(originally posted on my blog at the original groupee.com social networking site.)
i used to be in the pattern of posting "month-in-review" blogs, but i fell away from it. life has changed so dramatically since the beginning of february, i can't help but post.
* began Lent, giving up eating out, determining to eat from our home (groceries), being better stewards of our resources, and taking better care of our temples.
* superbowl party at kids church.
* welcomed my long-distance friend, steven, to the Groupee team.
* saw the church come to financial crisis, resulting in major cutbacks.
* accepted a job offer at the church to fill essentially 4 positions in one.
* gave notice at Groupee, after more than 7 1/2 years.
* saw God's faithfulness as He provided for the big and little things - like health insurance and a second vehicle.
* celebrated valentine's day.
* went to a huskies game with mom.
* already late to apply for our passports, we realized we'd lost our birth certificates, had to order new ones.
* applied for our passports.
* filmed my last (...or is it?) paranormal office episode.
* noted spiritual growth in myself as the turmoil of the church brought me to praying that God's will would be done, instead of a more selfish prayer like "God give me this job". thank you Lord for spiritual growth!!
* today's leap year!
whirlwind! next month promises to be just as exciting...
Friday, February 29, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
25 Things: 19. Celebrate Lent.
(originally posted on my blog at the original groupee.com social networking site.)
when i set out to celebrate lent, it was to sacrifice something that might give me a greater understanding of Jesus' 40-day fasting experience in the wilderness, to prepare my heart for the Good News of Easter, to celebrate life after death.
what i didn't know was that lent would be a life-changing period of time for me.
when i felt prompted to give up eating out, i thought at first that it was just me thinking, that it was too hard, that i couldn't do it, that matt wouldn't agree to it. but i couldn't really let go of the idea. matt was opposed at first, but then had a change of heart. together, we agreed to sacrifice eating out. Jesus spoke of cutting off the appendage that causes you to sin, and that was what we were doing, as eating out has always been an area of sin for us - 1. leading to gluttony, 2. a poor use of our resources.
so we wanted to take better care of our temples (bodies) and be better stewards of our finances.
we noticed the financial savings almost immediately. balancing the checkbook was easier to do, because there were substantially fewer receipts. what we didn't realize was that God was actually preparing us to live within our means in such a fashion that our means would lessen, and we would still continue to live comfortably within them.
then there was turmoil at the church. financial crisis happened, my paycheck - which i should've received the day before lent began - was held a week, and the church was facing a $20,000 deficit. giving was down 25% and expenses were up. i knew that our elders had decided to perform our annual reviews (instead of just Don) this year, so as to make sure we were in the "leanest, meanest shape" we could be in when we move to the campus, this fall. i knew some things in the office were inefficient. i reminded Don that i was willing to do office work.
then the Spirit told me "march 1st". i didn't really understand what that meant. was it just my own selfishness wanting to get out of Groupee before we packed up and moved locations in march? or was God telling me something. i prayed. i pondered. i asked for clarification. He said "get your affairs in order". so i started tying up loose ends, not really knowing what else might happen.
on february 10th - 4 days after lent began - Don asked for my resume. i emailed it to him, and asked a week later for an update. he worked very hard to play things down, so i would not get my hopes up. i was told there was a 60% chance that they'd be making changes, and a 50% chance that it would even be me that they hired. but a week and a half later, he asked me to meet with him so he could make me an offer.
the church has nearly matched my salary at groupee - more than i expected. however, my overall take-home pay will still be less, as i will be losing the extra $525/month from the church to which we've grown accustomed. but through this lenten season, i have seen that we are capable of living within lesser means that we currently do. we trusted God in the big things, and we will trust Him in the little things too.
God's blessing, of course, didn't stop there. one of our biggest concerns was finding a second car, now that we'd be driving opposite directions to get to our respective workplaces. saturday, we stopped by the bank to talk about loan options, then did a little car shopping, knowing we were shooting for $6k. we didn't find anything we loved, but got a good idea of what we wanted. sunday, matt found his dream truck online in marysville. new enough that the bank would finance it, 83k miles, and only $6k. i felt in my heart that *this* was the truck we would buy. we decided we could run up and look at it that afternoon, so we scrambled to get driving directions and such online. first the internet connection wouldn't work, then the computer froze, then the connection wouldn't work again. had we not encountered these problems, we'd have been out the door 20 minutes earlier.
