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

CANS

This morning as I was sitting in my bosses office, I looked out the window and saw a homeless person crossing the street carrying two large bags of cans. I told my boss that I would be right back, ran to the office kitchen where we have a can recycling bin and took off out the door with the cans. I caught up with the guy at the next block. As I approached I hollered for him to stop. He cautiously turned around and I said, "Hey you collecting cans?" He replied that he was and I said I had a big bag here and would he like them....that is when he began to smile, as big of a smile as I have ever seen. He asked me "has anyone wished you a merry Christmas?" and I said not yet and his smile got even bigger and he said "let me be the first, Merry Christmas!" I handed him the bag, wished him a Merry Christmas and we went our separate ways.

I get emotional even thinking about it now. What two different worlds that we live in. It was not a big deal for me to give him the cans and yet he was so grateful. I'm not sure if he was grateful for the cans or for the fact that someone took the time to acknowledge his existence. I have SO MUCH and so often I fail to acknowledge it and thank God. It does not make me a better person because I gave away some cans, but I hope that my encounter with this man will make me a better person, more thankful, more patient, more tolerant.

In Him,

David