Roaming With the Roddens

A giant of the Faith has been called home...

2011-08-31T13:55:00.000-05:00

David B. Rodden
8/29/2011
David B. Rodden, age 90, head of Home Creek Ranch out of Valera, Texas, a Texas Centennial Ranch founded by his ancestors in 1885, died Saturday, August 27, 2011 at Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene. Funeral service will be held 10:00 a.m. Thursday, September 1 in Stevens Funeral Home Chapel with Pastor Randy Griffin officiating. Burial with Military Honors with be held at Valera Cemetery. Services are under the direction of Stevens Funeral Home.

David was born November 14, 1920 in Valera, Texas, a son of Ethan Allen Rodden and Lucy Bell James Rodden. He attended and graduated from Centennial High School, Coleman County, Texas. David also attended Texas A&M University and later worked at the General Dynamics Fort Worth plant assembling P-51s and B-24s.

David, being an humble Patriot who did his duty for God and Country, was soon serving in the U. S. Army Air Corp from 1944 to 1945 in World War II. David was in the China, Burma, India, Pacific theater where he served with the 14th Army Air Corp which was commanded by the famous Claire Chenault of the Flying Tigers. David served on a B-24 Liberator ("The Ding How Dottie") of the famed 308th Bomb Group, where he was a recipient of The Distinguished Flying Cross along with three Bronze Battle Stars, among other decorations.

On May 25, 1946, he married Lorene Dyer in Coleman, Texas. They lived in the Dallas/Fort Worth area where he drove a truck for Exxon Mobil, retiring after a number of years. They returned to live in Valera where he was a member of Valera Baptist Church. He was also a member of the American Legion.

He is survived by his wife, Lorene Rodden; children, Mark Rodden and wife Dorothy, Joseph E. Rodden and wife Cindy, Cody Rodden and wife Linda, Donald Rodden, Timothy Rodden and wife Sherri, Gary Rodden, Joseph A. Rodden and wife Lindsay, Rhonda Bell and husband Terry Bunton, Rosanna Troutman and husband Roger, Rebecca Burge and husband Rick, Regina Corbin, Rolinda Syfrett, Rachel Rodden, Renee English and husband John, Junea Rodden and Jamie Rodden; grandchildren, Brannon Rodden, Misty Rodden, Cindy Limdimmuth, Wendy Dominikoski, Roben Gerharte, Evan Rodden, Allison Rodden, Ethan Rodden, Heather Nelson, Shelby Bunton, Roger Troutman, Clint Troutman, Christopher Kelso, Jason Corbin, Jennifer Droege, Ron Syfrett, Stephanie Syfrett, Tanya Syfrett, Tiffany Sterrett, Stephen Sterrett, Justin Eudy, Melissa English; great-grandchildren, Garrett Rodden, Lorelei Rodden, Trent Ellison, Trever Ellison, Hayden Long, Audrey Corbin, Brock Droege, Brae Droege, Emmalynn Kelso, Hope Butler, Rylan Baker.

He was preceded in death by three children, Bobby Rodden, Ranessa Rodden and Radeana Rodden; a grandchild, Jeffrey Rodden, and a great-grandchild, Gavin Rodden.

Visitation will be held on Wednesday from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at Stevens Funeral Home, 400 West Pecan, Coleman, Texas.

West Texas Holiday!

2010-11-14T18:44:00.009-06:00

This weekend we were able to get out of Houston and head out West to Coleman County, Texas. We joined about 100 or so other members of Joe's family to celebrate Joe's father David and his 90th birthday. If you ask Joe, he will tell you that David is the greatest dad anyone has ever had. He is a highly decorated Air Force veteran, great-grandfather, and Fightin' Texas Aggie. Joe is planning to write a book about him in the near future, so we'll let you know when that day comes.

We had a great time at the party and the pictures below will show a few glimpses of the day, although we didn't take many because we were busy trying to catch up with so many beloved family members that we just don't get to visit with that often. After the party we spent a couple more hours with Joe's parents and a few other members of the family at the Rodden hacienda.
Once the evening began to wind down we hopped in the car and drove halfway home to Austin, our favorite little town in Texas!

After a restful night at the Hampton Inn, we visited Soma Austin Community church, where we always feel like family, and Pastor Jacob Vanhorn. Jacob is an old and dear friend of Joe's and was the man who preached the sermon during our wedding. We are always excited to worship with the Soma family, as the praise and worship is awesome and Jacob always brings the word with genuine clarity and practical explanation. After visiting with some of our friends after church, we drove over to the South 1st Trailer Park and had our favorite meal - tacos, chips, and queso at Torchy's! We then drove over to South Congress to get Lindsay a red velvet cupcake - with cream cheese frosting - and then began our trip home. We always love road trips and we plan on taking a couple more of them before Christmas.

Joe is one of four teachers leading a group of students on a mission trip to Puerto Rico beginning Friday, so keep and eye out for some blog posts about his experiences there.

Happy Reformation Day

2010-10-31T16:46:00.003-05:00

Reformation Day (October 31) commemorates Luther's posting of his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31, 1517. This act triggered the Reformation, as they were immediately translated and distributed across Germany in a matter of weeks. The Protestant Reformation was the rediscovery of the doctrine of justification—salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone—and the protest against the corruption within the Roman Catholic Church. The century before the Reformation was marked by widespread dismay with the venality of the leaders in the Roman Catholic Church and with its false doctrines, biblical illiteracy, superstition, and corruption. Monks, priests, bishops, and popes in Rome taught unbiblical doctrines like the selling of indulgences, the treasury of merit, purgatory, and salvation through good works.

Well, it's been about four months since our last blog post so we figure it's about time. We went for a walk around our neighborhood this morning and were amazed at the amount of hard-earned dollars our neighbors have put into decorating for Halloween. When reflecting on what this day means to so many, I cannot help but recognize why today actually is worth celebrating. Jesus changes everything, even the church. Yesterday we drove an hour north to College Station to join 85,000 other people in cheering the Texas A&M Aggie football team to victory. We took our friends Josh and Shelly and we all had a great time. While I have been to many games at Kyle Field, it was fun to share one of my favorite sports experiences with Lins. She was most impressed with the Fightin' Texas Aggie Marching Band, though, and this isn't surprising since the precision they march with is one of the more impressive things you will ever see on a football field. The weather was gorgeous, with a cloudless blue sky and a high 70s temperature. Kickoff happened around 2:30 PM and we were joined by President Bush (41) and Governor Perry as the Aggies dominated the tortilla tossing Texas Tech Red Raiders. We then drove back to Houston and enjoyed some quality Tex-Mex as the four of us watched the Rangers lock down their first World Series victory in franchise history. It was a good day.

Back to Reformation Day. I often wonder why we don't put more effort into reformation in our own lives. Many of our relationships, homes, workplaces, and lives in general are in need of reform yet most of the people I know decide daily to continue a life that gives them very little joy or sense of purpose. This is hard to understand. I know we all have bad days, as I have them - from time to time, but I just don't understand why anyone spends their life on causes they don't believe in and don't feel a sense of calling in. So many people in Houston, Texas, and the entire U.S. wake up and wish they could stay in bed. So many go to work and wish they could stay home. So many people work at less than their most productive rate and wish they could work somewhere else. So many wish they could work anywhere else. So many people I know leave work and don't want to go home. They live in houses or apartments that are nothing near what a home should be. So many people wish they could live another life. I DON'T GET IT!!!

If this is you, why not seek reform? Your life is worth what you spend it on. If you spend your life on things you feel are worthless, what does that say about your life? Will you be able to look back on your life, at the end, and say that you spent every day living, breathing, fighting, and dying for something you believe in? Will you look back with regret or with laughter and a smile?

We'll be posting more soon, or so we plan to.

Oh yeah, happy Halloween!

Its been a long time

2010-06-21T22:30:00.004-05:00

We have not done any roaming in what feels like forever, for us anyways. I mentioned in our last post that we would be staying in Houston for the summer. Well, things have changed and we are leaving for camp tomorrow morning! Joe is the Baseball Director and I will be working in the office at Brookwood Camp in New York. We will be there for about 6 weeks or so which is a little less than we had originally planned. All of the other staff arrived on Friday of last week for orientation. Joe needed to finish up some things around here so we will be driving up over the next 2 days to arrive just a couple of days before the campers. This is a sleep-away sports camp for kids much like the one that Joe worked at for 3 summers before in Massachusetts. We will return to Houston the first week of August for Joe's new teacher orientation which begins on August 6. Anyway, we are packing last minute things and trying to get our new house a little more settled before we head out in the morning but we wanted to make sure that we let everyone know about this change of plans. We are very much looking forward to some cooler temperatures. We saw that the weather up there calls for highs in the mid-80s which sounds like a dream to us at this point. It has been very hot for moving and watching/coaching baseball the last few weeks so we welcome the change. It seems strange to pack jeans and jackets when we wouldn't dream of putting those things on here but we are also ready for less bugs. I never knew that there were so many bugs and other creepy critters in this world until I moved to Texas so it will be freeing to be able to take a walk at night without being attacked by many flying things and coming in with several new bites. Well, we will try to post some pictures and updates once we get settled in at camp. Thanks for the prayers. Keep them coming!

