Her Graduation/Our Education

Can it really be that our sweet Hannie is finished with her high school years?

We watched last night as our oldest daughter entered the full auditorium to the familiar pomp and circumstance tune played by the underclassmen. She walked across the stage, tall and beautiful, to receive her CSF lifetime member award, a Presidential Scholar award, and her diploma. It was rather surreal, to be honest with you. we've been to many a graduation, but for our own offspring? Unbelievable!

Yesterday, while pondering the fact that she would be graduating in a few hours, I had a flashback seeing four-month-old little Hannah swaddled in the middle of several sheets, placed in a laundry basket. It was a clear as day; I had placed her there because she was too small to sit up on her own, and I needed to fold the just-dried laundry. I ended up taking a picture of that moment because she was just so darn cute, and that picture is what popped into my mind yesterday. It can't really have been nearly eighteen years ago, could it?

In those early days of motherhood, in the quiet moments, I experienced a type of joy that I had not known was possible. This beautiful little girl was the gift from God that Dave and I had been praying for for years. Hannah has been teaching me from the moment she took her first breath, poor thing. She was chosen by God to be the oldest, and she's had a lot of training to do with her Dad and me. (Insert smiley face here!)

Our education as parents continues. In watching/experiencing Hannah's graduation from high school, we are learning to trust that the Lord is speaking to our daughter, revealing His will for her. We are learning to let go, all the while letting Hannah know we are here when she needs us. We are learning to trust her judgment. Most of all, last night we realized we are learning that it all goes so quickly.

From the moment Hannah was born, when we first heard the admonition that we must value each moment because it all goes so quickly, we have tried to do just that. We made a conscious effort to savor each day/moment with Hannah and our other children, but even so, the time slips through our fingers. It spills away in the dailyness of phone calls, errands, school projects, special moments, household chores, appointments, sickness, and of course, just being. And all of a sudden, we're standing on the precipice of life after high school for our daughter, and it seems that we arrived here much too soon.

So, dear Hannie, we will cherish anew our moments with you, and we celebrate the beautiful and godly woman you are becoming. Congratulations! You've worked hard and you've excelled in your studies, but for your future, our counsel is not to work harder or even to work smarter. Our prayer is that you will abide in Christ. Guided by the Holy Spirit, you can bear fruit that lasts for eternity. We have no doubt that you will fulfill His purposes for you as you continue to follow Him and His will for your life. Dream big, sweetie! We love you, and we're proud of you.

Watch this!

I know this is posted on Dave's site, but since I have some people who don't visit his site often, I am also posting it. I hear there is another video being produced that we'll see next week, so I'll post it then.

God is good and His children at New Life are awesome!

Tie-Dyed Talent and a Little History

*Pic Removed per K's request.
*Pic Removed per K's request.



Hey, I don't want to be prideful or to make you experience the sin of covetousness, but we do live on the greatest street in town; simply stating the facts here. Tonight was the first annual "Our Street" Talent show and BBQ, and we had a blast! The talent show was planned by neighborhood kids with scheduled rehearsals and the final show tonight. We parents were only responsible for the food for the BBQ afterwards, and of course, the cheering and applauding.

There were music acts, dancing acts, skits, sing-alongs, and of course, the Macarena with audience participation. What a riot! :-) The older kids weren't asked to be in it this year as the talent show was planned by the younger kids, but I think we may have them interested enough to participate next year. I know it will come back bigger and better, so I'll be looking forward to it.

One of the reasons that we bought our home originally was the fact that we wanted to raise our children in an "old-timey" neighborhood. Ours is a neighborhood where some of the original owners still live in their 1920's to 1950's houses. The house directly across the street was built in the 1940's (the original owner/builder still lived there when we bought our house) and the current owner is only the third owner! The second owner of that house moved two doors down to her grandmother's house, so they're still in the neighborhood.

Our house was built in 1927, and it used to be on the edge of town. My father-in-law delivered the local newspaper to this house when he was a boy, and he remembers that the street ended at our house with a field immediately beyond it. Believe it or not, we are only the third family to live in this house.

The neighbors next door (the ones who hosted tonight's talent show) used to deliver the local paper to the house that he now lives in; the original owner sold it to him partly because she was glad that someone with a connection to the house bought it. So, you can see the longevity of those who live here. We're not a transient people on this street.

