Giving Up Control

One thing that is hard to remember, as a Christian, is that I have given up control of my own future.  In fact, that explains the name of my blog; it is a reminder for me that my life is not my own.  Really, it was only a perceived control in the first place.  Like most people, I like to think I have control over my own life.  Anyone who has ever watched the news knows how quickly that control can be lost.  Illness, natural disasters, wars, etc. can all play a part in destroying an individual's feeling of control.  Those things are not what this post is about, though.

I'm talking about giving away control.  I have given control of my life to God.  This is how I do it, though.  I give God control (yes, I know I'm not really giving anything as he always had control), I try to take back control, I repent, I give God control, I try to take back control, I repent, repeat... repeat... repeat.

I think being an American maybe makes it all even more difficult.  I love living in a country that tells me I have the right to pursue happiness and all that.  I'm grateful that I get to choose where I live, my career path, who  I marry and a myriad of other choices.  As glad as I am to have those choices, though, I am constantly trying to hand it all over to God.

A few years ago I saw this prayer printed in a church bulletin.  I clipped it out and stuck it on our fridge where it has been for years.  I found that it is believed the original version was written by Dr. Martin Luther in the 1500's.

If you are not a Christian you may wonder why anyone would want to give control away.  Well, one reason is because we are told to do so...

New Living Translation (©2007) Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. ...but the main reason I choose to give control has to do with trust.  I absolutely trust that God has all wisdom.  I absolutely trust that he will protect me and eventually bring me to himself.  I absolutely trust that he knows better what is important for me in all things.  I absolutely trust that he is God and I am not. How about you?  Do you have times when you want to give God control but are having trouble letting go?  Do you have times when you know that giving up control has turned out to be a blessing to you?  Tomorrow I am going to tell you a story about someone else giving up control to follow an unexpected path.

What I Did and Didn't Know Then

Yesterday, as I was looking for photos of my little sister, I stumbled upon this photo of Mike and me when we were 18 years old.

I know, it's terrible quality.  You have to remember that waaaaaay back then, we were lucky to have enough film in a camera to take even a few photos.  I never took a whole roll at once so it remained in the camera, sometimes for months (years?).  THEN, it was sent off to somewhere like Seattle Filmworks.  Often, when that fat package returned with my prints, I had no idea what photos would be in there.  Usually, few or none were of good quality but nearly all were saved as they were the best we had to remember the pictured event.   

So, terrible quality or not, looking at this photo makes me happy.  It was taken our senior year of high school.  Mike and I had been dating for about a year at that time.  This was taken in the living room of the Christian Church parsonage in Turner, MT... my high school home.  The paintings on the wall were created by my mother.   The photo on the wall is my older brother, who at that time lived so far away we rarely got to see him.  Those striped chairs behind us had been reupholstered more than once by my talented mother.  I made my own prom dress and added that shawl that was a gift from my Grandma.  Mike looked especially cool in his blue polyester leisure suit.  We already knew we loved each other but we knew very little of what our future would hold.  Look at us, though.  Don't we look pleased with ourselves?  It was a happy night.

When I look at that photo, I clearly remember all the hope and excitement for the unknown future. I also remember being a bit nervous.  There is often a lot of pressure on high school seniors to have some things figured out.  How many times are seniors asked about their future plans... what path do they plan to follow?  It's kind of crazy, huh?

The evening that photo was taken, I thought I'd likely go to college to learn sign language as I prepared to teach deaf students.  As it turned out, that wasn't my path at all.  When that photo was taken I'd not yet realized that I really, really needed to be a nurse.  I didn't know anything about Mike's future as a pastor...absolutely no clue.  I didn't know that we'd have a daughter and two sons that would become more important to us than almost anything.  I didn't know Mike and I would someday live in the Seattle area, New Mexico, Wyoming and other places together.  I most certainly did not even consider being grandparents together and loving two precious little girls so much our hearts almost explode.  I had more happiness in my future than I was even able to imagine!

