love – Page 3 – The Rousehouse

Newsletter and Updates, Nov. 2017

Posted on November 15, 2017November 15, 2017 by Spanky Rouse

The Lord‘s Faithfulness Endures Forever

Praise the Lord, all nations!
Extol him, all peoples!
²For great is his steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord! Psalms 117

We are two months in! On one hand it feels like forever ago that we left home but on the other hand time has flown by. Life is good for the Rousehouse here in South Africa. That’s not to say that we haven’t had our days of frustration, missing “home” and all of you, learning how to navigate cultural differences, and the never-ending task figuring out day-to-day life. Just this morning as I was walking to the bank to, finally pick up our cheque card after 6 weeks, I thought to myself, “I am fully expecting this to take way longer than normal and not going to be surprised if things aren’t ready this time.” To my amazement it only took 35 minutes and I left with a bank card! One of the biggest lessons we have and are learning is that we have to constantly be patient and be ready for our plans to be messed up.

That is actually one of the things the Lord has been speaking to us about. We like to have a plan. We like to check off the tasks on our list. We like to be productive. Simply put, we like to get stuff done. Well, the Lord has been whispering things in our hearts like, be available, don’t miss this opportunity, be present with people, don’t let the interruption aggregate you but, welcome it. Being intentional about living like this way messes up the plans and schedules that we put together. I mean, we are here to make a difference and get stuff done, right? …I think?…maybe?…maybe i am not so sure?…

Our first African party in a township. Elly and Lara sat there and held babies most of the time.

God has wonderfully created Lara, our kids, and myself to be people who love people. We enjoy investing in others. We are filled up by serving people in need. And we really want to help others know Jesus and his great plan for their lives. Therefore, we have to be present and available. This means we have to keep margin in our daily schedules and hold our plans loosely so that we can welcome the interruptions. In Africa, we are finding that task list and productive days of getting 10 things done are replaced with impromptu moments of coffee, last-minute calls for a ride somewhere, a 5 hour-long braai for dinner and endless conversations of listening to people’s stories and hearing their hearts.

What does the Lord require of you? We are learning it is to let go of our time and listen, care for, love on, and encourage people for His glory in their lives.

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Here are a few updates from our past few weeks:

Water crisis

We are still in a very serious water crisis here in the Western Cape of South Africa. There are talks of the water running out in the next few months. After we let you know about this and you began to pray we saw days and days of rain, so PLEASE don’t stop praying! Some of our South African friends have even mentioned to us that they have never seen it rain during this time of the year. God is using this for His purpose.

Ministry

The question, “how is ministry going?” is a difficult question for Lara and I to answer right now. We are spending these first 3 months going through a valuable cultural adaptation period with some of our seasoned leaders here at East Mountain. We believe that this is a time that will prepare us and equip us for healthy, thriving ministry and life. With out this intentionality we would likely hit the ground running…running over people and running our selves into the ground! We are spending time with local ministry partners to hear about their vision and their needs, meeting other ministry leaders and missionaries in the area to learn how the Lord is using them here, building good relationships with our team, and having a lot of fun with our resident interns. The residents are teaching us a ton about language, culture, family and life from all over Africa and they are a lot of fun! Lara and I are also spending a good bit of time thinking, talking and dreaming of what the Lord wants to have us dive deep into and the people He wants to invest in. Things are about to get exciting as we are looking toward the new year!!!

