I know it's April Fools Day but......

April Fools Day is almost here. This day is special to Kim and me. Four years ago, we found out that Addison Rae Kelsey was on her way. I remember Kim saying that she thought she needed to take a pregnancy test. I was skeptical about what the results would be that day, but it was nice be wrong. That was one of the happiest days of our lives.


It was fun telling our friends and family. Every phone conversation started with "I know it's April Fool's Day, but....." Everyone was thrilled.

I was listening to Rick and Bubba the day after about April Fool's pranks. I sent them an email regarding our surprise and they congratulated us on the air. That was special.

Top Ten List

It's time for something different.....

The Top Ten Things You Won't/Shouldn't Hear a Father Say

10. "Can you turn up that music? It really calms my nerves."
9. "You can't finish your peas? Go ahead and throw 'em away."
8. "Here, you take the remote."
7. "Text message all you want."
6. "No, honey, sit this one out. I really can't wait to change that diaper."
5. "Go outside? Why don't you just play inside today while I work on the bills."
4. "Well, at least you only had four D's on your report card."
3. "Go ahead, take my car-and here's fifty bucks for gas."
2. "Make sure you have your daily intake of sugar and caffeine today."


1. "As a matter of fact, let's both go get nose rings!"

Who is the Church of Christ?

With the murder of Matthew Winkler (scroll down for a pervious post) recently, there has been a lot of sterotyping and misconceptions of the Church of Christ lately. I found an outstanding article written by Dave Miller of Apologetics Press. He held a seminar at our church last year on government and Christianity and it was outstanding. We also studied his DVD series on Islam in our Wednesday night young adult class which was extremely informative.

Anyway, here is the article. A good book to study is Eddie Cloer's What is the Church? as well.

It's disappointing that people often judge the Church of Christ based on what others have said or one bad experience at one church. I've visited many churches in my lifetime and I know there are differences. There are very conservative churches and very liberal ones. But I do know that most have something in common: love. Love for Christ, love for God's authority, and love and concern for lost souls.

If you aren't sure what the Church of Christ is like, then visit one! Want to know more about obeying the gospel?

"...the Churches of Christ salute you...." Romans 16:16

Great Visit in Oklahoma

We've had a great trip in Oklahoma. Earlier this week, we visited the Witchita Mountains and even went up Mt. Scott. On our trip, we saw some longhorns, buffalo (see photo below), and even some wild turkies. Yesterday, we briefly fed the ducks and praire dogs at the park here in Lawton. It's cold!


Today, Addi woke up to a light dusting of snow outside and enjoyed playing with it off of PaPa's truck. Then, Addi and I enjoyed a trip to Great-PaPa's farm to feed the cows. Later, the whole Kelsey clan was here for supper. We were able to get a few snapshots. Andrew gets the award for being the most still grandchild during the photo session.


We thought about going out to do something and leave the kids with Grammy and PaPa, but weren't sure if they could handle two kids each!

Hard to Believe - Matthew Winkler Family

Perhaps you've heard about this on the news. We didn't live too far from where this happened. He was a graduate of Freed Hardeman University. Matthew Winkler is the son of Dan Winkler and grandson of Wendell Winkler who are/were gospel preachers too. Wendell Winker and his sons have written some outstanding books. We've used a couple in my Sunday morning young adult class. I think a new one came out last year on parenting. I haven't read it, but I'm sure its just as good.

Update 3/26 - Wow, a lot has happened the past few days. My hit count has tripled since I made a post about this tradegy. (George in Auburn, I only say this to illustrate that this story has caught the nation's attention). There is a lot of interest in this terrible event.

It's so hard to understand why this would happen to what seems to be a fine family. I hope you have praying for Mary, the daughters, and the congregation they were a part of.

The latest news I know of comes from my wife. She says that the NBC show Dateline did a short story on the murder and questioned her lawyer. Evidently, their defense is that this was all an accident. Questions come to mind. Why did Mrs. Winkler flee and rent a condo? Why did she shoot him in the back? Why didn't she just go to members of her church for support?

A fund has been established for the children. Here is the mailing address:

Winkler Family Fund
229 Ward Circle Suite A-23
Brentwood, TN 37027

3/27 - Mary Winkler has apologized for her actions. Also, according to a fellow blogger, the Winkler family has forgiven her. (For those visitors who have a negative view towards the Church of Christ, does this sound like oppression or hypocrisy?)

3/28 - Here is an article giving more insight on the Winkler family. I appreciate the comments Billy Smith made. He is an outstanding and sincere preacher. He preached at Estes Church of Christ when Kim and I were members there.

Note to the media: Church of Christ preachers are called preachers, ministers, or evangelists. Not pastors or reverends. Read the Bible for more details.

Another note to the media: The Church of Christ is not related to the International Church of Christ or United Church of Christ. For more information on the Church of Christ, please visit the New Testament, especially the book of Acts.

