Hulu
www.hulu.com is a great site to watch favorite movies and TV shows!
Wisdom in a Choice
There is nothing else I would claim to have been wise for other than my choice of who I married!
I am a very blessed man!
Lost
We are in the middle of season 4 of this TV show.
Check us out at www.twitter.com/eddiesmith and www.twitter.com/marthamarie. These sites answer the question, “What are you doing?” You can see what wild and crazy things our kids are saying or doing as well as catch up with our latest thoughts on life subjects including how we feel while we are in line at the Wal-mart check out counter.
The Connected Child by Dr. Karen Purvis
Great book to better connect with your kids, especially if you are having behavior issues, especially if you are a foster or adoptive parent.
Click here to get it on Amazon.
Drop Box
Need a place to store files online and access them from any computer? Get 2 GB free! Get up to 100 GB for $20 a month.
The Lord’s Prayer
I asked the Lord earlier this week to remind me how to pray. He reminded me of how he taught the disciples in Luke 11:1-4. This is the Message version of the Bible.
1 One day he was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said, “Master, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” 2-4So he said, “When you pray, say,
Father,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.”
I love the simplicity and the power!
Ask. Listen. Act.
God is not a fan of being contained in a box. We will never be able to fathom or figure Him out. He doesn’t like to be limited to formulas.
I find comfort in formulas, systems, and predictable situations. I found a formula I like in God however that brings me comfort and security. It’s not a formula that limits Him. It’s a formula that brings promise and maximizes my potential in God. It is a formula that Perry Noble talks about all the time. The formula is, “Listen to God and do what he says.”
Judges 1:1-3 breaks this down for us.
1 After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the LORD, “Who will be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?”
2 The LORD answered, “Judah is to go; I have given the land into their hands.”
3 Then the men of Judah said to the Simeonites their brothers, “Come up with us into the territory allotted to us, to fight against the Canaanites. We in turn will go with you into yours.” So the Simeonites went with them.
- The Israelites asked God
- God answered
- Then men of Judah acted
When we believe that God will answer our prayer, He will…100% of the time. It may not always be what we want, but it will be what is best for us and His Kingdom.
I know when I ask God what He wants, do what He says, and then act on it, I can never fail!
A poem for Brayden….
This is a poem I wrote for Brayden and read at his dedication that was held the same day as his adoption. It sums up the past year and a half for us and we give all the glory and praise to God!
Dear Brayden,
I have a story that’s on my heart
February 11, 2008 is the very start
You see on that day we picked up a little boy
He had blonde hair, brown eyes, and not much joy.
But he smiled at us as we came through the door
Although we knew that physically he was very sore
He had bruises all over from head to toe
I wish I could say it wasn’t so
It broke my heart to hear of his past
But praise the Lord it did not last
He found his way in our home you see
From the abuse and neglect He was finally free
The first few weeks were an adjustment for all
Every scream at night made my heart completely fall
He wasn’t sure whether he could trust us or not
We covered him with love and prayed a lot
The constant throwing up finally went away
And the meds went from 5 to just 1 a day
Before our eyes we saw God answer prayer
He loved our little guy, God truly did care
We were finally getting settled in this great new life
But we then received news that cut like a knife
On March 28th the dreaded phone call came
It shocked us; we knew we’d never be the same
An aneurysm had been found on my brain
There were many tears and so much pain
But the God we serve is amazing you see
So we asked for healing on bended knee
Peace was given through this horrible storm
God was great and our faith transformed
The surgery was set for the 6th of May
Dr Barrow and staff operated that emotional day
God answered prayer and I was healed
The grace He had given us was completely revealed
Friends and family had encircled us with love
Which had been sent directly from the God above
We thought it was over until July arrived
When gall stones were found and again I cried
But recovery was quick and we were back on our feet
Our story of healing was now complete
We were licensed to adopt we were soon told
The dream of you as our son began to take hold
In October is when the court case would fall
Not sure whether the parents would contest at all
We arrived at the courthouse early that day
To find out parents rights had been signed away!
What a huge blessing this turned out to be
One more miracle God did for us to see
Through this journey God opened our eyes
We decided to help others understand orphans cries
So we started Caroline’s Promise here in our state
We want to reclaim hope and set the problem straight
This all brings us now to the 9th of June
When you officially became our son at noon
You little man now have a brand new name
Brayden Elijah Smith you’ll never be the same!
This story that started 16 months ago
Has been such a time of amazing growth
It has stretched our faith in countless ways
We truly give our God all the praise!
So to our little Brayden we want to say
How blessed we are that God made a way
For you to be part of our family in full
We love you so much and are so thankful!
We pray daily that you our little guy
Will decide to give our God a try
Because He’s amazing and a wonderful friend
He loves you so much and that will never end.
Love, Mommy, Daddy, and your sissy