Mystery light switches…we have no less than three switches that we have no idea what they control.  For all we know, the constant flipping of these switches could have cause the TVA spill.  I have investigated these switches and I know they operate something….I found this out the hard way…in a cloud of black smoke and a bright blue spark….but that’s another story.

I would like to report that we now have found peace and comfort in  solving the smallest of problems.  We now have a garage door opener.  I know what you are asking…”So what?”

Well, you see when we moved in we couldn’t find the garage door opener for our garage door.  No big deal.  We’ll just use the button on the wall mounted door opener in the garage.  And this is what we’ve been doing for months.  But what you may not realize is the acrobatics that are involved.

Let me explain.

We would load the kids (and usually the dogs) into the minivan and then open the door with the wall button.  I would usually then back the minivan out of the garage while THE WIFE patiently waited at the top of the stairs.  When I had successfully backed the minivan out of the garage, THE WIFE would then dart down the stairs, while the garage door was closing, and then, because of the laser senor at the bottom that stops the door from closing if something or someone is in the way, THE WIFE would “hop” over the laser…while trying not to hit her head on the descending garage door.  It was a sight to see.  And the more she performed this move she added high kicks, mid-air turns, and other moves she developed during her years as a high-school cheerleader.  It became quite entertaining.

The big problem was when I wasn’t with her to assist in the ‘garage door closing procedure.’  When she was making a trip to the store; she would have to load the kids (and sometimes dogs) into the van, open the door, back out the minivan, put it in park, run back into the garage, hit the button, dart down the stairs, run through the garage, perform her acrobatics, and then she could drive off.  And then when she returned home…put the minivan in park, go through the front door and into the garage, open the garage door from inside, get back into the minivan, pull it inside, unload the kids and the close the door from the wall mounted button.

Annoying to say the least!

But last night she finally solved this problem.  A simple search for our type of garage door opener on the internet, a call to the store and a quick trip…which meant she would have to perform her acrobatics one more time.

The tiny little remote, which was about $35 was now in hand.  A few minutes of reading the manual and…tadaaa….we now have a garage door opener…like any normal sensible American family.

I think I will miss the acrobatics, but we are glad to be basking in the pleasure of a garage door opener.

And you may be asking, “Why didn’t you take care of this sooner?”

The simple answer is that I suck as a husband and I somewhat enjoyed watching my beautiful wife display her coordination every time we went somewhere.  You can only imagine how stupid I looked trying to perform the ‘garage door closing routine.’  I am not nearly as graceful.

Oh and by the way, I learned this morning that you should not leave the new garage door opener where a 3 year old can find it.  When I left for work this morning, the garage door was half way open…or closed…depending on if you are a half glass empty kind of person.  So we have now added the the “NO TOUCH” list.  THE MEESTER (our 3 year old) is quite disappointed, but mommy is happy. (There were actual HIGH-FIVES all around when I got the opener programmed and working…sad really when you think about it).

[photo credits]

The consumption of bathwater by our firstborn was cute at first.  Since his only experience in quenching his thirst was either directly from  the teet or from a bottle, the first dozen attempts at using a cup was followed by wide-eyed amazement and coughs and spitting.  Great fun for all.  But as he grew…both in size and stench…this drinking became less playful fun and more of a concern for us.  We eventually purchased proper bath toys, but like a kid at Christmas playing more with the box than the toy that came in it, THE MEESTER totally ignored these proper toys and concentrated his efforts on lowering the water level in the bath…one gulp at a time.  And just when we thought we had broken him of this odd and disgusting behavior, we mistakenly introduced the ‘X-factor’…a little brother.

THE MEESTER now had an audience…no check that…a trainee.  With this added accomplice, the bathwater drinking reached new proportions.  We knew we had to stop it, but how?  Nothing seemed to work.  They love it.  So we finally gave up and are choosing to pick our battles more wisely.

And by the replies THE WIFE received on the Facebook post, our kids are completely normal…or all of our friends’ children are equally as disgusting.  Whew…what a relief!

