Ang and I just want to thank everyone who has taken the time out of their busy schedule to show us love. We could never say thank you enough!! Here are some of the pictures that we have taken with family and friends over the past two weeks. . . . Dane has already changed so much!

Click on the pictures to see it bigger

These first two are videos

[flickr]photo:3368651025[/flickr]

Have you been grazing spiritually lately. . . . OR. . . .Have you recently had a mountain top experience of some sort? – Feeling pretty confident about you spiritual life and your ability to impact people who are hurting and broken? Be careful!!!! You are now more dangerous than ever to the enemy, and you better believe that he is lurking like a lion (1 Peter 5:8) – and he is going to try and bring you down as soon as possible. . . . . are you married? (it doesn’t matter for how long). . . . then let’s talk, because within marriage lies one of the most commonly used attacks of the devil . . . why? – because, unfortunately, it works a lot of the time!

First warning. . . if you think this doesn’t apply to you, and that there really is no need to read this. . . . . I really don’t know why God will ever tell you that. . . .so, you might want to check the source of that thought – AND keep reading! You also might want to pray that God be with you as you read. . . . once again, if that sounds like a ridiculous thing to do?? . . . . . . . that’s not coming from God. . . do it – get Him involved.

First let’s talk about some basic characteristics of the enemy – I recommend you watch the weekend service from Granger Community Church from this past weekend (3/8/09) entitled “Sex for Sale” – watch it here (www.gccwired.com)  – where Mark Beeson explains the 3 hats of satan

Hat #1 – Tempter – trying to sell you lies like -  “this (whatever act the temptation involves) is not that bad. . . noone will know. . . and it doesn’t matter anyway, because it’s not that wrong . . . you can totally handle it. . . other people, stupid people, get caught – but your not stupid. . . . . it’s just this one time. . . . . just a little bit won’t hurt” – and after every step that you take, the enemy tempts you with the next one – and notice. . . . it is usually a slow/gradual process.

Hat #2 – Promoter – after he has tempted you he then tries to sell you lies like “this is going to be the best ever. . . . so fulfilling, it’s going to feel so good – you will feel so taken care of, so complete, so alive, so. . . . . . right – this is what you have been missing out on for soooo long!”

Hat#3 – Accuser – after you have commited the sinful act, he then tries to sell you lies like “I can’t believe you did THAT. . . you are horrible!!! – your toast now – God will never take you back. . . . might as well not even fight it – just give in all the way. . . you can’t resist it . . . you’ve already proven that!. . . . it will never go away. . . there is nothing you can do!. . . you knew it was wrong, but you did it anyway – that is the worst of the worst – not even God wants you back now!”

Let me be very clear. . .satan is the father of lies (John 8:44), which means. . . all he does is tell lies. . . so, these “hats” are ALL LIES – every single one!!

So, what does this have to do with you?

So, what is your weak spot when comes to your marriage?? What do you feel like your spouse is not giving you enough of?? especially things that you think you deserve?? Here is a quick list of some of  these maybe

1. Sex

2. Quality time together . . . that they actually WANT to spend

3. being valued and appreciated for all that you do

4. Sharing an emotional connection – talking about things that are close to your heart. . . . EVEN YOUR FAITH!

5. Passion, desire, adventure, fun

6. A sense of peace (or lack of tension)

etc….

HAVE NO DOUBT IN YOUR MIND that this area of resentment in your life has a huge bullseye painted on it – and it is going to be attacked by the enemy using Hat #1 and Hat#2 above

and if you don’t already have one – there may be someone entering into your life that just “happens” to provide an opportunity to have that resentment fulfilled. . . . . it’s called a strategy. . . and the enemy has been perfecting it for thousands of years!

The question then, reagarding our behavior, is NOT what is right and what is wrong – the question is what standard are you going to hold yourself to -  so as to be the brightest light possible for God’s kingdom – bring Him the most Glory – form the most solid Family – to be an inspiration for your friends/children/grandchildren. . . . . . because they will know, and they are watching. . . . . and in order prevent this, you need to have behavioral guidelines that will protect you from the lies of the enemy. . . especially the one that tells us that this is “really not a big deal”, and that “you can handle it”

Here are some questions to ask yourself (rate each one on a scale of 0-5 – with 0 being “no, not me at all” and 5 being “yes, that is me most of the time”):

1. Am I sharing more of my thoughts/feelings with someone else (of the opposite sex) than I am with my wife/husband?

2. Have I been thinking and getting excited about how I can see someone else (of the opposite sex) a little more often – even if it is with a larger group?

