Bird on a Wire

When a bird sits on a power line, does it realize the amount of power that it is sitting on? The overhead power lines that run close to your house have somewhere between 7,500 volts and 25,000 volts, if the line is close to a power plant it might have 50,000 volts. That is lots of power, if you have ever been shocked by the power in your house that is only 120 volts maybe 240 volts. The higher volts can kill you instantly, but that bird on the wire has no clue what it is sitting on.

God has all the power in the universe, He created it all and he controls it all. Matthew 7:7-11 is the parable about asking and it shall be given to you, seek and you shall find (paraphrasing). The problem is I find myself acting like the bird on the wire sometimes. Here I am desiring something or needing something and instead of tapping into the power that it is right there, only a prayer away, I try and do it on my own.

If the president of the United States said “ask it shall be given to you”, who would not ask for something they need or desire? Who would say I don’t need you, let me try it on my own first? But God gives the President his power just as He gave Pilate his power they can do nothing without God just as we can do nothing with out God. But with God we know all things are possible (Philippians 4:13). We just need to tap into the power that it is so accessible to us!

Rhett Pictures

Here is a link to some more Rhett pictures.
Sorry this is easier than re-posting them here.

I Saw the Light

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKfvZPizuwQ
I saw the light how about you?

I am also thankful for the Friend I have in Jesus!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w55gVIT7s0w&feature=related

Rhett and his many activities

Some of the many daily activities that Rhett participates in!

Reading Rainbow Rhett
Thumb Sucking Rhett

Bouncing Rhett

Mr. Cool Rhett

Eating Rhett

Clean Rhett

Which just happens to be his favorite activity.

More Rhett pictures at the following location.......

http://picasaweb.google.com/byron.gerber/RhettMore?feat=directlink

Who wants to be normal anyway!

When people say the just want to be normal or they just want a normal family it makes me laugh. What is normal? My idea of normal and your idea of normal are not the same, very rarely will you find more than a few people with the same idea of what normal is.

Maybe we should call normal whatever the majority of Americas do or have? For example a little over half of marriages end in divorce so to be normal you need to be divorced at some point. The average income per household (not per person) is around 50k that's includes people who are 45 and those 18, so making 50k at 18 sounds great but how many people when they are 45 still what to be making 50k? I couldn't find any numbers on Cancer but I wonder what percentage of families are affected by Cancer, still want to be normal?

I know we often look at certain person as a ideal “normal” person or ideal family in our head who is the perfect example of what we think of when we say normal. However, there is no one on earth who does not have a problem, weather it be physical, mental, emotional, personal, addiction, relationship, etc., everybody has something they would like to change or not have to deal with.

So do we really want to be normal, or do we want to be abnormal? The key to the person you think is normal is not that they don't have anything wrong in there life it's that they have learned how to deal with the challenges that they have been presented with. Life is 10% of what happens, to you and 90% of how you deal with it. Besides who wants to be the same as they were as a kid, isn't life about growing and becoming a better person everyday of your life?

Its Friday

Why do we feel so much better on Fridays?

Are they really that much better than the four days that come before it? Is work really that bad are Saturdays really that amazing.

I have asked a few people already today how they are doing and I get the same response “great, its Friday”.

So I am trying to figure out are Fridays that great or are we just brain washed by society into thinking Fridays are so great?

Pepsi

I love Pepsi! Anybody that knows me knows that, for years I have been drinking Pepsi and loving every minute of it.

However over the last year I have gained some weight to the point I decided to do something about it. At the end February I weighed myself for the first time in a long time, it wasn't good 210. Up until about 10 months ago I never weighed much over 195.

So on March 1st I made the decision to give up my beloved Pepsi for at least a month to see what would happen.......

On April 1st I weighed in at 205 I was surprised 5 pounds by just giving up soda. Needless to say I thought I would keep up the trend and see how low I could go. This morning I checked in at 202.

Since I am heading in the right direction I would love to get under 190 but I am afraid that might take more than just not drinking soda. So my goal for the next few weeks is to start exercising some how some way!

How to be happy

"You have achieved success if you have lived well,
laughed often and loved much."
- Author Unknown


The key to being happy is not by getting things (cars, gadgets, jobs, money, etc.)you want. You become happy when you make others happy, if you don't believe me try it.
Find someone and figure out a why to make them happy, the easiest way to do that is find out what they are passionate about and doing something with them along those lines.
After doing that just see who is happier them or you?

"Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others,
cannot keep it from others."
-James M Barrie

Some real Pictures

Jenna Stoller took Rhetts pictures the other day and did a Great Job! She kindly posted some of them on her blog, if you get a chance check them out.

http://ajphotodesign.blogspot.com/2009/02/rhett.html

1st appointment

Rhett had his first appointment today. The Doc said everything looks good! He gained some weight he now weights 7lbs 10ozs (when he left he was 6lbs 15ozs). Next appointment is in a month and no shots until 2 months.
Thanks again for all the support prayers food and gifts and love, it is truly appreciated!

Faith vs. Believing

To believe in something and to have faith in something is not the same.

