I love profound questions. And isn't it true that kids seem to be the ones who always ask the most profound questions? I'm convinced too that kids seem to be prompted to ask questions that stretch our own explaining ability.
Yesterday, Andrew (5) asked us straight out of the blue (at least it seemed that way to us, though I'm sure there was much more to it in his little brain), "Does God love the bad guys?"
I looked at Eric with a look as if saying, "which direction do we take this?"
It's been clear to us that Andrew is seeking out more than the flippant answer that is easiest. In fact we try to form our answers to his spiritual questions as if to lead him closer and closer to the most important decision we know he'll ever make. The decision to receive Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. We long for that day on his behalf.
So our answer went something like this, "Absolutely, God loves even the bad guys. In fact God made the them the same as he made you and me, it's just that some people make bad choices and do bad things. But God really hopes that someday they will change their minds about how they are acting and start following Him. That's why the Bible tells us that we should try to help even the bad guys to know Jesus." Here we've addressed both the concept of Free Will and The Great Commission.
Acting like it all made sense, Andrew then said, "but only the Army guys can fight against the bad guys right?" Then of course we had a better idea of exactly where his little brain had been just before his initial question. But never the less we felt blessed to have had the opportunity to share a little deeper with our little budding evangelist! Hey, you never know!!!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Romans 7:15
"I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do."
This is the verse that fits my spirit today. I've really done a pretty good job of developing this disciplined life of eating and exercise. I've coined it my lifestyle change because that is what I intend for it to be. And I can tell that my body is adjusting happily to the change. It's my mind that is resisting the change. And I'm having one of those days that I'm finding it much easier to give in to my mind's desire than my actual physical desire.
I was down and out this morning after eating a terribly unhealthy meal last night...fried fish, mashed potatoes and a big fat milkshake from Culver's!!! YUM! For me, all it takes is a hitch in the road like that mixed with a defeatest attitude and I'm done. And I felt like throwing in the towel this morning.
My beloved husband tried his best to solve my problem and I resisted him like anything. I didn't feel that i wanted fixed...not yet! Then i got the faithful text message from my dad. And I knew this was going to be okay. This time I needed to hear his voice.
So after a pep talk on the phone and the challenge to get on the elliptical before anymore of the day passed, I felt at least a little better. Enough to drag myself onto the machine for a workout.
I hate hitches in the road, but I know they will come. I spent the morning making excuses. When my workout was complete, I got out the Word and intentionally found this verse. Then i read the study notes:
"this is more than the cry of one desperate man- it describes the experience of any Christian struggling against sin or trying to please God by keeping rules and laws without the Spirit's help..."
So true. I had also listened to more of Beth Moore's "Get Out of That Pit" while I was exercising and again the words spoke right to my heart. The Spirit has shown up to get me through this day and the many to come.
This is the verse that fits my spirit today. I've really done a pretty good job of developing this disciplined life of eating and exercise. I've coined it my lifestyle change because that is what I intend for it to be. And I can tell that my body is adjusting happily to the change. It's my mind that is resisting the change. And I'm having one of those days that I'm finding it much easier to give in to my mind's desire than my actual physical desire.
I was down and out this morning after eating a terribly unhealthy meal last night...fried fish, mashed potatoes and a big fat milkshake from Culver's!!! YUM! For me, all it takes is a hitch in the road like that mixed with a defeatest attitude and I'm done. And I felt like throwing in the towel this morning.
My beloved husband tried his best to solve my problem and I resisted him like anything. I didn't feel that i wanted fixed...not yet! Then i got the faithful text message from my dad. And I knew this was going to be okay. This time I needed to hear his voice.
So after a pep talk on the phone and the challenge to get on the elliptical before anymore of the day passed, I felt at least a little better. Enough to drag myself onto the machine for a workout.
I hate hitches in the road, but I know they will come. I spent the morning making excuses. When my workout was complete, I got out the Word and intentionally found this verse. Then i read the study notes:
"this is more than the cry of one desperate man- it describes the experience of any Christian struggling against sin or trying to please God by keeping rules and laws without the Spirit's help..."
So true. I had also listened to more of Beth Moore's "Get Out of That Pit" while I was exercising and again the words spoke right to my heart. The Spirit has shown up to get me through this day and the many to come.
That's All Access Baby!
