Issac is 7!!

Ikey's 7th birthday was yesterday! He took cupcakes to his class and
received some awesome gifts from awesome people. Tonight, I took him
to Target where he spent $20 of his birthday money. He bought a new
pair of Mario & Luigi pajamas (seen hanging over the couch) and a GI
Joe dress-up outfit. He was so stoked!
At church last night, there was an ice cream/pizza party in the
children's area that just so happened to fall on his birthday. They
had a little celebration for him which was cool! Another awesome
thing that happened last night was Issac and I became members of Mars
Hill church! We have been attending Mars Hill ABQ for a couple months
now and last night we became official members! We are so excited to
see how God will use us to glorify Him and be on mission with Him!

:Kristi:

Apologies

Well, I'm pretty much the lamest blogger ever. I can't believe I haven't blogged in roughly 3 months! I'm sorry. Since I last blogged, we took a trip to California and went to Disneyland and the Resolved 09 conference, celebrated the 4th of July and Issac's 33rd birthday, and decided to move back to Albuquerque to be involved with Mars Hill ABQ! We haven't moved yet, but we are taking the necessary steps to get there. I will try to update more often than once every three months, I just feel like I'm busy all the time! Thanks for stopping by and be sure to come back for more Lopez blogging!

:Kristi:

Cold Sores

I unfortunately inherited the ever-lame cold sore virus from my mom's side of the family. I haven't had a cold sore in forever - I can't remember the last time I had one - but I definitely have one now! It all started with the awesome weekend I had with my family. We were outside the whole day last Friday - riding horses and swimming. Apparently I forgot how getting sunburned lips will usually result in a cold sore for me. I put chap stick on a few times, but obviously not enough. On Monday evening I started to feel the beginnings of a cold sore. By Tuesday morning, it was full blown in all it's glory. It was pretty massive, covering pretty much half of my bottom lip. If you're wondering how a cold sore feels, imagine the feeling of a burn; more specifically, a second degree burn; the kind that blisters. Now imagine that feeling on your oh-so-tender lip. IT HURTS!!! It was hurting so bad on Tuesday that it gave me a headache and I had to take Ibuprofen! Since then I've been putting cold sore medicine on it and now it's gone down in size. I should hopefully be healed sometime next week. I've spared you a picture of this gruesome monstrosity as to not horrify you. All you non-cold sore virus people should be very thankful! ;0)

:Kristi:

Family

I was incredibly blessed to have some of my family come into town this
weekend. I was able to spend time with them each day and it was
awesome! On Sunday, we had a barbeque at my parents house. We made
hamburgers and roasted marshmellows in their new fire pit. I really
wish my brother, my cousin Chris, and my Uncle Dave could have been
there. It would have made our families complete. Hopefully, we'll be
having a large family reunion in the near future. The plan is to do a
cruise and have everyone on my mom's side attend. I really hope that
will work out. I have cousins I've never seen before and others I
haven't seen in like 5 years! I love my family very much! Pictured
above are all the girls: my Aunt Corine, my cousin Katie, me, my mom,
my sister Lauren, my Grammy, and Courtney.

:Kristi:

Horseback Riding

Yesterday was a great day! The kids and I went to Albuquerque to
spend the day with my mom, grandma, aunt, and cousin. Courtney and I
went horseback riding with my mom, Aunt Corine, and my cousin Katie.
Caleb and Issac stayed with Gram (their Great Gram) at the Tamaya and
went swimming. After riding horses, we all went swimming and got a
little sunburned!
Today should be a great day also. We have my niece's, Brittany,
graduation party and then more hanging out with my family. But first,
I have to stand in line to sign my kids up for the summer youth
program. Hopefully, it will go quickly.

:Kristi:

Mother's Day

Mother's Day was a blast! I was totally pampered by Issac and the kids! It started on Saturday with getting my nails done. I haven't had acrylic nails in like, 5 years, so it was a fun treat! Next, we went to Albuquerque and had lunch at Little Anitas. I know Little Anitas isn't the most amazing place to eat and it's probably not in the top 10 places you think of when you're wondering where to go eat, but their chips and salsa are AMAZING!!! I love them so much! I've decided that my official answer to the question "if you could eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?" would definitely be Little Anitas chips and salsa! After lunch, we went to Cottonwood Mall and the kids bought me 3 new lotions!
On Sunday after church, we went to Albuquerque again to hang out with Nana Sue. We had an amazing lunch - roast, potatoes & carrots, calabasitas, rolls, and watermellon for dessert. We came home and I relaxed while Issac busted out my shopping list. It was a great Mother's Day weekend!
I still have some Mother's Day celebrating to do this week with my mom. We're going horseback riding on Friday and my grandma and aunt are coming into town too! I'm so excited!!