Kids

They are doing great! We regularly thank the Lord for His grace over them. They have quickly gained some good friends, connected well with our neighbors, and are enjoying all of the adventures. These kids are awesome and you can see God all over them! (If you have any specific questions please message us so we can share stories with you, spanky.rouse@gmail.com)

Day to-day stuff

It is crazy how much time and effort it takes to do the regular things in a day compared to what we are use to in the US. We feel like we are beginning to get the hang of it though! Just a few things that feel more normal now are… buying electricity (you buy electricity at the grocery store or petrol station), continuing to try to get internet (7 weeks, 20 emails, and 5 phone conversations and we still don’t have internet in our home), grocery shopping (learning what stores we like to get specific items), taking 2 minute showers, learning how to collect all of our gray water, driving on the left side of the road, visiting churches, homeschooling, and learning celsius and kilometers. Slowly these things are feeling more natural and are taking less thought. Thank goodness!!! (if there are any specific question you have please let us know so we can try to answer them for everyone)

The Goat

I am still waiting to see if I have won the GOAT! Be praying that I get it!!! (read our last blog to learn more about the goat)

Prayer needs for November:

Vision for the specific ministry areas the Lord wants us to invest in deeply
God’s grace, strength, peace, joy, protection and constant wisdom for everyday situations
Homeschool: Mom, dad, and kids
Year end giving and continued strong financial support
Water Crisis!
Sensitivity to the opportunities where we can be present and available to those that need us
God’s favor and favor with others (neighbors, community, team, partners, etc)

Vergoenoed Lara and Spanky — Lara and Spanky enjoying the South African wildlife at a local Saturday market

If you would like to join our financial or prayer team you can check out how to partner with us by clicking here Partnering with us…. It is coming close to that time of the year when many are thinking about those charitable donations. Would you consider a special gift to our family and the ministry projects we are planning for 2018. If you would like more info please email me at spanky.rouse@gmail.com. Thank you!

Lastly, we regularly post pictures and stories on our Instagram and Facebook accounts. This is a great way to stay connected and up to date!

https://www.instagram.com/spankyrouse/

https://www.instagram.com/lararouse/

https://www.facebook.com/spanky.rouse

https://www.facebook.com/lara.rouse.7

https://www.instagram.com/causing_wonder/ – Mac’s Instagram

#allthingsaredying

Posted on May 11, 2017 by Spanky Rouse

Just in case you aren’t familiar with #Hashtags (please don’t call this the pound sign, your children will be completely embarrassed and call you old) they are a simple and fun way to label something, briefly explain your thought, or make a point. Our family plays this game where we have an entire conversation using only hashtags. Elly is the queen at using hashtags and she is hilarious!!! I should video one of these conversations for all to enjoy one day. I will try to keep that in mind.

Lara and I jokingly have a few self labeled hashtags that we are using in this season. When something happens instead of explaining how we feel or getting into a long story we just throw out one of the hashtags like #allthingsaredying. It’s a silly way to recognize the irony of what is happening and allows us to brush it off and laugh at things that normally would drive us crazy. Let me explain #allthingsdying so that you don’t get too worried about us. This one is actually a good thing that the Lord is using to move us on to the next season of life.

A few months ago we began noticing that random things around the house were starting to die on us. Mac even mentioned that it feels like everything is wearing out at just the right time. Just so you get an idea of what we are talking about here are a few examples from the past couple weeks.

Mac’s ipod…he accidentally put that one to death in the car door!
both of our cars began showing signs of dying in the same week – but were brought back from the dead
The A/C in our home – was dead but has new life
our cloths dryer – dead
the ice maker in our fridge – dead
my wireless earbuds – dead
our microwave is barley hanging on to life

We then came to the conclusion 3 weeks ago that we are going to need to sell our home, which honestly felt like a death to us. We love this place that God has blessed us with and didn’t want to give it up. Through listening to others, prayer and a lot of tough conversations we believe that this is His best plan for us. This was not an easy decision and we took a week to mourn our loss. Through this decision Lara began to recognize this theme of dying to ourselves. Dying to yourself and your desires hurts and isn’t all that fun but we know that we can trust the Father! If death is what He has for us then it must be the best for us! Dying to your old life gives birth to the new life and paves away for an abundant life. God doesn’t take things a way too be mean but takes them away because He knows what is good for us.

