It's all goo-d!

In Our Backyard

We have such a great backyard where we live. The beautiful view is included in the already inexpensive rent!

And a few more while I'm at it

Ahh...

This is the first time Phoebe didn't freak out and scream bloody murder when she saw John. She is normally deathly afraid of him, much to everyone's dismay. But she's finally over it! She likes John now! We had to get a picture to commemorate the occasion.

What a goofball....

Phoebe with one of her friends, Andrew.

Well, it's been a while...

It's been quite some time since we've posted, and for that I apologize. Sarah and I have been very occupied with planning for our move to LA. Here are a couple recent photos. Enjoy!

My beautiful wife and daughter

I never thought Phoebe could be as adorable as she is... :)

Phoebe loves sitting on our shoulders

Did I Ever Mention...

...that I really like my family?

An Engineer's Guide to Cats

You should watch this video all the way through. The dry humor is hilarious!

My Happiest Moments

For some reason I was thinking today about my life and what my happiest moments have been. My happiest moments came to me instantly. The following photos explain it all. :)

The day I married Sarah is and will always be the greatest and happiest moment of my life. Words cannot express how blessed I am to have Sarah as my wife. She is my joy and crown and love her with my whole heart.

After marrying Sarah, the day Phoebe was born comes in as the very strong runner-up. Phoebe has been such a joy, and I enjoy loving her and getting to know her more and more each day.

I am so blessed with the two most precious girls in the world. :)

H34T

A friend of mine posted this video from my days back at Biola. HEAT was the name of my floor, and this video introduces several guys from my floor. It's kind of fun to reminisce.

Japanese Scare Tactics

I died laughing after watching this. Gotta love Japanese humor. Enjoy!

Phoebe is crawling!!!

Daddy's Girl...or more like Phoebe's Daddy

I'm sure you've picked up on this fact, but I am the most blessed man to have such a beautiful wife and daughter. Both their smiles brighten my life with so much joy.

Our Growing Girl

Phoebe just continues to grow to be a more beautiful girl. I'd better start dusting off my shotgun soon...(if I had one) She's also able to stand on her own if she has something to hold.

Early Spring Snow

Recently we were overjoyed to wake up to see the world outside of our apartment beautifully dusted with snow. Our view is beautiful enough to begin with, and the snow just made it breathtaking.

The Jonny-Jump Up

"Pray Hard" Time

I received an encouraging email from a brother who suggested that I was entering a "pray hard" time - meaning, I was entering a period of time that God intended for me to cry out to Him in fervent prayer. I began thinking about this.

How do I pray hard? Lord, I don't know what praying hard looks like! I don't even really know what praying hard means! I know praying hard does not mean that some how you just turn up the volume or the frequency in prayer and God answers..."lord, please allow this to happen. Lord, please allow this to happen. Lord, please, allow this to happen. LORD, PLEASE ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN!!!" I don't think that's how it works.

Nor do I think increasing the quantity of time in prayer will guarantee God's answer. Praying for 3 hours will make no more difference than if I had just prayed 10 minutes. I don't think becoming more passionate will change anything either. Will being prostrate on the ground as I pray fervently make my prayer somehow more effective? I don't think so.

So, Lord, how do I pray hard? I acknowledge that only you can accomplish this feat. I care deeply about this dilemma and I know that you care, so will you please allow this to occur? I am hopeless in and of myself...

It was as I was telling Him all these things that He opened my mind to see a reality about prayer that I had never considered. With praying hard, the act of prayer and its methodology, though important, is just one tiny facet of praying and is not most important. What is most important in praying hard is the posture of my soul in the presence of Almighty God! As I was talking to the Lord about my confusion and powerlessness in knowing how to pray hard, I realized that I wasn't trying to "pray hard and in the correct way,
" but that the posture of my soul was in a state where I fully embraced the futility of my own efforts and the truth that only divine intervention from my heavenly Father could accomplish anything for which I hoped.

Lord, forgive me for turning prayer into an activity based on my own efforts. Even prayer is only accomplished by Your grace. Help the posture of my soul to lay prostrate before you, acknowledging my powerlessness and the vanity of my own life and efforts, and that I would cry out to You alone for salvation.

Phoebe and her peeps

Phoebe has lots of friends and they love hanging out with eachother.

a gift from Aunt Briana

Thanks Aunt Briana for your the hat and scarf! Love, Phoebe

The recent faces of Phoebe...

Phoebe's sweet hairdo.

Messin' around...

Phoebe and I messing around during my day off. We had lots of fun. :)

Mel-dee-dee

It had been about 20 years since seeing “Mel-dee-dee”. That is what I called my friend Melodie, when I was 5 years old. She and I were friends and neighbors growing up in Northern Virginia. We got to reconnect and it was so much fun going over memories and catching up! We used to take being mommies to our baby dolls very seriously when we were little. I remember Friday was “wash day” for the baby doll clothes and we’d hang the clothes out on the line in the back yard. One time I was at Melodie’s house for the night and I was enthralled with a little cactus plant they had. Melodie warned me not to touch it, but of course I had to and I got a thorn stuck in my finger. I wouldn’t stop crying about it and I remember not sitting still for her mom to try to get it out. Her list of ideas of distracting me and making me happy was completely exhausted and she finally stuck me in a bedroom while I sulked. Looking back it is very funny. It’s wonderful reuniting with old friends – I think that’s what we’ll be doing for part of eternity in heaven and it’s going to be great!

The Trinity as a Paradigm for Spiritual Transformation

I just read this excerpt by Ravi Zacharias and thought it was very good. I hope that you are equally encouraged and challenged by it as well.

"It is a sad fact that the doctrine of the Trinity has been believed in but rarely preached on in our churches...(read on)"

Our little goof ball

Phoebe did this all on her own. Such a goof ball!

I am Phoebe

Don't mess with me.