So far she has wanted a baby brother every time we've played this game but tonight I think she got confused...can you help her?
Vote in the poll to the right until Sept 16!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Back to words...and a lot of them...
My words on this blog have been absent as of late but there are so many unspoken/unwritten words in my head. Life has been so unpredictable lately. Fortunately, I still have a job and with some added responsibility it is proving to be a busy and hectic job...but like I said...fortunately. Matt's been loving the rotation he just switched to so its been really nice to see him enjoy surgery and what he does every day.
Here's an email that I have been wanting to send out but I just can't and its because my words can't do this situation justice...so I'm just going to post it and hope someone reads it and hope lives are changed like mine has been....I wrote this last weekend (Aug 20ish).
Hi friends -
This email is almost a week overdue as I really hoped to get it out on Wednesday morning after my return from Nashville. The last two weeks were extremely hard and just kind of confusing regarding Josiah's death. Josiah Berger was in a car accident on Tuesday night August 11th on the way to meet some friends at Sonic before moving into UT the next day. His jeep flipped and hit a tree and he was quickly taken to Vanderbilt's neuro ICU unit where he would spend the next three days.
The next day Vanderbilt was so flooded with visitors for the Berger family that they had to usher everyone to a conference room where most of our church (TN church) assembled to pray, worship, and beg the Lord to spare Josiah's life. People all over the world were petitioning the Lord for a miracle because the doctors ruled him as medically dead. On Friday August 14th (his 19th birthday) Josiah went to be with the Lord forever and immediately was a miracle for five lives who were waiting for organ donations. The Bergers were told that these people were about to die also and Josiah was their miracle. His body was also given to 77 other patients and aided in their recovery in the hospital.
On Tuesday August 18th there was a memorial service to celebrate Josiah's life at Grace Chapel in Leipers Fork, TN. There were over 2,000 people gathered to celebrate his life in the auditorium at church, another 1,000 in the fellowship hall, and there were said to be over 4,500 logged in online to watch the service. Two of Josiah's friends spoke about their friendship with Josiah and what he was like as a teenager, then his youth minister spoke and then his parents.
His best friend Will talked about how he had moved to Nashville in middle school and didn't know anyone. Josiah became his best friend and they had so many memories together. He laughed and cried and shared memories of his friend. His greatest memory was Josiah's life lived for Christ.
His father Steve spoke about his life and about how much we had prayed for a miracle. "We prayed for the healing of Josiah to be our miracle but instead we were required to be the miracle for other families." It was unbelievable to hear Steve talk about his son and talk to the hundreds of high school students who came to honor Josiah plus the youth group. "I am not a preacher right now, I'm a Dad...and I want you to know that Jesus Christ is the most important thing in your life." I believe his mother said it best, "Don't let Josiah's death be in vain - GO and LIVE for Christ as he did."
This experience has taught me to pray in times of need for everyone who asks you - pray expecting a miracle and know that the miracle GOD intends will happen - not necessarily the one I intend. This is also a reminder to live every life with JESUS as your source for everything, not things or people on this Earth. Josiah's life was an amazingly well led life and so many have benefited from it - I don't know why we don't get to enjoy him here on earth a little longer but I know 5 families who get to enjoy their family members because of Josiah. Thanks for reading ~ Ashley
Here's a great article and video in the Tennessean that is a quick read and a great video!
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090821/COUNTY090101/908210320/Faith+is+father+s+refuge+when+death+takes+his+son
There's a few words for ya!
Here's an email that I have been wanting to send out but I just can't and its because my words can't do this situation justice...so I'm just going to post it and hope someone reads it and hope lives are changed like mine has been....I wrote this last weekend (Aug 20ish).
Hi friends -
This email is almost a week overdue as I really hoped to get it out on Wednesday morning after my return from Nashville. The last two weeks were extremely hard and just kind of confusing regarding Josiah's death. Josiah Berger was in a car accident on Tuesday night August 11th on the way to meet some friends at Sonic before moving into UT the next day. His jeep flipped and hit a tree and he was quickly taken to Vanderbilt's neuro ICU unit where he would spend the next three days.
