Sometimes, I feel a little foolish in the things we decide to do. Like, for instance, leaving a great church that my husband and I helped get started with a couple people and grew to many that we loved for 9 years, downloading our home and most of our belongings and moving to another country a few months before our daughter graduates from University. That seems quite foolish. To take a year while planning to leave, to sell things and raise support from other people who believe in our foolish ideas. To move to this new country to talk to people each day and show them that someone cares and God loves them. It is foolish, isn't it, to believe that you can make a difference in the world by showing a nation that their city matters enough for us to leave ours? Yes, I must admit, sometimes I feel a little foolish. Especially when I see the look in people's eyes when we tell them that we feel like God is directing us to make this move. When they ask what our daughters will do without us in the same country to live with on their university breaks. When people smile and say, "wow, that's wonderful" and you know they think you just bought a one way ticket onto the crazy train that just zoomed by.
It is funny. I do know we are a little crazy. We are not what you would call a "normal" family. What I do know is that we feel at peace. We know we are following God and we know that God will take care of it all. Is it hard to trust? YES! Do you feel like you just bought a ticket to the crazy train when you plan to move without having a job prepared ahead of time or a place to live...most of the time. Do I wish I could have a room for my girls to sleep in and have them drive over to visit? Of course, that maybe the hardest thing for us so far.
I was reading my Bible today and you know what it says? That God did something foolish too. It says in 1 Corinthians that "The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God". Our whole life, as we follow Christ, is foolishness! What we preach can be seen as foolish...but it also has the power to save.
One of my favorite parts of the Bible is in John. Jesus is speaking and says, "My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me." I love this. It means that if we decide to accept the foolishness of God and decide to follow Jesus, that we can hear His voice and we can follow Him! How amazing that the God who created this world can talk to us. We just have to listen. Will we make mistakes? Yes! Will we always know exactly what is planned out for the next year, month or day? No way! When you follow someone, does that mean you know where you are going? Probably not, because usually if you already know the way, there is no need to follow - you can just meet up with them at the end - right?
So feeling foolish has again popped up in my life. God directed us to New Zealand for a 2 year adventure to start a ministry here. Now, we are feeling God's direction again. You see, the problem with this is, our 2 year plan is not finished yet and we feel like the Shepherd is ready to move to a different field! As we look at the picture, we can see that our move here not only changed the way we follow God, but also built up our trust that He will take care of us, our girls and our future. We can see how God allowed us to let go of many things in our lives to free us to move to new locations and continue to shine His Light wherever we go. We look around and see a future ministry starting in this amazing city that God has brought us to. We can see God using us in the churches we have visited and the people we have met. Why is God changing our direction yet again? I suppose if we knew the answer to that, we probably would no longer be "following" but "leading". So, we are grabbing a ticket for the crazy train and hoping on yet again! God is directing us to Los Angeles, California. No, we did not make up this location, although, we both LOVE warm weather AND the beach. I suppose God does know the desires of our hearts after all.
As we pray about moving yet again, moving back "home" to our country but not "home" near our family, friends or girls. That is the stretch and pull of the following. Sometimes, you see the green grass over the fence and wonder...but is it worth it to plan our life out, and loose sight of the Shepherd? Should we just go over that fence and back home so that we can see our family, friends and girls more? Of course we think about it.
Some people think our life is a grand adventure and see us in New Zealand and wish they could just up and leave their job and go to a pacific island...what they don't see is the hard. It is hard to sell all of your things. It is hard to not be able to hug your oldest daughter as she graduates university or when your youngest is dropped off for her first year of university. It is hard to see the smiles and faces of those who want to look at your ticket you just bought for that train going by...it is hard to not be "normal".
But...you know what?? I would not change it for anything. I love following my Shepherd. I love not knowing what is next in my life as I step out, yet again, in faith - trusting that our Shepherd has a plan. I love living in a small apartment (who knew??) I love moving to a new place, although it is hard, to see who I am and who I am becoming. Yes, I feel foolish in these moments. Yes, I feel like I just bought a ticket on a crazy train sometimes, but you know what is super exciting about this whole life adventure of following His dirty sandals? The wonderful and amazing thing of it all is...our two girls are now hearing their Shepherd's voice. They are taking steps in life that seem...ok, I'll say it...a little crazy and I LOVE it! I am so thankful that our girls can hear the voice of The One who has the power to save and they can see that a ticket on a crazy train really isn't that bad. That being foolish by following a God that uses foolishness to save the world may not be such a crazy idea after all.
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Saturday, April 30, 2016
Where does it go?
Well, my daughter graduates from Indiana Wesleyan University today. I am not there to watch her walk across the stage to receive her degree. So many mixed emotions going on as I sit in New Zealand, so far away from Indiana and get ready to watch it live, simulcasted to my laptop.
Mackenzie is an amazing daughter. She is the one I can count on to shop with me and get a drink at Starbucks. I taught her how to thrift store shop! She is so fun to talk to and laugh with. I love that she is a young adult and we can sometimes just hang out and be silly together.
Mackenzie is an amazing daughter. She is the one I can count on to shop with me and get a drink at Starbucks. I taught her how to thrift store shop! She is so fun to talk to and laugh with. I love that she is a young adult and we can sometimes just hang out and be silly together.
I have heard older people say, "where does the time go?". I used to smile with my two little girls hanging from my arms, not believing that time would go very fast. Sometimes, I wished it would! When you are a mom with two little ones, as one of my friends is finding out...you don't have much time to think about time, or how fast or slow it is going. You don't even have much time to sleep, so that makes time slow down even more! You wonder if you will ever get a good night of sleep or if time will ever begin to move along.
Take it from me. You will get sleep. Time will move along. Time goes slow and time goes fast. Time seems to drag along behind us while at a job we don't love. I remember sitting in a middle school class while the "kids" were all but climbing the walls while the teacher was trying to teach (I actually think one boy was climbing the walls). I was looking at the clock, then I waited a VERY long time and looked again...and just ONE minute had passed!! Talk about slow! I thought that hour would NEVER end. It did. I DID have an eye twitch by the end of that hour, but it did end...that day.
Walking through a difficult time in life can feel as if you are stuck in the middle of time that will never move again. Depression and grief can hold us hostage in time for a while. It feels as if it will never change or heal...it will. It takes time.
Why do we "feel" time like this? We are anxious to grow up, then look back and realize that "adulting" is not as fun as it looked like a few years before. We can't wait to have a career, then look back and wish we didn't have to work all the time.
So, where DOES our time go? It goes into the people around us, the places we walk through and the things we do. Time is what God gives us to meet new people, build amazing friendships, enjoy places - whether new or if it's just your regular spot. Time heals wounds and time gives us new experiences. Time brings joy, laughter and sorrow. Time brings tears and hugs, coffee with friends and learning new skills. Time gives us babies to cuddle, toddlers to chase and teens to drive to the mall. Time takes your daughter through University and into her next incredible adventure.
I am so thankful that God is in charge of all things - even time! He is really the one who brings people into our lives, new jobs, new joys, new babies, new experiences. I know that if my beautiful daughters will follow God and His timing, He will direct their paths. He will show them their next adventure and be with them in all the ups and downs of this journey of life.
Time is what we are given. God is with us through every second. We just have to remember that He is there. Remember to enjoy our lives that we are given. Remember to pass along the joy of following God and His adventures to those we meet along the way.
Congratulations Mackenzie! We are very proud! We will be foldlowing your walk across the stage on our laptop. We will be watching from different time zones, but seeing the same thing. You, ending this time of your life at IWU, and beginning the next new journey that God has planned for you.
Love you and sending hugs and shouts of joy from Down Under!!
Friday, January 22, 2016
What are you doing??
We are here, in New Zealand. It is so exciting! We have prayed and worked toward moving here for close to a year. Now we finally have stepped onto the soil of what is our new home for the next few years. It is so beautiful here. The people are fantastic. The summer weather is amazing and so much better than the below freezing temperatures we left in Michigan. Everything is going great!
There is just one small problem. I look ahead and I don't see it. I can not see what God has planned here. Our Visas came through, we packed, we moved, we are in a new country meeting new people, but I don't see the future. I can't see the plan. We have talked about the plan, we know what the plan is, we are excited about the plan...but I can't see the plan.
Why is it that when God brings us to each step in our lives, we can look back and say, "wow! can you believe what God has done?", then we look forward and say, "God, what are you doing??"
Many people in the Bible walked through this same problem:
Moses saw God deliver the Israelites from slavery, then they stood in front of the Red Sea with an army coming up behind them! "God, what are you doing??...will we make it?"
Joshua reached Jericho. He knew God would allow them to attack and win the battle. Then God told him to march around the city for 7 days and God would win the battle for them..."God, what are you doing?...this was not the plan."
Esther became Queen from being an orphan. Then, when her people were threatened, it was her who had to risk her life to ask the King to save them. "God, what are you doing??...am I strong enough?"
Saul became Paul when he encountered Jesus on the road. He sits in a jail cell wondering if he will live to see tomorrow..."God, what are you doing??...can I trust you?"
These are a few of the many stories in the Bible that show that when you follow God...you can never see what is ahead! It is exciting to follow God into new places, new jobs, new relationships. The scary part of following Christ is that He seems to never show you the full plan. I guess, that is where faith comes in. Faith that all is just as God wants it to be. I just need to trust that each step I take will be in the right direction. Each person I meet is who God put in my path. Every day will get closer to what God has planned, but then I will be asking once again..."what's next? God, what are you doing??"
I have heard before that trust is faith in action. So, I guess I am heading to bed, waking up tomorrow and taking the next step. That is all God wants each of us to do, I suppose. To take the next step that He has asked of us. To try to follow Him each day. To trust that He really does have a plan and we don't always need to see it. Then, while we take the next step, trust in Him and follow the path ahead...our faith will become the future. Our path will be His plan.
There is just one small problem. I look ahead and I don't see it. I can not see what God has planned here. Our Visas came through, we packed, we moved, we are in a new country meeting new people, but I don't see the future. I can't see the plan. We have talked about the plan, we know what the plan is, we are excited about the plan...but I can't see the plan.
Why is it that when God brings us to each step in our lives, we can look back and say, "wow! can you believe what God has done?", then we look forward and say, "God, what are you doing??"
