Marty, Jaclyn, Raya, & Corban

2011-06-22T21:50:00.001-06:00

Hey Blogger ! Hope you're doing well. I just wanted to send you a quick update. Jaclyn and I are enjoying our small church that meets in our home and all the service projects we've been able to do with them. But I have a passion to share hope, love and faith with more and more people and to relieve any burden we might be on the church.

So…we're starting a real estate business! I am now a licensed broker and Jaclyn will eventually be licensed as well. We would love to be your real estate resource. I'm working in Denver, but I can also help you (or your friends) find the best realtor in your area. We're excited about this new business and your support would mean a lot to me.

Please sign up for our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/epFiw

"Like" us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GoodFitHomes

Thanks!

-Marty Reiswig

Moved to WordPress

2009-03-04T22:19:00.002-07:00

FYI - we've moved our blog to WordPress.com, so in case you're wondering why we haven't updated in a while...

You can still simply find us at http://www.reiswig.us/

Testimony Dork

2009-02-27T11:37:00.000-07:00

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Is this thing on?

2009-02-22T07:14:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking about using blogger for a journal... Does this email
feature work?

Stair Surfing

2009-02-11T16:15:00.001-07:00

I've gotten so many facebook comments about this, I might just have to start trying other modes of transportation. We'll see.

Tough Crowd

2008-12-27T12:54:00.000-07:00

We were merrily singing on the way home from grandma's, assuming it
was entertaining the kids. I turned around to see Corban sitting there
with both fingers stuck into his ears.

Newsletter Nov/Dec 2008

2008-11-24T12:04:00.003-07:00

Get our Newsletter by email

2008-11-19T14:49:00.004-07:00

We're looking for prayer partners! Please hear me... we are praising God for how much he has provided for us and we are not in financial need... we need more prayer partners.

The KBM/Reiswig newsletter (sent every-other month) communicates some of the stats and stories of our ministry here in Denver and around the globe. Ministry is tough, but having informed prayer partners helps a ton!

If you would like to start receiving our newsletter by email, click here.

For those of you who receive our newsletter in print, we're looking to deliver it by email. If you're willing to get it by email instead of postal mail, click here. Thank you!

Trick or Treat

2008-11-02T15:35:00.003-07:00

Jenae and Aaron came to hang out with us again this year on Halloween. We had a good time trick-or-treating, and then the adults watched a good old-fashioned zombie movie. My favorite is the picture of the tired, fussy kids screaming on the front porch.

First Jack-O-Lantern

2008-11-02T15:25:00.003-07:00

It was the first time for Raya and for me to carve a Jack-o-lantern this year. She and I cleaned it out and Marty carved the face. It was a Corban-inspired face--just 2 little teeth on the bottom!

Fall in Colorado

2008-10-08T08:50:00.003-06:00

I took a drive with God last week and thought I'd share some photos. Enjoy and praise the Creator!

Pledge of Allegiance

2008-10-02T13:12:00.002-06:00

Of Pigs and Pit Bulls

2008-09-12T10:24:00.004-06:00

Let's be honest: the whole kerfluffle this week over Obama's "lipstick on a pig" quote was pure idiocy. Obama was totally correct in calling the Republicans' response "phony outrage." It's all political posturing, and it's so blatant that it may backfire.
On the other hand, I can't figure out why no one is highlighting the obvious: Obama was a friggin idiot to use that phrase after Palin's speech, and he should have seen this coming from a mile away.

Quick Study

2008-08-23T08:22:00.005-06:00

Before Thursday night, Corban had only stood on his own and taken one step before falling down. In about 5 minutes Thursday night, he accomplished all of this!

Pandora

2008-08-05T10:04:00.003-06:00

(Click the pic to try it out)

If you haven't tried this music player, you MUST! It's the future of online music. Period.

(iPhone users... don't miss out on this... download and try the Pandora app as soon as possible.)

Walkin On Sunshine

2008-07-29T22:49:00.002-06:00

The Dark Knight: Believe the Hype

2008-07-28T09:29:00.003-06:00

I was afraid that I'd be disappointed in The Dark Knight. In my experience, when everyone is in histrionics over a movie, it can never measure up to the high expectations I have for it. I was afraid that Heath Ledger's performance was being blown out of proportion due to his untimely death.

