The newest little Roten...

Well, where do we start? Several months ago, we decided that we would certainly want our children to be close in age, and as such, we'd let the adoption agency know that we are ready whenever they are. The agency requires adoptive families to wait at least a year before their next placement.

And, we figured that the amazing speed at which our adoption of Celeste occurred, that surely we wouldn't have the same experience again. Well, we were wrong. Yesterday, we received a call that we had been chosen as the parents of a little girl. It took us a few moments to understand what was being said, and for reality to set in. We had just celebrated Celeste's first birthday last week - and as much as we thought it could happen, we didn't dream that God would bring us a new little one so soon.

Today, we picked up our cute, adorable little addition - Olivia Ruth. She's perfect - 7lbs, 3 oz at birth on Feb. 27th (Yes, that means she's just over 361 days younger that Celeste!). Pray with us as we become accustomed to being parents of two little girls under the age of 13 months! You can imagine all the things we could use prayer support on - so don't be shy to life them up to our heavenly father!

Here's some pictures of our dear sweet little baby - and her big sister (who couldn't let the new one out do her, so she started walking yesterday!).

March 09 Snow

Well, we waited all winter - and finally it came!  Overnight, we had about 5 or more inches of snow (more because we went walking between the houses and it may have drifted to something like 8 inches in spots!).  We took a walk around noon to enjoy the scenery.  Happy Snow Day!

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

Following the Compass Point

Recently, the world was introduced to the new movie, "The Golden Compass" based on a trilogy written by an outspoken atheist, Phillip Pullman. My wife and I have seen the trailers and both felt it would be a fun adventure to watch.

Then, I started getting emails from family and friends warning me not to go see the movie. The emails also pointed out how the movie was not appropriate for children, even though they reported it was masquerading as a "childrens" movie.

This uproar has sparked several thoughts on the subject. One relates to how we raise our kids and the other is my thoughts on whether to see the movie or not.

During the last few years, we've been blessed with movies based on works from believers including J.R.R. Tolkein and C.S. Lewis. It's easy to see how parents can begin to let their guard down when it relates to letting their children see fantasy, holiday films. However, as I prepare for the days when we have kids, my wife and I have discussed what films we would or would not allow our children to see. We're hoping we'll remember a few rules of thumb. Our children should not see a movie that we haven't thoroughly checked out. Even the movies based on Lewis and Tolkein's works are quite dramatic and frightening - not the best for children. Among the Christian community, I see so many parents trusting heresay in relation to movies, trusting that if Family B will let their kids go, then it must be OK. I believe parents must be careful - we want our children protected, which means parents have to go the extra mile and be willing to use the dreaded "N" word (yes, we can say it, the dreaded "No") for any movie that we have misgivings about. Movies are not a requirement for the upbringing of our children.

Second, as it relates to watching a movie that is based on the work of an atheist, consider the world around us. We have little to no misgivings about watching a "family" movie like "Fred Claus" that preaches that every child is good and deserves lots of presents (which definitely conflicts with what we find in scripture about the sinful nature of mankind from birth) and uses wonderful Christmas songs like, "Silent Night" with all references to Christ skillfully edited out. Is it better to watch something that is stealthfully "non-religious" or something that blatently talks about a world without a god? I would have to say that I'd rather know that the movie I watch is "non" Christian than to have one that diludes Christian values to the point that following them endangers a person to become "good" which the Bible clearly says does not get us to heaven.

So, those are my thoughts. I hope everyone chooses to see their holiday movies carefully - no matter who the author of the original work was.

What is Reverb?

This week, Emily and I had the opportunity to be a part of an incredible conference in Atlanta, Ga. The Catalyst Conference brings 11,000 young church leaders from throughout the country together for a wild, action-packed two day conference. The worship time was fast-paced and authentic (complete with 20-somethings, hands-raised, and jumping high!), the speakers were provocative and radical, and the sum effect was REVERB. The theme for this year was how important our actions are to those around us. The reminder that what we do has a reverb effect to those around us was perfect. Emily and I were really encouraged about our church leadership activities - and even our activities interacting with other folks - making sure we show God's love to everyone we come in contact with.

Here are a few pics:

Our seats were just a few rows back from the stage - incredible view. We were part of a group called ICC and Daystar Fellowship church in Greensboro. Over 45 other people came with the group.

A great view from the top of the center. An amazing sight - thousands of young leaders incredibly on fire for God!

Each worship time was like a mini concert. And, all the praise was for Him!

Well, one of our favorite speakers was Dave Ramsey, a Christian financial expert. We loved it when he told the crowd that their old beat up cars that they affectionately refer to as "my Dave car" wasn't cool. See, Dave strongly recommends that people not purchase new cars because of the loss of value in the first years and to never go into debt for a car. Because of this, everyone's beat-up-but-paid-for cars carried Dave's name - he said he'd prefer us to call our newer-nice-but-paid-for cars that we can afford once we're out of debt "my Dave car."

OK - So I haven't posted lately...

I'm going to use the "I've been busy" excuse this time. You know, moving tends to take up some of your time. But, I definitely wanted to post a picture of a very special gift from my lovely wife for our anniversary. Marriage is so sweet!

Yes, it's a fabulous, beautiful tool chest - 5 feet of spectacular tool storage!

House Update - a week away

Yes - It's only a week away from completion! The walk-through inspection will be next Friday (today is Sunday). The following Friday is closing! It still amazes us of God's blessings on us. The house is coming together nicely. Enjoy these pics!

Emily unlocking the front door (first time unlocking - before this you could just walk in!)

Emily on the back patio with the view down the hill to the neighbors in the next development.

So much fun!

The dining room - we're already pulling it into photoshop to figure out colors!

The kitchen - appliances are in - we love it!

They're finishing up the light fixture installations.

We had to take the obligatory "Emily walking into the mud room" picture - I think this is the fourth version of it (we started it when they hung the doors)

The bathroom is looking so nice!