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.

Confessions of a TVaholic

My name is Trish, and I'm a TV junky.

Monday - Dancing with the Stars
Tuesday - Biggest Loser (and a little bit of American Idol during commercials)
Thursday - Survivor, CSI
Sunday - NASCAR, America's Funniest Videos, Amazing Race, Extreme Home Makeover, Celebrity Apprentice

wow, and there's so many others that I catch when I can - Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, The Price is Right, any CSI, Law & Order, DIY channel, KCCI TV8 News

enough confession for today,
Trish

Purim

By the way, my favorite TV show in the entire world is Monk. He's so unique! And Chuck. Yes, I loved Diagnosis Murder and Murder She Wrote. The cheesier the better!

I think it's really cool that those of us at Grace who are doing the Beth Moore Esther series are concluded it last evening on the actual day of Purim in the 2009 Jewish calendar. The story of Purim comes from happenings recorded in the Bible book of Esther. If you haven't read it, just know it's full of drama, romance, power, and intrigue. King Xerxes was full of himself, and quite short-sighted.  Through jealousy and evil plotting, the bad guy, Haman, got the king to sign an edict to assassinate the Jews who were living in Persia at that time. Although God is not mentioned by name in this story, His hand is all over it. Through His divine plan, Esther, a Jewish girl, was chosen to be Queen, and was instrumental in saving her people by being brave enough to approach the king and plead for their lives. The word Pur refers the lot casting by which Haman chose the day to annihilate the Jews. Through Esther's intervention, a new edict was issued allowing the Jews to resist and fight back, leading to the saving of many lives. The Jews were instructed to remember this every year. The day before was to be remembered with prayer and fasting, just as the people did in preparation for Esther's approaching the king to plead for mercy. The actual day is a celebration of how God turned things around for the Jews. They were instructed to celebrate with feasting, gladness, and by giving gifts of food to each other and presents to the poor. They were celebrating how their sorrow was turned to gladness and their mourning to joy! How many times hasn't He done the same for us! Whew

Humbled by Blogging

Hi, I am Lisa pronounced Lissa. I have been reading the blog and finally tonight I decided to join in. I thought I was following all the directions correctly, but if you looked at the blog at app. 7:00 p.m. you would have seen that I had posted my FACE and story under About Us. Calling Joy in a total state of panic she helped me delete myself and now that I am totally humbled I will try again. I cannot answer the question for the day because I hardly watch TV for the guys control the remote and most of the time hunting shows are playing and if not the sports channel is on. So in saying that I will give a little background for those who don't know me. This year my highschool sweetheart Jeff and I have been married 25 years. Our dream trip is Italy:) We have 5 children. I have been praying for my children's gifts to shine so I could affirm them. This might be a good time to start . . . Josh (22) is an encourager, Zach (18) is patient, Seth (15) is servant hearted, Joel (10) perserveres, and Ana (5) is loving. I have hesitated to blog for I prefer to chat face to face over a warm cup of coffee at Smokey Row, but after reading your comments I am excited to walk together in blogging. Thank you Joy for blessing us with this ministry:)

tv shows

OK, I have to admit I really like our DVR. We set a timer and it automatically records shows we can watch later in the day or on the weekend. We can also pause live tv and come back to it. I find myself in the car wishing I could pause or go backward with the radio like we do with tv. Right now I'm a fan of this season of Biggest Loser. Sometimes they get very selfish, mean contestants, but there are several this season who are very kind and not just in it for the money - it is actually very nice to see for a change. I also really like to see people's lives transformed, not just their bodies. You can really see some of these people changing inside and out and it's inspiring. I try to watch it and walk on the treadmill at the same time and not just sit on the couch eating ice cream while I watch (like earlier this season!!) :)
I also like Survivor, but this season isn't as good in my opinion, so I wouldn't care if I missed it. American Idol is OK - but I don't really get into it until they are down to the last 12. When I turn on regular TV it is usually to HGTV (home and garden) or Food network. If we didn't have the DVR, I don't think I'd watch much TV.
In the email Joy sent she wrote about "consecrate yourselves." It made me wonder how one goes about doing that: to "dedicate to a sacred purpose (consecrate)" yourself. I feel like I've been in a season of consecration, but I haven't thought about it in terms of my choosing to do it. I guess in some way I've thought about this more in terms of God doing the consecrating and I say "OK." But if God told the Israelites to consecrate themselves, then it must be possible for me to initiate it, right? Or maybe it was possible BECAUSE He told them to do it.... I know, kinda deep for a Monday.
Adding to the quotes from the marriage seminar (see Trish's post)
"we all stumble in many ways"
"difficult marriage" is redundant
"you are married to God's son (or daughter) that makes him your Father in law - be careful how you treat His son/daughter"
"there is such a thing as a good fight, when you fight FOR your marriage"
"submission is in God's very nature (Father/Son/Holy Spirit) and is a profound mystery"
"small changes can make a HUGE difference"
"Jesus is enough"
Gina J.