We're...

2010-06-06T10:06:00.003-05:00

...moving!! Is anyone REALLY surprised?!? Well, I've asked Joe to post about the life changes that we are in the middle of right now but he has been crazy busy lately and as I have finished school for the year, well, I can do my best to update everyone.

Joe went through a very long process of applying, interviewing, and being named the Head Baseball Coach at Houston Christian High School over the last several months. He applied way back in February along with a full time position teaching Bible at the school. He was told back then that he would not be considered for the Bible position because he has not been to seminary and because of that, he would not be considered for the baseball job even though he was one of their strongest candidates (apparently they wanted someone who could be on campus full time). Anyway, he applied for various positions all over the country and we were preparing ourselves to move to Austin after a summer in New York for camp. Long story short, they interviewed for months and could not find the person that they were looking for. They brought in Joe along with 4 other candidates. With his incredible interviewing skills his "30 minute interview" turned into an hour and a half long interview for the baseball position and the Bible job! They did their research, talked to lots of references, and found mutual friends on Facebook (yeah, seriously!) and offered him both positions! The Lord did some serious work through this whole process and we are so thankful! They quickly called a players meeting and a parent meeting so that everyone could meet the new coach and everyone is excited about the new season. Joe can tell you more details about the school and the program but this is like moving up to the "big leagues". The school is very competitive academically, not to mention very expensive (it looks like a mini college campus - I've never seen anything like it!) and the baseball program is a super big deal (I think they've won state 3 out of the last 10 years and have sent kids to some major universities to play not mention the kids who have been drafted straight out of high school!). Needless to say, I am a very proud coach's wife! This is like a dream job for Joe and we plan on sticking with it for 30 years if that is what the Lord has for us!

Anyway, because of Joe's new teaching position we decided not to go to camp this summer. I will be staying at my school in Baytown. I will be teaching 4th grade ELA (Reading, Writing, and Social Studies) which I am thrilled about. We also decided that since Houston Christian HS is on the other side of Houston (in Spring Branch) we needed to move to the middle so that we could both more easily get to work. We are moving on Monday to the Heights neighborhood which is just north of downtown Houston and much closer to everything that we love. Baytown is great for what it is but isn't really our kind of place. It has been a hard place to be for the last year and a half as the Lord has been working in such amazing ways - bringing us here to work at the church, giving Joe the Bible job at BCA and allowing him to work with the baseball team (who became State and National champs by the way!!!!!!) and Kade Johnson (who I call "Joe's boyfriend" - they are two peas in a pod!), allowing me to work at an amazing school with an awesome team and an incredible class, and now to HCHS! We could never have guessed how the Lord was going to work here and it has been a long and frustrating road at times. But, we are thrilled with what is happening now and we wanted to share it with you. Thanks for all of your prayers. Keep them coming please. We would love for a post soon that could be titled "We're pregnant!" but we are trying to trust the Lord with that as well (me especially!).

Our new address (which you can start using immediately) is:

1007 E. 25th
Houston, TX 77009

Since I have absolutely nothing to do this summer I should be posting pictures of our new house soon. It reminds me so much of the North...hardwood floors that creak, tall trees in the neighborhood, neighbors who know each others names - nothing like Baytown :) Let us know if you want to come visit!! Maybe you can come watch Joe's team play their district rivals who are coached by Craig Biggio :) Just a thought!

Joe in action...

2010-04-28T20:50:00.003-05:00

More change ahead...

2010-04-11T14:37:00.004-05:00

One thing we have grown accustomed to since we left Richmond in June of 2008 is change. It seems every time we attempt to settle down that the Lord has something else in store for us. On Thursday Joe was informed, along with about half of the staff at his school, that he would not be returning to BCA next year. The school is going through a very rough season financially and the board has cut all electives out of the schedule for next year. Along with Joe, who teaches Bible, the drama, computer technology , business, and many other teachers were let go. Exactly half of the elementary teachers were also let go. In addition, the football, men's basketball, and women's basketball coaches were also informed they did not have positions for next year. Apparently, there are more layoffs to come.

Anyway, we had settled in to a fairly nice life here in Baytown. Joe is really enjoying coaching his team this year. He is working with Kade Johnson, who is a former top draft pick and prospect for the Milwaulkee Brewers who saw his career cut short by injuries and Joe and Kade get along very well. They are like two peas in a pod, and Lindsay often refers to them as boyfriends. The team is 15-7 and ranked in the top 10, and they are only outranked by schools much larger than them. They have beaten some of the best public schools in Houston and are heavy favorites to win a state championship next month. As much fun as the next month should be, it will be bittersweet for Joe as he knows that this team he loves and is so proud of will not be his after this season.

So, once again, Joe is searching for a job. The good thing is that he will be paid, for this year, through August, so there is no immediate need to find something quickly. He has already applied for several coaching jobs at colleges in exotic locales such as Phoenix, AZ, southern Connecticut, and Southeastern Nebraska. He also applied to a job back in Indiana, but Lindsay is really enjoying the weather in Texas and is praying that we can stay in the Southwest! There are also a couple of coaching jobs that Joe has applied for in the Houston area, so that would be nice. We really like the house we are living in and we weren't planning on moving anytime soon, but we will follow the Lord wherever He leads.

Please keep us in your prayers. We are very excited that God has something better and beyond our expectations for us soon, but Lindsay really enjoys her school and the teachers there that have became her good friends. We trust Jesus and know He is always the one directing our steps, so please remember us in your prayers. We desire to stay strong in the Lord and not waiver in our faith, knowing that it is our Father's good pleasure to give us the kingdom. We will write more as we know more...

Hadley Grace Carr is here!

2010-02-14T01:03:00.004-06:00

Hello World!!!

Hadley Grace Carr arrived on Saturday, February 13 at 1:51 pm. She weighs 7 pounds, 7 ounces and is 20 inches long. Nichole and Hadley are doing well!

They both had a long day!

Brand new grandparents

A proud daddy

We are so excited for Kevin and Nichole and look forward to meeting Hadley someday. We are thinking it won't be until June when we finish school and head north before our summer at camp. Hopefully, we will continue to get lots and lots of pictures until that day comes! Congrats Kevin and Nichole!

New Address

2010-02-12T17:37:00.002-06:00

We have forgotten to mention that we do have a new address. We moved to a new house right after Christmas which is in a much better location and is a much better size for us. We are still renting which is best for us at this point. Anyway, feel free to send us things in the mail! We like that!

The Roddens
1635 Manor Drive
Baytown, TX 77521

The Great Flood of 2010

2010-02-12T17:00:00.004-06:00

A couple of weekends ago we were watching a movie in our living room when I decided to finally get up and grade some papers before school the next morning. I thought that it was odd that I was suddenly standing in water so we looked around and apparently the washing machine (that was here when we moved in and had given us no problems until this point) had been spouting water uncontrollably for the better part of an hour! There was about 1/2 inch of water in almost every room in the house! We immediately turned the water off and tried to figure out how to get it cleaned up. To make a long story short, we bought a 1.5 gallon Shop-Vac which we had to empty every minute. We returned to the store and bought the 12 gallon one which was easily filled pretty quickly several times. All of our old towels were ruined and when we finally gave up at about 1:30 a.m., 5 hours after we had begun, we planned for Joe to stay home the following day to get it all figured out.

Since we are renting this house and the washing machine belongs to our landlord, his insurance is paying for everything. All of the flooring in the house, except for our bedroom and the ceramic tile in the entry way and kitchen, was ripped up immediately the next day. For 4 days we had about 20 commercial fans and 3 huge dehumidifiers running constantly. We literally had to yell to talk to each other. Needless to say, we spent each of the next several nights at Starbucks doing work until it was time for bed. The dehumidifiers gave off hot air which meant that our house stayed at a steady 83 degrees! If it hadn't been so loud, I would have been very comfortable! Our bedroom stayed closed off from some of the noise and all of the heat which meant that it was freezing at night (well, freezing for Baytown - 60 degrees or so). Anyway, almost 2 weeks later, we are still living on cement floors. Our stuff is everywhere, stashed wherever we could put it, and it has been hard to clean as we know that the new flooring will be going in eventually - hopefully sooner rather than later.

We have been trying to roll with the punches as we know that things could be a lot worse and we are so thankful for what we have. Please pray for us though as we continue to deal with the unexpected costs, etc.

The scene of the crime - the laundry room.
Isn't that the biggest dehumidifier you have ever seen (the tall machine on the left)?
It was at least 90 degrees in this little room!

Fans were EVERYWHERE!
They were all pointed at walls to try to dry them out. Some of the walls had water 8 inches high!

Our house was a wind tunnel. We are so glad that these are gone.

Baseball season...

