Toooo Much Fun and 8 Impactful Words.

Well, my sis and I are living only 30 minutes apart AND we are reaping the benefits! We've enjoyed days at Adventure Island, meals together, and making plans for future excursions. The kids also enjoyed a week of VBS together at a local Tampa church.

One of the best things is that she 'fits' into my circle of friends. It's like she's always been a part of us! AND her expertise in education will be a blessing too.

Another great thing??? She found a great music program for kids near her house and my girls can take music lessons there on our "Lakeland Day". (With my mom and dad moving so close, we are planning a Lakeland Day (at least afternoon) to work on special projects in our home schooling curriculum). God is sooo good.

My sis is still waiting to hear what grade she is teaching and see her classroom etc. But there is such a great comfort in knowing she is HIRED. AND Terrace Palms has chosen her classroom as our "School Supply" Mission. She knows she is in a 'lower income school'.

God is sooo good! Thank you Lord for blessing us! All of us.

During my Bible Study I read a great gem in scripture...
Paul says in Ephesians 3:14 "For this reason, I kneel before the Father". What an easy act (to say), to kneel, but yet its so much easier to stay on my tush! Lord, thank you for being approachable, help me get on my knees to talk to you!

Finally, I am posting!

It's a rainy day outside, here in Lakeland. Yes, the kids and I are officially Laklanders. We have been officially in our house here since June 12th. I have spent the last week or so unpacking all of the boxes that consumed our garage. I can almost pull my van in again. My kids have spent the last week with my sister, going to VBS and swimming at Adventure Island or other venues. She has been a tremendous help to me. THANK YOU!!

It is still surreal. Being this close to my sister and knowing I can just hop in the car and see her in about 30 minutes. How blessed we are. She is currently on an adventure to visit her mother-in-law and other extended family members in Tennessee.

Other big news: I have a job!! I had three interviews on Monday. I was offered a job to teach 3rd or 4th grade in a school that is very similar to the last school I was in. Thank you to those who have kept my family in your prayers, I truely felt them.

So things are falling in to place to some degree, but knowing my God, our lives will continue to be an adventure of a lifetime.

I love you sis! I am so glad to finally be so close!

Happy Father's Day

Hey Steve..
Can you believe this is your 11th Father's Day! Each year you grow and change and become even a better dad! Thank you for seeking the Lord and desiring Him first!!
I love you

God Is In this HIGH TECH World - I KNEW IT!

The following is a blog entry from Jim Houser, who is responsible for the day to day management for Steven Curtis Chapman.

Ever Heard An Invisible Voice?
Have you ever heard an invisible voice? Those of you who've read the blog for awhile know that I'm not prone to overly emotional spiritual moments. I'm a grandson of the pastor of a Bible church, son of an elder/treasurer of a Bible church, love expositional teaching, and I'm a conservative sort of guy. Admitting here now that I don't even raise my hands to worship(!) A few do at my church and I'm freed up to do it : ) but I don't because the truth is I wasn't raised that way and I'm not a good enough singer that I can sing and do that at the same time. : )

I've never heard God speak audibly to me. I've felt Him give direction or say things through a peace in my heart over the course of my life, but never an audible voice. With that set up, I think I can tell this story now. I think I can get it out now.

On Wednesday May 21st, around 5pm, Maria Chapman was hit in the family driveway. Chaos, Tragedy, Awful ensued. I was actually on the phone with Steven when the accident happened on the other side of the house. That's a different story for a different day.
Maria was declared gone around 6 or 6:30p, but I spent most of the evening among a thousand other things, making "no comment" to the media on her condition. We didn't confirm Maria had gone to Jesus until 9:45p or so, because not all of the family, specifically the two little girls had not been told yet. It was important to me that though it was unlikely they would be near a radio or tv and see it or hear it... I still wanted them to know first.

