A Very Generous Father's Day Gift

My husband received one of the most generous father's day gifts this year. It is a one-of-a-kind gift that took much love and sacrifice on the part of my daughter who gave it to him. Unless you know the background, you really can't appreciate what a gift this really is. Here's a picture of it:

And here's what it says:

"To David,

I am your loving daughter Kari. I have decided that the best thing I could give to you for Father's Day was a coupon. Now, you are probably wondering what the coupon is for. So, continue reading.

I hereby give David E. Larson permission to dance to the song Alejandro by Lady Gaga in front of me in public or in private 25 times. Each time you do it, I have to mark a number.

Signed,

Kari E. Larson 6/20/10

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25"

Don't kids come up with the best things ever?! This will make me smile for years to come, as will Dave's dancing. ;)

Thanksgiving Prayer

I pray that each and every one of you has a thanksgiving filled with true knowledge of your blessings. We take so much for granted, don't we? Anyway, this prayer is from Donna Partow and I thought it so appropriate for me. Perhaps it is for you, too. Happy Thanksgiving from my heart to yours.

"Dear God,

I want to thank you for what you have already done. I am not going to wait until I see results or receive rewards. I am thanking you right now.

I am not going to wait until I feel better or things look better. I am not going to wait until the pain in my body disappears. I am thanking you right now.

I am not going to wait until people say they are sorry or until they stop talking about me behind my back. I am not going to wait until my financial situation or the economy improves. I am thanking you right now.

I am not going to wait until the children are asleep and the house is quiet. I am not going to wait until a different season in my life unfolds. I am thanking you right now.

I am not going to wait until I understand every experience in my life that has caused me pain or grief. I am not going to wait until the journey gets easier or the challenges are removed. I am thanking you right now.

I am thanking you because I am alive. I am thanking you because I made it through the day's difficulties. I am thanking you because I have walked around the obstacles. I am thanking you because I have the ability and the opportunity to do more and do better. I'm thanking you, Heavenly Father, because you haven't given up on me. You are good and you are good all the time.

Thank you for all the good you've done for me. Amen

A Long Time Coming

This post has needed to be written for a long time now.  I’ve started it a couple of times, only to erase it all because I just couldn’t find the words to finish it.  I’ve gone over and over what to say and how to say it, and I haven’t sensed any divine revelation, so I’m just going to wing it here. 

You see, God has begun a mighty change in me and I find that for every step forward in faith, I take two steps back with fear and insecurity.   I am embarrassed to write this post, to some degree, because I have to share a message that God has been trying to smack into me for quite some time.  Okay, just being honest here, it’s been years that He’s been trying to break through to me in this area. 

A couple of months ago, unbeknownst to me, a friend and fellow staff wife got a little bug up her sleeve to have a surprise for me at our Women’s Retreat.  Many of you wrote wonderful and beautiful cards to me and, embarrassingly, gave of your hard earned money towards a gift for me – me of all people! 

The last day of the retreat, my friend, Tricia, called me up to the front.  I had no idea as to why she was calling me up there, and she proceeded to say some things that I can’t quite remember.  (When I am standing in front of a group of grown ups, I usually have a sort of “out of body” experience because I am so embarrassed and insecure to be there).

The gift of the cards was such a sweet and unexpected surprise, and I was touched that so many women would make the time to write me a card.  I was full to over-flowing with the love that I felt in the gift of those cards. 

But then……Tricia proceeded to say something that my simple mind didn’t have a category for, and I didn’t even understand what she was saying at first.  She told me that the women, along with their cards, had given money, towards a gift for me. 

I simply cannot find the words to say how totally embarrassed I was that anyone would give in these difficult financial times towards a gift for me.  I certainly haven’t “earned” it, I certainly don’t “deserve” it, and I certainly can’t believe it.  I must have looked so silly in that moment because I truly did not understand what Tricia was trying to tell me.

