Our house in now officially on the market!
Which means, I am officially in "Don't touch anything or mess anything up or make any messes!" mode. Kind of hard to do, realistically, with two little girls. Not to mention two little boys who come over for daycare every day!
Let's just say I am praying, fervently, for the house to sell QUICKLY!
Yesterday, I worked hard to get everything ready, to make the house look "picture perfect." Read that: every room in the house looks nice so the pictures on the website listing are enticing and when people come to visit the house, they will think everything is all neat and clean. It took some creative efforts, but I got it done. I rearranged, put things in the storage area in the basement or out in the garage, threw more stuff in closets and drawers, jammed even more stuff under the bed. Let's just hope the potential buyers don't go poking around in my dresser or kitchen cabinets.
Needless to say, I was feeling pretty good about how the house was looking. I had just finished vacuuming and then steam cleaning the carpets. Lawrence and Coralyn were outside spreading mulch and raking leaves in the front yard. If you have kids, you know exactly where this is going.
Coralyn doesn't just like to be outside in nature, she likes to bring nature inside our house. She has a habit of picking up sticks, rocks, leaves random flower petals, and anything else she can hold in her hands, stuff in her pockets, or shove in her boots. That's what she did yesterday. Filled her yellow rain boots with leaves. She was wearing them to "help" Lawrence add as much curb appeal as possible by getting the front yard "picture perfect" to match the inside of the house. When it was time to come inside, she sat down on my freshly cleaned carpet and proceeded to dump the leaves out of one of her boots.
"Look, Mommy, I have money!"
Let's just say it was a good thing some of my childbirth students had arrived for class. I calmly picked up all the crumbled leaves and promptly put them back outside, reminding Coralyn once again that we do not bring sticks, rocks, flowers, or leaves inside the house.
"Okay, Mommy. Sorry, Mommy." And she bends down to try to clean up the rest of the mess she made. So kind. So thoughtful. But not so helpful, as she was really pushing the tiny pieces further down into the carpet. I quickly assured her that I would finish getting the leaves and Daddy could get her a snack in the kitchen. Off she goes, hopping up and down, bouncing and screaming like a wild woman.
No sooner had I picked up the last speck of crushed leaves and shut the door behind another childbirth student arriving for class, which was supposed to start in the next five minutes or so, do I see Coralyn take off her OTHER boot and dump the leaves in it on the carpet.
"These need to go back outside too, Mommy."
Yes, yes they do. Again, Coralyn doesn't realize how "lucky" she was that my childbirth students were sitting in our living room. They apparently thought watching Coralyn spread out her leaves on the floor was quite amusing and got a good laugh out of the whole thing. At least I helped them relax a bit, though I did warn them, "This is what happens. Your precious little baby is going to grow up and do things like this all the time! Hope you're ready! Welcome to parenthood!"
This morning I was going around the house, picking up toys and putting books away and making sure everything was staying all nice and neat and "picture perfect" just in case I got a call letting me know that someone wants to look at the house in a half hour, I would be ready to pack up the kiddos and leave in a matter of minutes. As He tends to do, God whispered in my ear and challenged me with a question...
"Are you this concerned about any sin in your life? Here you are trying to make sure there's not a speck of dust or dirt in the house, but do you put that much effort into getting rid of the sin in your life?"
Sadly, I had to admit that I don't. Unfortunately, I thought of the verse where Jesus calls the Pharisees "white-washed tombs" that look all neat and clean on the outside but are really full of dead bones on the inside. Ouch! I may appear "picture perfect" and do a great job of fooling everyone, but God knows better. He opens the closet doors. He searches the cabinets. He looks under the bed. He doesn't miss a single thing, no matter how hard I may try to hide it or cover it up or disguise it.
BUT, He still loves me.
Thank goodness!
What a relief that I don't have to be "picture perfect" for God.
That doesn't mean I can sit back and relax and think I can leave things the way they are. Yes, God accepts me just the way I am. However, He doesn't want me to stay that way. He wants me to do more than cram my junk away where no one sees it. He wants me to get rid of it completely. And He will help me take it out to the trash to ensure that I do.
I have a feeling that God is going to use this whole selling the house gig is going to teach me quite a few more lessons. Waiting, trusting, resting, waiting, taking Him at His Word, believing His timing is best, waiting, having faith He can do the impossible, waiting, being patient when I don't get my way right away, not running ahead of Him, waiting. Hmmmm, I sense a theme here...
For now, I am working on the idea of getting rid of sin. My prayer for today comes from Psalm 139, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out ANYTHING in me that offends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life."
Monday, November 5, 2012
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Kellybrook Kaleidoscope
Missionaries usually send out monthly updates and newsletters. Typically, those updates and newsletters have catchy little names that begin with the same letter. I didn't take any classes on support raising or newsletter writing during my time at Moody Bible Institute, despite the fact that I planned on becoming a full-time missionary once I graduated. I guess I assumed I would marry into the missionary gig and my husband would have taken all those courses for the both of us. Well, you know what happens when you assume things. Perhaps, I should have paid more attention when one of my high school teachers told us, "Assume nothing," and pointed to the words on the T-shirt he was wearing. Since I can't go back, we will just have to go forward from here and learn as we go.
You see, I am still going to fulfill my dream of becoming a full-time missionary, but not in the way I had imagined. Note even close. God has a way of doing that -- accomplishing His plans in ways that I never would have thought, but always, always far better too. I pictured myself living in a third-world country, serving God in the jungles of Africa or some other far-away, in-the-middle-of-nowhere place. And for almost two years, I did just that as I worked with Kids Alive International in Haiti. Then, I came home, got married, and settled down to life in suburban America. Absolutely nothing like what I had expected during my idealistic college days.