The next day Vanderbilt was so flooded with visitors for the Berger family that they had to usher everyone to a conference room where most of our church (TN church) assembled to pray, worship, and beg the Lord to spare Josiah's life. People all over the world were petitioning the Lord for a miracle because the doctors ruled him as medically dead. On Friday August 14th (his 19th birthday) Josiah went to be with the Lord forever and immediately was a miracle for five lives who were waiting for organ donations. The Bergers were told that these people were about to die also and Josiah was their miracle. His body was also given to 77 other patients and aided in their recovery in the hospital.
On Tuesday August 18th there was a memorial service to celebrate Josiah's life at Grace Chapel in Leipers Fork, TN. There were over 2,000 people gathered to celebrate his life in the auditorium at church, another 1,000 in the fellowship hall, and there were said to be over 4,500 logged in online to watch the service. Two of Josiah's friends spoke about their friendship with Josiah and what he was like as a teenager, then his youth minister spoke and then his parents.
His best friend Will talked about how he had moved to Nashville in middle school and didn't know anyone. Josiah became his best friend and they had so many memories together. He laughed and cried and shared memories of his friend. His greatest memory was Josiah's life lived for Christ.
His father Steve spoke about his life and about how much we had prayed for a miracle. "We prayed for the healing of Josiah to be our miracle but instead we were required to be the miracle for other families." It was unbelievable to hear Steve talk about his son and talk to the hundreds of high school students who came to honor Josiah plus the youth group. "I am not a preacher right now, I'm a Dad...and I want you to know that Jesus Christ is the most important thing in your life." I believe his mother said it best, "Don't let Josiah's death be in vain - GO and LIVE for Christ as he did."
This experience has taught me to pray in times of need for everyone who asks you - pray expecting a miracle and know that the miracle GOD intends will happen - not necessarily the one I intend. This is also a reminder to live every life with JESUS as your source for everything, not things or people on this Earth. Josiah's life was an amazingly well led life and so many have benefited from it - I don't know why we don't get to enjoy him here on earth a little longer but I know 5 families who get to enjoy their family members because of Josiah. Thanks for reading ~ Ashley
Here's a great article and video in the Tennessean that is a quick read and a great video!
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090821/COUNTY090101/908210320/Faith+is+father+s+refuge+when+death+takes+his+son
There's a few words for ya!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
News from Jesse and Levi
Although thier faces look more confused than happy...Jesse and Levi are very excited to announce they get a cousin in February! Baby Spann is due Feb 11! Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Paul's the man...
So - I've been reading in Acts this month and this morning I was just in awe at Paul. After being beaten and imprisoned at least three times now (I'm not done w/ Acts yet) he continues to travel the world and tell people about Jesus. He's not afraid of being asked questions and not knowing the answer, he's not afraid of going to jail again, and he's certainly not afraid of those who oppose him. I pray that I will someday have his boldness and that our world will be consumed with people as passionate as Paul about the gospel.
Since I never like to post w/out a picture...I'll just put a picture that reminds me of God's beauty - enjoy Paul's words to the men in Athens.
Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.
"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'
"Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man's design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."
Thursday, June 25, 2009
4 Years ago today...
We were getting married! The past four years have been so much fun - we have definitly had many laughs and made a lot of memories. I'm so thankful that God gave me Matt as my husband. He is such a hard worker, that has shown through this year the most. I'm so proud of all the work he's done.
I have to brag on him - yesterday when he got off work he was so exhausted b/c he was going on about three hours of sleep for the past 36 hours and he took the time and effort to stop and get me flowers and a sweet anniversary card. I got them when I got home and he was snoozing.
It was very sweet of him to do that while he was so sleepy. Thanks for everything Matt! I love you!
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