Jim

A few days ago, March 5th, was the 5 year anniversary of a man who lost his battle with cancer. A man who led many to Christ through music, a quiet faith, and a love for people. This man was Jim Weldy. I grew up with his family through North Main. I have many memories of Jim, but one of the fondest, and one that many people remember is every Christmas Eve Jim would always sing "O Holy Night". It never really felt like Christmas until you heard this song by him. There was always something different about a song when Jim sang it. I didn't realize what it was until the Christmas after Jim had died. I realized that Jim sang with TRUTH. He sang with such conviction of what he was singing. He truly believed every word of the song. I am blessed to have a CD of 20 songs that Jim recorded over the years. We played one of them at our wedding. On my drive back to Merrillville the other day, I slipped it in the CD player and listened intently to each word that came from his mouth. One song particularly got to me. The chorus says,

"Thank you for giving to the Lord.
I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord.
I am so glad you gave."

It's too bad that I find such value in these songs now that Jim is gone. But I feel that this is part of his life and testimony. These songs are part of his legacy. I'm one that was touched by his faith and generosity. Even in the darkest of days. I can almost hear Jesus leading him into Heaven and saying,

"He said 'my child look around you-

FOR GREAT IS YOUR REWARD'".

Thank you Jim, for giving to the Lord. I am a life that was changed.

Good News!

Lucy, the oldest child at the Baby Center has been adopted!

Date Night

Mike and I had the priveledge last night of attending Nappanee Missionary's "Date Night at the Grand". We had a great dinner, and Michael O'Brien performed. He is the lead singer of Newsong and has a new CD out of love songs for his wife. He and his wife also shared of their own marital problems and issues. Mike and I were possibly the most newly-married couple there. But it was such an inspiration to see married couples all around us making an effort in their marriage. There may have been some couples struggling, there may have been some couples doubting each other, feeling hurt or betrayed. But last night, I believe they were filled with hope. They were offered help: Jesus. Mike and I are just starting out, but last night was a great reminder of who needs to be at the center of our marriage. I'm so blessed to have such great role models around me to show us what a marriage should look like. I thank my parents and grandparents for being those role models. If you haven't heard of Michael O'Brien, I invite you to go to his website and listen to some of his songs! He has a great voice and an even better sense of humor about life.

Spring?

It feels like Spring today!! Which puts a spring in my step and a smile on my face! I have the heat turned off, the windows and sliding glass door open. I love the breeze coming into our small apartment. It just puts me in such a better mood when the weather cooperates! It smells like Spring and that's one of my favorite smells! Mike and I have Comcast and we were messing around with all the features the other day (Mike's had comcast for about 9 months now, but never new some of the features existed!), and we found Biggest Loser workouts for free! I did two today and it felt great to be active, even if I had to do them inside. With the sliding glass door open it felt like I was outside. I'm hoping that I can keep up with these workouts daily and really lose some weight. I've never been a big fan of making weight loss public like this, but hopefully I will feel some accountability.

Spring brings so many new and great possibilities. Mike and I have found what apartment we'll be living in when our lease ends here. I'm excited because we'll actually have a washer and dryer IN our apartment! No more laundry mat for me! We have really fallen in love with our new church. We've met some great people that we look forward to getting to know better in the coming year. All in all, my attitude is much better about Merrillville being my "home". I'm hoping that with this sunny weather, my attitude will stay optimistic as well.

Hilarious

This kid is feeling the effects of the only upside of the dentist!

Drugged Up Kid After His Dentist Appointment - watch more funny videos

Clouds

I've been doing some "searching" the last few days. Mike and I have been looking for the right fit for us in a church. We've been desperately wanting to connect with couples in our age group on a spiritual level. I've been doing some reading in Mark and also Revelation. Yesterday I came across a verse that I've never read before. It didn't so much make me think about finding a church home or connecting with others, but about obtaining a more personal relationship with Jesus Christ. A best friend relationship. Physical relationships will come in time. But we need to find the kind of relationship we're seeking in Christ first. I was reading in Revelation about how in the Bible clouds are always associated with God. Clouds are viewed as the sorrows, sufferings, or circumstances, within our personal lives. I realized that if there were never any "clouds" in our lives, we would have no faith. In Nahum 1:3 it says "The clouds are the dust of His feet." They are a sign that God is there! What a great feeling to know that our sorrows, problems, and grief are actually the clouds that come along with God! "He does not come in clear-shining brightness" says Oswald Chambers. Revelation 1:7 says "Behold, He is coming with clouds...".

Something to think over today as we have so many burdens in our lives.

Prediction

My very uneducated and less than expert prediction for today's Super Bowl is:

The fact that they are the underdog makes me want them to win even more! Go Cards!