Interesting Diet Plan

First the Subway diet, now this. Just like Forrest Gump.

Oklahoma Bound

Today we are heading to Oklahoma! It's going to be a great trip. My parents are permanently living in Lawton which has been my second home. We'll get to see them, Grandma and Papa, Luke and Lori, and Katie and Seth. Plus, I'll get to play with my niece Macy and see my nephew Andrew for the first time!

We'll probably do some "sight seeing" while in Lawton too. We'll go to Mt. Scott, feed the prairie dogs at the park, see Mom and Dad's new house, Grandma and Grandpa Blewett's old house, and show Addi and Levi PaPa's tractor. Grandma K is also fixing her famous recipe for gumbo. (She's from Loisianna). I just hope Addi doesn't say "There's guck in it! Take out the guck!" She'll probably just eat rice.

School News

Spring Break has begun. Freedom! Just eight weeks of school left until the summer. Then more tutoring may begin.

Next year, our school year will be five days longer. I'm not sure if five days will make a huge difference, but it does mean a pay raise. Not only will teachers in Alabama get more pay for that extra week, but also get an additional 5% raise. Can't complain about that. Read about the new legislation here.

After the break, I'm going to a meeting at the board office regarding National Certification. Besides going into administraiton, this is the next step I can take up the career ladder. I attempted to apply for a grant a couple of years ago (it costs over $2000 to apply), but I failed miserably. Now, my school system is starting a program that will pay for their own teachers to go through this. I know it won't be easy if I do go for it, but it does mean a significant pay raise.

I'm thinking about doing something different next year. I talked to my principal about possibly moving up a grade or too. It all depends on who is retiring or leaving. I've taught 3rd grade for almost 7 years now. One year when I taught in Oakland, TN, I taught 5th/6th grade Reading.

One last thing, do you remember recess? Since I've been a teacher, I haven't been in a system that allows recess. In Alabama, state law requires 30 minutes of P.E. daily. In Tennesse, my school only had P.E. once a week for 50 minutes. Our school system may bring back recess. I like that idea, even it means a little longer school day.

Take the Poll!

Edit 3/18 - Have you voted yet? It's neck and neck with Boo Bah and Teletubbies. Boo Bah (even the website is annoying) is my choice. Watching a bunch of colorful fuzzy blobs bounce around to gas noises is just too painful. As for Barney, I can take him. Addi was given tons of videos and I've sat through many. She loves all the songs they sing.

Trying a Video

Here is a video of Addi and Levi in our playpen. It would have more length, but right after this we had tornado sirens go off. Luckily, nothing big happened in our area.

I hope this works.



UPDATE 3/14: It did work. The strange thing is that when I tried to publish this message, I had an error pop up that said something was wrong with the html script. So I gave up. In the morning at school, I noticed it was there! Weird.

I wish I could say I'll be putting more videos on the blog. Something happened to our camera when I was turning it off last night after I uploaded the video below. It reminded me of a lightbulb going out. I hope we can get it fixed.

In random news, we found our TV remote which had been missing for a few months. Woo hoo! It somehow got wedged under the couch. How it got there, we'll never know.

Oh, I've noticed at work that IE does not load my blog very well now that I put in the live mapstats on the right. Use Firefox instead.

Church Potty Break

Addi has been potty trained. However, Kim had a wet weekend. It began at the Lads to Leaders scrapbook work-day over at Josh and Katie's house. All of sudden, Kim hears "No Addi!" people scrambling, and water pouring. Addi relieved herself right then and there. Usually she decrees "I have to go tee-tee (or poo poo)" when she is ready. Not this time.
Tonight at church, I was in our training/nursery room with Levi. Kim and Addi stayed in the auditorium (Kim had already spent the morning services back there). About halfway through David's sermon, Kim comes back with Addi and describes the wetting of the floor and her. So, we weren't sure what to do. Do we all go home since Kim needs to change? Kim wouldn't make it back until after services. We finally decided that I'd stay there with the kids and change Addi while Kim zipped back to the house.

But wait, the story is not over. As Kim left, Addi radomonly announces "Go get me a biscuit from Jack's."

It's really hard not to laugh.

533 - I Am a Sheep

This has become my new favorite song. We've been singing it some lately at church. I love the words because it reminds us of our relationship with God just like it explains in Psalms 23. Here are the words:

I am a sheep and the Lord is my Shepherd.

Watching over my soul!
My soul to keep guarding over me ever.
Watching wherever I go.

We are His children and He is our Father.
Watching over our soul!
Great is His love for His sons and His daughters!
Watching wherever we go!

And when the winds blow
He is my shelter!
And when I'm lost and alone
He rescues me!

And when the Lion comes
He is my victory.
Constantly watching over me.
He is constantly watching over me.

What is your favorite church song?

Dieting is Hard

Well, I'm trying to get back on the dieting train again. It's hard to stay consistent. I still exercise on my exercise bike daily and work out on my weights, but watching what I eat is the hard part.