I was wrong. Believe the hype. Everything you've heard is true.

For the past few years, we've been drowning in superhero movies. This one not only sets the bar for the genre, but transcends it. This is a brilliant film regardless of its genre.

I'm not going to go into great detail here, because I assume you all will see this movie. Christian Bale is back as Batman, and though he does a fine job, the star of this show is undoubtedly Ledger's Joker. This is a villain unlike any we've seen before. He is thoroughly uninterested in money and power, the usual drugs of choice for Gotham's crime lords. He is an anarchist who thrives on chaos. He relishes evil, and his greatest pleasure is in revealing the capacity for evil that resides in all of us, especially in those who seem to be incorruptible. He is the most terrifying sort of villain: he is completely insane, absolutely brilliant, he has nothing to lose, and really, nothing to gain. As he himself puts it, he is the immovable object to Batman's unstoppable force.

This film explores with unflinching candor the human capacity for evil. But perhaps hitting closer to home is its depiction of good people faced with overwhelming pressure to compromise. It is impossible to miss the parallels to our nation's current struggle against terrorism. To what depths will we sink to eradicate this threat? As Batman says, "I've seen what I would have to become to fight men like him." Another character, before fully realizing the import of his words, says, "You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain."

I could go on an on. Suffice it to say that you must see this film.

A word of warning to parents out there: Dark Knight achieved a PG13 rating because there is no sexuality, no foul language that I can recall, and the violence is, for the most part, insinuated. There's no blood onscreen--which, if you ask me, is the most effective way to induce squirming in an audience. What I imagine will always be worse than what you can show. The tension is interminable and at times, almost unbearable. We realized at the end that we had been tensed and ready to sprint for the exits through the entire thing, for fear that the Joker would step through the screen and practice his chaos theory on us. This is not a movie for kids. But it is the best movie of the year so far.

Hellboy 2 Review

2008-07-28T08:51:00.003-06:00

Hey, it was our anniversary weekend. We were child-free, so we saw a couple movies. Lay off!

I didn't hate the first Hellboy; I thought it was different and fun; so when I saw that this new one got an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, I thought, "Wow! Better see it!" I left the theater feeling confused and insecure, wondering what the critics all saw in it that I missed.

The movie begins with a flashback to Hellboy's childhood, with his adoptive father, Professor Broom, reading him a bedtime story which sets the stage for the film's plot. It is illustrated with an imaginative animation sequence, but the child actor who plays Hellboy is atrocious. He must be somebody's kid or something, because he was painful to watch.

Returning to present day, Hellboy (played by Ron Perlman, who is really magnificent in this role) and Liz (Selma Blair), his pyrokinetic girlfriend, have moved in together and are now a bickering, tiresome couple. His unrequited pining for her in the first movie was much more fun to watch. Abe, the blue fish guy, is still around, and they are joined by a new character: Johann Krauss, a German ectoplasmic being who inhabits an old-school deep sea diving suit. He is assigned to keep tabs on Hellboy, so of course, friction ensues.

The villain is an elf-prince who wants to destroy humanity for destroying the world. (Yes, there's a strong environmental undercurrent. Am I the only one who's tired of being scolded when what I paid for was to be entertained?) He's actually pretty fun to watch. He's a very bouncy fighter with a cool, collapsible spear.

I just realized that at this rate, this review is going to take more time than I'm willing to give. Let's shift to ultra-condensed mode:

The movie is stuffed to the gills with fantastical creatures and scary beasties. But it fails to feel original, with several scenes looking as though they were copied straight out of Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. Guillermo del Toro's touch is apparent, with many of the creatures reminding me of Pan's Labyrinth. But visual impact is empty without equally strong storytelling. Marty put it best when he said, "By the time it was halfway through, I didn't care what happened anymore." The film was 2 hours long, but it felt like 3.

Del Toro is usually a master at weaving a good storyline, but this effort fell flat. Let's hope it's because he has "The Hobbit" on his plate, and he's putting his best efforts into it.

