17 my thoughtful husband, he got me a tablet with his reffing money
18 a job that helps us and keeps me using my education and a great woman to work for and with
19 my friends, I am consistently reminded of how blessed I am with genuine, meaningful friendships
20 April- who is a great friend but also has been a great encourager in pushing myself past what I thought I could do...HELLO Warrior Dash!
21 warm, winter clothes. today was freezing and it made me thankful for warm shoes, socks, and clothes. I realize a lot of people don't have that.
22 Christmas decorations and the inspiration from my mother in law. She is a Christmas FREAK and I think she sprinkled me with something because my house has turned into a Christmas wonderland. I think we're up to 9 trees....I know it's madness but I LOVE IT!!!
23 Baby Jesus; having kids was really a spiritual experience for me (not so much the actual having them but the emotion and all of that -probably a lot of hormones too as i look back). As we celebrate His birth, I'm reminded that Mary must have been scared out of her wits about all of this. Mary must have been an incredible woman (duh). She endured so much with His birth and death. I am so amazed by her humility and willingness to go through all of that.
24. my sister (she sent me some makeup today and put giftcards in there for my kids). She is so thoughtful and considerate. She is definitely the nicer of the two of us.
I'll finish tomorrow...we're about to go eat.
Okay I'm back so I'll finish tonight!!
25. my heritage. I had (that is so weird to type) the best grandparents ever. I learned a lot from them and am so thankful for the legacy they left for me. My Memaw & Papa were incredible giving people. They helped anyone and everyone and when you were with them, you felt like family (even if you weren't). My Grandma was also a lover of people. She worked with people that were less fortunate than her and needed help. she always treated people with dignity and respect. I wish my kids could know them.
26. Memaw's fruit cake. I make it homemade and it is delicious. It's actually orange slice fruitcake...YUMOLICIOUS!!!
27. music I love that I get to sing with our band at church. They are wonderful musicians and I really am lucky to play/sing with them.
28. our little city. I love it here. I love the people. I love that we can go places and run into friends.
29. Levi's willingness to "work" on his day off. Yesterday he cleaned our rug (I"ll spare the details of why but it was a BIG job). He also steam cleaned our floor (I got a Shark over the weekend). He also helped with all the Christmas decorating and getting stuff up and down out of attic. I appreciate that more than he knows.
30. The way my kids love me. I love that at 4am K man still tells me he loves me with a big grin. I love that A will run up and give me a huge hug just because she wants too. I love my kids more than I ever thought I could love someone.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
I am a Warrior!!!!
so this last weekend was the Warrior Dash here in Texas. I'm just going to be honest. I only agreed to this race because my friend, Wonder Woman, asked me and signed us up. I knew I had to do it. You can read the inspiration here. So, I started "training" by doing the Couch Potato to 5K program. Which really works and is awesome. Back in September, I ran my first 5K with Levi and WW. It was a little less than a stellar experience for me. You can read about it here. However, I learned I could run a 5K and not die. I was doubtful.
I knew the Warrior Dash was coming and I complained and whined about it any time I could. Even, on the drive up, I was NOT looking forward to it. In face, WW and I contemplated sleeping in and skipping it altogether. We didn't we went. I was freezing the morning of which was probably a good distraction. We were supposed to run in the 9am wave. BUT, since WW is such an EARLY person, we got to the race at 7:30-ish. We saw the 8am wave go and survive as we were hanging by the fire pits to keep warm. We decided to get in the 8:30 am wave to get it over with. We both were nervous and questioning our sanity. I looked at her and said, "We should prayer." I was honestly half kidding but she thought it was a great idea. So, I quietly whispered a prayer that God would be with us and seriously help us to stay safe and not break a leg. People-this race had barbed wire, wrecked cars, and fire...oh yeah, and MUD!!! And I am thankful for this journey with WW. We really did need His help. We're both 30-something here!! We did get cute Viking hats as you can see in the before picture above.
So, we all start yelling Warrior like things and jumping up and down. Even as I type this, I am giggling because it's just not typical for me. The excitement did get to me:) So, we start and we're running. We ran most of the race. About every 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile there was an obstacle. We had to climb over wrecked cars, walk the plank, climb a rope wall, run through a creek that got about 2 feet deep (and then run the rest of the race with soaked feet), crawl over ropes, do a tire run, repel up a wall, slide down a muddy hill, go through a spider web, climb up and down hay bails, jump over 4 feet walls, and lastly jump over fire pits and dive through mud with barbed wire at the top. That was a lot for me. BUT, I had so much fun. We finished in 52 or 53 minutes. I was really proud of myself. I ran almost the whole time. It was nice though because some of the obstacles were backed up so I could catch my breath. It was awesome. You can check out our finishing video!
