It’s a new year; lets try this again…

OMG!!! Look at that beard!!!

Haley, Rachel: I’m sorry I’ve not been supportive of the blog for so long.  I’m not trying to make excuses; it just had to be moved down on the priority list for a while.  Thanks for keeping it up, and posting a couple times.  I’ve decided to get back into it again, because, as you’ll read, Marissa and I are trying to be better stewards; again.

To the World at large, well, read through the pages and you should be able to understand where we’re at.  This post is all about short quick statuses to get everybody up to speed on what I’ve been up to.

Family:

1. We had family over for the holidays, tons of people.  We came and went to Florida for a few days.  The holiday’s were cool, but I’m glad they’ve come and gone.  I’m looking forward to normal life again.
2. The kids continue to get bigger and bigger.  God has blessed me with attractive kids… teenage and puberty are going to be great!!!
3. Marissa still loves me, praise the Lord!

Ben:

1. I’ve got a beard!!!!   It took a lot of getting used to, but I’ve got the hang of it now.
2. I’m 7.67% done with my latest attempt to read through the Bible cover to cover.  After trying and failing so many times to complete a 1 year plan, I’ve opted for a 90 day plan.  It’s about 12 to 15 chapters a day and it’s going well so far… 8 days in and I haven’t fallen behind yet.  Something about reading and seeing so much history in each sitting makes it seem more like a book and less compartmentalized then it does when I read just a little each day.
3. I’m trying to loose weight and get healthy.  My Wii avatar got fat after I did the Wii Fit Plus physical evaluation… that was humbling.  Evidently, I’m obese… I knew I was overweight, but obese just seems wrong.

Life Group:

1. We’re continuing to meet on Wednesday nights in our home.  We had 9 adults and 9 kids this week.  We’ve had as many as 15 adults, the holidays really threw a wrench to many of our meetings.
2. We’ve studied all the way through chapter 3 of James to date.  We get to get into chapter 4 next week.
3. We’ll be signing up to lead another group after we finish James.  I’m praying about what book to study next.

Family:

1. We’re doing better at “homeschooling” our kids now than we’ve ever done in the past.  It’s exciting.  I think the best thing is that I work normal hours, those combined with our semi-normal routines, makes the parenting thing so much cooler lately.  Our lives used to be so involved with either ourselves or church we had absolutely no free time. (This is because I wasn’t serving from pure motives, read James 4:1-4, that’s where I was at. The kids have a Dad again!!!)

Environment:

1. It was in the mid-fourty’s today, I was in a short sleave shirt again!!!!  We’ve still got snow that needs to melt.
2. It’s neat to have seasons, but almost claustrophobic to be stuck indoors so much.  I mean, you can go outside, it’s just not any fun…  I’m the palest I’ve ever been…   pasty
3. I’m excited about spring time coming, I miss the life.

Work:

1. It’s going well…  We’ve been here for just over 1 year now.  I’m finally feeling like I might start having a handle on what my job entails, or maybe better said, getting my job done each day.  My employees are great, and I really am blessed in all of the aspects.  God’s still got his hand on my career.

Holy Home:

1. I think I’m starting to get old…   or thinking like a grown up finally…  Anyway, we’re starting to see some of the things we’ve been “teaching” our kids through our choices and are finally trying to address them.
2. We’re not watching American Idol this season… Not that it’s evil…  I just couldn’t think of a single good reason to watch it.  Not a good one.  And with no good reason, we’re gonna sit this season out.  We’re trying to take the same approach with many of the things that take our time away from each other.

Youth Groupie stuff:

1. I’m at some type of crossroads in the ministry/mission/purpose God’s given me.  I’m not sure where it will turn next.  I’m just trying to be patient and attentive.
2. I’ve been saddened as of late by all of the failure I’m seeing in the teens out there.  My heart yearns for kids to keep themselves from all of the mistakes I made.  There are a couple young people who by all appearances look to be making it through life unscathed, but many have chosen the dark side, or are flirting with it.
3. I’ve started to see the hope that shines through brokenness in all of it, and am excited on where my mission with the teens might go next.  I’m honestly thinking about trying to secure some kind of counseling, or psychologist training…   who knows?

I can’t really think of anything else at the moment.

Haley and Ray, thanks again and sorry its been so long.  I’m looking forward to 2010, it’s like a new era, kinda weird almost.

P.S. If anybody’s got anything they’d like to talk about or would like commented on, please let me know and thanks for reading!!!!

I’m out,

Ben

I finally blogged again…

So it as been awhile since I last blogged.. I will use this post as a catch up post. Lets see so much as changed since I last blogged. My life progressed super fast in the last month.

