Justus Nine Months Today

Just a two pictures from today...Justus turned nine months today...I can hardly believe it. We will go to the doctor for his nine month check up this week...so when that happens I will post a more informative post. For now...just his cute little face.

Latest Painting

I never remembered to post this last painting I did.

I was honored to be one of the artists my sweet friend Molly chose to display at her wedding reception. Isn't that such a fun idea. She had a small wedding party and then asked a group of her friends to all "create" something for her to use as decor for the reception (and then later for her home!) What a fun idea. Molly has great work HERE ...check out her stuff.
Here is what I made for her. It is acrylic on canvas. I also used pages out of a hymn book and of course my trademark....a Sharpie!

The writing are the lyrics to a "The Economy of Mercy" by Switchfoot which is actually the same song my blog is named after. (the photos don't do much for the coloring but you get the drift)

Love This

I totally love THIS photographer. Her name is Janelle Bradshaw she goes by Summer Nell Photography. If you read the Girl Talk Blog she is one of the writers. A lot of my children shots have been inspired by her. Check out her stuff and give her a comment. She is thinking about starting a website...so I hope some day she does!

A Little Perspective


Got any gift ideas for Valentine's Day? We do. from Angel Mission on Vimeo.


While I am not against Valentine's Day and gift giving, I think this video is gives a good perspective on how we equate gifts to love. I know very little about Angel Mission as a ministry but I loved the message of this video. This Valentine's Day, write a letter, make a card, be creative, think out side the box of consumerism....it's fun....you might just like it!
Happy Valentine's Week!

Sudan and A Chocolate Fest

No, there was not a Chocolate Fest in Sudan...but while Vernon and the guys from the Village are serving the Lord in the remotest part of the Earth, sharing the Gospel and loving on orphans and widows, my sons and I will be attending the Central Market's Festival of Chocolate. That's right folks you read it right, A Chocolate Festival. It starts today!!! I think we will try to go all three days! Basically you walk around Central Market and they serve free samples of a wide variety of bars, truffles and other chocolate treats! Can you get better than this?!? Seriously. While the Guys are worshiping by serving overseas, I will be worshiping while I delight in some of the finest the delicacies of life.Moving on, I spoke with Vernon today. He said it has been a great visit so far. They made safely but about 4 hours late...we like to call this Sudanese Standard Time (SST). Then off they went to the Lura Orphanage. They got held up on the road because some Land Minds were found in a field near by and they were de-mining them. When Vernon told me the plane was late and then they got held up by land minds, my reply was..."Well, they are getting a good feel for what real Sudan life is like!" He laughed and agreed. They had a great time in Lura. Yesterday they spent the day in Morobo at the other orphanage. Now they are back on the compound in Yei. Where they will stay for the next couple days doing all sorts of great things. Thanks for all the prayers!

Oh, and come join me at Central Market...you know you want too!

Where He Is and Where He Is Not

Vernon left yesterday, along with a team from The Village Church, for Sudan. This is his first trip of the year and he was very excited. He called today from Uganda and said the flights were great and they were at their hotel. Everything was going great so far.

As for back home, he is not. When he is gone his presence in our home is greatly missed. I know I say this every time but it really does NOT get easier the more he goes. Often times people say, "well I guess you are use to it...since he goes all the time," to which I nod and smile. But really, "use to it" would not really do adequate justice to the emotions that I feel every time he departs. I LOVE what we do. I LOVE Sudan, the orphans, the widows, Bishop and the gang at EPC but I LOVE my husband too. That last kiss at the airport is never easy...but its worth it. The Gospel is worth it. The Name of Christ being made know to the Nations is worth it.

I would ask you to pray for the guys as the travel. They will be updating the Village Blog HERE if you would like to follow along(this blog will have other post besides just theirs). I will try to update the His Voice Blog as much as I can. I would also ask you to pray for my boys. I use to get the brunt of the Spiritual Warfare leading up to our trips and during them, but since we have had children it seems to be shifted towards them...night terrors, restlessness, bad dreams etc. This in turn wears on me.
I was overwhelmed yesterday as I felt a peace flow across our home upon our return home from the airport. I could literally feel the prayers of our church and friends. So those of you who are praying THANK YOU!!!

