"Virtual Tour" of the interior of our new home!

My family keeps asking me for pictures of the interior of our new home. I have posted several pictures during the building process covering exterior of our log home, but "still" pictures have been hard to capture the inside "look" of our house.

So I made a video, "a virtual tour" of the inside of our home. Obviously it is still under construction; however, all the drywall has been hung and it ready for tape and texturing. Our downstairs will be getting new pine ceilings and flooring as well. But this will give you an idea of the progress we have made so far. For those who have been here the most dramatic difference at this point is the upstairs. Check out the video and let me know what you think...

Saying "Goodnight..."

Here is a cute video of my four daughters saying goodnight to their "Daddy!" They were so cute giggling and laughing. Kaylee, our youngest, is 13 months old now and she has such a cute personality. Heather and I sure are blessed!

Kaleb and his good friend Josiah!

Kaleb didn't think I would post this video...but I am "Dad" and I got him!

Our First Snow of the Season...

Our First Snow...

We just returned from our family vacation in Oregon during the Thanksgiving holiday. We had a great visit! Mom and Kaylee were able to celebrate their birthday's together on November 13th. Kaylee turned 1 year old and Mom turned...(well I better not say!)

We just got home late Sunday evening and we woke up today to our first snow of the year! It sure is pretty and the kids we so happy! They were already outside playing and throwing snowballs!

Here are some more pictures of our home. The outside is almost completely finished...still have some staining to do on the window trim and a few other little things. All of our interior framing is done and now Steve (our contractor) is working on electrical and plumbing. It is so exciting! He had some much done after we were gone for two weeks!

First Snow

Author: Mary Louise Allen

Snow makes whiteness where it falls,
The bushes look like popcorn balls.
The places where I always play,
Look like somewhere else today.

Meghann, Friends, and Horses

Meghann at Rough Diamond Ranch on Marble

The following pictures were taken today over at the Melzer's Rough Diamond Ranch here on Marble where we live. The day started at 10 a.m. while Meghann and 3 of her close friends and their horses all met at the Melzer's ranch. They spent the morning working together with their horses being trained by Steve Melzer. Steve is a Parelli level 3 certified trainer. By 3 p.m. they were all ready to go out for a trail ride. This was a dream come true for Meghann.

Tonight all 4 of the girls get to have a sleepover and watch "horse movies" and make caramel apples and other "treats!" (The Melzer's asked if it was okay to have a little "sugar" tonight!). Then tomorrow morning Meghann will ride home.

Happy Trails to you...

Granny's Home

Here are some pictures of Granny's new home. This is where we are staying while we are working on our home. This home is also on our 16 acre piece of property. In the one picture you can see our home at a distance in the background. Everyone keeps asking me to post pictures of her home...so here they are!

Granny loves her new kitchen. She has two ovens and all stainless steel appliances. This picture was taken right after we moved in so we weren't totally settled yet.

I'm Back...

We're remodeling our home and because of the extent of the remodel/finishing of our home we had to actually move completely out. Because of our move I haven't had regular access to the internet; thus, no blogging.

Anyway, we are still living on our property...we just moved in with my mother-in-law Tami Bisceglia into her new home. It is an exciting time for the Anderson family.

We have been living in our log home in an unfinished condition for about 5 years, so it is a tremendous blessing to finally be able to finish it. We started on the outside with a new redwood deck and grand entry. We will be replacing all of our windows on our first story level with new vinyl windows to match the upstairs. Then we will be starting next week on the inside.

Here are some pictures of the progress...

This first picture includes our friend and builder - Steve Ramanauskas. As you can see he is always hustling on the job.

This Man can Move Anything

Have you ever wondered how they built the Stonehenge monument in England? Watch how this man is building his own Stonehenge replica...yet all on his own!

"...Children are a heritage from the Lord."

Our Children!!!

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward." - Psalm 127:3

Kaleb (15 yrs.), Meghann (11 yrs.), Breanna (9 yrs.), Savannah Rose (7 yrs.), Seth (5 yrs.), Kaylee Nicole (10 months old).

Return from the Wilderness

Well we returned from the wild! Kaleb and I had an awesome time in the wilderness together. The North Cascades National Park is the closest thing that I have experienced to the great Alaskan wilderness. It is absolutely amazing! The fingerprints of God surround you in these mountains. The North Cascades contains some of America's most beautiful mountain scenery - high jagged peaks, ridges, slopes, and countless cascading waterfalls (as the name of the Park suggests). There are glaciers and snowfields that remain year-round. Few roads lead into the park and most of the scenery is only seen by hikers along the trail.