Many people in the Bible walked through this same problem:
Moses saw God deliver the Israelites from slavery, then they stood in front of the Red Sea with an army coming up behind them! "God, what are you doing??...will we make it?"
Joshua reached Jericho. He knew God would allow them to attack and win the battle. Then God told him to march around the city for 7 days and God would win the battle for them..."God, what are you doing?...this was not the plan."
Esther became Queen from being an orphan. Then, when her people were threatened, it was her who had to risk her life to ask the King to save them. "God, what are you doing??...am I strong enough?"
Saul became Paul when he encountered Jesus on the road. He sits in a jail cell wondering if he will live to see tomorrow..."God, what are you doing??...can I trust you?"
These are a few of the many stories in the Bible that show that when you follow God...you can never see what is ahead! It is exciting to follow God into new places, new jobs, new relationships. The scary part of following Christ is that He seems to never show you the full plan. I guess, that is where faith comes in. Faith that all is just as God wants it to be. I just need to trust that each step I take will be in the right direction. Each person I meet is who God put in my path. Every day will get closer to what God has planned, but then I will be asking once again..."what's next? God, what are you doing??"
I have heard before that trust is faith in action. So, I guess I am heading to bed, waking up tomorrow and taking the next step. That is all God wants each of us to do, I suppose. To take the next step that He has asked of us. To try to follow Him each day. To trust that He really does have a plan and we don't always need to see it. Then, while we take the next step, trust in Him and follow the path ahead...our faith will become the future. Our path will be His plan.
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Random Rain
What keeps happening in my life as I prepare to leave the country to move to New Zealand and begin a new life there? Random rain. My emotions seem to be wrapped up in tears. One moment, I am so excited that God would ask us to start a church in New Zealand, that I cry with joy...the next moment, I feel overwhelmed with all we need to do and all the trust we need to know that God will provide the finances, that I cry...
Random rain has become a normal part of life for me and, I guess, my family. God is the creator of emotions. He knows what I am going through. I suppose He doesn't mind a few extra raindrops from time to time.
I am trying to learn to embrace these extra raindrops. It is all part of the journey I suppose. Who doesn't need a little extra rain in their lives?
People ask what it feels like to "become a missionary". I feel honored, sad, excited, overwhelmed and joyful all at once. I feel honored that God would ask us to move all the way around the world to share Him with others. I feel sad to know I won't be able drive to a Birthday party when I want to. I feel excited that I will be moving to an amazing city to meet new people. I feel overwhelmed as we are now totally dependent on God to provide. Rain begins to fall as all of these emotions fill my life.
We need about $50,000 more to be able to fly over to New Zealand to begin to start meeting people and sharing the hope of Christ. I feel the rain coming when I stop to think about how big that amount is to us. Then, when someone walks up and invests $1000 or commits online to supporting us each month, the rain begins again as I see God's hand moving through other people.
I sit and think of all the people God has for us to meet in New Zealand. The rain wells up in me as I pray for these people that we have never met, those who are sitting in darkness and praying for light. Some moments I feel like I can't wait even a few more months to meet these people from all over the world. Then, again, drops of rain...
Auckland, New Zealand, where we will be moving, has many people from many countries living there. While Dennis and I visited back in March, we met a couple who work with Campus Crusade on the campus of the University of Auckland. They told us of praying for revival. They talked about praying that God would send people to help them. They explained how they meet with students from all over the world who come to Auckland for their education. They talk to them over coffee and tell them about Jesus. They show them that there is One who can bring light to their darkness. Then, they looked up into our eyes and said, "but we do not have a church to send them to". Remembering their faces as they said this to us brings more rain drops that just don't stop falling sometimes.
Please pray for me - and my family - as we continue on this journey of trust. It is so amazing to watch what God can do! It also brings rain. Random rain. I am beginning to enjoy the rain as God is clearing out my heart of things I hold onto. Selling possessions brings a fresh rain of freedom. Praying for those we will meet brings the rain of hope. Telling others what God can do brings rain of trust and expectation. Sharing with you brings a rain of comfort knowing that others are praying with us on this journey. Random rain...I encourage you to try it, although, you may have to step out in faith in some area of your life to be able to see it falling more frequently. Jesus did not say that following Him would be easy, but He said He would be with us...maybe even in the rain.
If you would like to keep updated, please email at hopenewzealand.cook@gmail.com
If you would like to keep updated via Facebook, please click on this page - Cook Down Under Updates
If you would like to invest in this mission and church plant, please visit our funding page -
Hope New Zealand
Random rain has become a normal part of life for me and, I guess, my family. God is the creator of emotions. He knows what I am going through. I suppose He doesn't mind a few extra raindrops from time to time.
I am trying to learn to embrace these extra raindrops. It is all part of the journey I suppose. Who doesn't need a little extra rain in their lives?
People ask what it feels like to "become a missionary". I feel honored, sad, excited, overwhelmed and joyful all at once. I feel honored that God would ask us to move all the way around the world to share Him with others. I feel sad to know I won't be able drive to a Birthday party when I want to. I feel excited that I will be moving to an amazing city to meet new people. I feel overwhelmed as we are now totally dependent on God to provide. Rain begins to fall as all of these emotions fill my life.
We need about $50,000 more to be able to fly over to New Zealand to begin to start meeting people and sharing the hope of Christ. I feel the rain coming when I stop to think about how big that amount is to us. Then, when someone walks up and invests $1000 or commits online to supporting us each month, the rain begins again as I see God's hand moving through other people.
I sit and think of all the people God has for us to meet in New Zealand. The rain wells up in me as I pray for these people that we have never met, those who are sitting in darkness and praying for light. Some moments I feel like I can't wait even a few more months to meet these people from all over the world. Then, again, drops of rain...
Auckland, New Zealand, where we will be moving, has many people from many countries living there. While Dennis and I visited back in March, we met a couple who work with Campus Crusade on the campus of the University of Auckland. They told us of praying for revival. They talked about praying that God would send people to help them. They explained how they meet with students from all over the world who come to Auckland for their education. They talk to them over coffee and tell them about Jesus. They show them that there is One who can bring light to their darkness. Then, they looked up into our eyes and said, "but we do not have a church to send them to". Remembering their faces as they said this to us brings more rain drops that just don't stop falling sometimes.
Please pray for me - and my family - as we continue on this journey of trust. It is so amazing to watch what God can do! It also brings rain. Random rain. I am beginning to enjoy the rain as God is clearing out my heart of things I hold onto. Selling possessions brings a fresh rain of freedom. Praying for those we will meet brings the rain of hope. Telling others what God can do brings rain of trust and expectation. Sharing with you brings a rain of comfort knowing that others are praying with us on this journey. Random rain...I encourage you to try it, although, you may have to step out in faith in some area of your life to be able to see it falling more frequently. Jesus did not say that following Him would be easy, but He said He would be with us...maybe even in the rain.
If you would like to keep updated, please email at hopenewzealand.cook@gmail.com
If you would like to keep updated via Facebook, please click on this page - Cook Down Under Updates
If you would like to invest in this mission and church plant, please visit our funding page -
Hope New Zealand
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Waiting for a Miracle
Waiting for a miracle. That is what we are doing right now. God has been directing us to begin the process of moving to New Zealand to start a new church...to meet people who are looking for hope.
It is funny, you would think that God would ask people to do things for him that they could actually do themselves, but that is not the way God works. Many stories of the Bible show us that God loves to use ordinary people to prove what He can do with nothing - to show the world that God is bigger than we could ever be. That He can do what we can not.
Jesus used one boy's lunch to feed thousands of people. A lunch that filled their bellies, then filled up baskets with leftovers. How can there be leftovers from one lunch that fed thousands of hungry people? It was a miracle.
Esther boldly went before the king to ask for her people to be rescued. How was she, a Jewess, able to approach the king? She was chosen. She was favored. It was a miracle.
David, a small teenager, killed a giant. He used a sling and small stone to kill a man twice his size who had a sword and shield. How was this possible? It was a miracle.
Lazarus was dead. He was buried in a tomb. His family was mourning. Jesus comes and calls to him. Lazarus walks out of the tomb...alive. It was a miracle.
Jesus died on a cross. He gave up his life. He was buried in a tomb. Three days later, he arose from the dead. He is alive. It is a miracle.
This is why we are waiting for a miracle. We serve the God of miracles. Many people wonder how we can possibly raise the funding to move to a country on the other side of the world. We can't but the God of miracles we serve can do the impossible.
A speaker at a conference I attended gave me a bracelet that is now on my key chain. It was made from a short portion of a soft measuring tape. She told me that it was to represent Ephesians 3:20 "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine..."
God is able to do more than we can imagine. He asks us to do things that we are unable to do ourselves. Not so that we will look foolish or fail. Not so people can watch us try to do things that will never be done. God wants to use us to show His power to others. He does the impossible to show us that He is God and we are not. If He always asked us to do something easy or something within our reach, who would be able to see the power of God in the midst of it?
God has asked us to do something that we are unable to do ourselves. So, we are stepping out in Faith to do the impossible. We would love for you to join us in this adventure of seeing God multiply "our lunch" to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.
We are waiting for a miracle...
If you would like to follow us on Facebook, please find our page: Cook Down Under Updates
If you would like to receive our emailed updates and prayer requests, please email us at:
hopenewzealand.cook@gmail.com
If you would like to invest your lunch for God to multiply, please go to this link:
Hope New Zealand
Thursday, June 4, 2015
The Trade In
I heard a young man talking about our lives and that God asks us to be "all in" with Him. Then, as we grow in our lives and in our relationship with God, God will come back and ask for more...and more...of us. God asks us what we are holding in our hands...and if we are willing to trade it in for what He is holding in His hand.
When we give God our lives and trade in what we have, we receive much better things in return. You trade in your fear, He hands you calm. You trade in your anger, He hands you forgiveness. You trade in your plans for your life, He hands you peace...and possibly much more! I have something I am holding in my hand and God is asking me for a trade.
In the last few months, God has asked Dennis and I to make yet another change in our lives. God is asking me for my comfort. I have a comfortable life. I enjoy living in Michigan (at least during our short summer!) Our family is close enough to us that we can enjoy time with them. We have an amazing church full of beautiful people. I have friends to hang out and laugh with. I have fun driving my little Volkswagen Beetle convertible - especially during the 8 weeks of summer we have here in Michigan! I am holding onto these things...but God is asking me to let it go and trade it in for what He has planned.
