Kodak Moment

This was really one of those moments when I should have been saying "no, no" but instead I grabbed the camera. Just couldn't resist capturing this moment.

Brrrrrrrrrr!

Grant had a great time sledding for the first time this year (believe it or not)! This picture was taken after a face first dive into the snow at the bottom of the hill. Not the highlight of the sledding experience but definitely a great photo opportunity!

O Christmas Tree

This is the 2005 Rodda Christmas tree, made more beautiful by the falling snow seen through the window. Just one of the many blessings we've enjoyed this season.

Tis the Season.... for Chia Pets?

Grant saw a commercial for a Chia Pet today and said, "Mommy, can I have one of those." Must be good marketing because I can't quite imagine why a 3 year old would think he needed a piece of pottery that grows grass. Anyway, it seems I am hearing that a lot these days..."Mommy I need that" or "Mommy can I have one of those for Christmas." Stan and I are doing our best to remind Grant of what Christmas is all about, but I am realizing more each day how outside influences affect our children. We just can't shelter them from everything.

Despite the commercialism of Christmas, I am enjoying the season this year. All the snow we've been enjoying has really put me in the spirit. Most years I feel as if Christmas flies by and I don't really enjoy it. This year we are doing our best to make the most of it and its really paying off. We began our first tradition of taking cookies to some ladies in a care facility last week. Grant had so much fun and it was rewarding for all of us. If any of you have any other ideas for great family traditions, we would love to hear them.

Hope all of you are enjoying the Christmas season as much as I am. And hey, if any of you are still shopping for that hard to please person, there's always the Chia Pet!

Home

I long for childhood. It was a time in my life when I felt totally safe, completely free and never lonely. This is the kind of security Stan and I try to provide for our boys too. In this ugly world I want their home to be the place they feel the safest, the most loved.

That is what heaven will be for us--a return to that beautiful feeling of safeness and freedom. A place where we are ultimately secure and completely loved, no strings attached. It will be home. I long for it today. Maybe that's what God is teaching me through trial--to long for home. I get terribly comfortable here sometimes but on days like today I long to be in His presence. I ache for heaven.

Time for a new debate

It makes you look tired, even old. It stains your fingers and penetrates your clothing and your home with a vulgar smell. It blackens your lungs and puts you at high risk for cancer. It seriously annoys people around you (especially when they are trying to enjoy a meal).

Smoking is gross. I searched my vocabulary for a more sophisticated word but nothing really captured the sentiment as well as "gross." As we sat and attempted to eat our breakfast this morning at our local greasy spoon I was amazed at the number of people lighting up around us. After all of us began to lose our appetites and were developing headaches, we decided to move to a back table. (Stan let our waitress know that we weren't interested in exposing our kids to lung cancer at such a young age.)

Smoking in public--a long overdue debate topic. What do you think?

Cutie Patooties!

We recently had some new pictures of the boys taken. I think they turned out amazingly well! Couldn't help but post a few of them...they are too cute not to share!

Priceless!

Grant Isaac Rodda--3 years old
This is one handsome little guy!

Ashton James Rodda--1 year old
Really...could he be any cuter? I don't think so!

Life is Fleeting

Psalm 39:4 "Lord...let me know how fleeting my life is!"
Or in the NASB: "Lord, make me to know my end and what is the extent of my days; Let me know how transient I am."

A couple of weeks ago we received a call from a friend asking us to pray for Monica Worstell. She explained that she was in the hospital fighting for her life. Monica was a classmate in college and is my age. She and Matt have 1 year old twins. The same week we heard the news that Jenifer Danielson's sister Aricka had passed away. I am not sure of her age, but know she must have been in her early twenties. Last week we got the news that a friend here in Petersburg has breast cancer. She is only 35 and has 4 children ranging from 8 months to 11. Of course we have great hope in all of these situations because of Jesus Christ, but I am human and so each piece of news was very hard to hear.

Today, as I prayed for each of these families and reflected on each situation, I began to wonder what God had to teach me through them. Then I began to read Scripture..."let me know how fleeting life is...how transient I am." Because I am young, I must admit, I feel invincible. I have a long, healthy life ahead of me, right? I can get comfortable here, because I'm going to be around for awhile. There will be another day to take care of God's business...another day to share the love of Jesus...another day to get myself right with God. Maybe so, but maybe not--life is fragile and fleeting.

This is what God is doing for me right now...the lesson He is teaching me. I find that when God wants me to learn a lesson, He has to use every medium available for me to hear Him. And so, recently, in many ways, He's been whispering to me, "this is temporary...your life is fleeting...make it count."

