Thoughts from Keith

"He made HIM who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NASB)

A question to consider: When reading this verse, what automatically comes to your mind?

For me, this verse says a lot about who God is and the true meaning of Christmas. During this time of year the phrase that is tossed about is 'Jesus is the Reason for the Season.' To some this is just a phrase and to others it really speaks to the true meaning of why we celebrate during the Christmas Season. Jesus did come to this earth to carry out the will of God and for this reason he took on our sin so that we could have a personal relationship with him. Oswald Chambers wrote "sin is a fundamental relationship; it is not wrong doing, it is wrong being, deliberate and emphatic independence of God." Jesus came to this earth to take our sins so we may have that relationship with the Father. We now have direct access to approach the Father anytime we want. With this in mind, consider how many times in the past few days we have spent talking with God and allowing the relationship to grow?

The last few days have truly been a whirlwind, trying to finish a semester of classes, attending Christmas parties, managing a staff, and getting ready for the Holiday Season. For me this season is more then gifts, it is about being with my family. I have been blessed with an amazing wife that supports me one hundred percent. What can I say? My heart stills beats as fast as it did the day that I truly knew she was the one. Our daughter is a joy that brings a smile to my face every day when she says 'daddy!' when I get home from work. This is the best gift that someone could ask for: being with the ones you love the most. However, our fellowship and our love for Christ should surpass the love of our family. This season think about your relationship with the Lord and evaluate it. Is he truly number 1 in your life? Family is next in line. Because the best gift we have ever received or can receive is the free gift of knowing Him and believing in him whole heartily.

This is something to just think about this season as Christmas approaches. There are so many people in this world that truly have nothing, but are happy because they know that they have real meaning in knowing Jesus Christ. To often, we (I am just as guilty) are not satisfied with what God has truly blessed us with. I have a roof over my head, food on the table, and a family that loves me. But most of all, a God that loves me unconditionally! Here are some lyrics to a song that I heard the other day that really sums up why I chose to write some words:

Give this Christmas Away by Matthew West and Amy Grant:

What if I told you

You have the power

To give someone hope

Beyond their wildest dreams

What if I told you

It’s right there in your hands

In your hands

It’s hard to imagine

How something so small

Can make all the difference

Tear down the tallest wall

What if December

Looked different this year

What if we all just

Give this Christmas away

If there’s love in your heart

Don’t let it stay there

Give this Christmas away

And your life will be changed

By the gifts you receive

When you give this Christmas away

Merry Christmas!

One of many highlights of every day

Please excuse my hand, I'm not really sure how I achieved that effect. Sesame Street is a highlight of Maddy's day too, she LOVES Elmo and now she's figured out when the sponsors come up (Earth's Best, Mcdonalds, Beaches, etc.) that the show is about to come on and she gets ridiculously happy! I love it. Enjoy our little girl who is growing up so fast!

Oh, another highlight is when Daddy gets home after work. She looks for his truck out the window and then goes to the door to wait for him, it's so sweet.

30 Years

I can't even begin to describe how blessed I am to have been born to these two! They have been and still are awesome parents and a great example of how a marriage should function biblically. Mom and Dad, thank you for living out your faith day by day and giving your children a wonderful model in marriage. I love you. Happy 30th Anniversary!

I have done something horrific

Unspeakable cruelty in the eyes of my child. I was washing her clothes this morning and of course I grabbed everything I could see. The tears started when Maddy looked around and could not find a blanket. We went to her dresser where they live and she was not interested in any of those blankets. All of the good blankets are now in the dryer. You would think the world has ended. Never again will that happen.

I get this look a lot

We are well into the talking stage, but I still can't understand most of what is being said.... It's frustrating on both ends. Usually Madison rattles something off and gives this look of expectation and when I don't follow through, I get this:

Quilt

So a few months back I made my first quilt. :) I had to wait to say anything about it, b/c I made it for my newest cousin and I was waiting for him to get here! Truett Stringer was born on August 16th and is just adorable. I haven't met him yet, but hopefully will be able to in early October. Here are a couple of pics of the quilt.