Through dying we can see He is faithful, trustworthy, present, for us, sovereign, loving, compassionate, mighty, glorious, gracious, and the list goes on. Dying is a necessity and dying is worth it because we get more of Him and His goodness he has stored up for us! Psalms 145

When you are going through a time of death (and you will) and you can’t see past what is happening right in front of you read and re-read what the Lord says in Jeremiah 29:11, “I know the plans I have for you. They are good plans, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a future and a hope!” He never goes back on a promise either!

Did you know that your skin cells are constantly dying. In the next minute 667 skin cells will die and fall off your body, the next hour 40,000, over the next day close to a million cells die and fall off your body! That is kind of gross if you think about what happens to all of those that have fallen off your body this week alone. Where are they??? Back to my point, they have to die so new cells can grow. As skin cells grow and others die your body is able to heal it’s self, protect you from infections and viruses, and technically makes you waterproof (seriously, think about it). But none of this would be possible if your skin didn’t die constantly so that better, newer skin could be born.

What is dying in your life that God is wanting to use for your good?

What needs to die in your life to allow you to experience the abundance He has for you?

#allthingsaredying

April 2017 Rousehouse update

Posted on April 20, 2017April 20, 2017 by Spanky Rouse

Spring has sprung! The Rouse’s love the warm weather, blooming flowers, and outdoor activities. But we hate the allergies that come along with it!!! This year we are trying to enjoy every moment of Spring with the idea that we only have a few more months left until we leave for South Africa. The past few weeks have been a lot of fun but super busy. Spanky ran his second Spartan race, Mac joined the social media realm (IG), Spring Break arrived just in time, we went to see our favorite band in concert, Lara is working hard on our silent auction event, and fundraising is moving along well!

Over Spring Break Mac had the chance to go to the mountains with some friends from church. From all of the stories that he has told us it was lots of fun! He went hiking, zip lining, shopping, junk food eating, stayed up late, and played games. I think his favorite part of the trip was saying up late and hanging out in a hot tub in the cold mountain weather.

Oh yea, Mac also got his own Instagram account. It’s a new season for us as parents but thankfully our first teenager is a remarkable guy, therefore social media doesn’t seem too scary…yet! His Instagram name is causing_wonder incase you may want to check out some of his posts. He chose that name because he wants his life to cause people to wonder, why is he different? I think it is a very accurate description of this young man. I am constantly in wonder of this guy, he is ridiculously awesome!

Spanky ran his second Spartan race with a team from our gym, Carolina Sweat. They had been training hard and it paid off. The team came in the top 5% of all teams and Spanky came in the top 2.7% of participants on Saturday. It was muddier than normal, cooler than he would have liked, longer than planned but invigorating! Next we are going to try another mud run as a couple in June! Couples that get muddy together….

Mac hung out with us old men but had fun

My buddy Justin and I jumping the fire at the finish line!

Carolina Sweat Team – before the mud

We found ourselves needing to take a break from the regular routines of life which is why we were so looking forward to Spring Break this year. Breaks like this one offer us the chance to forget bed times, ignore some of our responsibilities, soak up the sun and forget the diets. Spring Break 2017 was a success! On Monday we went on a nice looong (Elly, “I’m not going to make it”) hike up Crowders Mountain. We started the hike off with excitement and energy but come 6.5 miles later we were so glad to be in the car heading to Rita’s Italian Ice for a nice reward!

We also had the chance to head to the beach for 2 days with RuRu (Lara’s mom). We LOVE the beach! We are immediately refreshed by sitting on the beach with our feet in the sand. The weather was perfect but the water was freezing. That did not stop the kids though from going in head first. Our kids seem to have a different internal thermometer than we do.

An update on where we are in preparations and fundraising for our big move to South Africa…

We have begun to realize that our time for departure is coming near, and fast! We are thinking about and actively working towards selling our furniture and other home furnishings, applying for visas, figuring out plans for our home here in Piney Grove/Charlotte, ordering school supplies, picking out the limited amount of clothes we are taking and working on roughly 1 million other items that are on the check list. Even though Spanky helps others move over seas regularly as a job it never seemed like that big of an ordeal until we started going through it ourselves. There’s a whole lot of work that goes into it. We are constantly being reminded and are so grateful that God is at work for us.