I also didn't know much about grief and loss.  I didn't know what it would be like to be a young wife trying to help a 20 year old husband deal with the loss of his Dad while taking over the responsibility of a farm all on his own.  I didn't know the anguish of miscarriage or the pain caused by learning someone I trusted was not trustworthy.  I didn't know about days when I'd only see Mike for 10 minutes because he was so busy helping other people.  I had a lot of challenges and sadness I'd not yet experienced.  I didn't know what it was like to have children in the hospital.  I had never worked so many hours straight that I was in tears by the time I went home. I didn't know what it was like to worry about household expenses, tuition, children in the hospital or any of those concerns of life.  Even though all of those things eventually molded me into a stronger person, I'm glad I didn't have to know about them ahead of time.

When that photo was taken I didn't know that someday I'd carry around a tiny computer/camera (smartphone) that would give me instant photos and that'd I'd post them for the whole world to see.  In fact, I didn't know that posts would be anything except something to hold up a fence.  I am certain I could not have imagined the power of the internet.  I thought I knew a lot back then, but there was so much more to come.  There were so many changes to embrace/endure.  There was so much adventure ahead!

Looking at the photo, though, I remember that I DID know that I was well-loved by my family, Mike and most importantly, by God.  I trusted that my future was secure because of that.  I still do.  I still look forward to more adventures.  I still feel blessed to have Mike by my side, just as I did in that photo.  I still know that I am loved.

Growing Up With Cerebral Palsy

My younger sister, Tina, has cerebral palsy.  She's done a lot of things in her life despite this fact, things like everyone else.  She went to college, she worked, she married, she had children, she traveled, she even lived in Japan for a time.  Later, she endured a divorce and carried on raising her children alone.  She lives in her own home, drives her own car and has her own friends.  However, all of those things are a lot more work for her than for anyone else.

Tina's life has always been a lot more work than for most of us.  She was such a pretty little blonde girl with a big giant smile!  We are close enough in age I don't really remember watching her learn to walk but it had to have been scary as she had to learn to walk with crutches.  Can you imagine?!  I remember her being just a little tiny girl walking with big clunky braces and teeny, tiny crutches.  At that time, that just seemed normal to me.  That was just the way she walked.

If I remember right, Tina started school in a hospital.  She was 5 years old when our whole family moved to Lincoln, Nebraska.  The reason for our move was because she had a long, long time to be in a hospital.  She was only able to be at home for holidays.  During that year she underwent a lot of misery.  Her hips were dislocated and the process to help her was grueling.  She was in a cast up to her waist with openings for her to go to the bathroom on a bedpan.  There was a bar between her feet.  At intervals, maybe weekly, they cut the bar and added more to it.  Each time we visited, her feet and legs were spread further and further apart until she had her legs sticking out almost to the side with a big round bar holding her legs that way.  It was awful.  I remember that bar very well because when she came home for holidays I shared my bottom bunk with her!  Looking back, I can't imagine how she endured all that.

When Tina was a first grader we were living in Scottsbluff, Nebraska.  Because she was handicapped, she wasn't allowed to go to school with us.  She had to go to a special school that had a classroom for handicapped kids.  I wish I had that photo here (it is at our Mom's house) of her first class.  She's so cute, all smiley and pretty.  In the photo, though she is maybe 6 years old, her classmates are much older.  They ranged all the way through high school age.  Most of them had handicaps of a cognitive nature.  I think Tina had a fun year and didn't know any difference, but that photo always makes my  heart sad.  I can't imagine how it made our Mom feel.

 Later, we lived in places small enough that there were no special classrooms for handicapped kids.  Thanks be to God!  Tina was a very smart little girl and needed a chance to learn alongside her peers.  