I am a WARRIOR!!!
I knew the Warrior Dash was coming and I complained and whined about it any time I could. Even, on the drive up, I was NOT looking forward to it. In face, WW and I contemplated sleeping in and skipping it altogether. We didn't we went. I was freezing the morning of which was probably a good distraction. We were supposed to run in the 9am wave. BUT, since WW is such an EARLY person, we got to the race at 7:30-ish. We saw the 8am wave go and survive as we were hanging by the fire pits to keep warm. We decided to get in the 8:30 am wave to get it over with. We both were nervous and questioning our sanity. I looked at her and said, "We should prayer." I was honestly half kidding but she thought it was a great idea. So, I quietly whispered a prayer that God would be with us and seriously help us to stay safe and not break a leg. People-this race had barbed wire, wrecked cars, and fire...oh yeah, and MUD!!! And I am thankful for this journey with WW. We really did need His help. We're both 30-something here!! We did get cute Viking hats as you can see in the before picture above.
So, we all start yelling Warrior like things and jumping up and down. Even as I type this, I am giggling because it's just not typical for me. The excitement did get to me:) So, we start and we're running. We ran most of the race. About every 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile there was an obstacle. We had to climb over wrecked cars, walk the plank, climb a rope wall, run through a creek that got about 2 feet deep (and then run the rest of the race with soaked feet), crawl over ropes, do a tire run, repel up a wall, slide down a muddy hill, go through a spider web, climb up and down hay bails, jump over 4 feet walls, and lastly jump over fire pits and dive through mud with barbed wire at the top. That was a lot for me. BUT, I had so much fun. We finished in 52 or 53 minutes. I was really proud of myself. I ran almost the whole time. It was nice though because some of the obstacles were backed up so I could catch my breath. It was awesome. You can check out our finishing video!
I am a WARRIOR!!!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Thankful- I'll start here
a great place to start. If you have facebook I'm sure you've seen the posts about posting what you're thankful for everyday of November. Well, I haven't been doing it. I love the idea though so I thought I'd blog and do half now and half at the end of the month.
So, here goes (and not in order of importance):
1. the changing colors of the trees
2. K Man's crazy facial expressions
3. Addy's sense of style
4. Levi's frugal ways
5. my education (although not using it, I do have a master's degree tucked away)
6. music (all kinds)
7. my mom (she's so stinkin' fun)
8. my cowboy dad
9. Becker, our giant schnauzer
10. my crockpot & pampered chef roaster thing ( I love it)
11. peanut butter captain crunch
12. coupons
13. my yoyo girls
14. a GREAT extended family
15. our C group
16. our neighbors
okay so 15 more later :)
So, here goes (and not in order of importance):
1. the changing colors of the trees
2. K Man's crazy facial expressions
3. Addy's sense of style
4. Levi's frugal ways
5. my education (although not using it, I do have a master's degree tucked away)
6. music (all kinds)
7. my mom (she's so stinkin' fun)
8. my cowboy dad
9. Becker, our giant schnauzer
10. my crockpot & pampered chef roaster thing ( I love it)
11. peanut butter captain crunch
12. coupons
13. my yoyo girls
14. a GREAT extended family
15. our C group
16. our neighbors
okay so 15 more later :)
overwhelmed
Okay i have so much to say but am running in different directions so I can't do it now....gotta go make supper.
I'm starting a few new projects and have a lot of irons in the fire...lots of fires.
I'm good....need to catch up soon. Just didn't want my blog or my blog readers to think I've forgotten about them:)
I'm starting a few new projects and have a lot of irons in the fire...lots of fires.
I'm good....need to catch up soon. Just didn't want my blog or my blog readers to think I've forgotten about them:)
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Friends
So we had our C Group tonight...it's our version of small groups. Oh my gosh. Can I just say that I love it! It's amazing to me that a bunch of us can sit around our living room and share personal experiences, thoughts, struggles, etc and it feels so comfortable. At least for me it does. I have no apprehension sharing and being honest even if it's not what I'm "supposed" to say as a pastor's wife. They love me for me and I love them for them. I love that we're all so unique and different but we can come together under the commonality of God. We can share and differ on opinions and even some theology and it's okay. We don't all have to agree on it all or think the same...that's the beauty of it. If you're not in a C Group (if you go to Catalyst) or a small group (if you don't go to Catalyst), you should be...not be it's what's you should do out of obligation, but because it is where you connect and live life with each other and where you feel loved and accepted. And I love feeling connected, loved, and accepted!!