That's one of the wonderful things about my neighborhood; there is a history here. Generations have grown up riding their bikes up and down this street, babies have been born, elderly neighbors have passed away, remodels and additions have been done, sons have gone off to war, children have graduated from high school and college, families have walked to downtown for an after-dinner ice cream, generations have listened to the Friday night high school football games being announced from the loud speakers in the fall, and mostly, families have simply called the houses on this street "home." Heck, we've even had the same mail carrier for all the years we've lived here, and he doesn't want to give up his route! The couple at one house has a cup of tea waiting for him each day; another individual leaves packs of gum for him every other day; and I think he makes out like a bandit at Christmas time! :-)

One of the things I first loved when looking at this house was the old, not perfect, asphalt street which ran in front of it. When we bought our first house in Fresno, it was a new house in a new subdivision. Yes, the street was brand new, but none of our neighbors became close friends. Everyone had a garage in front of their house, and at 7:30 AM all the garage doors would open as people left for work, and at 5:30 PM the garage doors would open again as those same folks came home from work. Once those garage doors closed in the evening, it was as if everyone was again in their own little worlds. Of course, we would give a friendly little wave when we drove by and happened to see them outside, but there was never any real connection with any of them.

That's not the case where we live now. We purposely looked for a home in an established neighborhood with some history. We love our huge sycamore trees (even though they wreak havoc with our pool) and our large yard. I think the history of this neighborhood has helped to encourage all of us to connect with one another. We want to continue the "community" feel of our street. Our children run back and forth between homes. Six of our high school students walk together to school each morning. (One mom was able to sneak out after they had left for school to take a photo of them from behind as they all walked together down the street; I can't wait to get my copy.) Each of us values the connections we have with one another, and we work hard to provide times for us to get together. We have neighborhood (basically, our street) Valentine's parties, fourth of July block parties, Halloween blow-outs, Festive Fridays in December, and now the talent show. Tonight there was even discussion of a float for the downtown Christmas parade; wouldn't that be fun?!

So tonight, I'm thankful for this old house of ours, for tie-dyed talent, and for great neighbors. We are blessed.

Ananlogy Back Knots?

Once a week, I get an update telling me how many people have visited my blog each day. One of the features shows me what people type into a Google search box that brought them to my blog. I run across some funny things sometimes, like the following that brought someone to my blog just this week:

"tapestry ananlogy back knots God."

Now what in the world do those words even have in common and why did Google link to my blog based on these words? And what the heck is an "ananlogy?" I think it must be a typo for "analogy."

Anyway, the other searches that brought people to my blog this week are much more run of the mill. I've listed the most common searches for this week (just because I know how curious you are about this):

traveling together
servolution
poems about traveling together
gena larson
jesus protected me
it's all because of jesus i'm alive
Uppercase Living Modesto
"before he speaks" pastors wives

Isn't your life complete now? :-) Just doing my job passing on interesting (and useless) information. You can thank me later!

Goldenrod Sea

Just thought I'd post a little picture of some of the good folks who decided to put their love into action last Saturday as part of Servolution.  Most of those serving were able to show up at the church before heading to their work sites, and here's a little pic of us in the auditorium.  Look at that sea of yellow shirts!  :-)

Anyway, there was a lot to process from the day, and I truly haven't had time to sift through it all in my mind yet.  Some of you just blow me away with your generosity and love!  I am so proud of you all, and I truly thank God for you.  Check back soon as I hope to have some of our own pictures posted here.

Final Stretch!

Well, in looking at the Servolution Countdown Clock (a previous post), it says there are only 8 hours and 7 minutes left until we, the body of Christ at New Life Christian Center, step out to serve in the biggest way we ever have!  Our goal is to show God's love in action, not to make a name for ourselves.  If we can love even one person into recognizing that Christ cares for them, all of our work and effort will have been worth it.  

I hope I can get to sleep tonight; I'm so excited for what is to come!  Please be in prayer with me for this event; may God be glorified! 

Gotta Love 'Em!

Preparing for SERVOLUTION!

Well, Servolution is only five days away now, and the most important things we can do in these remaining days is to pray and to prepare our hearts.  I happened to pick up a devotional that we keep in our living room called, The Book of Days, and I found the following thoughts:

"Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, you who serve Him, doing His will.  Bless the LORD, all you works of His, in all places of His dominion; bless the LORD, O my soul!"  Ps. 103:21-22 

The call of the Kingdom - "Follow Me!" -is a call to follow in the footsteps of Christ as servant.  Jesus came to serve those who were desperate in body, mind, and spirit and to invite you into serving alongside Him.  It's not optional.  But neither is it drudgery.

