Our day at Memorial Stadium!

My brother Jeff was in town and mentioned that maybe we should go down to Lincoln and check out the sports facilities. They allow the public to walk through certain areas on a self-guided tour. We took the older three boys with us and headed out! The boys and my brother graciously let me know that I was not wearing Husker Red but in fact I had on Oklahoma Red! So I was out of place all day! After a great dinner at Runza in Lincoln we headed down the street to Memorial Stadium!



We proceeded to go through a self guided tour of the Stadium. We walked around took some photos and were able to go in the SE gate to go in and see the field and while in the lobby the team was walking through the hall from practice to dinner.
The Linebackers coach Mike Ekeler stopped to say hi to the boys. After a bit of small talk he said "Hey guys, wanna see where my kids' favorite spot in the stadium is?" of course the kids said "yes". So he took us up the elevator to the 6th floor in the press box! We took a couple pics and he let the boys yell "Go Big Red" through the stadium microphone! Too cool!!



He then said "wanna see my kids' second favorite place'? Of course, Yeah!! So he then led us down to the field and said "Now boys... you can't walk on the field....you have to RUN"!!!! So we proceeded through the tunnel walk and the kids ran down the field to the end zone! We took pictures on the huskers' bench, at mid field, and captured the view of the stadium from the field!!







On the way down to the field Mike had grabbed a couple of Sharpies from the front desk and gave them to the boys. He told them that the whole team would be walking past from the practice field through the stadium in to the cafeteria for dinner and we could get some autographs!! The kids' (and my brother's) eyes were huge with delight!! So after we played on the field we were able to meet a lot of the team and some of the coaches including Mike Ekeler-Linebackers Coach, Ron Brown-Tight End Coach, James Dobson-Head Strength Coach, and Bo Pelini-Head Coach! God had it perfectly planned that the boys would each bring a Husker hat and each of them different!! So we got out the Sharpies and the team was extremely gracious to delay their yummy smelling dinner to sign the boys' hats!! Some of which include Alex Henery, Roy Helu Jr., Adi Kunalic, Zac Lee, Ndamukong Suh, and to top it all off Bo Pelini. Their hats are covered and they were so excited to have been able to have this kind of access! We were bummed we didn't get a pic of them with Mike who was so kind to give the boys a look around! Thank You Mike and all the Nebraska Cornhuskers for giving my boys and experience they'll never forget!!!

An Extra Digit!

Looking up at daddy!


Braden at 7 months

I'm a little late on this one but we have had a busy time lately!!

We have an added digit to our family! It is bitter~sweet for me to announce that Braden is now 10 years old! And he couldn't be more excited about hitting the big 1-0 milestone!! I'm so thankful to God for his gift of Braden to our family! It's sad and also scary to think our time with him in our house, under our authority and influence, is half over. It seems just like yesterday we were finding out our first baby was a boy!! We were thrilled! Both of us wanted a boy first to protect his little sister that we thought for sure would be next. But God (i love those two words!) had in His plans to give us two more boys after Braden before we'd get a girl!

During the latter half of pregnancy I was having Braxton Hicks Contractions and terrible back pain. I remember having to go to the physical therapist to learn some exercises and stretches to try to alleviate the pain. They gave me this belt that put pressure on my sacrum to try to help the bones stay inline. Due to a hormone that's released when you're pregnant your ligaments soften and allow the joints in your body to become loose, for obvious reasons. Well it was so bad in my back that at times when I'd step my back couldn't support me and my leg would collapse. I only had one incident in a parking lot where I twisted my ankle a bit, other than that it was just painful. So nearing the end of my pregnancy I was READY to be done. As I mentioned I was having contractions and about 3 1/2weeks before my due date I was having them about every 3-5minutes. We decided we should go to the hospital and see if this was it! Once we arrived they started an IV before they even checked me. The nurse that was trying to get my IV in wasn't doing very well. She kept poking me and couldn't get it in. Then I started bleeding a lot and turned pale. I remember Ben running to get a wet washcloth for my forehead and I just laid back and tried to snap out of it! Such a wierd feeling. So after all that they checked me, I hadn't changed from my appt and didn't change the few hours I was in the hospital so they sent me home. Ugghh! All that pokin' for nothin'! So a week and a half goes by and on Labor Day (of all days) I go into labor (real labor). I had some contractions all day off and on and at around 8:30 we decide to go into the hospital. I was contracting but not progressing too quicklly so they broke my water and promptly had an epidural soon after. It didn't take so well, so I could feel pain on one side but not the other. The anesthesiologist had to come back in and re-place my epidural. After that I could feel nothing and it was only about a half-hour from then that I was complete and ready to push. Thankfully I only had to push through a few contractions (9minutes) and he was born. At 6lb 10oz(almost our littlest) our firstborn, was here!! We were thrilled and enjoyed showing off our new gift to family and friends!!

