tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29535032940338207892024-02-06T23:08:59.915-05:00Revising My LifeLife lessons, programming tips, spiritual truths, book reviews, and more!Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07354609550701638200noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2953503294033820789.post-1412577827269847302018-05-26T00:30:00.001-04:002018-05-26T00:30:39.750-04:00He Giveth More Grace<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="false"
DefSemiHidden="false" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="375">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footer"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of figures"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope return"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="line number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="page number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of authorities"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="macro"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="toa heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Closing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="List Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Mention"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Smart Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hashtag"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Unresolved Mention"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:107%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve been working on a piano arrangement off and on for
several months now. It’s a beautiful piece, and I’ve been given the opportunity
to play it for morning service prelude tomorrow at <a href="http://www.calvarybible.org/" target="_blank">Calvary Bible Church</a>. The
arrangement is a medley of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">He Giveth More
Grace</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">No One Ever Cared for Me
Like Jesus</i>. I love the dynamics and Mark Hayes’ careful placement of
accidentals throughout the piece, but I particularly love the lyrics to the
first song. I’m not even sure how I know them, to be honest with you. I don’t
recall ever singing that song in church as an adult, so I suspect I must
remember them from my childhood. I don’t think I had thought about the song or
its lyrics since those childhood years, but when I first started working on
this arrangement the words to the refrain and most of the first verse surfaced from
my memory, and I was struck by the simple, yet powerful, truth that those words
proclaim. In recent days I’ve been hearing the song in my head, and I’ve taken
advantage of knowing the lyrics by singing along (in my head, usually!). I
wonder how many people are familiar with this song, though. If I haven’t heard
it sung in church as an adult, I suspect quite a few other people haven’t heard
it either, especially those who are younger than me. If you’re not familiar
with it, keep reading. I’ve included the lyrics below, and linked to an old recording
of someone singing the song, and also Ravi Zacharias talking about the song’s
author.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">He Giveth
More Grace</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He giveth more grace when the
burdens grow greater,<br />
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;<br />
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,<br />
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Refrain</span></u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,<br />
His power no boundary known unto men;<br />
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus<br />
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When we have exhausted our store of
endurance,<br />
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,<br />
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources<br />
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Refrain</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Fear not that thy need shall exceed
His provision,<br />
Our God ever yearns His resources to share;<br />
Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;<br />
The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Refrain</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ben Markley singing "He Giveth More Grace":</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/v1yDXSbrNWs/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/v1yDXSbrNWs?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ravi Zacharias talking about the song's author:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/RJKcseXI5H0/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RJKcseXI5H0?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></div>
Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07354609550701638200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2953503294033820789.post-74860698253358605232017-02-01T14:49:00.002-05:002017-02-01T14:49:53.787-05:00Book review: You Carried Me<br />
<div>
<a href="http://amzn.to/2kt3rkv">"You Carried Me"</a> is a heartfelt accounting of one woman's journey from the discovery of her attempted abortion to ultimately meeting and uniting with her birth mother decades later. She writes openly of her struggles after making this abortion discovery when a young teenager. I cannot even being to imagine how difficult it would be to learn that your mother had tried to abort you.<br />
<br />
<br />
I was never tempted to put the book down and stop reading it. The author has told her story well, and her love for others in similar circumstances shines throughout many of this book's pages. "You Carried Me" is powerful, moving, gripping, and enlightening!<br />
<br />
<br />
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://amzn.to/2kt3rkv" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2euU8pHwmoeDMChwMaiGKfB2xoFvgJHrgmqN4ZRYJUgfh3Tqp2trfbC5YJno1sG6SwRsv3Lwqyg05yAO0D-Sc5VybamORxWC_VVBepr1pP590IgTdouNhDUb9p84XXdbNA8YiG5PQ96G/s320/YouCarriedMe.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07354609550701638200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2953503294033820789.post-54317966519986037942017-01-11T21:11:00.000-05:002017-01-11T21:11:46.961-05:00Feelings vs Truths<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Following some excellent advice received from a Christian brother last night, I turned to Scripture this afternoon after talking to the Lord about some feelings with which I had been wrestling. God then took me on a bit of a journey through His Word. I didn't encounter any truths that were entirely new to me, but He totally impressed a deeper realization of these truths upon me and that was exactly what I needed. I documented a condensed version of the journey and then realized that there's no better topic than Scripture with which to start resurrecting my blog. So without further ado, here's the condensed version of my journey, with my hope and prayer that sometime down the road it will minister to someone else that is wrestling with the same feelings.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: block; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<u>Feeling:</u> I feel unloved.</div>
<div style="color: black; display: block; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: block; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b>Truth:</b> "For <u>God so loved the world </u>that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." <a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/nkjv/jhn/3/16/s_1000016" target="_blank">John 3:16</a></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: block; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
-I am part of the world. I am loved by God.</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: block; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: block; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b>Truth:</b> "As the Father loved Me, <u>I also have loved you</u>; abide in My love." <a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/nkjv/jhn/15/9/s_1012009" target="_blank">John 15:9</a><br />
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: block; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<i>Question:</i> "How do I abide in Christ's love?"</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: block; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b>Truth:</b> "<u>If you keep my commandments, you will abide in My love</u>, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love." <a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/nkjv/jhn/15/10/s_1012010" target="_blank">John 15:10</a></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: block; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: block; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<i>Question:</i> "Does the Father really love me?"</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: block; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b>Truth:</b> "...for <u>the Father Himself loves you</u>, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God." <a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/nkjv/jhn/16/27/s_1013027" target="_blank">John 16:27</a></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: block; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: block; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<u>Feeling:</u> I feel unwanted.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: block; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b>Truth:</b> I have been "called...out of darkness into His marvelous light" <a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/nkjv/1pe/2/9/s_1153009" target="_blank">1 Peter 2:9b</a> - The Lord wouldn't call someone that He didn't want!</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: block; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: block; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b>Truth:</b> He has chosen me. "You did not choose Me, but<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><u>I chose you</u><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another. If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><u>I chose you</u> out of the world, therefore the world hates you." <a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/nkjv/jhn/15/16/s_1012016" target="_blank">John 15:16-19</a></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: block; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<u></u><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: block; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<u>Feeling:</u> I feel alone.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: block; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b>Truth:</b> I am not alone. The Holy Spirit is always with me. "...if I depart, I will send [the Helper] to you...when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come." <a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/nkjv/jhn/16/7/s_1013007" target="_blank">John 16:7b</a> & <a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/nkjv/jhn/16/13/s_1013013" target="_blank">John 16:13</a></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: block; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: block; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b>Truth:</b> "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>'<u>I will never leave you nor forsake you.</u>'</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>So we may boldly say:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>'<u>The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?</u>''</i>" <a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/nkjv/heb/13/5/s_1146005" target="_blank">Hebrews 13:5</a><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: block; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b>Truth:</b> I was dead. "And you He made alive,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><u>who were dead in trespasses and sins</u>," <a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/nkjv/eph/2/1/s_1099001" target="_blank">Ephesians 2:1</a><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: block; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b>Truth:</b> God brought me to life. "God, <u>who gives life to the dead</u> and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;" <a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/nkjv/rom/4/17/s_1050017" target="_blank">Romans 4:17</a> This verse stopped me in my tracks for awhile. Only the Almighty God can "call those things which do not exist as though they did" or, as another translation puts it, "calls into being that which does not exist."</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: block; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b><br /></b>
