How deep the Father's love for us!

Warren Wiersbe's Words of Wisdom

2011-03-28T07:55:00.005-04:00

After reading a couple of chapters, I realized Wiersbe's God Isn't In a Hurry was meant to be read as a devotional, one day at a time for 30 days. Oops. I definitely read the whole thing Saturday morning. Anyway - the thing that stood out to me the most was his amazing use of one-liners. I thought I'd give you some of the most thought-provoking ones to chew on a bit :)

Don't sacrifice the permanent for the immediate.

We study the Word of God that we might better know the God of the Word.

Vance Havner - "If we don't come apart and rest, we will come apart."

The person who kills time will soon discover that time is killing him.

God is our refuge that He might be our strength, so that we might go back into the battle and win some victories.

The grace of God will surely sustain us where the will of God has led us.

A life spent in God's will is made up of days and hours lived in God's will.

Ask God to say to your own heart far more than the preacher says with his lips.

Yummy broccoli & cheese frittata!

2011-02-17T19:15:00.000-05:00

I took Becky's advice - never go to Earthfare without a coupon. I got all this for $11.88!

2011-02-16T19:12:00.001-05:00

Raleigh Radiology loves us!

2011-02-15T18:56:00.000-05:00

Dancer found a comfy place to rest on T's shoe last night :)

2011-02-14T22:48:00.000-05:00

White Chocolate-Cran-Oat Cookies

2011-02-12T14:58:00.000-05:00

I'm Dreaming of a KitchenAid Artisan Mixer...

2011-02-11T14:59:00.000-05:00

Baby Roeser was born today! Can't wait to meet her!

2011-02-08T19:48:00.000-05:00

3 of our girls had birthdays last week!

2011-02-07T19:17:00.000-05:00

Maybe one day he'll lock his keys in his car and not be able to drive back to H-ville ;)

2011-02-06T16:19:00.004-05:00

The 1st time the keys got locked in the ignition (oh yes, it happened 2 more times within a week)

2011-02-05T15:07:00.004-05:00

Freakish birds on every post! I felt like I was in a movie!

2011-02-04T15:10:00.000-05:00

Yum! Too bad I can't eat them...

2011-02-01T19:06:00.000-05:00

My sweet small group girls gave me a pounding for my new house :)

2011-01-31T17:56:00.000-05:00

I love the house warming flowers Becky gave me + they gave me a chance to use my cool vase!

2011-01-30T14:58:00.001-05:00

A HUGE "thank you" goes out to all my friends who showed up to help on moving day!

2011-01-29T15:01:00.000-05:00

We can't wait to meet Julie's baby girl!

2011-01-28T13:38:00.001-05:00

Spicy Quinoa Pilaf - unfortunately, a big fail

2011-01-27T19:18:00.000-05:00

Worst part about a no-tomato diet? Missing out on my mom's chili :(

2011-01-26T20:15:00.000-05:00

Mom's tulips from Michael are getting more beautiful each day

2011-01-25T19:29:00.000-05:00

All of mom's cards - and yes, Michael & I somehow managed to get her the SAME card! Haha

2011-01-24T15:28:00.001-05:00

Michael & Meg treated us to dinner at Fleming's for mom's birthday. Look at this yummy dessert!

2011-01-23T21:24:00.000-05:00

Happy 60th birthday mom!

2011-01-22T22:03:00.001-05:00

T-you'll be happy to know that the Oreos were legit ;)

And Phoebe? Cute as a button! Oh how I miss those girls!

2011-01-21T14:46:00.000-05:00

Bethany just keeps getting more and more beautiful!

2011-01-20T14:36:00.003-05:00

Abigail spent the morning walking around in my shoes - what can I say? The girl has great taste :)

2011-01-19T14:19:00.000-05:00

I got to see my girls this week, but they wouldn't get off their phones long enough to talk to me ;)

2011-01-18T14:38:00.000-05:00

I am already convicted by the introduction!

2011-01-17T14:07:00.003-05:00

Look who was in town this weekend :)

2011-01-16T22:33:00.003-05:00

Next time, we'll go without the chili powder. Otherwise, YUM!

2011-01-15T19:30:00.004-05:00

Get the recipe HERE

I am a lucky girl, indeed!