Toby Mac
Stephanie
Kadar (the drummer) and Emily (the road manager)
Hawk Nelson
Stephanie Smith
Stephanie, Kadar (drums), Nathan (bass)
Steph's Merch table
Last Friday night we went to WinterJam!!! Most of you know that the draw to WinterJam is Toby Mac. Anyone who was ever a fan of DC Talk knows Toby. But I have to say our pride that night went to Stephanie Smith!!! We were blessed and excited to have the best seats in the house...ALL ACCESS! If you've never had All Access passes, check it out...
hangin' with the bands back stage, watching the show from the floor...practically touching the stage, moving out of the way for stage crews, eating the bands catered food...and the list goes on! It was so fun!
Here are some pics from that night.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Steph and The Band
Let me set up this crazy circumstance for you; whew...how far back should I go...? I guess it's important for you to understand that nearly a year ago to the date (Easter weekend) my dad had the beginning of his conversion experience when he attended church (probably the first time he had gone completely by his own will) with a friend he had met at work. This friend, Karen, has become a rather significant person in my dad's life...dare I say, his girlfriend! While Karen is a truly fantastic person with incredible qualities, I'm sure she wouldn't mind me putting the spotlight on her daughter Stephanie for the sake of this post.
Stephanie is a recording artist with Gotee Records who is touring with Toby Mac's WinterJam. A total thrill for her I'm sure, but I'm sure that the life on the road is all but glorious. In fact I know that she and her band spend many nights sleeping in their van. Monday evening I got a call from my dad with a last minute request. Steph and her band are traveling from Nashville (where they live) to Grand Rapids, MI where they would continue the tour on Thursday. Incidentally, they would be coming to play in Fort Wayne on Friday. The trip from Nashville to Grand Rapids is quite a hike and the band needed a place to crash to split the trip. That was the request by the way.
I love to serve and I have always wanted to use this house for hospitality. There was a stir in my heart that I needed to allow this happen, but my initial reaction was timid. I had never met Stephanie before, which didn't really matter to me except this did seem like an extraordiany circumstance given the above stated history. Not to mention that I was scheduled to work both Tuesday and Wednesday (3a-3p). Ignoring the stir in my heart, I hesitated enough when I spoke with my dad that the inital response was a sorted "no". I was worried more about how I would have my house ready and food for my guests etc...all things important to me. But not the most important thing.
A while later I got a text from my dad that said, "Steph really wants to stay there." Immediately, I said, "okay, we'll make it work!"
Later, I read on Steph's blog a post she'd written about Obedience. I thought, "Wow, this is so fitting." I had felt the stir immediately and at first I responded incorrectly. But God would not let this opportunity slip away and I'm so glad He didn't. What's more is that on my way to work in the middle of the night, I had prayed that God would open cause my afternoon to open up by allowing the final 4 hours of my day to be covered by a co-worker. I kid you not when I tell you that the very first person I asked that morning if she'd be willing to cover my last 4 hours the following day said, "yes"! I knew right away, God was at work.
The band rolled in about 11:15pm last night and I have to say that as soon as they arrived, all the timidity and hesitation I had felt just melted away. I had prayed that God would prepare our home for them and I believe He did.
With some healthy snacks to satiate after a long drive, we gathered in our cozy, little family room with our new "friends" and caught up on American Idol from this week. What a hoot to watch this kind of show with "music people"!
I can't leave this post without sharing my "moment" with Steph as I was showing the band the sleeping arrangment. We shared a quick embrace and made a connection. We agreed that our meeting under these circumstances was more significant than if we had met by our parent's accord. After all we are both adults and capable of a friendship aside from our parent's relationship...and so it is. A new friendship!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Two things that consume my thoughts these days; the church plant and making the right choices for a better lifestyle.
The church plant; Triple Pointe Church...that's the name that's been selected. Our prayer is that for all the reasons we think it's a great name, other will also think so and will be drawn in. Our friends have made their move back to Fort Wayne. They just arrived last weekend and we got to spend part of the day with them today. I remember the days of having boxes gallore and feeling displaced even though I was at my home. And all the unexpected glitches. For example a washer and/or dryer that fail to wash and/or dry mountains of clothes and sheets. I just finished washing and drying sheets for my dear friend!!!
I'm not at all shocked that God is moving! The closer we get to actually digging our heels in and doing this thing, the more opportunities God is laying directly in my path...and the paths of others I know. One example; Andrew's swimming teacher. I've had the opportunity to talk with her on various occasions while Andrew plays in the water either before or after his lessons. She has openly shared some difficult circumstances within her family and I have been able to empathize with my own experience. I look forward to the day that I will see her and her family walk through the doors of our church.
My lifestyle change; interestingly, the church plant is one of the scariest and exciting prospects I've ever had in my life and it's sure to be difficult at times, but this healthy lifestyle thing is by the far the hardest thing I've ever done. Albeit, absolutely necessary! Without sharing details, I'll tell you that I am easily at my top weight of my lifetime. I have always felt that I could conquer it when I was ready, but finally reached a point a couple weeks ago where I felt completely incapable and weak!
