tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10054799632935469962024-03-23T13:05:54.771-05:00Seek The FatherWhithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00427974809399224357noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1005479963293546996.post-82288205285150573122014-02-15T01:25:00.002-06:002014-02-15T01:25:56.607-06:00A Fresh StartSo I've decided to start writing again, but I'll be using my own WordPress site instead of BlogSpot from now on. You can find me at <a href="http://www.seekthefather.org/">www.seekthefather.org</a>. See you there!Whithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00427974809399224357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1005479963293546996.post-91250673651121805772010-04-04T21:51:00.008-05:002010-04-04T23:32:46.026-05:00Blog Resurrection<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">What better day than Easter to bring a blog back to life? We have a lot to be thankful for, and I just wanted to give you a glimpse into what's happening with Ben these days. It has been almost 10 months since his last surgery, and his airway seems to have healed perfectly. God has made it like nothing ever happened except for leaving the scars so Ben can always tell his story.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Ben is now in the process of working toward his new dream of growing up to become a race car driver. Originally, he wanted to grow up to be a race car, but he has set that dream aside for now until technology catches up. Right before Christmas our next-door neighbor gave us a Ben-sized 4 wheeler that his kids were too big for. Now that the weather is nice again, I foresee a lot of time trials up and down the cul-de-sac.</span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDD2oVOXIWiE0SY04IdINfyxRyK5ZLGRw5baD0OBNsc65EsCFrMaI23YUKoAfbfyEfQ-l_yW6bQO_b6-HcvOL_H4r2k358iNMM6MfX-nvlw-CpvJPpYRgfyXHSMWzENRqo7HXu-L_GfGM/s1600/024.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDD2oVOXIWiE0SY04IdINfyxRyK5ZLGRw5baD0OBNsc65EsCFrMaI23YUKoAfbfyEfQ-l_yW6bQO_b6-HcvOL_H4r2k358iNMM6MfX-nvlw-CpvJPpYRgfyXHSMWzENRqo7HXu-L_GfGM/s400/024.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456486067149442738" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/S7lVLdQQk1I/AAAAAAAABGU/1OFMV7kp-GA/s1600/026.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/S7lVLdQQk1I/AAAAAAAABGU/1OFMV7kp-GA/s400/026.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456486078855811922" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We were also fortunate to visit uncle Hal and Aunt Emilie in Montreal during Christmas break. Since we were already paying to bring along an extra suitcase of gifts, we tried others ways to minimize travel costs.</span></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/S7lV2SrfQjI/AAAAAAAABG8/QJuaKi7c16A/s1600/032.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/S7lV2SrfQjI/AAAAAAAABG8/QJuaKi7c16A/s400/032.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456486814751605298" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/S7lV17dsF_I/AAAAAAAABG0/oN3YTtOqfZM/s1600/029.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/S7lV17dsF_I/AAAAAAAABG0/oN3YTtOqfZM/s400/029.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456486808519710706" /></a><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We also had a crazy snowstorm on the first day of spring that gave us a chance to practice the skills we picked up in Canada. I'm pretty sure that baby snowman is going to give me nightmares.</span></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/S7lWuz8bz9I/AAAAAAAABHE/5l0Yes18kmU/s1600/099.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/S7lWuz8bz9I/AAAAAAAABHE/5l0Yes18kmU/s400/099.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456487785753726930" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjshUFpyACeTMguyIHR0wfqc8EW9kEycAW4B1CoqHtFpFihTf8JPkjE2OfU6Z1ZYgnQLzf35vlCinNJkihIP2_eKAUjavNWGlfgXOZZgZGNhXZ2PLY-ADZ93biA4kzRHr_XN9ffJNJMm-I/s1600/112.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjshUFpyACeTMguyIHR0wfqc8EW9kEycAW4B1CoqHtFpFihTf8JPkjE2OfU6Z1ZYgnQLzf35vlCinNJkihIP2_eKAUjavNWGlfgXOZZgZGNhXZ2PLY-ADZ93biA4kzRHr_XN9ffJNJMm-I/s400/112.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456487801159605394" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Here are a few videos of Ben learning how to be Canadian.</span></div><div><br /><div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzP1xF-jI3up8iqYk_xpiIfSm2y_Fp7oJQQKIVW11OlGT7cL6YbyN9soC2I0-HuDPiqczP66dj5G3M4x5vaJw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzEl2i_3S4D8jrXuz4lIkbbwU5KwIRjVoLoISKxErBwIUqQVHkrFyRwx6twwHZIQVqX9-sh32MKi3cWGExKyA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div></div></div>Whithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00427974809399224357noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1005479963293546996.post-63854265680996389112009-08-26T01:19:00.007-05:002013-07-10T21:12:02.259-05:00Burma<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">This morning I'll be heading out for a two-week trip to Burma and China. We'll be visiting some of the thousands of new believers who have come to Christ since Cyclone Nargis hit Burma last May killing at least 130,000 people.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">When you have a little time, do yourself a favor and watch this documentary about Burma that has been playing on PBS this past week.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; border-collapse: separate; line-height: normal;"><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/episodes/eyes-of-the-storm/full-episode/5457/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/episodes/eyes-of-the-storm/full-episode/5457/</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">. It's a good way to catch up on what has been happening there and get a feel for what our native church planters go through as they preach the gospel.</span></span></span></span></div>
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Whithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00427974809399224357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1005479963293546996.post-12651391886960683492009-07-21T21:47:00.003-05:002009-07-21T22:15:29.066-05:00Prayer for the Day<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx3R2wGSgNp6eJyWScHIgLAaGXqBWy23OE67aL_fRRjZ1cfipfAQnP5RvfPBivLCgwbHRWTYFCZJZczlL07VQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Whithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00427974809399224357noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1005479963293546996.post-12769620511174009202009-07-14T22:18:00.007-05:002009-07-15T23:00:49.352-05:00Bread Alone<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial;">It has been said that man can not live on bread alone. But we have discovered that boys can live on popsicles and gatorade alone for about two weeks with few apparent side effects (other than being extraordinarily sticky). The swallowing issues have finally worked themselves out for the most part, which means for the first time ever we don't have doctor's appointment on the schedule. Now that is a good feeling!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Over the 4th of July weekend, Ben had his first pool party at Uncle Chris and Aunt Michelle's apartment. When we first arrived at the pool, Ben latched onto me like an anaconda and didnt' want to go in. But after he realized he had the green light to splash his oupa as much as possible, he was hooked on aquatic life. I didn't really enjoy giving Ben baths for a long time because I was always concerned with water going down his trach so it's nice to be able to watch him float around in the pool for an hour without worrying that he'll try to go snorkeling.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEF0pZ7Drw69SPkGF4u_6elNcYNlmYx2Ml05MtWbe1ob2fQ6es_b8658CrspgZuDIaHtdCFZoXhJDzVRD7g7IyEPpt-1-qbNjwqOR5Zr4pJKrLQVuIHyInhYhcba0uPFBt9I60ffANRJY/s400/064.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358522881308844722" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJi38i3TY-fc2RbkaJ1301Sl_Zwo8_A6BFLnNCPw9coYejACpp9XFzvSjV8zPnIT0NGAYMQZRxnUcyb7S2CCDJBOZ3lWM2W5T5vZj0vTyRCWagLsIag_-I4a6x4D7M1Qo4BZkzqJsiC2w/s400/068.