The ones about the Rothacher Home Archives - Page 57 of 107

“Are we there yet?”

January 15, 2013 by Jules 3 Comments

In our years as youth ministers one of the most memorable annoyances
{for us as well as the students I'm sure} were trips. LONG trips.

It wasn't really the trip itself that was annoying it was being cramped in a vehicle for the long ride. The inevitable questions were always, "Are we there yet?" and "What are we doing next?" Those were the skin crawling questions for the adults. Why can't they just get in the van, sit back, and enjoy the ride?

These are the same questions that I have trouble hearing from my kids. I just think, does it matter? I get so frustrated; don't you trust me? I have their best interest in mind because I love them. Ugg

The answer for the students in our ministry, I've learned recently, was just as irritating, "Nun-ya". Well maybe not that exact phrase, or at least not all the time. Some form of "We'll tell ya what you need to know when you need to know it", "Be patient", and "Be Flexible".

Yep, same phrases I use with my children. I bet my kids hear the phrase, "Be Patient." 800 times a day. The other one is "Listen 1st time!" We demand obedience. Delayed obedience is still disobedience. We use these so often that my kids use the phrases. Our definition for the vocabulary-love'n-4-year-old is, obey means listen 1st time and patience means wait. Wait without questions.Wait with out grumbles or whining. Wait without dancing around like a crazy. Wait quietly. Wait peacefully.

Sounds all good and well, right!?!

Yeah, until I'm in the backseat asking, "Are the THERE yet!?!?!?!?!"

I ask all those same things of God on this crazy fun journey. We're truck'n along and he tells me the ultimate destination but I can't handle the bathroom breaks, gas-ups, and stops for meals. I'm just ready to be there. I wanna know when, why, and what time each stop is gonna be along the way. I squirm and whine in a giant tantrum all in the name of praying. but what to do next or right now, or how I should do ____."

I don't know why it's taken me so long to figure this one out but in Genesis 22, God tells Abraham to do something. Now, let ignore the fact that it was nuts-o. God tells him something kind of generic: Go sacrifice you son. on a mountain (I'll tell ya which one later). What the crap? No, that's not what Ab says. No, he gets up early the very next day to go do it. He doesn't sit around going, Well, I think God ask me to do this but I'm not sure if it was really God or the chili I ate for lunch. I think I'll pray about it a little longer. If it's what He wants me to do, it will all fall into place. He'll tell me where, how, why, etc.

That's what we do! That's what I do.

Abraham packs up is junk, servant dudes, and his only son. The one that's supposed to fulfill the promise God gave him years ago of being the father of many nations. Then they hike it 3 days. Some where along the way God tells Ab which mountain but that's about as specific as it gets. God didn't explain to him why He would ask this of him.

We I would be kicking and screaming if I'd even gotten myself on the road to obedience.

Abraham lives out his faith in front of his son {as he'd obviously done for 30+ years} as they trudged up the mountain to follow through with what God had asked. He wasn't crying out to God the entire way up, YO! You said I would be a father of many. You gonna bring this joker back after I kill him? Are you gonna give me something else to take his place? How in the world do you expect me to do this???

Abraham "listened 1st time". Abraham waited without questions. He waited with out grumbles or whining. Abraham waited without dancing around like a crazy. He waited quietly. Abraham waited in the peace that God was God. He would come through even if it wasn't how he wanted. Yeah, we can look at it now and peacefully think he of course should obey. God's gonna take care of him. But although Abraham didn't know exactly how God was going to work things out but he still obeyed immediately and without grumbling.

I'm learning to listen 1st time and to wait patiently amidst obeying what God is asking of me Now. If I wait to obey until God gives me the entire story, all the details, or the point of what He's asking of me...I'll never obey. Step by step, just like we ask of our children, I'll obey without questioning God's motive. Learning trust His perfect character and joyfully await the perfect end result.

Filed Under: Parenting, The Ones about Jules Life {Randomness}, The ones about the Rothacher Home

You Make Beautiful Things out of the Dust

January 14, 2013 by Jules 2 Comments

Some days you just need a reminder that you used to be dust. Now just look what God can do!