2010-02-10T21:08:00.004-06:00

We have more to fill you in on about our life, but for now we want to let you know that Joe's team started their season last night with a victory. He has started a blog for the players and their parents to follow along all season, so if you are interested please feel free to check it out!

www.bcabaseball.blogspot.com

Jake and Jenny's Wedding

2010-02-09T21:30:00.007-06:00

Jake married Jenny on November 21, 2009. They have been together for a long time and this was a day we have all been looking forward to for years. It was fun to see them become husband and wife but it was also fun just to be reunited as a family. Joe and I hadn't seen Kevin and Nichole for almost 2 years prior to this event!

Rehearsal dinner at Little Sheba's

The bride and her mother getting the full treatment.

I had to do this for all of his dances in high school.
Now he has a wife to fix his hair - maybe he should learn how to do it himself!

Going to the chapel.

Beautiful bride!

My sweet brothers

The future Mrs. Carr

The Carr kids

Unfortunately for him, he has to dress like this every day for school...I love it!

Good picture Joe!
I don't know how I make it through these readings!

We all knew it would be hilarious :)

We all figured this would happen too...

The Carrs

A proud mama

I love this little boy - he will always be a 10-year-old to me :)

Behind as Usual...

2010-02-09T20:49:00.012-06:00

Will there ever be a Rodden blog that doesn't begin with an apology for tardiness? Well, not this time anyway. We're sorry.

Anyway, life has been crazy as usual for us since our last post. First of all, we had a desperately LONG drive to and from Indiana (and Michigan) for Christmas in Richmond, a basketball game at IU, and Nichole's baby shower (as I type, Nichole is being induced...baby Hadley Grace Carr will be with us soon!)

Christmas at the Carrs' is always full of excitement. This year included a small fire.
Jake was bummed about the rolls that went up in flames.

The culprit napkin.
Good thing Jenny pays attention to what is happening when none of us do!

Yummy dinner with 3/4 of the Carr family.

Go Hoosiers!

This is the best venue for college basketball anywhere!
...doesn't he look so good in that crimson jacket?!?...

A late night stop or the BEST breadsticks in the WORLD!!

Christmas in Michigan with the McCauleys.
All Joe wanted was a white Christmas...all he got was wet grossness.

They love looking outside and watching the little ones play.
Aren't they adorable?

The whole Carr family together...a rare occurrence these days.

C'mon little Hadley! We are ready for you to be here!

So...

2009-12-15T21:34:00.001-06:00

Not much to say, well, because there is so much to say! We have almost completed a semester of school and it has gone very well. We have been back to Indiana twice this fall, been to West Texas to visit Joe's family, and gone on many other adventures. We have tons of pictures and we will be posting some of them soon.

More on the way...

Well...

2009-08-30T18:15:00.002-05:00

So sorry for the lack of updates. We had the best of intentions, but the summer was been dominated by the tyranny of the urgent. We will do a better job updating from this point forward, or so we believe!

The big news is that school has started. Lindsay is teaching 4th graders and she is loving it! It is a much better age group for her than the 6th graders she had in Richmond for two years. She will write more on that soon to fill you in. The other big news is that Joe is no longer working at the church. It was a good run, but in the end everyone knew that it wasn't a fit for the long haul. When Joe accepted the job, it was with the belief that he would come in and build a student ministry and then move on. We thought that would mean three to five years, but it turns out that meant less than one. Jesus was very good to the ministry and turned a handful of uninspired kids into a thriving group of over thirty in a matter of months. We were able to expose the children to a greater calling and a deeper desire to live life on purpose in pursuit of the Kingdom. One of the highlights was a trip where we had almost 50 students and adults in Austin for a week in July - serving the homeless, the downtrodden, and the weak. We could go on and on, but our ministry at Faith Presbyterian Church of Baytown was blessed and we love the kids we were able to pour into there.

This is actually a very wonderful turn of events. Through the sovereign grace of our Lord, Joe was able to give the sermon at the Baccalaureate service for all the seniors who graduated in Baytown this past May. Through planning for that, he met a pastor in town who shares our theology and heart for people. Through meetings with that pastor, he was connected with the administration of Baytown Christian Academy(www.gobca.org). After spending hours sharing his heart with the leaders of the school and hearing from theirs, they began to discuss a partnership. At first it was decided to use Joe as an assistant football and baseball coach, just to get him around the male athletes in the high school. That grew into an opportunity for Joe to be the director of Biblical studies at BCA, which eventually became a full-time opportunity once it was decided Joe would leave the church. So, now Joe is spending every day at the Christian high school teaching his 175 or so students the Bible all day long! He is loving it! He is also going to be back in the dugout, on the mound throwing batting practice, and swinging a fungo bat year-round once again. He is delighted to be coaching in Texas again, where baseball is twelve months a year. Nothing against Indiana baseball, but there is only so much you can do there during the long and cold winters!

So there you have it, we are both teaching and very happy. We are going to be able to go back to Richmond a couple of times this fall - for Lindsay's 10-year HS reunion and then again for her baby brother's wedding. We are also able to do some weekend travel now that Joe is not locked down every Sunday. We are visiting, and most likely joining, a wonderful church full of other young and authentic believers, and we most likely will be serving in some ministerial capacity there in the near future. For now, we are blessed to be able to pour into students all day long and we are excited about the opportunity our classes provide for ministering to our students.

More to come soon, but for now please know that, if you are reading this, we love you!!!

A Mini Richmond Reunion!

2009-07-24T20:54:00.002-05:00

Last weekend we spent some time in Austin finalizing some plans for the youth mission trip that we are leaving for on Sunday (more to come on that) then we headed up to Dallas again. We ate at some of our favorite spots, had dinner with and watched "Harry Potter" (for the second time already!) with our friend Marshall and his girlfriend Kristine, and ran some errands before meeting up with Jon and Jessica Bess. Jessica was one of Lindsay's very best friends through middle and high school. They share many memories and funny stories including embarrassing moments that Joe and Jon shake their heads at. It had been since May 2008 that they had spent some time together. Since that time, Jon and Jessica got married, packed up and sold their house in North Carolina, and moved to Wichita Falls, TX. Jon is, as Joe calls him, a "BAD man" in the Air Force which is why they now live in this glorious state. When we asked them how they liked Texas so far they both said instantly, "It's HOT!"

We had planned on meeting in Dallas for the Rangers vs. Twins game that night as Jon is originally from Minnesota and Jessica lived there for awhile as well. We were all decked out in our team shirts and actually got several comments throughout the day about how we shouldn't be together as we were rooting for opposing teams! We met in the afternoon, several hours before the game, and decided to head downtown to the JFK memorial and museum. We were all amazed at the sights and the information in the museum and we fully intend to go back another time as there is so much to see there. As we left for the game, we even started making plans for our next get-together in Dallas.

The Besses has never been to the Rangers ballpark so we spent some time before the game walking around, checking out different seats, and continuing the everlasting search for a red "Kinsler" shirt for Lindsay (we were told that her size always sells out within a day or two of coming in - eesh!). Jessica and Lindsay spent most of the game catching up on all aspects of their lives and didn't even really see much of the actual game. Even though the Rangers lost, it was an amazing day that was extremely fun and refreshing, especially for Lindsay.

The infamous Book Depository where Lee Harvey Oswald "allegedly" shot JFK
(6th floor, far right window)

"X marks the spot" where JFK was shot in his limo
(this was taken from the "Grassy Knoll")

Lindsay and Jessica sweating like crazy in front of
the grassy knoll

(The grassy knoll is under the tall tree in the background over
Lindsay's shoulder, the "x" is behind the lamppost)

Since we have gotten home we have searched everywhere around town for the movie "JFK" as Lindsay has never seen it. We can't find it anywhere. I guess we'll have to search online...bummer.

Fun times in Dallas

2009-07-24T20:27:00.006-05:00

We have had several opportunities to head back to Dallas this summer which is always so much fun and so refreshing for both of us. Early in June we were there for the wedding of two of our good friends Ashton and Belina. They were married in a beautiful church in Highland Park and then had their reception on the top floor of a hotel right downtown. The wedding and reception were fun for many reasons including the fun Albanian dancing that took place all night. Belina's family came to the States for the first time and many of her friends from Albania live in and around Dallas for various reasons. One of the most amazing things was that we sat at a table (we were the very first to arrive at the reception and chose our own seats) full of Albanians who are on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ! This was fun in itself as Lindsay spent a few years on staff with CCC at Michigan State. The other fun thing was that one of the couples is on staff in Istanbul, Turkey!! They are currently in the U.S. because the husband is finishing up seminary and they are raising support. They have already lived in Istanbul and love the city. Joe had a blast speaking a little Turkish with them, comparing notes about their favorite spots around the city, and sharing stories and their hearts for the place and the Turks. Overall, while we enjoyed seeing our friends be united in marriage, it was also very refreshing to spend time with others who love the Lord and have a heart for some of the same things and places that we do! Praise God for "randomly" seating us together for the evening!

The beautiful ceremony in a beautiful church

The view from the reception

The Roddens and the Tassins!!

