Messy Children

Elijah with chocolate everywhere
Chloe is much more dainty... she maintains chocolate only around the necessary area.

Giving
Laura, here. Ben and I swap blogging quite a bit even though Ben's name is on the post. It is something we need to resolve. This year, Ben and I have witnessed the support and blessing of the body of Christ more than ever before in our lives. It seems that even when things should be winding down as we get further away from the event, something more happens. We got a letter in the mail from an anonymous person saying they had paid a month's mortgage for us. FOR REAL! Who does that except for our Brothers and Sisters? We almost fell over. I remember lugging the laptop to the hospital during one of his stays so that he could pay the bills. We saw the balance on our mortgage statement and thought it was a clerical error that they would find and correct later. It wasn't; we found out yesterday. To you, anonymous mortgage payer, THANK YOU. We pray to God, the King of the Universe, to bless you greatly for your selfless giving.
As a side note, I have been challenged in my own giving thanks to all of you.

How do you find your happiness in the Lord?

In our Sunday school class this week, one of the discussion questions asked us how we daily make ourselves happy in the Lord. Funny enough, this was the question I was drawn to while the rest of the class wanted to skip over it. I loved the way the question was phrased. It is good to be reminded that we have a choice in our happiness. We have a decision to make every second of every day and that decision is in how we view God and how we view ourselves. As an American Christian, it is so hard not to compare yourselves to others and base your happiness on what you have or don't have. It is good to be reminded that God cares more about what's inside you than what is happening on the outside. Your shirt means nothing compared to your heart.

Quack, Quack

Our kids love their Duck shirts. Grandpa and Grandma, you should be proud!

Chloe's Soccer Pics

"This is a soccer ball."

Chloe and the Flat Flip Flops

Chloe and the Flat Flip Flops

When Chloe is at home playing, she loves to have a pair of flat flip flops on her feet. Because she does not own a pair according to her specifications, she wears mommie's. I'm not quite sure if it is the way it makes her feel big or the actual sound of the shoes that she prefers.

My Rock

"My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge." - Psalm 62:7-8
(The above picture was taken at Nu'uanu Pali State Park in Hawaii by Jay Sekora).

Time With Family

"Puppy" - According to Elijah

Aunt Jenny brought Elijah home a t-shirt with a camel's front on the
front of the shirt and a camel's backside on the back. He insists that
it is a puppy... go figure!

Chloe and Elijah ready to go to Grandpa & Grandma's

They did well on both legs of the trip. The best part about going is seeing my Mom's face when we arrive. This year we stopped by her work. Her entire countenance lit up when she saw her grandkids. The worst part is saying goodbye. I try to make it as easy as possible for my Mom knowing that it is probably hardest on her. Our prayer is that we will be able to see each other more every year. Elijah called "goodbye" loudly to Grandma probably 20 times in the airport this year from the far side of security to where she could watch us walk away. It was pretty special.

Nearly 10 weeks after my surgery, I am starting to feel stronger. Most of my physical symptoms are completely gone or hardly noticeable in daily life. I am steadily gaining weight back and expect to be back to my pre-sickness weight by the end of summer. I wanted to thank all of those who prayed for me during my difficult time. I am blessed with a new zeal for life and a deeper walk with my Creator. It is so interesting to me how it is often in suffering that we identify with Christ. Don't pass up the opportunity to see what God is trying to teach through your circumstances (if you honestly don't know, try asking Him).

The following are some of my recent interests...enjoy:

1. Concerning the Jews by Mark Twain (published in Harper's Magazine, March 1898). A lengthy but fascinating read about Jewish resilience throughout history.
   
   




2. Please Read The Letter by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. What a gorgeous duet! Their voices combine incredibly well. This song just isn't done justice when you listen to it on YouTube. Download the .mp3 from iTunes or Rhapsody...a dollar well spent.
   
   









3. The Story by Brandi Carlile. This song has been out for a year now, but it still gets into the rotation at my house. Lyrically, it sounds to me like a worship song (I am not certain that was Brandi's intent). Again, not pretty on YouTube.
   




4. This performance, set to the song Everything by Lifehouse, reminds me in a very real way how much Christ loves me. I'll admit it, I shed some tears while watching this skit.
   

Using ScribeFire to Post to Blogs

Last year, I ran across an add-on to Mozilla Firefox called ScribeFire. It is a full-featured blog editor that integrates with your browser and lets you easily post to your blog. I have not found a lot of time to play with this add-on until recently, but I will be using it for all my future posts. ScribeFire is extremely easy to use, and I have listed some of the features that are particularly useful:

• It works with, and like, any rich text editor (all of the keyboard shortcuts like Bold, Italics, Underline, etc... work within ScribeFire).
• Allows you to easily upload images and videos.
• Provides simple means of accessing your blog without having to sign in and follow links (try the "Blog this page" feature when browsing other pages online).
• It works with the following blogging services (and more).
• WordPress.com (http://www.wordpress.com)
• LiveJournal (http://www.livejournal.com)
• Windows Live Spaces (http://spaces.msn.com)
• Performancing (http://www.performancing.com)
• Jeeran (http://www.jeeran.com)
• Tumblr (http://www.tumblr.com/)
• MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/)
• b2Evolution (http://b2evolution.net)
• Splinder (http://www.splinder.com/)

If you are a blogger, and you use Mozilla Firefox, give ScribeFire a shot. It will simplify your blogging experience and save you quite a bit of time.

