Inverness Half Marathon

Quite a while back before Roman was born we were looking up races in the area and I found the Inverness half marathon. We thought it would be a cool getaway and were hopeful that 5 months after Roman was born that Dani would be recovered enough to do the race, so she signed up.

The race was this past weekend, and with all the shenanigans that has gone on over the past 5 months from the complications during Romans birth, to the lack of sleep over the past few months, there was a little hesitation as to whether or not Dani should run the half marathon or even make the trip up to Inverness.

We decided to give it a shot and headed up to Inverness. We stayed with the parents of a friend from our church here in Glasgow. Roman did a great job on the 3 hour trek both ways in the car so that was encouraging. Dani was able to get a little more sleep than normal that night which I think helped as well.

My prediction for Dani was not only that she would finish the race but that she would run it in 1 hour and 45 minutes. Being 5 months post baby, she both finished and ran it in 1 hour and 42 minutes!

I'm always such a proud husband and I love cheering my wife on in her runs and watching her excel at things while being her biggest fan. Her strength and perseverance in not just running, but other areas in her life is always such a blessing to see.

We stayed the night after the race and the next day was beautiful. We were able to get out on a walk and just enjoy being a family surrounded by God's beautiful creation. It helps you look up and have a more eternal perspective on life. Continually thankful for all God has done and is doing in our lives!

Verses of encouragement this week:
"If then you have been raise with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory." Colossians 3:1-4

YOU ARE LOVED!

Roman's View of February

For the month of February I decided to take a picture of Roman everyday. So here are 27 (I forgot to take one on February 11th) pictures of Roman. Enjoy:)

Skye's The Limit

So Dani had been "bothering" me for quite some time to take a trip up to the Isle of Skye which is quite a ways north off the coast of Scotland. I kept being rather unsure about the situation because I was not super keen on renting a car and driving on the other side of the road.

Then it happened. There was a deal in February for the buses that you could travel anywhere in Scotland one way for 2 pounds. A normal ticket up to Skye was 40 pounds. So I gave in and we booked our getaway.

We left bright and early Monday morning for the 6 HOUR bus ride with Roman not really knowing what to expect. The first two hours were actually pretty great. Roman slept and we relaxed. However, no one would have guessed (including myself) that it wasn't Roman who had the difficult time on the way up but his dad. That's right…I didn't realize how many windy, bumpy, and hilly roads we would encounter on our journey. My motion sickness came on like a torrential downpour and I had to make a quick exist to the bathroom at the back of the bus where I lost a wee bit of lunch if you will! After that I felt a bit better and the rest of the journey was all about taking in the incredible scenery!

We got to Skye and because we arrived early and our room wasn't ready, they upgraded us and put us in a new room, which allowed Roman on a mattress on the floor all by himself! (He slept better in our hotel than he usually sleeps back him.)

We booked a scenic van tour around the island for the next day and it did not disappoint. I have never encountered such amazing scenery in my life. It all just shouted of God's magnificence and glory. Truly unforgettable. 14 stops all around the island each one seemed to top the next…wow is all I can say!

That evening we enjoyed our one nice meal in the restaurant at the hotel where I had an amazing 28 day aged prime rib sirloin…yummy! (you all know now of course, as if you didn't before, that Ben was writing this blog)

The trip home was a bit rough compared to the way up. I still had motion sickness but I was determined to not lose my dinner this time because it was expensive and delicious and to throw it up would have been such a waste. I succeeded in that department but still suffered for nearly the whole trip all while Roman was having a really tough time and only Dani around to entertain him. We hit a detour and a tree down which made it take us over 7 hours to get back!

Would I do it all again? Definitely…we had a great time up in Skye. We created memories and saw things that we will never forget. It baffles me that people don't immediately seen the hand of God in the wonders of His creation.

If you haven't already seen some of our photos we took, here is a little treat for you even though they don't do the place much justice!

You can go on Facebook and check out the full album of pictures of you would like to see more!

YOU ARE LOVED!

Lord Change My Attitude

I recently started reading the book Lord Change my Attitude Before it's too Late by James MacDonald. I have only gone through the first two chapters (Replace a complaining attitude with a thankful attitude) but it has already changed the way I look at my attitude and especially how I look at the act of complaining.

I am going to try and sum up as best I can what I have taken from these first two chapters, but I would definitely recommend reading the book for yourself as I'm not sure I will do it much justice here.

In Numbers 11 the Israelites continue to complain about their circumstances and because of that "His anger was kindled and the fire of the Lord burned among them." God hates our complaining, it is sin, it is a choice, and it hurts ourselves, those around us, and God. What really got me was the section on complaining about our adversity. Instead of me trying to sum up what it said I'm just going to quote the book here.

"You are forfeiting the grace that could help you through the trial by complaining about it. All the grace and strength you need to experience joy and victory is available to you, but by choosing to complain, by clinging to the idol of a perfect life you are flushing away the grace of God….Realize this…That very adversity that you so often complain about is the thing God wants to use to keep your heart close to His. In His grace, He grants adversity to bring us close to Him." James Macdonald 

This has definitely changed the way I think about difficult circumstances that I face. Instead of focusing on how hard they are, I should really be focused on how God is going to use this circumstance to bring me closer to Him. When we think of life through this perspective we truly have nothing to complain about!