3. Am I, or could I be,  the major spiritual force in someone else’s (of the opposite sex) life right now – turning them towards Christ?

4. Do I have SOME excitement and/or attraction to someone else (of the opposite sex) when we physically touch in a supposed “neutral” way? – hand shakes, welcoming/parting hugs, a touch on the shoulder, arm, or knee, etc…

ok . . . Tally your points. . .

-

- if you have a total of 1 or more then you need to understand that you are most likely being attacked spiritually. . . AND. . . you are losing. . . . . . now what??!

1. Remember that some of the most effective “sells” of the enemy is that “this is not a problem – completely harmless”, and “you can totally handle it on your own.”

2. Remember that Paul tells us in the Bible to RUN from sexual sin and temptation (1 Cor 6:18) – so that means you need to stop cold turkey/put distance between you and him/her, STOP communication

3. This path to sexual sin is most often a very SLOW one – with gradual steps that you hardly notice . . . . it is a slow fade

4. Think about what kind of legacy/model you want for you, your marriage, your children, and grandchildren. . . . because they will remember these types of things forever!

5. Know that in this struggle, you have an opportunity to get even closer to God (who is strong enough to help you through this) and have a witness of strength. . . . . or become one of many who have sinned in this way only to hide and decay in shame and agony – saying to themselves “I don’t know how this happened. . . . . ”

6. Finally, know that sexual sin starts when you even lustfully (not just sex, but also companionship, etx…) think about somone else. . . . many of us have traveled down that path at some point – to differeing degrees. Repenting/confessing/being real with God wipes it all clean – from the one-time lustful thought to the full-fledged adulterous lifestyle that someone has lived for years. Don’t ever believe the lie that God won’t take you back (hat #3 above). . . . . . In fact, you may be reading this post for the exact reason of God desparately wanting you back . . . He’s just waiting on you to ask. . . . . . . . ask Him back in. . . and WHATEVER you have done. . . He is ready – right now -  willing AND capable, to help you turn this thing around. . .

So two days ago – here was Ang and Dane:

Wow what a day yesterday. . . and now we have a “Square Day” (i.e., because he was born on 3/3/09) baby.  Ang is so amazing, and I could not be more proud of her, she really had to fight for this one! Here is the room setup at St. Joe hospital:

We got into the hospital to start the induction at 6am.  Once again there were some issues in getting Ang’s IV in – only 4 tries this time (thank goodness for the IV therapy people!). Instead of using Pitocin, which is what is typically used for inductions – they have always just used a “cytotek” pill with us. Sure enough – once again, Ang started to have good contractions. By noon, however, she was only dilated 3cm, and so we wait. . . .

Side Note: – People about ready to give birth should not be this cute!!!

By 4pm she was dilated 5cm – even though she was having full-blown contractions, and was in a lot of pain – so we went ahead with the epidural – to try and relax her body a little. At this point, they realized that her previous IV was no longer functional, and so we had to wait for what ended up being around an hour until the IV therapist could make it back. . . . then the 45 minutes it takes to get a bag of fluid into her system, and then the 15 minutes for the actual epidural procedure so, the two hours between 4-6 pm were definitely the roughest (oh, and she was throwing up too during this time!!!) – so thank you so much for all of you praying for us!! The anesthesiologist actually stuck around and personally adjusted the epidural every 10 minutes or so.  The nurses were great, especially Rachel during the day – Bethel nursing graduate, GCC member with a passion for doing mission work in India – coincidence. . . I don’t think so! – we had some great discussions.

Soon, after this little baby Dane Justice was brought into the world, and it was wonderful!!! – this picture was minutes after a 13 hour+ day – 9:45pm birth.

Here is the resident who helped (far left) and our main Doctor – Dr. Cavallo – who was amazing! – he has delivered 3 out of our 4 children – we love this guy!

6 pounds 14 ounces, 20 inches long. . . and a lot of hair!

A little tired after his first breastfeeding – he ate great – no problems at all!!!!

Yes!!. . . I am a proud Dad – it is sooooo great to finally meet Dane - I wonder what amazing plans God has in store for this little guy!

