Me and My House

Evie's Solo Debut

2009-12-13T07:50:00.000-05:00

This was Evie' first Little Levites concert. The 3 and 4 year olds of First Euless opened up the Christmas show and Evie got to sing a solo!

Application Assignment

2009-12-08T00:35:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is the last day of my first seminary class. (They're going to have to do it without me though, because I'll be at the tech rehearsal of Imagine Christmas at First Baptist Euless.) In my class, BE101: Bible Study Methods and Hermeneutics, we've walked through the four steps of inductive Bible study: Observation, Interpretation, Correlation, and Application. We've practiced these processes on several passages, but we mainly focused on Philemon, and specifically verses 4-7. Last week we were tasked with correlating, or drawing out timeless principles from, these four verses. This week we were asked to carry that to the last step by constructing 3 careful, concise, correct, contemporary applications. In addition, we were challenged to select one of our applications and actually apply it this week, reporting on the effects thereof. As I was finishing my assignment this evening, it dawned on me that some of you may enjoy reading about my experiences over the last week in this assignment. If the names Steve & LuAnne Wade, Mark Knight, Mark Bailey, Rebekah Wade, Doug Sager, or John Meador mean anything to you, please read on...

Philemon 4-7
I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints; and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ's sake. For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

Principles (from Correlation assignment):
1. Consistent prayer and thanksgiving to a worthy God should be a Christian's habit.
2. Fellowship is made effective by the knowledge of blessing.
3. A believer's love and faith should be evident enough to encourage other believers.

Applications:

1. I will thank God every day for someone who has inspired me in the faith.
2. I will seek opportunities to share blessings in my life rather than lament inconveniences.
3. I will encourage my coworkers by my love for them and faith in God's sovereignty.

I chose to live out my first application: "I will thank God every day for someone who has inspired me in the faith." This was a very simple yet surprisingly profound and poignant experience for me. I began by thanking God for my parents, who decided long ago to raise my sisters and me in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. As I reflected upon this precious gift they gave, I realized that their obedience to God in this way laid the groundwork for my own parenthood today, inspiring me to make the hard decisions and train my children to follow Christ as well. My parents have not only blessed my generation, but my children's generation as well! I also thanked God for a mentor I had as a teenager named Mark Knight. Mark was my Student Pastor for a couple years, and he showed me a kind of personal love and devotion I'd never experienced in a leader, before or since. He was the one who showed me how to wait on God's timing for a mate and trust that His will is perfect. He was the one that years ago urged me to attend a seminary on its main campus (rather than an extension or online) so that I didn't miss the blessing of sitting under great men of God as they teach out of a lifetime of dedication and study. This led me to express my gratitude for Dr. Mark Bailey, who this semester has rocked my world with the depth and breadth of his knowledge of the Word. He has influenced my walk and my academic life by demonstrating that God's Word can totally infect every aspect of one's life. I thanked God for my incredible wife Rebekah, whose steadfast love and unending patience has been a huge source of strength and stability in my life, especially in the last six months as we've been on our own, away from all our family and everything we've ever known. For Doug Sager, my former pastor, who modeled Godly leadership and challenged me to follow God even when it doesn't make sense; for John Meador, my current pastor, who consistently and with great detail and creativity can exegete a passage of Scripture and make it accessible to anyone.

I began this application thinking I was was just doing an assignment. Then, troubled and convicted by that sentiment, I realized that I should be doing it out of obedience and seeking to experience God through it. As I actually practiced it, however, I discovered God's greater purpose, personal and powerful as always: He wanted to remind me of leaders in my life who made a significant impact on my life. He knows my heart and how I desire to affect people through the responsibility I've been given, and He of course knows my current struggle concerning a large new dose of responsibility and leadership coming my way very soon. Thinking about these role models God placed in my path has reminded me that effective leadership is effected by Him being allowed to lead through a willing heart. My takeaway from this assignment, beyond the overwhelming gratitude brought on by reflecting upon influential figures in my life, has been a timely and refreshing affirmation that my Father knows my situation and has His hand on me, even when I feel ill-equipped and unqualified for what He's asking me to do.