then my dad called. he told me that grama & marv were planning to sell their 3rd car, and they wanted to sell it to us for $1. all at once, i realized how God was providing for us, and how those earlier circumstances that seemed to delay us only prevented us from making the wrong decision. we had trusted God in the big things, He came through. we trusted Him in the littler things, He came through.
matt was understandably disappointed that he wouldn't be getting a truck right away, but knowing that the buick was God's provision, i persisted. this car will allow us to take our time getting a truck, make sure we get the right one, and hold out for exactly what he wants.
my two biggest concerns - my job and the need for a second vehicle - were taken care of, just like *that*. "all things work together for the good of those who love Him." this verse is usually applied to unfortunate situations, to show the silver lining, that God is working. but today, i see this as God allowing difficult circumstances to be a positive change in my life.
before lent is over, i will be starting a new job, driving a new car, and focusing all of my life on a mission that my heart has been in for the last 14 months. part of me wonders if any of this would have happened if we hadn't chosen to sacrifice something so dear to us for lent. only God knows.
when i set out to celebrate lent, it was to sacrifice something that might give me a greater understanding of Jesus' 40-day fasting experience in the wilderness, to prepare my heart for the Good News of Easter, to celebrate life after death.
what i didn't know was that lent would be a life-changing period of time for me.
when i felt prompted to give up eating out, i thought at first that it was just me thinking, that it was too hard, that i couldn't do it, that matt wouldn't agree to it. but i couldn't really let go of the idea. matt was opposed at first, but then had a change of heart. together, we agreed to sacrifice eating out. Jesus spoke of cutting off the appendage that causes you to sin, and that was what we were doing, as eating out has always been an area of sin for us - 1. leading to gluttony, 2. a poor use of our resources.
so we wanted to take better care of our temples (bodies) and be better stewards of our finances.
we noticed the financial savings almost immediately. balancing the checkbook was easier to do, because there were substantially fewer receipts. what we didn't realize was that God was actually preparing us to live within our means in such a fashion that our means would lessen, and we would still continue to live comfortably within them.
then there was turmoil at the church. financial crisis happened, my paycheck - which i should've received the day before lent began - was held a week, and the church was facing a $20,000 deficit. giving was down 25% and expenses were up. i knew that our elders had decided to perform our annual reviews (instead of just Don) this year, so as to make sure we were in the "leanest, meanest shape" we could be in when we move to the campus, this fall. i knew some things in the office were inefficient. i reminded Don that i was willing to do office work.
then the Spirit told me "march 1st". i didn't really understand what that meant. was it just my own selfishness wanting to get out of Groupee before we packed up and moved locations in march? or was God telling me something. i prayed. i pondered. i asked for clarification. He said "get your affairs in order". so i started tying up loose ends, not really knowing what else might happen.
on february 10th - 4 days after lent began - Don asked for my resume. i emailed it to him, and asked a week later for an update. he worked very hard to play things down, so i would not get my hopes up. i was told there was a 60% chance that they'd be making changes, and a 50% chance that it would even be me that they hired. but a week and a half later, he asked me to meet with him so he could make me an offer.
the church has nearly matched my salary at groupee - more than i expected. however, my overall take-home pay will still be less, as i will be losing the extra $525/month from the church to which we've grown accustomed. but through this lenten season, i have seen that we are capable of living within lesser means that we currently do. we trusted God in the big things, and we will trust Him in the little things too.
God's blessing, of course, didn't stop there. one of our biggest concerns was finding a second car, now that we'd be driving opposite directions to get to our respective workplaces. saturday, we stopped by the bank to talk about loan options, then did a little car shopping, knowing we were shooting for $6k. we didn't find anything we loved, but got a good idea of what we wanted. sunday, matt found his dream truck online in marysville. new enough that the bank would finance it, 83k miles, and only $6k. i felt in my heart that *this* was the truck we would buy. we decided we could run up and look at it that afternoon, so we scrambled to get driving directions and such online. first the internet connection wouldn't work, then the computer froze, then the connection wouldn't work again. had we not encountered these problems, we'd have been out the door 20 minutes earlier.
then my dad called. he told me that grama & marv were planning to sell their 3rd car, and they wanted to sell it to us for $1. all at once, i realized how God was providing for us, and how those earlier circumstances that seemed to delay us only prevented us from making the wrong decision. we had trusted God in the big things, He came through. we trusted Him in the littler things, He came through.