:Kristi:

Married for 7 Years!

Issac and I have been married for 7 years today! It's hard to believe that 7 years have gone by - time flies! I'm so happy to be married to Issac! I feel like God blessed me big time by giving Issac to me. He is a godly man and strives to live his life in godliness, holiness, and humility. He is a great example of Christ to me and he encourages me to live my life to glorify God. Of course, he is not perfect, but I see him growing in the Lord everyday and it's awesome!
I can admit that when we got married, I didn't know what it really meant to be married, other than spending the rest of my life with the same dude and raising kids and stuff. I understand now, by God's grace, that marriage is a representation of God's covenant with us. When I said my marriage vows to Issac, I said that I would love him for better or worse, in sickness and in health, till death do us part. I promised to honor and cherish him, which I know I have not always done. I am a sinner and have fallen short of my promises to Issac, and even more so, fallen short of God's perfect standard. God's covenant with us is that He promised to give us eternal life through His son, Jesus Christ. God sent Him to die on the cross for our sins so that if we believe in Him, repent of our sins and trust in Him as our Lord and Savior, we will gain God and eternal life with Him!! God promised to never leave us or foresake us. He will never divorce us even though we have many other lovers other than Him. He loves us perfectly because He sees us as if we were Jesus, having lived a perfect life without sin. I understand that my marriage to Issac should point to God and His love for us. I only hope and pray that is true of our marriage today!

:Kristi:

Dentist Time

We went to the dentist yesterday. It had been a while since the kids
visited the dentist, so I thought there would be some cavities. I'm
happy to report that no one had cavities! Everyone is doing well, we
just need to incorporate flossing more often. Courtney has some
crowding, so braces may be in her future. Caleb needs to get sealants
to help prevent cavities because he has deep groves in this teeth.
Ikey was a little scared to have his teeth cleaned with the dentist
toothbrush, so they brushed his teeth with a normal toothbrush. Next
time he needs to use the dentist one. Overall we had a great visit! I
hope the kids will continue to take care of their teeth so they can
avoid the drill!

:Kristi:

Courtney is 12!

This time last year, Issac and I had a surprise Disenyland trip. We ended up celebrating Courtney's birthday while we were there, but this year she had a "normal" birthday. We actually celebrated a little early this year by going to Zio's for dinner and bought her some coloring supplies and new shoes. She got some birthday money from family so she bought a Holister hoodie, a MacArther teen study bible, got a hair cut and still has some money left over. It's hard to believe that Courtney is already 12! I remember when she was 3 years old with barely any blonde hair in little piggy tails. She's definitely growing into a wonderful young lady and I hope and pray that she will grow continually in the Lord. It is a pleasure being Courtney's "momma" (as she says)!

:Kristi:

Happy Resurrection Day!

Jesus is risen! Isn't that awesome?! Jesus conquered death and that
is amazing news for me! If He raised from the death, then I have the
hope to spend enternal life with Him in heaven and that makes me
excited!!
Today was a very fun day. We went to church this morning and then
headed to Albuquerque to spend time with our family. We went to Nana
Sue and Papa Gus's house first and ate some lunch and the traditional
deviled eggs. The kids got blessed with a basket of chocolate bunnies
and other goodies and even some money! Woo hoo!
Next it was on to Grammy and Papa Ed's house. The kids colored some
eggs and we ate dinner and another traditional item - perogies! SO
amazing! We did an egg hunt in the backyard and had a fun time
watching the kids walk by eggs that seemed so obvious to us. It was
definitely a great day!

:Kristi:

A Project Complete!

Today is the culmination of Courtney's ongoing 4 month project on
Mali, Africa. Last night we had to make a dish native to Mali, so we
made Maharagwe. It's basically a slighlty spicy beans and rice dish
with coconut milk. It smelled pretty good, tasted ok, and looked
disgusting! She will be sharing small samples of her dish with other
students in the school and will have her poster presentation along
with it to explain the country. She has done a great job with this
project and we are very proud of her!

