Kate Has Something to Say

kiddo's room (and a non-newsworthy update)

2012-02-20T16:23:00.000-08:00

update: our very last bit of paperwork was turned into DSHS on January 31, and now we're just waiting on our licensor to finish up her report and have it approved by her supervisor. i checked in for an update last monday (2/13) and she said that she'd be writing our report that week, and that we should expect 1-2 weeks for her supervisor to approve it - so 3 weeks total... that was a week ago, and i have an email out to her asking about last week's progress. hoping for good news.

meanwhile, we've been putting the finishing touches on kiddo's room. (read: i've been nesting like crazy.) a few dear friends threw us a blessing shower last weekend, and some very generous ladies turned out to bless our family with lots of lovely gifts, and gift cards to help us when it's time to get a new little one settled in. i had great fun, and matt tolerated, putting the last of the furniture together and officially finishing the room.

wanna see?

{had the dresser & stereo already. made the squirrel silhouette canvases. lamp & rug from ikea.}

{made the curtains & pennant string. spice racks, from ikea, turned bookshelves. rocking chair was a shower gift.}

{beanie babies were a perfect find at value village - brand new and $1 each! the owl wall hanging was found by a friend at a thrift store. she painted it and used it for decor at my shower, and i talked her into letting me have it.}

{embroidery hoops & fabric for a splash of color. framed artwork was a shower gift from a friend who saw me pin these flashcards and knew i hadn't gotten around to it! made the owl-shaped pillow and the pillowcase. embroidered owl pillow was a project my mom started years ago and finally finished in time for my birthday. the turtle on the nightstand is nightlight that projects constellations on the walls & ceiling. the bed was a hand-me-down from a couple at church.}

{the hanger was a simplified version of something i saw on etsy. (they used wood for the owls, mine are cardboard.) i've been in love with this backpack for months and finally bought it last week.}

{toy storage in the closet. owl on top of the shelves is a doorstop, which the dog tries to eat every time i turn around. painting was a shower gift from a friend. made the bunny, fox & owl baskets. chose a curtain instead of a door.}

{another etsy idea. theirs was wooden, i opted for cardboard, covered with a piece of scrapbooking paper with the faux-bois print that i love.}

{a felt board - an old piece of artwork covered felt, plus lots of bits and pieces to make four or five different scenes. inspiration here.}

there it is! finally feels finished, but i'm sure i'll do more puttering around as we wait...

Shema, Pt 3: Making Memorization Fun

2012-02-14T16:15:00.000-08:00

This is part 3 of a series, during our study of the book of Romans at Creekside, as we encourage families to memorize the "Shema" together. Previous posts here:
Intro
What is the Shema?
Why memorize?

If helping your kids memorize scripture is important to you, you need to be intentional, and it needs to be enjoyable. Ask God to give you some creativity, and then think about some different ways you can learn the Shema together.

Secret Message. White crayons + white paper = invisible secret message! Break out the water color paints and let your kiddo paint over the message. Want to make it a bit more complex? Try breaking the page up into a grid or using black crayon to draw wavy lines, and taking turns painting one area at a time. See if you can guess the word that's partially revealed.
Make a game of it. Break the passage up into phrases, and write each phrase on an index card. Then:
Play a memory game: turn all the cards upside-down, and take turns flipping two over - looking for two phrases that go together. As you locate phrases that connect, put them all in order until you've turned over all the cards.
Scramble up the phrases, and work together to unscramble and put them into order.
Sing a song. You could learn one that's already out there (this one is based on the Shema), or make up your own. Be willing to be silly. Kids are good at this.
Use Pictures. Write out the verse on paper, chalkboard or whiteboard, then substitute some of the words with a picture to represent it. The mind often recalls pictures better than words. Use an ear for "listen", a heart for "heart", a cloud for "soul", a strong arm or dumbbell for "strength", etc.
Motions. Motions are so useful, especially if your kids tend to get rowdy when you'd rather they sat still. Make up motions to go with the words, or learn a few ASL signs. Here's a great resource for sign language.
Fill in the Blank. Write the verse out on a whiteboard or chalkboard, say it a few times together, then start erasing words, replacing them with _______. Erase an easy word, then a hard one, saying the whole verse together again each time. Make it harder: start erasing the blanks!
Sticky Note Mania. Just like fill-in-the-blanks, here's how I'm doing it: Yep, I'm dedicated to memorizing the Shema myself. I know the concept of course, but I don't have all of the words to all 6 verses memorized. I'm learning it word-for-word along with you guys, so I wrote out the verses on a bunch of colorful sticky-notes, which are now plastered on my wall. A couple of times each week, I read through it out loud, then remove a sticky. As I read through it again, I fill in the blank. By the end of this adventure, I'll know all of it. Will you?

Have you found another way to make scripture memory fun? Share with us! Leave me a comment, or post to our Parents of NEXTgeneration Kids Facebook page.

Shema, Pt 2: Why memorize?

2012-02-14T15:14:00.000-08:00

This is a continuation of a series I'm posting during our study of the book of Romans at Creekside, as we encourage families to memorize the "Shema" together. Previous posts here:
Intro
What is the Shema?
I struggled with closed-book tests in school because studying was hard for me. I always appreciated the teachers who were more interested in evaluating your ability to locate the information over your ability to memorize it. In other words, I like open-book tests.

Today, we have the internet, the Bible, and useful Bible tools readily available. We can find what the Bible says about any topic, in a snap. We might be tempted to dismiss scripture memorization as an old-school (old-church?) practice.

But there's value in memorizing God's Word - regardless of how many tools you have at your disposal. When we internalize God's Word, God's Spirit uses it to speak to our hearts.

When I am afraid, God whispers to me "I did not give You a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-control..." (2 Timothy 1:7)

When I am distracted and frustrated, God says "I will keep you in perfect peace, if you keep your mind focused on me..." (Isaiah 26:3)

When I am ready to give up, God says "Consider it joy that you are being tested, because testing develops perseverance..." (James 1:2-3)

And when I am tempted to think that we don't need to help our kids memorize scripture, God says "hide My Word in your heart, so that you will not sin against Me..." (Psalm 119:11)

I did all of those from memory - not to show off, but to tell you that memorizing scripture helps me live my life guided by the Spirit.

And in case you think teaching kids to memorize scripture is a fruitless effort, let me tell you my own experience: when I was 5, I was very briefly involved in a kids program that emphasized scripture memory. The very first verse I learned was John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever shall believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

That's the King James Version. I don't read the King James Version. My family didn't attend church, and we never talked about Jesus at home. But that verse stuck. When I was 17, I came to Christ. I still didn't know what "begotten" meant. In my early 20s, the words really clicked, and it all made sense. This is why I memorize scripture now, and this is why I encourage you and your family to do the same.

Kids are sponges. What would you like yours to absorb?

Thursday, I'll post a few ideas for making memorization fun at home.

Have you memorized a verse that God keeps bringing back to you? Tell me about it! Leave me a comment below.

Shema, Pt 1: What is Shema?

2012-02-06T11:23:00.000-08:00

(This is a continuation of a series I'm posting during our study of the book of Romans at Creekside, as we encourage families to memorize the "Shema" together. Even though this is primarily focused on elementary-aged kids, there's no reason why you couldn't begin teaching your preschoolers. Learn more here.)

"Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." (Deuteronomy 6:4-9*)

This is the statement of faith, from the Old Testament, known as the "Shema". The word "Shema" comes from the first word of the passage, literally meaning "to hear". But the implication is that we are not just to hear, we are also to act. So "shema" could mean "listen and obey".

You know that joy you experience, when you have a teaching moment with a child and they receive and understand what you say? That's shema.

I think God must feel the same joy every time we listen to Him - His Word, His voice in our hearts, and do what He says. Shema.

The trouble is this: as sinful humans, we are not inclined toward shema. We are inclined to do the opposite. To ignore. To disobey. I bet you've experienced that with your kids too.

We can only truly shema with God's help, and we can only live out the commands of the Shema with God's help.

So, as you begin your own look at the Shema, ask God's help in this journey: to guide you, as you live out the commands - to love God with all of your being, to commit yourself to His Word, to teach His Word to your children, all day, every day. I'm praying for you too.

As a family:

Once this week, open up your Bibles together. Locate Deuteronomy 6:4-9, and show it to your kids. Remind them that the Bible is God's Word, like a letter for us. Highlight or underline the words. Tell your kids that we call this part the "Shema"; tell them what "Shema" means. Read the Shema out loud, and talk about each part. What does it mean to love God with all your heart? Your soul? Your strength? What does it mean to write them on the doorposts and gates?
Make something together to go on your table, so you remember to read it and talk about it throughout the week. I made this "table-sitter" out of a few scraps of paper I had lying around - taping the edges of 3 pieces together to form a triangle. It doesn't have to be elaborate! Let your child write out the words, or decorate it with stickers. Make it fun. Do it together.
Put your table-sitter on the dining room table, the bathroom counter, or your child's nightstand - wherever you'll see it and have a moment to say it together or talk about it. Try to say the Shema together a few times throughout the week to get comfortable with the words.

(*This is the NLT version, which we use with kids in 1st-6th grades at Creekside. It's a paraphrased translation. Check out the NIV version here.)

New Blog Series Coming this Week!

2012-02-06T11:07:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, we began our study of Romans at Creekside: for the next several months, our adults and elementary-aged kids will be working their way through the book of Romans, investigating God, Jesus and a whole host of topics that Paul, it's author, wrote about to the church in Rome, about 56 A.D.

During the next 8 weeks (maybe longer!?), we're encouraging kids and their parents to memorize a passage of scripture together, as a family. We'll be looking at Deuteronomy 6:4-9 - called the "Shema" (pronounced "shi-MA").

Studying Romans, memorizing Shema... Why?
Romans is a foundational book in the Bible. Paul teaches us the gospel with a simplicity - and also a complexity - that few authors could pull off.

The Shema is a foundational statement of faith. For thousands of years, this confession of faith is how God's people acknowledged the one true God and His commandments for them.

You can't believe in Jesus and not follow the Shema. You can't follow the Shema without believing in Jesus.

Does the Shema still apply to us today?
When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, He answered by quoting the Shema. Yes, it still applies to us.

About this series...
We want to equip families with ideas and opportunities to grow together in faith. So on Monday or Tuesday of each week, I'll be posting a few thoughts or an activity you can do with your kids to learn more about the Shema, and about Jesus. I hope you'll follow along.

what to do with all that snow...

2012-01-17T15:25:00.000-08:00

snowpocalypse. snowmageddon. whatever you want to call it. (and really, can we justify such severe terms when we call every year's best snowstorm by the same end-of-the-world hyperbole!?)

but we do have a good five inches, with a rumor of up to ten more. (i'll believe THAT when i see it!)

anyway, i realized today that for the first time in my life, i have both an ample supply of fresh snow and real maple syrup.

Little House fans will remember the scene in "Little House in the Big Woods" (perhaps my favorite of the series), when the family goes to visit Grandma Ingalls and help with the maple sugaring. that night, the whole clan has a celebration, dancing while Pa plays his fiddle, and meanwhile, Grandma slaves over a hot kettle of maple syrup until finally she calls that it's ready. there's a rush to fill every available pan with fresh snow, and they drizzle out curlicues of boiling syrup, barely able to wait until it's cool enough to taste...

it's a maple taffy that results, and i have a vague recollection of trying this as a child, unsupervised, with nothing but Laura's recounting of the story to guide me - and without realizing that pancake syrup is not maple syrup.

thankfully, today was different. after all, we have the internet now. and real maple syrup. file this away under "fun with kids". want to try it? here's a good recipe, but let me tell you a few things i learned the hard way:

1. for this recipe, plan to have two big 13x9 pans of snow - or several smaller pans.

2. fill the pans and pack down the snow. if it's not packed down, the syrup will just melt right through it, and you'll be licking your candy off the bottom of a cold, wet pan.

3. i used a ladle and didn't exactly get the curlicue look i expected. next time, i'll make indentations in the snow to make separate puddles of taffy.

off to find a "safe place" for the candy before matt gets home...

we're expecting, but it's not what you think...

2011-12-15T17:10:00.001-08:00

it's been a bit under-wraps for the last four months, but we have news!

matt and i are growing our family a bit non-traditionally: we're becoming foster parents. we're not able to have kids biologically, and we have a heart for kids in need. we have a home full of love, and we're eager to add a few kids into the mix.

we're nearing the end of the "home study" process now, which is an in-depth study of our home and family. we started in mid-august, and we've filled out 44 pages of personal information, done our fingerprinting, TB tests, worked through 36 hours of training, baby-proofed (uh, and adult-proofed) our house, which included a whole lot of unusual tasks, like locking up all of our medications, and we've done a whole lot of thumb-twiddling while waiting for our really wonderful, but very over-worked, licensor to work her magic.

so here we are, four months after jumping into the paperwork. we had a really great meeting with our licensor yesterday, which included an inspection of our home and property, and a whole lot of personal questions. (i wonder how many other parents consider how their family of origin will affect their parenting methods before conceiving... my guess is not that many!) we thought this would be the final step and have us licensed within a few days... we were wrong. in our discussion, she told us that there was an option for us to go with a new program called a "unified homestudy" which would save us some trouble down the road, when we're ready to adopt. we opted to go this route. the good news is that it won't take any longer to complete the license; the bad news is that we have some more paperwork to do. and also, we were wrong about anticipating our license within a few days - it'll be more like another month.

oh well! we have a busy month ahead of us anyway, so i'm sure the time will go quickly...

Helping more kids discover, trust and love Jesus.

2011-10-23T21:44:00.000-07:00

[This is part 3 of a series highlighting each goal of our NEXTgeneration Kids Ministry Leadership team for 2011-2012. See part 1 and part 2.]

This goal doesn't really stand on it's own - it's the result of our participation in the first two goals. When God made clear to me the goals we would set, He identified that if we do the first two (Building our team as a team and serving with greater excellence), He would bring more kids to us, entrusting them to us, so that we could combine our awesome team with our A-game excellence to help them discover, trust and love Jesus.

That is why our work on the first two goals is so crucial.

We haven't officially "met" those goals yet - they're a bit ongoing, aren't they? But we are seeing progress.

And you know what? We're seeing progress on this 3rd goal too. When we put the goals to paper in June, we were averaging 87 kids each week. In October so far, we've averaged 97 kids each week. That's progress, my friends. That's progress.

Keep up the good work.

Serving with greater excellence.

2011-09-08T11:37:00.000-07:00

[This is part 2 of a series highlighting each goal of our NEXTgeneration Kids Ministry Leadership team for 2011-2012. See part 1 and part 3.]

Around here, we describe "serving with greater excellence" using the words "bringing your A-game".

Excellence is what sets the Hilton apart from the Motel6. It’s easy to slip into the hum-drum pattern of bringing your “C-” game, and pray that the Holy Spirit makes up for the difference. But if you really want to see God work through you in ministry, be sure you’re bringing your “A” game! The Holy Spirit always brings His best, so when you bring your “A” game, and the Holy Spirit brings His best - look out! It’s going to be incredible!!

We do this in a few different ways

1. Be Prepared: Start preparing early. Whether it’s praying for the kids you’ll meet and the families you’ll greet, or planning the lesson you’ll teach, don’t wait until Friday. Start on Monday!

2. Arrive on time: Be in your classroom - with your coffee - 30 minutes before service begins. (Hint: Did you know you can leave your order at the cafe, and they’ll deliver your coffee to you!? Just tell them what room you’re in!)

3. Pray with your teammate: This is a great opportunity to build relationships with your team, and also to have a quiet moment before things get hairy.

4. Sick? Realize that you’re not available? Find someone to trade with by emailing or calling your teammates. This is a great way to serve your team leaders, who work hard to coordinate and schedule!

5. Provide feedback - Right/Wrong/Missing/Confusing: We send a weekly email on Sunday nights to the whole team, asking for feedback (from the parent's, the leader's or the child's perspective). You can help us evaluate what was “right”, what was “wrong”, what was “missing”, what was “confusing”. Whether you served that day, or simply experienced our Kids Ministry as a parent, your feedback is incredibly valuable.

Redecorating Bug!

2011-08-27T13:59:00.000-07:00

When we moved in, Matt selflessly gave me the largest of our three bedrooms as my "~~crap~~craft room" - which we call "studio" {lest we invoke images of dusty closets overrun by pom-pom balls}.

My master plan has always been that when the current TV room needs to become a bedroom, my studio would become a family room. But that wasn't going to happen without a whole lot of purging. Over the summer, been collecting ideas for finishing up that space to make it easier to convert when we're ready, and the climax of that was my big focus in August.