The call to serve God, and those God leads you to, could be seen as slavish.  In truth, the apostles embraced, rather than shunned, the concept of being a slave for Christ.  But in the heart of God, serving is always the pathway to true freedom.  Neither can serving God be separated from your worship of God, as this passage illuminates!  Blessing the Lord with your mouth is organically connected to serving Him with your feet.  They are, in fact, one and the same action--simply expressed in two different, but essential, manifestations.

"God, let the praises of my mouth be consistent with the love that flows from my life in serving others practically."

The above was taken from "The Book of Days," page 258

Serving others practically is exactly what our teams will be doing.  We have hundreds of volunteers who have stepped up to say, "Let me love God and bring Him glory by serving and loving others on May 10th."  It's going to be a great day!

Since this is our first time organizing an event of this size and magnitude, we are learning LOTS!  As with any event that is undertaken for the first time, our learning curve is VERY steep right now.  We are working diligently to account for each person who signed up, to coordinate hundreds of projects, to provide an organized team for each service project, and to prepare to love like we've never loved before!  Will there be mistakes, flub-ups, and frustrations?   You bet, but if our hearts are all focused on what our main purpose is, to love God and love others through serving in practical ways, we will exercise grace toward all that are involved.  We will also be gathering post-event evaluations from each person who participates to be able to refine, streamline, and evaluate ways to improve our organization and mission for Servolution.

Okay, I've got some Servolution projects, contacts, and emails to take care of, so I'm outta here!  Hope to see you all on Saturday!

Before He Speaks - For all the Pastor's Wives Out There

If you don't know Carrie Underwood's song, "Before He Cheats," this might not be as funny to you, but I must say, I got quite the chuckle out of this one! I think my cohorts (Sherri, Tricia, Jennah, Cindi, and Cheri) and I should make our own video, don't you think?  I'm sure if we thought long enough we could come up with something.  We all have plenty of situations and personal experiences to pull from.  Perhaps you all can come up with a song for us to parody; it would be interesting to hear your suggestions.  

(I think this video was made by three pastor's wives from the same church in Orlando, FL.  Isn't it great to see their sense of humor?  I bet their husbands loved it!)

Appropriate Reading Level?

I found this "Blog Reading Level" over at another blog site and thought, "I should give it a try.  I am not sure how the reading level is exactly measured or figured out.  Do they take into account all posts, or do they only take the most current post or page?  I don't know, but should it embarrass me that my blog content measures at a junior high reading level?  I prefer to think that I am just trying to be as accessible to all as I can be. I think it also shows how much I submerse myself in the middle school literature genre since that's what I teach! :-)  Those are my good excuses anyway, and I'm sticking with them!  I wanted you to know where I scored in case you are so high-falutin' that you wouldn't possibly want to read something written at a junior high reading level. By the way, high-falutin' is actually in the dictionary, (just in case you were wondering).

You are Needed!

The countdown is on, and I'd love for you to put your "Love in Action" by signing up for Servolution. What are you waiting for?

Seasons

There is a season for everything, right? I am on vacation (alone with my husband for a week - can you believe it?!), and it has been a brief season of rest and relaxation. It always takes a couple of days for the weight of our "normal" routine to melt away so that we can be "in the moment."

I wanted to let you few faithful readers know that I will not be posting as often (as if you already haven’t noticed that!) because I am headed into the busiest two months of my year. In order to be the wife and mom I need to be, I need to step away from everything extraneous, and my darlings………..blogging is extraneous.

I started this blog (you can read my “Why Do I Blog?” post here) because I wanted it to be a place of interaction and connection. Although many of you read this, the interaction part never got off the ground, so I feel completely at peace in stepping away from something that is taking my time without the benefit of truly connecting with people. I will most likely continue posting after my oldest daughter graduates and I finish my school year, but I’m not making any promises. I trust that the Lord will make it clear if I am to continue.

I get one shot at these last few weeks of my daughter’s high school life, and my three other children will be winding up their school years, also. I am also the only one who can stand before God and answer for the kind of wife I was to David. I want to be found faithful in those roles that were to be the most important in my life.

So, you may check back now and again to see if I've posted, and I promise to post again after school is out (if not before).  

Thank you for checking in with me.  I know that I, apart from Christ, am nothing, but I give Him praise if anything I've shared up to this point has blessed, encouraged, challenged, or uplifted you.  God bless you all!