And yet, I was right where God wanted me. I just didn't know it, yet. Slowly, over the past five years, as God has been working on my heart and changing the way I think about missions and being a missionary, I have come to realize that I am already smack dab in the middle of the mission field God has for me. I guess you could say I have undergone a transformation since I stepped off the plane bringing me home from Haiti, way back in 2007. From the moment my feet touched the ground, I was already thinking about how I would leave again and now I want nothing more than to stay. Well, technically, I want to move, badly. But not to a different country. Just a different neighborhood. Specifically the area where Lawrence teaches school.
That's where the catchy little name Kellybrook Kaleidoscope comes in. He teaches third grade at Kellybrook Elementary School, and we want to live in one of the four main subdivisions where families whose children attend the school live. One of those subdivisions is actually called Kellybrook, but more than likely, we will be in Brook Ridge (that's where the house we are looking at buying is located). But, I don't want to get too far ahead of myself here; we do after all have to sell our house first. I have peace about that, though, as we truly believe this vision/mission is of God, and despite how crazy all this seems, we are just acting in obedience to Him.
So....regardless of what subdivision our new home is in, our purpose in moving is to be missionaries in the Kellybrook Community. The heaviness in our hearts has only been increasing in the past few months as we think about the boys and girls who desperately need Jesus. Or who have already made that decision to trust Him as their Savior, but now need to be mentored and discipled so they can grow in their faith, learn how to live boldly for Jesus, and receive the encouragement and support to do that when the going gets tough.
We have gone back and forth for the past few months about whether or not we really should put our house on the market. Every time we would get excited and ready to get that sign in the yard, we came up against a big, tall, hard brick wall called MONEY, or the lack thereof really. Even if we were to sell our house for "top dollar" in the present economy, we would take a HUGE loss. Not to mention, we would have to come up with the money to put a down payment on the new house we want to buy. No way, humanly speaking, we could magically make that kind of cash appear in our bank account. And so, we have been waiting, waiting and praying, praying and waiting.
As we have been searching our hearts and seeking God's clear direction, we have felt Him gently pulling us to move forward, to simply step out in faith, to trust Him to provide, to do what we cannot in any way do on our own. We are super duper excited, and yet nervous and scared out of our wits as well. BUT, we are taking God at His word and going ahead with listing our house, officially. I just emailed our friend and realtor to let him know about our decision, and he has responded already, letting me know that he will be over later today with a sign for our yard! He will get everything ready and entered into the system, meaning people will find pictures of our house on the web very soon!!!
I know I have asked you to pray before, and I am asking you to pray again.
*Please pray that our house would sell quickly.
*We have a house in our sights that we would love to buy. Ironically, one of Lawrence's former students lives there! :) Please pray we will be able to make an offer on this house before someone else does. And that they would accept our offer.
*We will be applying for a loan. Pray we are granted the amount we need.
*Our house will have to be inspected and everything else that goes along with selling a house. Please pray that the house passes inspection and everything lines up for us to move from this house to our new one in a timely fashion.
*Above all, our desire in moving is to reach out and impact the families in the Kellybrook area. Pray that we would be able to do just that, above and beyond what we could even dare to imagine!
Thank you so very much for joining us in this crazy adventure! If you would like to find out more about WHY we want to move, the VISION and MISSION we have for the ministry God has called us to, and how you can PARTNER WITH US, please let me know. We have a "packet" prepared (can you tell we're teachers?) and would love to email you or send you a hard copy in the "snail mail." As I said before, we are extremely enthusiastic about the journey God has for us, but we also know we can't succeed on our own. We desperately need our friends and family and fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to come along side us to help us on our way! So, thank you in advance for your prayers and support as we strive to help boys and girls "know Christ personally and make Him known" (Ponca Bible Camp's mission statement, on which we are building).
To God be the glory in all of this!
You see, I am still going to fulfill my dream of becoming a full-time missionary, but not in the way I had imagined. Note even close. God has a way of doing that -- accomplishing His plans in ways that I never would have thought, but always, always far better too. I pictured myself living in a third-world country, serving God in the jungles of Africa or some other far-away, in-the-middle-of-nowhere place. And for almost two years, I did just that as I worked with Kids Alive International in Haiti. Then, I came home, got married, and settled down to life in suburban America. Absolutely nothing like what I had expected during my idealistic college days.
And yet, I was right where God wanted me. I just didn't know it, yet. Slowly, over the past five years, as God has been working on my heart and changing the way I think about missions and being a missionary, I have come to realize that I am already smack dab in the middle of the mission field God has for me. I guess you could say I have undergone a transformation since I stepped off the plane bringing me home from Haiti, way back in 2007. From the moment my feet touched the ground, I was already thinking about how I would leave again and now I want nothing more than to stay. Well, technically, I want to move, badly. But not to a different country. Just a different neighborhood. Specifically the area where Lawrence teaches school.
That's where the catchy little name Kellybrook Kaleidoscope comes in. He teaches third grade at Kellybrook Elementary School, and we want to live in one of the four main subdivisions where families whose children attend the school live. One of those subdivisions is actually called Kellybrook, but more than likely, we will be in Brook Ridge (that's where the house we are looking at buying is located). But, I don't want to get too far ahead of myself here; we do after all have to sell our house first. I have peace about that, though, as we truly believe this vision/mission is of God, and despite how crazy all this seems, we are just acting in obedience to Him.