We began our journey off the North Cascades Highway along Washington State Highway 20 at Rainy Pass. The first day we hiked around 4 miles camping at a place called Fireweed Camp. It had a refreshing creek running right along the campground. The next day we hiked another 5 miles uphill to McAlester Lake. It is a beautiful alpine lake around 6000 feet in elevation. It was refreshing to wash up in this mountain lake. The final day of hiking was a 12 mile hike almost all downhill. We went from 6000 feet down to 1400 feet to the little mountain community of Stehekin. I never thought going downhill would be such a challenge, but carrying a 50 pound or so backpack downhill all day was a tremendous stain on my knees. But with the help of my strong son Kaleb I managed to make it all the way. It was completely worth it!

After we arrived in Stehekin we remained there for 2 nights staying at a campground along the Stehekin river where the Kokanee salmon were swimming upstream by the thousands to spawn. The salmon were almost so dense that you could step out walk on them. They were a bright red in color and extremely beautiful.

One of the highlights of Stehekin is the famous bakery. It is called the Stehekin Pastry Company and after 4 days of food around the campfire it was a welcome haven. We had fresh cinnamon roles and egg sandwiches made with fresh homemade bread. The men were satisfied!!!

The biggest highlight was enjoying this with my oldest son Kaleb. It is a memory that we will never forget!

A Gateway to the Wilderness

Kaleb and I, along with Boy Scout Troup 912, Marble, WA are leaving tomorrow morning for Stehekin, Washington. Read the following review of the area and enjoy the pictures of God's beautiful creation from Washington state. The trailhead begins 200 miles west of our home near Rainy Pass in the North Cascades. As we embark on the trail we will begin our 3 day backpack down to the little community of Stehekin. We will be backpacking 20 miles over the course of 3 days and then spend 2 days in Stehekin. There will be 3 men plus 9-10 Boy Scouts in our group. We will be packing in our food, water, shelter and clothing for 5 days. Since the only way in to Stehekin is by boat, plane or trail we will conclude our journey with a 4 hour Ferry ride along Lake Chelan back to our vehicles. Lake Chelan is on of the deepest lakes in the U.S. with a depth of 1486 ft. at its deepest point. It is a 50 mile long glacier-fed lake with a width of 1.5 miles at its widest. Obviously we have quite an exciting journey ahead of us and we will report back on our return. We would appreciate your prayers while we're gone.

A Gateway to the
Wilderness

JOURNEY DEEP INTO THE NORTH CASCADES to the headwaters of Lake Chelan. Fronted by one of America's largest lakes, edged by wilderness and surrounded by tall mountain peaks, Stehekin is a remote community connected to the rest of the world only by boat, plane, or trail.

The voyage to Stehekin is part of the experience. You travel from the hustle of the modern world to a place where there are no shopping malls, movie theaters or internet cafes. Here, a connection to the land can still be felt.

Whether you enjoy boating, fishing, camping, backpacking, hiking, bicycling, horseback-riding, rafting, kayaking, or simply lounging at the edge of the lake, there are plenty of ways to seek adventure or relax.

Stehekin serves as a hub to explore the 62,000 acre Lake Chelan National Recreation Area and a gateway to the rest of the North Cascades National Park Service Complex as well as the adjacent National Forest Wilderness Areas.

"Repent and be baptized..." - Acts 2:38

Kaleb and Meghann before their baptism down by the river.

Kaleb and Meghann were baptized yesterday on September 3rd, 2007. It was a glorious day to see my two oldest children baptized into the Christian faith. I have been talking to them quite a bit lately about their faith and challenging them to examine themselves to see if they are in the faith. I can testify that their confession is a true biblical confession of faith and I praise God for calling them into His glorious kingdom!

Bob Jennings comments on baptism in his book "Written Briefly" as he writes...

"Baptism is a beautiful ordinance. First, it signifies the BURIAL of the old sinful self and the RAISING UP of a new man in Christ upon true conversion, a miraculous work of the hand of God (Colossians 2:12). Second, it signifies the WASHING away of sins (Acts 22:16). Third, it is the 'INITIATION CEREMONY' into the church of Christ (Acts 2:41), testifying to the watching world that the candidate has forsaken the company of sinners to side off with the saints."

Kaleb before his baptism...

Kaleb after his baptism...



















Meghann before her baptism...



















Meghann after her baptism...

A Girl and Her Horse

Yesterday was Meghann's first trail ride on her horse named Joy. She has had her for over a year now and her dream was to get to a point where she could ride her alone on the trail. She has been riding her in the corral alone and being led around with someone holding the lead rope on the trail. So this was a "big" day for her and a fulfillment of a dream - the first of many milestones of this "girl and her horse!"