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” Eccl. 3:1

Love in Action!

I know, I know......I haven't been very faithful in keeping up on my posting, but it's been vacation time for all of us here in honor of resurrection day!  We've had a simply wonderful week: we've enjoyed a GREAT get-away day with all of the staff and their families at Gilroy Gardens, we've relaxed in the mountains for a couple of days, and I've been able to get a couple of cleaning projects done.  It's been a good and relaxing time!

If you attend our church, you've no doubt seen the signs, bulletin inserts, video, banner, and sign up tables for Servolution.  I am on the planning team, and we are so excited to see God work through our body of believers at New Life to bless our community.  In short, Servolution is "Love in Action" in our community; as you know, words are cheap, but actions speak loud and clear.  It is our prayer that many will experience the love of Christ through our love and service to them.

If you haven't signed up yet, you can CLICK HERE.  If you have questions about what Servolution is and what we will be doing, you can check the Servolution FAQ page.  I encourage everyone reading (which by the way, some of you need to de-lurk!) to sign up to serve alongside of us.  You won't regret it.

We have all kinds of projects that we will be doing that day, so there's a place for everyone to serve.  We encourage you to serve with your children ages 8 and older.  (Childcare is available for those 7 and under.)  We desire to serve our community not as a strategy, but as an act of love.  You can be a part of it, and I know you won't regret it.

Also, we are in need of projects and project leaders.  If you know of someone we can serve, or if you are already a part of a small group, neighborhood group, etc... and would like to lead that group in a project, just let us know.  There is a "Contact Us" link on the Servolution website (www.nlccservolution.com) for you to use.

I consider it such a blessing that God has allowed David and me to serve in a church body that is so sold out to radically loving and serving others.  Seriously, you guys (and gals) are some of the most giving and loving people I have ever had the privilege of serving with.  I am excited about what God wants to do through us as we live for HIS glory!

Oh, and by the way, "de-lurking" is the bloggy term for leaving a comment to let the person know you are reading his/her blog.  It is considered polite to leave a comment when you begin reading a person's blog so that they have some way of knowing who's out there.  I know some of you live in mortal fear that someone else will know you are reading, so feel free to send me an email if you'd like:  gena (at) newlifecc (d0t) com

Okay, I'm outta here.  It's time to get ready for the new week, so blessings to you all!

Easter

Well, I did a new thing this Easter weekend; I attended all four Easter services!  Let me just say, I LOVED EVERY ONE!  I met many of your family members who came to church with you for Easter; thank you for that honor!  I saw God at work in each service, and I discovered that even though Dave speaks four times, each time is slightly different, so I felt I learned something new at each service.  I prayed multiple times throughout each service, and I felt that I could almost explode from the pure joy of people deciding to come running home to Jesus!  HE is so good, and all glory and praise belong to HIM!   

Oh, and by the way, when Dave was describing his perfect day (waking to the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, having it brought to him, having all the time in the world to read the paper, etc....., I (along with many of you) thought he was hinting at what I should be doing for him!  :-)  Actually, he may have been hinting, but I am blessed because HE often gets up and makes coffee, brings it to me on a tray with the newspaper, and encourages me to take time to read and relax.  I'm blessed, I know.

This Easter weekend was filled with mixed emotions as two of our church family members had funerals for loved ones.  However, in some ways, it seemed most appropriate that their family members' funerals were during a season when the resurrection Sunday reminds us of the hope we have through our risen Savior who has conquered death and given us eternal life with Him.  The knowledge that our loved ones are with Jesus and that we will see them again brings comfort in the midst of incredible grief.  I thank God that He is our comforter and that he knows our pain.

On Tuesday, we are off with our staff and their families for a day at Gilroy Gardens.  We take all the staff families somewhere on the Tuesday after Easter each year as a thank you for ALL the extra work they do to prepare for Easter.  I am so looking forward to our time together.  We are blessed with the best staff, and we love each one so much.  It is wonderful to see all of our children having fun together, and we love the chance to simply "be" with each other.