On a different note, there is another place Vernon is not. That is the Desiring God Pastor's Conference. Every year in February, for a brief moment(VERY BRIEF) I wish I was a Pastor! So I could get into the conference. So since I can't, I blog stalk it. I wait patiently as each speakers notes are posted and mp3's are up....I know I am a nerd....but I love good Theology and great Preaching...I'm a sucker for it. So if you are a sucker like me...GO HERE and listen and learn! The messages are SOO good!

Harris on Need

Click Here for excellent thoughts on God's provision, our definition of need vs. the Biblical definition of need. Here's a couple quotes:

"Our definition of need has been super-sized by our culture of consumption.

So we think that we need not only to eat, but to eat food that we love, and preferably to eat out. We think that we not only need to be clothed, but to wear the latest fashion and have five of everything. We think we need more than just a roof over our heads. We want a bigger house, with a big yard. We think we need multiple cars, four-wheel drive vehicles to drive on paved roads."

"One of the potential spiritual benefits of an economic recession is that as we tighten our budgets, as we change our lifestyle, we can actually begin getting a clearer picture of what we actually need. We have a lot more than we really need."

A little Justus


Here are a couple more pics I took on the day he turned 8 months. It was a great day out so we went out side to play. I took him to get an immunization today (we are on an alternative schedule so we go in each month for shot only visits). He weighed in at 22lbs 5oz and 30 3/4 inches long. He didn't gain much weight but boy did he grow!

Titus on His "Rocktar"


Titus On The Guitar from Amber Burger on Vimeo.

In November we traveled to Houston to visit some friends. Titus had been asking for months to visit his friend Jackson. So we made plans to visit them. Upon our arrival there, Jackson revealed his electric guitars and drums and immediately they were a band. It was awesome. Since then Titus has asked for a "rocktar." This is what he calls an electric guitar. He wanted one SOO bad for Christmas, but I had no luck finding one like Jackson's. I did however find one, its the Target brand version of all the real expensive ones. He has played with it everyday since Christmas. He now notices when friends have guitars. One day he declared he wanted to be "robbaseay" (he says Robbie Seay as one word) He later decided he would be "like Roger one day." (Roger Cullins) and then when we went to Stonegate he saw Tyler Dodds and that is now his current role model. We went to Andrea and Eric's last week and he had Eric show him his "rocktars." It totally cracks me up. Everytime we are in the car he asks for the music to be put to a "rocktar song." And then when the music comes on he plays air guitar in his car seat. Amazing. I love it.

A Facebook Meme

I am usually not one to do these but over the course of one day I got tagged by a bunch of people on facebook with this little meme..25 Random Facts About Yourself....so here were mine....it was kinda fun you should try it.

1). Everyday I see the numbers 1234 somewhere. Most of the time it is at 12:34, the actual time, but other times it shows up on how much time is left of something I am baking or on a podcast I am listening to….weird.

2). I know all five paragraphs of the FFA creed by memory.

3.) I have only ever had one fast-food hamburger in my life (that I know of) and wish I hadn’t had that one. I only got it because I was tired of being able to say I had never had one.

4.) I know how to weld.

5.) My graduating class had 30 people. More people fit in the choir loft of HFBC than live in my hometown.

6.) I am one of the least sentimental people I know when it comes to things. I have a one year rule around our house…if you haven’t used it or looked at it in one year…we don’t need it. (We each get ONE tub of things to keep from our childhood).

7.) I love learning new things. This last year I learned how to do non-profit accounting.

8.) I am over confident in fixing things. If something goes wrong with the house or car, I try to figure out if there is a way I can fix it to save us money. I really enjoy figuring out how things work in order to fix them.

9.) I am an audio learner, if I hear a lecture or sermon... I remember it. I have had to work really hard at becoming a learner from reading.

10.) I have seen the movie Rudy countless times and cried EVERYTIME.

11.) I went to two different colleges but they both had the mascot Bearcats.