I did lots of deep cleaning, purging, and organizing, and spent about $220 on furniture, paint, hardware, curtains and a few accessories. Ready for a tour?

My sewing desk - spray painted a buttery yellow, and dressed up with new knobs. Also painted the frames, showing off a hunk of my great grandmother's quilt and some vintage patterns, and covered the lampshade with a scallop pattern of a white gauzy cotton.

This bookcase replaced an old set of wire cubes. I'm not a fan of cheapo laminate, but we needed a quick and easy solution. To pretty it up, I bought several sheets of a gorgeous blue print with birds and cherry blossoms, and used spray adhesive to "wallpaper" it to the backing piece of the bookcase.

I've been in love with the idea of a scalloped paint-line for a while, and I knew this was the perfect place to make it happen. The curtains were one of my spendiest changes - I splurged on fabric that brought in the playful, summery feel I want for our future family room.

My work desk is much clearer, having made use of the vertical space! I also created a few mason jar holders, using trim and hose clamps, to hold attractive and most-used supplies.

A bit of pegboard in a fancy, thrifted frame makes a tidy place to keep my tools. Spray painted both, and added a pennant string to the pegboard for some playfulness.

More pennant string! This is a thrifted shower curtain on a tension rod to close off the closet. I used scraps from my stash to create the pennant string, just sewing across the top of the pieces. The curtain itself was too short, so I added a ruffle and pom-pom trim as well - see below.

A few more details:

{Cute little display shelves for tiny things that make me smile.}

{Jars painted on the inside, using acrylic paint.}

{Covered the thermostat with orange patterned paper for the sake of de-uglification.}

Building our team, as a team.

2011-08-27T10:21:00.000-07:00

[This is part 1 of a series highlighting each goal of our NEXTgeneration Kids Ministry Leadership team for 2011-2012. See part 2 and part 3.]

Backstory: In March 2011, my Kids Ministry Executive team suggested we have a dinner for our entire Kids Ministry team (about 70 people). I agreed, reluctantly (the details daunted me). In April, I had no idea what that dinner would look like, except a bunch of people eating. In May, I went on an amazing trip to learn about leadership in some model churches, and a few days later, God gave me very clear instructions about our goals for the coming year. So when the dinner came around in June, I was ready, and I was pumped.

Goal 1: Build our team, as a team.

Over the last few months, we've identified 35 openings on our team, because of the rate at which our ministry is growing. Filling these roles will help us make sure we're ministering to families at our best.

I love inviting people to serve with me! It's exciting to know that I'm making a difference - why wouldn't others want to make a difference too? But if only one person is inviting others to serve, that person will become the bottleneck.

So instead of one person doing all the inviting, what would happen if all 70 of us were doing the inviting?

Here's how:

1. Identify two friends who aren't already serving on a ministry team at Creekside. (But what if all my friends are already serving?)

2. Tell your friends about why you serve on the NEXTgeneration Kids Leadership team. What do you get out of it? How are you blessed? How has obeying Jesus' call to serve others affected your life? Tell them a story from your experience with the kids - funny, sweet, cute, whatever. (If you're just doing this out of obligation, we should talk.)

3. Ask them if they'd like to serve alongside you. In most cases, we can rearrange things to allow your friend to serve WITH you. And serving with friends is so fun!

4. When they say yes (and experience tells me that 4 out of 5 will), grab them a Leadership Application from the Hosts Station OR give me their name and I'll mail one to them.

5. If they say no, keep sharing those stories about your experiences with the kids. It's good for them to hear that you love what you're doing.

Keeping Your Kids Busy

2011-07-12T11:36:00.000-07:00

i'm a big fan of busy kids!

i don't mean busy families - who have over-packed schedules and don't get to relax and enjoy one another. i mean kids who have fun things to do that don't involve the TV or video games.

i mean that when the words "i'm bored" occur - and face it, they will, regardless of how many toys or games a kid owns - the child is challenged to find something meaningful and creative to do.

this morning, i got to share with our awesome M&Ms group at church - moms & munchkins, or moms with kids around 5 years and younger. i compiled for them a list of my favorite ideas and brought in some fun samples to show and share. i hope they left feeling inspired!

wanted to make sure i shared it with those who couldn't make it so: here are my favorite ideas for keeping your kids busy this summer** and here is an excellent list of activities in our area - stuff going on nearly every day this summer - compiled by a friend of a friend.

**Note, this is a list of ideas i've compiled from around the web - very few (if any) are actually my original ideas!

June in Review

2011-06-30T10:48:00.000-07:00

a bit for me to remember june:

we're thoroughly enjoying our backyard these days - so relaxing!
grew stuff successfully in my brand new garden beds!
threw a big dinner for our kids ministry team
celebrated matt's birthday!
did a bunch of house projects, including cleaning out the front flower bed, finishing painting the shutters, patching the drywall where the "fireplace" used to be, some touch-up painting, etc.
had a bunch of kids and some of our leaders over to celebrate our new 5th and 6th graders.
said goodbye to our 7th graders and shipped them off to student ministry... i have mixed feelings. ;)
preparing for my ordination exam
planning for our big kids summer overnight at the end of july!

leaders lead in morale

2011-06-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

recently, i posted about getting back my vision for ministry after a season of hard but passionless work. this got me thinking: leaders need to lead in every area. you can't ask someone to do something you're not willing to do. leaders set the example in everything.

and that includes morale. i, as a leader, must manage my own morale. good attitudes and sunny dispositions are contagious. so are bad attitudes and crankiness.

leaders, (whether you lead children or adults, employees or volunteers) don't fool yourselves. if you're frustrated, exhausted, tired, cranky, angry, bitter or dried up, the people you lead can sense it. if your morale is low, theirs is too. the team morale will never be higher than your own morale. so, lead.

what i read: courageous leadership by bill hybels

2011-06-24T09:22:00.000-07:00

i love this book and feel like it's a must-read every two years or so. while it's definitely not without it's dry parts, it does include lots of useful training in leadership...

what i liked:

stories - hybels has an allegory or illustration for everything, and sometimes multiple (see below). i do enjoy the illustrations for the way they help you imagine his principles playing out.
hybels helped me identify the kind of leader i am from a list of 10 different descriptions. i like self-assessment.
doesn't just talk about vision, but talks about how to turn vision into action.
gives great coaching on raising resources.
spent more time focusing on the internal disciplines and the spiritual health of the leader than he did on the principles.

what i disliked:

some dry stretches...
stories - two-edged sword. toward the end, when i just needed to reach the finish line, i started scanning and skipping over the illustrations - which are quite numerous.

what i read: practicing greatness by reggie mcneal

2011-06-23T11:41:00.000-07:00

another leadership gem, with the "self help" style that i do love... i'll confess up front that i only scanned and read the bits that stuck out and grabbed my attention, because i was on a tight deadline. what i read was helpful and really good, so i've stuck it back in my "must-read" pile for a more thorough study.

what i liked:

helped me identify areas i need to focus on in my own self-development.
it's an intellectual read - there's some psychological discussion and you definitely have to have your thinking cap on.
the guy who owned my copy last highlighted all the right parts. ;)

no "dislikes" on this one... next time i read it, i'll have more to say, i'm sure.

getting my vision back

2011-06-22T17:25:00.000-07:00

an exciting thing happened last month: i got my vision back. not my eyesight - that's fine (mostly), but my vision for ministry - the long-distance heartsight that can see the future and knows where we're going.

and i have to say, it feels really good.

i've been on staff at creekside for four and a half years. at first, it seemed like an easy kind of hard. i knew what needed to be done, we did it, and ministry was amazing. but over time, especially within the last couple of years, it just became a hard kind of hard - like slogging through jello (not that i've ever tried that). i still loved ministry, but i wasn't "in love with" ministry. ("it's not you, it's me.")

it took a while to put my finger on why i felt passionless for so long, and then last month, just a day into my trip to california, i realized it: i wasn't on fire for anything. nothing was burning inside me. and that realization haunted me all weekend long...

so i began to pray specifically for vision: God's direction for our ministry, our team, and my leadership. i asked God to confirm that i was still the right person for the job. and i asked Him to tell me what the heck i was supposed to be doing.

and He did. not long after i returned home, i woke very early on a thursday morning. all attempts to return to sleep were in vain, and my brain was moving at lightning speed. suddenly, i could see where we were going. i grabbed my iphone, laid in bed, and took notes. as i wrote it down, it became clearer and clearer, and before long, i had a complete picture of what our kids ministry team would be focusing on for the next year.

proverbs 29:18 says "where there is no vision, the people perish."

you could say i was perishing in that time when i had lost my passion. i had lost my vision. and i know that if i was passionless and perishing, those on my team - those that stuck by me, that kept slogging - they must've felt it and had their own drink of it too. i regret that - not discovering it earlier... or maybe God allowed for that, i don't know. but i do know, He won't waste the experience in how He builds our character - mine or anyone else on our team. and i do know, now He has given us vision again. i am ready and raring to go, and incredibly thankful for the team of people who are going with me!

Rich in Relationship, or Rich in Stuff?

2011-06-19T07:30:00.000-07:00

What's more important to your family - your money and stuff, or your relationship with God?

Today, kids in our NEXTgeneration Kids Ministry in grades 1-6 learned about Jesus' parable of the "Foolish Rich Man" (Luke 12:13-21). In the take-home sheet, we challenged families to test their hearts and make sure their relationship with God is #1.

Kids are naturally selfish (so are most adults, but life experience often shakes that out of us over time) - so you as a parent have to work intentionally to teach your kids selflessness. It starts early when you teach your toddler how to share and take turns. But if you stop there, you may have kids who are willing to share - but will you have kids who are willing to give away?

And that's the test: Are your kids willing to give away? If you're not willing to give away, they aren't either. You can teach them to give away, but if you're not modeling it, they won't become it.

So let's see how important your stuff and your money is to you... When was the last time you bagged up stuff you weren't using to give away to someone who could use it? Harder question: when was the last time you gave away something of value to someone who would appreciate it? Turning away from stuff and toward money: how do you really view giving financially? Are you generous? Or do you grit your teeth and do it because you know it's right?

Next: give away as a family. Most of us have too much stuff at home anyway. Work together to give away the things you're not using to someone who will use them. Help your kids get excited about giving to others, then give them a paper bag and help them work through the emotions of choosing toys to give away. Let them be a part of the process - all the way to delivering the toys to their final destination.

Finally: be intentional about your financial giving, and teaching your children about financial giving. Help them set aside a portion of every allowance or every payment for a job, and help them see how to give it cheerfully!

Now, this is all great for teaching about generosity, but that's not the most important thing. I know some incredibly generous people who don't have a relationship with God. Fostering your child's relationship with God has to be #1, or these are just techniques. So before you get into any of these, ask yourself this question: what are you doing to foster your child's relationship with God? This is more than I want to address in one blog post, but give some prayer to this. You are the loudest voice in your child's life, and their primary pastor. How are you teaching them?

the value of journaling - or "here i raise my ebenezer"

2011-06-13T08:25:00.000-07:00

I keep a journal - separate from my blog. Where as my blog is for journaling what I'm reading, learning, and doing, my journal is very much for what I'm hearing, though sometimes the two are blurred.

And I think you should keep a journal too. Why? Because God will speak to you in your walk, and it's worth writing these things down. I'm not talking about big "burning bush" moments (I've only had one of those, and there was no burning bush). I'm talking about the quiet little everyday words that are whispered in your heart, the voice that convicts, encourages, teaches and guides. Consider why you should journal:

Journal for yourself.
I have an awful memory. My best friend tells me stories from our school days and I stare at her blankly and say things like "Are you sure I was there?" If I didn't journal, I wouldn't remember much of what God has done or said to me, and that's tragic. In the Old Testament, the Israelites were instructed to build "ebenezers" - stone monuments to mark what God has done, so that they could teach it to their children. You can't teach to your children what you can't recall, so let your journal be your ebenezer.
Journal for your progeny.
About five years ago, my grandmother gave me a stack of letters she had written as a new army-wife of 18, far from home with her new husband on the Alaskan frontier. These letters were directed to her mom and younger brothers back home, and told of her first two years of marriage, including her pregnancy and the birth of her first child. These letters were deeply meaningful to me as a new bride. While she never really delved into the trials of the early years of marriage, it was exciting for me to see what a young couple looked like 50 years ago.
Journal to give your poor brain a rest.
All warm-fuzzy memories aside, sometimes we just need a place to process and work stuff out. Journaling is cathartic. I have journaled through: my husband's unexpected 5-day stay in the hospital, our most challenging year of marriage, difficult circumstances with co-workers, expected and unexpected deaths of loved ones. In every scenario, writing it out gives me a chance to spew and find words for my feelings. I bounce back more quickly, because my brain can take a rest from all the jumble rolling around inside.

So that's why I think you should journal. Need a simple method to get started? I've got two:

1. Faith-based journlaing - S.O.A.P.
This is my current method, and the method I've used the most over the years. Because it's scripture-based, it doesn't get old if my life is unexciting for a season. Here's how it works: you crack open your Bible and read. Read until something stops and makes you think. It might convict you, it might encourage you, it might embolden you, it might be the guidance you're looking for. Doesn't matter. In your journal, write out the Scripture that caught you, then an Observation about that (what caught your attention?), then the Application of it in your life, and finally a Prayer. The prayer is typically related to the application, and in my journal, the two are often one.

2. Life-based journaling
If you're particularly humble, you might think your life isn't exciting enough to document. My step-dad's father journaled every day. Sometimes it was in great detail about their travels or their grandkids. Other days, it was just the weather and what his wife made for dinner. (But it was always the weather! That became something of his signature journal entry!) Write down what's happening, but if you really want your journal to be an "ebenezer", pay attention to what God is doing in your life and record that.

That said, there's no reason why you can't do a combination of the two. When something "newsworthy" happens, or when I can look back and see God moving, I quickly write it all down before I forget. Sometimes in the journal, sometimes in the blog. Either way, it's safe!

Kids Ministry Team Dinner

2011-06-10T10:23:00.001-07:00

For the last several weeks, we've been busy with preparation for a big event - a dinner, celebration and training gathering for our entire Kids Ministry team. Our team includes 70 volunteer leaders who give their time and their hearts to ministering to kids at Creekside. They're an outstanding team, I feel enormously blessed to work with them.

I have to admit, when I was sitting around a table with a handful of other team leaders from our Kids Ministry, and they brought up this idea, it struck fear into my heart... All I could see was how much work it would be, and all I could picture was me doing it alone.

But truthfully, the end result was anything but that! These ladies saw the vision for the dinner (perhaps better than I, at first), and we ran with it - together. They shared the burden, they had brilliant ideas, and in the end, I know I couldn't have done it without them. I'm so proud to serve with them!

The event was a hit. Well-decorated, colorful tables, balloons, sidewalk chalk artwork created by kids to welcome the leaders to dinner, even a cheer team of kids who waved pompoms and thanked every person who walked in the door. Dinner was catered by Red Onion Burgers, one of my fav local restaurants, who went above and beyond to provide an excellent meal - they really outdid themselves! We enjoyed each other's company over dinner, then I shared on how God has refreshed my vision for our kids ministry, and where He is guiding us for this next year. We gave away raffle prizes, and handed out coffee cards and cute little appreciation candies to everyone. Then our teams split into break out sessions to go over training stuff. What a night!

May in review

2011-05-31T09:54:00.000-07:00

here's a bit for me to remember may:

spent the saturday before mother's day hanging out with my mom. checked out the etsy-rain craft fair - i'll definitely do that again!
went on the leadership journey 2011 trip to california.
disneyland!!
got my "vision" back. more on that later.
what i read: courageous leadership
finished & submitted my application for ordination!
began planning our kids ministry team dinner, happening june 9.
spent part of memorial day weekend at the lakehouse w/ the fam.
relaunched our community group for summer quarter - trying something new: dinner! it's fun to contribute a part of it and not have to think about cooking dinner for ourselves that night! way less work than i expected, actually.
started getting our back yard into "haven"-shape. two garden beds are being built, the hammock is soon to be set up, bbq is out and ready for love, and we dusted off our fire-pit for the first time this season!

Leadership Journey - Day 5 - Disney

2011-05-23T23:55:00.000-07:00

Disneyland! I was excited for the whole trip, to be sure, but as I haven't been to Disneyland in 12 years or so, this was indeed the highlight for me. Mom flew in yesterday so we could do Disneyland together (Matt couldn't get the time off work).

We were determined to be there when it opened. Disneyland was first, and I teared up as I walked in (and again later in the day after seeing Mary Poppins and Burt perform in the town square).