Fundraising Update: Things were slow-moving for a few weeks even though we keep having great meetings with great people. During this time we were hearing from the Lord a lot and He was constantly shaping our hearts. Over the past two weeks it has really picked up and we are very thankful! Support raising initially was this dreaded necessary evil that we knew we just had to endure to pursue this passion of ours. Today we can say that we are actually enjoying it, well just a little more than we use too. We are grateful for the opportunity to share our story and passions with other people. The best thing about support raising, donor building, fundraising, or whatever you want to call it are the relationships that are formed, for sure! God is raising up people who have a real heart for our family, believe in us, and desire to bless us and be apart of what He is doing all over the world. We can’t express enough what this means to us and how this community fuels our tanks! If you are currently one of our “people” we say a HUGE thank you for playing such a great role in our lives and journey!

We are currently at 67% of our monthly funding need. We NEED to be at 100% by June 1st (FYI, that is my birthday if you didn’t know)! We have a bunch of asks out there that we are waiting to hear back on but are still needing to find a few more families, individuals, or churches that would be willing to support our family and ministry. PLEASE get the word out and connect us with those you may know! If you would like to become one of our partners you can learn how here.

In lieu of my birthday we are hosting a silent auction fundraiser on the evening of June 2nd at a fun venue from 6-10pm. Proceeds will go towards our set up and travel expenses. STAY TUNED for more details and an announcement coming soon!

Things you can join us in Prayer about:

Decisions on what to do with our home. Rent it or sell it?
Finishing up fundraising, 100% by June 1st
Ears to hear, eyes to see, and hearts to know the Father’s leading in every plan and decision as we prepare to move
Successful silent auction fundraiser and all the planning that goes into it.
From our family’s prayer card, the letter J – joy: That we may be filled to an overflow of His joy. Romans 15:13

The Rousehouse is Moving to AFRICA!

Posted on February 2, 2017February 2, 2017 by Spanky Rouse

The Rousehouse has taken some big steps before but this may be the biggest one yet! We are moving to AFRICA!!! We are so excited to publicly announce this news as well as tell you a little bit about our story. So here you go…

Last summer our family moved into the neighborhood that surrounded Piney Grove Elementary, the school we had built a partnership with through Ridge Church and had been volunteering at for the past few years. We had no idea how the Lord was going to use that step of faith to call us to even bigger ones. We moved into the neighborhood because we loved the idea of our family living missionally beside these people we had been serving and fallen in love with. We loved the idea of our family being intentional about building relationships in a community of people that maybe didn’t look or act exactly like we did. We believe there is a great big God who is constantly at work in this great big world and by living our lives this way our family will be able to experience Him more and hopefully, just maybe, He would use us to bring others closer to Him. What a privilege!

Fast forward to this past March…

Lara and I had the opportunity to travel to Cape Town, South Africa to visit a missional community that I serve with at UWM called East Mountain. As we spent time with this group of people we saw something that sparked a passion inside of us. The excitement began to grow as we saw how they serve and support the local church and how they live in healthy community with one another. It was also very exciting to see how they are partnering with ministries in South Africa similarly to how we have partnered with Piney Grove. As East Mountain is serving alongside these national workers God is using them to grow His church, strengthen indigenousness leaders, and do good works while living in healthy community with each other. Lara and I have patiently been waiting for God to provide an opportunity for our family to serve overseas for a few years and through this trip He did just that. Our time in South Africa was awesome, simply because we heard the Father’s voice calling us to something amazing.

After a whole lot of prayer and discernment, we feel like this is how the Lord wants the Rousehouse to, “Live a life that is worthy of the calling He has graciously extended to you” (Ephesians 4:1). We feel like this calling is God extending His grace to us. It is a privilege to serve alongside the other missionaries in this community as well as be a part of how the Lord is building His church all over the globe, especially in Africa, a part of the world we fell in love with many years ago.

