love – Page 4 – The Rousehouse

What can you start doing today?

Posted on February 14, 2015February 18, 2015 by Spanky Rouse

Some of you may follow me on Facebook and saw an article that I posted earlier this week about missional living. The article suggested 8 easy ways to live missionally. It sparked a brief conversation between a good friend and me. **Let me tell you first that this guy lives out his faith, missional living, better than most American Christians that I know or have heard of. He, day by day, is loving on and serving those in his neighborhood. He is relentless in-spite of how messy and jacked up it can get…and it gets messy up often!

His point was just that, missional living is not easy. While I agree with him, I also believe that each one of us can start doing something today that is an easy next step in living out Jesus. Practical ways of being His hands and feet, salt and light to the “world” around us.

The problem I see is how we, churchy people, label missional living as something radical that only missionaries do or those crazy people who move to poor neighborhoods and say they are called to do. When in reality (God’s perspective) we are all called to live missionally. I am NOT saying that we are all called to be missionaries or sale our houses and move into a low-income areas to start a church! No not at all! ~Well some of us are probably called to do things like this if we are to be honest with our self.~ But for every single one of us we are “called” to love our neighbors, serve those in need, and live in a way that will point others to worship Jesus.

My question for each of us is, “What is one simple way we can start living missional today?”

Take a look at this article then ask where, who, how can I begin being missional. I would love to hear what step you are going to begin taking today towards missional living! Let’s start a movement of love, love that is in action!!!

This is my fb post regarding missional living. you can read it by going to my Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/spanky.rouse

Fun in the sun

Posted on February 12, 2015February 12, 2015 by Spanky Rouse

Last Saturday we saw the weather forecast for the next day and it looked beautiful. Still a little chilly but warmer than normal and full of sunshine! If you don’t know, the Rouse’s do not enjoy the winter months! It is almost torture for us mostly because we just hate being cold all of the time. Along with the cold we hate having to be inside all the time. Since it is cold outside we stay bundled up inside which can make us a little crankier than normal.

The Rouse House picnicking Romare Bearden Park downtown CLT

**Before all of you northern folks start in, we know that our winter isn’t as bad as most but it is cold enough for us. We realize that we are big babies so no need to comment ;)**

Last weekend the forecast was warmer than normal and with a whole lot of sunshine, therefore we planned to be outside as much as we could. After church Lara, being the most awesomeness wife and mommy, planned for us to have a picnic at one of our favorite parks which is downtown Charlotte (our whole family loves this city and loves being downtown so we do so as much as we can). It was such a good time! We ate lunch on a blanket, people watched (a favorite pastime for Lara and I), kicked the soccer ball around, cuddled, laid out on the grass, played a game of freeze tag, walked to find coffee (no coffee though, everywhere was closed! not the best part of the day), and laughed a lot.

Between the warm sunshine and family time this was just about as perfect as it can get! I like to say it was like good medicine that just refreshes every part of me. These are the times that are priceless and make the best memories.

Princess for a day

Posted on December 11, 2014 by Spanky Rouse

Last week was our little princess birthday. I can’t believe that she is already 4 years old! Where does time go?! You would have thought that it was a national holiday around the Rouse House. Not because of Elly but because of the boys (daddy included). Everything for a day was all about her. She got anything she wanted and got to go where ever she wanted to go.

We began breakfast with cinnamon rolls, lunch at Taco Bell (her choice), shopping, McAdenville lights (if you haven’t been there you should go during Christmas. It’s an entire town covered in lights. So awesome!), rode around downtown Charlotte, and then headed to MidWood Smoke House for some mac and mheese (she didn’t even get mac and cheese…girls).

The next day we continued the celebration. At church, while in the hallway, I heard someone say, “whose birthday is it?”. And immediately we all heard Elly’s BFF yell, “it’s Elly’s birthday, my sister’s birthday!” **side note Elly and her BFF, Brinley, actually don’t say they are friends. They call each other sisters. Pretty cute!** We had one of the coolest (it was a Frozen princess party) parties after church. Little girls running around dressed in costumes, its something that I never ever thought would be a Rouse House thing but I am so glad I get to be the father of a princess! One of my favorite things in the entire world.

This little girl is #myblessing! Every December 6th I think about the long ride in a small bus from the jungles of Panama to the airport when God told me that I was having a baby girl one day. After a little snooze I woke up with the thought, ” should we have another baby?”. The next thought was, “it’s a baby girl with blond hair and blue eyes.” WHAT?!?! I remember coming home, walking in my bathroom to see a note wrote in a red marker on the mirror that said, “Welcome home daddy of 3”. I thought that my wife had just added wrong but to be safe I ask, “3?” She sat on our bed smiling from ear to ear! Not sure if I was more surprised to know that we were pregnant with number 3 or that I for sure heard from God earlier that day. Either way…WOW!

Guess what, the baby was a beautiful girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. She stole my heart the moment I held her. To this day I know that there is no mistaken that she is a gift from God to remind me that he cares about me and he knows what I truly need (and want) even more than I do! His plans are amazing for me…I can’t seemed to get away from that truth every time I look at my princess!