Long story not so short, Tricia told me that there had been enough money to buy the club chairs that we had picked out when we had bought our sofa two years ago!  I KNOW!  What is up with that?

Well, after mumbling something (probably not at all intelligible), I headed back to my seat with the treasured box of cards in my hands.  As I sat down, I was engulfed in the hugs of the two women sitting on either side of me, and in that moment…….something broke.  I felt a love wash over me like a tidal wave and I “heard” the voice of the Lord speaking straight to the depths of my soul.

Now, there have been two times in my life that I clearly sensed God speaking straight to my heart in a way that was all but audible.  In both of those times, I can tell you word-for-word what God spoke to my spirit because it was so vivid, real, and true.  This time was no different; I remember word-for-word (it’s all but etched in my heart) what God said to me. 

I’m a little hesitant to share what I heard because, well, I’m sure God speaks to you all in grand and eloquent ways, and me?   Not so much. 

Anyway, as I sat enveloped in the hugs of those two women and overwhelmed with the love that those cards represented, as clearly as anything, I heard these words, “Gena, it’s time to put your big girl panties on and step over all those danged insecurities you have hidden behind for so long.”

Yep. That’s it.  That’s what I heard.  To be fair, I also heard, “You can do all I’ve called you to do, and you can trust in this love.” 

God gave me no grand discourse on His immutability, or why He sent his son, Jesus Christ, as propitiation for my sin, or His transcendent nature.  Nope.  None of that; just “Put your big girl panties on.” 

I don’t mean to be flippant at all about the reality of the Lord speaking to me.  I really don’t, but I simply can’t rephrase what I heard because that’s what I heard.

And you know how God has to say some things over and over for us to get it?  Well, believe it or not, I recently attended a one-day conference with two speakers, and both, BOTH, women used that exact same phrase at one point during the day in their talks.  I mean, what are the odds of that? 

Well, those words have come back to me over and over again since the retreat and I continue to pray that I can truly accept what He told me.  I desire to stay on the other side of my “danged” insecurities that I all to often willingly and fearfully hide behind.  I want to trust in the love of those God has so graciously and wonderfully placed in my life.  And, I want to feel free to release the deep, honest-to-goodness love that I have for others in our church.

Anyway, as I came home from the retreat to read all of those sweet and heartfelt cards, I was again amazed at the gifts God has given me in the women of our church.  I will always keep that box of cards, and I will reread them every so often (especially on days when I wonder if I can do anything right!).  I don’t deserve the love that was expressed in those cards, but you all gave it anyway.  Do you even know how humbling that is?

And on top of that most precious gift, you all gave me some chairs. CHAIRS!  I couldn’t believe it, and guess what?  They are here!  You all need to come over to see them and rest your little hienies in them!  I like them just as much as I did two years ago; they match our sofa so well! And when I sit in them, I am amazed at the gift of love that they represent to me.

Yes, it took me until the chairs got here to post this because I’ve been embarrassed at your overly gracious and generous gift.  I mean, how do you accept something like that?  And yet, I am afraid that my inability to say thank you earlier might have been seen as being ungrateful. That wasn’t it at all!  In fact, it was just the opposite; I was so grateful for the undeserved gift that I found it hard to accept.  Why you all would bless me that way, I don’t know, but I want to let you know how very much I appreciate the gift and the love in which it was given.  

So there you have it, a long overdue and heartfelt THANK YOU to you all who have dared to love me and bless me.  I can only pray that I will be faithful with those gifts and that I will turn around and pour those gifts out to others.  I love you and thank you with all that I am.

Speechless

I still have no words after our women's retreat.  God spoke so greatly to my heart (in ways that I didn't even expect) and although it's been two days since we arrived home, I still haven't totally processed all that happened in and through all of us who were there.  All I know is that God is on the move, and we've only just begun to see the freedom and victory that is in store as we step out from fear to faith!  