Meghann riding out in the field in front of our home.

Meghann with her riding partner Karen Ramanauskas.

The Future Causes the Past

History is not simply a matter of the past causing the future; it is also true that the future causes the past, as R. J. Rushdoony explains: "The movement of time according to the Bible, is from eternity, since it is created by God and move out of and in terms of His eternal decree...Because time is predestined, and because its beginning and end are already established, time does not develop in evolutionary fashion from past to present to future. Instead, it unfolds from future to present to past."

David Chilton explains, "A simple illustration might help us understand this. Let us say someone finds you packing a sack lunch on a warm Saturday morning, and asks the reason for it. You answer, 'Because I'm going to have a picnic at the park today.' What has happened? In a sense, the future - the planned picnic - has determined the past. Because you wanted a picnic at the park, you then planned a lunch. Logically, the picnic proceeded , and caused, the making of the lunch, even though it followed chronologically. In the same way, God desired to glorify Himself in Jesus Christ; therefore He created Jesse and David, and all the other ancestors of Christ's human nature, in order to bring His Son into the world. The Root of David's very existence was the Son of David, Jesus Christ. The 'effect' determined the 'cause.'"

Now this is Funny!

Your worldview determines how you live...what's your worldview regarding life and death?

The following is a quote from "The Evidence Bible" on Hinduism:

MAN:
An individual’s present life is deter-mined by the law of karma (actions, words, and thoughts in previous lifetimes). The physical body is ultimately an illusion (maya) with little inherent or permanent worth. Bodies generally are cremated, and the eternal soul goes to an intermediate state of punishment or reward be-fore rebirth in another body. Rebirths are experienced until karma has been removed to allow the soul’s re-absorption into Brahman.

Christian Response: People are created in God’s image (Gen. 12:7). The body’s physical resurrection and eternal worth are emphasized in John 2:18–22 and 1 Corinthians 15. The Bible declares, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many” (Heb. 9:27–28, KJV). Since we die only once, reincarnation cannot be true. Instead of reincarnation, the Bible teaches resurrection (John 5:25). At death, Christians enjoy a state of conscious fellowship with Christ (Matt. 22:32; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23) to await the resurrection and heavenly reward. A person’s eternal destiny is determined by his or her acceptance or rejection of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord (John 3:36; Rom. 10:9–10).

My Wife

Heather and I have been married for 16 years and I am more in love with her now than the day we said our vows. I always felt unworthy of the gift the Lord gave me in my wife, but I praise Him for His providence and grace. God is good!

"He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord."

- Proverbs 18:22

I sang the this song to Heather on our wedding day, and the words are as true today as they were 16 years ago. Thank the Lord for the covenant of marriage.

I Will Be Here
By Steven Curtis Chapman

Tomorrow morning if you wake up

and the sun does not appear

I will be here

If in the dark, we lose sight of love

Hold my hand, and have no fear

'Cause I will be here



I will be here

When you feel like being quiet

When you need to speak your mind

I will listen

And I will be here

When the laughter turns to cryin'

Through the winning, losing and trying

We'll be together

I will be here



Tomorrow morning, if you wake up

And the future is unclear

I will be here

Just as sure as seasons were made for change

Our lifetimes were made for these years

So I will be here



I will be here

And you can cry on my shoulder

When the mirror tells us we're older

I will hold you

And I will be here

To watch you grow in beauty

And tell you all the things you are to me

I will be here



I will be true to the promise I have made

To you and to the One who gave you to me



Tomorrow morning, if you wake up

And the sun does not appear

I will be here

Oh, I will be here.

Suffering and the Sovereignty of God

So often we find ourselves complaining and whining over what we "think" we lack. The following story will move you to keep a proper perspective of our "apparent" trials. God is good and He is Sovereign!

John Farese was born on August 27, 1956 and is one of the oldest persons living after having been diagnosed from birth with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. He is bedridden and uses speech recognition software to operate his computer system, which enables him to do everything from reading the Bible to creating Web pages for his customers on the Internet.

John lives with his brother Paul and sister-in-law, Janis along with their four children. John's family has provided him with the love and support he needs to be able to live a productive life.

He enjoys watching sporting events, reading, using his computer, and being with family and close friends. John writes, "By the grace of God, I have an intimate relationship with my Heavenly Father, and Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

To read more go to: www.farese.com

What is the Gospel?

Jerry Bridges in his book, "The Discipline of Grace" points out that many Christians don't have a good grasp of what the gospel message really is. In fact, he wrote that sometime during 1993, a survey was taken on the floor of a large Christian convention attended by several thousand people. One of the survey questions was, "What is the gospel?" Of the scores of people interviewed, only one gave what could be considered an adequate answer. Until recently, I don't believe I could have gave a solid answer either. I just found the following summary by Dr. R.C. Sproul and it is one of the clearest summaries of the gospel I have read. I pray this will cause you to glorify God through his Son Jesus Christ.