So....regardless of what subdivision our new home is in, our purpose in moving is to be missionaries in the Kellybrook Community. The heaviness in our hearts has only been increasing in the past few months as we think about the boys and girls who desperately need Jesus. Or who have already made that decision to trust Him as their Savior, but now need to be mentored and discipled so they can grow in their faith, learn how to live boldly for Jesus, and receive the encouragement and support to do that when the going gets tough.
We have gone back and forth for the past few months about whether or not we really should put our house on the market. Every time we would get excited and ready to get that sign in the yard, we came up against a big, tall, hard brick wall called MONEY, or the lack thereof really. Even if we were to sell our house for "top dollar" in the present economy, we would take a HUGE loss. Not to mention, we would have to come up with the money to put a down payment on the new house we want to buy. No way, humanly speaking, we could magically make that kind of cash appear in our bank account. And so, we have been waiting, waiting and praying, praying and waiting.
As we have been searching our hearts and seeking God's clear direction, we have felt Him gently pulling us to move forward, to simply step out in faith, to trust Him to provide, to do what we cannot in any way do on our own. We are super duper excited, and yet nervous and scared out of our wits as well. BUT, we are taking God at His word and going ahead with listing our house, officially. I just emailed our friend and realtor to let him know about our decision, and he has responded already, letting me know that he will be over later today with a sign for our yard! He will get everything ready and entered into the system, meaning people will find pictures of our house on the web very soon!!!
I know I have asked you to pray before, and I am asking you to pray again.
*Please pray that our house would sell quickly.
*We have a house in our sights that we would love to buy. Ironically, one of Lawrence's former students lives there! :) Please pray we will be able to make an offer on this house before someone else does. And that they would accept our offer.
*We will be applying for a loan. Pray we are granted the amount we need.
*Our house will have to be inspected and everything else that goes along with selling a house. Please pray that the house passes inspection and everything lines up for us to move from this house to our new one in a timely fashion.
*Above all, our desire in moving is to reach out and impact the families in the Kellybrook area. Pray that we would be able to do just that, above and beyond what we could even dare to imagine!
Thank you so very much for joining us in this crazy adventure! If you would like to find out more about WHY we want to move, the VISION and MISSION we have for the ministry God has called us to, and how you can PARTNER WITH US, please let me know. We have a "packet" prepared (can you tell we're teachers?) and would love to email you or send you a hard copy in the "snail mail." As I said before, we are extremely enthusiastic about the journey God has for us, but we also know we can't succeed on our own. We desperately need our friends and family and fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to come along side us to help us on our way! So, thank you in advance for your prayers and support as we strive to help boys and girls "know Christ personally and make Him known" (Ponca Bible Camp's mission statement, on which we are building).
To God be the glory in all of this!
The humble will see their God at work and be glad.
Let all who seek God's help live in joy.
~Psalm 69:32
I will thank you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all the marvelous things You have done.
I will be filled with joy because of You.
I will sing praises to Your name, O Most High.
~Psalm 9:1-2
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Peacing It All Together
This weekend our pastor talked about stress. Hmmm, can't really relate there. :)
I wish.
Sadly, I can understand all too well the negative impact stress can have in your life. I was intrigued to hear what our pastor had to say about the opposite of stress: PEACE. Now that is something I would love to have, in abundance!
Pastor Michael described how peace comes as a result of humility. His primary text was Luke 14:7-11, where Jesus tells a story about choosing the best seat at the party only to be humiliated later when the host asks you to sit someplace else because someone more important or worthy is supposed to sit in that seat of honor. How embarrassing! And kind of stressful. How much better would it be, Jesus suggested, to sit at the lowest place and be pleasantly surprised if the host invites you to a better place, honoring you among his guests. Yes, much more pleasant indeed!
Yet, in this world of go-getters with a first-come-first-serve and survival of the fittest mentality, how are we supposed to practically do what Jesus proposed? Won't we get run over and left in the dust? Do we just get up, brush the dirt out of our hair, and wipe the footprints off our backs, only to get trampled underfoot again minutes later?
Perhaps, we're only meant to pretend to be humble, playing along with Jesus' little mind game. If the first will be last and the last will be first, then we'll just get at the back of the line, smiling to ourselves and waiting for someone to shout out, "Gottcha, everybody turn around! The end of the line is really the front!"
Somehow, I don't think that is what Jesus meant. I tend to believe He really, truly meant for us to be humble. In fact, Pastor Michael had us turn in our Bibles to Matthew 11, when Jesus invites those of us who are stressed out, "weary and carrying heavy burdens," to come to Him so He can give them rest. Jesus then goes on to say, "Take my yoke upon you," which most of us have heard before -- Jesus wants to help us, to work with us, to guide and direct us, to have us be in step with Him so that we don't have to do everything on our own and deal with all the stress that would come with that overwhelming responsibility. That is all nice and good, but Pastor Michael focused more on the next part as Jesus continues,
I wish.
Sadly, I can understand all too well the negative impact stress can have in your life. I was intrigued to hear what our pastor had to say about the opposite of stress: PEACE. Now that is something I would love to have, in abundance!
Pastor Michael described how peace comes as a result of humility. His primary text was Luke 14:7-11, where Jesus tells a story about choosing the best seat at the party only to be humiliated later when the host asks you to sit someplace else because someone more important or worthy is supposed to sit in that seat of honor. How embarrassing! And kind of stressful. How much better would it be, Jesus suggested, to sit at the lowest place and be pleasantly surprised if the host invites you to a better place, honoring you among his guests. Yes, much more pleasant indeed!
