Some Sunday Thoughts after Thanksgiving:

For anyone else at Grace this morning, I wonder if you were as touched by Roger's sermon on the subject of "hope" as we were. What a time of hope Advent and Christmas really is! Roger used Isaiah 49:22-23 (and some other references as well). The hope is for right now!

How wonderful that it is for all of us..."See, I will beckon to the Gentiles..." and again..."those who hope in me will not be disappointed."

I did not recognize who spoke the words from the audience, "We, of all people, should be the ones with hope..." How true!

Then someone else spoke from the audience, "I've known hopeless...and I've known hope..."

How honest!

Sometimes it does seem like hopelessness, despair, depression, and cynicism are all around us (and with good cause for it). And then there is Jesus saying, "I am come that they may have life and have it to the full..." (John 10:10). That is the opposite of the dark message of hopelessness.

I'm thankful for Roger's good messages, I'm thankful for the endless creativity of our worship teams and those who decorate the church, and I'm thankful for the honesty and sincerity of those who worship at Grace.

Lana Ringgenberg

I did not know that

And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your seed and hers;
he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel.~Genesis 3:15

I was thinking this morning that I am really looking forward to Christmas this year. So I started thinking about Old Testament prophecies and how for YEARS the people of Israel waited for a Messiah. They were told in subtle and not so subtle ways that He is coming and this is how. What I didn't realize, is that prophecy started in Genesis 3. The above verse is God telling the serpent what's what after the fall in the Garden of Eden. Note with me that He tells him that there is going to be battle between the woman's seed and him. Quick biology note, women don't have "seed" we have eggs, men have seed and you need the 2 of then to make a baby. But the woman he is referring to is going to give birth with out the need for a human father. Did you know this??? It is the prophecy of the virgin birth right at the beginning of creation. And note He goes on to say, you will wound Him but He will take you out. He did it first at His resurrection and ultimately when He comes back and throws him into that lake of fire (see Revelation something). God had a plan for man kind's redemption at the exact moment they needed it. I don't think I ever thought that He needed to sit and think about it, like I do when I am going to punish my kids. But that is where my comparison has gone awry. We often think about this passage as "the curse" for the fall of man. I see now it is God saying "Here's the consequences but it's not the end. I have a plan for your salvation." I love it. I hope this blesses you today too.

joy

Warrior Child

For the past five mornings I have eagerly logged onto the blog anxious to hear the Lord's message through Joy's words while sipping on the flavor of coffee I had in my house. This week I bought Raspberry Chocolate from Smokey Row and became frustrated as I could not find a compatible flavor of cream. You are probably thinking she has a coffee addiction and it is true I do! I comfort myself that there is a devotional book titled "Latte and the Lord". So, I am not the only one that believes they go nicely together!

Joy, thank you for your diligent posts and the courage to blog what the Lord put on your heart. I hope you have not felt alone, but know we were walking with you in Spirit and Prayer. As you find yourself weary I pray you are resting in Jesus' arms. The safest place for a warrior child. As I daily read where the Lord led you in scripture and listened to your heart I was warmed by the beautiful picture you painted showing us a real journey traveled with Him.

You have challenged me to ask myself what it means to be a warrior child. . . "Am I willing or can I . . . .live, do, battle, surrender, listen, or suffer bringing Glory to the Lord?" It seems life doesn't always give me a choice in the battle but rather forces me into unexpected wars. In reverent fear I share today, "I am willing" learning only the Spirit within gives me the strength or weakness I need to be a warrior child that gives all the Glory to the Lord!

Love, Lissa

Last One

Ok I didn't do all 7 days but it is a week and I am finishing this challenge. Not strong. Not perfect. But finishing nonetheless. Believe me when I say I wanted to stop with the last post. I would be the exactly what I described fearful, tired, discouraged and ready to give up. That would not be a good way to end. Besides, it's not about me. It's about the pressing on my heart last week Tuesday morning that "They need to know." Still don't know who "they" are but I am trusting Jesus does. Isaiah 55:11 says the word will not return empty but will accomplish what God desires and will achieve the purpose He desires. So I am believing God.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

"The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."-Exodus 33:14

"Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you." Psalm 116:7

"Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls." Jeremiah 6:16

"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him." Psalm 62:1

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the Almighty." Psalm 91:1

I am going to let those verses speak for themselves and let myself get to bed at a decent time this evening.
Thank you for letting serve in this way.
Jesus, we come to you, weary and burdened. We long to be joined to you. Thank you that you never leave us to carry our burdens alone. Thank you that you never ask us to carry more than we can bear. We find our rest in You. In your sweet, precious Name, Amen.

Day Five

"Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome and fight with your brothers, your sons, and your daughters, your wives and your homes." Nehemiah 4:14
The context of this passage is Nehemiah talking to the workers who are rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem after they returned from exile. It was not going to be a simple task as is usually the case when God calls us to do something. If you read the beginning of chapter 4 the workers face opposition not unlike what we face today.
They had the wall half way built and their enemies saw they were making progress and they were angry and began plotting (v7). Not unlike our enemy. He isn't just annoyed when we grow closer to what we are called to be. He gets angry. The builders response was to pray and post a guard day and night. As New Testament believers Paul translates this to us. "Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)
In the next verses the laborers face their own frustration, doubt and weariness. They know their enemies are watching and waiting. The Jews who lived near by felt it was their duty to tell them what an impossible task they faced.
Nehemiah responds by placing guards against the lowest places, the places most vulnerable to attack. In the face of our own self doubt about our call, our weariness, our knowledge of the enemy's desire to destroy us and our fellow believers discouraging us, we need know what areas in our walls are most vulnerable to attack. I don't know what that is for you but for me it is worrying about what others are thinking about me. I can make up all kinds of lies in my head about what someone else is thinking about me or saying about me. These lies can paralyze me into inaction pretty quickly. My guard for this is my knowledge of Christ's unconditional love and acceptance of me just the way I am, the way He made me. My sword is the word of God, specifically, "And I pray that you being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and to know that this love surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
Nehemiah also tells them to not be afraid, remember the Lord, and fight. He called them to fight specifically for their families. Don't let discouragement, fear, isolation, cause you to give up. Even if you think you can't do it, you need to fight for your family. Maybe it is your family that is in jeopardy. If you ever needed to hear a word it is this one. Fight. Fight for your family. Fight because your family needs you too. Don't give up. Your family is so valuable to God he made the family before he made the church. I don't know how many other ways to say it. Get whatever help you need and fight. I can tell you from experience I know it's not easy but it's necessary. I am not going to go all Proverbs 31 on you (no one can measure up to that!) I am just going to say please don't give up.
Abba, Father, we are your children, part of your family. And just as a mother could not forget her own child, you can not forget us. You hold us tight in the palm of your hand. Give us what we need to continue, to perservere toward what it is you have in store for us. Forgive us for when we forget that and want to give up. We fix our eyes on You, the Author and Perfector of our faith.
Amen

Day Four

It's early in the morning on Saturday or late Friday night, depends on your perspective. For me, it means that this will cover both Friday and Saturday's blog. :)
Mark 9:21-24
21Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?"
"From childhood," he answered. 22"It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."
23" 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."
24Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
I hope that someday, when I get to heaven, it will be obvious to me who this father is so I can tell him thank you for being so real.
I have spoken about the fight and spiritual warfare this week but Thursday night I had a slight turn and I had a revelation in my heart.
This week, actually this month, this season, this year, has been somewhat challenging. I usually see these times as an opportunity to grow, maybe God wants to teach me something. Sometimes I look at these challenges, stressors, as enemy attacks or spirtual warfare. I am embarassed to say my thought process is "Well I must be doing something good or the Satan would not try to attack." Now I know that spiritual warfare is real. I know that it happens. But my eyes were opened to something different.
This week I have prayed, been in the Word, wrote to you about it on this blog and felt pretty good. I am ashamed to say that my thoughts and my actions elsewhere, especially with my family have not lined up with all that. It was easy for me to say "It's Satan attacking" when what is real is that I am much like the father Jesus is talking to in Mark 9.
I come to Jesus for all he is, my comfort, my provider, my strength. But I hold back on what He really wants and that's to be the one who transforms me. It's like He came into my kitchen and said "Satan is not your problem here, you are." Ugh. And in defense I say "I do believe!" and then in the next breath knowing He sees my heart, "Help me overcome my unbelief!"
He knows what He he has created me to be and I see some parts of me that are just too strong to be transformed. Who am I believing?
He says "Any thing is possible for him who believes." and I scramble to find my own solutions. Who do I believe?
He gave his life for my salvation and offers his love, mercy and grace new to me everyday and I am harsh and critical with the one's who need my love, mercy and grace the most. Who do I believe?
This is not a final answer for me. I pray it is the beginning of what is a real, transforming work.
Thank you for hearing me today.
Jesus, help me overcome my unbelief. Help me to open up the dark, hard places to your Light and transforming power. I thank you that you never give up on me. Thank you that you love me. Amen