And the unexpected and absolutely overwhelming gift and cards from all of the women there and in our church also leaves me speechless.  I was so confused and then so utterly swallowed in your love that I will never forget that moment.  As I went back to my seat to sit down, I was enveloped in the hugs of the two women sitting on either side of me, and all I can say is that, "Something broke" in me and God said some very specific words to my heart.   I don't feel free to share those thoughts on this blog yet, but let's just say, a message from God broke through all of my barriers in that moment!  There were tears. The good kind.

Upon arriving home, I spent hours reading the cards and then had to take some time to journal the feelings and thoughts swirling in my head and heart.   I am still feeling the love, ladies!  :-)  I have always said how blessed we are to be called to serve at New Life.  Yep!  I still feel that way.

YOU are all blessings to me and I can only pray that I will be a blessing to you, also.  That's what Traveling Together is all about.

23 Years and Counting

Today marks the 23rd anniversary of the day that Dave and I pledged our love to one another in front of our family and friends.  Amazing!

I remember it was a gorgeous day, and I would dare say it was the result of my grandma praying that it wouldn't rain on our wedding day.  I also remember that I was so nervous standing in front of everyone that I got the giggles and although I tried to hide it, my shoulders shook off and on throughout the first moments of our wedding.  I remember the moment Dave and I saw each other in our wedding finery before the wedding.  We had decided to take our pictures before the ceremony so that we could more quickly join our friends and family at the reception.  We wanted a special moment alone to see each other for the first time, so Dave waited for me in the sanctuary and I found my way there.  I'll never forget walking in to see him; he was looking so handsome in his tuxedo, and I remember being thankful that he had actually showed up.  :-)  I am so glad we had that moment of calm and wonder together before we joined the rest of our family and friends for the pictures.  I carried that moment with me the rest of the day.

We've learned a lot in these past 23 years, and much of it was learned the hard way (just like everyone else learns in their marriages).  But I will tell you this, I wouldn't trade any of it for the world.  In fact, I believe our love is stronger and more real because we've walked through the hard times and come out the other side choosing to love anyway.  I am a better woman because of the man the Lord allowed me to marry, and today I celebrate our 23 years together.

Babe, I'm so very thankful for you, and I count it a blessing to be married to you.  I'm looking forward to the next 23 years.  Thanks for showing Christ's love to me, for being patient with me, and for believing in me.  God has blessed me beyond what I could ever have hoped for.  I love you with everything I am!

Below is a picture of a very special anniversary present Dave and I received today from our daughter.  She used CD cases (how green, right?) to create a wall hanging for us.  I KNOW!  So very sweet, don't you think?

The Red House - Part Three

Today we continue with our little tour.  (Part 1 HERE, Part 2 HERE) Even with no electronic devices (computers, TV's, iPods, etc...), this place was filled with fun things to do.  It seems that the family that owns this old farmhouse/guesthouse values one of the things that we do: reading!  They have built in a little reading nook above the upstairs to the second story, and Kari (after her Daddy climbed on it to assure her that it was safe), climbed up to this cozy corner to read.

Peter also found a place to plant himself with his book:

And there was no shortage of reading material available.  Just take a look at the bookcases in this one guesthouse:

Number 1

Number 2 and 2 1/2 

Number 3

Number 4

Number 5

And finally, Number 6 (not to mention to books contained in the bookcase portion of the secretary in the living room).

There were so many great books to choose from that it was difficult to narrow it down to which ones we wanted read or at least look through.  I started one bood that really captured my interest, but there was no way I could finish it in the amount of time that we were there.  I'll have to see if I can find it somewhere else so that I can truly read it.

What will we find in The Red House tour tomorrow?

The Red House

We were blessed to be able to get away for a couple of days last week (for the half-marathon that Dave didn't run), and we stayed at the greatest place. It is an old farmhouse that is available for people in full-time ministry at a very (VERY) reasonable rate. The family that owns the land lives in a house next door to the house we stayed in. They feel that providing this peaceful place for people in full-time ministry is a ministry of theirs. How cool is that? The first evening we were there, the man who owns the farm came over to make sure we were okay and then he asked if he could pray over us. Oh my goodness! What a blessing that was! This couple have raised all of their children on this rural farmland. They have a son serving in full-time ministry as a missionary pilot in Brazil, so I'm sure they understand the blessing that they are able to be to those who serve.