<b>Truth:</b> I'm still dead! <u>Christ lives in me</u>. "I have been crucified with Christ; <u>it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me</u>; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." <a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/nkjv/gal/2/20/s_1093020" target="_blank">Galatians 2:20</a></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: block; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b><br /></b>
<b>Truth:</b> Everything good that I do is trash with my justification in view. "I do not set aside the grace of God, <u>for if righteousness comes through the law, then</u><span class="Apple-converted-space"><u> </u></span><u>Christ died in vain</u>." <a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/nkjv/gal/2/21/s_1093021" target="_blank">Galatians 2:21</a> "Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt." <a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/nkjv/rom/4/4/s_1050004" target="_blank">Romans 4:4</a> "But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;" <a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/nkjv/isa/64/6/s_743006" target="_blank">Isaiah 64:6a</a></div>
<div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike><br /></strike></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Feelings can be extremely deceitful. If they don't line up with Scripture then reject them!</span></div>
<br />Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07354609550701638200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2953503294033820789.post-36454798195473011622015-11-03T16:08:00.000-05:002015-11-03T16:08:18.274-05:00Using Parameters with SqlCommand objectsToday, I spent more hours than I care to admit struggling to get a relatively basic section of C# code to work correctly. I tweaked it many times after searching and reading numerous online forum posts related to the specific SqlException messages I was receiving.<br />
<br />
The two SqlException messages that I would receive (one or the other for each code execution instance, depending on the exact details of that particular code tweak):<br />
<i>Conversion failed when converting date and/or time from character string.</i><br />
or<br />
<i>Failed to convert parameter value from a String to a DateTime.</i><br />
<br />
I taught myself some C# skills a <span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">numbe</span>r of years ago and picked up a way of working with database queries in C# that worked, and never bothered to see if it was the best practice way of working with database queries. That approach was to include the query parameters within the query string, concatenating parameter values into the string as needed. Something like the following:<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">string sQuery = "SELECT FirstName FROM FamilyMembers WHERE LastName = '" + sLastName + "'";</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Or something like this for a datetime field:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">string sQuery = "SELECT FirstName, LastName FROM FamilyMembers WHERE BirthDate > '" + sDate + "'";</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">I have relatively recently discovered that this is not at all good coding practice, and that parameter values should rather be added via the <a href="https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.data.sqlclient.sqlcommand.parameters%28v=vs.110%29.aspx" target="_blank">Parameters</a> property of the <a href="https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.data.sqlclient.sqlcommand%28v=vs.110%29.aspx" target="_blank">SqlCommand</a> class. You can read up on all of the details at the linked Microsoft pages, but first I'll show you how I was attempting to use parameters.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">string sQuery = "SELECT FirstName, LastName FROM FamilyMembers WHERE LastName = '@LastName' AND BirthDate > '@BirthDate';</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">var cmd = new SqlCommand(conn);</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">cmd.Parameters.Add("@LastName", SqlDbType.NVarChar, 20);</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">cmd.Parameters["@LastName"].Value = sLastName;</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">cmd.Parameters.Add("@BirthDate", SqlDBType.DateTime);</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">cmd.Parameters["@BirthDate"].Value = sDate;</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Executing one of the SqlCommand's Execute methods would invariably result in one of the two SqlExceptions shown above. I tried everything I could think for the date/time value, including outputting it in multiple different formats and running it through DateTime.Parse or DateTime.TryParse first. Nothing I tried would work correctly.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">The key detail in the code above is that I was including the referenced parameters in my query string the same way I previously included the parameter values themselves - with single quotes around them. It finally dawned on me to try the code without the single quotes around the referenced parameters, and lo and behold, the code suddenly worked!!!</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
Here's the updated code:<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">string sQuery = "SELECT FirstName, LastName FROM FamilyMembers WHERE LastName = @LastName AND BirthDate > @BirthDate;</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">var cmd = new SqlCommand(conn);</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">cmd.Parameters.Add("@LastName", SqlDbType.NVarChar, 20);</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">cmd.Parameters["@LastName"].Value = sLastName;</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">cmd.Parameters.Add("@BirthDate", SqlDBType.DateTime);</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">cmd.Parameters["@BirthDate"].Value = sDate;</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">I don't know whether this is true across all SQL query/parameter possibilities, but it's definitely true for this example. <u>The referenced parameters do not need to be enclosed in single quotes, double quotes, square brackets, curly brackets (yes, I tried each of those!), or anything at all!!!</u> Just reference them in the query text and let the SqlCommand object take care of incorporating the query values into the query text however they need to be incorporated!</span></span></span></span>Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07354609550701638200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2953503294033820789.post-53293140500763148962011-01-06T19:35:00.005-05:002011-01-06T21:41:21.000-05:00The Least Among You (review)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003PAXOOQ?ie=UTF8&tag=anesliste-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003PAXOOQ"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 317px;" src="http://www.booksneeze.com/art/_225_350_Book.262.cover.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003PAXOOQ?ie=UTF8&tag=anesliste-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003PAXOOQ">The Least Among You</a> (based on a true story) tells the story of Richard Kelly, a black student at an all-white seminary in the 1960's. At the beginning of the movie we learn that Richard has landed a highly coveted job in the computer industry, in spite of his mother's wishes that he go to seminary to become a minister. Things don't quite turn out the way he had planned though, as he is charged with a crime he did not commit and is promptly thrown in jail. A family friend is able to get him out of jail on a plea bargain, but one of the conditions is that he serve a year's probation at seminary.<div><br /></div><div>The movie then shows Richard's struggles at seminary. Richard has no real intention of becoming a minister, and doesn't even want anything to do with God. All he wanted was to study hard and get good grades so he could finish his probation and get back to his computer job, but he quickly discovers that the school president has more in mind. The school president wants him to pave the way for future black students at the seminary. Shortly after arriving at seminary Richard meets Samuel, the gardener, and over time they develop a friendship that in someways resembled a father-son relationship. Throughout his time at seminary, we see prejudice on several different levels, and Richard's struggles to rise above it. Ultimately, the story is about redemption and doing what is right regardless of the cost.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; color: rgb(108, 97, 89); line-height: 19px; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small; ">I received this DVD free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own</span></i>.</span></div>Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07354609550701638200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2953503294033820789.post-45303461355132372682011-01-01T02:20:00.005-05:002011-01-03T00:11:44.149-05:002011 GoalsIt has now been over three months since my last post, but, hey, who's counting?!<div><br /></div><div>I've been mulling this over for the past few days, trying to flesh out this post in my head before sitting down to write it. I knew what I wanted to write about, but never quite figured out the details. Today it morphed into something a little different. Namely, a post about my 2011 Goals. I've never been big on making New Year's Resolutions, but I certainly have a number of things I need to be working on in my life so I figured this is as good a time as any to get started!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>-Become better organized.</b> This one just occurred to me the other day while I was digging through one of my many piles of paperwork, looking for a receipt. I spend so much time searching for this or that piece of paper. Receipts, bills, insurance records, user manuals, notes, and so on. If it exists in paper form, I probably have it or something like it buried in a pile somewhere in the house. Part of my problem is that I save a lot of paperwork that really doesn't need to be saved. I need to learn to discern better what paperwork I really need to keep, and what I can safely throw away.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>-Work on my spiritual walk.</b> Over the last month or so our pastor has preached a number of excellent messages that were geared towards helping us improve our spiritual walk. Most of these were part of a series titled "Loving God Holistically." He preached a message each about loving God with our heart, our soul, our mind, and our body (strength). I felt like I gleaned quite a bit from these messages that would help me in my spiritual walk, but as of yet I haven't really taken any of that information and worked on it in my own life. The new year is a good time to focus on this aspect of my life. I'll probably write a little about some of those sermons in the future as I work through applying them in my life.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>-Physical health/weight gain.</b> Over the last couple of months I have all but stopped working on gaining weight and exercising on a regular basis. I actually dropped a few pounds during that time period, so now I have to work all over at putting them back on again. I also plan on getting back to using the weights and hopefully something for cardio as well.