matt was understandably disappointed that he wouldn't be getting a truck right away, but knowing that the buick was God's provision, i persisted. this car will allow us to take our time getting a truck, make sure we get the right one, and hold out for exactly what he wants.
my two biggest concerns - my job and the need for a second vehicle - were taken care of, just like *that*. "all things work together for the good of those who love Him." this verse is usually applied to unfortunate situations, to show the silver lining, that God is working. but today, i see this as God allowing difficult circumstances to be a positive change in my life.
before lent is over, i will be starting a new job, driving a new car, and focusing all of my life on a mission that my heart has been in for the last 14 months. part of me wonders if any of this would have happened if we hadn't chosen to sacrifice something so dear to us for lent. only God knows.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
tech confessions.
(originally posted on my blog at the original groupee.com social networking site.)
this morning, i was writing something out (by hand), and as i wrote a word i doubted my spelling of it... so i glanced back at the completed word, waiting for the little red spell-check squiggle to tell me if it was spelled incorrectly...
this morning, i was writing something out (by hand), and as i wrote a word i doubted my spelling of it... so i glanced back at the completed word, waiting for the little red spell-check squiggle to tell me if it was spelled incorrectly...
the great quilt conservation project
(originally posted on my blog at the original groupee.com social networking site.)years ago, when my great-grandmother passed away, (1991) my family let me choose something from her estate by which to remember her. i chose this quilt.
since i moved out on my own (2001), this quilt has been in loyal service: folded at the foot of my bed, slung over the back of the couch, and used for snuggling. even the cats have enjoyed it's warmth. but because it is so very loved, it's beginning to show signs of it's age. a few years ago, i tried putting it "away", so it would last - but what's the point in storing something if you can't appreciate it? i brought it back out, and it continues to be appreciated daily.
but i know that it won't last much longer. already the edges are tearing off, and some of the individual pieces have holes worn into them. it makes me sad to think that this piece of my family won't be keeping me warm forever.
so begins the great quilt conservation project. rather than "preserving" it, which implies preparing it for storage so that it will last, i'm choosing to "conserve" it - keeping it in use, even if it takes a different form. april and i did a little brainstorming this morning, and the ideas are percolating. i have more ideas than i do fabric, of course - so i have a little decision-making to do...
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
anticipating one very disappointed easter bunny...
(originally posted on my blog at the original groupee.com social networking site.)
just got off the phone with gina. at a tumultuous staff meeting this morning, it was decided that we do not have the budget for easter this year. our fabulous idea for an outreach is being shelved (we'll lose the $75 deposit i placed to hold the date after it was originally approved), and we'll have to do easter cost-free this year.
the news is that giving is down 25%, and expenses have gone up. there is literally no money to be had. we should've known that it would get harder before it got easier... maybe we did, and i was just in denial.
while disappointed on the surface, deep in the bottom of my heart, i feel a stirring, perhaps God whispering. perhaps this is an opportunity to highlight the true meaning of Easter, without the distraction of bunnies and eggs and chocolate. perhaps this is God calling us to a more focused celebration. "do this in remembrance of Me," i feel in my heart. Lord, what does that mean here?
and yet, the hardest part awaits: gently letting down our easter bunny.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
cat CSI
(originally posted on my blog at the original groupee.com social networking site.)
an unfortunate event took place at our house this morning... immediately, there were only two suspects, no dependable witnesses. i was in my studio, matt in the living room, when we both heard the unmistakable sound of a half-full coffee cup falling from the counter to the linoleum floor.
a discussion of suspects, alibis, and motives ensued. matt stated that he had watched fugue skitter from the kitchen, (have you ever seen a 15lb cat skitter? it's a sight.) but he had an alibi - he had been with me in my studio just moments before. i was pretty confident there was not enough time for said 15lb cat to maneuver his way onto the kitchen counter and then frame a coffee cup for suicide, which left only one other suspect. and boy, did she look guilty. (and a little shell-shocked.) motive? she'd been picketing for better dining selections all morning, and had already been rummaging in the kitchen garbage. and if there's one thing i've learned from watching tv crime-fighting shows, it's that the guilty party always returns to the scene of the crime.
luckily, the coffee cup sustained no injuries. but like many victims, i believe our suspect has intimidated it into not talking. there is no word if charges will be pressed at this time.
and i watch too much tv.
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