And who knows? Maybe we'd have liked it better if we hadn't just seen the best movie of the year the day before.

Indy Trip Coming Soon

2008-06-30T20:31:00.002-06:00

Our annual trip to Indy to visit family and friends is coming soon. If you fall into the category of being our family or friend, we'd like to spend time with you.

We'll be in Marion July 11-14 and in Fishers July 15-21. If you're available during those dates, please CHECK OUR CALENDAR for open times and email us or post a reply to this blog. We'd love to share a meal with you or just grab a coke - we don't drink coffee but if you're lucky we'll buy you one.

Hope to see you soon!

P.B. Loco peanut butter is Deeelicious!

2008-06-28T10:36:00.001-06:00

2008-06-27T10:08:00.002-06:00

Cool CO storm sunsets

2008-05-06T19:44:00.000-06:00

GTD in 60 seconds

2008-05-02T13:50:00.002-06:00

You've probably heard about David Allen's book "Getting Things Done". I'm a big proponent because it changed the way I live and work... for the less-stressed-better. I ran across this interesting article that attempts to explain GTD in a short post. It's not a full understanding, but it will get you started and if you benefit from what he suggests, I highly recommend buying the book!

Not amused

2008-05-01T15:50:00.003-06:00

My dad is in Georgia, strolling in shorts at 9 p.m. Marty's folks are in Florida, basking on the beach. Jamie told me it's 75 degrees in Indiana. And here we are. Nope, not a photo from Christmastime. This is what I woke up to this morning. May first. MAY FIRST, PEOPLE.

Crush game

2008-04-25T21:31:00.000-06:00

The Colorado Crush got crushed but it was still fun to hang out with
Aaron and Jenae at the game. We went green and rode the lightrail. I
enjoyed that and I think well do it again next time we head downtown.

Trial 2

2008-04-25T12:33:00.000-06:00

Interesting...

2008-04-25T11:24:00.001-06:00

Thanks for the tip, Stevan Sheets...

HowManyOfMe.com

There are
0
people with my name
in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

Following my biblical mandate

2008-04-21T16:57:00.003-06:00

"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."
-Proverbs 22:6

Funny girl

2008-04-15T15:43:00.004-06:00

Had to share some of Raya's most recent funnies.

Last Monday, she had dragged a couple kitchen chairs into the living room. When I asked her to put them back, she said, "Mommy, I'm tired of you telling me what to do."

The next day she was "helping" me wash dishes. She got water on her shirt and immediately wanted me to help her take her shirt off. I said, "Raya, I don't have any hands free." She must not have heard the "free," because she indignantly replied, "You have hands! I see them!"

Yesterday, driving to the grocery store, we were listening to a children's Sunday School songs cd. We sang along to "Jesus Loves Me," and right after the song ended with "...the Bible tells me so," Raya said, "Hey! Bibles can't talk!"

Lately when she sneaks out of bed and down the stairs and then sees us coming toward her to put her back to bed, she starts shouting, "Be nice! Be nice!"

The laughs never end, folks!

A Whole New Way to Sync -- What do you think?

2008-04-03T10:00:00.000-06:00

New Pictures and Lemon Juice

2008-03-31T19:36:00.004-06:00

Last week I got a call from our tax guy. Explanation aside, he told me that we owe Uncle Sam $(insert painfully large amount.) To give you a rough idea, on a scale from 1 to 10, 1 being "Well, I guess we're staying in this weekend," and 10 being, "I hope this bridge is high enough," it was about a 7. I waited until I hung up to burst into tears.
We spent the next few days calming down and figuring out ways to work this out. Then our fridge revolted and the freezer turned our ice cream into soup. The bill to fix that was about a 3.5 on the scale. In the immortal words of Miracle Max (of Princess Bride fame), "Why don't you give me a nice paper cut and pour lemon juice on it?"
But then we learned that our dear friend, Martha Marie Smith, was in the hospital and has 2 brain aneurysms. She may have to have brain surgery. She and Eddie have 2 small children at home. And suddenly our problems seemed really insignificant. They're completely trusting God to heal her and make her well.
It's only money. God will provide for us, just as He always has. In the meantime, I hope you'll join us in praying for Eddie and Martha Marie.

