David, Amanda, and the Boys

I spent most of the day Saturday at the top of a very tall ladder, painting glass windows at the back of our church sanctuary. This was my first attempt at painting on glass and I guess it went OK. We ended up doing two coats of paint. It really needs a third but we ran out of time. We will go back and do another coat sometime in the near future.

Those of you who know me well know that I REALLY don't like heights and I haven't had a lot of luck with ladders in my past. (Talk to my mom if you want all the graphic details of the ride to the E.R.) Thankfully, I faced my fear of heights and didn't break any bones! BONUS! (I did have a very tight grip on the ladder though...)

Anyway, it was a great church work day. Kert (our Worship Pastor) and the gang (his wife Kerry and daughter Taylor) did a great job as usual organizing the event, making sure the projects kept going, handing out assignments, equipping us with the necessary tools, etc. I am so thankful we have the Prater's at South Side!!!!

I don't know how many people were there working, but I would estimate somewhere between 50 and 60. There were lots of projects going on and lots of different age groups involved. It was truly a team effort and everyone had a great servant's attitude. It just feels great to serve the Lord alongside other members of the body of Christ!

I can't wait until the boys are old enough to help out so our whole family can serve together! That will be awesome!

We always try to encourage our boys to try new things like food they've never tasted, or going down a new slide, or whatever.

Tonight after dinner, we were talking about our day and Amanda mentioned that Ben tried something new earlier in the day. He had tasted a mozzarella cheese stick at Sam's Club.

I asked Nathan if he had tried it (just so you know, Nathan almost NEVER tries anything new...) and he said no, he didn't try it. I said "Oh, that's sad..." and Nathan immediately replied "Not to me!"

Amanda and I did our best to not laugh out loud...but it didn't work.

So, Friday night, we stayed up until about 1 AM getting ready for Saturday's garage sale. We had everything ready to set out first thing Saturday morning. We had a huge amount of stuff to sell.

We woke up at 5:30 AM on Saturday morning (I didn't even know 5:30 came twice a day!) and put out the signs and starting setting out tables. Yes, we only got about 4 hours of sleep. That was fun...

The garage sale was supposed to start at 7, but as we were setting out tables at about 6:30, we already had people driving up trying to look around. People are crazy about their garage sales in Abilene!! One lady even had a flashlight since the sun wasn't even up yet!

Anyway, we finally got all of the tables set out and everything ready to go and it was full steam ahead! We had a ton of people almost the entire time. There were a few times that we looked up and there were at least 30 people milling around our driveway and garage! It was incredible!!! It was steady until 12 when we had a short break until about 12:30 when people starting showing up again. We tried closing up around 2 but people kept on coming. Finally, we were able to close up around 3 or so. We boxed up everything that was left in paper boxes to give away.

I had purchased a bunch of computers at the last ACU computer auction (10 to be exact), and also had a number of laptops for sale too. I sold all but ONE of the PC's!

We also sold a huge amount of clothes, toys, games, housewares, glasswares, electronics, luggage, and lots, lots more. We are giving everything else that is left over to the Christian Service Center of Abilene which helps out the International Refugees that come to Abilene. They have basically nothing with them when they arrive in Abilene and the CSC helps them with clothes, furniture, and other stuff for their apartments and helps them get on their feet.

Anyway, our garage sale was a HUGE success and it has freed up a ton of space in our garage and house. It feels SO GOOD to have all of that stuff gone! Thank you Lord!

By the way, we will be on KTAB News on Wednesday at 6 and 10. Megan Dobbs came by our house on Thursday and interviewed Amanda for a "Trash Into Cash" feature that are going to do. Then she came back at noon on Saturday and interviewed us both. I hope I don't sound like an idiot on TV!

(Sorry this post is so late, we were busy last week getting ready for a garage sale!)

This past Wednesday, we had our last meeting for this Men's Bible Study. It was called Pour It On and was fittingly a wrap-up for the study. It pulled it all together and helped us think about how we can lead our families going forward after the study.

My desire for the results of this study are that I lead in a way that points my family to Christ in everything we do. I haven't always done a good job of that, but I am striving to do it every day.

Some of the things that I plan on implementing in our family include a family Bible study time, praying at meal times, and serving God together as a family. I know if I am not leading our family in these things, they will not happen and we will miss out on many blessings that the Lord has for us.

We already do many things such as talking about God in our daily life situations, praying together at night, and reading a short devotional each night. I pray that these things, and the things that we will be doing in the future, all lead us to be more like Christ in everything we do.

I really enjoyed this study and hope it spurs me on to lead courageously in my family!

