Merry Christmas!!Today was a great day. The girls had so much fun opening their gifts and they got a lot more than we ever thought they would get. We got them some, then Kari's dad sent some and then some came from people at church. So they made out like bandits! I hope everyone had a great day and was as blessed with time with family as I was. We took a lot of pictures and they're on the web for you to see. Click here to watch the slideshow.Well, I have to...

Read More

Greetings and Hello...It's been awhile since I've made an entry. Things are good. I've been busy with work and web design. I have four open accounts and three potential new ones. Church is keeping me busy too. We're gearing up for the new year and I'm getting excited. We're putting a major focus on the children's ministry and bringing all the classes and events under one umbrella; a kids club called The Kids Zone. It consists of Super Church, at-home daily...

Read More

At a Friends House

Just to say ...

Read More

Want to hear something really gross? At work our deli is going to be offering complete turkey dinners through the holiday season for only $35. A good deal I thought, if you don't want to do a bunch of cooking. But here's the gross part. The turkeys have a shelf life (unfrozen mind you) of 45 days. That's right 45 days! What their putting in those things I don't know. But I do know that I won't be eating them. Just thought you might want to know :)later...

Read More

AUSTRALIA-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Religion Today)A court case now underway in Australia is regarded by some observers as a legal challenge to Christians' freedom to question the validity of other religions. Two Christian pastors, Danny Nalliah and Daniel Scot, are facing complaints in the state of Victoria brought by Muslims who accuse them of vilifying Islam. The complaints stem from remarks made at...

Read More

It's been a long time since I was able to post and I don't have a good exuse. It's been busy. I've been getting another wave of web design projects and with our church going through the 40 Days of Purpose I'm teaching 3 classes a week and leading a Home Fellowship Group. I'd like to make more posts but I guess the say is true "the shoe maker's kids go barefoot." Everyone elses websites come first.I was reading an article and I found a good quote. “People don’t...

Read More

I'm happy to inform everyone that the snake I found in our living room turned out to be a fox snake. Which is ver non-poisonous. Thank God. we let it go across the river, so hopefully it won't find it's way home.I took a new position within my store. I'm the department manager for the DSD/ICC. Basically I do a lot of paper work. I do all receiving. I also track all incoming and out going inventory and sales. Then I do a bunch of daily, weekly and period end...

Read More

Well this afternoon I had a bit of a suprise. I caught a snake in my living room! Yes a snake. And not just any snake, a rattlesnake. Malorie helped me catch it by corraling it in for me. I used a towel to cover its head so I could get a hold of it's tail.Pretty scary eh? The thing is that this particular...

Read More

Yesterday, my brother was finally laid in the ground. Just my parents went to the actual burial. I am having such a hard time putting into words the way I feel. I regret not being part of Nathan's day to day life. And I wonder if he understood That even though I wasn't able to be around much, that I loved him very much. So for me I guess it's not the missing of his presence that hurts so much, it's the loss of the opportunity in the future. And I hurt for...

Read More

We are in IL now. The visitation will be Friday at 5pm-8pm and the Funeral service will be at 10am on Saturday. The visitation is going to be at: Ferrari Funeral Home 1044 Ferrari Drive Coal City, IL 60416 815-634-4040 The Funeral is going to be at Christian Life Assembly of God in Coal City. Thank you for your prayers please continue to lift the family ...

Read More

At 8:40pm tonight Nathan entered eternity. Thank you for all your prayers, please continue to lift up my family in prayer and pray especially for Ethan who they will be telling tomarrow.Nathan you will be miss...

Read More

If you've been following my brother's condition you will notice that my mom's last posting was on there way to the ICU. Nathan is not doing well and they do not expect him to live. Everything but his heart is shutting down. They will know this afternoon more specific what kind of time there is left or if there is any hope of them being able to fight off the infection that is causing the problems, but they said the chances are very slight. Please pray for Nathan...

Read More

Yesterday we took Kim to get her three year pictures. I couldn't believe how well she did. She was actually posing for the camera, I mean she was getting into it. I was really proud of her. You can see the proofs at our photo album (it's under Kim Year Three), but here's a teaser.Isn't she cu...

Read More

Well, many of you have been bugging me to update our pictures and I finally got around to it today. So go to our photo album and look under Summer 2003. Enjoy!I also updated Kari's blog today. So check it out. I just made a few tweaks on the formatting and she wanted to add a welcome message at the top.later....

Read More

On my last post I put the link to my brother's website. I found a bit of a problem with it. You may need to login. The patient name is "wright" and the password is "NIW1news" (this is case sensitive)later...

Read More

As you all know my brother has been very sick with Leukemia. And his recovery has been going well until now. Nathan is back in the hospital. He is on chemo right now and we'll see where things go from there. This time though the hospital has added a great service where my mom is able to keep a blog to keep everyone updated and visitors can add messages too. http://www.thestatus.com/index.cfm?fa=patdet&pid=50814191109 Check it out for more information and...