Here are some of the replies from the Facebook post:

• Every time! If I take the cups away, she tries to stick her face in and lap it up! Your kids are normal….I hope!
• Oh yeah! It sort of makes Adam gag when they do it!
• Yes, I said the same thing last night…. “Do not drink anymore of this bath water. Your dirty butts are in it!”
• [Our daughter] drank toilet water yesterday

AND THE BEST REPLY TO DATE (from THE WIFE’s sister…who has four girls)

• I actually said these words to my children last night while they were in the bathtub: “Do NOT drink any more of that booty water and PLEASE stop licking each other.” I wish I were joking.

[photo credits]

What?  You haven’t heard of EOK either?  Well go and check out the EOK site, then join EOK, and then RSVP for the event.

Thanks in advance to the EOK Board for setting this up and to Jack for agreeing to let us pick his brain for a little while.

Space is limited, so make sure to RSVP.

*UPDATE* Wow what a great interview.  Thanks Jack.  Here’s the podcast. Episode 16

Not because of the parties…when you have two little ones, the evening usually consists of setting the alarm for 11:45pm in case you dose off during the local news, and you want see the ball drop and the fireworks.

It’s not for the resolutions.  I don’t make them. If I determine there’s something I need to do or stop doing…then I usually don’t wait.  Seems dishonest or highly inefficient to wait for a completely arbitrary day like January 1st.  Why not the second Tuesday in March?  That could be a cool day…if there were parties and fireworks.

I love NYE because of the inherent reflection upon the previous 12 months in which I often indulge.  (I realize this can be arbitrary too, I can reflect anytime on any amount of time passed…but then again…no fireworks).

So I take pause right now, to peck out on the keyboard a few thoughts about life here at KTOWN the past year.

In January of ’08 the Wife began to suffer from symptoms of what would later be diagnosed as MS.  What a shock that was!  But now, almost a year later, we both look back and see how God has provided for us throughout this year.  We caught it very early on, started treating it with medication, and just last month found out that although new lesions had appeared on the Wife’s MRI, the old ones were actually healing.  That just doesn’t happen.  Otherwise known as a miracle.

In March, about 8 months after quitting my job and starting my own business, I was sitting in a local coffee shop doing some work.  I ran into a guy I had previously worked with on a project.  I told him that I had started my own business a while back, and then he mentioned that he was working for a client that was looking for someone in this area to do some consulting work on a project that just getting underway.  That conversation led to an email with an officer of the company starting the project, which led to an interview two weeks later, which led to a long term contract on a major project for my company…just three weeks after being in that coffee shop.  The right place at the right time…or…The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps (Proverbs 16:9).

In June, we decided that our lovely little house in SoKno was just too small for our growing family.  How could we afford that?  Well, it just so happened that it was a great time to buy a house…especially a foreclosure.  We found a house, but it was way out of our price range.  We decided to put in an offer.  $60K lower than the bank had originally listed the house.  The bank bit and after some negotiations, we got the house for $1000 under the maximum price we could afford.

Now we couldn’t wait for our other house to sell, so we are carrying two mortgage payments…ouch!  And the cost of the Wife’s medicine each month was almost what we were paying for our first mortgage.  So cash was tight, but for ‘some reason’, although the Wife had been taking her medicine for almost 5 months before we closed on the new house…we never received a bill.  It was only after being settled in the new house for two months did those bills start arrived.  Just enough time to recoup some of the costs for closing.

And in November, we found out that the Wife was accepted into a program offer by the drug company that will cover the cost of her medicine for a year.  So what was the equvilant of another mortgage payment going out the door was reduced to the cost of taking the family out to Chi-fil-a (we go big when we go to Chic-fil-a).

Money is still tight around KTOWN, but the business I started in 2007, led to another business in 2008…and that business is on track to have a very good year…and 2009 hasn’t even started yet.