Some of you may already know of this new plan that has unfolded in our lives and it requires us to move. Not move down the street or to a city we are familiar with. In the last few months, our lives have been flipped around and now Dennis and I are planning to become Missionary Church Planters in...New Zealand. Yes, the country - not the city in Michigan. I know. It is a crazy thing. It is definitely nothing that we would have thought of on our own.
In January, we were approached by a friend to see if we would be interested in this idea. We both felt something that encouraged us to continue to pursue a future in New Zealand. We had meetings, we prayed, we talked to our family and trusted advisers. We could not get New Zealand out of our heads! Everything we thought about brought us back to the idea of New Zealand - God had many verses, blogs, books and sermons come into our path that showed us we were on the right track with this crazy idea. Then, at the beginning of April, we took a trip to New Zealand to meet people and see the country. It is a beautiful place - with amazing people. We felt as if we fit right in with the Pastors and leaders there (seems there are crazy people in New Zealand too!) We feel that this move is the right thing for us to do. It is hard to think of leaving our family, friends and church here. It is almost as if God is asking us if we trust Him with everything...do we trust Him that He can take care of not only us, but those we care about here?
God knows me so well. The weekend after we were first approached about the idea of moving to New Zealand, I went to church with my daughter who attends Indiana Wesleyan University. The pastor at her church stood up and began the service with the words, "are you willing to give up everything you have to follow Jesus?" He ended the service with communion. Communion is a tradition where we remember what Christ did for us on the cross. It is a moment in time to not only remember, but to take that time to give God back what we have been holding back for ourselves - to give him all of us because He gave us all of Him. That moment was very meaningful to me. Then, while we were visiting New Zealand, the first Sunday service we attended ended with communion. This is what God was asking me in that moment..."am I enough for you? will you give me what is in your hand?"
This is what I am holding in my hand - my comfortable life. Here. God is asking if I am willing to open my hand to Him - to hand it over to the one who created me and knows what is best for me. Will I trust Him with my life - yet again. Will I trust Him...there.
So, here we go...on a journey of a lifetime. An adventure that we never would have dreamed. Opening up my hand, trading in what I have in my hand, what I have planned for my life, for what God has planned for me...New Zealand!
If you feel lead to be a part of our adventure in New Zealand and help us reach those who are looking for God to trade in their hurts and fears, here is a link for donations - Hope New Zealand
When we give God our lives and trade in what we have, we receive much better things in return. You trade in your fear, He hands you calm. You trade in your anger, He hands you forgiveness. You trade in your plans for your life, He hands you peace...and possibly much more! I have something I am holding in my hand and God is asking me for a trade.
In the last few months, God has asked Dennis and I to make yet another change in our lives. God is asking me for my comfort. I have a comfortable life. I enjoy living in Michigan (at least during our short summer!) Our family is close enough to us that we can enjoy time with them. We have an amazing church full of beautiful people. I have friends to hang out and laugh with. I have fun driving my little Volkswagen Beetle convertible - especially during the 8 weeks of summer we have here in Michigan! I am holding onto these things...but God is asking me to let it go and trade it in for what He has planned.
Some of you may already know of this new plan that has unfolded in our lives and it requires us to move. Not move down the street or to a city we are familiar with. In the last few months, our lives have been flipped around and now Dennis and I are planning to become Missionary Church Planters in...New Zealand. Yes, the country - not the city in Michigan. I know. It is a crazy thing. It is definitely nothing that we would have thought of on our own.
In January, we were approached by a friend to see if we would be interested in this idea. We both felt something that encouraged us to continue to pursue a future in New Zealand. We had meetings, we prayed, we talked to our family and trusted advisers. We could not get New Zealand out of our heads! Everything we thought about brought us back to the idea of New Zealand - God had many verses, blogs, books and sermons come into our path that showed us we were on the right track with this crazy idea. Then, at the beginning of April, we took a trip to New Zealand to meet people and see the country. It is a beautiful place - with amazing people. We felt as if we fit right in with the Pastors and leaders there (seems there are crazy people in New Zealand too!) We feel that this move is the right thing for us to do. It is hard to think of leaving our family, friends and church here. It is almost as if God is asking us if we trust Him with everything...do we trust Him that He can take care of not only us, but those we care about here?
God knows me so well. The weekend after we were first approached about the idea of moving to New Zealand, I went to church with my daughter who attends Indiana Wesleyan University. The pastor at her church stood up and began the service with the words, "are you willing to give up everything you have to follow Jesus?" He ended the service with communion. Communion is a tradition where we remember what Christ did for us on the cross. It is a moment in time to not only remember, but to take that time to give God back what we have been holding back for ourselves - to give him all of us because He gave us all of Him. That moment was very meaningful to me. Then, while we were visiting New Zealand, the first Sunday service we attended ended with communion. This is what God was asking me in that moment..."am I enough for you? will you give me what is in your hand?"
So, here we go...on a journey of a lifetime. An adventure that we never would have dreamed. Opening up my hand, trading in what I have in my hand, what I have planned for my life, for what God has planned for me...New Zealand!
If you feel lead to be a part of our adventure in New Zealand and help us reach those who are looking for God to trade in their hurts and fears, here is a link for donations - Hope New Zealand
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Hold on!!
Life is going along and your life is going good...then, God says - I think you need a change!
That is where I am again in my life. It seems that I have run into a lot of changes throughout my life. I was getting burned out with my job, so God brought along a new one for me. Now, God is changing that once again.
It's funny that just when I think that I have God all figured out, He decides to change things on me just so that I know that He has a better plan that I do! I would have never added another turn, or detour, as my husband may say, into my life at this time, but maybe God knew that a full time job during prime beach season here in Michigan would not work out well for me. I think I agree with Him on this one!
Dennis and I have run into a lot of twists and turns during our 22 years of marriage. I am so thankful that God brought along a man for me to walk along this journey with. We have had losses and celebrated victories!
Dennis proposed to me as we were riding up to the top of a large hill on a roller coaster (the Magnum - it was new that year) at Cedar Point! It was such an amazing time in my life. I was so excited for this fun filled life of marriage with the man I love!
God sure knows that the roller coaster was the perfect place for us to be engaged. It was a metaphor for what our life has been. Through all the twists and turns, God has been there - even when we didn't think He was. Dennis has always been a wonderful husband and father. I know God put us together so that we could walk this road - or shall I say, ride this coaster - together!
We had two amazing girls. It is pretty fun to watch them grow up into beautiful young women who love God and others. Earlier in our marriage, we lost a baby due to a ruptured tubal pregnancy which resulted in emergency surgery for me. I had lost a lot of blood and the doctors told Dennis that a few more hours and I may have not made it. Ups and Downs.
God allowed us to begin a few new churches, in which we have had to move five times. Our girls ended up to be the "new kids" in a few schools along the way. That was very difficult for us, but I always told my mom that I knew my kids would be safer and better off if we moved them and stayed in God's Will than if we stayed and did not follow the will of God for our lives. We always felt as if it was God who showed us where to move and we always had a peace that it was the right thing to do. This does not mean that my days did not have fears and my nights were not mixed with tears. Sometimes following God is not easy. It comes with a cost. Our cost was having to watch our little girls begin again. Make new friends...again. What is encouraging is that the girls have friends from each place that we have lived. We have met many amazing and wonderful people. God has blessed us with friends in Indiana and all over Michigan! (and now, as our friends move...around the country and world) Ups and Downs.
I am in another turn, yet again. My "new job" of 8 months has ended and I am looking at going back to working with students in the schools. God gave me a break to catch my breath and find my laugh. He helped me find a job for this year so that I would be able to go back to my job in the schools again with a new joy and with new students. And...to have time at my beach this summer! Ups and Downs.
Dennis and I just had our 22nd Anniversary. I can't believe it has been that long. Sometimes it seems like we have just begun this journey...then we look back and see the iron turns and hills and valleys. We have not taken off our seat belts yet because we know that God has a lot more in store for us in the years to come. I am just very happy that I can ride this coaster with a man who loves God and loves me. Dennis is willing to follow the twists and turns as long as God is setting up the path for us. Ups and Downs.
We are still in that coaster, seat belts on...laughing and screaming together. I can't wait to see what the next turn holds for us and I am thankful, Dennis, that we can hold hands through the rest of this ride!
That is where I am again in my life. It seems that I have run into a lot of changes throughout my life. I was getting burned out with my job, so God brought along a new one for me. Now, God is changing that once again.
It's funny that just when I think that I have God all figured out, He decides to change things on me just so that I know that He has a better plan that I do! I would have never added another turn, or detour, as my husband may say, into my life at this time, but maybe God knew that a full time job during prime beach season here in Michigan would not work out well for me. I think I agree with Him on this one!
Dennis and I have run into a lot of twists and turns during our 22 years of marriage. I am so thankful that God brought along a man for me to walk along this journey with. We have had losses and celebrated victories!
Dennis proposed to me as we were riding up to the top of a large hill on a roller coaster (the Magnum - it was new that year) at Cedar Point! It was such an amazing time in my life. I was so excited for this fun filled life of marriage with the man I love!
God sure knows that the roller coaster was the perfect place for us to be engaged. It was a metaphor for what our life has been. Through all the twists and turns, God has been there - even when we didn't think He was. Dennis has always been a wonderful husband and father. I know God put us together so that we could walk this road - or shall I say, ride this coaster - together!
We had two amazing girls. It is pretty fun to watch them grow up into beautiful young women who love God and others. Earlier in our marriage, we lost a baby due to a ruptured tubal pregnancy which resulted in emergency surgery for me. I had lost a lot of blood and the doctors told Dennis that a few more hours and I may have not made it. Ups and Downs.
God allowed us to begin a few new churches, in which we have had to move five times. Our girls ended up to be the "new kids" in a few schools along the way. That was very difficult for us, but I always told my mom that I knew my kids would be safer and better off if we moved them and stayed in God's Will than if we stayed and did not follow the will of God for our lives. We always felt as if it was God who showed us where to move and we always had a peace that it was the right thing to do. This does not mean that my days did not have fears and my nights were not mixed with tears. Sometimes following God is not easy. It comes with a cost. Our cost was having to watch our little girls begin again. Make new friends...again. What is encouraging is that the girls have friends from each place that we have lived. We have met many amazing and wonderful people. God has blessed us with friends in Indiana and all over Michigan! (and now, as our friends move...around the country and world) Ups and Downs.