Think about this for a second. Do you ever feel like you are living in the "wilderness?" You may be unhappy and feel like everything is going wrong in your life. Do you ever notice that when you complain about these situations they seems much worse? Our complaining is what keeps us in the wilderness. Next time you are tempted to complain about your circumstances try this instead. Think of what you are thankful for and it will be much easier to be joyful. 

I have decided to come up with 5 reasons everyday to be thankful and when I"m tempted to complain I will decide to focus on what I am thankful for instead. 

My 5 reasons to be thankful today.

1. I have the privilege to stay home with my beautiful baby boy each day and care for him!

2. Great running weather in Glasgow;) Really 40 degrees and rain beats 0 degrees and snow everyday!

3. So many faithful and loving supporters who generously giving so much so we could serve in Glasgow.

4. A loving, kind, gracious husband. 

5. My savior Jesus Christ who suffered and died for my sin so I could live a transformed life by his power and forever be with Him.

How can you not be thankful when you get to look at this precious face everyday?

Roman helping mommy pack!

Cheesy Valentines Day

In general Dani and I have an agreement that we flip flop years for who is planning the "big event." Our goal is also to do something that doesn't require money, and this year was my year to do something for Valentines Day. My attempt at "greatness" was to surprise Dani with a mystery meal and cook it all myself. All preparations were going according to plan until I left the recipe tab open on Dani's computer and she found out what I was cooking her before I even started. So with the mystery part of the meal spoiled, all I had now was the chance to actually make it look and taste good. No pressure right!? Well, the meal I decided to cook was Chicken Parmesan. I went to the store to buy all the ingredients and surprisingly came home with more cheese (and different kinds) than I knew what to do with! I spent the next hour or so mixing the ingredients for the sauce, coating the chicken in crushed pretzels, frying the chicken up and then finally putting it all together to bake. I really had no idea what I was doing especially since I took a rather large diversion from the actual recipe online. Fingers crossed! I set the table, invited Dani to come join me, and we ate some cheesy bread while I had to put the food back in the oven for fear of pink chicken. Finally with the noodles cooked, and the Chicken Parmesan "ready", it looked surprisingly better than I had imagined it would and also didn't taste half bad!

The finished product

My larger than life portion size

There was a potential that I was secretly hoping that my time in the kitchen would be somewhat of a disaster, and my reasoning for this came true when Dani told me that I should cook more often because of how well it turned out....grreeeaaat!!! haha. Still definitely a success and a nice evening with my lovely wife!

Yes, No, Wait

"Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known." 

This week at Harvest Glasgow is our semi annual week of prayer, and Sunday the sermon came out of Jeremiah 33:3. If you have noticed the title of our blog or have read the first few blogs you will remember that this verse is one I clung to during the time we sought the Lord for direction for this past year.

There were some great reminders from this passage that I thought I would share two of them with you all.

1. We should call to God from a position of faith with a desire to to progress and understand his will. This is not just a prayer for the will of God, but for the mind to understand God's will. The great and hidden things are things we cannot fathom on our own, but need to seek the Lord for understanding of how he works. So pray for big things, but also pray for understanding of the big things.

2. God doesn't always answer us the way we want him to or the way we think he should answer us, BUT this does not mean that he doesn't answer. God always answers are prayers with a yes, no, or wait. I have been guilty on several occasions of thinking why hasn't God answered my prayer. When really God has answered it just not with the answer I want. Most recently I have found myself thinking and even confessing to Ben that I get tired of praying for God to help Roman sleep at night. I have said that God is not answering my prayer. But really God is answering my prayer. He is saying wait, one day Roman will sleep just not now. God doesn't always answer the way we want, but he gives us the answer that will give him the most glory. Instead of praying God please let Roman sleep, I have been convicted to change my prayer to God give me the strength to love my child during the long nights, God show me how you are changing me through this difficult situation to be more like you, God be glorified in this situation, and God help me to understand how you are working through this because I know you are!

Roman showing off his new passport!

** Bonus pictures:
Roman got his US passport in the mail!!! That can only mean one thing, we are coming home soon! Plane tickets are being booked and we will be arriving in the US on March 20. We fly into Chicago, will spend the weekend there attending a worship conference and then we head back to Sheboygan to spend a week with my family. We will be in Rochester April 1st-we can't wait to see you all!

You are loved!

*If you would like to join our church family in prayer this week you can download our prayer booklet here and sign up for an hour slot of prayer!

A Beautiful Wife and Mummy!

 

I am so incredibly blessed to have such an amazing and beautiful wife. She is so kind, caring, and compassionate. When we got married over 4 years ago now, I would never have imagined all of the adventures that we have already been on and I would not change them or want to spend them with anyone else but her! God has truly been good to me.

Now we add Roman into the mix which has definitely been quite the transition. You never really realize how much things do change until you have a little one to take care of day and night. Having Roman has actually amplified my view of the ways I described Dani in the previous paragraph. The way she has taken on the role of a mother and all the challenges that come with that title is truly amazing. She encourages me on a daily basis and it gives me immense joy to call her the mother to my kid and a husband to me.

New adventures are on the horizon and I know God knows the plans that He has for us. I also know that Dani will be there to support me in whatever God calls us to do as a family and for that I am also truly grateful. I can't say enough how grateful I am to God who is so rich in mercy and abounding in love to bless someone as undeserving as me with this life that He has entrusted to me!

*Thought you all might like to see my wife's beautiful new look!