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358522890808551106" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ-W7JxhYypcRqrv-soKerJmvb5AjMGEwe72kv4CibsTFJ1rQ4e07CMY4U6ETgO9HnNfFJxWx8spfEGwuKwmOLvEZdtw2OeszqF_8_sBDi7HYZS9OKcbphkNJYK2BQrj5Hn-l8zc_ogac/s400/085.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358522898886960994" /><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/Sl1MLlU1jHI/AAAAAAAABE4/ahkGh2M3DK0/s400/081.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358522893522537586" /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Here's a picture of Ben and Adrienne in Italy. It could also possibly be the Philbrook Museum. You make the call.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/Sl1MMaDandI/AAAAAAAABFI/g56B0BGGsjU/s400/100.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358522907676548562" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></div>Whithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00427974809399224357noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1005479963293546996.post-83283745889203324012009-06-08T12:49:00.003-05:002009-06-08T12:58:08.054-05:00Quick Update<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Ben is back home now after a few days in the hospital. He has been having trouble keeping down food and even drinking water makes him gag right now. The doctor said this is typical for this type of hernia surgery, and hopefully it should go away in a few more days.</span>Whithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00427974809399224357noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1005479963293546996.post-71141769174603424472009-06-01T22:54:00.002-05:002009-06-01T23:09:39.533-05:00Even 20<span style="font-family:arial;">Tuesday morning at 7:45 Ben will be having back-to-back surgeries in OKC. Dr. Digoy will be performing the last procedure to close the hole in Ben's neck since it has not healed up on its own. Then Dr. Tuggle will be working on Ben's hiatal hernia, and he will also close up the hole from Ben's stomach tube. The doctor said it's the largest hernia he has seen in a child. I'm glad Ben tries so hard to impress his doctors. At least he has an excuse for his gigantic belly. These will be the 19th and 20th procedures that Ben has endured during the past 2 and half years, and we're hopeful these will be the last ones until it's time for the obligatory gruesome sports injuries.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Ben will be in the hospital for at least one night, but it could be a lot longer depending on how complicated the hernia surgery is. It will be such a relief to finally have all of these problems fixed up and behind us. Thank you for holding our family up in prayer.</span>Whithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00427974809399224357noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1005479963293546996.post-64186469225654270002009-04-23T12:22:00.004-05:002009-04-25T12:36:49.076-05:00Parakeet<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I recently finished reading a thought-provoking book called The Blue Parakeet, and I'd like you to chew on a few ideas with me if you've got the time.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">A great theme of the Bible is God's desire for oneness and restoration with everything he has created. The disobedience of Adam and Eve messed up the relationship between people and God, between men and women, and between people and the rest of creation. But we learn that through Jesus we can be reconciled to God, to each other, and to creation (Colossians 1:15-22).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Since the church is God's body, we continue this reconciliation until it is complete at the 2nd coming of Jesus. An example of this reconciliation is the issue of race and slavery. If I decided that I was going to move to another country, start a plantation, and buy some slaves, how would the elders at my church react? Would they quote Ephesians 6 and remind me to treat my slaves well? And if I brought the slaves back to Tulsa for a visit, would they quote Colossians 3 and remind the slaves that they need to obey everything I say?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Both of these are biblical New Testament responses, but can you see the shepherds of the flock saying these things? Hopefully they would reference Galatians 3 and say in Christ "There is no longer Jew nor Greek, slave nor free." Because Christ has freed us from bondage, we no longer bind other people. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">If this is the way we interpret the Bible when it comes to race and slavery, why do we interpret it so differently when it comes to women? Mary and Elizabeth prophesied at the beginning of Luke's gospel. Anna prophesied about Jesus to both men and women. She did not do this in her house but in the Temple of God. The four daughters of Philip were all prophets. And Peter himself said at Pentecost that God would pour out his Spirit on both men and women, and they would prophesy. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Why have I always gone to 1 Timothy 2 and read about women learning in silence without balancing it with the numerous examples of God pouring his Spirit out and speaking through women? Priscilla shared the load in educating Apollos because she had knowledge about Jesus through the Spirit that Apollos needed but did not possess. That passage in 1 Timothy also prohibits braided hair and pearls, yet I have never found it necessary to be legalistic about those commands. Why have I lived my whole life being legalistic about women using their gifts to teach others about the glorious good news of Jesus Christ? Why do I feel comfortable snuffing out the Spirit of God as long as the person was born a woman?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">In one of the best lines from The Blue Parakeet, the author says that Paul would roll over in his grave if he knew that his letters were being treated like Torah (the law). I think one can read Galatians and agree that this is certainly true. Paul destroyed the early Christians' reliance on the law not so that we could create a new law based on his letters, but so that we could actually live out a life where the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Before the Fall, there was no concern between man and woman about who was in charge. God was in charge and they were in complete union with him and each other. Why do I have so much pride and arrogance now that I would not want to hear the words of God coming from one of my own sisters in Christ who has been given the gift of teaching or encouragement? Should we not let the Spirit of God determine what each person's roles and talents should be? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">As a wise man once said, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">"We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 6px;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">faith; </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"> do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully." I need to let these verses sink into my soul.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">I have defended the silence of women in the church for much of my life. I think the time has come to humble myself and learn from whomever God chooses to teach me through his Spirit. I no longer want to demand respect but to live a life that is worthy of respect. I want to do more than read the New Testament as the new law. I want to realize that it is the new covenant being lived out daily as the Spirit works through us just as he worked through Paul.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">I wonder if the Christians of the 22nd century will look back at our times in bewilderment just as we look back and can hardly comprehend the use of the Bible to defend slavery in the 19th century. And I'd love to hear what you, my 21st century family, have to say about it.