Consolidating

We've combined all our web stuff into one totally redesigned blog:

Check it out: www.TheRieslands.com

Come on... you know you want to do it...

Click here, here, here, or here!

It is finished

Our new home on the web, that is.

If you use www.TheRieslands.com to access this page, then you must not be reading this, because that now sends you to our new blog at wordpress.

However, if you still use the pesky, long blahblah.blogspot.blah... domain, then you should update your bookmarks and RSS feeds to our new site:

http://www.therieslands.com

See you there!

need your opinion

I'm re-designing this blog!

We had high hopes for the version you're looking at now, but life keeps us pretty stinking busy, and we never really got around to it.

Plus, apparently I'm a bad judge of these things. Steph never likes the templates I like.

But I'm trying anyways. I moved our stuff over to a wordpress account at http://therieslands.wordpress.com. Once I get it all prettied up, I'll point therieslands.com to that address.

Wordpress makes it really easy to switch between a lot of nice templates, so I want your opinion! Please go take a look and let me know what you think about the current theme, and in a few days I'll try a new one.

Eventually we'll settle on the one everybody likes the most :0)

zack is going to be a quarter century

Go look at http://weblog.zackweb.net to hear about the partay

July 4th

Steph and I met face-to-face for the first time on July 4th, 2006.

This year, we re-lived our evening by returning back up to Gloucester and heading out on the Dayspring (named for Luke 1:78). It was an awesome evening -- except for getting home at like 2 in the morning.

Here are some photos for your viewing pleasure :0)

Hard Times...

My heart is a little heavy today for my sister Adrienne and her husband Drew. I am so proud of my sister for how strong she is being right now. A couple of months ago she found out that Drew would perhaps be headed to Iraq. At the time it seemed like they were just talking about it and he wouldn't go.

Last month we found out for sure that he would be leaving for 6 months. This month he is going for 8 months instead of 6 and now he's leaving sooner than expected (July 19th). All of that to say that it has been difficult for me to not be by my sister's side helping her. I can remember when Drew was in Dallas training to be in the Air Force and I would go up on weekends and keep her company. We would grocery shop, talk, watch movies, and laugh.

Zack and I have been praying for both of them through this time, but it puts everything into perspective. Our lives are precious and short. We are not promised tomorrow, today, or even our next breath. I think what I'm beginning to see is God's sovereignty played out in my life. I get so worried about the unknown or what will happen, but my trust and faith needs to be in a God that is in control of it all. He knew that Drew would go to Iraq, that I would be here and Adrienne in Vegas, and to be honest I'm comforted by that fact. Please pray for them!

More to come.

Prayer Request

Hey Boys and Girls...

I would like to ask everyone to keep us in your prayers. Steph and I are both trusting the Lord to bring some change into our lives soon. We both find ourselves at jobs that really drain us and don't make us excited about life.

I recently found a job opening that I'm REALLY excited about. DesiringGod.org is looking for someone to work full-time on their web presence (read more here). I've been in touch with the folks there and am preparing a resume to send their way. Please pray for God to bring this to pass if it's a good thing from Him! And please just pray for general wisdom for us as we navigate through our first year of marriage...

We've got lots of fun to post when we get some time. Until then, smile :0)

My Honey is Gone...

It's been a week since I put something down, but God has been so good in all of it. I quit my job to be at home for a little bit, but even in that God has shown me amazing things. This week the youth are going to Camp Go Tell in Lynchburg, VA. while I try and find a replacement. God has provided in so many ways for us. I told my boss this past week and there was a lady who worked at a firm for 39 years and lost her job. I'm just excited about this opportunity for her.

Friday-Saturday was the Harvest Crusade and let me tell you it was incredible. To see God working in such a big way blessed my heart so much. There were 2 people that we knew who became believers and part of our family in Him! Anyway..I'm a little sad this morning because my hubby is away until Friday. I'm fine now, but this morning was another story. I cried a lot last night and then this morning like a baby. Even in this, Jesus is reminding me that it's going to be sweet time with Him.

Birdie Boutique

Today I was introduced to the Birdie Boutique on the way to Boston Market with Becky. All 3 of the ladies that work in the real estate company next to my office have birds. Sheila has 14 birds. Let's focus..it's a lot of birds. I had just walked in with Becky to the shop and there was this red macaw that said "hello" and did a little dance for me. Then a smaller bird in another cage had written on the outside store bird not for sale "elvis". So feeling silly talking to this bird I said is your name Elvis? To which he squeaked out Elvis. I thought it was the funniest thing.

Wedding Album Online

Hey everyone,
Well, our wedding album came out today. It's been a little crazy for a few months, but here is our link to the wedding album and let us know what you think about it. :)

http://www.alwaysautumnstudios.com/rieslandalbum/

More Photos: The Mountain Trip, Part Deux

Moving In

Well, this weekend was amazing. Quick Re-cap.

Pirates of the Carribean was great, but I have to wait for the next one! Goodness gracious. Saturday was packing day and can I just say for anyone who's ever packed make sure you have everything organized. I still can't find stuff! The other night Zack said "just put the bedroom together while I unpack" (from our camping trip). I couldn't even find the bed skirt to the bed!

After we packed everything in the house we set out on our adventure to the mountains. Zack took me to Asheville. I think I was going stir-crazy and I just needed a weekend away from Durham. I'm so used to going somewhere every weekend, and my honey decided that we'd go camping. I was really excited about it except when we got to the camp site and realized there were no stakes to hold down the tent. In my mind, I could see a gust of wind picking up the tent and putting it in the creek (just kiddin). We just rested, which I really appreciated because lately I haven't felt like I could take a breath.