Unfortunately, Tina had more to endure.  When she was a third grader she had to go back to that hospital in Lincoln, Nebraska.  Our family had very little money and our Dad was trying to finish college and support us all at the same time.  Tina spent a lot of time in Lincoln, away from her family.  Later, that was repeated when she was in 6th grade or so, in a Shriner's Hospital in Minneapolis.  By then we were living only a few hours away and got to visit a bit more often but she still had to endure pain and frightening procedures alone.  On a side note, though, we all remain grateful to the Shriner's for offering all those services at no charge.  That's amazing.

Tina is smart.  In spite of her strange classroom experiences, she did well and later went through high school in only three years.  I think that those teen years were pretty tough, not that she'd say it to us then.   She was pretty, smart and sweet but a lot of teens, struggling to fit in themselves, did not take the time to get to know the girl on crutches.  I think most were nice to her, but few took the time to develop a true friendship with her.  That can't have been easy on her but it surely made her appreciate those who did see beyond the crutches.  Thankfully, as an adult, she has found a variety of kind and caring people who have been true friends to her.

Tina now writes a blog, Living With Cerebral Palsy, that helps others who are dealing with similar obstacles.  Her blog is also helpful to the rest of us, helping us better understand.  I spent my childhood with her and I still learn things from her blog!  I'm afraid that I was a typical kid, seeing things only from my own perspective and not always realizing what childhood was like for her.  Reading her blog can be eye-opening.  Today, she has a particularly clarifying post.  I really, really hope that you will click here to read what she has to say about living with constant muscle spasms. It's not a whiny post; Tina is not a whiny person.  It is, however, a post that may make you appreciate your own muscles a bit more.

I remember talking to Tina, when we were kids, about how it feels to be unable to walk.  She told me that it just felt normal.  In fact, she told me that the thought of walking like the rest of us was probably the same as it was for me to try to explain how it feels to not be able to flap my arms and fly.  She is, however, looking forward to heaven and to a time when she believes she will be able to walk.  I like to think she'll also be able to fly!

Financial Tailor

I have a hard time being interested in financial planning and investing.  Why is that?  I do like the idea of financial security.  I hope that when we retire our children won't have to help us make ends meet.  I want to make our money useful not only to us, but for charities we support.  Nevertheless, my brain kind of glazes over when someone starts talking to me about financial issues.

 Lucky for me, I've got some help now!  Our oldest son, Ben, is a professional in this area.  Maybe it is because we named him after Mike's banker grandfather.  I don't know but he has a serious knack when it comes to money management and financial advising.  He worked for a large,  national bank and helped a lot of people with his knowledge and ability advising them with their investments.  He enjoyed that work but could see areas where things could be done better, ways to better benefit his clients.

Eventually, Ben founded a new company with a new and innovative approach to financial advisement.  I moved my own 401K's to an IRA with his firm.  The banks handling those funds tried to scare me I did it because I trust him.  I know him.  He's a man of integrity.  With  his company, Financial Tailor, I went through a questionnaire that really helped me to know my own financial needs.  I was the one making the choices regarding risk, but I had access to professional knowledge and advice.  Other questions were more of an ethical or moral nature and because of that approach I get to know that my money won't be invested in companies that would upset me.  It was quite in-depth and helped me to think about some things I'd not considered before.  For instance, I do NOT want my money in the tobacco industry.  I also don't want to support companies that put painful shampoos or something in animal's eyes to see if it hurts.  You see what I mean?

I was one of those people who didn't have a clue regarding how much the bank was getting for managing my 401K.   As it turned out, their fees are much higher than those of Financial Tailor.  Financial Tailor, because they are an online company, keeps overhead low.  Don't think for a minute, though, that they sacrifice that personal touch.  You have access to a wealth of information as well as personal advice.

The Financial Tailor Clients have access to a LOT of information.  Their website is loaded with information!  In fact, a lot of that information is available just for visiting their website.They have a newsletter that explains a lot of what is going on in the financial world and why it effects the market.  You can learn tips about hedging and diversification.  You can even ask a question online and receive a personalized reply.