Yet, in this world of go-getters with a first-come-first-serve and survival of the fittest mentality, how are we supposed to practically do what Jesus proposed? Won't we get run over and left in the dust? Do we just get up, brush the dirt out of our hair, and wipe the footprints off our backs, only to get trampled underfoot again minutes later?
Perhaps, we're only meant to pretend to be humble, playing along with Jesus' little mind game. If the first will be last and the last will be first, then we'll just get at the back of the line, smiling to ourselves and waiting for someone to shout out, "Gottcha, everybody turn around! The end of the line is really the front!"
Somehow, I don't think that is what Jesus meant. I tend to believe He really, truly meant for us to be humble. In fact, Pastor Michael had us turn in our Bibles to Matthew 11, when Jesus invites those of us who are stressed out, "weary and carrying heavy burdens," to come to Him so He can give them rest. Jesus then goes on to say, "Take my yoke upon you," which most of us have heard before -- Jesus wants to help us, to work with us, to guide and direct us, to have us be in step with Him so that we don't have to do everything on our own and deal with all the stress that would come with that overwhelming responsibility. That is all nice and good, but Pastor Michael focused more on the next part as Jesus continues,
"Let Me teach you,
because I am humble and gentle at heart,
and you will find rest for your souls."
Apparently, this was the only time Jesus said an autobiographical statement about His character. Yes, He made many other I AM statements.
I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
I am the Door; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
I am the Bread of Life.
I am Living Water.
I am the Light of the World.
However, none of these attest to Jesus' actual character. They are all nouns. This time, though, Jesus used an adjective, two of them actually, to describe Who He is, who He wants us to be.
Humble.
Gentle.
And the result having those two character qualities: "you will find rest for your souls." Sounds a lot like PEACE to me. Sounds nice, quite nice. Lovely, even.
As I was contemplating the concept of peace and praying for more of it in my life, God reminded me of what Pastor Michael was saying -- peace is a result of humility. So, it would seem, the ball is in my court. If I want this peace that God promises, then I must first work on being humble. Truly humble, not just playing mind games and hoping God doesn't catch on to my scheming ways.
Job 22:21 reinforced that idea, "Submit to God, and you will have peace; then things will go well for you."
Isaiah 48:18 did as well, "Oh that you would have listened to my commands! Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea."
Then, the popular verse from Philippians, "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need (admitting you need Him, that you can't do it all on your own, definitely requires humility). And thank Him for all He has done (giving Him the credit and not taking any for yourself, again requires humility). THEN, you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and your minds as you live in Christ Jesus."
1 Peter 5:6-7 came to mind after that, "So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you."
The verses kept rolling in, reminding me over and over again that peace comes as a result of trusting God, which more often than not means admitting that you need Him, that you are totally and completely dependent on Him and can do absolutely nothing without Him, but you believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that He will come through for you. Like Pastor Michael said, peace flows out of humility. Humility evidenced by trust. Trust that is founded in a child-like faith.
Isaiah 26:3, "You keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You."
Another translation put it this way, "You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You!"
That idea made me think of Hebrews 12:2 when the author urges us to "fix our eyes on Jesus and run with endurance the race He has set before us."
Paul had the same mindset when he wrote in Philippians 3, "I focus on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."
Speaking of Paul... in seemingly every letter he wrote to his fellow believers, he not only challenged them to pursue God wholeheartedly, but he also prayed they would experience the peace of God. Makes me wonder if following after God, earnestly seeking Him with every fiber of your being, and enjoying supernatural peace that comes from God alone go hand in hand?
Well, Paul himself certainly ran hard after God. I would do well to learn from him. Apparently, Paul agrees because he wrote to the Philippians, "Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me -- everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you." So, if Paul spent his life striving to know God and make Him known and experienced God's peace as a result, then wouldn't the same be true for me as I follow his example?
Makes sense. As we spend more time with God, we get to know Him -- and His character -- better. And if He is a God of peace, as Jesus Himself said, then we would come to know His peace more and more as well. Peter was on the same page as Paul and wrote in one of his letters, "May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of our God and Jesus our Lord."
Building on that, as we learn more about God and Who He is, our knowledge should lead us to have a deeper and fuller trust in Him. A true, meaningful, personal relationship with God doesn't affect just our heads. It can't. It inevitably moves those 18 inches from our brain to our heart and then proceeds to fills our hearts, and finally flows out of us into every area of our lives, impacting all that we do and say. That must be what Paul meant when he prayed for the Romans, "I pray that God, the source of all hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit."
As I try to piece this all together, I am realizing more and more that my longing for peace can only be fulfilled as a I spend more time with my Jesus and allow Him to work in me to transform me and develop my character to reflect His own. With that, I will close with my life verses from Psalm 62, as they seem quite applicable once again to where I am at in life and what God is teaching me.
Another translation put it this way, "You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You!"
That idea made me think of Hebrews 12:2 when the author urges us to "fix our eyes on Jesus and run with endurance the race He has set before us."
Paul had the same mindset when he wrote in Philippians 3, "I focus on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."
Speaking of Paul... in seemingly every letter he wrote to his fellow believers, he not only challenged them to pursue God wholeheartedly, but he also prayed they would experience the peace of God. Makes me wonder if following after God, earnestly seeking Him with every fiber of your being, and enjoying supernatural peace that comes from God alone go hand in hand?