Update From Texas (finally)

2009-11-18T01:01:00.002-05:00

Well...we're here! Have been for almost four months now. Where to even start? It seems like almost everything in our lives has changed significantly since we last posted. We'll break down specific areas of interest later on, but for now, please know that we are committed to providing regular updates from now on. We commit to be consistent in sharing what's going on in our world if you'll commit to following us and keeping us on your prayer list. Your support is critical to this (and every) stage of our lives, and we wouldn't be able to be here doing what we're doing if not for the support you've already shown. To make following us easier, there's a simple email subscription box on the right side of this page. This will deliver all of our updates straight to your inbox so you don't have to remember to check this site all the time. If you use a feedreader for RSS feeds, our feed is http://wade-family-blog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default. Please read on for our update...

Babies

We know all that most people are interested in hearing from us is, "How are the kids?" and we're okay with that...so we'll put it first.

Evie had her 3rd birthday on September 12. She started Little Levites this fall at First Euless (yes, they call it that here too!). LL is children's choir for 3-4 year olds, and she absolutely loves it! They gave their first performance at Trunkfest (Euless's community trick-or-treating event), and they'll be singing again during the Preshow for our Imagine Christmas presentation on December 12. She's enrolled in First Kids Academy (Euless's preschool program), where she has made a reputation as the class know-it-all. She's having a great time on Tuesdays and Thursdays; she loves being around other kids and learning. Dance classes started in November - she's taking tap and ballet. I don't know how much tap or ballet is sinking in, but she's getting pretty good at the Hokie Pokie. The last couple weeks, she has started being able to sound out words on her own. She loves watching her 'Your Baby Can Read' DVDs and practicing with the books, and she's doing very well. The first time I saw this actually pay off was when she was sitting in my lap and worked out the word 'MacBook' just under my computer screen. That's my girl. She loves being a big sister and making Abel laugh. Her eyes are a beautiful green now, for the record; all the blue is gone.
Abel turned one year old on August 10. He also is enjoying the 'Your Baby Can Read' program, and he's starting to verbalize and mimic sounds more and clearer than he ever has before. Those DVDs are the only thing on a screen that will hold his attention for more than a couple minutes! He has finally started walking on his own, which is making Rebekah's life all the more exciting. He's a very good boy, comprehending and obeying instructions exceptionally well. He's developing a fun little personality, shouting 'HI!' or 'BYE BYE!' or 'NIGHT NIGHT!' over and over, with a huge grin on his face and in his voice, and usually in the right context! He laughs all the time, and loves to watch his big sister play, sing, and read. He won't be far behind...
Little Brother will be here on or around March 19. He's developing very well, and our doctor is very pleased. We were blessed to hear his heartbeat today. He's been a little more high maintenance than the other two were. I felt and actually saw him kick the other night - that never gets old! Most of you know that he had a twin that we lost early on in the pregnancy. God is faithful and He's already healing us. Prayers make all the difference! Stay tuned for the little one's name.

Us

Here are brief updates from each of us:

Rebekah decided to volunteer in Little Levites this year and is teaching the 4 year olds. This has probably been the most exhausting hours of my life. Several of the children are "challenging," to put it nicely. But most of the time we manage to have fun! I've also started a job at church for a program called Legacy. It's a weekly enrichment school for homeschooled children. I have seven little kindergartners that are already very dear to me. The pay is great and it's only once a week so it was impossible to turn the job down. On occasion, I even get to sub for the music teacher! My boss and the other teachers are amazing and becoming my close friends. Another blessing from the Lord. I have to say that what I've loved most about the past few months is having Aaron home a lot. Believe it or not, he has to limit his working to 40 hours a week! We've had some wonderful time together as a family and God was very gracious to allow us this time during this huge transition in our lives. I know once school kicks into gear things will change. But what a sweet time it's been and we've definitely soaked it in. Our house is one minute from the church, so he can pop in for lunch or I can stop in to visit for a minute. And more importantly, when one of us forgets something important on a Sunday or school day, the trek of recovery isn't that long or inconvenient. Not that we are ever forgetful...
Aaron is feeling overwhelmed in the goodness of God. I'm learning anew that when God is the only consistent thing in my life, His faithfulness is magnified all the more. I also am thoroughly enjoying having waaaaay more time at home than I ever have before! I've even tackled a few assorted minor handy-man projects around the house, and it's still standing! (Side note: when Dad was here last month, not only did he fix the hole I made in the ceiling, he put in a ladder, and even floored a giant section of the attic for me!) I'm taking Hermeneutics and Bible Study Methods at DTS on Tuesday nights, taught by Dr. Mark Bailey, the president of the Seminary. Dr. Bailey is an amazing Bible scholar, and inspired communicator, and an annointed educator; I love going to class and just absorbing bits of his wisdom. It's a great class, and it's allowing me to focus on home and work and getting settled in, while still starting on my new academic track. I'm planning to start full-time at GIAL in January - that's going to rock our world a little bit. I've gotta be in Duncanville (30-minute drive on a good day) for class every morning by 8am. Awesome. Anyway, I'm really enjoying life, work, and ministry at First Euless. The Worship Ministry staff is a wonderful and fun environment, and I'm loving my time there. I'm helping with worship planning, scheduling and training of vocal teams, leading on stage, and lots of other stuff. I've also been able to do some writing for our Christmas production, which was a lot of fun. It was a huge project, similar to what I did the last two years for Concord Quest, except this time it has to be played by real people (as opposed to a computer in a studio)! I played a few games this fall with the Choir Boys, our illustrious softball team, who won the league championship! I'm looking forward to the spring season, and meanwhile I'm trying to find a place to play racquetball for free (or really cheap) and some people to play with.

That's about all we can think of right now. We promise much more (and more consistency) to come! We'd really love to read your comments. Don't forget to subscribe using the form at the top right of this page! Blessings to you and yours!

Late Summer and Fall 2009 in Texas

2009-11-18T00:39:00.001-05:00

Here are some pictures of the end of our summer and the fall here in Texas. We've had lots of fun, as you can see!

Blessing from the Word today

2009-06-05T11:33:00.001-04:00

It's been on my someday/maybe list for months to write a status update post here on our blog. I have no excuses; I've been busy like anyone else, but I should have taken the time to do it. This is one of the busiest weeks I've ever had, so I'm not gonna do the full status update now (I'd need my wife for that), but I do need to share a tremendous blessing I received this morning that's a little too long for Twitter or Facebook.

Many of you know the struggle we're going through right now. I haven't felt comfortable writing much information about it because it largely involves the inner workings of several major churches and some doesn't need to be public knowledge. Suffice it to say: we're moving to Dallas in a couple weeks or so and not one major thing has yet fallen into place. We nowhere close to selling our house, we have no place to stay in Dallas, we don't have a job, and I have yet to be admitted to grad school (the whole reason we're moving). Actually, as I'm writing this I'm seeing an email from DTS saying that I've been accepted! So there you go...

Anyway, we're ready to step out in faith and trust God for all those little details, but I'm really having a hard time turning over complete control over the provision and protection of my family. I've got this little delusion that I'm in some way responsible for those things, and it's really making this difficult. I told God this morning as I was leaving the house that I really needed to hear from Him today. As is my routine, when I got in the car I turned on Brian Hardin's 1 Year Daily Audio Bible. It took me a while to get used to this podcast and the presentation, but Brian really does the best and most reliable program of its kind, and it has really grown on me over the last year or so. Of course, God was so faithful and brought me comfort and peace when I really needed it. So I'd like to share with you some of what was in today's readings. I'm normally very opposed to the snatching of Scripture totally out of context to make it fit your particular needs, but...well...it's okay.

From II Samuel 24:
¹⁴Then David said to Gad, "I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the LORD,for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man."
²⁴But the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing."

