|
|
 |
CR // HEART.MIND // BLOG
6.21.09 - FATHER'S
DAY
Today was my 1st Father's Day!
It began with a delicious strawberry pancake breakfast made by my wife, Anita with a little help from my son, Luke! We then went to church with some of our family as I took time to thank God for my first baby boy. Following church, we went to Anita's aunt's house to spend Father's Day with family. While there, Luke needed to be fed, so I took a bottle and went in a separate room so I could just have some quiet time with my son. While feeding him his bottle, Luke looked up at me and I remember our eyes connecting. I looked at him and thought to myself how blessed and grateful I was to be holding a healthy, handsome boy that God has entrusted to me.
I also cannot describe the feeling of when he looks at me, smiles and knows that I am his daddy! It was definitely a moment that I will never forget from my first father's day.
Lastly, Anita dressed
Luke in an outfit that said, "My Dad is My Hero." While I don't
know everything that my future holds and all that I will accomplish in
life; I do know 2 things that my heart deeply desires…To be a Hero
to both my Wife and to My Son. This is something I am determined
to be and will FIGHT for everyday of my life…//CR
2.11.09 - A SON
IS BORN 
Today my Son was born! His name is Luke…Luke Roman Rix. My Wife Anita gave birth to him at 10:38 am via cesarean as I witnessed with my own eyes…WHAT A MIRACLE! I have been so proud of Anita throughout her pregnancy and was the most proud of her during the birth! I continue to fall more and more in love with her and cannot wait to see her be a Mother.
It is indeed overwhelming what a beautiful gift from God Luke is and what an honor and privilege it is that he has been entrusted to us! I cannot take my eyes off of him and continue to be in awe of the indescribable blessing that has been bestowed upon us. I have often told my wife Anita that I never thought I deserved her as my Bride, and I have already told her that I don't feel I deserve Luke to be my Son…but I continue to realize the Grace of God in my life. I believe grace is getting something that you do not deserve. In this case, I have been given someone I do not deserve. I am also reminded of how much God must really love us, knowing that he loves me more than I love my son...which is A LOT! : )
My newborn son melts my heart every time I look at him, touch him, hug him, kiss him and even just think of him! I believe with all of my heart and soul that Luke Roman will be a "world changer" and pray that he will fulfill the great destiny that God has for him!
I will forever remember this day, Luke's birthday and how my life will never be the same...in Jesus' Name.//CR
9.22.08 -
LEAVING IT IN GOD'S HANDS
Back in May of this year, my Wife and I found out we were pregnant! Nearly 5 months into the pregnancy, I must admit I have found myself at times thinking and wondering if we are going to have a boy or a girl. I constantly reminded myself not to think about it too much knowing that there was really nothing I could do about it. : ) However, I realized that it was easy to say that, but a whole other thing to really "not think" about what my first child would be! Deep inside, I knew that I just wanted a healthy baby, but I will admit that I desired for a son...for numerous reasons-and not just sports! Finally, I decided to "let go and let God" remembering the powerful phrase I had read on a bookmark that my team chaplain Clint Purvis had given me years ago at FSU. I prayed and told God, "You know my heart - what I desire and want, but this is what I NEED God...a healthy baby...and whether boy or girl...that Your Will be done." I also knew I had to sincerely mean what I was praying and that it couldn't just be "lip service!" Over the past few months, I have continued to remind myself of my promise and pledge to God. I have believed in my heart that no matter what HE decided to bless us with...the baby would be a perfect child of God.
Well, today we found out that we are going to be the proud parents of a baby BOY!
I believe in my spirit that God heard my prayer, and by His grace - He honored the desire of my heart. I also felt that I had pleased my Heavenly Father because I chose to humble myself and "leave it in HIS hands" and had a peace about doing so.
When you decide to do that in your life, I strongly believe that you cannot go wrong... //CR
7.29.08 - SUCCESS BEGINS ON SUNDAYS
I often hear my pastor at church say that "success begins on Sundays!" I for one agree with that statement...
As I grow and learn more about God and even life, I have come to realize that every week I live; there are certain challenges that await me. I believe that we all face various kinds of adversity everyday as well as different magnitudes of these tests. This is why I can think of no better way to start off my week by going to church!
#1 it shows God that I desire to start my week off the right way by giving him the first of my time. It also reminds me of my priorities in life and helps me keep things in perspective, especially at times when I think life is tough. I am always surprised when God gives me a powerful word that I need to hear to be encouraged…or even challenged in certain areas of my life.
If you really want
to have a week filled with success…start it off by spending time
with God in HIS HOUSE!
// CR
3.14.08 -
FAITH IN GOD & HIS TESTS
Life is full of TESTS. While in college, I remember being taught at some point by my pastor that you have to "fight for your destiny." It would take some time for me to fully grasp what he meant, but eventually I understood what he was trying to teach me. One day, while fully suited up in uniform sitting in my locker before a big game, that word 'FIGHT' was on my heart. I wrote it on the white athletic tape on my wrist for the game and came up with an acronym for the word itself. What I thought of was, "Faith In God & His Tests." This phrase would become engrained in my heart for the rest of my life. I had come to the realization that in some way, God tested me everyday and that I had to have faith in Him in order to past the test, whatever it was. Whether the test was big or small...easy or hard. The tests we face aren't always easy, in fact I believe that they are mainly hard. That is when we see what we are really made of and our faith is truly tested, because I believe God wants to see how we will respond!
When things are going smoothly in our lives, we find it easy to believe that we serve a "Good God." But if life presents a challenge and something bad happens to us, we might ask, “How could a good God allow this?” You may wonder how a God of love could allow something devastating to happen. That is when we have to have faith, because God is most likely not done working out His plan. There will be a day when you will look back and see how God’s sovereign hand was at work. Truth is, He is in the center of any situation in which you feel alone. He’s right there in the middle of it! Just because we can’t see Him, doesn’t mean He isn’t there and working all things together for good.
Truthfully, it is easy for me to see God at work in the easy, successful and joyful situations. However, in the tough and challenging times, when adversity hits and I feel like I don't have any of the answers to my questions, I have to remind myself to say and believe, "Lord, I know You are at work in my life and with my circumstances…even when I can't see you. I know You are working all things together for good. Help give me the courage to keep my eyes and my heart on You no matter how long I must wait to see your plan for me fulfilled. I believe You will bring all things around for Your glory, because You gave me a Promise."
These are especially the times where we have to pick ourselves up, press into our FAITH and BELIEVE. These are the times where we have to have Faith In God and His Tests...This is when we have to FIGHT! Because without a TEST...there cannot be a TESTIMONY! // CR
3.13.08 - CLEANING OUR DIRTY DISHES
I had a revelation while simply doing the dishes. Following dinner in which my Wife and I grilled some chicken on the "legendary" George Foreman Grill, I eyed the infamous black grilling plates that needed to be cleaned. I thought about getting to them later after dessert and some time on the couch, but if there is one thing I have learned about dishes (or the Foreman Grill), it's that the longer you leave them, the harder they are to clean. So I decided to go over to the sink, get the soap and sponge and immediately clean the grill. It was so much easier than the times where I've let it sit in the sink for a few hours or even overnight and then as a result, had to scrub harder and take more time to clean it than I really needed to.
This simple example reminded me that in life-just as in doing the dishes, it is always better to address "dirty dishes" earlier rather than later. It is wiser to "clean it" now rather than "leave it" for later. The sooner you do, the easier it is to clean and remove any "messy areas" in your life. If you choose to wait to "clean your plate," it will be harder AND take more time to get your plate clean, because some things may 'stick'- staying around longer than you want them to... // CR
|
 |