OK...I know I'm a sap for a good song.....but I have to share this one....yes, I cried. And I listened to it at least 5 times in the car. Go ahead and laugh. It's ok.
Never mind...the lyrics aren't in the little cd thingy...I'll have to listen to it AGAIN and write them....maybe tomorrow.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Heritage On A Rock
Today I'm in the middle of a 3 day decorating extravaganza, as is my custom on the weekend after Thanksgiving. All the winter/Christmas decorations (yes, winter...I change some of my decor with the seasons) come out of the basement and for 3 days I play with evergreen, snowmen and old Christmas photographs. My family seem to make themselves "unavailable" during this weekend....hmmmm...but that's OK, I'd rather do it alone with old Christmas movies running in the background.
I wanted to share what I hope to become a new Thanksgiving tradition in our house. But first let me give you some background. I am a follower of Jesus Christ which firmly plants my feet in the New Testament. However, if I could only have one testament, I would be hard pressed not to choose the Old. Why? I don't really know. God made some promises to me through the words of the OT when I was a new believer and I've hung onto them with all my heart. The very first being my life verse....well, not a verse, really, more like a life passage...you would know that it would take more than one verse to impact my life...it took a couple of paragraphs! :)
Anyway, I spiderweb...sorry. Thanksgiving Dinner. Do you like stories? One of the things we miss in our culture today are stories. Those narratives that used to be shared generation to generation. You know..."I used to walk to school. barefoot. 10 miles." Not really. I'm talking about the stories about life. We all like to hear about how our dads asked our moms to marry them. Or about how we were born. I know that stories are important to God. Obviously. He gave us tons of books with all kinds of stories. Stories about Him. About a people that He loved. A people that He would die for. He even instructed us to tell the stories...over and over again. He even gave instructions to Joshua to build a stone memorial to the parting of the Jordan River expressly for the purpose of causing conversation between those that crossed on dry land and those yet to come. So, I got this idea from a previous pastor of ours and I brought it to the table...literally. The Thanksgiving Day dinner table.
I bought 2 bags of river rocks (ideally I would have gone to the river and picked some up myself, washing and baking to dry them...but Michael's sells a pretty mean bag of river rocks already cleaned, dried and polished. I thought the polished stones were OK since those 12 rocks that came out of the dry river bed were probably pretty smooth) and I used them as part of the table decorations. After dinner everyone was given a black sharpie and we began to tell stories of times in our life that we knew God was present and alive in what was going on around us. Then we wrote a keyword on the stone with our name on the back...a keyword that would remind us of the story. Then after the story was told, each rock went into a jar that now sits on my fireplace hearth. It's amazing to hear how God brought your kids to where they are. You see it happening but you don't always know how they got there. And for them, the kiddos, they heard some stuff from us that they didn't know before. We had lots of tears and lots of laughter. And certainly some memories actually being made. The whole idea is heritage. To know the stories. To glorify God as the reason for the person you see. And it was so awesome.
I think one of the best things, and there were a couple of "best things", was the fact that at our table sat 2 young men whose whole lives are ahead of them. One, Katie's fiance, Carlie, has grown up in church and believes on the Lord as his Saviour, but may have never seen it lived out day by day as in our family. He now has an idea of the legacy that has been left for his family and that he can tap into it easily enough. He had 2 stories of his own to share....and while he was obviously nervous, the stories were vibrant and had impact on us all. The 2nd was Ryan. If you know us, you know Ryan. Ryan only had 1 story...and I say 1 with emphasis because it will no doubt the the story of his life. He chose a black rock. And it was decided that his would be the only black rock in the jar. He wrote "seeing what is important"...and he preceded to account for stepping out of the dark and into the light. The thing that to me was so cool was the fact that he, as a new believer, looks at Steve and me and sees maturity. He sees something that I think he wants in his own life. Our stories showed him that we haven't always been what he sees today. Our stories told of a God of Detail...a God of transformation. A God who rescues. A God who took lives much like his own and like the potter at the wheel, remade the pot as He saw fit. I ask you, is not this the coolest thing ever?