Read More

Boy have I been busy. It seems like I haven't been able to take a breath lately. Too much to do and not enough time. I think part of it is the sense of urgency I've been feeling when it comes to ministry. I really think we're on the edge of God doing something in our church and community. Ya, I know how corny that sounds, but I really do. And I don't mean the big church services every night for the next five years thing either. I think God is going to move...

Read More

I was surfing around and found a really neat site. It lets you play all the vintage NES and arcade style games. Check it out. http://web.utanet.at/nkehrer/later...

Read More

I just got home from work and I was surfing around and came acrossed a neat website, Emode.com. They had an IQ. test, so I took it. I'm not sure what it means but I got a 127. The site said:During the test, you answered four different types of questions — mathematical, visual-spatial, linguistic and logical. We analyzed how you did on those questions, which reveals the way your brain uniquely works.We also compared your answers with others who have taken the...

Read More

Don't you just love moms? I love mine. She's always there to give me a quick slap on the back of the head when I need it. Even when she's 400 miles away! I recieved an e-mail from her this morning. It read:Just want to point out that you need to refer to your previous entryregarding the lost. While the people at the parade may have been "idiots"and very rude people, "the truth is, they are lost". It is certainly muchharder to put inspired words into practice....

Read More

Well, although the day began with disappointment the end went with a bang. (no pun intended :) ) When I got home from work we watched the fireworks and they were pretty good. Here's a play by play I cought on our camera of one from the end.ooooouuuuuuuuu!!!!aaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!oooooohhhhhhhh!!!!They were...

Read More

We just got back from the 4th of July parade here in town and I must say it was less than I had hoped. Not the parade itself, but that we had planned on enjoying it a lot more. We went down an hour and fifteen minutes before it started so that we could have good seats and so the girls could see. And...

Read More

Lost People Matter. Their value determines your intensity."Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.” In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:8–10).When I lose...

Read More

Don't You Get It! Mark 8 14 But the disciples discovered they had forgotten to bring any food, so there was only one loaf of bread with them in the boat. 15 As they were crossing the lake, Jesus warned them, "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod." 16 They decided he was saying this because they hadn't brought any bread. 17 Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he said, "Why are you so worried about having no food? Won't you ever learn or understand?...

Read More

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words. An unidentified Afghan child cries near a grave at a local cemetery in Kabul, Afghanistan. During the civil war more than 50 million people were killed in Afghanistan. AP Photo/ Rafiq Maqb...

Read More

Well I've had a chance to decompress a bit this week. Everything has been cleaned up from VBS and summer is in full swing. I've got all the pictures from our VBS online now. The weather has been beautiful this week. The girls have been busy swimming and playing at the park. And having Kari at home was deffinently the right choice. Although, I have to admitt that I miss not seeing the girls as much. And they are getting so big. Becca is no longer a toddler;...

Read More

I have been so busy lately. The new job has not worked out schedule wise like I thought. I still haven't seen the schedule that I agreed to. And the last two weeks I've been busy with this years Vaction Bible School. It's really going well and I'll have photos up this weekend. Our van was broken into and some money stolen from Kari's purse. And I'm trying to make a big update to the church website as well as I finished a site for a client of mine. So not much...

Read More

We had a really good day today. We took the girls to the beach and we were the only ones there. The entire beach was ours. The girls loved playing in the sand and they took to the water much more than I thought they would. Then we grilled out for dinner and to finish off the day we went over to the church and had a fire and made smores. I'm feeling better about my job. I really like the job. I just get frustrated when things aren't in my control and I see...

Read More

It's almost 1:30 am. I closed the store tonight. I just can't seem to just come home and go to bed. I have to read or do something (like blog) for awhile before I can sleep. And to make matters worse I have to go back in tomarrow morning. Things are going OK, but today was not the greatest. Actually I wanted to quit and walk out. I'm getting a bit frustrated with the administration team above me. They just don't seem to care about want happens and there is...

Read More

I'm done with my training and I start regular management hours this week. In fact I have to go in in about a half hour. I like the job so far. But enough about work :) The other day when i got home from work Kari told me a story that really moved me. Her and the girls were in the garage and as Kari was reading Becca was at their play table and she started to pray. She prayed for along time; for our family and for the trip that Kari and the girls are going...

Read More

I just got home from work. And Kari left this picture on the screen for me to see. She took it tonight while I was at work. I just can't get over how fast they grow up and how beautiful Becca and Kimmi are becoming. God has truely blessed me beyond my own imagination. Well I'm tired so I'm going...

Read More

It's been a busy week. My new job is going well. I'll be finishing my training this week and starting my normal schedule next week. Kari is done at the bank and is at home. The girls are thrilled. There is still some adjusting having to happen though. Kari is getting used to being home and I'm getting used to having less time at home. Next week will be better once I start normal hours and we can get back into a routine. Well, I'm off. We're headed out for...