We never ask people to take our picture...weird

An Albanian dance

We have been to a few Rangers games this year already but at the beginning of the summer we enjoyed a game and an amazing fireworks show with our good friend Marshall and his girlfriend Kristine. She is from the Cleveland area and actually grew up in a church that some of our friends now do ministry in (yeah Andrea...that means you! Can you believe it?). She also attended Miami University in Oxford, OH which holds a very special place in our hearts as it is the place where Lindsay started falling in love with Joe. Needless to say, we are proud of Marshall for choosing a Midwestern girl! It was a really fun night in Arlington!

June Visitors!!

2009-07-24T11:34:00.003-05:00

One of the highlights of the summer was a visit from Lindsay's parents! They came to Baytown for a few days in early June and it was a great time. Joe and Frank played a couple rounds of golf and Lindsay and Becky spent time getting scorched on the beach at Galveston, pampering themselves, and doing a little shopping. It just happened that the Houston Astros were hosting the Detroit Tigers that weekend so we took the opportunity to see our Tigers play. Frank and Becky had never been to Minute Maid park so as we walked around before the game we randomly ran into some familiar faces...from Frank's small college in Michigan! A few of the guys were some of Lindsay's Uncle Tom's (Frank's younger brother) best friends. It was funny to hear several of the guys tell us how they had always looked up to Frank and how amazing he was as an athlete. We always look forward to spending time with our families. We will be traveling to Indiana in October for Lindsay's high school reunion and then again in November for her brother's wedding.

Ready for the Tigers game in the Houston heat!!

I think this ball was really hot to sit on!

All dressed up in our Tigers gear watching Batting Practice

Our buddy Jim Leyland - he was kind of busy

Better late than never!

2009-07-24T11:26:00.002-05:00

Once again we are very sorry for the lack of updates. It isn't that we haven't had anything to update about, we have just not taken or had the time to sit down to tell you about it. So, there are many fun events that took place over a month ago but that doesn't make them any less important to us. It has been a good summer and, while we don't want to wish it away, we are looking forward to moving into the Fall and some sort of normalcy...it has been at least a year since we have had that!

May Visitors

2009-06-19T16:38:00.004-05:00

Yeah these are a long time coming but you know we blog in spurts :) Anyway, in mid-May our friends Jared and Erin Wellman came for a couple of weeks to visit and raise support for their ministry with Athletes in Action. Lindsay spent more time with Erin while she lived in Richmond than with anyone else before she met Joe. They haven't seen each other for months so it was great to spend some quality time catching up. We went to an Astros baseball game, took a trip to Galveston and the Kemah boardwalk, and visited Austin and San Antonio. Below are just a few of the pictures that we took while they were here.

Lindsay and Erin at the Astros vs. Cubs game - it was Pink in the Park
night and all of the women got free pink jerseys

We found the best hat shop at the boardwalk!

Joe's favorite hat

In front of the aquarium

Experiencing Texas

We enjoyed some excellent Texas barbecue

A trip to the Alamo

That's a big cactus

There truly is NO basement at the Alamo

The Riverwalk in San Antonio

The Wellmans in front of the San Jacinto monument

Baccalaureate

2009-06-01T13:48:00.003-05:00

Joe was asked to deliver the message for the high school baccalaureate service this year. Two of the high schools in town come together for this service and he definitely kept the crowd entertained! He shared many hilarious stories and encouraging words to challenge this year's seniors to be great. As he did research about what many baccalaureate messages are about he found that they were mostly warnings about the future and keeping the faith. Through much prayer, he felt that he was instead being led to share a challenge to not settle for an ordinary life but instead to be the greatest at everything they do - the greatest doctors, the greatest teachers, the greatest mechanics - all for the glory of God.

Anyway, he did a FABULOUS job and I was SO proud. In my opinion, it was the very best that I have seen him speak. People were absolutely cracking up and there were many "sounds of agreement" from some of the older women in the back...it was very dramatic :)

He is so natural in front of a crowd

Joe, Will, and Pastor Richard

YIKES!

2009-06-01T12:42:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago our friends Erin and Jared were here (more to come on that!) for an extended visit. Each morning Erin and Lindsay went for a walk around the neighborhood. On one of those mornings Erin was attacked by a snake! Well, maybe it wasn't an attack but it did jump 0ut at her ankles. That doesn't happen in Indiana! She jumped and screamed and when Lindsay looked back there was a small black snake curled up on the sidewalk with its head up and tongue out...eek!

On Saturday Joe and Lindsay went to a graduation open house for our youth group's only senior. Joe was dominating a couple of our 14-year-olds in badminton and Lindsay was talking to a parent when the ladies noticed a snake slithering through yard towards the woods. Lindsay called to Joe so that he could get himself, and his bare feet, away from the danger zone. Apparently, though, Joe thought that he should go after the snake and try to pick it up. With only his badminton racket he was unable to do so as the snake was a good 4 1/2 feet long but he did grab the tail. Fortunately, Lindsay had not seen his attempts. Either way...we have snakes that big around here?!? Yikes!

Birthday Fun!!!

2009-05-29T14:12:00.003-05:00

Anyone who knows Lindsay knows that she LOVES birthdays!! She not only loves her own birthday as her "love languages" include gifts and quality time - presents, cards, phone calls, and spending time with Joe and friends - but she also really enjoys celebrating the birthdays of others. This time, though, we celebrated her 28th with some much needed road trips. When Joe asked what she wanted to do Lindsay said, "Dallas."

We stayed with our friends Chris and Heather Chavez who we haven't seen since their wedding in January. It was fun to spend time and catch up with them. The morning of May 22 Joe woke Lindsay with some Kolaches for breakfast. She then spent the morning getting a deluxe manicure and pedicure at her favorite place in Flower Mound. For lunch we went to Parma Pizza & Pasta in Lewisville which is their very favorite restaurant in the area. Later, Lindsay had an hour long full body massage. She was actually very sore for the next few days which is exactly the kind of massage that she needs and likes! That evening they went with Chavey and Heather to Blue Goose, another of their favorites, for dinnner and then went bowling at Main Event.

The rest of our time in Flower Mound/Highland Village included a couple of trips to the movies - Night at the Museum 2 (the first one was the first movie we saw together) and Angles and Demons - eating at a few of our favorite restaurants including Rosa's and Patrizio's, hanging out with friends like Higgins and Marshall, and attending our old church.

We left Flower Mound on Sunday morning and headed to Valera to see Joe's parents. We watched some old family videos (which included many hilarious moments of young Joey), did a lot of catching up, had a meal with Rhonda (Joe's oldest sister), and celebrated the Rodden's 63rd anniversary on the 25th! We had an extremely long ride home to Baytown but the weekend made it all worth it. It was so nice to see so many people who love us and who we love so much. We are looking forward to several trips back to Dallas this summer for various weddings and Rangers games!

Overall, the weekend was amazing! Lindsay could not have asked for anything else...what an amazing husband Joe is :)

Updates are needed

2009-05-29T13:14:00.003-05:00

We apologize for the lack of posts since we left for Turkey. We have posted a few pictures from our trip here but encourage you to read more in depth and see more pictures on our other blog...

www.roddens.wordpress.com

We updated daily while we were there and had many adventures to share. If you would like to view any of the pictures in a larger format, just click on them. Enjoy!!

Some of our Turkish friends from Bogazici University, Gohkan and Alp.

The side streets of the Asian side of Istanbul.

Istanbul University main entrance

In front of the Blue Mosque - home of the stinky feet
(read our other blog to hear more about that!)

The Turkish flag flies everywhere all over the city

Leaving for Turkiye on Tuesday!!!

2009-04-12T23:23:00.002-05:00

Please follow our adventures in Istanbul HERE

Which is: www.roddens.wordpress.com

We are hoping to update that blog every day while in Turkey, so go on over and check it out!

Great news!

2009-04-04T20:59:00.004-05:00

Lindsay went to a job fair today for the local school district here in Baytown. Of course, as usual, she was more stressed out than necessary. There were hundreds of applicants there but through God's grace she went in with confidence that she would have exactly job the Lord wanted her to have. She had a great experience and met some wonderful people. She even walked out with a job at the school that she REALLY wanted to be at! The principal is wonderful and we have only heard amazing things about her and the school from many reliable sources around town. Lins will be teaching a self-contained 4th grade class starting in August. She is very excited about the job and is looking forward to meeting with the principal and some of the staff, seeing the school and her future classroom, and possibly subbing there some as the year finishes. Here are some links to the district and school websites for those of you who are interested (Frank and Becky!).

Goose Creek CISD
Victoria Walker Elementary

Thanks for all of prayers for us as we continue to trust the Lord to provide each month. We appreciate you more than you know...and LOVE comments hint, hint :)

March Update

2009-03-12T22:05:00.000-05:00

First of all, we would like to apologize for the lack of updates lately. There is no excuse, we just don't have a lot of roaming to tell about... until now! We just returned home from spending a couple of days in downtown Austin. We went so that Joe could make some contacts and do some vision casting for a student trip we will be leading the last week of July. It is going to be a great time as we serve the city of Austin through service and clean-up projects, sharing the Gospel to the lost, and learning all about one of the world's (that's right) coolest and most unique cities. We are excited about the experience this will be for our teenagers!