First, I got a Job, I am now working at Oudom’s Thai and Sushi in downtown Mt.Dora, Im a  hostess and it is crazy. I am so blessed to get such a good job, I love it. All my coworkers are great,My boss is great. I am the baby and the only one who works their who is under 18, But it is a really good overall job I work alot, about 18 hours a week.So I have been SO busy.

Next, I am going to be driving soon! Which I am super excited about, now that I work and make money I will hopefully be getting a car and driving.

And last I am also going to start dual enrolling at Lake Sumter, working towards my AA. Everything is happening so fast, and It’s crazy for me to think I will be 17 in a few months, and only have 1 more year of highschool left, it’s bittersweet.

But so many choices are ahead of me, and it is so overwelming. Please pray I make the right decisons. And can stay focused because as you can see I have alot on my plate!

Well, that’s my catch up post. I FINALLY blogged! woo hoo!

Ray

Unequally yoked friendships?

Well. I know this is a common problem among christian teens.. But it is one of the biggest things I am struggling with.

What do you do when your best friends who are supposedly “christians” are throwing their lives away? and totally going against everything they are supposed to be following?

And I would rather go out and sin then sit at home all the time alone. But I realized I couldn’t do that.

For awhile, I would go along with my friends and supported it, I acted like I didn’t Have a problem with it.Because I was scared to be brave and speak up. No one like’s not being liked by your peers I wanted people to like me and accept me.

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.

As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you” John 15 18-19

But in this case, being hated is a good thing.Even though it is hard to accept.

“Be on guard. Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous. Be strong.” 1 Corinthians 16:13

But then, I realized what a Loser I was being and stopped. And what a horrible job I was doing representing, I’m still working on that. But thing’s have been a whole lot easier, since I decided to stand up for what was right.

Doesn’t mean it was easy, but It was worth it. It’s still really hard for me to stay strong and not slip back into their ways and to see people I was such good friends with completely change, destroy themselves, and lie to you.

Sometimes, I feel like my life is engulfed in sin, like I can’t get away from it.

And I know the world is filled with sin, but I feel like the only place I actually communicate with christians is church.

Like, I go to school and there is always some sin I partake in like gossiping and misrepresenting, and I go home and its something else.

Even people Im friends with that are christians, always have disappointing things to tell me. And it’s rough. But all I can do is pray for them.

Being the optimist I am, I am praying they will just come to a total realization and turn away from it. But that might not be the case. I just need remain strong and not let myself get dragged into it again, and pray.

“He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.” (Proverbs 13:20)
The righteous should CHOOSE HIS FRIENDS CAREFULLY, for the way of the wicked leads them astray.” (Proverbs 12:26)

Thank God, for Hayley. She is such a good christian example and friend to  me, I met her while  I was on the mission trip.

She is such a huge blessing in my life. It’s crazy we struggle through the same problems. And it’s so good to actually talk to someone who understands. Too bad she lives so far away!

Please pray for me and my friends.

hmm.. I think im gonna do my next post on confrontation.

Ray

School Started Today

Our kids began their HomeSchool year today.  We’ve joined a co-op with other family’s to see how this type of thing will go.  We’re excited.  It was a lot of work.  We went “school supply” shopping and everything.  Marissa’s helping to teach one of the classes.  The Art History class.  This is where the co-op part comes in.  Each of the mom’s get to teach the children in a different subject.

So, as we’re preparing Marissa, the Kids, and everything else for class it really made me think of how much I missed during school.  Not that I have regrets.  It’s just that I missed so much learning and living.  Instead of loving school, I loved the social study.  We’re trying to coach the kids into taking the opportunities their given and taking them to their fullest.

What must that be like?  To go through school taking it seriously?  Craziness.

One of my sister-in-laws did.  Jayce.  Straight A’s through highschool and college.  Prestigeous job and a bright future.  Not only did she do school right, but most of her experiences followed along the same lines.  She had fun.  She has real friends.  She’s now established for a life of fulfillment and satisfaction.

I’m praying my kids will do the same from the start, by-passing my “learn-the-hard-way” heritage.

Do you know what I’m talking about?  It’s so weird to get old.  It’s hard to believe I’m telling my kids to do good in school and have fun learning!!!

Ben.

I am alive, and finally starting to get caught up..

Yeah, it’s been weeks since my last post.  I’m alive, and well, I’ve just been busy.

We start our “school year” next week.  My wife has been going crazy getting everything squared away.  It’s been busy to say the least.

Hopefully I’ll have something more soon.

Ben