Friday, November 5, 2010
Turkey Day 5K...come on, let's do it!!!
Okay so once again, I'm going to copy my hubby's blog.
Who is Up for an informal 5k on Thanksgiving...
Background:
Many of you know that I was able to go to Ghana this summer with Mercy Project. My good friend and former neighbor Chris Field is the driving force behind this humanitarian effort. He has recently moved back to College Station, TX as he leads Mercy Project, raises awareness of child slavery, and raises funds to provide a better life for children who face the reality of slavery every day on Lake Volta in Ghana.
I have promised to be a mouthpiece to tell the story of these kids and to help in any way I can. In the last year I have played in a 50 hour long game of kickball (the game raised $20k). I went to Ghana to see these precious kids and have spoken to 25o high school kids about modern day slavery. I sold stuff so I could give to Mercy Project, and our small group held a garage sale that raised of $500 for MP. I am not bragging, quite the opposite in my opinion. I want us to realize that we don't have to be rich or give tens of thousands of dollars to make a difference. We have to be tenacious and keep it from slipping to the back burner of our schedule.
The 5k Challenge
MP will be holding a first annual Turkey Trot in College Station at 8 a.m. It is not feasable for me to drive that far for a 30 minute race. So, I got to thinking that I could just run a 5k through the neighborhood and invite some people to join me. We would pay the $25 and get t-shirts just like the racers in College Station and support a great cause.
I am hoping to get a minimum of 5 folks to run here in Rowlett. Seems pretty doable, so who's game?
Okay so back to me....so far he has 5 confirmed runners (yes, I am one of them). If you're in the area, think about it and let me know...it'll be fun and for a good cause. And heaven knows we could all burn a few calories before we stuff ourselves:)
Who is Up for an informal 5k on Thanksgiving...
Background:
Many of you know that I was able to go to Ghana this summer with Mercy Project. My good friend and former neighbor Chris Field is the driving force behind this humanitarian effort. He has recently moved back to College Station, TX as he leads Mercy Project, raises awareness of child slavery, and raises funds to provide a better life for children who face the reality of slavery every day on Lake Volta in Ghana.
I have promised to be a mouthpiece to tell the story of these kids and to help in any way I can. In the last year I have played in a 50 hour long game of kickball (the game raised $20k). I went to Ghana to see these precious kids and have spoken to 25o high school kids about modern day slavery. I sold stuff so I could give to Mercy Project, and our small group held a garage sale that raised of $500 for MP. I am not bragging, quite the opposite in my opinion. I want us to realize that we don't have to be rich or give tens of thousands of dollars to make a difference. We have to be tenacious and keep it from slipping to the back burner of our schedule.
The 5k Challenge
MP will be holding a first annual Turkey Trot in College Station at 8 a.m. It is not feasable for me to drive that far for a 30 minute race. So, I got to thinking that I could just run a 5k through the neighborhood and invite some people to join me. We would pay the $25 and get t-shirts just like the racers in College Station and support a great cause.
I am hoping to get a minimum of 5 folks to run here in Rowlett. Seems pretty doable, so who's game?
Okay so back to me....so far he has 5 confirmed runners (yes, I am one of them). If you're in the area, think about it and let me know...it'll be fun and for a good cause. And heaven knows we could all burn a few calories before we stuff ourselves:)
Menu for the Week
Friday Soccer Party
Saturday- Teriyaki Steak with Brown Rice
Sunday- Out & Sandwiches for dinner
Monday- Chicken Casserole with green beans
Tuesday- Roast with carrots, potatoes
Wednesday- Baked Chicken with rice & veggies
Thursday- ribs, corn, salad
Friday- Sloppy Joes & french fries
Saturday- Teriyaki Steak with Brown Rice
Sunday- Out & Sandwiches for dinner
Monday- Chicken Casserole with green beans
Tuesday- Roast with carrots, potatoes
Wednesday- Baked Chicken with rice & veggies
Thursday- ribs, corn, salad
Friday- Sloppy Joes & french fries
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Trust
I will trust you in the darkness I will trust you in life's harshness,
I will trust you Lord to guard over my heart.
I will trust you and keep singing, I will trust you dearly clinging.
I will trust you and keep bringing you my heart.