:Kristi:

Please Keep in Prayer

I have a large extended family and included in that family are my twin cousins, Cassie and Kelsey. They are 21 years old and we recently found out that Cassie (pictured in blue) has Hodgkin's Lymphoma, or Hodgkin's disease, a cancer that attacks the lymphnodes. Luckily, the survival rate for this cancer is 90-95% if found and treated early, which is the case with Cassie. She will be going through chemo treatments to get rid of the cancer. Please pray for Cassie and the rest of my family. Pray that God would heal Cassie and relieve any discomfort she may experience, but most of all, pray that my family would come to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. If you are interested, you can visit http://www.cassies-corner.com/ to be updated on her progress. I love my family very much and it makes me sad that I don't get to see them very often. May God show Cassie and my family mercy and grace and reveal Himself to them. Thank you for your prayers!

:Kristi:

Are you a Pharisee?

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. ~ Matthew 7:1-2


We live in a world that is fallen. All of humanity is fallen. That means that as long as we are in this world, we are going to sin, and we are going to see and experience others sinning. Even the best of the best sin. Romans 7 tells of Paul the apostle's struggle with sin. 2 Samuel 11 tells us of the great sin of David; whom the bible calls a man after God's own heart. So what is our response to sin; specifically other people's sin. The fact is, we already know what our response is to our own sin; it's grace, mercy, and sometimes maybe even justification. But the way that we deal with the sin of others is usually different than our response to our own sin.


Jesus says in Matthew chapter 7 that with the judgement that we pronounce we will be judged, and with the measure we use it will be measured back to us. What Jesus is saying is that the way we respond to the sins of others is the way that God will respond to our sin. We are required by God to treat people the way we want to be treated. A little earlier, in Matthew chapter 6, Jesus communicated the same concept. He said that if we don't forgive the sins of others, God won't forgive our sins. I like this. It seems as though God, in His sovereignty, has given us some control over His response to our sins. If we want grace and mercy and to continue to be loved by God when we sin, then we show grace and mercy and continue to love those whom we see fall into sin.


But for us to do this, we must deny the flesh and rebel against the self righteous spirit of religion that is evident in many of us. It's this spirit of religion that takes pride in OUR moral accomplishments, and OUR self control and the fact that WE would NEVER do something like what that person did. It's this spirit of religion that makes a person pray a prayer like "Lord, I'm so glad I'm not like that person and don't do the things that that person does". It is this attitude that leads to a desire to remove ourselves from "such wretched sinners" and deal with them as some "lower class" type of believer. It is this attitude that results in our spiritual arrogance and elitism. And it is this attitude that Jesus hated and contended with in the Pharisees. This may be US. Let's not read this and think of someone else. Let's examine OURSELVES and see if there be any evidence of this in OUR lives. It is not an uncommon temptation. This is why Jesus warned us to beware the leaven of the Pharisees.


Be careful! It's easy to become religious and self righteous! But Jesus says that we won't see the kingdom of heaven unless our righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees. Jesus calls us to a different kind of righteousness. Not a self wrought righteousness that we feel places us above others and earns us favor with God. That's the righteousness of the Pharisees. Jesus calls us to a higher righteousness; this is a righteousness that is not our own. This is the righteousness of Jesus Christ that is given to us freely by grace when we recognize that we are not righteous. It is given to us by grace when we realize that we are desperately sinful and can do absolutely nothing to earn favor with God. God says,"This is the righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees; the righteousness of my PERFECT and SINLESS Son, whom I have made to BE sin for you so that YOU might be the righteousness of Christ."


So how do you respond to the sins of others? What is the attitude of your heart? What is the tendency in your treatment of that person? Are you a Pharisee? Did you know that God will treat you in that same way? You might say, "Well, I'm a Christian. I'm already forgiven! How can God be unloving, unmerciful and unforgiving to me just because I may be that way to others?" I believe that what Jesus is saying is that if you are unloving, unmerciful, and unforgiving to others, that may be the evidence that you are not a Christian. You are religious. Your righteousness is that of the Pharisees. And Jesus would call you to repent of your pride and your self righteousness and your religion and come to HIM empty handed (a sinner) seeking grace and mercy and forgiveness; not based on your good works and religious deeds, but based on His finished work on the cross for your sins. It is this right understanding of the gospel and biblical perspective of ourselves that produces, not pride, but humility. The type of humility we see evidenced in Paul the Apostle (check his resume in the scriptures) when he acknowledges himself not to be greater than sinners, but rather the chief of all sinners. (1 Timothy1:15). And when we have a right understanding of the gospel, we will be more aware of our own sin and need for mercy and grace, so that when we see the sins of others we will be quick to respond in the same way that we know God will respond to our sin in light of the cross of Jesus Christ!