While in Austin, we spent time with Pastor Jacob Vanhorn and his family. Jacob preached the sermon during our wedding ceremony and is the pastor of a wonderful young church, SOMA, in downtown/south Austin. Jacob is a mighty man of God who has a heart as big as the city of Austin. Many are and will be blessed by his ministry and church in the decades to come.

Last night we were invited by Jacob and his wife to the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema for a Monty Python and the Holy Grail quote-along. This is a fun concept that was very new for us, as we joined about 150-200 viewers in quoting the movie, through subtitles, and clapping together coconut halves to make the horse clopping sound. It was a lot of fun and we would recommend a quote-along movie experience to anyone with a good sense of humor.

Today we toured the city scouting for potential projects and were blessed to eat at Freebirds, which serves the world's greatest burritos. We also drove around several college campuses, the Texas state capital building, and the Austin Presbyterian Seminary. We are looking forward to bringing our students to all of these places and more.

On the way to Austin, Joe greeted Lindsay in a gas station as she rounded a corner with the look below. Fortunately for Lins, she did not allow Joe to buy the hat!

Below is a picture of the Spring Westfield HS baseball team. They are talented group that Joe was able to help coach to a tournament championship last weekend as they went 5-0. It was a lot of fun for Joe to return to the dugout and he really enjoyed coaching this very talented group of awesome young men!

Not long until opening day, and the Rangers will return to the playoffs thanks to The Natural, Josh Hamilton!

Finally, four and a half weeks until we fly to Istanbul, Turkey!

Go, therefore, into all the world...

Thoughts...

2009-02-14T21:48:00.000-06:00

Well, we haven't updated in awhile so we thought it was time to update.

***First of all, we have the blessed opportunity to travel to Istanbul, Turkey for two weeks in April. Both of us have been there, and Joe lived there for a semester in 2004, but we are excited to experience one of the world's most amazing and historically significant cities together for the first time. We are praying about the idea of perhaps living there someday. Joe will be reunited with many Turkish friends who he has been blessed to keep in touch with since his last visit there in 2006.

***Last night our student group hosted a Valentine's Weekend Appreciation Dinner for the members of our church, their families, and friends. All in all, we were able to feed over 125 people from a menu including spaghetti with meatballs and either marinara or alfredo sauce. We had salad and some tasty breadsticks, along with brownies and cheesecake for dessert.

***Things with our new church family are wonderful, and the students we work with are awesome! 2009 is already shaping up to be a wonderful year.

***Lindsay flew home last weekend to spend a couple of days with her parents in snowy Richmond, Indiana. Though it warmed up in the 40s while she was there, there was still plenty of snow all around to greet her. We are consistently in the 70s here in Houston, as winter came and went without so much as a heavy coat needed. Joe loves being back in Texas!

***Finally, Joe is loving his life right now, though tomorrow is the opening day of spring training for the major leagues and he is missing the day-to-day involvement of the great game in his life. He is blessed to have the greatest job in the world, but he sometimes misses being on the field. To add to this longing, right outside the church door is the Lee HS baseball diamond, where young ballplayers are on the field and in the cages hitting every day of the week. He wouldn't trade his job for any in the world, but boys are always boys and Joe is a lifelong baseball player and coach and that will never change.

Well, that's it for now, but we'll blog again soon...

A testimony to God's faithfulness, and more!

2009-01-22T14:31:00.001-06:00

The other day we bought some groceries at Sam's Club and, since they do not take visa, we scrounged through our wallets to find the money to pay for our food. The total cost was $108 and change. Joe had $55 cash in his wallet, and Lindsay had fifty two dollars (bills) and dug enough change out of her purse to cover the rest. We don't use cash much, and we were fortunate to have that much on us. Amazing, we had the exact amount of money on our persons! More amazing, when we got home and checked the mail we had a check for $108 exactly waiting for us. We gave great thanks to our God and Savior that He is looking out for us, as Luke says, it is our Father's good pleasure to give us the kingdom. We are thankful and blessed for these little reminders in life that we are being looked out for by someone who is not limited by human understanding, intelligence, or ability!

On another note, last night we were blessed by a friend who gave us some money to have a date night, as we are scraping by on one income for now and haven't been able to have our date night lately. We went to Baytown Seafood, which we highly recommend. We enjoyed some awesome grilled salmon and vegetables (Lins) and red snapper with crawfish etouffee (Joe)! The meals were awesome, but they also were enhanced by the boiled crawfish we enjoyed as our appetizer. Lindsay had never even seen a crawdad, so it was a fun-filled experience watching Joe peel some tails and feed them to her. She never got used to the eyes staring at her from the dish, and was in general creeped out by the experience, but she admits they were mighty tasty!

Chavez Gets Hitched!

2009-01-16T21:48:00.000-06:00

One of the most exciting weddings we've been to (outside our own of course) was last weekend back in Flower Mound. Chris Chavez, our best man, married Heather Duncan on Friday the 9th. The days leading up to the ceremony were full of joy as we could not have been happier to celebrate Chavey's day with him.

This was the amazing sky as we drove from Baytown back to Flower Mound! There are 2 things that remind me how amazing the Lord is more than most things: cool moons and sunsets. Needless to say, this one was awesome and a good sign of great things to follow that weekend!

I think Matt was saying something about being so much taller than the couple :) Just kidding!

JOY! JOY! JOY!

Moments after the very first kiss! YAY Chris and Heather Chavez!!!!

Oh how we miss dinners and desserts with Marshall.

Servant-hearted Lance, what a dear friend.

Two of Joe's favorites, Marshall and Paul. Look out ladies! These are INCREDIBLE men of great faith and love.

The 2 youth pastors, our Backstreet.

Welcome home!

2009-01-14T19:13:00.000-06:00

We have been here for 2 weeks and it already feels like home! We are either professional movers and can get settled quickly or this is exactly where the Lord wants us to be...I think its both! Thank you Jesus for bringing us to this place in Your timing! Here are some updated pictures of the house.The rest of the rooms are pretty much the same as before. Many of our rooms are still pretty bare...we have never had so much room! Anyway, we're settled...come visit!

Goodbye Flower Mound...Hello Baytown!!

2008-12-31T12:56:00.000-06:00

After the visit from the Carrs we headed to Valera to spend Christmas with the Roddens. We drove back to Flower Mound on Christmas night and continued packing. On Friday several friends came over to pack the U-Haul truck once again and Saturday morning we drove to Baytown through some rough weather. We are finally getting settled at our new house. We are actually about 80% unpacked (this ain't our first rodeo when it comes to unpacking!) but still have plenty to do. Joe's first duty for the church is a Lock-In tonight (New Year's Eve) so we have been running around getting stuff done for that as well. We have included some pictures of the big move...these will be the LAST pictures of U-Hauls, boxes, and other moving-related items!

Joe went on and on about how great this U-Haul was! Only 6,000 miles and practically new...we have been in too many U-Hauls when we can compare them!

Our last night in the Flower Mound townhouse. We are FINISHED with sleeping on a mattress in the living room!!

Our new house!!! Our new address is:

8010 Sugar Cane Drive
Baytown, TX 77523

Come visit and send us mail!! :)

This is the view from the front door. On the left is a formal dining room and to the left is the staircase. As you walk through the hall straight ahead there is a bathroom on the right and the master suite on the left before you enter the living room that is open to the second floor.

Coming in from the garage is a large utility room and then the kitchen/breakfast room. The kitchen looks into the living room which Lindsay LOVES! We have unpacked the kitchen already but have been amazed that we still have some empty cabinets! That has NEVER happened before!

This view from the second floor shows how open this layout is. You can see the sink in the kitchen on the right next to the breakfast area which all opens to the living room. Joe officially has his first wood-burning fire place. Hopefully that will get some good use!

This is the master bedroom which is downstairs. We knew it was big but didn't realize just how big until we got all of our furniture in it!

The master bathroom is through the bedroom and has a huge closet.

There are two bedrooms upstairs which are great size.

The two bedrooms have a full bathroom in the hallway between them. This is the view from that end of the house looking at a sitting area and on to the game room. This will be ideal for youth from the church coming over to hang out. All of this looks over to the entryway on one side and the living area on the other side.

Needless to say, we are really excited about this place! We got it with the idea that we may be interested in buying later. Baytown is definitely a place that we plan to stay for awhile!

A Texas Christmas

2008-12-31T02:13:00.000-06:00

What an exhausting couple of weeks! It all started with a trip to Baytown to meet some of the youth from the church. We were there a few days and finalized some details for our new house! (Pictures to come!) Saturday the 20th Lindsay's parents flew into Dallas and spent a few days. There was some shopping, some packing help, and Christmas presents! One of the highlights of the visit was the present from us to Lindsay's dad.....a ukulele!!!! Lindsay and her brothers (and her poor mother) grew up listening to the same two songs every time they visited family. All of the Carr uncles knew how to play these two songs so we figured that it would be hilarious/necessary to carry on this Carr family tradition.

As SOON as we gave him the box he started strumming! What in the world?!?

Even though Becky dreaded this moment, she was happy to help Frank tune the Uke!

