Halloween 2008

Some wonderful Halloween pictures...

Being Thankful...

This week, I'm starting a series of sermons on the topic of "Being Thankful."  After reading this week's passage in I Chronicles 16, I decided it was time for me to come up with a list of things that I'm thankful to God about.  So, here's the start of my list (hopefully over time I'll add to it, but with the realization that the list will never be completed!).

I'm Thankful to God for:
His kindness
His strength
His control of all things
His love
His stability
His compassion
His wisdom
His heart for children
His intimacy
His knowledge
His patience
His persistence
His truthfulness
His trustworthiness
His beauty
His creativitiy
His generosity
His confidence
His ingenuity
His orientation for detail
His orientation for the big picture
His selflessness
His ever-presence

...And, I can go on!  But, maybe this list will help you start your own list of what is it about God that you are thankful.  And, as you can tell, I didn't once say I was thankful for his salvation - which I am extremely thankful for.  These are just his traits.  Wait till I get to the list of all the things that he has done that I'm thankful for - wow, will that ever be a long list!

Tax Money, Vouchers, and Private Schools

Here in NC, there's quite a debate going on as the race for the Governor's Mansion nears an end.  The commercials say that McCrory is hurting public schools by supporting private school vouchers.  As a father with a 6 month old little girl, I'm very interested in how this issue will resolve.

Years ago, I met some friends who had felt the public schools in their community did not do a good job educating their children.  They decided to start a christian school that would not only allow for the teaching of biblical doctrine to their children, but would also pursue education with excellence.  As many people know, sending a child to a private school isn't always about the religious aspects - many times it's because of the quality of education.

Over the years, these friends have been faithful to send their children to the school they helped found, and they continued to pay taxes to fund schools they did not use.  Is this right?  The public school systems, in the mid nineties, realized they needed to make changes for more school choice and started creating magnet and charter schools.  These are definitely good starts, but the issue at hand is this - should some of the money a family pays in taxes to fund schools their kids do not use be refunded so they can send their child to the school of their choice.

The commercials say that the vouchers could take as much as $900 Million from the school systems in NC.  I'm sure that would make it even more difficult for educators, especially considering teachers I know already suffer from low incomes, lack of technology in the classroom and lack of additional, needed resources.

But, here's my thoughts.  One day, I want to have the economic freedom to send my child to a good, Christian school.  I do not support everything the public school system requires to be taught, and would like to have the choice.  Since economics play such a large role in that choice, I believe vouchers would be a great idea.  Why should I be forced to use the public school system because of my economic status?  I do understand how this will negatively impact the budgets for the public schools, but perhaps that would force even more reform in our schools, including more inclusion from local businesses, offering both monetary and technical training support.

This may certainly inflame some friends.  And, in reality, I'm sure there's a lot to the issue I don't understand yet.  I'm sure I will in the coming years, when Emily and I prepare to send our daughter to school!

Meet the Super Salesman...ME!

OK - so, I'm not now, nor will I ever truly be a super salesman, but I have started selling old books on Amazon Marketplace. It is so cool! I started loading our books in a new program called Delicious Library (complete with a bar code scanner built to read from your web cam!) on Saturday, then yesterday clicked the "Sell on Amazon" button. It was pretty easy - and in just a day, I have already sold 5 books! It's nice to get rid of old stuff, and actually make some money - oh, and to do it from the comfort of your own home!

A busy month!

As most of you know, this has been an incredibly busy time for the Rotens.  For the last two weeks of July, we were dealing with Dad in the hospital, and then on Aug. 4, he passed away.  Now, for the two weeks since, we have just been trying to get things organized for Mom, and trying to get some semblance of normalcy to our lives.  In a week and a half, we'll be going on vacation, and we're hoping it's a restful, reading vacation with little or no drama!

Dad's death was something we'd tried to expect, since he had been sick for quite a while.  But, the experience of being in the room when he died was very different than I expected.  It turned out to be quite sweet - mainly because we knew that he was going on to be with the Lord.  For a Christian, according to 1 Thess., we are to grieve differently - different that those who have no hope.  And, I can say that so far, God has been gracious.  Of course, we're missing him, and each day it becomes a little more real, but just as quickly as we start thinking about that, God brings to our mind the reality that Dad is now with Him in heaven - to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

And, this has cause me to really think on what it means to be in heaven.  I've never known someone well who has died - so the reality that one moment the person is here with us and the next, he is in the presence of God is astounding.  Heaven has been described is so many radically different ways over the years, it's hard to imagine what the real heaven is like.  The best way to describe it, I have found, is by going back to the Garden.  There, in the presence of God, the two first people worked and served God - this is the other definition of the word "Worship" it also means "Serve."  And, according to Paul, in all things we are supposed to glorify God.  So, heaven may be more like some of those silly stories about planting a garden in heaven, or getting to do your favorite hobby - like fishing for Dad.  If we are going to be actively serving God, then, potentially we'll be doing it in a manner that here on Earth we loved - just without the distraction of selfishness or this sinful world.  Interesting to think of, for sure!

Thanks again to everyone who offered prayers, support and love during this time.  God is indeed good - all the time!

Smiles and Giggles

Here's some of the most fun pics...

Life's a mess of fun!

So, Emily and I found out this week that we really can over do it. What an incredibly busy couple of weeks it's been. The reality is that ever since we were married, it's been seemingly non-stop. Change has been such a normal part of our lives, that it's been easy to fall into overwhelmingly busy situations. Over the past two weeks, we've had: DivorceCare meetings, church services and sermons, a prayer service at church, a funeral and viewing (our first ever) to go to, youth night at our house, a visit to the parents, an overnight visit to Raleigh, and there's probably several things I'm forgetting.

But, to end this busy time on a high note - here's some great pictures of a messy and fun life!

Celeste's First Solid Foods!

Our little 4 month old girl decided it was time to branch out! The pediatrician said Celeste may be ready for solid food over the next month or two, so we decided to just try it out. She ate it with gusto! The first feeding was only about a 1/3 of the bowl. Then next two - she cleared the bowls! She's our wonderful little eater!

Overnight Getaway

So, we decided it was time for a quick overnight getaway - a time to recharge and relax.  We decided New Bern would be great (especially since we could drop Celeste off with the grandparents on the way!).  What a great place to visit - we're definitely coming back soon!

Our cute bed and breakfast!

We were just a block away from the river.

At Union Point Park.

Emily at the birthplace of Pepsi-Cola!

Our little girl is growing up!

These were just some wonderful pictures of our little girl over the last few days - couldn't resist posting them for everyone.

Celeste Marie

Emily and I were blessed to welcome our daughter, Celeste Marie, into our lives last month. She is a perfect little girl - and we are so very excited to be her parents!

Here's just a few photos