Happy Birthday Janelle

Yesterday was Janelle's birthday, it was also a day of flexibility. The things we planned on doing we did not do and the things we did not plan on doing we did (but not in the Paul fashion). We planned on coming home for lunch and going to the Cheesecake Factory for her birthday dinner. Instead we went to lunch with our friends the Bells and went to Snappy Tomato with Chris and Micalynn Barker. While it wasn't what we had planned to do, it was better because it was time spent with friends.

We were going to take the Christmas tree down today but I could not stand the thought a wrestling boys, the trees and protecting the ornaments all at the same time....so we took down the tree last night while the boys were sleeping. There is a lot of additional space for the boys to play in now.

I was thinking of the upcoming new year knowing that it will be like every year having its share of dissappointment and sorrow, that is not what I focus on. Instead I look forward to spending time with my wife and boys. Trips to see grandmother, camp, grandparents coming back during the summer and the general promise of a new year. The new year also brings us closer to eternity with the passing of each day, so I need to make every day count.

In closing, again Happy birthday Janelle and Happy New Year to all of you.

In Him,

David

My Family

I have not posted photos before, so let's try this little experiment

Me and my LOVELY wife, yes, I know I married UP.

Grandmother and Christopher





Christopher displays his architectural abilities

Jacob, a true Joy!

And finally, my two boys being sweet!

Holidays and Observations

We traveled to my mother's home for the Christmas holiday. We had a wonderful time and the boys love spending time with their grandmother. It was a busy time with a day at Dollywood, presents to open on Christmas Eve, the visit from Santa on Christmas morning, visiting the congregation that I grew up in on Sunday morning and spending time with family and friends. We are truly blessed!

One of the inconveniences of staying with my mother is her internet connection. It is rather slow and sporadic at times. I think my in-laws in China have better service than she does. But for all that she uses the net, it is perfect for her and that is all that matters. It does make it difficult to post and read other blogs though.

I received the movie that I truly wanted from my wife as a Christmas present. The movie is titled Amazing Grace and it is truly an amazing movie. It is based on the actions of William Wilberforce and his attempts to abolish slavery in the British empire. His mentor / preacher / father figure was John Newton, a former slaveship captain. I will not go into the details, rather I would urge everyone to see this movie. It proves that 1 man can make a difference.

Early on in the movie William is having a conversation with his butler when the butler asks, excuse the paraphrasing please, "you found God sir?" To which William replies: "rather he found me, it is rather inconvenient when one finds God." It is inconvenient to find God. As humans there are things that we WANT to do that as Christians we should NOT do. But on the flip side, it is a grand adventure to walk with God and to know him. Everything good that I have in my life I have because of God. My parents, my wife and my children are all blessings from Him. Happy New Year to all.

In Him,

David

Great Expectations

I wrote in my last post that I have certain expectations when it comes to Christmas, what I did not write is that these expectations are based on my experiences in the past. The kind of Christmas that I had as a child has shaped what I expect Christmas to be as an adult. Unfortunately many of us approach religion in the same manner. Our previous experiences shape what we expect out of a church. Sadly many do not take the time to honestly look for themselves at what the Bible says of what the Church should be.

It is amazing to me in this age of high speed internet, cars, planes, satellite communications, etc.; that the most influential person in the world is a poor carpenter's son who died nearly 2000 years ago. He did not have a tv show, hardly traveled compared to what we do today and yet the world recognizes him both in this holiday season and in how we measure the passing of time.

I want to use the upcoming year to get to know this carpenter's son better. To better understand what the church should be and my role in it. To be the husband, father and role model that I should be.

Happy Holidays, In Him.........

David

Can't Wait

As a small child I always loved Christmas. I could not wait to look under the tree and see what Santa brought me and all the other gifts that I was getting. I also loved picking out gifts for others and wathching their faces as they opened their gifts. I still love Christmas and can't wait to see the boys faces this year.

I always want to pick something that is suitable to the person for which I am buying, although my method of shopping has changed. I used to be a powershopper. I would wait to the last moment and do all my shopping in one frantic day of shopping. I am now more of a bargain shopper. I will shop the doorbusters, Black Friday and anywhere else that I can get a deal. I will carefully comb through all the sales flyers (F.S.I.s in the business) looking for the best deals on what I have chosen to purchase. I always shop with this caveat, if I don't think the person will truly like or can use it, I won't buy it.