We started with Space Mountain - one of the best rides of the day. Mom's goal was to sit in the front in every ride, which we did for most. The front seat on Space Mountain was incredible - and my glasses made great windshields, so I was able to keep my eyes open the whole time. If I hadn't been on a mission, I'd have gotten right back in line to do it again.

We headed over to Indiana Jones, having gotten a fast-pass earlier (amazing technology, that), and got all the way down to the loading deck when we suddenly smelled burning plastic. The ride was shut down, and we were all given fast-passes for later in the day.

Pirates of the Caribbean was great. I haven't seen the movies, but I love how they've updated it over the years (and the Jack Sparrow robot is hauntingly life-like). Now the movies are on my must-see list.

Haunted Mansion wasn't as awesome as I remember (not as "haunting" either). It seems to be more of a show than a thriller. Cool displays though. I do love detail.

Thunder Mountain was as thrilling as I remembered - but so short! I got adventurous and held up the camera over my head, on auto, and snapped away through the ride. Haven't looked at those yet - I hope there are a few good ones.

I didn't feel the need to ride Matterhorn, but we had done everything else on our list, and it was there. Not as rickety as last time I rode it (thank goodness), and still fun.

My goal for the day was to walk through every "land" and just observe. This was hard, because we were on a mission to do both Disneyland and California Adventure, and squeeze in a walk through Downtown Disney as well. We did spend some time just looking in Toon Town, which I feel is the easiest environment to apply to kids. It just screams fun. I loved the interactive decor - jail bars made of rubber hose so the kids could break out, barbells with the same hose, so they could "lift" them with the bending bar. Things that spin, things with bubbles. I have ideas for interactive bits on the walls of our hallways.

After we were satisfied with Disneyland, we headed over to California Adventure. I hadn't been there before, so I was excited to see what the fuss was about.

Our first stop was Grizzly River Run. We got our fast pass, bought ponchos ($8.50 poncho: surprisingly ineffective), and thoroughly enjoyed the very wet ride.

Next was Soarin' - I thought I was going to have a panic attack when our row of seats lifted off the ground and all I had keeping me in was a seatbelt. The video was a amazing, and true to Disney's form, they pipe in scents to make the experience very real - orange over the orange groves, cedar over the redwoods, pine over the ski slopes, I even sensed a hint of saltwater over the ocean, though that could have been my very vivid imagination (the same vivid imagination that convinced me that one wrong move, and I would be smashed upon the rocky shore).

We checked out Monsters, Inc, because it's easily one of my favorite movies. It was largely unexciting, but the characters were so cute and well done.

Bug's Land was definitely the best in terms of environment and gave me great ideas (wishing I could create a "giant" world around our kids space - using things like giant q-tips, towering drinking straws, and enormous kleenex boxes). We even dropped by to see the 3-D show which was surprisingly cute.

Just before dinner, we headed out to Downtown Disney, an open air mall in the "resort", to do our gift shopping. I didn't find anything I was truly happy with for myself, but settled on a cute paint-splotch scarf (the splotches are mickey-heads, of course), a minnie mouse pen (for my growing collection of ridiculous pens), and I had gotten an engraved leather bracelet earlier in the day. At World of Disney, the biggest Disney store I've ever seen in my entire life, I also found a "Grumpy" cup for Matt, a Mickey cup for the teacher that filled in for me while I was gone, a gun that blows bubbles (for visiting my preschoolers), and a container of Buzz Lightyear's little green men (to hand out at kids church), and four unicorn lollipops (to use as star prizes on Sunday). I'm actually rethinking those star prizes because they're giant compared to the candy I'm normally willing to hand out... Eek, sorry parents!

Shelly had friends in the area who made us a dinner reservation at the Big Thunder BBQ place. Amazing food - family style ribs with every BBQ side dish you could think of. The setting was right out of "Oklahoma!" (so now I want to watch that again), and tickled the bit of country girl in me.

We took our time relocating between dinner and the Wonder of Color show - but by the time we got back to Cali. Adventure, my feet were hurting so bad I didn't even want to work to get to a good viewing spot. We camped out on a bench, shared coffee and a cinnamon roll, and listened to the music - catching bits and pieces of the fountains and lights (and fire!) that towered above the crowd.

My one regret (well, besides the shoes), is that we could've skipped Downtown Disney and done our shopping in the parks. It would've saved us time, and I would've found the one thing I really wish I'd bought for myself: I hear rumor of a "build your own Mr. Potato Head" (and I wonder if it's called a "Potato Bar"?). For about $20, you can get a Mr. Potato Head and the accessories you choose. How fun would that be in my office? Note to self - for next time!

By the time the show ended, I was eagerly anticipating bed - it took a while to hook up with our van, but boy was I glad to see an end to the walking. My critical mistake for the day was sacrificing good sense at the altar of cuteness: I wore the wrong shoes. I picked out shoes a few weeks ago that were comfortable, decent for walking, and fairy adorable. But they were not made for 14 hours on your feet. I have no less than five magical blisters. Note to self: next time, tennis shoes, no matter how not-cute they are.

For a whirlwind trip, I'm pretty satisfied with our Disney day. Can't believe how much we did and saw, and I'm already planning my return trip - this time, with Matt, and for much longer...

Leadership Journey - Day 4 - Services at Rock Harbor, Mariner and Newport

2011-05-22T23:55:00.000-07:00

Today was slated to be our busiest day, so we were up and out the door early. Our first stop was Rock Harbor. I instantly felt a connection to environment (both aesthetics and the energy) that I did not feel at Saddleback. While I didn't get to check our their kids space, I did enjoy the worship service - excellent, loud music, a thought-provoking guest speaker, and best of all, no responsibility, except to listen to the Spirit.

I had a few conversations with regular attenders. Thinking about the question I'd asked at Saddleback yesterday, I posed a similar question to the gal behind the Info Desk - "What is it that draws you to Rock Harbor?" She told me that she sensed the Spirit of God at this church unlike any other. This got me pondering a different post for a different day - is sensing God's spirit in a church necessary for those in the church? Is it possible that two spirit-led believers could be in the same church, and one could sense the spirit, while the other does not?

After Rock Harbor, we hauled over to Mariners Church in Newport. The environment was akin to Saddleback - large church, and it felt like it. Their children's ministry building has been designed with the "mariner" theme in mind. We spent the morning wandering through the kids building (that we were allowed to do so surprised me), and observing various parts of their program. Again, I was encouraged: we're not missing anything huge or doing anything wrong. Their program is similar to ours. Major differences seemed limited to the size of the building and the number of children - both of which are appropriate for the scale at which they do ministry.

We stopped at Fashion Island, a mall in Newport Beach, for lunch, where it seems women push their dogs in strollers and walk their children on leashes. Found the world's cutest pet store - "muttropolis" - and bought a treat for Memphis.

We had a bit at the hotel to relax before heading off to Newport Church, a Hillsong churchplant at a local high school. Quite a few things made me furrow my brow, but knowing that I was exhausted, I won't go into detail (my attitude is often affected by my exhaustion level) and there wasn't much in terms of children's ministry so we didn't bother touring.

After the last church service, we picked up my mom at the hotel, who has flown in to spend tomorrow with us, then headed to dinner. She fit right in, and the group was so kind to include her. After dinner, we had one more late night swim (during which the security guard came in and told us to keep it down - pointing at me specifically, for laughing too loudly), and I was all too glad to go to bed by the time 12:30 rolled around.

Leadership Journey - Day 3 - Service at Saddleback

2011-05-21T23:55:00.000-07:00

Had a great opportunity to take in a service at Saddleback tonight, and see how it all works. We attended the 4:30pm, then a few of us took the opportunity to observe the kids ministry in action.

While waiting for the kids' service to begin, I chatted with a couple who had come to see their 6th grade daughter lead worship for the 5th-6th grade class. I asked them what she liked about Saddleback and they said she loves that she "knows everyone". "Even in one of the biggest churches in America?" and her mother (wisely responded) "Oh, we've always believed that the more involved you get, the smaller the church becomes [feels]."

I also noted that there had been a few mentions of staffing issues - last minute reports of sick volunteers, and breathed a sigh of relief: oh, so this is common. Wheew.

The other observation I carried away was that I had expected to be so wowed by their programming for kids, that I would be overwhelmed and feel like we were missing the mark. Instead, I didn't feel like we were doing anything wrong or missing anything, in terms of our programming itself. Compared to what we're doing, they have a similar format and their people and implementations have similar flaws. Really, their excellence comes from the way they develop and release leaders.

After observing a bit of the second service, we left for the nearby mall for dinner, then splintered off to do various activities for the night. I'd intended a swim and soak in the hot tub, plus an early bedtime, but ended up staying up later to do a load of laundry on a whim...

Leadership Journey - Day 3 - Processing...

2011-05-21T15:42:00.000-07:00

It seems that the later I stay up at night, the earlier I wake up the next morning. Unfair? Oh, and housekeeping didn't leave any sugar with the coffee supplies, so what is a girl to do??

I laid in bed awake for a bit this morning, thinking more about the passion situation, but my mind seemed to jump around, finally landing on a conversation I had with the girls yesterday afternoon about ultrasound technology (it was germane, I promise). I considered how amazing this technique is: a small tool, sends out sound-waves, listens for their return, then interprets the pattern in which they return in order to develop an overall picture. Ultrasounds are used in so many ways these days - to show mom and dad the first picture of their unborn baby, to help doctors identify and diagnose organ problems.

It didn't take me long to look at this metaphorically - a tool that sends out sound-waves, listens, interprets... And just as I thought "If only I had a tool that..." I knew what tool I do have that does this: Right, Wrong, Missing, Confusing.

We began using this tool over a year ago to help us review Sundays at Creekside. We all brought our honest feedback, and we solicited feedback from others - particularly visitors and newcomers - and then listened to what we went "right" or "wrong", and what was "missing" or "confusing". Since we've implemented it, this tool has helped us:
*identify & appreciate volunteers who go out of their way to serve.
*identify consistency issues in various ministries.
*be better aware of the things we say on stage.
*ensure that the first-time guest experience is positive.

I'm a big fan of this tool, and I've seen it used to review our community groups model, and I've even applied it in team settings with our Kids Ministry leaders, which has helped us improve specific programs. A few weeks ago, Don began encouraging us to use it with our teams weekly. At first, I couldn't fathom how that would work, but it's starting to come together in my mind as a weekly email that opens the dialogue, giving people a channel to send me their feedback. I'm sure I won't agree with them 100%, but that's okay by me - I really want to hear it, because I want to see our ministry grow stronger.

resources as you learn to sabbath

2011-05-21T08:48:00.000-07:00

[This is a continuation of a series from the message I gave at the Creekside Women’s Retreat. To read the whole series, click here. Please also read my disclaimer in part 1!]

To finish up my series on sabbath, let me share with you the best of the resources that have helped me on my search for sabbath.

I mentioned early on and have tried to keep present the fact that these ideas are not my own. Godly men and women have gone before me, sought ahead of me, and come back to show the rest of us the way. I am only passing on what I have gleaned from the truth and principles that they've taught.

Books:

Sabbath by Dan Allender - a great, contemplative read that helped me sink my teeth into the beauty of sabbath rest
Leading on Empty by Wayne Cordeiro - not really about sabbath, but more about where you'll end up if you don't sabbath. Included in the last few chapters are practical tips and a glimpse at the author's own routine for rest and renewal.

Teachings:

Tim Keller, Work & Rest, 2003 - This message (available on iTunes) changed my perspective, showed me the link between my identity in Christ and my ability to rest. Would it be an exaggeration to say it changed my life? No, probably not. Much of my posts here are from the philosophy I adopted after this message rocked my face off.
Mark Driscoll, Jesus the Sabbath Lord, 2010 - (Available on iTunes) Driscoll focuses on legalism and religion, two terms he uses synonymously. This is a good listen. Note that he doesn't spend much time on how to sabbath, but on how legalism gets in the way of God's intentions. He spends some time making fun of other religions for absurd rules, but he does finish it up by making fun of some of the absurd rules that Christians seem to promote, so at least he was being fair.

My Next Reads:
Here are a couple more books on my list. Note that I haven't read these so I'm not recommending them - I'm just excited to read them and you may be interested also.

Mudhouse Sabbath by Lauren Winner - About much more than sabbath, Winner invites us to examine many Jewish spiritual disciplines, including prayer, fasting, and others, from a Christian perspective.
Sabbath World by Judith Shulevitz - She coined the term "inner machinery" which I've referenced throughout these posts. Tim Keller read from some of her writing in his message listed above, which is how I learned about her book. Note that I believe she is writing from the Jewish perspective, while examining both the Jewish and Christian practice of sabbath.

May your journey be as fruitful and blessed as mine has been. As you learn more, I would love to hear about your journey.

Leadership Journey - Day 2, Part 2 - Angels Game

2011-05-20T23:55:00.000-07:00

What a great evening! A few hours of downtime was just enough for a dip in the pool/hot tub. Early in the evening, we headed to see the Angels play the Braves. Their pitcher was on fire, pitching a shutout, and "we" (had to cheer for somebody, right?) scored 9 runs of our own. We got a group rate which included a hot dog and soda, and there was a fantastic fireworks show after the game. I'm feeling like it was the best $11 I've spent in a long time!

On our way back, while adrenaline was still high, the guys decided a late night run to In-n-Out was in order. By the time we actually got to the restaurant (which was completely packed out, even at 11pm), I was beginning to wind down and all I could really think of was bedtime...

Leadership Journey - Day 2, Part 1 - Saddleback

2011-05-20T15:40:00.000-07:00

It's 2pm on the first day, and I already think this will be my favorite day. It'll be hard to beat, for sure. Enjoyed breakfast this morning - a custom omelette bar (note to self, embassy suites is awesome), then met with the group for a little introduction to our weekend. Loaded up the van and headed to Saddleback for a tour and conversation with their Children's Pastor, Steve Adams.

The space is amazing. Beautiful, very California, serene (or at least it was when there was hardly anyone there). They have a whole floor of classrooms for their little ones, then we toured the floor devoted to their 3-4th graders, and their 5th-6th grade floor. Wow! The 3-4th grade floor and 5th-6th grade floor each have a max occ of about 540 (that's of course sardine-tin style, they don't pack it that full at each service). But, amazing nonetheless.

The conversation with Steve was great. He's super real, down-to-earth, and his vision is inspiring. He gave us a look at how the guts of their children's ministry work, how their executive leadership team functions, and even a glimpse at the real person of Rick Warren.

We ate lunch in the Refinery - their student (youth) ministry space. Incredible - a huge building, with a few food-court style restaurants, an outdoor skate park, a baptism tank (they have a separate one by the kids building too!), and amazing detail worked into the building and displays.

At lunch, I had a conversation that haunted me a bit: the youth ministry director of our network asked me casually "So, Kate, what are you working on that burns inside of you?" And I had no answer. I admitted to him that I've been in a tough season, and that I still love what I do and considered it extremely important, but that I didn't feel on fire. I've been mulling that over all afternoon, and praying now that God might restore my passion and light a new fire within me. Complacency is a sneaky enemy.

How to Sabbath (Sabbath, Part 7)

2011-05-20T07:05:00.000-07:00

[This is a continuation of a series from the message I gave at the Creekside Women’s Retreat. To read the whole series, click here. Please also read my disclaimer in part 1!]

One of the most frustrating parts of my journey in learning to sabbath is how little help there is on making sabbath happen. Everyone who tells you how to sabbath puts it in such a box that sabbath becomes work. (You’ve heard it - they say things like “Just rest!” but what does rest look like? What counts? What if I rest and I don’t feel rested? What if I don’t know how to rest!?)

Finally I came across a teaching that included some incredibly helpful “guidelines”. (And I hesitate to call it that!) While my disclaimer has indicated that most of my material in this series is an amalgamation, I’ll give credit in this portion because I am taking it point for point. The following points (as did the best parts of my learning from the earlier posts in this series) come from Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church:

If you don’t yet understand that real, deep, soul rest comes from a secure identity in Christ and choosing to live to His expectations alone, then the following will not help you. You may try to follow these steps, but they will be lacking foundation and your efforts will return void.

Two truths you must believe:

1. Sabbath is about liberation.

In Deuteronomy 5:15, God says: “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and God brought you out of there... Therefore... observe the Sabbath day.”

If you don’t rest, you’re a slave. Whether you’re slave to your own ambitions, others’ expectations, a demanding career choice or an over-committed life doesn’t matter - you’re still a slave.

2. Sabbath is about trust.

Are you God? Do you make the world go around? Do you bring money in? (Yes, I know you work for it - who gave you the job? Oh, you got it yourself? Okay, who gave you the time to work? Who gave you the breath you breathe while you work? Uh huh, thought so.)

When you trust that God can provide for you for seven days when you work six days, then you will be able to sabbath.