2011-01-14T18:32:00.000-05:00

When am I going to learn to NOT tweak a good recipe? This banana bread will probably show up as bread pudding next week...

2011-01-13T21:42:00.000-05:00

Sledding in your car = not a great idea

2011-01-12T11:40:00.000-05:00

Calling all trucks!

2011-01-11T13:18:00.002-05:00

Do you have a truck?

Are you free on January 29th?

If so, I could use your help!

I am moving and I don't have much stuff, so I was hoping to avoid renting.

Food will be served :) Probably nothing special given that my kitchen stuff will be packed....but we'll figure out something!

Call me or email me if you think you'll be available. Thanks!

YES! The wait has finally paid off!

2011-01-11T13:00:00.002-05:00

Bob's Red Mill GF Bread - Thanks T!

2011-01-10T19:41:00.003-05:00

This bread is GOOD! It may have imploded a bit after it came out of the bread machine, but it certainly did not change the taste :)

I'm Moving in 20 Days!!!

2011-01-09T20:13:00.001-05:00

L...is for the way you look at me!

2011-01-08T22:33:00.002-05:00

I was over at the Maners' home last night and it reminded me of our New Year's Eve fun with sparklers :) Jason brought his camera outside and I had fun trying to spell out words backwards before the shutter closed! Can you read it?

Shem had a blast dancing the night away with Jolene at his 28th birthday party

2011-01-07T23:20:00.000-05:00

Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye?

2011-01-06T22:11:00.002-05:00

I'm off to a good start on my reading list this year! This book by Carolyn McCulley was one that I bought a few years ago, but never picked it up until now. I have some theological issues with the idea of the Proverbs 31 "woman," but I'll leave that for another post at another time! The last three paragraphs of Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye? were all exhortations to single women that proved to be a great summary of the book. They are worth quoting at length...

"Let's run to receive eternal rewards, dear sisters. May we follow the course laid out for us in Proverbs 31 and not look to the sidelines. May we esteem the gift of singleness that's been given to us now so that we will be called wise stewards of that gift and invited to share in our Master's happiness. Let's cultivate noble characters and not let bitterness, jealousy, or disappointment steal from us the rewards for trusting God. May we guard our hearts and affections for the Lord and not be concerned with whether or not a fellow creature pursues us for the temporary state of marriage.

May we freely love and serve others, especially those members of Christ's body who are in our local churches. Let's show hospitality to others and use our homes as mission fields and places to refresh others. May we earn, spend, and invest wisely - storing our treasures in heaven. By God's grace, let's not worry whether or not we will bear children, but let us love, encourage, and disciple the children we encounter now. May we never put our trust in physical beauty that decays, but always cultivate the inner beauty that will likely be part of our femininity for all time. Let's resolve to use our words to build up and edify others so that when we give an account of every careless word, it will be short rather than long. And may we never be known as 'needy' women who require lots of emotional support because of our disappointment over being single, but may we be known as women who reach out to the need and generously give to the poor.

In a youth-oriented world, may we never lose sight of heaven. By following in the footsteps of the Proverbs 31 woman, I pray that we also will receiver her blessing of the closing verses:

'A woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Give her of the fruit of her hands,

and let her works praise her in the gates.'"

I'm Home, Merry Christmas, and Get Well Soon!

2011-01-05T18:13:00.003-05:00

Still hurting from that IV!

2011-01-04T21:12:00.001-05:00

And we are ready for the Orange Bowl, folks!

2011-01-03T21:17:00.002-05:00

Still learning with the new Macro lense

2011-01-02T21:50:00.001-05:00

I can't think of a better way to start off the new year!

2011-01-01T22:10:00.004-05:00

Check out THESE great Bible reading plans that you can download straight to your iCal. So convenient! I chose the Chronological one for this year.

2011 Reading List

2011-01-01T09:51:00.008-05:00

I'm so excited about this year's list and definitely open to suggestions!

