Sometimes I Write

All of the details are not yet worked out, but we’ve been given the green light for our apprenticeship with Dry Bones Denver. They are excited about us coming and we are thrilled to finally have an answer. The next phase is to begin our support raising. We will need a lot of prayers and money, and we’ll accept both from everyone. HaHa.

Moving day is sometime the last week of March. We’ll head to Colorado and stay with Benny’s parents for about a month while we look for a place to live in the Denver area, and take a much needed vacation. We will be available for the DB staff through the summer, and our official training on how to start the ministry in another city will begin August 14th.

Just two days ago I was trying hard not to stress over not knowing our family’s future. Pete and I were playing in the livingroom when he saw Benny’s mini-Bible on the end table. I saw that glimmer in his eyes as we both made a mad dash for the Bible. Pete reached it first, grabbd it and said “boot” which is 1 year old for “book”. As I took it away from him I glanced at the page he had it opened to. You won’t believe the passage that was highlighted! “Those that wait on the Lord will renew their strength…” Tears filled my eyes and I shot a quick arrow prayer heavenward thanking God for the reminder. What an awesome God we serve!

Thank you to everyone who reads this and prays for my family. My prayer request now is that we will have an awesome support team that will join us in this adventure for the next year. We’ll be sending out support letters, making phone calls and visiting churches and individuals to get this ball rolling. I know we’ll have great partners in this endeavor. I am so excited and feeling a whole new kind of nervousness. I need to make a difference, I need to be relevant, I need to serve, and I need to encourage those who are alreading serving. I need to make this transition as smooth as possible for Benny and the kids. I guess if we don’t make our needs known, they may not get met. I can’t wait to see what happens next…

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In our Sunday morning bible class we’re discussing the book Improving Your Serve by Chuck Swindoll. Sometimes I’m guilty of doing the things I get irritated with others for doing, like not being prepared by reading the assigned chapter for the week. As a class teacher it’s annoying to know I worked hard to prepare for discussion and then when class starts discovering I was the only one prepared, or maybe one of a few out of a dozen or more people. It’s only one chapter! If you spend 15 minutes a day on your hair and make-up, you can spend 15 minutes a day reading! While I kick my soapbox back into the closet, let me confess that today I’m the guilty party. Oops! (-sigh-) The discussion was good anyway, and I like it when Troy teaches. He always puts a refreshing spin on things. He talked about having a template of servanthood to compare ourselves to and that it’s a lot easier to hold someone else up against that template to see how they fit, rather than the difficult task of comparing ourselves to see how we measure up. We talked about the beatitudes being that template. We discussed the examples of servants that we know and everyone seemed to agree it’s those people that serve quietly, not seeking recognition for their service, that we admire the most. It’s important to remember that we still shouldn’t use those people as our template to compare ourselves to…they are not perfect. There is only one template that is appropriate.

Who are the servants in your life? Who are the people that come to mind first? The first one I thought of was Karen Roehrman. When I mentioned her name in class, everyone nodded in agreement. She is a wonderful lady from church. Almost every week she cuts out a parenting advice column and a funny comic(usually Baby Blues) and mails them to me with a little note. She volunteers for clean-up after our Wednesday night meals. She takes her elderly aunt out to run errands every week. She remembers people’s birthdays and anniversaries with just the right card. She sends notes of encouragement and love to the sick and shut-ins, and those who are struggling. She takes meals to Bobby (one of our shut-ins) on a regular basis. When I was teaching the ladie’s class on Wednesday nights she was right there sitting near me offering her support and two cents on the current lesson. I think she and I were the only ones who were consistently prepared! She’s funny, witty, creative, and wise. She’s one of my Titus 2 women. So I ask you again, who are the Karen’s in your life? Thank them and appreciate them for the example they set, but don’t let them be THE ONLY example you follow.

As I pull my soapbox back out, let me just say that I know that none of us measure up to THE perfect example. I have been a bit distressed this week by a few christian leaders that I have heard, or read, that are of the opinion that we are aiming too high and we need not be too hard on ourselves when we don’t measure up. One in particular was talking about parenting and the myths of the perfect mother. She advised (in a popular christian parenting magazine) that we not let the Christian culture push us toward parenting that doesn’t feel right. She said that the Bible doesn’t tell us how to parent…that there is more than one way. She said we need to be careful not to prescribe our way of parenting to others when God may have a different plan for them. Her intent was to give overworked and underappreciated moms everywhere a break and tell them to give themselves a break. I’m sure she was thinking about extreme situations since she cited the Andrea Yates case, the mentally-ill mom that killed her 5 children in 2001. Moms are too hard on themselves, but I think there is definitely a clear standard and while I agree that our Christian culture doesn’t set it, neither should the world. I felt she took a very worldy view and made it sound biblical. I know God has a plan for all of his children, but I tend to think there ARE certain ways to parent. I’m not referring to the issues like spanking vs. time out, homeschooling vs. public school, working vs. stay-at-home, etc. While trying to bring hope and comfort to a reading mom who may be struggling with not measuring up, I think she took the focus off of who and what our parenting example is to be. Her problem was with Christians who go around telling other people how they need to live and she said we need to trust our God-given instincts and trust that God is bigger than one method of raising children, even when that method’s framed in Christian ideology. I say how should we choose our parenting style if not by looking at how God parented, or Paul “parented” his converts, or any number of other parenting examples given to us in scripture?