Once you have accepted these truths, there are a few disciplines to help you make the most of your sabbath:

1. Take more sabbath time.
How much? Only you and God can decide that, but if you’re reading this, you’re probably not taking enough, so definitely more than you’re taking now.

2. Balance your sabbath time.

Here are three things to structure your sabbath time - try to work in all three in each sabbath day.

Do something contemplative. This means worship - spend extra time in your Bible, in prayer, listen to worship music. Spend time sitting quietly, meditating on Scripture, listening for the voice of God to speak in your life.
Do something avocational. This means something other than what you do every other day. If you’re a landscaper, maybe you shouldn’t do yardwork on your sabbath. If you cook six days a week and you don’t enjoy cooking, arrange to not cook on your sabbath.
Do something inactive. In the Old Testament, even the ground got a sabbath. Every plot of land was planted for six years and then was left unplanted on the seventh year. Whatever came up was allowed to come up. If a pile of dirt deserves this treatment, you do too.

3. Be accountable.

As you’re beginning to build this habit, ask a friend, spouse or family member to check in on you. You’ll also find that there are seasons in your life that are prone to being under-rested (think launching a new business or having a baby). This is fine to an extent, and for a season, but before you walk into such a time, ask someone to help you establish a reasonable pattern of rest after a set amount of time.

4. Inject sabbath time into your work.

In the Old Testament, there was a “law of gleaning” which prevented farmers from reaping all the way to the edges and corners of their fields. That which was left was for the sole purpose of allowing the poor to harvest food for themselves - a sort of welfare program of that society. When you reap all the way to the corners of your field, you are expending everything you have. For the sake of your own welfare, don’t do this.

What does that look like? Don’t give so much of yourself at work that you come home with nothing left to give your family. Don’t over-commit so that you never sit down to eat together. Don’t go to bed late and wake up early. Only you and God can really figure out what this looks like in your life.

Again, without first understanding that your identity is in Christ, and without first understanding that sabbath is about liberation and trust, these disciplines will do nothing for you. You will never find the deep, soul rest that you are longing for because you will remain distracted by the need to prove yourself. That is not the best way, and you will not be able to do it forever. Eventually, your world will come crashing down around you. Let God’s approval be enough, and may you find complete satisfaction in your work, because your biggest challenge, your biggest work, has already been finished by Jesus Christ.

Tomorrow, I'll share some resources that have helped me in my search for sabbath.

Leadership Journey - Day 1 - Getting there...

2011-05-19T23:55:00.000-07:00

I've had a serious case of "vacationitis" this week. It's not really a vacation - but "business-tripitis" makes me sound weird. But it's exciting to take a long weekend away from responsibilities and be able to learn, observe and be rejuvenated.

Had an uneventful flight from SeaTac to Santa Ana (not considering the incredible turbulence and rather bumpy landing). We got checked into our hotel room and even had a few minutes to rest and catch up with one another - I'm rooming with two other children's pastors.

Met up with the rest of the group for dinner. There are 12 of us - two leaders from our network office, hosting the trip, as well as one's spouse, 5 children's pastors and 4 youth pastors. Had a huge dinner at Claim Jumper - enjoying the chance to get to know one another better, then wandered around the adjacent mall (which gave me a chance to buy a few things I'd forgotten to pack - I always forget something!) We even stopped at the grocery store on the way back to the hotel to stock up on snacks - these guys have thought of everything!

Stayed up late (well, late for me!) with the girls, and definitely was ready for bed when we finally turned out the lights at 11.

Tending to My Own Eden (Sabbath, Part 6)

2011-05-19T08:04:00.000-07:00

[This is a continuation of a series from the message I gave at the Creekside Women’s Retreat. To read the whole series, click here. Please also read my disclaimer in part 1!]

It’s been a long journey for me to learn about sabbath, and how to control that inner machinery. Just last week, as I prepared for this opportunity to speak, I had a teaching moment with God.

My husband and I bought our first home two years ago, and a major factor in the house we chose was the size of the yard. We looked out the sliding glass door to the backyard, in early January when it was covered in snow, and said “Wow, this yard needs a dog! And some kids!!”

But the funny thing about a giant backyard is that grass grows, and therefore, needs mowing. This time of year, it grows unnecessarily fast in these parts. And really, you can’t let it go more than two weeks without becoming “those people” and single-handedly bringing down the value of all the homes around you. (I’m a bit of a reactionary, can you tell?)

Four weeks ago, Matt hurt his back. And so, the lawn sat untended. (So much work for one person - I couldn't fathom doing it myself...) And it sat. And it sat. And it sat. And here we are - almost two weeks overdue. I arrive home one day, take a look at my very successful crop of dandelions and I think “Oh, maaaan, what will the neighbors think!?”

And fresh on the heels of that thought comes the Spirit: “Oh yeah? The neighbors? How about me? Do you care what I think?”

Ouch. Sorry, Lord. I don’t tell you this to give you a reason not to mow your lawn - in fact the opposite is true. God has given us this home - when we thought we’d never be able to afford a home - and therefore we will be held accountable for stewarding it well. Like Eden, that which God has given me must be tended. Instead, I tell you this because it’s a motivation check. You see, if I was truly worried about what the neighbors thought, mowing my lawn would be weary, burdensome work. But if I am finding my identity in Christ, and therefore only concerned with His opinion, then I am liberated from these worries and instead can focus on what He has asked me to do - tend to my own little Eden, and to do so at rest, because that blasted inner machine has been shut off. Hooray!

Finding Restoration (Sabbath, Part 5)

2011-05-18T08:02:00.000-07:00

[This is a continuation of a series from the message I gave at the Creekside Women’s Retreat. To read the whole series, click here. Please also read my disclaimer in part 1!]

Back to Luke 6: "On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Get up and stand in front of everyone." So he got up and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?" He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He did so, and his hand was completely restored. But they were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.”

The religious regulations of the day said that you could save a dying person, but this man is clearly not dying. His shriveled hand had probably been so since birth, so Jesus is again challenging a notion, as He’s been known to do.

What does Jesus do? He restores the man’s hand. I imagine the crowd asks “Jesus, what are you doing!? It’s the sabbath!!” and Jesus replies “I am doing exactly what I ought to be doing on the sabbath. I am restoring.”

Sabbath is about restoration, and true restoration comes only from Christ.

An interesting thing happens when we put verse 5 up against verse 11:
“Then Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." But they were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.”

When Jesus said “I am Lord of the Sabbath”, He was claiming outright to be God. God instituted the sabbath, Jesus claims to be Lord over it, therefore, Jesus is claiming to be God. This makes His critics crazy, and so they [jumping forward a bit!] kill Him...

Think about Jesus on the cross: writing in agony, bearing the weight of our sins, as 2 Corinthians 5:21 says:

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

In that moment when Jesus says “Why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34) - that is the moment when God has turned away from Jesus, just as your sin and mine separates us from God, Jesus is (unfairly) separated from God, because He has willingly taken our sin upon Himself.

 He is rest-less.

Then, what does He say, as He dies? “It is finished.” (John 19:30)

The greatest work ever completed. The greatest accomplishment. Jesus must have found incredible satisfaction in His work, because after it was finished, He rested.

Even the most relentless, driven inner machinery cannot do this kind of work. It cannot save you from the penalty of your own sins. Only Christ saves us. It is not what we do that saves us - be it for others, ourselves or for God - it is what has already been done.

The only set of eyes you need approval from have already accepted you because God looks at you, in Christ and says “It is good... It is finished...” Because Christ’s righteousness has been gifted to us, the Creator of the universe looks at you and says “This is my child with whom I am well pleased”.

Still more to come tomorrow...

All I Need to Do is Finished (Sabbath, Part 4)

2011-05-17T07:45:00.000-07:00

[This is a continuation of a series from the message I gave at the Creekside Women’s Retreat. To read the whole series, click here. Please also read my disclaimer in part 1!]

As I said earlier, the problem with our culture is not the presence of work. It is the absence of deep rest. And we lack this rest because even when we take physical rest - be it sleep or otherwise - the inner machinery is still going. There are still expectations to live up to, demands to meet and ways we must prove ourselves. As long as you live this way, your work will never be finished, and you can’t find real rest until your work is finished.

But your self image can’t rest on who you say you are, or who others say you are. Your self image must rest on who God says you are.

There is no leisure activity, no hobby, no bubble bath that will give you the deep rest that you need! Like God looked at Creation and said “Very good!!”, totally satisfied, you will not rest until you learn to look at what you have accomplished and can say “It is good. All I need to do is finished."  But wait - this goes deeper than simply being satisfied by the projects finished, the chores done and the to-do items checked off your list.

Your ability to look at what has been accomplished and say “All I need to do is finished” comes from finding your identity in Christ’s deeds instead of your own deeds.

In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says:
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

More tomorrow (and the next day... and the next day... and the next day...)

The Source of Sabbath (Sabbath, Part 3)

2011-05-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

[This is a continuation of a series from the message I gave at the Creekside Women’s Retreat. To read the whole series, click here. Please also read my disclaimer in part 1!]

Luke 6:1-5 gives us a glimpse of what Jesus thinks about Sabbath:
“One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. Some of the Pharisees asked, "Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?" Jesus answered them, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions." Then Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

Reaping - what Jesus was doing (technically) when He and His companions walked through the grainfields - was one of 39 forms of work forbidden by the religious regulations of the day, so Jesus took some flack. But notice that Jesus doesn’t say “Oh, that doesn’t apply to me!” or “That doesn’t matter anymore” or “How legalistic!”

Jesus says “[I am] Lord of the Sabbath”, in essence “I am what the Sabbath is all about.” And He tells us a story: when David and his companions were running for their lives, they came to the tabernacle, and they ate the showbread. This bread was a consecrated bread, prepared for the priests alone, and was an a part of worship.

It seems at first glance that David is making a mistake here, but nowhere in Scripture is he ever condemned for this. God never says that what David did was wrong.

So what is Jesus talking about, when He tells this story that seems unrelated to His current criticism? I think He’s challenging a notion. Think about what this implies: worship regulations can be set aside in a pinch.

There’s nowhere in the Bible that we see moral law set aside in a pinch, and yet we’ve just seen it twice in three verses with worship regulations - Jesus’ picks grain on the sabbath, and David eats holy, consecrated bread.

Why would it be that these worship regulations can be set aside then? Because they’re temporary, and are pointing toward something that will one day come along and make them obsolete. It seems as though He’s saying “Your regulations point to me. I am the source of Sabbath.”

Work Doesn’t Make Us Weary (Sabbath, Part 2)

2011-05-15T07:56:00.000-07:00

[This is part 2 of a message I gave at the Creekside Women’s Retreat. Here’s part 1. Please also read my disclaimer in part 1!]

God didn’t intend for us to be “busy” in the way that most of us are busy - which is really just a socially acceptable word for “over-committed”. (You might even call it a four-letter-word?) :)

God instituted for us a day of rest, called “sabbath”. Established at creation, God set the example for us. He did His work in six days, and rested on day seven.

Why did God rest? Does He get tired? No. Does He get weary? No. Does He get burned out? No.

Genesis 2:1-2 tells us:

“Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.”

God rested because He was finished. And if you look back through the account of creation, you’ll notice that every time He created something, He said “That’s good!” And after He finished His work of creation, He said “That’s very good!”

 God found utter satisfaction in the work He had accomplished.

Work isn’t what makes us weary. There was work in the garden of Eden: plants to tend, animals to name. No, work isn’t what makes us weary. So if work isn’t what makes us weary, what does?

Let me identify it as what I’ve heard called “inner machinery”. This inner machinery is a need to prove ourselves; it’s the emotional and psychological work we do inside of telling ourselves that we must measure up, we must prove to ourselves that we matter, that we’re not just wasted space. That inner machinery is like a car going 60 miles an hour. It doesn’t stop immediately, and it takes practice to make it stop effectively. And that machinery, that keeps on running, is what makes us weary.

More tomorrow...

About Sabbath (Sabbath, Part 1)

2011-05-14T19:49:00.000-07:00

[Disclaimer: While I cling pretty hard to the idea that there is “nothing new under the sun”, my inner English teacher is ever nervous about committing plagiarism. The ideas I present here are nothing new, and not my own, but principles I have learned from minds more brilliant than mine. I am still learning, I do not pretend to have it all together nor to know all there is to know. My hope is that you will read this for what it is - an amalgamation of things I’ve learned, and that you will understand my deep gratitude to those who have walked this path before me and now turn back to teach and lead others.]

Today I was honored to share about a theme God has been teaching me over several challenging years: sabbath. It hasn’t been easy to learn, and I feel that the learning curve has been ever so steep!

I shared my thoughts on sabbath at the first Creekside Women’s Retreat, and before it was time for me to speak, I noticed that every song we sang, every person who shared their own testimony throughout the morning all said something that lined up exactly with what was on my heart to share. I love when God does that. I sat in the front row, raring to go because I was so excited, and at the same time, compressing the feelings because I thought I might cry. God is just that amazing.

But God also has a sense of humor that I think we forget to give Him credit for. And just as He was in my learning, my writing, and my teaching, He was in my preparation. And so, God - yes, I’m pointing my finger at Him - made off with the last page of my notes. That is, of course, the only page that had specific, numbered bullet points, which I was then required to recall from memory (and of which I didn’t do such a good job).

But my prayer from the very beginning was that God could cut through my lack of eloquence and instead bring forth truth that would be useful to others. So I confessed to the ladies, as I was halfway through page 5, that page 6 was suddenly noticed missing. They were a very gracious bunch, and I promptly decided that God could still speak if He chose to do so, with or without my notes.

So, all that to say that I knew my material would make for a decent set of blog posts, and I promised the ladies that I would post the missing parts later... I’m going to attempt to post the written version of what I said, for those of you that weren’t present, so this is basically the full-meal-deal (if you could call it that!) So, let’s roll, shall we?

I’ve been the Kids Pastor at Creekside for 4 1/2 years. I love what I do - there’s incredible value in pointing kids to a God that loves them more than I ever could, and leading the team of adults and young adults that help them know this God.

This position has existed in many different seasons, and while I won’t go into history now, I’ve reflected and noticed that one theme in my life remains: I’m busy.

Are you busy, too? I know you are, because you’ve told me. Before the retreat started this morning, I had 8 conversations with people who all said - in various forms - that they’re busy. You tell me you’re busy, both in words and actions, and I believe you because more than ever before, we are simply a busy society.

Everyone is busy. Culture says that busyness is equal to meaning. If you’re not busy, you’re not accomplishing, achieving, and certainly not succeeding. Whereas one used to be defined by a social role - mother, father, daughter, son, husband, wife - we are now defined by what we achieve, or worse, what our kids achieve. (And that is another topic for another day!)

We are so busy that even our days off are filled with chores and to-do items. Maybe you rolled your eyes when I said “days off” because you haven’t had one of those since your oldest was born 8 years ago?

But is all this busyness really the best way? Is this God’s intention for our lives?

More tomorrow...

on sabbath

2011-05-13T18:04:00.000-07:00

a common theme in my life: learning how to rest.

i joke about being "high strung and tightly wound". i'm not sure those are completely accurate, but as my own worst critic, and with a tendency to overreact, i don't hesitate to apply some hyperbole in my self-description.

but hand-in-hand with these characteristics, i've struggled to learn how to rest - i mean, really rest.

it's not enough to get extra sleep. sleep solves physical tiredness. but when you push yourself hard, always trying to prove yourself, trying to cross off items on your mile-long to-do list, you reach a different kind of tiredness. it's called weariness. it's a lack of real rest - the kind of rest that restores.

God has led me on a journey over the past few years in learning to rest. tomorrow, i have the great privilege to share what i have learned at Creekside's women's retreat. i'm praying that my journey will be useful, and that what i've learned can, perhaps, shorten the learning curve for others. i'll post more tomorrow.

what i read: experiencing God, by henry blackaby

2011-05-13T14:43:00.000-07:00

i set a lofty goal for myself this month - there were 5 books i needed to read, not including two fiction books i've also been working through. this week, i finished up blackaby's "Experiencing God", which was the second book i've crossed off my may reading list.

what i loved: as much as i love hearing the philosophy behind a principle or ideology, sometimes i just need to be told how to do it. blackaby has nicely paired theology with practicality, including several reflection questions throughout each chapter, as well as several exercises one can do to help them draw nearer to God. blackaby's theology is spot on, and he clearly speaks from a lifetime of devoted service and personal relationship with God.

what i didn't love: each chapter could have been more succinct. some of the illustrations were powerful, others seemed redundant.

overall: i'd highly recommend this book. i borrowed it this time around, but have since ordered a copy for my library. i know i'll go back to it, especially for those spiritual exercises.

in one week...