</span></div>Whithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00427974809399224357noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1005479963293546996.post-29264845308238790722009-04-16T23:07:00.004-05:002009-04-17T00:19:41.712-05:00Soaking<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We've reached that stage where Benjamin learns something new every day, and we get to laugh and soak it up. If I had to choose what career field Ben will enter based on his current skill set, I would have to say he should be a conquistador. His talent for claiming things that don't belong to him is unparalleled. A few weeks ago, he claimed an entire park near our house in his own name and began instructing other children to get off of his swings and slides immediately. This behavior led to an early ejection from the property, and on the way home Adrienne and Ben discussed his disputed territorial claims. By the end of the conversation, he capitulated with sobbing and tears running down his face, "It's everybody's park." I don't think we've seen the last of our little "Coronado". </span><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Our commercial for St. John Hospital has finally hit the airwaves in Tulsa, and everyone else can check it out at <a href="http://www.sjmc.org/">http://www.sjmc.org/</a>. It's on the home page in the bottom right hand corner where it says, "Ben's Story: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit". </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to go to China for a week. It was a fantastic experience, and if you want to know more, you can hit me up on Facebook or shoot me an email. I've included my mug shot in Shanghai just so mom and dad will believe I went on the trip.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Q_VZMSZfpkFIjav9bHvndaYsmhw8-9OlDMJcN2IFMLzOYS_ZmFijcxdZ8syQ_UjbW6FIiK8igEY_XGKWkti1eZG-yA8jl0h6nrsnxC8i5NHNa128deqRTFx1uMX1I4jePhnim6pOtM0/s400/005.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325521846961840946" /></span></div></div>Whithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00427974809399224357noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1005479963293546996.post-56748534992772732852009-03-03T20:56:00.009-06:002009-03-03T22:02:50.390-06:00Trailing Off<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Today we'll go heavy on the media, with pictures by Jenny Connell for Ben's 2-year-old pictures. Our time at the hospital filming the commercial went great. Adrienne did most of the talking, Ben did most of the playing, and I was just there to be the trophy husband. I'm guessing it will probably be another month or two before it airs, but we'll let you know when it will be on TV around here. And maybe if I ask nicely, they'll let me post it here as well.</span></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz6j5bel6Go7DcSyT9RTC-thYiPAweRpkn-RNymCFMKiRiDmJQqJdHMycuCkRQwUdcT1pkiY7uITaePkFPIhg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxlsF2QDoVy4m7s04jYWf7mqrcJfiT-r3jN6C_eVqTw2RjXE8k5UOWct6LjrQOmvFbdYT7YzSrnC8WmD3U5iA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div><br /><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/Sa37llD_RfI/AAAAAAAAA-w/qTEb2ignPSo/s400/%2381+Gatewood.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309176158762255858" /><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/Sa37lQkKKrI/AAAAAAAAA-o/vNftBgZS4TM/s400/%2367+Gatewood.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309176153260042930" /><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/Sa37SIKvDFI/AAAAAAAAA-g/3e-CPVXLZq8/s400/%2355+Gatewood.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309175824588409938" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt1Pm4dTGnpomGczP_QPc6vCYNwCTTdqeOm_eWttaI6goDaTlcPF6P6yPby1tvPs7tRoWfdcwiva_M0AQdDR4jEyYE0CI7BekCiE9JCqaWC-2xePnqZICDcbncxsATdN9Zl5lwjy_llds/s400/%2360+Gatewood.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309175824050622658" /><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/Sa37Roapo3I/AAAAAAAAA-Q/fXGjnipJmAY/s400/%2347+Gatewood.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309175816065229682" /><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/Sa37RQy7r4I/AAAAAAAAA-I/sZioKGDxgtk/s400/%2338+Gatewood.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309175809724624770" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ckXq1X2oqwbSM5QQGF95DBbFm_L2YiJ2WxG9KCoX8AU5DgjG-9P2RbqkxRLwvvTAjALDAGWkBXbyd20ZQOrlUURV3_x-N-_8z88G-MGAaqcdlSKPrslEh5GMOEqBhVQcj3Mv-8m2RWE/s400/%233+Gatewood.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309172523390705330" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF9XOKctj8lKzarqIgRIOSiftRYK83rQs02rzOu6naHQH2gyHmQMqBi4jv17M2YLkRYlcYBHleDuwCFmmsRDrsq5cB-aNNnqookVOwzboiB_R63B0dS7TlLENqt-Hn9agDmQFNQSulMK0/s400/%236+Gatewood.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309172524783014578" /><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/Sa35vMAX44I/AAAAAAAAA94/BAdesE_jWCg/s400/%2331+Gatewood.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309174124811641730" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2e2V2GKpfS8cPBZNhdjVRFOiCmKkQZc0gq99bXV61unM1WGNK3JK6_4dJt_5u5EKvpBBu9II78QS9Y1Gttlng9CaxMGn7AEGmebs7QZ6x2ac_6NA9TwjZG7mJH4ETTpbDlupkdL6HriQ/s400/%2323+Gatewood.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309174119196751026" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEZwI2tNH5DLywS39MNkjlNND7FOtyaxbxgXm0Jul1k-AoZO9g1tra4MRrd1HKCIcuXXTaE6mWX7YOVjW4fVgO_ND6BgGbcPpmQYQqwmSXGj7YofRY2bbCXY18NHyWrUUfjBVFwTHi_A4/s400/%237+Gatewood.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309172535362395042" /><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/Sa34THDFTUI/AAAAAAAAA9g/hsk9Q298_-g/s400/%2316+Gatewood.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309172542932864322" /><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/Sa34TvzaH4I/AAAAAAAAA9o/BhLU50AtS9Y/s400/%2319+Gatewood.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309172553872973698" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZyW252ixaVlMHGnlE_o0Ro6QAzuSFaq33KE3AsF2Tq8WQWwFqVcERt1DuCAJLoJ-gNagjz7w1MajqhXf-VRQ1jQqwjohO7RTQufxJ6dgO6_qd6HJyMA0DH2sIsTImrojxD1gu1RFgcEc/s400/%2334+Gatewood.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309175812490478946" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4dGVgkdFdTpVBQ2kO-BmKNRqvRQ_cQPu3HywIHTTKR-Q7PtDA7Vr-9Dp5QaJeiNGMt78s4QLygLWzJM1YeWAtaGk5TuxfBet_WejEkXJpzQ6RFqq3GWIbvRJD9DbYmNW7kH8rIu1Y2Y/s400/%2385+Gatewood.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309176163709928354" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>Whithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00427974809399224357noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1005479963293546996.post-71182413401109651852009-02-17T21:53:00.006-06:002009-02-17T23:19:32.247-06:00Ben Versus The Molehill<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I've been trying to figure out how to express what life feels like now that Ben's trach is finally out. I came across these words from Psalm 116 that say it best:</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'Charis SIL';">I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'Charis SIL';"><p>Because he turned his ear to me, <br /> I will call on him as long as I live...</p><p>I was overcome by trouble and sorrow...<br /></p><p>The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.</p><p></p><p>The LORD protects the simplehearted; <br /> when I was in great need, he saved me.</p><p>Be at rest once more, O my soul, <br /> for the LORD has been good to you.</p><p>For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death, <br /> my eyes from tears, <br /> my feet from stumbling...</p><p></p><p>How can I repay the LORD <br /> for all his goodness to me?</p><p>I will lift up the cup of salvation <br /> and call on the name of the LORD.</p><p>I will fulfill my vows to the LORD <br /> in the presence of all his people.</p><p></p><p></p></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'Charis SIL';"><p>O LORD, truly I am your servant; <br /> I am your servant, the son of your maidservant; <br /> you have freed me from my chains.</p><p>I will sacrifice a thank offering to you <br /> and call on the name of the LORD.</p><p>I will fulfill my vows to the LORD <br /> in the presence of all his people,</p><p>in the courts of the house of the LORD—<br /> in your midst, O Jerusalem. <br /> Praise the LORD. </p><p><br /></p></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">To see Ben totally healed after the way things started out leaves me speechless. How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me? I want to, but I know I can't.