Day Three

Psalm 18
I love Psalm 18. What is interesting to me is how my eyes were opened to it in stages as God knew what I needed to know about Him, when I needed to know it. It is a psalm that captures orientation, disorientation, and reorientation in one fell swoop. I would love it if you would join me as we break it down.
Vs 1-3-David is feeling the love and gives love to the LORD. This is a tender, touchy love. It is like the love you feel when you see a sweet baby. It's that tender.
Vs 4-6 But then life happens and things are changing. The enemy is attacking. David is feeling frightened, he fears for his life and he cries out to God. This is a cry of anguish, of being at the breaking point, of feeling oppressed. I am thankful for a God who "From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him into his ears." He cannot ignore you or not hear you anymore than you can ignore the cry of a baby. I am thankful for a God that doesn't wait until I ask nicely in a polished, pretty prayer. He hears the raw cries that come from hurt, pain, and fear.
Vs 7-15. In the past, I stopped at verse 6 and I praised God for hearing my cries. The one night when things were especially hard in my world, I read on. In my eyes, these verses illustrate how God comes to our aid when we are in the middle of an attack our enemies. I broke it down verse by verse because I wanted to see how he fights in these attacks. What I realized at the end was that God can take an attack from the enemy and use it for my good. What satan wants to destroy, God can turn it into a way I can grow. "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done." (Gen 50:20). God is not caught by suprise by the failures and fallings in our life. He can use it for our benefit if we let him. If we are willing to go someplace we may not want to, if we are willing to see things we don't want to see.
Vs 16-19 Some of my favorite verses in the Bible. "He brought me out into the spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me." My chest always relaxes in the spacious place. No cords around me here. No it wasn't easy, but now you are in the spacious place and it is even sweeter because he delighted in me. Not because he felt obligated or he had too. He rescues us because he delights in us. Someone told me recently that the root of "spacious" is the same root as "salvation." I think I have that right. It makes perfect sense to me.
For along time I stopped there because I like the spacious place but the psalm does not stop.
V 20-31-David recounts what he learned about God in the battle. It is a good thing to note these things. These conflicts will bring a fresh revelation of Him and ourselves. I do not ever want to go through a painful battle without being able to point to God's hand and the lessons I learned.
Vs 32-45-Suddenly there is another battle. This time is different. David finds out that God gives us the same strength to fight for ourselves with His strength. "It is God who arms me with strength." (vs32) No longer is David being pursued by an enemy. He is persuing them and WINNING! "I pursued my enemies and overtook them." (vs 37) Can you see me going "Yes!" That's right. We aren't going to play defense anymore, we are going to play offense!
Vs 46-50-He ends the psalm the way we all should-praising and thanking God for all He is for us and all He does for us and how much He loves us.
God, our Savior, you come down from on high and you save us and then you use the battle meant to destroy us to bring us closer to you and how you created us to be. In You and Your strength, we are warriors. Give us the strength we need each day. You are our Rock. Amen

Day Two

Thanks to Max Lucado's new book Fearless who opened my eyes in a fresh way to this passage. Thank you to the Holy Spirit for his prompting and conviction.
Mark 4:35-41
Have you ever just been strolling through life marveling at all Jesus has done for you? Have you ever witnessed his healing and his miracles in your life or those around you?
Have you ever just felt like "Life is good, I am in God’s will, walking with Jesus, in tune with the Holy Spirit"? You feel like you know Jesus and his character and you trust him. What a sweet place to be. That is the place those disciples were before they got on that boat with Jesus. Now for Peter, James and John, as fishermen by trade, the boat was a natural place to be. For Matthew the tax collector, probably not so much, but he has committed to following Jesus so on to the deck he climbs.
It has been a long day and Jesus is obviously worn out. He finds a quiet spot under the stern and falls asleep. While he is sleeping a storm kicks up. It seems reasonable to think that as fishermen some of these men should be able to handle this right? This can’t be the first time they got caught in a storm. I can understand why Matthew is losing his cookies but the rest of them, come on. But the word that is used for this particular storm is seismos. Yup, as in earthquake, seismos. I wonder if it was like a typhoon. I don’t know that but I learned that the only other time that word is used is to refer to the earthquakes at Jesus’ death and resurrection. So this is pretty major. So the disciples looked at each other and said “Let’s wake up Jesus and he will fix this. Look at all we have seen him do thus far!” Right? WRONG! They wake him up with a frantic “We are drowning! Don’t you care?!?” Wow. I would like to get a little righteous indignation going about those disciples and say “Are you kidding? How could they say that to him? How can they so quickly forget all he has done?” and then the Spirit convicts and I get that feeling in my stomach that says. Ugh. Been there, done that.
Jesus gets up and says to the waves “Quiet! Be still!” and everything calms. I can’t help but think that if he had turned to the disciples and said the same thing the calm would have come. Maybe not in the storm, but in the disciples. What he does say to the disciples is “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Emphasis mine) I have read this passage several times lately but tonight God added the word “still” to my Bible. Here comes another Ugh.
Of course the disciples were terrified. Not only was there a fresh revelation about Jesus and His power there was an exposure of their hearts.
When the storms of life come you can plan that there will be a fresh revelation of God but also know that there will be an exposure of our heart. And what we see may frighten us. I praise Jesus that he didn’t get off the boat in the next chapter and say “You guys are worthless. I am going to find some other disciples who have more faith, who aren’t so afraid.” He didn’t do that with them and he doesn’t do it with us. He wants us to stay close to him and hear his teaching, see his healing, and knowing his love. He knew the wind and waves would obey because he created them. He knows how we are created, and he knows what he is creating us to be and he won’t give up on that. The only one who gives up is us. Hang in there sister.

Jesus, thank you for your love. Thank you that you never give up on us. Thank you for your awesome power to calm the storms or to calm your children. Give us hearts to receive the love and peace and calm that only comes from you. You are Elohim, our Creator. Amen

Day One

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it life to the full.” (John 10:10)
This may not be a new verse to you but I want to break it apart for you and hopefully open your eyes. You can not fight an enemy unless you know his tactics. Thanks to my favorite devotional as always, Sparkling Gems from the Greek, by Rick Renner, for helping me understand this better.
The word thief in the Greek is klepto which means obviously to steal. The picture that it paints is of a thief who is so artful in the way he steals that his exploits of thievery are nearly undetectable.
Jesus wants us to know that the devil is cunning. Satan knows that if he is obvious his actions will be recognized. I hate it when he has taken my joy or my peace and I haven’t even realized it until it was gone!
The next interesting word (and this is what struck me the most) is “to kill” which you think means to take someone’s life right? Actually no, the word is thuo, which means to sacrifice something that is precious and dear. Ugh. What Jesus is saying is that if the enemy can’t outright steal it from us, he will then try to tell us we need to sacrifice or give up what is or was precious to us. He doesn’t want you to have a blessing. He will create daily stressful situations to cause you to conclude that you must sacrifice what you really love. Think your marriage, your relationships with your children, your home, your peace, your contentment. I hope I am not the only one that is smacked in the head by that.
As if those two things weren’t bad enough, Jesus went on to say the thief also comes “to destroy” or apollumi-something that is ruined, wasted, trashed. So if the thief can’t take it, or convince you to sacrifice it then he will try to ruin it.
So since I believe I need to be vigilant for Satan’s schemes, I also do not want to give him too much press so I am going to devote more words (I will know because I did a word count) and time to the Good News.
Jesus went on to say, “…I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” The words “that they may have” means to continually possess. Not talking about a full life on Sundays, or good days or great hair days. No, continually possess. The life Jesus is giving is zoe. This is a life that is filled with vitality. And “to the full” or “abundant” depending on the version you are reading is periossos which is beyond what is regular, extraordinary, exceeding, super-abundance! So Jesus is saying
“I have come that they might have, keep and constantly retain a vitality, gusto, vigor and zest for living that springs up from deep down inside. I came that they might embrace this unrivaled, unequaled, matchless, incomparable, richly loaded and overflowing life to the ultimate maximum.”
In this life we will struggle and Satan will push your buttons. He will try to get you off track or cause you to cast your dreams to the side. When this happens you tell him to shut up and hit the road. Usually it’s not nice to say shut up but in this case it is necessary. You can let him know you are on to his games and you are not going to bite any more because you are choosing Jesus and the life and love He has for you. You are not a sucker for this anymore! You have Jesus in you and that is the only Power you need to draw from to face this once and for all. You are not on your own.
Don’t let anything be stolen, don’t give up what matters most to you because you think that will make things better and don’t roll over and let the enemy of your soul destroy what is precious to you. Receive the abundant life!
Father, I pray for courage for these women. I pray that through Your word they will see how they can and will fight a Holy fight. Open their eyes to Your presence around them. Give them discernment to see the enemy’s ways and above all give them a victory and abundant life that only comes from you. You are the Most High. Amen.

Lessons learned

Lissa, I'm with you, if I could I would give up cleaning, laudry, maybe not cooking, just wish someone would do the clean up. I used to get so hung up on having everything done, the house had to be spotless if someone came over, after all that was a reflection on me. If someone dropped by unexpectedly, I would find myself apologizing for how the house looked. Now you need to understand that I had three children in 3 1/2 years, and worked part-time, so keeping things done up was no easy feat. What I have learned over the years is that those who truly care about you could care less about things like a neat house....they just want to spend time with you. Our kids won't remember that the laundry was always done, the carpets vaccumed etc.....but they will remember the fun things you did with them. I encourage all of you mom's with children still at home, enjoy these years, before you know it you are longing for the days of spills, choas and toys everywhere. I get a taste of that from time to time when all my beautiful grandbabies come over, I am trying to enjoy these times and just walk carefully, those little legos can be brutal to the feet:).
If money was not an object, I won't change much about my life (except to not work), but I would love to share it with those I love so they could slow down and enjoy the life God has given us.