The Bible (God) - again

Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye? (McCulley) *done

The Gospel & Personal Evangelism (Dever) *done

Redeeming Love (Rivers) - again *done

Stuff Christians Like (Acuff) *done

Love to Eat, Hate to Eat (Fitzpatrick) *done

Same Kind of Different as Me (Hall & Moore)

Free Yourself to Love (Kendall)

The Roots of Endurance (Piper)

Boundaries in Dating (Cloud & Townsend) - again

The Mortification of Sin (Owen)

The Hidden Smile of God (Piper)

God Isn't In a Hurry (Wiersbe) *done

When Sinners Say I Do (Harvey)

Things I Wish I'd Known Before We Got Married (Chapman) *done

What Did You Expect? (Tripp) *done

Systematic Theology (Grudem)

The Reason for God (Keller)

Shopping for Time (Mahaney) *done

Top Tens of 2010 - no particular order

2010-12-31T18:05:00.007-05:00

Hates:

1. medical test after medical test after - yeah, you get the point

2. Surgery

3. Grieving the loss of a family member

4. Grieving with a friend over the loss of his mom

5. Saying goodbye to several friends moving overseas

6. Saying goodbye to my sweet triplets

7. Saying goodbye to LOST

8. Leaving SBUX - never thought I'd say that one!

9. Changing the way I eat entirely

10. 3 months of silence

Loves:

1. My BFF Patti's wedding

2. Supporting my BFF Hannah overseas

3. Meeting a new BFF

4. Watching God work a miracle in Westin's life

5. Doing life together with a fabulous small group of women

6. Being mentored by several amazing Godly men & women

7. Running my first 5K

8. Random road trips with mom

9. 3 months of silence

10. Being a part of a body of believers who are engaging the church & the city

The Princess and the Knight Part III

2010-12-29T17:36:00.003-05:00

A little over a month passed and word came about an intense struggle between Stanley Knight and the great dragon. He had been given a new assignment in the King's army, but somehow the dragon found him and sought revenge after being wounded in an earlier battle. Having forgotten his sword and shield, the Knight was doomed for failure in this struggle. But alas, the King showed up unexpectedly and defeated this great dragon once and for all. Before returning to his castle, the King encouraged Stanley and put into place extra training for the Knight for the rest of his time on assignment in the army. He would soon return to his village even stronger and wiser than before he left.

Queen Cindy continued to meet with Princess Anne back home, but instead of creating tactics for her escape from the Evil Queen's dungeon, Queen Cindy made it possible for Anne to spend more time in service to the King. Princess Anne began to enjoy more and more hours of the day out of captivity with the King. As time went on, she realized the Evil Queen seemed like less and less of a threat. The King even became her greatest liaison for hearing reassurance about her Knight. Anne knew her Knight would return home soon and she pleaded to be released in time for his homecoming.

I'm Dreaming of a White Day After Christmas

2010-12-26T20:34:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T11:53:00.000-05:00

I spent the morning opening presents while lying on the couch :)

Recovery

2010-12-24T12:31:00.004-05:00

I have pretty much been asleep for the past few days just waking up long enough to answer a quick phone call or text message. Surgery went very smoothly. Dr. Haak cauterized something on the outside of one of my organs, but he was unsure whether or not it was actually endometriosis. Now we will just wait to see if the pain returns once I have recovered from the surgery. I have pictures of most of the organs in my abdomen and they all look perfect and healthy! Praise the Lord! During recovery 1, we found out that I am apparently allergic to morphine. Every time they increased the dosage, my blood pressure plummeted, I itched all over, and got very nauseous. Once I finally got to recovery 2, I spent 4 hours recovering from the morphine. Today I am just in a lot of pain from the surgery, but that is to be expected. My goal is to make it out for a movie with mom on Christmas Day per our tradition :) and then church on Sunday. Hopefully by Tuesday or Wednesday I'll be feeling almost back to normal besides being able to exercise - I'm not supposed to do that for a few weeks :( Thank you for all your prayers and thoughts - I feel beyond blessed to have all of you wonderful family and friends calling and texting to check on me! God has heard your prayers and has graciously blessed me with a successful surgery and now we're hoping for a quick recovery!

Surgery

2010-12-22T20:41:00.001-05:00

Hey friends! My surgery starts tomorrow morning at 8 am. Thanks for your prayers! I'll update as soon as I can.

Back-blogging. Because I'm good at that.

2010-12-13T22:43:00.000-05:00

The last evening with my small group before Christmas was packed full of activities! And of course, pictures :) Given my recent fun discovery of continuous shooting, I decided to give it another trial for our "family portrait." The only things missing are the tacky Christmas sweaters - we'll do better next year!