~ Issac

Making Vows

Make your vows to the Lord your God and perform them; let all around him bring gifts to him who is to be feared ~ Psalm 76:11
When we think of vows, most of us automatically think about wedding vows. We think of a man and a woman vowing, or promising, their entire lives to one another. It's a beautiful thing. But as I've been reading the bible, specifically the Psalms, over and over I see the psalmist talking about the vows he's made to the Lord and how he seeks with all that is in him to keep his vows. Seeing a follower of God making promises to Him is a foreign concept to me. I don't see it or hear of it happening much today. I wonder why...

A promise is binding. When I tell my kids that we "might" do something, I feel absolutely no pressure to follow through with it. When I make a promise, it's a different story. I have to make whatever sacrifices I need to make and do whatever I need to do in order to follow through and keep my promise. Making a promise, or a vow, binds us to do what we've said we will do.
As I considered these things, I began to consider the losing battle that many of us have with sin. Many of us have certain areas of our lives where we continue to fall, and we pray and pray yet continue to fail in those areas. Usually we're praying something about hoping we don't do it anymore, yet keeping in mind that we are sinners so understanding in our hearts and minds that we probably will. What we're actually doing at that point is telling God that we "might" not sin in that area, thus feeling no pressure to actually follow through with it.

So here is my question; how much more serious would we be about following through with killing that sin and not continuing in it if we had made a vow to God concerning our purity in that area? I think many of us don't make vows to God because we don't want that type of accountability. We're not serious enough about leaving that sin alone. In some ways, we WANT to keep "struggling" with that sin. Maybe we don't make vows to God because we're worried that God will wipe us out if we break them, but is that the character of the God we serve? Not at all! Jesus Christ was crucified to pay for our sins and remove the wrath of God from those that believe. God is patient and kind; He's loving and merciful! But that doesn't clear us from seeking, by His grace, to keep our promises and pay our vows to God. Psalm 76:11 says make your vows to the Lord your God AND PERFORM THEM. If I love my kids, and will do whatever I need to do to keep my promises to them, how much more do I love God and will seek to keep my promises to Him!

Consider making some very serious and purposeful vows to the Lord. Count the cost. Recognize the work, and sacrifice, and self denial that must go into keeping that vow! Understand that the keeping of that vow is only possible by God's grace! Our dependence upon God and the strength of the Holy Spirit is the only way we can do anything good. And finally, make sure that your motivation is not necessarily that YOU would have victory, but that GOD would be honored and glorified through your loving and willful obedience! God's love for us and our love for Him must always be the motivation for our obedience!
~ Issac

Snow?!?!

It is March 27th and there is enough snow and ice on the ground to
cancel school today. What the?? I have already passed the point of
enjoying winter and I'm ready for the warm sun!! Why does March
always do this? Teasing us with warm weather and then BAM, cold snow.
Oh well. I know God is in control of the weather so I shouldn't
complain. He has blessed us with moister in this dry dessert. Thank
you, God, for Your provision!

:Kristi:

Disneyland!

Our Kids Are Awesome!

The past 3 weeks have been very different for us. Issac was doing
training from 3:00 to midnight, so it was just me and the kids in the
evenings. I definitely got to spend a lot more time with just them and
it was fun! We had some nice weather so I let them ride bikes outside
and I even grilled hamburgers and hot dogs the other night. My kids
are definitely awesome! They are so funny and unique in their own
way. They are growing up so quickly! I hope I get to enjoy more days
of hanging out with them and I hope they always want to hang out with
me!
I'm very thankful for the gift God has given me of being a mommy. It
helps me to understand the love He has for me as His child. I would
never leave or forsake my kids and He, being perfect and better than
me, would never leave me! He has given me the hope of eternal life by
sending Jesus to take the punishment of my sin - death and hell - and
has given me life! He is so awesome and loving!

:Kristi:

Finding hope in the darkness

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,“therefore I will hope in him.” ~ Lamentations 3:22-24

This is a familiar text. Many of us know and have heard this passage quoted before. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases! His mercies are new every morning! What awesome promises of the Word! But I think we lose the full weight of this truth when we don't consider the context. We picked up in verse 22 of chapter 3, however verses 1-21 look a lot different. Jeremiah, in this passage, is describing his circumstances; he's explaining what his life looks like and it's not pretty. How many of us can relate to circumstances in life that aren't pretty? In verse 2 he speaks of being "in darkness without any light". Jeremiah describes himself as being "enveloped in bitterness and tribulation" in verse 5. In verse 14 Jeremiah tells us that he is mocked; he says that he is "the laughingstock of all peoples". Jeremiah's situation in life seemed so dark and hopeless that he even says, in verse 17, that he's "forgotten what happiness is".