I hate buying clothes for my nieces. I don't want to be the clothes uncle, I want to be the cool uncle that gets them cool things, not clothes. I hated getting clothes when I was younger. It wasn't that I was unappreciative, it was that what certain family members picked out for me had nothing to do with style. When I would put on their outfit I would feel like Ralphy wearing the pink bunny costume in "A Christmas Story".

I have certain unwritten rules about Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. It is part of who I am. I try not to always inflict my rules on others but I do have certain expectations. Even if you don't live up to my expectations I do know that I love Christmas and as the song says, it is the most wonderful time of the year. Merry Christmas.

David

Sick Little Boy part 2

In my last blog I mentioned that Jacob was sick. Well his fever finally broke on Friday night and then he was full of energy and wanting to play, so he and I stayed up till 11:30 and then I rocked him back to sleep. That was the good news.

Saturday I kept the boys while Janelle went to class. After mommy got home, Christopher and I went to McDonald's playland for him to run out some energy. We then had a errand to run to Wal-Mart. At that point Christopher said something he rarely says, "lets go home daddy." I said it would only take a minute and then we would go home. Warning sign number 2, he said his tummy hurt. Warning sign number 3, he would not ride in the cart but wanted me to carry him instead. We were shopping when all of a sudden he threw up on daddy's shoulder. I rushed out of the store, pulled off my jacket and threw it in the trunk, got some towels and cleaned him up and then put him in his carseat and drove him home. I felt terrible all the way home and apologized for keeping him out when he wanted to go home...he kept reassuring me that "its okay daddy, its okay."

We enter the house when he gets sick on me a second time. Gross! He's crying, feeling awful and scared. We keep reassuring him that its okay. I hand him off to Janelle and go get out of my gross clothing. I come back, change him into pajamas while Janelle cleans up the entry way and puts the clothes into the wash. We fold out the couch, turn on a movie to calm him down and to let him relax. He now loves "White Christmas". During the night he gets me for the third and final time. We change him, me and the bedding again and settle down for a restless night.

God gives us kids so we can start to understand him. Through it all, I love Christopher and my only desire was for him to feel better. I wonder how many times I have thrown up on God and yet all he wants is a relationship with me.

In Him,

David

Sick little boy

We have had a rough past couple of days. Jacob has been running a fever and kept us up most of the night Wednesday night. On Thursday he went to the doctor. They were concerned enough that they ordered chest x-rays. The good news is it was not pneumonia, the bad news is it was not pneumonia. If it had been pneumonia then they could treat it with antibiotics. Instead it is a virus and it pretty much has to run its course (10-12 days). We have to keep an eye on him to make sure his breathing doesn't become too labored. Keep him in your prayers please. I'm not complaining. Indeed I feel blessed that this is the worst that we have experienced up to this point with our boys. I thank God that he gave us two wonderful children who are so healthy.

Big brother got to come to work with daddy yesterday while mommy and Jacob went to the doctor. We had a good time. I pulled out a secret stash of toys for him to play with, dug out some goodies for him to eat and we had some new puzzles for him to work. It was fun for both of us.

Christmas is almost here and it is very busy in the White house. Presents to wrap, still a few to buy, cards to be mailed out, boys to play with and keep out of the tree. Happy holidays to all of you!

In Him,

David

Genealogy

We all want to know where we come from. We want a sense of being connected to others, to know about our past. I think for me part of this stems from my love for history, part from losing my grandparents at a fairly young age at part from my compulsive nature.

For the longest time I have wanted to know about my family's history but I kept running into obstacles. Then over the past few days I found one genealogy tree that listed many of my grandmother's ancestors and at the same time I was able to connect with my dad's cousin who had done the genealogy on my grandfather's side (all of this on my dad's side). Suddenly all these people that I had known all my life but with different last names fit and I now know my relationship to them. It's soooooo cool knowing this, learning some of the family history, seeing some of the skeletons, etc. I am hoping that my mom's brother can fill in the similar blanks on her side of the family. I love seeing these connections and getting a bigger picture of where I come from.