Break from Hiatus

2010-12-12T22:02:00.008-05:00

I just had to come back for a brief update after this incredible weekend! I had the privilege of singing in "A Simple Christmas" at Providence this weekend and it was so much fun. If you missed it, you should definitely check out the DVD when it is finished. It was a beautiful presentation of the story of Christ - from prophecy, to birth, to death, resurrection, and return. See Colleen's pictures from the Friday night performance here.

What I did not know was that Patti was driving down from New York all day on Saturday and surprised me Saturday night after the concert! There is no one that can make me laugh like this girl! When we get together, I usually come away with tears in my eyes and a stomachache from laughing so hard. LOVE YOU SISTER! We set the camera on continuous shooting today in the car and I just wanted to share with you some of the utter ridiculousness (I think I just made up a word) that came out of it! I still hope and pray that one day we will live in the same city again!

My favorite Christmas Carol!

2010-12-10T20:43:00.001-05:00

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

A Brief Hiatus

2010-11-28T06:33:00.002-05:00

When I started this blog 5 years ago, I had no idea I would end up with so many readers in the US, the Netherlands, Russia, and many other parts of the world! Thank you for keeping up with me all of these years! Today, I sadly announce that I will be taking a brief hiatus from my blog. Never fear, I will be back in about a month.

On a personal note, please keep me in your prayers this next month especially as I head into surgery on December 23rd. My abdominal pain has been increasing tremendously and I am hopeful that this surgery will help. Most doctors have been pretty confident that the main issue is endometriosis. The only problem is that the only way to officially diagnose this particular condition is through surgery. Praise God with me that He has given me this opportunity to further diagnose what has been causing my pain and pray with me that the doctor will find the problem and be able to fix it. I will be back around Christmas to update you on the results!

May God bless you this holiday season with much joy, peace, and love. It is indeed the most wonderful time of the year!

Waking up early for God

2010-11-27T05:00:00.000-05:00

Yes, I wake up very early every morning. People are always pretty surprised to hear that I get out of bed at about 4:45am to get to work by 8am. But do you want to know why I do that? Let me share with you a few quotes from Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer...

"At the threshold of the new day stands the Lord who made it. All the darkness and distraction of the dreams of the night retreat before the clear light of Jesus Christ and his wakening Word. All unrest, all impurity, all care and anxiety flee before him. Therefore, at the beginning of the day let all distraction and empty talk be silenced and let the first thought and first word belong to him to whom our whole life belongs." - pg.43

"There is such a thing as rising early for the love of God. This was the practice of the men of the Bible." - pg.44

If I did not wake up that early, I would not have enough time to get ready for work, exercise, and still set aside time to devote to the Lord. I want my first breath, my first thought each day to be given to Him. I want to live like Jesus who rose "very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed" (Mark 1:35). He Who created me and orders my steps loves me so much that He gives me direction in the morning for my day. I could not face the day if it were not for His tender mercy each morning and constant reminders of His grace throughout the day.

Why do I always think shopping on Black Friday is a good idea?

2010-11-26T16:55:00.001-05:00

#1 - Thanksgiving with family

2010-11-25T14:38:00.001-05:00

#2 - Beautiful colors and amazing weather!

2010-11-24T14:37:00.001-05:00

#3 - Pumpkin everything! Pumpkin candy, pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin pie.... I'm drooling

2010-11-23T14:36:00.001-05:00

#4 - Carving pumpkins

2010-11-22T14:31:00.001-05:00

Have I mentioned that Fall is my favorite season? #5 thing I love about the Fall - Football!

2010-11-21T23:19:00.002-05:00

Reading List Update

2010-11-20T17:14:00.000-05:00

At the beginning of the year, I posted my goal for 2010 reading. I ended up adding several books along the way and still have not finished my original list :( Think I can read Systematic along with the other 4 in December? Yeah, I know, probably not. It may get added to my 2011 list already in the works. To recap 2010...

Original List:

Time Traveler's Wife - done!

Trusting God (Bridges) - done!

Date or Soul Mate (Warren) - done!

A Man Worth Waiting For (Kendall) - done!

Don't Waste Your Life (Piper) - done!

Humility (Mahaney) - done!

Get Married (Watters) - done!