We then spent the evening at the Chapman's home church, Christ Community Church, with friends who had gathered to pray, serving the family anyway I could, interfacing with the media, writing a press release, standing alongside many other friends trying to hold Steven, Mary Beth and the amazing Chapman kids up, trying to keep up with the amazing pastors at the church scheduling meetings for the next day, oh yeah, and I was awfully sad too. I loved that little girl very much. I loved all the people hurting so badly very much too.
What I'm driving at was it was a crazy, crazy, crazy time.

I was emotional, so sad, thinking about an early morning back at it, completely spent, my mind racing with questions for God, for Steven, for answers I would need to have in the morning... actually a little unsure if I could even drive home through the exhaustion and tears.

I remember Geoff and Jan Moore were the last to leave the church at 11pm or so. I remember the parking lot being empty, mine literally the only car. I started my car, I remember looking at the dashboard and seeing the time, 11:07. And then I'm telling you as sure as I am typing on a computer right now, I heard someone say... "the world is going to show up at his website tomorrow." So much so that I turned and looked in the backseat of my car. So certain I had heard someone that I got out of the car and walked around it. I heard an invisible voice.
Now, of all the things I did think of and handle that night, I had not had one thought about this website, something I work on almost every day. With the craziness and the grief and the sadness, I had not considered it at all. I would have missed it. Maybe realized by lunchtime the next day. I called my web guru and said, "Dale, I won't go into why right now but I'm pretty sure the world is going to show up at Steven's website tomorrow. Can you help me with some emergency html tonight?" Dale and I worked through the night trying to accomplish two things (that I thought Steven and the voice would want...) 1. The Gospel be honored. And 2. As much as possible that the world meet sassy, sweet, fun, amazing Maria.

So, you're thinking... Jim thinks that's a message from God? Does God care about websites? If that's a message from God... seems like a pretty lame message. Maybe Jim was just a little loony from the exhaustion and emotion. Fair enough. But... Friends, I'm not a spiritually emotional sort of fellow. There was a voice. He said, "the world is going to show up at his website tomorrow." ok, look I'm bolding it to make sure you know I really think and know it happened. There was a voice. He said, "the world is going to show up at his website tomorrow." See bold. I mean business.

And I'll admit, it took me a few days to even tell my wife the story. I doubted myself. The website, whatever. We lost Maria and God is giving messages about websites? How about "Maria is safe with me" or "The Chapmans will be ok" instead God? Or how about talking to the Chapmans, they really need to hear from you. Come on.

I've just realized in recent days why the website was so important on that day, why I think God did care, why I think the Holy Spirit tapped me on the shoulder about it audible style. The next morning, the world did show up. Way more of it than I could have expected. Good Morning America, The Today Show, CBS This Morning, radio stations around the country, CNN Headline News, MSNBC.com, FoxNews.com, LATimes.com, Entertainment Tonight, etc etc... and their viewers and listeners. When they got to StevenCurtisChapman.com we had a video showing off this amazing, crazy fun, gusto little girl and a small quote from me (because I didn't want Steven stuck with it if it was bad) And I was trying to show what I already knew just hours into this valley... that the Chapmans believe the Gospel is true... even now. Especially now. That video and that quote went around the world, quite literally.
I pray God used it for His glory. I think He did. I was honored to be a part of it, and I would have missed it. He had to speak so loud I could hear Him through the haze I was in that it actually had to be out loud. If you doubt that God cares, I ask you to watch for Him show up in the little things the next few days. I think He still speaks through His word, through His Spirit, sometimes in most unusual ways too. Actually... now... I'm quite certain of it.
Thank you for your prayers for the Chapman family. You are holding this family up and I'm so grateful to you.

I thought this was a GREAT testimony to God who really does take care of EVERY detail.
God Bless You and please keep praying for the Chapmans.

Super Hero? Me? You? Yes!

As I was studying Ephesians 1:15-19, I found a scripture that really WOWED me!
Specifically verses 18 and 19,

18I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength,

I discovered today about the 'incomparably great power' for us who believe. We are given GREAT POWER. We are Super Heroes! I was so touched by this scripture because sometimes I feel powerless, unable to control myself, my attitude, my tongue, etc. Sometimes, I honestly feel like I play the role of the villain! But right here in the scriptures it tells me not only do I have power, but I have incomparably great power for US who believe and you have that power too.