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">There have been a few times this past week where it felt like my spirit was touching God. I have never experienced anything like it. I don't even know if those are the right words to describe it. It was like God was pouring out so much grace on me that for a little while I could feel him around me. I wish I could explain it better.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">My thank offering to God is to try and pour out some tiny portion of his grace on others. Can you imagine that day when we will walk into God's house and experience that closeness with God and each other forever?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Meanwhile, back on planet earth, we are teaching our child not to eat dirt from the front lawn.</span></div><div><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwWYYQH19ENsjRyl0xUBkiWcqp4I9AwbSdUDU3He-0fPjNhyL3RL9AYD9lGsp-FN_ANl9EJBklZZl7rbTBI-g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Whithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00427974809399224357noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1005479963293546996.post-43070204762256971592009-01-21T12:58:00.003-06:002009-01-21T14:56:35.400-06:00Jumping Off A Cliff<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Since everyone else is talking politics this week, I might as well throw in my two cents. As you may imagine, I'm very disappointed that my plans to install a presidential puppet regime consisting of my son and cat never really materialized. I found out when I took Ben to Bible Hour on Sunday morning that Ben is deathly afraid of large-mouth puppets so it's probably for the best that the whole puppet regime thing didn't work out.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The first national election that I could vote in was back in 2000. At the time my criteria were pretty simple - the candidate must be anti-abortion and anti-slavery. George Bush (or as Ben calls him Jooj Pus) seemed to fit nicely into those categories so I voted for him in 2000 and 2004. In 2003 he signed the Partial Birth Abortion Ban and hadn't repealed the 13th amendment so he met all of my standards for a good president. Since that time, however, he has done very little that I have agreed with, and it has forced me to reconsider my voting criteria.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The 2008 race helped me narrow it down to 5 main factors:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1) Integrity - After Mitt Romney changed almost all of his positions on social issues just to run for the White House, I knew I had to add this one.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">2) Basic Competence - After Sarah Palin failed to string together coherent sentences about major policy questions in her television interviews, I knew I had to add this one.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial;">3) Humble foreign policy - I'm not a pacifist, but I think some occassional humility certainly wouldn't have hurt during the last eight years, and it didn't seem to me that McCain would have done anything to change this. Singing "Bomb Iran" to the tune of "Barbara Ann" didn't help his cause.</span><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">4) Abortion - I think there are a lot of things to like about Barack Obama (or as Ben calls him Bak O Mama) but his abortion record is attrocious. Hopefully, he'll be too busy fixing everything else to spend time on this issue.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">5) Not a hobbit - This one may unfairly eliminate Dennis Kucinich, but I just feel like this rule needs to be here. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I voted for Huckabee in the primaries (even though he is a border-line hobbit), but since no one met all of my criteria, I didn't vote for a president in the general election. This election season was good because it forced me to sit down and think about what really matters in a president. It also made me think about what principle or ideal Christians should be working toward when it comes to government. Some think it’s freedom, others think it’s lining up the govenment's laws with Christian values, others think it’s social justice, and others think Christians should just step away from politics altogether. I'm curious to hear what you think.</span></div><div><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I'll get back to posting Benjamin pictures and videos next time, but thanks for reading. Don't forget to pray for President O Mama.</span></div>Whithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00427974809399224357noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1005479963293546996.post-20117247734875779002009-01-15T21:54:00.004-06:002009-01-15T23:12:22.707-06:00Miracle Minute<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Here's Ben talking it up on his 2nd birthday.</span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxrXiGdKKaFEkQcrE3Fxlrq6aa1uJWcLQTfOGjxKmf-L1iKtRMjxdPp9oxsJGAqIrxQMjgl8pkdtpQsSjRp6g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">On Ben's birthday, we decided to take a cake to the nurses at the NICU at St. John Hospital where Ben spent the first month of his life. We were also fortunate to meet the doctor on duty when Ben was delivered. He started the procedure to put in Ben's trach before the surgeon arrived and was definitely one of the people who helped save Ben's life that day. He was absolutely amazed that Ben had made it through all of this without any long-term health problems.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">While we were there, one of the nurses said that Benjamin should be in a TV commercial for the hospital called "Miracle Minute". We would get to tell Ben's story and share how the doctors and the nurses at the NICU took care of our boy. We're scheduled to film it on the 19th of February so please pray that we're able to give glory to God and say the right things.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6S0-7qOUp_rY2XLIhqQ2sZ12zBKFDrMZQhHyAIwTotR1rdGFDwbhifl-zZBR8_qVYnmWARFt_C_ehbDU5c1wd7tsS-Hx2p0cfpq5IlghxZhGWugBH2FyLE_EjiSP7f_SXpv45N1HfqAk/s400/002.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291736700404496146" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAIuLTYiqCkVPHYemnfKWbM5brEp7GGxXyCt83SG8IgQ3oXpiwheiFsBwyYqFiAmGAJPoDuzzekKyUtO-BLc8VjZPZtcdGP-VjCYtgZOxTAQBAY-QP1wQv4b-T4FSGAMBM1oJd6qvPLeI/s400/001.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291736695141262354" /></div>Whithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00427974809399224357noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1005479963293546996.post-23140811656354221562008-12-22T00:42:00.006-06:002008-12-22T02:09:53.188-06:00Revolution<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">After our last visit with Dr. Digoy, he scheduled Ben's final surgery for January 9th to remove the trach. I was a little disappointed because I had been praying that Ben would have his trach out before the end of the year, but what's an extra week or two when you've been waiting for two years. Growing tired of the whole situation, Ben decided to take matters into his own hands.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">On Saturday morning, Adrienne went into Ben's room to get him out of his crib, but she was surprised to find that Ben's trach was lying on the floor in the middle of the room. When she tried to put the trach back in, Ben's airway had already closed up enough that she couldn't get it back in. Being somewhat distressed by this, we called Dr. Digoy, and he told us that as long as Ben was breathing normally, we could just leave the trach out.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">So Saturday went by without a problem, and that evening Ben slept for 11 glorious hours without us having to wake him up and suction him once. Needless to say, Sunday morning was great time of celebration with the church. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Very few things have gone according to plan over the past two years so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by Ben's unorthodox approach to trach removal. I do hope you'll keep all of this hush-hush since he's now guilty of practicing medicine without a license. I also hope you'll say a prayer of thanksgiving to God today for his mercy, healing, (and sense of humor).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Here are the first videos of "Life After Trach". </span></div><div><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzN2gDXYKJ-EDWaKt7RsAjzI6Z_yVu8SZOFL2UPfdISLtYAGaT8HPnViQ5AeNArkMCYoJmwmOMtCNsfbvffRg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dykiwTesBwZmQoZw6aNtrJmtGBNn3eSwZxREYjfvY2d9t72tbMkqqFgrYDjWfL6HX2Z9nFO1IFpON9vN3rJAA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Whithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00427974809399224357noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1005479963293546996.post-50707555614283094142008-12-11T21:36:00.002-06:002008-12-11T23:57:50.839-06:00Right Line, Wrong Lap<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">The end is still in sight; we just need to make one more lap around the track. Dr. Digoy decided to temporarily put in a special trach that let Benjamin breathe through his mouth and nose. The last time we tried this trach, Ben couldn't handle it. This time, however, he got used to it after a few minutes and slept through the night in the hospital without any suctioning or problems breathing. Since Ben passed this test, he's ready to have the final surgery to take out the trach. We don't know when this last surgery will be, but it should be soon.</span>Whithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00427974809399224357noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1005479963293546996.post-89186794421778303962008-12-08T20:38:00.002-06:002008-12-08T21:27:40.148-06:00Almost There<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">The surgeon has decided that if Ben's airway looks good on Tuesday morning, he's going to proceed and take out the trach (decannulation). The surgery starts at 7:45 in OKC, and we'll be in the hospital for a few days if all goes well. It feels so good to have the finish line in sight.</span>Whithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00427974809399224357noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1005479963293546996.post-62374473141891190742008-11-27T12:59:00.001-06:002008-11-27T13:04:02.688-06:00Step One<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Today, we took the first and most important step toward successful potty training.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYuZv3dUvb9k8o9lV3sw58Ny-QoQSYqiGbYVaHm6G16YnydellmH65Hu7sU2jIS60qbyn5Xh1FEQGV11ASRQmUvakQfavzO-xdwT6GvckmdD-9LtAZTbCean6tkDuEVsFXVNAhozt13Ho/s400/2008_11_27+002.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273414192090544754" /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/SS7uRUTLAiI/AAAAAAAAArw/O3xFQ56sVx8/s1600-h/2008_11_27+001.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/SS7uRUTLAiI/AAAAAAAAArw/O3xFQ56sVx8/s400/2008_11_27+001.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273414194971738658" /></a>Whithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00427974809399224357noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1005479963293546996.post-40521984046385284302008-11-26T00:10:00.005-06:002008-11-26T01:54:04.403-06:00Always Faithful<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">As I was suctioning blood and mucus out of Benjamin's neck at 4:00 in the morning in a cold hospital room while his sweaty little body was fighting off a fever and convulsing every 25 seconds for several hours in reaction to morphine that he had received the previous day, I caught myself asking God whether he really was okay with this situation. Surely God can do better than this, can't he? Almighty God must be pretty sick to just sit there and watch an innocent child suffer like this. The whole scene just made me angry.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Three and a half weeks later, I'm happy to report that it looks like Benjamin could get his trach out before the end of the year! Dr. Digoy looked at him today and said that Ben now has a normal-size airway. There's a litte more tissue that he'll be lasering out in two weeks, but if that procedure goes well, we're looking at December 23rd as the day Ben will get his trach out, which I'm guessing will be Adrienne's best birthday gift ever. And if things go smoothly, we would be discharged from the hospital on Christmas day (not a bad day to start a new life with Ben).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Some days it's hard to say, but on days like this it's easy to say, "Our God is faithful. Our God is love. Always."</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Some videos for your enjoyment:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzd1_7jMsL3DPv2uLiF6Sv9dfCB-PbmumnLPk6yhIayt1SL4dALJ0SQMd0kVPAH4aWY-V1JguQPwVaudJYAwA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">In a totally unrelated video, here's what happens when your co-workers have too much free time on their hands.</span></div><div><br /><div style="background-color:#e9e9e9; width: 425px;"><object id="A960867" quality="high" data="http://aka.zero.jibjab.com/client/zero/ClientZero_EmbedViewer.swf?external_make_id=KKYA4UXnigSxZm1x&service=sendables.jibjab.com&partnerID=JibJab" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="319" width="425"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="movie" value="http://aka.zero.jibjab.com/client/zero/ClientZero_EmbedViewer.swf?external_make_id=KKYA4UXnigSxZm1x&service=sendables.jibjab.com"><param name="scaleMode" value="showAll"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="allowNetworking" value="all"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="FlashVars" value="external_make_id=KKYA4UXnigSxZm1x&service=sendables.jibjab.com"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></object><div style="text-align:center; width:435px; margin-top:6px;">Try JibJab Sendables® <a href="http://sendables.jibjab.com/sendables">eCards</a> today!</div></div><img style="visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;" border="0" width="0" height="0" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bT*xJmx*PTEyMjc2ODM1NjY2NTQmcHQ9MTIyNzY4MzU5MTA1OSZwPTE5MTEzMSZkPTMwMyZnPTImdD*mbz1jNDc*OWVlM2E3YjI*ODdjYWIzZTM2OGVhM2RlM2ZhMQ==.gif" /><br /></div>Whithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00427974809399224357noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1005479963293546996.post-59936440376927776092008-11-02T19:58:00.000-06:002008-11-02T20:11:14.578-06:00There and Back Again<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">We're home. Ben is doing well. God is good.</span>Whithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00427974809399224357noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1005479963293546996.post-60935285922141459592008-10-31T08:48:00.002-05:002008-10-31T09:02:33.364-05:00Quick Update<span style="font-family:arial;">After taking another look at Benjamin and talking it over with us, Dr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Digoy</span> went ahead with the procedure to take out some of Ben's rib <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">cartilage</span> and graft it into the ring of cartilage around his airway so that it would be open wider. He also injected the Botox into Ben's muscles in that area so that they wouldn't compress the graft, which means Ben won't be able to vocalize for the next two to three months. Ben went into surgery at 11:00 and was finished a little before 5:00. All seems to have gone well, and he is being given morphine so it has been relatively easy to take care of him so far. We're hopeful that he'll be released from the hospital some time over the weekend. Many thanks for all of your prayers!