Shining His Light...
and breaking statistics.

This is a testimony (of sorts) about broken families and God's love.

I was raised in a broken home.
My dad was a druggie.
My 1st step-dad was a drunk.
My mom, although young & naive & making poor decisions,
was always loving. She always did the best she could do in the circumstances she found herself (& I) in.
Which led to my being raised in my teens by a single, hard working mom.
In turn, I helped my mom raise my little sister.
We are 11 yrs apart, and the best of friends.

As an adult, my own family began in a broken state.
A rushed marriage, a wanted child, and a much needed divorce found me all at the age of 22.
My blessing in the rubble of the choices I made, was my first born son, Joey.
Another disguised blessing came when this son was about 8 months old.
I met my dear husband Fred.
He also came from a broken home.
We entered a marriage not knowing what marriage was, or even what love was for that matter. We "knew" we loved each other, but it would take many years to truly begin to know what that really meant.

After years of walking away from Christ, or atleast neatly tucking Him away so I could do all the fun things I thought I needed to do, I found my way back around to Him again. Years later, Fred, within his own journey, came to be saved.

Our son Joe had been raised in a loving family, but he knows, remembers, our non-Christ-filled days. We also opted to let him go through the public school system via his own request. (Since this blog shares much about our homeschool journey, I figured I should share that.)

Many things we have cared, shared, & mentored to this specific son. After all, he is the guinea pig of our parenting, right? We were both raised w/ loving moms, but this newer experience of having a Father to help guide us, put us on a learning curve. We have listened to God earnestly, and have learned much, and we have continued to share the values placed in our hearts to all our children.

1. God cares, we matter.
2. Walk the walk; don't just talk the talk.
3. Always shine His Light in all circumstances.
4. Are you going to be a statistic? You know, the one that gives the ridiculous high percentage to say that children that are raised in a Christian home will walk away from their beliefs somewhere between 18 and 22?

Our Joe is now 22.
In high school he ran into little trouble (although not a perfect child, lol), and made tough decisions that took me awhile to realize. One being that when one of his bestest childhood friends (whom came from a fabulous Christian home) began to make poor choices (ie partying) our son chose to hang out with different friends. One friend he hung out with was not a Christian, but a great kid none-the-less. His name... Chris.

Well, I am pleased to say that not only has our son broke the "statistic", but has also been sharing His Light along the way. Chris not only is now a Christian, but it going to seminary for a BA in Theology Pastoral Counseling. *smile*

Here is Chris's attempt at blogging... http://christophersphilosophicbrain.blogspot.com/

I think he is doing a fine job, and it is wonderful to see young men stepping up to make a difference in others lives... even if it is simply to shine His Light.

TRAGEDIES

There are some tragedies in life that we cannot protect our children from... Death is one of them.
Four years ago today our (Fred's) step-brother (21 at the time) died in a car accident down the street from where we currently live. It was due to bad weather. It blind-sided us. Our oldest son, Joe, had the closest connection to Brandon. Brandon taught him how to drive a stickshift in his really cool car, gave him bowling tips, and spent hours 'racing' on the Xbox. His death left a void, but taught us the value of appreciating life.
Two years ago (this July) my lifetime bestfriends' husband died after battling a very long & strong battle w/ luekemia. He was the father of a 12 yr old daughter and an 8 yr old boy. He was a good family man, and he was not done being a father...but the Good Father above had different plans. This left us with questions, but taught us to trust in His plan.
Two days ago, Randall died. He was 12. Randall was in our Sunday School class that Fred & I taught for several years. He played soccer w/ T.J. ... Fred coached that team. He was an active part of our Sunday mornings, Wednesdays, VBS, & soccer seasons. He was too smart for his own good at times (I say this with a smile). He has a lovely family; left behind was his father, mother, brother Ryan (9), and brother Dustin (1). This was a tragic accident that has left us puzzled, but we know God is the answer...
When we are left empty...God can fill us up,
When we are sad...God will comfort us,
When we are weary... God is our strength,
When we are sinners...God can save us by His Grace,
AMEN!

Rest in peace, Randall!