I don't wanna be, I don't wanna be a casual Christian

I don't wanna live, I don't wanna live a lukewarm life

I wanna light up the night

With an everlasting light

I don't wanna live the casual Christian life

The lyrics above are to a song that we sing at church on occasion, but lately they have been hitting really close to home. I would say since about the beginning of August, both my husband and I have been just ignited to learn more and more about God's Word. I guess you could say we are "on fire". Hans has been working with our church, Highlands Baptist Church, and during our Wednesday night prayer service has been attending a class lead by our associate pastor called "Operation GO", which primarily focuses on winning lost souls to Christ. Then, on Thursday evenings, he goes on visitation and soul winning with our good friend Brian, then meets with him afterward to further study the Bible.

Bradley is also just beaming with God's light. Several weeks ago, he started begging me to be able to join the church choir. Now I know that they have a few teenage kids in there, but I did not know what the "minimum age" was, so to speak, so I just told him to wait a couple more years.

Apparently, that was not the answer he was looking for. He continued to pry and ask, until finally I said, "Alright Brad, let's go ask Miss Sharon and see what the age is". (Sharon is our Pastor's wife, the leader of the choir and also Brad's piano teacher. She wear's many hats, and is such a lovely woman of God). We went up just before the Sunday evening service started two weeks ago and Bradley asked her how old he had to be to join. Since she knows Bradley and knows that he is mature for his age and very disciplined in his studies and his music, she said he can join now. Bradley was SO EXCITED that he was just smiling from ear to ear for the rest of the service. He had his first practice and "performance" last week and he already loves it.

After the morning service on the way home from church, Bradley told me that he wants to do as much as he can for the Lord, "even if that means going to another country to be a missionary". I told him to just wait and listen for God's direction if that is where the Lord is leading him, and whatever the cost his daddy & I will pay for every penny of college that it takes to prepare him for the Lord's work. I am so proud.

What am I doing for the Lord, you ask? Well, right now I have further deepened my Bible study time and have been working on reading more Christian books and my devotionals...

...and thanks to Brad's example, I have also decided to join the choir - though I have a enormous fear of not only speaking, but singing in public. Lord willing, I will be just fine during my first "performance". I am trusting HIM!

Til Next Time,

Kim

PS: Here is a video clip of the children/adults from church singing the previously mentioned song on the way back from camp this summer... http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=423863597991

It's That Time of Year Again...

...are you ready? It's back to school time!

Wow - the Summer has come and gone. It feels like just yesterday Bradley just got out of school and finished fourth grade. But lo and behold, Bradley starts school *gulp* tomorrow! He was supposed to start on Monday - but an amazingly wonderful thing occurred. Let me explain...

In second grade, Bradley began school at Sikes Elementary - which is a wonderful school and I have no issues with. I found out soon after he started there that our area also has a charter school, South McKeel Elementary Academy. You have to apply and the wait list is extensive. So extensive that in fact when I applied for him to go, they let me know not to count on him getting picked until middle school. Wow!

Fast forward to 2 1/2 weeks ago. All Sikes school supplies and uniforms have been purchased, just waiting for school to start. I am sitting at home about to make dinner, and my phone rings. The Caller ID says "South McKeel". Never in my mind did I think it was about the wait-list. Well, it was - they said they had an opening come available in fifth grade, and did I want him to go to the school. this. year. I hesitated for a moment just because it was such a huge decision and not a lot of time to make it. I put the secretary on hold, talked to Hans for all of 30 seconds, and accepted.

Now, after donating the school supplies we purchased for Sikes and buying all new supplies and uniforms (that were only available at a uniform distributor in Clearwater) - Bradley is now a South McKeel Wildcat!

He is so excited, and I am for him as well. We went to orientation yesterday and his teacher seems like a great lady. The school facilities are immaculate, and the orientation was very organized and not at all chaotic. When we arrived we picked up a manila folder by the office that had his name & teacher on it. From there we went to the cafeteria as instructed, and then purchased him an agenda, deposited some $ into his lunch account, bought him a "spirit" shirt that he can wear on Fridays...  Oh, and I joined the PTA. :)

We also found which bus he is going to be riding. Ah yes, my little boy is going to be taking a bus to school for the first time ever! 

The school runs from K-12, meaning he will graduate from here. Also, since he got in, Jake automatically gets in when he starts Kindergarten. No wait!

Well, that's my little blurb about the craziness that has been occurring in the Reller household lately. Get ready for a good year!

Secrets of a Busy Mom

See that logo above? TOTALLY NOT ME. Yes, I can multi-task, but I find shortcuts here and there that help me through a busy day with 10-year-old and a 2-year-old. Today, I am going to share one of them in the hopes that it will help with your munchkins as well!

Today's tip:Quick lunches for growing boys (or girls, whateverrr! I have two boys so that's what I'm going with.)

Bradley has recently been going through yet another growth spurt. Which means that he can have two helpings of dinner and still manage to whine "Mommmmm, I'm still hungry!". After a long day, that is the last thing that I want to hear, especially after feeding him, Daddy, Mommy, and Jakey - we're all out of whatever "dinner" I prepared that night.

