Bronson Family

Sickness, sickness!

2007-10-08T13:35:00.000-07:00

We've had quite the set of woes in the past couple of days. Last I posted we had just returned from a birthday party on Saturday. Since then, things have been anything but boring around the house.

Joel got pretty sick on Saturday night, running a fever of 103. We put him to bed and prayed for him, and he woke up feeling a little better with a lower fever in the morning. Nat stayed home from church with the kids, though.

I got home from church around 2:30, only to hear Joel screaming from upstairs about 10 minutes later. We can't be sure, but it looks like he was trying to climb to the top of the rocking chair to get into the windowsill. It didn't work out so well for him, and he fell down and bit his tongue. Now understand, when I say bit his tongue, I mean he bit his tongue.

We debated on whether or not to take him to the ER or urgent care, or whether it would heal okay on its own. After calling a friend of ours (thanks Anna) and doing a brief search online, I made the decision to just ride it out. It wasn't all the way through, but pretty close. He's now on a steady diet of popsicles and yogurt.

BUT WAIT, THERES MORE!!

Yep, the drama doesn't end there. We all got up this am and I got ready to head to church and Nat was working on getting Charis ready for school. Nat said she wasn't feeling well, but would take Charis to school anyway. I got a call about 3 hours ago asking if I could come home. Natalie has been quite sick all morning. Any time she stands she, well, you know.

And here's one more photo just for laughs. When do you know its time to change a diaper?

When it comes out of the armpit!!

Pictures

2007-10-06T14:25:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends & Family

I know I've been really bad lately about updating this blog. Things remain busy here with the Bronson clan. We are all doing well. Charis is enjoying school and dance, and Joel and Alexandra are both growing and doing great.

This post is to inform you that we added some more pictures to our Flickr page, which you can view by clicking here.

We went to a birthday party earlier today for a friend of Charis. It was at the local pumpkin patch, so the kids had fun chasing farm animals and feeding the clydesdales.

While you're out and about on the web, check out a new blog I have started, hoping to encourage folks in their walk with the Lord. Its not all serious, though. There are also some funny stories and thoughts up. You can find that site here.

Lastly, leave a comment!

The New Bronson Child

2007-07-06T19:36:00.000-07:00

It's a GIRL!!!

That's right. Last night Natalie delivered a healthy, plump little girl. Her name is Alexandra Rose Bronson. She was delivered at 11:55pm on July 10th, weighing 9 lbs 10 ounces and measuring 21" long. Everything went very well with the delivery. Alexandra is even nursing very well, which is a huge blessing. Thank you to all who were praying for the pregnancy and delivery.

Life has been pretty busy lately, as evidenced by the lack of posts in recent months. Charis had her dance recital a few weeks ago, which was the end of her dancing until it resumes next fall.

The home is still up for sale, but real estate has been pretty slow in the area, so we are continuing to pray and wait.

We will be putting more posts up in the days and weeks ahead to keep everybody up to date on the progress Alexandra is making.

As always, leave comments or send us an email.

May Showers?

2007-05-04T16:41:00.000-07:00

Its spring here in Central Oregon which means, of course, showers. What you may not know, however, is that its usually a mix of rain, hail, sleet, wind, and snow.

The family is doing well. Charis is still in pre-school, and will be finishing up on the 24th of May. She is also very excited for her dance recital, which is coming up about that time as well. Joel is staying busy terrorizing his sister, and keeping Nat very busy. Not much slows him down, except meal-times and sleep-times. Thank the Lord he stops to sleep. I think its Natalie's bit of sanity during the day.

Speaking of, Nat is looking forward to July, when the baby will be born. The official date is July 6th. She been uncomfortable for a while, and is looking forward to the pregnancy being over.

Our home is still on the market, and there hasn't been too much interest up to this point. We know the Lord is in control, however, and so we continue to pray that His will be done.

We are gearing up for a busy summer, with lots of activities at the church and with family. We will continue to keep you all posted here on whats happening with us. Feel free to email us anytime. Its always a joy hearing from you.

And, as always, leave comments.

P.S. Sorry there's no picture this time. My computer is down, and I'm trying to figure out how to revive it. But you can always check out our Flickr pics!

House For Sale

2007-04-05T18:53:00.000-07:00

I thought it was time for another update on the Bronson clan.

Natalie has been sick the last couple of weeks. She has had a nasty cough, and lost her voice. She seems to be feeling better, but she still has no voice. Pray for her to fully recover.

Charis and Joel are both doing well. We are getting warmer weather, so they are spending a lot of time outside playing. Miraculously, neither of them got sick from Natalie. That was an answer to prayer!

As for me, I've been staying busy at the church, and looking forward to getting my Bronco put together so I can start driving it. We sold our white diesel truck a while back, so I'm driving our '69 Ford truck. I like the truck, but it only gets about 8 mpg. Not too practical.

As far as things around the house go, we are finishing up some small projects here and there. We listed our house for sale earlier this week, so pray that the Lord's will be done concerning that.

We had supper the other night with Jerry and Jan Swanson, which was great. Next week Pastor Marselle from Ouagadougou (wah-guh-doo-goo), Burkina Faso, Africa, will be here. He will be sharing with our High School group on Tuesday night, and sharing with the rest of the congregation on Wednesday night.

If you haven't checked out the links to the right, you should. From the de•fined youth page you can find the blog we have for our youth group. You can also visit the Calvary Wien (Vienna) webpage. And as always, we would love to have comments from you.

Natalie's Latest

2007-03-26T21:00:00.000-07:00

Well, so far you've been hearing from Ben, or as I hear it said the most, "daddy". Thought I'd better contribute to the Bronson Family blog. The kids are busier than ever keeping me just as busy. Charis is anxiously awaiting her new little..:)- no one knows! Its been fun watching Charis go back and forth with what she will be satisfied with- a little sister or a little brother. I think she will be thrilled with either at this point. Joel just looks at my belly in amazement and confusion all at the same time- "thats a baby?" Just tonight Charis was thrilled to get to see my belly go different directions as the baby was moving around. That was the first time she got to see that and feel it with her hand; quite an experience for her!

Anyway, things have been really busy lately. Just a couple weekends ago a group of ladies and myself did a purity retreat for young girls at our church. We had a great group of Jr. High and High school girls that came. Such a special opportunity the Lord gave us to share His desire for them to live a life of purity and to fall more in love with Him than anyone or anything else. I am so excited to see these girls grow and live out what was shared on our retreat. God is good!

I am looking forward to our new arrival here in the Bronson house! Partly for selfish reasons because pregnancy has seemed to have lost its appeal (imagine that!), but also to meet this new member of our family. Prayers for good health for baby and me are so much appreciated. Thats all for now! God bless you!

PS - As always, leave your comments!

Mr. Mom

2007-03-17T18:27:00.000-07:00

As I write this today the kids are busy making silly sounds and entertaining each other. Natalie is gone for the weekend leading a young girl's purity retreat in Sunriver. Its called "Power of Purity".

The weather has been beautiful lately, so we took advantage of it today by going for a bike ride. I had Joel in tow, but Charis rode her new (to her) bike. The neighbor girl just got a new bike that is bigger, so she gave Charis her old bike, which is bigger than the one Charis had. Its been a challenge for Charis to learn to ride this one, though, since its bigger. She has been without training wheels since last summer, but this bike is bigger, and so she has a hard time starting and stopping. She did very well today, though. We rode 5 1/2 miles, with lots of rolling hills, and she was having a blast.

We've all heard the saying, "kids say the darndest things." I thought I'd pass a few things on to you that Charis has said in the last week.

We had a bug (cold or something) going through our house last week. Charis had a fever of 101.5 when Natalie put her to bed. She woke up fine in the morning, though, and it never took hold. A couple of days later Joel was running a fever, just the same as Charis. As we got the kids ready for bed, we were all in Joel's room saying our prayers before the kids went to sleep. As Charis was praying, she prayed, "thank you Jesus that you'll make Joel better..." He woke up in the morning with no fever! The prayer of faith.

Today as we were riding our bikes, Charis was wondering who we could give her old bike to. She said, "Dad, who are we going to give my bike to?" It was very matter-of-fact. Now that she had a big bike, she didn't need her old one. I was humbled by her attitude. My tendency is to think, "now I have two" or, "now I can sell one and get some money for it."

I know those aren't sayings that will be repeated for years to come, but to me they were challenging. Do I pray that way? Do I hold my possessions so lightly? I hope so.

By the way, the picture at the top is what happens when Mr. Mom leaves Joel in his room too long at nap when he's no longer in a crib!

Also, please make comments! Its fun to hear what you all think, and for others to read your comments. You can do this by clicking on the "comments" just below.