Here is a picture of Dane that looks a lot like Elliana when she was born – one of my favorite pictures so far – gotta love the hair! This was taken soon after I gave him his first bath (I had never done that before for our other kids – that was a great experience!)

Visitation at St. Joseph Hosipital is from 11am until 8pm – people are welcome!! Room 702 – thanks again everyone!!  and Praise God!!!

WOW – I can’t believe our little girl is 5, and more beautiful than ever. . . . Ok, I know that I am biased, but seriously – she is so precious to Ang and I. Here are some of the highlights of her birthday celebration:

First off – do you want to know how many people bowl at 9am on a Sat. morning?. . . zero, but we do!!!

Elliana was actually beating all of us the first game (ok. . . with the bumpers, but still) – check out the form:

Here’s Kya doing some celebration after a big roll

Our Philosophy – Celebrate even when you leave an impossible spare

Boys just chill’in – I personally love the shirts!!

They look so innocent. . .don’t they?!!

Dakota’s first bowl. . . kind of looks painful – lol, but it was good!

A little Steak and Shake afterwords – yes. . . kids eat free!

Gotta have a Shake!

Finish the afternoon with an iron-on craft . . . waiting for Dane

Cake Time!!!

Thank goodness for sister’s having birthdays!!

She sure does take care of us!!!! We love our sister!!!

Finish off with a sleep-over with the cousins:) !!

What a Celebration!!! Thank you God for letting us borrow your treasure for a few years – Ang and I will do the best we can!!

This is just a wonderful piece. . . I love seeing people trying to authentically guide and help other people through life

It doesn’t hurt that I am father of a soon to be 5 year old (4 days!!!)

I have not had time to think about it. . . .

Yes, I have cried. . . . I have wept with family. . . I have seen the surreal horror on their children’s faces. . . and I have seen the pummeled soul of my grandmother – one of the strongest people I know.

But, I have not had time to think – there was India, the start of the Sping semester, my teaching of 7 classes this semester, my greenLockers non-profit project, and more – no time. . . . . . . .   - until now.

On Dec. 26th, my Aunt Louie and Uncle Phil Rieman were travelling up North here for our annual get together. On their trip, their car soon slid on a patch of ice, and in an instance they were hit by a dumptruck. . . . they were gone. Their 3 grown children (in their 30s) decided to drive separately, and did not know what had happened until ~ 20 mintues away from our gathering place when they got the call from the Noblesville Sheriff.

For as long as I will live I will never forget the image of them walking into our gathering (with all the laughing, excited anticipation, joy, etc…) with souls shattered, weeping such heavy. . . heavy. . . tears of a loving sadness I know not of. . . . . . we cried, the whole family grieved so deeply that day – all day. . . . . . . . and then I left at 4am the next morning for India, and though I felt Phil and Louie’s presence with me – I knew that my closure was yet to come.

You see Phil and Louie Rieman were Kingdom of God bringers to this weary world in so many ways:

• missionaries to various parts of Africa for years
• integral components in trying to accomplish peace in U.S. neighborhoods as well as in the Sudan
• Pastors of multiple churches – with their last being in Indianapolis
• activists for peace and justice nationally and internationally
• unbelievalbly loving parents, and a tremendous Aunt and Uncle
• Frugal, so that they could share all that they have with those in need
• Inspirations to tens of thousands of people as they were national leaders in their church’s denomination
• A true neighbor to all of their neighbors
• etc. . .

Seriously, the list could just keep going on and on . . . . they were On Mission for God. . . they were making amazing things happen here up until their very last day. . . . they were soooo faithful, and they were such dear friends of Ang and I. . . . I miss them very much, and I miss their hope – their spirit – their overwhelming capacity to find joy in all parts of life – their smiles – their laughter – the light that shined so brightly in their eyes – their refreshing authenticity - their plans and actions to help others feel loved – their hugs – and maybe most of all, their revolutionary, contagious, and inspiring love of God and all of His/Her creation. . . . . . . well done Phil and Louie. . . . well done my good and faithful servants.

My cousin wrote an amazing letter that he read at their memorial – and I want to share it with you now:

Louie and Phil,                                                    29 December 2008

This is still not real. The stories pour forth. Rolling in with strength, wisdom, laughter, and truth exuding the realness and fullness of the love that is the essence of you. This hurts. So bad. The tears keep flowing, the heart keeps aching, and this family, this community, this world is missing 2 of its most wondrous and willing servants.