Read More

God's blessings never cease to amaze me. Today I went to pick up our WIC coupons and as I was getting ready to leave I found out that they were giving food away to everyone that came today due to a grant they received. We got three full bags. God is good. And if that wasn't enough I found out that my brother Nathan is home and doing great. He has gone throught he healing process in half the time the doctors said he would. Praise God. later...

Read More

In the book, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, Jim Cymbala writes: If our churches don't pray, and if people don't have an appetite for God, what does it matter how many are attending the services? How would that impress God? Can you imagine the angels saying, "Oh, your pews! We can't believe how beautiful they are! Up here in heaven, we've been talking about them for years. Your sanctuary lighting--it's so clever. The way you have the steps coming up to the pulpit--it's...

Read More

Have you ever been stuck on a particular food? Recently my wife made pizza bagels. I can't tell you how many times I've had these in the last week. I've had them for dinner, lunch and for snacks. They taste great! I highly recommend them :) The wierd thing is that after this week I probably won't eat them again for years. Next week will be some other wierd item of interest. I started training for my new job this week. I'm so tired. I've been with the girls...

Read More

This weekend I decided to checkout what P2P (peer to peer) was all about. So I signed up with Kazaa and played around with it. I must say, in a minute of playing around I was searching, finding and downloading music. But I can't help to feel bad about it. There is so much debate about file swapping out there and now with record companies trying to go after individual swapers, that's a bit scary. I don't know if I like it. I like the idea of getting the music,...

Read More

I have some exciting news. I just accepted a position as a night manager at our local Econofoods. This will allow Kari to be home more with the girls, and the bank has agreed to let her still manage the bank in part-time hours - working around my new schedule. We're very excited and hope that Kari will eventually be able to stay home full-time. We've been wanting to be able to have Kari at home for some time now and I am very thankful to God for giving us...

Read More

Update on Nathan: Nathan is doing really well. In fact he might even get to come home this weekend! The doctors ar shocked at his recovery. He hasn't had any sickness or discomfort that most people get when going through treatment. On a much lower note, my wife's grandfather is dying of cancer and is not expected to live but a few more months. So, please keep Kari and the family in prayer. Her grandfather is the glue that holds her family together so it's...

Read More

This weekend was beautiful. Saturday we ate lunch at the park and the girls went crazy on the play ground. I'm amazed how much Kimmi can do now; the things she can climb on now. And she is talking so well now. I can't believe the complete sentences she comes up with. It all seem like it's happened...

Read More

Hey everyone! I have good news about Nathan. The e-mail from my mom is below. Just want to let you know how Nathan is doing. He's doing great! The doctors and nurses are amazed at how well he is feeling. His counts have hit bottom but he is still doing well. He has needed platelets but that is it so far. God has truly done a miracle. This is just so unusual. I don't know what might happen next but I know that God has spared him so far. So thank everyone...

Read More

Just testing to see if this work...

Read More

We had a pretty good Easter. The girls were fun to watch, hunting eggs and going through their baskets. The Easter service at church was really good and we had a lot of visitors. But as we went home for a quiet afternoon and Easter dinner we found Malorie had nocked the crock pot lid off and dinner had dried up. So after banishing Malorie to her room we went to the store to stock up and start over. Needless to say, dinner was late, but Kari did a great job...

Read More

Well I talked to my mom and Nathan is doing well. It will still be a while before we know if it worked. He'll be in the hospital for a few weeks. Pray for a swift and uneventful recovery. The site is coming together nicely. I hope to get it finished and a domain by next we...

Read More

A quick update on Kari. She went to the doctor yesterday to get the results from the test she had last month. The doctor said that she has lost 84% of her right ear and that the other problems like falling down is because of the ear damage and not brain problems. That's good news, and they think they'll be able to fix it with just a couple trips to the rehab center. Unfortunitly, it will only fix the falling down and dizziness problem. They can't doing anything...

Read More

OK folks bear with me a bit longer the site is almost complete. It will be read to go shortly and I'll be regerstering my domain name soon. Sorry if some of the links aren't working yet. They'll be up soon. Also you might want to check out our pictures. We are at the park the other day with the girls and got a lot of great shots. You'll find them in the Spring 2003 album. later...

Read More

As Christians we are not to act differently than the world, were to be different. When people choose to become Christians they segregate them selves from the world and do "Christian" things. Like go to church three to four times a week, give money, teach a Sunday school class, but usually it's in the safe environment of the church building. And when the church does step out to "outreach" it is usually in away that turns people off to the church. Why is that? It...

Read More

After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat; but that night they caught nothing. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the...

Read More

Well it's a new year and like most people I've tried to make some goals for postive change in my life for 2003. I will set goals within the areas of relationship and stewardship, they are as follow: 1. Relationship with God, family, people in church and colleagues/ friends ... -I'm going to keep a more consistent time with God and protect that time; not allow other things to take priority. -I will be more affectionate to Kari. Like...

Read More