Well, Paul himself certainly ran hard after God. I would do well to learn from him. Apparently, Paul agrees because he wrote to the Philippians, "Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me -- everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you." So, if Paul spent his life striving to know God and make Him known and experienced God's peace as a result, then wouldn't the same be true for me as I follow his example?
Makes sense. As we spend more time with God, we get to know Him -- and His character -- better. And if He is a God of peace, as Jesus Himself said, then we would come to know His peace more and more as well. Peter was on the same page as Paul and wrote in one of his letters, "May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of our God and Jesus our Lord."
Building on that, as we learn more about God and Who He is, our knowledge should lead us to have a deeper and fuller trust in Him. A true, meaningful, personal relationship with God doesn't affect just our heads. It can't. It inevitably moves those 18 inches from our brain to our heart and then proceeds to fills our hearts, and finally flows out of us into every area of our lives, impacting all that we do and say. That must be what Paul meant when he prayed for the Romans, "I pray that God, the source of all hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit."
As I try to piece this all together, I am realizing more and more that my longing for peace can only be fulfilled as a I spend more time with my Jesus and allow Him to work in me to transform me and develop my character to reflect His own. With that, I will close with my life verses from Psalm 62, as they seem quite applicable once again to where I am at in life and what God is teaching me.
Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
for my hope is in Him.
He alone is my Rock and my Salvation,
my Fortress where I will not be shaken.
My victory and honor come from God alone.
He is my Refuge, a Rock where no enemy can reach me.
O, my people, trust in Him at all times.
Pour your heart out to Him,
for God is our Refuge.
Monday, October 22, 2012
To Ponca and Beyond!
We have been blown away with how God has expanded this Ponca ministry. The first year we invited students, back in 2007, we had 9 kids come. This last summer over 90 kids from the area attended one, or even two!, weeks of camp!!!! We are super excited about this, but are also heavily burdened with the need for mentoring these boys and girls when they get home from camp and don't always have the best role models or the time set aside to read their Bible or sing praise songs or talk with a counselor about problems they are dealing with in their daily lives. Ponca is awesome, but it's just the beginning. The very beginning.
Hence, the name "Ponca and Beyond" for the Bible study that just began. We had our first meeting last night, with 10 boys and 2 girls.
You see, God heard the cries of our heart and answered our prayers. After we got back from camp, a parent contacted us and offered their house for a Bible study for their kids and their friends who had been at Ponca. We jumped on board, had a informational meeting with 5 families who had expressed interest before we ever made our desire known, and sent out invitations for the first Bible study.
We truly believe God has some absolutely amazing things in store for the kids who have gone to Ponca and now their friends back home. We are anticipating that this ministry is going to skyrocket and become something "out of this world." Not because of anything we have done or will do, but simply because God is a God of wonders and seems to enjoy showing us just how extraordinary He is!
We are so blessed to be a part of what He is doing, both at Ponca and here in the Liberty/Kansas City area. My heart overflowed with joy and enthusiasm as I watched the boys and girls open their Bibles last night and talk about how they want to put Jesus first in their daily lives. My earnest prayer is for these kids to grow up loving Jesus passionately, to live boldly for Him, and make an astronomical impact in their homes/families, schools, neighborhoods, churches, community, and the world! There's no limit to what God can do in and through these boys and girls, and not just when they grow up, but RIGHT NOW!
I am thrilled about that, but I am also pretty stinkin' excited to hear Coralyn ask me, "When are we going to Ponca Bible study?" She was bouncing up and down as we got ready to leave last night. My mama's heart was spilling over as I thought about the opportunity I get to watch my girls grow up being a part of something so special. Coralyn and Kellah are already, at such a young age, seeing what it means and looks like to learn about God, know Jesus personally, tell others about Him, and live all out for Him every single day. And that is the best part of all of this!
From the moment we knew that Coralyn and Kellah existed, we have been praying for them to "know Jesus personally and make Him known" (the Ponca motto). I have prayed that they will be "missionaries" wherever they are at -- in our neighborhood and at school, for starters. How awesome that God is already answering those prayers as we prepare to put our house on the market and move into the Kellybrook area for the sole purpose of being "missionaries" to the kids (and their families) who attend Kellybrook Elementary School!
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Kellah Grace {10 Months}
In just two short months, my baby girl will be one whole year old. But for today, I am going to focus on the fact that she is "only" 10 months. At the rate she is going, she'll be sprinting by next week! :)
I guess she knew this milestone was coming and wanted to beat her older sister at something, and so Kellah started walking yesterday. At 9 months, just so she could say she walked before Coralyn did. Coralyn walked at 10 months, so Kellah just scraped by to win the "Earliest Walker" title.
Kellah's been cruising for the past 2 months, so I knew it was coming. This past week, though, it was as if something went off in her little brain. She was more daring, reaching the end of the table or couch or wall and reaching out to see if she could take that next step all on her own. Most times, she would stumble and fall, but oh so gracefully. Living up to her middle name of Grace, I guess.
Even after she would sit down, Kellah wouldn't sit still. Oh no! She would crawl to the nearest thing, or person, and stand back up and be off again.
Kellah doesn't seem to realize that she is a little baby in the midst of bigger babies (more like toddlers really), as she wants to do anything and everything Caleb and Jameson are doing. Not to mention, her big sister Coralyn, who is definitely not a baby by any stretch of the imagination (though I wonder at times when she throws a tantrum or cries for no apparent reason!).
Her small size (25 inches long/tall and about 16 pounds) doesn't deter Kellah from doing what she wants or getting where she wants to go.