Maybe my feathers are ruffled because I think a little positive peer pressure is a good thing and if we’re not trying to live up to a higher standard we’ll aim too low and stay where we’re comfortable instead of where we need to be. This author said it isn’t about how our kids turn out, it’s about being open to God. Aren’t we responsible for how our kids turn out(to a point)? I’d love to chat with this lady so I can understand where she’s coming from a little better. I don’t know how clear my thoughts are, but I had to get them out. I’m disappointed that I’m reading an influential christian woman take a worldy stance on parenting and mix it with christian phraseology. She did have some very valid points about our expectations, and I agreed with a lot of what she had to say, but she lost me when she took a stance against the Christian community as a whole, and gave what I think are excuses for parenting mediocrity. Maybe I’m being too harsh. Maybe I’m misunderstanding what she is trying to say. Maybe I’m right on and need to stand my ground. I’ll have to think about this some more…

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O.K. people! I’m ready for some sunny weather! Today is a good curl up with a book and a cup of chai kind of day. There are three simple problems with that. 1. I have three children who don’t know the meaning of sitting still. 2. I have too many books to read. 3. My mind keeps drifting to everything else I need to be doing like cleaning, laundry, packing, etc. Part of me says get to work! The other part of me says blow it off and relax! What to do?

Lastnight we went out for dinner at Osaka Japanese Steakhouse. Max absolutely loved it, and Zoe was terrified. She was o.k. with the chef chopping and entertaining us until he made an onion volcano and lit it on fire. She freaked! She huddled against Benny with her hands over her eyes until our chef was done cooking and left. We finally got her to eat her supper which she loved. For the rest of the night Max was a chef chopping, tossing, and entertaining us while preparing invisible food for us to eat. Pete was happy as long as I was shoveling real food into his mouth, which we brought for him ofcourse.

We’re going to veg at home tonight and watch movies. I’m on my way to Walmart in a few minutes to buy an air popper for popcorn. Pete’s allergies keep him from eating anything but the plain stuff. Poor kid. Did you know that microwave popcorn is cooked in vegetable oil that includes soy? Good grief, this whole restricted diet has been a real challenge. He’s to the point right now that he can’t have anything processed. His eczema looks a little better, but he’s still having nasty flair ups. The doctor thinks it might be something hidden in flavorings or colorings or something. The experiementing with foods continues. I hope he outgrows this!

So today this reads like a journal. Not too interesting for those who don’t know us well. I wish all of my blogging family a great week with lots of sunshine! God Bless You!

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A few times a year we get to spend time with our youth ministry buddies. (Our summer camp meetings were yesterday at OC.) Buddy is not a word I usually use to decribe friends, but in this case it suits them perfectly. I looked it up and the other words for it were comrade and friend, and it’s an alteration of the word brother. That’s who these men in my life are. They’re my brothers. We are part of a family. We tease and torment each other, we love each other, we encourage and challenge each other, and we hold each other accountable. I love these men like my brothers and I feel like they fill the role well. A few of them make me laugh, well…all of them do, but a few more than the others. A few of them just encourage the heck out of me, and a few keep us on their prayer lists pretty regularly. I am confident that they want God’s best for me and my family, and that they have our backs should we ever be in need of support and strength.

They (we) are a perfect picture of the parts of the body working together to make a whole person. I’m the woman’s point of view at our meetings, and I like that. These guys are all so very different! One of them is an amazingly ultra-organized multi-tasker, one is the strong silent type, two are clowns that feed off each other, one is creative and full of vision, one is an athletic genius, one has an incredible singing voice, one is the encourager of everyone, one is still a little wet behind the ears 🙂 but he’s learning alot and he fits in well. I could go on but one of them is reading this and wondering which one I think he is. :)HaHaHa

I have often posted about being thankful for the friendships God has blessed me with. Just add this to my list of daily blessings that I can’t stop talking about. I look forward to working alongside these brothers of mine this summer. It’s not the place, the time, or even the details that make me love our summer camps so much. It’s the people…the brotherhood of y.m.’s, the staff, the campers, and the Holy Spirit! IT IS GOOD TO BE NEAR GOD!