I am in another turn, yet again. My "new job" of 8 months has ended and I am looking at going back to working with students in the schools. God gave me a break to catch my breath and find my laugh. He helped me find a job for this year so that I would be able to go back to my job in the schools again with a new joy and with new students. And...to have time at my beach this summer! Ups and Downs.
Dennis and I just had our 22nd Anniversary. I can't believe it has been that long. Sometimes it seems like we have just begun this journey...then we look back and see the iron turns and hills and valleys. We have not taken off our seat belts yet because we know that God has a lot more in store for us in the years to come. I am just very happy that I can ride this coaster with a man who loves God and loves me. Dennis is willing to follow the twists and turns as long as God is setting up the path for us. Ups and Downs.
We are still in that coaster, seat belts on...laughing and screaming together. I can't wait to see what the next turn holds for us and I am thankful, Dennis, that we can hold hands through the rest of this ride!
Monday, May 26, 2014
Who do you say I am?
Who do you say I am? That was a question that Jesus asked his disciples. It seems that people all around him were talking about him. Some said he was a Prophet, others said a nice guy...and others said he was a good teacher. What he really wanted to know, was what his followers said about him. What did his best friends think of him? Who was he in their eyes?
This is the question I think most of us women seem to ask. Who do you say I am? We ask the magazines, and they usually tell us that we are too fat, too pale, too short, too tall, too normal...
We ask those around us and usually end up with answers about themselves. People too engrossed in their own failures and flaws that they can't even look at us to answer who they think we are.
We ask our family. Sometimes we are a daughter, sometimes a mother or wife. We feel the pressure of expectations that go with those words. We look at what we feel we should be to fill the titles. We feel the need to be someone we are not. Someone who can do a better job of being a sister or daughter. Someone who can cook for their family better or decorate for Christmas like Martha Stewart would. Pinterest shows us what other daughters do or mothers make and we keep pinning up the ideas we know we will never do but wish we were that person who would. When we ask our family who they think we are, we don't even wait for them to answer us because we already have the answer. We are not enough. We are not what they need. We are just...
We ask the mirror. It reflects back at us what we tend to always see. We see what needs to improve. We see that we don't look as good as the stranger who passed us on the street today. We see that we look older and have wrinkles or freckles that we did not notice before.
Who do you say I am?
We forget. We forget to ask the only One who really matters. Our creator! The one who made us to be who we are. We forget that we are not just another person. Not just a sister. Not just a mom who fails.Not just a co-worker trying to make a way. We forget about who asked this question so many years ago! Jesus asked this question to his disciples. He wanted to know what his friends thought of him - not so he could fill their expectations, but so he could fill THEM!
Jesus is our savior. He is waiting for us to ask him that question. Who do you say I am?
He would answer...you are my beloved. You are beautiful. You are God's creation. You are exactly who you need to be. You are worth dying for.
So, let us try to begin to ask the question to the right person. Ask Jesus today, who do you say I am? Let him tell you who you are. All this time, we may have been asking the right question, but we have wasted our time by asking all the wrong people. Don't be afraid! Ask away...Jesus is waiting to give you his answer, his hope, his future. "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to give you hope and a future..."
This is the question I think most of us women seem to ask. Who do you say I am? We ask the magazines, and they usually tell us that we are too fat, too pale, too short, too tall, too normal...
We ask those around us and usually end up with answers about themselves. People too engrossed in their own failures and flaws that they can't even look at us to answer who they think we are.
We ask our family. Sometimes we are a daughter, sometimes a mother or wife. We feel the pressure of expectations that go with those words. We look at what we feel we should be to fill the titles. We feel the need to be someone we are not. Someone who can do a better job of being a sister or daughter. Someone who can cook for their family better or decorate for Christmas like Martha Stewart would. Pinterest shows us what other daughters do or mothers make and we keep pinning up the ideas we know we will never do but wish we were that person who would. When we ask our family who they think we are, we don't even wait for them to answer us because we already have the answer. We are not enough. We are not what they need. We are just...
We ask the mirror. It reflects back at us what we tend to always see. We see what needs to improve. We see that we don't look as good as the stranger who passed us on the street today. We see that we look older and have wrinkles or freckles that we did not notice before.
Who do you say I am?
We forget. We forget to ask the only One who really matters. Our creator! The one who made us to be who we are. We forget that we are not just another person. Not just a sister. Not just a mom who fails.Not just a co-worker trying to make a way. We forget about who asked this question so many years ago! Jesus asked this question to his disciples. He wanted to know what his friends thought of him - not so he could fill their expectations, but so he could fill THEM!
Jesus is our savior. He is waiting for us to ask him that question. Who do you say I am?
He would answer...you are my beloved. You are beautiful. You are God's creation. You are exactly who you need to be. You are worth dying for.
So, let us try to begin to ask the question to the right person. Ask Jesus today, who do you say I am? Let him tell you who you are. All this time, we may have been asking the right question, but we have wasted our time by asking all the wrong people. Don't be afraid! Ask away...Jesus is waiting to give you his answer, his hope, his future. "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to give you hope and a future..."
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Live and Laugh
I have been thinking about my Grandma lately. There are two things I remember most about my Grandma. My Grandma always prayed for me and she had a loud laugh that was contagious (some may have considered it more of a cackle). As I grow older, my laugh is becoming a tad louder and reminds me of my Grandma's laugh. Many people comment on my laugh. I feel self conscious at times when someone brings it up - my laugh can tend to embarrass my daughters when it can be heard on the other side of the restaurant! Then, I remember my Grandma. She had a smile and a laugh even when things didn't seem like they were going quite right. She enjoyed being around us and others. Whenever my Grandma was around people, you could always hear her laugh from across the room. She loved God and she loved people. Her Joy of life would cause those around her to laugh right along with her.
I want to always remember to laugh. I just read an article about the things that people regret while on their death bed. One of the regrets was, "I wish I had let myself be happier". Many don't think they deserve to be happy or feel as adults, that we should not be silly or laugh too much.
Why don't we let go of our reservations and make a choice to enjoy those around us! Make time to meet people you haven't seen in a while. Reach out, create new relationships and laugh with them. We can learn different things from each person we meet or take time to have coffee with. I have many wonderful people in my life that bring out a different aspect of my personality. Friends to shop with, friends to drink coffee and chat, friends who challenge me to improve, friends to knit with and friends I work with. One thing I like to do with all of them is to laugh! Laughter brings people together and can even bridge a gap with those from other cultures. It is something we love to hear from a baby. It brings tears to our eyes and a lightness to our hearts.
So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead - enjoy life! Drink some coffee. Meet new friends. Share your heart. Give a smile. Thank God for each day you have to share with those around you...and don't forget to laugh!
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Set Up by God
It is so funny to me that I look around, see life and the things around me and think I have it all figured out. I have been a sign language interpreter for twenty years, then I was laid off this year. I knew I would be laid off, and I began to seek a part time job even before the end of my job in the school district. I asked a few friends to keep an eye out for me for a part time job that would "fit" me. I almost immediately had a friend tell me that there was a job opening in her salon she works for. It was for a part time receptionist. I love hair and makeup - yes, I'm a girly girl. My idea of roughing it is a Holiday Inn Express. I knew it was a perfect fit for me and was very excited to begin working there even before my career in interpreting ended.
Working at this salon was an amazing experience. I not only learned new things about hair, hair color and how a salon works, I met some women that became a part of my life. They were easy to talk to, fun to laugh with and I enjoyed going to work - for the first time in quite a while! I knew that God had given me this job, that I was "set up" by God, but I really never "saw" what God was doing by bringing me into this place. Do we ever really know what God is up to? Do we just go about our lives and forget that there is another aspect of what we do - not just the things we do, but how God can use it. Our life is not just physical. It is spiritual. God is always working and moving in our lives even when we don't see it!
Right after being laid off from my full time position, my family and I were able to go on a vacation in Florida, thanks to some friends who loaned us their place to stay! Before leaving Michigan for our trip, my husband ran into an acquaintance that he knows from different groups around our town. This man found out that we were heading to Florida and He and his wife just so happened to be going to the same city in Florida on the same week that we were. They owned a home there and invited us for a boat ride when we arrived. Of course, our daughter did not let us forget this "plan"! She had brought along a friend to hang out with while on our vacation and she was very excited about the idea of a boat ride! Did I say that she did not let us forget this idea? She made sure her dad made the call when we arrived in Florida!
When we met up with this couple to take them up on their hospitality and boat ride, I met this man's wife, who owned a Paul Mitchell School. We began to chat about my new career change and that I was looking for something full time. It is fun to see how God works. I live in Michigan. I met this woman while on vacation in Florida. She owns a Paul Mitchell School in Florida AND in the town I live back home in Michigan. She began to talk to me about working for her at her school back in Michigan. I was "set up" by God.
I have been working for her now for about three months. I love this new job. It amazes me that God would set up an event for me - a vacation to Florida in June (not a prime time to go on vacation in Florida!) in order for me to spend time with someone who lives in my own hometown in Michigan! I am amazed that God would orchestrate the events of our life in order for us to see him working - almost so that we can not take the credit for the things "we" do - because it is so random, you know it must have been God!
I had to give up my part time job at the salon I loved in order to work full time at this new job. I was only there for part of the year, but I can look back now and see a few of the things that God was working on. I now understand that there were other reasons that I was working there other than just to learn about hair and how a salon works.
During a bible study on Esther, Beth Moore said, "Just to know we are significant to Him and He's willing to orchestrate a holy set-up to speak to us is monumental to every woman who ever feared she was invisible or unremarkable". God "set up" the events in Esther's life - I would recommend you to read the book of Esther in the bible! It is one of my favorite books of the Bible because you can see how God orchestrates life events in order to accomplish His work! We need to realize that God did not stop doing this in the Old Testament and he does not only do this for Queens. He moves in our lives every day, each year. If we choose to follow his direction, he will "set up" events in our lives in order for him to do his work. Take time this week to be sure you are open to God's plan, offer your life to be used by God, to follow his plan and you will be able to look back and see his work in your everyday steps.
Happy New Year! This can be the year that God "sets up" events in your life in order to work through you. Isn't that exciting?? Now, go read Esther and learn how to be ready to be "set up" by God!