We have committed to serve in South Africa for 3 years on staff with
East Mountain. East Mountain is a community of people who love Jesus and are passionate about teaching, developing and empowering leaders. They accomplish this through one-on-one discipleship, training workshops, theological education, and spiritual formation as well as forming authentic relationships with leaders already engaged in excellent Kingdom work in churches, non-profit organizations, and schools. While we are there we will spend a third of our time doing a specific role/job, and third of our time will be spent serving as a family in one of these local partnerships, and a third of our time being developed ourselves as leaders and Christ followers.

Lara and I have been involved in missions from the very beginning of our marriage. We have served in Brazil, Panama, Uganda, our local church, and in our community, Piney Grove. Our whole family shares this love for people and we know that we were created to live our lives this way. By living in community we care for others and we are cared for, we disciple others and we are discipled, and as we serve others we are blessed beyond measure. We are super excited about the work God has called us to and we know He has not called us to do it alone. We are seeking a team of partners that will help with meeting our financial support goals, praying for us, and connecting us to others who may be able to partner with us as well.

There will be many stories and lessons learned that we will want to share here on our blog, we hope that you will stop by and follow us along the way! God is doing a good work and we look forward to telling you all about it!

If you would like to grab coffee, a meal, or simply give us a call to hear more please email Spanky directly to set up a time we would be honored to answer your questions and share more with you! spanky.rouse@gmail.com

You can also learn more about East Mountain at http://www.eastmountain.tv .

It is our desire to make an impact globally, serve locally, and invest deeply in God’s people and we would love to have you on this journey with us!

If you would like information on how to partner with us through sending us, praying for us, and supporting our family in this mission you can either let us know by emailing Spanky or clicking here.

What am I called?

Posted on November 15, 2016November 15, 2016 by Spanky Rouse

“My heart was an orphan but you gave me a name”

Mark 1:11, Matthew 17:5, & Galatians 3:26

When God looks at me does He say this is my son, Spanky, in whom I love and am well pleased? I am guessing that God doesn’t call me Spanky 🙂

I do believe that when He looks at me He does call me by name, though. What is this name He calls me? I think it is a make up of my personality, deep desires, hardwiring, and His personal finger print on my life. So, is it an actual name or just a deep emotion that moves His heart? I don’t really know but I like imagine that He has given me a specific and divine name.

“Mighty Beloved”

I believe that this summer the Lord actually spoke this name to me only for the purpose of reminding me who I am and whose I am.

Mighty – strong, powerful, immense, enormous, tremendous…

God’s finger print on my life is this mighty passion He has filled my soul with. Let me be clear, I think He calls me mighty not because of any physical strength or power. Mighty because of this enormous passion He has put in my heart. Passion is something I am not lacking in especially when it comes to my wife, my children, serving and loving others, meeting the needs of people, and encouraging others to seek after Jesus. I feel like there are days and moments when I am going to simply explode from all of this that is inside of me that wants to come out. And this mighty passion was created inside of me not remain but to flow freely!

Beloved – cherished, greatly loved, dear to the heart, cared for intently

I am the center of the Father’s heart and affection. He treasures me and says that I am His pleasure and satisfaction. I was made to be loved by God and He desires to cover me in this gigantic love everyday. The reason for God’s love, is me. As the Father’s son I am loved beyond measure now and every single day I wake up!

Therefore, when life gets tough, days aren’t the brightest, mountains are in front of me, task are big, I feel scared and I want to give up, my Dad reminds me that He calls me by name…“Mighty Beloved”.

My question to the one reading this is…How has the Father uniquely created you? And, have you sat and thought of just how much he cherishes you, just because of who you are? Do it! Take the time to sit with this and let Him speak to your heart today.

He has joy. What’s my problem?