I suppose I won't know how it really impacted anyone until a future Thanksgiving Day dinner when we are all sitting around reminiscing about the days of old. But there is one thing I do know. God wants us to share our stories. Not just to our kids but to their kids as well. I hope this is a start to a tradition that we share at Thanksgiving meals for many years to come.
And just in case you are wondering....my life "passage" is found in the Old Testament in the book of Jeremiah. Chapter 18. I'm sure it's no coincidence that God gave me that passage for my life considering from where I came and that which He has prepared in advance for me to do.
I wanted to share what I hope to become a new Thanksgiving tradition in our house. But first let me give you some background. I am a follower of Jesus Christ which firmly plants my feet in the New Testament. However, if I could only have one testament, I would be hard pressed not to choose the Old. Why? I don't really know. God made some promises to me through the words of the OT when I was a new believer and I've hung onto them with all my heart. The very first being my life verse....well, not a verse, really, more like a life passage...you would know that it would take more than one verse to impact my life...it took a couple of paragraphs! :)
Anyway, I spiderweb...sorry. Thanksgiving Dinner. Do you like stories? One of the things we miss in our culture today are stories. Those narratives that used to be shared generation to generation. You know..."I used to walk to school. barefoot. 10 miles." Not really. I'm talking about the stories about life. We all like to hear about how our dads asked our moms to marry them. Or about how we were born. I know that stories are important to God. Obviously. He gave us tons of books with all kinds of stories. Stories about Him. About a people that He loved. A people that He would die for. He even instructed us to tell the stories...over and over again. He even gave instructions to Joshua to build a stone memorial to the parting of the Jordan River expressly for the purpose of causing conversation between those that crossed on dry land and those yet to come. So, I got this idea from a previous pastor of ours and I brought it to the table...literally. The Thanksgiving Day dinner table.
I bought 2 bags of river rocks (ideally I would have gone to the river and picked some up myself, washing and baking to dry them...but Michael's sells a pretty mean bag of river rocks already cleaned, dried and polished. I thought the polished stones were OK since those 12 rocks that came out of the dry river bed were probably pretty smooth) and I used them as part of the table decorations. After dinner everyone was given a black sharpie and we began to tell stories of times in our life that we knew God was present and alive in what was going on around us. Then we wrote a keyword on the stone with our name on the back...a keyword that would remind us of the story. Then after the story was told, each rock went into a jar that now sits on my fireplace hearth. It's amazing to hear how God brought your kids to where they are. You see it happening but you don't always know how they got there. And for them, the kiddos, they heard some stuff from us that they didn't know before. We had lots of tears and lots of laughter. And certainly some memories actually being made. The whole idea is heritage. To know the stories. To glorify God as the reason for the person you see. And it was so awesome.
I think one of the best things, and there were a couple of "best things", was the fact that at our table sat 2 young men whose whole lives are ahead of them. One, Katie's fiance, Carlie, has grown up in church and believes on the Lord as his Saviour, but may have never seen it lived out day by day as in our family. He now has an idea of the legacy that has been left for his family and that he can tap into it easily enough. He had 2 stories of his own to share....and while he was obviously nervous, the stories were vibrant and had impact on us all. The 2nd was Ryan. If you know us, you know Ryan. Ryan only had 1 story...and I say 1 with emphasis because it will no doubt the the story of his life. He chose a black rock. And it was decided that his would be the only black rock in the jar. He wrote "seeing what is important"...and he preceded to account for stepping out of the dark and into the light. The thing that to me was so cool was the fact that he, as a new believer, looks at Steve and me and sees maturity. He sees something that I think he wants in his own life. Our stories showed him that we haven't always been what he sees today. Our stories told of a God of Detail...a God of transformation. A God who rescues. A God who took lives much like his own and like the potter at the wheel, remade the pot as He saw fit. I ask you, is not this the coolest thing ever?