Working at this salon was an amazing experience. I not only learned new things about hair, hair color and how a salon works, I met some women that became a part of my life. They were easy to talk to, fun to laugh with and I enjoyed going to work - for the first time in quite a while! I knew that God had given me this job, that I was "set up" by God, but I really never "saw" what God was doing by bringing me into this place. Do we ever really know what God is up to? Do we just go about our lives and forget that there is another aspect of what we do - not just the things we do, but how God can use it. Our life is not just physical. It is spiritual. God is always working and moving in our lives even when we don't see it!
Right after being laid off from my full time position, my family and I were able to go on a vacation in Florida, thanks to some friends who loaned us their place to stay! Before leaving Michigan for our trip, my husband ran into an acquaintance that he knows from different groups around our town. This man found out that we were heading to Florida and He and his wife just so happened to be going to the same city in Florida on the same week that we were. They owned a home there and invited us for a boat ride when we arrived. Of course, our daughter did not let us forget this "plan"! She had brought along a friend to hang out with while on our vacation and she was very excited about the idea of a boat ride! Did I say that she did not let us forget this idea? She made sure her dad made the call when we arrived in Florida!
When we met up with this couple to take them up on their hospitality and boat ride, I met this man's wife, who owned a Paul Mitchell School. We began to chat about my new career change and that I was looking for something full time. It is fun to see how God works. I live in Michigan. I met this woman while on vacation in Florida. She owns a Paul Mitchell School in Florida AND in the town I live back home in Michigan. She began to talk to me about working for her at her school back in Michigan. I was "set up" by God.
I have been working for her now for about three months. I love this new job. It amazes me that God would set up an event for me - a vacation to Florida in June (not a prime time to go on vacation in Florida!) in order for me to spend time with someone who lives in my own hometown in Michigan! I am amazed that God would orchestrate the events of our life in order for us to see him working - almost so that we can not take the credit for the things "we" do - because it is so random, you know it must have been God!
I had to give up my part time job at the salon I loved in order to work full time at this new job. I was only there for part of the year, but I can look back now and see a few of the things that God was working on. I now understand that there were other reasons that I was working there other than just to learn about hair and how a salon works.
During a bible study on Esther, Beth Moore said, "Just to know we are significant to Him and He's willing to orchestrate a holy set-up to speak to us is monumental to every woman who ever feared she was invisible or unremarkable". God "set up" the events in Esther's life - I would recommend you to read the book of Esther in the bible! It is one of my favorite books of the Bible because you can see how God orchestrates life events in order to accomplish His work! We need to realize that God did not stop doing this in the Old Testament and he does not only do this for Queens. He moves in our lives every day, each year. If we choose to follow his direction, he will "set up" events in our lives in order for him to do his work. Take time this week to be sure you are open to God's plan, offer your life to be used by God, to follow his plan and you will be able to look back and see his work in your everyday steps.
Happy New Year! This can be the year that God "sets up" events in your life in order to work through you. Isn't that exciting?? Now, go read Esther and learn how to be ready to be "set up" by God!
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Is Good really Good?
You know what I have come to realize through the years? That it's ok to not be ok. I know you are reading this and are now amazed at just how wise I am. You are probably wondering how I come up with these miraculous quotes all on my own. It does make you wonder how I do it - doesn't it?
Really, though. I think sometimes, especially those of us who are raised in a church, believe we must be ok all of the time. If our life is going bad and things are falling apart all around us, we feel that if we say anything to anyone, it will reflect badly on our God - who is able to do anything. We believe that if God is able to do anything, that he would surely not want us to go through a hard time or to suffer. That is where the confusion lies.
We all go through difficult times in our lives. Some, it seems, have a life full of trouble. When we look around, a few things are caused by our poor choices, and many we have no control over. So, what can we do during these times of hardship? How do we cope knowing God can do anything, and yet - it seems He is not.
In my own life trials and learnings, I feel that we just don't get it. Life. We think this life and our daily living is set up for us. For us to be happy and have all the fun toys to create an enjoyable time while we are here.We think this life is set up for us to be happy and if we are not having fun or we are not happy, then something is wrong. I am not against having fun, being happy or having toys. I love sitting at the beach on my day off and tuning out the world around me for a while. I do think God loves us and wants us to enjoy life, but I don't think that is what this is all about.
If you look back into the Bible, many of the disciples who walked with Jesus had a difficult time.Paul was shipwrecked, beaten and put in prison. If he was supposed to be on earth to be happy, I don't think he was doing such a great job of it!
God uses good and bad in our lives. It says in the Bible, "and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but the title of this section of the Bible - in my own Bible, is "Present Suffering and Future Glory". I think the future glory is speaking about Heaven. So, where does that leave us? God is working all things out for our good. Yes. I believe that is true! Here is the problem...I think the idea we have of "good" in our life and God's idea of "good" are two different things.
My husband walked through a dark time in his life. It was heartbreaking to stand by and watch as God allowed him to not see the light. To cry and feel abandoned by his God. I became angry at God for a time. I remember taking a walk and yelling at the sky. Asking God why he took away my best friend...he was not really there. It was an empty shell of who he had been. It took a few years to get my husband and best friend fully back. I remember about a year and a half after it began, I heard him laugh. I knew that it was the start of true healing in his life. He began to heal, slowly. When he came out of this dark hour in his life, he was different. He would never again be the same. This, I believe is what that verse is talking about. God brought good from this. This darkness changed my husband to be more like his God. Pain took out what was in the way, so that God could better use him to reach others. Now, those who my husband can relate to are those who are broken by life - or those who are walking in the dark. God allowed this "not happy" time in our lives. This pain was made to work for good in the people's lives that my husband ministers to. God wanted more for his life. He also knew that my husband could not get there without his help - without the darkness.
Because of this experience, my husband wrote a book called, "Pouring Ketchup". This book has many short stories that show how God is walking with us in the small moments of our lives. He is in the dark moments. He is using these moments to create something amazing with our lives - to create lives that will ultimately change those who walk around us and point them to our Creator and Lord. This experience in our family, I believe, was "good" in God's eyes. It was bitterly painful to walk through, but God's definition of "good" is different than ours. He wants us to depend on him, to find who we really are as his creation. He wants us to look to Heaven as something exciting - something in our future that is so much better than we have here! His good is not our good, but it is always for our good.
Really, though. I think sometimes, especially those of us who are raised in a church, believe we must be ok all of the time. If our life is going bad and things are falling apart all around us, we feel that if we say anything to anyone, it will reflect badly on our God - who is able to do anything. We believe that if God is able to do anything, that he would surely not want us to go through a hard time or to suffer. That is where the confusion lies.
We all go through difficult times in our lives. Some, it seems, have a life full of trouble. When we look around, a few things are caused by our poor choices, and many we have no control over. So, what can we do during these times of hardship? How do we cope knowing God can do anything, and yet - it seems He is not.
In my own life trials and learnings, I feel that we just don't get it. Life. We think this life and our daily living is set up for us. For us to be happy and have all the fun toys to create an enjoyable time while we are here.We think this life is set up for us to be happy and if we are not having fun or we are not happy, then something is wrong. I am not against having fun, being happy or having toys. I love sitting at the beach on my day off and tuning out the world around me for a while. I do think God loves us and wants us to enjoy life, but I don't think that is what this is all about.
If you look back into the Bible, many of the disciples who walked with Jesus had a difficult time.Paul was shipwrecked, beaten and put in prison. If he was supposed to be on earth to be happy, I don't think he was doing such a great job of it!
God uses good and bad in our lives. It says in the Bible, "and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but the title of this section of the Bible - in my own Bible, is "Present Suffering and Future Glory". I think the future glory is speaking about Heaven. So, where does that leave us? God is working all things out for our good. Yes. I believe that is true! Here is the problem...I think the idea we have of "good" in our life and God's idea of "good" are two different things.
My husband walked through a dark time in his life. It was heartbreaking to stand by and watch as God allowed him to not see the light. To cry and feel abandoned by his God. I became angry at God for a time. I remember taking a walk and yelling at the sky. Asking God why he took away my best friend...he was not really there. It was an empty shell of who he had been. It took a few years to get my husband and best friend fully back. I remember about a year and a half after it began, I heard him laugh. I knew that it was the start of true healing in his life. He began to heal, slowly. When he came out of this dark hour in his life, he was different. He would never again be the same. This, I believe is what that verse is talking about. God brought good from this. This darkness changed my husband to be more like his God. Pain took out what was in the way, so that God could better use him to reach others. Now, those who my husband can relate to are those who are broken by life - or those who are walking in the dark. God allowed this "not happy" time in our lives. This pain was made to work for good in the people's lives that my husband ministers to. God wanted more for his life. He also knew that my husband could not get there without his help - without the darkness.
Because of this experience, my husband wrote a book called, "Pouring Ketchup". This book has many short stories that show how God is walking with us in the small moments of our lives. He is in the dark moments. He is using these moments to create something amazing with our lives - to create lives that will ultimately change those who walk around us and point them to our Creator and Lord. This experience in our family, I believe, was "good" in God's eyes. It was bitterly painful to walk through, but God's definition of "good" is different than ours. He wants us to depend on him, to find who we really are as his creation. He wants us to look to Heaven as something exciting - something in our future that is so much better than we have here! His good is not our good, but it is always for our good.
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Just Plain Ordinary
Ordinary.
I feel ordinary most of the time. Not too special, not too pretty, not too popular - just plain ole ordinary. Do you ever feel ordinary? Do you feel you live just an ordinary life? I think most of us feel this way some, or most of the time. Even if we feel we are all alone in our "ordinary" world - I really believe most people would agree that their life is "just ordinary".
It seems we are under the assumption that ordinary is not good enough. We look around and see all of the things we would love to do, yet, how could we - just an ordinary person - accomplish a dream like that? God doesn't use ordinary, normal people - does he? I mean, sometimes its hard to even dream about something amazing happening in my life. I'm just ordinary, so it doesn't seem like that dream would actually happen, you know? Why waste my time dreaming about God using my life when I am just ordinary me. I really don't have much to offer anyway. I should just pray for other people who already have all the gifts. That could be my thing. I could be the person who encourages other people to have a dream. My life is pretty ordinary. I'm not as smart or talented as some of those who can plan big events and reach a lot of people. Not really sure what God can do with an ordinary person living a normal, everyday life.