I know that you are smiling. Showering the world in rainbows of extravagant and unconditional love. We who knew you understand the blessing of being touched by each of you in new ways. To hear the countless beautiful Louie and Phil stories is to more deeply know your lives that were so fully lived. What a wonder that in death we feel so close to your LIFE. Hundreds, thousands who were touched and loved by you. Our lives made better by even one simple interaction. You are two people of such passion, love, courage, conviction. You have truly changed us. You have truly changed the world.

Heidi says she knows you are in the heaven that you imagined. I know that this is true as I feel your radiance and inclusive love in every thought and step and breath. This does not erase the pain. You are gone way too soon. You were heaven on earth kind of people and there was so, so much more living to be done.

I keep speaking of you in the present tense. I think I always will. I see, I feel your spirits alive and as real as the music that is in me, as real as the earth beneath my feet. So real in your beloved children.

Your spirits are Real in Ken, strong and gentle, with big wonderful arms to embrace the wholeness of this wondrous world. To laugh, to play, to inspire, to engage, for this life is too precious to live with regrets. Contagious charisma. Tender and true. His father’s curiousity, his mother’s sense of justice. There are dreams to dream and visions to profess.

Your spirits are Real in Tina, loyal, loving, adventurous, honest. Joy her middle name. In her, joy comes alive and life lessons learned are too beautiful to hold to oneself. Only when shared do they fully bloom. Her mother’s realness, her father’s boldness. A friend who knows what it really means to be a friend.  With the courage to let others in and the openness to Be, she is One who blesses each corner of the world she passes through leaving community, strong and rich.

Your spirits are Real in Cheri, teacher of life. Dancer, cook, artist, maker of home and sacred space. Powerful, generous, magical, with the humor and cuteness to constantly amaze. Her father’s genius, her mother’s compassion. Full of conviction. Seeker of truth. We learn from her. We learn the good stuff, the essence of life kind of stuff.

Your spirits are Real in us, those who knew you. Our world is brighter, more fully just, radiant, more full of laughter, spirit-filled, more fully loved. The spark of phil and louie is in each of us. We know what you would have us do. Love more fully, walk more humbly, embrace the divine that breathes all around us and rejoices within in each of us.

Visions come. Louie, I see you under an African sky, dancing, running as fast as the cheetah, as swift as the wind. Everything is so, so beautiful. Choirs sing as the most glorious bird sings. Effortless, rich, and right. The space between vanishes. You know this hug. This hug is real. Is comfort. Is full.  Is unconditional. Is forever.  Love is the language and you one of its master teachers. Fluent, poetic, lyrical.  And the chocolate. Oh, the chocolate. Who knew it could be so sweet.

Visions come. Phil, I hear your laughter rising full with the power to heal the deepest wound, the power to bridge the widest chasm. Your prayer spills forth to hold you, hold Louie, hold each other but to never forget. Never forget to hold those in every land from the Congo, to Sudan, Columbia to Palestine, Indianapolis to Iowa. To hold the soldier, the police officer, the IRS worker, the person sitting next to you on the plane, the neighbor, the friend. Those gentle, tender, calloused hands, that know so well how to turn things to gold. Abundant are the gardens. Brilliant the carpenter’s creations. Gut-achingly hilarious the jokester’s mischievous trail. Strong and kind the guitar notes ring. We thank you very kindly…we thank you very kindly.

Louie and Phil. Phil and Louie. We love you so, so much. We miss you terribly. You taught us a fearless love that inspires and challenges us every day. We feel your love and know that you are here. With us.  We rejoice in your lives lived here on earth. It is the spirit and pieces of you in each of us that we now carry forth. With gratitude. With passion. With love. With love.

Written by Chris Good, read at Memorial Service for Phil and Louie Baldwin Rieman 1/31/08

singing happy birthday to Jesus on 12seconds.tv

We love you Jesus!!!!

we trust you

we surrender our independence, and choose dependence on you

Thanks for hanging out with us!

sending our christmas letter on 12seconds.tv

Now for the blooper reel

on 12seconds.tv

Some of you will be getting an email or paper copy as well, but I thought I would put it on here for anyone that cared

Here it is . . .