No, I'm still no whizz at investing but I don't have to be.  My investment adviser breaks things down for me into ideas I can understand.   I can learn what I need to know and I can trust that my money is well cared for.  Maybe you should check it out as well!

Blessings

"Blessings"
by Laura Story

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not our home

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise

This song really touched me today.  Please click here to listen to Laura Story sing it.   I found Laura Story's website here.    

Good Morning, Winter!

What a difference a day makes!  When I woke up this morning I could FEEL the soft heaviness.  If you live somewhere that  gets heavy snows, you know what I mean.  Everything just feels softer, weightier and dulled after a heavy snow.  Our sky is heavy today as well.  It's gray and leaking its contents even still.  It is time for me to get over autumn and embrace this other beauty... winter.

Talk about a late bloomer!  This poor clematis blossom looked like a frozen beauty.

You can feel the heaviness just by looking at this photo, can't you?

It also seems pretty quiet in our backyard.

Bode was pretty surprised about the overnight change.  

  

He got wound up for a bit.

He's quite a princess, though.  He had his fun and then wanted inside quickly.

Viszlas don't have an undercoat so I'll try to not make fun of him.

Autumn

Autumn breaks my heart...

...because it is over all too soon.

The Voice - My Review So Far

Have you been watching THE VOICE?  I don't usually watch those kinds of shows.  It just so happened that I ran across it the night a young man from our area was on.  I was so surprised!  I don't know if you realize it but there simply aren't that many people in the whole state of Wyoming.  There are just over 568,000 people here.  That's to say that all of Wyoming has about the same number of people as the city of Portland, Oregon.  Wyoming is the least populous state of all!  Wyoming is pretty large, so as you can figure, there is a lot of open space here with no people at all.  Because of this, we don't all that often see people from Wyoming on national television.

Anyway, the young man on THE VOICE is someone people around here know.  He used to work at Sears here and I actually think I remember seeing him.  I may or may not have purchased shoes from him.  So, I watched the rest of that episode of the show and tuned in again a couple of other times.  Although I am kind of an anti-reality show kind of person, I have to admit I am enjoying this one.

One thing I like is that the judges, at least in this first round, don't see the contestants when they first sing.  They are focusing on the voice, not the look of the person.  That seems like a good thing.

Another thing I noticed that is different with this show from some of the others is that they really don't have any contestants on who are without talent.  You know what I am saying!  Some of those shows put people on who have no talent, just so they can make fun of them.  That is just mean!  THE VOICE, however, does not do that.  All of the contestants have enough talent to have some sort of a career with their voice, even if it isn't super stardom.

The best difference I noticed is that the judges are kind.  Really.  They are kind.  Even when they aren't choosing to select a contestant to go further in the contest, they still validate their talent and encourage them to keep singing.  I appreciate that!

So, since I've taken it upon myself to write this review, I'm going to give it a lot of stars.  I don't know how many stars should be available anyway, so I'm just saying I give it a lot of them.  Go watch it if you wish, or not, your choice.  I'm just admmitting that I enjoy it.

Back to School

About a month ago my friend, Donna, asked me if I'd like to take a continuing education course with her at our local college.  The class is "Spanish for Nursing".  I quickly decided to attend with her.  I based my decision mostly on the fact that I like Donna.  Later, I wondered what I was thinking!  I already am quite busy, I'm too old to learn a new language, I get tired more easily than I once did so why would I want to go to a class after a day of working? ... I started coming up with lots of excuses.  However, I wanted to keep my word so, when class started this week, I went.

I took this photo while waiting for Donna to arrive.   I always love back-to-school sales and a fresh notebook makes my heart happy.  At least I had that to enjoy.  Still, I was thinking I'd rather stay in for the evening, maybe do a little crocheting.  I wonder if Donna offered to pick me up to make certain I actually went.

