My legacy

The lake was a diamond in the valley's hand.

2010-03-01T11:56:00.000-08:00

Found this old picture on my phone...a little cliche, but this was the dawn of the beginning.
Seven months ago today this was taken.
At the time my stomach had more butterflies than a pavilion.
It all started that day, and since then life has been a whirlwind not of time but of the blessings, joys, emotions, happiness', struggles, smiles, and grace.

The cold of winter has had us home bound a lot.
I think it has adverse side effects.
*note huge eyes*

Voyaging the land to go to a Martin wedding.

*note courage in snuggie, yes...a snuggie*
*No, Abigail did not steal her glasses from the set of "Big Purple Couch"*
*The effects run deep, warmth can't come soon enough =P *

*Smile*

And then the blizzards came.
12 inches of snow, the most snow in 60 some years!

Consequently we HAD to put a sled behind the truck and find a parking lot.
(And entirely new experience for everyone here!)
Yes, Mr. Vrazo you were right.

Did you know the phrase "Mardi Gras" is french for "fat Tuesday'?
Me either.
This is me and Lulu A. "Living it up"
Living it up consisted of twisting balloons
and laughing at how funny Jedediah looked with the masks on.
Good times.

Finished our big job this past week.
This is the new "kid room"

Kitchenette/bar area.

I love the ornate simplicity.

Got me a truck bed cover.
The only thing I don't like about it is not having had it a long time ago.
I love working out of it, it makes life a lot easier.

"Found: new "old" record shop
Wanted: Patrons to come, hang out, listen to music,
and generally enjoy the place"
*can do*

The look of concentrating on new music/lyrics.

Saffron yellow makes everything a happier place.

This is just a snippet of life, and all it's fullness. Fullness of grace, sometimes hard grace leaves stretch marks as it forces growth, but remaining in humble faithfulness, the end is worth the middle. It's in that middle, the "rough" spot, that our faith is tried and made true, and our story is written. I am thankful for the pain, I am thankful I am not left stagnate, thankful to be pushed to betterment, held accountable, given grace, to be fed at His table.

It is in these seven months that I have been shown mine inadequacies, taught, grown, loved, been loved, and had blessings undeserved showered upon me even in my foolishness.
It is in the last three months of being a "Texan", being near Abigail, dealing with a new set of difficulties, with out the safety net of my family beneath, behind me, but me on my own, that I have understood grace, seen His hand, and made to wonder why I would be entrusted with so much, and how, by all means I haven't screwed this up already!?
I have been made repeatedly shown to not put my trust in my arm, but in Him.
I'm not being all warm and spiritually cheesy here.
When I start to rely on my understanding is when I get overwhelmed with responsibility that lie unto me, but when I trust not in my strength, I have more strength to give...when I can stop looking at my belly button I can share a strength with others with Abigail that isn't my own.
Lord keep humble.

One thing at a time.

2010-02-09T18:42:00.001-08:00

I realized the other day.
I am a grown up. (not "grown up")

When did that happen? When did I become the man behind the steering wheel with the window down and his hand touching the top of the window frame? Only my daddy could do that...he was a man...I was a boy...was.
When did the things you grow up hoping for start happening? The prayers you prayed for so long, God is answering.
Not sure when that happened.

I think the thing thing I like most about it, about the blessings that come with the responsibilities, is the little part where...I pull up to her house, it's been two days since I've seen her, and she comes out to greet me and then there half way across the lawn, her face concentrating on the ground beneath her she looks up to me smiling. It is gold.

We sing, we dance, we steal things.

2010-02-09T17:22:00.001-08:00

Sometimes magic lies beneath the rock.

in the mud and sand.

and the coffee.

and we dance.

Death and resurection

2010-01-26T17:24:00.000-08:00

You may have thought this was dead. It isn't. It was "just restin' a bit". Tried xanga for a while, didn't like it, got lazy, time passed, and here we are.

Where are we? time will tell, because I dont know. I currently live in Fort Worth, Texas. Yup. A Texan! Who'd a thunk, right?

A new Josh Ritter song fills my ears. My ears are happy.

Time is whacked. In an arguable sense it is flying by, and in that same sentence, it is crawling inexplicably slow.

Working. Which is a blessing. But the bigger picture is I am enjoying it immensely! I haven't had this much fun at work in a long time. In the past it's not from a lack of good company or affected by bad company, of which I have had a lot of both. The artistry that has come from my hand is something even I am surprised by, not that I am amazing or something the world hasn't seen before, but I built that...with my hands...I have an inflated pride in ownership. Lord keep me humble.