12.) I have three part-time jobs that allow me to stay home with the boys.

13.) All of our married life someone has lived with us. We have had 6 people live with us over the course of the last 5 ½ years. This does not include 2 or 3 that have stay for little 6 week segments.

14.) I was an All-American Cheerleader. I danced at the half time of the Citrus bowl and also went to National Dance Champs with my Tumbling Dance Team....haha... i know i know.

15.) I haven’t aged in my mind since I turned 24.

16.) Our sweet orphans in Sudan call me Mama Vernon.

17.) I went to state in FFA on the Dairy Foods team…not kidding.

18.) I find it very hard to spend money on myself except at Starbucks.

19.) I have lived in 5 different homes over the last 5 years.

20.) Although I said in #6 I am not sentimental, when I am it is over weird things. I am highly attached to the boy’s baby bedding. Just the other day I was looking at the crib thinking of how much I still LOVED the bedding we picked out 4 years ago…I think we will keep it…this shocks me.

21.) It is hard for me to watch Movies or TV because I get so emotionally attached to fictional characters. It is like I feel everything they are going through…Its draining.

22.) I remember vividly the first time I realized music could move your emotions. I was in the 1st grade and I was watching the Def Lepard video “Love Bites” on VH1.

23.) My first tape cassett was Chicago 19 “Look Away” and my first CD was Tom Petty and The Heart Breakers “Last Dance”

24.) Since we have been married we have had 5 vaccums and they have all broken. This says something for always buying the cheapest one.

25.) The music in my head is so clear that when I am in public I have to stop and evaluate if there is actually background music or not before I begin singing. This is also why I sometimes I forget I have my iPod on and just assume everyone can hear what I am hearing.

Justus 8 Months

It is hard to believe that our little man is 8 months old! It is going so fast! I didn't get a chance to post his 7 month post because we were all sick.
Justus is a sweet smiley little guy. He has 6 teeth and lots of curly blonde hair. He started crawling over this last month and is pulling up on everything. He is a fast little guy. He has already mastered climbing up one step. Two and a half weeks ago he weighed over 21 lbs so I am guessing he is between 22 and 23 pounds. He is close to, if not already 30 inches long. He eats ALOT and enjoys doing so. He is always making us laugh. He LOVES his big brother but his Dad wins for favorite person to play with.
I took this picture today and thought it was fun because you can see his new teeth! I have some more but not much time to post...so hopefully I can add some more soon!

A Day For The History Books

Today, January 20,2009, is a day that will go down in American History. President Elect Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th United States President and the 1st United States president of his race. In 1863, with the completion of the Emancipation Proclamation, America would have never dreamed that 28 Presidents later she would vote in her first African American President. A great victory has been won in our country for those, who for centuries, have been subjected to the evils of prejudice. A victory of equal proportion has been won for those whose hearts held tightly to segregation and now are supporters of equality. The weight of this historic moment weighs heaviest on those who have lived to see the destruction of segregation, whose eyes have watched as America's heart slowly opened to equality. I pray, that in some small way, this moment mended the wounds of the former years.

Although I myself did not vote for President Barack Obama, I believe that as a citizen of this great country and a follower of Jesus Christ it is my duty to love and pray for him. I have said over and over again that I wish I could have voted for him because I would have loved to be able to say to my grandchildren that I got to vote for first African American President of the United States. Sadly though, President Obama's stance on abortion, specifically the Freedom of Choice Act, kept my vote Red.

Today I am a proud American, eager to see what the future holds for our children and our children's children. My prayer is that that the Church in America will rise up and pray fervently for President Obama as he makes choices and decisions for our country. I also pray that the Church would teach its people the Truth of the Gospel: Life, Hope, Peace and Restoration. With this being taught boldly and with out hesitation, if the President passes the FOCA or not, abortion will hopefully decline and children will be given the right to Life.

So here's to the 44th President of the United States Barack Obama. Now enjoy watching the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball!

**added a couple hours later***

Wow! The First Lady's dress at the ball...amazing...and that the President of the United States told the world that his wife was good looking! LOVE IT!