The Kids Getting Ready to go on Wednesday

They are adorable even when they are crying and uncooperative. The kids went back to a semi-normal schedule this week except for Memorial Day. We spent Memorial Day with Ben's family at a rained out barbeque. The food was still delicious and the company was superb. Tirzah had the girl cousins in her room for most of the day playing school. She was a tough teacher and made sure no one got out of line. Chloe came home singing most of her ABC's backwards.

Ben is healing very well now that there are no more abscesses. He is gaining weight and heading back to work full time next week. I feel so good about how he is doing, I am going to take the kids to Oregon and visit with Grandpa and Grandma for a week.

A monumentous event took place this week. We celebrated our ninth anniversary on Thursday with massages and dinner. The dinner was at one of our favorite restaurants. It hardly seems like nine years has come and gone for me. I wonder what Ben would say!

A Sincere Thank You

This is Ben, here. My wife has been posting messages to our blog for some time now, but I wanted to take some time to share some personal thoughts as well as my appreciation for those around me. Sometimes in life, a man will face challenges that cause him to do some serious thinking, to take stock of his life, and maybe even draw closer to his Maker. The past 5 weeks have been a time like that for me. I have been out of commission for a good long time now, and I can tell you it has been a struggle. At times I have been unable to walk, unable to eat, and vomiting uncontrollably. I have had tubes and drains running in and out of much of my body, and IVs up and down each arm. I have taken two ambulance rides, been to three hospitals, and been seen by countless doctors and nurses. The infection in my gut was widespread and has lead to multiple absesses, cat scans, and non-stop anti-biotics. I have spent almost three weeks in the hospital, and have lost almost thirty pounds not being able to keep food down.

The very worst of it all is imagining what might be if something went wrong. I couldn't bear the thought of not being there for my wife, my kids. Without trying to be melodramatic, this is where the unknown becomes very real. It can be intimidating; it can paralyze you with fear. But I have found that these are the times in which God loves to work. I started asking God for one thing (besides healing): I wanted him to use this experience to work His character in me. I had a lot of time on my hands to talk to Him, to plead with Him, to share my heart and listen for His voice. Much of that time is deeply personal, but there are a few things that I want to share for the glory of His Name. The Lord is not lazy or apathetic about His love for His children. Read II Samuel chapter 22 and see what I am talking about.

My father took the time to read this to me in the hospital, and it really stuck with me during the dark times. David wrote this after being saved from his enemies (who had pursued him relentlessly). He describes this time with great detail in verses 5 and 6: "The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the rave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me." It was a dark time for David to say the least. But then comes the powerful part; watch how God responds to his cry for help (verses 8 through 20): "The earth trembled and quaked, the foundations of the heavens shook; they trembled because he was angry. Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it. He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet... Out of the brightness of his presence bolts of lightning blazed forth. The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded. He shot arrows and scattered the enemies, bolts of lightning and routed them..." This is no half-hearted response to David's plea. God is a zealous and protective father. He comes to David's rescue like a father would do for his child...with burning zeal.

As my dad read this chapter to me, I felt that God was speaking this word directly to me. The truth is that the enemy is out to take my life, steal my joy, and destroy every gift and blessing God has given me. The Bible says that where I am weak, God is made strong. This experience of mine has embodied this principle. When I laid in bed weak and empty, I had no choice but to appeal to God for help. While I know God doesn't enjoy our suffering, I believe that He cherishes the opportunity to show Himself strong. When there is no place left to turn, we have no choice but to turn to Him. When my strength has run out, I can only rely on His. God is good. I don't understand all His ways, but I am confident in His goodness.

Another thing He has provided me during this difficult time is a sea of believers to stand with me, and in some cases, for me. I am deeply blessed by those who have prayed for me and family. I found out in the hospital that people were continuously covering me in prayer. They added me to prayer chains, held special prayer meetings on my behalf, and visited me in the hospital to pray over me personally. My four-year-old daughter, Chloe, insisted that I be prayed for wherever she went. I heard of believers in other countries praying for me! Imagine someone who doesn't even know me calling out to God on my behalf. People have brought meals, taken care of my children, and blessed my wife and family in many ways. This, my friends, is the body of Christ. To all of you who have been Christ to us... Thank you, thank you, thank you! May God bless you!

Good News Today

Ben went to the doctor's today and everything looks good. Praise God! He will start back at work next week and will work the next 2 weeks on a part time schedule, 2 to 4 hours a day. Sorry FBC! I know Ben is missed at work, which is a good thing. He will continue with more weight loss and that is really hard. So far, he has lost around 30 pounds in 6 weeks. Dr. Seale informed us that he will start slowly gaining in a few weeks and within a YEAR, be back to his old weight. Ben's appetite hasn't returned yet and food does not really interest him. Thanks for all of your prayers.

