Joshua is TWO!!!

Joshua's cool Thomas the Train B-day Cake (Graciously made by our next door neighbor).

Joshua Explaining where he wants the cake to go!

Joshua pounding down his cake!!!

Joshua giving his friends a b-day treat :o)

The little guy is two years old.  I was realizing tonight how blessed we are to have him around.  He brings a smile to our face and laughter to our hearts.  I enjoy Joshua's laid back, but energetic at the same time, demeanor and so appreciate his heart that takes care of others.  When several of us were sick and sneezing a lot Joshua would say, "Bless you, Dadda" or "Bless you, Baby John" and he often shares his blanket with "Baby John."  I'm glad he has been given to Elissa and I to take care of and we are looking forward to continuing to see him develop.  

A Year Ago: A New Job

I year ago today I started a new job in a Pattern & Model shop (Tool & Die of sorts).  Several things I have enjoyed the most about my job this last year:

1.  I get to work inside.  My last job was in construction, which I enjoyed for the most part, but I can't handle the cold (so I moved to Wisconsin from Indiana...hmm) 

2.  I get to work in a shop and get paid to do it!  I've written it before, and I'll write again a phrase I heard at a woodworking show,  "Any day you are making sawdust is a good day!"

3.  The owner is a Christian and runs the business by Christian principles.  It's been encouraging to see and hear his faith in the midst of the current financial crisis.  

Here's one of the projects I've been able to help with, a scale model for Lazzarra Yachts.  (We made a couple 75' and a couple 92' scale models).

A Year Ago: We Moved

I can't believe we moved from Indiana to Wisconsin a year ago today.  

All our stuff packed into a Penske truck...

All our stuff in Elissa's parents garage

Like Father, Like Son

 My oldest son Joshua has a strong musical propensity. He picks up well on songs and enjoys dancing and clapping and singing.  One day I came home from work and Elissa said, "Guess what song Joshua requested today?"  Because Joshua enjoys music so much the answer was quite open, so I couldn't begin to guess.  And then Elissa said what made me proud..."Big House" (by Audio Adrenaline).  

You have to understand for some strange reason I was absolutely obsessed with this song when I was in early high school to the point of being obnoxious.  My youth pastor had MUCH grace with me as he would be asking for prayer requests and I would raise my hand and say, "Big House" (I'm not joking).  

I still enjoy the song, though not obsessively.  I think it is pretty incredible Joshua enjoys the song and asks for it when I never purposely played the song for Joshua nor tried to get him to like it.  He simply heard it, liked it, and asked for it (and still does).  I guess it runs in the blood.

And just in case you've never heard "Big House" or forgotten the song, here is the music video...

A Dishwasher: REDEMPTION!

I got the part this week that I needed,  successfully installed it (a little tricky), ran a cycle and we have SUCCESS!!! No massive amounts of water on the floor, just clean dishes!  I have never been so happy to unload and reload a dishwasher in my life. I'm pumped that I got a deal! I'm pumped it works!  I'm pumped I have a real life picture of redeeming a broken item! 

¹Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,  ²because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. ³For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.  And so he condemned sin in sinful man,  ⁴in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.  (Romans 8:1-4)

P.S.  Joshua still gets to help with dishes.  Some of his dishes and a few others we have are not dishwasher safe so we are still all about him helping us.  

WJUNKMUSIC vs. WJESUSLOVESYOU

Have you ever listened to a Christian radio station where you are enjoying the music and then the station puts this really cheesy spot on where a listener says, "I use to listen to WJUNKMUSIC and now I listen to WJESUSLOVESYOU and it makes all the difference in my family's life. I'm happier, I love my wife better, my kids are better, and I KNOW God loves me!!!  I'm glad Jesus gave me WJESUSLOVESYOU to listen to all the time." 

I always thought those spots were cheesy until I started working a job where my co-workers listened to things like uncensored 90's alternative, and the like, that just used horrible language. Another place of employment I have listened to conservative talk-radio that have hosts with superiority complexes and find fault in what ANYONE in the government is doing and will GRIPE about it for HOURS on end. I understand why people say life is better listening to WJESUSLOVES YOU on those cheesy spots because I found myself literally coming home depressed after having to listen to that WJUNKMUSIC and WCONSERVATIVETALKRADIO all day long.  

At the church I attended in Indiana we covered this topic in a series entitled Thinksaydo.  The idea being that what you think about affects what you say and do.  Get it.  Thinksaydo.  It's thinking on Phil 4:8 kind of stuff...  

"...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.  Phil 4:8"

The band Petra put it this way (the first 3 min 41 secs of the video)

I have recently realized that I have let all kinds of thoughts from our WPOPCULTUREMEDIA prevail in my mind and that I have been struggling thinking on Phil 4:8 kind of stuff .  So what kind of Phil 4:8 stuff have I started doing? 