Posted on September 8, 2016September 8, 2016 by Spanky Rouse

20371_1364726396548_4775971_n — So, he doesn’t look very happy here. He had never seen a camera before and was checking it out. He also loved suckers and could unwrap them and put them in his mouth by using just his feet. That is talented!

“Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart…” “I desire to do your will O my God…” “You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing…” “He fulfills the desires of those who fear him…” (Psalms 37:45; 40:8; 145:16,19)

Every so often I think about this boy. I meet him on one of our trips to Uganda when we use to mobilize a mobile medical clinic to serve the local churches out in the bush (the middle of no where Africa).

I get caught up in what I need, want, and am working towards and forget about where true joy and satisfaction comes from. I find my self operating in the mind-set that, if I can get my needs meet, wants provided for, and goals accomplished I will be happy, feel complete, and experience real peace. It is all a lie!

I know it is a lie because I have met this little guy. He was born with no arms and has very little possessions and success in this world. He lives in a dirt floor hut, eats less than he should eat everyday (if he eats everyday), has no regular medical care near him, wears the same clothes day after day, and did I mention he has no arms. This little guy has Jesus and a joy that is unlike most in this world.

I know that those things I think will bring me joy are nothing more than surface layer desires and some even distorted desires. Let’s be honest when we get what we are striving after are we satisfied? If I reach a certain goal does it quench that longing in side of me? When I have those experiences like an amazing vacation is life really all that fulfilling? Not really. Ok, to be fair it is all good for a moment or a season and I am not saying to not pursue these or that they are bad. It’s just that I usually find my self back in that place of need, want, and seeking after to gain joy and satisfaction pretty soon, if not immediately.

So what now? How can I obtain this joy that this little boy who has barely life has?

Good news, there is a “fix to all” to this. It does cost me something but the cost is really isn’t that much of a cost to me. Surrender (abandon oneself entirely to, give in to, hand over the controls to). When I surrender and surrender daily to the love of the Father that is when I find my deepest longings and desires can be completely meet. He is the one and only (I AM) that can quench my thirst. He created me with desires and passions, therefore why would I not let Him be the one who satisfies those things in me.

What is the biggest desire you have today? It probably just came to mind, didn’t it?

Think about it for a moment. If you got that thing, had that relationship, accomplished that goal, etc., would you really be happy?

Take some time to prayerfully consider, “what is it I desire more than anything”. Surrender that to the One who loves you more than anything and let Him fulfill your deepest longings. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal your deep longings and desires so the Father can engage with you in a way you have never experienced before.

Battle for the Heart

Posted on August 19, 2016August 19, 2016 by Spanky Rouse

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men of courage, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14

Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23

This past weekend I was privileged to attend a retreat with some guys that I work with here at UWM (United World Mission). Honestly, I had too much going on and this felt like just an event that I couldn’t wait to be over. Little did I know the Father was going to meet me there. And He was going to radically transform my heart that will then offer life and growth to every other part of my life.

The Battle for the Heart is a long weekend but it is so much more than an event. I was blessed to go with 4 other men that serve with UWM and spend 4 days outside Birmingham, Al learning about this battle that is going on inside each of us. This time was about each one of us learning who God has created us to be as men, what He has chosen each of us to do, how evil is hunting my heart constantly, and how a community/fellowship can protect and propel me into the Larger story of life…His ultimate story.

After the first night I went to bed thinking that my head was going to explode! It was like drinking water from a fire hose. I was ready to go home. I felt like I had only begun to realize just how messed up I was and felt like I was a big ball of tangled mess.

The second day things began to move to my heart as I processed them with my group and alone with the Lord. The mix of large group times, small group conversations, and time sitting in the woods asking the Father to speak to me were pretty moving!

The third day was all about the Father revealing His amazing love for us and me seeing me the way He truly sees me. I had a face to face moment with God that completly blew me away.