It was on 9-9-99 when we walked out of the hospital with our new little one, and I remember thinking "how could they just let us walk out of here, we don't know anything about a tiny baby" We were on our own and so excited about the journey of parenting that lay before us! Oh what a journey it's been! The joy that comes with parenting is indescribable and the struggle to be self-sacrificing is well, still a struggle. I love my Braden and all the gifts that came after him and am ever grateful that God has called me to be their mother!

Braden and his best bud and cousin!

Wordless Wednesday

Blogging from Word

Hello all this is a test. I'm writing in Microsoft Word to see if the blog program works on here!

10 reasons why believing in the Sovereignty of God matters!

Rebuilding Some Basics of Bethlehem: 10 Reasons Why Believing in the Sovereignty of God Matters

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By John Piper September 16, 2009

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What we mean by the sovereignty of God is captured in paragraph 3.2 of The Bethlehem Baptist Church Elder Affirmation of Faith. The dozens of biblical passages used to support this paragraph are found in the online version.

3.2 We believe that God upholds and governs all things—from galaxies to subatomic particles, from the forces of nature to the movements of nations, and from the public plans of politicians to the secret acts of solitary persons—all in accord with His eternal, all-wise purposes to glorify Himself, yet in such a way that He never sins, nor ever condemns a person unjustly; but that His ordaining and governing all things is compatible with the moral accountability of all persons created in His image.

Why does it matter whether we believe this? Ten reasons.

1. The good news of God’s substituting his Son for us on the cross depends on it.

“Truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.” (Acts 4:27­-28)

2. The perseverance of the saints in the fear of God depends on it.

“I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.” (Jeremiah 32:40)

3. Progress in holiness now, and the final perfecting of the saints in the end, depends on it.

“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12-13)

“But you have come to Mount Zion . . . and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect.” (Hebrews 12:22-23)

4. The assurance of God’s final triumph over all natural and supernatural evil depends on it.

“I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.’” (Isaiah 46:9­-10)

5. The comfort that there is a wise and loving purpose in all our calamities and loses, and that God will work all things together for our good, depends on it.

“Though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love. . . . Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?” (Lamentations 3:32-38)

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” (Genesis 50:20)

6. The hope that God will give life to the spiritually dead depends on it.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.” (Ephesians 2:4-5)

“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8)

7. Well-grounded expectation of answered prayer depends on it.

“Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.” (Romans 10:1)

“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. . . . For the promise is for . . . everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” (Acts 2:38-39)

8. Boldness in the face of seeming hopeless defeat depends on it.

“Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what seems good to him.” (2 Samuel 10:12)

“Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, for there are more with us than with him.” (2 Chronicles 32:7)

9. Seeing and savoring the revelation of the fullness of God’s glory depends on it.

“But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, ‘Why have you made me like this?’ . . . What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power . . . [acted] in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy?” (Romans 9:20-23)

10. Praise that matches the fullness of God’s power, wisdom, and grace depends on it.

“Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. . . . We will bless the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.” (Psalm 115:3, 18)

“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised.” (Psalm 96:4)

The doctrine of God’s sovereignty is an anchor for the troubled soul, a hope for the praying heart, a stability for fragile faith, a confidence in pursuing the lost, a guarantee of Christ’s atonement, a high mystery to keep us humble, and a solid ground for all praise. And oh so much more. O Lord, turn this truth for the triumph of your saving and sanctifying grace.

Confident and comforted with you,

Pastor John

Original Article Here

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Free book offer

Grace To You has yet another free book offer! Just click on the link and if you're not on their mailing list you can request your free book. If you are on their mailing list your free book offer will be in the mail in September! If you are able to donate they encourage that but it times are hard they do a wonderful job of serving the body with free books! We received the first volume of this book as a gift when we visited Grace Community Church while on vacation last May!

Wordless Wednesday