Continually thankful for your influence in our lives, we wanted to share this past year’s happenings with you. We would say that this year’s experience was centered on Micah 6:8 (NIV) “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Let’s start with Walk Humbly . . . God has definitely shown us what is good this past year.  So many blessings. . . we are humbled by the overwhelming love and provision that God has shown us.  Our family continues to grow both in numbers and in age, and it looks like there will be another boy joining the crew in March, 2009.  Elliana (almost 5) and Kya (3 ½) have both had a wonderful transition to Countryside Montessori Academy. Elliana is often seen bringing home more and more advanced books, and Kya is surprising us all the time with his increased assortment of skills and knowledge. It really is a joy to see them love learning ☺. Dakota (1 ½ ) is loving his dedicated Mommy time and enjoys making us laugh each day; he’s a little ham.

Continuing now to Love Mercy. . . Ang took a wonderfully risky leap of faith this year. . . and I couldn’t be more proud of her transition.  She resigned as a mental health therapist from St. Mary’s College in May, so that she could be home with the kids. Such hard work. . . with very little credit. . . but we both feel much better about our “new” system of things. Ted also took a leap this year with establishing greenLockers as an official non-profit organization. There’s a possibility that it’ll be in 20 schools this year . . . just crazy!! . . . but I guess when God wants to provide for the poor – he finds a way, and we feel humbled to be a part of God’s mercy to others.
-     Mercy sure is interesting isn’t it?. . . never is it fair, but God keeps giving it to us. . . and in turn we can share it with others. I have ventured into the blogosphere this past year (www.tedbryant.org) – and it has proven to be an incredible daily tool to show others God’s mercy – feel free to check it out sometime – there is much more about India, greenLockers, my random ranting, Bethel College, and our family on there.

Now to Do Justly. . . . justice has taken a new place in our hearts this year, for starters . . . our next child is named Dane Justice Bryant. In addition, I am venturing to India in a few days with a team from our church (including Angela’s father) to pioneer efforts in discerning how we can partner with International Justice Mission (http://www.ijm.org) to facilitate the end of child slavery and prostitution in the state of Tamil Nadu. God always seems to be up to something . . . hopefully we will be still enough to hear God’s will for our lives.  We look forward to the adventure of 2009. May you feel God’s abundant love all around you this Christmas season!

I love being a professor and having a flexible schedule. . . however, right now I am very busy and needing all of the extra time I can get, and so can my students. . . .

So, I mentor three young men at Bethel (who are amazing by the way!), and I decided to cancel our weekly meeting today, so that they can relax, take a nap, chill with friends, or get something else done. I did that around noonish or so . . . . . . . .well . . . . .at around 3:30. . . . . I was watching the snow globe outside and decided – - you know what. . . . I will stay up a bit later tonight grading – but right now. . . I am going home to go sledding with the kiddos !!!!

What a great time we had outside today in the snow. . . sledding, snow-angels, making a snowman (you know the classics) . . . then – ginger bread house making . . . topped off with hot chocolate . . . yep. . . that’ll do . . . . making memories!!

I saw this video posted on Anthony Parrott’s facebook and I really started thinking about it. . . . could it really be this simple? . . . .why do we spend so much?. . . . why do we feel so obligated to do so? . . . can we do both – give material gifts, and live out the meaning of this season? . . .you tell me?

I am hoping that I can, b/c well . . . . I have already bought some of my gifts, . . . but we also are making a real push in my family to limit such spending for many of the reasons listed in this video. As Ang and I were talking the other night we decided that it would be an absolute tragedy for our children (and ourselves) to unlearn gratefulness, or to ever think that it is better to receive than to give. . . .these are difficult principles to instill in us. . . . which is why so very few people actually have them as part of their core (by NO MEANS am I saying that we are some of those few). However, I have no doubt that they were part of Jesus’ core . . . . . and that is what we are aspiring to as individuals and as a family. . . . . . one small step at a time . . . we (Ang and I – as well as Elliana and Kya) had a great time serving at faith mission in Elkhart for Thanksgiving. . . . can’t wait to see what the next opportunity is . . . . I am sure that it will take time and effort. . . but, . . . . . . we believe it is worth it

Ok, so Monday night, Ang and I get this crazy idea. . . . it is a dreary day. . . we are tired. . . .HEY – let’s take our kids (4.5, 3, and 1.5) to their very first movie (ok, truth be told, I think we tried Narnia a couple of years ago, that did not work out well, and they (Elli and Kya) don’t remember it at all). . . . all of us together to the dollar theater.