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Tonight I keep thinking back to this night exactly one year ago. My wife and I enjoyed pizza from our local B.C. Pizza for dinner, and then later that evening went to bed wondering (as we had every night for the past several weeks) if this would be the night that our son would make his entrance into the world. It was now several days past his due date, and we were rather anxious to meet him! Little did we know what the <a href="http://newslimestew.blogspot.com/2010/01/uriah.html">following morning would bring</a>.</div>Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07354609550701638200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2953503294033820789.post-17053558848992211242010-09-13T17:18:00.003-04:002010-09-13T23:03:19.485-04:00Immanuel's Veins, by Ted Dekker<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1595540091?ie=UTF8&tag=anesliste-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1595540091"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 327px;" src="http://www.booksneeze.com/art/_225_350_Book.239.cover.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;"><p><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;"><i>This story is for everyone--but not everyone is for this story.</i></span></b></p><p>It is a dangerous tale of times past. A love story full of deep seduction. A story of terrible longing and bold sacrifice.</p><p>Then as now, evil begins its courtship cloaked in light. And the heart embraces what it should flee. Forgetting it once had a truer lover.</p><p>With a kiss, evil will ravage body, soul, and mind. Yet there remains hope, because the heart knows no bounds.</p><p>Love will prove greater than lust. Sacrifice will overcome seduction. And blood will flow.</p><p>Because the battle for the heart is always violently opposed. For those desperate to drink deep from this fountain of life, enter.</p><p><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;"><i>But remember, not everyone is for this story.</i></span></b></p></span></div><div><br /></div>I was recently given an opportunity to review an advance copy of Ted Dekker's latest work, <i>Immanuel's Veins</i>. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the book, as I had never read any of Dekker's other books. The review snippets I had seen from others heightened my interest in the book, as they all had high praise for it.<div><br /></div><div>The story of <i>Immanuel's Veins</i> takes place in 1772 in Moldavia. Toma Nicolescu and Alek Cardei are sent by Catherine the Great, empress of Russia, to the Cantemir estate for the purpose of protecting the Cantemir family. The Cantemir family consists of mother Kesia, and daughters Natasha and Lucine, each strikingly beautiful. What should have been an easy assignment quickly turns into a very complex and dangerous situation. Toma hides the love he has for one of the daughters because his highest duty is loyalty to the empress, who had commanded him to not get involved with the daughters. He soon realizes that the daughter he loves is in grave danger and he sets out to attempt to save her in the face of incredible odds.</div><div><br /></div><div>Overally, I really enjoyed reading this book. It grabbed my attention with the first couple of pages and held it through to the end. It is a tale of redemption and sacrifice and love, and of good ultimately winning over evil.</div><div><br /></div><div>A couple of things I didn't necessarily like:</div><div>-Vampires play a big role in this book. As one who is concerned and disturbed by the vampire craze that seems to be sweeping the country and even some of our churches, I appreciated the way that Ted Dekker incorporated them into this book. I don't want to give away too much so that's all I'm going to say about that. <i>Had I known the book contained vampires I wouldn't have requested it. Having read the book, I'm really glad I didn't know about the vampires because then I would have missed out on what I think is a great book.</i></div><div>-The Christian message in this book doesn't show up until pretty much the very end of the book. So don't start reading it expecting the entire book to be a Christian novel. It's rather worldly for much of the story.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thomas Nelson asked me to voluntarily include the following question, along with my answer.</div><div><i>What is sacrificial love?</i></div><div>Sacrificial love is the kind of love that is solely focused on meeting the needs of another, regardless of the cost. The greatest example of sacrificial love we will ever know is Jesus Christ's sacrificing his life on the cross for us - <b>for me.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Thomas Nelson also printed a limited number of t-shirts for this book. If you're interested in winning a free "Spread the Love" t-shirt, simply comment on this post and I will select a winner randomly on Saturday, September 18. (Grey t-shirt, sketch of a heart in black, with the words "Spread the Love" in red.)</div><div><br /></div><div>You can purchase a copy of <i>Immanuel's Veins</i> by clicking on the book image above.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(108, 97, 89); line-height: 19px; font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;font-size:12px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:x-small;">I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own</span></i>.</span></div>Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07354609550701638200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2953503294033820789.post-5144718771446840232010-09-07T22:59:00.004-04:002010-09-07T23:33:45.917-04:00Book review: Permission to Speak Freely<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0849945992?ie=UTF8&tag=anesliste-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0849945992"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 309px;" src="http://www.booksneeze.com/art/_225_350_Book.238.cover.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Anne Jackson has put together a powerful book in Permission to Speak Freely. This book, a collection of "essays and art on fear, confession, and grace", grew out of a collection of responses to a question she had posted on her blog (flowerdust.net) back in 2008. The question: What is the one thing you feel you can't say in the church? The response was overwhelming, and Anne quickly realized that this question resonated with a lot of people.<div><br /></div><div>Anne talks about her own experiences growing up as a pastor's kid, and her later struggles with certain sins. She discovered at a young age that many Christians/churches are very unforgiving of sin in people's lives. Through her own experiences and the many responses from her blog readers she discovered that people everywhere are in desperate need of compassion and healing, but we're all too scared to share our struggles with anyone else. She talks about the freedom that can be found in confession and how we can help so many people by encouraging this mindset. Anne explores why so many Christians hide behind their masks of fineness, instead of being honest about the struggles in their lives. By confessing our sins and struggles to like-minded Christians we can both help others and be helped ourselves. When we hide our struggles from everyone it's easy to start thinking that we're the only ones walking through the valleys. But when you speak up and reveal the brokenness in your own life you soon realize that there are others all around you that are just as broken as you are, and you all help to carry each other through. In the end, it all comes back to each of us being a sinner in desperate need of the Savior. Don't look down on someone that is broken, for we all are broken in different ways. Pick up the broken, and help them to see the love and grace that Christ offers.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is a really good book. You can buy one <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0849945992?ie=UTF8&tag=anesliste-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0849945992">here</a>, should you be so inclined.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(108, 97, 89); line-height: 19px; font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;font-size:12px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:x-small;">I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own</span></i>.</span></div>Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07354609550701638200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2953503294033820789.post-74728321268995571602010-08-10T22:02:00.005-04:002010-08-10T22:24:57.791-04:00Book review: The Revolutionary Paul Revere<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigLd2wGFVw6SMEFIQFhe-LiWSRiwps6MOYgqr3lWXLlyyirNUMTWGepO-XCmGQSnoJB-wxiO1TXKAnTML9hwU7NsEWH_fmjGM2Pbuc70PTetp8rbNGQUIZ0qmLv_iqctdkUzmDhH-_BJip/s1600/paul_revere_book.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 209px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigLd2wGFVw6SMEFIQFhe-LiWSRiwps6MOYgqr3lWXLlyyirNUMTWGepO-XCmGQSnoJB-wxiO1TXKAnTML9hwU7NsEWH_fmjGM2Pbuc70PTetp8rbNGQUIZ0qmLv_iqctdkUzmDhH-_BJip/s320/paul_revere_book.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503971649462414642" /></a>I enjoyed reading this account of Paul Revere's life. The book - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1595550747?ie=UTF8&tag=anesliste-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1595550747">The Revolutionary Paul Revere</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=anesliste-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1595550747" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> - does a good job of discussing the various stages in Paul's life, from his childhood years all the way to his death. It shows all of the various ways he was a part of the American Revolution. You've undoubtedly heard of his famous midnight ride, but he was also involved in the Revolution in many other ways. He made many other rides during the Revolution years, delivering messages and important documents from one colony to another. Mr. Revere was also an expert engraver and goldsmith, and even dabbled in dentistry! One of the many things I learned about Paul Revere while reading this book is that he was part of the Continental Army during the Revolution.<div><br /></div><div>As mentioned, I enjoyed reading this book. However, I think the recommendation shown on the front cover is a bit overstated - "Gallops along with all the drama and intrigue of a great novel." This is a good book, but it did not grab my attention and pull me in the way a great novel typically does.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(108, 97, 89); line-height: 19px; font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;font-size:12px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:x-small;">I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own</span></i>.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(108, 97, 89); line-height: 19px; font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;font-size:12px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(108, 97, 89); line-height: 19px; font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;font-size:12px;">(Note: I've neglected my blogging for some time now. I'm hoping to change that soon, and plan on having a non-book-review post up shortly.)</span></div>Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07354609550701638200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2953503294033820789.post-36900045774366845132010-05-03T23:40:00.000-04:002010-05-03T23:44:31.499-04:00Plan B: What Do You Do When God Doesn't Show Up the Way You Thought He Would?<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0849946506?ie=UTF8&tag=anesliste-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0849946506"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 348px;" src="http://www.booksneeze.com/art/_225_350_Book.186.cover.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=anesliste-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0849946506" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></span></a><div>(I almost forgot that I committed to posting a review for this book on May 3rd! May 3rd is just about over - and here is my review, just in time!)