And her smile is so big and wide. She's a happy girl, most of the time. As long as I am near by, really. It's quite funny actually. I will hand her off to Lawrence, and Kellah will start screaming. He will try to play with her or distract her and make her happy in any way he can. But he always seems to come up short. And so he begrudingly brings her back to me. The second she is in my arms again, she is content. Then, she looks over at Lawrence, smiles a sneaky little grin, and lays her head on my shoulders. Sure, baby girl, rub it in.
I don't mind that Kellah is a mama's girl, except at night. The child has not still realized the value and beauty of a good night's rest. For about 6 weeks she was sleeping through the night, and it was amazing! Then, she got a cough and sore ear, which resulted in several nights of screaming for hours on end. I guess she got accustomed to me holding and rocking her and sleeping with her, and now she wants to do that all.the.time. I know she will only be little for a short time and this is just a phase of life, one that will pass too quickly, but I really would like to sleep uninterrupted for a good 6 hours. I don't think that is too much to ask :)
You would think that Kellah would be a giant with all the food she eats. She puts her 8 teeth to great use, chomping on apples, carrots, and anything she can get her hands on. Paper seems to be her favorite "food." I will turn my head for 2 seconds and find her with a book, ripping out a page or chewing on the corner. AGH! If I could just teach her the love of reading that Coralyn has! All in good time...
Like I said earlier, Kellah is a happy girl. She loves to clap and "dance." She will cheer for herself after she takes a few steps or when we are singing or listening to music. She also claps to sign "All Done," when she is finished nursing or eating in her high chair. The silly girl also likes to stand up and crawl out of her high chair to let me know she's ready to get down! I seriously need eyes in the back of my head to keep track of this on-the-go child!
Kellah has a great laugh too. I love to hear her giggle, especially when I have done something funny and she is having fun with me. Even better, I LOVE when Coralyn and Kellah are playing together and make each other laugh. I am so blessed to have girls who enjoy playing together. I hope this continues as they get older! I know they will fight, as all good sisters do, but I pray they will be best friends and help each other stand strong and firm as they live for Jesus and make their love for Him known.
As I reflect on my two girls, as they are both passing important milestones here of late, I can't help but smile and thank God. He has blessed me BIG TIME.
I guess she knew this milestone was coming and wanted to beat her older sister at something, and so Kellah started walking yesterday. At 9 months, just so she could say she walked before Coralyn did. Coralyn walked at 10 months, so Kellah just scraped by to win the "Earliest Walker" title.
Even after she would sit down, Kellah wouldn't sit still. Oh no! She would crawl to the nearest thing, or person, and stand back up and be off again.
Her small size (25 inches long/tall and about 16 pounds) doesn't deter Kellah from doing what she wants or getting where she wants to go.
And her smile is so big and wide. She's a happy girl, most of the time. As long as I am near by, really. It's quite funny actually. I will hand her off to Lawrence, and Kellah will start screaming. He will try to play with her or distract her and make her happy in any way he can. But he always seems to come up short. And so he begrudingly brings her back to me. The second she is in my arms again, she is content. Then, she looks over at Lawrence, smiles a sneaky little grin, and lays her head on my shoulders. Sure, baby girl, rub it in.
I don't mind that Kellah is a mama's girl, except at night. The child has not still realized the value and beauty of a good night's rest. For about 6 weeks she was sleeping through the night, and it was amazing! Then, she got a cough and sore ear, which resulted in several nights of screaming for hours on end. I guess she got accustomed to me holding and rocking her and sleeping with her, and now she wants to do that all.the.time. I know she will only be little for a short time and this is just a phase of life, one that will pass too quickly, but I really would like to sleep uninterrupted for a good 6 hours. I don't think that is too much to ask :)
You would think that Kellah would be a giant with all the food she eats. She puts her 8 teeth to great use, chomping on apples, carrots, and anything she can get her hands on. Paper seems to be her favorite "food." I will turn my head for 2 seconds and find her with a book, ripping out a page or chewing on the corner. AGH! If I could just teach her the love of reading that Coralyn has! All in good time...
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| I may be small, but I can make a BIG mess! ;) |
Like I said earlier, Kellah is a happy girl. She loves to clap and "dance." She will cheer for herself after she takes a few steps or when we are singing or listening to music. She also claps to sign "All Done," when she is finished nursing or eating in her high chair. The silly girl also likes to stand up and crawl out of her high chair to let me know she's ready to get down! I seriously need eyes in the back of my head to keep track of this on-the-go child!
Kellah has a great laugh too. I love to hear her giggle, especially when I have done something funny and she is having fun with me. Even better, I LOVE when Coralyn and Kellah are playing together and make each other laugh. I am so blessed to have girls who enjoy playing together. I hope this continues as they get older! I know they will fight, as all good sisters do, but I pray they will be best friends and help each other stand strong and firm as they live for Jesus and make their love for Him known.
As I reflect on my two girls, as they are both passing important milestones here of late, I can't help but smile and thank God. He has blessed me BIG TIME.
Monday, October 15, 2012
You Say Tomato, I Say Blessing
We planted a garden again this year. Once again, we probably got too late of a start to have much of a crop. The weather -- hot and very, very, very little rain -- didn't really help our chances of a bountiful harvest. In fact, I was going to be shocked if we got a single tomato off any of the six plants we had.
Several months back, we got a whopping 15 peas from the two rows of plants Lawrence had painstakingly made into straight lines, measuring each hole to make sure it was the proper distance away from the last.
We had four rows of green beans, and surprisingly, we got two huge bowlfuls of beans from them.
