So I guess it takes me sitting in a car for 8 1/2 hours to be able to write another blog. It has been a while. No worries. Life tends to be that way. After all, this is a glimpse, right. I am currently in a rental SUV-a Jeep commander-nice-with my amazing husband at the wheel. Along with Laura Hardegree, and 3 fab students: Courtney, Jessica, and Melissa. Right behind us in he mini bus is Laura’s husband the great Pastor Adam, awesome youth leader-Gary Tucker, and hard working intern Matt Hoag who are with the remainder of our wonderful student group totalling 17. We are on our way back from skiing in Snowshoe, WV. The conditions were what the Olympic athletes are praying for for Vancouver this week. 2 feet of beautiful thick powder fell during our 2 day stay. The best conditions this once a year -if I’m lucky- skier has experienced. This time it had been 3 years since I had been strapped into a pair of skiis. So I stayed to the green slopes (the beginners) with exception of the time my husband tricked me into going down a black diamond (expert) filled with mogles. I would have normally ventured out there with him and enjoyed the challenge, but something about the last 3 years bringing me into my 30’s and having 3 children that I’m responsible for brought more of a knowledge of my immortality against nature. He got the silent treatment halfway up the next lift. But the students had a great time. We had many first timers and none of them complained or gave up no matter how many times they ate snow. And they all excelled by day 2. It was a great weekend. We are so blessed to be a part of these students lives. The luckiest youth pastors ever!! Now home to my kiddos-I’ve missed them so. Won’t be long and they will be joining us.
As the rain falls from heaven i’m lost in your love
Your overwhelming jesus
And were walking together holding hands
Oh it’s just you and me jesus
Life is good here food is growing
On the beautiful branches
There is rest and there is peace
Inside the shade of your garden
Jesus your the only one for me
There’s no way i’m leaving you
Your the love the way the life the truth
Your the door i’m walking through
Angels are lifting songs of praise
Oh thier just singing your story
And nothing can take me away from this place
Lord i’m just lost in your glory
Your love is the reason that i am free
And i’m running to you ‘cause you’re all i need
Jesus your the only one for me
There’s no way i’m leaving you
Your the love the way the life the truth
Your the door i’m walking through
This is hands down my favorite time of year. The air seems cleaner…thinner…crisp. I know that we, being in South Carolina, don’t have so much of a “season change”, but this is enough for me! #1: The temp drops just enough to welcome wrestling and games of catch with 3 boys in the front yard. Picnics become enjoyable since the air is too thin for mosquitos to carry you and your loved ones away. Laying in the grass is a great way to relax-looking up at the clear sky…
then being tackled by a drooling laughing 18 month old…nothing much better than that. The smell of a bonfire is one of my top favorites, so when the nights are cooler, I can sometimes convince Jason to build one. #2: ( and really should be the #1 reason) Fall foods are my all time favorite which brings more insulation to the body for the little bit of cold weather we do get here. MMMM apples, pumpkin, turkeys, soups, I’m gaining just thinking about it all! #3: It is just simply gorgeous. The trees turning all different shades of fall, the sunsets just take on a whole different color, and then there are the fall decorations leading us into the Christmas season. I literally get goose bumps and butterflies. And as a extra happy note: Target already has their Christmas lights/cards and garland out on display!!! YAY!
The past 2 weeks, Jason and I have been frequently been asked the questions: What are you guys going to do? and When are you moving back to your house? For those who may live in another state, country or universe, these questions are in reference to the fact that for the past 10 1/2 months we have been living with my father in law-just being here for him and taking care of the house. Obviously, now that he is married, that job/priviledge belongs to another-who is more qualified for the position! So to answer everyone’s questions: our renters (who were literally sent by the Lord) have our house for another 6 weeks. So we are all still here together until the time that the lease runs out. We want to take the time to get all that we can out of this lesson that God has put us in. He is a great God and a phenomenal teacher. We have been blessed to have so much this past year. Wonderful people who have taken a GREAT deal of care to our house, and even let us keep our custom paint up in our children’s rooms (a giant red robot in one and primary stripes and personalized headboards in the other). He has given us a great home to look after-on the river with a huge yard and long driveway for sam and ben to learn to ride their bikes. We are blessed.
We also look at this time to get to know our new family. Jeanne is amazing. I can’t wait to sit and have great conversations over coffee with her. And my newest sister in law, Emily. This girl is a fantastic example of a teenaged girl who has faced some great challenges and has held tight to her sovereign Lord. I look forward to a wonderful relationship with her.
So for this time we are still here on the river. And we will enjoy every last day. I am very much looking forward to getting all our stuff out of Adam and Laura’s garage…they are the best of friends to give up their space for such a lengthy time. It will be like Christmas to move this time! All the things we forgot we had! Thanks for the thoughts and prayers…
These days I have heard more than enough times “oh the big shoes to fill”. I don’t really get this statement. I actually think that it is quite narrow minded. God has made everyone in his own image, but not all with the same shoe size. We are such a people of comparison, even when we ‘think’ we aren’t. Not until we can come to the confidence that- God has given us our unique feet to walk in will we be able to ‘fill’ the shoes that we are purposed for. That goes with the expectations we have of others as well. God puts size 5’s, size 7 1/2’s and the average size 8’s all here at such a time as this to fulfill HIS purpose and to further HIS kingdom. No one is here to fill another’s shoes, but to continue HIS work. And to sound so cliche’-just as I get excited to see a new fall line of shoes-I am excited for the next level in this chapter of life. The shoes are a different size, and style, but the passion and purpose remains the same. I praise the Lord for uniqueness in his creation…
what a long time in between posts. well, i have an excuse. i have been busy! but in a good way. we just wrapped up our annual girls retreat. it was great. we went to greenville, sc this year. our theme was once upon a time. the girls had a great time and i saw God do much in their lives. but i know that we haven’t seen half of it yet! that is the most exciting part. i know that we will continue to see the repercussions of this retreat and God’s hand in many lives. i can’t wait! but i had a great time too. we have such a great group of students at faith assembly. we know that this year is going to be phenomenal in kinetic youth ministries!
just see for yourselves.
just a little note. as most know ben and sam abhor taking naps. they would love to run endlessly and just crash around 6:30 pm. but most of the time our lives are not conducive to that. many nights of ours include something that requires us to be away from the house around that time. if we are out running around in the evenings without a nap being taken we can pretty much guarantee a melt down by someone. usually because someone wants to sing the same song as the other, or make an animal noise at the wrong time. so naps are a must most days. when i put them down however, instead of agreeing to sweetly close their blue eyes to drift away into the coveted nap, they will try all things to stay awake. lately that has been sock puppets or playing with buttons on pockets or the cords on cargo pants. so the prep for the afternoon nap is much like prepping for prison….i check their clothes for anything that can be used as a toy, if found it gets stripped. then off come the socks. they play with their fingers and toes (obviously i can’t take those away) until it gets boring then off to sleep. i envy them. b/c then i’m off to work!
of course after writing my last blog the waters turned in to a class 5 rapids. satan is pretty smart in trying to make us fail. busy weekends and silly negative comments tend to bring our human nature to doubt the Lord’s sovereignty. so after this weekend and not taking time out of Sunday to spend privately in God’s word, i sat down this morning and read this out of my yearly bible:
13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.
exodus 14:13
it is good to serve a God who reminds us who he is-our deliverer. still standing firm…soon those “egyptians” will be washed away by the rapids…not me!
life for everyone is crazy. i’m not claiming to have any more things to do than anyone else. but my goodness, sometimes it feels incomprehensible! my day starts at 6:30 am. sad to say, usually by a 3 year old staring at me. i take them to the potty and get them back into their room to “read books” and i sit to have some “quiet time” . this followed by a quick shower (if i’m lucky) and a race with the clock to get ready, get all three boys fed breakfast, clothed and usually out the door to school, or grocery store, or a meeting. if they are in preschool i’m most likely up at the new collision center trying to organize something, put something together, or bugging laura hardegree to do something. just to turn around an hour and 1/2 later to pick them up. there are few mornings that we get to call pj days. and those are nice. but it is usually when i plan to clean house, and throw some laundry in. all that in between reading and coloring and playing games and sometimes play-doh. we have a choice of t.v. shows at 10 am-sesame street or imagination movers. while ben and sam are watching this i get jack down for his first nap. then sam usually picks a game to play…horton hears a who’s elephant game, caraboo’s treasure hunt or a classic game of memory. it is a must that we play the game “just one more time”. jack wakes up, then lunch and naps for ben and sam. which is a process. then as they are sleeping i have some play time with jack, which consists of me getting soaked with drool and a lot of laughing. then he goes down for his 2nd nap and i try to get done the things i have started while everyone was awake. then they are up before i know it and if it’s nice we go for a walk around the neighborhood, and they have some more playtime -their imaginations are amazing. i could be entertained for hours just listening to them. it’s then time to get dinner ready-they love helping me make dinner. then the highlight of our day is when jason comes home…ben and sam talk so fast trying to tell him everything that has happened. jack takes off towards him gabbering ‘da da’. these are really fun days. but all of the days can be quite overwhelming. this is not at all a complaint…i want to make sure the wrong tone is not being sent out…my blog is labeled a glimpse…this is but a small glimpse of my days. but i also wanted to write this because so many of us are overwhelmed. no matter where we are in life. i was thinking the other day of just HOW most of us get to the point of actually being overcome by our ‘to do’ list. it’s our fault. it is only by our choice that we have so much to do. it reminded me of swimming in an above ground pool…yes, strange. there isn’t anything to do in an above ground pool but get wet. marco polo can only go so far, so what else do you do: you walk around in the water by the sides as fast as you can as many times as you can to make a whirlpool! the faster you go and more times you go around the more swift the water swirls around that vinyl cylinder. the only way to make it stop is to plant your feet, hold on and stop. the water can’t keep going without you stirring it. sure it pushes you for a bit, but it does stop and settles out again. recently i have been in that whirlpool. with the construction of the new youth facility being ‘completed’ i find many more things on my ‘to do’ list. in the youth ministry there are so many areas of ministry. we have amazing people who have come along side of us to help but i am very type A and see everything that needs to be done to get to a ‘finished’ stage. i will think,’ i will just do it’. so my thoughts were consumed. if you don’t know i have an amazing husband. he is so good at bringing me back to where i need to be. he recently gave me the best advice ever. he said: pick 3 things you love. 3 top things. 3 things you are good at. these are your priorities. this has helped perspective a lot. i have been able to concentrate more on the things that i love: #1 my awesome husband. i may not be able to be at his office helping him every second of the day, but i can pray for him. i can support him instead of pushing my opinion. #2 my kids-treasuring every minute with them. making sure that their little minds are being stimulated all day and that they know that they are important to me. sure the house isn’t spotless all the time. but at the end of the day, i can have it cleaned in 20-30 minutes still having time to spend with my wonderful husband. #3 the ministry. if i’m not careful this can trample my first 2 things. God has given me a passion that is sometimes squashed by the “job” of it. but it comes down to the fact: i want to see the students encounter Christ instead of thinking about how i can fix something that is out of my hands. i’m still being pushed by the waters, but i know that if i plant my feet and hold on-things will settle. it’s a growth. not an overnight change. but it is a choice. dr. janice sjostrand reminded us at this past ladies retreat: we all have the same 24 hours in the day. the difference is in how we use it! may we all make the MOST of our day!