By the way, I have a good method of exercising. I play my XBOX and ride at the same time. I can't play now without riding. At least it gives me a feeling that I'm being semi-productive.


Ever hear of the South Beach Diet? I haven't either. I'm not a big fan of fad diets. Anyway, Kim bought me some meals from our local scratch and dent store for a steal. They're good! I like the wheat wraps they make. Actually, I think these are meals based on the diet from Kraft.

Have a great Wednesday everyone.

Oscar Flop

Ha ha. Despite the media's endorsement of the gay cowboy picture "Brokeback Mountain," it did not win the Oscar. I didn't bother watching Sunday night after church because I had better things to do. I haven't even seen any of the movies that were up for best picture this year, nor do I have a desire to. There is only one movie that got some kind of recognition this year that I'd like to see and that is "Walk the Line" mainly because of my Mom's recommendation after seeing it on a flight recently.

Anyway, it really didn't shock me when I first saw a preview for "Brokeback Mountain." That's a shame that worldy thinking can easily dull the senses.

Anyone know of a good Christian website that gives good family friendly reviews? I thought I found one through Christianity Today, but it gave "Brokeback Mountain" 3 out of 4 stars. Huh? Maybe I looked at it wrong. I don't really know the creditials for this site anyway.

Beautiful Day in Alabama

It's been a great Saturday in Alabama. Today was family day. We had lunch as Jason's Deli thanks to a gift card that Josh and Katie got me for my birthday. Then, we headed to the zoo for a free trip thanks to the family pass Mom and Dad got us for Christmas. We had a great time. All Addi was concerned about was seeing the tigers. We finally found them, but the orange one was hidden a little. Addi was still satisfied.

Levi had a blast too. He loves animals, especially our dogs. Maybe it's the Kelsey genes in him since his PaPa and Great-PaPa are veternarians!

When we got home, Addi played on her swing set for a while. Then we took a picture in front of our bushes in the backyard that's in bloom. Yeah, it needs some trimming but it's still beautiful.

One final note: please keep the family of Hadley May in your prayers. She is a little girl battling cancer. Click on her name to see her web site and learn more.

Up

In my previous blog devo, I began a discussion on Proverbs 22:6. For the next part of my devo, I'd like to talk about the second word of the passage: up. It seems odd to only talk about one small word, but I believe there is much behind it. What are some things we can do to see that are children are upward bound?

First, we need to make Christianity a daily party of our family's life. How can we do this? I believe it begins with involvment with church. Notice that I didn't say "going to church." We know that missing the assembly leads to a slump and poor habits (Hebrews 10:26), but we also should realize that there is more than this. Luke warm Christians only go to church. We want to be Christians that are on fire for God. When we have that passion in serving God, then he is always #1.How involved are you? Do you participate in youth activities or young adult gatherings? Do you support programs like Lads to Leaders or Bible Bowl? Do you serve others? Do you visit the sick, elderly, or those in prison. (This is something I need to do more of.) Getting kids involved early will lead to upward growth.

Of course, we need to take a step back. Should parents rely on the church to give their children their spritual growth? Absoultely not. The responsibility falls upon the parent. Parents should teach their children about God and help them learn about His love.

Parents need to praise and encourage. I Thes 5:11 is a simple verse that reminds us to encourage one other. I was blessed to come from a family that encourages me. They still do. Plus, my in-laws uplift me too. Parents today should be their child's greatest cheerleader. Whether it be with school work or extra-curricular activities, praise must be there

As parents, we should be there even when our children fail. I know there will be times when my children will let me down and fall. While I'll be disappointed in their actions or choices, I will still love them and do everything I can do to bring them back up. I once heard someone say that help from parents is not a "hand me down" but a "hand me up." How true. I can't but help think of the story of "The Prodigal Son." (Luke 15:11-32)

Finally, to see upward growth in our children, there must be limits and boundaries. There is a terrible battle being fought right now between what is Godly and what is worldy. We need to raise children that choose God's standards. Children need to have guidlines to follow. Children should be shown by example and teaching of what is public behavior and dress. Children should be aware of the garbage that is on TV and movies. Children should know that drugs and alcholol should be out of the picture. Children should know that sex is something beautiful in marriage and marriage only. Parents have the charge to teach children not to stray, but stay focused on moving forward.

So what do you think? What else can we do to help our children (or future children) go up?

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

Tomorrow is Read Across America. At schools across the country, kids will be reading Dr. Seuss books since it is also his birthday. I love this day every year. Tomorrow, my class will have a guest reader. Then we'll listen to Rick and Bubba's reading of Green Eggs and Ham at 8:30. All the classes that are listening across the south are posted on their web site. They call it the "largest classroom in the world."

My favorite Dr. Seuss book is Hooray For Diffendoofer Day. Dr. Seuss actually never finished it, but it was completed a few years ago by a couple of other children's authors. I love the message about school in this story. I also love Oh, The Places You'll Go.