</span>Whithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00427974809399224357noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1005479963293546996.post-3947943197398621852008-10-29T23:48:00.005-05:002008-10-30T00:15:02.343-05:00Audio Dictionary<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqs3T2l1dR50sBXOsg3XhWSXOwB_Yf8qoZHz_ShZhBA1k8Oryf5OgiCmrr_nIXnWq5jm3Ib81J4fyZ1wqVbpGcS99BOW9ysavLkv-HO7hyiPo_jGO0UvFv-uhXZvQpwfbV8IE_zKXSxys/s1600-h/2008_10_29+070.jpg"></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial;">I don't know if this has happened to you, but last week the fan on my laptop just stopped working. My computer would only stay on for fifteen minutes before overheating and shutting down. After further investigation, I found the cause to be a gigantic computer hairball which had been developing over the past five years. The clog was so big that no air could escape out the back of the computer. It had never crossed my mind before that electronic devices could have gastro-intestinal disorders.</span><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Anyway, here's a promised video and some photos of the Benjamite. His surgery starts tomorrow morning at 10:50 and will last for several hours. Ben will lose his voice for a few months because of this procedure so this will be his last "talkie" for awhile. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzklbFe13zZGFpvgieCOYejVw4vbvt4wmd6c8-SPHj2A-d1vfdlwuo4lF4IPc9Ft3n_9Tgvf5mA3xPi_mmwoA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Books and girls...I'm have serious deja blog.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGFTbKWO27tKREF7vjZrx8f53LivSgqBN2PRPhoHJELiCwvUsvIwvcvhx65quWYeTNBuoGXe69edTxwbDZ04XtpYeBd_PLURw3FDLBoANGljZiltow2Zoy79ffdvkA_fvgtfT6nEDwESg/s400/2008_10_29+024.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262798647718738770" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/SQk3fsTIYGI/AAAAAAAAAqo/eE8Jxn-7b0E/s400/2008_10_29+029.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262798657166008418" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPgdmFW4Z9dqsCDXLfA_0eLj_FEq7I53aKzWcUVNBioiT5gqW5oTlhp2fFieHJGi-MuNqSTD8SU9l2GNrXwElgv0LcyJno_SoSXib6vinoYDCKfoOi8R-n5liiWItzCTCKZqeyBbebWGw/s400/2008_10_29+034.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262798658264483730" style="text-decoration: underline; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/SQk3gaSW_DI/AAAAAAAAAq4/OGvuDEtoeMc/s1600-h/2008_10_29+035.jpg"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/SQk3gaSW_DI/AAAAAAAAAq4/OGvuDEtoeMc/s400/2008_10_29+035.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262798669510802482" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy5BrOj3rwILTa4B0_bcBcMdDchX9h-5X4NV7zy-FUcjnqoXFL7x-3-J_XT2lmljEy4eItAuiclZQJ_RDoPMnRPb5fvMuBgEM95-Eqdcg2Wj8nSIHSs2SpnbW_dvcsKJpz0fHWSdZNuo8/s1600-h/2008_10_29+047.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy5BrOj3rwILTa4B0_bcBcMdDchX9h-5X4NV7zy-FUcjnqoXFL7x-3-J_XT2lmljEy4eItAuiclZQJ_RDoPMnRPb5fvMuBgEM95-Eqdcg2Wj8nSIHSs2SpnbW_dvcsKJpz0fHWSdZNuo8/s400/2008_10_29+047.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262802435819689010" style="text-decoration: underline;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-40fBuO0W7fpxPq33G7Pve5Avv0IpAN7ICQqtAiQb_51EKjkLJbqO8MIqtY-BBIc59XPzJ7DZJenQ4AVVn3S295WTNA8l1DSjlCKVectAOx1cGrjtWT_1I9Jnrv3wZ99Oar40XTGvzXo/s1600-h/2008_10_29+042.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-40fBuO0W7fpxPq33G7Pve5Avv0IpAN7ICQqtAiQb_51EKjkLJbqO8MIqtY-BBIc59XPzJ7DZJenQ4AVVn3S295WTNA8l1DSjlCKVectAOx1cGrjtWT_1I9Jnrv3wZ99Oar40XTGvzXo/s400/2008_10_29+042.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262802416563342130" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-psj4Ebfb6x8MZyJ7s8iEsPuknyQUWokMLtxmP8SZjbtWT3UmftcGtTOzbguBaZDdyy6iP-RLnxy1-KThNPEW8NzO98Cd4yfZm2e9pGg0Z2kl2d_SHLUszezgJo-aMsQRwXobModiqBg/s1600-h/2008_10_29+039.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></a></span><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-psj4Ebfb6x8MZyJ7s8iEsPuknyQUWokMLtxmP8SZjbtWT3UmftcGtTOzbguBaZDdyy6iP-RLnxy1-KThNPEW8NzO98Cd4yfZm2e9pGg0Z2kl2d_SHLUszezgJo-aMsQRwXobModiqBg/s400/2008_10_29+039.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262802410379363986" style="text-decoration: underline;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/SQk3fsTIYGI/AAAAAAAAAqo/eE8Jxn-7b0E/s1600-h/2008_10_29+029.jpg"></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">For Fall Festival, Ben dressed up as a small child being eaten by Elmo.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExGhdG0bxpHuYR0UzkNvQ2aL0khxAe8ujvlu2vs0TrFHvYsspYCst5ahQZwRMo8QutnXctO4XDHoRQ2UOJhIstO0lWk8T07nRPSZJyfFSMVY2KDGc5tuZjcVg4c2KGEq-PBzIl9VmrOg/s400/2008_10_29+062.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262802449999051650" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">He can't stand the sight of seeing another child suffer the same fate.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqs3T2l1dR50sBXOsg3XhWSXOwB_Yf8qoZHz_ShZhBA1k8Oryf5OgiCmrr_nIXnWq5jm3Ib81J4fyZ1wqVbpGcS99BOW9ysavLkv-HO7hyiPo_jGO0UvFv-uhXZvQpwfbV8IE_zKXSxys/s1600-h/2008_10_29+070.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqs3T2l1dR50sBXOsg3XhWSXOwB_Yf8qoZHz_ShZhBA1k8Oryf5OgiCmrr_nIXnWq5jm3Ib81J4fyZ1wqVbpGcS99BOW9ysavLkv-HO7hyiPo_jGO0UvFv-uhXZvQpwfbV8IE_zKXSxys/s400/2008_10_29+070.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262802464672874818" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGFTbKWO27tKREF7vjZrx8f53LivSgqBN2PRPhoHJELiCwvUsvIwvcvhx65quWYeTNBuoGXe69edTxwbDZ04XtpYeBd_PLURw3FDLBoANGljZiltow2Zoy79ffdvkA_fvgtfT6nEDwESg/s1600-h/2008_10_29+024.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGFTbKWO27tKREF7vjZrx8f53LivSgqBN2PRPhoHJELiCwvUsvIwvcvhx65quWYeTNBuoGXe69edTxwbDZ04XtpYeBd_PLURw3FDLBoANGljZiltow2Zoy79ffdvkA_fvgtfT6nEDwESg/s1600-h/2008_10_29+024.jpg"></a></div></div>Whithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00427974809399224357noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1005479963293546996.post-25211618545483128752008-10-10T00:12:00.003-05:002008-10-10T08:25:52.484-05:00Finally<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I want to apologize to all of you for my long absence from the blog. So many of you have stood with our family in prayer over the past two years, and for me to disappear like that is not fair to you. For those of you who still come by here occasionally, thanks for sticking around.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">It has taken some time to process the things I've seen overseas and figure out what is worthy of sharing with you. I had the privilege of filming interviews with many faithful brothers and sisters in Christ. I listened as an Iranian man who was training to be a Muslim mullah told me how he started questioning his teachers, was forced out of the country, and then was imprisoned in Iraq for 3 years for coming into the country illegally. When he was released, he came across brothers from the church who told him the good news, and he became a follower of Christ.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I listened as an Iraqi engineer in his sixties told me how he had been abducted in Baghdad and held for ransom. When the money didn't come fast enough, the kidnappers shot him in the side of the head and dumped him out of the back of a van onto the street. While he was lying in the road, he had a vision of Jesus standing on a milky white sea. Jesus came to him, held him in his arms, and told him he would not die. When he awoke, a man picked him up off the street and got him to a hospital. The bullet had gone through his optic nerve and passed out his cheek on the other side. He lost sight in one eye, but after 40 days in a hospital, he was able to go home. I saw the scars on his face.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I listened as an Afghani actress in her fifties told of her arranged marriage to a forty-five year old man when she was only 13. While she was still a Muslim, she had several dreams of Jesus coming to her and giving her comfort in her difficult situation. Now she is a follower of Christ and goes around the country speaking out against the drug lords who are corrupting her nation. She puts her life on the line every time she speaks.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I met European missionaries who had such intimate relationships with God. They talked and wrestled with him about coming to serve in Afghanistan, but God clearly revealed to them that Afghanistan was the place they needed to be. I was floored by their fearlessness in finding ways to share the gospel in a country that is basically 100% Muslim. They are truly preparing a field so that others can reap the harvest of their hard labor.