I don't know about you, but I can relate to Jeremiah. I've had times when it seemed as though nothing in my life was good. My circumstances have been so dark, that it seemed like there was no light to be found. There have been times in my life where I have forgotten what it was like to be happy because it had been so long since I had experienced that emotion. You don't have to live in this world very long before you realize that life isn't easy. As a matter of fact, there are going to be times when the circumstances of this life beat you down and leave you feeling like Jeremiah describes in this passage.

We are going to have dark and difficult times in our lives; the question is, how will we deal with them? How will we deal with "the valley"? How will we respond to the "dark night of the soul"? We get the example of how to deal with these times from Jeremiah in this passage. After saying all of this about his very troubling circumstances Jeremiah makes a transitional statement in verse 21; "But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:" and then comes the text we're looking at today, "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in him.'” Jeremiah found hope in a hopeless situation by "calling to mind" the truth of God's love for him. Jeremiah couldn't help but recognize what was going on all around him; he didn't ignore it. The thing about Jeremiah was that he made a decision to view his circumstances in light of God's steadfast love and never ending mercy. He reminded himself that, although each day seemed to beat him to the ground, God was going to give him new mercy tomorrow to deal with what tomorrow would bring. He reminded himself that although he was mocked and laughed at by men, God loved him.

I don't normally hear these verses quoted by people whose circumstances look like Jeremiah's. I usually hear them quoted by "happy people" with "happy lives" that are devoid of suffering at the time. And the passage, at that point, doesn't hold the weight that it holds in light of it's context.

So the question still remains; how will we deal with these times in our lives? We can lose hope and lose faith and embrace depression; we can give up and take our own lives; or we can call to mind the steadfast love and unending mercy of God and find hope! Don't lose sight of God's love for you! Don't forget that God grants you new mercy for every day! Don't look for hope in this lost and dying world. The Lord is your portion...therefore hope in Him!

~ Issac

The Home Office

Today we went and bought a new chair, phone, and headset for Issac's
job. We just set up his home office area and it seems, for now, it's
more like the gaming area. I wonder how long that will last?!

:Kristi:

Birthday & Sickness

Yesterday was my birthday and I spent it at home with a sick little
boy. Issac has pink eye and was feverish, so I stayed with him
yesterday and today. My mom drove up from Albuquerque to take us to
see the doctor. He is a pain in the neck when it comes to taking his
eye drops!! I have to pin him down and hold his arms just to get one
drop in! When I was younger, I used to hate getting my hair washed.
My mom used to have to wash it in the sink while I threw a fit. I
guess my son is just like me. Oh well. :0)

:Kristi:

I reccomend Tedashii's new album dropping in May

Click here if the player isn't showing up


Don't Miss the Identity Crisis Release Party in Nashville at the GMA's!
Wed. April 22nd 8-10 pm at B.B. King's. Click here for map
Special Guests: Sho Baraka, Trip Lee, Lecrae, Flame, J.R.

Cool Video

This is fun

Zoo Fun

Today we took a trip to the Albuquerque Zoo to hang out with the
family. We had such a fun time! It seems like we always go to the zoo
whenever the weather starts to warm up. We did the same thing last
year in March! Since Issac has had a crazy work schedule, we thought
walking around looking at crazy animals would be a good idea to spend
time together. I'm always blown away by God's creation! I really like
the polar bear and the lion. We've been blessed each year to hear the
lion roar! It's funny because he doesn't put much effort into his
roar, but it's so loud! I wonder what it would sound like if he was
actually roaring full on?!? We had such a great time. Now it's time
to rest!

:Kristi:

Proverbs 18:22

I don't get on this blog that much. I'm just not that much of a "blogger" I guess. But it seems like every time I get on here I'm reading blogs where Kristi is speaking so highly of me. Honestly, many times I wonder who she's writing about because I figure, she can't be saying all things wonderful things about ME!? So I wanted to get on here and clarify something. I'm not NEARLY as awesome as my wife says I am. She makes me sound amazing! I am not. I fall so short...I only wish I could live up to her perspective of me. The other thing I wanted to do was to acknowledge the REAL awesome one in this relationship; and that is KRISTI! Proverbs 18:22 says He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. I am living proof of that verse! I have found such a GREAT thing and AMAZING favor with God in my beautiful wife, Kristi. She is so diligent and hardworking at her 40 hr a week job, yet still comes home to care for her family by making meals, doing our laundry, cleaning up, and so much more! She is THE BIGGEST ENCOURAGEMENT in my life! As many of you know, I recently had to step down from my position at Calvary Santa Fe which put me out of work for a little over a month! That time was so challenging, yet she remained consistently positive and encouraging on a daily basis, always bringing my focus to God's promises to provide for us! She never once expressed any disappointment in me for being without work and not providing for the family. She blows me away! Now, although her doctrine is sound, she's not a theologian by any stretch of the imagination, but she has been a clearer representation of the love of Christ for me than any thing or any one else! She has truly been like an angel of God to me. But who am I kidding....you guys already know this. Every time Kristi posts a blog that communicates such nice things about ME, you guys probably say, "wow....for Kristi to see those things in someone like Issac, she must be godly!". I know that's what I say when I read those blogs. And you know what? We're right! She IS! She is more like Jesus than anyone I know. I love Kristi. I don't deserve her. But I will continue to seek to try to love her the way Christ loves the church! Anyway...this may have been kinda mooshy...but thanks for reading...I'll go back to letting Kristi do the blogging!

~Issac

Lonely Evenings

It's been almost a full week of Issac being at training from 3:00 to midnight. The evenings have definitely been lonely without him. The positive side is that I've been able to get lots of laundry and cleaning done! The kids are doing well, but they miss their Daddy. Little Ikey developed a stuffy nose and cough about two days ago, so Issac got a little break this morning from his part time job to stay home with Ikey. Ikey is doing much better thanks to prayer and Vicks Vapor products! Those vapors work miracles for coughs!
I'm happy that one week is almost over and there are only two left to go. It will all be worth it when he's working from home and we're enjoying Direct TV for free! If you're in Albuquerque, you can arrange to have dinner with Issac from 7:00 to 8:00. He usually has dinner at that time by himself. Please continue to pray for safe travels for Issac to and from Albuquerque. Thanks for your prayers!

:Kristi:

My Brother is Leaving

My brother, Mike, is leaving tomorrow for Oaklahoma City. He will be
starting training to be an Air Traffic Controller! We got to spend
some time with him today at my parents' house. The kids and I played
soccer with him and my sister, Lauren, for a while in the backyard.
He will be gone until the middle of July and we will miss him very
much! We will be praying that he will do well during his training and
that God would give him favor. We love you, Mike!

:Kristi:

Job Opportunities

As some of you may know, Issac has been looking for a job for a little over a month. With the economy being in the condition that it's in, it has been a little difficult. God has totally been providing for us in the meantime and He also provided TWO jobs for Issac!! He will be doing customer service for Direct TV which will allow him to work from home and make his own hours. He also got a part time job working in my office doing administrative assistant work in our property management department. I'm so happy that we get to work together for a few hours during the day! The next 3 weeks are going to be very demanding for him. His training is in Albuquerque and the hours are 3:00 pm to midnight, Monday through Friday. He will also be working the part time job, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Please keep him in your prayers, if you remember. Pray that he would have safe trips to and from Albuquerque and that God would give him the grace and strength to endure so much work. God is so good to us!

:Kristi:

Reject and Accept!

I haven't blogged on here in ages. It's been crazy. Anyway, I wanted to post something that will hopefully encourage us to "reject" certain things and "accept" other things. I hope challenges you. ~Issac

Reject -Anything that I spit you that isn’t biblical/ but don’t assume it isn’t because it convicts or gets to you/

Accept -Your responsibility to search the scriptures dude/ it’s written in epistles: the Christian is to be critical/

Reject -The misconception that says that you shouldn’t judge/ the hypocritical misinterpretation of Matthew seven: one/

Accept -Correction comin’ from older brothers and sisters/ consider it with humility please don’t get all defensive kid/

Reject -the relativistic philosophy that you can find at ’church’/ that says “well, what I got from that was…”/

Accept - the fact that what the preacher said is what he said/ whether wrong or right or whatever/ don’t try to get all up in his head/

Reject - the authority of a popular cliché/ if it isn’t plain in the text then it prob’ly doesn’t hold any weight/

Accept - the fallibility of any cat that’s preachin’ or rappin’ that isn’t Jesus/ or canonized with His teachin’ please/

Reject - the tradition of applaudin’ for all performers/ regardless of what he taught us or how doctrinally off it is/

Accept - that you might actually be a whack MC or a Christian/ too young to be spittin’ gifted but lackin’ in wisdom/

Reject - any promotion prior to proper preparation/ in light of the fact your facin’ a greater condemnation/

Accept - Cats who communicate the gospel completely/ a Savior still in the grave is confusing news it would seem to me/