The tomatoes have really knocked my socks off. As of late September, we had picked maybe five tomatoes. The plants themselves were doing extremely well, growing like vines. Literally. I had never seen tomato plants do that before, but they were all over the place and tangled up like a box of Christmas lights. I was determined to have some yummy red tomatoes, seeing as how the vines were chock full of tiny green balls. And so I went to the store, bought some twine, and set to work untangling and tying up those vines. I guess all my hard work (with some help from some much-needed rain), paid off.
Today, I picked an entire bowl of tomatoes.
It is the fourth one we have collected, and there are still PLENTY of green tomatoes left on the vines, just waiting to turn red. Ironically enough, two of the tomato plants had even fallen over due to the ground being too wet. How's that for a turn of events after a hot, dry summer that resulted in cracked dirt everywhere you looked.
As I brought in my heaping bowl of tomatoes, I was reminded yet again how good God is, how abundantly He blesses us. Here I was thinking we might, if we were "lucky," get a handful of tomatoes, and now I have tomatoes coming out of my ears! Oh me of little faith!
In the same way, God has blown me away with His answers to my prayers as of late.
*Lawrence and I have been praying about starting a Bible study for the kiddos who go to Ponca, then come home and don't really have any sort of follow up or discipleship. Last night, we met with 5 families who are super excited about working with us to get this "Ponca and Beyond" group going. One family is opening up their home every Sunday evening for the Bible study, and the other families have volunteered to bring snacks and send out e-mail invites to their children's friends. Our first meeting will be next week! I am stoked to see what God is going to do with this Bible study! We are praying it is just the beginning of something very, very, very, very, very, very HUGE that God is doing in the Liberty area!
*We have also been praying about selling our home. To make our house competitive on the market, we simply had to put on a new roof. Understandable, but waaaaaaay too expensive for us to do any time soon. And so, we started saving. God blew us away when we received a check in the mail to pay for the cost of the roof! Hopefully, by the end of the month, the new roof will be on and a "For Sale" sign will be in the front yard!
*After losing a daycare kiddo, finances have been pretty tight. God has been oh so faithful to provide, though, as He always is. I have a childbirth class coming up, and I have been praying and praying for God to send me FIVE couples/students. With that many couples/students, we will be able to cover what I lost in daycare income. Well, the class starts on Sunday, and I have FIVE couples/students who have enrolled in the series. For a cherry on top, I have a SIXTH couple who will be taking a one-time class next month since the class day/time doesn't work for them. THREE of these six couples are considering hiring me as their doula too! I have been praying for opportunities to attend more births and expand that part of my "business" as well. God knows the desires of my heart and has shown me His goodness in answering my prayers, above and beyond what I had even dared to dream. I am so extremely thankful to Him!
So, as I go wash my bowful of tomatoes, I will be praising my Jesus for His abundant love and extravagant kindness. I am blessed beyond words to be a daughter of the King!
Several months back, we got a whopping 15 peas from the two rows of plants Lawrence had painstakingly made into straight lines, measuring each hole to make sure it was the proper distance away from the last.
We had four rows of green beans, and surprisingly, we got two huge bowlfuls of beans from them.
The tomatoes have really knocked my socks off. As of late September, we had picked maybe five tomatoes. The plants themselves were doing extremely well, growing like vines. Literally. I had never seen tomato plants do that before, but they were all over the place and tangled up like a box of Christmas lights. I was determined to have some yummy red tomatoes, seeing as how the vines were chock full of tiny green balls. And so I went to the store, bought some twine, and set to work untangling and tying up those vines. I guess all my hard work (with some help from some much-needed rain), paid off.
Today, I picked an entire bowl of tomatoes.
It is the fourth one we have collected, and there are still PLENTY of green tomatoes left on the vines, just waiting to turn red. Ironically enough, two of the tomato plants had even fallen over due to the ground being too wet. How's that for a turn of events after a hot, dry summer that resulted in cracked dirt everywhere you looked.
As I brought in my heaping bowl of tomatoes, I was reminded yet again how good God is, how abundantly He blesses us. Here I was thinking we might, if we were "lucky," get a handful of tomatoes, and now I have tomatoes coming out of my ears! Oh me of little faith!
In the same way, God has blown me away with His answers to my prayers as of late.
*Lawrence and I have been praying about starting a Bible study for the kiddos who go to Ponca, then come home and don't really have any sort of follow up or discipleship. Last night, we met with 5 families who are super excited about working with us to get this "Ponca and Beyond" group going. One family is opening up their home every Sunday evening for the Bible study, and the other families have volunteered to bring snacks and send out e-mail invites to their children's friends. Our first meeting will be next week! I am stoked to see what God is going to do with this Bible study! We are praying it is just the beginning of something very, very, very, very, very, very HUGE that God is doing in the Liberty area!
*We have also been praying about selling our home. To make our house competitive on the market, we simply had to put on a new roof. Understandable, but waaaaaaay too expensive for us to do any time soon. And so, we started saving. God blew us away when we received a check in the mail to pay for the cost of the roof! Hopefully, by the end of the month, the new roof will be on and a "For Sale" sign will be in the front yard!
*After losing a daycare kiddo, finances have been pretty tight. God has been oh so faithful to provide, though, as He always is. I have a childbirth class coming up, and I have been praying and praying for God to send me FIVE couples/students. With that many couples/students, we will be able to cover what I lost in daycare income. Well, the class starts on Sunday, and I have FIVE couples/students who have enrolled in the series. For a cherry on top, I have a SIXTH couple who will be taking a one-time class next month since the class day/time doesn't work for them. THREE of these six couples are considering hiring me as their doula too! I have been praying for opportunities to attend more births and expand that part of my "business" as well. God knows the desires of my heart and has shown me His goodness in answering my prayers, above and beyond what I had even dared to dream. I am so extremely thankful to Him!