Joe originally thought that the idea was funny and that Frank would get a quick laugh....little did he know how much Frank would LOVE the present! He must have played it for 20 minutes before anyone else got to open another present!

Enjoy this short video of Frank enjoying his present!

A Place to Call Home...Finally!

2008-12-14T14:04:00.000-06:00

Well, we are officially moving...again...as you know. At this point we are really excited to be in Baytown with a family that is welcoming us with open arms, Faith Presbyterian Church! In two weeks we will be packing/driving another U-Haul/unpacking, etc. We do ask for prayers as we are still waiting to hear a final answer on a house to rent. We are extremely excited about one house in particular especially as we don't want to continue the process of looking. There are very few properties to rent in the area as we are not interested in an apartment. We are looking for a place that we can call home and that is welcoming to friends, students, and visitors. Please pray about our home situation. We have been trusting the Lord to bring us to this place for a long time, even when we didn't know that it would be THIS place! We are now trusting His provision for a place to do ministry. Thanks to everyone for all of your prayers through the last few months especially. We love you all and appreciate all that God has done through you.

By the way, the Carrs (Lindsay's mom and dad) are coming to Texas! They will be traveling next Saturday, December 20 and then heading back to the tundra on Tuesday, December 23. Please pray for safe travel and a time of rest and fun. Also pray for good weather. We have no doubt that Becky has been diligently watching the forecast since she booked their flight months ago and it is looking promising as of now. We are hoping for days like today...77, sunny, BEAUTIFUL! Lindsay has discovered that she was made for warm weather and Becky has always known that she was made to live at the beach...warm weather in Texas will be plenty sufficient for now!

Moving Again!!!

2008-12-04T19:18:00.000-06:00

Brothers and Sisters,

Jesus loves you! I wanted to update you all about where Christ has taken Lindsay and I. We left our jobs at ETBU in September and I have been praying and searching for our calling since. I have applied to over 700 jobs, but all the while I was crying out to our God that the next job I have would be a calling, not a career or just a job. I have knocked on many doors, but all the while Christ has been whispering that my call continues to be firm and that I must work with students and help them see Jesus and serve Jesus.

Long story, very short, I have just accepted the call to be the youth minister at Faith Presbyterian Church of Baytown, Texas. It is a very loving church of 300 that has a heart for passionately pouring into the next generation. So Lindsay and I will be packing our things, again, and moving for the fourth time since June. We believe we are being called to plant our lives in Baytown and plan to be there for a very long time.

Please lift us up in prayer, it has been an interesting three months of prayer, refining, and growth. We will be in place there before January first, and after that you are all invited and encouraged to come and visit us. There will always be a guest room with your name on it. You're awesome, so enjoy our awesome Jesus this Christmas season. Thank you for all you are to us and to our brothers and sisters in the faith. We love you all!

Joe and Lins

Joe's trip to Serbia

2008-10-25T10:25:00.000-05:00

Back in late May/early June, I was able to lead a team of believers in to Serbia to coach, play, and teach baseball to youngsters in schools - all while sharing the Gospel and our personal testimonies with all Christ allowed the opportunity for. Although going caused me to be away on Lindsay's birthday, it was an amazing opportunity to share who Christ is, and who Christ is in me, with Serbs. Serbia is a beautiful country filled with wonderfully warm and friendly folks.

Therefore, these pictures are long past due. As you know, our lives have been turned upside down twice since I returned from this trip. So here are a few of the pictures I have from my trip to Serbia.

This is Chris Coombs, he is a man of Christ who spent the past two years in Serbia with his wife. He has returned from the field and is coaching and teaching HS science in Missouri. He played baseball in college and was this year's head coach of the Serbian national team.

I was able to conduct one of the first softball clinics in Cacak, Serbia. Here I was pitching BP.

This picture was taken in Belgrade, a very interesting city. They built up an island in the middle of the city that has sports fields, beaches, and a bunch of fun.

Here is our team after on of our games.

While in Belgrade, we got to visit Kalemagdan park, which has been built on the remains of an ancient fortress. It is very cool, and Partizan Sports Club has some of their facilities inside the fortress. While there, me and some of the team (particularly young Aaron) ran wild like little children - climbing walls and hiding in dungeons and other such shenanigans.

This man was awesome! He spends his day with his cart in the park making hand-carved gifts for tourists. I had a very long talk with him as I watched him work, as I was mesmerized by his craftiness. He lived in New York for a few years and was a very big fan of W, which should come as a shock to our liberal media.

While in the Serbia countryside, we were able to spend half a day climbing a mountain to see the view and visit an Orthodox monastery. Here are some pictures of some of our adventure.

Here is a picture of me and a couple of the Serbs we worked closely with for the majority of our trip. They are great guys and also young believers, praise Christ!

This is a typical Serbian home, at least outside the major cities. They are humble homes, but the flowers and the warmth of the people make them beautiful.

Also while in Serbia, I was able to help coach one of the football clubs. It was a lot of fun, and I would compare them to an average high school JV team in Texas.

Last, but not least, check out the kicker's hairstyle!

Bye for now, but not for long we hope!

Fall has come to Texas...

2008-10-25T00:33:00.000-05:00

Well, another week has gone by and we are still on our knees before Christ about our future and the plans the Lord has for us. Lindsay has been in Charlotte, NC all week and will return Monday from training for her new gig at Portrait Innovations. She is excited about this new job and is even more excited to be back home with Joe. Joe is still interviewing with schools and companies worldwide, seeking the Lord's perfect will for his career. We have moved twice in the past five months and don't want to move again, lest it be the voice of the Lord telling us to do so. We are happy to have the church community we have here and we enjoy the weather here in Dallas.

Not much else to report, except to say thank you to all of you who have kept us in your prayers. We have exhausted our financial resources, so please pray that the Lord will provide. We love each and every one of you who are reading this and we appreciate the encouragement you all are. Though, this is the hardest season of life I have ever been through, we both know that Christ has wonderful plans for us.

Now for some pictures:

A good friend of ours had tickets to the Dallas Mavericks' first preseason game. It was a lot of fun, because he has platinum-level seats at center-court, about 12 rows up. The seats were at the perfect level to see all the action while being able to hear the sounds of the game on the court. The Mavs played well and won in a rout, and good times were had by all of us. Below are some pictures of us, a view from our seats, and pictures of the Mavs Maniacs. Well, yes that is, in fact, a midget right in the midst of a group of 300 pounders!

Finally, this is a picture I took tonight at the Flower Mound Marcus vs Coppell high school football game. It was a great game and the Marauders won. These are two Texas powers and the game was played at Coppell, which has one of the nicest high school stadiums you will ever see. It is nicer than any small college field I have ever seen, as well. It truly is amazing how ridiculous high school football is here in Texas, just ask any of the 15,000 fans who were there with me tonight.

Praises and Prayers

2008-10-13T18:50:00.000-05:00

It wasn't 24 hours after out last post that Lindsay received a phone call where she was offered, and immediately accepted, a position as a studio associate with Portrait Innovations. She will be heading to North Carolina on Sunday to begin a week of training for the position where she will be taking, selling, and printing pictures. She is extremely excited to learn more about photography as her interest in it has grown over the last few years. We are grateful that the Lord has provided this opportunity. At the same time, we are still looking for the perfect fit for Joe. Sales does not seem to be it...no surprise there. Please continue to pray for us as we are still seeking the Lord in this. We only desire what He does...we just hope it comes quickly. Thanks so much for loving us through your thoughts, prayers, phone calls, and emails. We could not function without the encouragement right now.

Pray, Pray, Pray

2008-10-08T18:08:00.000-05:00

Since our last post we have been "roaming" again and have seen some great friends...pictures and details to come! At this point though, we would like to beg for your prayers. We are at a complete loss for what the Lord has for us now. Joe has accepted a position selling insurance but there are 2 problems: 1. It is 100% commission and 2. He is not at all interested in sales! Lindsay is still applying for jobs like crazy but, for whatever reason, still has not gotten one. Basically, we have been searching for jobs for over a month and we are more than stressed as we have seen no solutions to our problems. We have no money to pay bills next month and no jobs to promise the money needed for these things. We have seen the Lord provide in the most unimaginable ways thus far but it is still a struggle. We have both struggled with the stress of the situation that continues to grow as each day passes. All we can do at this point is to pray, to ask all of you to pray, and to ask you to ask others to pray. We do trust in the Lord's provision but...well, the words are gone. We continue to ask the Lord what we are meant to learn during this time, where He wants us to be, and what He would have us do but we are over a month out of jobs and still have heard nothing. We genuinely want to know the Lord's will and have even sought opportunities that He may have for us overseas. Basically, we really need to lean on the Lord and the people that He has placed in our lives. As we have said, we are out of ideas and out of words....please pray, pray, pray.

One year...and counting....

2008-09-26T17:58:00.000-05:00

We were unsure about how we would be spending our 1-year anniversary just as we have been unsure about where we would be living and what jobs we might have lately. Fortunately, we are settled in at our new place in Flower Mound, TX (pictures to come) and Joe will be starting his new job in the next week. Please continue to pray for guidance as Lindsay is still searching .

