specifically to Reese. The author asks some questions that I want to ask of my self every morning. I encourage you to ask your self these same questions each new day.

* How will I make God famous to my kids today?
* Will they learn to seek his presence because of his presence in me?
* Will they be able to recognize godliness because they have witnessed godliness in me?

i deal with and teach many children everyday. However, the most important person that I teach each day is my own sweet baby. Will he know that God is love? Will he know that God loves us just the way we are? Will he see my life as a love letter back to the one who gave me life?

I pray constantly for him to know and love my Savior in a real and intimate way. One of the best ways that I can help make this happen is by loving Christ and living that out in front of him. everyday I ask the Lord to give me the things that I need to make that happen. As I look at my beautiful blessing, I can't imagine not spending eternity with him by my side.

Running For My Life

A couple of weeks ago I finished reading Warrick Dunn's Running For My Life. I was excited about reading this book after seeing a segment on the Today show about Dunn. You may have read my post regarding this a few months ago. There were some parts of the book that were slow to me, but overall, it was very refreshing.

The book chronicles Dunn's journey from high school to the NFL. I am not a football fan and do not understand the mechanics of the game. Dunn talks a lot about games and plays. These parts were a little slow for me, but I understand that he does this to set up the importance that football plays in his story. If I understood football, I feel certain that these parts would have been more meaningful to me.

Dunn's mother was killed when he was in high school. The opening chapter of the book lets the reader in on Dunn's visit to Angola State Prison where he meets and forgives his mother's murderer. The rest of the book leads you on his journey to that point. Dunn used football as a way to release his pain. After several years and a lot of encouragement, he also sought counseling.

Growing up very close to his single mother, he knew that he wanted to do something to help other working single mothers. Through the Warrick Dunn Foundation he does just that. His Homes for The Holidays program provides a down payment and home furnishings for single moms. He is also a founding member of Athletes for Hope, an organization where professional athletes serve as mentors to help new pros find ways to reach out to their communities.

The more that I read, I knew that Dunn had to be a Christian. Everything that he was doing was screaming Christ to me. He would often mention the faith of his mother and grandmother and how that affected him. One part particularly stood out to me. When speaking about being a role model this was said: "Because I have been able to build a reputation as a talented player, I have been able to build futures. Because I am able to play, I am able to make a difference. Because I have been blessed with a talent, I also have been given a responsibility." That is not a responsibility that he takes lightly!

Dunn makes it quite clear that he does not need flashy things and expensive houses. He knows how to live simply and chooses to use his wealth to give from his heart. One of the final chapters of the book is devoted to his faith. He openly talks about his relationship with Christ and how that has shaped everything that he does. Despite the losses in his life, he knows that he is blessed and is determined to share that blessing.

Though I wanted to know early on about his faith, I think it is very fitting the way he added it in to the book. This book was not marketed to Christian audiences. Someone who is not interested in his faith may have put the book down very quickly had pushed his faith early on. Instead, he (in a sense) lives out a life a faith in front of these people and then in the end explains why.

This was a great book and Warrick Dunn is one of the few athletes who truly deserves to be a role model. This is one man any mother would be happy for her child to strive to imitate.

Mr. Enthusiastic

Next week I am launching a new blog. It will be a photo and video blog for Reese. If you want a taste of what goes on in the Holder household, check that site out.

www.reeseholder.blogspot.com

Truely Blessed

A lot of things have happened with us this week. Reese is doing so many new and cute things. He has figured out how to move from a seated position to laying down and back again. We are still not crawling, but we get closer every day. He has definitely taken to his daddy and loves him very much.

On Thursdays Reese stays with my grandmother. Yesterday when I took him over my cousin Dustin happened to be up and laying on the couch. (He works late and is generally not up yet when I get there). Dustin picked up Reese and sat him on his chest. It almost made me cry to sit and watch him play with my baby. I have always been very close with my cousins. We grew up more like brothers and sisters than cousins. At that moment all I could think about is how blessed I am. I had always hoped that my children would be as close to my cousins as I have been. Sharing this time with them is so special to me.

I am blessed to have Reese. I am blessed to have a great family. I am blessed to have a husband that loves me and Reese and daily puts himself aside to take care of us.

Some unexpected things came up this week that made us a little uneasy. Despite the fears and uneasiness, this was yet another display of how blessed we are. Many people in our church family and our friends have rallied around us. A new friend even has her friends and family that we don't even know praying for us.

We serve a God that is bigger than any circumstance that we face. He shows himself to be faithful to us everyday. When we slow down and take the time to notice we will see the blessings all around us!

You Found Me

Over the last couple of years I have become a fan of The Fray. This week they released their newest album. I Of course, I quickly added to my I-Tunes library. I really like the sound of the new single You Found Me, however, I am having a hard time making sense of it. Here are the lyrics:

You Found Me
I found God on the corner of First and Amistad

Where the west was all but won

All alone smoking His last cigarette

I said where You been, He said ask anything

Where were You when everything was falling apart

All my days were spent by a telephone

That never rang and all I needed was a call

That never came to the corner of First and Amistad
Lost and insecure, You found me, You found me

Lying on the floor, surrounded, surrounded

Why'd You have to wait, where were You, where were You

Just a little late, You found me, You found me

In the end everyone ends up alone

Losing her, the only one who's ever known

Who I am who I'm not and who I want to be

No way to know how long she will be next to me
Lost and insecure, You found me, You found me

Lying on the floor, surrounded, surrounded

Why'd You have to wait, where were You, where were You

Just a little late, You found me, You found me

Early morning the city breaks and I've been calling for years and years

You never left me no messages, You never send me no letters

You got some kind of nerve taking all I want
Lost and insecure, You found me, You found me

Lying on the floor, where were You, where were You

Lost and insecure, You found me, You found me

Lying on the floor, surrounded, surrounded

Why'd You have to wait, where were You, where were You

Just a little late, You found me, You found me

Why'd You have to wait to find me, to find me

Any thoughts on the meaning? I am kinda lost on this one. I guess I have had a hard time getting past the whole cigarette line. I have a hard time picturing God with a cigarette.