Anyway, I took a lot of pictures, but none of them capture the coziness and peace that we experienced being there. Stop back by here because I will share some more photos over the next few days.

The house we stayed in is called, "The Red House." Aptly named, don't you agree?

We'll start with the fresh flowers that were placed throughout the home. This first picture is what was directly in front of us when we walked through the door.
As if that weren't enough of a beautiful and thoughtful surprise, look at all the other surprises we found. See if you don't end up taking a deep cleansing breath looking at these photos.




And I forgot to take a picture of the flowers in the center of the farmhouse dining table that had a package of cookies and a welcome card beside it. So, so thoughtful. We knew we were in for a special couple of days. Next up? You'll have to come back to find out.

Block Party

I received a couple of comments this morning at church about my more-than-inconsistent blog posting lately.  I even had one person volunteer to ghost-write posts for me until I can get it together to post more!  (Thanks, friend!)  There are a couple of reasons that I haven't posted, and I am sorry if anyone has been disappointed checking in here and finding nothing new.  I find it very funny that it is even possible that people would be disappointed by my lack of posting because I really have nothing to share most of the time. :-)

We hosted our annual block party last Thursday evening, and we had a great time.  The weather cooperated; the desserts were delicious (especially the peach pie!); the bounce house was busy all night; the fireworks were fun; and the visiting was treasured.  We all said, as we do every year, "We really need to trim that branch before we do the fireworks next time," and yet we never think about it until we're lighting fireworks the next year.  :-)  This was the first year that we have music to accompany the fireworks show that neighbor Chris puts on for us.  Eric and Ben had worked at putting some great theme music on a CD, so we watched the fireworks to the Indiana Jones, Rocky, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Star Wars soundtracks.  It added so much, and at the end, we all cheered!

Quite a few of our neighbors had already left town for their long holiday weekend, but we had some new folks join us this year.  We were also blessed to have our friend, Tom Lombardo (who is freshly back in the good ol' U.S. of A from the Philippines), stop by for a little visit.

Here are a couple of pictures of our time together:

On the fourth, we loaded up our portion of the day's potluck:  the homemade ice cream (Dave makes the BEST citrus ice cream and mocha Heath bar crunch ice cream!) , bean soup (a family favorite), black bean salad, and chips and dip to head out to my aunt and uncle's home outside of Empire.  They live on 20 acres and all of our families congregate there each fourth of July.  There's lots of visiting, quad riding, bike riding, "Outback" golfing, swimming, basketball, and of course, yummy food.  The day caps off with the brothers-in-law performing their comedy/fireworks show.  Great times celebrating our great country and our independence!  God Bless America!

Play Day in Monterey

Although we won't be taking a big vacation this year, we are planning a couple of day trips for our family.  Our first day away was Monday when Dave took a vacation day and we loaded up our bikes and went to Monterey.  My sister, brother-in-law, and two nieces went with us, and the ten of us had a blast!  We parked at the beach in Seaside, and proceeded to ride our bikes into Monterey.  We stopped at the wharf, ate lunch at Archie's, visited the aquarium, continued our ride down to Lover's Point for rock-jumping, and then headed back to Seaside to load up the bikes and travel to San Juan Bautista for dinner.  It was a simple, peaceful day filled with laughter and joy.  We are blessed.

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.

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!

Festive Fridays - Lessons Learned

Do they look like Christmas trees? I didn't think so! :-)

More Christmas trees! Can you guess our theme for the day?

Snack/Craft: Christmas trees made out of sugar cones, frosting, and candies.

Who's monitoring all this madness?

As promised, I will be sharing a few of the things I learned through my little Christmas project called Festive Fridays.

