Growing in another direction... Topic: God things We were in Flagstaff over the weekend. Charles performed a wedding for a young couple who we've know since they were in Jr. High. Beautiful wedding, happy time and we saw lots of people we haven't seen in a few months.
It is a very strange experience to go back to a place you've known and were intimately involved in after you've been away for a period of time. Things were different....a little bit forced, a little bit uncomfortable, a little bit weird. I guess we have incorporated into this new church pretty well, because now, to be around the former church people, it doesn't feel right. We felt a little like outsiders....not intentional on anyone's part...it's just the way it happens in the ministry. God grows you away from the people you had known, lived with, ministered to...and grows you into the new congregation.
Not that I felt uncomfortable around my old friends, I still felt loved and we enjoyed seeing everyone. But I can't get away from that feeling of strangeness.....that we didn't belong anymore. It hurt and will continue to hurt for a while. I"m sure some of them felt the sting too...of old friendships and ministry being pulled away....the familiar and comfortable become survival mode until things settled in again.
There was just not enough time to visit, to hug or to understand again. It was not a long wedding and we had to leave just before the reception began. We had to get home to rest before our Sunday services the next morning.
It was sad to leave and to realize...that is not our home anymore. God has been working to grow our hearts and connections here. That is a good thing. But I miss the old thing too.....
A Good Day to Float Topic: People/Family stories I took my mom to visit my dad this morning. He seems to be adjusting to his new environment pretty well now. He talked to us a little bit and didn't seem to be having any paranoia problems today. We took him to get his haircut, then back up to lunch. He gave me a sincere hug and kiss goodbye (he usually shows some aggrivation or whispers a paranoid thought into your ear when you tell him goodbye).....it was a good visit.
It's been a long hot day and we are about to go swimming as the sun goes down. The water in the pool has been just below 90 degrees, so it's a little warm. But for some reason, floating around in water has been really relaxing lately. Maybe I"ll do a study on lower blood pressure and anxiety relief through floating therapy. I'm so thankful for that pool...it's hard to get a good float going in the tub. ;)
Here is a cool website about an artist who Stacks Rocks for gardens or parties. And if you have the urge to stack, you can try Virtual Rock Stacking. I couldn't get the rocks to stay where I put them, but maybe you can figure that out.
With ears like a child Topic: God things My husband, the pastor, wrote a great post on his blog about really listening. I will just refer you over there today. Like a Child, listening and responding.
Lightning, thunder, fire and ashes Topic: People/Family stories
I just have a minute to post, but wanted to share this with you.
My daughter Hannah wrote this post on her blog today. I loved it! She's had a rough couple of months and lives 2 hours away from us. (The 'canyon' she is talking about in the post is the Grand Canyon)
Oh, my head is feeling fine today (no anurism...sorry I worried you Cheryl!) Life is so much more livable without headaches!
Weekends and Mondays Topic: Other
We had a very lazy weekend around here. Saturday found us sleeping in, enjoying an afternoon wedding and swimming in the evening. Sunday was a good day at church, we saw Emma off to jr high camp and went out to lunch with some friends who just moved to Phoenix. We knew them about 13 years ago while living in New Jersey.
I also had time to really explore the Christian Women Online e-zine. It's an online magazine full of cool stuff. I also joined their web ring of Christian Women bloggers, as you can see from the graphic on the lower left of my page.
Today I have what I think is a monster sinus headache....either that or an anurism, I can't really tell the difference. So I am probably going to lie this bowling ball head of mine down on a pillow and shut my eyes for a while.
Extremely cool kids... Topic: People/Family stories When our kids were little, I used to let them choose 2 or 3 songs to sing, then pray and kisses. We alternated that with reading a book before bed.
Now our oldest lives on her own in her college town, the next 2 are teens and we have an 8 year old (all girls...in the picture they are from left to right: Bethany, 16, Emma, 14, Hannah, 18, and Maggie, 8). So I still say prayers about half the time with Maggie, the 8 yr old, so she can learn to do it on her own too. This summer, my 14 yr old, Emma, started reading a chapter a night to the Maggie out of the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. They said the Hobbit is next. They just decided it on their own and are very regular about it.
Maggie is at camp this week (coming home tonight) and I asked Emma if she missed Maggie. She said, "YES, and I miss reading that book!" I told her she can still read it, but she said she wanted to wait to read it with Maggie.
How cool is that?
I think it is extremely cool.
We have extremely cool kids
....imho. =)
PS....my extremely cool husband began a blog for our church members, but I want link to it here also. Heeeeeeeeeeeere's Charles.
Prayer Conference Report 2 Topic: Prayer The second day of the prayer conference, we got to hear Cheryl Sacks speak. She has written a few books, one of which is called, The Prayer Saturated Church. She spoke about what happened when Jesus visited the church in Matthew 21, otherwise known as the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Some people in their ignorance saw His coming as a political revolution, church leaders with wrong motives saw His coming as a threat to the way they did things, and some were simply following Him and His leading. She said the pattern that happens when Jesus visits the Church is:
*Cleansing (a return to holiness) *Prayer (seeking God’s presence) *Power (God visits and draws people to Himself) *Praise (true worship and service)
Some questions to ask to identify the barriers to the presence of God in our churches:
1. What are our sins of omission? What has He already asked us to do that we have not done? (these include specific things for your church as well as things all churches are supposed to be doing…..evangelism, prayer, caring for the weak, etc…)
2. What are the sins of church leadership? These could be patterns of weakness or sin in former pastors or in the leadership of the church, because Satan will attack where you’re already weak.