On Heaven

Our pastor is doing a series on Heaven and it has brought to mind many of my favorite sermons and writings on Heaven, so I thought I would share a few.

This is a minute clip from Dr. John Piper. A thought all believers MUST think through..."Would You Want Heaven Without Jesus?"


Secondly, a 3 minute clip, also by Dr. John Piper on "Why the Fear of Hell Won't Scare People Into Heaven"



Third is a thought from C.S. Lewis out of The Problem of Pain (pg 145-147) emphasis mine.

"You may think that there is another reason for our silence about heaven-namely, that we do not really desire it. But that may be an illusion. What I am now going to say is merely an opinion of my own without the slightest authority, which I submit to the judgment of better Christians and better scholars than myself. There have been times when I think we do not desire heaven but more often I find myself wondering whether, in our heart of hearts, we have ever desired anything else. You may have noticed that the books you really love are bound together by a secret thread. You know very well what is the common quality that makes you love them, though you cannot put it into words: But most of your friends do not see it at all, and often wonder why, liking this, you should also like that. Again, you have stood before some landscape, which seems to embody what you have been looking for all your life; and then turned to the friend at your side who appears to be seeing what you saw-but at the first words a gulf yawns between you, and you realise that this landscape meant something totally different to him, that he is pursuing an alien vision and cares nothing for the ineffable suggestion by which you are transported. Even in your hobbies, has there not always been some secret attraction which the others are curiously ignorant of-something, not to be identified with, but always on the verge of breaking through.... Are not all lifelong friendships born at the moment when at last you meet another human being who has some inkling (but faint and uncertain even in the best) of that something which you were born desiring, and which, beneath the flux of other desires and in all the momentary silences between the louder passions, night and day, year by year, from childhood to old age, you are looking for, watching for, listening for? You have never had it. All the things that have ever deeply possessed your soul have been but hints of it-tantalising glimpses, promises never quite fulfilled, echoes that died away just as they caught your ear. But if it should really become manifest-if there ever came an echo that did not die away but swelled into the sound itself-you would know it. Beyond all possibility of doubt you would say "Here at last is the thing I was made for." We cannot tell each other about it. It is the secret signature of each soul, the incommunicable and unappeasable want, the thing we desired before we met our wives or made our friends or chose our work, and which we shall still desire on our deathbeds, when the mind no longer knows wife or friend or work. While we are, this is. If we lose this, we lose all."

What are your thoughts?

January Fun in the Sun

This afternoon the boys and I played outside in the back yard. Who knew we could run barefoot in our back yard in January. Anyway, we were having so much fun so I went and grabbed my camera and I am SOO glad I did. I got some super fun pictures. As I was taking them the boys were being so good, for a moment I wished they were all dressed nice and cute. But once I looked at the pictures on the computer I was so glad they were just in their everyday clothes, drool, spit up and food all over there faces and clothes. Titus wearing clothes he picked out and Justus in his sweats and hat like usual. LOVE IT! Here are our boys. Titus 4 1/2 and Justus 7 months.

To Each It's Own

At this point in our boys lives they each have very different likings. Justus enjoys eating, laughing at his Dad and Brother and eating some more. Titus enjoys creating things, going crazy and reading. Below are some pics of them doing what they do best.
The first two pictures were taken tonight. Justus has been waking up and eating three times in the night! That's 18oz of milk people, after a full dinner and bottle before bed. So tonight I thought I would try to see how much he would eat if I just let him eat and eat and eat...after jar #5 I gave him some more oatmeal and lots of Sweat Potato puffs...and he would have eaten more, I am sure of it but we have a budget to keep! We will see if he still wakes to eat in the night. He must just be going through a growth spurt!

As for Titus, over Christmas break we were all stuck in the house due to our sickness. So we got creative. Titus wanted to build a Robot out of stuff in our recycling bin and some of his toys...so Titus collected random things from the bin that he thought the robot should have. Then he went around the house collecting what he called, "the finishing touches." After collecting all the parts we put our heads together and created this (and Titus named him of course)....Let me introduce you to

Super Man Spectacular Giant Wall-E 3000

A couple days after the SMSGW 3000 lost his coolness, Titus decided he wanted to make a boat that floated...here is what we came up with.
Hope you had a great Monday!