First of all, I must say a big thank you to my wonderful husband, Dave, for jumping on board with this idea. He and I work so well together, and I love when we are able to tackle something new like this as a team. One idea will springboard into another as we talk about what we can do. As you may have noticed, he is a great "up front" person, and I do quite well in the background making sure things are done and flowing smoothly. I was grateful for his ability to play the guitar and lead our Christmas carol singing time. I am also thankful that Dave is so open with our resources as this venture did cost us in finances, times, and our home. Dave also jumped in and helped with crafts, games, and story reading.

I am also thankful to my two older children, Hannah and Eric, for their willingness to give of their time to help with anything that needed doing. They organized games, picked up after craft time, read stories, helped with snacks, and generally, just did whatever needed to be done.

That being said, here are a couple of things I learned during Festive Fridays:

1) I needed better resources for tying it all together. It would have been nice to have the resources all in one place, but as it was, I was picking and choosing stories, games, scripture, crafts, snacks, etc... from a wide variety of sources. It all worked out great, but I have a greater appreciation for good curriculum! :-) The good news is that now I have my own curriculum of sorts to draw from for next year.

2) When it's raining outside, 18 people in my house playing a relay game is a tad too many! :-)

3) In reference to item #2, always check the weather forecast!

4) When it comes to crafts with children of various ages and abilities, easier is definitely better. :0 Also, any craft involving glue should not be done on my dining room table!

5) Speaking of crafts, using food products (or candy) in the creation of a craft calls for having extras on hand just for eating. We made advent calendars using Hershey's Kisses our first Friday together, and I overestimated a young child's ability to understand delayed gratification! Ha!

6)  This lesson I know from having children of my own, but I forgot since they are now older:  Pray fast!  Little bodies need to move!

7) I think we could have done more to focus on reaching out to others. We did collect money towards feeding hungry children, but I didn't want the children to feel pressured to give towards that as our time together was our ministry to them. However, I do think that the children would participate more fully and compassionately if we were able to help another neighbor with a project, gift, food, or money.

So there you have it - lessons I learned in putting on Festive Fridays for the kids in my neighborhood.  I'm sure if Dave were to share, he'd have more, different, lessons that I should have learned, but this isn't his blog, now, is it?!  

Festive Fridays

I mentioned a few posts back that I had asked God to bless a humble little project that I was working on.  Now that it is over and I've learned a few things, I thought today I'd share what I felt God leading me to do this holiday season. Tomorrow, I will share what I learned. :-)

For quite a few years now, I have wanted to host a backyard VBS during the summer for our neighborhood kids.  It just makes sense to me to have a VBS in our own backyard when we have neighbor children who would come.  Why must I ask our neighbors to travel somewhere else to drop their kids off to be in a huge group of other kids they don't know when I could just have them here and we could share Christ with them and build bonds between our neighbors and their kids all at the same time?  For whatever reason, I haven't felt the time has been exactly right to try the summertime backyard VBS yet, but this fall I had what I felt to be a God-led desire to do something around the Christmas holiday.  

What grew out of that desire was a Friday afternoon event held at my house called "Festive Fridays." We invited all the neighborhood children between the ages of K - 6th grade by passing out flyers the last week of November with the following information:

Festive Fridays!

Who? Neighborhood kids ages K-6th grade 

(Jr/Sr High kids are welcome to come to help.)

What? A fun time of songs, stories, games, and crafts.

When? Fridays (11/30, 12/7, 12/14, and 12/21)

4:00 to 5:30 PM

Where? The Larson Home – XXXX Our Street

Why? To enjoy the Christmas season with our friends and to celebrate the reason for the season.

Need more info? Call Gena at XXX-XXXX or XXX-XXX

Kids, just show up and have some fun with us!