Speaking of whacked time, the rushed part is trying to hash out time for life, simple things like laundry, email, phone calls...it is harder than you might think. Working in the city is fun, the commute is small so I can work more which is good, but it makes time like gold...precious and hard to find. Most my evenings are spent learning...learning to love..learning to lead...learning to apply the tools I have learned all my youth to the application for which I was taught. You grow up learning principles, practices, ect.. but it is a whole different game when you have to use them, I want to do this with more care and attention to detail and handling than even my finest of work, but its like needing a pair of scissors and using a chain saw. I am thankful she is more patient with me than I ever deserve. The patience and encouragement she gives me is like none I have recieved from anyone before, I have known anyone this close, I have never been known this close...this vulnerable, but by exposing that vulnerability she know my weakness and builds on it, knows my strength and lets me rescue her. To be the knight with a sword of rescue I am not worthy, my hands are covered in filth, my garments tarnished with foolishness, but I realize my strength avails me not, and it is by HIS grace that I am covered, washed, and made worthy. Her colors on my flag and lace in my pocket (figuratively) I go, I build, I concquer. She makes me noble, not by the beauty of flesh, but the beauty of grace in her life, given to me...She is beautiful.
I catch my breath every time I see her, she doesn't know.

*breaths*

...
Well, I am back.. I think. I will be here more often. The tale is being told and I'll try to catch some of it down in words here.

I pray our Lord bless and keep each of you this day and the next.

Lord keep me humble.

-J

Hello again

2006-09-16T09:36:00.000-07:00

It may not be suffcient, but, I have a excuse for lack of blogging, actually two, 1:I have attained a full time job this summer and have been "that" busy. 2:I have in this job nearly removed the end of two fingers on my left(dominate)hand, with a circular saw, thus recieving 27 stitches, and rendering my hands unable to type.
3: and the "mother board" on the computer got fried last week and we just got it back today.
But, you may rest your minds, my hand is %90 healed, though it was an hideous event, they are healing beautifully.

Life right now is like a freight train going down a hill with no brakes, one thing after another.
Over the summer my truck broke down (semi permanently), and was going to cost me a LOT to get fixed, so I bought a new (used) truck, putting myself on the ever dreadful spot of a small amount of debt, oh do I hate it already, I can't imagine living a life of continous debt! But God has blessed me with a truck that works and a job that keeps it working.
This job that I have been given (literally, it came to me, and fell in my lap) is on a crew doing professional remodeling. We do anything from replacing a bathroom tub, to changing the floor plan of a home, to doubling the size of ones home. It has been really fun work, every little boys dream, demolition, making a huge mess(that someone else gets to clean up =), then rebuilding it to be a beautiful home! and I get to use (and own) some awsome tools, argh!, argh!, argh!
life in a nut shell.

I hope this peases, the throngs, enough, to, keep from recieving unpleasant melodies, and such.
May God bless, and keep you all!

Thoughts.....

2006-09-15T10:32:00.000-07:00

It was recently posed to me, "why on earth would a man be compelled to buy his wife something(something, i.e. jewelry, clothes, or otherwise)....Men actually do that?". My response at the time was "I don't know you just DO"
(*disclaimer, writer claims no actual knowledge of giving gifts to wives, to please them or for neccesity, having himself never been married nor had a wife to give gifts to.)
but upon thinking about it, I thought there has to be a reason, beyond what physcological happiness tells us we want and desire...has to be something biblical, something we are called to by Christ...something...why?

Matthew 7:11, If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

Ephesians 5:28-29 So husbands ought to love there own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.

Genesis 24:53 Then the servant brought out jewelry of silver, jewelry of gold, and clothing and gave them to Rebekah.

"Men are to be as strong and durable as redwood trees,
and as tender and fragrant as a field of clover—
unshakably rugged in the defense and confirmation of the truth,
and relentlessly humble and patient and merciful in dealing with people." ~Piper
"Men whose might is matched by his meekness."
"Men whose intellect is matched by his humility"
"Men who are known for the delight they have in God
and the joy in God that they bring to others".

It is not the neccesity of gift giving that I try to show, but more that men are to be the protectors of women(being the weaker vessel) and to love there wives as they love themselves, for no one ever hated his own flesh, many men are driven by there selfish desires, lusts...there flesh, and will go to great lengths to please there flesh, by this men are called to love there wives with such a regard as they inherently love themselves. When a man loves his wife and nourishes and cherishes her he seeks her well being and happiness, and when he lavishes upon her gifts that make her happy it brings him a joy

Return to sender, adress unknown, aint no such number

2006-03-27T19:08:00.000-08:00

Blogger 404, user not found,

if you see this message, don't feel neglected, everybody got it.
No I'm not running away or hiding. I'm moving, packed up and gone, and forgot to leave a forwarding adress.
To protect the privacy of the innocent, my parents asked me to move, due to the exposure of my full name, and all the bozo's out there I moved.(to help prevent identity theft)

So to all you who suffered emotional trama(not mentioning any names) due to the lack of my communication, I'm sorry.
more to follow........................