Autumn

I love the seasons. I'm not sure I could enjoy living in a place that was all one climate...that is unless it was autumn all year round. Obviously, this isn't possible since its a transitional season, but in my utopia, it would be October all year round! As Autumn begins to show its face, I am reminded of all the things I love about this season...the temperature, the color pallete, the football games, pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING...need I continue? This time of year makes me giddy! Thank you God for knowing we needed the seasons and for giving us beauty in the transition from Summer to Winter.

I love my husband. I REALLY love him. And I HATE seeing him in pain. Finally, after four years, he is going to have surgery to repair the ruptured disc in his back. The surgery is only 9 days away and it can't come quickly enough. It will be wonderful for him to sleep well again and to go through an entire day without taking a dose of Advil!

My kids are adorable. We had pictures taken today and they turned out wonderfully! Now comes the hard part...waiting to get the pictures back. I paid an extra $5 to be able to access the photos online. After coming home in hopes of checking them out, I read the fine print..."visit the smile station online in 10-14 business days." You're kidding me, right? My pictures will be back in a week, but I have to wait 10-14 business days to see them online? What a rip! Delayed gratification...its good for me I guess.

Go outside and enjoy the beginning of autumn. Breathe the crisp air, look for the beginnings of colorful leaves, praise God for this beautiful time of year!

Complaint

Today I received an anonymous "complaint." The nameless blogger wrote "I notice you don't have any pictures of your husband on here. What's up with that?" My response? Take a look at June's archives. There is a photo there of my husband and me. But just to appease this unidentified critic, I will post this picture again. (Since having children there are few pictures of the adults in our family. This picture is a rare one!)

I am in the midst of potty-training. For some, this may not seem like a bit deal but around here its been a daunting task. God blessed me with a strong-willed child. Need I say more?

Just began my third Nicholas Sparks book. The last (The Messenger) took me a whopping 1 day to read. I am hoping to spread this one out a little longer.

That's all for now...

Before (he definitely looks happier in this picture!)


After (ignore the mean face--he didn't want his picture taken!)

New Haircut!

Check out Grant's new do! With the hot weather and his hatred for getting his hair washed, we thought this was the perfect style for him. I posted a pic of him with longer hair and a picture from this morning with his "buzzed" look. What do you think? Do you like the old or new style better?

Punk Rock Christians?

My good buddy Caleb suggested a new discussion topic. Here is his comment in case you didn't read it...

What about punk rockers. I watched a new segment on Fox News about Punk Rock Christians. There was a young preacher of a church on the south side of Manhatten New York City. He was all tattooed, pierced, wore black clothes, loved to skate, and love punk rock music. They showed shots of his church worshipping and mentioned how it has grown. Then they interviewed a "Conservative" preacher in Colorado that said "they play punk rock music in their services. That is beyond peril to me." He said that born-again Christian will want to dress like Christians....WHAT DO "REAL" CHRISTIANS LOOK LIKE? The punk rock kid made a great point, he said if by wearing a suit and tie for church is like the early Christians, then we are far from that. The early church didn't wear suit and ties....they didn't have them!

Interesting topic--and not one I was very informed about. So I did a little research and came up with some interesting information. The punk rock scene is not just about music. Check out this website to see one band's view on the punk rock scene...http://www.terrorgruppe.com/church/punk_engl.html
If this guy is correct in what he says, to call yourself a "punk rocker" and a "Christian" in the same breath would be an oxymoron. (This site is typical of what I found when searching.)I find it very dangerous to try to identify yourself with two groups who are so vastly different--punk rockers and Christians. The punk rock scene is anti-establishment, rebellious and a bit dark. However, if these "punk rock Christians" are just followers of Jesus who enjoy expressing themselves with a certain style of music, hair, dress, etc... I see nothing wrong with that. I guess it just depends on how far you take it.

Can't wait to hear what you all have to say!!!

A final word...

A final comment on the gambling issue...Even if we set stewardship aside and didn't use that as an argument against it, gambling is still dangerous and, in my mind, wrong. None of us really know if we have addictive personalities until we put ourselves into a position to be mastered by something. Gambling is highly addictive. In fact I heard on the radio the other day that gambling is the fastest growing addiction in teens today. Someone may go into the gambling scene intending to do it as entertainment but gambling can quickly become an addiction. Just as those with addictive tendencies have trouble after only trying a few drinks, they also have trouble controlling themselves after a few tries on the slot machine. Once again, I do not see a need to ride the line between right and wrong. Why would we put ourselves in this kind of position for the sake of "entertainment." Gambling is destroying lives as we speak--families are going bankrupt, divorce papers are being filed, etc... I do not want to use my money to support something that has been so distructive in the lives of others. Funny thing is, I never felt passionate about this subject until Julie brought it up for discussion. Now I feel VERY passionate about it and have a strong conviction. Thanks Julie for the GREAT topic!