As we arrived at the college, I couldn't help but notice a couple of very young looking students walking by.  Oh man!  I felt OLD!

We found our building and went on in.  I was kind of hoping to find a big classroom full of other nurses.  I was hoping to be anonymous.  That was not to be!  Donna and I were the first to arrive and the instructor visited directly with us.  In fact, only four people showed up for the class.  So much for anonymity!  

Our instructor, however, was wonderful.  She told us, no, she PROMISED us, that we'd be able to read Spanish by the END OF THE FIRST CLASS!  What?  That seemed like a ridiculous statement.  I instantly liked her, though, so I played along.

Guess what!?  By the end of the class we could all read Spanish.  I am NOT KIDDING!  The woman is a miracle worker!  I realize that we won't understand much of what we are reading but we can read.  What's the use of that?  Well, let me tell you.  Along with the class we received a big notebook full of useful information just for nurses.  We can look up a phrase in that book, maybe something like, "I am going to give you an enema now."  We can read the corresponding words in Spanish that are right beside the English phrases and the Spanish-speaking person listening to us will hopefully understand our meaning (and in this case be filled with horror!).

As it turned out, the class was actually quite delightful.  I'm anxious to go back!  I've been practicing some of the words and phrases from the first class and am hoping I can remember them when called upon.  This is a very, very interactive class.  I do notice that I don't learn as easily as I once did; I have to work harder and practice more to keep things in my memory.  Nevertheless, I am certain that I will get some of this to stick.  It's actually kind of fun to be working on something new.  I feel like I've stepped out of my comfort zone but that is likely a good thing.

So, tell me what you've been learning.  Have you tried a new musical instrument, new crafting skill or maybe a bit of a new language such as what we are doing?  Is it hard?  Is it fun?  Is it exciting?

Camera Shy!

Yesterday I showed you a photo of my nephew, Steven.  Teenage boys can be a bit camera shy!  I just want you to see how hard I worked to take his photograph.

He was clever and quick but I was persistent.

Cordelia's Party

What a special week-end!  Mom and my Aunt Michelle came to town.  My sister, Tina, and my nephew, Steven, also came to town.  We enjoyed a lot of family time, especially the party to celebrate Cordelia's birthday.  We all went to her party and had a lovely time!  

My nephew, Steven, provided some music for us.

 My mom is beautiful!

 My sister, Tina, getting to know Elise

It made me so happy that Michelle was there.

Princesses Playing Maracas - It just doesn't get any better than that!

We Love

1 John 4:19

New International Version (NIV)

 We love because he first loved us.

Dear Cordelia,

Dear Cordelia,

You turn three years old today!  How did that happen so quickly?  Yes, those three wonderful years have gone by so fast.

I want you to know how very much I delight in your sweet little personality.  You are interesting, quirky, funny, smart, kind, creative and very sweet.  It seems that every time I see you I notice you are taller and you've learned something new to share.

You think in ways well beyond your years.  Recently you asked, "Am I still young?"  When your Momma assured you that you are still young, you asked, "Why am I still young?'  You are always full of questions.  You love learning and I hope you can keep that love for a lifetime.

This week you asked me, "Grandma, do you like me AND love me?"  Well, sweet baby girl, I most certainly do like you and love you!  I hope you always know that!  Even now, as I write this, I am smiling.  That is because you make me very, very happy!

I know that you won't remember every adventure we share from this time, but I hope you can always remember the feeling of being loved by me.  I will always, always like you AND love you.  I will always, always feel lucky that I got to be your grandma!  I  treasure the relationship we have.

 Happy Birthday Cordy Girl!

This is just one of many photos sent by your Mom when I am at work. 

 Your sweet smile always cheers me!