From Acts 3:
¹⁶And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

From Psalm 123:
¹To you I lift up my eyes,
O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
²Behold, as the eyes of servants
look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maidservant
to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the LORD our God,
till he has mercy upon us.
³Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of contempt.
⁴Our soul has had more than enough
of the scorn of those who are at ease,
of the contempt ofthe proud.
From Proverbs 16:
²¹The wise of heart is called discerning,
and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.
²²Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it,
but the instruction of fools is folly.
²³The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious
and adds persuasiveness to his lips.

All quotes from:English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers

Please continue to pray for us as we seek the will of the One who knows the plans He has for us. Pray for faith, for peace, for comfort and guidance. We're so thankful to all those with whom we've been able to share life here in Knoxville. Thanks to all who have loved, invested in, and supported our family through the years. We love and appreciate you more than you'll ever know.

Evie and Abel Christmas Pictures

2008-12-12T11:01:00.002-05:00

Caitlin came over after Thanksgiving to take pictures of the kids for us. It was really hard to get them still and happy all at the same time!

Please enjoy this sampling of Christmas pictures with our fondest holiday wishes.

Daddy & Evie's Home Alone Weekend Fun - Volume II

2008-11-09T02:17:00.001-05:00

Part 1: Breakfast

I started editing for this Volume II, but realized I had about an hour of just breakfast footage. So it became its own thing. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Catching up on Pictures

2008-11-02T00:03:00.001-04:00

We had the camera out for the Fall Festival today. When we were going through the camera we realized we were a little behind on posting pictures. So here are the highlights from the last couple of months:

Trying on Halloween Costumes

2008-10-26T14:59:00.001-04:00

We had lunch at Becca's house after church today. Becca and Rebekah started talking little girl Halloween costumes, and before I knew what was happening, Evie ad Lizzy were trying on costumes right therein the living room floor!

I think we're going with the tiger...

Evie and Abel

2008-10-21T20:46:00.002-04:00

Uploaded by www.cellspin.net

Daddy & Evie's Home Alone Weekend Fun - Volume I

2008-09-28T02:00:00.000-04:00

Rebekah and Abel are out of town this weekend, and Evie and I are having way too much fun to keep it all to ourselves. Hope you enjoy it!

Abel Pictures!

2008-08-19T23:29:00.007-04:00

Well, it's taken us a while to get back here and give an update. I'm sure you've heard by now that Abel has arrived! We went to the hospital (St. Mary's) about 1am on Sunday the 10th, and he came less than 2 hours later. We came home from the hospital Tuesday around noon, and Mommy and the kids have been hanging out here pretty much ever since. Our lives have changed somewhat drastically, so we felt obliged to share a few words with you, if only a few. If you're interested in more pictures, they are also available more extensively on Facebook, and comprehensively on Snapfish.

Diabetics Make Harsher Slave Drivers

2008-08-02T23:08:00.006-04:00

They say nesting is a sign of labor. At least, that's what my wife tells me. Personally, I didn't even know what nesting was. After this weekend, I think I understand. We now no longer have any space in our attic, we discovered carpet in areas of our bedroom I didn't know existed, and I made 10 bucks mowing a new neighbor's yard. So that's pretty good, right? I think diabetics make harsher slave drivers.

Indeed, Rebekah's doctor visit Tuesday resulted in the discovery that she had developed gestational diabetes. This news was received with several kinds of frustration. First, why does this happen with less than three weeks left to term? Second, isn't insurance supposed to cover the $150 worth of supplies we had to pay for? Finally, is it pure cruelty that coincides this with the discovery of Moose Tracks in our freezer, or the receipt of a free box of brownie mix the same day? Post-finally, must I (Aaron) really abstain sympathetically from such yummy delights? Well, such is life. As long as I don't have to prick my finger with that thing.

We've got the kids' room pretty much ready. Except for maybe the closet. We're going to take a picture so you can see; it's absolutely unreal. When Abel comes he'll sleep up here in our room till he can sleep through the night. Then he'll move downstairs with Evie and sleep in her old crib (she has a new white toddler bed that she's extremely proud of).

