A Decade and a Foot

I wrote this a while ago, but it came back to mind again just the other day as I was picking up. I put one of Grant's new sandals of my foot and it FIT ME! How did that happen? Time moves too fast and it's just another reminder to treasure what God has given me and these years with my kids. I guess God is trying to pound this stuff into my head!

Where does time go? This past winter we celebrated 10 years of ministry at our church and the church's 10th birthday. We had a great weekend of special events to commemorate all that God has done here. Our ministry has changed a lot. I hope we are improving each year as we bring Christ to those around us.

I've changed a lot too. Mike pointed out in his sermon that being here has made him a better man, husband and father. I feel the same way about myself. God has allowed us to grow and mature here. It hasn't all been easy either. There have been a lot of tough times along with the good times. We've had housing issues, marriage issues, depressing and discouraging times. The lessons I've learned have changed me and I wouldn't want to go back to the person I was.

Thinking about it all made me realize that it's too easy to focus on the negatives. And now in retrospect there were so many good times. We've developed friendships with unbelievable families. We've watched their kids grow up, get married, have babies! We've seen people come to our church bruised and broken and watched as God began to heal them. We've seen people turn their lives over to Christ. We've learned to call this little town home.

Throughout the service on Sunday, I missed a lot. Annie had to go potty, there were issues in the nursery, Maren's diaper leaked all over her clothes and so I missed a lot. But I guess that's part of the change, God's given me a more important ministry! I've got my own little congregation of 5 and they are needy like most congregations are. It may not feel as important as the things I used to do like helping on the worship team, setting up or doing the bulletin, but it's the greatest job God has given me to do in my life and I'm going to try to enjoy every minute - even with all the ups and downs!


1 Thessalonians 3:12
May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.

Camping is Fun?

We just got back from 4 days of Church Family Camp. I'm not sure what I expected going to camp with 5 kids under the age of 9 but it wasn't this. When we left Grant was throwing up, Maren screamed the whole first night and had a fever, Abby got bit by a dog, Mike left early to take Grant to the doctor because he wasn't getting better leaving me alone with the 4 girls. After Mike and Grant had left, everyone was going to go on a pontoon ride (a very old pontoon!). I continued to decline because Maren doesn't like to sit still for more than 3 seconds. They finally talked me into going and we ran out of gas in the middle of the lake. We tried to paddling back but the wind was too strong. So we sat out there for 2 hours and sang songs. Maren cried a little until we found some lifesavers in the first aid kit. Finally, we heard the camp dinner bell ring and we knew they would miss us. A few minutes later the camp staff came and rescued us in their speed boat. So, it sounds like it was a miserable week right?

The funny thing is that it wasn't. Either I've finally gone crazy or I'm maturing just a little bit! We still had a great time with our church family and our own little family. We canoed (or as Annie would say we went on a 'noe ride), played on the beach for hours, tie dyed shirts, played games, sang songs and had campfires. There was coffee and hot chocolate in the morning while sitting by the lake. No laundry or cooking! It was a restful change of pace.

It's so easy for me to focus on the problems and negatives! As if it's going to make me feel better to complain about how bad things are. I was tempted to pack up and go home at 3 a.m. or sit and pout but I'm glad we were still able to enjoy what we could.

I hope you can enjoy a change of pace adventure in the last few weeks of summer. It will probably have kinks and craziness in it, but I'm trying to remember not to let those things ruin the whole experience.

Psalm 62: 1-2
My soul find rest in God alone;
my salvation comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

Life is Like a Balance Beam . . .

Well, most of us are enjoying watching the Olympics in our house. The kids and I have stayed up late watching the exciting conclusions of gymnastics and swimming. Mike has found it a good week to go to bed early. I grew up in the Mary Lou Retton era and we watched the tape of the Olympics until I had the commentators comments memorized. So it's fun to watch with my kids, even if it means letting them stay up until midnight.

So last night, we saw one of the American girls fall of the balance beam. She was heartbroken of course. The commentators were saying that she has probably done that trick thousands of times and her nerves played a role in her fall. Well, sorry to say Tim and Elfie but I disagree. I think she fell off because it's 4 inches wide! The stuff they do on that thing is crazy and sometimes you are going to fall. It's inevitable. It stinks when you do it at the Olympics, but come on these girls are humans - not machines. They are prepped and trained for this big moment and failing is not an option.

I like to push my kids to do their best. They have to study and do homework, practice piano, go to baseball practice and I want them to succeed. The problem is that they are human and will have bad days. They'll fail tests, lose games, and have fall outs with friends. They are going to make bad choices and sin at times. And I feel like I am doing them a disservice by not preparing them for inevitable failure. I want them to know that they are not perfect and that's ok. It seems that if you know what's coming you won't feel shell shocked that it happened.

