Happy Two Month Anniversary

Two months...really?...only two months?

10 more to go...but who's counting

Roller Coaster

After taking the cable off of all the t.v.s until a plan was written on how to better use media outlets in the house...we plunged to the bottom...after wallowing and fighting at the bottom (which included temper tantrums, blaming lots of people and a middle finger in Jon's face) we shot to the top...with reconciliation, plans being completed, and Jon receiving apologies for several disrespecting incidents that happened over the last couple of days (including the middle finger in the face).

We are still at the top, thus far.

As the ride continues...we are learning...and I guess that's pretty much all we can expect...to learn

6 little teenagers living in a house (REMIX)

six little teenagers living in a house...

one gets mad and gets kicked out

five little teenagers living in a house...

one loses his job and then runs out

four little teenagers living in a house...

one gets mad and curses us out

four little teenagers living in a house...

two more are added when the house parents are out

six little teenagers living in a house...

house parents hope that this works out {for the best}

{to the tune of "5 little monkeys jumping on the bed"...Lyrics are a collaboration of Jon + Emily}

see original song here

A little from {Say Lovely}

{Psalm 13}

1 How long, O LORD ? Will you forget me forever? 

How long will you hide your face from me?

2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts 

and every day have sorrow in my heart? 

How long will my enemy triumph over me?

3 Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. 

Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

4 my enemy will say, "I have overcome him," 

and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

5 But I trust in your unfailing love; 

my heart rejoices in your salvation.

6 I will sing to the LORD, 

for he has been good to me.

It has been very hard...just one of these feats would be hard by themselves...but two...

This weekend we had one of our boys run away...but I still got all of my homework for Monday AND Tuesday classes done...only the Divine could have been involved in that, for sure

So it's not a matter of wondering if we are in the wrong place...it's a matter of who we are putting our trust in...the hubbs and I have for sure been praying more together since we took on this house parenting job...but we sense a lack of scripture in our lives and a lack of quiet time...and scriptures ,like the one above, prove to us that we NEED this good, rich nutrient to survive from day to day.

I have always seen such beauty at the end of myself and knowing that God is working in spite of me. The hubbs and I have come to end of ourselves in a short four weeks...so we are ready...GOD USE US PLEASE!

But what we continue to see is a broken world that has shaped the hearts and souls of these boys in our home...and God's unfailing love is the only thing that can remodel.

Oh God, my God...why has though forsaken me? Why would you bring us here, just to show us that we don't know anything about how to change the lives of these boys?

And He smiles down and says:

"Trust in my unfailing love, and your heart will rejoice in my salvation."

I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me.

Click here to see original post

6 little teenagers living in a house...

one gets mad and gets kicked out

five little teenagers living in a house...

one loses his job and then runs out

four little teenagers living in a house...

one gets mad and curses us out

four little teenagers living in a house...

when do you think they'll figure it out?

{to the tune of "5 little monkeys jumping on the bed"...Lyrics are a collaboration of Jon + Emily}

Out of the Overflow, The Mouth Speaks

"out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. ³⁵The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. ³⁶But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. ³⁷For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."
Matthew 12


Here we are in Pennsylvania.  I am reminded of the truth of scripture.  Several times in the past three weeks, this scripture has come to my mind.  


"Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks."  


Emily and I are working with six teenagers whose hearts are filled with pain, bitterness, anger, frustration, selfishness, hurts, insecurities, fear...


And they speak to us and one another out of this fear, anger, bitterness.  


Their conversations, their words are so hateful, so hurtful, angry.


Two or three of our guys call another one of our guys a Fat A*@.  Of course, we get on to them.  But later, they do it again.  Or they tell him he could lose wait if he would just try harder.  He isn't even that overweight.   


But, I was checking our guys' internet history, and I found several sights like, "how to get a six pack" and "How to lose weight fast".  He really is insecure about his weight.  


I have talked to them all about the power of words.  I told them how one statement, positive or negative, spoken in the moment can stay with someone for years, or even decades.  


As I reflect on this scripture, I realize that telling them the power of their hurtful words will not stop them from speaking them.


They are speaking from their hearts, which are overflowing with the negative, the dark, or even as the scripture says, out of "the evil stored up in them".


To change their speech, we need not change their knowledge or understanding. We need to help them find a way to change their heart.  


A change of the heart is not something that can be forced.  

The results are in

I got my first paper back today...and I just knew I would open up my BlackBoard site and see a big fat
C
But alas, I did not...I opened my BlackBoard site to a beautiful
90 out of 100
I could not believe it!  I had even told my prof. that I knew it was a C...and he left me a comment on the bottom of my feedback paper, saying it was one of the better papers on the class.
Wow...I can do this
Thanks Jon for reminding me that I can even when I think I can't...you are awesome...and quite the handsome house husband :)