2011-05-12T09:52:00.000-07:00

i'll be posting (hopefully) from santa ana, california, participating in a "leadership journey" which includes 3 days of learning in both training and observing a handful of churches with groundbreaking ministry and leadership models. and bonus, i'm going to disneyland!

what i read: leading on empty by wayne cordeiro

2011-05-09T14:55:00.000-07:00

first book completed on my ambitious may reading list (7ish books!) - "leading on empty" by wayne cordeiro. this was an excellent and easy read. (there's alot to be said for well-spaced pages - you cruise through the book and feel like you're making incredible progress.)

while written for leaders who have burnt out or are going down in flames, it was a useful read for me. i'm a fairly extreme personality - high highs and low lows - so when i'm under-rested, depending too much on my own strength, or trying to hard to live up to other people's standards, i tend to become very unreasonable.

it's probably good that i read this now - while i'm in something of a "high high". i was able to apply a few things to my routine immediately, which will help prevent me from hitting those low lows.

what i liked: cordeiro is vulnerable. he tells his story with an honesty that reminded me that i'm not alone. he also included a few chapters on his own personal spiritual care routine, which keeps him grounded - this was helpful to me, as i've been considering establishing an intention routine.

what i disliked: n/a - also, i finished it a few days ago, so i'm not sure i can recall any complaints. :)

waiting to be a mother...

2011-05-07T08:26:00.001-07:00

the question i get the most when meeting new people, especially at our church, is "do you have kids?" and those that already realize that we don't have kids will ask instead "are you planning to have kids?"

we're becoming increasingly comfortable talking about this, so today i'm sharing out loud. we've been trying to have a baby for about four years, and are considered medically infertile. (the why is another topic for another day)

mother's day bears for me a slight sting, but i work hard to avoid the "woe is me" attitude. my God is a big God, and He is journeying with us down this path for a very good reason. i just don't know what that is yet. (inside information that suggests it's for character development.)

i don't want to be pitied. i want to be encouraged. i definitely don't want advice - trust me, we're past the advice stage. you don't have any advice that our doctors haven't already pointed out as being not-applicable to us. (sorry, but it's true!) but i do crave your prayers - mostly for God's guidance in the direction of our family.

so there it is. mother's day is an annual reminder that i am in waiting, and i'm at peace with that. it gives me more time to just appreciate the wonderful mothers i know, including my own.

on the death of osama bin laden

2011-05-02T07:45:00.000-07:00

many are celebrating today after the news last night from our president that osama bin laden has been killed. while i understand their relief, that his deceptive ways and murderous plots have died with him, i am confused by their celebration.

it has taken me some contemplation to find the words, so be patient with me while i try to explain. whenever i'm unsure as to how i feel about any given issue, i go back to scripture - i start with "what i know"...

Romans 5:8 says: "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
John 3:16 says: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

i have seen just a glimpse of the expanse of God's love in the way he has redeemed my own life. it is not a stretch for me to know that he loved bin laden too. some will struggle with this - but God does not love selectively. God loves us all, but he is displeased by our sinfulness.

so now that i've gone back to "what i know", "how i feel" is this: the Gospel is that Jesus, the perfect Son of God, died to save us from the death penalty for our sins, and not just mine and yours, but everyone's: hitler, hussein, bin laden. so, without knowing what occurred in bin laden's last few hours, what went through his mind and his heart in those last few moments, i can't say for sure where he'll end up... but unless he genuinely sought forgiveness from Jesus, then it's true that he will spend an eternity in hell. some would argue that he deserves it, because they see him as a "bad person" in comparison to themselves, the "good people" that they are. but that is not God's standard. God's standard is "that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

some might say he did it to himself. this would be true. it is only by our own rejection of the Gospel that we spend eternity in hell. but would Jesus be so flippant? i don't think so. Jesus is the epitome of compassionate - it's the only way that he could have died for our sins when he, himself had done nothing wrong.

and so today, i am saddened for bin laden. and instead of focusing on his death, i am choosing to pray for the safety of our troops in the middle east, praying that there will not be a successor to follow bin laden, but instead that his organization will disband. please pray with me.

March AND April in review

2011-04-30T13:44:00.000-07:00

behind, as always.

march, in review:

adopted a dog! he's SUCH a doll. also kinda crazy. we've actually decided the right term for him is "enthusiastic".
photographed the classical concert for Choir of the Sound
started dog training because he's a maniac.
made some serious progress on the quarterly goals i set in january at creekside.
decided to start memorizing scripture along with our breakfast club kids to earn points for the big summer "b.c. bash". loving this challenge!
reading: diana gabaldon's "voyager", blackaby's "experiencing God", maxwell's "developing leaders around you", "spiritual leadership" by oswald sanders, and "leading at the highest level" by ken blanchard. (a few of those have been in progress for a few months)

april, in review:

it's official! i finished my last class! the 3 year program that has taken me 10 years to complete is done.
my application for ordination is complete, and will be in the mail soon (followed by a big exam this Summer and an interview this fall).
went to my favorite ministry conference a few weeks ago, getting to meet a leader in the kidmin field who has impacted my ministry the most. love coming away with new ideas and feeling recharged.
repo'd a pool table - bet you'd never guess "repo agent" was part of my job description. (neither did i.)
went rollerskating for an all-church skate night. bad idea. the last time i rollerskated, i was 5. i'm pretty sure i was awesome at it then. i'm not now. one lap around the rink, i'd fallen twice and i was done!
had our first Good Friday service at church - such a beautiful remembrance.
celebrated our 3rd Easter at the new campus, with a record attendance of nearly 600. such an exciting day!
finishing up dog training (or "doggy brainwashing" as we've called it). wish i thought it was helping. selective obedience only, dontchya know.
finally got rid of all the (s)crap we've had leftover from tearing down the patio "awning" and taking out the "fireplace" and chimney. two ambitious dump runs made possible by a good friend with some spare time on his hands.
matt is patching up the hole in the wall from the fireplace, now that we've decided we don't need to install a new one.
heading tonight to jet city improv to celebrate a friend's birthday.
reading: gabaldon's "drums of autumn", "leading on empty" by wayne cordiero, blackaby's "experiencing God" and "spiritual leadership" by oswald sanders (yes, still)

2011-04-28T15:52:00.001-07:00

Hey look! I'm posting from my iPhone. I *heart* technology!

the newest member of our family...

2011-03-08T08:38:00.000-08:00

isn't he cute!? he's about 14 months old, some kind of lab mix (we think he could be boxer or pit or even greyhound), and he's a little spastic - but an absolute doll. hopefully, some dog training will do us all good.

February in Review

2011-02-28T17:01:00.000-08:00

(This 3x per week thing is not working out so well.)

Matt gave up "screens" for the month, and within 5 days, because God is just that amazing, he had a new job. Related? Hard to say, but choosing to believe so.
Celebrated Valentine's Day simply - dinner out the weekend before, and then babysitting for friends so they could enjoy the night.
Won an ipod touch at a meeting i didn't even want to go to...
Matt started his new job, and is working 6 days a week for a season.
Launched a third service at Creekside.
Decided to adopt a dog... adoption pending.
Went to Leavenworth with mom & family. They rented a cabin for the weekend and we played hard - sledding and snow-shoeing.

Judging by the length of the list, one might think it wasn't much of a month, but boy was it! More later...

30 things before i turn 30

2011-01-14T09:24:00.000-08:00

Just before I turned 25, I made a list of 25 things to do in my 25th year.

(For the nitpicky and detail-oriented, it would've technically been my 26th year, since you turn an age at the end of a year of life, not the other way around, but whatever.)

I was marginally successful. There were a few things that lost priority for various reasons (like, instead of a new camera, we bought a house), and others that just became impossible, and still others that I lost interest in. And that's okay. By the end of the year, I'd accomplished about 14 of them, and made very good attempts at 3-4 others. Not bad, especially considering some of them were mighty ambitious and even expensive.

Now, I'm quickly approaching 30 - two years away - and instead of waiting until next year to tackle a list of 30 things, I thought to myself, "Self, why not spread that list out over the course of two years?"

The list is not yet complete - and I'm giving myself permission to not complete it now. Part of what killed enthusiasm on my 25 Things list was that some of those things were hair-brained ideas, and if I have 100 ideas a minute, only 3 of them will last more than 5 minutes...

Without further ado, here it is - my list of 11 (going on 30) things to do before I turn 30:

Grow tomatoes. Successfully.
Pay off our debt.
Go on a road trip.
Finish a quilt!
Go on a cruise.
Make a dress for "Dress A Girl Around the World"
Finish Bible school. (Heh. This was on my list of 25 Things as well.)
Be ordained.
Learn to crochet.
Host a tea party.
Take my nieces to the Imagine Children's Museum (I know that this sounds like I'm doing it for them, but really, I've wanted to go there forever, and they're my excuse!)

Will add more later, for sure.

birthday musings (or, holy cow, i'm 28!?)

2011-01-08T19:56:00.000-08:00

1. lisa cut my hair yesterday and was kind enough to point out a gray hair.
2. allie and i had brunch with my mom, then shopped, and finished off the day with afternoon tea at the Queen Mary.
3. matt and i saw Grease at the Paramount last night, preceded by dinner at Cheesecake Factory. faaaantastic all around.
4. it hasn't arrived yet, but last night at dinner, matt told me what my gift was: a new wedding ring. YAY!!! so wasn't expecting that. he did good.
5. showed up at mom's this morning before brunch to find a big, assuming box, freshly wrapped with my name on it. she insisted i open it. i was not expecting a new sewing machine. WOW! just when i thought i couldn't be more spoiled this birthday!
6. i've had about 50 comments to my facebook wall. what lovely people i know!
7. i keep thinking "when my mom turned 28, she had a 6 year old." not really sure how i feel about that.
8. there's still more celebrating to come.
9. technically, it's the "end" of my 28th year - i've been alive for 28 whole years. which means this is the start of my 29th year. oh my. let's not linger on that.
10. this might be the first year i actually have felt a little older... more grown up at least. ;)

saturday's child works hard for a living...

2011-01-03T22:13:00.000-08:00

"Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go.
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for a living,
But the child born on the Sabbath Day,
Is fair and wise and good and gay."
-Mother Goose

observations:

1. only one in seven children must work hard for a living!? hmph. good timing, mom.
2. i was born on a saturday, and this year, my birthday falls on a saturday.
2a. i was born exactly 1,456 weeks ago, to the DAY.
2b. this seems worthy of special celebration.
2b, i. when i told my mother this, she just rolled her eyes.
2b, ii. i'm not sure what this special celebration would entail, but i'm sure i'll think of something.

two weeks

2011-01-03T11:09:00.001-08:00

i'm reflecting today on how suddenly life can change. more than once, in a period of, let's say, two weeks, my life has changed completely.

january 1st brought my 4-year anniversary at Creekside Church. i remember the day i was told i was being considered for the position. just two weeks before, i was wondering where life was going, when we'd have a family, when i could "move on" to the next stage of life. and two weeks after that conversation, i was being offered a ministry position and entering completely new territory. it happened again 15 months later, when i was brought on staff full time. a year after that, we moved into our new campus, and again, over what seemed like a period of two weeks, life shifted.

it makes me wonder what might change completely in the next two weeks, and it certainly reminds me to savor now my place, because it could all be very different, very soon.

2011 - One little word...

2011-01-01T12:23:00.000-08:00

(Read more about the "One Little Word" movement here.)

Content.

This is my one little word, my focus, for 2011.

As long as I can remember, I have been in a hurry for progress. As a child, I was in a hurry to grow up. As a teenager, I was in a hurry to move out on my own (so much so that I skipped the typical college experience in order to work full time to support myself.) As a young adult, I was in a hurry to get married. As a young married, I was in a hurry to buy a house, have children, etc. Newly into part-time ministry, I was in a hurry for a full-time position. Having purchased a fixer-upper home, I was in a hurry to fix it up. In fall, I'm ready for winter. In winter, I'm ready for spring. In spring, I'm ready for summer. In summer, I'm ready for fall... I've always desired the next stage of life, rarely stopping to enjoy my current season.

Thankfully, circumstances have often prevented me from moving at my desired pace. If we had children early on, our marriage might not have survived it. If we had gotten married on our own time-line, instead of waiting another year when our parents asked us to, we might not have survived that. This, to me, is evidence of God's grace and God's hand in my life - ushering that which needs to be ushered, and holding back those things that I think I want, but for which I am not prepared to handle.

So in 2011, I will focus on simply being content.

Do I want to begin our family? Oh sure. That's a given. But instead of feeling discontent with my place in life, I will choose to be content with the season in which God has placed me, and I will use it to bless others.

When ministry gets challenging, do I sometimes dream about being a housewife? Yes. But let's face it, I'd go crazy, and so instead of being restless, I will thank God that He has wired me to need some busyness in my life and to function well under stress.

Do I wish that my house was perfect, finished (and perhaps 400 sq. ft. larger)? Often... But instead of feeling dissatisfied, I will choose to see that we can even own a house on our modest income as a blessing and will do my best to make it a haven for my husband and those we love.

Contentment.

"A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones." Proverbs 14:30

"Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it." 1 Timothy 6:6

Happy New Year! May you find contentment in your own season.

2010 In Review...

2010-12-31T23:15:00.000-08:00

January

Celebrated my 27th birthday with a whole week of fun. Three syllables. Sounds so much older than two.

February

Welcomed our nephew, Kole, into the world.
Took the first course in training for foster/adoption. Not sure if this will lead anywhere, but it may, eventually and in God's time.
Sold a bunch of stuff on craigslist. Yay!
My aunt, JoDee, visited from Turkey.

March

Took a few key leaders on our team to the NW Ministry Conference - my favorite conference of the year!

April

Worked together with MLT businesses for the first MLT Egg Hunt. Fun & simple way to serve our community!
Visited the Tulip Fields with Marisa & the girls.
Took Matt's mom on a "Mother's Day Picnic" with Marisa & the girls at Ballard Locks.

May

Joined the camp leadership team to help with planning games.

June

Surprised my dad to celebrate his 50th birthday.

July

Had our first sleep-over visit with the girls! Crafts and baking!
Spent the 4th of July at the Lakehouse with the family.
Took 14 kids to summer camp.
Took a trip in the Kayak with mom down the Skagit River from Sedro Wooley to Mount Vernon.

August

Celebrated 6 years of marriage.
Said goodbye to my kitty, Fugue, after a long battle with a sinus issue that had turned cancerous.

September

Celebrate with our friends Michael & Lani as they welcomed their first, Gideon, into the world.
Built & launched "Club56" - a new way to minister to our 5th & 6th graders.
Began my first consulting relationship with another church looking to grow their Children's Ministry.

October

Joined a book club.
Had the girls over to spend the night.
Worked with MLT area businesses to host a Trunk 'r Treat.

November

Finished my 3rd class for this year, meeting my school goal! 3 more to go!
Crazy snowstorm the week of Thanksgiving cancelled my first attempt at hosting the big dinner! Went to mom's instead - went sledding for the first time AND played golf in the snow!

December

Learned that my aunt, JoDee & her husband, Paul, will be moving "home" - well, to the west coast at least, to California. Good enough for me!
Babysat Gideon for the first time. Man, he's cute, and now my confidence with babies is so much stronger!
Rearranged our pre-K&K classrooms to accommodate our awesome growth.
Flu knocked me out 4 days before Christmas, putting me 2 days behind in preparations for just about anything...
Had the girls for three days, two nights. Swimming, Christmas lights, crafts, baking, cooking, playing!
Had planned a special New Year's Eve party for my mom's 50th birthday, but the Worst Migraine Ever caused her to call it off yesterday. Instead, we drove north and met them near the Lakehouse for dinner.
Rang in the New Year with Michael, Lani & Gideon.

Reverb10 - Prompt28

2010-12-28T12:40:00.000-08:00

December 28 – Achieve. What’s the thing you most want to achieve next year? How do you imagine you’ll feel when you get it? Free? Happy? Complete? Blissful? Write that feeling down... (More at Reverb10.com)

I have an annual routine of planning goals for the coming year each December. Generally, I choose about 6 goals - usually 3 professional and 3 personal. While I did choose 6 this year, one stands out above the rest as a tad hairy and audacious... It's do-able for sure, it just feels hairy and audacious because it's been on my plate for nearly 10 years.

This year, I will complete my remaining 3 Bible classes and apply for ordination.

I received my credentials to preach a little more than two years ago, but I began the three year program shortly after I turned 18. And I joke about how I "never finish anything". It's time to finish this.