Jaclyn's Article: Easter - Fact or Fiction?

2008-03-28T10:38:00.005-06:00

Here's a snippet and a link to Jaclyn's most recent article...

Easter: Fact or Fiction?

We all know that people who die generally stay dead. So, why do so many people believe that one man didn't? Is there any evidence to support their belief?

Easter is a celebration of an event that millions of Christians believe occurred: the physical resurrection of Jesus three days after his crucifixion. However, there are many who believe that the resurrection did not actually occur, but was rather a hoax or a legend that grew over time.

Jewish and Roman sources - both hostile to the upstart Christian movement - admit that Jesus' tomb was empty after his burial. So the question is, how did Jesus' body leave the tomb? Here is a brief look at some of the possibilities, as well as the common Christian responses.

They Went to the Wrong Tomb
This theory asserts that the women who went to Jesus' tomb that first Easter morning made a very simple mistake: they went to the wrong tomb. Seeing it empty, they assumed Jesus must have been raised to life. They raced to tell the disciples...

READ THE REST HERE...

New pictures, finally!

2008-03-24T14:07:00.005-06:00

At church on Easter Sunday morning. What a great day!

Raya checking out the loot from her Easter egg hunt.

Jenae and Aaron. What a cute couple!

Corban with his cousin, Jake. (Marty's cousin Angie's baby.)

Morale boost

2008-03-18T15:17:00.005-06:00

At breakfast yesterday morning, Raya was concerned about the egg yolk that had dripped onto her pajamas. Marty told her, "Don't worry about it, Raya; Mommy will wash it." That seemed to satisfy her, and after a couple seconds she said, "Mommy, you're the best washer I ever seen."

Jaclyn's article: How to Help When a Friend is Grieving

2008-03-07T11:09:00.001-07:00

Exciting news... Jaclyn's article was published! Make sure to click "like it" at the bottom!

How to Help When a Friend is Grieving

Vent on This Guy

2008-03-05T14:21:00.002-07:00

Whip your mouse across him and see what happens! Different sections and speeds respond differently. Pretty funny!

Peaceful, Relaxed Workday

2008-02-24T21:28:00.000-07:00

Here's a very good article with tips on creating a very peaceful, relaxed workday. One that I've implemented is creating a clutter-free workspace, and it's helped me focus much better.

Let me know if you do any of these and if they really help.

Daddy Date Night

2008-02-22T17:49:00.002-07:00

Thursday is my new favorite day of the week... It's Daddy Date Night!

The Maasai Project

2008-02-19T09:32:00.002-07:00

Many of you get our ministry newsletters, so you've heard about my friend (and KBM speaker) Caleb Bislow and his Maasai Project. Well check out this video that shows the creativity and sacrifices made to raise money for the project. You can learn more about the Maasai Project here and here.

Corban is amused by Rocky's impotent fury

2008-02-08T14:54:00.000-07:00

Too much tv?

2008-02-05T14:00:00.000-07:00

Today at lunch, I pointed out to Raya a big flock of Canada geese flying over our house. After the last one disappeared, she said, "More geese are coming on next."

If you don't think he's cute, you need new glasses.

2008-01-31T13:46:00.000-07:00

I just love this little guy!

Red Light Bible

2008-01-25T15:44:00.001-07:00

You've heard of the Red Letter Bible... I'm experimenting with the Red Light Bible. It's simple really. The average person spends 47 hours per year stuck in traffic (2003). The average red light is about 3 minutes. That's plenty of time for me to whip out a portable Bible, open at the book mark and read a couple paragraphs. And I'm a slow reader!

Another way to consume God's Word on the run... an audio Bible. One that I'm enjoying right now is "The Experience." It's a word-for-word reading of the TNIV, but it's a dramatization which includes character-specific voices and background sounds. Very engaging!

Do you have any tips for walking closely with God in this fast-paced world? Post your comment.

Farewell Nentrups!

2008-01-25T09:47:00.000-07:00

Parting is such sweet sorrow. My good friend EricNentrup.com left for
IN today after we finished loading the truck. We will miss them, but
God's blessing them and guiding them.