Systematic Theology (Grudem)

The Mortification of Sin (Owen)

The Reason for God (Keller)

Starbucked (Clark)

Same Kind of Different As Me (Hall & Moore)

Added:

Love & Respect (Eggerichs) - done!

Radical (Platt) - done!

Passion & Purity (Elliot) - for the second time, done!

The Four Loves (Lewis) - done!

Through Gates of Splendor (Elliot) - done!

Boundaries in Dating (Cloud & Townsend) - done!

Life Together (Bonhoeffer) - for the second time, in progress

Spent the day in the capitol with dad soaking in some NC history

2010-11-19T21:29:00.002-05:00

Themes

2010-11-18T22:27:00.000-05:00

Do you ever notice themes in your relationship with the Lord? Or is it just me? I remember back in 2006 God was shaping and molding my views on love and His love for me. The next couple years get fuzzy, but then I remember at the beginning of 2009 God was putting these three words on my heart as a constant refrain - "Trust, Rest, Wait." It seemed like everything I was learning revolved around those three words. Then, the summer of 2009 centered on the theme of "Be strong and courageous." It felt like every song, every sermon, every Bible Study exhorted me to stop being so fearful of serving God overseas single. I had every excuse in the book, some of them were even good ones! But I finally set aside every hindrance and restarted my application to a program that would take me overseas for 2 years. Little did I know what God had in mind for the rest of 2009!

After many life changes, here we are in 2010. I have realized over the past couple months that a new theme has arisen - "I Satisfy." Jesus satisfies. ONLY Jesus satisfies. Nothing else in this world can possibly fulfill the longing that Jesus has put in the heart of every man for a relationship with Him. As you seek to quench that endless thirst with the many delightful things this world has to offer, and as you realize that you still come up dry no matter how delightful they seem, I pray that you would turn to Jesus. Jesus said, "whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:14) and "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied" (Matt. 5:6).

Experimenting with recipes for Thanksgiving - Squash Casserole

2010-11-17T19:24:00.000-05:00

Trust and Obedience

2010-11-16T06:51:00.000-05:00

"It is not the level of our spirituality that we can depend on. It is God and nothing less than God, for the work is God's and the call is God's and everything is summoned by Him and to His purposes, the whole scene, the whole mess, the whole package - our bravery and our cowardice, our love and our selfishness, our strengths and weaknesses. The God who could take a murderer like Moses and an adulterer like David and a traitor like Peter and make of them strong servants of His is a God who can also redeem savage Indians, using as the instruments of His peace a conglomeration of sinners who sometimes look like heroes and sometimes like villains, for 'we are no better than pots of earthenware to contain this treasure [the revelation of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ], and this proves that such transcendent power does not come from us, but is God's alone' (2 Cor. 4:7).

"We are not always sure where the horizon is. We would not know which end is up were it not for the shimmering pathway of light falling on the white sea. The One who laid the earth's foundations and settled its dimensions knows where the lines are drawn. He gives all the light we need for trust and obedience."

-Elliot, Through Gates of Splendor, 271-272

2010-11-15T06:03:00.000-05:00

2010-11-14T06:01:00.001-05:00

2010-11-13T05:58:00.002-05:00

2010-11-12T05:56:00.001-05:00

2010-11-11T05:56:00.000-05:00

2010-11-10T05:55:00.000-05:00

2010-11-09T05:54:00.000-05:00

2010-11-08T05:40:00.000-05:00

As a favor for a friend, this next week in pics were shot on location at...

2010-11-07T06:24:00.001-05:00

Don't forget to set your clocks back tonight!

2010-11-06T23:27:00.000-04:00

Given that I had no clue what potato latkes were supposed to look or taste like, I think I did a pretty good job!

2010-11-05T22:12:00.001-04:00

My pooch got groomed!

2010-11-04T21:09:00.002-04:00

Princess Anne's Song

2010-11-03T23:07:00.001-04:00

I look around inside these four walls

And I can see this is not my home

Can you hear it now from inside these stone walls?

My heart cries out I'm not where I belong.

No matter what they do,

My heart belongs to You.

I'm free.

Oh the hands that hold the world have set me free.

He has broken every chain,

So I lift my hands up to the One who saves.

Take me captive you can lock me away,

But my debt is already paid.