Up for Discussion...

A new topic has been suggested by one of my faithful blogging buddies, Julie. Here's what Julie wrote...
"what about gambling??? We got into a discussion about gambling tonight. Especially in the sense that "what if someone who gambled and one decided to give you that money as support would you take it?" Then we got into what is gambling?? Investing things into stock markets, oldies playing bingo, playing games at the fair, etc... anyone want to throw out some thoughts about that?"
Julie also shared her opinion which you can read as the last comment on the Monday, June 13th post.
I think in living by the principle of stewardship I would have a difficult time using money for gambling. I guess it is an issue of conscience for me. However, I am not always the best steward of my money so I guess I would need to take the log out of my own eye before I started pointing out specks to others. Let's hear your opinions!

Crawling

Grant never crawled so when Ashton was 6 months old and still showed no signs of crawling we decided to do something about it! After talking to an occupational therapist from our church, we began doing upper body exersizes with Ashton using an exersize ball. After only 2 weeks of that he began to show dramatic improvement and now at 9 months he is beginning to crawl! I only wish someone would have been able to help us when Grant was this age. Because he never crawled his upper body strength is less than that of most kids his age. But we're working on that--lots of time at the park climbing on the equipment! Anyway, we are thankful that Colleen was able to help us with Ashton. Now I'm going to have to baby proof my house! I'll be down on all fours today checking out what Ashton can get to now that he's mobile!

Dad's Day Off

Tuesdays are my favorite day of the week--Stan's day off! We headed to Springfield today to pick up a few things and to have lunch. We decided to head out to Lincoln Memorial Gardens. It was a beautiful day so we had a mini photo shoot! Below are some pictures of our day. Check out stanandmisty.com to see more.

Ashton by the lake 

the boys 

Exploring 

Grant by the lake 

It's Back!

The "hot topic" discussion has returned to my blog! My last post got 4 comments and counting...So I suppose I will continue to post hot topics along with journaling some of the happenings in my life. It's definitely encouraging to me and challenging as well to discuss these issues with all of you. I am finding that now, in my upper twenties (aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh, I don't like the sound of that!), that I am looking at things in a different light...re-examining some of my "opinions" that have always seemed like doctrine to me. I guess I'm just trying to look at things in light of scripture rather than basing my principles on what I was taught in sunday school. Seems like an easy concept I guess but its taken me this long to get it. A wise fellow blogger commented on my last post that God sees the heart first, before he sees the skin. I think some guy named Samuel also said that back in the OT but for some reason it really sunk in when I read that comment. So, thanks to all of you for challenging and edifying me. Keep the comments rolling!

Any opinions out there?

I've decided to give the debate idea one more try...
New topic--tatoos/piercings. Outside of the two holes in my ears I've never really had a desire for either...but not because of any moral/religious conviction. I think for the most part this is a generational argument. The older generation seeing piercings and tatoos as rebellious and destructive to the body. The younger generation seeing it as a form of expression. I have no problem with a piercing or tatoo...but I must admit there is a point at which I get uncomfortable. If I saw someone with one or two piercings and a few tatoos, no big deal. However, if I saw someone with MANY pierings and MANY tatoos I might get a little uncomfortable. Although I feel I am a very open person who loves to get to know people of all different kinds, I must admit I get a bit uncomfortable at the sight of an overly tatooed or pierced body. Why is that? And does the Bible say anything about this subject?

TGIS!

Thank goodness its Saturday! It's been a rough week to say the least and I'm looking forward to starting a new one tomorrow. This morning Stan is preaching the funeral of a man who drowned Monday. This is the same man Stan baptized last Thursday. Once again I am reminded of how fleeting life is and how confusing God's timing can be. But I trust that He has a purpose for this regardless of whether I understand it or not.
I was blessed to have my Grandma here at the beginning of the week! This was her first visit to Petersburg so we hit the antique shops and of course Bean Counter, my favorite coffee spot. Grandma taught Grant the skill of making homeade noodles which Stan enjoyed immensely!
I've felt a little like a single Mom this week. Not because Stan isn't a wonderful husband and Dad, but because he's been swamped. I think we only had lunch together 3 times and we might have had one free evening at home with eachother. So I've been handling meal times, bath times, bed times by myself most of the week which is tiring! I can't imagine being a single Mom. It makes me appreciate my husband all the more.
My goals for today...to do some deep cleaning, get all the laundry finished and to play outside with the boys. It may not sound like much but add my two little guys into the mix and it becomes quite the challenge! But I'm up for it and I wouldn't trade those little guys for the world!
Grant's new skill for the week: getting his own water from the refrigerator. He's becoming so independent! Funny how when you become a Mom things like this make you so proud!

just a test

I was trying out the hello program for putting pictures on your blog and accidentally posted one (see photo below). But as long as it's on here I guess I could mention how adorable my husband is and how blessed I am that he is mine! I love you Stan!

