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OK for some reason I'm not getting the comments people are leaving on these last 2 posts. If you don't mind, try again...I'm trying to figure it out. Thanks!

Seeing With New Eyes

I am reading a book called Seeing With New Eyes: Counseling and the Human Condition Through the Lens of Scripture. It's a MUST read -- especially for people like Sylas and I who counsel on a weekly basis...if not daily. I wanted to blog some of the quotes I find especially great from the author, David Powlison.

On anger:

"When Paul writes, "Be angry, and yet do not sin" (Ps. 4:4; Eph. 4:26), he again shifts the direction of application in addressing a very different context. The original appeared as part of an extended meditation on stilling your heart into peace and trust, so that you would not sin when you are upset at the wrongdoing of God's enemies. The fresh restatement develops the necessity of dealing quickly with anger, primarily in the context of the remnant sins that can irritate and provoke those in Christ. It develops the devilish dimension, how unresolved anger plays into the divisive agenda of the accuser of the Brethren. It sets our dealing with anger in the larger context of "learning Christ" (Eph. 4:20), one piece of the transformation of our lives. Psalm 4:4 has been adapted to a larger vision. The quotation sparkles with new meanings, not contradictions."

The first chapter in this book is called Counsel Ephesians and he deals with the ways the book of Ephesians is sufficient to counsel with, saying "What a remarkable, provocative, and unusual door Ephesians opens into the rest of the Bible! The light of the Lord Jesus Christ and current ministry needs lead Paul to rework Scripture and put Scripture to work."

Powlison refers to the OT quotes in Ephesians (and the rest of the NT) as being "Christified" -- or seen in a new paradigm because of the birth, death and resurrection of Christ. Interesting, isn't it? I'm sure you seminary folk would get more out of this than I do. I have to sort through background noises such as Baby Einstein, pleas for milk and juice, and the phone ringing incessantly. :) It's not necessarily an 'easy read'...at least not for me. I'd love it if someone read it and reviewed it on the booked blog!! I highly recommend it!

The First Day of Pre-K

Well, I had all these ideas for an elaborate post on this momentous day in our lives. But it is now almost 1 am on the SECOND day of Pre-K and I just now uploaded all my pics. SO here are a couple pictures of Jacob's morning...

Sylas and I were both able to take Jacob to school because Cara is here. So she stayed with Kyle and Ty -- praise the LORD for that! I spent most of the morning being made fun of while I cried over Jacob's introduction to the real world. We took his backpack and supplies to the class room and then went to the cafeteria where they serve everyone breakfast. Jacob was thrilled to find blueberry muffins and cocoa puffs. I don't let the boys have that cereal because Ty plays 'Cocoa Puff Stomp' and grinds them into the carpet. So it was quite a treat. He was also thrilled that he got milk AND juice. We had a lesson on holding your tray at a 90 degree angle with your body -- not 45 degrees as he originally had it. I think he and Michael were making plans for after school.

When I asked him how his day went, he told me "We didn't learn anything about something." I figure that means he didn't learn anything significant. Then later he told Cara that they didn't teach him about God. I'm pretty thankful, however, that at least 5 of the kids in his class attend our church regularly. So all in all it was exciting and emotional. This final pic is Jacob and the young and beautiful Kiely. What a stud, right?? I'll blog more later. I'm pooped.

Jacob's All Growed UP

The chubby, mostly cranium infant we called 'Tubbies' will be heading off to pre-K in 9 days!!

I got a sitter last week and Jacob and I went shopping for school supplies. We had a great time. He's not at the age yet where he knows exactly what he wants, so we actually got out of Target for less than $25. I'm training him to be a bargain shopper. ;)


While we were shopping, we even took some fun 'extended-arm self portraits.'

Then on Thursday I took him out for some Pre-K Portraits. You can check them out here. Here's my personal favorite:

Abortion

Many of you know my heart yearns to begin some sort of crisis pregnancy center here in Eldorado. The purpose would be to minister to pregnant women here and in the surrounding areas. I had kind of put the idea on the back burner for now since I have my hands full with my precious boys. But tonight I was watching a video online that stirred up the passion in my heart to offer hope in the midst of a crisis pregnancy situation, with the main goal to be evangelism and abortion alternatives. I'm going to put a link to it on here but I want to warn you first. There are graphic pictures on this site of unborn children ripped from the womb. That is an understatement. I couldn't even watch the whole video -- honestly. I was weeping. I had to look away. This site seems to be dedicated to exposing abortion for what it truly is. Don't let your kids see this. But let the vulgarity of it create in you a passion for spreading the gospel and a love for life and for the grace of God despite the sin that is in us and is surrounding us.

www.abort73.com

Another Wild Weekend

Sylas took the youth to Rock the Desert in Midland, Texas this weekend and I sucked it up and stayed home with the boys. Little did I know, we would have an addition to our family for the weekend...Mr. Michael Creek. So the weekend turned into camp Politte. Friday we went to the snuggle factory and made animals. Best story from that place: You have to pick out a star and 'make a wish' and then put the star in the stuffing that goes into your animal. Ty's wish? "I wish we could just go home." Ya never know with that kid.



Then on Saturday I figured we better do something fun, so we got out the Creek's inflatable water slide. The thing is gigantic. The boys obviously had a blast. In the picture where Ty has the noodle -- I had told the boys to wrestle in the water and I would take pictures. So Ty picks up the noodle, smacks both Jacob and Michael in one swing then goes "I WIN!" We all got sunburns and had a blast! Kristin Mittel was my sidekick for the weekend -- I couldn't have done it without her!

New Pics

I've been anxious to share some new pics with all of you but I couldn't get my software to work with the camera/laptop setup I have. Ugh.

Anyway here are a couple pictures I took so that you could all get a taste of Eldorado.

This might be my favorite...only in Eldorado!! ;)





Eldorado sunset







A random, abandoned church building








That's it for now -- I have boys with swords and a hungry infant. More later...I'm sure the suspense is killing you.

Bring the Rain

So today has been a rather trying day for us. I will spare you the details in order to avoid a lot of sins that might occur if I blabbed the situation on a blog post. Let's just say that Sylas and I are facing some major decisions in our life. Sometimes I think about being responsible for three kids and caring for my husband and I still think I'm this little girl inside trying to act all grown up. Sometimes it works better than others ;)

I want to share the words to the chorus of Bring The Rain by Mercy Me. I realize that my trials are trivial in comparison to some of you - but this has helped me to refocus and has become the cry of my heart today:

Bring me joy
Bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings you glory

And I know there'll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise you,
Jesus bring the rain.

I am yours regardless of
The clouds that may loom above
Because you are much greater than my pain
You who made a way for me
By suffering your destiny
So tell me what's a little rain

HOLY HOLY HOLY IS THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY


'nuff said