We try and set ourselves up for a win. . . .strategy is important for this kind of thing right?

(Financially) – it is family reel night which means any groups over 3 get in for just $.50 a piece + Dakota is free = $2.00 total for the movie 

(Attention) – we choose the 7:00pm showing in hopes that the youngest will be drowsy enough to just sit still and “absorb” the movie. . . . but it’s not too late so the other two kids are not getting too tired (parents. . . .you know what I mean here)     

(Food) – we eat a later than normal dinner, and then I buy the biggest and longest lasting “treat” that money can buy at the concession stand. . . . . . a small bag of Licorice!, which of course. . . you do not give out until there are some signs of restlessness in the ranks:)

(Developmentally) – we chose a movie. . . .ok, got lucky that the movie was out. . . . which had little violence, no big scary/mean/bad guy, and the kids could understand/enjoy

(Socially) – trying not to sit next to a bunch of people . . . so as not to ruin their night if our kids were a little loud, and vice versa!. . . . . but, of course. . . . still getting in seats with prime sound and visual quality. . . because. . . well, . . . there are priorities here

So. . . . how did it go you might ask? . . . . . really pretty well   Dakota tapped out (getting restless)about 45 minutes in, so Ang took him out into the lobby for a bit, and then he was good for the rest of the show. The other two sat on my lap, and were pretty into it. . . you know, . . . asking questions, but not too many.

 Just in case you didn’t know. . . I love my family so much. . . making memories !

Oh, and one more thing. . . . . an unlikely hero . . . who has the key to new life. . . .leaves the only place that he knows of. . . . in order to save the world . . . and in the process he frees a whole bunch of misfits/condemed to die, which actually follow him. . . . oh, and he eventually brings them all back “home” . . . . sound familiar?? . . . . I love the our story. . . THE STORY. . . never gets old

SO in case you have not seen this movie yet – here is the trailor for it:

Ang and the kids

I am amazed by my wife. . . some people who know me think, . . . Ted is alright. . . he has at least some skill at a few things, but. . . . I tell them. . . have you met my wife??!! – once they have . . . well. . . . they end up joining her fan club

Seriously. . . I love viewing the world through her heart and mind. . . . she just has a different perspective on many things that fascinates and inspires me! . . . . so, I confiscated her Bible this morning when leaving for work, and I am going to share some of the things that I have found in the “notes” pages . . . . many of these things have come from church services, books, speakers, etc… but there were no names listed. . . . . nevertheless. . . . enjoy what she has highlighted!

• Our goal is NOT to look strong or feel strong – but to become strong
• Satan will find us blocking his way at every point. Until God commands otherwise, I SHALL NOT MOVE!
• How are you measuring that you matter?
• There is no corner of human experience so hidden or so hopeless, that grace can’t find it. . . . . Love changes everything!
• Success has ruined far more people than failure has
• Goodness is not just the absence of badness
• Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention
• Holiness is not a list of things that I won’t do. . . . but a list of the desires of my heart
• The purpose of influence is to speak up for those that have none
• Crises don’t create heroes. . . they reveal them
• Sometimes we think we’re waiting for God when God is really waiting for us
• Courage is the absence of self
• To live the life God has for you . . . you must be willing to risk
• It’s not about men or women. . . it’s about God
• Change happens when the fear of where you’re going is less than the pain of where you are at.
• I commit that. . . no one is going to hurt me so badly that I’m going to hurt back.

Because:

pursuing her throughout the adventure – is my favorite thing to do

there are not enough words to describe her

celebration is Godly

I am soo honored and grateful

appreciation doesn’t even come close to matching her sacrifice

this is our song

she has helped me discover me

words seem pathetic next to what I feel

she gives her whole heart to our children

she makes me smile. . . . she makes me laugh

Elliana, Kya, and Dakota simply adore her with all they are

she loves Jesus. . . . . and she breaks for the broken

I can . . . . AND. . .  I want to

next to Jesus – she is my definition of Love

So, I am going to do a conglomerative (word??) post this morning on the past weekend.