My intent in this post is not to brag (I apologize if it seems I have done so), but to reflect upon the past year and share our journey.  And remind those of you that need it, and demonstrate to those of you who don’t realize…

God is in control.  Whether you think it’s good or bad…(Romans 8:28)

Bring on 2009!

But if had I know I could put a Shrimp on a Treadmill and receive worldwide fame…well hindsight is 20/20.

And somehow this is “serious science”.  From MSNBC:

“What those who have been amused by the running shrimp may not know is that they’re actually watching serious science, on issues that could affect us all….[the scientists involved in the experiment] wanted to learn how bacterial infections affected a shrimp’s endurance.”

This spot was featured as one of the stories

“in which the TODAY anchors fanned out across the globe to investigate the strain put by humans on our most precious resource — water.”

Obviously, NBC doesn’t think that “fanning out acroos the globe” puts a strain on the environment.  Anything to report THE NEWS.

And yes, water is a precious resource…I guess we’re just lucky it literally falls from the sky.

Sorry dad, I guess I could have saved your coffee mugs and fried up an appitezer when I was done experimenting.

Don’t worry though:

“The shrimp used in the experiments were bred for research and were not taken from the wild.”

As long as they aren’t taking them from the supply that ends up at Red Lobster, than I am ok with it.  Oh wait…

Burnett and Scholnick said, ““We plan on building one for lobster…We have one for blue crabs.”

Dang it.  Is nothing sacred?

[HT: Heather Linton Photography]

From November08 Family Photos

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My guy gal didn’t win.  So that’s that.  Obama will be my President and I will respect that.  My respect of the office is not an endorsement of the policies he MAY enact.  In fact, I am sure that I will disagree with the direction he HOPES to take this country in, but he is my President.  I will render the respect the office deserves.

I believe in THE TRUTH, the Word of God, and I do not assume to know the will of God.  Whether President-elect Obama will glorify God during his term(s) in office will remain to be seen, but I believe God appoints our leaders for our good and His glory.

With that said, my brother, recently gave a sermon on the suject of God and the role of our Government.  I found his summary of the subject to be quite enlightening and well constructed.  I have pasted the text of it here.  Thanks Todd.  God is growing you in wisdom that I envy.

The Glory of God in the Grace of Government

We must be thankful

1. Thankful that almost any form of Government is better than the unrestrained evil of the human heart unleashed in anarchy.

2. Thankful that God is Sovereign. He has raised up this leader for His purpose and for His Glory, though it may seem mysterious to us now. Obama is God’s servant, whether he knows it or not.(Daniel 2:21 Romans 13:1-2)

3. Thankful that the racial divides that once defined this country are no longer in place. This is a small picture of the what Christ did on the cross.(Ephesians 2:15)

4. Thankful that the the Throne that can not be overturned is not surprised today.

5. Thankful that we have a system of government that still listens to the will of the people and not just a select few.

6. Thankful that millions of people that have never participated in Democracy have now become engaged. They are now listening and no longer apathetic to what happens in this country.

7. Thankful that our joy and hope in the future are not tied to a man or to a temporal government.(

We must be prayerful

1. Pray for the safety for Obama, his wife, and his children. (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

2. Pray that the God who holds the hearts of everyone would not harden Obama’s heart and give Him wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ Jesus to lead with wisdom.

1. Pray for the Christians in America to be respectful in their honoring of the position of president, articulate in their disagreement, and God glorifying in their pursuit of the unsaved.(Romans 13and 1 Peter 2:17)

2. Pray for those that don’t yet have a voice or a vote, the unborn.

3. Pray that people would see that the economy, a president they disagree with, or a war is not their biggest problem, it is their own sin.

4. Pray that as we render unto Caesar what is His, We must not forget to render unto God what is his. We must not confuse these two things.

5. Pray that greater taxes would not stifle our Christian duties to pursue excellence, creativity, or industry in our callings and vocations.

We must see this with an eternal, Gospel infused perspective.