Have you felt that way before, that you are "just plain ordinary"? Did you ever wonder if God could use you in your normal, ordinary life? I have good news for you! God uses Ordinary!! The disciples of Jesus were called "ordinary". When people began to notice their preaching and teaching, this is what they said, "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." Acts 4:13
What was the factor in their lives that made someone take notice of their ordinary? The factor was Jesus. It says, "They took note that these men had been with Jesus." The time they spent with Jesus changed their ordinary lives into something that caused others to take notice. God uses Ordinary.
When we take time to be with Jesus, our ordinary will be noticed by those around us. The light of Christ shines through ordinary. God can use ordinary people to change the world! All you have to do is give Jesus the "wheel" (as Carrie Underwood would say). If you give your dreams to God, he will use your ordinary to change those around you and that is how the world is changed. One person at a time. Yes, you may be walking in ordinary, but when you walk with Christ, He can turn your ordinary into ORDINARY.
I feel ordinary most of the time. Not too special, not too pretty, not too popular - just plain ole ordinary. Do you ever feel ordinary? Do you feel you live just an ordinary life? I think most of us feel this way some, or most of the time. Even if we feel we are all alone in our "ordinary" world - I really believe most people would agree that their life is "just ordinary".
It seems we are under the assumption that ordinary is not good enough. We look around and see all of the things we would love to do, yet, how could we - just an ordinary person - accomplish a dream like that? God doesn't use ordinary, normal people - does he? I mean, sometimes its hard to even dream about something amazing happening in my life. I'm just ordinary, so it doesn't seem like that dream would actually happen, you know? Why waste my time dreaming about God using my life when I am just ordinary me. I really don't have much to offer anyway. I should just pray for other people who already have all the gifts. That could be my thing. I could be the person who encourages other people to have a dream. My life is pretty ordinary. I'm not as smart or talented as some of those who can plan big events and reach a lot of people. Not really sure what God can do with an ordinary person living a normal, everyday life.
Have you felt that way before, that you are "just plain ordinary"? Did you ever wonder if God could use you in your normal, ordinary life? I have good news for you! God uses Ordinary!! The disciples of Jesus were called "ordinary". When people began to notice their preaching and teaching, this is what they said, "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." Acts 4:13
What was the factor in their lives that made someone take notice of their ordinary? The factor was Jesus. It says, "They took note that these men had been with Jesus." The time they spent with Jesus changed their ordinary lives into something that caused others to take notice. God uses Ordinary.
When we take time to be with Jesus, our ordinary will be noticed by those around us. The light of Christ shines through ordinary. God can use ordinary people to change the world! All you have to do is give Jesus the "wheel" (as Carrie Underwood would say). If you give your dreams to God, he will use your ordinary to change those around you and that is how the world is changed. One person at a time. Yes, you may be walking in ordinary, but when you walk with Christ, He can turn your ordinary into ORDINARY.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...
Mirror, Mirror on the wall...
When you look into the mirror, do you see the fairest of them all? It seems that many of us never quite see the "most beautiful" looking back from the mirror. We see many things, but most of them are not what we would see in a fairytale.
Why is it difficult to see the fairest of them all in ourselves? We can look around us and point out all the great qualities of those around us, but when we look in the mirror, we see something different.
I think sometimes our past reflects from the mirror. We see mistakes, regret, guilt, shame and bitterness staring back at us. We try to see what God sees - someone created in his own image - but when we look at the refection, we see words...we see the past.
These words can control your life. Guilt, regret, shame, bitterness. So many words. How do we get past these words to see the true refection? The refection of who God made us to be?
My friend had a refection of shame for many years. She had an abortion as a teen that she had hidden in her past. When she looked into the mirror, that shame and guilt reflected back so all she saw were the words staring back at her - not her true self. Not who God created her to be.
She was able to get past this refection of shame and guilt - she chose to forgive herself.
When we chose to take the very difficult step, to look ourselves in the mirror and say, "I forgive you..." that is the moment that God can begin to change our reflection. As we continue to look into the mirror, forgive ourselves and choose to see ourselves as the person that God created, we will begin to see! We will see our true refection. We will see who God created us to be.
It is not easy, but it is totally worth it! Take a deep breath, look into the mirror and dare to see something new! A reflection of forgiveness and peace - a refection of YOU!
When you look into the mirror, do you see the fairest of them all? It seems that many of us never quite see the "most beautiful" looking back from the mirror. We see many things, but most of them are not what we would see in a fairytale.
Why is it difficult to see the fairest of them all in ourselves? We can look around us and point out all the great qualities of those around us, but when we look in the mirror, we see something different.
I think sometimes our past reflects from the mirror. We see mistakes, regret, guilt, shame and bitterness staring back at us. We try to see what God sees - someone created in his own image - but when we look at the refection, we see words...we see the past.
These words can control your life. Guilt, regret, shame, bitterness. So many words. How do we get past these words to see the true refection? The refection of who God made us to be?
My friend had a refection of shame for many years. She had an abortion as a teen that she had hidden in her past. When she looked into the mirror, that shame and guilt reflected back so all she saw were the words staring back at her - not her true self. Not who God created her to be.
She was able to get past this refection of shame and guilt - she chose to forgive herself.
When we chose to take the very difficult step, to look ourselves in the mirror and say, "I forgive you..." that is the moment that God can begin to change our reflection. As we continue to look into the mirror, forgive ourselves and choose to see ourselves as the person that God created, we will begin to see! We will see our true refection. We will see who God created us to be.
It is not easy, but it is totally worth it! Take a deep breath, look into the mirror and dare to see something new! A reflection of forgiveness and peace - a refection of YOU!
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Scars
There are many things we try to hide in our lives. It seems the past can catch up to us when we least expect it. We try to move ahead, only to have our past staring at us again. We forgive ourselves, finally, only to look down at the scars on our arms. Some have scars that show or can be covered up. Others have scars hidden inside from things that are never spoken of.
When we walk around hiding scars, hoping no one will find them, we can be controlled by the past. We see the red marks and think about the past. We relive the feelings and try to push them back down in a place that has been bricked up and covered by years of pain. Anything can cause these scars to resurface. We may see someone who reminds us of the past, we may hear or smell something that brings up this hurt. When this happens, the feelings come along...guilt, shame, anger, pain. No matter how hard we try, these feelings continue to plague us in our daily lives.
In the Bible, it says, "by his stripes, we are healed..." Isaiah 53:5. Jesus died on the cross so that we can ask him to heal our scars. His scars are what heal us...his pain is what can make us whole. What is amazing is, while Jesus' scars heal us, our scars can help to heal others.
God wants to use our scars, our past, to bring healing to others. He can use the pain and mistakes that you have hidden inside. He wants you to share this past with those who need to hear it. Your scars can be the healing that someone else is looking for. If we continue to hide our scars, we will continue to confront the feelings of shame, guilt and anger. When we step out, cry, and share our story with another broken person - that is when we have freedom!
Our freedom comes from showing our scars. Someone else's freedom depends on it! Those who walk by us living in pain will only trust someone who they know walked through what they are facing. How can they trust someone who has not felt the pain they have felt? How can they share their scars with someone who has none?
It is not easy. It hurts. It takes a lot of prayer and a lot of guts, but when you take the step and allow God to use you to show someone else your scars, that is when you will have freedom from your own scars. That is when the scars of Christ shine through your own and bring light into the darkness of their pain.
When we walk around hiding scars, hoping no one will find them, we can be controlled by the past. We see the red marks and think about the past. We relive the feelings and try to push them back down in a place that has been bricked up and covered by years of pain. Anything can cause these scars to resurface. We may see someone who reminds us of the past, we may hear or smell something that brings up this hurt. When this happens, the feelings come along...guilt, shame, anger, pain. No matter how hard we try, these feelings continue to plague us in our daily lives.
In the Bible, it says, "by his stripes, we are healed..." Isaiah 53:5. Jesus died on the cross so that we can ask him to heal our scars. His scars are what heal us...his pain is what can make us whole. What is amazing is, while Jesus' scars heal us, our scars can help to heal others.
God wants to use our scars, our past, to bring healing to others. He can use the pain and mistakes that you have hidden inside. He wants you to share this past with those who need to hear it. Your scars can be the healing that someone else is looking for. If we continue to hide our scars, we will continue to confront the feelings of shame, guilt and anger. When we step out, cry, and share our story with another broken person - that is when we have freedom!
Our freedom comes from showing our scars. Someone else's freedom depends on it! Those who walk by us living in pain will only trust someone who they know walked through what they are facing. How can they trust someone who has not felt the pain they have felt? How can they share their scars with someone who has none?
It is not easy. It hurts. It takes a lot of prayer and a lot of guts, but when you take the step and allow God to use you to show someone else your scars, that is when you will have freedom from your own scars. That is when the scars of Christ shine through your own and bring light into the darkness of their pain.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
I don't like to camp
Camp. It is not my favorite pastime, any of my friends can agree to that statement. I tend to enjoy shopping in air conditioned malls or sipping coffee with my laptop. Camp does not come with these modern day conveniences. I don't really enjoy taking a trek to the bathrooms to begin my day. Now, it seems strange that someone who doesn't love to camp always goes camping one week out of a very short summer in Michigan. I have done this for as long as I can remember! I have attended camp as a kid, teen and now, an adult with my own teens!
I always blame my kids for attending camp. I tell everyone that the reason we still come to sweat out a week in the hot July sun is because our kids love it so much, but my friend saw through my facade. She said, "you know you love it too". Yes, she is right. I do love it (don't let this get out to others at camp, since they all still believe that I really don't enjoy it and I am doing all of this for my kids. I need to keep my "Mom of the Year" status somehow!). Although, I am not quite sure why I love it, I do know I enjoy being there - on the campground. Just sitting by our little cabin, I feel a comfort...a reassurance that no matter what happens in my life, or how many changes take place, that God is always with me through every step - every change - every year of my life.
Camp has brought with it a lot of changes in my life. When I was a kid, it was learning new songs, laughing with friends, learning that boys had "cooties" and seeing that it is pretty cool to love God. When I was a teen, I learned that God had a plan for my life, that he was more important to my life than trying to impress the "cool kids" and I also learned that boys really didn't have cooties!
After I was married, camp included fun things such as potty training a two year old with porta potties! Not something I would recommend, but my two year old thought that those green boxes were the coolest place to learn this task and wanted to stop every time we passed by! Unfortunately, our little trailer we had borrowed that year was just down the lane from the porta potty and it was on the way to EVERYTHING in camp, and on the way back to our trailer!
