Sleeping Beauty

Last week, I was hanging out with Aidan and trying to convince him to rest for about a half hour. I even crawled into bed and snuggled with him so he would relax and get some sleep. He fought and fought the nap and finally, after a good 45 minutes, I let him off the hook to go play...

...I came downstairs about 10 minutes later and find this in the middle of the living room. Jan and I got a good laugh at this one. He is so determined and strong-willed. Didn't want the nap only because I was trying to get him to take one. Once he was given his freedom, he promptly hit the floor. I just had to take a pic.

Valentine's Pizza

Jan and I personally find Valentine's stupid, but the kids were pretty excited to celebrate. And why not pizza, the most frequently consumed dinner (along with tacos) at the Tighe house.

And I am a little confused by Aidan's attire...camo and apron? I may need to have a talk with him about this one...

Seriously, it's so fun to see your kids being creative. If you don't have little ones yet, you'll learn someday that they do not need hundreds of toys and video games to be entertained. All they need is an outlet for expressing their creativity. The kitchen is a great place to do it, and I am thankful Jan encourages this at home during the week.

Housing Update

Thanks to those of you praying with us on our housing situation. We believe God has clearly responded with an answer. Our friends, the Kautz family, will be moving no later than April 1st to Erie, just a few minutes north. They have been living in the Broadlands in the NW corner of Broomfield for the past year. The rent at their home is well below market value in the neighborhood and they have a solid landlord. I had an in-depth talk with the landlord last night, and it appears it's a done deal. Only thing we need to determine is the move-in date, which will be dictated by the Kautz's departure.

By no means is this the location we had hoped for, but we feel God has presented us with a good option within our budget and still within very close proximity to Boulder and the surrounding communities. It also looks good for being able to opt Jonatha into her current school, Monarch K-8 in Louisville, just 5 miles west of the house.

Another consideration for me is the fact that this house is in the lowest cost structure for the entire neighborhood. In the Broadlands, there is a mixture of homes ranging from townhouses, cottages and larger upscale homes. The cottages (like the Kautz's) are the most affordable and marketable homes in the neighborhood to the average consumer. Prices can surpass $1,000,000 just a couple of blocks away. And believe it or not, in our area, a $250k house is cheap. Hard to believe, but "fixer upper" homes in Boulder County start around $180-200k. That's well above the beautiful, maintenance-free North Platte house we owned.

Good news is God isn't fearful of high housing costs and is more than able to provide us the resources to live in a suitable place. We were called here and God will not disappoint in providing each and every family a place to call home and do house church ministry. It takes some serious self-denial in other areas, but it is possible to budget for the cost difference. We have certainly learned that lesson the past year and are grateful actually for the increase in cost of living. It has forced us to strip away non-essentials in our lives and has brought us tremendous freedom spiritually.

Here is a link to the neighborhood...http://www.broadlandscolorado.com/neighbor.htm

Thanks again for praying.

Heartbreak Hotel

*Post taken from my journal, Tablet of Your Heart

Last night Jonatha received her semi-annual spanking from me. Any of you who know my daughter knows that her rebellion is rare. Last night Aidan, a commoner amongst rebels, decided he wanted to brush his teeth at the same time as his big sissy. So he proceeded to snap her underwear to get her to move over. I heard this happen, then a loud thud (that distinct sound to all parents as fist to bone). Jonatha had punched Aidan square in the back.

Now, while a part of me was proud of her resilience against the brotherly warfare of her younger sibling (also known as Sir Aidan, Constant Battler of Peace), I knew in my heart I must discipline my daughter, for at the Tighe house, hitting is never acceptable. So I called her out into the room and asked her to meet me in my bedroom. This is the moment when my daddy in me just breaks. I have always wanted a little girl because there are so few on my side of the family. All my life, as I dreamed of being a daddy someday, I have longed for a daughter. So, when it comes time to discipline, I struggle with emotions that break my heart. Yet, I hear God's voice clearly..."He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him" Proverbs 13:24. Wait, does this mean I can spare my daughter (it clearly says son)? Uh...no, it doesn't mean that, Peter. Darn!

