Let me start off with Ethan. Well it seems you can't keep the kid from getting into everything and he seems to love being able to walk all all over the house. He seems to have become the thinker of the family. He will have these moments where he is in deep thought, I can only wonder what is going on in his head. As he becomes a little boy he is ways finding ways to look as cute as he can be.
Emily: One would think as she grows older she would be less talkative. Think again! I am not sure I would really want to know what's going on in that head of hers. She seems to live in Emily's Playland! She has started dance a few weeks ago and in just a few weeks she will be starting school. I so don't think I am ready for her to go off to school just yet. She is growing up so fast and I am so ready to beat off the boys when she becomes a teenager.
Debra is working as hard as always and seems to always be busy with something. As always she never sits down and always has something on her mind. She is always on the go from meetings, bible studies, to MOPS leadership retreat to something.
So how am I doing and "whats up?" Well currently there is a lot going on from family, to work, to ministry, to life. I don't even know where to start. My health is slow now-a-days and I guess it's better then what it has been. My back seems to hurt less however I still have pain here and there. I have become a lot more active as it seems over the past few weeks from what i do at home to outside to even working. The biggest thing is I have lost a lot of weight and that's something I won't complain about. I have hit some big goals for me and lighter them I have been in years. I am currently working one day a week on Fridays for Debbie's company as a Crew Leader. It's only till the end of Oct as they needed someone to run a new crew on Fridays just to get them to the fall. So far I am still alive and I can't wait till it's over. I am not as young as I was years go when I ran my own landscaping company. I am still working at LifeWay at least for now. However after looking over our Income and Lose statements each month and with prayer I have cut back on my days and hours to only one day a week and every Saturday. It's seems with the cost of childcare vs. what I am currently getting paid it is costing me money to go to work each day I work at LifeWay. The promise from management was I would be working full-time and in a different role that I am currently in now. However once again I am reminded that mans word can and will fail us. But God is in control and all things work... So as a result of these current things and after some prayer I will be staying home with the kids. This is not the frist time I have joined the SAHD (Stay-at-Home-Dad) club. I did it once with Emily a few years back. (Yeah, I know some people have their own opinions about SAHDs however I have my own opinion about lazy and careless Fathers but I won't go there) Anyway, while staying home it will not just help us save money but it will also give me more time to be able to blog more and spend with the kids. I have also be able to get back to cycling. I will also be able to get some much needed things done around the house.
Ministry: Well here is the bigger question of them all. Where does everything stand with my ministry? It's a great question to ask. God is forevermore more active today in my life then ever and seems to show himself in great and powerful ways. The past few months have been healing in my body, mind and soul in so many ways. I can't say that waiting on the Lord has been easy nor has it been a joy to do. I have learned not just that God is for us and wants to see great things and have His favor on our lives. I have learned a new way of looking at our prayer life and the meaning of a God size prayer. He can do the impossible even in the 11th hour. So over the next few weeks and months I will be relooking at the vison God has given me for Jonathan David Ministries and look at the over all ministry. In this I will be looking at turning to the next chapter for the ministry and embarking in to a larger area of ministry. One would call this a step of Faith! It's has been great to network with pastors and church leaders over the past 7 months and hearing their story. I understand more and more about what Christ has been training me to do and how to better serve those pastors and churches in need. I can't wait to see what God does.
Well instead of turning this post into a mini book I best leave it before it turns into a blah blah moment. There will be some changes on this site over the next few weeks so stay tuned and yes I will get back to my daily blog soon.
In His Grip,
Pastor J