We puttered around Montreat and the towns soaking up all that God created. It was a chance for us to laugh and have fun. Hmmm...what else? Oh yea, there was a baby bird that fell out of the nest and for 20 minutes I was worried sick about the poor thing. The next morning he was no where to be found so I'm going to believe that the parents put out a rescue mission and saved the bird.

New Pictures!

Steph and I spent this past weekend in the NC Mountains. Being the nerd that I am, I took at least a hundred pictures -- most of which had no people in them :0)

But here's the first batch. The second batch will have a lot more with my beautiful wife in them ;0)

(You can click on the slideshow to go to the gallery at http://photos.therieslands.com)

SAVY?!

If you don't already know Pirates of the Carribean 3 comes is already out. Yes, it will be so great to be in the theaters on the edge of my seat trying to find out what will become of Jack! My husband already got tickets, it's going to be thrilling. The question is how crowded will it be tonight? I hope it's not like when I went to see LOTR 3 it was madness, but I'll let you know how everything fares and how many stars I give it.

Lotsa New Pictures!

As you know, we have, well... let's just say too many pictures up at photos.zackweb.net

Those will stay there, and maybe even get updated from time to time... but new photos will be going up on a Google Picasa website: http://picasaweb.google.com/zack.riesland

The reason for the change is that it's easier for us to post the photos, and easier for you to see them! And not only that, you can even subscribe, and see all the newest photos with one click of the mouse! :0)

My Husband

This morning I was putting away some files for Pat and then my husband walks in with a dozen roses!!! How sweet is he?!? They are perched up next to my computer with a cute little red ribbon and roses to match. He is so precious and dear to me. I love him so much, and it's fun when he does random acts of sweetness.

I love you Zachary Benjamin!

Puddles

So, we have a fish from Katie's wedding that we named puddles (rhymes with cuddles). It was day 2 that Puddles hadn't been fed and we hung out at Zack's parents house. Well, we made a quick trip to Wal-Mart and found some fish food for Puddles. I kept thinking he's going to starve..poor thing. We got tons of food for him and he hasn't eaten anything. Anyone have any advice?

How Should We Respond?

33 people killed. What really makes me chew on what happened at V.T. is that I wouldn't be surprised if I know a half-dozen people who are two steps away from doing the same thing... and the only thing that stands between them and another tragedy is a false hope that they'll get better.

Why is that a false hope? Because we don't get better. Jesus doesn't make us better. If that seems confusing, then let me clarify something:

Jesus did not come to make bad people good or good people better. Jesus came and died to make dead people alive (see Ephesians 2). And He rose again to live through us. We don't get better... we just learn how to better let Jesus live through us, because our self -- our flesh -- is hopeless (see all of Galatians, Ephesians, and Colossians)

What does this mean, then, for us? How should what happened in Blacksburg yesterday effect us?

I suggest two things:

1 - Let us recognize that we live in a reality where everything we do has an impact on eternity. C.S. Lewis said it very well:
"...remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day
be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be tempted to worship, or else a
horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare."
The guy who bags your groceries at Food Lion tonight might be one step away from giving up on himself and everyone else... or one step away from going down a path that will impact the world for the glory and fame of Jesus. Treat him like you believe that.

2 - Let us encourage one another - particularly brothers and sisters in Christ - correctly... and effectively.
It's a subtle difference, but think about how our country -- and the Church -- would be different if, instead of encouraging each other with a focus on living a holy life and managing our sin (which only leads to hiding our sin)... imagine what it would be like if we put all our energy and passion into encouraging each other to simply focus on God's greatness, and passionately seek to let Him live through us. Not hide our issues, but expose them and let them be an evidence of how God can use such foulness...
My friend Shannon has some good words about this over in his neck of the blog woods
I guess what I'm saying is that sometimes the most loving thing we could probably do for a brother is to humbly choose not to hide or disguise our shortcomings, but wear it openly as an evidence of how much junk God is transforming for His glory. Then, when we have all that extra energy that we didn't waste trying to save a sinking ship of our flesh, we can use it to do what Jesus really called us to. As Tim Hughes puts it in his song 'God of Justice',

We must go
Live to feed the hungry
Stand beside the broken
We must go
Stepping forward
Keep us from just singing
Move us into action
We must go...


Any thoughts?


PS - After thinking this over for a few minutes, I think there is a third reaction that this should stir up. It should stir our hearts to cry, "Come soon Jesus!".

Come quickly, Lord Jesus! And while You tarry, keep us free from the sin of this world. Oh, make our little lives count for the glory of Your name and for the fame of Your Father. Rivet our attention on Your cross, and fuse our affections to Yourself. Waken our compassion for all who suffer, especially those who are rushing toward everlasting misery because of unbelief. So open our mouths and open our hands and open our wallets while we have breath, and make us the most radically loving people on earth, for the joy of all peoples and the renown of Your name, Amen. -Stolen from John Piper's "Life as a Vapor"

Working on graphics

So, I spent several hours (split up over several days while watching movies and such) working on a banner for this here bloggy do-dad... I triple-checked the size of the image that I need before I went to work, but somehow, it's still way too big, which is way our faces are cut off...

I also need to figure out a way to change the color of the title...

Does anybody know where we can find some fun custom templates for Blogger?