My husband was pastoring a small church up north when our two girls were little. We didn't have much cash, so the camp offered us a deal - watch the toddlers during the morning service for two hours and we can have free camping for the week! We thought that was a great deal, until we found out that the "toddler room" was in the back of the cafeteria. We had to block the kids in a corner with about thirty folding chairs and try to keep 15 three year olds busy for two hours! Let me tell you, it was not a good deal.
As our girls grew, we were able to watch them run around on the campgrounds with their friends, coming back to our camping area only for food or sleep.
I would much rather sleep at a Holiday Inn Express than in a little cabin that is actually a shed with electricity and bunk beds. I would rather have air conditioning than sweating, or a kitchen rather than a table with a fridge and toaster on top. Why do we continue to go back each year to spend quality time with Michigan mosquitoes?
It seems to be the time that God chooses to speak to my husband and I about important decisions in our life. This maybe because we actually get away from our technology, television and busy life for a week. We are quiet and able to listen to God a little easier while away from our crazy life! We go away for a week to focus on life, family and listening to God in sermons, songs and a quiet spot by the lake.
One year, God spoke to me during the songs at the chapel service. I felt like God was telling me that we were moving. We had been at our small church for six years and loved the people there very much. I felt God was telling me that this part of our life was ending. I was very sad but excited for this adventure all at the same time. As I sat down, I noticed the tshirt on the man sitting in front of me. It said, "Embrace new beginnings". My husband was in a back room and was not in the service. He was praying for the speaker and that God would speak to those sitting in the service. After the time for chapel was over, I was outside waiting for my husband. As he walked up, I said, "We are done here, aren't we?". He just smiled and said, "yes". God had talked to him about the same thing, at the same time, in a different room! We had no idea what was next for us, but we knew we had to take the next step. My husband told me later that after we had our short talk, he walked into the bathroom and a man he didn't really know walked up to him. He said, "Do you know that Abraham left everything he had to go to a place God wanted him to go? And he didn't even know where God wanted him to go yet!". These are the experiences we have at camp.
We had things like this happen so often in our camp life, that my husband and I were terrified one year to go to camp. We did not want to move or do any other difficult things we thought God might ask us to do! We still went, and God still spoke, but we did not have to move again.
Sometimes, God has shown me during a week at camp that I just need to be still. I need to seek a quiet place, slow down my life for a few hours and focus on God and his love for me. To get away from my busy, crazy life and stop. Look up to God and take a breath. This is what we need sometimes. To take a break from life and have some time of quietness where we can really see that God created us and he loves us.
So, in a few weeks, we will once again pack up and head to camp. I will spray myself with mosquito spray and make dinner with a toaster. I will get dirty and have to take a hike to the bathrooms. I will also sit by the lake with a book, take time to talk with God, and wait for what I fear with excitement - his voice telling me what could be next in my life. I will be still. I will seek God and I will find peace. At Camp.
I always blame my kids for attending camp. I tell everyone that the reason we still come to sweat out a week in the hot July sun is because our kids love it so much, but my friend saw through my facade. She said, "you know you love it too". Yes, she is right. I do love it (don't let this get out to others at camp, since they all still believe that I really don't enjoy it and I am doing all of this for my kids. I need to keep my "Mom of the Year" status somehow!). Although, I am not quite sure why I love it, I do know I enjoy being there - on the campground. Just sitting by our little cabin, I feel a comfort...a reassurance that no matter what happens in my life, or how many changes take place, that God is always with me through every step - every change - every year of my life.
Camp has brought with it a lot of changes in my life. When I was a kid, it was learning new songs, laughing with friends, learning that boys had "cooties" and seeing that it is pretty cool to love God. When I was a teen, I learned that God had a plan for my life, that he was more important to my life than trying to impress the "cool kids" and I also learned that boys really didn't have cooties!
After I was married, camp included fun things such as potty training a two year old with porta potties! Not something I would recommend, but my two year old thought that those green boxes were the coolest place to learn this task and wanted to stop every time we passed by! Unfortunately, our little trailer we had borrowed that year was just down the lane from the porta potty and it was on the way to EVERYTHING in camp, and on the way back to our trailer!
My husband was pastoring a small church up north when our two girls were little. We didn't have much cash, so the camp offered us a deal - watch the toddlers during the morning service for two hours and we can have free camping for the week! We thought that was a great deal, until we found out that the "toddler room" was in the back of the cafeteria. We had to block the kids in a corner with about thirty folding chairs and try to keep 15 three year olds busy for two hours! Let me tell you, it was not a good deal.
As our girls grew, we were able to watch them run around on the campgrounds with their friends, coming back to our camping area only for food or sleep.
I would much rather sleep at a Holiday Inn Express than in a little cabin that is actually a shed with electricity and bunk beds. I would rather have air conditioning than sweating, or a kitchen rather than a table with a fridge and toaster on top. Why do we continue to go back each year to spend quality time with Michigan mosquitoes?
It seems to be the time that God chooses to speak to my husband and I about important decisions in our life. This maybe because we actually get away from our technology, television and busy life for a week. We are quiet and able to listen to God a little easier while away from our crazy life! We go away for a week to focus on life, family and listening to God in sermons, songs and a quiet spot by the lake.
One year, God spoke to me during the songs at the chapel service. I felt like God was telling me that we were moving. We had been at our small church for six years and loved the people there very much. I felt God was telling me that this part of our life was ending. I was very sad but excited for this adventure all at the same time. As I sat down, I noticed the tshirt on the man sitting in front of me. It said, "Embrace new beginnings". My husband was in a back room and was not in the service. He was praying for the speaker and that God would speak to those sitting in the service. After the time for chapel was over, I was outside waiting for my husband. As he walked up, I said, "We are done here, aren't we?". He just smiled and said, "yes". God had talked to him about the same thing, at the same time, in a different room! We had no idea what was next for us, but we knew we had to take the next step. My husband told me later that after we had our short talk, he walked into the bathroom and a man he didn't really know walked up to him. He said, "Do you know that Abraham left everything he had to go to a place God wanted him to go? And he didn't even know where God wanted him to go yet!". These are the experiences we have at camp.
We had things like this happen so often in our camp life, that my husband and I were terrified one year to go to camp. We did not want to move or do any other difficult things we thought God might ask us to do! We still went, and God still spoke, but we did not have to move again.
Sometimes, God has shown me during a week at camp that I just need to be still. I need to seek a quiet place, slow down my life for a few hours and focus on God and his love for me. To get away from my busy, crazy life and stop. Look up to God and take a breath. This is what we need sometimes. To take a break from life and have some time of quietness where we can really see that God created us and he loves us.
So, in a few weeks, we will once again pack up and head to camp. I will spray myself with mosquito spray and make dinner with a toaster. I will get dirty and have to take a hike to the bathrooms. I will also sit by the lake with a book, take time to talk with God, and wait for what I fear with excitement - his voice telling me what could be next in my life. I will be still. I will seek God and I will find peace. At Camp.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
My comfy couch
Overload. That is how I feel right now. I work in a Special Needs classroom. The kids need attention all day long. They don't know what personal space is and my ear was physically hurting when I left work today because of the nonstop chatter that seems to come with the attention- seeking.
I decided to come to a little coffee place after work to "download". Well, that obviously was not a great idea today - with the senior citizen sitting two feet away with his laptop - he feels pretty young at heart as his 80's music blares from his little laptop. Of course, me - wanting the comfy seat in the place, decided to sit in the only area with cushioned chairs. This happens to be directly under the nonstop News Network that seems to be loud enough for people a few feet away to be able to keep up on the events of the world.
So much for my quiet download time.
As I walked up to ask the nice teenager who is running the coffee shop to please mute the tv...I realized that the music is actually coming from the ceiling above the tv! It really isn't the hip gentleman I had already accused of blaring his music. It is just me - stubborn little me, who does not want to move from my soft and comfy couch. It is my own fault that I am being barraged by bad music and news releases.
Do you think we do that in other areas too? I think I do this all too often. I blame others for my mistakes. I point fingers and complain about my life - but, in reality, I really don't want to change. I don't want to move. I would rather blame others for my headaches than blame myself. I am too comfortable with were I am to actually DO something about it. Why would I want to change my life when I can sit on my squishy couch and complain to everyone around me about all of my situations and woes in life? I can blame those around for causing loud noise and unwanted circumstances. I would never actually take time to look at my situation and get up to move - to reach out to God and ask for help.
Why does this seem like such a difficult thing at times? Why would we rather complain about our life we are stuck with than to ask God if there is something different he has in plan for us? I think we would rather be comfortable than challenged. We would rather be familiar with our suffering than to be pushed out into a new world to begin a new life. We could pray for God to place a dream into us, a new challenge. But why would we take time to pray for God to put a dream in our life - something amazing we could do for him - if we really don't want to get off the comfy couch?
I have prayed and followed God in the past. I have walked down the path of new and exciting events. I loved the joy I felt as I followed God's plan. Now I see a new plan being unfolded before me. Something I have been praying and asking God for. Now, I am clinging to my couch. I am afraid to stand up and take the first step - how will I ever get back to my comfy life if I follow God's lead? I know in my heart that if I choose to follow God, that I will have a peace and joy inside even through the difficult times. It is just getting up - leaving my couch, my safety, my life as I know it - no matter how unhappy I can feel as I sit on the cushions - to walk into a new life that I can't see yet. It is scary to follow God into the unknown. It is hard to see what is next when it has not been revealed yet. This is what faith really is.
In one of my Bibles, there is a definition of faith that I love and have kept with me for many years. It says this: Faith means abandoning all trust in our own resources, abilities and reasoning - the things we see. It means relying instead on the things we can not see - God's promises, provisions and His concern for us. An inner attitude alone does not define faith, though for faith to be present, action is required. Faith proves itself by its obedience to the Lord.
Faith is getting up off the couch...
I decided to come to a little coffee place after work to "download". Well, that obviously was not a great idea today - with the senior citizen sitting two feet away with his laptop - he feels pretty young at heart as his 80's music blares from his little laptop. Of course, me - wanting the comfy seat in the place, decided to sit in the only area with cushioned chairs. This happens to be directly under the nonstop News Network that seems to be loud enough for people a few feet away to be able to keep up on the events of the world.
