Update

Okay, I will try to get back to posting on a more regular basis after a long hiatus!

Let me update a few things.

I now have two in college, both at Samford. Both are doing well right now. Ryan, after some struggles is back on track. He took a few classes last spring and summer at Jeff St., got his grades up, took a full load at Samford in the fall and did good. He is now taking a very full load this semester. Hopefully, he is on track to graduate after next fall and spring semesters. He has continued to work some for Chic Fil A, earning their in house scholarship of $1000. He works for the Samford Athletic Department doing a myriad of jobs, including videoing contests such as football and basketball games. He also writes an opinion piece for the school newspaper – something his father is pleased with as you might imagine! If you are interested, log onto the Samford.edu site, go to the students section, under news go to the Samford Crimson section, and you can find some of his articles. He is an independent thinker, yet there is a certain amount of ‘like father like son’ going on too! In the future, he has a lot of options, and I do not know which way he will go, but the next year to year and a half will bring about a lot of changes and/or opportunities.

Elizabeth has completed one semester and started her second. Because of her love of reading and gift of language, she initially leaned toward a major in English. However, she also has a heart for the poor and is leaning toward doing something in the line of ministering to them. She may well end up majoring in Sociology or something similar. The first semester, Elizabeth made all A’s, garnering much academic attention.

Ryan is a gifted thinker who also writes; Elizabeth is a gifted writer who also thinks.

Then, there is child number three. After several years of homeschooling, then several years in a homeschool coop, Laura is now a ninth grader at a private Christian school. I’ll put it this way….the school is not the best in the world, but it is not the worst. It is affiliated with a somewhat fundamentalist Baptist Church, which definitely gives me pause for concern. However, in our very limited price range, there just aren’t a whole lot of choices around here in the supposed Bible Belt. The closest and most affordable option is so strictly fundamentalist that I as a somewhat high church Calvinist would probably be shunned and maybe even kicked out (I know this from a previous experience with them)

Laura, like Elizabeth, has a gift for language, but also a heart for the suffering. I do not know which way she will go in the future. However, I will say she is doing excellently academically so far in her new home. She has made mostly A’s with a very small smattering of B’s. She has been singled out by teachers for her achievements.

As might be imagined, Sherrie and I are proud of all of our three children!
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Other things going on lately. Right before Christmas, we lost Sherrie’s Father. He had been very slowly going downhill for several years and I will not get into the details of all of his sufferings. However, because of the slowness of it, when he finally took that last turn for the worse, I think it was like it hit a lot of the family out of the blue. Sherrie herself called the emergency folks to come and get him when he went to the hospital. I think most figured it would be temporary and he would be back to the old Papa in no time. However, he never got out of the hospital from that time on. Sherrie was also present along with her Mom and a sister when he died.

Holiday deaths are always hard. Both of my Dad’s parents died on December 23 (1962 and 1999) and my mother’s mom died on January 2. Sherrie’s dad Died on December 20. It made Christmas just a little bit difficult as you may imagine. However, as Christians, it is the very fact of the holidays, the incarnation itself, which makes death bearable. He came and entered humanity and DIED that we may live.
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I love Auburn football. Auburn won the BCS (and virtually every other poll) national championship. There has been and continues to be a lot of speculation about the Cam Newton situation. I have no idea who may have done what and who may have known what, but I truly believe that no one officially associated with Auburn knowingly did anything wrong. That is why it would be a shame if this thing gets taken away from them. I’m not denying any wrongdoing by any ‘Auburn’ person. In fact I fear that some may be present and may come out sooner or later. But, I truly do not believe that Auburn coaches, Athletic director, or staff knowingly did anything wrong and that is why it would be so bad if they and the Auburn fan base gets punished for the wrongdoing of others on the fringe.
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Over two years ago I got laid off (right around Christmas – I wrote about it in an earlier blog). By the grace of God I obtained employment in a bad economy not too long after that and did not struggle near as much as could have been. I have maintained employment since then, and from what I am hearing, may soon be faced with a choice as my previous employer is hiring back again. I do prefer to go back, as they are closer to home and the job situation is more suited to me. However, the volatility of it does concern me as the one thing I do think I have going right now is job security. I would appreciate any prayers offered my way!

Overall, if I were a pessimist, I could tell you how bad things are right now. Money is tight. Ryan just had his car mess up on him. Sherrie’s van has about 190k miles on it. My car and Elizabeth’s car have well over 130K. We hardly have a penny to spare so if any of these other cars go I do not know what we will do. My job wears me out. Sherrie’s gets to her also. Because of our jobs/schedules, we do not get as much time together as I wish. We are going in the hole with two kids at Samford. Things look bleak.

As at least a partial optimist, however, I will tell you how good things are. I love my wife. I love my kids. They love me (most of the time!) I love my church family whom I serve and who serves me also. My kids stand on the verge of being productive difference makers in the world. I’m gainfully employed. So is my wife. I have never gone hungry/cold/unsheltered/ unclothed, etc. Auburn won the BCS. Man, it just doesn’t get any better than this!