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The Old Town Warren Theater puts a new spin on dinner and a movie. They have big, cushy seats, stadium seating (pretty standard these days), and LOTS of leg room, BUT…they also have real food. Not just popcorn here unless that’s your thing – it’s not mine. The ticket taking usher hands you a menu as you walk in. The menu includes sandwiches, pizza, burgers and fries, salads, and appetizers, and plenty of drink choices. You push a button on your arm rest and a server comes to take your order. When it’s ready, they bring it to you on a tray that is designed to fit into your cup holder. If you need a drink refill or anything else, you push the button and your server appears again. About 30 minutes before the end of the movie, the server comes with your bill and you pay them from your seat. This part is slightly annoying because you don’t want to miss anything on the screen, and it’s hard to figure out your tip with the server squatting in front of you waiting. For those of you who want to actually talk during your dinner, this may not be the best date for you. For those of us with limited time out because we’re paying a sitter AND paying for our date, it’s a fun way to kill two birds with one stone. (I’ve always hated that saying, ugh!)

We saw “Hitch”. The #1 romantic comedy at the box office right now. Everyone else was there to see it too! My personal space is important, so once again I was thankful for big seats and wide ailes for leg room. It was a good movie… pretty funny. We are big Will Smith fans and Kevin James cracks us up. Benny loves The King of Queens.

This movie got me thinking about relationships and all of the head games people play. That’s so annoying to me. I remember watching Oprah once and seeing these ladies who wrote a book about the rules of dating. I thought they were ridiculous – them and their rules. I don’t get all of the games people play. Is it the chase that’s the most exciting, or the reward of an actual relationship? It depends on who you ask. I have several single friends and none of them are enjoying the dating game. I don’t miss it. Oh sure, I miss the primping and excitement of it all, like the wondering of what that first kiss will be like, and the tingle you get when the other person’s hand brushes against you accidentally. What I don’t miss is the nervous butterflies in my stomach, and the Oh God, please don’t let me make a fool out of myself part. I don’t miss the tears after a bad break up, and lonely nights writing sappy poetry that the world will never read. Does he like me? Does he think I’m a dork? Does he think of me at all? Or, there’s the flip side. I wish he’d leave me alone, did I send out a signal that told this guy that I was interested? Should I use the line, “I’m dating someone back home”? What is it that makes courage disappear? Why can’t you just say, “you’re a nice guy but I’m not interested in dating you”…no dumb lines like “let’s just be friends”…just the truth. College dating isn’t so different than dating as an adult. I was engaged at 19 and married at 20, so I only speak from what I hear from my single/dating friends. From what I can tell, the games are the same. You can go from being an interesting and intelligent adult to feeling like a zit covered, puberty voice changing, blabbering idiot in a matter of seconds. Please don’t think I believe that everyone on the planet should be married, but I think all of my single friends wish they were, or hope to be. If only they were all born in the same decade and lived in the same state…hmmm…am I being a meddling Yenta? I think Joshua Harris was onto something when he kissed dating goodbye. Maybe courting is the answer. Dating without the head games sounds grand! Am I sounding cynical or what???

Want to check out a bit of a twisted love story? Watch The Village. I love the scene where Lucius and Ivy are sitting on the porch and she’s once again talking for him. She says to him, “Why can’t you share what’s in your heart?” and he replies, “Why do you have to share everything that’s in yours?” His speech that follows is great! That movie is not what the previews made it out to be at all!

On Mike Cope’s blog today he asked for everyone’s best romantic songs. Here’s my pick. The year was 1997… It was our 4th year of marriage, and the first 3 had been pretty rocky! This song was released and I think I wore out a CD player playing it! That year was a turning point for us. Benny and I vowed to make things work and in May we’ll celebrate our 12th anniversary! 🙂
Clint Black wrote this song for his wife, Lisa Hartman Black.

Something That We Do
By Clint Black

I remember well the day we wed, I can see that picture in my head.
I still believe the words we said forever will ring true.
Love is certain, love is kind, love is yours, and love is mine,
but it isn’t something that we find, it’s something that we do.

It’s holding tight and letting go, it’s flying high and laying low,
let your strongest feelings show and your weakness too.
It’s a little and alot to ask, an endless end, a welcome task
love isn’t something that we have, it’s something that we do.

We help to make each other all that we can be,
though we can find our strength and inspiration independently.
The way we work together is what sets our love apart,
so closely that we can’t tell where I end and where you start.

It gives me heart remembering how we started with a simple vow,
there’s so much to look back on now, still it feels brand new.
We’re on a road that has no end and each day we begin again,
love’s not just something that we’re in, it’s something that we do.

We help to make each other all that we can be,
we can find our strength and inspiration independently.
The way we work together is what sets our love apart,
so closely that we can’t tell where I end and where you start.

Love is wide, love is long, love is deep and love is strong.
Love is why I love this song, I hope you love it too.
I remember well the day we wed, I can see that picture in my head
Love isn’t just those words we said, it’s something that we do.

There’s no request too big or small, we give ourselves, we give our
all, love isn’t some place that we fall, it’s something that we do.

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