So much for my quiet download time.
As I walked up to ask the nice teenager who is running the coffee shop to please mute the tv...I realized that the music is actually coming from the ceiling above the tv! It really isn't the hip gentleman I had already accused of blaring his music. It is just me - stubborn little me, who does not want to move from my soft and comfy couch. It is my own fault that I am being barraged by bad music and news releases.
Do you think we do that in other areas too? I think I do this all too often. I blame others for my mistakes. I point fingers and complain about my life - but, in reality, I really don't want to change. I don't want to move. I would rather blame others for my headaches than blame myself. I am too comfortable with were I am to actually DO something about it. Why would I want to change my life when I can sit on my squishy couch and complain to everyone around me about all of my situations and woes in life? I can blame those around for causing loud noise and unwanted circumstances. I would never actually take time to look at my situation and get up to move - to reach out to God and ask for help.
Why does this seem like such a difficult thing at times? Why would we rather complain about our life we are stuck with than to ask God if there is something different he has in plan for us? I think we would rather be comfortable than challenged. We would rather be familiar with our suffering than to be pushed out into a new world to begin a new life. We could pray for God to place a dream into us, a new challenge. But why would we take time to pray for God to put a dream in our life - something amazing we could do for him - if we really don't want to get off the comfy couch?
I have prayed and followed God in the past. I have walked down the path of new and exciting events. I loved the joy I felt as I followed God's plan. Now I see a new plan being unfolded before me. Something I have been praying and asking God for. Now, I am clinging to my couch. I am afraid to stand up and take the first step - how will I ever get back to my comfy life if I follow God's lead? I know in my heart that if I choose to follow God, that I will have a peace and joy inside even through the difficult times. It is just getting up - leaving my couch, my safety, my life as I know it - no matter how unhappy I can feel as I sit on the cushions - to walk into a new life that I can't see yet. It is scary to follow God into the unknown. It is hard to see what is next when it has not been revealed yet. This is what faith really is.
In one of my Bibles, there is a definition of faith that I love and have kept with me for many years. It says this: Faith means abandoning all trust in our own resources, abilities and reasoning - the things we see. It means relying instead on the things we can not see - God's promises, provisions and His concern for us. An inner attitude alone does not define faith, though for faith to be present, action is required. Faith proves itself by its obedience to the Lord.
Faith is getting up off the couch...
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Pajamas and Glitter
I was just remembering one New Years Eve's we had as a family. Our girls were about the ages of five and eight. We were sitting at home that evening, with no plans. We had already changed into our sweats and pajamas for the night. Just waiting to watch the giant ball of light descend in NYC.
Then, my husband had a great idea - lets take the girls out to a late dinner then we can come home and watch the ball drop before heading to bed. We decided we would just head out in our sweatshirts to find a place to eat. Looking for a new place we had never tried, we spotted an Italian restaurant. Why not try that for our special late night dinner in our unkept hair and sweats? We didn't really think much about our appearance, since - it WAS New Year's Eve. We were parents - who goes out on New Year's Eve? We were just happy to be out!
When we entered the restaurant, we were so hungry and excited about our new adventure, that we really did not take the time to look around. I guess we missed the strange expression on the waiter's face when we walked in with our girls in pajama pants and sweatshirts, my husband in his everyday Detroit Tigers ball cap, and me with the oversized hoodie. We never really paid much attention to his nervous shifting or funny smile. He seemed like a nice guy, but a little "weird" acting, if you know what I mean. Hey - we just wanted a good meal in a new joint.
It was after we were seated, ordered our meal and began to eat the complimentary bread that we began to notice we were different than the other customers that night. While our oldest began to use her fingers to pull the soft bread out of the middle of the hard roll and our youngest was blowing milk bubbles, we began to scan the rest of the "joint". What we noticed were a lot of sequin gowns and black bow ties. We noticed linen table cloths with very high heels peeking out from under them. We noticed everyone else in the restaurant was ready for a black tie New Years Eve event after their dinner - and I think they may have noticed us.
After this quick analysis of the area, we decided it was too late to high tail it to McDonald's. It's funny how we felt quite normal when first arriving to the restaurant. We were excited about our spur of the moment evening out and enjoyed ordering from a new menu. When we became aware of our surroundings, we felt a tad out of place. It was, in my husband's words, reminiscent of "The Beverly Hillbillies" for those of you who know what that is. Of course, the service was so slow that night because it was packed full of Hollywood wanna-be's that we ended up entertaining those around for about two hours with our milk bubbles and hand claps the girls learned at camp. The waiter was so sorry for the wait, or maybe he was sorry he couldn't get us out of there faster - he offered a free dessert. My husband, who, without thinking, added to the "Clampett" theme by ordering four orders of cheesecake. He figured the man offered free dessert - we had four people, so four desserts to go please! (for mom and dad to eat after the ball drops and kids go to bed!) From the expression on the waiter's face, I don't know if he had meant ONE dessert or four, but I don't think he cared at that point - the four pieces of cheesecake in their boxes were on our table in moments with our bill and a smile that said, "can you please take these kids out of here now?"
I'm not sure if the glittering sequins or milk bubbles won on the entertainment that night, but we sure had something to laugh about. We still think of this time when a "Clampett moment" hits our family. I must say, it does tend to happen to us quite often!
We may not quite fit in with glitter and high heels most of the time, but you know what? Even though we felt silly for not wearing the correct dress code, or felt "second class" that night, we enjoyed our dinner with our adorable girls. We laughed at the milk bubbles and we were amazed at the hand clap game they showed us. People may have given us funny looks that night, but to be honest, we were so busy enjoying our family and laughing with our girls, I don't remember anyone there that night - only sequins, heels and black bow ties. I do remember the pajama pants, milk bubbles and empty bread crust. These are the memories I want to have. Who cares what those around us think? Do we want to lose our days trying to be what others expect us to be?
We could have looked around that night, apologized for our attire and bubbles while packing up and heading to the nearest fast food joint. We could have allowed the expectations of those around us to dictate how we felt about ourselves and even our kids. We could have missed out on the fun of experiencing a night of "Clampett" life!
Please don't look around you and forget who you are. Don't fall into a trap of trying to be someone else to impress those you work for or hang out with. You will miss out on all the fun. You will miss the enjoyment of just being you! So, next time you find yourself surrounded by sequins, don't run to the dress shop - all you have to do is blow a few bubbles and take time to laugh. Make memories with those you love even if those memories don't quite fit into the glittering surroundings around you!
Then, my husband had a great idea - lets take the girls out to a late dinner then we can come home and watch the ball drop before heading to bed. We decided we would just head out in our sweatshirts to find a place to eat. Looking for a new place we had never tried, we spotted an Italian restaurant. Why not try that for our special late night dinner in our unkept hair and sweats? We didn't really think much about our appearance, since - it WAS New Year's Eve. We were parents - who goes out on New Year's Eve? We were just happy to be out!
When we entered the restaurant, we were so hungry and excited about our new adventure, that we really did not take the time to look around. I guess we missed the strange expression on the waiter's face when we walked in with our girls in pajama pants and sweatshirts, my husband in his everyday Detroit Tigers ball cap, and me with the oversized hoodie. We never really paid much attention to his nervous shifting or funny smile. He seemed like a nice guy, but a little "weird" acting, if you know what I mean. Hey - we just wanted a good meal in a new joint.
It was after we were seated, ordered our meal and began to eat the complimentary bread that we began to notice we were different than the other customers that night. While our oldest began to use her fingers to pull the soft bread out of the middle of the hard roll and our youngest was blowing milk bubbles, we began to scan the rest of the "joint". What we noticed were a lot of sequin gowns and black bow ties. We noticed linen table cloths with very high heels peeking out from under them. We noticed everyone else in the restaurant was ready for a black tie New Years Eve event after their dinner - and I think they may have noticed us.
After this quick analysis of the area, we decided it was too late to high tail it to McDonald's. It's funny how we felt quite normal when first arriving to the restaurant. We were excited about our spur of the moment evening out and enjoyed ordering from a new menu. When we became aware of our surroundings, we felt a tad out of place. It was, in my husband's words, reminiscent of "The Beverly Hillbillies" for those of you who know what that is. Of course, the service was so slow that night because it was packed full of Hollywood wanna-be's that we ended up entertaining those around for about two hours with our milk bubbles and hand claps the girls learned at camp. The waiter was so sorry for the wait, or maybe he was sorry he couldn't get us out of there faster - he offered a free dessert. My husband, who, without thinking, added to the "Clampett" theme by ordering four orders of cheesecake. He figured the man offered free dessert - we had four people, so four desserts to go please! (for mom and dad to eat after the ball drops and kids go to bed!) From the expression on the waiter's face, I don't know if he had meant ONE dessert or four, but I don't think he cared at that point - the four pieces of cheesecake in their boxes were on our table in moments with our bill and a smile that said, "can you please take these kids out of here now?"
I'm not sure if the glittering sequins or milk bubbles won on the entertainment that night, but we sure had something to laugh about. We still think of this time when a "Clampett moment" hits our family. I must say, it does tend to happen to us quite often!
We may not quite fit in with glitter and high heels most of the time, but you know what? Even though we felt silly for not wearing the correct dress code, or felt "second class" that night, we enjoyed our dinner with our adorable girls. We laughed at the milk bubbles and we were amazed at the hand clap game they showed us. People may have given us funny looks that night, but to be honest, we were so busy enjoying our family and laughing with our girls, I don't remember anyone there that night - only sequins, heels and black bow ties. I do remember the pajama pants, milk bubbles and empty bread crust. These are the memories I want to have. Who cares what those around us think? Do we want to lose our days trying to be what others expect us to be?
We could have looked around that night, apologized for our attire and bubbles while packing up and heading to the nearest fast food joint. We could have allowed the expectations of those around us to dictate how we felt about ourselves and even our kids. We could have missed out on the fun of experiencing a night of "Clampett" life!
Please don't look around you and forget who you are. Don't fall into a trap of trying to be someone else to impress those you work for or hang out with. You will miss out on all the fun. You will miss the enjoyment of just being you! So, next time you find yourself surrounded by sequins, don't run to the dress shop - all you have to do is blow a few bubbles and take time to laugh. Make memories with those you love even if those memories don't quite fit into the glittering surroundings around you!
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