Oklahoma City is Alive and Kickin'!

A couple of weekends ago Mo and I participated in the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon commemorating the 10th anniversary of the bombing that claimed so many innocent lives. Mo ran in a marathon relay and I walked a half marathon. We went with some friends who had family in the area and got to listen to first hand accounts of that day and those that followed. Our friend Todd actually worked in the district and drove past the bomb 2 minutes before it went off. We spent the day before the race touring the memorial grounds with Todd as our personal tour guide and reading the many heartfelt messages that were left in remembrance. The "empty chairs" is just amazing. The destruction was unbelievable. It was so enlightening and tender but perhaps the most profound was the statue right outside the memorial. It is a statue of Jesus with his back to the bombing site and his hands covering his face as he weeps. And the simple words, "Jesus wept."
What a reminder that Jesus knows everything but is still saddened by our sin. He feels what we feel and loves us anyway. The heart is heavy and it makes you wonder about the evil that exists in this world that it can makes a mind think destroying people in such a massive way is appropriate. It was disturbing.
Perhaps the most awesome realization for me was on race day. As I walked the 13.1 miles, people lined the streets, cheering and offering encouragement. Music played from homes and people tailgated while enjoying the scenes and their neighbors. Posters honoring those who perished and thanksgiving for "those who walk and run for those who can't" littered every mile. Make shift concession stands with kids handing homemade treats and drinks nourished us each step while live music blared for the last 2 miles.
And in the final stretch, I become very aware, the bombing has nothing on this city. Good prevails. God is good all the time. The people of Oklahoma City have risen form the ashes and are a better and stronger city because of it. What evil seeks to destroy, the Lord brings blessings.

Must Be Getting Old...

The time has just flown by and not sure where it went! Hope you all are doing well and here is a super quick update on our world.
Mo is doing well and still enjoying his job. Anxiously awaiting spring! Turned 37 in Feburary.
I have started a new job and feeling some growing pains but it could turn out to be something nice for a while. We started Dave Ramsey's Money Makeover this month and will PREVAIL before we buy another house. How exciting that will be! Stupid new cars we bought a year ago will be the death of us! Just celebrated 14 years of marriage.
Kami is still home schooling it but taking art and Spanish at the local middle school as well as guitar. Loves her girl's youth group meetings on Wednesday nights. Thank ya, Jesus! Just turned 13 years old.
Kori is still doing hockey and lacross. She is anxiously awaiting spring too since I no longer allow roller blading in the kitchen. She landed on the dishwasher lid while trying to skate backwards with her hockey stick. It is all fun and games until someone gets hurt. In this case it was the dishwasher lid, not her.
So, what is up in your world?

THE OLD TESTAMENT BOOKS BY KORI

We have been studying the books of the Old Testament so Kori can get her "badge" at Awanas and it just cracks me up because not only are they hard to pronounce to any child, but one who can't hear a lick is is down right funny. She can't just hear a song and memorize it (like most of us did when we were little) because she can't hear words in music. But don't get all upset at me yet for making fun of my "handicapped" child. I grew up with 2 deaf sisters so mispronunciation is common for me and because I don't treat her "different" is why she knows she is not "different". I don't laugh at her per se, I can just see God in Heaven with a big smile on his face too because like me He thinks she is perfect too. I put them in order so you know which ones are the "hard ones" and spelled it how she pronounces it. Please remember being deaf does not allow you to read phonetically. Each and every word a person who is deaf reads must be memorized. There is no sounding it out.
Genesis
Xus
Leticus
Numbers
Dutonomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruf
1 Samel
2 Samel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicle
2 Chronicle
Eeeza
Nehemiah (she's got this one down, somehow)
Eser
Job
Psalms
Proverb
Ecclesiesta
Song of Solomon

By the way her favorite verse is: John 1:1 "In the beginning there was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God."

DEEP THOUGHTS FROM KORI

Here is another funny from Kori. Now you must understand that Kami, our oldest, came out speaking like an adult. At 12 months she was saying full sentences. Her first was, "Open the door.". So, there wasn't much funny about perfect English.
Kori tonight said,
Kori: "I wish we were rich."
Me: "WhY?"
Kori: "So I could get a $100 a week."
Me: "Too bad. So sad."
Kori: "ORRRR, I could just go to college, take climbing lessons and then go into the mountains and find gems."
Me: "That might work."
Kori: "But I want to be a hockey player in the Olympics so I would have to hurry and come right back down once I found them."

(Yes, Darling, because so there are so many mountain climbing Olympic hockey players hunting gems.) Anything is possible when you are a kid. I love that!

Now Open Kori's Hobo Hotel

We have been educating our daughters on proper money management since they have begun to get an allowance these last few months. We have been discussing tithing first, then you put some in savings then you may spend some. Well, the saving some is not hitting the mark. On Saturday when Kori and I were driving in Colorado Springs, I drove by the area known as "The Tent Cities". This is basically some public land that homeless people have pitched tents and live by this river around the corner from a local soup kitchen. I began my speech on saving money so you can be prepared for what the future holds, being a good steward with God's blessings, etc so you do not have to live in a tent. I answered some questions about how they bathe, where they might eat, what do they do when its cold and thought my point was well made when she turns to me and smiles real big, "I am gonna save my money and when I get big I will open a Hobo Hotel. I will get into my car, pile them in the back and take 'em to my hotel!" A missionary in the making? Quite possibly.
Of course, all of this went out the window when she saw a pair of house shoes she wanted at Walmart.

First day of Home School

Today was the first day of home school for the Kamster! It went really well and I think she did a great job. Of course she is too cool to say it was great, but I did get an "It was OK." which in teen talk is "Great!". And the fact that she said an definite "No" to returning to public school. In Colorado you can attend electives at public school and still be home schooled, so she has Spanish and choir then back at home for the rest of the academics for the afternoon. Being right across the street from the middle school makes that very easy. Thanks for any prayers you can throw up for us.

My (New Year's) Life Resolution

This time of the year we become introspective. We gather a handful of goals based on how we failed the last year and what we would change about ourselves in order to be "New And Improved". Or "Old And Improved" depending on your case. I am ,like many of you, more than happy to wave good-bye to 2009. Although it came with many great things, it brought a lot of changes. And even good changes cause stress.
So, I am declaring a Life Resolution rather than a New Year's Resolution.
My Life Resolution beginning in 2010 is to DELIGHT IN THE LORD. That's it. Everyday, I want to delight in Him. I want to be so taken by our heavenly Father that life just can't get to me. The love affair so great that my focus on every task, no matter how mundane, how complicated, how trivial is on His goodness.
It is so easy to come to Him with concerns for others, our jobs, our homes, our families, and our nation. But how often do we come to the mercy seat just to "delight in the Lord"? I know it is not what I think of first. And I want to change it. Delightfully so.