Susanne took a picture of this fella after he came running though the house.

In case you don't recognize him... here are a couple of hints:

• If you follow me on twitter, you will know by the movie we watched last night
• He is wearing a rope to represent his whip
• "Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes?"
• "You want to talk to God? Let's go see him together, I've got nothing better to do."
• "Didn't any of you guys ever go to Sunday school?"
• He's got a new movie coming out in less than two weeks... can't wait!

Don't you just love a kid with a great imagination!

That's right... The Reeder family now has a garden.

It's not much of one yet... but it will be!

Emilee, Sam, and I planted it yesterday. Where was Jake? In the house sick. :-(

Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Squash, Zucchini, Dixie Lee Peas, Watermelon, and Sunflowers.

Tomorrow is a very special day here at the Reeder house. Emilee, Jacob, Sam, and I get to celebrate the most wonderful woman in the world!

So who is that woman? Her name is Susanne.... and she is...

• da' bomb!
• my beautiful bride!
• an awesome mother to our children!
• my help mate!
• my joy this side of Heaven!
• the woman I am looking forward to spending the rest of my life with!
• the best pastor's wife EVER!
• my hero!

Susanne, you really are Truly Captivating!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

I have not been able to get these pictures off my phone until now...

So, that is why I have not blogged about my camping adventure until now.

That's right...

Friday night, I took my son, Jacob, camping for the first time. Slept in a sleeping bag on a lumpy ground.

We roughed it with his best bud Patrick (cousin), Rusty (Patrick's dad), and Papa (Jacob's Granddad).

There were several others there from Papa's church...

Great fun and fellowship.

Thanks Spring Valley for inviting us to hang out and making us feel welcome.

I (Susanne) got the idea of hijacking my KISA's blog from this blog.  (Thanks, Vince...uh, and Becky!!)

That's right folks... you're not dealing with the "stupid programmer turned church planter" today...  Just little ol' me.
But I have a challenge for you.

It started with this blog... then this one... and finally, this one.

So come on over here, and see what I am talking about!!!

Oh yeah, and if you decide to participate, leave us a comment on this post.  We'd love to be able to share this with you!

My kids have been on spring break all week. Being out of school with time on her hands... my daughter, Emilee, made a Spring Break Gift for me. (kind of like a birthday or Christmas gift)

So, knowing that my daughter loves to draw and create things... I could hardly wait to see what she had done for her loving and caring dad.

I open it. She quickly tells me it is a game. It's called "pin the tail game".
(I used to call it pin the tail on the donkey)

I was all cool with that until what came out of her mouth next....

"Dad... that face is a picture of you."

Not sure what to think...

Anyone for a game of pin the tail on a Reeder?

I caught the last 1/3  of the cartoon Barnyard tonight with the kids. Who would have thought it had such deep stuff... For those without kids, and those who have never seen it... read more here.

"a strong man stands up for himself, a stronger man stands up for others" --Otis the Cow

As I was watching this.. it reminded me of the call on my life to pastor Revolution Church. When God calls... we are to look out for those placed under our care.

In the movie, several of the chickens were captured to be devoured by the coyotes. Otis had to make the choice to do what was easiest for him (quit and let it go) or to go into the pit and fight for those poor souls captured by the enemy.

There are tons of people in Florence that are captured in a pit and they do not even realize it. God has called us to show others the hope that only Jesus can provide. It is up to me and you to be a stronger man (or woman) and stand up for them. Put ourselves aside for others.

Who would have ever thought God would use this movie to drive home His vision???  The Lord truly does work in mysterious ways!

(now... switching gears a bit...)

When the cows and other animals jumped on the Harley's and other nice looking bikes, and soared down the road while "Slow Ride" was playing... For some reason, I thought about David Putman @ Evolve.

One final thought...

WHY IN THE WORLD DOES A MALE COW NAMED OTIS HAVE UDDERS?!?!?!

Emilee, Dad, & Jacob. Isn't that a great lookin' bunch of ball players!?!?

I have the great honor to head coach my son's Pee Wee Baseball team at the Greenwood Baseball Complex! 10 Awesome little guys and one awesome little girl! They are such a joy and I am so glad I have the privilege to coach them. It is going to be a great season!

Here is our schedule. (For anyone interested)

What a day!

• Early this morning, I met my friend Bryant Calcutt at South Florence Baptist to run some fiber (not the kind you put in your drink to make you regular)... This is computer stuff... In case you did not know... my SIL (Sister in Law) Karen calls me "Computer Club". Oh yeah, and Jeffery (Student Pastor), I hope you are happy now... That was too close to being like work!
• Next I was off to the Greenwood Baseball Complex with Jacob for our first baseball practice of the season. It was fun. I am head coach this year and have a great bunch of kids that are so excited to be there! Go Astros!
• Then we decided to have a family outing to La Bamba... Mexican is quickly becoming our favorite food! Let me share three quotes from the kids while we were sitting eating our chips.

"The people in here are so nice... momma, do you know why they are so nice... Chinese people are very nice!"  --Emilee Reeder

"American sauce... girl... how do you know about American sauce... you don't even live in America!"  --Jacob Reeder

"Mrs. Russell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" --Sam Reeder
FYI: Mrs. Russell is his teacher which he loves more than me I think...

• Now it is time for a movie with the kids... The Game Plan with The Rock!
• And after that... ya never know... Susanne and I may even have "dessert"

Tonight (yeah.. we celebrated on Friday night this week) was family night.

We changed it up a little tonight. Mom, Emilee, and Sam played board games.

Dad and Jacob... well... we did a little project...

Two hours, 310 pieces of Lego's, and two Barq's Root Beers later...

My kids are da' bomb!

Happy Birthday to the most Beautiful EIGHT year old girl in the world! Daddy's very proud of you!

I am not typically a sap. Mushy and emotional is not normally me.

During this Christmas season, I was not myself. I will share a few highlights of my Christmas...

• After seeing the kids open Christmas from Santa, I cried on Susanne's shoulders. She just held me... and held me.. and held me... She is truly my #2 --behind only Christ!
• Later, I found myself holding Sam, snotty nose and all; we rocked in my chair and just loved on one another. While praying for him, I was dripping tears on him and he let me.
• A little later, Emilee let me snuggle with her. Rocking in that same chair, praying over her and her future spouse... I found myself crying yet again.
• While Susanne was getting ready for us to go to Columbia (her parents'); Jacob came to sit with me in that same rocking chair. Yup... you guessed it... while I was praying for him... I cried crocodile tears. After Jake finished filling my tank he went on to play with some toys.
• Then I started thinking about my Grand Pa Allen. The night before, at our Allen Family Christmas Eve gathering, he blessed my heart. He told the entire family that he had not been the best Priest for his family. He told us how he should have been praying on his knees with his children and challenged us to do that. Then he even sang a song about his/our Savour! And yes... I cried then too!
• Then I thought about how Grandpa and Grandma Reeder use to come over every Christmas Day to see what Santa had brought me and my sister. They are both with the Lord now. I started thinking about how much they would have loved to come see their three great grand kids on Christmas day! I knew that Grandma Reeder was smiling from heaven watching me hold them in her recliner. Yep... you guessed it... more tears.
• Susanne walked by and noticed me just siting by myself... CRYING! She told me "Please don't look at me like that... I just put my makeup on!"
• As I sat there, Savior King came up on the CD player, and I cried again to these words:

Let now your church shine as the bride
That you soar in your heart as you offered up your life
Let now the lost be welcomed home
By the saved and redeemed those adopted as your own

I give my life to honor this
The love of Christ, the Savior King

2008 will be such an awesome year. I can hardly wait to see what God is going to do with His church plant. Susanne and I have given it all over to Him. We are trusting that God will use us in an powerful way to impact Florence, SC!

You see, crying is not always bad nor sad.

Christmas Day 2007: For the first time... I really realized how truly blessed I am!

Rusty & Betsy came over for the day to let the kids play...

Well, we played too... Guitar Hero! That game is addictive!

Then we noticed something... Sam was awfully quiet...

In fact... we decided it would be wise to see what he was up to.

The picture speaks for it's self!

He lathered up...

Got my razor (has protective plastic case on it)...

He was shaving that Peach Fuzz!!!

Ok... I now have the motivation to start a "Friday Five" list inspired by Jay Hardwick and Susanne.

So, to kick this party off, I wanted to be a little light hearted and not too serious...

Go ahead and forgive me fuddie-dud people! Smile a little!

1. My youngest son (Sam, 3 years old) said "Look Mama!! Ders, rwed (red) boobies,"
2. Sam also said "and dween (green) boobies"
3. Sam also said "and purpuh (purple) boobies"
4. Sam also said "and bweu (blue) boobies"
5. Sam also said "and ders YOUR boobies!!!"

Ya see... That's what you get when you take a three year old to Victoria Secret! Read the entire story here.

Last night, I was woken up to someone crying outside our bedroom door. 2:15 AM!!!

I was a little upset, I was sleeping good!!! Sam was on his knees just crying...

I picked him up and stood there in the hallway trying to calm him... Finally... He was calm... maybe even back asleep.

When I put him back in the bed (all you parents know what happened next)... That's right, he started crying again...

Man, am I ever going to get back to sleep???

I ended up laying on the couch with him on my belly and chest. Under the blanket on the couch and in my arms... He became calm again. A minute or two went by and he was snoring lightly with his arms wrapped around me. As I held him, I knew he was crying more for my purpose than for his.

You see, God ordained that time last night for me. I just held, kissed, and prayed over him.

So many times, we I look at those times in life as burdens, but they are not. They are times we can be there for our children; a time to hold them, love them, and protect them.

Don't get angry when...

• You are awakened during the middle of the night and you have the alarm set for 6:00 AM...
• You are trying to get food on the table and your kids keep interrupting progress...
• You trying to hurry and cut the grass but your kid wants to ride with you on the lawnmower which slows you down...
• Your kids want to go to Chuck E. Cheese (even if that place is of the devil! just kidding)...
• Your kids have craft "stuff" everywhere in your house and want you to participate in the chaos...
• You are trying to get some work done on the computer but your 3 year old wishes to work on the computer too...
• You just cleaned the house and the kids want to get out the play dough or Legos...
• Did I miss any???

Cherish those times... They are a "God Send" in Disguise! If only we could see them that way...

Today while Paw-Paw and I were putting up mom's Christmas Tree, my daughter decided to show her entrepreneur side of her personality...

She had to make some money to get a gift for her dad, of course...

She invested no money...
Got raw materials from the grandparents (free)...
Set up a lemonade stand in the kitchen...
Sold the finished product (Grape Lemonade - recipe courtesy of Biltmore Estates) to the grandparents for a quarter a glass!

That's my girl!!!

$10.25!!!

Today has truly been a blessing. Spending time with the greatest, gal in the entire world! (Not to mention, one HOT Mama!!)

Lunch at Smoke on the Water...
Walked around at Falls Park and the Liberty Bridge...
Found a nice swing and sat with the one I love the most and talked...
and talked...
and talked...
Came back to the hotel and started to work...
We had serious prayer time...
Then started the Church Planters application...

We made it a little over half way, and our eyes started getting heavy. Can you say nap time???

After nap, went to the Overlook Grill... Can you say... "Shrimp and Grits"??

Remember the swing (above)... we visited it again... talked and talked some more...

It had to be the perfect date.

On the way back to the hotel, we got some Starbucks... Sorry Perry, I could not bring myself to get the Pumpkin Spice Latte... No matter how awesome you say it was!

Now as I write this... I am watching Clemson play Boston College and actually pulling for them. I feel like Alden Ellis... Wouldn't it be better for the Gamecocks to beat the ACC Champs (Clemson) than some scrub Clemson team?!

Well.. this day is still not over... More questions to answer on the application. I will share more about the answers to those questions over the next months... It will show and reveal the vision God has placed in Susanne and me.

Man... tomorrow... we get to attend two growing churches!!!

Looking forward to it!

Time to get back to work, and then catch some zzz's.

Susanne and I are in the great city of Greenville, SC this weekend for a get-a-way.

No worries...
No times to be anywhere...
No Kids...

Well... Almost. We got checked into the hotel and wanted to get some good grub (food). Carrabba's.. here we come (we don't have one in Flo-Town).

While waiting to graze (outside in the cold)... we have a surreal moment. A dad came out of the restaurant carrying (well, actually she was flung across his right shoulder) a SCREAMMING 4-5 YEAR OLD GIRL!!!  Kicking and screaming is more like it...

SCREAMING... "I Don't Want No Butter! I Don't Want No Butter!". Mom was walking far behind them to the car. This kid would not stop. Evidently, they had gotten up and left their food. As the kid kept screaming and the parents kept coming in and took turns watching the kid scream outside.

It made me so sad... not that the kid needed a spanking... but that the parents were not even trying to correct the child.  That kid was literally crying out for parents who would step up to the plate and PARENT...not just run and hide in embarrassment.  Susanne and I literally watched the whole thing with our mouths wide open...amazed that this kind of thing actually happens...

So, here I am now... stuffed from the Chicken Trio... Writing this post sippin' some Dunkin' Donuts coffee.

Why did we come to Greenville? Stay tuned... more to come later.

Just finished reading Susanne's post for today.

The thought occurred to me...

"Why can't I put it all in words like that"??

Then I thought...

"I Can!!".