Those are the lyrics that keep playing in my mind. I googled and can't figure out the title. I even youtubed it and heart a GREAT (sarcastic) rendition. I'm thinking of a couple of my friends that are really struggling right now. And I started singing this song in my head because they are mature in their faith and that's them...they still trust even when life sucks. And I love the line, "I will trust you dearly clinging." Sometimes I feel that way, that I am trying so hard to keep clinging and other times I feel like I'm barely hanging on. I want this to be my heart too. I want to be mature enough in my faith and relationship that I trust and obey in the midst of the harshness of life, when things aren't fair or right or just. I want to keep singing and keep submitting my heart to God through the crap of life. I'm praying for my friends right now. Praying that God would bring peace in the midst of the storm that is raging around them now.
I will trust you Lord to guard over my heart.
I will trust you and keep singing, I will trust you dearly clinging.
I will trust you and keep bringing you my heart.
Those are the lyrics that keep playing in my mind. I googled and can't figure out the title. I even youtubed it and heart a GREAT (sarcastic) rendition. I'm thinking of a couple of my friends that are really struggling right now. And I started singing this song in my head because they are mature in their faith and that's them...they still trust even when life sucks. And I love the line, "I will trust you dearly clinging." Sometimes I feel that way, that I am trying so hard to keep clinging and other times I feel like I'm barely hanging on. I want this to be my heart too. I want to be mature enough in my faith and relationship that I trust and obey in the midst of the harshness of life, when things aren't fair or right or just. I want to keep singing and keep submitting my heart to God through the crap of life. I'm praying for my friends right now. Praying that God would bring peace in the midst of the storm that is raging around them now.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Okay...more wise words, from Levi this time.
I love my husband. He is one wise man! Lately, we've all been stressed about a variety of things and life situations, etc...just life I guess. Levi's been MIA for a while in regards to his blog. I thought I'd share his blog on mine tonight.
Not much to say...
I have sucked it up in regards to blogging lately. Truthfully, I simply have not felt like putting words on the screen. Life has been busy. I have been reffing a lot of soccer lately and feel like I am running around like a chicken with it's head cut off.
I will say that being the pastor of a church plant/re-start or whatever we are is the most stressful and difficult thing I have ever been a part of. I was lamenting some of the frustrations I am experiencing to my dad the other day as he is not just my dad but a pastor and church planter as well. He told me that the similarities to what I am experiencing now and what he went through in the late 1970s as a church planter are eerily similar.
He shared some stuff with me that he had never told me before about his ministry in Georgia and it really encouraged me. I hope I last as long in ministry as he has. I have an incredible respect for guys and gals who have been doing ministry for more than 20 years and for people who stick with a local church for more than 20 years. The easy thing to do is run off and find a new career or "better" church.
I have to be careful to remember that God is the one who will build his church. I am not called to build churches, I am called to make disciples and be faithful to the call he has put on my life. As long as I am putting in the time, energy, and effort to fulfill His call, it is all good.
posted by levi at 2:08 pm
Not much to say...
I have sucked it up in regards to blogging lately. Truthfully, I simply have not felt like putting words on the screen. Life has been busy. I have been reffing a lot of soccer lately and feel like I am running around like a chicken with it's head cut off.
I will say that being the pastor of a church plant/re-start or whatever we are is the most stressful and difficult thing I have ever been a part of. I was lamenting some of the frustrations I am experiencing to my dad the other day as he is not just my dad but a pastor and church planter as well. He told me that the similarities to what I am experiencing now and what he went through in the late 1970s as a church planter are eerily similar.
He shared some stuff with me that he had never told me before about his ministry in Georgia and it really encouraged me. I hope I last as long in ministry as he has. I have an incredible respect for guys and gals who have been doing ministry for more than 20 years and for people who stick with a local church for more than 20 years. The easy thing to do is run off and find a new career or "better" church.
I have to be careful to remember that God is the one who will build his church. I am not called to build churches, I am called to make disciples and be faithful to the call he has put on my life. As long as I am putting in the time, energy, and effort to fulfill His call, it is all good.
posted by levi at 2:08 pm
Monday, November 1, 2010
Words of Wisdom
I got back from West Virginia last night LATE and have been going all day. In fact, I should be working now. I follow another church planter wife names Jennifer. I love her blog. I love to read what she says. She has wisdom and experience. I read her blog today and wanted to repost in mine.
Relational Pain #3
Vince just posted this on his blog from another pastor. It goes perfectly with the idea of relational pain, people leaving your church, friendships ending, etc.
As Francis Chan so eloquently put it recently, you’d be hard pressed to read in the book of Acts about a guy who got upset about service times or music style and deciding to leave a church. It’s true…people really do leave churches for silly reasons. I recently heard about someone who left our church because we focused too much on reaching the unchurched. Pretty amazing, since that’s exactly why Jesus came to earth. Sometimes, a Christian leaves a church for a good reason – perhaps to be a part of a new work or perhaps because they move. Let me offer some tips and comments on leaving a church and dealing with the fact that people leave your church.