Precious Moments From a Sweet Thursday

Riding the Wave With a Smile on My Face

(photo from:  http://www.allbestwallpapers.com )

Ha!  Did I catch your attention with that title?  Sorry.  It is totally misleading.  My bad. This post is not about surfing, although it could be.  I do love water, I love big waves and I think surfing looks like a lot of fun!  In the back of my mind I've kind of always wanted to try surfing at least once.  I'm pretty sure I've passed my prime surfing days, though, and I think surfing on our river might be tough.  Let's just discuss another kind of wave.

I'm talking about the hand wave.  You know, a simple gesture of greeting.  Specifically, I am referring to waving at people when you are passing them in your car.  Where Mike and I met, (Turner, Montana) is one of those friendly places of this world where I am certain the wave is still alive and well.  When driving on those country roads that's just what you'd do.  Any car that passed, you'd wave.  It's nice.  It acknowledges the other vehicle has a living, breathing person in it.  In Turner it is likely that you know them but even if you don't, you wave.

We live in a bigger town now.  It is rare to see anyone wave here.  I miss it.

So, I started waving again.  I'm waiting for it to catch on here.  Really, think about it.  If more people waved, don't you suppose there would be a lot less road rage?  It just puts you in a mind frame of courtesy.  It means you realize the other vehicle holds an individual person, someone to be valued.  Sometimes I think that public forms of courtesy, in general, are in danger of becoming a thing of the past.

Up in Turner, we all came to know some people's individual style of wave.  You guys from Turner reading this know that's true!  Does anyone remember Virgil's wave as he drove the school bus?  It was classic.  So far my little attempt to bring the wave here hasn't produced much response.  Maybe it is because I need to develop a fancier wave.  Right now my wave style is kind of boring, straight and to the point.  I think I need to try a Queen-of-England type of wave or perhaps one reminiscent of an excited little kid...fast and furious.  What do you think?

I've seen a few motorists wave at each other.  They always seem to have the same wave style. It involves just one finger.  Weird.  OK... moving on.

Just so you know, I'm not waving at every car on the street.  Some places here in town have a lot of traffic and I don't want to be responsible for a pile-up or anything.  I also do not want to develop carpal tunnel syndrome.  No, but I AM trying to remember to wave when I am on the less traveled streets, places where it is just a one on one passing of my vehicle and another.

The most important part of the wave is knowing that it is difficult to do it without smiling.  That might be the whole key here... the smile. Hmmmmm... perhaps we just need to work on bringing back the public smile and head nod toward strangers.

So, what do you think?  Is it worth the effort or do you think I'm just scaring people?  Are you a waver?  A smiler?   Huh?  My spell-checker tells me that "smiler" isn't even a word.  Sad.  Well, there's our next mission, to make "smiler" a real word.

Learning Something New

This will  not be a long post.  I just got my first smart phone and. I fear. It is smarter. Than me.  I don't know why it is putting weird punctuation in as I type. I am not used to this virtual keyboard.

I don't quite know how to use the camera yet but this photo showed up so I'm going with it.  Truthfully I don't know why it showed up but I appreciate that it did.

I also don't know how I keep changing font sizes.

Isn't this fun?  Do you enjoy learning new technology?  I really rather do.  I promise, though, I will not always blog from my phone.
..oh, hey!  I just learned that my phone is autocorrecting my typing.  That. Is fun!  oops, weird stuff happening again!

OK, I give up..
For now.

Tell me something new you have been learning.

I'm a God Fan!

When I was at Walmart last week, ready to check out, I was perusing the check-out lanes.  Like everyone, I wanted to go through the quickest line.  As I looked around, though, I saw a line that was moving rather slowly.  The checker wasn't smiling and she wasn't moving quickly.  I don't know why but I thought maybe I should take that aisle.  Although I often just bumble along through my days, sometimes I fancy that I'm being directed by God or the Holy Spirit to do something in particular.  I don't really know but this felt like one of those times.  I figured it was my challenge at that moment to maybe try to cheer her up.  I thought maybe she was new or frustrated or both.