Anyway, as we have gotten settled, we decided that a Texas Rangers game would be an excellent way for us to celebrate this past year and to start off the second. For Lindsay's pleasure, the national anthem was preformed by "The Redneck Tenors"...all topped off with mullets!

We were accompanied by Chris Chavez and Austin Higgins in the club level seats on a beautiful Texas night. Fortunately, we ALL ate the garlic fries!

A few recent pictures taken on Joe's cell phone...

2008-09-26T17:41:00.000-05:00

This was taken on our one year anniversary at the Ballpark. The Rangers hit a HR in the 9th to take it into extra innings, but ultimately lost. It was an exciting night and a fun way to celebrate our first of many anniversaries. We were accompanied by Chavez and Higgins, perhaps our two most faithful friends.

Now for fun, our friends Brandon and Bonnie came to visit us last weekend and Bonnie decided it was time for her to be scarred for life. Below is the proof...

Speaking of Brandon and Bonnie, they brought Audrey. Audrey is our favorite person in the world!!!

And below, some random greatness:

Josh Hamilton, Rangers great!

Marion the Barbarian, COWBOYS great!

One day I will have one of these!

Finally, for your viewing pleasure, a real-life DeLorean we found in a Flower Mound neighborhood.

More from the Midwest

2008-09-22T17:31:00.001-05:00

During our time in Indiana we had the opportunity to watch Lindsay's "little" brother play football for Earlham College. We spent some quality time in the sun with Lindsay's parents and their future sister-in-law, Jenny. It was a hot day so we took advantage of the shade, and wind barrier, of the car during half time. This is Lindsay's mom and her typical "picture face" - it must be where Lindsay gets it!

Lindsay's dad taking some time to stand up. He has still not gotten used to spending so much time in the bleachers!

Lindsay's "little" brother, Jake, is a Junior at Earlham College this year and a stud on the football field, we might add :)

This is Lindsay's favorite picture!

Sweaty and needing a shower, Jake did not much feel up for pictures.

We had the opportunity to visit our friends Jared and Erin Wellman in Xenia, OH. We wouldn't venture into that state unless it was for someone like them! There are always awkward yet funny things shared when the four of us get together! We always feel refreshed and energized!

We didn't want to leave so we kept taking pictures! Sad times

Back home again in Indiana...

2008-09-11T16:14:00.000-05:00

This picture was taken on the campus of Miami University in Oxford, OH. Throughout our dating and first year of marriage getaways to Oxford helped to keep us sane and get away from our jobs. Oxford is one of our favorite places on earth and one of the greatest college towns in America!

We were able to meet up with our good friend Kim Riley in the Broadripple area of Indianapolis for a fun dinner at Binkley's, which we highly recommend.

After dinner with Kim we headed down the road to Marian College where our good friend Jim Watts was coaching his Hanover College Panthers in a hard-fought loss to the Lady Knights.

Jim loves being at Hanover, but he likes losing about as much as Joe does, which is to say not at all.

Always Roaming

2008-09-11T16:01:00.000-05:00

Well, if you've read our most recent posts or have talked with us at all in the last few weeks you know that we are on the move again. It has been somewhat stressful but also a relief to spend some time with some of the people that we love most. We re currently "Back Home Again in Indiana" with Lindsay's parents. We stayed in Tulsa with our friends, Bobby and Robin Leonard, one night and did some catching up before spending the next day in the car to drive the rest of the way north. We plan to drive back to Dallas on Sunday - probably a 15-hour excursion - in order to work out some job and living stuff. Thanks so much for all of your prayers. We have definitely seen the Lord at work and are looking forward to seeing what else he has for us during this time. As of now, we plan to stay in the Dallas area for awhile i.e. a couple of years as we know how important it is for us to be a part of a community of faith. We will continue to give updates as we know more but would ask that you also continue to pray for direction and guidance. We have felt so loved in and through all of this and we are so grateful for the amazing friends and family that we have been blessed with.

A picture...

2008-09-11T09:01:00.001-05:00

Please pray...

2008-08-30T11:50:00.000-05:00

Please pray for us, as we are leaving ETBU and do not know where we are headed or what we are to do. We are not wanted here and have been hurt deeply, so we are beginning the long process of packing up our life to move somewhere that is yet to be determined. We have faith in the Lord's will for our lives and know that Jesus has better plans for us, but we are deeply troubled by the way we have been treated here by the administration of the university. Our hearts are broken for the students, as we have grown to love them very quickly. We will miss them.

So please keep us in your prayers, Pray that we will be given peace to cling to. Pray that we will hear quickly and clearly which direction to go. Pray that we see Jesus and serve Jesus through it all...

2008-08-14T23:11:00.000-05:00

RA Olympics, Day 1:

We leave you with another picture of our little friend Audrey, along with the prettiest woman alive:

R.A.T.

2008-08-09T11:44:00.000-05:00

Resident

Assistant

Training

It has begun. RA's are here, the campus is alive once again, the ball has been kicked off.

More to come soon...

We're FAMOUS!!..in Marshall, TX

2008-08-04T15:17:00.000-05:00

Marshall is small...the fame, nonexistent. Anyway, the local paper had an article about us as new employees at East Texas Baptist University. Yeah, we've been here for a couple of months but there have been a ton of changes around here. So, here is the link if you are interested (yeah, thats Joe in a suit!)

http://www.marshallnewsmessenger.com/featr/content/features/stories/2008/072908_WEB_ETBU_new_employee.html

Also, we have put some of the finishing touches on our offices and apartment and will get some pictures up ASAP. Pray for us as students begin arriving this week. We are here for them and are so glad that they will finally be with us though, for Lindsay, that brings some nervous stomach feelings (its a Carr thing).

Almost August...

2008-07-30T22:34:00.000-05:00

Lins and I were invited to an Emory alumni event with the world-famous Marshall Embry this past saturday. Go Roughriders!!! FYI, there is a weird camera angle below causing my extreme fathead.

We went to Longview tonight for our date night and when we got to target there was an unattended motorized cart in the parking lot. For those of you who don't know, they aren't supposed to leave the store. Some moron, probably an out-of-state visitor, broke the rules and then left the vehicle out in the lot. I decided to do the honorable thing and return the cart to the inside of the store. Lins felt it was a photo opp...

Let's just say it took longer to get inside than it would have taken me to walk. Remember, always do the right thing, even if it means a few more minutes in the 100+ degree heat.

We have been blessed with a great couple who have quickly become family, and we get the privilege of baby-sitting their beautiful 16-month old daughter Audrey. She is adorable and awesome!!!

Finally, I want to apologize for being an unfaithful contributor. Lins has definitely done the heavy lifting in terms of this blog, but I assure you I will be posting much more often now. I will be posting some pictures of my trip to Serbia in the near future. I just wanted to drop a message to say we are doing great, and leave these pictures for your enjoyment(Both of you who read this)...

"Dirty Mexico"

2008-07-09T15:40:00.000-05:00

So, its been quite a vacation here in Acapulco: the horrific Mexico City airport and all of the "friendly" people there, the tropical storm, kids peeing on the sidewalk...what?!? Yeah, that's right...kids. peeing. on the sidewalk. We were taking a break from the hot sun, which is finally out, at the pool restaurant (The chips and salsa are great but the kamikaze birds just don't do it for us!) Anyway, we notice a little girl, about 6 or 7, stripping down to her tan lines and then undressing her little sister who was about 2. Well, they're going to dress in dry clothes right? Oh no. Grandma, sitting next to them and seeing the whole thing, does nothing. They stand around for a couple of minutes and then....the older girls cradles the arms of the younger one allowing her to squat right there on the sidewalk, about 2 feet from the pool and.....GAG ME!!!!!! right where we walked through minutes earlier. Needless to say, we took a different route in heading back to our chairs. Lindsay, as hot as it was, had crawling skin each time we entered the pool, which as few times as possible. I mean, everyone knows that there are 100 people who have peed in this pool in a 5-hour span but seeing it....well, I could puke right now.

Roaming Again..

2008-07-06T13:02:00.001-05:00

We're in Acapulco for 10 days. It took a long time to get here...lets just say we are NEVER going to Mexico City again. Its raining...hard. We're going to sleep and hoping for sun tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, etc., etc....

A New Title

2008-06-25T10:53:00.000-05:00

Things are moving along at work...sometimes slowly. The office renovation is still taking place so Joe is still without an office. It should be completed by next week and with the new office comes a new title...Joe has officially been named the Dean of Students! As of now, this does not mean any further responsibilities but definitely does a better job of explaining what exactly he will be doing...it also commands more respect. Our department is going through a lot right now as far as personnel goes. We are obviously new to our positions, there are a few new Residence Directors on campus, and we also have a new Vice President! The current VP has taken a position teaching Biology full time here at ETBU but we have had the privilege to work with him for a few weeks. He has introduced many new phrases and ideas to Lindsay about East Texas, the South, and Texas in general...Joe just laughs in the background :) We are extremely excited about the new Vice President. He is definitely here for the students, as we are, and is all about giving Student Services a better name on campus. He officially begins on July 1 but has been in to meet with us and also to let us know that we aka Lindsay can help choose new wall and carpet colors! He wants the place to look spic and span for our new "image". We need it and look forward to being a part of it!