FRIDAY: We start off with the Halloween festivities . . . . The Thursby’s (Ang’s older sister and family) came over too in their High School Musical 3 costumes. . . . our kids rocked the unicorn, fireman, and giraffe outfits. . . with Ang as a doctor, and well, I went as wanna be back in the 80′s guy

We had a great time!!!!

In fact I think we only made to about 1.5 streets, but Kya was still pretty excited about the “catch”

It was fun. . . . and I was so proud as a parent to hear my kids say “thank you” more often than not when they got their goodies:) – around our house we have a saying. . . . be grateful, . . .not greedy -

- SATURDAY: we took the entire day off – no commitments. . . . . .  2-hour nap!!!!. . . . heard my friend Don sing at church . . . . what a great day. . . Praise God

- SUNDAY: I once again had the honor and pleasure to speak at Youth Group (Granger Student Ministries – GSM). . . . This week on finding your shape. . . . now, if you have been around GCC at all you know that we take S.H.A.P.E. pretty seriously around here, because we really believe in finding everyone’s sweet spot – - -So knowing one’s Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences is one way of going about doing that. God did not make us from a limited set of cookie cutters . . . but all unique. . . and wonderful!. . .Now, . . . this is a 5 hour course (called 301) that our church offers, but I had about 20 minutes to give the High school kids a quick run-through. . . . . so, let me sum up the whole thing with a single quote from Max Lucado for you to chew on today. . . . .

If you don’t get you, we don’t get you

- it is not easy to figure out who exactly we are. . . . nor does it come overnight. . . . or even remain the same. . . however, I believe with all that I am that IF we chase after this mystery of ourselves. . . . we will not only find who you are. . . . . but the rest of us will benefit from your divine fit. . . . . we all have such a story to write and share . . . . Romans 8:28 – “And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose”. . . . . chase on!

Ang’s older sister recently went on a trip to Switzerland. . . and . . . I asked her to do a little something for me while she was over there. . . . . . . come back with a witness to the journey you had been given. I knew that God would be up to something. . . so, these are her thoughts from the journey, which she entitled. . . “The box“. . . needless to say. . . I am very proud of you Jennifer Thursby!

I finally placed my thoughts upon something bigger than me and something yet so right there in regards to my faith. I do not like to disrupt or confront such things that may cause pain or discomfort – - yet . . . each time  I communicate to someone on the reciprocating end, I feel many emotions. . . . a cleansing and then some sort of comfort and reconnect because of the new path that must be pursued. . .

This came to me as I traveled thousands of miles away from home . . . I left my two beautiful children and AMAZING husband for 10 days and headed to Switzerland, Austria, and Germany. . . . . Not only did I have to trust those taking care of my precious ones, but I had to try and face an adventure outside of my Box. . . God has made sooooo many wondrous sights in this world – God has sooo many plans . . . . still unfolding. . . why sometimes are we afraid to get out of our box . . . or keep our integrity and faith inside of it??

While flying over Greenland the snow and ice were endless and then there was land and a VAST ocean. . . The parrallel lines that I could draw made me realize how many seasons God has planned for each and everyone, and how important our role may be. . . . even when we don’t know or feel it. . .

I saw many beautiful things: churches, the Alps, The Lion monument, baby goats, lakes, window boxes with beautiful flowers . . . and it restored the beauty God placed in me, because I could almost feel it. . . . .There is much more taking place in this world than I know. . . but, I do not always realize and remember.

God loves me unconditionally. . . has never set any parameters for me, only a few easy commandments to help me walk my faith with integrity.

If I had never adventured to a land where it was hard to communicate with others (which we were always able to find words to figure out). . . I would never feel compelled by the tug that God placed on my heart. . . . . .GET OUT OF MY BOX. . . . and when you need comfort . . . . rest in your box and rely on me!!!!!!

God is bigger than I know and I was reminded once again by getting out of my box. . . saturating my soul with breath. . . . taking in beauty.

Switzerland is like a stop in time. . . endless acres of green pastures, rolling meadows, giant mountains, beautiful lakes, and curvy roads. . . . Faith may not even reside in many of its residents – they have churches, oh yes, but several  – even a few I encountered – did not attend church since baptism as a baby.