On a lighter note, Chloe told me that Daddy and I needed to get married again because she wanted to be in our group. She said, "I didn't get to see the first one so I want you to do it again!"

Update on the Family

Here is another update on how things are progressing. Ben is getting better daily but the nights are still pretty hard. Please pray that Ben is able to rest at night and that his back and shoulder will stop flaring up when he tries to sleep. Ben is losing weight still, and the doctor said that would be the case. Pray that Ben will now start gaining weight as he gains his strength. We are grateful for all the healing that has taken place. Ben sees the doctor tomorrow and then will have another CT-Scan on Friday. We are believing for a good report on Friday.

Elijah is doing much better and sleeping through the night again. The kids are starting to normalize which is huge. It is hard dealing with clingy kids and then trying to take care of Benjamin and the home.

Ben's Back Home

Glory to God! Ben is home and healing. Please continue to pray for a speedy recovery. We especially ask for prayer regarding 2 things. Please pray for Ben's bowels that everything normalizes and also pray for no more abscesses. He is motivated to heal quickly and we are trusting the Father in this.

Elijah is getting better. He is not sleeping at night very well. I am exhausted but glad that everyone is together again. Chloe was letting me know in the tub last night that she was crying yesterday afternoon because she wanted Daddy, Elijah, Blankie and Mommy. Notice that she said Blankie before me...

More Prayer Needed

Ben is back in the hospital. He went back on Thursday morning due to some nausea and vomiting. The pain got so intense, he was doubled over. The CT-Scan at Saint Anthony's hospital showed 2 more abscesses. The larger of the 2 was drained and the other was too small to drain. It was an intense day because Ben was in incredible pain, worse than ever before. I hope to never experience another day like this one again. I am so grateful that Larry and Jenny were able to be with me that day because I couldn't handle seeing Ben is so much pain. I kept telling Larry and Jenny that I am terrible ER wife.... and I am pretty sure Ben would testify to that. Larry is a tender and loving father who kept a keen eye on Ben, although I'm sure it was the hardest thing Larry has ever done... seeing his boy hurting. Jenny was my rock. She never left Ben's side during this difficult day. She was with me during the morning and then stayed with Ben all night until Friday morning. What a sis! Friday was better although it still had its up and downs. This type of sickness is so hard. It almost feels like a person is about to die when their vitals are good and labs are good. You have to really force yourself to believe what the doctors are saying even though when you look at Benjamin, it is difficult to see what they see. Saturday wasn't much better but today there was real progress. Ben's small abscess did not show up on the CT-Scan and the larger abscess is much, much smaller. He actually watched tv for the first time since Thursday morning. He called me tonight from the hospital room and said, "I'm gettin' better Boo!" I think they are going to keep Ben for quite some time this round. I think they want to make sure he won't have another relapse. Our doc, Dr. Seale is incredible. He is a very gifted surgeon and we are so grateful that he performed the surgery. God really worked this out so that we would have all that we needed to make it through this tragedy.

One Other Request

Elijah is sick with a cough, sore throat and fever while Ben is in the hospital. Pray for quick recovery for Buddy!

I want to thank all of you for praying for Ben and the family. Ben is heading home today from the hospital after a long 10 days. He has a lot of recovering to do but this is a huge step. We know that God has caused us to grow vastly during these past weeks and also that this experience will be used for His glory. We are so grateful for our family and friends who have helped us, encouraged us and prayed for us during this time. Thank you! I will try and post some pretty gross pics from Ben's surgery this week. If you can't stomach it, sorry!

Prayer Request

Many of you know that Ben had an emergency appendectomy on Monday night. He is recovering now but we could still use lots of prayer. Please pray that all of the infection is removed from his body. Pray that he has a quick and total recovery. We are asking for a return of his appetite and energy. He is doing everything he can to make the recovery process go faster but it is painful. Ben's strength is starting to return and everyday it is getting better.

Love, True Love

A Good Ol' Smile from Buddy

Good Times

The kids ready for a Purim party. Chloe is a bride and her accessory is a barbie doll from my childhood.

Chloe and Elijah are dressed as a bride and groom. Tirzah is wearing a fun ball gown.

Happy Easter

It has been nearly a month since our last blog. Sorry everyone! It is something on the list that just doesn't seem to be getting done. Here is a quick update on the family. Elijah has earned his badge in teething this past month. He has his fourth molar making an appearance. Chloe is healthy and busy as Momma's little helper. One of her favorite activities is making sure Elijah is doing what he is supposed to be doing. Ben is working and going to school and I am up to the usual. How is that for interesting? Really, we are so grateful to be celebrating Easter and even more so because we know of Christ's grace and mercy He bestowed to all people on the cross at Calvary. May you be blessed with knew depths of understanding regarding our Father's tremendous love and concern of you.