Filed Under: The ones about the Rothacher Home

Happy Birthday Princess Izzie Ru!

January 13, 2013 by Jules Leave a Comment

Happy 3rd Birthday Beautiful!

Isabella Ruth Rothacher, you are my silly billy.

We love your snuggles, crazy cackle, constant intrigue, energy, creativity, and incredible way of telling an entertaining story!

We love you Izzie!!!

Filed Under: Birthdays, Holidays, Parenting, The ones about the Rothacher Home

Happy 2nd Birthday Sir Jamin!

January 11, 2013 by Jules Leave a Comment

Happy 2nd Birthday Handsome!

Benjamin Ryan Rothacher, you are my B.O.Y.

We love your giggle, bright eyes, compassion, energy, rough/tough play, and incredible way of stealing any and everyone's heart!

We love you Jamin!!!

Filed Under: Holidays, Parenting, The ones about the Rothacher Home

Chalkboard Play Table {Thoughtful Thursday}

January 10, 2013 by Jules 4 Comments

Today I wanna tell you how I "got took" and then turned my crappy table into a cool lil piece of furniture anyways.

Ya see, I've only purchased 2 things off of 'swap shops' on Facebook. The first was a cute sweater from a friend I knew from church. The second...well the second purchase was a little less cute. Ya see, this women posted a picture of what she called a "black coffee table". As I read through the thread of conversation happening under the odd angled picture I learned that the table was "tall enough for a preschool chair to fit under" and that "the table legs where 2+ feet tall and the top of the table was at her knee".

Sweeeeet! I'd been looking to replace our pre-children coffee table purchase with one that was less sharp-angle and more simple and round. I compared her description to our per-existing table and decided this was a Score. this was a simple, round, tall enough to be a practical coffee table, table! I messaged the women to see if it was still available and when it was we arranged to meet so I could purchase the table for a steal of deal- $20!

The day came to meet and we all loaded to head out to meet the stranger. As we waited and waited passed the set time, our daughters ended up needing to use the restroom. Matt chose to take them and allow me to have the awkward incounter with the women I had been dialoging with. She came like 2 seconds after they were out of sight. Having my baby boy in the backseat of the van, our conversation would of course be short and to the point. She rolled up in a Chevy Cavalier. 2 Door! You know where I'm going with this don't you. As she waffled her way out of the tiny car she began apologizing for being last, quickly retrieved the itsy bitsy table from Her TRUNK and placed it in my already open van, said a wierd, "Thank you, God used you to provide money during a hard time" spill after seeing scripture on my t-shirt and sped off in her lil bitty car.

What just happened? I stared at my new treasure with confusion. There is NO stank'n way a preschool chair could fit under that. That women was way taller than me and the top of that table doesn't come to my knee. The black paint was crazy scratched up and I'm pretty sure some good 'ole boy hacked these legs off something else and hooked'm to this "table top" using the wierd metal bracket thingies on the bottom. I think I would have been okay...if I'd paid like $5 for it. The worst part? Matt was gonna tease me about this for years...

As Christmas approached and we began pulling decorations and stuff from the basement, that table sat their laughing at me. Suddenly, I saw the leftover chalkboard paint we'd been given by a friend setting next to Sir Ugly and it hit me! Chalkboard table!!! It won't be tall enough for the kids to sit at but it will make a cute artsy play table. I did it!

Chalkboard Table

find a crappy {hopefully cheaper} table at a yard sale, swap shop, or somewhere random
get some chalkboard paint
clean the table well, sanding if necessary {I didn't...I put in as little man hours as possible}
paint at least 3 coats letting each coat dry really well before adding the next one
purchase some dust free chalk to appease the hubs who didn't want nasty chalk funk inside

We gave the table as a gift to all our kids on Christmas morning. It made a big statement next to the tree and has seen lots of scribbles, little people play, and even hand-drawn game boards in just a week!