A Prayerful Plea

2007-03-09T12:56:00.000-08:00

I'm deeply troubled by what I've been seeing recently. So many men who are turning away from sound doctrine, believing what their emotion tells them, rather than the Word of God. They are compromising the Scripture, and as a result are compromising what Jesus has done. Many are even finding verses here and there to support their beliefs, but are not looking at the context of the Scriptures, and as a result are misinterpreting what is being said. It is not my intention to turn this blog into a place to debate theology, or lack thereof, but today I knew I needed to make a post about this. I offer these thoughts as a warning to all who will read this post. Men who were once sound in their doctrine are turning the way of the emergent church. They view Jesus as a Savior, rather than the Savior. Jesus said in John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Jesus did not represent Himself as one of the ways, one way to truth, or a way to life. He is the way, the truth, and the life. They are also giving a back seat to the Bible, placing more emphasis on life experiences and sensory feelings. I regret to say that some of these are men that I have sat under the teaching of, received instruction from, and been exhorted to stick to the Word of God by. 1 Tim. 2:1-2 reads, "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence." I encourage you to take some time today and pray for your pastor, your teacher, your president. I also ask that you pray for these men who have gone astray in their beliefs, and who have been deceived by Satan.

Just Another Update

2007-03-08T17:12:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd make another post today, just for the sake of making another post. Not too much has been happening with us. Both of the kids are doing well, and Natalie is feeling pretty good. She's now getting to the uncomfortable point of the pregnancy, so keep praying for her.

Hopefully you've noticed some new additions to our blog. We've opened up a Flickr account, and so we are uploading pictures to it, which also gives us the ability to have them displayed here on our page (thanks Tom for the help in getting that going!) That should give you all the ability to see how the family is doing, and how fast the kids are growing.

Charis is doing well in school, and is having a lot of fun in her dance class, which she does once every week on Wednesday. Joel is running and finding all sorts of things to get into, but he is still showing no interest in speaking. Like most guys, grunts will do just fine for him.

I've been having quite a bit of fun on my new computer. We bought a Mac notebook at the end of last year. I don't believe I'll ever be going back to a PC. I've already been able to make a movie for our youth group, do some audio and video editing, picture editing, and all sorts of other things. Its been a great machine. Things just work.

As far as things with the church go, things are going well. The High School group has been going through some growth, so thats exciting. We have such a great group of students here. Its encouraging to see how well they're doing. There are 4 or 5 who will be graduating this year, but it sounds like a couple of them will be sticking around for a little while, so I'm sure they'll transition into helping out with the youth group. Our Jr. High has also been going through some changes. Both of the guys that have been teaching are going to no longer be able to. Its good, though, because I think some of our high schoolers will jump in and help me with that.

Thats about it for now. But more will be coming.........

Almost Africa

2007-02-23T15:51:00.000-08:00

That's right. I didn't make it to Africa. After many trials, and hours upon hours at the United Airlines ticket counter, I made it to Paris. I won't tell the whole story here. Many friends have suggested I write a book to tell my story. The short version of the story is that United made some major mistakes, and they booked me out of a different airport than I arrived at in Paris. Having only 1 1/2 hrs to collect my checked bag, make it through security and passport screening, make the 1 hr trek across Paris, and go through the entire security/passport procedure in reverse, I wasn't even close to making my flight. Ouagadougou seems to be quite the popular place in February, since all seats on all airlines were booked until Feb. 22. So, it was either sleep in the Charles De Gaulle airport for a week, or return home. So I'm back home, and praising the Lord. I'm not sure exactly why He didn't want me to be in Africa, but I trust Him and know that His ways are Higher than mine.

Learning to Surrender

2007-02-01T16:38:00.000-08:00

Its not an easy thing to throw your arms up in surrender. Its a pretty vulnerable feeling. Theres a reason you have to put your hands behind the back of your head when you are being arrested; the police know that you can't easily defend yourself this way. I've been getting a bit of an idea of what that is like. NO, I haven't been arrested, but I have sensed the Lord calling me to surrender to Him. I've always been a go-getter, a can-do type. Unfortunately, when this comes to our relationship with the Lord, it doesn't work out so well. We can get to the point of thinking our ingenuity or strength is enough to deal with a situation, and so we go it alone. When things work out OK we think, "Look what I did." Pride sets in. More often than not, though, we fall flat on our faces. We know our works can't get us to heaven. We know our righteousnesses are like filthy rags. But somehow we think we can still do it by ourselves. Romans 12:1 says, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." I am learning that each day I must lay my life down. 1 Cor. 1 speaks of our weakness. But the great thing is, because of that weakness God can and will use us. Lets stay in a place of brokenness , relying on the Lord to be our strength.