As I try to finish this blog with a perfect closing sentence, Sammy is seeking my attention. He wants to cuddle while watching TV. So, I will use my Super Hero powers to love him and kiss him...

She's Moving! She's Moving!

While saying the title of this blog - picture me doing the happy dance!

It's official! Jen and the kids are moving to Lakeland on Wednesday... HOOOORAY!

AND she has 3 (yes 3!) interviews at Elementary Schools that may possibly hire her!

I am so excited about Jen moving closer. Our kids can have fun with each other and we can hang out together BUT mostly, I am excited because I have the best church family and the greatest friends and now she will have them too! Boy is SHE lucky!

Love ya Jen!

There's a lesson here somewhere!

While at Weeki Watchee, we encountered this very friendly boisterous peacock. He would fan open his tail as we approached and then just stand in the middle of the sidewalk and turn around and around and around. We just watched.
As I downloaded the pictures, I thought what an amazing contrast... how beautiful the peacock is from the front and yet he had no problem showing us his 'ugly side'.

Recently, a friend told me that she is tired of being wrong. She is trying to live a holy life and a submissive wife but keeps getting tripped up when things don't go her way. When she asks for encouragement, I try to help her see the big picture of glorifying God. So, she told me she was tired of getting it wrong and then she said that she doesn't think I am ever wrong or have the same problems she has. I certainly have a laundry list of problems, I have an equally long list of sins I fight every day and I have a tripply long list of sins I have to ask forgiveness for... Why doesn't she see these faults? Do I only flaunt the good stuff? Do I bear my 'ugly side' to her?

The peacock let us see both sides of his tail feathers which were created by God. The same God created me - the good and the ugly. I guess my prayer would be that as I minister to my friends and encourage them to be holy that I would let them know that I also struggle being holy. And seek their encouragement also. So, please pray for my friend, that she would not think she is the only one stuggling with being holy - not to give her an excuse to stop trying but to perservere in her pursuit of holiness.

FBC! FBC! FBC! FBC!

FBC is a chant we hear ALL the time now! It stands for First Baptist Church which is where the girls have been cheering for the basket ball teams. One squad cheers per game and cheers for both teams. Tonight they recieved their VERY FIRST TROPHIES EVER! They are even personalized! Katy of course wants to build a trophy shelf and Kirsten just kept looking at hers! They were soo excited.

We joined our friends at Dairy Queen after the awards ceremony to enjoy some ice cream and talk about the beautiful trophies. Katy and Kirsten insisted on bringing their trophies in the restaurant with them!

Weeki Watchee Watch Out!

Weekie Watch Out! You have 2 new mermaids looking for a job! Katy and Kirsten, who are a bit mermaid crazy right now, had a wish come true ..they got to see actual mermaids! Our friends, The Gliddons had family passes. The performance was based on the Little Mermaid and below is Ariel! It was amazing yet funny to watch. In the picture below, you can see a turtle swimming by her head. The stage for the show is a spring and the turtles there are very used to the mermaids. They kept stealing the show!!

Weeks worth of Fun!

OOO!

Katy and Kirsten enjoyed the tour of the Temple Terrace Garden Club's Garden including a butterfly garden. Katy is inspecting this plant for a tiny little caterpillar. (5/21)

Steve working with Drew (neighbor boy), Sammy, Michaela (best friend) and Kirsten to start the nails in what would be come rungs of a ladder.

Over the weekend at a home school convention, I bought Steve a book about buiding a tree house. It's something the kids have wanted for EVER! So.. we put a list together and traveled to Home Depot, bought the necessary wood, lag screws, rope etc and TA -DA.. we built a tree house. Or a tree platform as Katy likes to call it. We will add walls and a roof as time and money permit.

We did it!! The Cragg family built our first tree house! (uh, platform)

Oh, soo proud. Sammy loves it when Daddy and he wear matching shirts!