Just as I approached for my turn to check out, they had a changing of the guards.  The checker who was my target for cheering was going off and another checker was coming on.  The new checker was smiley and jovial.  Hmmmm... maybe I'd misunderstood my mission of the moment.

As the smiley checker was efficiently scanning my items I noticed she was wearing a really pretty cross necklace, similiar to this one of mine.

  I said, "I like your necklace."  She responded, "Thanks.  Are you a Steelers fan?"  Confused, I responded, "No.  I'm a God fan."  She laughed, realizing her error, just as I noticed she was wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers lanyard with her name tag attached.  She then went on to tell me she was a God fan, loved God so much, didn't know what she'd do without him, etc.

THEN, the smile left her face and she spoke of her son.  He was in some kind of trouble.  He was denying the existence of God, he'd committed a crime, and his future was a mess.  She told me he was being evaluated for mental health issues but then was likely going on to prison.  I did not ask her about his crime but I did ask her his first name.  She told me his name is Nick.  I told her I'd pray for him.  The look of astonishment on her face was amazing.  She thanked me over and over for volunteering to pray for him.  It was such a small thing, my honor, really, but it meant so much to her.

I don't know if that chance encounter between me and the checker was really directed and planned by God or the Holy Spirit.  I maybe just get these high falutin' ideas on my own.  I don't really think so, though.  I left that moment feeling better and I think she did as well.  I think two women, for those few moments, needed to connect.  I needed to feel I was making a difference and she needed to know someone cared about her son.

So, if you are the praying kind, I invite you to pray for her son, Nick, as well.  I don't know his story and can't tell you how to direct your prayers, but I am certain God will know of whom you are speaking.  He's hurting and he needs to feel God's presence in his life.  

Celebrating One of God's Surprises

Yesterday at our church we celebrated 3 years in our current building.  A new building for a church is a big thing, no doubt, but we acquired this new and lovely building quite by accident.  Let me tell you about it.

Our congregation was meeting in a much-loved but way-too-small building. Our congregation supported a preschool so our space was shared.  What that meant was that every Sunday the preschool chairs, tables, toys, etc. had to be moved back in our fellowship hall so that grown-up sized tables could be set up.  This switcheroo happened after every meeting, wedding or any gathering. We had 4 small classrooms - not enough. Our junior high class met behind  a divider rolled out to give the feeling of a room just outside the bathroom doors.  It was noisy and keeping the kids' attention was difficult. Other classes had to make do as well.  I remember one creative teacher using a pop-up tent in the entryway for her little preschool class!  Again, noisy and awkward...but creative for sure!

 We were fundraising to add on to the building.  Those in charge were working hard to plan this addition as there were some big challenges.  The main challenge was space.  Our parking lot was already too small and we were rather land-locked with other nearby buildings.  Adding onto our existing building without sacrificing parking was going to be tough.

One day my pastor/husband called me at work to tell me of a very weird occurrence.  The pastor of another congregation of another denomination had asked my husband to come up to meet with him.  Mike had no idea what to expect and not for a second did he guess what was coming.  The other pastor's congregation met in a very large building just a few blocks from our's.  Their property was beautiful!  The problem was, their congregation had suffered a split and was greatly diminished in numbers.  They no longer used their big sanctuary as it was too expensive for them to heat the entire building.  They met in their fellowship hall.  Downstairs they had a wonderful place made especially for Sunday School AND preschool.   The other pastor had an idea... swap buildings.

When my husband called me, I must say, I instantly thought it was a God-thing.  Of course, it couldn't be a straight across swap.  Our congregation would need to take out a loan for the difference.  We'd then face larger heating and cooling bills ourselves.  The property was so over-the-top lovely to us.  Could it be possible?  It would be like someone offering you a mansion to live in.  How could we make it happen?

When this idea came before our congregation, there were differing opinions.  The money concern was of course the biggest obstacle.  Also, there was a lot of sentimental attachment to the old building.  For instance, people had used memorial money, honoring loved ones, toward the stained glass windows.  It hurt them to think of leaving those behind.