So here we are, anxiously awaiting the day. And while you wait with us, enjoy these pictures from the beach!

Beach Pictures!!

2008-07-19T16:06:00.007-04:00

Here's some pictures from our vacation at Ft. Walton Beach, FL with the Wades!

Update - July 1, 2008

2008-07-02T00:24:00.006-04:00

Well, it's been a while since that last update, and now we're going to start actually blogging, Lord willing, so here goes - our first true update!

Aaron:

I am recovering this week from a very intense month of June.

The first part of the month was consumed by Concord Quest '08 - Secret of the Ancient Armor. Years ago I was onstage acting for two of our shows, and every year since I've been employed by Concord I've been leading music for Breakout, the Middle School VBS event. This year I was fortunate enough to have Casey Roberts to be able to handle Breakout for me, which freed me up to be involved in preproduction and tech crew. I was charged with composing and recording the original score to accompany the intro video, finding and creating a couple of music beds and all the sound effects, as well as engineering the audio for the production DVD. As all production seasons are, it was a whirlwind of busyness that that only increased as the days passed. I heard someone estimate today that Tim and I probably worked close to 100 hours each the week before production. Production week itself wasn't so bad; I ran a computer from the tech booth and really enjoyed being a part of a side of the show I'd never been able to participate in before. Then as soon as we had completed our first Family Night performance, I once again locked myself in the studio all night to mix down the multitracked audio from the live performance into what would become the 5.1 mix for the DVD.

Two days after the show was all wrapped up, I had to pack up and leave with Signet (one of our student bands) and 20 or so other members of our Student Ministry team for Thailand. We went to lead basically a youth camp for MS & HS - aged children of workers in the Pacific Rim region. The trip was incredible; the band and crew did a fabulous job in spite of sub-par equipment, undependable power situations, lack of sleep, unusual food, and countless spiritual attacks. Our whole team functioned very well together, and I was extremely proud to be a part of it. That said, it was one of the most miserable times in the recent history of my life. I've been on a dozen or so of these trips now, and this was the very first time I'd ever been homesick. I mean I got it bad. I hadn't seen Rebekah and Evie much at all for the two weeks prior to the trip, and I was just over it. I didn't want to be there, I didn't want to talk to anybody, I didn't want to participate in anything...I was just miserable. For about a week. Then I turned it over to the Lord, admitted I was being self-centered, sought Him instead of them, and He not only changed my heart, He also gave me the desire of my heart. We finally figured out our video-conferencing method, and I FINALLY got to see my girls and talk to them face-to-face through Skype. What a relief to know that the Creator of this way-too-big-in-my-opinion-right-then Earth was watching over my family and taking care of all our needs.

So we just got back Saturday night. I'm still a little off on my days and nights, but I'm getting there. I'm trying to spend as much time as I can with the ladies before I run off again next week to Middle School Camp. More on that later. That's all for me for today!

Rebekah:

Well there's never a dull moment around here! Concord Quest was a lot of fun for me as well. Since I'm currently unable to do a lot of dancing and jumping around, I couldn't join the praise team or the dance team this year. But I did get the opportunity to help with all of the extras backstage. That was different, but a lot of fun. They kept me well stocked on nutter-butters and cookies! Evie had a great time that week as well. It was hard to be on an extremely different schedule and diet, but she survived! One day she made a yellow foam crown and a paper bag "breastplate." She was oh-so-proud.

It took a few days for us to get settled back into our routine. We've made a few trips to the swimming pool and she loves swimming with her Nanny Wade! I've always called the Wades 'fish' since all of them would rather be in the water than on land. It appears that the fishiness is a dominant gene and Evie has joined in their ranks. We have to keep a close eye on her since she's so fearless.

