Website is Live!!!

The New Pre-launch website is up a ruuning, full force. You can get to it by www.venuechurchonline.com
www.venuechurchonline.org or
www.venuechurchonline.net

Please go to it and check everything out. It is short sweet and to the point.

Another New Baby ... Mom Krause Visits

Our fellow housemates - Faith's Brother (Tim), His wife (Marla), and now their new baby (Jeshua) help to fill our house. 10 people under one roof ... sheesh.

Tim, Me and the babies (best friends already), Ezra and Jeshua.


Marla, Faith, Jeshua and Ezra


Faith and Tim's Mom (Cathy Krause) was able to join us for like a week and a half. It was nice to have her here with us and her two newest grandkids. Nana and Papa Krause are now up to 14! Wow, we are a health bunch.

Nana Krause and Ian


More Later

Youth Camp

Ok, so Ezra is like a week and half old and I am off to Youth Camp. Again, we were thinking he would be at least 3 weeks old and maybe even 4 weeks old when I signed up. Faith really thought it was a better idea than I did to be honest. Who really has the time to take 4 days off to go off to some camp ... not me. At least not until you say yes, then you have to go. I called up Jason (who needed to know if i was still going or not, because of the baby) and tried to use the new baby card. But what came out of my mouth was try to find someone else and if you can't then I am all yours. Faith started silently praying that they wouldn't find anyone else. I guess she really wanted to get rid of me. She just felt like I was supposed to be there. So I went and i had a great cabin with 6 11th and 12th grade boys. I was seriously feeling like, man they are going to hate me, God please help me connect.

God woke me up every morning at between 6:25 and 6:30 every morning with a burden to pray for them. That real life change would occur, that they would see God like they had never knew him before. He gave me individual things to pray about for each of them. Most of the kids did not even want to be there. I found myself praying every night during worship for the hardness in there heart to be stripped out and to get a clear picture of God's love and what Jesus really did for them. Every night I was in tears (no one saw me) ... I longed for them to know Him like I do.

We had a blast during the day, we were able to connect and the relationships formed will not be forgotten easily. There is something special there that wasn't there before. By the end of the week they didn't want it to end. The Holy Spirit did incredible works in there hearts ... they just look different. Something in the eyes has completely changed. Everytime it happens and you see real life change up front and personal it is amazing. Everytime. It never gets old. It is the reason we live. To see Christ alive in others.

Things don't always happen like you planned

Nana and Papa Startcher with the kids:


All of our kids have come between like 5 and 14 days early. So we assumed that Baby Ezra would be the same. When my mom asked me what a good time to come would be we naturally thought that the week of her due date made sense. No doubt the baby would be here and by the time she left, if not before, they came. Well, they came and stayed for a week and then left with no baby. What a bummer. We had a good time, saw a movie, got some great Austin food, they helped during the days where faith really needed it. It was a blessing having them in, but you can't help feeling bad that they traveled 1400 miles, took off work, and missed their new little grandson. We made plans around the assumed definate.

They called the next morning after arriving back in Ohio and I let them know ... Hey! guess what? Faith is in Labor and will probably have the baby today. My Mom naturally thought I was playing around (no idea why she would think that), but i wasn't this time. Our baby arrived the day after our assumed last possible day. He arrived on the day that was right for him. The predetermined day that only God knew. We like to think that we have it all under control and that we can answer questions that just can't be answered by us. There are just some things about this life that we feel we have to give answers for ... that somehow we are the authority ... that we somehow hold the keys to the unfathomable. Sometimes the best answer is ... "I don't know ... I suppose we'll find out eventually, just not today"

Those last three weeks (2 weeks before the due date and 1 week after the due date)dragged on and on and on ... and on. It was tiring, everyday was THE day, it was frustrating, our world stopped. Faith and I were asking why? What can we do? Is it soon? Is it today? Getting on the labor induction sites online (wife's tales are hilarious, but you still try them anyway, haha). He's getting huge, are we going to have to induce? ARRRGGGG! That is what happens when we think we can control the uncontrolable. It gets frustrating fast. If we just rest in him, that it will all happen when it is supposed and we can take action when it is time, then the stressful becomes peace. The questions seem to not really need answered today. The waiting period becomes productive. In our weakness, we find stregnth in Him.