I suppose I won't know how it really impacted anyone until a future Thanksgiving Day dinner when we are all sitting around reminiscing about the days of old. But there is one thing I do know. God wants us to share our stories. Not just to our kids but to their kids as well. I hope this is a start to a tradition that we share at Thanksgiving meals for many years to come.
And just in case you are wondering....my life "passage" is found in the Old Testament in the book of Jeremiah. Chapter 18. I'm sure it's no coincidence that God gave me that passage for my life considering from where I came and that which He has prepared in advance for me to do.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Back to the Future
Ok...enough of the past....I was just so amazed at what God has been up to...and while I've actually been living it, it still comes as an amazing thing.
Today the sun is shinning even though it is cold and it's going to be a great day. This week we begin to plan for the future......a wedding!!!!! Our oldest daughter accepted the proposal of a young man that we are very excited to have in our family. A wedding is planned for Oct 4, 2008 and the Bride to Be has hit the floor running....they were engaged on Sunday and by last night the ceremony venue was secured (the Conservatory on Main street) and the reception hall was decided upon. Such fun!!! Mother of the Bride! Yikes! My biggest fear? Having to get all dressed up...I wonder if the make sweat suits in linen? :)
I've learned something else this week...and not something that I'm really excited about. In fact, I could be a little discouraged but I'm choosing not to be. Have you ever shared the gospel with someone who said "yea, I understand what you are saying, but I don't want that. I'm not ready to give up what I'm doing for that"? I have. And it can be very frustrating. So now in this obedience to sharing my life with others, turning them toward God (I think we call it disciples making disciples)....I have found that even though one may claim to be a believer, they don't always want to hear the truth. They will even argue with you about what Scripture says to be true. Am I weird that I take it all as written? How is it that someone can pick and choose what they want to believe and have any faith at all in that which they say they believe? It's confusing to me. So as some choose to live their lives looking for the feel good stuff, I have to trust that God has called me to turn people toward Him....I have to be able to let go of those who see life differently...information vs transformation I guess. Here's the thing....I don't see myself softening up the truth or denying the truth to keep a disciple. Is that wrong? I mean, when do you hang in there because transformation just may not be on my timeline and when do you say...I'll be here when you are ready for truth? I'm just a little confused. I just can't say "Well, this is what God says, but if you want to do it differently that's ok with me. We will just study the things you want to do." Especially when it is those very truths that could change their lives!!!!! I shake my head in frustration.
So off I go....looking forward to the day and the weekend. Steph is coming home tomorrow for a family fix and we go Sat morning to secure a reception hall....and Zach? God is doing some truly amazing things....it's exciting to wait for his walking into the house at night to find out what God has revealed by the end of the day...it seems to be something new every day. Thanks to those of you who are investing your time in him........
Today the sun is shinning even though it is cold and it's going to be a great day. This week we begin to plan for the future......a wedding!!!!! Our oldest daughter accepted the proposal of a young man that we are very excited to have in our family. A wedding is planned for Oct 4, 2008 and the Bride to Be has hit the floor running....they were engaged on Sunday and by last night the ceremony venue was secured (the Conservatory on Main street) and the reception hall was decided upon. Such fun!!! Mother of the Bride! Yikes! My biggest fear? Having to get all dressed up...I wonder if the make sweat suits in linen? :)
I've learned something else this week...and not something that I'm really excited about. In fact, I could be a little discouraged but I'm choosing not to be. Have you ever shared the gospel with someone who said "yea, I understand what you are saying, but I don't want that. I'm not ready to give up what I'm doing for that"? I have. And it can be very frustrating. So now in this obedience to sharing my life with others, turning them toward God (I think we call it disciples making disciples)....I have found that even though one may claim to be a believer, they don't always want to hear the truth. They will even argue with you about what Scripture says to be true. Am I weird that I take it all as written? How is it that someone can pick and choose what they want to believe and have any faith at all in that which they say they believe? It's confusing to me. So as some choose to live their lives looking for the feel good stuff, I have to trust that God has called me to turn people toward Him....I have to be able to let go of those who see life differently...information vs transformation I guess. Here's the thing....I don't see myself softening up the truth or denying the truth to keep a disciple. Is that wrong? I mean, when do you hang in there because transformation just may not be on my timeline and when do you say...I'll be here when you are ready for truth? I'm just a little confused. I just can't say "Well, this is what God says, but if you want to do it differently that's ok with me. We will just study the things you want to do." Especially when it is those very truths that could change their lives!!!!! I shake my head in frustration.