At times I felt intrigued to stay and be simple. . . . .              to ride bikes to our lots of wide open land . . . . .yet, . . . maybe God hand-picked my life to be in the crazy USA in order to have some of the most remarkable faith based relationships I could continue to grow with: the sisters I was given – the men in my life – my church – and the pastors who keep me growing in my walk with God. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gratitude can flood us by the simple beauty God has already created. . . It’s a BIG world. . . how big is your box??

So, I always love this time during the pregnancy because you get to find out the sex of your child!!! It is also around the halfway mark:).

Now some people ask us what the main reason is for us to find out so early: . . . .well, . . . we really enjoy praying for our next child by name, . . it is also nice for us to prepare our children – they always love knowing. . . . . nothing against those who wait ok 

the baby

oh, by the way. . if you couldn’t tell from the bottom left picture. . . it’s a boy. . . . .and yes, we have a name picked out already. . . . and no. . . I am not going to tell you yet what it is

We are grateful to God for all of the blessings he has given us. . . especially our children!!

So, we had a great time Saturday night going to the zoo (yeah . . . we have season passes. . .), and one of our favorite things every year is the “zoo boo”. . . . Basically, the zoo is lit up with “Christmas” lights and there are patrons that line the sides of the walkway giving away candy and flyers. . . so, you get stuff like candy taped onto “3 months of free Karate” etc…. – Good times

Here are some pictures of the kids inthe costumes . . . . did I mention. . . . all of South Bend and Mishawaka were there!!

WATCH THIS FIRST

on 12seconds.tv

So, Ang and the kiddos went to the pumpkin patch (in Niles, MI – I think) along with Ang.’s mom and Keegan and Avery (our nieces). They had a great time – . . .I will highlight a few of my favorites, and then put some more at the end . . . enjoy!!!

Kya really likes to feed animals

Let me in there!!!!

The girlz

8 seconds

I love my family so much – thank you Father for such a responsibility and blessing

looks like senior pictures. . . .

Ok. . . so here’s the drill – in the parentheses is who said it, and then the italics set the context -

8. (Kya) As we are getting ready for bed, and cleaning up his room. . . “No dad! . . . I want to sleep with my pumpkin” . . . it’s a real pumpkin

7. (Ang) we have just started to eat dinner . . . Reggio’s pizza from ALDI . . . “WOW! I didn’t know pizza could be that bad!”

6. (Me) As I, barefoot, am getting up from dinner to clean up Dakota. . . . . . “aauughh, I felt a crunch and a squish in the same step” – I guess it’s time to sweep the kitchen floor!

5. (Me and Dakota) As we are praying before dinner . . . (me) “Dakota, what is something you are thankful for?. . . . (Dakota) . . . TTSSTT . . . (me) OK then.”

4. (Elliana) As we are laughing at the the pizza comment in #7. . . . “Mommy, does the baby laugh when you laugh?”

3. (Kya) snickering. . . but trying hard to conceal his dramatic genius . . . “Mom, my nose is bleeding. . .

bleeding? - no ketchup

2. (Ang and I) trying to get Kya to go outside and play . . . (Ang) “Kya. . . go outside, get the wagon. . . and catch some squirrel dust. . .Kya takes off outside . . . (me) what is squirrel dust?. . . (Ang) I don’t know. . .”

1. (ELLIANA) While we were walking, and as a jogger ran right past us. . . . Is that a boy or a girl Daddy?!

Have a great start to the week everyone. . . . you going to get peppered with posts today – it has been a full weekend.

So, I am just geting done teaching my class ~ feeling pretty good about – we had a lot of fun. . . as always ~ when I go to the water fountain to get some water. Just then a Bob (a colleague) says to me “hey just saw your wife and kids. . . like 15 minutes ago” . . . . WHAT!! . . . I was a little bummed, because I thought for sure that she would remember that I teach from 11-noon .  So, I moped back to my office only to find this on my door:

My heart started to melt. . . . then I went inside to find this on my wall:

and the topper was this on my desk. . . my favorite!!

She knows I love surprises . . . . . of course she knew I was teaching. . . . . . man! . . . . she is soooo good! I called home and Elliana and Kya talked my ear off about how they were in “stealth mode” . . . lol. . . . I love it!!! Thank you God. . . . I am a very grateful for the woman you have allowed me to partner with in this adventure. . . I will do my best to the husband you have called me to be!