I think I'll feel relieved. If we'd had kids before I finished this, I might never finish it. I think I'll feel proud of myself - not in a haughty way, but simply pleased that I accomplished something. I know I'll feel "done". I've wanted that feeling - to be done - for years. I'm ready for it.

Reverb10 - Prompt 27

2010-12-27T14:49:00.000-08:00

December 27 – Ordinary Joy. Our most profound joy is often experienced during ordinary moments. What was one of your most joyful ordinary moments this year? (More at Reverb10.com)

In my line of "work", it's a fairly common occurrence, baptism. I suppose you could call it ordinary. And yet, no baptism is ordinary. Each is different - representing a different story, and more importantly, the soul of a different child of God.

Baptism becomes particularly special to me when it's one of "my own" kids in the tank - a child I've watched grow up in our church, whose eyes I've seen light up at the realization of God's goodness, whom I've had the pleasure of pastoring, loving and praying over.

In July, Shailyn was baptized. I didn't know her quite as well as I know many, as her family had just begun attending our church several months earlier. But I could see in her a real love for Jesus, and she had a story. As she shared with the church, bravely and thoughtfully, why she was choosing to follow Jesus, I cried as I thought to myself "this is why I do it."

Reverb10 - Prompt 14

2010-12-14T13:59:00.000-08:00

December 14 – Appreciate. What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it? (More at Reverb10.com)

You know what they say about how you can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family? It's true about your spouse too. You can pick your spouse, but you can't pick is family. They're a package deal.

I have to admit that, with all the in-law jokes and stereotypes, I really didn't do too badly in this department. After all, I got a sister that I never had, who has given us two beautiful nieces. And this year, I've really come to appreciate my mother-in-law.

My mother-in-law is a deeply caring person, and I know she labors in prayer for us. She has known hurt in her life, and she deeply desires to spare her children from the painful road that she has walked. She looks for ways to help us, and often blesses us at the most needed times. She's always glad to see us, she never makes us feel guilty for not visiting more (we can do that ourselves!), and she'll put down anything to talk to us. She is dedicated, for sure, and I so appreciate her love and counsel.

Reverb10 - Prompt6

2010-12-06T10:25:00.000-08:00

December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it? (More at Reverb10.com)

I make with such regularity that it hardly seems worth posting. I opened iphoto to look for a snapshot of something I've made recently, and the first photo looking back at me was this - my goofy nieces (who can't both take a good picture at the same time) in their Halloween costumes.

I usually shy away from sewing with patterns, because I hate tedium, and all the careful cutting and matching is very tedious. But who am I to resist a little challenge, especially when it comes to making these girls so happy? Marisa bought the fabric and the pattern and I did the (very hard) work.

Sweet little nurses in scrubs. They borrowed mommy's stethoscope and blood pressure cuff. And because I couldn't help myself, I even made matching trick-or-treat bags.

Reverb10 - Prompt 5

2010-12-05T15:35:00.000-08:00

December 5 - Prompt: Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why? (More at reverb10.com)

Just last week, Matt and I were playing a game when the dice rolled under the couch. He quickly climbed down onto the floor to locate it, and in the process, retrieved several missing cat toys. Among the recovered treasure was Fugue's husky.

Fugue loved to hunt, and frequently could be heard wandering the house announcing his latest kill with a muffled meow (talking with our mouths full is muffling, after all). The husky was his favorite, a little four inch stuffed dog that used to belong to Matt until Fugue adopted it as his own. I hadn't seen the husky in months.

We said goodbye to Fugue in August, after a long battle against a sinus issue that eventually manifested itself as cancer. For days afterwards, I would hear his meow in the house... and then remember that he wasn't really there. I miss him, and finding the little husky brought it all back.

Reverb10 - Prompt 4

2010-12-04T15:30:00.000-08:00

December 4 - Prompt: Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year? (More at reverb10.com)

In my experience, wonder is cultivated when we put life on pause. Catching a snowflake and examining it up close. Turning off the TV to sit next to the lit-up Christmas tree, in the peace and quiet. Watching the waves roll and pondering how no two are identical. Stopping to admire a rainbow. Considering the complexity of the human (and animal) body. Taking a break to play on the floor with some kids. Using the word "wow" liberally, to remind yourself to appreciate differences, uniqueness and - well - wonderment. This is how I cultivate wonder in my life - simply by putting life on pause.

Reverb10 - Prompt 1

2010-12-02T20:12:00.000-08:00

December 1 – One Word. Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you? (More at Reverb10.com)

The one word that encapsulates 2010: Focus. This year has been challenging in many ways, all of which come back to my focus. When I have allowed myself to get distracted, I struggle against the tides of disappointment (past), discontent (present) and despair (future). But when I am focused, on what God has given me and what God has for me right now, life is meaningful and fulfilling. That's what I wish for my every day.

My word for 2011 will be: Contentment. Not far from "focus", contentment is a valuable asset to me. When I am focused on the right target, I am content. In this year ahead, I want to live in contentment, not longing for what I don't have, what I feel I lack, but simply content.

"...I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:11-13

Scoop #8: Ridiculous Chocolate & Scoop #9: DF Peach

2010-07-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

spent a lovely two days at the lakehouse with the fam last weekend, to celebrate 4th of july with explosives and homemade ice cream. loving this new tradition. haven't made a whole ton of new recipes lately, but am experimenting a bit in the dairy-free department. except for last weekend of course - when we did a remake of the Candied Bacon Ice Cream (not as good as the first batch) and also tried CuisinArt's ridiculously chocolate ice cream (can't remember the name, and not posting the recipe because I didn't really care for it... sorry.)

but i did purchase a few gorgeous peaches which sat on my counter, smelling all sorts of good, when the weather turned hot. i needed to use them for fear of wasting them as they threatened to rot on my counter. i recently checked out a vegan ice cream recipe book from the library, to help me in my dairy-free explorations, and while i feel the book lacks some in originality, it did give me an excuse to experiment. so here we are - my adaptation of vegan Peach Ice Cream:

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Dairy Free Peach Ice Cream
2c. Almond Milk, unsweetened "original" flavor
2T. Flour
2-3 Peaches
1/2 c. Agave Nectar (I'm using the darker stuff, and I actually went just shy of 1/2c.)

Cut up peaches into chunks and add to blender. Pour milk and agave nectar into blender. Blend. In a bowl, place 2T. flour, and pour in a little of the peach mixture at a time, up to half the liquid, whisking the flour to blend well. Put the remaining peach mixture in a small saucepan on the stove and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and add in the flour mixture. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, a few hours at least. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

Scoop #7: Salted Caramel Ice Cream

2010-06-25T21:30:00.000-07:00

or not.

I had high hopes for this one, having had it before at Molly Moon's and loving the intensely salty flavor. I used this recipe, and judging from the fact that they've included gorgeous photos of successful ice cream, I'm assuming *I* was the problem.

I sweated over making the caramel myself, and boy did it taste good in caramel form. I mixed the base, I chilled it for hours, I even popped it in the freezer beforehand just as they suggested. But after 30 minutes in the ice cream maker, it hadn't changed consistency at all, and even another 30 minutes resulted in the same. My diagnosis is the salt content - I may have gotten a little too liberal in adding salt.

So I've popped it in the freezer to see if it hardens at all. I'm dubious, but I'll be sure to let you know if there's any change. Don't let my experience stop you from trying the recipe - just follow it to the letter.

Scoop #6: Creamy Peanut Butter, and his cousin Crunchy Peanut Butter

2010-06-24T21:51:00.000-07:00

two for one, and here's how they came about:

i took yesterday off to venture south with matt on a field trip to cabela's. the plan was to stop at his parents place to visit and have dinner on our way home. at his sister's request, we brought along the ice cream maker. but car problems always know how to wreck a well-laid plan. not too far from his parent's place, the thermostat housing blew up and the engine overheated, spewing pink smoke all over the place. we managed to drive it in legs, resting every half mile or so to cool the engine, for 2 more miles to get it to a shop, which promptly informed us that they wouldn't be able to get the part until 9am the next day (today).

making the best of it, we decided to stay the night with the family (having no clothes or even a toothbrush), and the weather was perfect for sleeping out under the stars. the girls were elated at the idea of staying up late to stargaze.

and that is how Creamy Peanut Butter was born. except that we forgot the blade that mixes the ice cream, and tried to do it by hand using a rubber spatula while the canister spun inside. that didn't work, and it took us way too long to figure that out, so matt's mom busted out her old dolly madison ice cream maker, a wedding gift, and we did it the "old fashioned" way. sooo good.

around lunchtime today, mom decided she was up for more peanut butter ice cream, so i mixed up the batter using crunchy peanut butter instead. also really good.

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Creamy and/or Crunchy Peanut Butter Ice Cream

This is made identically to the Fluffer Nutter Ice Cream, but omitting the "fluffer", and keeping the vanilla from the standard vanilla base.

3 1/2c some combination of Half & Half, Whole or 2% Milk
3/4c sugar
1tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1c peanut butter.

Combine milk, sugar and vanilla in a pour-friendly container. Mix well with whisk.

In a small sauce pan, over medium heat, melt peanut butter.

As it softens, stir in a little of the base at a time, until it's smooth and a bit pourable. Turn off the heat, and keep mixing in more base until it's fairly runny. Ideally, you want to add enough to bring the warm, melty peanut butter, back to a cooler temperature so that it will easily mix into the rest of the base without curdling the milk.

Pour the peanut butter into the base. Add the base to your ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

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oh, and the car is better now - thanks for asking. we braced ourselves for serious expense, and got out just shy of $250 - relieved. too bad it took an extra day out of our week - didn't get home until 7:30pm tonight. *exhausted*

Scoop #5: Candied Bacon Ice Cream

2010-06-21T21:23:00.000-07:00

Oh. My. Word.

If I never ate a different flavor ever again, if I was limited to Candied Bacon Ice Cream for the rest of my life, I would be completely satisfied with my ice cream career.

Many have turned their nose up at the idea, but if you like maple syrup with your bacon, or if you're a fan of the salty-sweet combination, you'd probably enjoy this.

We loved it.

We did a half batch of David Lebovitz's recipe. I screwed up the custard base (too hot, curdled the milk, overcooked the egg which results in a slight eggy taste) and it was still freakin' amazing.

Scoop #4: Cantaloupe Pear Mint Sorbet

2010-06-18T22:45:00.000-07:00

I'm allergic to dairy. Ironic, no? Well, we think I am anyway. If not allergic, at least addicted, because I can't seem to go for more than 36 hours without jonesin' for the stuff, and therefore I can't get off dairy long enough to decide if my skin issues would clear up without it...

So anyway, one day I'll get around to it, and therefore, I need a back up plan. That would be spelled S-O-R-B-E-T. (I really do prefer C-R-E-A-M, but it really depends on how badly I want to itch like a leper...)

I had some leftover fruit laying around and it was time to use it up. I started with the rotting watermelon, hoping that some part of it was salvageable, but soon discovered it was pretty rank all the way through, so I moved onto the non-rotting cantaloupe. Hey, this is real life, people.

Made this up as I went along. It's only about 1/3 of a batch, I suppose.

I loved it - the mint goes well with the cantaloupe, and gives it a very refreshing flavor.

Matt did not love it. Not even sure Matt liked it. Oh well, more for me.

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Cantaloupe Pear Mint Sorbet

1/2 cantaloupe, seeded, peeled & cubed
2 pears, peeled, cored & cubed
2-3T fresh mint leaves, sliced up a bit
2T lemon juice
1/4c water
1/4c sugar*

*The rule for fruit in frozen desserts is that when frozen, it's not as sweet. I'm not sure I believe that, but I'd always prefer undersweet than over sweet. If your fruit seems extra ripe, you may want to cut back on the sugar syrup (cut back on the water and the sugar equally). If your fruit seems more tart, you might want to add more. Next time I make this, I'll use agave nectar in place of the sugar, in which case I'd still cut back, as it's sweeter than sugar.

In a small saucepan, simmer water and sugar together until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool a bit. This is your simple sugar syrup. (If you plan on making multiple sorbets, it wouldn't hurt to do a big batch of this stuff and store it in the fridge.)

Mix fruit, mint and lemon juice together. Add to blender. Pour in syrup. Puree until smooth. Might be a bit warm depending on the temperature of the syrup, so I'd stick this in the fridge until it's cool-ish or until you're dying to finish your dessert.

Pour into ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions...

Scoop #3: Fluffer Nutter

2010-06-14T21:34:00.000-07:00

If you're not familiar with the concept of "fluffer nutter", it's about as bad for you as a sandwich can get. Well, maybe not. But remember how I said I was against corn syrup in my ice cream? Yeah, this recipe is my exception.

The "fluffer nutter" sandwich is much like a PB&J... but instead of jelly, you'd substitute marshmallow creme (hence the "fluffer" part). And it's like dessert, on bread.

It also makes for very good ice cream. I suspect peanut butter ice cream alone would be great, but something about the occasional hunk of frozen-gooey marshmallow... oh baby. Matt and I both agreed this was a favorite, to be repeated (though not too often, due to the aforementioned objections to corn syrup, which is like the only ingredient in marshmallows...)

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Fluffer Nutter Ice Cream
I kinda made it up as I went along. That's my disclaimer.

Mix the base for the basic vanilla recipe, but omit the vanilla.

In a small sauce pan, over medium heat, melt 1/2-3/4c peanut butter. As long as you're not allergic to peanuts, I'm assuming you can't screw up this quantity.

As it softens, stir in a little of the base at a time, until it's smooth. Turn off the heat, and keep mixing in more base until it's fairly runny. Ideally, you want to add enough to bring the warm, melty peanut butter, back to a cooler temperature so that it will easily mix into the rest of the base.

Pour the peanut butter into the base. Add the base to your ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. About 10 minutes from being complete, grab your marshmallow creme and start dropping it by the spoonful into the ice cream maker. It might get a little out of hand. Be prepared to lick up the drips. Just trust me on that. You might do up to a cup of marshmallow creme. Maybe more. I don't know. Wing it. Live adventurously.

Let it finish mixing. Enjoy. Try to make it last more than a couple of days, huh?

Scoop #2: Vanilla

2010-06-11T18:21:00.000-07:00

Yep, plain ol' vanilla. Matt's favorite (well, besides the B&J's of course!) We're celebrating his birthday with some friends tonight, and it just seemed apropos to make vanilla.

Need to remember for next time to go a little easy on the vanilla - 1tsp suffices, even though the original recipe called for "1-2tsp". Any more than one and the texture changes because of the alcohol content of the vanilla, I assume.

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Vanilla Ice Cream

2c Half & Half
1/3c agave nectar
1c Reduced Fat (2%) Milk
1tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
Pinch of Salt

Mix well with whisk. Pour into ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

Scoop #1: Avocado

2010-06-09T18:38:00.000-07:00

Matt's staying with this parents for a few days, remodeling their bathroom. The ice cream maker has arrived. I really can't wait.

Decided to try something exotic: Avocado Ice Cream.

Sounds good, right? It was okay. The recipe used a sour cream base, and I just couldn't get past that flavor. Plus, I may have over-sweetened, substituting agave for the sugar.

Oh well. 1 down, 99 to go!

(Can't for the life of me find the recipe for this... but that's okay, it wasn't that awesome.)

100 Scoops

2010-06-06T22:13:00.000-07:00

We bought an ice cream maker. And I'm in love.

We did it in an effort to save money. Yes, really. We recognized how much we were spending on treats and especially late night desserts, and we knew it had to stop. Or at least be minimized.

Plus, Matt was positively hooked on Ben & Jerry's and I'm absolutely beside myself that they use corn syrup in their ice creams. As soon as I realized this about my own favorite flavors, I switched to the much more simply made Haagen Dasz varieties - my favorite being the coffee and/or java chip... But even so - at $4/pint, it adds up. (As do the calorires.) And I still couldn't get my junkie to jones for anything other than "everything but the..." and all it's corn-syrup-laden sweetness.

With our own ice cream maker, we justified, we could control the ingredients, the cost and the calories. So we did it.