Take me prisoner, but I will not fear

'cause my deliverer is already here.

This world can have its way

Nothing can stop Your glory.

What may become of me

I'll overcome.

And I am free

Oh these chains won't hold me

And I am free

"Free" - Mercy Me

The Princess and the Knight Part II

2010-11-02T06:16:00.001-04:00

Several weeks went by with no word from the Knight. Still, Princess Anne prayed each day for him and the people he was protecting. She knew the King had big plans for the Knight and waited expectantly to hear news of a great victory.

As for Princess Anne, not much had changed. She was allowed to visit the King for 20 minutes each morning, but then had to go back into captivity until the following morning. The Princess sang for Him and pleaded her case day after day. She dreamed of the day she could live with the King forever in freedom. He promised the Princess He would deliver her from her captivity and that He had great things in mind for her future.

In the meantime, the King sent Queen Cindy from a nearby village to prepare Princess Anne for that day. They devised strategies and formed plans for her escape. Each month they would meet and Queen Cindy would teach her new tactics to practice for the big day. Princesses from all the surrounding villages gathered around Princess Anne once a week to help encourage her and help her in her preparations. Soon, very soon.

Can't let those seeds go to waste!

2010-11-01T20:39:00.001-04:00

Message in a pumpkin (no, it's not Area 51)

2010-10-31T20:15:00.005-04:00

Florida/Georgia Party - Jon did an amazing job on these cakes!

2010-10-30T19:09:00.000-04:00

Every time I see Westin on the field, I thank God for this miracle!

2010-10-29T22:49:00.000-04:00

Here is an article from the N&O about the accident:

BY TIM STEVENS - STAFF WRITER

Westin Haas was not in pain, but as he surfaced from the dark waters of Kerr Lake his right hamstring felt like it was cramping and he reached to rub it. That's when he discovered he was in a life-or-death struggle. Much of the backside of his leg seemed to be gone.

A few minutes before, Geremy Taylor, Brent Edwards and Haas, three friends and football players at North Raleigh Christian, had netted bait minnows for some night fishing on the lake. The three linebackers had decided at dinner that night that they would wrap up a day of wakeboarding and fishing with a little more fishing.

It had been an idyllic day, filled with memories and expressions of hope for the upcoming football season and their senior year. They had laughed a lot. The running gag all day was Edwards wore a long-sleeve shirt on such a hot day.

But as the pontoon boat zipped through the darkness to better fishing grounds, it bumped and Haas was hurled into the water. The boat immediately passed over him, the propellers churning at near full speed.

Taylor, who was driving, killed the engine while his friend struggled beneath the water.

Haas' swim suit had become entangled in the propeller, and beneath the water, in the blackness, he struggled to free himself.

"I don't know why, but I was calm," he said. "I didn't panic."

Haas pulled himself free and gasped for air at the surface, unaware that his ordeal, and his miracle, was just beginning.

"There was no pain," he said. "But my hamstring felt a little crampy. That's when I reached back and found a hole bigger than my hand."

The propeller had gashed the back of his leg to the bone in two places. The wounds looked like huge swatches of missing muscle and flesh had been ripped away, rather than just cut.

"I'm cut bad," he called to his companions.

As he laid on the boat deck as it rushed to shore, with a tourniquet fashioned from Edwards' long-sleeved shirt helping staunch the bleeding, he reached back again and again felt nothing.

"It was emptiness," he recalled. "The back side of my leg was gone."

Medical personnel arrived, saw the wounds and called for a helicopter to airlift Haas to Duke Hospital in Durham. Every doctor who treated him during the upcoming weeks said it was a miracle that Haas survived. Despite the severity of the wounds, no major vessel or artery was cut. The sciatic nerve, which runs from the spine throughout the lower back and legs, was undamaged, although the flesh above, below and to each side of the nerve was cut.

"The doctors tell me I could have been hit almost anywhere else on my body and been killed or permanently disabled," Haas said. "And without Brent's shirt, I don't know what would have happened."

Haas' prognosis was good, the doctors said. In about 12 months, he would be as good as new. Or at least almost as good as he was. But 12 months? Haas cried in his hospital room every night for two weeks after getting the news.