</div><div><br /></div><div>A little over 3 weeks ago I received an e-mail from BookSneeze informing me that the following day they were going to make 500 copies of Pete Wilson’s book, Plan B, available for review on a first-come-first-serve basis. Three months ago I had never heard of Pete Wilson, but a couple of months ago I found <a href="http://withoutwax.tv/">his blog</a> and his <a href="http://www.crosspoint.tv/">church’s website</a> and both have challenged me to grow in various ways. I was thus excited to hear about a review opportunity for his book, and jumped at the chance to obtain a copy.</div><div><br /></div><div>The subtitle of the book is, “What Do You Do When God Doesn't Show Up the Way You Thought He Would?” Pete writes in a casual, conversational manner, which helped me to better grasp and understand the concepts he presents. He readily admits that he doesn’t have all the answers, but the point of the book is to help you understand how to respond during your Plan B times and how to use those times to continue transforming yourself into the person God wants you to be.</div><div><br /></div><div>At first glance this book sounds very similar to another book I recently reviewed (<a href="http://newslimestew.blogspot.com/2010/02/book-review-where-is-god-by-dr-john.html">“Where is God? Finding His Presence, Purpose and Power in Difficult Times”</a>), but I felt challenged and encouraged much more by “Plan B” than I did by “Where is God?” Pete weaves real-life stories throughout the chapters to help illustrate his points – stories of Biblical characters (including David, Job, Naomi, and Joseph) and stories from people he has encountered in his ministry.</div><div><br /></div><div>This book challenged me to:</div><div>-Trust God more, recognizing that sometimes trust requires me to take the first step of faith</div><div>-Wait on God, realizing that just because I don’t see him working to bring good out of a Plan B situation doesn’t mean he isn’t working and preparing for an ultimately better end to the situation.</div><div>-Remember that God’s presence is something I can always rely on, no matter what.</div><div><br /></div><div>I highly recommend the book to anyone who has gone through difficult times in their life.</div><div><br /></div><div>I will leave you some words from the last chapter of the book.</div><div><br /></div><div><blockquote>“It seems hardly a day goes by that we don’t witness a collision between these two realities. How can we reconcile these two unmixable components: a God of love who is all-powerful and the universal experience of tragedy and suffering? … Instead of an answer, God offers us something better. He offers us a solution. He offers us the cross.”</blockquote></div><div><br /></div><div></div><blockquote><div>“If you’re in the midst of a Plan B situation or if you’re still reeling from one, then you’re continuing to flatten your nose against those two contradictory realities: a loving God and a broken life full of pain.</div><div><br /></div><div>And every time you confront it, you’re left with a choice. The choice of faith.</div><div><br /></div><div>Faith is saying I choose to believe in you, God, more than this or that tragedy. I throw myself in utter dependence on you – you alone, a God who specializes in resurrections, a God who brings hope to the hopeless, a God who is a father to the fatherless, a God who was willing to send your Son to a cross to prove that you are more powerful than the worst thing evil could do.”</div></blockquote><div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(108, 97, 89); line-height: 19px; font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;font-size:12px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:x-small;">I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own</span></i>.</span></div>Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07354609550701638200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2953503294033820789.post-43314459953386413702010-03-27T22:56:00.003-04:002010-03-27T23:00:49.995-04:00MercyMe - Bring the Rain<div>I heard this song for the first time a few days ago. I've been listening to it a lot since then. Thought I'd share it with all of you. Make sure you listen to/read the lyrics.</div><div><br /></div><object width="500" height="405"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/m17af0XmPFo&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/m17af0XmPFo&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="405"></embed></object>Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07354609550701638200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2953503294033820789.post-58948633927856838652010-03-26T23:38:00.000-04:002010-03-26T23:38:49.306-04:00God's fingerprintsI'm currently reading a book on grieving for Christian men. It suggests that when you have suffered a great loss to look back in your life and see where God was working in your life beforehand to prepare you to better handle the loss. It says to look for “the fingerprints of God in your life.” It didn’t take me long to find God’s fingerprints in our lives leading up to Uriah’s birth…<br /><br />God’s fingerprints – in no particular order:<br /><br /><b>-Leading us to Calvary Baptist Church (CBC).</b> Last summer, after finding out Hannah was pregnant, we began discussing how we wanted to raise our child. I hadn't gone to church in years, and Hannah had recently stopped going to church. Even so, we both knew we wanted to raise our child in church and teach him about God. We decided to start looking for a church. We found one about ten minutes away that we liked. It was very small – around twenty members - but the members were all very friendly and Hannah had known some of them for years. Even better was the fact that they only had one service a week - Sunday morning. Having been out of church for awhile, and being back in church only because of our unborn child, we didn’t exactly want to attend more than once a week.<br /><br />We attended this church for a few weeks and really liked it, but quickly realized that our two children didn't seem to be enjoying it. The only other kids in the church were the pastor's kids, and they didn't have any Sunday School classes or anything centered around children. We were getting some pre-marital counseling from the pastor of another nearby church (CBC) and he recommended that we visit his church, partly because there was more for our kids there. We attended CBC on Sunday evenings for a few weeks. We sort of liked it, but the music was more contemporary than we were use to and they didn't exclusively use the King James Version of the Bible. *gasp!!* (We were both raised in churches where the music was strictly hymns and the Bible was strictly KJV - and these churches taught that anything different in those two categories was just plain sinful.) For these reasons we actually stopped attending CBC after a few weeks. <br /><br />A few weeks later we met with the pastor for another counseling session, and I told him we had stopped attending his church and explained why. He patiently and lovingly gave us some wise counsel on those topics, as well as some advice in general about what to look for in a church. We left his office that day feeling very torn and confused about what we should do. We loved the church we were currently attending. We loved the members, and we especially loved the messages that the pastor had been preaching. We considered and discussed the CBC pastor’s advice some more, prayed about it, and eventually decided to give CBC another try. We felt like God was telling us to look past the external factors - the music and the Bible version - and look at the heart and soul of the church, as that's what really matters. We did that and quickly fell in love with the church and, after even more prayer about the matter, decided to make it our home.<br /><br />"But what about the music and the Bible version?" you may ask. I will discuss Bible versions in a later post, but I will touch briefly on the music question now. Yes, the music is more lively than good old-fashioned hymns. Yes, many of the songs even have a beat to them. And you know what? It's great! For the first time in my life I actually feel like I'm praising and glorifying God when I sing in church now. The words that we sing and the music that the musicians play join together in a joyful noise of worship, praise, and adoration of our God.<br /><br />Okay, now that you know the very unlikely story of how God led us to CBC, let me explain why the church has been such a godsend in our time of loss. The outpouring of love from our church when they found out about Uriah's death was so amazing and such a blessing in our lives. From the countless prayers on our behalf and words of encouragement to us, to the meals that our Sunday School class brought in during that first week, to opening the church to us for Uriah's funeral, to each of the pastors helping out with the funeral service (including a very important message that we needed to hear from one of the pastors), to the many members who brought in food for the luncheon following the funeral, and everything else I'm not thinking of right now, God's love and grace and compassion were demonstrated in our lives through the members of this church. We weren't official members of the church - still aren't. We had only been attending for a couple of months. But they cared about us, and so they made themselves available and willing to be used by God and He did that in a very special way.<br /><br />I've told my wife on several occasions that I shudder to think of where we would be had we not found CBC. I think we would've both turned our backs on God again, and that's really all that needs to be said about that.<br /><br /><b>-Loni.</b> This dear friend of Hannah's has been such a blessing during our dark time. When Hannah found out what was suspected to be wrong with Uriah she texted <a href="http://writingcanvas.wordpress.com">Loni</a> and she immediately came down to the hospital. You see, she has experienced the pain of losing two children and she knew Hannah needed her. Late in the afternoon of Uriah's first day as Hannah and I sat in her room on the 5th floor of the hospital, she tearfully told me that she didn't think she could stand to see Uriah any more. Knowing that he likely wouldn't survive, she couldn't bear the thought of getting more attached to him, only to have to say good-bye. With a now even-heavier heart, I went back down to see Uriah alone. Some time later I was so relieved to see Loni approaching Uriah's bedside with Hannah next to her. Loni had encouraged her to come back down to see Uriah, to appreciate and enjoy whatever time he had on this earth, to make memories with Uriah while it was still possible, and her words thankfully had the desired effect on Hannah. She was a huge blessing during those two days in the hospital, and she has continued to be a blessing in the weeks since, encouraging Hannah - and even myself on a few occasions - during the dark times that still appear.<br /><br /><b>-Pastor Mead.</b> Last summer we decided to get some pre-marital counseling from Pastor Mead. That decision is probably the wisest decision we've ever made. He has helped us - both individually and in our relationship - so much with his wise, godly advice. He steered us in the right direction in our individual relationships with God, and in our relationship with each other. He counseled us about Uriah, and we came to realize that Uriah was not a mistake but was a blessing from God. He encouraged us to come to CBC. He came down to the hospital on Tuesday, Uriah’s last day, stood by his bedside with us and prayed for us and encouraged us in our sorrow. He has continued to pray for us in the weeks since Uriah’s death. He spoke to us during Uriah’s funeral, and ministered to us with a message that we so desperately needed to hear on that day. His presence in our life has been invaluable. We are where we are today because of how God used him in our lives.<br /><br /><b>-Insurance and doctors.