Misty and Stan 

fun in the sun

The warm weather has given us the chance to play in the sprinkler and the slip n slide! Afterward the boys and I enjoyed a snack under the Huskers umbrella. Aren't they adorable? If this post doesn't get any comments I'll know no one is reading my blog!

Blogging Blues

Okay, so I've come to the sad conclusion that absolutely no one, with the exception of my faithful friend Caleb, ever reads this blog page. Therefore, I am considering retiring the debate blog. It seems no one (once again, with the exception of Caleb) shares my passion for debating. Maybe I would find a more traditional blog more fulfilling...one used to journal my thoughts. Then, in the event that no one reads it, the blog will still serve the purpose of an online diary of sorts. If there is anyone...ANYONE?...out there who feels the debate blog still serves a purpose, speak now or forever hold your peace, otherwise its byebye to this blog.

A Touchy Subject

In our young adult Sunday School class Stan has been throwing out "hot topics" such as homosexuality, abortion, euthenasia, etc. He has encouraged us to open our minds to looking at things in light of Scripture rather than with a bias because of what we have been taught. I have missed several classes because of filling in for other teachers or uncooperative children, but today I was able to be there. The topic of the day was alcohol and the discussion was rather heated. People seem to be passionate about this subject from whatever side of the fence they are standing. It was interesting to hear people's opinions but I became a bit disheartened as I listened. I wonder if we are focusing on the wrong thing. Why do we get so upset about "our rights" or "our liberties." Living in God's grace does not mean stretching His limits as far as they will go. Maybe I am "closed minded"--I'm sure many think so, but this topic was especially upsetting to me. Maybe talking about alcohol is the wrong way to go...maybe we should be talking about holiness. How can we be more "set apart," more sanctified to serve God...Just a thought. I'm anxious for your comments/opinions. Please feel free to "enlighten" me!

Heaven on Earth

Okay, so I said this page would be for debating, but I am going to stray a bit from that purpose with this post...
We just returned from vacation, which included several visits with old friends and a trip to CCCB (our alma mater) for graduation. Each time we are reunited with friends from college, I get a little glimpse of heaven. Let me explain...
Ministry can be lonely at times. There is a sense of caution about sharing too much with people within the church when you are a "preacher's wife." And often people aren't comfortable totally opening up to you either. And so I often find myself longing for the days when I was surrounded by close friends. The kind I knew I could share ANYTHING with and who I knew would come to me with their deepest needs. When I sit and really think about heaven I am first excited to see Jesus...to touch Him...just to be in His presence. But the second thing I am excited about is that I will never have to be seperated from those friends I love so deeply. And so when we are at a place like CCCB graduation, surrounded by the best of friends, I feel that God is giving me a little glimpse of what heaven will be like. And it makes me all the more excited for the day when Jesus will come and take us all home to be with Him...and to be with each other.
But, this also makes me concerned. Why am I not continuing to build those kinds of friendships in ministry. Is this just the down side of being a "preacher's wife" or am I being too cautious? I would love to hear your responses.

set your mind on these things...

music, tv, video games...
One or more of these are undoubtedly a huge ifluence on your thought life. So what position should a Christian take when choosing the music they listen to? What television programs are acceptable? What about video games? Where do we draw the line? For me the guideline is clear...Philippians 4:8. But how do we live that out practically? And how do we draw lines without becoming legalistic? Please give me your opinions! (And someone play devil's advocate, just for fun! :)

Share Your Thoughts!

Although Grant is an intelligent, well-spoken, nearly 3 yr. old, our conversations are limited. Due to a craving for a higher level of communication during my days at home, I am creating this blog page. I will post "hot topics" for us to debate/discuss. This will sharpen my skills, as well as yours, if you choose to participate! And hey, feel free to join in and throw out some debatable subjects of your own. I'm always ready to be stretched intellectually, spiritually or even politically! I'll be posting the first topic soon, so...SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS!