things

So many things going on around here.

• Today is the last day of school so tomorrow is the beginning of summer break :)
• We are getting an estimate on a fence today - why? because in order to adopt a greyhound you need a fence - yes a greyhound!
• We have been looking at pictures of available greyhounds on line
• My sister closes on my dad's house in TX today
• Don is working on his support letter for his mission trip to India
• I am decluttering again:) little by little
• Saturday is my annual day to go to garage sales with my friend Jill :)
• Nina and I are trying not to let the kitten in that found our house
• I am missing my bible study-MOTTTS-already
• We might be taking a road trip to Columbus OH to visit my friend Christine and her husband and 4 boys under the age of 7 :)
• Vacation bible school is in 3 weeks :)
• I just learned about Facebook!

Thats all i can think of - I know there is more..........

the last lecture

I just finished reading The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. I picked it up about 3 weeks ago and thought it might be a good read. I started it yesterday morning and just finished it. That is the judge to me on a good read - how quickly I finish it is directly equated to the fact that I couldn't put it down.

Now this is not intended to be a deep discussion on whether or not he knows Jesus. What I learned about Randy and his fight with cancer through this book is that he is a man of integrity. He is a husband who wants to take care of his wife - he is a father who wants to take care of his 3 small children and he is a teacher who wants to leave a legacy for his students.

Some of you know I just lost my dad to cancer about 2 months ago so some of this book was sort of a tough read from that perspective. But I think it was tough more so as a wife and mom of young kids. I laughed and I cried! I feel as though I will look at life a little different now -- not anything major - just small things - day to day things.

In this book Randy talked about the things he cherished about his mom and dad - the things they gave him - character traits, etc. I want my kids to look back at their childhood and remember it fondly!

Here are a few things I got from my mom and dad.

My mom was at the kitchen table everyday when I came home from school with a cup of coffee and a book. This has shaped my love for reading as well as my desire to be a stay at home mom. My mom had an open door policy - you could tell her anything -- and she would not rush out and try to fix it. My mom picked up 5 kids without complaint and moved as my dad's job required because she knew it was his way of providing for the family. My mom was a submissive wife even though she never knew that term. My mom loved my dad with all her heart and soul.

My dad had an awesome work ethic - he spent more than 35 years of his life working for Tandy Corporation so that he could provide for his wife and 5 kids. This meant moving every three years or so but to him it was a small sacrifice. He was home for dinner nearly every night. He spent almost all of his non working time with his family. He was always on time. He spoke with authority about anything and everything - a trait he passed down to me and on to my son:) He followed me around the country when I marched in Drum Corps because he love it and he loved me too! He remained strong until the very end. My dad loved my mom with all his heart and soul.

There is so much more but this what came to mind.

I want my kids to develop a love for Jesus like no other - I want them to see God comes first then their spouse and then their kids. I want them to see and know how much I love their dad! I want them to know what a great marriage looks like! I want them to want to get into the bible everyday! I want them to love to learn and read! I want them to find an amazing church where God's work is evident and far reaching. I want them to remain connected as brother and sister long into adulthood.

I could go on and on and on and on....those of you that really know me know that is true:)

I guess what it all boils down to is this: I could continue on in life as a task oriented person like I spent the first 35 years of my life or I can continue on in life developing the emotional, sensitive and people oriented person that God has been showing me the last 6 years or so.

I had someone say to me once - do you always cry like this? and my response was "No only when I see God moving" I have been brought to tears more in the last year than I thought possible. God is moving and he is moving big.

Does it matter to me whether Randy Pausch knows God - well no and yes. It wouldn't stop me from reading the book if he didn't (that is God working in me) but I would love for him and his family to know the love of Jesus and know that he can live forever in heaven and see them again someday!

I have no idea how people who aren't in a relationship with Jesus understand or cope with death. If it were not for my relationship with him I would be floundering from the effects of the death of my mom 7 years ago and my dad recently.

Thank you Jesus for saving me!

changes

Things are changing in our house - our daughter had preschool graduation last week and today she took off her training wheels :( She is officially a big girl now (her words). My husband was awesome heloing her this morning -- so patient and kind - plus reassuring too! He also knew there was no going back -- we can not put the training wheels back on he told her gently - you can do this. Within an hour she was riding by herself!

I sat and watched with amazement and took pictures too! The whole time I was learning about parenting according to each child's bent -- and how they learn too!

My son declared he wanted to take his training wheels off when he came home from his first day of kindergarten - a new found independance I suppose. He got on the bike with Don's hand on the seat and he took off -- right away from his fathers safety grasp - he never looked back and never fell down - the momentus occassion was complete in a matter of seconds.

My daughter on the other hand - went upstairs to put on jeans and a sweatshirt in case she fell all the while singing this is the best day in the world!! Then after an hour of repeated instrucion about how to start the bike with one peddle up, how to keep her balance, how to steer away from trees, garage doors, slides and people - she got it and started to take off -- first just 2 feet alone then 3 ,4,5 and finally the whole driveway!

I know some of these differences in learning styles are male and female in nature. He is stronger physically and commanded the bike - she let the bike take her places. However some of these are personality things - he is a thinker she is a feeler. He understands how the peddles work and which way to lean - no one taught him this stuff - he just gets it and loves it. She just needed to be told - she has no interest in why the peddles move the chain and the wheels - so she needed to be told each step of the way what she needed to to do. He would not try anything until he knew he could do it , if by chance he tried something and failed he would give up -- she will try anything even if she can't do and just keep trying.

I know God is revealing all this along the way so we can fully parent according to their individual bent - put there by God himself to do great things for him when fully surrendered!

God is also using times like this for Don and I to realize more about ourselves and our bent!


The learning never ends!

go

Have you ever watched as a maple tree was blown by the wind and all those little whirlygig thingys (seed pods?) went flying through the sky like helicopters and then landed somewhere far from the tree to start a new one??

I just witnessed this as my daughter and I were eating lunch on our back porch and could not help but think about our service at GCC last night. Pastor Mark was talking about the command to GO into all the nations!

Is what I saw with the maple tree what we are supposed to look like as we do that? A time of flight away from tree and then plant somewhere else and grow or teach people to grow? And not just ONE seed pod flew today -- hundreds upon hundreds did -- the ground is covered - literally up to 75 feet from the tree. Is the tree the United States and my backyard the entire world??

GCC is launching an Elkhart Campus this fall at the Encore Cinemas and last night we were introduced to Jeff and Leslee Bell. Jeff will be the new campus pastor for Elkhart. He is excited, passionate and on fire for Christ and can't wait to reach the 88,000 people around the new campus.

God is a BIG God with BIG dreams for his people. After being at GCC for only a year I know they believe that - they dream big FOR God and want to impact the world for Christ. Just how many campuses will we see in the future? I am guessing that it will be more than I can ever dream or imagine:)

I am blessed to watch this all unfold. I have never been exposed to missions -- whether overseas or right in our own back yard. It scares me! I realized last night it scares me because I know it is not something I could accomplish on my own - God would have to be in it! This was an interesting moment for me at church.

I really just like to do things I am good at..... guess there's a lot of room for God to move in now that I realize it!!!!

mother's day blessing

So here is my husband in the middle of the rain
finishing up my mother's day gift.
Our first landscape project at our new house.

Well, we've been living here for 18 months but it still seems new.

This is a gift that has a pattern to it.

Three years ago in May I was gone on a women's retreat and I came home to our old house to find my husband had started to landscape - it was a gift to me!

We spent the whole summer doing ALL the landscaping around our 1926 brick house - it was hard work and fun at the same time.

My husband was great at it -- he made it look natural - like it just all happened as a part of nature. I love my husband and I love his creative gift - it comes out in so many places - like landscaping or furniture or house colors!!

the bunny hop

Have you ever done the bunny hop? you know, where you take jumps forward and then back??!! That's what house cleaning is like lately. I cleaned the entire office yesterday - dusted all the bookcases, cleaned off the desk and filed papers, paid bills, and then vacuumed and mopped the floor. Now today there are papers amass on the desk again and bath towels laying around to go upstairs - however today is supposed to be "thoroughly clean, dust and vacuum the kids rooms" day -- not pick up the office again day! How do you get ahead?? Anyone??

Thank Goodness God isn't saying "Hey I thought yesterday I dealt with you about eating and self control and today was supposed to be "let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouth day" not the whole self control with eating thing again!!

His mercy is new every morning never sounded so good - thanks God for your perspective!

GCC Women's Conference

" Sometimes being listened to is so close to being loved its hard to tell the difference"
(Kathy Guy - Friday Night)

Vision, Intention, Method - the vision changes your intention!
"Who you want to be drives what you need to know and what you need to do"
"You've got 36 hours you can check out or lean in!"
(Mark Beeson - Friday Night)

Do you want to end up like my wife or my mom?
(Dr. Bob Laurent - Saturday Morning)

The smallest part of me - sung by Jason Miller

"How do you practice the presence of Jesus?"
(Mark Waltz - Saturday Afternoon)

How to prepare for the valley's in life.
I need a method or I will get sucked back....
Do it with God's methods instead of the world's
Get anchored in Christ
(Kathy Guy - Saturday Evening)

Let your mind be washed with the water of the word
(Rob Wegner - Sunday GCC message)


These are just tidbits from an awesome weekend that I got to spend with 2 of my close friends in Christ! We had an amazing opportunity to hear from God through wonderful speakers who listened to the spirit about what women need to hear and know.

I honestly can't believe all the conversations that occurred over the weekend with these 2 awesome godly women who inspire and challenge me every step of the way! I was challenged about so many things here are just a few:

• I need to listen more and talk less - no surprise here!
• Though I am intentional about my parenting I had a revelation - the things that bother me about my son - are the things in my own personality that bother ME - things I fight against being instead of just giving over to God!
• Being judgemental is easy - being loving and kind like Jesus is hard (again no surprise)
• If I am feeling far from God I need to look at what steps I am daily taking towards him.
• If I want to live in the spirit I need to be in his word.
• Maybe my perspective is off - things I think I have much of could really be little in God's eye - maybe there's more to this......
• I need to let God's love change me from the inside out
• I refuse to hang on to past hurts - thank God for the work he has done in me!
• I don't want to live in winter when God calls me to live in spring
• I love this passage from the message translation - Keep company with me and you will learn to live freely and lightly.
• I want to show up for every appointment God has for me
• When I give gifts to my kids I need to stop expecting a certain response!
• I prepare for the valley when I know who I am in Christ - not who my husband thinks I am , or my friends or my job or my kids........
• I can not parent out of fear of who my children will become
• God only equips us for what he can see that we can't IF we surrender to being equipped!!!

I was so blessed by the weekend - I was strengthened, encouraged and challenged! God is amazing and knew what I needed!