I was beginning to find that lunch was the same way. He could easily eat through an entire box of Kraft Mac & Cheese or a can of Chef Boyardee and still look at me and tell me he needed more to eat. Not his fault, he is a growing boy! (Now, to take out that second mortgage to FEED this growing boy eating me out of house & home...)

One thing that I have found that he likes, it is CHEAP, and fills him up and still has leftovers :::drum roll please:::

Regular ol' pasta & sauce. 

Pick a shape. Penne, spaghetti, rotini, whatever floats your boat. Cook according to instructions. Costs about $0.79 - $1.29 a box, and when you get them on BOGO at Publix, cut that in half.

Pick a sauce. We tend to stick to red sauces in different variations. Some with cheese, some with veggies added, he likes them all (a plus!). After pasta is drained, put in a big container and put toss with sauce. Sauce costs about $1.79-$3.50 per jar, depending on what brand you prefer. Again, get it on BOGO and stock up and you cut this in half.

Feed the boys, then store remainder in fridge. Lasts very well, in my opinion is better than the canned preserved stuff, and it makes a ton of leftovers!

Hope this helps! Now, back to the 100 other things I have to do today ... ;)

Toy Story 3!

Yesterday, I took both of the boys out to see Toy Story 3 while Hans went and volunteered at the Fire Department. It was a yucky, rainy day, so going to the park or any place outdoors was not an option. This was Jacob's first movie in an actual theater. We have been to the drive-in a few times and he loves that because well, he can run around while the movie plays!

As we were in line buying tickets for the 2:40pm showing (it was about 2:20pm at this time), the time that was available changed to "SOLD OUT". The next showing wasn't until 3:45pm, so we had some time to kill. Brad was hungry, so we walked across the way and went to Crispers for a late lunch. As you can see, the boys were rather happy with that decision. :)

Then after Crispers, it was movie time! Jake behaved rather well. We were seated right on the aisle, so like any normal toddler he did decide to climb over me and play on the stairs, but I just picked him up and brought him back to the seat. When he realized he was watching a ginormous movie again, he settled down. :)

Here are some photos I snapped right before the movie got going...

FYI - Toy Story 3 was great! I totally cried. Seriously. Yes, I know it is an animated movie... but yep, I teared up at the end. :oP

The cakes I made for Jake's birthday...

Happy birthday, Jake!

Happy 2nd birthday to our cuddly...

Baseball loving...

Toy chewing...

Adorable...

Cookie Monster!

Happy 2nd birthday, Jacob!

Love, 

Mom, Dad, & big-brother Bradley

(and of course, Cody & Max, too!)

"The Jesus Touch"

Yesterday was the last MOPS meeting of the semester until we start back again in the fall. This meeting is also known as our "Tea & Testimony" meeting, and it was incredible. They had a special lunch for all of us with Asian Salad & Croissant, and of course "tea" and lemonade. There was laughter and there were tears.

One of the highlights for me was when the Pastor's wife of First Baptist Church at the Mall, Angie Dennis, came up to speak to us. She taught us on Mark 5:21-34, which I had heard before but when I was much younger. Here is the passage:

Mark 5:21-34 (King James Version)

 ²¹And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea.
 ²²And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet,
 ²³And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.
 ²⁴And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.
 ²⁵And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,
 ²⁶And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,
 ²⁷When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
 ²⁸For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
 ²⁹And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.
 ³⁰And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?
 ³¹And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
 ³²And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.
 ³³But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
 ³⁴And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

She then explained to us many things about the passage, and it was such an encouragement on how she applied it to our lives - how Jesus healed the woman because she had faith in Him, and how he took notice. She explained her own testimony, of how she had an emotionally absent mother and a difficult upbringing both parentally and with people in school. She explained her heartache and fear when she found out a few years ago that she had breast cancer that she is still fighting. She then let us know the joy she felt when Jesus saved her and she met & married her husband, Pastor Jay Dennis. 


Later when she was going over the passage more thoroughly, she made sure each of us had a piece of tassel in front of us. You see, in the Bible in Mark 5:27, the garment that Jesus wore more than likely had a trim of tassels to it, and was what the woman mentioned would have touched. When she touched it, even though there was a tremendous crowd of people all around Jesus Christ, he noticed. He noticed HER, and her faith, and her pain. Mrs. Dennis let us know that when we pray, Jesus takes notice. She shared some quotes that I really loved:

• Faith is praying with our eyes on God, not on our difficulties.
• Faith is not about running in the dark, but walking in the light.
• Faith is not believing what people say about God, it's simply believing what God says!

It was also interesting to know that this is the only time in Jesus's ministry that he ever refers to someone as "daughter". What an encouragement to us - to know that in our times of pain and suffering, our Heavenly Father is there, and will hear our plea when we need him. The tassel she gave to us was to put in our Bible to remind us of this story, and gave us five things to remember when we are facing our own trials to remind outselves:

1. I know that God loves me
2. I know that God is good
3. I know that God is a God of miracles
4. I know that God speaks through the Bible
5. I know that heaven is real!

I am sure I didn't explain the passage quite as eloquently as Mrs. Dennis, but it touched me, and I just felt compelled to pass it along. 


Have a wonderful day,
Kim Reller