Sermon Notes...

Well this Sunday had an interesting sermon but one that was much needed among my particular age group. I feel like my generation is always looking for the easy way out, the shortcut or the loophole in the scriptures. Making the scripture fit in to our mold. I mean if you are like me you have said or have heard this said, "BUT Jesus turned water in to wine..." So it must be OK. Or "a glass of wine is good for your stomach..."
Our Pastor talked directly to us about why our church believes in abstaining from alcohol other than the old timers explanation of "Your body is a temple of GOD and you shouldn't put anything in it to destroy it and that it will kill your brain cells" The pastor made the point that most of the people figured...I already have destroyed brain cells...what are a few more or we think we are smart enough that we can spare a few. He had all the members stand up while he read directly out of the manuel of the Church of the Nazarene that clearly states that as a member you agree that you will abstain from any use of alcohol. He also backed this up with scripture.
The passage in the bible he used was Proverbs 23:29-35 and it says
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has strife? Who has complaints?
Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?

30 Those who linger over wine,
who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.

31 Do not gaze at wine when it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup,
when it goes down smoothly!

32 In the end it bites like a snake
and poisons like a viper.

33 Your eyes will see strange sights
and your mind imagine confusing things.

34 You will be like one sleeping on the high seas,
lying on top of the rigging.

35 "They hit me," you will say, "but I'm not hurt!
They beat me, but I don't feel it!
When will I wake up
so I can find another drink?"

It amazes me that even when the bible was transulated that verses 32-35 describe perfectly what the affects of alcohol can do to a person. The pastor went on to give statistics of what alcohol can do in our every day life... For instance.
Every 22 minutes someone dies from alcohol or alcohol related disease/accident.
50% of all rapes are alcohol related
36% of suicides are alcohol related
50% of child abuse is alcohol related
75% of all child deaths are alcohol related (this one scares me!)

Wine in bible times is not the same wine that we are used to in our time. The wine in that time was used for medicine to settle the stomach because the water was full of bacteria. Example 1Timothy 5:23

23 Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses

It was also mixed in most settings in the bible as in Proverbs 9:2-5

2 She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine;
she has also set her table.

3 She has sent out her maids, and she calls
from the highest point of the city.

4 "Let all who are simple come in here!"
she says to those who lack judgment.

5 "Come, eat my food
and drink the wine I have mixed.

He spoke about our preferences over our convictions and how when we prefer things it is for convience. For example...most parents prefer that their kids don't drink, but it is Ok if they do. Most parents prefer that their kids go to church even if they don't. If we had a conviction about those things and believed strongly in it then we would be making sacrifices. Making sure that our kids can follow our example and teaching them that a drink is not all that important. Making a sacrifice in sleep or time to make the effort to come to church. Conviction is sacrifice. Christians should take a stand to make sure that they are not just blending in with the world. If you are out somewhere and someone sees you with a beer in your hand and another person who is obviously not a christian holding a beer in their hand then how will they know that you are a Christian and that you are making sacrifices to show what you believe to a very critical outside world. Let's face it the world is waiting for us Christians to screw up so they can point fingers at us and call us a hypocrite. We are supposed to be images of Christ and he would have abstained from alcohol in our time so he could be a good example and a good witness to the world. Our pastor ended his sermon with these statistics:

If a child can abstain from using alcohol until the age of 21 then they are more likely to never drink

The average age right now in the US for starting to drink is 11 for boys and 13 for girls. The average age that people begin to drink on a regular basis is 15.9.

He asked which catagory do we fall into...Abstainance, Tolerance, or Acceptance. As members of the Nazarene Church we should be falling under the Abstainance catorgory but it seems that lately we are falling under the tolerance or acceptance. We aren't fazed by the fact that our kids see us drinking and we can't give a good excuse as to why they can't have some. The only thing I could think people could say to their kids would be it tastes awful and it makes you sick...(THEN WHY DRINK IT). Some people can stop at one drink but how do you know that if you are influence that your children use to decide to drink that they will be that person that can stop at just one and that they won't end up on the statistical side of alcohol.

So that is the sermon and what I interpreted him as saying...I would love to hear any comments from those of you that attend our church who might have gotten something different out of it or that agree with what I think.

Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

The begging shall cease!