I have starting listening to Telling the Truth on a daily basis.   It is good Bible teaching by the Briscoe family that is incredibly challenging.  I don't necessarily have time to listen to it on the radio so thankfully their program is downloadable at their web sight and on iTunes podcast. It has been a huge encouragement to me. I don't know about you, but I prefer that in my life that "I'm happier, I love my wife better, my kids are better (off), and (that) I KNOW God loves me!!!"

A Dishwasher: The Sad Thing

One sad thing about having a dishwasher in soon to be working order is this...Joshua loves to help with the dishes.  He wants to help so much that we have used it as a way to get him to finish his food saying, "If you want to help with the dishes you need to finish you supper."  It makes me sad that  I'm taking away the opportunity for my almost two year old to be helpful, in an almost two year old way...though I'm sure he'll be all about helping load the dishwasher :o)  

A Dishwasher: Trials, Tribulations, and Victory?

A few months ago my wife asked me if I would rather own a good set of knives or a dishwasher.  I answered immediately...a good set of knives (It's a pet peeve to try to prepare dinner and be fighting with dull knives).  Well, after spending a great many evenings doing the dishes instead of spending time doing other things we decided to look into getting a portable dishwasher. 

I heard on the radio that Appliance World was having a scratch and dent sale and since dropping $600-800 on a new dishwasher doesn't seem wise right now, I thought I would try my luck and drop in.  When I arrived a genuinely nice saleslady greeted me and asked what I might be looking for. When I told her, she kindly looked up a nice NEW portable dishwasher for me. I asked if she had any on the floor, she pondered, and then said with a tone of voice and look in the face of caution, "We have one in the scratch and dent area, but I'll warn you, it is NOT pretty!"  I thought, "GOOD DEAL IN THE WORKS, THAT'S THE ONE I WANT TO LOOK AT!," but as to not give away my edge in getting a deal I calmly said, "Can I look at it."  

So she took me to the scratch and dent room and showed me the piece of work.  The "Butcher Block" top had been knocked off,  there was a 1 1/2" x 1/2" scratch in the door, the inside panel was broken off at a screw, the door didn't really want to open, and the door was a little skewed.  So what did I do?  What any good home repair type guy looking for a bargain would do...I stooped down and began to break each thing down as to what was really wrong and if  I could really fix it.  The really nice sales lady said, "My manager says we'll give it to you at our cost just to get it out of here."  This fueled my exploration of the machine.   After an hour and a half of thorough inspection (I went back the next day because I didn't have enough time the first) I said, "I may be crazy, but I'll take it."  For each thing looked like a relatively easy fix when you broke it down into sections and the important part was that GE would replace the mechanical stuff on it if there was anything wrong (just not the cosmetic stuff).

So I took it to the shop, bent a couple things a lot closer to shape, patched some stuff up, and loaded it in the truck and brought it home.  A nice neighbor helped me unload it (so my wife didn't have to end up helping me with balance) and we got it inside.  We loaded it down with dishes the first night it was in the house and started it up for it's trial run.  I pressed start and everything seemed to be running smoothly..."HA, WHAT A DEAL I GOT!," I thought.  Then I checked the underneath just make sure....

"OH-OH! PUSH STOP NOW!  There is water leaking all over the floor!!!" my mind was screaming.  "What could possibly be wrong?  Did I pull a hose off while I was fixing it?  Is something not attached?  WHAT'S GOING ON!?!"

I got a good lesson in "Haste Makes Waste."  I discovered that it was unwise to load the dishwaher into the truck to bring it home...by myself...with a forktruck.  I had broken the bilge pump motor when I slid the dishwasher off the end of the forks.  It was made of hard plastic as for a few seconds was carrying the 100 lbs + of the dishwasher.  OOPS!  Hard thin plastic with an area of lots of air on the inside doesn't bode well under those circumstances.  

I felt like my wife was very gracious in not saying a word immediately (as I felt pretty STUPID) and later on said, "Well we've got it now, so we might as well make the investment to fix it."  So $43.50 later we are hoping this part makes all the difference and in a few weeks when it arrives the dishwasher will work well.

I am glad I bought the dishwasher.  It's been a good lesson in process, and in redemption process particularly.

2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.  He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

Rest

On our family quote board I am quoted as saying, "I wasn't fighting sleep, but I was maybe fighting sleep a little bit." Quite a ridiculous statement from someone who was laying in a chair with his eyes shut still semi-conscious of the world around him.  You are either are fighting to not sleep or you are letting sleep take you over.  My one month old son was doing the same thing the other day.  And is commonly the case, when a baby is fighting sleep and about to lose the battle he started to cry.  And I thought, "Just let rest take over, buddy. You won't be miserable anymore. You'll feel a lot better!"

And then I remember Jesus said something about this...

²⁸"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Maybe in the vernacular that would be, "Just let rest take over, buddy. You won't be miserable anymore. You'll feel a lot better!"