Where to Start

I am not sure where to start exactly since we have been out so long. So I will start with today. You already know we have been sick, we have had Christmas and New Years, Justus turned 7 months and a trip to Midland sooo there is not much else to tell besides some random details, and well, I am not sure if those will ever make to the ol' blog....I will spare you, thank me later.

I finished a book today and started a new one. The book I finished, Shopping for Time, How To Do it ALL and Not Be Overwhelmed by Carolyn Mahaney is an excellent resource for women who feel like there plate is always full and women who want to avoid this pattern. It is easy to read, loaded with practical application and full of Biblical tools to prioritize your time. It was so good that I am going to outline it and refer to the outline monthly.

The book I started is Fanny J. Crosby, An Autobiography. I am five chapters in and loving it. Fanny Crosby is a beloved Hymn Writer. She has been blind since she was 6 weeks old when a physician, who thought he was treating her eye for a cold, used the wrong solution and blinded her eyes for life. She wrote over 8,000 hymns, many of which you might recognizes...Blessed Assurance and To God Be the Glory to name a couple. I have only read up until she is 12 but so far her contentment with her blindness has blown me away. This is a poem she wrote when she was eight,

Oh what a happy soul I am,

Although I cannot see;

I am resolved that in this world

Contented I will be.

How many blessings I enjoy,

That other people don't;

To weep and sigh because I'm blind,

I cannot, and I won't."

One of the goals I set when I was about to have Justus was to read more. I want to always be learning and growing. It is not always easy to do this while juggling the home, the boys and other work. I read a quote by Dr. John Piper that has spurred me on in my goal to read more. I saw it on the Girl Talk blog and it was so timely.

He recommends setting a goal to read for 15 minutes a day:

“Suppose you read slowly like I do--maybe about the same speed that you speak--200 words a minute. If you read fifteen minutes a day for one year (say just before supper, or just before bed), you will read 5,475 minutes in the year. Multiply that by 200 words a minute, and you get 1,095,000 words that you would read in a year. Now an average serious book might have about 360 words per page. So you would have read 3,041 pages in one year. That’s ten very substantial books. All in fifteen minutes a day.”(When I Don't Desire God, p. 129)

Fotos of Friends

Over December I had the privilege of taking some family photos for four families. It was a blast. Here are some of my favorites...but boy it was hard to choose. These kids were soo fun. I chose some of the not so "Christmas Card" ones to post here but I did do a lot of poses with them that would work for a card. These are just some of the ones I thought were fun. Enjoy!

y'all.

seriously.
we have been sick since December 23rd.
strep, stomach bug and fifths disease, back to back to back.
we went two years in Ft. Worth with no Doctor, not even a pediatrician.
all that to say, this is not normal for us.
we had a great Christmas and a fun trip to Midland anyway.
we will be back soon...I can feel it.
for now, disinfecting and laundry.
Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow.
out.

Last Minutes Suggestions

Today is the last day to order online and get the gift buy Christmas. So I made a little list of some suggestions for you and linked them so it was easy and quick. These are some of my top items of purchase this year...Happy Giving!

Music


Tyler Dodds- This Is Not Our Home
This album is fabulous. It is deep, mysterious and full of life. Musically it is unique and genius. It is a MUST BUY for all music lovers.


Roger Cullins- Songs of A Savior
This album is a full of original worship songs. It is honest and Biblical. It is great for both corporate worship and individual worship.

Books


Tim Keller- Prodigal God
This book gives a telling description of the Two sons in Jesus' Parable of, what Dr. Keller calls, "The Two Lost Sons" instead of the "Prodigal Son." This is a short book but it is rich in Biblical truths. Dr. Keller puts forth rebukes and encouragements to both sons and shows us how we can easily be either of them. This book can be read by both a Freshmen in high school and a PhD and both would benefit to the utmost. My husband, Vernon, said this is one of the top three books he has ever read and it should be read by people of all worldviews.


