Rex - A Book Review

Live by faith, not by sight. If I could sum up Rex, by Cathleen Lewis that is how I would do it. This is a book by an incredible woman who is raising an incredible son. Rex was born blind and through some unfortunate circumstances became autistic at a very young age. However, through a gift from his father for his second birthday, Rex began what would lead to the discovery that he is a musical savant. This book is an incredible story of a parent and her life raising a child that has blindness, autism, and genius all wrapped into one little boy. Through this child she was able to begin a relationship with God as well as see that relationship grow.

The book details many of the thoughts and feelings that Ms. Lewis has had during Rex’s life. She describes many of the struggles as well as opportunities that she has experienced due to Rex’s extraordinary disability as well as his extraordinary ability.

I would recommend this book to anyone, especially those with a handicapped child. It is a great story of faith, struggle, and perseverance. Ms. Lewis takes you on the amazing journey that she is on with Rex. I loved her ability to take you inside her world and show you not only Rex’s amazing talent, but also the ability to be open and honest about the struggles as well. Definitely a book worth reading and you can get it here.

What a Great Saturday!

I think because I grew up playing baseball, the spring is my favorite time of the year. I know it is not spring yet, but yesterday we got a preview of what's coming soon. The day started not long after we got up. After we ate breakfast Cooper and I decided to take Buford for a walk. Since Cooper was born Buford sort of gets the short end of the stick. I guess that's just the way it is, but walking him is something that I definitely need to do more of.

Good ole Buf. Allison and I got him one month before we got married. It is amazing how old he is starting to look.

After we got home from our walk I got Cooper's tractor out that he got for his birthday. He still hasn't mastered the coordination of pushing the gas pedal and turning the steering wheel. I don't think he minds too much though. He also doesn't seem to mind going around and around in circles.

Eventually Cooper did get tired of going in circles and asked to go inside. We weren't inside 15 minutes when I asked him if he wanted to go to the park and slide and he gladly said yes. I packed him in the stroller and we headed off to the park that is only about 1/2 mile from our house. His favorite thing was definitely sliding, but we also ran and jumped around the park, swung, climbed on monkey bars, and played on all of the playground equipment. We stayed at the park for over an hour and Cooper was pretty tired by the time we left. However, he wasn't so tired that he couldn't ride his bicycle for a little while after we got home.

Last night we went to an early dinner and then to a birthday party for Addison, the daughter of some friends of ours from high school. She turned three and her party was at My Gym in Brentwood. If you have kids and have never been here it is awesome. They have tons of stuff for kids to play on including trampolines, a ball pit, parallel bars, lots of soft mats and things to jump and play on, swings, as well as structured games, stories, and other activities. We had never been there, but Cooper had a blast and I am sure we will be back. Although it was a birthday party, there was a lot of structured exercise and activity and the two people who took care of the program were fantastic.

Wow! For a day that we only had one thing planned (that we actually forgot about until mid-day), we did a lot. I love days like yesterday. I love to wake up with no plans in mind and be able to spend the entire day filling it up with playing and spending time as a family. We should do this more often.

Lead Like Jesus and Other Good Quotes

In an earlier post I talked about a devotional I got as a Christmas gift. This week there were back-to-back days that really spoke to me. One of the days said that true success is all about our relationship with Christ and how much control of our life we let Him have. There are so many times when I think "If I just try a little harder I can [insert my version of success]." I wonder what it would be like to REALLY turn everything over to Him and see what success can be like.

The next day was based on Romans 8:5-6. The quote that struck me was "If you live a life that is not devoted to pleasing God, and don't give Him control, your focus will be inward and focused on self or ego." As someone who aspires to lead people, both inside and outside of church, it is easy to get wrapped up in what you have or haven't done. It can easily become about me.


I also read a great blog post by Mark Batterson. The post was excellent. I love this quote: "I'd rather have one God idea than a 1,000 good ideas." We have a great friend from Baton Rouge that once asked us the question "Is it a good thing or a God thing?" That has stuck with me and I think about it often.


These are all great ideas and great quotes. The problem is too often I don't put these ideas into action. My prayer tonight is that I will give God complete control and He will lead me while I lead my life as well as while I lead others. And who knows, maybe I will be still long enough to hear a God idea and use it to further His kingdom.

Please Pray

I have never met this family. Mrs. Tuley used to teach with one of the ladies in our Sunday school class and she has been asking us to pray for this family for a while. While this baby has surpassed many expectations, he has a long road ahead. Please join us in praying for this little boy as well as his family and doctors.

Cooperisms

For those of you that have kids, you know that they can say some of the funniest things. Cooper is no exception. This week Cooper was sick, so I was home with him Tuesday and Wednesday. While I was home with him he said some of the funniest things.

Tuesday during the Inauguration, each time President Obama would come on the screen I would say "That is our new President, Barack Obama," but I didn't really think he was really paying attention. Then, as President Obama stood up to take the oath of office Cooper said, "That's our new President?" I said yes, his name is Barack Obama. President Obama took the oath and then music started playing. After the music was over Cooper stood up and said "Yay Barack!" I am not sure I agree with Cooper's politics, but it was funny.

Cooper can't grow up in our house and not hear Rocky Top during football and basketball seasons. Allison and I have also been known to sing it when a touchdown is scored or when a game is over. This morning, at 6:30 a.m., I woke up to "Rocky Top, whoo! Rocky Top, Whoo!"

Those are just two examples of the most recent. I am sure there will be more posts to come as more Cooperisms happen.

For These Tough Times - A Book Review

I received a copy of Max Lucado’s book For these Tough Times recently. It is a very short book, but in the pages there is a great message. The message is: if we rely on God, we can get through tough times that may appear as though we can’t make it through. Max Lucado uses a phrase in the book that I think sums it up: “God is for us.”

Currently in the United States there are many people going through really tough times. This book is perfect for them. There are also many people in the United States that are not going through any tougher times than they were two years ago. This book is perfect for them also. In my opinion, this book can be great to pick you up in times you need just a little bit of guidance or a little bit of encouragement. This book is short and to the point. God is for us and we just need to rely on Him.

For these Tough Times is a very quick read with a very powerful message. This book is definitely worth the small amount of time it takes to read it and I definitely recommend it. Get your copy here today.

Lead Like Jesus

I got a new devotional for Christmas called Lead Like Jesus by Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges. I had heard a little about it and someone I know told me that she uses it at work and often times finds herself looking at it several times a day when she needs to just take a step back and gather her thoughts. I have been reading through it since January 1st and I can say that for someone who leads others, or aspire to, this is a great devotional. I have been inspired most days by the devotional, however day 9 has really stood out. Below is a quote from that day.


"Jesus modeled the role of a true servant leader by investing most of His time in training and equipping the disciples for leadership when His earthly ministry was over."


This the attitude that we should all have. I don't think it matters whether you are leading a company, a Sunday school class, or you own family, we should all be striving to help the people we are leading become leaders down the road.

What are some of the things we can all do to better to equip the people we are leading to be leaders at some point down the road?