RAIN!

It is finally raining in Middle Tennessee again. The weather reporter (I don't call them forecasters for that is surely an inaccurate description)said that this was the driest August in over 60 years. Tell that to my garden. The squash has pretty much quit producing. We are still getting tomatoes but not at the abundance that we once had them.

I guess there is a spiritual metaphor there in that the seeds were planted in good soil, they produced well for a while but when they failed to receive the proper attention and water...they quit producing. I can have a good heart, be plugged in well at church, be productive...but if I don't stay plugged in, neglect the important things...I too can dry up and die.

Work is keeping me very busy but I find that very rewarding. The change has been good for all of us. We can dare to dream again instead of just survive.

The boys are calling their daddy to come play so we will meet in blog world later.

In Him,

David

Finally Home

My family is finally home. I flew back on August 3rd and they got back here last night (the 13th) at 11:45 pm. It was a VERY LONG 10 days. If you read my previous blog, I was home less than 24 hours when my car was rear-ended and totalled out. I have spent the majority of the time I wasn't at work looking for a replacement car. I think I found a good one but I am hesitant to "pull the trigger" on the deal. When it was just me I was much more spontaneous with my buying but now that I have a family I want to make sure that I think things all the way through.

The boys are watching Sesame Street while Janelle is out shopping. It is great being able to just be a family again.

Have a great week. In Him,

David

Rear Ended

Apparently if you drive long enough in Nashville you will be involved in an accident. Tonight I was involved in one. I was coming home from my first day back at work after spending a week away at camp when an ambulance with no lights or siren that had been stopped at a redlight decided to pull out across 3 lanes of traffic. The car to my right was turning anyhow, the car to my left still had an open way to avoid an accident and I had to lock up my brakes to keep from broadsiding the ambulance which is now 1/3 of the way into the intersection. Unfortunately the large truck behind me was unable to stop and now my car has significant damage to the rear end. As I told the driver of the other vehicle though, not to worry, things can be replaced that the important thing is that no one was seriously hurt or killed.

It is a valuable reminder though that life is short. You never know when an accident may occur, you receive the news that you never wanted to hear, etc. Not that I am taking a fatalistic view of these occurences but am using it as a reminder to tell those around you that you love them, never get too caught up in material things and that the eternal thing is really the only thing that matters.

So the yard I planned on mowing tonight remains unmowed. The post camp blog that I had planned on writing tonight remains unblogged. The garden I intended to work on remains untended and the project that I planned on completing remains incomplete. But they will wait for another day.

In Him,

David

Alone

It is unusually quiet around the house. Janelle and the boys are currently east of Knoxville on their way to camp for a week. They are riding in our van along with Janelle's parents. They hope to knock 500 to 600 miles of the trip out tonight, leaving them with 200 to 300 miles to drive tomorrow. Traveling with kids it is best to make the second day a short travel day. The van was loaded and we have a luggage carrier on the roof that is packed as well.

That leaves me alone tonight to do laundry, eat some leftovers, work in the garden and a few chores around the house. I have compiled a "honey do" list to work on as well.

The nicest part about camp is that most of the staff has been together for years so it is like a family reunion when we all get together....and it is. While we see each other far less than we desire, it is great to have those kinds of relationships in Christ.

Well, I must get busy so enjoy your weekend.

In Him,

David

Bedtime, baths and stories

Right now it seems like a chore to bathe the boys, read them stories and put them to bed but I have to remind myself to enjoy these times. Before long they will be bathing themselves and not wanting anyone in there...and rightfully so. Soon enough they will read to themselves or go to bed after watching tv or being on the computer and we will no longer have that cuddle time. Before we know it, the problem will become getting them out of bed in the morning not the getting them to bed at night.

God has blessed us with two wonderful boys. I just need to be reminded to enjoy the time with them and not be so task oriented at the end of the day.

In Him,

David

Staying Busy

Between training at the new job, raising two boys, maintaining a garden, trying to get back into bike riding and attempting to be a good Christian husband, I have been staying very busy.

The new job and the garden are both going well. The boys are growing bigger and bring new joys every day. Every day I am thankful to be Janelle's husband and to be so blessed.

My mother was in last weekend and we went to a wedding for a young lady who grew up in my home town. I have known her since she was a baby. Janelle took the boys to a birthday party on Tuesday for their friend Sam's birthday. I got up at 4:20 to go riding this morning and now am toooooooo tired to think of anything witty to share. Maybe this weekend.

I mentioned in my last blog that Bill and Sabrina were in town on the 6th. Since I was leading singing at church that night I was able to call on Bill to lead a few songs for us. It was great being able to sit back and sing with BoWill again. I love the relationships we have in Christ. What a blessing!

In Him,

David

Catching Up

This holiday break seems like it is my time for catching up. I have been so busy lately that there are several things I needed to catch up on. On Friday I caught up on the garden, we had some massive zucchinis. I also got to catch up with some play time with the boys. We went to Lipscomb on Wednesday and Thursday evening for Summer Celebration and were able to catch up with some old friends.

Friday we spent the day down in Murfreesboro with Janelle's family. I cooked pork ribs to go along with the zucchini and the corn on the cob that we had for dinner....delicious. We went to the fireworks in Murfreesboro and ended up spending the night down there. That led to the next opportunity to catch up, on sleep. When we got home Saturday we had some serious napping to catch up on the lost sleep.

Saturday evening we caught up with some errands, blew up the pool for the boys to play in and caught up with some cleaning in the garage and the laundry. Today I am catching up on my blog and this evening we will catch up with some old friends, Bill and Sabrina Collins from Gulfport, their son Will and his wife. Now you are caught up with what is happening around here. Have a great Lord's Day.

In Him,
David