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Before I left for Iraq, I started reading <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Shack</span>, and I just finished it this evening. As many of you know it's, a book about a man who has a vision of God after his daughter is violently kidnapped and murdered. The writing style of the book annoyed me some, but the story blindsided me with how powerful it was. I highly recommend it.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">All of these things put together have made me sick of my own cynical attitude about God using dreams and visions to reveal himself to people today. The faith of these Christians makes me ashamed of the half-faith I have in God - the kind of faith that calls out to God when I need help but doesn't really want him to be intimately involved in my life the rest of the time. I'm tired of limiting God's influence in my life to Bible verses and distress signals. Maybe I'll never see a vision of Christ before I die, but I at least want to be able to say that I lived my life like Christ was always living in me and with me. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">There are many other things I could say about my time in Iraq and Afghanistan, but I'll save those for a venue other than a public blog. I know that I owe many of you a reply on Facebook.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Concerning Ben's next surgery, it's coming up on the 30th of October. The doctor will be going in and widening Ben's airway with a piece of his rib cartilage. What a privilege to live in a country where this is even an option for us. I'll try to put some more Benjamin pics and videos out here in the coming weeks, but thanks for stopping by. I'll be back soon.</span></div><div><br /></div>Whithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00427974809399224357noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1005479963293546996.post-48084778202124279152008-08-26T08:58:00.000-05:002008-08-25T23:05:29.749-05:00Between Iraq and a Fireplace<span style="font-family:arial;">Good morning from sunny Irbil, Iraq. You know you're not in Kansas anymore when your flight from Jordan to Iraq leaves at 1:00AM, the man taking your boarding pass is busy puffing on a cigarette as he tears your ticket stub, and you arrive at 3:00 AM with the temperature at a balmy 95 degrees. At least the dead grass here reminds me of home and my own front yard. One other interesting travel note - I'm not sure if it's a cultural thing, but people on our flights seemed to have very little interest in locking the door when they went to the restroom, which led to some spectacularly awkward encounters and priceless facial expressions.<br /><br />With the flying out of the way, we've got a full week of teaching sessions scheduled with the Kurdzman church, and later on in the week we'll be distributing Bibles, shoes, and Story of Jesus booklets to children at the local schools. All is going well so far, and I'm blessed to be traveling with such experienced older brothers in Christ.<br /><br />Well, it's 8:00 AM now and I'm going to get a few z's in before things get going this afternoon. I'll let you know of any other amusing intercultural exchanges that take place. Please keep Adrienne and the Benjamite in your prayers these next two weeks.<br /></span>Whithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00427974809399224357noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1005479963293546996.post-82784607265149688292008-08-07T00:48:00.003-05:002008-08-07T03:19:02.927-05:00Baby Circles<span style="font-family:arial;">Today we're home a day early and happy to be sleeping in our own beds this evening. Unfortunately, we're home early because Ben wasn't able to breathe well through the new trach so they put the old one back in this morning and sent us on our way. This leaves us back at the same point we were at back in March with the decision on whether to use the laser to remove part of Ben's vocal cord, widen Ben's airway by grafting some rib cartilage into the cartilage ring around his voice box, or just wait and see what happens.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The doctor said that he has recently started using Botox on patients who need a cartilage graft so that the muscles won't compress the cartilage that is being inserted. I always thought I still had a few more years before I had to give the Botoxing talk to my son.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In other news, we celebrated 7 years of marriage last week by bypassing Bartlesville and heading on up to Kansas City for the weekend. Since the name Kansas comes from an Indian word which means "Free Art Museums", our photos will center around this theme.<br /><br />This picture combines two things I hate - giant spiders and staged photographs that take way too long to set up. (I believe this was take four).<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/SJqpJsbf22I/AAAAAAAAAps/JCutOmkMWic/s1600-h/2008_08_03+052.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/SJqpJsbf22I/AAAAAAAAAps/JCutOmkMWic/s400/2008_08_03+052.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231679901154663266" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Yes, those really are 20-foot-tall shuttlecocks that you see in the distance.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivrtE4LmCUUizUq1oI-k2FrvfFBwefugHr4C55LhJq3U4n2_B2Vds4hja2lGwp_1hgLNEb-MozliXu1vFLdiHEVraue4OjDS8UDcDq-x96wd-PgM57LF3fyDmpXoO_Bi1PPlfjtaWU71M/s1600-h/2008_08_03+059.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivrtE4LmCUUizUq1oI-k2FrvfFBwefugHr4C55LhJq3U4n2_B2Vds4hja2lGwp_1hgLNEb-MozliXu1vFLdiHEVraue4OjDS8UDcDq-x96wd-PgM57LF3fyDmpXoO_Bi1PPlfjtaWU71M/s400/2008_08_03+059.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231679898909060866" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">And my new favorite sculpture - it's kinda like Thinking Man meets Salvador Dali.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgncXs4n0V2dICkU-UXWgvKxwS9AooNRJDD1RJUHBBi85DGXZgNYerLAEfy5WLicHoMYZMqjQvCB3HnNEEiVyKWB3xib5qzV5SPF988IunKjYPZWmfHo7hfQbL_ds5YTCVMGxR9WtynjKE/s1600-h/2008_08_03+057.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgncXs4n0V2dICkU-UXWgvKxwS9AooNRJDD1RJUHBBi85DGXZgNYerLAEfy5WLicHoMYZMqjQvCB3HnNEEiVyKWB3xib5qzV5SPF988IunKjYPZWmfHo7hfQbL_ds5YTCVMGxR9WtynjKE/s400/2008_08_03+057.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231679902512597938" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">One other interesting bit of news - it's time for World Compassion's periodic trip to check up on our overseas projects. Our media guy is not able to go this time so at the end of the month I'll be off on a two week trip to film the work that our ministry supports in northern Iraq and Afghanistan. God has blessed me with this fantastic opportunity so please pray that all goes well and that time flies for Adrienne and Ben while I'm gone.<br /></span>Whithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00427974809399224357noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1005479963293546996.post-27581088306467503662008-07-24T21:36:00.012-05:002008-07-25T01:34:16.336-05:00Phoenix<span style="font-family:arial;">Like a phoenix rising up from the ashes only to be blown out of the sky by an Okie duck hunter was my return to playing indoor soccer goalie after two years of retirement. Things can only get better after the 12-2 thrashing we received tonight. Hopefully, my return to blogging will go a little more smoothly.<br /><br />There's a lot of ground to cover here so we'll use some pictures to help things along. Over the last 2 months there have been good times...<br /></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/SIlhFykzr0I/AAAAAAAAAn8/Xo6lGGIqsMo/s1600-h/2008_08_24+026.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/SIlhFykzr0I/AAAAAAAAAn8/Xo6lGGIqsMo/s400/2008_08_24+026.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226815594643566402" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">and bad times...