Reject - the ideology that truth should be followed by an apology/ that doesn’t make any sense to me logically/

Accept - the persecution with happiness and humility/ praising God that your able to partake in His identity/

Reject - the seeker-friendly mentality and delivery/ pickin’ apart the gospel and removing the offensive piece/

Accept -the fact that the Father draws ‘em and not your methods/ but methods can turn ‘em off and be flawed and cause a rejection so/

Reject - the ways of men when engagin’ a slave to sin/ for the sake of relatin’ the gospel is forsakin’ or way too thin/

Accept - the great commission as more than evangelism/ the multiplication of Christians bent for missional livin’ and/

Reject - the hypocrisy that says that a woman shouldn’t wear pants but/ the church is full of women “wearing the pants” bruh/

Accept - that Jesus though He was equal was still submissive/ and such is the role of a Christian but specifically women and/

Reject - the femininity of men whether they’re homosexual or not/ the stumblin’ block has gotta be stopped/ my friend

Accept - the roles and responsibilities of a godly man/ and stop the trend of spiritual fatherless-ness we got us in/

Reject - the rebellion of the youth and the stubbornness of the older/ we’ve gotta learn from each other to reach the culture/

Accept - this as the end but if needed there’ll be a sequel/ so read and obey your word to discern between good and evil//

(You may have noticed the street slang and rhyming. These are lyrics to a rap song! How awesome that this kind of truth is being communicated in rap music! Praise God!)

My Awesome Husband

Over the weekend, Issac and I attended the Valentine's dinner and
dance that our church puts on. We had a great time and got to sit at a
table with some of our good friends. Towards the end of the dinner
portion, we had the opportunity to renew our vows. I am so blessed to
be married to Issac! He is an awesome husband and I love him very
much. He makes me laugh and there is rarely a dull moment. The best
thing about him is that he loves Jesus! He is a godly man and I am so
happy that he leads our family in a godly way. I'm so happy that God
gave me a husband who is my best friend!

:Kristi:

Visiting Sonya

We visited our friend Sonya who has been in the hospital for 3 weeks
on bedrest. She went into premature labor and, by God's grace, still
has baby Malakai growing in her womb! The doctors would like her to
go at least 5 more weeks, but we know God's timing is perfect and He
will bring baby Malakai into the world when He wants to! Please pray
for Sonya and her husband Leon as they continue to trust God during
this time.

Wednesday Night Fellowship

Pretty much every Wednesday night after church we go to Applebee's
with the Burdwells and Brett. Last night was no different. I love
hanging out with our friends! God has given us great friends to have
fun with and also be challenged in our walks with Christ. Preston
taught an awesome devotional on prayer last night in the main
sanctuary so we talked about that and ate boneless buffalo wings. Good
times!

Reports = Library!

Courtney has a country project she is working on so we took a trip to
the library tonight. Her country is Mali, Africa. She did most of the
researching, but towards the end, I helped her surf the web. I learned
a few interesting facts like Mali's president is Amadou Toumani Toure
and their currency is the CFA franc. Doing this reminded me of when I
was in the 4th grade. I used to wait until the day before my project
was due to work on it and then my parents would do most of it for me!
Ha! Anyway, while Courtney did her research, I read Dr. Seuss books
to Ikey and Caleb read on his own. Aside from a rude information desk
dude, the library was pretty sweet! I'm sure we'll be back soon.
Courtney's final project isn't due until April 10th!

:Kristi:

Parent Teacher Conferences

Issac and I went to the kids' parent teacher conferences this morning. They went very well! We started with Ikey - he basically has straight A's (they don't give letter grades in Kindergarten). He is proficient, exceeding the standard in all areas except one, which is reading a minimum of 20 words, although I think he does that. He's a little smarty! Next, it was on to Caleb. He is very smart and is above the standard in most areas, but he is having a hard time focusing and turning in his work. He definitely knows how to do his work, he just needs to focus. Issac and I aren't sure how to help him. He's an awesome kid, he's just forgetful! Please pray for us on how to help him. We want him to be able to do well - we know he can with some guidance! Finally, it was Courtney, who was our biggest disappointment. She got all F's... hahaha... totally kidding! She was the only one in her class (again) to get all A's and be on the A Honor Roll! She earned pizza with a friend and her teacher because of her accomplishment! She is doing very well in all areas and her teacher said it's a joy to have her. We are extrememly proud of our kids and we're so thankful God has given them the gift of "smarts" and the ability to do well in school. James 1:17 - Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

:Kristi:

Super Bowl Sunday

I am extremely disappointed with the outcome of the Super Bowl!! Not that I'm a Cardinals fan, but I was rooting for them and they lost. I come from a very competitve family, so I was yelling, jumping up and down, clapping, screaming, and everything while watching the game! I wanted to see the Cardinals win because they were the underdog and because they're in the NFC. Oh well.
We watched the game with the Burdwells, the Ramirezs, and Brett. We had some yummy football food like brawts, hotdogs, nachos, and steak. It was a very fun night!