</b> The only insurance that Hannah had when she became pregnant was Medicaid. When it was time to find an obgyn doctor we quickly realized that precious few obgyns were accepting new patients with Medicaid. We made quite a few calls before finally finding one - and his office was an hour away from our home. We were less than thrilled about the distance, but he seemed to be the only option so Hannah chose to continue seeing him. That doctor, and the female doctor who Hannah actually saw for the majority of her appointments, were very good. The male doctor is the one who delivered Uriah; he sensed something was wrong as Uriah was coming out so he called for the NICU doctor right away, before Uriah was even all the way out. The NICU doctor arrived moments later and he’s the one who was finally able to intubate Uriah. It was a blessing in disguise to get stuck with the obgyn that was an hour away.<br /><br /><b>-Hospitals.</b> The obgyn's office partnered with Spectrum Health hospitals in Grand Rapids, so that is where Hannah delivered the baby. This ended up being a huge blessing because Devos Children’s Hospital was just one floor away and they were able to take him to the NICU unit immediately. Since it was in the same hospital building it allowed us to see and touch Uriah during his two days on this earth, and then to hold him in our arms during his final hour. Had she delivered Uriah at one of our local hospitals, they would have immediately taken Uriah down to Devos Children's Hospital in G.R. and Hannah would have been at the local hospital and never would have seen her son while he was alive.<br /><br />We praise God for touching our lives with Uriah and for the ways he prepared us to walk through the dark valley of losing our son. His love and mercy towards us are unfathomable.<br /><br />---<br /><div><br />I have been working on this blog post here-and-there for the past couple of days. I asked my lovely wife, <a href="http://hannahssimplethoughts.blogspot.com">Hannah</a>, to proof-read it last night. She did and made a few suggestions of things to change. Today I made some of those changes, and then the Lord brought to mind some more things to add to the post. Now I sit here waiting for my wife to return home so I can ask her to proof-read the revised post. While waiting I decided to read a little from a couple of devotional books as well as the Bible. I have really been struggling lately with spending time in God’s word. Earlier in the year I was reading from a daily read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year plan. This worked pretty well until I got partway into Exodus, at which point I allowed myself to get stuck and just stopped reading the Bible. I was right in the middle of the section where God is giving Moses directions for the ark of the covenant, and it’s all about measurements and materials and, well, I got bored with it. I’m ashamed to say that it’s probably been a couple of weeks since I last picked up my Bible to read anything for the day.<br /><br />I decided I should just make myself pick up where I had left off and continue reading in Exodus tonight. Before I opened my Bible I prayed and asked God to speak to me through His word, to please show me something…anything…in what I was about to read.<br /><br />I read one chapter that consisted of instructions for consecrating the priests and for offering certain burnt sacrifices.<br /><br /><i>God, please – show me something.</i><br /><br />The next chapter was more of the same. Downhearted, I began to close my Bible.<br /><br /><i>God, how did this help me?</i><br /><br />A thought sprung into my head – <i>You didn’t give Him much of a chance, did you. Read one more chapter.</i><br /><br />I fought this idea for a second – I didn’t like the thought of reading more instructions about burnt sacrifices. But then I opened my Bible back up and started reading. Initially it was more instructions that don’t seem to mean a thing to me today – great. Then instruction about the Sabbath day – <i>okay this is a little more interesting, but still not very helpful to me right now.</i><br /><br />Then I read the final verse and it hit me.<br /><br /><i><b>Thank you, God. </b></i><br /><br />"And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God."<br /><br />It was as if God had said to me:<br /><i>My finger was writing in your lives before I allowed your son to be born. I was molding you, positioning you, preparing you for the trials of losing your son. I don’t write on earthly tables of stone any more. I write in people’s lives. Your lives are now a testimony of my ever-present love and compassion.</i><br /></div>Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07354609550701638200noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2953503294033820789.post-67280785414198804552010-03-19T22:41:00.003-04:002010-03-19T22:49:31.641-04:00Book review: Isaac Newton, by Mitch Stokes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.booksneeze.com/art/_240_360_Book.146.cover.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 336px;" src="http://www.booksneeze.com/art/_240_360_Book.146.cover.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>I enjoyed reading "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1595553037?ie=UTF8&tag=anesliste-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1595553037">Isaac Newton</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=anesliste-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1595553037" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />", one of the <i>Christian Encounters</i> books published by Thomas Nelson Publishers. This was the first biography I’ve read in many years, and it has piqued my interest in reading other biographies. Mitch Stokes does a good job of describing Mr. Newton’s life, including his triumphs, trials, and disagreements with other scholars of his day. Isaac Newton was very intelligent, but yet also very humble. He made a lot of discoveries in the scientific and mathematic worlds, but he was not prone to boasting about his achievements. He pursued knowledge because he believed that in doing so he was worshiping God – his love for God was the driving force behind most of his work. “The ultimate goal of Newton’s studies was to know God and ‘give him honour & glory.’ … Newton believed that all knowledge – including knowledge of nature – was, in the end, knowledge of God. Knowing was worship.”<div><br /></div><div>The book mentions on multiple occasions that Isaac Newton spent a great deal of time on theological research and writings, but doesn’t really go into much detail about his theological writings. This was rather surprising to me, considering that the book is part of the Christian Encounters series and the book cover says that Isaac Newton wrote far more about theological topics than anything else. I would have appreciated a little more focus on his theological writings. Overall it is a great book and I recommend it.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">.</span></div>Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07354609550701638200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2953503294033820789.post-1082270888099209552010-03-16T23:59:00.003-04:002010-03-17T00:09:52.444-04:00RandomnessI've had a few blog posts brewing up in my head for the last few days. Hopefully I'll find time soon to get them out of my head into words that you all can read.<br /><br />---<br /><br />I have a very small selection of Bible verses in random rotation now displaying at the top of my blog. I'll be expanding the selection eventually. Feel free to offer suggestions if you have a favorite verse(s) that you'd like to see up there.<br /><br />---<br /><br />Two books that I highly, highly recommend - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0842359915?ie=UTF8&tag=anesliste-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0842359915">Safely Home</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=anesliste-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0842359915" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0842379428?ie=UTF8&tag=anesliste-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0842379428">Heaven</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=anesliste-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0842379428" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />, both written by Randy Alcorn. I'm about halfway through with Heaven. I may write more about the book later, but for now let's just say I've never looked forward to Heaven as much as I am now after reading part of this book. Safely Home is a novel. After the first couple of chapters I was so engrossed in the book that I didn't want to put it down. It is a good read with a powerful message.<div><br /></div><div>---</div><div><br /></div><div>Spring seems to have almost arrived here in Michigan. Sunny and mid-to-upper 50's all week here; they're forecasting snow over the weekend though. Hopefully it will just be a very short-lived interruption of this beautiful weather we're having!</div>Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07354609550701638200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2953503294033820789.post-28079467580138433032010-03-11T01:09:00.004-05:002010-03-11T09:09:39.452-05:00New blog title = new blog design"Anemic Slime Stew, 2.0" is now "Revising My Life". Same <a href="http://newslimestew.blogspot.com">blog address</a>, different blog title. Click the link to go the blog's main page so you can see what it looks like with multiple posts.<br /><br />And with the new blog title comes a new blog design. Let me know what you think. It's not complete just yet, I have some more tweaking to do, but this is pretty close to what the final design will look like. If you don't like it please tell me! If it loads too slow, please tell me.Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07354609550701638200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2953503294033820789.post-5173896978112739912010-03-03T22:43:00.002-05:002010-03-03T22:59:10.830-05:00Revising My Life<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; font-family:'Arial Unicode MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:18px;">re·vise</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px; font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">–verb (used with object)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; font-family:'Arial Unicode MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: italic; font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; "><div class="luna-Ent" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1.25em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 3px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); display: block; font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:1em;"><span class="dnindex" style=" color: rgb(123, 123, 123); line-height: 1.25em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: bold; display: block; float: left; width: 28px; font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">1.</span><div class="dndata" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1.25em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 37px; font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">to amend or alter: <span class="ital-inline" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1.25em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; font-style: italic; font-family:Georgia, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">to revise one's opinion.</span></div></div><div class="luna-Ent" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1.25em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 3px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); display: block; ">(from <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/revise">Dictionary.com</a>)</div></span></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>My head has been spinning lately with thoughts of all the various areas of my life that I want to alter and improve. I feel compelled to work on these things, to better myself, but I know I cannot undertake too much at one time. Change and me aren't the greatest of friends. I don't exactly abhor change, but I certainly don't embrace it either. If I attempt to change too much in a short amount of time I'll end up failing miserably on all counts. So I've decided to focus on just a few of those areas for the immediate future.</div><div><br /></div><div>In no particular order, they are:</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>-Physical health</b></i></div><div>This involves both my weight and my fitness level. As I've written about previously on this blog, I struggle to gain weight. A year ago I was borderline underweight. I weighed 120 lbs. Thanks to some wonderful cooking and great encouragement from my lovely and wonderful wife, I am now up to <strike>141</strike> 142 lbs. This is definitely a more healthy weight than where I started, but I desire to add on another 20 lbs or so. The higher my weight gets, the harder it is to add more on, so it's definitely an uphill struggle. Coupled with adding more weight is improving my physical fitness. For many years now I've not exercised at all. I'm going to work on changing that. I'm horribly out of shape. My physical endurance is pitiful. Make me run for four minutes and I'll be just about keeled over and gasping for breath. I won't be hitting up the gym anytime soon (can't afford it!), but I can at least do some basic exercises at home, such as pushups, situps, lunges, running on the treadmill, and so on.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>-Mental health</i></b></div><div>No, I'm not mentally ill! Not that kind of mental health. Three men in the last two generations of my family tree (my dad, my dad's dad, and my dad's uncle) have suffered from early onset dementia and passed away from complications of the same. It is not known for sure what causes this disease, but if memory serves me correctly I have a better chance of not getting the disease myself if I take care of my physical and mental health, exercising both my body and my mind. So I need to work on that. I'm not exactly sure what approach I'll take for the mental health one, except that initially I'm going to work on educating my mind more than I have been by reading more books. As a child/teen I used to read a lot. I remember bringing home a stack of books from the library on a fairly regular basis. When I started working and going to school I found I didn't have much time left over for reading. On top of that with my narcolepsy I simply couldn't stay awake long enough to read more than a couple of pages of just about any book. My Xyrem medication helps me so well that I can actually stay awake while reading a book now! I've done a little reading here and there, but nowhere near what I used to. I have a couple books I've just started with a couple more on the way from the library so I'll definitely have to spend more time reading if I'm going to get through all of the books in a timely manner.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>-Spiritual health</i></b></div><div>In recent weeks I have been challenged on several occassions to connect with God on a deeper level, to spend more time with Him, to learn more about Him, and to grow closer to Him. I am going to work on doing just that.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll try to write about my efforts from time to time. Hmm, maybe I could even use that as my new blog title: Revising My Life. What do you think?</div><div><br /></div><div>Life should be, I suppose, a life-long journey of altering/improving/revising who I am and how I live, continually striving to become the person God wants me to be. That is why I think it might fit to use "Revising My Life" as my blog title. It also sounds better than my current blog title. :-) I suppose just about anything would sound better than "Anemic Slime Stew" though!</div>Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07354609550701638200noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2953503294033820789.post-49991256566677476052010-03-02T22:31:00.000-05:002010-03-02T22:31:08.803-05:00Praying for a blessingI have decided to rename my blog. I'm struggling coming up with a better name, however. I'm open to suggestions.<div><br /></div><div>~~~</div><div><br /></div><div>My wife and I have had some discussions recently about wanting to have another baby. We both have an intense desire to have another child together. We are also afraid. Afraid that if we do get pregnant something will go horribly wrong again. A miscarriage. A birth defect. An unexpected and unexplained event like what happened with Uriah. We don't want to repeat the pain of losing a child. We need to trust the Lord though; He does know what is best. He can give us a healthy child if He so chooses.</div><div><br /></div><div>One of the things that we've talked about is wondering what other people think about us. Occassionally we catch ourselves talking about other couples/families, questioning something that they are or aren't doing, wondering why they're doing something that doesn't make sense to us, judging them for doing something we don't agree with, etc. It's not our place to judge others though, so we need to be very careful in that area. Anyway, the reason I mention that is because we then wonder if people talk about us, and if so, what do they talk about? We figure if we get pregnant again now some people will question that and think we're doing the wrong thing. We realize it doesn't matter what others think about us. No matter what we do, somebody will disagree. If we get pregnant now, somebody will think we should've waited longer to give my wife's body more time to recover from the previous pregnancy. Somebody else will think we should've never got pregnant again, that we shouldn't take that chance on losing another child. If we wait a year to get pregnant again, someone will think we shouldn't have waited that long, that it was too risky because of my wife's age. If we never get pregnant again someone will think that we're just too scared to try again, and that we don't trust God enough that He could give us a healthy baby. Regardless of what we do people will talk and wonder and question. We need to not worry about it. All we should concern ourselves with is what our hearts' desires are coupled with what we feel God wants us to do. </div><div><br /></div><div>It wouldn't surprise me if people have already talked about us in regards to Uriah. "It's no wonder God took Uriah from them - he was conceived in sin and God wanted to punish them for it." Yes, Uriah was conceived in sin - adultery. We are ashamed of that, but we confessed our sin to God and He forgave us. Uriah was not a mistake. God knew what He was doing when He conceived Uriah for us. He knew that Uriah would be the push that we both needed to turn our hearts back towards God. I do not believe that He took Uriah from us to punish us.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLAjA3j8qjC3O-zvQli0KyvT0A4T7rmAE8Oc2NBFDArbmmXrgzcv1bcSWyFDpeccy6vM0IKcrET51vfWJs-hwcI6PXSZ-NdpEcdRzI7bLMDPIYVtr3TRqa1ZqKh5SDx7znPbumfp_oIu7f/s1600-h/_DSC4171.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLAjA3j8qjC3O-zvQli0KyvT0A4T7rmAE8Oc2NBFDArbmmXrgzcv1bcSWyFDpeccy6vM0IKcrET51vfWJs-hwcI6PXSZ-NdpEcdRzI7bLMDPIYVtr3TRqa1ZqKh5SDx7znPbumfp_oIu7f/s320/_DSC4171.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444244506984276738" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Regardless of what people may think or say, we are trying to get pregnant again now. We are praying that God will bless us with another child. This child would not be a replacement for Uriah, because Uriah can never be replaced in our hearts. But we do desire another child, another blessing, from the Lord. Would you pray for that with us please?</div><div><br /></div><div>~~~</div><div><br /></div><div>Since I first wrote this post late last night (I dragged my feet in posting it!) I have tentatively decided on a new name for my blog. Nevertheless, if you have any suggestions please offer them as I'm not yet fully settled on using the new name. What is the possible new name? You'll find out in my next post. :-)</div>Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07354609550701638200noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2953503294033820789.post-16049578928177656722010-02-26T20:23:00.006-05:002010-02-26T20:33:42.578-05:00Book review: Where is God?, by Dr. John Townsend<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.booksneeze.com/art/_225_350_Book.116.cover.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 338px;" src="http://www.booksneeze.com/art/_225_350_Book.116.cover.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0785229191?ie=UTF8&tag=anesliste-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0785229191">Where Is God?: Finding His Presence, Purpose and Power in Difficult Times</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=anesliste-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0785229191" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> gives some excellent advice on how to draw closer to God during the difficult times in your life. During these hard times many people wonder if God really does care about them, if He really is aware of their struggles, and how a loving God can allow great heartache and tragedy. This book answers those questions.</div><div><br /></div><div>I started reading this book shortly after my infant son passed away. Thanks to some godly advice from a pastor in our church I didn’t struggle immensely with many of the "Where is God?" types of questions during this very difficult time. I did, however, wrestle with the "Why us?" question. "Why did we have to lose our child?" While the book didn’t give me a concrete answer to that question (and I never expected it to!), it did encourage me to draw even closer to God during this difficult time. The book is easy to read, with quite a few examples from the author’s life to help explain different concepts. I especially liked the final chapter, "Nuts and Bolts", because it discusses how to incorporate "time with God" into your life without it becoming just another task to check off on your to-do list.</div><div><br /></div><div>Knowing that the book was written by a Christian psychologist, I was curious to see how much of the book was built on the Bible, and not just on psychology theories. I was glad to see that Dr. Townsend’s writings are very strongly based on Biblical truths. He references quite a few Bible verses throughout the book to help explain and reinforce his points. If you’re a Christian with a close, personal relationship with God then you probably won’t glean a lot of new insight from this book. I think the book is best suited for new or struggling Christians, or even non-believers.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own</span></i>.</div></div><div><br /></div>Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07354609550701638200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2953503294033820789.post-48968829591264884212010-02-20T12:50:00.004-05:002010-02-20T12:54:17.438-05:00Driving under the influence...<div>...of sleep.</div><div><br /></div><div>Last night I was reading through some messages that a friend and I had sent each other approximately one year ago. (That friend has since become my wife!) In one of those messages I said "wow....i just conked out for a minute sitting at the computer -no warning at all." This prompted her to ask, "What happens when you're driving and there's no warning?" I responded with an explanation of how I justified my driving at that time. Reading it last night brought back a lot of memories.