Well, my children are wrestling in the living room, and I await the crying that is sure to ensue.  You all know how it is.....it starts off so fun, but inevitably someone gets a little too rough and doesn't know when to stop, and it's all downhill from there!  And usually, I know exactly which child will be the one to turn all the fun around.  Do you have that "one" in your family also?  ;-) 

Our Guest

My last post reminded me of a poem by Edgar A. Guest.  When I was in high school, I was given an old leather volume of his poems, and I memorized one for an English assignment.  Since that time, I've had a soft spot in my heart for his poetry; it is folksy and simple.  Many years ago when Dave and I were in an antique store in Pacific Grove, I found a volume of his collected verses published in 1934 and I bought it. Guest died in 1959 after writing more than 11,000 poems and having over 20 poetry volumes published.  An interesting aside, his niece, Judith Guest, wrote the best-selling novel, Ordinary People.  Edgar A. Guest was called "the poet of the people."

Anyway, as I originally was saying, my last post reminded me of Edgar A. Guest's poem, "Our House," so I thought I'd share it with you.

Our House

I like to see a lovely lawn

Bediamoned with dew at dawn,

But mine is often trampled bare,

Because the youngsters gather there.

I like a spotless house and clean

Where many a touch of grace is seen,

but mine is often tossed about

By youngsters racing in and out.

I like a quiet house at night

Where I may sit to read and write,

But my peace flies before the tones

Of three brass throated saxophones.

My books to tumult are resigned,

In vain my furniture is shined.

My lawn is bare, my flowers fall,

Youth rides triumphant over all.

I love the grass, I love the rose,

And every living thing that grows.

I love the books I ponder o'er,

But oh, I love the children more!

And so unto myself I say:

Be mine the house where youngsters play.

Oh, little girl, oh, healthy boy,

Be mine the house which you enjoy!

How to Know Where Grace Lives

I was looking through my collected quotations tonight (for journal starters for class), and came across these sayings. I thought I'd share them with you. May your home be where grace lives.

How to Know Where Grace Lives

* All the neighborhood kids want to hang out at the house where grace
lives.

* There is always enough for one more where grace lives....one more for
dinner....one more to sleep over....one more hug....one more kiss.

* You can see people dancing where grace lives.

* You can hear things like, "Please forgive me, I was wrong....You are my
treasure..."

* The eyes of the children where grace lives shine with joy and anticipation. They have not been wounded by impossible expectations. They have not been distanced by rejection. They have been embraced and accepted and loved.

* The moms at the houses where grace lives are just regular, everyday moms,
but God lives inside them. By His power, they are becoming holy and righteous
and good. They stumble but recover quickly. They make mistakes but say, "I'm
sorry." They get blown by the winds of heartache and adversity, but their hearts remain tender toward God.

The Miracle Worker

I just returned from seeing "The Miracle Worker" at the Fallon House Theater in Columbia. I LOVED IT! I took Kari and a friend, along with Dave's mom, to see this Sierra Repertory production because Kari had just finished reading the book for her book report. The play received good reviews, and after seeing it, I would say the reviews were right on. The woman who played Annie Sullivan, the teacher who worked with Helen Keller, was fabulous! And let me tell you, the drama was a very physical one for the individuals who played Annie and Helen. If you have any free time this weekend, I know you would enjoy seeing it. I had also never been inside of the Fallon House Theater, and it had so much character! The only problem for the younger children is that the floor is not sloped that much at all, so it was difficult for them to see some of the action on the stage. I also loved the sets which feature beautiful manzanita branches and a twilight sky behind them.

On our way to the theater tonight, we stopped in Sonora to have dinner and we saw a group of men from Monte Vista Chapel having dinner. One of them, a friend, came up to say, "Hi!" because I hadn't seen them. This group had headed to the hills early this morning to ride their bikes before heading to the men's retreat at Silver Spur tonight. These men live for the Lord and it was good to see them out doing something fun together. I'm praying God blesses them all during their retreat, and that the Lord will be with their wives and children this weekend.

Dave returned home from his conference tonight while I was at the play. We just spoke for only a few moments because he's worn out, but tomorrow I know we'll go on a walk or a drive to catch up with one another. I'm excited to hear what he learned and what was confirmed in his heart.

Marriage Book Resources

Since I mentioned a few posts back that I would list some of my favorite marriage books that I've read through the years, I thought I'd better follow through! I have a tendency to get side-tracked; can you tell?

Anyway, today I will share three books (besides the previously mentioned For Women Only book by Shaunti Feldman) that I greatly benefited from.