I think its like this in our regular lives as well. We all want to feel connected, all want to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. Some people find this belonging in drugs and alcohol at bars and parties. Some people find it in service or fraternal organizations. I know that everyone should be able to find this in church. Knowing this it makes me ask, am I as loving as I need to be? Do I treat others like they are part of my family?

At least in this family I don't need to be a historian to know my ancestory. I already know my Father and Brother!

In Him,

David

Where do they go?

Yesterday it was cold, wet and rainy....today it is cold, wet and rainy. It was miserable being outside and I can't escape the thought, "where do the homeless go on a day like this? How do they stay dry? How do they stay warm?"

We went camping a few weeks back and I took an electric heater to help keep the boys from getting too cold at night. We slept on an air mattress inside a tent. We had pillows, extra blankets and clean clothes to change into. We knew if it got too bad that we could pack up and head home. Not so for those out on the street.

God keeps working on me to be thankful for what I have. And when I am counting my blessings, I need to remember to share them with those who don't have as much.

In Him,

David

Rescue

I'm sitting in my office listening to New Song on I Tunes and the song "Rescue" comes on. I love the song! Listen to some of the words, "I need you Jesus to come to my rescue, where else can I go? There is no other name by which I am saved, capture me with grace" Then a little later comes the line that haunts me and it is repeated over and over "this world has nothing for me." Theologically I know that this is true but my humanity desperately wants to hold on to this life, to fit in, to watch my children grow old and have children of their own, to grow old with my wife. These things are also important to me.

I get so busy with the things of this world, working for the things that are "important" to me but there is still this voice in me crying out "I need you Jesus to come to my rescue. Capture me with grace." There are times that I confidently sing this song with a smile on my face and there are times I sing it with tears streaming down my face because I know how desperately that I do need Jesus.

In Him,

David

New Testimonies

It seems to me over the past few years that there has been a new emphasis for people giving their testimony to out bad each other. They want to tell how bad their lives were, how messed up they were and how they have changed. With the telling of each story, the behavior gets more outrageous. This seems to me a perversion of Romans 6...showing how much grace was given to them.

Then there are the people who won't come to church because their lives really are messed up. They think there is no hope for them and "how could God really love them with all the things they have done?" As a member of the church, I have read Acts 2 so many times that I have lost count, but I never thought of it in this context. Lets look at a couple of verses.

23 This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.

36 Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.

No matter what the person you are testifying to has done, it cannot, will not be worse than what the men in the audience had done the day Peter was speaking to them. They MURDERED the Son of God. They KILLED the Christ. They ASKED for his blood to be upon them. Did Peter tell them their sins were unpardonable? Did he tell them that they asked for it and now the judgement of God would be upon them? No, he tells them:

38 Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Man, not only was God willing to forgive them, he was sending His Spirit to them. Wow! What a God! What a Savior.

I don't need to testify about how bad I was, where I have been. I need to testify about Christ and how he changes lives, how he loves. The Gospel is not about me, it is about Him. Maybe if I remember that then I will be more eager to share with those who feel unlovable.

In Him,

David

Busy Weekend

With the holidays coming, the weekends have started filling up. This past weekend we went shopping and let the boys play at the mall on Friday night, went to breakfast with Santa on Saturday morning. I hung around afterwards to help clean up and then moved a couch from our house to Janelle's sister's place that afternoon. The evening was filled with setting up the Christmas tree, decorating the tree and putting together some shelves for the boy's toys. Sunday was early service at Church, an unexpected trip to the Titans/Texans game (my Titans boycott is off as PacMan Jones is not returning to the team this season), rush back home and help Christopher with a bath... helping get the boys dressed and back to church for a special evening service.

Apparently I really overdid it this weekend as my wife was complaining this morning about a bear being in the house last night. I of course slept the all of the bear's "growling".

With all the activity and trying to pick out the perfect gifts, it is fun to pause and watch Christopher. This is his first Christmas of being REALLY excited about Santa, Frosty the Snowman and anything Christmas related. The joy and magic of a child makes everything magical.

Enjoy the day,

David