:Kristi:

Nice and Clean

If you've ever been to our house, you know that we had a little bit of
a weed "problem." Basically, we had weeds taller than me. There must
be something wrong with the liner underneathe the rocks because weeds
pop up EVERYWHERE! Anyway, the owner came by recently and was
"concerned" with the back yard, which meant we needed to take care of
it. Today we had the Weathersbys, Lisa, and Paul Herrera join forces
with us to tackle the weed monstrosity. We finished the job in about 2
hours - something that would have taken Issac and I all day! Now when
you come over, we will happily invite you to our back yard rather than
distract you from looking at it! ;0)

:Kristi:

Change In Plans

Well, we didn't hang out with the Burdwells tonight because Preston
was feeling sick. Instead, we stayed at home, got some junk food, and
watched some movies! There's something very sweet about popcorn,
movies, and the kids falling asleep before the movie ends. Everyone
made it through the first movie, but only Little Ikey is awake right
now for the second. Courtney and Caleb crashed pretty quickly. I'm
pretty tired, so I think I'll hit the sack too. Tomorrow is a fun day
of cleaning up the back yard! Woo!

:Kristi:

The Ramirez Family

Last night we spent time with our friends Gabe, Regina, Desi, and
Emily. Brett was there too and we had a great time. We had frito pies
for dinner, chocolate cake for dessert, and laughed so hard that I
thought my stomach was going to explode! I'm so thankful for the
friends God has put in our lives! Tonight we're hanging with the
Burdwells so stay tuned for a blog about them too! I don't know what
I'd without my friends!

:Kristi:

A Cool New Thing

I recently discovered a cool application for my iPhone that makes
videos from pictures (thanks Kevin). Here is a little video from our
day yesterday. Hope you enjoy!

http://animoto.com/play/bSn68wwVtn1fh5ZVlqB1bg

:Kristi:

My Mom's Birthday

My Mom's Birthday
Originally uploaded by Lopez Clan

We celebrated my mom's birthday today. She's now -- years old! Hee
hee! Her actual birthday is on Monday, but we went down to
Albuquerque and celebrated today. My dad made his amazing hamburgers
and we had some white cake with white icing... I like chocolate cake
better! ;0). We spent some time at the park near their house and the
kids had a fun time playing. Issac even joined in on the fun (see our
flickr pics)! We bought my mom some pretty flowers from Sam's Club -
white carnations and lillies in a basket - and she also got a new iPod
nano from my dad. We ended the night with a few rounds of Scene It -
Mike won, of course! I was very happy to spend time with my family
today. I love them very much!

:Kristi:

Our Dinner Choice

Our Dinner Choice
Originally uploaded by Lopez Clan

I didn't want to leave you guys hanging. We had Rudy's for dinner!
Rudy's has to be the best barbeque ever! If you guys didn't know,
Issac and I met while working at Rudy's. It definitely brings back
memories. Now I'm stuffed and we're driving back to Santa Fe. Hope I
can stay awake!

:Kristi:

Thunderbird Action

Thunderbird Action
Originally uploaded by Lopez Clan

Tonight we're hanging out with our friends Paul & Wendy Herrera. They
had some free tickets to the Albuquerque Thunderbirds so we thought
some good ol' basketball would be fun! They are pretty good so we'll
see how it turns out. Afterwards, it's dinner at an undetermined
location. I wonder where we'll eat?!?

:Kristi:

Privacy Changes

As you have probably noticed, we have made some changes to our blog. One of those changes is that our blog is now private. We just felt that only our friends and family should be able to see what goes on with us instead everyone and their mom! If you know anyone who reads our blog, please give us their email address and we can add them as friends. Thanks so much!

The Holidays are Over

The Holidays are Over
Originally uploaded by Lopez Clan

It's a sad thing when the hoildays end. I really enjoy Christmas music
and the decorations. We brought in the New Year with our friends, the
Burdwells, this year. We also had a special worship service and
concert with the Ives. The above picture is the last one of our pretty
decorations. Check out the flickr pics to see the bareness of our house.

:Kristi: