A Little Bragging on Josh

I don't brag on Josh enough, in fact, I don't give him enough breaks sometimes. I wanted to tell a little more about his life. Joshua saved and bought this drum set in Missouri while we were on vacation. It has been a loud but valuable asset to the musical activity in our home. My favorite sound is Joshua's voice as he plays his guitar. He has now saved enough to buy an electric acoustic guitar. We are all thankful for his seemingly effortless ability to improve. He might disagree and say he practices but I am clueless when it comes to musical ability. Joshua works part time for his Uncle's business doing office work such as bidding jobs, dealing with clients over the phone, E-mails, etc. He is very fortunate to have this opportunity and I know the confidence and skills he is acquiring are priceless. He takes great care of the kids and house when Kenny and I are away. He is also blessed with a love for reading and is serious about his education. Golfing (and improving in the sport) with Kenny and Paul is also a huge part of his life. Because high school homeschoolers don't seem to have team sports opportunities in this area we have let him work out at a boxing gym with some great guys a few times a week. But most importantly he seems to have a love for his family and Creator so..... I couldn't ask for a better son!!! (sometimes I don't hesitate to send constant correction to the kids and while that can be good, I know they need to be told all the good and how much they are appreciated so I am announcing to all that we are grateful for what God has given us. God spared his life on that sad day when his brother went on to eternity. At three years old he became an even more precious gift to us. We told him then and we tell him now ..... You are here with a purpose.

Joshua and Hope hang out often and play music and sing together. Hope is a talented, God-fearing friend and cousin and we are grateful she lives right next door. I am looking forward to the day when many others will have the opportunity to hear the songs she has written.

I ask friends and family to pray for our teens as they are up against so many lies being yelled out to them in every direction. I don't hope for perfect teens, nor expect it but I hope they can through the power of God in their lives ....Do Hard Things.... like the book Josh just read by the Harris twins. They can rise above low expectations not for the purpose of their own glory but to the encouragement and uplifting of others. How can others know of the love of God unless we are confident in showing it? Josh just told me today of his disgust when he sees Christians come across like they are better than others. While we should never be ashamed of the righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, others need to see that it's only through our allowing Him to live in us. Our pride is smellier than blatant sin. Jesus seemed to portray this as he dealt with others. Lord, humble us and help us to glory only in the cross......Let our Christianity be relational (as my friend Tina says) and not religious. Anyway, please pray for Josh as he will be seeking direction in the next few years.

Just a note: Lily has had a tough week with close to 200 seizures in 5 days. Her seizing was worse at night and they would come in clusters of 10 or so. She is better now and on a third med. She is glad to be sleeping better and she handles it so well but please pray this does not become a common week in her life. So far this only has happened twice before. Both times she was hospitalized but this time it was manageable at home since we had all the meds we needed. Thanks for praying. She is amazing.