We planned each Friday around a different theme, creating games and crafts around that theme. We also read a book having to do with the theme for the day, and we sang Christmas carols, practicing for the last Friday when we would go caroling at the homes of some of our older neighbors. (I called the neighbors first, asking if it would be okay for us to come by. They were thrilled to have the kids come by to carol, many having fond memories of caroling themselves).   The children also made gifts for their parents that we wrapped the last day in hand-decorated gift bags.

We had a blast as we built some new friendships, blessed some neighbors with carols and a gift, raised money to feed hungry children, made crafts, shared the real meaning of CHRISTmas, played some outrageous games, and basically just laughed and celebrated the season with our neighbors.

Was it a busy time? Yes! Did it get hectic at times? Yes! Did the kids have fun? Yes! Were we glad we did it? Yes! Will we do it again next year? YES! We did, however, learn a few things that we will do differently next time, and I'll be back tomorrow with lessons learned.

For now, here are a few pictures from two of our times together. Enjoy!  

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

By the way, pictured above is my son, Peter, whose spiritual birthday is today!  :-)

Behold the Lamb of God

I was blessed beyond measure tonight and felt like I was given a few holy moments to wonder anew at the story of Christ's birth. We mostly think of the birth of Christ and the events surrounding it in such a sanitized way, but the reality of these events, the holy and the raw, were beautifully portrayed this evening in this wonderful event put on by many talented and gifted individuals from our church. It was simply wonderful, and you must make plans to attend one of the last two performances (Sat. 12/15 at 7:00 PM, or Sun. 12/16 at 6:00 PM).

I sat praising God that He has given such wonderful talents to people I am privileged to be walking on this journey with. Everything I experienced tonight was a gift to me. I could never have designed or built the set; I would not be able to paint the beautiful canvases; I am unable to play any of the instruments that were used tonight; I am definitely not someone others would want to hear sing; I am not able to run a sound board or handle the audio/visual aspects of a production, BUT my great God has placed people around me that have used their abilities and gifts to bless me! It's okay that I can't do any of those things, but my life would be so much emptier if these individuals did not use their gifts to serve the Lord and the rest of us. The people that were involved in the production of "Behold the Lamb of God" sacrificed many hours and evenings to enable me to catch a new glimpse at the wonder of the birth of Christ.

Thank you to all of you that put such effort and time in to providing such a wonderful experience for the rest of our family at New Life. You used your gifts for His glory tonight, and you were a blessing to me.

Family Fun Sunday Update

It's 8:00 PM, and Dave is already in bed.  He's not been feeling well for a couple of days now, and I think he just needed to get some sleep tonight.  He and a couple of staff members will be going to a conference tomorrow, so it's probably good that he gets some rest.

If you read Dave's blog, you know that we went to Crossroads Grace Community Church in Manteca this last Sunday.  It was wonderful to sit in church as a family, but I have to admit.....I wasn't thrilled when Dave said he wanted to go to another church on his Sunday off.  I love just love being with everyone at New Life, so I'm never anxious to miss a Sunday.  However, it is good to go somewhere else, see what God's doing, and still be glad that He's placed us where we are.   

After going to church on Sunday, we headed to lunch and the "Bee Movie."  We then went to my mom and step-dad's house for Family Fun Sunday.  Since my sisters, mom, and I are so busy, we get all of our families together every third month for "Family Fun Sunday."  The kids (all ten of them) can play with their cousins, and we adults can have fun and visit.   This past Sunday, we ate together, drew names to form teams to create Thanksgiving posters from a plethora of various supplies, and then created two new teams to play Guesstures.  We also celebrated my step-dad's birthday and enjoyed some wonderful desserts (my mom is a great cook!).  I did get a good dose of laughter in, as always, and I was again thankful for my fun and loving family.  

Hugo is here!

Welcome to the World!

I'd like to announce the arrival of my new nephew, Hugo Larson Matthias!

He was born to Dave's sister, Nancy, and her husband, Todd, on Friday, October 26, 2007! He weighed in at 8 lbs. 6 oz. and was 21 inches long.

Here's a picture of the happy family!