There will be failures and falls, but the important thing is to do your best and keep going. And most importantly to fix our eyes on Jesus - the author and perfecter of our faith. That's the kind of success that is important. Those failures and hard times are the times that we grow closer to Christ and that's probably why God allows them in our lives and the lives of our kids.
What good is it to be a Rhodes scholar or All-Star Baseball player or a piano virtuoso if you don't have Christ?

I feel like this young gymnast was not prepared for failure. Maybe someone should have told her, you know the balance beam is only 4 inches wide, chances are you are going to fall off now and then. That's ok! Just hop back up there and do your best.

I want to encourage and help my kids grow in Christ and rely on Him in those hard times. They need to know that all this stuff they deal with pales in comparison to what they have in Christ.

Hebrews 12:1-3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the hoy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

One Small Step . . .

I've never had small feet and one of the many blessings of my children have given me are even bigger feet. But I am making a smaller footprint on the earth these days. We do recycle, not really because we're green, but because it's free. We get our milk from a farm in reusable containers. Mike takes his bike to work. So I was feeling pretty proud of myself yesterday while I was buying a few of the reusable shopping bags at the store. That is until we got out to the parking lot and as we were climbing into our full-size gas guzzling Ford van, I noticed one of my daughters had a styrofoam packing block. She was breaking it into tiny little pieces and throwing them over the side of the cart. The wind was blowing them all over the place by the time I saw what was happening.

Isn't that just the way it goes? You feel like you are making progress and you turn around to find it hemoraging out a different way! Just when I finish the laundry, the piles are being strewn about by a 1 year old or someone desperate for something to wear. When I finally get to mopping the floor every six months or so, someone is already spilling milk on it. Progress seems like it is finally being made with a behavior issue only to have something worse come up. There are days when joy exudes and there are days that are just drudgery.

So goes the ebb and flow of life. How do we find the energy to keep going? I know I need breaks and times of rest but for the most part I'm in it up to my eyeballs for the next 17 years at least. I know God called us to perseverance and I guess that's because He knew we would need it. I know I have to keep on going and working because this is the most important job God's called me to do. And if I falter or give up who's going to take over? So I have to keep at it every day, every minute and look to God to give me the strength.

It's for His glory that we faithfully serve. I was just reading a little article that John McArthur wrote about success in ministry. And if anyone could claim success, he'd be near the top of the list. He wrote that it is not success in the world's view that is important. It's not money or buildings or books, but it's faithfulness: continually submitting to and doing the work that God has called us to do. Sometimes I get the feeling from people that they feel a little bad for us serving a small church, like maybe we're wasting our time. Or it's too bad such a nice couple like us can't find a better (read bigger) place to serve. Some of our friends in Village Missions serve the most difficult, remote fields we have in the U.S. They will never make a lot or have huge attendance in their church, but they serve faithfully. The people in rural churches need a pastor just as much as a suburban mega church. I think there is something very exciting about doing something for the Lord that no one else wants to do or even cares about. Is there a better way for these talented young couples to use their gifts? And I know it's a struggle to persevere in those situations too.

I get the same attitude from a lot of people about being a mom. They look at me like, couldn't you do better? Don't you want to make something of yourself? They are usually surprised to find out I have a college degree. It's hard to make people understand that I choose this and I can't think of a better way to use the gifts that God has given me than pouring them into my kids. So, I'll try to take McArthur's words and apply them to parenting. It's not success as the world sees it, it's not having all the right stuff, or a brilliant career- it's faithfulness: continually doing what God has called us to do, even when its hard.

Philippians 3:12-14
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brother, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.


Galatians 6:9-10
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Different Strokes for Different Folks

We went to an outdoor Folk Festival to hear a band we like. And they were great! But I realized while we were sitting there that I do not really fit in with this crowd. There were all sorts of people wearing their tye died outfits, women with no undergarments, dancing around. (For the record, there were a lot of regular people there too) It all seems kind of staged to me. They drive home and stop off at Target just like the rest of us. It's not really a place I feel super comfortable being. I realized that I probably have very different views than almost everyone there. So what on earth were we doing there?

It seems obvious we have to be willing to go to places that are out of our comfort zone in order to reach out to people. Post-modern people don't seem to just pop in to church or even feel the need to go. How comfortable would any of them feel in my church world? They probably feel that my "religion" is a put-on or show too. The problem is we don't go. We are more comfortable staying in our circles of church, family , Bible studies. And we wonder why our outreaches don't work. Why wouldn't one of the tye-die, no bra women want to come to our church's ladies tea? That seems like a no brainer!

Mike goes to the bar in our town. He doesn't drink, but he's right - that's where the people are that need to hear about Jesus. And really, isn't that what Jesus did? He went out to the places no good religious person would go and sought out people that needed Him.

So, I guess I should go to more music festivals and other things that are out of the norm for me. I'm not sure, but I might even get some tye died clothes.