From a Grandmas view

I have enjoyed reading the posts so far, and decided it might be fun to join in. Wayne and I have been members of Grace from the beginning and I must say that it is difficult to not feel that we know everyone who is coming to Grace like we did at the beginning. I account this to the fact that as the 'older generation' of Grace, it is easy to not connect to those of you who have small children. We are not presently in a small group due to family committments and other things in our life, it really does make me feel more disconnected to the family of Grace. I am the Director of the Pregnancy Care Center here in Pella, as well as a grandmother of 9 beautiful grandchildren (ages 11weeks to 6 years)....they all live within an hours drives so we are able to see them often. As you know our son and his wife had twins on Christmas eve, they are now home and I get the privilege of taking care of them once a week for the next 12 weeks, after that they will be going to my daughters house (she also has twins 10mos) so I plan to go help her some this summer.
The message on Sunday and the music was a boost for me, especially the song by Chris Tomlin, sorry can't remember the title, but anyway, it was a wonderful reminder that God is in control of this country, my life and our city....no matter what laws are put into place God is still the ruler. I become quite frustrated with the lack of respect for morals and the sanctity of life, so please excuse me if I get on a soap box sometimes. I guess it comes with the job.
The question regarding favorite reality TV show, I would have to say anything on HGTV....I have never watched the ones that Joy listed, just can't get into them, though I may have to watch Dancing with the Stars just to see Shaun Johnson. I do like to watch the CSI and Law and Order shows, wish they had less reruns though.
Thanks for letting me be part of this blog....
Marilyn Van Mersbergen

Joining In

Hi all,
I have been watching and reading this blog since its inception, and finally decided to post. I have learned to be careful of what I put on the web, so there may not be a lot revealed. I do thank you for what you have shared. I feel VERY disconnected and it is nice to get to know some of you a little better through this. My name is Sheri Haveman and I have been at Grace for almost 7 (really?!?) years. I joined as a single mom of three young boys (5, 3 and 1) and now my little boys are WAY too grown up for me :-) It is disconcerting to look my oldest in the eye, and I know it won't be too much longer until I have to look "up" to him.
I am the librarian at Pella Christian High School, and my colleague and Grace member Noreen becomes jealous (in a good way) of my job at times :-) I mean, for all the readers out there, how cool is it that I get to buy books and get paid for it?!? Of course I also do a lot of teaching in regards to research skills - choosing correct resources, where and how to find them, how to cite them correctly, etc. The students laugh at me, but it really is a wonderful feeling to see them all busy researching during a class in the library.
I have taught SonZone classes at Grace for 4 or 5 years now and enjoy doing dramas in church as well. As for tv, I am hopeless. I honestly never watch it. If I have any spare time, I always chose a book. I have never seen The Office, ER, Gray's Anatomy or Survivor. I have seen Biggest Loser and Amazing Race, but really no dramas, comedies, anything. I probably couldn't even name any :-(
I hope everyone is having a good day despite the gloominess of the weather.

Sheri

Does anyone else feel the choices of show we have to choose from to answer Joys questions is small and questionable? It saddens me. But thankfully, we live in the country and in order to get any channels we had to order Direct TV. Thus, I am a HUGE fan of the Food Network! It is toss up between Diners, Drive Inns, and Dives or Good Eats. I admit the Office is the best comedy out there, but even that show is getting weird and less funny that than the previous seasons. Seriously, the writers of these shows are making tons of money, they should be writing better stuff, don't ya think?
I have to go get bread out of the oven...later Ladies!

Jean

I can't believe that I forgot to say that I would watch The Office! That is reality TV to me. Cracks me up. Steve Carrell is so funny.
joy

Question of the week

Ok from the Flinchum Family Chat Pack....If you were told that you could watch only one television show a week for the next 12 months, which show would you choose to watch?
Now I know some of you will say, who has time? But I also know that some of you have secret guilty television pleasures and may not want to admit it but now is the time to fess up. Remember true confession is good for the soul. :)
I went on a 2 or 3 year stretch of watching some form of Law and Order everyday. You could find that show on cable morning, afternoon and night if you knew were to look. Now I watch a lot of CNN as I have said before but I can't watch it all the time because of the yuck factor. So I would say that I would watch Clean House on Style network. They going into severely clutter ridden homes and clean them out, have a yard sale and use the monies to redecortate. What a great premise. Cracks me up because some people just won't give up some seeminglly trivial things. "Sure, take the couch but the bronze bust of Elvis is too precious to part with!" We all have our stuff like that don't we? We just helped my mom clean out her stuff since she remarried and moved to another place. It's a very emotional process. We tie memories and people to things. I was very proud of my family. We got through it with much prayer and grace for each other. To God be the glory.
Ok how about you? Biggest Loser? Dancing with the Stars? CSI? What could you watch every week for the next year?
joy

Downy Febreze Spring & Renewal

first of all, could we have picked a longer login and password?! HA! just kidding. i can not seem to get it memorized.
ANYWAYS...
may favorite scent is Down Febreze Spring & Renewal "for a fresh, fruity fragrance with a hint of citrus"
and thank you for the Joshua verse that was posted on the blog page. very cool.
it was so cool last week to learn about how God had so specifically positioned Joshua and Caleb for their upcoming roles to lead God's people. it was such a vivid reminder of how God's perfect plan is always in process, and many times it's not visible to us until we look back and are able to connect the dots.
and for those of you who went to the marriage seminar, there are some phrases that are replaying in my head that i hold on to (all Beth Moore quotes)
"Good is GOOD!"
"Baggage always attracts baggage"
"We are the BRIDE of Christ (not the wife)"
"Kids are a squirt of elmer's glue"
"Ephesians 5:21-32 is about order; God didn't create a 2-headed monster"
"Men are not attracted to hysterical needy women"
"The more pressured a man feels, the more reluctantly he responds"
"You are better healed, than just plain well"
"Be a miracle, that's what gives people HOPE!"
"Submission is learning to duck so God can hit your husband" :)

until next week's question,
Trish Van Zee

good smells

Ok, I can't vote between the choices of smells. I like them all and when you live on a dairy farm, any GOOD smell is welcome. I will say I like the smell of spring rain, but only when the wind is in the right direction. I also love the smell of fresh cut hay . . . that is a smell I never knew about before living on the farm, but it is wonderful.

And this is just too ironic for a word person not to share. I'm trying to do this blog thing, but my cat keeps trying to attack the mouse . . .

BTW, we have a young cat/old kitten that is litter trained . . . anyone interested in adopting her? If not, I think she will be heading outdoors come May . . . :)

Back to the movie question, we watched Lars and the Real Girl this weekend. I heard two different pastors mention it and so was curious. It is kind of quirky, but I found it both funny and thoughtful . . . I'd love to watch it with a group and hear some reactions!

Noreen

Learning

girlfriends- I have learned so much from God since my father passed away in August and then Mike's grandfather passed away 3 weeks ago today. I have really been struggling with depression and anxiety. It has been a rough road for me. But through the messages in Romans that Roger preached. Boy, did it hit home all the things I needed God to speak to me about was in those messages. God has shown me things and taught me so much since August it is truly amazing. SOmetimes I fall off the wagon and have to get back on and try again. Everyone has their days don't they? Faith has been the big issue for me. And I have learned that he is faithful even though sometimes we don't see it. I am not sure I am doing this the right way so hopefully I am. I never knew what on earth is a blog. But, guess I will find out. Love in Christ, Lorie Klyn.

Velveteen Rabbit Story

"There was once a velveteen rabbit, and in the beginning he was really splendid. He was fat and bunchy, as a rabbit should be; his coat was spotted brown and white, he had real thread whiskers, and his ears were lined with pink sateen. On Christmas morning, when he sat wedged in the top of the Boy's stocking, with a spring of holly between his paws, the effect was charming.
"The boy loved the rabbit...for at least two hours, but then he was put on the nursery shelf with all the other toys. Because he was velveteen, some of the more expensive toys snubbed him. Some of the toys boasted about being fashioned as smaller models of real things, such as boats and soldiers. But the rabbit didn't even know that there was such a thing as a real rabbit. He thought all were just as he was, stuffed with sawdust. But one night, the rabbit made a fascinating discovery.
"The Skin Horse had lived longer in the nursery than any of the others. He was so old that his brown coat was bald in patches and showed the seams underneath, and most of the hairs in his tail had been pulled out to string bead necklaces. He was wise, for he had seen a long succession of mechanical toys arrive to boast and swagger, and by-and-by break their mainsprings and pass away, and he knew that they were only toys, and would never turn into anything else...
"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"
"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."
"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.
"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."
"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"
"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become real. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't often happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."[1]
I loved this. I hope it encourages you too.
joy

movies, smells and such

I have a small window of opportunity - got the chicken in the oven for supper and it's still 45 minutes before I have to get my oompa loompa from play practice! What, you ask? Yes, my second grader is an oompa loompa for the 8th grade play at PCGS this year and I have to say he was the cutest thing today at dress rehearsal with spiked hair, colorful toe socks and suspenders!! Who thinks of this stuff?!
I like many of the movies you have mentioned, The Princess Bride, Sound of Music, Footloose... oh, nobody mentioned that one? my bad - that movie represented my high school rebellion, I must admit. I also much admit I'm a sucker for a good musical also and can't wait to see High School Musical 111.
Because I'm married to a fan of the Lord of the Rings books, we of course own all those movies and the skinny half-dead looking guy Gollum, gets quoted around here quite often. In fact, we haven't watched those in quite a while, so it may be time again. (our two youngest are not allowed to watch them, but they quote them too) "What's tatoes, master?", Po-ta-toe, mash em, boil em, put them in a stew!!"
Moving on. Thanks for praying for me a couple weeks ago. It was much appreciated. I'm finding God's timing is always right - even though I don't always see it at the time.
Joshua is a great character to study. I love that the Lord tells him 3 times to be strong and courageous - how many times doesn't He have to tell me something before I get it? I'm learning that it isn't so much the destination - though that is important, but the journey. I give thanks for the place I am right now.
Oh, yeah, smells - hmmm, I love the smell of fresh baked goods, especially cinnamon rolls. Not sure I'd want to smell that after a rain, but it sure beats the thawing hog yards!!! :)
I love reading your blogs - please keep on blogging!!

Gina Jansen

It would be great if rain smelled like flowers-you know "April showers bring May flowers".

I, too, am excited about the new sermon series. Joshua is probably my favorite character in the Bible. He is so unassuming - yet faithful. I am looking forward to learning more about him.

I am having a "marriage simulcast hangover". Wow, that was fun. I was so blessed by all of you who came and I hope you all enjoyed it. I think the best takeaway for me was the 2 degree change. It really isn't so hard to make small changes, and then I won't be so apt to fail and feel like a failure. That is probably the problem with New Years Resolutions, trying to change too much at one time.

Rosa Veenstra

I have been having such fun reading all your posts that I relented and am joining the blogging world. The movie question is what sucked me in!! My favorite movie is Price and Prejudice. I love the dialogue, scenery, music, and the old fashioned romance. Whenever I see it on TV, I usually stop what I am doing and escape into the story. Forrest Gump is our family's favorite movie. We quote it often and we can see a bit of Forrest in each of us.
To answer the creepy, crawly question - I don't particularly like cock roaches but am not afraid to squish them underfoot. Skunks aren't my friends either.
A bit about myself... Duane and I have been at Grace since the beginning, which has been almost 15 years now! We have been married for 25 years this June and have three kids. Joel is married to Sarah and is a student at Iowa. Dana is a sophomore at Truman State in Kirksville Missouri. Megan is a senior at PCHS. We are facing the dreaded "empty nest syndrome" this fall. As a mom whose life tends to revolve around her kids, that's scary. I work at our store, Bruxvoort's Decorating. I used to be a nurse but that career seems like a distant memory. I enjoy playing keyboard at Grace and love music - all types of music. I hope to be able to sing well in heaven.
Thanks for all your posts. I am really enjoying learning more about all of you. Thanks, Joy!!
Dot Bruxvoort

I am sitting here after lunch thinking about the upcoming sermon series in Joshua. For some reason, that particular book in the Bible quickens my spririt. The Israelites drive me crazy because God has provide miracles and showed up among them and delivered them from so many circumstances and yet they doubt Him and they go their own way and then something goes wrong and they cry out to Him again and He is faithful. And when I read it I say "What is wrong with those people?!?" but how different am I from them? How many times has God provided miracles, showed up, kept His promises and yet I get scared and I doubt and the enemies I face seem too big. I am ready for a good dose of Joshua, Caleb, and those Israelites over the next 6 weeks. I also suggested to Roger this morning that he might find some good clips for his series out of Veggie Tales Josh and the Big Wall. If you haven't seen it I highly recommend it as a resource for the coming series. I am not kidding. There is some good theology in Veggie Tales. Plus those little French peas crack me up.
Anyway, on to the blog question of the week. We have a small plastic box of little cards on our counter called the Chat Pack. It is a bazillion random questions that we sometimes use to spark conversation at our house at dinner time. I long to do these questions with more adult thinkers because half of my kids don't have the ability to think in the abstract and the other two compete to be silly. I enjoy all that and that is valuable but some of these questions are really interesting and I would like to know what an adult brain besides my husband's thinks about them. So I am going to draw off of my Chat Pack this week and maybe over the next few weeks.
I am thinking about spring coming and with spring of course, comes rain. I always appreciate the smell after a good rain however I don't love the smell. It is basically wet dirt. So the question I am posing is, If you could pick the way rain smells what would it be?
Have fun with that one. Don't stress about it too much. I pick vanilla. It sweet. Its comforting and I love it . If I could have that smell everywhere I go I think I would like it. But maybe I don't want to associate it too much with something I don't like such as rain. Maybe it should be a smell I don't particularly like. Hmmmm. Maybe this will be a challenge. :) I am anxious to hear your thoughts.
Blessings to all of you,

joy