"I wanted to play football," said the 5-foot-8, 200-pound Haas, who is a top candidate to play in the North Carolina-South Carolina Shrine Senior Game for players at independent high schools.

Haas stayed in the hospital for 19 days, and as soon as he left he set a goal of getting on the field this season.

"My goal was to play one down in the final regular-season game," he said. "I was thinking maybe, somehow, I would get to play one play."

His recuperative abilities amazed everyone. On Oct. 1, three months and one day after the accident and about nine months ahead of his rehab schedule, he ran through a tunnel of teammates and took the field for a game against Village Christian. He didn't limp through the tunnel, he ran.

His return is no symbolic gesture. He has regained his starting positions as a running back and a linebacker. He rushed for 6 yards on his first carry, a moment that he expects to remember for the rest of his life.

"To be back on the field, with my friends, was an indescribable experience," he said. He rushed for 100 yards in the game, a 71-0 victory.

Haas has an easy explanation for his recovery, although he knows many people won't agree with him. He knows others might think that it was luck, mere happenstance, that saved his life about three months ago on a terror-filled night on Kerr Lake, but Haas is a person of faith.

Tim Haas, his father, is the director of visual arts at Providence Baptist Church in Raleigh.

"It was a miracle," Haas said.

Gluten & sugar-free apple crisp

2010-10-28T22:18:00.000-04:00

Can anyone tell me the names of some of these flowers? I love them!

2010-10-27T22:12:00.002-04:00

His mercies are new every morning! Great is Thy faithfulness!

2010-10-26T07:13:00.000-04:00

Love these ladies! Very thankful to have the opportunity to grow with you this year!

2010-10-25T22:52:00.005-04:00

My small group had the "privilege" of using the 4th floor to meet. I sat next to this.... I don't even know

2010-10-24T22:48:00.000-04:00

Free time adventures

2010-10-23T17:45:00.000-04:00

On our retreat, Jenny and I got to share a bed for which neither one of us had sheets that fit

2010-10-22T22:41:00.002-04:00

Somehow leaving the office 1 1/2 hours late doesn't seem so bad when this is my view from the parking deck

2010-10-21T18:40:00.000-04:00

Final pic before d-day

2010-10-20T22:37:00.001-04:00

How 'Bout Them Apples?

2010-10-18T14:07:00.000-04:00

Doing a lot of cooking with apples this week...

2010-10-17T18:07:00.000-04:00

Carter Mountain Orchard

2010-10-16T22:36:00.002-04:00

We had so much fun today picking apples in Virginia, I just had to share more than one pic!

BEBO

2010-10-15T22:21:00.002-04:00

My hectic morning

2010-10-14T22:24:00.001-04:00

So, I forgot to get a pic before the mechanic took my car back to fix it, so this story will have to suffice. I left my house this morning at 6:55am (plenty of time to stop by Starbucks on the way to work). Little did I know, I was leaving 30 seconds before a monstrous storm hit my part of town. The minute I got on the road, torrential rains. I mean, I thought a hurricane had hit. I couldn't see past about 3 feet in front of my car. I decided I would brave the rain and go to Starbucks anyway. As I was pulling into the parking lot, I couldn't see the median....I knew it was there, but couldn't find it until, oh wait, there it was. Found it. Unfortunately, I found it with the left side of my car. I hit hard and actually bumped my head on the roof of my car. I pulled into a parking space at the SBUX and got out in the rain to check out the damage. I couldn't see much because it was still so dark out and I could barely see in the rain. But what I did notice was that my hubcap was gone. Oh geez. Time to go back out to the road to find it. So there I was, in the pouring rain, searching for my hubcap. Praise the Lord, I found it. I threw it in the car and went to get my coffee.

I poured my espresso into my almond milk and went on my merry way. I was almost to work when all of the sudden, the dude in front of me slammed on his brakes. So, I slammed on mine. Only, my car didn't stop. It slid and I lost control and ended up ..... in the median. Really? Twice in less than an hour? I prayed and thanked the Lord that I was ok and that my car wasn't in worse shape than it was.

I got to work, pretty shaken up by the events from the morning, but overall not too bad. Then when I left work, I noticed that I didn't really have an inflated driver side front tire anymore. Oops. Straight to the mechanic I went.

Everything is fine now, except for my injured back that has now been exacerbated by the minor vehicle mishaps :)