1. This is a tremendous opportunity for the Church to articulate a view point that they have become apathetic and lethargic in doing because we left that up to leadership we thought would do it for us. We too long thought change in this country would come from the top down rather than the bottom up.

2. Realize that Obama was elected because the hearts of the people were turned toward him and his world view. This election was only evidence of that shifting that had already been taking place.

“Democratic systems inevitably reflect the electorate’s decisions, and these decisions reveal underlying worldviews. And, truth be told, all we can expect from democracy is the government we deserve. We must pray for a government and for leaders better than we deserve. May God grant us mercy as he reigns and rules over all things, including this election.” Al Mohler (Romans 1 and 2)

1. We must realize what delineates the Gospel from the liberal, liberation, social Gospels and be able to articulate it with confidence and peace.

No law Obama enacts can be written on the human heart, so we have hope that the Gospel is and always has been the only true weapon in changing our government. Therefore, the battle has always been and still is for the hearts of people and we have the only weapon that can truly change the human heart.

4. God’s judgments is also his mercy. Light shines brightest in the darkest times.

5.The key to changing the government is revival of the lost, so what happens in Washington is connected on a very personal, local level. The great commission is still in the hands of the people of God, not the government.

Lastly we must come the point where we are comfortable saying with confidence with John in Revelation 1:7

“Even So. Amen”

Review of Sermon

Colossians 1:15

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities- all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church, He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

God in Government

God gave man his image as a gift. This image gave man the ability and the stewardship to govern the things entrusted to him by God. This government worked because it was done it relation to and with the understanding that God was the giver of this authority.

The Fall marred this image and its duty. People still have the desire to worship God and avoid chaos through proper governess.

The people of God quickly moved away from the Garden government. They worshiped other gods and kings. Always wavering between avoiding chaos and wanted to worship something.

God was patient and merciful with His people. Giving them the rulers they desereved, but most often giving them the leaders they didn’t deserve.

The culmination of God’s government culminates with the arrival of Jesus Christ, who rules by justice rather than power.

Christ fulfills and establishes what was true in the Garden of Eden. Reconciles our biggest problem, our sin between God and us. Rules with perfect righteousness. Brings an end to eternal chaos.

American Government

Established on Christian ideas

Worked because it was based on a Judeo-Christian basis

Came about by not only wise men who knew this, but a population that was driven by a revival of Reformed Christian Gospel.

Successful because of the worldview that formed its foundation

Two Paths Today

Two world views

Christian world view and Humanist world view

Christian world view has tremendous implications

Humanist world view has tremendous implications

Humanist has wrong view of man, therefore social and common law will always be flawed.

Humanism tends toward chaos, anarchy, or/and totalitarin government

State allegiance over individual/ religious allegiance

Application

What is at stake is bigger than a stable government, it is the salvation of the lost.

Daniel 2:20-23

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him. To you O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king’s matter.”

Ephesians 2:14

“He himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace an might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross.

1 Timothy 2:1-4

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions. And thanksgivings be make for all people, for kings and all who are in high position, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

1 Peter 2:13

“Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as a supreme, or to governs as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.

Matthew 22:21

“Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

“Russell Moore, the dean of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., is the author of a forthcoming book called “Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches.” A few years ago, Mr. Moore and his wife adopted two boys from Russia, and he notes that his church has posted a large map showing which countries member families have adopted children from. “In any given church,” he notes, “you rarely see only one family who has adopted. . . . It becomes part of the culture of the congregation.”

And there’s a shift in adoption debate…

Kelly Rosati, who oversees Focus on the Family’s adoption and orphan-care division and is the mother of four adopted children, states, “The traditional way of viewing adoption was something you considered if you were facing infertility.” You could call it God’s Plan B for the Couple. But now, according to Ms. Rosati, “the commitment to adoption is part of a holistic sanctity-of-human-life ethic.”

And the article also mentions John McCain and his advocacy of adopting children.  An interesting read and an issue to ponder, especially for the Christian, who has been also been adopted.