I solicited the help of a coach and a friend. My dad! My dad has coached me before in the more traditional sense and now I was asking him to coach me one on one, even from miles away. So now, each and every day, sometimes several times a day, my dad text messages me to hold me accountable and see how I'm doing. That one little extra thing makes this attempt dramatically different than all my attempts from the past. It has really helped. And I have had success for over two weeks. And by success I am not saying that I am starving myself or doing some other wacky, temporary diet plan. Every day I am driven to make the best choices with my eating and exercise.
It feels good to wake up in the morning and know that I've done everything the day before that I could to maximize not just my weight loss, but also the general health of my body. And so I want to do it again and again and again. NOT EASY! Just necessary. There are days, in fact today is one of them, when I want to binge on crappy food that satisfies but for a moment. Sometimes it is moment by moment literally. No one can understand this completely unless they've dealt with addiction. For me, empty, but tasty food will stare at me until I eat it. That's how it feels anyway. I'm sure like a bottle of alcohol does for an alcoholic. So I fill my kitchen and fridge with foods full of nutrients that actually taste good. And I feel better about myself.
Two other things different about this final time around:
1. I have banned the use of a scale except for every 6 weeks (if that). The scale is not a friend of mine and never has been. I think it's deceiving to step on a scale every week (or every day). The proof is in how I feel!
2. Prayer. Like everything else in my life, I cannot do this alone. I have tried many, many times and I cannot do it. Not only have I enlisted my dad's support, I have committed to laying down my weakness at the throne of God Almighty each and every day. I must!
The church plant; Triple Pointe Church...that's the name that's been selected. Our prayer is that for all the reasons we think it's a great name, other will also think so and will be drawn in. Our friends have made their move back to Fort Wayne. They just arrived last weekend and we got to spend part of the day with them today. I remember the days of having boxes gallore and feeling displaced even though I was at my home. And all the unexpected glitches. For example a washer and/or dryer that fail to wash and/or dry mountains of clothes and sheets. I just finished washing and drying sheets for my dear friend!!!
I'm not at all shocked that God is moving! The closer we get to actually digging our heels in and doing this thing, the more opportunities God is laying directly in my path...and the paths of others I know. One example; Andrew's swimming teacher. I've had the opportunity to talk with her on various occasions while Andrew plays in the water either before or after his lessons. She has openly shared some difficult circumstances within her family and I have been able to empathize with my own experience. I look forward to the day that I will see her and her family walk through the doors of our church.
My lifestyle change; interestingly, the church plant is one of the scariest and exciting prospects I've ever had in my life and it's sure to be difficult at times, but this healthy lifestyle thing is by the far the hardest thing I've ever done. Albeit, absolutely necessary! Without sharing details, I'll tell you that I am easily at my top weight of my lifetime. I have always felt that I could conquer it when I was ready, but finally reached a point a couple weeks ago where I felt completely incapable and weak!
I solicited the help of a coach and a friend. My dad! My dad has coached me before in the more traditional sense and now I was asking him to coach me one on one, even from miles away. So now, each and every day, sometimes several times a day, my dad text messages me to hold me accountable and see how I'm doing. That one little extra thing makes this attempt dramatically different than all my attempts from the past. It has really helped. And I have had success for over two weeks. And by success I am not saying that I am starving myself or doing some other wacky, temporary diet plan. Every day I am driven to make the best choices with my eating and exercise.
It feels good to wake up in the morning and know that I've done everything the day before that I could to maximize not just my weight loss, but also the general health of my body. And so I want to do it again and again and again. NOT EASY! Just necessary. There are days, in fact today is one of them, when I want to binge on crappy food that satisfies but for a moment. Sometimes it is moment by moment literally. No one can understand this completely unless they've dealt with addiction. For me, empty, but tasty food will stare at me until I eat it. That's how it feels anyway. I'm sure like a bottle of alcohol does for an alcoholic. So I fill my kitchen and fridge with foods full of nutrients that actually taste good. And I feel better about myself.
Two other things different about this final time around:
1. I have banned the use of a scale except for every 6 weeks (if that). The scale is not a friend of mine and never has been. I think it's deceiving to step on a scale every week (or every day). The proof is in how I feel!
2. Prayer. Like everything else in my life, I cannot do this alone. I have tried many, many times and I cannot do it. Not only have I enlisted my dad's support, I have committed to laying down my weakness at the throne of God Almighty each and every day. I must!
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