The new building was so much bigger than what we actually needed at that time.  Was it reasonable to consider such a big leap of faith?  If we acquired it, would our congregation grow enough to fill it up or would we just rattle around in it?

Well, we took the leap.  About 6 months after that pastor called Mike for the first meeting, we were moving in.  It was a weird move as well.  The two congregations had to move at the same time.  We'd pass each other hauling things out while they were hauling things in.  We helped each other.  The two groups made friends and worked together.  It was a lot of hard work but also kind of fun.  Even now, 3 years later, we still feel "related" to that other congregation.

Yesterday's gathering was fun.  I did not ask permission to show faces so I won't.  Trust me, though, people were smiling.  We'd invited people from the neighborhood as our guests so it was a fun mix of people we knew and some we were just meeting.  After our worship service and Sunday School we enjoyed a lovely picnic.

After all the fun I was wandering around in the building, waiting for Mike.  I took photos of two things that held special significance for that celebration.  The first is this cross.  It used to hang from the ceiling over the alter at our old building.  It was kind of the focal point of our previous worship space.  The other congregation, planning their remodel, did not plan to use it.  When we moved, the cross came with us and now one of the first things seen upon entering our new building.

Another cool thing are these photos.  They hang in our prayer room.  A member of our congregation took these photos of the stained glass windows we had to leave behind.  What a fine idea!

The best part of this whole story is of course, the people.  When the idea was first proposed, there were people who spoke against it.  Their reasons were solid, including worrying about finances.  However, when the congregation voted to go ahead with the plan, those who were once opposed became some of the hardest workers to make it come to fruition.  I thought that was absolutely beautiful to see!

There have been things to work out and issues to resolve.  Our congregation has gone through some trials along the way.  After three years, though, we are still celebrating this cool God thing that happened to us!  

Live in Freedom

“For you have been called to live in freedom,

my brothers and sisters. But don't use your

freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead,

use your freedom to serve one another in

love.”

                                         Galatians 5:13 NLT 

Trouble With the Curve - Movie Review

Mike and I like to go to the movies but sometimes a lot of time passes before we find a movie that sounds good to us.  Yesterday, when reading the morning paper, Mike mentioned there was finally a movie he wanted to see.  I agreed with his choice so last night we went to see Trouble With the Curve.  I decided it was time for me to give another movie review!  Here goes...

Trouble With the Curve will not change your life.  Trouble With the Curve will not give you many surprises. Trouble With the Curve will not likely give you any great insight into the mysteries of the universe.  Trouble With the Curve, though, may give you a couple hours of easy-going entertainment.

Clint Eastwood plays a crusty, cranky guy that deep down is lovable.  I know... big surprise.  But know this, surprises are not always necessary for movie-going enjoyment.  Sometimes it is pleasant to be able to settle in and relax with the knowledge that all is as it should be.  For this movie the crusty, cranky guy is a baseball scout.  There's quite a bit of baseball thrown (pun intended) into this movie, making it quite easy for the manly men to enjoy the movie.  It may fool them into thinking it is a sports movie, rather than a movie about relationships.  It's not.

Amy Adams plays Clint Eastwood's emotionally messed up daughter.  It turns out that she is quite a baseball lover as well.  She knows as much baseball trivia as my husband, Mike!  There are some issues between father and daughter that will tug at your heartstrings.  Throw Justin Timberlake in to portray the man who can break through the barrier Amy's character has around her heart and you've got the recipe for a dandy good movie!  Yes, I used the word "dandy".   It's my blog and I'll say dandy if I want to.

There you have it.  I've not got any qualifications to review movies... well, none besides the fact that I sometimes go to them and I happen to have a blog.  So, I'm recommending this movie to anyone who has a few hours and wants to feel good afterward.  That alone has value, don't you think?  Go ahead and enjoy yourself.   You deserve a few hours of pleasant entertainment.