If MONEY was not an option

The truth for me in answering Joy's question is instead of making breakfast I would rather share life with friends over a warm cup of coffee. Instead of cleaning I would rather read scripture and prayer journal, spend time with my kids or shop with friends. It continues to bug me that I don't enjoy domestic work more and know if money was not an option I would hire my house cleaned weekly, cars washed, lawn mowed, meals catered or fast food would do. The only thing I would not hire is a nanny because I love to care for my children!

God's Wisdom for Little Girls is a children's book written by Elizabeth George. It shares the virtues of the proverb women from Proverbs 31. I try to read one page each night to Ana before bedtime enjoying the ryhmes myself. Longing to be a Proverb women and inspired by Proverb 31:22a She makes coverings for her bed I bought material to make a quilt for our bed and I don't know how to quilt!?! So I plug on trying to find quick and easy recipes to cook, I am grateful for cleaning help, our sons are in charge of the yard and I use the automatic car wash!

Maybe there are more of you that don't enjoy cooking and we could share easy recipes? My cousin told me she puts a frozen pound of hamburger in a crock pot (sprayed with Pam) in the morning, sprinkles it with a little minced onion, salt and pepper, turns the crock pot on low and when they get home from work they have a cheap and tasty meal!

I cherish what Joy's friend shared . . . . If you want to see my house make an appt. but if you want to see me come on over!!! Love, Lissa

http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=849dc7c803281df74bb2


This is a link to a great video called God's Chisel. It is kind of long-about 9 minutes-but well worth it.
joy

Probing question of the day...week...month?

Since I am feeling broke and my house is a mess, the quesiton for the day is:
If money were no object would you prefer domestic help or would you cook and clean yourself?

I will take the help. It's not that I can't cook or clean or don't like to. I think it would be great to have my time freed up to spend with my family or doing things like scrapbooking and reading that I don't get to do too much anymore.
I am not cleaner. It is not so messy that it is a breeding ground for bacteria and the like. It's just not a priority. I wish it were. I had the day off today and high hopes for getting some house work done but I have managed to fritter the time away on other things. That's just how I am. A good friend of mine told me once "If you want to see me, come on over, if you want to see my house, make an appointment.":)
I like to cook. I just don't like figuring out what to cook. It is also hard to fix a meal in the limited time we have all together some evenings. Some nights we eat at 7:30. I used to do the once a month cooking thing, then we had a cooking club. But I don't do either one anymore.
Domestic goddess I am not. What about you? Gourmet chef or Banquet meals? Organization diva or keeper of all things? Love to clean or made peace with the dust? Tell us about you!
joy

Today is the high holy Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement. In Leviticus, God provided a way for the His people to reconcile themselves to Him through sacrifice. It was a day of fasting, complex ritual sacrifices, and liturgy. In the end there are 2 goats, one is sacrificed and the second, the scapegoat, who represents the sins of the people, is bound and brought into the wilderness as a pardon for the sins of the people.
In the fall there are 3 Jewish Feasts:
Feast of Trumpets-the beginning of the Jewish holy year and a call to repentance
Yom Kippur-the Day of Atonement-a time for cleansing
The Feast of Tabernacles-a time of rejoicing
Some would say that this is a parallel to end times. Hmmmm. I will let you think about it, research it and decide if you agree or not. I think it is interesting. I always love to see what God established in the Old Testament translate directly into the New Testament.
I do know however, that I am thankful for Jesus the Great High Priest's sacrifice once for all (Hebrews 10:10) and that we can approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16). The Holy Spirit testifies to us....Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more. And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:15; 17-18). Thank you Jesus....
Blessings to you this day,
joy

PRAYING the Psalms

Good Morning, I am not sure how many of us are linking on to the blog with the busyness of summer. I am sure your lives are hectic!! My two oldest children are getting ready to take off for college, my 16 year old is excited to have the only extra vehicle to drive to school, my 11 year old is asking how many mornings he has to walk his Kindergarten aged sister to class while I sit here and wonder - "What's ahead?" It seems life is a constant journey of surrender and when I like something I want to keep it and hold on tight!!

This is where praying the Psalms have become a blessing for me. When I do not know what to pray or how to pray I open the Psalms. Today my prayer for my sons stepping into life searching for the Lord's purpose, my friends seeking answers in prayer, Grace Fellowship as we begin a new season and for myself as I wonder what this Fall holds is Psalm 121. Please pray with me. . .

I lift up my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let our foot slip-

he who watches over us, our children and our familes will not slumber;

Indeed, he who watches over our community and our world

will neither slumber nor sleep

The Lord watches over us

The Lord is our shade at our right hand;

the sun will not harm us by day

nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep us and our children from all harm -

he will watch over our life;

the Lord will watch over our coming and going

both now and forevermore.

AMEN

Thanks for praying with me this morning:) Love, Lissa

Independence Day

Hi,
I am sitting here wanting to share something wonderfully wise or deeply spiritual. But the truth is that would come from who I want you to see. Today I am in a strange place. Very much looking forward to spending time with friends this evening and the time with family this afternoon - probably playing games, etc. But always in the back of my mind I'm thinking about a family member who is trapped by the lies and blindness of the devil.

Today is Independence Day for which I am truly grateful. Not just for the freedom our country enjoys but more for the new levels of freedom Christ has been bringing me to. With each level of freedom and healing I experience I long for the same for those I love. I know Jesus can do more than I ask or imagine and I know it is His to do, not mine. So I am left with the power of prayer - which I willingly do, but is there more He may be asking of me?

I have shared that I'm been in a group called Christ Life Solution. In this small group I have delved deeply into my past. Some may say why would you want to do that? Leave the past in the past. What I know is that the past NEVER stays in the past. All the ways I have viewed myself and God spring out of the paradigms that were formed in the past. Believe me, I have a Psychology BA and a Masters in Social Work. I understand family dynamics and have analyzed myself from every direction. It is one thing to understand; it is another to be healed. Only Jesus heals! It is not easy - but oh, it is SO worth it!!

I don't know exactly what my future holds, but I know who holds the future and I will do my best to follow where He leads me.
I ask you to pray for the family member I mentioned earlier. Pray that God will give her enough courage and opened eyes to seek the help she needs. Pray for protection for her children. Pray that God will continue to reveal to me the role I need to play.

My hope for each of you on the Independence day is more and more freedom found only in Christ. You are loved and cherished by your Creator - always.

Gina

Summer, vacations, accidents

Thank you to all who shared their fasting experience. It was good to catch up and read how my fellow women of grace engaged the time of fasting. I engaged the fast, too, but not with food. Those 21 days were the beginning of a new journey for me. (I see that now!, but didn't before) I failed in many ways, but do not feel condemned. God always welcomed me back after my failures. In the past, I would have been too entrenched in my own guilt to see that. Praise the Lord for new eyes to see more of who He is!
All in all June has been a strange mix of good and bad. Our family took 5 days away and went to Missouri. We spent a lot of time on the lake, which is always fun. Then a week later, Jeremy and I celebrated our 15 year anniversary! We spent three days ALONE...no kids...no computers...no work. It was marvelous!
In between the two vacations, our youngest child (Gabe, 2) sustained an injury to his lower eyelid. He had to have surgery to suture the wound and repair the tear duct. Even through that scary experience God was so good! He provided exactly what & who we needed at just the right times that day.
We've enjoyed a lot of pool time, riding bikes, celebrating birthdays (mine and Jacob's), etc. etc.
This past Thursday, I was driving home from running errands and was hit by another car who failed to stop at an intersection. Sigh! Lord, what now! Again, God was good. The impact wasn't too hard due to slower speeds, and no one was hurt. The driver door on the van doesn't look too good though. Needless to say, I am praying for a July with fewer surprises!

....learning to truly mean it when I say "Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow."
Jodi Vos

My summer so far

I read your email Joy about sharing our summer so far, well here goes. Even though we have no children at home anymore, I do believe that we are busier than ever. I think I can account for this because of our precious children and grandchildren. So far in June we have had the pleasure of attending a nieces wedding in Michigan (my grandson and granddaughter were adorable ringbearer and flower girl)....the next weekend we celebrated Drew and Laurens first birthday, my how time flies. This past weekend we had the joy of witnessing the baptism of our other twins, Hailey and Brynn. In between all the fun family events, we have been busily preparing for the 2009 Cadet Counselors Convention that will be held in West Des Moines next week Thursday - Saturday. We have around 200 adults and kids coming for a wonderful weekend of fellowship, fun and spiritual renewel. Wayne and I are the host/hostess of the event and have been working on this project, along with wonderful couples from Hawkeye council for the past 20 months. I would ask that you pray for safe travel for all those coming from across the US, Canada and even one from Kenya, pray also for the messages that will be brought through speakers, workshops and song.
Now for a easy recipe:
Grape Salad
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz sour cream
1/2 cup white sugar
1tsp vanilla

Stir together well.

4#'s grapes (washed and dried)

Stir this into above mixture. Just before serving sprinkle top with 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2-3/4 cup chopped pecans mixture.

Wishing you all a great weekend and summer.