On Sunday, the last day of the retreat, I was able to start putting all of the pieces together. I was also able to share them with a group of men that were now brothers not just co-workers of mine. We spent that morning telling one another what we see God doing in each persons life, affirming the unique glory of the Father coming out of their life, and challenging one another to live out His purpose in their life, family, marriage, work, ministries, etc. This was a powerful moment!

Before this weekend I had heard two friends at work talk about this retreat and how it was the most impactful thing that they have ever been a part of other than receiving Jesus. I honestly thought it was a sales pitch to get us there. I even told one of them that and he said, “well, what do you think now?” After going through this weekend and now knowing that get to walk with these men for the next year, I am sold! It honestly is the best, most important, impactful, life changing, transformational thing that I have been a part of other than Jesus saving me from my sin!!! My life, marriage, children, ministry, and every other relationship in life will never be the same again! My HEART will never be the same again, Praise the Lord!

I could talk for days about my experience and how the Lord meet with me! It was a sweet, sacred time that I am so thankful for. Instead of talking about everything that I heard, learned, and experienced I thought I would list just 5 of the 1000’s of quotes or truths gained:

I am His Beloved, I am enough just the way I am, and I am an image bearer of God Himself.
Deceitful Desires: Expecting fulfilment of a surface desire – any material, experiential, positional, or relational desire – to satisfy a deeper desire. Only God can satisfy a deep desire.
Our deepest desires aren’t bad. They were put in us by the Father himself because they reflect who He is and who I truly am.
I can have impact not only by what I can do but simply by being – being who God created me to be.
Evil is hunting me today because I am a danger to him. Evil is going to cleverly try to get me off track through fear, anxiousness, and pride so I am not able to live and love as the man God created me to be to my domain (life, marriage, family, work, ministry, friends, etc.)

I would strongly encouarge every person I know to attend and go through the Battle for the Heart! If you are interested click here and if you would like to hear more from me about this time I would love to share. Just let me know!

Come on MEN!

Posted on July 25, 2016 by Spanky Rouse

Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children in the hands of a man in his youth. Psalms 124:7

I am feeling a little frustrated recently with men in our society, specifically Christian men. It seems that every where we turn there are men that are screwing up their lives, families, and marriages. Either sinful situations or just plain selfish, lazy reasons. I am tired of it! COME ON MEN, let’s be the men that God has created us to be and has given us the opportunity to be to our children and wives. It truly is a great responsibility so lets not drop the ball any longer!

More times than not when you talk to someone who is struggling in life they will say that is steams back to a “Daddy issue”. Can we, as men/dads, really make such an impact on the lives of our children today that will affect them for the rest of their lives??? YES! This truth can feel weighty but it can also give us the push needed to do what is right today. To love them abundantly, cheer them on like no one else does, use kind words, disciple them in all things, discipline them when needed, be present often and model what it looks like to follow Jesus. But it seems this truth just isn’t enough to keep some of us on the right path. So what will it take? I think about a young girl that is ruining her life because she is constantly trying to find the approval and affection of a man. I also think about the many conversations I have had with men that are emotionally cut off and still struggling to know who he really is even as an adult. Life is jaded, hopeless, and empty for so many because of that one person that had the chance to make life great for them…Daddy.

What you do today is going to tell the future of your children. You are raising them to either constantly struggle in life and feel stuck in this dark place because of their damaging relationship with Dad, or you are setting them up to be the healthiest person possible. You have the power to lead your son/daughter to be a person that is vibrant, passionate, confident, loving, joyful, strong, caring, self-aware and light-hearted. This will be a person that will love his/her spouse, children, and others well. This will be a person that others are attracted to and accomplish great things in their life. This will be a person that will go far in their career. This will be a person that will look back at life when they are old and are satisfied how they lived. This is the person we all hope our children would grow up to be. This should be one of the top goals and priorities for what we, as men can accomplish in our life!