Thus launches a completely ridiculous (and potentially fattening) project: 100 Scoops. I'm on a mission to make 100 different flavors. In theory, this could happen in about a year. Or I might get totally bored with it in, say, a week. Either way, no pressure, but stay tuned.

vacation, pt 2

2010-05-16T13:59:00.000-07:00

our exploration of lake whatcom was awesome. the water was more rough than we're used to on reed lake, but with adventurous spirits, our 40 minute trip turned into more than an hour. matt fished unsuccessfully from a nearby dock. we headed for a peninsula that proved to have an interesting shoreline, robed in delicate fir trees right up to the water's edge. in a little inlet, i spied a piece of trash caught up in the shoreline and saw an opportunity for a good deed. it wasn't hard to talk mom into fishing it out, but being that it was behind a mess of fallen branches, it required a couple of attempts, the last of which included me nearly rolling us over as i contorted my torso to get under the heftiest branch. we were successful in removing the trash, and stayed dry too. victory.

we barbecued dinner and ate al fresco. matt had been unsuccessful in fishing all weekend, until he was focused on making his burger. bob saw the pole jump and matt took off like a shot to get to the water's edge, just in time to reel in a keeper of a trout. one wasn't enough for him, of course, so he baited his hook before returning to dinner. not 15 minutes into his burger, the pole jumped again and matt moved, even faster this time, to snag his fish. again this morning, as he worked on a puzzle upstairs, we noticed some activity in the water. i suggested matt go check his bait, and he found yet another trout waiting on his line. we decided that the watched pole never catches anything - but the largely abandoned pole is incredibly successful.

this morning, i was up early (as matt has been both days, uncharacteristically), and on a hunch, i poured my coffee into a thermos, grabbed my bible and the single kayak and headed for the center of the lake. out for almost an hour, i paddled slowly, wandered and gazed, listened to the ducks talk to one another, and listened as my Father talked to me. a perfect setting.

spent some quality time in my beads this weekend, feeling some renewed creativity. i quite like the hammered silver look, and i worked through a great gift for a friend, and even a nice pair of earrings for me.

this afternoon, mom and i walked down to a garage sale, finding new puzzles, some toys for little kole and a handmade anthro-esque bag with a carpet-like texture for me.

the afternoon has been casual. mom and bob will head out soon, and matt and i are planning another venture into fairhaven, and i've promised him some company while he fishes at the lake next to ours.

vacation

2010-05-15T15:14:00.001-07:00

on the fence as to whether or not i should even keep the blog, seeing as how i haven't posted in 4 months, but i'm on vacation, and if there's any time to post, it's now.

10 days, beginning yesterday.

lazed around the house a bit yesterday, watched a few movies and did a little tidying and packing in preparation for our weekend at the lakehouse. drove up in the evening, meeting mom and bob for a late dinner on the way.

up early this morning, we'd planned on a hike at squires lake. mom went, to run the trails and matt and i hiked the main trail, enjoying the mossy paths, the sparkling water and most of all, the spontaneous communion with nature.

after we showered up, we were ready for breakfast. one of the few things i'd wanted for my vacation was breakfast out on sunday morning, since that's not something i've done since i went into ministry 3 1/2 years ago. we couldn't quite make the logistics work for sunday, so we decided to go out today and just pretend it's sunday.

we drove into fairhaven, a cute little town a few miles north (that actually has a ferry that runs to alaska!!). we ended up at a beautiful little cafe with a lovely breakfast menu - incuding an eggs benedict that featured smoked salmon. mmm.

we had some wandering to do around that cute little town - our adventures brought us to a bead store (yay!), a cupcake place (double yay!) and a sweet garden & art shop (just plain gorgeous). i couldn't help but come home with a handful of beads to make a gift for a friend, not to mention a few new tools - i'm going to try my hand at the hammered silver (ok, aluminum) look.

i was in desperate need of a power nap when we got back, which was downright delightful, and after a few hours lounging about, mom & i are off to explore whatcom lake via kayak while matt & bob fish.

27

2010-01-08T16:17:00.000-08:00

my nieces informed me at 7:15am today, standing on my front step with cupcakes and party gear, that i both look like a monkey and smell like one also. good thing they're cute.

celebrating the big 2-7. four syllables sounds so much older than three. good thing i get to go back to three next year.

various celebrations include:
*dinner with my in-laws on wednesday - quite fun. i'd never noticed before, but we laugh a lot when we're with them. i sure enjoy it when my father-in-law joins in.
*coffee with a friend who has her birthday the day before mine - the closest i have to a "birthday buddy".
*aforementioned surprise from marisa & the girls, which included a scrapbook from each featuring pictures of us together, many really awesome drawings of their memories, and an exhaustive list of the reasons why they love me.
*dinner with my family.
*late-night dessert with my girlfriends.
*dinner with m&l tonight.
*something yet to be announced with matt... no idea what he's planning.

i do like stretching this birthday thing out over the course of several days.

2009 in review

2010-01-01T20:22:00.000-08:00

(since review posts are just about all i do regularly, we might as well recap 2009.)

jan: bought a house - our offer for which was accepted on my birthday of all days! celebrated my 26th birthday. proceeded to pack up life as we knew it.
feb: dedicated our house undercover, then got our keys a day late, but just barely. spent a week working harder than i've ever worked, and moved in on valentine's day.
mar: prepared for the church's move to the new campus, not the least of which included painting, unpacking, setting up and decorating all of the kids wing rooms. matt got laid off again.
apr: held our first outreach event at the new campus, an easter egg hunt, and celebrated our first sunday morning there on easter sunday. so glad to be "home". katey & rt were married at teh end of the month.
may: worked our butt off on the house. preached for the first time, with Don. took a quick trip to the lakehouse.
jun: celebrated matt's 25th birthday. had a housewarming party!
jul: another quick trip to the lakehouse. went camping with marisa & the girls. preached again, with Don.
aug: celebrated 5 years of marriage! moved in my inherited piano. went to summer camp too. matt got a part time job, which allowed him to work and supplement with his side business.
sep: preached for the first time on my own. matt went to copper island. started E3, our intense spiritual growth journey at church.
oct: creekside hosted it's first comedy club night. so much work; so much fun.
nov: celebrated thanksgiving with dad. got my first traffic ticket.
dec: gave an awesome pyrotechnic (sorta) kids message at christmas eve services. celebrated christmas with all the families; rang in the new year with friend.

happy new year!

december in review...

2010-01-01T00:25:00.000-08:00

crafted like crazy. barely finished it all in time for the holiday.
wasn't quite as prepared for christmas as last year. oh well, not every year can be a real winner.
met mark driscoll from mars hill. cool guy. i've always admired his teaching. we don't see eye-to-eye on everything, but that's not what matters.
blew up a bottle of soda in kids church. that makes for the best teaching ever.
went to the ladies ornament exchange at church. quite fun.
dabbled in mystery shopping. still not sure if i'll keep doing it or not... but was a good learning experience.
cut about 4" of my hair off.
continued working through E3, creekside's spiritual growth initiative. am learning a lot about God and myself.
went to court to discuss a little traffic ticket i received. thank the Lord for deferrals, and the judge who struck fear of traffic laws right back into the hearts of every citizen in that room.
celebrated the birth of my dear friends' first baby. they're single-handedly responsible for starting the "let's buy a house" trend which caught on with all the young marrieds' at our church, so let's hope they're the start of the next baby wave as well.
spoke to the kids at the christmas eve services on the difference between joy and happiness, using flash paper and a candle as a visual. was fun, but the real highlight was that my mom, grandparents and even bob's mom came too.
reorganized my craft room. yay.
changed up our christmas celebration traditions - christmas eve dinner was at mom's, and we spent the night, our first christmas, in our own home.
am currently thoroughly enjoying a week's vacation. have deep cleaned a few rooms, organized a few things, crafted quite alot, and read even more.
am ensconced in a book called "the light and the glory", the history of God's plan for and hand in America. i love history, i love God. good combo.
celebrated mom's birthday today by going to see the new penguin exhibit at the zoo, which included brunch before and afternoon tea afterwards. what a lovely day!
rang in the new year with our dear friends. waaay past my bedtime. i'm afraid i'm just not any fun after 11pm.

eat your pyromaniacal heart out...

2009-12-30T14:09:00.000-08:00

christmas eve. big room full of people. kids message about joy versus happiness. and permission to light fires on stage. (ok, it was flash paper... and i didn't exactly ask permission... but still!)

as ready as i'll ever be...

2009-12-19T14:02:00.000-08:00

*just barely putting finishing touches on christmas gifts.
*still scrambling a bit to cross off that handful of very difficult recipients.
*not altogether ready for my part of the christmas eve services at church.
*not sure when i'll find time next week to do my traditional and required baking.
*trying to stave off the holiday treats. only semi-successful. which is suppose isn't success at all.
*feeling like i need a few more stocking stuffers for matt, but have no ideas whatsoever.
*at least the house is decorated... please overlook the single strand of lights along our gutters, which is 4 feet too short, and off-center. and the fall squashes that are still on my doorstep. next year will be a hair more elaborate. promise.

november in review

2009-11-30T21:45:00.000-08:00

went to the zoo with allie. loved the penguins. and the flamingos.
took pictures with marisa and the girls at the edmonds waterfront.
trained a new volunteer in the office, which allows me to focus more on kids ministry. hooray!
worked santa's little sweatshop like crazy. 1/2 of our christmas presents are finished!
broke and fixed our dishwasher. nothing like a week of handwashing to make you truly thankful for that oft'-taken-for-granted appliance.
made homemade yogurt for the first time.
went to the edmonds treelighting.
traveled to my dad's to celebrate thanksgiving.
unearthed the christmas decorations - the last of our "moving boxes", and put up our christmas tree.

thankful for...

2009-11-24T20:09:00.000-08:00

tonight:

my dishwasher is broken, so matt helped me wash dishes today. bless his heart.
then he took me out to dinner, so someone else could wash our dinner dishes.
my washing machine works and is humming away on a load of laundry. handwashing clothes would be much more arduous than handwashing dishes.
the house is quiet.

this week:

i managed to stuff four days of work into two days, because wednesday is a holiday for us. so, it's basically friday. (you followed that, right?)
a volunteer at the church who feels called to give a phenomenal amount of time in the office each week, freeing me up to focus on other ministry stuff.

overall:

my boss is pretty awesome. good coach and mentor. wise guy. constantly challenging me. willing to invest the time in building into me much of the skill-set i missed when i skipped traditional schooling.
having our own home. still getting used to the idea that we actually figured out how to buy a house.
matt has steady work. not a lot, but always enough.
making changes in my diet - the kinds of foods we eat. experimenting. feeling the difference little by little. looking forward to more results.
ministry work is thriving, because the church is thriving. loving being a part of seeing so many lives changed.
a good friend growing closer.
a new friend growing closer too.
my dad has chosen total dependance on Christ. this is the thing i am most thankful for this year.
our needs are always covered, even when money should be tight.
God is very, very good.

this is worth posting on the internet...

2009-11-05T19:25:00.000-08:00

matt is the captain of a whirlyball team.

oh, you don't know what whirlyball is? well, imagine a basketball-like game using a lacrosse-like wicket and a wiffle ball. oh yeah - and you're driving in a go-cart. yeah, you heard me. like this:

the fascination started when we celebrated michael's birthday. then the guys decided they needed to start a couple of teams and join a league. yep, there are leagues.

in case you can't tell, matt's team is "cereal killers" and michael's is "bad donkeys".

i threatened to bedazzle their team shirts, but they wouldn't let me. so i made matt his very own logo. this whole fascination is kinda geeky, but very cute.

sabbath, part 2

2009-10-16T11:58:00.000-07:00

still working, slowly and thoughtfully, through dan allender's "sabbath". today, reading about how our sabbath is a very small picture of the life to come when we enter eternity with Jesus, allender writes:

"The Sabbath gives us the opportunity to stand before the endless outpouring of superabundance and fill up our thimble of faith with a drop of the bounty ahead."

and in the same stream of thought, he writes of a friend who had recently passed:

"She is home; I am not. She is glorified; I am far, far from it. I can only cry; she is laughing, dancing, wildly free, and beaming with the roaring wet glory that has enveloped her being. I need music. She is music. She sings to Jesus, and he is dancing with her in his arms. The party has begun.

"Sabbath raises a small thimble to glory and says 'Thank you, thank you.' Grattitude is our only response to what pours out on our behalf. We have tasted his love for us amid the heartache of this world, then we can let him sing to us as we sing him as the only song that can fill us."

sabbath, part 1

2009-09-19T08:08:00.000-07:00

a recent observation that i don't know how to "sabbath" has brought me to the book by the same name, by dan allender, president and founder of mars hill graduate school. allender's book is not so much a "how-to" but musings on the meaning and act of sabbath. he's poignant, deep and defines sabbath with beautiful words i've never considered before.

"Instead, we must ask, what beauty will you explore and get lost in during this day of celebration? What beauty will open your eyes to the questions God wants you to ponder in order to increase your awe and gratitude?

The Sabbath is the day to experiment with beauty that teases your hunger to know more glory. It is a day of study and silence on one Sabbath, a cutting out of a new kite pattern to fly on a wild breezy Sabbath another... What intrigues, amazes, tickles your fancy, delights your senses, and casts you into an entirely new and unlimited world is the raw material of Sabbath." (pg 46-47)

and then, on the role of time:

"Sabbath demands that we look at time from a different perspective than a linear, sequential, progressive process. The most commonly held view of time in the Western world was developed by Augustine. In his highly subjective view of time, the present doesn't exist - there is only the past and future. The past is entered by memory and is spent, gone and mostly regretted. The future cannot be known or remembered, therefore its uncertainty causes us worry. Time, for Augustine, is not a matter of joy; it is wearisome and hard." (pg 56-57)

awesomeness so far. i'm trying to take a little at a time so i can mull over the ideas. thanks for your insights,

mutant relationships

2009-09-08T22:03:00.001-07:00

reflecting today on relationships and the way they change. this year has been about a dynamic-shift for matt andh i in our relationship, but that's not the only relationship changing. a friend i've known for quite a while, who seems to be growing distant. another friend who goes out of her way to show love and concern. a new friend who's growing close quickly. even my relationship with my mom is different. some changes are good. some changes don't seem good right now. and the struggle is in figuring out how to cope with the not-good, while appreciating the good.

and that's where i'm at today.

sunday

2009-09-06T09:12:00.000-07:00

it's raining.
i'm all dressed up.
dad and deb are coming to church.
there's soon-to-be strawberry rhubarb jam at home, waiting to be canned.
and i'm preaching, on my own for the first time today.

this should prove to be a very nice day.

i have a twitch, and other tuesday happenings...

2009-09-01T21:57:00.001-07:00

it's tuesday. and i'm feeling random.

i have a twitch in my right eye. actually, i've add this twitch for more than a week now. i'm coming to believe it's stress-induced, given that i've already had 6 canker sores (in a 5 day period?), and a few other common stress-related symptoms we won't discuss here. so, anyway, back to the twitch. at one particularly stressful moment today, the twitch began again in my right eye, then stopped, traveled to my left, stopped and traveled back to my right eye again. cool.
it's raining a bit. nothing real and fall-like, but i feel good knowing it's just around the corner.
and it's september 1st. i love this time of year.
matt starts his whirlyball season tomorrow. yeah, it's a sport. he's in a league and everything. i can't decide if this is "cool" or "dorky", so i'm leaning toward "cute" and just threatening to bedazzle his jersey.
i'm preaching on sunday. could this be the source of my heightened stress level? perhaps a contributor, anyway. awesome. speaking on ruth. really looking forward to it. stressed. but still, really looking forward to it.
i'm typing as fast as i possible can because my battery is on reserve power now and i want to finish this before it dies so i can go to bed for the night.
fugue, my 8 year old, seriously-overweight, tabby ("flabby tabby") has found his inner kitten. earlier, he tried to steal my hair bands from the coffee table. when i rescued them from the floor, he moved on to the pen on the coffee table (now also on the floor). who is this guy??

see, i told you. random.

august in review

2009-08-31T19:26:00.001-07:00

maybe one day i'll actually make this month-in-review habit happen.

august - though i feel like i've tuned much of it out:

went to summer camp. awesomeness. 8 girls. two cabin leaders. exhausting. rewarding. so worth it.
hosted an awesome kids ministry leadership meeting.
celebrated our 5th anniversary.
got my piano - a complete and total surprise from matt - for our 5th anniversary.
matt got a part-time job at city people's.
picked summer blackberries. my favorite.
prepared for launching another service, and an evening program, this fall @ creekside.
caught a game ball at a mariner's game.
celebrated my "license to preach" with mom and bob at teatro zinzanni.

the one where we caught a game ball

2009-08-28T22:24:00.000-07:00

seizing an opportunity to use mom & bob's really great mariner's tickets, i planned a surprise date for matt. he knew nothing, except that he needed to be home and dressed at a certain time. (granted, he put the details together pretty quickly as we got on the road.)

i knew we were in the 100 level, but i hadn't considered that we were in row 3. *swoon*

this is how close we were.

we reminisced about our favorite dates of the past. i decided my favorite was our third date, when we went to the compline service at St. Marks, and then laid under the stars talking until 2a.m.

and then it happened. our date became our favorite date. a line drive hit into right field, hall dove, making an outstanding catch and bringing the inning to an end, nonchalantly hopped up to run back to the dugout and tossed the ball into the stands. it bounced off the tip of someone or something, and landed squarely behind me, between my back and my chair. and all i could do was giggle.