After much begging I am writing a blog. I have been really busy...(OK not really). Actually this has been a pretty slow week so I have tried to be as lazy as possible. I have managed to get together a few times with friends. Some interesting things happen when you have a house full of screaming, running and sometimes laughing kids. For instance...we were all sitting in my friends living room when one of the children was digging for gold...I mean she was scratching her brain if you know what I mean. When my friend Brenda said..."Did you get it?" She said Yes....AND THEN SHE ATE IT! I think Brenda threw up in her mouth. I was laughing so hard that I thought I was going to have to put one of the baby's diapers. Last night was also Samuel's first official sleep over with his friend Riley. I would like to be able to say that he was devastated to see me leave and that first thing this morning he cried and cried for me but no...he loved it, he didn't even know I had left. It is hard to believe that he is getting this old. He was so devastated by not being home last night that he decided to stay the night at his "Mop"'s house tonight.
The second thing I wanted to blog about was how we sometimes get so wrapped up in our own worries and frustrations that we miss the fact that there are people and friends around us that are going though "stuff" too. I was awaken to this the other night as I was sitting "listening" to a friend tell me about some of the stuff that they have been dealing with. I thought...WOW...have I been so blind and completely caught up in myself that I missed what was happening to my friend. I think that sometimes we need to talk less and listen more. I feel like my friends have listened to me alot lately about Josh and about me, me, me...that I forgot to listen to them. I forgot what a real friend is...a great listener. I apologize to my friends if I have been selfish in my stories and in our time together. I will try to do better. Sometimes I wish that I didn't have the past and the life that I have because it has afforded me a lot of stories that seem to always fit right in there with someone elses story. I never want to come across like I am trying to have the "best" story or the "worse" problem or the "YEAH...well my..." kind of story.
Philippians 2:3
Don't be selfish; don't live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself.

One side note...here is a picture of Josh for my brother...I think him and Tyler are starting to look a little alike. I can't wait to see them together in November.

Words have changed over the years.

My friends and I were having this discussion about how words change over time. For instance...my grandmother uses the word "dope" for any topping that we put on ice cream. Now if I said to someone that I am going to put "dope" on my ice cream they think it was some illegal drug I was topping it with. Then the older crowd sometimes call butter, "oleo". No one know why. One other thing I was thinking about is the confusion I feel when I go over to grandma's for lunch and she calls it dinner. Now I think dinner is later but she calls that supper. In my terms...it is breakfast, lunch and dinner. In her eyes it is breakfast, dinner, and then supper. She also refers to things as "tooting" and we call it farting. She calls the toilet, "the cammode" and calls underwear "pants". Over the years I have been able to understand her foreign language and I thought that she might just be the only person on the planet that says stuff like that. BUT NO...I have several friends that have 1 or more people in the family who still use these different words. I would be interested to know if any of you have any more examples of words changing over time.
(Sorry so short)

Friends...

I have been thinking a lot about what makes a really good friend. I wouldn't say I am expert on this topic because it wasn't until recently that I found a friend that I would consider a "best friend". I have learned over the years that you can have a lot of friends and aquaitances but only once, maybe twice if your lucky, a true best friend. When I was younger I longed for the friendship that my cousin Andrea had with Nicole and the friendship that my cousin Kelley had with Kismet, one that survives through all years and seems stronger with every year. What I admired about both of those friendships is that they didn't have to spend every waking moment talking to each other but when they did they were on the same page. They had the same likes and dislikes and any differences they might have had didn't keep them from respecting each other. I have to say that the relationships that I have recently found, came at a time when I have been trying to straighten my life out and started going to church. I think it is possible (mom you might have been right), that I was looking for friends in the wrong places. It is so nice to have christian friends and have christian families to hang out with. I am excited to watch all of our kids go up together in the church. While those relationships are very important to me, my best friend is the one person that I can call when I am feeling low and she makes me laugh or I find something funny in what she is saying even when she is not trying to. What I like most about our friendship is that we don't even have to talk to each other for a week and we can still call each other and talk just where we left off. I have never been more thankful for a friend to lean on than now since I have been going through so much with Joshua and my health. So thank you, Sarah, for being there for me and for making me laugh even when I don't feel like it. I don't always express to you how important you are to me and how much I appreciate our friendship, thanks again. To my other friends...thank you for all of you support and prayers during this time. I am realizing how important friendships are during rough times.

And to let everyone know...I have to go back in another 6 months for another mammogram (4 in less than 2 years). The next time they said they might have to do a biopsy. As far as Joshua goes...I took him today for an EEG. It was so stressful and tiring for both of us. I had to wake him up at 6:00 am (sorry Sarah I told you 5). Anyway...I had to try to keep him awake all the way to Columbus by myself and then during the test I had to hold him down as they attached about 36 electrodes to his head with glue and a mini hair dryer. I won't know the results for about 10 business days. We also have an appointment with the neurologist at the end of August. I suppose if there is something really bad that shows up, they will have us in before then. So this week has been a little busy and if I have not returned calls or called you, I am sure you all understand.