So off I go....looking forward to the day and the weekend. Steph is coming home tomorrow for a family fix and we go Sat morning to secure a reception hall....and Zach? God is doing some truly amazing things....it's exciting to wait for his walking into the house at night to find out what God has revealed by the end of the day...it seems to be something new every day. Thanks to those of you who are investing your time in him........
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Let The Battle Begin...a journal entry
11/10/05
I'm in warfare. A battle for the lives of my young children.
I'm in warfare. A battle for the lives of my young children.
Joshua 14:12
Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You, yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large & fortified, but the Lord is helping me, I will drive them out just as He said.
14:13 Then Joshua blessed Caleb, son of Jepbunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance....because he followed the Lord with his whole heart.
14:15 Then the land had rest from war.
Caleb made decisions based on what he believed about God. His faith in who God was and what God had promised far out weighted what the circumstances looked like. His decision to trust God at His word and act accordingly pleased the Lord and the Lord gave Caleb and his inheritance rest from war.
How difficult it is sometimes to keep circumstances at bay and set our heart and eyes on things above. There was very little support system for Caleb- one or two out of what, 24,000?!! Yet he kept his "heart" focused on God's promise.
I don't have people around me like Caleb did, throwing seeds of doubt my way--only my own thoughts. They must be arrows of doubt from Satan. I will combat them with my sheild of faith-believing what I can't see. Trusting in the promises God has given me. Trusting in my God who has provided for and taken care of me before. The God who gave Caleb rest from war is the very same, exact God who cares to know my name. Rest for me will come. This particular battle in this big war will be won. Then I will have another memorial, another marker of God's outstanding care for me and my descendants.
Oh to be 10!..a journal entry
11/5/05
I find myself, yet again, captivated by the colors of fall. And even though, generally speaking, colors haven't been widespread, God, in His attention to the details of my life, has poured buckets of reds, yellows and oranges in my own front yard. Two days ago I dragged Steve outside to see the street side of the tree on the left. Even though they are both October Glory Maples, the one on the left has the most stunning array of colors. The one on the right waits about a week longer to change and it doesn't have all the yellows in it; tons of red and green still, so I'm sure if the left one wasn't there I would think the right one was beautiful, but as it is, the left one captivates me. It draws my eye and makes me tilt my head to take in the entire picture. One day I went into the yard to stand under it and look up through it! Oh to have been 10 years old! I would have climbed up into it and sat for hours!
I find myself, yet again, captivated by the colors of fall. And even though, generally speaking, colors haven't been widespread, God, in His attention to the details of my life, has poured buckets of reds, yellows and oranges in my own front yard. Two days ago I dragged Steve outside to see the street side of the tree on the left. Even though they are both October Glory Maples, the one on the left has the most stunning array of colors. The one on the right waits about a week longer to change and it doesn't have all the yellows in it; tons of red and green still, so I'm sure if the left one wasn't there I would think the right one was beautiful, but as it is, the left one captivates me. It draws my eye and makes me tilt my head to take in the entire picture. One day I went into the yard to stand under it and look up through it! Oh to have been 10 years old! I would have climbed up into it and sat for hours!
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