Curtis Jones- Deepening A Fathers Heart
This is 25 day Devotional Journal for men written by a dear friend of ours. I have not read this book, as it is for men, but highly recommend it based on Curtis' amazing ability to teach the Word and articulate his thoughts. Ladies, this is a great buy for your husbands of fathers.

i WILL Win.

Seriously. My Christmas Cards are having victory over me this year...but i WILL win. I ordered them and received them BEFORE Thanksgiving and they are still not out. We stuffed them a couple days after Thanksgiving, added the insert and updated my address book, printed the lables and got stamps the next week. But the return addressing and stamping and actually getting them to the Post Office is tricky with two little boys who DONT want me to do them! Just about the time I get Justus to sleep or occupied enough to get them out and sorted and started, he wakes up or needs attention....so the cycle continues...but I will not sleep tonight until they are all done. 140 down...60 to go.

Titus' Outfit.

Okay so my Uncle Bruce would read this post title and quickly correct me and say..."boys do NOT have outfits." To which I would laugh and say, "Titus does."
My mom was not able to come to Texas to see Titus in his choir performance or for his upcoming school Christmas program, so she bought him a brown corduroy blazer and had me wrap it up so he could open it before his performance and wear it. The card was so sweet saying she was sad she couldn't come but couldn't wait to see the pictures of him in the blazer. I knew about said blazer and quickly began planning what jeans and shirt he would be able to wear so we would not have to spend any extra money. My mom's present idea went over so well. Titus was SOO excited about his new blazer and wore it with pride. He was SOO cute, if I do say so.

Anyway, we arrived at church and Titus' choir performed in both services. They did great (video to come...it is taking forever to upload). Only one thing....Titus did not do a single hand motion. He sang all the words but NO movement. After church our friend, Victor, from Sudan, asked Titus, "Titus, Why didnt you do the dance motions?" and Titus very seriously responded, "Victor, it is not about the dance motions, its about singing to Jesus." well...there you go.
I think this is so funny because he ALWAYS dances and sings around the house...he is so funny!

Sunday night the choir had one more performance. When we got there we found out that they had to wear ROBES....I was so worried that Titus' would refuse on the account of his new blazer and all, but he complied....and this picture WILL be in his senior slide show...I'm just sayin'.

Christening of the Kitchen Aid

For all of my married life and even before, I have wanted a Kitchen Aid. I know call me dorky, but if I had my wedding registry to do all over again, quite possibly a Kitchen Aid and some great pots and pans would be the only things to make the cut. Much of my married life I would be visiting families, lovely families, that had beautiful Kitchen Aids and the best sets of pots and pans that you could imagine...only to find out...that they don't cook, let alone bake. Never could I imagine such an atrocity. But I chose to be excited for them in hopes that one day they would know what they owned and use it to the fullest. Otherwise I would have been choosing to sin by covetousness.

On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Vernon woke me up saying Titus had a surprise for me...I was totally confused. I walked out to the living room and out through the front door and there was Titus sitting on a Kitchen Aid box and he said, "Happy Early Christmas!" I was stunned, I kept saying, "WHAT?! How can this be?" Because i KNOW the price of Kitchen Aids and this is the very reason I do not own one! Vernon told me he got it on the Black Friday sale for $128 people! Can you believe that?! Normally $128 for a kitchen item would be alot for the Burger's but not when said kitchen item normally cost $300! WOW! What a deal!
Sooo here she is. I have not named her yet, so feel free to submit your ideas.....And tonight I christened her with Vernon's favorite dessert...my not-so-secret recipe Chocolate Chip Cookies! SO FUN!!!

It Doesn't Get Much Better Than This

Lately I've been listening to my fav music from College and although MANY great worship albums have come out since then, I am not sure if you can get better than this...I'm just sayin'.
Anyone with me?I would love to hear a memory you have of one of these albums....

Merry Christmas from Titus

Today after Titus got home from school, he got our drums out and he was singing and playing...so I asked him if I could record him. Here is a clip I got. Enjoy.