.....A sharp dressed man

2006-03-10T11:48:00.000-08:00

Pella Iowa, March 3rd, Anno Domini 2006,

The Tuxes Franky spoke of in his recent post about a "sharp dressed man", were for a formal ball that we were invited to attend and do the calling for.
We arrived there after a long drive on Thursday evening, where we were greeted by our hosts, Mr. and Mrs. Harlow, who immediatly made us at home in their home, as if we were family.
The next day we assisted in preperations for the Friday evening ball(all the while getting a high off of allergy medicine...but that's another story). As the after noon progressed the excitement grew, people from Cornerstone reformed in Ill., arrived, the fellowship was sweet, with friends old and new.

The evening beautiful (not only the evening), they opened with a prayer of thanksgiving to GOD for all he has so abundantly blessed us all with.

"Let Isreal rejoice in their maker; Let the childeren of Zion be joyful in their King. Let them praise His name with dance; Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp" PSALM 149:2-3

OH the beauty! When God's people come together in His name to celebrate His gifts!

It all went superb! Then when they went to close, Mr. Rhoarda(spl?) thanked us for the calling, then He decided to volunteer us for an oncore/demonstration, ahh! on the spot! Luke, Micah, Katie, another young man, 2 more young ladies(whose names have been left out to protect the innocent), and I, did the Posties Jig to one on the fastest songs we own, I'm not sure I've ever danced that fast! We had a ball!!! ;)

After the ball we all went over the Harlow's (the pastor's) house(11:00 pm) for ice cream and fellowship. It was 1:30 before we got to bed.
The next morning we went out to breakfast at little cafe on the square in Pella, a dutch cafe (Pella is of Dutch decent) with a lot of the young people from there and some from Ill. Then spent the morning walking the square,freezing to death, trying to decide what to do.

The History of Pella is interesting, the Dutch settler's where primarily "reformed" so the whole city is primarily christian, and there was a placquet on the square that said: Pella, the city of refuge. Founded here by the Dutch in...... founded on the principle to follow God and all His precepts.

We embarked on our journey several hours earlier than planned, for fear of incliment weather.
But we were seen off by Rhoarda's, Harlow's, amongst others.
The journey was a blessed one.

"Behold how good and how pleasant it is when bretheren dwell together in unity"

Some 17 kids (and adults) crammed into a kitchen that was like 4x6 (I think we topped the vw bug record, for the most people in a small space)

This day in History

2006-02-21T11:21:00.000-08:00

Febuary, 21 in the year of our Lord, and the beginning of a new millenium, 2000.
After recieving several harley davidson valentines cards, and seeing more of the state of Missouri that I thought exhisted( i didn't even know the state exhisted two weeks before) we are to embark on a journey for home, the the journey here was anxious, to see old friends, the journey now home is anxious to go, anxious not to be gone, but to return with our life in a ryder truck. We have placed a oath upon a parcel of earth, for us to buy it upon the sale of our home in Colorado. The land is beautiful, the house...well the house is manageable. The excitement is almost unbearable as we see what the Lord is doing, and the road ahead is one of learning and growing.

Febuary, 21 in the year of our Lord, 2006,
Wow six years, to stop and look back, it strikes you with awe, The Lord has worked His hand and dealt graciously!
Having gone from a fat city kid (who had only ever seen a cow from the car window as we drove in the "country") to being a young man who has seen more hay than days of exhistance.
Both Dad and Momma having been raised in the city, we had no idea what we were getting into, but with out hardly a thought we dove head long into farming, but to look now I would say more so than farming animals, we were farming a family.
We were all on the same curve of learning...learning exactly how to keep 40 chickens alive long enough to kill them, or trying to keep a freezing calf alive (in the bath tub), working till the sun nearly rose again, loading hay, using every once of energy, sweating hot when it is down to 70 at night(no one told us it got hot here), but we have learned it together.

The road having been rough, we have the battle scars to show, but we have been blessed!!!

To look to the road ahead, preparing to enter a different stage of life, I look to the road behind me, thankful for the lessons we have learned!