The week after Concord Quest, Aaron left for Thailand and Evie started in Discovery Kids (twice a week) at FBC. She absolutely loves seeing her friends, playing on the playground and making arts and crafts. And I love the time to myself. I'm trying to savor it since our son will be joining us very soon. Time to myself won't really be an option once he arrives (at least in large doses). While Evie's at church I've been shopping way too much, building my Uppercase Living business (Take a look! You can login using ID: 386683 and Token: Wade), and trying to get our home organized and ready for the new addition. Our nephew Jack was born a year ago August. Could we have planned that any better? He has us FULLY stocked on clothing and toys. The only challenge is finding room for it in the nursery.

Speaking of the new addition, you might want an update on him. The pregnancy is going extremely well with no complications or issues so far. Praise the Lord! He is due on August 17th and we are probably going to name him Abel. We are still debating middle names. There's less than 8 weeks left to decide!

Next week we'll go visit Aaron at Middle School Camp since he'll only be about an hour away. We're also planning a trip to the zoo with Jack and Sarah! On Thursday, I've got an appointment to have an ultrasound where they'll do a thorough scan/checkup. I'm praying that he'll be healthy and strong. So it looks like another busy week!

A Brief History of Our Lives So Far

2008-05-21T21:34:00.006-04:00

So I thought it would be a good idea to put up an overview of the major events of our life together, from the time we met to the present. It's always fun for us to think back and reflect on how God has brought us to where we are. So we're confident that we'll enjoy this little exercise, and we hope that you will enjoy it with us!

Part 1: The Beginnings

July-August 2002: Aaron & Rebekah meet for the first time on a choir trip in Beijing
August 2002: Aaron starts school at Belmont; Rebekah returns to Carson-Newman
September 2002: We start dating; Aaron meets Richard for the first time!
December 2002: Aaron receives new direction from the Lord (Bible translation); Rebekah decides to leave Carson-Newman
January 2003: Rebekah goes to work for East Tennessee Medical Group Dermatology
May 2003: Rebekah moves into apartment with Karen Bean; Aaron comes home from school, goes to work for Construction Design & Management for the first of two summers
August 2003: Aaron returns to Belmont, goes to work at the Music Library; Rebekah adopts Smeagol (cat)
October 2003: Rebekah moves back in with Mom & Dad Bonds
February 2004: Mom & Dad Wade sell house on Center Cross, rent house on Choto, begin construction for house on Brookstone
September 2004: We get engaged, set a May 2006 date
February 2005: Mom & Dad Wade move into their new home on Brookstone
April 2005: Aaron secures job at Concord, we decide to move wedding up to December 2005
May 2005: Aaron starts full-time at Concord
August 2005: Aaron begins commuting twice a week to work and go to school full-time
November 2005: We purchase our first home on Countryhill
December 2005: 2 or More sings at Carnegie Hall; we finally get married!!

Part 2: Just the Two of Us

January 2006: We settle into new home and new life; Aaron goes back to commuting twice a week; we find out we're having a baby!
April 2006: We find out that the new baby is a girl
May 2006: Aaron graduates from Belmont

Part 3: Expanding

September 2006: Evelyn Faith arrives! Rebekah leaves ETMG to stay at home
December 2006: 2 or More sings at Carnegie Hall & the White House
June 2007: We find out we're expecting again
July 2007: We lose the baby; friends and family surround us with love and compassion
August 2007: Our nephew Jackson Andrew is born
October 2007: Evie starts walking
December 2007: We find mold in the house, move in with Mom & Dad Wade
January 2008: We find out we're expecting; we move back into our newly mold-free home; Rebekah becomes an Independent Demonstrator for Uppercase Living
March 2008: We find out the new baby is a boy
April 2008: We are debt-free! (except for our home)
May 2008: We take our first trip to Dallas, TX to visit potential schools for Aaron's grad studies

Our Brand-New Blog - Up and Running!

2008-05-18T22:05:00.001-04:00

God has blessed the Wade household so much more than we ever thought possible. As God is continually presenting us with new endeavors (and new family members!), we felt compelled to share our story with our friends and family. Our life journey will undoubtedly get progressively more interesting and challenging, so we're deciding to faithfully journal each step of the way - not just so you can keep track of where we are in the process and what's going on, but also so that we can look back and remember all the ways God has showed His faithfulness through the years.