As far as whats been going on with our family lately....We hope to be listing our home soon, and are praying that God will bring the right buyer at the right time. This will be one of the bigger obstacles before we leave for Vienna. The real estate market is slowly picking back up, so we are praying it will continue to do so. We also have lots of possessions (stuff) to sell before we go. Charis and Joel are both well, and Natalie is handling the pregnancy like a seasoned veteran. Nolan and Amy, along with Isaac and Tyge, came to visit this weekend. Its always good to see them. We went to Sisters yesterday so the girls could go to the fabric store, so the dads took the kids to the park.

I have a little over one week before leaving for Africa. I will be gone from Feb.13 - Mar. 1. I will be traveling to Burkina Faso, in West Africa. I will be staying at a compound in Ouagadougou with some friends who are missionaries there. Their names are Jerry and Jan Swanson. They work with local churches and pastors to put roofs on church buildings, as well as to teach and equip the pastors in the area. Their son Shay, who is the pastor in Vienna, will also be in Africa while I'm there. He teaches at a conference each February in Kaya. I will also get to share at this conference. If you want to learn more about Burkina Faso, you can visit this website: http://www.burkinaembassy-usa.org/. This has links to news as well as traveling to Burkina Faso. If I knew how to give you a link here for how to see the compound in Ouagadougou, I would. If anyone reading this knows how to make that happen, email me and let me know. With the latest version of Google Earth, you can get a great view of it.

Psalm 37:3-5

2007-01-16T07:19:00.000-08:00

We just returned last week from Los Angeles. We left early on Monday morning to fly down there to turn in our applications for our Austrian Residence Permits. Just Natalie and I went down. Its been right around zero degrees here at home in Central Oregon, so the 85 degree weather was a delight. Natalie and I spent some time bike riding on Monday, going along the beach and seeing the sights. Tuesday we went directly to the Austrian Consulate in LA and turned in our applications, and the pile of paperwork that goes with them. I used Psalm 37:3-5 for the title of this post because that is the spot that we are at.

Psalm 37:3-5 (King James Version)

3Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

4Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

5Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

As God opens the doors for us, we continue to go through them. This has been a desire of ours for several years, and as we delight in Him, He makes the way possible. I also know that these desires are from Him. Its not our great dream to leave our comfortable home, our family and friends, and move to a new place that is sure to be filled with difficulty. But God has given us this desire, and as He opens the doors, we move through them.

This last weekend we had our youth camp for Calvary Chapel Bend. It was Camp COLD, and we we at Suttle Lake. We had a great time up in the snow. The week leading up to the camp, there was absolutely no snow at the camp, which was going to be a real problem for our sledding and winter olympics. But, as always, God is faithful to take care of the details. Days before the camp, the snow started flying. Then on Friday night, we got another 8" of powder! We had a great time sledding and playing, and had a great time getting into God's Word. In the picture at the top is, from left to right, Steve, Noah, myself, and Jason. That picture was taken Saturday morning after the fresh snow Friday night.

Happy New Year!

2007-01-01T14:41:00.000-08:00

Its the new year once again. Our family has gone through some changes recently which are quite noteable. Ben has wrapped up his construction business, and is now on staff full-time at Calvary Chapel Bend, Natalie is pregnant with the third Bronson child, and Joel decided Christmas Day was a great time to get his first stitches. He tripped and hit a chair, splitting his upper lip wide open.

This weekend we will be going to Suttle Lake Camp, for our annual youth winter camp, Camp COLD. We will be spending time sledding, eating, and of course drawing nearer to the Lord.

Next week we will be traveling to Los Angeles, CA, to turn in our paperwork to apply for our Austrian Visas. We have spent considerable time gettting all of our paperwork in order, so we are excited to finally be submitting all of it. Please pray for us, that God would lead and work out all of the details.

Until the Lord moves us to Vienna, we are thrilled to be here in Bend, OR, and to be serving at Calvary Chapel Bend. God is working in this fellowship, and the people are being blessed.

We are excited to see what this new year will bring. As always, God is faithful to provide and bless.