Aaron in Real Life

This video is great. My wife Julie took it a couple days ago. Andrew was sitting on our couch and she startled him. He loved it and started laughing. So, she kept doing it and captured it on video. He is the cutest baby ever!!!

So, a while back I decided I wanted to get a tattoo. I was a little hesitant because I was taught by "the church" that tattoos were not something that Christians got. I think it was mostly based on what tattoos usually represent (gangs, violence, rebellion). I wrestled with that and finally came to the conclusion that I was going to get one.

I didn't want to just get anything. I wanted the tattoo to mean something to me. It needed to be a reminder of something significant. So, after my son was born I knew exactly what I wanted and it shows in the picture above. It's on my left arm, just below the shoulder.

The letters "ADS" are my initials (Aaron David Sexton) and they are also the initials of my son (Andrew David Sexton). Psalm 127:3-5 states: "Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man who's quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate."

This tattoo is and will be a constant reminder of my deep, unconditional love for my son Andrew. And it also represents just how incredibly blessed I am to have Andrew for a son. What's interesting is that I got the tattoo just a few days before my son had to have surgery on his stomach. It definitely served it's purpose right away.

And I've already been asked the question, "what happens when you have another kid"? Well, that's what the other arm is for.

Any comments or thoughts? I'd love to hear them.

So, where to begin.

Tuesday evening, Andrew began throwing up after every feeding. Wednesday alone, Julie had to change his clothes 5 times because he threw up all over them. And this wasn't just a little spit-up. This was projectile vomit. So we thought he maybe just had a little cold and his sinuses were running down his throat and that was causing him to cough or gag and thus vomit. Thursday, he would throw up most of the time after eating, but not all the time. But, we noticed that he wasn't wetting or pooping his diapers (as of right now he hasn't had a poopy diaper since probably Wednesday). So, I had Friday off of work. He threw up his morning bottle (he could have put out a fire).

So, we took Andrew to the doctor and had him checked. When Julie was a baby she had a condition called Pyloric Stenosis. Basically, the valve that empties your stomach doesn't relax and open to allow food to get into the intestines. The checked Andrew and then sent us to get an ultrasound on him. The ultrasound confirmed that Andrew had it too. It runs in the family. Julie had it, Julie's dad and uncle had it. So, the pediatrician sent us to Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak for surgery.

Andrew went into surgery at 10:45am and was out by 11:30am. They made a small incision on his abdomen, pulled his stomach out and made a small incision in the pyloric muscle to release it. Right now he's doing good and sleeping in Julie's arms. He'll have no lasting memory of this and the only physical sign will be a small scar on his abdomen.

Please continue to pray for his recovery as he begins to eat again (when they begin feeding him again he'll have not eaten in 24 hours - amazingly he's been great the whole time and even slept completely through last night). Julie and I are doing well. We have maintained our faith and hope in Christ throughout this ordeal. I will update later.

This week has been a peculiar one. Today, my aunt threw Julie a post-birth baby shower (or a "welcome to the world" party for Andrew). It was a celebration of a new life - a new start. It was an incredible blessing that my family bestowed upon us. We were richly blessed to day with everything that we received. And having Andrew and this new life has reminded me of just how awesome and precious life is.

But as we geared up for this party and celebration, I was also reminded of how short and fleeting life is as 4 people that I have a connection to passed away this last week. First, the head usher at my church and a very dear friend to so many passed away of a brain tumor that was only discovered a week prior. Second, old friends of my parents and people I currently go to church with lost their son-in-law. I don't know anymore details other than he just collapsed on a cruise and died. Thirdly, a friend and co-worker of mine lost his sister to a long, long battle with cancer. She had been recovering, but took a turn for the worse last week and died on Thursday morning. And lastly, my wife's uncle and my mother-in-laws only brother died after a month long battle with cancer. It's crazy to think that he was only diagnosed at the beginning of January .

For some of these, I truly believe that their death is a celebration as they pass into eternal glory. For some, I pray for the mercy and grace that only God can give. Judgment is not mine to pass and I truly pray of each family to be able to cope and have peace in these troubled times.

All this simply reminds me of what James 4:14 in the Bible says, "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." We are guaranteed nothing. We must cherish the very breath that God grants us.

The News Herald in Southgate, MI published a story about my son Andrew and my dad sharing a Christmas birthday. The reporter heard about us from a friend of my parents and thought it would be a good story. She came to our house last Saturday to interview all of us. Pretty cool experience. Check out the story here.