So here's the scoop! (They don't call me Stupid Programmer for nothin'!)

(Did I really put a picture of pink flowers on my blog? I must really love my wife!)

Sam was climbing on the couch to watch Veggie Tales: The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's.

He didn't quite make it all the way... He fell asleep with one foot still on the floor.

Not sure? The picture to the right is what I found Thursday morning!

Susanne and the two older kids had a special event at Greenwood Elementary.

They left me in the shower and Sam (3 years old) in the bed asleep.

When I got out of the shower, I heard what I thought was the TV playing, and wondered to myself how the TV turned it's self on...

Curious... I wrapped a towel around me and walked into the living room... No TV on...

The sound was coming from the kitchen. It was Sam (my three year old) on the computer.

I walked in, smiled really big, walked right past him to get the camera UN-NOTICED (the boy was focused), and took this picture.

Notice he is hardcore!!! He opened Internet Explorer, then was able to select Playhouse Disney in the URL listing and was playing (as Jake says) LIKE CRAZY!!! (I will have to continue to work on him to get him to use Firefox... He says "no.. no.. no.." when I try to load Playhouse Disney in Firefox)

I am so blessed with smart kids. Emilee has her own email address and Sam is surfing the world wide web. Jake is not too big in the computer because he would much rather be shooting Storm Troopers on the XBOX!!! Vader better watch out with the Young Padawan Jacob on the  prowl!!!

So many times we as parents forget to thank God for the blessings of our children. We get too caught up in homework, discipline, and "the going to bed ordeal"; and we forget that these truly awesome bundles of JOY that make a dad smile!

What an awesome night at South Florence Baptist Church!

We celebrated the Halloween season with 500-600 of Florence's finest people.

Our parking lot was packed, neighboring parking lots were packed, packed youth building, packed fellowship hall, packed rock climbing wall, packed Thomas The Train Ride, packed trick-or-treat pathway...

Literally 2720 South Irby Street was PACKED!!! Did I say PACKED!?!?!

BTW: Did I mention it was raining! People did not care, they kept coming to join in the fun!!!

To all our guests... I hope and trust you enjoyed yourselves.

I thought I would include the kids in their costumes (Aren't they cute?)

I know this is how she feels sometimes. I love you!!!

And replace "daddy" with "mommy" for this next one.

Thanks Ed Stetzer for sharing (I had to share both of them)...

As many of you may already know, Susanne and I surrendered to God's call to ministry last March. We have been fervently praying for God's will in our lives, and for His guidance in the next step(s) we should be taking in obedience to accomplish His will.

After much prayer, we have decided to sell our home.

We have had a burden on our hearts for over a year now concerning financial freedom (thanks Joe), and while we have made great strides in getting there, we feel that this will be a BIG STEP towards finally making it happen!

We know that God is in control, and we have already found a home that is going to be a step of faith. We are trusting that God will sell our house quickly and He can make it happen!

Buy purchasing this home, we will accomplish two things...we will be DEBT FREE except for a mortgage (which by the way will be a little more than half of what we are currently paying) and we will also be fulfilling a dream of being "out in the country" on a few acres of land. 

Please pray for favor with the owners of this property (a sister and two brothers selling their mother's home) and for God's perfect plan to be accomplished.  We have not listed our house with a realtor because financially that would be a bit of a set back, so we are trying to sell it on our own. 

We have constructed a website at www.2121TwinBridge.com for potential buyers to view, and we have made printable flyers to distribute. If you know of anyone that would be interested in buying our house, please let them know. Otherwise, please pray that the house will sell quickly and that we will be able to accomplish our financial goals.

Thank you all so much for praying, and for being wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ who we can turn to in our trials, laugh with in our joys, weep with in our sorrows, and celebrate with in our successes.  We cannot imagine doing this "thing" called life without you all!!!

Happy 29th Birthday Susanne!

Hehe... 29th Birthday... "I don't care who you are, that's funny right there!"

I am not telling how many 29th birthdays she has had... BUTTTTTTTT if someone else wants to count the candles and leave a comment for all to see... well, at least it is not me that told everyone!!!

Happy Birthday Susanne!!! You Truly Are Captivating!!!
(Did I just put something in Pink on my blog? Man, I must really love that girl!!!)

BTW: Isn't that a Beautiful Cake her KISA made for her!!!

Today was one of the most awesome experiences I have ever witnessed at a church service! We had the entire South Florence High School Football Team visit our church!

Through affiliations with our local FCA chapter, our church has decided to sponsor the team.  Each team member has been assigned to a family in our church to sponsor/mentor . We are so proud to have Brandon Mack (Senior -Wide Receiver) as our player (see picture on right). People all over the church are talking about their players now! How awesome! A chance to make a difference in the lives of 60 of today's youth.

It was great to see the team swaying and rocking back and forth to the rhythm of Psalm 150 (our praise band). With their coaches and parents there... it was PACKED HOUSE!!! Jeffery's message on Gideon and his sharing of Bobby Martin's story was da' bomb.

We as a family have now officially added Brandon to our nightly prayers.

"... and Grandma, and Grandpa, and Mammy, and Brandon."

Jeffery I am proud of you man. The work you are doing (Jeffery is the team chaplain - see picture below) with the team was noticed today. Players were talking and joking around with you! They could tell that you love them!!!

Jesus has called us all to love each other. I am so glad we have the opportunity to express through this ministry.

Brandon, if you see and read this... Please know, we love you and are praying for you and your family!

Talk about perfect timing. I went to Best Buy during lunch after eating Chick-fil-a.

Yes... I love eating at that place.

I walked in and there on the shelf... A pretty white box with the word "Wii" written on it.

I grabbed it so fast someone probably thought I was stealing it...

After talking with the nice sales person, she said they got a shipment of 28 yesterday. By the time she came in to work this morning, there were only 17. I bought mine at 1:07 PM, and it was the last one on the shelf.

Now, I gotta get off the bloggin and get to playing some tennis!!!

Since Page and Dean have been telling me about how much they enjoy their Wii gaming systems... I really want one now.

Susanne and I were kid-less this weekend to celebrate our anniversary (Nine Years). We had a great idea on a way to spend our time, we could get a Wii. For the kids of course...

We decided to take a trip to Wal-Mart... Sold Out... Huh... that was not supposed to happen..

But we were determined... Off to Chick-fil-a to get some milkshakes and a phone book. (Side note: they have the best milkshakes in the world!) Susanne called everywhere in Florence...

No Wii in Florence??? That is crazy!!! We had to settle for a milkshake.

The story does not stop there... Sunday, after our nap... Susanne woke up with a cute little song to tell about our adventures.

Check out the full story here. Make sure your sound is on to get the full effect.

I now know what married people do with out kids...

BTW: This was my first adventure with a webcam and YouTube.

The Things One Does to See His Grandchild Smile

Sam and Paw-Paw Reeder

Mary Lou Retton has nothing on Emilee. With Jake in baseball, I have had several instances where I have been a proud dad. This morning, I was a proud DADDY! It is different when it is my little girl.

My girl had her gymnastics exhibition this morning. She performed on the balance beam (on right), floor exercise, vault, and the un-even bars.

After the event was over, a gold medal was placed around her neck.

She had confidence and showed No Fear!

2 Timothy 1:7 says "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

Emilee asked Jesus to save her a few months ago. She has been growing in the Grace of Jesus ever sense. She went out there this morning on a mission... To give it all she had. She has such love and shows it with her long arms wrapped around my neck.

Daddy is so proud!!!

I have not blogged in a while (please forgive me!)... but I just had to do this one...

Jake hit is 1st home run ever last night! He started out his second at-bat with two strikes. On the third pitch from that crazy pitching machine, he hit the ball into the outfield... (Noteworthy: In Small Fry Baseball... That usually results in a home run!)

He ran and ran and Ran and RAN and RAN... Smiling all the way!!!

What was even more awesome than that was his next at-bat.

While he was on On-Deck, I went to encourage him.

I said "Jake, you wanna hit another home run?"

He said, "I WILL!" (not, yes I do...)

I told him, "Just swing hard and level."

He replyed "I WILL hit another home run!"

WOW!!!

On a normal at-bat, Jake usually swings ok... just ok... he usually misses the first two pitches... maybe even the third and have to use the tee.

NOT LAST NIGHT

He swung with, what looked like, everything he had in his little body.

He hit it HARD! I mean HARD!

He only got a single from that swing because of a great little short stop...

He was grinning from ear-to-ear when he made it to first base. (He wound up scoring again a few batters later.)

I know that was awesome experience for Jake, and that he will always remember it. Next game, I will remind him about it... I am sure, he will remember the joy of touching all 4 bases!

I challenge you, reader, to think back to when you were so excited about serving Jesus... Has your passion, joy, and dedication fizzled out? Don't let that memory be your last!  Go out there and hit it HARD! Try for that next home run... And if you have never hit that first homer... Start swinging!  Give it all  you've got. You may just see someone receive Christ because of your dedication.