T-a-double guh- ed

2006-02-07T08:03:00.000-08:00

QUESTION #1:Seven things I hope to do before I die:
1. Go sky diving
2. Gain a deeper understanding of the Bible
3. Learn a musical instrument
4. Raise a godly family
5. Travel in Europe
6. Kayak the rivers of Costa Rica
7. See my great grandchildren playing

QUESTION#2:Seven things I cannot do well (yet):
1. Play a musical instrument
2. Apply make-up
3. Not annoy my momma with my grand persona and use of superfluent vocabulary in conversation
4. be bored
5. hold my tongue
6. Recall where I read a specific verse in the Bible
7. Be a "wall flower"

QUESTION#3:Seven things that would attract me to my spouse:
To attempt at listing the things asked, herein is impossible. To include would fall short, and thus exclude, to exclude would be a tragedy, that I could not bear. For I know not the words in my vocabulary that could limit any qualities to only seven, and still fully describe what was to be conveyed. So I leave up to the void to give but a glimpse of what might answer the above question.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

QUESTION#4:Seven things I say often:
1. umm...
2. Cool beans
3. That is NOT cool!!!
4. I haven't gotten there yet
5. Who's doing the driving??
6. And Such
7. What color is the smoke coming out of the oven supposed to be?!?

QUESTION#5:Seven authors, books or series I love:(This is by no means all inclusive)
1. Future Men, D. Wilson
2.Chronicles of Narnia, C.s. Lewis
3. My life for yours, D. Wilson
4. The Dragon and the raven, G.A. Henty
5. God's gift to women, Eric Ludy
6. The Mark of a man, Elizabeth Elliot
7. The Hitch hikers guide to the galaxy

QUESTION#6:Seven movies I watch over and over again: I'm not fond of re-runs but...
1. Master & Commander
2. The Last Samurai
3. Batman begins
4. I. Robot
5. Finding Nemo
6. You can't take it with you
7. Shenandoa

QUESTION#7:Seven people I want to do this: I hate to use absolutes, saying that I want this or that person to do this, to single this or that person out to be the subjects of my inquisition would be picking favourites.
( I do say though, that Q. #7 is more of a statement than a question)

Q & A

2006-01-28T12:25:00.000-08:00

Being the little kid on the side of the field stomping ants and pulling grass, My Beloved Is Mine has tagged me, and pulled me into this game we play.

QUESTION#1:
What is your favorite dance?
*Spanish waltz!!

QUESTION#2
What would a perfect day be like for you?
*Feasting!, fellowshipping, worshipping, and dancing!! with fellow believers that I love! (to borrow her words)

QUESTION#3
Name 8 of your quirks!
1.Whenever possible, I back into a parking space.
2.I occasionally eat my hamburgers with: ketchup and barbeque sauce on one side, and jelly on the other.
3.I only read books when I'm awake
4.I only have 3 quirks
5.
6.
7.
8.

QUESTION#4
What was one of the most vivid dreams you have ever had?
*I was being chased by a huge killer donald duck, I almost got eaten, then I woke up out of breath.

QUESTION#5
Quote your favorite childhood prayer.
I never had a childhood prayer, but, The sound of my fathers voice when he prays is Unique only to him praying, as a Child it was one of the most comforting things I could ever hear.

QUESTION#6
List 8 items that you would put in a time capsule to be opened by your great, great, great grandchildren.
1. Pictures
2. stories, of God's glory and grace in our lives
3. my pocket knife
4. A cd, so they can say "look momma they used to play music on something this huge"
5. My wedding photo album.
6. a book of dances that we dance
7. a towel =)
8. a legacy

QUESTION#7
List 8 things you do to relax!
1. PRAY
2. Drive really fast!!
3. Go to church!
4. Kayak
5. Dance with my sister(she is only one patient enough)
6. Drink hot tea
7. play with little kids
8. Dance

QUESTION#8
Finish these 8 incomplete sentences.
1. Some people think it is amusing when I....am up past my bed time, and get really punchy(i.e. 4 a.m.)
2. Compared to me, most women/men.....are, older or younger(I've yet to meet someone the exact same age =)
3. I get excited when.....there is a dance coming!!
4. I would like to make myself......a good caffe mocha.
5. Mothers can't......(I not sure I know of anything a mother can't do. Aren't they amazing!!)
6. My friends dont understand why......I act so strange =)
7. I am confident that......the Lord has dealt mercifully with us.
8. If people only knew how......much they mean to me.

The people I choose to tag are as follows:I don't know if I know anybody that hasn't been tagged already.

2006-01-28T10:08:00.000-08:00

After seeing My Beloved Is Mine's love for unique food I thought of this old recipe we have..