Marilyn

This has been an unusual week for me full of contrasts. I have felt success and failure, anxiety and contentment, fear and peace, grief and happiness, acceptance and rejection. I am a woman so I don't think this is too uncommon. But I woke up this morning overwhelmed with all the things I think I need to do. I do not like it when I am overwhelmed before I get out of bed. This is supposed to be a nice vacation day. Relaxed and enjoyable. So I stopped and I turned to where I should have turned on Tuesday-Jesus. Isaac went up town one day and went to his favorite local Christian bookstore and came back with a present for me. It was a little rock with "Jesus" on it. This means more to me than he knows. As you can tell I can swing like a giant pendulum in my emotions, moods, decisions and I know more than anyone I need that Rock. The One who doesn't shift or change. The One, who when I keep my eyes on Him, keeps me steady and from swinging this way and that. I don't do that very well on my own so I keep that little rock as a reminder.
So this day I am doing what He gives me time, energy and focus for. I spent some time in journaling and in the Word this am, did a few items on my "to do" list. I will enjoy the afternoon at the pool with my kids and then a pedicure (if He cares about the hairs on my head I know He cares about my toes too:)-sorry....) Maybe a nice dinner out with my man. I am looking forward to spending some long overdue time with old friends this weekend. Stuff can wait. It won't go anywhere. There is no better way to spend time than to spend it with people you care about.
Have a great 4th of July.
Blessings,
joy

The end is in sight....

So, here I am, less than 20 hours to go on the fast. It has been a journey. I am not sure what I learned, but I think I know more about myself and more about the character of God. He wants me to finish strong, for me, not for Him. He wants me to have perseverance and be mindful of what I eat, for my best interests. I spent a fair amount of time screaming, "Who am I doing this for, You or me?" I still get don't get that, but as someone said to be when I asked, "yes". So I imagine that this is not the end, but a segue into the next level of Rosa.

A few weeks ago, I did a 5K for the 40th anniversary of Lake Red Rock. It was a beautiful morning, a bit of a breeze and a little misty to cool us off. The route was partly trails and bridges, very level, it was a nice experience. But the route needed to repeat itself to get the full mileage in and where it repeated and ended was a huge, straight up hill. Being tired, a bit muddy, and ready to be done, it was miserable. Especially knowing I had to do it again. And when you get to the middle of the hill and your body says "NO", what are you going to do, you can't stop, you can't turn around, you just have to climb the stupid hill. But once you get up the hill, you think, "That wasn't so bad...." I have a feeling that this fast will be similar to the 5K, there was no turning back, quitting doesn't solve anything, and when it is over, I will think, "That wasn't so bad...." I am a better person for having persevered and I did it for me and Him. Probably more for me. He loves me regardless of me.

I'll see you all at the potluck!!

Rosa

AT THE CROSS

As the 21 day fast comes to an end I find myself at the Cross.

It has been a ride. . . . praising the Lord in the kitchen after a friend shares a new recipe that has flavor:) I usually smell like garlic!! To failing in a Thunder storm as I lick the beaters after making "chocolate" Thunder Cake with Joel and Ana. For those of you that are restraining yourself from chocolate - it is not as delicious when you cheat - STAY STRONG!

I am very thankful to have community in fasting!! It has been helpful to process all the questions and a blessing that we can share with eachother. When the first few days were behind me the Lord called me to surrender more than food and it became a very intimate journey that I could only travel with HIM. Surrendering guilt for how I fasted was the first followed by many others.

Wanting to end strong Tonight and weary of chopping vegetables I decided to check the blog finding the song Joy posted "At the Cross". Whether you were led to fast or not I pray this day you will take the time to play "At The Cross" remembering how much Jesus loves YOU!!!

Love and Prayers, Lissa

Fasting and other stuff

Hello friends,
I also am engaging the fast (sort of). I keep reminding myself that it is not what I'm NOT doing that is of most importance, it is what I AM doing.
I was at the Willow Creek arts conference last week and attended breakouts that had to do with developing/nourishing the soul. One of the things said that caught my attention was that the reason most western Christians don't get fasting is because we don't fully comprehend the interconnection of the soul and physical body. We are "embodied" souls. I've been mulling that over and have read several Psalms in a new light - especially Psalm 63 -my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You in a dry weary land... You satisfy me with the richest of foods. hmm, I think David got it - he certainly understood soul hunger. I can't say I've ever allowed my physical hunger to be a reflection of my soul's longing to be in His presence.
Summer break has been a blur thus far for me. First we were off to Tulsa OK for my nephew's wedding. Then I did phase 2 of Christ Life, then the Arts conference last week. I'm ready to slow down!! The boys are having a great summer: swimming pool, friends in the neighborhood playing flashlight tag at night, sports. Ben is getting more and more independent. He is planning to do some detasseling. Bruce and I need a weekend away this summer sometime! We lost our alone time in the evenings and we really miss it.
Wishing you all a great summer!
Gina

fasting

When I considered the idea of a Daniel fast the first thought that crossed my mind was "Sweet, I could lose a little weight too" I knew that I was not in the right mind or spiritual place for that type of fast. But I still wanted to engage the fast somehow. As I have stated before I am an information junkie. CNN at home, in the car, on the internet, you name it. I love to hear all angles of all the news. The political pundits became my friends from July to November last year. So I realized that was an area that I was hearing the world and not taking the opportunity to hear what the Lord had to speak to me. Now I listen to 107.1 in the car going to work and when I get to an area where the signal gets bad I just turn off the radio and sit in the silence or I pray, usually both. This has become a nice time of peace and reflection.
To all of you who are doing the Daniel fast I pray for you and the mysteries God is revealing to you. I am excited to see what the next couple of weeks brings for each of us personally and our church. It is an awesome time of anticipation and expectation for where God is leading us next. Hang on to your hat. I think we need to be ready for a wonderful ride. :)
Regarding our summer, it is full of baseball, tennis, camp, reading group, swimming lessons, trombone lessons, etc. We have agreed as a family to hold a couple of times each week "sacred." We have movie night (or Guitar Hero) on Friday night and Family Fun on Sunday afternoons. We have gone to the lake a couple of times, went to see a movie, went to Jersey Freeze. It is has been fun to figure out unique, inexpensive ideas. If any body has any suggestions I would love to hear them.
Take care and stay cool!
joy

fasting too

Dear friends,
I've been struggling with what to blog, but enjoy reading each of your posts...
Rosa, your post struck a cord with me. I am fasting (not completely), but enough that it's already a struggle. And I fear that I will start strong and then fail to persevere. And today I was reminded of what Roger said about the first 3 days being really tough. But I know that I can do this. I remember last year when Avery went many days with only an ice chip every 4 hours. Surely I can fast - still allowing myself water, coffee, vegetables and some fresh fruit. To take Rosa's phrase, "I am willing to deny myself to risk letting God that close." So when I find myself hungry or craving, I'm taking the opportunity to stop and pray. I've been so entrenched in children's Bible stories that I had Daniel in the lions den. But it was so amazing this week to think about how young Daniel was. The stand he took. The strength and wisdom God brought to him. And I want that - the inner strength and understanding that only God can bring. So 1 day over and 20 to go :)

Trish VZ

Fasting

At work, the other day, I came acrossed a book called, "Spiritual Disciplines Companion" by Jan Johnson. I took it home to investigate, because I have had an interest in learning and possibly trying to practise (more intentionally) the Spiritual Disciplines. So when Roger introduced the idea of fasting this morning, I realized that God wants me to pursue this discipline. I am excited and scared about doing it. It is hard for me to finish strong - I start well, and even persevere, but when the going gets tough, I get crabby.

This book puts Simplicity and Fasting in the same chapter because they are both disciplines of abstinence and self-denial. She said, "Simplicity is richness and fasting is feasting in the truest sense." I want to participate and heaven knows I have a laundry list of prayers that I would love to hear the answers to, soon. But is that the reason to fast - to maybe make God hear me or is it to finally be able to hear God and enjoy His presence?

I know God wants me to enter in, but what will be my cost? Am I willing to deny myself to risk letting God that close? What if nothing happens, is that okay with me? What if everything happens, will I try to claim the glory? I am glad to have some time to process all of this - I pray I can be obedient in this and enjoy the ride.
Rosa

SUMMER VACATION

I am missingYOU on the blog!

I know it is a crazy time of year. I am suppose to be at Joel's class picnic and had to decline so I could be ready with bells on for Ana's dance pictures, Seth's soccer game and Joel's baseball game tonight. So, I sat down to check in with my friends at Grace noticing the blog has been bare for awhile.

Now that it is SUMMER VACATION I was wondering what creative ways you work and play with famiy and friends? I am asking for ALL ages. Do you give allowances? Do you get pool passes? One year I taught my boys to prayer journal some liked it while others did not.

What about your husbands? Do you have romantic picnics in the park? I continue to dream of Italy:) Maybe I will have to try and recreate Italy in IOWA!

How about friends? I was thinking I should intentially walk more inviting friends along. Larry's question has been haunting me from Sunday. Do you fellowship in your home with the people sitting around you on Sunday morning? I used to do better than I do now and maybe that could be where I start this summer for all AGES!

I loved Hebrews and I am missing a series to study in my daily devotions so do any of you know where Pastor Roger is headed next?

Well, thanks for being my friend this day and taking time to read the blog!