MEN how can we best serve our families today? By being intentional to live, love, and lead them well, the way our Heavenly Father would be pleased with. It is not too late to start being the Man of God/dad/husband you want to be today. We all have to start somewhere at sometime. Let today be your time and place you start loving your wife, leading your children, and acting selflessly.

Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children in the hands of a man in his youth. Psalms 124:7

Into the woods

Posted on July 6, 2016 by Spanky Rouse

The other weekend my awesome wife planned this great weekend to celebrate Father’s Day. Something different from just going out to eat or hanging around the house. I appreciate this kind of thing because I love quality time but probably wouldn’t take the initiative to plan something out of the ordinary. We went on a camping trip! It was a LOT of work on her part to prepare and pack all of us to go camping for 3 days but it was so fun once we got there. We haven’t been camping in a long time so this was a long over due trip!

Elly was probably the funniest to watch as we packed up the night before. I don’t think that we have ever taken her camping so she was not really getting the concept that we weren’t going to have electricity. You could tell she was concerned how we were going to make it without electricity. As she packed some toys she would ask funny little questions like; can I take my radio and listen to music, how are we going to see at night-time, and what if we have a problem and need to call someone??? She even tried to pack her pink bedside lamp but then realized it wouldn’t work at the cabin.

Part of the camping experience is simply living. You have to cook everything and it takes more time than normal. You have to build fires in the morning and evening to keep warm. You have to wash dishes and clothes without having a sink or dishwasher. You have to find somewhere to use the bathroom every time you need to go…even in the pitch black dark of night! You are constantly cleaning or putting something away so ants and other wild life doesn’t come around (we forgot this and a nice size raccoon woke me up one night!). But for us these are all a part of the experience and are kind of fun, at least for a few days.

Most of our time was spent lying around in hammocks, staring at the fire, exploring through the woods, hiking, playing in streams and waterfalls, playing games, and good ‘ol eating! It was just what we all needed! No phones, computers, tv’s, or any other electronics, just family time. My favorite part of this Father Day trip was spending time with the 4 most important people in my life. Watching Grey run around in the woods with no shoes, no shirt, and dirty enjoying nature was awesome. Chilling with Mac by the fire in the hammocks was totally relaxing. And taking walks with Elly down the mountain to the store was pretty entertaining as she talked the entire way there and back. I love these people and couldn’t imagine life any other way! Thanks baby for making this weekend so memorable!

Set the date

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Spanky Rouse

Dating from the Urban Dictionary:

1. To see someone.
2. To be with someone.
3. To be “together”.
4. The action of doing any sort of various activities to gain acquaintance with someone romantically.

When Lara and I were just teenagers we began dating each other. These are some of the greatest memories that I have. We use to have fun together, eat dinner, drink coffee, walk around parks, sit at the airport and watch planes, and ride around in my Jeep just holding hands. It was awesome! For some reason when people get married, begin having children, and get real jobs they think it is also time to stop dating each other. We believe that this is the exact time that we should be dating one another!

About a week and a half ago in the middle of a busy season of travel, work, and ministry Lara said she needed a date day. What a great idea it was! We dropped the boys off at school, left Elly with someone, and hit the road. We drove up to Black Mountain just outside of Asheville for the day. It was the perfect day. Nice weather. Good food. Shopping. Hiking. Enjoying the changing leaves. But my favorite time of the whole day was just me and my love sitting at the top of the mountain talking, laughing, and enjoying the view. There was nowhere else I would have rather been in that moment and nowhere else I would rather be right now!

Some may think that it was irresponsible to take a day off in the middle of the week. It absolutely was the right thing to do that day! Going on a date with my wife was just what I needed. The next day at work a friend asked how it was and I told her that it was good medicine. I seriously felt recharged and ready to tackle the world.

The question of dating your spouse is not a question for the RouseHouse. The only questions we have are when is our next date and how often can do this together. We want our marriage to last, be healthy, and be an example to others. To accomplish these goals we must make time to date, talk, laugh, and love on each other!