I LOVE BEING A DAD! I have wanted to be a lot of different things in my life. I've wanted to be a policeman, Air Force pilot, lawyer, a neurosurgeon, a chiropractor, and a pastor. But above all, I've wanted to be a dad for as long as I can remember.

I never knew I could love my son like I do. He's always the first thing I think of when I wake up (usually because it's 4:30am and he's hungry) and he's the last thought before I fall asleep. I look at his pictures all the time at work because I miss him. I hate being away from him for so long during the day. I feel like I miss so much (even though Julie says he just sleeps most of the day).

Andrew is a miracle. He's half me and half Julie. He's our flesh and blood. He's so adorable and cute. I love the faces he makes and the noises he makes. I love his round little head and his tiny fingers and toes.

Andrew is everything I've prayed and hoped for. I love my son!

I think I've discovered the game I hate the very most! Maybe you've played it before? It's called the waiting game. I hate it. My wife Julie and I are now unwilling participants in this devilish game as we wait with overflowing anxiousness for her to go into labor and our son to be born. She's been having a lot of contractions. Alot of them are pretty painful. We've been to the hospital a couple times and sent home just as many times. The last time we went was last Saturday. Her contractions were regular and painful, but not enough. They told Julie and the pain needs to be at least twice what it was then. And her cervix wasn't open enough. Her body just wasn't ready.

Now, we do things just to pass the time. We go on walks, shopping, bumpy car rides, watch movies. Anything to take our minds off of "it." We've looked up and tried just about every way to get her body into labor, but with no success yet. Her due date is not until Jan. 3rd, but she's just done being pregnant. I'm totally ready for her to be done, too. We laugh because Julie has never wanted to be in so much pain before. She wants the pain of labor, because at least that means the pregnancy is almost over and baby Andrew will be here.

Pray with us that Andrew comes soon!!!

This morning I was reminded of something very powerful and very profound.

In church, we started singing a song I don't think I'd heard before. It was by Jonathan Stockstill and the verse went like this:

"Open up the sky
Fall down like rain
We don't want blessings
We want You"

And as Pastor Shawn spoke afterward, God gave him a word for me and our church and that is what I want to share. As Christ followers, believers, Christians (or whatever you want to be called) our pursuit is "to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death" (Phil 3:10). Our focus as a person and as a church should be on God, on Christ alone.

Too often however, our pursuit, our focus, our goal is on the blessings that God gives to us rather than on God Himself. Our focus is on gift rather than on the Giver. We start delving into books like The Prayer of Jabez and focus on what God will give to us. Our worship time is sometimes consumed with "falling out in the Spirit" instead of creating a sweet sound unto God's ear. I remember part of a lecture in college. The professor gave this analogy. Over time people would consider something sacred and holy, so in order to protect it they would build a wall or fence around it. People would come this "holy" site to see the sacred object and worship and pray. More time would pass and the "holy" object inside of the wall or fence was forgotten and the wall itself had become the sacred object. The wall was decorated, ornate, and well kept. The object inside was forgotten, the structure around was now sacred and holy.

How true is that of today's church? Our buildings, our programs, God's blessings are all great things but they are not our focus. Jesus is the "sacred object" surrounded by the walls we have built around Him. Isn't it time that we tear down those walls that we have built around Christ and make Him and Him alone our life's pursuit? I would much rather know Christ.

The truth is that we have all received the ultimate blessing in Christ's death and resurrection. If God gave us nothing else, Jesus' life and death here on earth would be enough.

So think again about this song and sing it with a sincere heart:

"Open up the sky
Fall down like rain
We don't want blessings
We want You"

"Open up the sky
Fall down like fire
We don't want anything
But you"

I hate computer viruses. I also hate that Norton Antivirus didn't protect my computer. I had to re-format my harddrive and reinstall everything. I think I'm finally done.

I found that Windows Live OneCare work pretty good (assuming your running Windows). This blog is pretty lame, but it's all I have time for right now. Life is definitely busy. October is already gone!

I wanted to post an email that my wife sent me. She is pregnant and recently has been tested for gestational diabetes. Her first test results were high, so they had her come back last Friday for addtional testing. The test involved fasting (difficult for any pregnant woman to do) and a lot of blood being drawn. Here is the results:

Guess who passed their glucose test with flying colors??...... ME! Dr. Abbey said that my levels were great on all 4 tests. Amazing. What is even more amazing is that I was talking to my mom… and she said that her mom, and she both had Gestational Diabetes (which I knew) but on top of that Grandpa Q’s mom had it… and actually ended up with full blown diabetes, and Grandpa Q has diabetes. And then my Dad has diabetes too. But I don’t!! I totally dodged the bullet with this one. I’m amazed with all that family history that I didn’t get it. God’s got his plan!