If you’re leaving a church, talk to the pastor or a leader about your reasons. Don’t just disappear. My friend Kyle recently talked to me about why he was leaving our church to help out a church plant. I appreciated the fact that he wanted me to hear it from him before I heard it from somewhere else. He was kind and gracious, and I was able to bless him and will continue to pray for him.
If you’re planting a church, don’t try and steal people from other churches. Ed Young calls this pirating, and I’d tend to agree. If you’re trying to talk up what you’re doing and how your church can offer more opportunities than the church they are currently attending, you’re doing a disservice to the Kingdom.
If people come to your church from another church, make sure they left well. Make sure they have the conversations they need to have and that they left on good terms. In the early days of Oak Leaf Church, there are a few people I would not let step into leadership because they hadn’t talked to their previous pastor.
If people badmouth their previous church to you, they will badmouth you to their next church.
As a pastor, it’s tough not to take it personally when someone leaves your church. I compare it to someone not liking your kid.
I promise you that the kids ministry is going to do something that upsets you, or the pastor is going to say something that you don’t totally agree with. If you’re involvement there is shaky enough to be threatened by those things, then check your heart and see why you’re there in the first place.
7 times out of 10, leaving a church because the teaching isn’t deep enough is a sign of your own personal shallowness and has nothing to do with what the church is doing or teaching. Christians are supposed to learn how to feed themselves.
Many times, when people say they “had a bad experience,” what they mean is “they tried to pastor me, hold me accountable, actually help me grow, or expected me to honor my commitments and I didn’t want that.” Not all the times, but many times.
Leading a church is tough. Christians, pray for your church and for all of the pastors. You have NO IDEA what they go through. They deal with their own stuff, but they also worry and deal with the stuff of hundreds of people. On top of that, they know they are being judged more harshly by God. (James 3:1)
Hope this helps!
Relational Pain #3
Vince just posted this on his blog from another pastor. It goes perfectly with the idea of relational pain, people leaving your church, friendships ending, etc.
As Francis Chan so eloquently put it recently, you’d be hard pressed to read in the book of Acts about a guy who got upset about service times or music style and deciding to leave a church. It’s true…people really do leave churches for silly reasons. I recently heard about someone who left our church because we focused too much on reaching the unchurched. Pretty amazing, since that’s exactly why Jesus came to earth. Sometimes, a Christian leaves a church for a good reason – perhaps to be a part of a new work or perhaps because they move. Let me offer some tips and comments on leaving a church and dealing with the fact that people leave your church.
If you’re leaving a church, talk to the pastor or a leader about your reasons. Don’t just disappear. My friend Kyle recently talked to me about why he was leaving our church to help out a church plant. I appreciated the fact that he wanted me to hear it from him before I heard it from somewhere else. He was kind and gracious, and I was able to bless him and will continue to pray for him.
If you’re planting a church, don’t try and steal people from other churches. Ed Young calls this pirating, and I’d tend to agree. If you’re trying to talk up what you’re doing and how your church can offer more opportunities than the church they are currently attending, you’re doing a disservice to the Kingdom.
If people come to your church from another church, make sure they left well. Make sure they have the conversations they need to have and that they left on good terms. In the early days of Oak Leaf Church, there are a few people I would not let step into leadership because they hadn’t talked to their previous pastor.
If people badmouth their previous church to you, they will badmouth you to their next church.
As a pastor, it’s tough not to take it personally when someone leaves your church. I compare it to someone not liking your kid.
I promise you that the kids ministry is going to do something that upsets you, or the pastor is going to say something that you don’t totally agree with. If you’re involvement there is shaky enough to be threatened by those things, then check your heart and see why you’re there in the first place.
7 times out of 10, leaving a church because the teaching isn’t deep enough is a sign of your own personal shallowness and has nothing to do with what the church is doing or teaching. Christians are supposed to learn how to feed themselves.
Many times, when people say they “had a bad experience,” what they mean is “they tried to pastor me, hold me accountable, actually help me grow, or expected me to honor my commitments and I didn’t want that.” Not all the times, but many times.
Leading a church is tough. Christians, pray for your church and for all of the pastors. You have NO IDEA what they go through. They deal with their own stuff, but they also worry and deal with the stuff of hundreds of people. On top of that, they know they are being judged more harshly by God. (James 3:1)
Hope this helps!
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