</div><div><br /></div><div>It really wasn't all that safe for me to drive back then, in my pre-Xyrem days. A significant portion of the time I was on the road I was so groggy that my reaction time was surely dangerougly slow. I'd go into automatic behavior mode a fair amount of the time - I'd snap out of it at some point during my trip to realize that I had absolutely no recollection of any of the last 10, 20, 30 minutes of my trip. I'd try various things to keep me awake while driving, because most of the time the stimulant meds I was taking weren't enough. I'd try to supplement the stimulants with energy drinks, trying one after another of the many varieties that are out there. Unfortunately, caffeine has never really affected me the way it does most people, so the energy drinks were typically just a waste of money. I searched for other ways to help me stay awake behind the wheel. Music I hated. Music I loved. Upbeat, energetic music that I felt like dancing to. Cold temps (heat off, windows down in the winter). Hot temps (heater cranked way up). Talking to myself. Singing. Nothing ever really worked. I was constantly yawning while driving back and forth on the hour-long drive between work and home. Sometimes I'd experience micro-sleeps - falling asleep instantly with no warning, waking up moments later. Many times I'd wake up still in the right lane on the road. Some times I'd wake up when I drifted onto the rumble strips on the side of the highway - those things saved my life on more than a few occassions. A couple of times I woke up partly on the other side of the highway - thankfully never when there was opposing traffic occupying the same section of road as I was. In the back of my mind I knew it wasn't safe for me to drive then, but I justified it for different reasons. God was surely watching over me when I was on the road back then. It seems rather incredible to me now that I never got in an accident from falling asleep. Well, I shouldn't say never. I did lose control of a vehicle on a super-icy freeway in the middle of the night one night a few years ago. I told everyone I hadn't fallen asleep at the wheel - which I honestly believed - but the more I thought about it I realized I couldn't remember anything from the few seconds preceding the crash, which leads me to believe I may have fallen asleep after all.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6dpHY0hHa7eNo63pjCst0INM_c8zcoJlKgcms4KPfsvtlJ9htID5xfjRsrjL4s04T36J3n4yjssenzrv65KYrwNOzj33lX4RUMFMxl2fp9vpKoc_JthSnYMtyXtQQGsUdojp33fsw2EZu/s1600-h/explorer.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6dpHY0hHa7eNo63pjCst0INM_c8zcoJlKgcms4KPfsvtlJ9htID5xfjRsrjL4s04T36J3n4yjssenzrv65KYrwNOzj33lX4RUMFMxl2fp9vpKoc_JthSnYMtyXtQQGsUdojp33fsw2EZu/s320/explorer.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440384840086488034" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I don't miss those days one bit. I never would have admitted it then, but deep down I was terrified of falling asleep at the wheel and getting in a bad accident and hurting myself or someone else. The Xyrem helps me so much that I don't have to deal with any of those issues any more while driving. I can hop in the car - free of stimulants, energy drinks, and anything similar - and drive for an hour or more without having to worry about dozing off a single time. Yes, I do still occasionally get mildly sleepy when driving - but never to the point where I'm worried about falling asleep.</div><div><br /></div><div>By the way, this isn't an advertisement for Xyrem! :-) Hmm - maybe I *should* contact Jazz Phamaceuticals and ask if they'll pay me for endorsements!</div>Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07354609550701638200noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2953503294033820789.post-76588389673864087782010-02-04T00:14:00.005-05:002010-02-04T00:26:41.822-05:00Babies, Xyrem, and Ambien<p class="MsoNormal">(Note: Lest the post title confuse anyone, this post is <u>not</u> about babies taking Xyrem and Ambien. The first part of the post is about babies. The second part is about Ambien and Xyrem.)</p><p class="MsoNormal">I took my car to the local dealership this afternoon to get an oil change and have them look at an intermittent problem I’ve been having with the radio display.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I checked Facebook on my phone about an hour into the wait and saw a post from <a href="http://www.woodtv.com/">WOOD TV-8</a> that linked to an article with a headline of “<a href="http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/central_mich/woman-faces-charges-in-death-of-newborn">Dead newborn in trash; mom charged</a>”.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This instantly got me sad, mad, and perplexed.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I still struggle with the “Why?” questions and reading that story got me started asking them again.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Why was our son born brain-dead and thus could not live, while this other infant was very probably born relatively healthy and would have lived had his mother loved him and cared for him properly.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>(Yes, I’m making some assumptions about this mother and her baby – assumptions that might not be correct.)<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It just doesn’t seem fair.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We loved our son sooooo much and had a nice warm home for him with loving siblings…and we couldn’t keep him.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And all across the country – the world, even – mothers give birth to babies that are unwanted, unloved, unimportant to any human beings that <u>should</u> care about them….and so many of them die as a result.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">A few minutes after reading that article, a young woman entered the dealership waiting room carrying a baby in a car seat.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She struck up a conversation about babies with another woman in the waiting room and at one point she said, “I like babies as long as they’re somebody elses, as long as I can give them back at the end of the day and not have to deal with the crying and fussing.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’ve heard other people say that in the past, and thought I understood their point of view.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>My view has definitely changed.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I would gladly “deal” with my son’s crying and fussing if I could just have him back.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So many people seemingly take their children for granted, and don’t realize how easily and quickly they could lose them.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Love your children, be grateful for them, thank the Lord for them, hug them, and tell them that you love them.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">~~~</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I spoke with my sleep doctor recently about my narcolepsy medication.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’ve been taking Xyrem for almost a year now.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It works remarkably well for me, but it’s also extremely expensive – even with insurance.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>My copay for a one month supply is almost $400.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Thankfully I can take the Xyrem only half as often as prescribed and it still works very well.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That brings the monthly cost down to just under $200 – much better, but still very expensive.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The way Xyrem works is that it affects <u>how</u> I sleep at night.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It helps me get a better quality sleep than I do when I sleep un-medicated.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I started wondering if a different type of sleeping medication might give me similar benefits for a much lower cost.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I asked my sleep doctor about replacing Xyrem with Ambien to see if that would help me any.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She was very sympathetic to my concerns with the Xyrem cost and said she was willing to prescribe Ambien for me to try.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I tried it for about a week, and was disappointed that it did not help.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Not only did it not help my daytime sleepiness, it also didn’t even seem to help me sleep at night.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’d sleep okay for about 3-4 hours after taking the Ambien, but then the rest of the night I’d wake up every 30-45 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I sleep better than that when I don’t take any sleeping medication at all!!!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I was really disappointed that it didn’t work, because a one-month supply only cost me around $15.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’d much prefer paying $15 a month than $200!!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Xyrem is just ridiculously priced.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The full retail price of a typical one-month prescription for me is over $1,900.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Thankfully my insurance covers a good chunk of it, but there’s still a hefty co-pay for me to take care of. Sometimes I wonder if it's really worth as much as I pay for it.</p>Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07354609550701638200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2953503294033820789.post-79610920841801438932010-01-22T22:47:00.000-05:002010-01-22T22:48:06.406-05:00Memories<div>Uriah died when he was two days old. I wonder a lot if it would be any different if he had lived for two weeks or two months. Would it hurt more? Would our sense of loss be even greater than it is? It doesn't seem like that is even possible, but I can't help but wonder. Are the pain and sense of loss somehow proportionate to the amount of time you had with your child and the number of memories you made with him or her? If Uriah had lived for two weeks would we miss him even more than we already do? It seems to me that it might be even harder if he had lived longer.</div><div><br /></div><div>I certainly wouldn't want this to be any harder for my wife and me, but I would gladly accept it if it meant we could have had more time with Uriah. When I think of and remember how few memories we have of our time with Uriah I feel sad, bewildered, and angry. We were by his side a lot during those precious couple of days, and I'm eternally grateful for that little bit of time we had with him. To be painfully honest though, there's only so much I can remember because the entire time he laid in the NICU bed not moving or making a sound. He didn't cry, fuss, or wiggle around. I had my son for those two days, but really, I didn't. His body was there the entire time, but <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">he</span> wasn't. I got to know what my son looked like - and he was beautiful!! - but I didn't get to know him. I feel like I was robbed. I have no memory of my son crying. I have no memory of my son waving his arms. I have no memory of my son kicking his little legs. I have no memory of my son smiling. I have no memory of my son opening his eyes. Those are all memories that I would have treasured for the rest of my life, but I wasn't even allowed to have those, the most basic of memories that a parent can have of their baby.</div><div><br /></div><div>One of my Facebook friends connected me with a cousin of hers who had lost his infant son. She thought that us talking to each other might help us both in the healing process. I think she may be right and I'm glad she put us in touch with each other. The father and mother created a blog for their son and on it they talked a lot about his triumphs and struggles in the hospital. They had almost two months with their precious son before he passed away. The first time I looked at their blog I was heartbroken as I read their story and saw the pictures of their son. I looked at it again tonight and, while I was still heartbroken for them, I found I was now feeling jealous of them. They have memories of their son that I would give anything to have of my son. They saw him smile, they heard him cry, they saw him move around, they saw him open his eyes, and more. I know they miss their son as much as I miss mine, but I'm jealous of the memories they have of him. Is that wrong? It feels wrong. Being jealous of other parents certainly won't help the healing process along, that's for sure. I suppose there are many, many parents who are jealous of the two days that we had with our son, which I now completely understand.