We will get to meet Hugo in person when they travel down to California to spend ten days for the Christmas holiday. Little Hugo has lots of hugs from Uncle Dave, Aunt Gigi, and his cousins waiting for him!

Women of Faith

I'm heading out to the Women of Faith conference, but please do respond to my last post. I will pick a winner next week! :-)

It's pretty easy to see by the frequency of my postings lately that school is back in session, and I'm back in the classroom. Each day, I experience or think about things that I would like to share here, but there are very few free moments to sit down and compose my thoughts enough to write anything that would be of benefit to anyone, myself included. Life flies by at breakneck speed, sure enough!

Today, I traveled down to Madera Ranchos/Fresno to vist with an old friend from high school. Angela was a foreign exchange student during my senior year, and we made many (often crazy) memories together. She is from Australia, so I haven't seen her in years, but she happened to be here visiting her former host-family that now lives in the Madera Ranchos. We had a great time catching up over dinner at Chevy's and strolling the mall, but I really had to work hard to catch everything she was saying; her accent is strong enough that I sometimes had to ask her to repeat herself! Sorry Ang, you know it's true! :-) We were able to spend about five hours together, and we chatted the entire time. Amazingly enough, she has four children the ages of my four children, and we both have sons named Peter. When two moms each with four children get together, there is never a shortage of things to talk about! I found it interesting to hear what life is like for her in Australia, and the issues she and her children face compared to the issues I face with my children here in the States.

She remembered things I had long forgotten, and brought up names/situations that I'd tucked away in the far recesses of my mind. Some of the memories were great ones, and others were ones I was glad to have put aside. Her recollections reminded me that I am not the same person I was in high school, and that is only because of the healing and saving power of Jesus Christ in my life. I always tell people that it's a good thing Dave and I didn't meet in high school because he would have never dated me (and I probably wouldn't have dated him). Dave and I would have moved in completely different circles, and we wouldn't have crossed paths very often in a positive way.

Anyway, I noticed that Angela seemed uncomfortable around me at first, and I thought it was simply because we hadn't seen each other in such a long time, but then she said she didn't know what to talk to me about because she's never been friends with a minister or his wife. She asked about our church and our lives, and then she said, "I could never be perfect enough to be a minister's wife." I just had to laugh, and I told her to join the club because I'm not perfect enough either. And guess what? Neither my husband nor my children are perfect enough; we're all just one big perfectly imperfect mess! :-)

I think Angela's view of, and experience with, Christianity led her to believe that I would be judgmental or "Holier than Thou" and somehow "different." Well, I am different because I have met God and been freed from my sin and bondage, but the God I have met is a gracious God who respects, values, and LOVES people. I pray that I show those same qualities to those I am in relationship with, and I pray that Angela saw that in me tonight because that is the truth of how I feel about her.

Pictures from Colorado

Well, I finally was able to load some pictures onto my computer so that I can get them up for you. Let's see if this works! :-)

Precious moments (Not the figurines! :)

I had a few sweet moments this afternoon with my daughter, Kari. We were wrapping presents (she for a friend's birthday party, and I for a cousin's baby shower) when we had a great idea. We decided to add some personalized creative elements, so we brought out some fine guage wire and some glass and wooden beads. We then created her friend's name with the wire and embellished it with the beads. Kari loved this and was so excited to see the finished product. We then used the wooden beads (with the letters of the alphabet on them) to create name tags for the presents. They turned out so well, but the real joy was in having a few, quiet, one-on-one moments with Kari. She loves anything having to do with art, so she was so excited that we were working on this together while sitting on my bedroom floor. She started talking about her school day and an event that happened between the girls during lunch. I probably would have missed hearing about that event had we not had those few moments alone together today. I thank God for giving us that time.

With four children, it is very hard to find one-on-one time with each of them. I am also not as conscious of remembering to plan those times as I'd like to be. However, I am grateful that God graciously grants me those times every once in a while. I recognize those moments as the gift that they are; those times are truly precious moments.