A baby, Grandparents, & a Mini Van....Oh My!

As you can imagine the past 3 weeks have been anything but dull in our household. The title of this entry says it best. Of course compacting several life changing events into a small window of time is familiar territory for us. For example, the week that my wife and I were getting married, we also decided to move to Dallas that same week and I was starting a new job soon after the wedding. Apparently, weddings, moving, and new jobs are all high points of stress....its amazing we are still standing! Then of course there was the birth of our son. Granted we had no control over his early arrival...however, it came just as we had moved to Florida and we were still living in a hotel because our home was not ready. With all of that, why should the birth of our daughter be any different?

PART 1 BABY: I still cannot believe that Kerrington is already 3 weeks old and did I mention how adorable she is? There are moments that we feel like first time parents all over again because her beginning is so much different from Keller's! None the less, she is precious and we praise God for her! When I look into the eyes of my children, I get so excited and humbled at the possibilities of who they will become. The likes and dislike they will have; triumphs and even heart breaks that will come their way! Even now, we are praying, as parents, that God would grant us strength and wisdom to raise these precious gifts.

PART 2 GRANDPARENTS: In addition to Kerrington's birth we have been so fortunate to have my in-laws and my mother here respectively these 3 weeks. They have been a big help and I know that Keller has had a great time keeping everyone entertained!

PART 3 MINI VAN: Yes, in the midst of all this craziness, we stepped out on faith and purchased a mini van. We are so in the parenthood crowd now! Truth be told, we had been talking about needing a different car for a while but of course the timing and the finances were not right! The Saturday before Kerrington was born, I just decided to stop into the dealership and see what kind of options they had! Needless to say, we were driving our baby girl home..as well as the rest of the family in our new van!

With all that has happened, it has naturally changed our daily routines. I have to confess and say that these past 3 weeks have created a hunger in me to be still before the Lord. Not only to stop and offer him praise for these wonderful blessings, but to stop and really hear his voice. There was a moment that I went into a small panic mode as I reflected on the reality of our new situation. It was very overwhelming! I remember praying to God to help me make sense of all that was happening...not just in the these three weeks...but as I thought about the future and of future children, ministry opportunities and whatnot. The Lord quickly reminded me of a story that author Priscilla Shirer shared in her book, "Discerning the Voice of God." In the study she talked about being on a morning jog and praying to the Lord about making sense and finding balance in her life. She was praying that God would reveal to her some answer as to finding a sense of order in her life. As she continued her jog, she began to notice the sun slowly rising and the birds beginning to sing. And she said that it was in that moment of the morning breaking that God said, If I can please all these things(creation) in motion, then surely I can restore balance to your life.

My reality is that I am chasing God and kids, too. God has indeed blessed my life with this incredible family, which has reminded me not to go it alone, but to lean on him and rest in the promise that He is with me. I know this post may sound like a ramble...and it some ways it is. But it is a raw moment that I needed to flesh out in my mind and in written form. For those of you with families, I pray that God will continue to renew you as you continue to raise your children, support your spouses, and dare to give your utmost to Him!