It's okay to take pride in your work isn't it?

Turned out pretty good I think.

Post surgery update

"C-sections are the way to go." or NOT. I've heard several people say this before and now I'm thinking they were on crack. I did have Madison vaginally and it was a really rough recovery due to some complications, but this being cut open business is horrible. Let's back up and I'll tell you about the surgery. I went in on Thursday knowing all of the possibilities: losing one ovary or both, hysterectomy, death, etc. I was dreading getting an IV in because I have horrible veins. I know a lot of people say this, but mine really are, just ask any nurse at Ochsner. They had to stick me 7 times for my D&C in June. This time it only took 5!

I don't remember the surgery, except the moments before and the waking up process. Have you ever been under anesthesia before? I think it's a really awesome thing, but I hate coming off of it. You go in and out of consciousness. First you can hear. After a while you can open your eyes. But even these actions seem to take a lot out of you and back to la la land you go. Anyway, I remember waking up in recovery and Keith was there with me. I asked him how the surgery went and he said "It went really well honey, the doctor said it couldn't have gone any better." I said "do I still have my ovary?" pause. pause. (please note the next phrase was said with great sympathy & compassion) "no, honey they had to take it." I think at this point I conked out again. I must have prepared for this possibility more than I thought or either the Holy Spirit was preparing me because I'm really okay with it. I think I'm really just glad I don't have cancer. Later the doc explained that when he went in, he couldn't even find the ovary b/c the cyst engulfed/killed it. So he took out the whole thing. There are several bits of good news: 1) the cyst was completely ben

ign 2) None of the stuff inside the cyst leaked out, which was a big concern. If it did, it could have caused major issues. 3) the other ovary is '

perfect' (in the words of my doc) and will take over the job of the other one, which means I won't have any hormone issues and such. When I woke up fully from surgery I had the same thought Mom did after her hysterectomy: "This hurts way worse than I thought it would". I'm healing a little more each day and figuring out ways to move around that don't hurt as bad.

It's definitely hard when Maddy is standing at my leg crying holding her arms out...breaks my heart. Fortunately she shouldn't remember this :)

I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of prayer, visitors, phone calls, emails, texts, facebook messages, meals, etc. I really can't begin to thank you enough. I am blessed. The Lord will receive glory through this. Feel free to call or email me, I have lots of time on my hands! And who wouldn't be blessed to see this smiling face every day? I'll throw in one of me too, I guess we do look alike :)

Surgery Day

My surgery is at 7 (central), it should last around 2 hours. If you want an update after that, just give Keith or my parents a call! Thanks for praying.

Medical Update.

I’ve been putting this off for a little bit. When Keith & I went in for our ultrasound back in June and found out we’d had a miscarriage, the doctor called back the next day and told me they’d found a cyst on my right ovary. Which was just like putting sulfur in an open wound (which I have done via sulfur water in Alaska; totally a different story). They said I’d have to come back in 6 weeks for a follow up ultrasound to see the status of this cyst. 6 weeks came and went, had the ultrasound and I was pretty prepared for what came next (at least part of it). I had been having some pain in the right ovary area, so I knew it was still there, the doc called and confirmed my suspicions that it had grown. He told me they think it is a dermoid cyst, which by nature are mostly benign, but don’t go away on their own. So he told me I’d need surgery. I was okay with that until he called me a few days later and told me the cyst was too big to do laparoscopic. Now I’m getting sliced opened, c-section style. That is TOTALLY different. It requires at least one night’s stay in the hospital and 4-6 weeks of recovery. How do you explain to a 1.5 year old that her Mom can’t pick her up for that long? I will also admit that I HATE asking for help to do things. I’m prideful….and stubborn when it comes to this. I’m going to have to get over myself. Needless to say it’s been an eventful summer on the medical front and is now continuing into the fall. I have 3 more doctor appointments next week, including a stress test, and then the surgery is Thursday the 27^th. I need your prayers desperately, I’m not looking forward to this at all.

Maddy Dancing