Love, Lissa

Hebrews and rest

The message this week affirmed what I had been thinking about in Hebrews 4:12-"For the word of God is alive and powerful...." The writer speaks of rest and why we should and God commanded it and then without taking a breath he says "For the Word of God is alive and powerful"(can you hear me almost yelling) It is saying you can rest for the Word is workin and it keeps workin and it works harder than you, sees more than you, knows more than you, so REST. Let the Word do it's work. I confess that I pray and I read the Bible and I have faith but (there's always a but) I get busy and impatient and I want to "help" God. I shudder to think how many times I have stood in the way of my own victory because I would not sit down, be still and let the powerful Word of God work.
I asked others to post how they are taking a Sabbath rest this week. So I guess I better do that also. I have been allowed a lot of time alone this week as I am out of town for a couple of days. You would think that I would be quick to take advantage and enjoy some real rest. Thus far I have not. I convince myself that this is a good time to "catch up." Well, no more. I declare that when I am done with this post I am going to put on some worship music and sit in the quiet and be still.
I will be praying for all of you this week that you will find a place of rest.
joy

What's Stirring With Me

Hebrews 11:13 rocks my world. In all honesty, I don’t like it. I don’t like that the faithful ones died without receiving what God promised them. It doesn’t seem fair. I know this chapter is supposed to be encouraging – full of great examples of faith. And yes, I agree they absolutely are examples of great faith. But I wonder if some of these people had been interviewed at different points in their lives what it would have sounded like? “So, Abraham, how’s it going?” How would he have answered that question at age 89? And this is coming from a person who has faith in the top of her gift mix! I’ve gotta tell ya, faith isn’t easy and it aint for the faint of heart!!

Ok, here’s the rub. I don’t like the first part of the verse, but I LOVE the second part: “but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed the promises of God.” There are times when I too, “see it all from a distance”. I can’t even always tell you what I’m seeing, but I see it. People worshipping, bowed down, prostrate. A holy people of God laid out before Him, all they want is to be near Him. For Him to touch them, heal them, restore them. What do you see from a distance? What are the promises of God you welcome/receive/claim?

The last part says “They agreed that they were no more than foreigners and nomads here on earth.” I wish I could relate to that better. But I’m a bit too earth bound to fully appreciate this sentiment. Maybe because I have young children and I want to watch them grow up and I want be part of their lives. Maybe my eyes aren’t fixed on Jesus as fully as they could be. I don’t know. I also don’t know who they “agreed” with. They didn’t agree with each other, as they didn’t live at the same time. Did they agree with God? Did God sit down and have a nice chat with them one day about earth and heaven and their future address, so they agreed with Him that earth was not their true home?

I really liked what Bruce VW said about us having a longing for “better” within us. In Heb. 11:10 it says that Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God. So, Abraham must have “seen” this eternal city somehow. Maybe not literally, but he “knew” it existed or he wouldn’t have been confident. This reminded me of other verses in Hebrews about the real Temple in heaven. It makes sense that if there is an eternal city, there’s going to be a temple, right? I didn’t know ( 8:5, 9:23-24) the Tabernacle designs given to Moses were just a “copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven.” This blew me away! It makes total sense though!! Jesus had to provide a way for people to worship God in His presence – in Heaven and the only way to do that was by His sacrifice. Hebrews 9:11-12 says Jesus brought his blood into the Most Holy Place in the heavenly tabernacle – the perfect sanctuary NOT made by human hands!! Did you know that? Incredible!
So, that’s what’s been stirring lately for me.
Gina J.

Rest

Hebrews 4:9

There remains, then a Sabbath-rest for the people of God.

I have been thinking about our sermon yesterday on "rest."  First of all, does anyone know what music was played while we "quieted ourselves" during the sermon?  That was beautiful and serene, and I would like to have that on a cd. I realize this "Sabbath-rest" is much more in its definition than what I am going to consider in this brief entry.  Nevertheless, lots of us just think of "rest" as this: I'm tired-I need rest!

 How many loving ways God has blessed us with things to give "rest" if only we'll just look.  I consider birds and flowers two ways.  I know it helps that I have more time than some of you to take a look at birds and flowers (and I can just hear some of you muttering to yourself, "Yeah, right, like I have time to look at them?"), but please do just glance at them.  Maybe hang a feeder.  Those birds are endlessly entertaining. 

"Consider the birds of the air" we are reminded. O.K.  That's even biblical. Why are there so many references to birds in the Bible?  I thank God for the variety.  Who would have thought up goldfinches and rose-breasted grosbeaks and nuthatches (who go upside down on trees)?  Who would have thought up soaring eagles and pelicans and hawks?  Who would have thought up squabbling bluejays and whistling cardinals? What about those bright colors?

I used a book for eighth graders where in a futuristic society they had tried to become so safe and so much the "same" that they lost their abilities to see in color or to hear music.  I would pose the question to my students?  Which of these could you give up, if you had to lose one of them for the rest of your life on earth?  It's an agonizing question and produced a few passionate answers as many of them realized that they would never ever want to give up their music (they listened to it all the time).  However, losing the beauty of color would rob sooo much joy in life also. We were all glad we didn't have to give up either. Then I am reminded that we always have those who are blind and deaf.  Jesus gave them back sight and hearing.  Oh...what a gift!  

One ironic note: During the last of the sermon on "rest," my husband and I scurried out of the church to beat it over to the all-community church service going on in the Pella town center (as our grandson was singing in a choir there).  We breathlessly fell into our seats there in the bleachers in time to hear the choir and a very good sermon on "Patience."  (We aren't very good at resting and we aren't very patient people either...but God invites us to both.)

Lana

Hebrews messages

Girls
Last weeks Hebrews message this verse caught my eye. Hebrews 12:2 " Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author of our faith, who for the joy set before him endureth the cross, scorning it's shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." I have learned alot about fixing my eyes on Jesus. The depression problems I have right now is to a struggle point. Roger has taught me a great deal about faith and praying. God has spoken to me alot through Roger and I thank God for that. I thank God for sending him to our church. Larry was right Sunday may 3rd. He is a blessing to our church. This weeks message the words that Larry talked about was "It is Finished." To me that means it is done our sins are covered with his blood. I have went through alot in the past 11 months since my dad's death. In the past 4 years I have lost a Mother, Father, Mike's grandfather, and yesterday I lost my Aunt. All these most precious people in my life. God is teaching me something. Sometimes I don't know what he is trying to teach me. I went to see my Aunt and she passed away not 2 mins. before I got there. I did go in and look at her, it was so hard for me but for some reason I had to go look at her. She looked like my mother. I cried, but I know she is in heaven with my other family. Nelson and Norma took Mike and I to see my aunt, then I wanted to go by my mom and dad's grave. But, first Nelson took me by the house they lived in and then to their grave. Well, I hadn't been there and my Aunt (my dad's step sister) had put these vases on each side of the tombstone and I didn't know about it. Yes, I was angry but of course I know that is a cover up word for hurt. But, I just thought to myself "It is finished." My parents aren't there and as Roger has taught me to "Let it GO." All I hope is that she finds Jesus. That is all my father ever wanted. So, I said "It is Finished." Life is too short to carry anger. That doesn't mean that I still can sometimes be angry at God. But, he is our provider, protector, and friend. Thanks for letting me share. God bless each and everyone of you. Love in Christ, Lorie Klyn

Hebrews week 2

Spent some time in Hebrews 4 this afternoon. I don't want to write a long post this time so I am picking out the one thing that I just need to tell someone about.
Hebrews 4:12-"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any two edged sword, it penetrates event to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the hearts and attitudes of the heart."
When I first read this it struck me that the WORD is LIVING and ACTIVE. It is not a passive book or document. It doesn't need someone to explain it or disect it. It does all the work. That's why each person will grasp something different from any given passage than another person. It's a personal love letter to each person. It was written with you in mind. Wow. Take a moment and soak that it. Remember that when you read the Bible. It's not just an bunch of stories or a history lesson. It's God's way of revealing himself to you. I was struck this week that God is not merely to be studied and figured out and held at arms length. He wants me to KNOW Him and he wants to speak to me. He wants to speak to you too.
The second thing I can't wait to share with you. It is the weekly Greek words. The word "two-edged sword" is used a bit in scripture. Revelations 1:16 describes a sword coming out of Jesus' mouth. Ephesians 6:17 speaks of the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. This word is rhema-or "quickened word." The word for two edged sword is kind of strange but very cool-distomos. It is a compound word meaning di-two and stomos-mouth, literally translated two mouthed sword. I read a devotional that explained it kind of like this. When you are praying a Bible verse rises up in you and you claim that promise from God. You have received a word that came right from the mouth of God. After you meditate on it and you grow excited you want to say it outloud. When you are faced with spiritual warfare. Say it outloud. When you do those powerful words come out of your mouth and they are like a mighty 2 edged sword to fight back the attacks of the enemy. Study the word....speak the word....FIGHT.
I pray this is an encouragement for you.
joy

Melchizedek (hard to spell!)

Hebrews 7:2

Then Abraham took a tenth of all he had won in the battle and gave it to Melchizedek. His name means "king of justice." He is also "king of peace" because Salem means "peace."

16 He [Jesus] became a priest, not by meeting the old requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed. 17 And the psalmist pointed this out when he said of Christ, "You are a priest forever in the line of Melchizedek."