I just wanted to say Happy Mother's Day to my beautiful wife Amanda! She is an awesome mother to our boys and a great help-mate to me.

Also, Happy Mother's Day to my Mom! She is a great mom and we have always had a pretty good relationship. I could not have asked for a better mom!

For Mother's Day, the boys and I got Amanda a new digital camera. It is a Canon digital Elph. We had an Elph a long time ago that used APS film. It was a neat little camera, but this new one is awesome! It takes 12 MP pictures, HD video, and it very, very tiny.

Anyway, Happy Mother's Day to my wife and also to my Mom! Hope you have a great day!

This week's study is called Work It Out. It is about fighting fair. The verses are from Ephesians 4:25-32. The basic theme this week is to learn from God's Word how to communicate effectively in times of conflict.

I know when Amanda and I have a "discussion" that I don't always exactly fight fair. I'm thankful for this week's lesson because I constantly need to be reminded about forgiveness, grace, and edification.

As the leader of my family, I need to set the standard in my home for how we work out disagreements and how we relate to one another. So, my prayer this week is that I would be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. I am asking God to show me how to be willing to forgive and to give up my pride, which always wants me to be right.

Next week is the last week of this study. It is called Pour It On. I'm looking forward to it! See you then!

So, Amanda and I have been getting ready for a garage sale. Yay! I know all of you wish you could help because garage sales are such fun to put on, but don't worry, we've got it covered.

We have been going through closets, drawers, boxes, the garage, and everywhere else. It is amazing how much stuff you can accumulate over the course of a few years. We have some things I totally forgot we even have.

I am just at the point that I want to get rid of about 90% of our stuff. We don't use most of it and is just getting in the way. Amanda is almost to that point as well. We want to enjoy our family, not take care of a bunch of stuff.

We are pricing everything to sell since we don't want to keep it or have to pack it away again, but I was wondering if anyone out there has any tips for having a successful garage sale. We are open to suggestions...and oh, by the way, if you are looking for a good deal, come by the house on May 9th and we will hook you up!!! :)

Okay, okay. I've been pretty busy lately and I've gotten behind on my weekly posts for the Men's Bible Study. So, here goes.

Week 4 was called Serve Her. It was a great reminder about praying for Amanda, serving her, and loving her no matter what. I know there are lots of times I try to "fix" her problems instead of just listening, serving, and caring for her. The key verse was 1 Peter 3:7. I need to remember to be intentional about caring for Amanda and meeting her needs so that our relationship sets the tone for the rest of the family.

Week 5 was called Love Them and shifts gears away from Amanda to the boys. Psalm 127:3 was key verse. It says "Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him." I'm not sure what I've done to deserve such great boys, but I believe God has truly blessed me. Week 5 was a reminder to connect spiritually with my children and be intentional about teaching them to love and follow the Lord all of their lives. I have tried to already start teaching them about God and His love for them. Amanda and I try to make it a point to relate the everyday things of life back to the Lord. We do our best to love them the way Jesus loves them and help them do the same with others.

Week 6 was called Have Fun! It is a reminder that God desires us to be full of joy and peace that can only come from him. We need to have fun with our families because God has filled us with His spirit. The key verse this week is Ecclesiastes 3:12 which says that "I know there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live." To have fun as a family, we need to serve alongside one another, encourage one another, play games together, and just spend time enjoying one another. I think we do a pretty good job of this but there is always room for improvement.

Next week is called Work It Out and is about conflict resolution.

This whole study so far has helped remind me to be intentional about everything I do. I don't need to just sit by the side and let life happen. I need to take the initiative to lead my family in righteousness in all that we do, whether at work, play, or everyday tasks. God created us to bring Him glory and I think we should strive to do that in everything we do.

See you next week!

This week's study is called "Lead Her".  It is a great reminder that my wife is God's gift to me as a helper suitable for me.

It has really made me think about how I treat Amanda and how I lead her and our family (or how sometimes I fail to lead). How much more grace and patience do I show to other people, even strangers sometimes, than I show to Amanda or the boys?

I desire to be a godly leader for my family. This week I am working on thanking God for my wife and asking Him to show me where I can benefit from her help. I know God has put Amanda in my life because she is the perfect match for my needs. I pray that I can hear His voice and be wise enough to listen to Amanda and lead her as God would have me do.

Next week's lesson is called "Serve Her". Acts of Service is one of my primary love languages, so I hope I can ace this one!  These first few weeks have really stepped on my toes (in a good way) and I think God is using it to remind me of things that I know but have forgotten to put into practice. Hopefully, my family and those around me will see the difference.

(Posted from my BlackBerry.)