Elephant Stew,

1 Elephant
Salt and pepper
2 rabbits(opt.)
Cut elephant into small bite-size pieces.(this should take about 2 months)add enough brown gravy to cover. Cook over kerosene fire for about 4 weeks at 465 f. This will serve 3,800 people. If more are expected, 2 rabbits may be added, but do this only if necessary, as most people don't like to find hare in there stew.

2006-01-26T10:51:00.000-08:00

Tag, tag, tag. Three times and your it, right??
I have been tagged for a grand sum of three times!

When playing tag as a child, I think I was the annoying kid who could out run anybody, but would hover just out of reach, begging to be tagged, but making it impossibly hard on the tagger.
Geuss I'm just getting old and slow =)

Meddling that far down in my mind, might be a dangerous proposition.
In due time you will herein recieve the answers to your many questions........

The Poem of Monroe

2006-01-15T18:00:00.000-08:00

Scribbled this out in my mind on the way home.
It has been refined, I hope you like my poem.=)
-------------------

The group of eighteen, warriors of the Lord
Rose early one morning, and piled into a Ford.

To embark on a journey, long and boring
Shared conversations, laughter, and snoring.

We rented a big ol’ van, and used Purvis‘ too,
divided evenly, the people between the two.

Drove due South through Arkansas, clear from end to end
Continuing on and on, voice messages we did send.

We arrived at our destination, at four in the afternoon
Monroe, Louisiana , not a moment too late, or a moment too soon

Our bottoms were numb, and sore from the trip
Exercise soon, we needed to get

Checked into the hotel, then went to a diner
Fellowship and food, what could be finer?

Sitting there eating, minding our p.‘s and q.‘s
a man stopped, and asked, I have one question to ask of you.

Do you know the Lord? I just have to inquire
For I saw the ladies among you, and their beautiful attire.

The world don’t dress that way, not any more,
What more is there to say? Oh, praise the Lord.

From the world your clothing, is very unique,
Your modesty is something, more than skin-deep

From there to the conference, to hear of God’s word
Encouraging pastors, and men with the sword

To fight a good fight, for not all our battles,
Are against Princes and Kings, on horses with saddles.

To use our stinger missiles, to send blows that hurt
Instead of lobbing pine cones, and neglecting the Church.

Encouraging one another, sweet fellowship too,
Though the mob at the book table was more of a zoo.

Fighting the urge to sneak in some snoozing,
With Dr. Hart, the battle, I was losing.

My head started to bob, till my hip began vibrating.
My cell phone did shake, ‘twas most aggravating.

My brother did make my phone to vibe,
From down the pew my snoozing did spy.

I didn’t fall asleep, not once more on our trip.
My kind loving brother, made sure I not slip.

When it came to singing, and praising our Lord,
our voices together, all in one accord

Sang of His mercy, glory, and might.
Lifted our voices, morn, noon, and night.

Voices, united, a room filled with men
To stand there and listen, made your hair stand on end.

Sitting down for the first lecture, Mr. Cook did get punched.
Purely by accident, His nose did go crunch.

As the laughter subsided, his nose did inspect
Went quickly to the restroom, a tissue to get.

Two nights in a hotel room, with Justin and Tracy.
Not much sleep did we get, went pretty near crazy.

With boundaries set, both were ignoring.
Not one night with them, did end up boring.

Justin, on Tracy several pranks did he play.
Waking in the morning, the room in disarray.

The very last morning, our trip near its end.
Stock up on breakfast, went the command!

For after we leave, lunch won’t be till three.
If you don’t eat up early, hungry you’ll be.

Only half day of lectures, it ended too soon.
We packed up and left, only, half past noon.

On the trip home, we had different seating assignments,
Packed like sardines, we hope no one minds a little confinement.

All in different seats than when we started,
We all almost died if someone farted.

We finally stopped, a quarter past three, for some Mexican food,
For which our stomach’s were thankful, and we thought was good.

Drove on for many hours, to which some were sighing
Mr. Cook as our driver, if we’d had wings we’d a been flying.

We arrived back in Springfield, at something like nine thirty,
Parted ways at the gas station, not the end of our party.

Another good while back to the Purvis’
We decided not to sing, only knowing half the verses

We left their house, being greatly enriched.
Thanking our Lord, for we have been blessed!!

Life the universe and everything

2006-01-05T21:32:00.000-08:00

When one know not what to write or what to write that in which he know not what to write, upon. It is best "they" say to write, write ones thoughts, ones dreams, ones recollections of the past, write anything, just write. One is to say then pronounced he is suffering from a syndrome known as "writer blog".
So for a cure for all the closet poets and writers out there, some genius came up with this method of conveying in which even you now partake.
So all to say, they may be point less and random, but I've been cured, I can come out from my little closet and put it all down here for you to read.

I pray you are uplifted.