The Gospel

"There is no greater message to be heard than that which we call the Gospel. But as important as that is, it is often given to massive distortions or over simplifications. People think they’re preaching the Gospel to you when they tell you, 'you can have a purpose to your life', or that 'you can have meaning to your life', or that 'you can have a personal relationship with Jesus.' All of those things are true, and they’re all important, but they don’t get to the heart of the Gospel.

The Gospel is called the 'good news' because it addresses the most serious problem that you and I have as human beings, and that problem is simply this: God is holy and He is just, and I’m not. And at the end of my life, I’m going to stand before a just and holy God, and I’ll be judged. And I’ll be judged either on the basis of my own righteousness – or lack of it – or the righteousness of another. The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus lived a life of perfect righteousness, of perfect obedience to God, not for His own well being but for His people. He has done for me what I couldn’t possibly do for myself. But not only has He lived that life of perfect obedience, He offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice to satisfy the justice and the righteousness of God.

The great misconception in our day is this: that God isn’t concerned to protect His own integrity. He’s a kind of wishy-washy deity, who just waves a wand of forgiveness over everybody. No. For God to forgive you is a very costly matter. It cost the sacrifice of His own Son. So valuable was that sacrifice that God pronounced it valuable by raising Him from the dead – so that Christ died for us, He was raised for our justification. So the Gospel is something objective. It is the message of who Jesus is and what He did. And it also has a subjective dimension. How are the benefits of Jesus subjectively appropriated to us? How do I get it? The Bible makes it clear that we are justified not by our works, not by our efforts, not by our deeds, but by faith – and by faith alone. The only way you can receive the benefit of Christ’s life and death is by putting your trust in Him – and in Him alone. You do that, you’re declared just by God, you’re adopted into His family, you’re forgiven of all of your sins, and you have begun your pilgrimage for eternity."

— R.C. Sproul

Our Community

Here is the community in which we live - a place called Marble. I took the following description off a website advertising Northern Lights Lodge which is located within walking distance of our home. Click here to see their website. My mom and dad stayed at this Lodge/Bed and Breakfast after Kaylee was born this past winter.

The Setting

Nestled in the pristine Selkirk range of the Rocky Mountains in northeastern Washington, Marble is a uniquely enticing destination for all types of visitors. Beautiful mountain scenery, peace and tranquility are all a part of our little community. The setting on the banks of the majestic Columbia River boasts an abundance of wildlife and extraordinary fishing, certain to delight the avid outdoors man. From our back door, we have access to over 160 navigable miles of one of the most scenic rivers in the United States for the boater, kayaker, or canoer. Known as Lake Roosevelt, this stretch of the Columbia River from just north Marble to the Grand Coulee Dam is the largest lake in Washington State, and is becoming renowned for its outstanding Rainbow Trout and Walleye fishing. Though quite cold, the Columbia also provides some of the best water-skiing available anywhere, and will certainly refresh those hardy enough to swim. In addition, hundreds of miles of trails within a short distance of Marble make this area a hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding paradise. We are also located within 30 minutes of some of the finest golf courses and downhill skiing in Canada, the border is just a few miles up the road.

The History

Marble became a boomtown in 1910, evidently with the idea of using the surrounding acreage for seed and fruit production. At one time, Marble was reputed to be the world's largest apple orchard. Residences were built on three sides of an extensive square, in which there was a schoolhouse, a post office, and a residence hotel. Marble also had a sawmill, a general store and a blacksmith shop.

My Family

Here is the most recent picture of my family. My mom came up for a visit last month from Oregon, and we all went down to Coeur d'Alene Lake in Idaho. It is about a 3 hour drive from our home in Northeast Washington state. We hadn't been there for several years and had forgotten how beautiful it was. They have really developed the area for tourism. Mom took our family out for a 2 hour cruise around the lake and we all thoroughly enjoyed it! We even saw the "Home of the Floating Green" at The Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course. I called my brother Kenny and told him we had to play golf there someday.

Point of trivia...

Thomas Kinkade, the painter of light, is developing a new community, called "The Gates of Coeur d'Alene." This will transform Thomas Kinkade paintings into a master-planned neighborhood that evokes the nostalgic images of Thomas Kinkade artwork in a setting of privacy and tranquility overlooking the world famous Lake Coeur d'Alene, located in northern Idaho. To see his website go to: http://www.gatescda.com.