The first is Love and Respect. David and I were blessed to hear Dr. Emerson Eggerichs and his wife speak at a pastor's conference soon after his book came out. I think it was one of the best marriage teachings I have ever heard. We bought the book right then, and truth be told, we both read it in a couple of days. Both of us felt that we learned things we didn't know before that would definitely help our marriage be better. I don't know of anyone who's read the book that hasn't thought it was a book to help new habits be born. Sometimes we just have to learn a new way to communicate. I love that he shares a word picture that is easy to relate to: men hear through blue (male) earphones and women through pink (female) earphones. Sounds fundamental, doesn't it? However, when you read this book, I think you'll agree that we, as women, overlook this very real fact most of the time. I found out that I was doing and saying some things that came across to Dave as disrespectful even though that wasn't what was necessarily in my heart. And I was surprised at how small some of the things seemed to me, and yet, they were very hurtful to him because he has an innate need for respect. Women respecting men is counter-cultural in our society right now, but I know that I am commanded in the Word to respect my husband, so it benefits me to learn how to better do this.

Another book, Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas, was also a very informative read for me. The subtitle says it all, "What if God's primary intent for your marriage isn't to make you happy . . . but holy? And what if your relationship isn't as much about you and your spouse as it is about you and God? Wow, now that really flies in the face of what we're told about marriage today. If we're not happy (so the secular notion goes), then surely God is not glorified, so it's okay if we get out. Now, I'm not saying that if a woman is in an abusive situation that she should continue to stay, but there are lots of Christian marriages ending for non-scriptural reasons.

A third book is called His Needs, Her Needs (subtitle: Building an Affair Proof Marriage) by Willard F. Harley. I haven't read this for a few years, but I remember thinking that it was a good book.

In speaking of all three of the above books, I realized that I don't have a copy of any of them in my home at the moment because they have all been lent out at some point to someone, and I don't for the life of me remember who has them. If you are reading this and remember that you have a copy of one of these books, feel free to let it "fly away home." But, just as quickly as the books might find their way back into my house, I know they'll be gone again soon because I have a hard time keeping books to myself!

I pray for my marriage continually, and I hope that you are praying for your marriage as well. I remember the saying that "the biggest detriment to a 'great' marriage is a 'good' marriage." I think that's true. I pray that you are not stuck in a good marriage, but that you will be able to experience a great marriage. Nothing worth having comes without much work, sacrifice, and perseverance. Keep praying; keep believing; keep working and learning. A Christ-centered, growing marriage can bring glory to God, and even though my marriage isn't perfect (and never will be because two imperfect people are in it), we continue to choose to put the Lord first in our individual lives and to look out for the other's interests. I pray our lives and our marriage bring honor to the One who continues to mold and fill us.

Jigu! Thunder Drums

I had a surprise in my email inbox on Thursday evening; I had won tickets for me and my family to see Jigu! Thunder Drums at the Gallo Center! Now I can never again say I haven't won anything. Actually, I couldn't say that before because I did win a cute lunch box on one website and a book on another, but those don't hold a candle to the Gallo tickets! The contest asked for the number of tickets we would need, and I debated on whether to put "6" in the number box. I mean, who would give away SIX tickets to the Gallo?! Well, I decided to be honest, and I received what I had asked for!

We had a great time: the Gallo Center is beautiful, the show was entertaining (no falling asleep during this show!), and it was a memorable, FREE evening for my family! :-)

Bibles and Burlap

I arrived home a couple of hours ago from our church's women's retreat. I had a wonderful time, and I felt so absolutely blessed by the women who attended. I was blessed by the women who were able to ride up (and back) with me, the women who were in my cabin (Go Cabin 6!), the other women who attended, and by the speaker. I met some incredible women that I had not previously had the privilege to knowing, and I caught up with some others that I am not able to visit with very often.

I was blown away by the love and acceptance I felt between us all. I love it when God shows up and speaks to us about things we weren't even aware that we needed to address. He is so good! Life is not easy and hurts are many and deep. As I looked around the meeting room, I was honored to sit in the presence of so many courageous and beautiful women. I am so proud to know that they are a part of "my" church family and that they are walking the hard road of surrender and obedience. You all ROCK, and I am praying that you all continue to allow God to pour His spirit on you and through you. I specifically wish you could see how beautiful you are! I was humbled, challenged, inspired, and convicted through your stories and testimonies.


I heard there were a couple of midnight (or perhaps a little later) expeditions involving flashlights and burlap bags. There may even be an incriminating picture or two floating around. Just know that I pray for all of you delinquent souls ;-), and I am here to provide a model for you to follow.

Let's remember all that God spoke to us, and let's live out the Love that He poured over us. Love to you all!