and take pictures with every camera-like device i had on me. and then text everyone i know.

well, almost everyone. but i also updated my facebook status, so i guess that counts as everyone i know...

and we decided it was officially the best date we've ever had. even if the mariners did lose, and the umps did suck.

our "wooden" anniversary

2009-08-20T20:39:00.000-07:00

her story:

my grandmother had been hanging onto the "family piano" for years - waiting for us to get our own house, so she could give it to me... and i had been waiting just as long to have a home in which to put that piano...

so when we bought our house, i was ready. i knew what wall it would go on. i knew how it would look. i even lobbied for red on the walls in our living room, because i knew the piano would look awesome against it.

one day, in may or june, i asked matt about the piano... his answer was "i'm just not ready yet". this made me crazy. what's to be ready for? what does "ready" look like? how can i make you ready!? the conversation escalated into a major problem. finally i had to relent - if he's not ready, he's not ready... but it hurt. i couldn't help feeling a little like "if he loved me, he wouldn't withhold something that would make me so happy".

flash forward to our anniversary. matt has been toying with the idea of going camping the friday/saturday of the weekend, and we planned to celebrate sunday. as we near the date, he's no closer to planning a camping trip, but finally decides on a long day of fishing. we've even decided that though we'll have a nice dinner sunday night, we'll exchange our gifts saturday night.

i've filled up my day with activity... yoga in the morning, breakfast and shopping with the girls, blackberry picking with lani. everything goes as planned. as lani and i head to the blackberries, we pass our street and i happen to glance down, noticing a white car - matt's? - in front of our house. lani manages to persuade me nonchalantly that it was a neighbor's car... after all, matt has just texted me and told me he "caught a big one".

lani and michael are texting back and forth alot. i don't think anything of it. finally, the boys decide they're hungry - when will we come home? we finish up picking blackberries - covered in juice, stains, brush and having been picked and torn at by thorns - and head home.

as i open, i notice right away that michael is off to the side, holding my camera, pointing it at me. i give him a funny look - is he taking pictures of all these awesome blackberries we picked!?

i walk into the house, still thinking it's very weird that he's taking pictures of us - and then i really see it. my piano. i burst into tears, absolutely stunned. i hug matt, i get details about how it all went down - but most of all, i'm struck by the fact that "i'm not ready" really meant "it's not our anniversary yet". he'd been planning this for months.

best gift ever. every time i see it, i feel loved all over again. i love that man.

the value of the blog...

2009-08-12T17:34:00.000-07:00

today i was reminded the true value {for me} of a blog. i made a hospital visit to a little girl who is under care for heart problems. mom is using her blog as a method of updating friends and family, but i see that one day, her blog will be a powerful testimony of the journey they walked together, and how God walked them through it. this reminded me of why i began a blog in the first place - to journal.

today i was looking at a picture from my 24th birthday, just 2 1/2 years ago, and unable to remember what i felt or thought or how i celebrated becoming 24. i went to my blog to look for a post, only to realize that in the emotional high of beginning ministry in the same season, my birthday was completely overlooked on my blog. so, i can't remember what turning 24 was like. huh.

so i'm back on the blogging bandwagon. let's see how it sticks. for now, at the very least, my goal is to post month-in-review posts. maybe one day, i'll have the focus to document life more regularly.

at the lakehouse...

2009-06-25T10:08:00.000-07:00

it's peaceful this morning, a nice way to wake up. slept in late, despite the fact that we went to bed earlier than has become usual since i began my vacation time. forgot the eggs, but was grateful that matt was willing to run to the "country store" down the road to grab some. for some reason, i can't be at the lakehouse now without making fried egg sandwiches on bagels. so good.

it's raining just a bit, off and on. the baby ducklings who were cute and fuzzy the last time we were here are now much bigger and a little less downy. there are more lily pads on the water, and a ripple on the surface that resembles a current... can't figure out where it's coming from. the lake was so placid the last time we visited. matt's devoted himself to finishing the puzzle that the family started weeks ago. i look forward to a long day of peacefulness.

so while the earlier part of my week was "do nothing" time, (or "do whatever i feel like doing, on a whim" time) now it is study & prep time. nothing too intense, but i'm speaking to the "big people" on Joshua on the 5th and need to finish my message, and i have a few of those "never going to get done unless i put in some extra time" projects i've been wanting to finish. so here's to a morning of productivity.

"vacation" - day 1

2009-06-22T14:21:00.001-07:00

i'm out of the office this week, looking to take a little "decompression" time. don't have much of anything planned, though i have a whole stack of books i want to get through, a little to-do list of projects in the studio, and plan to take a few days to go up to the lakehouse at the end of the week.

but i'm still finding it hard to keep myself amused. and it's only day 1. bad sign, eh? suddenly i have all this free time, so i'm doing things like planning the groceries we need for the lakehouse, messing with facebook's mobile update features, and well - updating my blog...

i should probably get out of my pajamas, huh? maybe it's time for a meandering through value village.

house update...

2009-06-20T20:50:00.000-07:00

we hosted our housewarming party today, less because our house is "done" {far from it}, and more because we felt like if we waited any longer, we'd lose our window of opportunity. {it's been four months, after all.}

i hate that blogger won't let you upload multiple photos at once. lame.

so, here are a few, and if you want to see the rest, you'll have to go friend me on facebook:

felt the need to compile a list of "everything we've done":

scrubbed floors, walls, appliances.
ripped up carpet.
pulled staples from the floor. (serious fore-arm workout.)
painted walls, kitchen cabinets & existing trim.
replaced sub-flooring in the bedroom.
tore out utility closet shelves.
installed new stove, washer & dryer - including rewiring and some drywall work.
installed water heater timer & insulation blanket.
shelf-papered over winnie-the-pooh lining on nearly every horizontal surface within the kitchen cabinets (and the bathroom window sill).
put up curtains and rods on every window.
scrubbed and scraped adhesive from hardwoods.
successfully covered up the most severe burn spot i've ever seen, on our living room wood floors.
replaced front door and back door (to garage).
laid carpet in guest room and master bedroom.
tore down wire shelving in guest room.
ripped out baseboards (to be replaced).
dug out dirt/grass around house that was too close to the siding.
ripped out half of the terrible "structure" behind the house.
cut down 5 cedar trees, measuring at least 25-35 feet each, limbing and sawing it for yardwaste disposal and firewood.
mowed, wheedwhacked like crazy.
replaced porch & patio light fixtures.
installed "drawer-pull" style knobs as towel hangers.
cleaned out & replanted {mostly} front flower beds.
installed soaker hoses in front beds.
installed compost bin.

2009-06-04T21:19:00.000-07:00

i hate being such an undependable blogger, but rarely do i feel like i have something worth blogging about.

today, it's 90 degrees, and i think my house is at least that. about 5 weeks ago, we cut down the 5 giant cedar trees in our front yard. they were quite the eyesore... but they were also our only source of shade. this is compounded by the fact that all of our windows are, presumably, original construction, and open push-out style. only one set of windows are "new", and despite the double-pane, they radiate heat like crazy. tomorrow, we investigate roll-up solar shades.

so, i'm miserable. matt's miserable. the cats are miserable. here's to a high of only 76 tomorrow...

and, my new favorite kittens...

2009-04-20T21:07:00.000-07:00

our friends adopted new kittens saturday - a 10 week old, brother-sister combo - and they were easily the highlight of my weekend. i adore matching sets. no real names yet, but i think they're toying with "dandy" (her) and "lion" (him - because he's fuzzy, and big-boned-ed).

her:

him:

sooooo cute.

sewing madness...

2009-04-20T20:55:00.001-07:00

not blogging much, but i've definitely been sewing...

{a new lunch bag for kate...}

{a set of placemats and napkins for my stepsister who will be married next saturday...}

{and some cute little kitty toys for my new favorite kittens (another post in itself)...}

a big day...

2009-04-05T08:29:00.000-07:00

nevermind my delinquency - it's a busy, busy season. today marks the last day our church will meet at our rented building in northgate. after church, we will walk to the new campus about 7 miles north and have our first real celebration service (which is more like a practice service for our launch next Sunday). all week - last Sunday through last night, i've been thinking "this is the last time i'll do that" with each task that is specific to our old campus. locking our old kids church room door, delivering the box of sunday "stuff" to the rented campus, setting up for kids church there. in fact, last night i made matt promise he'd never ask me to help with chair crew again. and truly, that is what i'm most relieved about - matt will never have to do chair crew again.

what a day.

giving thanks in ALL things

2009-03-08T12:58:00.000-07:00

i left my Bible at church this week, so i've been depending on an old devotional bible for my morning quiet time. this morning, as i read, i came to 1 Thessalonians 5:16, and noticed a side-bar devotion about giving thanks in all things. the author discussed the feelings of the single who desires to be married, or the jobless who desperately wants to work - how are they supposed to be thankful? she lead her reader to the understanding that truly believing scripture - which shows us that God cares deeply about our circumstances - means being able to simply trust that whatever you're going through now is worth being thankful for now.

i pondered this briefly, but went about my day. flash forward - a friend approached me after kids church and said "did you hear what happened?" ... "uh, no?" he continued to tell me that a kid - let's call him "johnny" - snuck into the upper hallway during church, grabbed a roll of toilet paper, and sent it sailing down the balcony (while holding the loose end, of course).

my immediate reaction, besides restraining myself from repeatedly slamming my head into the cinder-block wall, was "wait a minute, one of MY kids did this!?" of course, knowing this kid's background, it wasn't impossible - i just was surprised that he'd go to such lengths.

humiliated, i swiftly dealt with the problem, but as i put the pieces together - including, his very late arrival to kids church (which i'd assumed had something to do with the DST time-change last night) - i realized that he hadn't even been in our care when this happened... which means he probably got to church on time, but was fooling around for 45 minutes before coming in.

so on the way home, i was reminded: give thanks in ALL circumstances. ok, Lord - how am i supposed to give thanks in THIS circumstance? ... well, i suppose i can be thankful that i'm not the kind of pastor that would expell a kid from my program, so he will get another chance to come to kids church - because i believe that's what Jesus would do. and i can be thankful that i have a good rapport with his guardians, so i know i can talk to them about this. and i can be thankful that ultimately, i have a chance to make this seemingly unlovable kid feel loved, and maybe - just maybe - i can make an impact on his life.

even more house stuff

2009-03-02T18:58:00.000-08:00

so much has happened in the last three weeks, and i haven't really taken time to document it. we worked hard the week between closing and move-in - cleaning, scrubbing, painting, etc - not to mention, removing the sub-floor in our bedroom, replacing it, pulling carpet and staples, scraping adhesive from the wood floors... in fact, we worked so hard we didn't have much time for packing, which left packing day especially hectic... not that we hadn't packed at all, just that we hadn't packed as much as i had wanted.

and so our move help arrived saturday morning, 10am, and i had already had two mini-breakdowns. but we got it all, and in one trip... nevermind the boxes of smorgasbord varieties of possessions.

but we made it. happy valentine's day honey.

monday after was a holiday, spent together, with my sister-in-law and mother-in-law, cleaning the old place. man, am i glad that's behind me, and that's all i have to say.

so for the last two weeks, we've been living in the "office" (read: craft room) while we waited to find the best price on carpeting for the tv/guest room and the master bedroom. finally, carpet was installed mid-last week, and though it took us a few days to get our "stuff" together, we've now moved into our rightful bedroom, and the guestroom is together as well.

but we're far from done. faaar from done. there's still trim to be painted - not to mention my red walls which did not paint as easily as all the other colors (wish the home depot guy had warned me - i would've picked a different color). the office is still in boxes, with furniture strewn haphazardly around. i've purchased most of our curtains, but need to hem them as well, so bedsheets suffice in the rooms where exhibitionism would not be tolerated among neighbors.

and of course, there are lots of little things to accomplish. sometimes it feels like we'll be living in boxes forever. who am i kidding... it always feels that way. we know we got ourselves into a "project" house, and there are plenty of things involved in making this house what we want it to be, so i really need to lower my expectations... but i sure wish we could get these boxes outta here.

christmas comes early to the kids ministry...

2009-02-26T11:52:00.000-08:00

the next six weeks or so will bring a pretty steady delivery schedule of all the miscellaneous fun things we're buying for the kids ministry wing at the new campus. amused by the variety and randomness of it all, i think i'll keep track here.

yesterday brought the delivery of:
*one VBS "paul and the underground church" starter kit, a free gift because of our membership to a new background screening service.
*five wall-mounted hand sanitizer dispensers
*an eight-pack of refills for the above dispensers
*five first-aid kits

today, we received:
*four handheld 2-way radios, complete with charging bases, etc for our security team.

i'm just waiting for the eight ladies dancing and the partridge in the pear tree.

more house stuff

2009-02-10T21:18:00.000-08:00

stuff is happening so often and so fast, i feel like i can't blog it fast enough to stay on top.

friday, we got our keys and began cleaning right away. matt began a few little odd jobs to get us ready for painting and some other misc tasks that needed to be done. late in the evening, we made a home depot trip to beat all home depot trips - $377 on "small stuff" (and a crapload of paint).

saturday, a ton of our very-good-sport friends and family showed to help with various painting tasks. accomplished much, but not all, as i'd expected. yeah, i was ambitious. and nobody told me you had to prime with grey or pink before painting with red. i will never paint with red again. went home feeling exhausted and overwhelmed, and quite teary.

sunday, knowing how much needed to done, michael, lani, allie and sam took our house key and left church right after service to get started. what amazing friends we have. they started with pulling carpet, having removed carpet and pad from the living room by the time we got home - and they were well on their way to removing all the staples and tack strips. we also figured out why the previous owners had laid the carpet: a big patch of water or burn damage on the living room floor that had been sloppily covered with the same paint they'd used on the walls. matt needed some stress relief, so he pulled the rest of the carpet and pad from the hall and other rooms. mike & lani ended up staying late into the evening, as did matt's mom - bless their hearts. we finished painting the kitchen, and made progress on other various tasks. part of pulling up the carpet was the revealing of the suspicious corner of our bedroom, which had a bubble under the wood flooring, and a big square patch where there was no wood flooring - just an extra layer of plywood. lameness. note to selves: bring home carpenter buddy to have a look.

monday, clarice came over and focused on painting the edges in the kitchen. so glad i didn't have to do it. added knobs and outlet covers/switchplates in the kitchen. feeling like it's looking sharp.

tuesday, today, matt brought our friend don home after church for a look at the floors. suspecting rot, they begin pulling up the floor to reveal the subfloor having rotted through. don uses the words "the worst i've ever seen". he tests the edges of the house and finds rot in the other bedrooms as well, though to a much lesser degree. we're upset, but i'm taking it surprisingly well. matt's beside himself and in serious buyer's remorse. contacted our inspector, who is coming to have a look tomorrow, and feeling terrible about the situation, because he wasn't able to navigate our crawlspace due to snow run-off that had caused standing water in the crawlspace at the time of the inspection. i keep telling myself "it is what it is", and as i pray nearly the whole way home in the car, i find myself just wanting matt's heart to be soothed, because when he is confident, i can be confident too.

the key handoff

2009-02-09T20:31:00.000-08:00

the key hand-off was messy. a call right around 5pm on thursday told us that our file had been flagged by the county clerk, because the sale looked suspicious - like someone was trying to get out of paying excise tax. apparently, we were getting too good of a deal. the county expected that the house should sell at $76,000 higher than we paid for it... which left me asking - are they even watching the market??

so, after some tears, matt and i decided to go ahead with the dedication, which we'd planned to do right after we got our keys. i messaged everyone and told them to dress warm and bring an umbrella. as we stood in the driveway, chatting before we began the dedication, i noticed that bob disappeared... and then the garage opened. he always was a rule-breaker. he'd found entry via the door that had been kicked in the week prior.

after some back and forth, we decided that the house was as good as ours, so we walked the perimeter, then gathered undercover (a cover which i'm now blowing) in the living room to pray.

our friend mel led the prayer, and did a beautiful job. we were very thankful for his spiritual maturity and the beauty of his words. most of all, there was an air of excitement. maybe it was from (almost) getting our new house... maybe it was from the rule-breaking.

friday, after a little waiting, megan called us and told us we had the keys. we met up with her at the church, collected our key and i headed off to start cleaning... and the rest of the story comes later.

almost there...

2009-02-04T22:08:00.000-08:00

signed papers yesterday. heard from agent today - sellers have signed too. now we wait for the lender to give it all a once-over and release funds, then the whole thing goes to the courthouse and we get our keys. tomorrow, in theory.

hooray!