God is amazing!!! Miracles still happen!!!

I have recently been offered something pretty profound and challenging. I can't mention what it is yet, but it is something that is very close to my heart. It is something that I'm not sure that I am qualified for to be quite honest. But, the people that have offered it to me believe that I can and that is a very encouraging thing.

I will blog more about it as soon as I am able. All I ask is that you pray for direction and God's will to supersede any presuppositions that there might be.

Today, Pastor Shawn preached the 2nd sermon on UnChristian. It was quite biting and challenging. He dealt with the issue of hypocrisy.

This is one of the major "image" issues that the church has today. We as Christians have cast an image to the world around as not doing what we say everyone else should do. We tell the world that marriage is sacred and divorce is ungodly, yet the divorce reate of "christians" is higher than the world's. We lie, cheat, and steal yet tell everyone the Ten Commandments are not suggestions.


The only way to combat the image the church world has on "outsiders" is to change our image. One person, one church at a time. Check out Pastor Shawn's sermon here and tell me what you think.


http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/780741

As for the book. I have read some more and it's quite interesting. I'll blog more about it later.

My wife and I just went and saw the new movie Fireproof on Tuesday. The movie is from the same people and church that made Facing the Giants.

Aside from the obvious bad acting in some of the scenes (most of the actors are not "professional" actors) the movie was very good. It brought together aspects and teachings from the Bible and also from 2 other books that I've read, Love and Respect and The 5 Love Languages. The latter 2 books are great reads and useful for any married couple or couple looking to get married.


The movie tells the story of a young couples struggle in marriage. The husband is a firefighter who is addicted to internet porn, expects his wife to do everything around the house, and is verbally abusive. The wife works in public relations at a local hospital, expects her husband to be a help around the house, and looks for love and quality time with other people outside of her marriage.

The husband (by the way, played by none other than Kirk Cameron) is challenged by his father to a love dare. He must do what is told to him by a hand-written book his father gave him everyday for 40 days. At the end of the 40 days, the marriage may be saved. But only through the acceptence of Jesus as his savior and through God's forgiveness can the marriage be saved. The husband must do all he can to save the marriage and make it "fireproof."



The movie has an outstanding message, especially for a world so quick to divorce at the first signs of marital strife. Check out the movie for yourself and find out. Take someone with you.


Fireproof = B+

This week, my pastor began a sermon series entitled and based upon the book Unchristian. I have yet to start reading the book, but plan to this week. Basically what I have understood so far is that we as Christians, evangelicals in particular, have an extreme image problem. The world hates us because we essentially have hated them. The world distrusts us because we have not given them anything to trust. The world see us an homophobic, hypocritical, judgemental, too political, and users of people and resources because that is the exact image we have given them to see. Instead of being united in faith, we divide ourselves and wage war against other local churches in the name of "numbers." We're seen as seekers of converts and money instead of loving and genuine people who want to share our lives with one another.



A Christian is a "Christ follower" or someone who is "Christ-like." Christians should be "Jesus with skin on." Instead, we are no different than those whom we condemn, look down upon, cast aside, or disregard. The truth is that we are guilty on all charges. Maybe not every single individual christian, but Christians as a whole are guilty of pushing away the very world that we are mandated to reach with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have relegated the "good news" of Jesus to a simple conversion experience when God specifically commanded us to make disciples. We have relegated the "good news" of Jesus to a message that is either shunned, disheartening, guilt ridden, too lofty to attain, offensive, or all of the above.



The sad part is, most Christians are shocked to hear that this is what the world thinks of us. It's also sad because most Christans probably don't even recognize the very thing we have become. The Bible says to love the Lord and to love others and that the world will recognize us because of our love for each other. To quote the Black Eyed Peas, "where is the love?" Where is the love that Jesus tells us we should have when we go to work everyday and see the same people everyday and have the same meaningless conversations everyday and yet say nothing about the love that Christ has for them. Most of us don't care because our "ticket" is already punched. Is it really?



Our actions speak much louder than our words. Our actions as Christians is one of the most undermining aspects of our movement. The world sees us a hypocritical because our words say one thing, but we live another. Who have you and I given Christianity a bad name to because of how we acted? Who have I turned away from God in the name of being "right" instead of "righteous?"



This is simply food for thought. You can agree or disagree. I will post more after I read more, but it's definitely something to think about.

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/780976