Through faith we are saved (Eph 2:8), however the devils believe there is a God and they are not saved (James 2:19).

Faith is what you believe in action. The Greek definition for faith talks about a strong belief in something but it also talks about completely trusting in the same thing. Faith is more than believing its trusting in what you believe in.

Take for example an old four legged chair not real sturdy kind of wobbles when you move it. Again believing in that chair and having faith in that chair are two different things. To believe I just need to think that it is true that the chair will hold me. To have faith in the chair I have to think that it is true that it will hold me, and trust it will hold me by sitting in the chair. Faith takes action sitting; believing is only in the head.

That’s why James (2:14) says faith without works is dead, because faith requires action. I will never argue that faith alone saves, but faith that saves is never alone.

Homeward Bound

Today is the day that we get to go home. 5 day later than what we had planned, and a whole lot more thankful than what we would have been on Monday. Its amazing how a little trial can bring such great joy to your life.

Again I say Praise God, Praise God!

Thanks to everyone for the prayers and support.

Everything happens for a reason.........right?

Tuesday during the night Rhett's oxygen levels dropped once durning a feeding and then again about 20 minutes afterwards. So last night they hooked him up to a monitor that monitors very closely his heart rate and his oxygen levels. If he passes praise God, if he fails praise God; however if he fails we then have to do a sleep-in which I am not sure what all that consists of and he comes home (still Friday hopefully) with a monitor.

We are both starting to get a bit bummed, it seems that everything is always negative and it 's not going the way "we" want. But we also know that God has a plan and it all happens for a reason and joy comes in the morning (just ask Tyson Aschliman).

I have been using the following song for my encouragement in the mornings, Selah Great is they Faithfulness.

Again, thank you for your continued support and prayers. Sorry if we don't answer or dont reply when you try and contact us sometimes we aren't available (NICU room) and sometimes we are a bit overwhelmed.

We love you all!

When a Postive is a Negative

This afternoon we got to talk to the doctor that is taking care of Rhett. He finally got the results back and they were positive. SO Rhett gets to stay at Lutheran in the NICU till Friday afternoon when he receives his seventh round of antibiotics.

He is still doing good, they took his IV off (except when they are giving him his antibiotics) and he is nursing now no more bottle!

Again thanks for all your prayers and support!

Addicted to 6lbs 12ozs

It doesn’t take long to get hooked on a new baby. Even though everyone told me that, I just could not understand it until I had my own little Rhett Matthew. The love of a new baby is kind of like the Peace of God, that is talked about in Philippians 4 it passes all understanding until you experience it you cant understand it.

Rhett had a great day yesterday they took the oxygen off of him (new pictures check link) and he is eating from a bottle. We did get to hold and Brittany got to feed him his bottle. We get to see him as often as we want but usually we go about every 3 hours when its time for him to eat.

We are anticipating tomorrow and the results we will get on whether he gets to come or stay, knowing that whatever the results they are for the best because God is control.

We thank you for all your prayers and support!

http://byrongerber.blogspot.com/

Rhett Matthew Gerber

Rhett Matthew Gerber
Born: 1/30/09 9:51
6lbs 12oz
19 ½ inches


Our little miracle arrived later than we hoped but we are very happy now that he is here. Rhett came out looking good but was having trouble breathing so they took him to NICU. They ran some blood tests and decided to keep him and put him on antibiotics, and give him a higher percentage of oxygen. After the Blood test results came back the decision was made to do a Blood Culture which takes a few days for the results to come back, but it will tell us if there is any infection in his blood. The results of this test pretty much decide whether he comes home in 48 to 72 hours or 7 to 10 days. We are praying for the first option obviously.

This morning we went to see him and the nurse said he had a peaceful night and he was no longer receiving a higher percentage of oxygen. His breathing was clearly much better. Brittany is resting and doing about as good as you can after you give birth. I am little tired but very happy and feel very blessed!

Thanks for all your prayers and support.

for more pictures follow the link

http://picasaweb.google.com/byron.gerber/RhettMatthew?feat=directlink

Happy are the Pure in Heart

You ever wonder why Matthew says “happy are the pure in heart”?


First what does it mean pure in heart, the Hebrew definition of pure is “clean, pure”, that means in the physical sense to be purified by fire, or to be trimmed back like a vine. According to the law it means “clean, the use of which is not forbidden, imparts no uncleanness”. Ethically it means free from corrupt desire, from sin and guilt, blameless, innocent.


Those are some pretty high standards and I wonder how I could ever live up to them but many men in the Bible call us to this high calling. David is Psalms 24:3, 4 says it like this “Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart”, I Peter 1:16 says “Be holy, for I am holy”, Hebrews 12:14 says “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy”. Nowhere does it say try and be holy it says “be holy” that is an order something you need


Back to wondering how does this make me happy all these thinks I have to do just to be happy, it seems trying to do all this would steal my happiness not bring me happiness. At the end of that verse Matthew says for they shall see God! If I stop and think about that it gives me the chills (the good chills) standing face to face with God looking into those holy, pure, loving, patient eyes. That instantly puts a smile on my face, makes me happy, gives me peace gives me joy if and only if I have a pure heart.