So, as I go wash my bowful of tomatoes, I will be praising my Jesus for His abundant love and extravagant kindness. I am blessed beyond words to be a daughter of the King!
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Don't Touch Me...Yet
As a mother of two small children and a daycare provider, I deal with a lot of poop, snot, ooey gooey boogers, sticky fingers, slimy hands, muddy feet, sand-filled shoes, and spilled milk. For the most part none of these aspects of motherhood bother me all that much. Perhaps I am immune to the grossness, as I think is inherent in being a mom. Or maybe I have just become accustomed to the nastiness and thus it no longer phases me. Whatever the case, it's part of my life, which I love. Wouldn't want to change it for the world. I am soooooo blessed!
HOWEVER, that does mean that I like, or enjoy, those yucky aspects of my "job." I don't wake up in the morning all giddy at the prospect of changing diapers, wiping runny noses, or cleaning mess after mess after mess. I may not be thrilled at what my day my hold, but I don't shy away from it either.
I just make sure I have a box of wipes near-by at all times. And a good towel to put between me and Kellah after she's eaten so that I don't get covered in blueberries, mashed bananas, partially chewed carrot, yogurt, or whatever else she may have had for that particular meal or snack. I love my baby girl, but I don't exactly relish getting snot on my shirt sleeve or spit up on my pants. Hence, the wipes and towels. Also, my hold-the-baby-at-an-arm's-length-so-as-not-to-get-dirty-myself technique, at which I am becoming an expert.
As I was doing my best to keep Kellah from getting me dirty the other morning, I was struck with the thought at how different my relationship with God would be if He did the same thing, if He kept me at an arm's length until I got myself all cleaned up.
Good thing He doesn't do that, or He would still be waiting. Because I will never, ever be completely "clean," at least not in this lifetime.
I am reminded of Romans 5:8, "But God demonstrated His love for us in that WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS, Christ died for us."
If God required us to change before He loved us, we would be lost for all eternity. If we had to meet His perfect standards before He accepted us, we would forever get a big, fat, red F on our righteousness/godliness/worthiness report card. ONLY because of God's grace and mercy does He let us come to Him, covered in dirt, filthy with sin. And like any good mother, He doesn't let us stay that way. He cleans us up.
Isaiah 1:18 tells us, "'Come now, let's settle this,' says the Lord, 'Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them white as wool.'"
Jesus modeled this love-you-just-like-you-are attitude throughout His ministry. When He healed people, He didn't wear gloves or a face mask. He didn't keep His distance from the diseased, the ill, the lame. Instead, He let them come to Him, to touch Him. In fact, He often initiated the contact between Himself and those who needed His healing touch.
Just this week, Coralyn brought home a picture she had colored during her class at church. Quite fittingly, it was of Jesus healing a leper. Yet another reminder, God seemed to be telling me, that I need to love like He does. I need to hold my kiddos close, even if they are covered in blueberries, have snot running down their face, and smell like the poop in their dirty diaper. For as I love "the least of these," I am loving my Jesus.
HOWEVER, that does mean that I like, or enjoy, those yucky aspects of my "job." I don't wake up in the morning all giddy at the prospect of changing diapers, wiping runny noses, or cleaning mess after mess after mess. I may not be thrilled at what my day my hold, but I don't shy away from it either.
I just make sure I have a box of wipes near-by at all times. And a good towel to put between me and Kellah after she's eaten so that I don't get covered in blueberries, mashed bananas, partially chewed carrot, yogurt, or whatever else she may have had for that particular meal or snack. I love my baby girl, but I don't exactly relish getting snot on my shirt sleeve or spit up on my pants. Hence, the wipes and towels. Also, my hold-the-baby-at-an-arm's-length-so-as-not-to-get-dirty-myself technique, at which I am becoming an expert.
As I was doing my best to keep Kellah from getting me dirty the other morning, I was struck with the thought at how different my relationship with God would be if He did the same thing, if He kept me at an arm's length until I got myself all cleaned up.
Good thing He doesn't do that, or He would still be waiting. Because I will never, ever be completely "clean," at least not in this lifetime.
I am reminded of Romans 5:8, "But God demonstrated His love for us in that WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS, Christ died for us."
If God required us to change before He loved us, we would be lost for all eternity. If we had to meet His perfect standards before He accepted us, we would forever get a big, fat, red F on our righteousness/godliness/worthiness report card. ONLY because of God's grace and mercy does He let us come to Him, covered in dirt, filthy with sin. And like any good mother, He doesn't let us stay that way. He cleans us up.
Isaiah 1:18 tells us, "'Come now, let's settle this,' says the Lord, 'Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them white as wool.'"
Jesus modeled this love-you-just-like-you-are attitude throughout His ministry. When He healed people, He didn't wear gloves or a face mask. He didn't keep His distance from the diseased, the ill, the lame. Instead, He let them come to Him, to touch Him. In fact, He often initiated the contact between Himself and those who needed His healing touch.
Just this week, Coralyn brought home a picture she had colored during her class at church. Quite fittingly, it was of Jesus healing a leper. Yet another reminder, God seemed to be telling me, that I need to love like He does. I need to hold my kiddos close, even if they are covered in blueberries, have snot running down their face, and smell like the poop in their dirty diaper. For as I love "the least of these," I am loving my Jesus.
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