What is happening now and What is next....

Hello from the Jamestown basement dwellers! Its been a while since my last post and thought maybe it was time for an update thus far. It has been six months since we sold our house and started our new Journey. If I am honest there has been times of mixed emotions from feeling blessed to have such an amazing family to being frustrated about not knowing whats next for us. I have come to realize however that I would make a terrible realtor because apparently I only know how to buy when prices are high and sell at rock bottom. (Can you sense my frustrations yet?) I never would have guessed the major swing in the housing market in only a few months. That being said lets move on from that topic shall we?!?

Nichole, Peyton, Owen, and I are all doing well and we have started to enjoy the warmer weather when its not raining! It is amazing how much of a difference just being able to get outside and run around can make in everyones attitude especially for a now four year old! Owen has really taken a liking to Peyton driving him around the house in her Jeep. The only problem now is every time he sees it and can't go for a ride he cries! It really is amazing how fast kids grow up and take the world head on! We have really enjoyed watching them grow and learn new things! Nichole and I feel very blessed to have a roof over our heads and a couple extra hands around to help out with the kids (Thanks Mom, Dad, and Uncle Dan!) We really don't know what we would do without you! So thats the mile high overview of whats going on for us these days without boring everyone with the play-by-play details!

Nichole and I have always believed this whole journey is being led by God and that he has a plan for our future! We both have felt like this could be the stepping stone to a much bigger journey. We are both doing our best to listen to what God maybe calling us to and being open to all possibilities. It is however difficult to feel this way and not know what it is He has planned for us. Nichole and I have gone through roughly 20 homes of which none feel like home to us. We both have come to the agreement that we are open to the fact that God could be calling us to another location, but we don't know where or when. We are also trying to be good stewards with the resources God has given us!

CALLING ALL PRAYER WARRIORS: Nichole and I would like to ask for your prayers that God would reveal his next step for our family. Also, that he would give us peace and patience as we seek his will for our lives and that we would honor him by going wherever he calls us. It is my own request that we may not get too comfortable or complacent with what we have today and miss out on what God has planned for us tomorrow. Please take the time to add us to your prayer list so that we may honor God with each passing day. May God's will be done here on earth as it is in Heaven!

Thank you in advance!
Nick, Nichole, Peyton, Owen, and Baylee too!

 

Breaking the Chains and My Confessions

Hello again friends!

I have been wanting to write a new blog for a while but life has a way of getting away from me. Not only that but I am having a hard time focusing my thoughts long enough to get them written down. So forgive me if this post bounces around a bit. That being said lets get some thoughts out there for everyone to ponder... Its time for some raw confessions....

*** WARNING *** THIS MAY OFFEND SOME PEOPLE, BUT I WON'T SAY SORRY FOR IT!

There is a popular saying all of us have heard and that is "If we are not careful history will repeat itself" and I believe there have also been many great debates on this very topic. I have a tendency to believe that it is a true statement. However, I also believe its never too late to break the chains!

A while back I had a conversation with one of my really good friends that went something like this... Hey you know what bothers me about taking the kids some place by yourself? I said no what? People will comment about how nice it is that I have the kids by myself.... Think about that for a minute... We both came to the conclusion that there is something seriously wrong about that. My response to him was its because for far too long guys have not taken responsibility for their families. We have failed to recognize the very well being of our wife and children rests on our shoulders. We failed to recognize the responsibility we willingly accepted when we said I do to our wife. The covenant to which we agreed to uphold in front of God and our families. We have a God given responsibility to lead our families and protect our homes. To model for our children what it means to treat our wives with respect and dignity. To show our daughters what it means to be loved unconditionally by loving their mom unconditionally. To show our sons what it means to be a man of God and how treat a woman as a gift from God. To walk hand-in-hand together in this journey we call life as best friends who were wonderfully created for each other.

Just as Jesus is head of the Church so too we are head of our marriage and families. It is that very example to which we need to follow. We need to love them unconditionally and be a servant to their needs. We need to have both kind words and loving actions! Many people have tried to blame our failures on the generations that came before us. I believe it plays a part of it however I also believe we are responsible for our own actions! We can be sure the devil is against us and will do anything to make us fail. Selfishness is our own worst enemy and can consume us at anytime.  However, God has already won the battle and if He is for us then who can stand against us!!!

*** My Confessions***
Now, having said all that some maybe thinking wow he must really have it figured out. OR who is he telling us how to live our life? He is no better then any of us. My response is no I don't have it all figured out and yes I have failed my family many times. I don't always love Nichole the way God wants me too... I don't always speak words of encouragement and I take her for granted. I am not always loving and patient with my children... I can be selfish and to put it plainly I come up short often. However, like I said before, I believe its never too late to break these chains! I am not always proud of who I am, but I am glad God has abundant love and grace for me. I believe with Gods help I can live into the plans he has for me and honor the responsibilities he has given me. I believe I can show my children how to love God and our family.  I believe I need to demonstrate this with not just words but also with actions because it requires both not just one or the other. It is my prayer that there are men like me who also desire to do better not only for our families but for society in general. I hope together we can show the world we are not willing to repeat history and fail but to separate ourselves and make a real difference. To restore some hope in this generation that seems to be hopeless. I know I can't do it alone and will need a lot of help. I know I will stumble and fall. However, I also know I need to get back up again and press on because my family is depending on me!

So to all the men out there it is also our responsibility to do the laundry, dishes, vacuum, dust, bathe our children, tuck them in bed, work hard and provide, love and encourage our wives, as well as pray often and lead by service! All with the help of the one who created us and can do immeasurably more then we could ask or imagine!

Blessings to you and your families!

~Nick