So, I have a talk with her and give her two firm swats on her backside. You should've seen her face. Determination hath no competition. She was not going to cry in front of her daddy. I told her to request of Aidan his forgiveness and finish getting ready for bed. As she walked off, I heard the outpouring of her soul's pain as she began to cry intensely. Oh that hurts my heart, Lord, I exclaim. And then, gently, God answers..."Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you" (Deuteronomy 8:5). You see, I am convinced that the process of the discipline of our children is just as much a process of our personal growth in Christ. Every time I have to discipline my children, I hear God whisper to me, "Peter, your heartache right now is how I feel when you depart from my ways." Oh, how that turns my stomach! And it's true, you know. God desires from us holiness. He desires so deeply for us to be home with him. He longs for that sweet, perfect fellowship with his children. And when we sin, we interrupt that fellowship.

I personally had a very weak moment this week. I allowed my mind to go somewhere it shouldn't and I literally felt the heartache of God's Spirit in me. I felt sick inside knowing that my sin was separating me from God at that moment. Yet, later, I felt comforted by God in that he had forgiven me because of His Son. Job 5:17, "Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty." It is such a blessing to be a child of God. Though he disciplines me, I know it's done in love. And I know that one day, at home in heaven, he will embrace me with the greatest of embraces from a Father to his son.

I can't wait!

Housing Prayer Request

Friends...would you pause today and pray with us? Jan and I have to make a pretty immediate decision on housing. Our rent is jumping $327.00/month come March 10th and we have to give a 30 day notice prior to moving. This is the downside to getting a steal to begin with based on a computer error on the listing like we did last year. Bottom line, by tomorrow we will be indicating to our current housing manager our interest in staying, leaving and on what time frame. We can go month to month, but we cannot afford the rate.

Boulder County is a unique housing market. Average house price in Superior is $400,000. Louisville is a little higher and Lafayette is a touch lower. So, finding a modest home to rent or buy is challenging. Boulder is a whole other animal and not even remotely in our budget. The upside? You can rent these homes at a $400-750 discount to buying them. Bang for buck, renters have the advantage in our neighborhood when it comes to housing costs on a budget like ours. So, we want to rent for another 2-3 years and make sure we find the neighborhood we want to choose to live in long-term and then buy a house when we are 100% debt free. And free we will be indeed come fall of 2009! No consumer debt, no auto debt, no student debt, nothing. That's when we plan to start researching our buying opportunities.

I have caught some crap from family over the years for moving so frequently. We lived in North Platte for 7 years, but lived in 4 houses. But, Jan and I have always been a couple who constantly asks God to lead us in where he wants us to be and that sometimes requires us to be flexible in moving. And, I'll defend every one of those moves as prayer saturated decisions. When we moved to CO, we knew from day one that the apartment we took was only temporary and that we'd be moving again come spring 2007. In fact, all 5 families who moved here with Emmaus Road will be moving in the next 3 months. So remember all of us in prayer, if you will, as we ask God for wisdom and provision to place us exactly in the community and house of his choosing so that we will be neighbors to the folks he has predestined us to do life with.

Specifically, you can visualize this by using Google maps/earth. Take a look at Superior, Louisville, Erie, Lafayette and of course, Boulder. You'll notice that these towns are all a "front range" so to speak to Boulder and are in a great location for doing ministry across city borders. Another exciting thing is Cornerstone Church in Boulder is actually asking people in their congregation to help launch a second Emmaus Road ministry team in the city of Boulder. Yes, you read that correctly...a church is literally okay with members of their church joining another body of believers in the same community - amazing! This, paired with all the families actively looking at homes in the surrounding communities, reminds me that God is strategically placing believers in the county to do his work.

All of this just simply is encouraging to me. I just got off the phone with my wife and we were discussing how great it is to know God has it all planned out for us. He knows where we will be, who we will be living by and what kind of friendships we will be establishing. I can only imagine how excited he is about it all.

Thanks for your prayers!

--Peter