An interesting note is that in Hebrews Jesus is said to be a priest forever in the line of Melchizedek. Melchizadek was the king of "Salem" which scholars believe was later Jerusalem. His name means king of justice and the word salem means peace, so he is "king of justice and peace" - how cool is that! Jesus is king of justice and peace and is king of the "new Jerusalem." The whole discussion of Jesus being a priest and offering a sacrifice once and for all isn't as meaningful to me not ever having lived with the ritual of blood sacrifice. I understand it, I just live in a time when that was never a part of my experience (hallelujah), so there is a part of me that cannot relate as fully as those people could to what that really meant. I imagine it was quite a change in thinking and behavior for them!! This is a really important point in Hebrews, much is said about why Jesus fulfills the requirement of the law regarding sacrifice and that He is the one and only High Priest that became a priest "by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed".

I look forward to what others are discovering as they read and study this great book of the Bible!

Gina

Confidence not Condemnation

I am so exicted to explore Hebrews together and anxious to hear how the Lord is speaking to each of us as we open our hearts to scripture! Again, I want to thank you Joy for your leadership! I recognized this morning after reading Hebrews 4:16 "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." To often I approach the throne of grace feeling condemnation not confidence. What a blessing this word from the Lord was for me today. I printed it three times and taped it to the mirrors in our bathrooms and one in the kitchen! Please share with me fun and creative ways you celebrate scripture. Love, Lissa

Hebrews

I am looking forward to this series. I don't know if it is because I felt directly spoken to yesterday or what. I am a sprinter also and right now I am in the "flame out" phase of my sprint at work. I am thankful God has surrounded me with an awesome support in my family, work, and in church. Without it I would go to very rough, dark places very quickly.
I sat down last night with some texts and I wanted to share a few things that I picked up if you don't mind. First of all I had a "Duh" moment so in the spirit of full disclosure this what I learned. No one knows who wrote Hebrews. Of course there is speculation but everyone agrees it looks like it wasn't Paul for alot of reasons, things discussed, different literary style, etc. It was written not so much as a letter but a sermon. It was written to Jewish people who had converted to Chritianity. Hence the name "Hebrews." This was my "Duh!" moment. I had not realized or thought about it before. Obviously I am not a Biblical scholar. Now we have that out of the way. Thank you for letting me share my limited brain with you. :)
These second generation believers were having a hard time. Remember the "drift away" Larry spoke about. You will find it addressed right away in chapter 2. Also these believers were struggling because they were used to the traditions of the old covenant and obedience to the law. They were having a hard time accepting the new covenant of Jesus' grace. They also, as the first Christians, worshiping in "house churches" and it likely bothered them to see Herrod's temple. They probably felt a little paltry in comparison. The first chapters open up and talk about angels and then Moses for the reason of showing Jesus' superiority to them. Angels were original prophets in the OT and Moses was a great leader. The words Jesus is "better than" is used 13 times in this book. It was very important to get that through their heads.
A couple more things in the first chapters I wanted to share with you. In your reading I want you to note how in the single verse of 1:3 .Christ is established right off the bat as Prophet, Priest and King.
Also note that in 1:14 it gives the case for guardian angels.
The first verses of Chapter 2 give the first of 5 warnings in the book-don't drift
Chapter 3:7-8 gives the 2nd warning-don't harden your hearts.
One last thing and I hope I can be brief. (I doubt it:)) I love the original Greek and whenever I can share it I look forward to the opportunity. Chapter 3:8 says "do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion during the time of testing in the desert, "This is refering to the 40 years the Israelites spent in the wilderness. The "testing " means that the Israelites but God to the test not the other way around. A situation allowed God to demonstrate who he is an how faithful he is to his people. In verse 9 it refers to what the Israelites saw. The Greek word is horao-this word carries the idea of seeing perceiving, understanding, experiencing and assimilating into one's self. The grammar indicates a constant, continual, nonstop seeing and experiencing God's works. God provided manna, quail and water to 3 million people each day for 40 years. Ponder this, one scholar estimated that it would take 4,500 tons of manna to feed the children of Israel each day. This means that God fed his people 65,700,000 tons of manna over 40 years. The Israelites grew up thinking it was normal for 4,500 tons of manna to appear out of thin air each and every morning. I won't even get into the numbers of quail, and the amount of water He provided. And yet at it seems at every turn they were whining to Moses or building an idol out of something. The word "hardened" is a Greek medical word to describe something hard like a callous or also can be translated to "stiff necked." Over time the word came to depict a person who was thick skinned, indifferent, or insensitive. If you like I are thinking "How can they be so hard hearted after all God has done for them?" let's take a moment and stop to ask ourselves that question. I know, I don't like to think of it either. But there is hope. If you daily recount the blessings of God and express your gratefulness to him you will avoid falling into the hard heartedness trap of the Israelites.
Wow this is really long and I even cut some out. I guess I am making up for missed posts. :)
Take care and I look forward to your thoughts.
joy

Spring

The warm days this week were proof of spring's arrival. Of course having 3 boys in 3 different spring sports also is a sure reminder that spring is here. Keeping track of schedules is a challenge this time of year. My parents from South Dakota were here this weekend and were able to attend grandparent day at the grade school. What a wonderful program the lower grades put on!! I was fighting back tears several times. The K-2 grades had a program on Holy Week and having just done Holy Week - the meaning was so fresh in my mind. Being so involved in organizing the activities at Grace during Holy Week, it was hard to fully engage it. So getting to just sit and receive this wonderful message at the program and then again this Sunday with the film and wonderful Easter inspired music was a special blessing to me. God is SO GOOD!
I don't think we have an Easter tradition at our house. As a child, we weren't allowed to do egg or candy hunts as that wasn't the true meaning of Easter. With our children we've done them, but we've not set an annual event. This year I hard boiled some eggs and the boys took paints and actually painted them with paint brushes. Then we hid and found the same eggs several times over. We ate them for Easter supper.
Until next time,
Gina J.

Cardboard Testimonies

Thank you ladies of Grace who shared your testimony on Easter morning! I also want to thank those of you who supported your husband as he shared and your children! Our entire family was blessed! The power in the silence with few written words was a beautiful picture of Jesus alive in YOU! Jeff, Zach, Seth, Joel and I went to the Third day concert last night. It was a fantastic concert including a vidoeclip of cardboard testimonies! I had to catch the bubble of pride growing in me as I celebrated . . . "MY CHURCH DID THAT TOO!"
Love, Lissa

Hope

I am like Jean in that Good Friday is always rather sad....but the joy and hope that comes with Easter quickly moves me past that. This year I am so excited to have my whole family coming for Easter....each year we do an Easter egg hunt for all the little ones, but this year is special because we have 4 new grandbabies that will experience easter at Grandmas. This will be the first time since Brynn and Hailey were born that we will all be together, the anticpation of them getting to meet their cousins on such a special day is wonderful, the down side is that I have decided that now would be a great time to get a cold, please pray that it will clear quickly, because if I am sick, the babies will not be able to come. I know this may sound a little selfish, but I have been looking forward to this for some time.
As to how have we spent Easter in the past, I remember as a child that I would get new shoes, dress and hat, yes I wore a lovely spring hat to church for Easter Sunday. I remember one Sunday, I became quite tired during the service and proceeded to fall asleep, thus my head fell back, and you guessed it the hat ended up in the row behind us. As I had children, I always used Easter as a time to dress my children in their sunday finest....and of course a new outfit for myself was sometimes in the offing. I have to say that it doesn't seem so important anymore to get something new for spring, maybe I am finely getting smarter and realizing the most important part of Easter, is God's love for me and the family he has so richly blessed me with.
I pray that all of you will experience the warmth of love of our Savior this weekend.
P.S. Have fun making memories with your families as well.

Marilyn

Thoughts of Easter

Noreen's comments on the resurrection eggs reminds me that I wanted to share that I have recently learned of this from a Miss Patty Cake book I discovered at the church library. We snuck it home, hopefully no one has missed it, and this morning we (Grace, Otto, and myself) acted out our resurrection eggs. Normally, Good Friday is an emotional day for me. However, opening the eggs and reliving the holy week events with the kids brought me peace and joy. The kids get it. And seeing them "get it" brings me joy.
Jean

No waiting

I'm with Joy in passing by anything with a long line. So I can't really remember waiting in lines, but I do know I have at times regretted my impatience, because I heard later that it would have been worth the wait!

I never posted on the "where would I go and with whom" question. That's a hard one for me. Bruce is a mountain hiking guy and I am a beach girl. Since I can hike but he can't swim, I haven't been to an ocean since we were married. And since I am very content with a book and the sun, who would I take with me? Probably my daughter.

But being married to a dairy farmer, really, I'd go about anywhere with anybody. :)

Our days away from the farm are very few and very far between! Bruce has had two days off in the past 20 months . . . We really don't know any other lifestyle anymore, so that is not a complaint, but when I hear wives complain about husbands who never take a day off, I just have to bite my tongue and smile. :)

I am struggling a bit with what to do for Easter. My youngest is ten and asking about an egg hunt, but he does NOT need the candy, and my 3 older kids aren't really into hunting eggs anymore, though sometimes it surprises me how they like the kid stuff yet. Any suggestions for egg fillers other than sweets?

We used to do resurrection eggs when my kids were little--each egg contained an object related to Good Friday/Easter. And then on Easter I used those eggs to hold candy and hide them. I just think the symbolism is pretty cool of the empty egg representing the empty tomb and the grave holding something "sweet" now that Jesus has risen.