Life in Texas

2008-06-23T13:21:00.000-05:00

Well, we've been here for a couple of weeks...meeting people, learning the ropes of new jobs, finding our way around (actually Joe already knew it from a few years ago). Everyone asks if we are all moved in...yes and no. Most of the boxes are unpacked and it does feel like a home (our apartment and Marshall both!) but there are still many things that are not where we'd like them to end up and there is nothing hanging on the walls. Of course, Joe could care less about hanging things up but it won't really feel like "home" to Lindsay until that is done...she'd like to get some paint on the walls too! We have already done all of the little tasks that are annoying but necessary when moving to a new place: insurance, change of address, and licenses...yes, Lindsay is officially a Texan according to her new driver's license and license plates! Joe couldn't be more proud :)
We have been at our jobs for 2 weeks now and feel very welcomed by everyone. The people that we work with are great and it really is a fun place to work. Joe feels a little left out because many people stop by, call, or email Lindsay for various reasons throughout each day...she is the "director of fun" and everyone wants to be a part of THAT! Our offices are currently under renovation as we speak. A new wall is being put in so that Joe has his own office for privacy reasons regarding student discipline, etc. He is a P.Im.P (Pretty important person..I made that up...you would be cool if you used it also) around these parts...the "Regulator" as we like to call him. He did actually intimidate some campers and their leaders a few nights ago for keeping his lovely wife awake late at night. Lets just say that the adults did not want to speak up and admit that they were leaders because they "didn't know what he was going to do to them"!
We made a trip to Dallas this weekend and saw many fun people (one "peep" in particular) and ate at several of our favorite places. It was nice to visit home, especially The Village. We are generally enjoying our time here and are surrounded by amazing people. We are more convinced each day that this is exactly where God wants us right now. Many people have asked Lindsay how it has been to be so far away from home and while it was nice to live so close to family, it has been so easy to adjust to life here. God has been so gracious to us. We are excited about all of our new friends, the jobs that don't really feel like jobs, and whatever else may come.
The plan was to post pictures of our new home, friends, town, etc. but we haven't taken any yet so be looking for those. Because we are back on a college campus full time we are also on Facebook full time :) Feel free to get a hold of us there! Well, hopefully we can get some pictures up before we leave once again. We are going to Acapulco for 9 days starting July 4th so you can be jealous/look at our pictures when we return from there!..There is a reason this blog is called "Roaming with the Roddens"!

2008-06-11T22:16:00.000-05:00

Goodbye Richmond

Packing up in Richmond

There is WAY more stuff coming

Welcome to Texas!

Awaiting a hutch and hopefully some color!

Notice Joe building a sweet hutch from IKEA!!!

Building a semi-permanent bed frame from IKEA!!

to be continued....

Come Back to TEXAS!!!

2008-06-11T21:44:00.000-05:00

Talk about a whirlwind...this last few weeks has been it! Somehow we dodged all of the rain that has flooded what we recently called home and have begun the process of making a new home in Marshall, TX. The trip wasn't exactly what you might call perfect...actually, decent, poor, and bad don't even cut it! It was definitely an adventure beginning with the packing of the truck. Twenty-six feet may seem like plenty of room to pack all of your things but for the Roddens...well, everything got here, let's leave it at that! Mr. Dave Hunteman is our favorite Richmond native for probably 5 years, maybe 8. He and Joe packed every little inch of that truck and even when we took breaks he kept working! Thanks Dave!
Lindsay's parents joined us for the long drive...Joe in the shaky, 83-year old U-Haul (NEVER rent from them by the way), Lindsay and Becky in the Jeep, and Frank in Joe's truck with a large TV and every AM radio program as his passengers. The trip took hours longer than planned as the brake system in the U-Haul continued to malfunction at several stops....poor Joe...no cruise control, the windiest day on the road you could hope not to have to drive a 26-foot truck in, and sketchy brakes that required the determination never to turn the truck off and only to put it in neutral while gassing up.
Anyway, we finally arrived in Marshall, unloaded the valuables and essentials, and took Lindsay's parents to the Hampton Inn. Chris Chavez arrived early the next morning, Whataburger in hand, to begin unpacking the truck. He and Joe had that thing unpacked within hours...conveniently, the Carrs showed up literally as the last box was being carried in...nice timing :) A quick Wal-Mart run and lunch at Sonic motivated the fastest move-in in the history of the world. Before dinner time the new apartment already looked like a new home and the clan called it quits...a trip to Jalapeno Tree wrapped up the evening (yummy). We took Lindsay's parents to Dallas to fly back to Indiana..saying "goodbye" until Thanksgiving :( Little did we know what a fiasco THAT would be. Instead of returning to Indianapolis at 7:30 that evening they had to rent a car at 11:00 pm in Chicago due to a canceled flight and made the long journey home arriving at 6:30 am. Yikes!
So, we started work on Monday and are having a great time so far. We work 4 10-hour days during the summer and love the people that we work with. We will give more details about work and update the pictures as we get some more things put away. We are definitely looking forward to the weekend where we can finally be still...at least work at our own pace and get a little more settled. It does feel like home already and we are so excited about the coming school year. We have no idea what the Lord has in store but we are excited to find out!
We will be changing our cell phones to local numbers soon and will let you know when that happens but right now we can only give our new address . You may also want to check out our school's website.

Lindsay and Joe Rodden
Box 2033
1209 N. Grove
Marshall, TX 75670

www.etbu.edu

The Busyness of Life

2008-06-01T11:30:00.000-05:00

Holy Geez! The last few months have been insane around here! So much has happened since our last post...we apologize for the delay. Anyway, the baseball season was busier than expected and took up most of our time in the spring. When the season ended we had to make a decision about what to do next year. We felt that the Lord did not want us to stay in Richmond but weren't sure where we would end up. Joe withdrew his application for the head baseball position at Earlham College where he had been the interim for this year. Lindsay sent in her letter of resignation to Richmond Community Schools. We continued to pray that the Lord would lead and make it clear to us where He wanted us to be. Well, He has certainly done that and so much more! On Friday, June 6th we will be driving a large U-Haul truck and all of our things, with the help of Lindsay's parents, down to Marshall, Texas. We will start work at East Texas Baptist University the following week. Joe will be a Resident Director for two freshmen dorms and the Dean of Students i.e "The Disciplinarian". He is also planning on helping out with the baseball team as he has time. Lindsay will be the Director of Student Activities planning things like freshmen orientation, family weekend, and the Fall formal. We are amazed at how God provided for us in an amazing way! We look forward to being in Texas, closer to Joe's friends and family and finding out what kind of life God has for us there. We are sad to leave Richmond where we met, fell in love, and got married. We are also sad to leave Lindsay's parents and brother (we already miss her other brother and sister-in-law who will now be WAY too far away in the U.P.) but plan to travel back as frequently as possible.
Joe is currently in Belgrade, Serbia doing some work with a baseball ministry. He has been gone for almost 2 weeks already and it has not been very fun for either him or Lindsay. We have discovered more than ever that we are not meant to be apart like this. We are looking forward to Monday when we can talk again and Tuesday when we are finally reunited! With Joe being overseas, Lindsay finishing the never-ending school year, and packing up all of our things, it has been a little stressful back here at home. Joe packed up most of the house before he left which has helped to alleviate some stress. Lindsay will finish up the year with a teacher work day, aka cleaning out her classroom and saying goodbye to teaching, on Monday. Joe returns on Tuesday. We will finish packing up loose things on Wednesday, pack the truck on Thursday, and drive to the Lone Star State on Friday. Yikes! Reality hasn't really hit yet and probably won't until Joe comes home. Anyway, we apologize for the lack of communication lately...we hope you understand. We love you all and will try to keep in better touch to keep you updated on all that is to come. By the way, it has been too long since we've had a vacation....we are trying to decide where to go in July. We'll let you know....you know we can't stay put for too long ;)

Honeymoons, etc.

2008-02-24T13:14:00.000-06:00

We chose the name for this blog because it seems strange to be at home for long...we are always heading somewhere! As soon as school ended in December we were off! We spent one week in Grand Cayman for our official honeymoon and then continued on to Texas. From Dallas to Valera to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl and back to Texas in Austin and back to Dallas. What a whirlwind but how much FUN!! It is hard for us to stay put and since we've been back we are getting anxious to head out again. Trust us...there are plenty of trips already planned for the next few months. It all starts next weekend as we head to St. Louis for the start of the baseball season - GO QUAKERS!! Check back with us and see if you can keep up!

2008-02-03T11:05:00.001-06:00

First Words

2008-02-02T22:47:00.000-06:00

Well now, we have decided that the time has come to join the blogosphere. Word is that all the cool kids are doing it, or maybe they already have done it. Anyhow, here we are, typing away, wondering what will come from this virtual venture...