One more thing...Did you know that a fiesta taco salad from Taco Bell is 630 calories and 39 fat grams, it doesn't even measure on the weight watchers scale (sorry I had to throw that in there). So much for a salad being good for you!!!

5th Birthday a Success!

The birthday party was absolutely wonderful. We had a awesome turn out. I think we had a total of 35 people. Our theme was Superman but I was calling Samuel "Pooperman". He is like any other 5 year old boy, he thinks any word related to bodily functions is funny (poop, fart, burp, butt, you get the idea). I wanted to have a water balloon toss "Kryptonite Toss" but the big kids (Wayne, Mike, Anthony and Steve) decided to start throwing balloons and it wasn't long until the little ones joined in and all of the balloons were gone. They had a blast and the pool was a big hit considering it was mid 90's on Sunday. Here are a few picture of that day.


Samuel getting ready to get me with a water balloon..."STOP I HAVE THE CAMERA!"








Aaron Lovell









Tyler and Riley Brown

Taylor Jones and Brandon Wolbert

Abby and Elizabeth Boyd.

We had a wonderful time. The kids enjoyed the pool and the trampoline and the adults enjoyed the adult company and some opted for the air conditioned house (mom).



Thanks to all that came, it made the day special for Samuel.

Awkward

Ever wonder when you child is going to say that one thing that makes you angered and embarrassed all at the same time? Well...I have a friend who experienced this with me this weekend. We were all going to Buffalo Wild Wings and I was teasing her son as we were getting out of the car and boom...out of retaliation he says "You are Fat!" I said I know...He said "No, You are really fat!" This is the point that the mother realized what he had said. She was instantly mad and embarrassed all at the same time. I wanted to quickly say...Well...he is very observant. I mean it is like calling the kettle black as my mom would say. I found it funny but was trying to let the mother handle it the way that she wanted. I must admit it did corss my mind to say something childish like "I may be fat but..."
I was actually not offended by the honesty but wondered to myself...I wonder how long it will be before Samuel or Josh say something to someone that I will want to hide away somewhere. For story purposes, I will edit the actual word used, but I was told by a someone that they were with their child in a store somewhere where the guy in front of them was being less than polite and her daughter noticed him and her mom's expressions and loudly blurted "Mommy, Is this guy being a jerk?"
What was funny about my friends situation with me was that after the scolding by his mom, he told her "I am going to runaway!" She calmly said "It is raining" He responded..."I guess I will runaway tomorrow!" When she told him that he would miss Samuel's birthday party, he said "I will be back for that". KIDS SAY THE DARNEST THINGS!

So...in other news. I am hosting a huge 5th birthday party tomorrow for "Superman" Samuel. I think the number of kids is up to 12 but I may have forgotten to count a few. I forgot how hard this planning thing is. I think I get more excited about it than he does. I bought a pinata tonight (a pull string, VERY SAFE), I always wanted one as a kid. So wish me luck and as always lots of prayers as our house will be filled with a LOT of people. Here are the pictures that I put in his invitation.

Another Family update

So after taking Joshua to the ER on Friday for the seizures, I took him to the doctor this week who called and made an appointment with a neurologist. We go on August 29th. The doctor thought that maybe the medicine that they had been giving him for his appetite was causing it so he took him completely off of it. We hadn't given it to him since Friday and the doctor said if the seizures occur again then it is not the medicine. So...yesterday we found out it is not the medicine because he had a little seizure in the car on the ride home from my grandparents. I can't wait until August. I looked back up Cerebral Palsy (which is the first thing they thought he might have) and it was like reading a novel about Josh. Everything on the mild side of CP is what we have dealt with. So I hope that they re-examine this as a possibility. If you have any questions go to this http://www.webmd.com/hw/raising_a_family/aa56612.asp
Also in the midst of all of this with Joshua, I had to have my 3rd mammogram of the year. In October of last year they found something and I have had to go back every 4 months. Today I went a whole month early because I found something else and now I am a bit paranoid. Today they not only did a mammogram but they did an ultrasound. I have a doctors appointment scheduled for Tuesday to get the results. The wait is the worse! Sorry that all of my posts lately have not had the usual dose of humor but I have a lot on my mind and my sense of humor is the first thing to get pushed to the side. So as before, please pray for me and my family. Somedays I feel like this: (I still have a little bit of a sense of humor...hopefully my best friend still has hers.)















I love those girls!

What chair are you in?