Wishing you all Easter joy!
Noreen

finally posting

I have been typing and retyping for an hour and a half now. I wish I could have you all over for some tea and see you and just chat. Catch up. Share laughter and tears. It has been a couple of weeks since I last posted and I apologize.
Blog idea of the week...I would like to hear from you about any special spring time/Easter traditions you have. How do you know it's spring? Do you get your kids all new clothes for Easter? Do you dye eggs or get those handy dandy sleeves? Easter Egg Hunt? Do you plant a garden? Do you spend time with family? How do you teach your kids about Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday? Are you full force into spring sports? How do you manage those supper times? Share what ever your heart desires.
Take care,
joy

Lines and other day to day issues

I have a feeling that no one wanted to blog this week maybe because a blog will replace

Lisa Ruiter's beautiful post at the top.  I do hope everyone has had a chance to read it, but if not, just scroll down past mine right now and read hers!

  How moving both stories contained in that blog were!  The Sleeping Beauty story is a lovely tale, and even more lovely to me is the story of Lisa being able to fly to see her aunt in California and then knowing (see the comments) that now her aunt is safely in heaven.  Thanks, Lisa.

Ok...so I am going to post a completely mundane piece here.  This past Saturday I found myself in a loooonnggg line, and of course I thought...well, I could blog this.  Being rather new to Pella, I completely underestimated the size of the crowd that gathers for the Dutch costume exchange.

It started at 8:00 a.m., right?  So I cruise in at about 8:30 (a little alarmed by all the cars parked around there), and get in the door only to be directed to squeeze past people standing in the stairs coming up (hopeful-looking people) to the basement where the line snaked around in an unrecognizable order (less hopeful-looking people).  I didn't even know where to stand but finally someone said, "Stand behind me.  I think I'm at the end of the line."

I won't make this "long line story" any longer except to say this:  I had lovely visits with the women standing in front and behind me (we had time for life stories and everything).  Yes, people showed up even later than I.  No, I did not get a Dutch costume.  By the time I got upstairs, it was pretty picked over.  My neighbor (who had also gone) just laughed at me when she heard I went at 8:30.  She'd been there at 7:00!  

And last of all...I am about a size 8 (well, sometimes) or a size 9 or a size 10.  I still do not have a Dutch costume.

Lana Ringgenberg

SLEEPING BEAUTY

Thank you ladies! I know many of you were praying for my dream trip to come true and it did! Jeff booked me a flight to California. I left last Sat. at 6:00 p.m. and arrived home last night at midnight. Once again I saw my aunt's beautiful smile, held her hand and had several opportunities to pray with her. I had also hoped I could read her a story and I was blessed with a moment 10 minutes before I left to share. . . .

Sleeping Beauty

By: Lisa Ruiter

“I remember when you were small, how I’d read you fairy tale after fairy tale. I loved sitting with you, telling you all those stories with their happy endings. I loved holding you close as you waited for what would happen next.” Those were the printed words inside a glittering birthday card from my mother. Walking into my daughter’s pink bedroom, I reclaimed the book, Sleeping Beauty, from her shelf. The binding was torn and taped from being read so many times. I carefully opened the fairy tale to a handwritten note from my aunt, “Happy Birthday, Lisa, from Mary and Gene, 1969”.
My mind was spinning as I sat on my daughter’s butterfly comforter. I realized I had mentally written a book for my life at a very young age. A fairy tale! When life changed or pages turned to the unexpected, I crumbled. Even though most fairy tales have a life shattering moment, I thought mine would be pain free. I would be married young, and my prince would save me from my castle by climbing the braids in my hair. We would have many children, boys and girls. Our home would include a white picket fence and it would be peaceful and well kept. We would do our daily chores, say our nightly prayers, and go to church each Sunday.
I continued to try and rewrite my fairy tale after each unexpected surprise. Finding my prince at a young age included a breakup before we were married. Being blessed with four boys, I wondered where are the girls? I tried to find the beauty in my story when my child was ill and no one could help, or in sending my eldest son to college when pain brought him home one year later. Jobs were lost causing money to be sparse; my health faltered forcing me to live in daily compromise while I insisted on keeping the picket fence, my perfect story.
Interrupting my thoughts, my daughter bounced into her bedroom and sat beside me. I asked, “Would you like me to read you, Sleeping Beauty?” She nodded and we laid back on the fluffed pillows escaping into the fairy tale. The fragile pages led us into the story where the six good fairies gave their gifts to the princess. “The youngest gave her beauty; the next, wit; the third, grace; the fourth, virtue; the fifth, a lovely voice; the sixth, a smile to win all hearts.” Pausing, I reflected on how these virtues had inspired my prayers while waiting for my daughter. Her breaths began to deepen as she rested. Admiring the strawberry curls that framed her porcelain face I kissed my sleeping princess as she lay on her covers. Returning the timeless book to her bookshelf I sighed, “Sometimes fairy tales do come true”.
Picking up my birthday card I tiptoed from her room. Inspired to discover the Lord’s story in me dreaming of living happily ever after, I pondered my ten year old son’s question. “Mom, do you think when we die we don’t go to sleep but we wake up?”

So many of you have reached out in sharing the journey of loosing someone you love. Thank you for walking with me in the battle of cancer! We continue to pray for a miracle. My aunt was to weak to go to the airport to say good-bye, but as my plane lifted off the runway in Bakersfield I understood the Lord will provide a miracle it might just look different than I think.

Love and prayers to each of you this week, Lissa

another thought provoking question

Well, ladies, it's another week. The poll was not very helpful to me. It looks like more women want to do a simulcast but more of you contacted me to say you would help plan a women's retreat. That being said I don't think enough of you voted yet. So I am going to try and open it back up for another week. Besides, I can't think of a good poll question to go with the question of the week.
So another question of the week has been plucked from the middle of the chat pack...What is the longest line you have ever stood in? I can't answer that really. Probably because I am so impatient that nothing is worth standing in a really long line for. I will bypass a sale, skip a cool ride, you name it...if it looks like a long wait I won't do it. I remember when I was a kid we went to visit my sister in California. We got up really early in the morning on New Years Eve/morning (like 2 0r 3 am) to go and stake out a spot for the Rose Parade. So that's not a line but a really long wait.
So what about you?? Concert tickets? Black Friday sales? Amusement parks? What is the longest line you have stood in?
Take care and have a wonderful week,
joy

This is a hard one

I have waited all week to respond to Joys question.....where would I go if I could go anywhere and with who. Wayne and I have been married for 35 years and have had the opportunity to go many places, he has traveled to many more exotic places than I have (due to work). Last winter we had the pleasure of going to Hawaii for 2 weeks, what a beautiful place, I have to say that I enjoyed Maui more than Oahu but both have wonderful things to see and do. I had my first helicopter ride over the island and Maui and my first submarine ride in Oahu. Everytime I fly I am reminded of what a wonderful God we have and what a CREATOR....I don't know how anyone can deny that God exists when you see the wonders of His creation.
Well back to the original question, I think that I would need to have more than one choice, but if I was only allowed one I would say it would have to be taking my entire family to DisneyWorld. When our children were little we went to California to Disneyland, and I can still remember the looks of joy on their face seeing all the Disney characters(much more impressed by them than the ocean:). To be able to witness and be part of the fun of seeing all the grandkids have fun at DisneyWorld would be wonderfu. A word to you moms of small children, when we are in the midst of the chaos of parenting it is difficult to truly enjoy the small things, but just wait until you are a grandma.....what a blast, you can have fun, spoil and just enjoy all the little things. I think we should be grandmas before we are mothers, so we can learn to relax.
Hope you are having a great day, take time to enjoy your children, the cleaning can wait:)

Marilyn

Dream Vacation for me would be...

a two-room cabin in the mountains. A place with a nice porch that I can sit, read, and listen to the nuthatches and chipmunks, and smell the Ponderosa pine. Just a nice place to be silent. Like I read today: Let all that I am wait quietly before God. Psalm 62:5
It has been so much fun reading your posts. I'm surprised nobody's dream vacation was touring Iowa. Hee hee. That is exactly what we ended up doing this week. It was our challange to come us with as many "free" things to see and do in Des Moines. It turned out really cool! We have only lived here 2.5 years so there were still lots of new things for us to see. Here's our list of fun free things to do in Des Moines with kids: (Ours our 4 and almost 3 and they tolerated this pretty darn well) State Capital, State Historical Building, Des Moines Art Center, and Grays Lake or Waterworks Park biking. So we are all educated about Iowas history now. I can't say I'm an Iowan, just yet.
On another note: I'm all for another simulcast. That last one on Beth Moore was fantastic!
Jean G.

Eastern Ho!

I always want to travel to the east. I never thought of Indiana as eastern until I moved here and people refer to the state as on the east coast! Yeah, I could get to Washington DC in about 10 hours or put my toes in the sand in about the same amount of time but that's still 1 day's drive away. I really have 2 favorite places to go and like going with my family.

