Praying for a Friend

A friends niece died today at a very young age. She struggled with a very long illness and is now with the Lord. Please pray for my friend Jill and her family. Although everyone feels good that Myka is no longer struggling, it is always hard to have to say goodbye to someone we love.

Check out www.caringbridge.org/visit/mkya to drop a note to the family!

Merry Christmas from the Roses

The Roses choose to honor Christ's Birth during this season as well as celebrate family and friends and what blessings they have been to us. We are very grateful for our family and friends and for all the ways they(you)have loved on us this year! And a very Happy Hanukkah to our friends who celebrate the miracles of God! May you all find the miracle of God's Love in your hearts this season and in the new year!

The Roses

Today

Today has not been peaceful as I had hoped. The boys woke up on the wrong side of the bed and were grouchy. We did some errands and they were even more annoying. I finally got home and sent them out to rake leaves. I have had a few moments to calm down and I was reminded of a verse from the Today's English version of the Bible...most of know it as "Be still and know that I am God"

TEV says,


"STOP FIGHTING", he says, "and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10


Just thought I would share that...sometimes during the holidays, we try and fight our way to a "perfect and happy day" and sometimes, people wake up moody and grumpy and tired. I am going to stop fighting to make it a "peaceful" day and see what comes our way!

Enjoy this season of LOVE! Jesus is the reason for this season! Turn down my playlist and listen to this!




Lisa

Broken alleluias vacant of praise

reside in the hearts of millions

lost, alone, betrayed, destitute

unloved, unemployed

underemployed, some sick in

body, mind, spirit.



Empty eyes of children

whose basic needs

are rarely met haunt

the alleluias of Advent celebration.



The Savior born without

place to lay his head

stands with them.

Christ would embrace them.

Christ would embrace them through

your embrace, filling stomachs, minds,

hearts, souls with the meat of holy celebration.



Broken alleluias turning to glory of a King

whose subjects actually obey His command

to Love.

The Best Gift of All

The best Christmas gift that the Roses got this year was a reminder of all the people over the years who have come together to pray for our son. We are amazed at your sincere love and care for our family. Thanks so much. And for new friends, thanks for standing up and praying for this wounded bird of ours whom you don't even know yet. Blessings on you all for your faithfulness in praying.

Russ, Lisa and the boys!

"You are my refuge and my shield, I have put my hope in Your word"
Psalm 119:114

The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the prayer of the righteous is powerful." (James 5:15-16).

Jason's Music Class

Jason had to select an elective so he took beginning choral music. They did two concerts this weekend for Christmas. We got pictures from today. Notice he is between two very tall guys. They are there because they are teaching him to sway to the music. They help him a lot! It is very cute. The boys are very sweet to Jason. They are 8th graders. They sang some classical selections and some standard Christmas songs. He is getting over stage fright!!


http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=6cj1vfa.9fidgm6&x=0&y=mvrjbt&localeid=en_US


This week is very busy...we are glad to be coming to a halt for a few weeks next week!

Things are starting to get back to "Rose normal"

Joy to you this week!

Exciting News!

After MANY years, the building that our church in NYC bought and rennovated has now been paid off! YEA GOD! This building journey has truly been a journey of faith, love and sweat and tears. There were many a day we made a commitment to pray and fast so that we would seek God's pleasure as we journeyed for more space which is a gold mine in NYC!! I got the word the other day that the transaction was done and they are debt free.

Weekly update on Jason

Well, we got through the first week with a good ending. We had a little glitch last night...sometimes it is hard to tell between being 14 and being bi-polar! We just used it as a life lesson and went on. We will continue to monitor. Meds seem to make his mind clearer and more focused. He even admitted that himself..that he felt he had a clearer mind..isn't that what we have been praying for?? Yea God!

Russ and I have had the exhaustion hit hard this week. We have slept a lot and tried to take it easy this week. This weekend we even overslept for church(sorry Cliff!!) but our bodies needed it so bad....all 4 of us woke up at 11am this morning. I haven't done that since college!

Continue to pray for us in these specific areas:

1. That Jason will continue to be clear minded and focused. Along with his medical challenges, this is a very hard time of year for Jason from his past. This week though, he has actually been excited about "doing Christmas" and that is a good sign.

2. That Russ, Steven and I will get the much needed "catch up" rest.And that others will be patient with us in that area.

3. That both of our boys will continue to find healing from their past and that they will come closer to having new and tender hearts every day!

I showed Jason the number of folks who have been praying for him and he got teary the other day. Thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers for him and our family! It does not go unappreciated.

This 2nd week of Advent is the week of PEACE. Our prayer for our sons is that they will have peace in their hearts so that they can have the abundant life of joy that Jesus promises.

Peace to you this week,
Lisa

The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the prayer of the righteous is powerful." (James 5:15-16).

Breaking News!

GUESS WHAT!


I filled up our little SUV today for $26.62. I was 2 gallons from being empty! YEA GOD!


That is one gift I can be so grateful for!


YEA GOD!


Lisa

Fun Picture of the Day...Fat Cassie getting a tummy rub which she hates!

Hope

Jason is home!

Hi all!

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days...I stayed in Birmingham so that I could go each day and tutor Jason on his school assignments! Thanks Cathy and Mike for your hospitality!

Jason came home today with new meds and it seems a calmer spirit! We will be trekking back to Birmingham next Tuesday for a follow up. Thank you all SOOOOOOOOOOOO much for your prayers.

PLEASE continue your prayers for our son for a while. I will be updating weekly instead of every few days maybe through the holidays.

He seems better..the test will be tomorrow as he returns to school. We will be meeting with school counselor one day soon to determine how he is doing and what we need to do to help him or move him(which we don't want to do if we can avoid it as that is just another change he has to go through).

Pray for these things for the next weeks:

1. That we will get back into our family routine and that we will all settle in and get some rest.

2. That Jason will be calmer at school and do his work and follow directions.

3. That his heart will continue to heal as we work with him in all that he has to do to get on track.

Thanks again from all of us and may you be blessed for your efforts of prayer and support along the way. Thanks to all who sent money, cards and food these last two weeks! We love you a lot.

Russ, Lisa, Jason and Steven

NEWSFLASH..later on in the evening!

Tonight we got home and had pizza and watched Flywheel(the same guys who made Facing the Giants and Fireproof...if you haven't seen it..it is a must)Anyway, it was about a guy who wasn't doing the right thing in his life and hurting people through his actions. Anyway, all through the movie, J was watching intently and when this guy got down on his knees and confessed that he had not done the right things, J was tearing up. After it was over, he asked if I saw him crying and he went on to say that he needed to ask Jesus to be the boss of his life...not just his savior. We told him all he had to do was bow down and ask that Jesus be the boss. He prayed one of the most sincere prayers of his life tonight. I have never seen such a sincere, apologetic prayer for all that he had done to hurt his teachers and his family these last few weeks. He asked the Lord to help him do the right thing in class and at home.

We want to share that with you because it is no doubt a product of you joining together as the Body of Christ to lift up a "little brother" in Christ.

Now to add to the other prayer specifics, Jason asked if he should ask forgiveness of each of his teachers tomorrow for being so disruptive. We told him that would be a good idea and that he needed to do it in private. Please pray to prepare his teachers to be compassionate and help him get readjusted to school.

We were amazed but not surprised that the Holy Spirit was working. We had had that movie for a while and not been able to watch it and decided to do it tonight when he came home. Little did we know how God would use it...the theme was right on target for such a time as this!

Love you all!
Lisa

PS When I told Jason how many people were praying for him, he was awestruck! That seemed to touch his heart.


"The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the prayer of the righteous is powerful." (James 5:15-16).

Happy Thanksgiving and Update on Jason

Well, we got what we could only hope for...docs cooperation on changing meds and letting him stay a whole longer to see if it works. We had a very fruitful meeting with doc and therapist and felt that they were on the same page which was great. Jason will be in the hospital at least to the weekend and we will go from there.

The next big thing...we may need to find an alternative school for him. Regular 7th grade may be a little difficult for him. We have to talk to teachers after the holiday and see what we can do. There is a private school here that would be great..it is a school for kids with Learning Challenges and smaller classes. The trick is that we have to get the school system to pay for it. J has an IEP(Individualized Education Plan) and our system here doesnt have many options for kids who need less stimulation.

PRAYER REQUESTS TODAY

First:THANKS SO MUCH for praying. All the things we needed to happen, happened. We are so grateful especially during this gratefulness season to have such committed prayer warriors.

Second: Pray for the meds to kick in as soon as possible so we can see what they do AT THE HOSPITAL and not after he gets home. Pray that they will help Jason to FOCUS and FOLLOW THROUGH with his tasks.

Third: Pray for Russ and I as we decide next steps as far as his education. Jason is very bright(and I am not just saying that as a parent)and we need to find somewhere that wont overwhelm him but will challenge him and engage him in what his potential is..(basically..help him to be what God made him to be)....

Fourth:Give praises to the Lord for what He does. We are all so blessed to be able to come to the throne and lay the things down that burden us. Russ and I are so blessed to have a personal relationship with the King of Kings! The Lord of Lords! Jesus! He is using you to be a part of the healing of this young man who needs desperately to find peace and comfort that he has never experienced. We are privileged God chose us to be his parents and to walk on this journey with him.

Will continue to update in a few days so have a blessed Thanksgiving and wherever you are, be grateful for the freedom we have because a group of Christians needed to find a place that they could worship freely the Lord they chose to follow. We are benefiting from their sacrifices.

Be grateful for family and all the gifts that each, quirky person brings to you. Actually, I have decided we ALL are quirky in our own way!

Peace,Lisa, Russ and Steven

Late Sunday Night

We are back from the hospital and we have had 2, yes two, good visits with Jason. The extra med that they added to his day seems to take the edge off his mania and hyper-ness. Yea!

He is still picking his skin though till it bleeds. They will not release him until he stops. That is the severe anxiety kicking in too!

Prayer for this week:

1. Tuesday, 25th...we have a doc appt at 2pm. We will discuss Dr. Cullinan's observations and see what the next step is. Please pray that he will understand that Jason cannot come home unless there is a plan of action to help him cope. Pray for openness and wisdom.

2. For Jason Pray for peace in his heart as he continues to grieve over the losses in his life. Pray he will feel Gods fulfillment in his heart.

As we start this Thanksgiving week, we are certainly more than grateful for your continual prayers. We appreciate you so much. We will continue to keep you updated!

Peace along the way, Russ, Lisa and Steven

Very Insightful

http://www.fletcherclan.blogspot.com/

Thought you might to read another adoptive mothers perspective that we find so truthful for our own lives.

Peace on Earth!
Lisa

Today!

One week ago our lives were very chaotic. At this time of day(11:30am) we were preparing to take Jason to the Emergency Room. He is still there and most likely will be there for at least another week. We talk to the doc on TUESDAY at 2pm CST and make a treatment plan. All the nurses and SW are seeing Jason as he is at home and at school so we are very thankful for that as they will be in the process of making a treatment plan for him.They will give insight to the doc other than us! (you know parents know nothing). :-D



Our first prayers this week have been answered thanks to you coming together as the Body of Christ and agreeing together on Jasons behalf that they would SEE his behavior during a manic phase and depressive phase. PRAISE THE LORD..



NOW...we would ask that you join with us in praying specifically that over the next few days, Dr. Cullinan will use the knowledge and wisdom of his experience with Jason to help us all come up with a treatment plan that will help Jason FOCUS(meds), and FOLLOW THROUGH (our home and school plan). Pray that Dr. Cullinan will listen to those around who have observed Jason and will seek their opinion.



Pray for Russ, Steven and I to continue to rest and get renewed over the next few days. That we will all be protected from the discouragement that can happen when a loved one is struggling with a chronic illness. Have a blessed weekend and we will be in touch!



REMEMBER... Tuesday afternoon, 2pm CST will be our appt with the doc.



Peace to all our prayer friends! Russ, Lisa and Steven

Thursday

Visit last night was not pleasant. Jason was in a mood. He was argumentative, lying and ignoring us. Doc sees him today for more exams...we see doc on Monday or Tuesday for treatment plan.

Pray for Doc, for Jason and for all the folks who are working with him. Pray for us as we travel back and forth and for our stamina!!
Thanks
The Roses

Today

Jasons doc is coming in today. The SW said he had been acting out some and been annoying to others. Please PRAY today that they will see him full circle. We need them to see his outrageous behavior in order to get effective treatment.

Thanks so much for your love and care for us Roses!
Russ, Lisa, Steven AND Jason

Day 4

The social worker and Lisa have been playing phone tag....BUT...we heard from Jason that he had gotten in trouble during a group session. YEA GOD! Keep praying that he shows himself fully to the docs and nurses. When we called him tonight he was really angry that we had decided not to come up tonight (Steven was under the weather and I needed to care for him). We had to end the conversation early but we know that he will probably act out tomorrow (or tonight) if history repeats itself.

PLEASE continue to pray that he will show the docs his stuff so they can SEE what we deal with on a continual basis lately!

Thanks for the continued prayers and notes of encouragement. It helps to know we are not alone in this. We believe that the Lord is in this and that this will be a turning point in his healing. We care for Jason so much and know the Lord is in it! Amen!

Blessings.
Russ and Lisa

DAy 3 at the hospital

Well, we talked to Jason last night and he was sort of "snotty". I am sure he is pissed off at us. At risk of sounding snotty myself......oh well! I talked to the nurse today and he was a bit hyper. I'm not surprised. He is always hyper when he is anxious. We will find out tomorrow when we can meet with the doc and talk about a plan.

Pray for a few things specifically:

1. That Jason will act at the hospital like he has acted at home and at school. We need for the doc to see him as he is out of the hospital. We think J is "being good" so that he will get to go home sooner. In his mind, this is a punishment and so he thinks if he just acts well, he can come home and if that happens without them seeing him at his peak, then he will come home and do the same thing over again.

2. That our family will get some much needed rest while he is at the hospital. We are very very tired!

3. That the Lord will speak to J in a way he can understand.

Well, I am tired, I need to rest a bit before dinner!

Thanks for the support!

Lisa

Pray for our new President

Check out our friends blog. He wrote some great thoughts for this day today. God is in charge...We are called to pray for our leaders and lift them up and not tear them down with gossip and malice.

Romans 13:1, 2

www.downshoredrift.com

PEACE,
The Roses

HodgePodge of Photos from this weeked!

The Youth Choir singing, "Through It All"

Steven as Indiana Jones helping at the Fall Festival

Jason, Star Wars character, jumping rope!


The boys as Indiana Jones and Star Wars Clone Trooper

Lisa's University of Montevallo Baptist Student Union Reunion....that was fun! This was all of us with al of our families.


We had a very busy weekend: Friday was Halloween Fall Festival, Saturday was Lisa's Montevallo reunion and Sunday was youth choir singing and Family Pictures for the Roses.
Whew!! Now Russ and I are ill with the flu and hanging out at home. It is kind of nice but too bad we are sick!!

Happy Week!!
GET OUT AND VOTE TOMORROW!

HANDY LITTLE CHART God has a positive answer:
YOU SAY
GOD SAYS
BIBLE VERSES
You say: 'It's impossible'
God says: All things are possible
(Luke 18:27)
You say: 'I'm too tired'
God says: I will give you rest
(Matthew 11:28-30)
You say: 'Nobody really loves me'
God says: I love you
(John 3:1 6 & John 3:34 )
You say: 'I can't go on'
God says: My grace is sufficient
(II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)
You say: 'I can't figure things out'
God says: I will direct your steps
(Proverbs 3:5- 6)
You say: 'I can't do it'
God says: You can do all things
(Philippians 4:13)
You say: 'I'm not able'
God says: I am able
(II Corinthians 9:8)
You say: 'It's not worth it'
God says: It will be worth it
(Roman 8:28 )
You say: 'I can't forgive myself'
God says: I Forgive you
(I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)
You say: 'I can't manage'
God says: I will supply all your needs
(Philippians 4:19)
You say: 'I'm afraid'
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear
(II Timothy 1:7)
You say: 'I'm always worried and frustrated'
God says: Cast all your cares on ME
(I Peter 5:7)
You say: 'I'm not smart enough'
God says: I give you wisdom
(I Corinthians 1:30)
You say: 'I feel all alone'
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you
(Hebrews 13:5)

Youth Yard Sale!

The youth at our church had a yard sale this last Saturday at our house and raised $250 for their youth activities. They did a great job and had a blast! Only about a 1/4 of them showed up, but they did very well.

Mr "dew rag" guy!

Just Some Fun.......

Need I say more..sleepover with 4 boys!!

Fall Fun! Just Playing Around!

After school one day we headed to the park since Russ was working late, took the dog for her first park outing and had some fun! The picture at the bottom is Kodak Easy Shares Fun Editing program that you can download for free. The boys had a good time and we ended up heading to Arbys and getting sandwiches and enjoying these last warm days!!

STYX

Russ and I went to see Styx last night here in Montgomery. They were a favorite during the 80'ss and 90's. These are a friends pictures. We forgot to take a camera!!! They were awesome! There was nothing like seeing 1100.. 40 and 50 somethings sing "Come Sail Away" really loud!

Fact: Tommy Shaw, guitarist in first picture picture is from Montgomery. He was given the stage pretty much all night and got a great hometown welcome.

I had forgotten how talented these guys were. They music and lyrics are so incredibly well written for a "rock band"......

Needless to say, Russ and I had a very hard time getting up this morning. WOW! We are old!

Have a fun weekend!
The Roses 4

Steven's 13th

Steven had a great birthday. We ate at Red Lobster(his choice) and then opened gifts and had cake. If you cant tell, that is a chess board cake with black and white candles. (my creation).
We postponed the camping trip until later. He was very blessed with his gifts! Thanks to EVERYBODY who sent a card or gift!

Dear friends and family,
Thank you for the birthday gifts. I loved them all. I am still trying to decide what to buy with my gift cards. I can't wait to shop.
Love, Steven

BIG 7!!!

On Our honeymoon (our 2nd one)in the Bahamas!!

This is our Amish in NYC look!

This was just this weekend....we've definitely aged some!! Two "challenging boys, a terrorist attack, some illness, poverty, lost job and moving...... 7 years later....we deserve to age!! AND have fun!

**************************
We always wondered what the 7 year itch was and I still don't know. In fact...today we were talking and our marriage, which has already weathered hardships, has gotten deeper, more comfortable and more satisfying!! Today we celebrated 7 years of marriage and we are more in love now than ever! Thank God for Jesus working in our marriage.

Showing off!

What a great face!! She is in her 90's! Goes to our new church.

Im proud of this photo! I have started a photo blog where I will post certain photos that I am proud of. Check it out.

www.lisafavephotos.blogspot.com

Remembering 9-11-01

7 years! WOW! Dont forget to pray, especially today!

Blessings,

The Roses

Remembering 9-11-01

7 years! WOW! Dont forget to pray, especially today!

Blessings,

The Roses

Chess

The boys started Chess Club this last week. They are at Queen level in the Beginners Class.

We are quite impressed that they have figured that out all by themselves. The teacher is a real Chess Nerd...which we love! He teaches strategy and thinking skills! YEA!!

The boys LOVE IT! They LOVE Chess...it is a good game to teach us about Life!

Happy Tuesday!

russ and lisa

Just a few pictures that I finally downloaded off the camera!

Wow..I love laying here and doing nothing.


Wonder what she is doing with that thing that flashes??


What?



Okay..he keeps saying "stay"....how boring!!


Umm...more food!!



Hanging out with cousins(Lisa's cousin' children)


Our Summer photo op!


One more.............................


When do I have to stop looking so cute??

We spent Labor Day weekend cleaning...finishing unpacking some boxes and doing some planting ...more pictures to come!

The Roses 4