So today we went to church and man was I glad I did. Our pastor struck a nerve with me and I felt moved to take action. Here are the highlights...He was asking what chair in life are we in...Chair number 1 consists of committment, love and priorities. Chair 2 is compromise, lukewarm, and pleasures, and finally chair number 3 was conflict, lostness, and perplexed. He was describing how each of fit into one of those. He related it to the church and how the church as a whole used to be In Love with Christ, that He was the first priority and that people were committed to the church and God. Now it seems as though most churches are sliding from chair one to chair 2 from being in love with Christ to talking about how the church of the past was on fire and how the church of the past were really committed and how the church of the past was the priority of people. The churches in chair 2 are more likely to talk about the history of the church and be lukewarm rather than being the chair #1 like we are supposed to be. Chair # 3 was not forgotten in all of this. This is the church that falls apart from conflict, lostness and are perplexed. He also talked to the parents and asked where do you think you sit? And where do you think your children sit? And where do your children think you sit? Most children are one chair below their parents so if you are sitting in chair number 2 then most likely your child is sitting in chair # 3. If we compromise our beliefs and are caught up in the pleasures of this world (that fine line), and are just lukewarm in our beliefs then our chidren are most likely going to be in conflict, lost and perplexed. If your children see you living your life from chair # 1 they are more likely to strive to be there with you. Wayne and I both took what he said very seriously and made a committment to make it a priority for our children and show them that we love our church and we love our God. "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!" Joshua 24:15. Please pray for us that we can be strong examples to our children and that we can raise them up in the way that they shall go. I don't want to be responsible for letting my kids down and making it easy for them to sit in chair number 3.

Can't Win

Do you ever feel like you can't win for trying? That is exactly how I feel about Joshua and his health. We have had him to specialist after specialist, done more tests than any kid should have to go through, currently giving him medicine for indigestion, a medicine to increase his appetite and a liquid vitamin that makes your tongue feel like you have been sucking on a fork all day, we have been told by numerous people and friends that there is nothing wrong with him yet something is not quite right. Today while we were eating he bent over in the highchair and started making this weird face and his right arm started jerking. It only lasted about a minute and then he went right back to his rotten self. So Wayne and I decided that maybe he was just being goofy but I continued to watch him. Tonight I was sharing this experience with my grandma and my mom and grandma said that yesterday at her house he did the same thing that I was describing and she wondered what it was too. Well tonight as I was eating at Bob Evans with my mom and grandma he bent over and started jerking and when I reached over and grabbed his arm, he quit. He looked blankly at me for a second and then made a funny face and laughed. After we got home he seemed to have a hard time walking, he kept tripping. So tomorrow morning I begin the task of calling the doctors and specialists to see if I can get new answers which I am sure will be followed with more tests. I get so frustrated and angry that I have a hard time not crying. I think I have spent most of tonight trying to fight back the tears. This sucks! I told my mom that I feel like people think that I am just trying to find something wrong with him but I am not. I just want to have an answer, whatever it is! Please pray for me as I start this new road to answers.

As Promised....TOM

That is right...I do have another brother other than the almost funny and sometimes famous, John. (I think I said that backwards...almost famous and sometimes funny). Anyway...I have proof that he exists...see the picture. Now don't be alarmed it really is my brother and not my sister, I promise, at least that is what my mom told me as a child. The hair is to keep people guessing. He is actually the smartest of all of us and since he says he never reads this, then I feel safe that it wouldn't go to his head. I think the growing of the hair has to do with the fact that my mom is constantly "suggesting" (nagging) him to cut it and he is not going to just to spite her. Tom is what we call in our family "the creative one". I think it is the same in every family, there is always that one that does everything different than their siblings. Tom is that person. The strange thing is...the kids all think he is cool. (WHATEVER!). Samuel thought Uncle Tom was cool when he taught him that the color brown was called "poop" and that he should refer to my half brother, Justin, as "punk". Tom likes to buy the toys that make the most noise or the one's that don't have an off button. He gets great pleasure in torturing me though my kids...he says it is payback. But for what I can't figure. I mean I was a perfect sister and very loving towards him going up and we used to hug and laugh and play games....OH WAIT....That wasn't me and Tom. We used to fight constantly and I thought a few times that I may be sent to an early grave. But we have both matured...(Well I have at least...just kidding). Now Tom is the person that I could call if I ever needed anything. This includes helping me fix things and helping my husband fix things and burning CD/DVD movies for my kids, even if some of them have subtitles from China or Africa or somewhere (I don't ask...he don't tell). He also has built the neatest things...wooden wagons, corner cabinets, cradles, and high chairs. They are not just neat they are really good and most of them he made without any plan. I still think Sam's wagon is heavier than Tyler's. Anyway....I think I have said enough, I will let my mom and John fill in anything that I left out.

This is Tom in front of a desk that he built for grandpa.