Potty Update

2008-01-24T10:25:00.000-07:00

We thought that potty training day was a disaster, but it turns out we must have done something right. Since that day, she has been routinely telling us when she needs to potty. This picture is from last night, and it is of the 4th time during the day that she went potty, entirely without prompting from us! Hooray!

I underestimated her sneakiness

2008-01-23T16:08:00.000-07:00

Both kids were napping this afternoon (hallelujah), so I took advantage and cleaned our gross bathroom. While cleaning, I started hearing Raya moving around in her room and playing with toys. I kept cleaning. Eventually I realized I hadn't heard her for a while. I went into her room to see what she was up to. Not there. I checked the bathroom, then went downstairs. No Raya. Getting a little nervous, I went back upstairs again and checked the loft. Not there. There was only one place left besides the garage or basement, so I quietly opened Corban's door. I could see his little feet kicking around in the air, and that his blanket was completely kicked off. I bent down to look under his crib. No Raya. Then I heard a funny noise and walked toward the crib. There she was, wedged between Corban and the bumper. I wanted to be mad, but it was just so cute. And impressive, too, since she opened and shut his door and climbed into his crib--waking him up, of course--without me ever hearing her over the monitor.

In other news, I've been advertising Upper Hand Resumes through Google for a couple of months, and today I got my first call from a potential client who found me with the ad! We'll see if I get any more...

Tell me a story

2008-01-17T12:38:00.001-07:00

Raya is in a phase where she does not want us to read books to her; she wants us to tell her a story. Yesterday when she asked for Goldilocks and the 3 Bears for the 600th time, I told her the story of Daniel and the lions' den instead. She was fascinated. I told that one a couple of times before lunch. While we were eating, she said, "Mommy, tell me the dandelion story again."

Shock and dismay

2008-01-14T09:24:00.000-07:00

The whole family wore Colts gear to church. We had a party for some
friends that are fans. And now we are shocked and dismayed.

Potty Training Fiasco

2008-01-13T20:46:00.000-07:00

I have to admit up front that it's my own fault. I should have been better prepared, and I should have followed my gut, which was telling me that she wasn't showing enough signs of being physiologically ready. But having 2 in diapers propelled me toward doing a big, 1-day bonanza of potty training.
We followed the logic that using regular panties would give her the most discomfort when she had accidents, and therefore the most incentive not to have accidents. At the end of the day, our tally was 3 successful potties in the chair, and 7 potties in various locations all around the house.
We will be switching to Feel-and-Learn pull-ups.
And scheduling a carpet cleaning.

Big sister

2008-01-09T19:09:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd share some of the adorable things Raya has done and said since Corban arrived. I was nervous about jealousy before he arrived, but we've never seen a hint of it. She loves him so much.
Sometimes when he cries, she goes running to him saying, "I'm tumming baby brother, I'm tumming!"
The other day I walked out of his room and Raya hung behind. I heard her say, "I love you, baby brother."
And today when he woke up and began talking to himself, she heard him over the monitor and said, "Mommy, I think I hear my baby brother named Corban." (Though she says "Torbin" still.)

Corban's camera fascination

2008-01-08T13:03:00.001-07:00

We can never seem to get a great picture of Corban... He goes into a
deep trance the moment the camera comes out. Does anyone else have this problem?

David Allen (author of GTD) presents to Google

2008-01-07T23:10:00.000-07:00

If you haven't read the bestselling book Getting Things Done, you're missing out on a more productive, happier way of life. It took me about a week of drives to work and back to listen to the audio book, but here's a video that will give it to you straight from the horse's mouth. David Allen gives the keys to GTD (Getting Things Done) to Google staff and you can listen in. Enjoy!

Try, try again... and what is an RSS feed?

2008-01-07T22:15:00.000-07:00

We can never seem to keep up with our iWeb website, so we're going to try Blogger. So go ahead and subscribe to the RSS feed and hopefully we'll improve our batting average.

What's an RSS feed? These guys explain it best.

How to keep up with all your blog reading and rss feeds best? I like to use Google's Reader. Check out the Google Reader Tour.