My favorite vacation which I have taken twice is to the New England states. We took our second trip 6 years ago after I begged to go back for 8 years. We spent 17 days, 4300 miles and visited all the New England states. We went to Nantucket this time since we went to Martha's Vineyard the first time. Plimoth Plantation is a living history museum of life for the pilgrams. My kids actually liked that the best of the whole trip which really surprised me. We saw fireworks on the Boston Harbor with at least 600,000 other people. We camped on Acadia National something for a few days and then headed to the White Mountains which was Mike's favorite part of the trip. Bears were an issue in those parts though we never saw one. We also had to go to Niagara Falls so that every child has now seen it. I've been there at least 4 or 5 times in my life now and I don't ever need to see it again! Anyway, if you ever want to know about New England, I can tell you plenty. I would never live there but it is my favorite vacation spot and I still have plenty of areas I want to explore. If you ever want to see my 90+ page scrapbook of New England, let me know!

Now to Indiana....well, all of my family lives there and I have an 8 month old niece who looks like me living near Indianapolis. I am working on a scrapbook of Kylie's first year and let's say I've printed out 500 pictures so far that my sister downloaded onto Snapfish. She doesn't know I'm making this book(s) for Kylie. My sister can do her own scrapbooks of Kylie...this one is from me to Kylie. Since my sister is 15 yrs younger, Kylie almost feels like she should be my granddaughter. Our mom passed away 5 years ago so I'm taking over the task of being pseudo grandma to her. At my tender age of 49, I feel I am helping to raise a 3rd generation since helping raise my sister, my own children and now the next generation. What a privledge!!!

Even though I would still say after almost 13 years in Pella that I would move back to Indiana in a heartbeat (it might take 2 heartbeats now!), it would not be as easy as a transition as I would like to think. I have built many relationships in Pella that I would miss. But still............I would love to see my little Kylie more than twice a year.

Connie

PAIN changes DREAMS

Good Morning Grace Girls,

I believe the question was if we could go anywhere where would we go and with whom?

My dream for our family is to go snow skiing in the mountains. I have waitined 10 years and this winter we get to experience Colorado as a family because of the generosity of another Pella family allowing us to rent their condo. The hard part in this is because of my recent surgeries I am not sure how skiing will go. I know I will have to wear a helmet, but I am just excited that I get to watch my family experience the snowy mountains wondering if this will be a favorite for any of them!!

I shared last week that Jeff and I's dream trip is Italy. Today, I had a chance to talk with my aunt who is battling cancer in California. She is asked me to invite my friends to pray for a miracle for her. She received very hard news this week and we have begun praying for a doctor that can give her hope. I am praying for the gift of Time. As my heart ached for a romantic week in Italy with my husband now my heart aches to be with my aunt, who is a few years older than I. I long to see her smile, hug her and pray with her while holding her hands. My dream and prayer is to be able to walk hand in hand with my aunt, Becky, in California even if it is just for one day!

Much love to each of you! Lissa

hmmm...where and with who?

this is Trish, and i'm going to pull from past vacations that i would happily do again:
1. Cocoa Beach, FL with my entire family
2. Cozumel with our card club couples (and no kids)
3. snowy week in Vail, CO with our boys and the Grandia family and their boys

lance and i often talk about doing "speed-week" in daytona for the first NASCAR race of the season

but right now i'd probably be very happy with a spring week at home, planting flowers, cleaning closets, reading books, relaxing and catching up

TVZ

Beth Moore

Girls - I will say one thing. Beth Moore is like a freight train when she talks. Trust me, a person with anxiety needs an extra pill. Ha! Ha! She talks and she never takes a beath. But, she is a wondeful speaker and I really like her. I learned alot out of her bible study Believing God! What a wonderful thing I went through, that was right after my dad died and it was the best thing that could have happened to me. BUt, then I went through a bad time with anxiety and depression because my medicine wasn't working and the Esther one I had to drop out. I really felt so bad, but I had to take care of me first. I wonder what the next one is going to be. I would like to go, but we will see how well I am doing then. But, I will say today sainten really was trying to push my buttons today. I went to copy connection for something and then I went and got into my car and it wouldn't start. I just prayed that God would let it start so I could get home and I promised I wouldn't go to wal-mart. Guess what? It started! Then I thought aw I would go on out to Wal-mart. Then I remembered what I promised God, I came straight home! God answered my prayer in both ways number one my car started and number two he knew I didn't need to go to Wal-mart. What a blessing and I am not going to let saintain win this time. And I will keep fighting. God is so awesome. But, then I had to call the people who work on our car and I was able to get the car in tomorrow. And I thought we were going to get ahead. God is teaching me something through this! I just know it! Let go Let God!
Faith is my word this year and it takes hard work! God bless each and everyone of you, love in christ, sincerely, Lorie Klyn.

I've been missing...

Missing reading everyone posts and wishing I had time to go catch up with everyone. But, ARGH, I do not have time.

Sometimes it is interesting to me how God will 'force' us to rest as he wants us to. For me that came when Chloe (my 6yo) woke on a Saturday morning with a temp of 104.8 and finally Monday morning at 4am when her temp reached 105 and she could not get out of bed by herself I took her to ER with what we all thought was appendicitis. Turned out she had a baseball size lump of pneumonia! So we spent a little over 24 hours in the hospital and another 2 days with her IV site still in for more IV meds. Now THAT will make you slow down....at least a little :)

Just so happened that was the week before the 8th grade play I was directing at school, so it got a little tricky. Oh it was also that week that Johnson (2 and 3mo) got up one morning and said, "I want undies, I go pee in the potty" I thought, "Do we have to do it this week?" But he had a plan of this own and voila, potty trained.

The following week, 31 8th graders and 30 2nd graders did a FABULOUS job as they presented, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". I was so very very proud. I think the biggest thing I saw or learned through it this year, was how I lead a bit differently as a result of taking VP3. What a blessing (and challenge) this class has been.

Now it is Spring Break. I am often aghast at the people who will say to me, "bet you hate that cause you have all the kids home." That could not be further from the truth. I love and am truly blessed by all 8 of my children and I LOVE when we are all home together. As the oldest ones get older, the times grows shorter that we will have this altogether times and that makes me sad. So I try to treasure the times we do have (even if that does mean we are Spring cleaning - hehehe).

CONSTANTLY, CONSTANTLY I am amazed at how our Lord, Jesus Christ, knows and sees and stretches and grows ME, little old me.....wow, oh wow.

Hope you all are blessed today and able to enjoy this fabulous Spring weather.

In HIS great Love,
~lisa k morgan

? of the week

Thanks to all of you for posting! Every week we have new bloggers and I love to see you. Reading your posts a great way to spend a little quiet time for me. I love seeing you at church and knowing and understanding just a little bit more about you.
Our Question of the Week.....With Spring Break upon us and if you are reading this I assume you are still in Iowa, if a genie told you tomorrow he would send you anywhere, with anyone you wanted to go with, where would you go and who would you go with?
Vacations were a big deal in my family as I grew up and my parents always took us somewhere. I now realize the amount of time, sacrifice and planning that takes. Vacations don't just happen but I believe they are worth everything. Because my husband, Steve, is originally from Eastern Kentucky that has been our vacation destination, well, that and the Wisconsin Dells. Then because of job changes we didn't go down there for a couple of years and last year we did not go anywhere. I could definitely feel that. In the Bible we are called to take time to rest. That is for our good. In January, we were able to go to Florida to Walt Disney World and Cocoa Beach. I loved it. We packed all four kids in the car and headed south. We had really good time. It was so cool to create family memories. To see new things together. I can't wait to plan our next vacation. I am thinking DC or California.
If I were dreaming, however, I would choose to go someplace in the Caribbean with my husband. Just white sand, blue water, a couple of books and a nice little cabana boy who would bring me my hearts desire. And quiet, lots of quiet. I like reggae and that's ok for a little bit but mostly I just want to hear the waves. That is just about perfect to me.
Ok what about you...where would you go? Dream on ladies...I can't wait to hear about it.
joy

Reflections

Hello Friends!



I, too, went to the Focus on Marriage event and have been in the Esther Bible study, so it is a blessing to me to hear reactions/feedback from some of you concerning those "items".



I think that the most interesting, hit-me-in-the-face lesson from Esther was the one about how mean the world we live in is. Think about it. We are constantly faced with the mentality that we should look out for ourselves and push to get ahead---even if that includes pushing other people around. No wonder it's a mean world! I am not immune to its message. How remarkable that our God knew this---before time began---and has always, in His word, instructed us to live in love and to spend ourselves for others. Counter-culture? Absolutely!



There was so much to learn from the Focus on Marriage event. I have a special place in my heart for the day, because Verlan & I, along with 5 fantastic couples, were on the planning team. We prayed a lot for that day and what God would do! I appreciated the notes from Trish and Gina---were there others??---what a good reminder of what we were taught! Now I must confess that the instruction that hit me the "hardest" was Gary Smalley's words, "Quit trying to change him!" Girls, I have been married nearly 35 years, and, to this day, I am SURE that if Verlan did things a little differently---a/k/a the way I would do them, he would be much happier!!!

Application #1. After 35 years, you would hope that I would accept that he doesn't want to be me!

Application #2. I honestly feel sorry for him, having to put up with me wanting him to be me!!!!

So, I have a challenge before me. Since I have shared, feel free to hold me accountable and just ask me, when you see me, "Kathy, how's it going? Are you accepting that God created you to be you and Verlan to be Verlan?" I love him. (I just want to tweak a few areas....Ha-ha!)

Everyone: Have a wonderful week! As we watch our earth breathe new life into so many living things, may we, likewise, feel the breath of God renewing us and growing us daily!

In Him,

Kathy A.