Sunrise Easter service on the beach.
Jessica, me, and Junette after the sunrise Easter service.
Tricia and the girls walking the beach.
The house that we worked on the most.
Tic . . . our favorite dog. 
I think that's me on the scaffolding. I spent a lot of time on those planks.
The house dedication.
Our work crew.“Slow Fade” . . . marks the regression that happens when Christians aren’t living intentionally. “People don’t crumble in a day. You don’t fall, you fade,” Hall explains. “In your mind, there’s that pride that says ‘I’d never do that’… but you don’t just do it, it’s a slow series of compromises, little ones that go there eventually, until you’re sitting in a place you’d never go, doing something you’d never do… and yet the way you’re living totally makes sense to you somehow because you’re so numb.” As believers, we must guard our hearts and understand that no one crashes and burns. They just slowly fade away one little compromise at a time.
There is so much truth to that. People don’t just wake up and decide not to believe in God; they slowly fade away . . . one temptation or distraction at a time. A marriage doesn’t fall apart from one fight; it’s the slow progression that you don’t notice. Our society didn’t become so immoral over night.
We know where it leads, but where does it begin? The broken relationship might begin with an “innocent” flirting with another woman. An addiction might begin with viewing that first inappropriate website. The teen violence could be tracked to that first violent video game or movie. The white collar extortion might have begun with the first extra dollar in change that was kept instead of returned. After each “first”, the subsequent compromises are easier and easier to make, until the numbness sets in.
I heard a great analogy for this. I was told that the coating on rat poison tastes good to the rat. How else would you get them to eat it, right? So, the rat fills up on this tasty food, that is actually a deadly toxin, and eventually dies from the inside out. We do the same thing. We poison ourselves with the media we ingest and the situations we put ourselves into. We lose our integrity with every white lie we tell to save face with a coworker and every profanity we utter. We lower our expectations of marriage with the TV shows we watch. We raise our tolerance of violence and abuse with music, movies, and video games. We pervert our minds with books, magazines, and the internet. What choices are we making? What poisons are we consuming? They slowly eat away at our morals, integrity, relationships, and faith. It’s a slow fade.
Here are more lyrics from the song: It’s a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray. Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid when you give yourself away. People never crumble in a day.
Those lyrics are so convicting, aren’t they? What thoughts stir in your mind when you read them? How do we get rid of the poisons that cause us to fade? I think we can combat them by staying plugged into God, His Word, and His church. Go to bible study. Be diligent about prayer. Find an accountability partner. “Guard your heart” (Prov. 4:23). Don’t conform to the world (Rom. 12:2). Live intentionally as a follower of Christ.
One other line that stands out to me is: It’s the little feet behind you that are sure to follow. We need to remember that we are setting the example for those around us, specifically the next generation. We also know that kids learn what they see, not necessarily what they’re told. What are we teaching our kids? What example are we setting?
If we’ve slipped into the gray area, are we beyond God’s reach? Not at all. God promises to renew us and forgive us. He also gives us strength to stand against temptation. (1 Cor. 10:13) We are called to repentance and are forgiven. God is good!
It is my prayer that you would know the good things God has in store for you and would desire to live intentionally for Him.
God’s peace,
Karie
p.s. This song is in the movie, Fireproof. I highly recommend watching it. It's a great film about marriage.
Danielle on vocals.
Matt on drums and me on lead guitar.
Tony on bass guitar. 
My permanent station.
Dayna rockin' out! This might be my favorite!
Uncle Don on drums!
Our fans. We could hardly contain them. We almost called security because they were so rowdy!
Sometimes the roadies get in on the action. A last minute addition to our band - mom on vocals for a Rolling Stones song.
My favorite part was when Iris was playing with us. She sat with me while playing the guitar and was having fun. She wanted to push the buttons. It was really cute. I think it scared her at first, though, because she was staring at the drums right next to her. She also was "singing" in the mic with Aunt Dani. That absolute best part was when we couldn't get it to work at first. Derek was trying everything, but it wasn't working. She said, "Iris fix it." It was adorable.