<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogfK2QTcJCK7jOwr8ZYnKAK_MjmaCegNTScEpy5Q-_EVvmUY5WMT4jWWFvxaJyDasWKrV4cBQ2pLdcIPSVfU4E3RU8Na26X0jFiEp0DgW00KSL33Y8Nfj8covmXdpzEaMQD_gZZk7568/s1600-h/2008_08_24+027.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogfK2QTcJCK7jOwr8ZYnKAK_MjmaCegNTScEpy5Q-_EVvmUY5WMT4jWWFvxaJyDasWKrV4cBQ2pLdcIPSVfU4E3RU8Na26X0jFiEp0DgW00KSL33Y8Nfj8covmXdpzEaMQD_gZZk7568/s400/2008_08_24+027.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226816066844967506" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">We've played in the legendary mole hills of Bixby. It's "Don't make a mole hill out of a mountain" around here.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/SIljn9iJfTI/AAAAAAAAAoM/rWt7IM07ZQ8/s1600-h/2008_08_24+113.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/SIljn9iJfTI/AAAAAAAAAoM/rWt7IM07ZQ8/s400/2008_08_24+113.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226818380724010290" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/SIlkOZfiiOI/AAAAAAAAAoU/MiqSDmUz8A4/s1600-h/2008_08_24+118.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/SIlkOZfiiOI/AAAAAAAAAoU/MiqSDmUz8A4/s400/2008_08_24+118.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226819041064290530" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">We've inaugurated the tricycle era.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/SIllNCIDrHI/AAAAAAAAAos/-L492I5Sjj0/s1600-h/2008_08_24+108.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/SIllNCIDrHI/AAAAAAAAAos/-L492I5Sjj0/s400/2008_08_24+108.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226820117123542130" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">And for Father's Day, I received the first ever painting on canvas by the Shirtless Picasso (note the trademark blue ear). I believe he's calling this one "Something to Do Before 2nd Breakfast."</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFaMxo8ODYCKA-0OBtKpR2n9VUy6XFrgdPSHz0cWQp4erYRJ0nq4A-o4VfJtNuEIdTuyB_47tz7bgfP6CSUyloegSQxFZRGPgi9kRcnvl6MX2_n3gr4FGR8UKbNh-95GHu34BFi5Bmu0/s1600-h/2008_08_24+101.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFaMxo8ODYCKA-0OBtKpR2n9VUy6XFrgdPSHz0cWQp4erYRJ0nq4A-o4VfJtNuEIdTuyB_47tz7bgfP6CSUyloegSQxFZRGPgi9kRcnvl6MX2_n3gr4FGR8UKbNh-95GHu34BFi5Bmu0/s400/2008_08_24+101.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226820112163444802" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDzSnaSjQ3-PE4Qhq_Pd0loloXe5C3_E5HQMPZmuEWRlA4Z_AyEKxXtGfXjtCzGh8KoK1wJdf3xdDJjIjQPPt_fmg-LAym4gmsjLzCqEP-gMrW6CtK2Esq9Rwltg_ihtBD3Dqz658rHM4/s1600-h/2008_08_24+105.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDzSnaSjQ3-PE4Qhq_Pd0loloXe5C3_E5HQMPZmuEWRlA4Z_AyEKxXtGfXjtCzGh8KoK1wJdf3xdDJjIjQPPt_fmg-LAym4gmsjLzCqEP-gMrW6CtK2Esq9Rwltg_ihtBD3Dqz658rHM4/s400/2008_08_24+105.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226820116895625810" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">But mostly, Benjamin has been spending time with his two true loves - books...</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHsSGWyvjVDuWlvZ76G16LrWTocBEshvNpBw-3N_RAdiSGSgh07WP1zGT4bHnCNPt7_YhDwAXtotd2l52rXUmtxbfrgK4ef_wDOnEnl4KJeHC6BAxXCo869YPgALjQRq9Xn6Obq51hzCw/s1600-h/2008_08_24+148.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHsSGWyvjVDuWlvZ76G16LrWTocBEshvNpBw-3N_RAdiSGSgh07WP1zGT4bHnCNPt7_YhDwAXtotd2l52rXUmtxbfrgK4ef_wDOnEnl4KJeHC6BAxXCo869YPgALjQRq9Xn6Obq51hzCw/s400/2008_08_24+148.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226821249338976642" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEGyGRtaBpgWfrWoSw0G5GcAMgUIMnQ1J6lVSEfp30Ets-eTG4MDWB_mYHTngKqk8Crhmqv_s82DkEug8F9kNso9ARz1R-KECfKl4WTTbrmCh_Bdfmu1_GdyXBLpwJaKNFfTkYBA7NvhY/s1600-h/2008_08_24+146.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEGyGRtaBpgWfrWoSw0G5GcAMgUIMnQ1J6lVSEfp30Ets-eTG4MDWB_mYHTngKqk8Crhmqv_s82DkEug8F9kNso9ARz1R-KECfKl4WTTbrmCh_Bdfmu1_GdyXBLpwJaKNFfTkYBA7NvhY/s400/2008_08_24+146.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226821241699921634" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/SIlnWYvhs1I/AAAAAAAAApc/xqNr2s1A8kE/s1600-h/2008_08_24+170.jpg"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzaaMpVaTqOcQzrerOjm8pktjUPxViALBdh0ojN-r25hXBzZlsVD74TE-UJunGM4ev-xx41zz0LZC9arEtkzw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></a><br /><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;">...And his girlfriends.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/SIlmPPCP4yI/AAAAAAAAApE/rhrgkBgfXwM/s1600-h/2008_08_24+157.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/SIlmPPCP4yI/AAAAAAAAApE/rhrgkBgfXwM/s400/2008_08_24+157.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226821254460203810" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMzIEUKnTFwkjTFMsgk3yUdNnssoN353m9E1KSAzE4HqNWnzvBiA0TXoU6Ta-ScDjS-DKCoiZLNj_nwS0UOYsOBBpENs1WwHFTL6utvLIMKSRxz1mvk0im5U7g9pK00KqPuspK0hheVp0/s1600-h/2008_08_24+165.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMzIEUKnTFwkjTFMsgk3yUdNnssoN353m9E1KSAzE4HqNWnzvBiA0TXoU6Ta-ScDjS-DKCoiZLNj_nwS0UOYsOBBpENs1WwHFTL6utvLIMKSRxz1mvk0im5U7g9pK00KqPuspK0hheVp0/s400/2008_08_24+165.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226821255212264354" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">As you'll see, the two seem to go together.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHsSGWyvjVDuWlvZ76G16LrWTocBEshvNpBw-3N_RAdiSGSgh07WP1zGT4bHnCNPt7_YhDwAXtotd2l52rXUmtxbfrgK4ef_wDOnEnl4KJeHC6BAxXCo869YPgALjQRq9Xn6Obq51hzCw/s1600-h/2008_08_24+148.jpg"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzSO_ZoR1L1DWXqK9hgW-tkS2y408WqJ0xAUuC0QbXNCOcOwujZAS-ic0HwA4iKwmPEAmmq_67axVSklUNyfw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Sara Hill came over to our place and read some books for Ben. He was mildly excited about this.</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH08Pm3tqvSibFixPBElPduWhCiDoeYOXrdg2L4MFD3BEJAGEJI_Wzd6FflBLoOHzfl-UA0PhrX-EeWtiPlZTtETqsnqU267zWHn2ePsRK9M1dft0rJfhRQBHhtyEeAwplPO0LkZmeVGE/s1600-h/2008_08_24+167.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH08Pm3tqvSibFixPBElPduWhCiDoeYOXrdg2L4MFD3BEJAGEJI_Wzd6FflBLoOHzfl-UA0PhrX-EeWtiPlZTtETqsnqU267zWHn2ePsRK9M1dft0rJfhRQBHhtyEeAwplPO0LkZmeVGE/s400/2008_08_24+167.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226821262413135026" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/SIlnWYvhs1I/AAAAAAAAApc/xqNr2s1A8kE/s1600-h/2008_08_24+170.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eSGt5QW1Xpo/SIlnWYvhs1I/AAAAAAAAApc/xqNr2s1A8kE/s400/2008_08_24+170.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226822476836746066" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">And now you know the way to Benjamin's heart.</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw5t6d1YvwaiQialLe94FPpqvFIL_50UdYkZLldPMRotLzDeBOZkhumWDM896ah2C_m1lOIzasOZC8Gum_gRUKjX0LUKfv9sFkjtAdppZcYYDY72vda-29r0wNQ9GUq2DGZrNbuOAK33o/s1600-h/2008_08_24+173.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw5t6d1YvwaiQialLe94FPpqvFIL_50UdYkZLldPMRotLzDeBOZkhumWDM896ah2C_m1lOIzasOZC8Gum_gRUKjX0LUKfv9sFkjtAdppZcYYDY72vda-29r0wNQ9GUq2DGZrNbuOAK33o/s400/2008_08_24+173.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226822482689171042" border="0" /></a></div> </div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I think that pretty much sums it up. Ben hasn't had any surgeries for the past 6 weeks which has been very nice. His next one is coming up on August 5th, and it's a big one. The surgeon will be taking out Ben's trach and putting in a new one that will allow Ben to attempt to breathe through his nose and mouth. Before he switches out the trach, he'll go in and repair the damage that was done to Ben's airway when they put the first trach in. This means that everything above and below Ben's vocal cords should be pretty close to normal after the procedure, and putting this new trach in will let us see how much work the doctor still has to do to open up the airway between the cords. We'll be staying in the ICU at OU Children's Hospital in OKC on the first night after the surgery, and we're hoping he can go home on the 7th.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It's good to be back with y'all again, and thanks as always for praying for Benjamin. </span>Whithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00427974809399224357noreply@blogger.com8