</div><div><br /></div><div>I hope I will never forget the precious memories I have of my son. I'm thankful for every single one of them, but there's just soooo few of them. :-(</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifO3fPsfphmAU-Bi0pKyRMoszhXzG0YPBOO_yPTmn9Rum0NaSW26BHp6QZ29XPCxYQBv_SOWJjLP0sfya1GksSi-WhfGFNrGgTEuuNFemi46Z6PXG19gV7JRN2k1yblszFpFYBjk42x9UK/s320/uriah+in+NICU.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429745779494987330" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></span></div>Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07354609550701638200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2953503294033820789.post-29614504472054131162010-01-20T00:20:00.005-05:002010-02-26T22:46:59.843-05:00Blessed Be Your NameThe song, Blessed Be Your Name, is one of the praise songs that is sometimes used as a congregational song during the Sunday morning service at our church. I had never heard it before we started attending the church a few months ago. I liked the song the first time I heard it, but it didn't really have any significant personal meaning for me. Over the past two weeks the song has taken on a whole new meaning for my wife and me. It's easy to say "Blessed be the name of the Lord" when everything in life is going well, but it's a different story when the hard times hit. The Sunday after Uriah died this was one of the congregational songs in the morning. I was singing along, not really thinking ahead to the upcoming words, when the line "You give and take away" appeared on the lyrics screen. I took a breath and tried to keep singing but the words got stuck in my throat as I suddenly realized that the line had an intensely personal meaning for me now. The Lord gave us a son...and then He took him away. I cannot explain how badly I want my son back, but I know the Lord does not make mistakes and so I seek comfort in knowing that God allowed this to happen for a reason. It's very difficult though. I don't know what the reason was, so I ask, "Why?" No answer though. Perhaps, as my wife mentioned in her recent <a href="http://hannahssimplethoughts.blogspot.com/2010/01/uriah-day-two.html">blog post</a>, it was the devil trying to get us to walk away from God again. Whatever the reason was, I pray that God will somehow be glorified through our great loss. Thus far we have drawn closer to God and to each other during this time. I pray that we will continue to have that type of response, and not turn away from God or get angry or bitter at Him. I know we still have many family and friends who are praying for us, and we treasure all of those prayers immensely.<div><br /></div><blockquote><div>"...the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job+1%3A21&version=KJV&src=embed">Job 1:21</a>)<br /><div></div></div></blockquote><br /><div>Blessed be the name of the Lord.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2cyqn2LxKVk&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2cyqn2LxKVk&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object>Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07354609550701638200noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2953503294033820789.post-59460474514847997392010-01-16T17:13:00.005-05:002010-01-16T17:29:49.689-05:00Why I believe that Uriah is in heaven<div>A couple of days ago a friend asked me if my son was baptized before he died. When I told him he wasn’t he asked how I knew my son was in heaven if he hadn’t been baptized with holy water before passing away. I knew that I believed my son was in heaven but suddenly realized that I wasn’t entirely sure why I believed that or that I could explain it to another person. I’ve since spent some time thinking about the question, looking up some Bible verses, and talking with my wife about it. I decided to write down why I believe my son is in heaven and then post it here on my blog.<br /><br />The Bible doesn’t really talk about this issue directly, but it does give us some clues that we use as the basis for our belief.<br /><br />God desires that all people be saved.<br /><blockquote>For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. (I Timothy 2:3-4)</blockquote>Nevertheless, many people reject the grace of God and the gift of salvation that He offers them.<br /><br />God cares deeply about little children. In Matthew chapter 18 Jesus calls a little child over to Him and uses the child to explain a few things to His disciples. In verse 14 He says, “Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.”<br /><br />To accept God’s gift of salvation a person needs to have understanding of a few concepts, namely those of sin, God’s perfectness, and God’s grace. If a person does not understand what sin is, and that they themselves are a sinner, and that God has offered them the gift of eternal life through Jesus, then they cannot make the decision to accept God’s gift.<br /><br />As infants are not mature enough to understand these things, they cannot accept or reject God. Since they haven’t rejected God and we know God cares deeply about them we then believe that God takes them to heaven when they die.<br /><br />There is one example in the Bible that seems to back this up, and it is found in II Samuel chapter 12. After David’s child had died, he said the following:<br /><blockquote>...While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live?<br /><br />But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? Can I bring him back again? <i>I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.</i> (II Samuel 12:22-23)</blockquote>David believed that he would join his son some day, and this could only happen if his infant son had gone to heaven.<br /><br />I am confident that my son, Uriah, is in heaven and I am looking forward to the day when I will join him in that blessed place.<br /><blockquote>But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.<br /><br />For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.<br /><br />For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.<br /><br />For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:<br /><br />Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.<br /><br />Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (I Thessalonians 4:13-18)</blockquote></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjoct5FP-ZMo4AxZ011rY4pNdkdbuId_ZtRHP9jGqUVf2KxZHDC3J3_vWoPK664GOYOYe3KpypRT2qBYwqqBWXbptqAfzs5MJ2oC8bZlH-7_V5iQQv9l9Y8-4J0wTs4H_1ahaKY-ENK-6/s1600-h/_DSC4265.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjoct5FP-ZMo4AxZ011rY4pNdkdbuId_ZtRHP9jGqUVf2KxZHDC3J3_vWoPK664GOYOYe3KpypRT2qBYwqqBWXbptqAfzs5MJ2oC8bZlH-7_V5iQQv9l9Y8-4J0wTs4H_1ahaKY-ENK-6/s320/_DSC4265.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427468410457721570" /></a>Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07354609550701638200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2953503294033820789.post-74405988587205853102010-01-14T14:54:00.003-05:002010-01-14T15:24:27.680-05:00UriahI've been trying to figure out what to say in this, my next blog post, for a week now. I was hoping the right words would just come to me and I would know exactly what to say, how to say it, that my thoughts would just flow into words as easily as they used to some years ago. It hasn't happened. So here, instead, are the facts. Perhaps I can get some of my thoughts out after putting down the facts.<br /><br />My son, Uriah Daniel Olson, was born on January 3, 2010.<br /><br />He died on January 5, 2010.<br /><br />His body looked absolutely perfect. He was the most beautiful baby I've ever seen. He was wonderful. Inside his perfect body was a damaged brain. Some time in the days immediately preceding his birth something happened that deprived his brain of oxygen and it killed his brain. He was born with no brain activity. Two days of testing confirmed this, and so on the third day of his life he was removed from the respirator and shortly thereafter slipped away to Heaven as his mother and I cradled him in our arms.<br /><br />This wasn't supposed to happen. We didn't plan for this. We tried to plan for all sorts of other negative outcomes - Down Syndrome, autism, pre-term labor, and so on. But this, a healthy full-term baby born brain-dead - how do you plan for something like that? The possibility never crossed our minds for even a fraction of a second.<br /><br />I miss my little Uriah. I miss him immensely. I want to hold him in my arms again. I want to kiss him. I want to watch him grow. I want to sing to him. I want to rock him to sleep. I want to talk to him. I want to tell him about Jesus' great love for us. I want to watch him take his first steps. I want to play with him. I want to hear him say his first words.<br /><br />I rejoice that Uriah never knew pain on this earth, and that the first time he opened his eyes it was to see Jesus. I know I will see him again some day. Until then, we continue on, leaning heavily on the Lord and the prayers of our family and friends to help us through the pain, grief, and sorrow that we feel.Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07354609550701638200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2953503294033820789.post-88240946295124120042009-12-16T14:31:00.004-05:002009-12-16T14:57:01.129-05:00UpdateWinter has set in here in western-central Michigan. 21 degrees outside right now, and the corn stove is having a hard time keeping up. Temperature in the house is in the low 60's - nice and chilly. Chilly, anyway - not so nice, really. It's supposed to get down to 1 degree overnight tonight, so I'm sure the furnace will be kicking on some. We have the thermostat up to 64 today so the furnace kicks on whenever the corn stove can't keep the temp up to 64.<div><br /></div><div>Hannah and I are anxiously awaiting the birth of our son. She's 38 weeks pregnant. She had her weekly ob-gyn appointment today and the doctor decided to strip her membranes to try to get labor going. We've read conflicting reports on whether or not this actually does anything. Some say it helps; others say it doesn't. We're hoping it does. She's had a few contractions since then, so we're hoping that's a good sign. She's in a lot of pain this time of year as it is with having lupus and arthritis. Add to that the pain and uncomfortableness of being 38 weeks pregnant and she's been having a really rough time lately. She's putting up with it all remarkably well though - far better than I would be if we traded places, that's for sure.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today marks the 1-year anniversary of when we first communicated with each other. A day or two before December 16, 2008, Hannah had requested to add me as a friend on Facebook. I looked at her profile and couldn't figure out who she was, so I sent her a message asking her how she was doing and oh, by the way, how do I know you? One year later and we're now anxiously awaiting the birth of our son. The year has both flown by and crawled by. In one sense it seems like just a few days ago that we were getting to know each other via lengthy messages on Facebook. In another sense it seems like we've been together and known each other for a long time - far longer than a year.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've dozed off a few times while writing this. Apparently I didn't get enough sleep last night. Hannah is lying in bed next to me taking a nap. I'd like to lie down next to her and go to sleep myself, but I have things to do. Work, for instance. :-) It's the last work day for me for this year. I have the rest of the year off on vacation. Yet another reason why I'm hoping our son will be born very soon!</div><div><br /></div><div>The scale showed 137 this morning when I weighed myself. That's the most I've ever weighed in my life! 3 pounds to go for my next goal. The goal is 140 by Christmas time. Looking forward to it!</div>Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07354609550701638200noreply@blogger.com0