3. What are the sins of our denomination that are affecting our church?
4. What are the historic sins of our church, community, families? (generational sins, deep root issues)
5. What are the top 3 barriers that keep our church from being a praying church? Are the people apathetic, sinful, prideful, have wrong motives in the church?
6. What areas of our church are under attack for what we’re doing right?
Lastly, she talked about incorporating prayer into every area of church, not having it offered only as a separate activity on Wednesday nights. (although Wed. night prayer meetings can be a powerful part of how the church functions) Have your prayer team go into the youth, children, stewardship and music departments or committees and teach them the importance of seeking God for those they serve as well as guidance in how they serve.
*Motivate people to pray. Use prayer testimonies in church, teach on it. *Teach people how to pray. Have seminars and classes on it…equip them. *Provide opportunities to pray for every level of believers. (Those who are passionate intercessors, interested seekers, and for those not yet ‘awakened’ but who attend.)
These, I thought, were some really practical ways we can become a more effective organization for the Lord as a church. Very good ideas and evaluations for us to take very seriously and start incorporating into our own lives, as well as the church.
As I was searching for a good image for this post, I came across this website by the Church of England…..it looks like a useful, practical tool for enriching our prayer life.
Random entertainment Topic: Humor/memes
I discovered Dave Barry has a blog. He just collects odd or funny stories or websites and lists them. WHAT a job! I could browse for hours, but I'll share a few with you....
*A man who heard it was really hard to quit aol recorded his conversation with an aol rep while trying to get the rep to cancel his subscription. Amazingly enough, my husband had a similar experience when trying to unsubscribe from aol. I kept hearing him politely saying things like, "No, I just want to quit." ..."NO, I'm not interested, just cancel my membership please." ....."Really, I just need to cancel this, I have an account with another server."......*sigh*
Prayer Conference Report 1 Topic: Prayer I promised someone that I would give a report on the prayer conference my husband and I went to, but I didn’t realize how hard it would be to do. How do you capture 3 days of studying prayer….of being in God’s presence in worship and under teaching that seemed to be appointed by Him for this very time? The conference was a week ago, and I’ve been mulling it over and wondering how to condense and overview. A lot of what we learned I will just touch on. Here goes:
Last Wednesday night, my friend Joy picked me up to drive together across town for a prayer conference. (My husband couldn’t come on Wednesday because he had a prayer meeting to lead at our church.) We were not quite sure what to expect, but wanted to get the most out of what was touted as a very great conference.
The worship was so well done. The worship leader had a special gift for drawing you into really worshipping and not thinking about him or his band, but about God’s holiness and goodness.
This first night, the speaker was from Uganda, Jackson Senyonga. He spoke of Uganda and how God has gotten a hold on his country. It has become mostly Christian now and people who still live secular lifestyles do not feel at home there. The president quotes from the Bible when addressing the country and AIDS has become contained and dwindling in the past few years there. He said on an average day, walking on the city streets, he regularly hears people discussing the Bible and praying.
And it all started with faithful prayer for their country.
It wasn’t a program or plan, it was due to people practicing God’s presence in their daily lives and when God is present in a person’s life, people take notice and He draws them to Himself. Acts 17:26-28
Then after telling us how wonderful it is in his country during this time of awakening….he told us that he believes God is calling the United States for the next awakening. It begins with His people returning to prayer, to repentance and to holiness. “Changed people change people.” “God wants to fumigate nations with His presence.”
His points: (these are from notes taken from Jackson Senyonga’s sermon 6/14/06)
1. It takes God…His presence, not programs or making churches more comfortable or fun….it just takes God.
2. It takes power. No prayer, no power….little prayer, little power…..much prayer, much power. It takes humility to pray much….prayerlessness is a sign of pride.
3. We need to take away the limits and restrictions that we put on God in prayer. He wants to do great things and here we are celebrating the little things.
4. It takes obedience. Obedience requires sacrifice….something must die. And that would be our ‘self’. Surrender your way to what He is telling you to do.
We need to take prayer to a deeper level. People who will be able to experience a deeper level of prayer will do 3 things.
1. They experience private victories before any public victories can happen. Our inner lives must change. We must conquer the sins that hold us back from really experiencing God’s power in our lives.
2. They will arise from slumber. We are lulled into apathy by our own love of comfort. We need to set aside our comforts that distract us and focus on God’s work in our world…in our country, city, neighborhoods and homes. He talked about how in Uganda, the country was oppressed through hunger and lack of daily needs. In America, we are oppressed by our abundance of things….our daily needs are met without thought and our wants multiply. We need to lay down materialism.
3. They will start to pray out of desperation. God wets our spiritual appetites and we think that was the main course. God wants to do wonderful things, change countries, not just serve appetizers.
Psalm 2:8-9 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule them with an iron scepter ;you will dash them to pieces like pottery."
Jeremiah 33:3 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'
Amen
This was just one sermon. I have notes scribbled in my notebook and on handouts from the sessions I went to. Maybe I will do more another day. There was so much to take in, it seemed like we weren’t going to retain anything from information overload. But as I go back through these notes, it is coming back to me. So as I review the notes, I will try to type out some reports. Okay, Cathee? =)
Sizzlin' Summertime Topic: People/Family stories This is the best summer picture ever to make people who live in Phoenix smile. I borrowed it from Cathee's Just a Sojourner on this Planet blog. She is a fellow desert dweller and a fellow blogging friend.
My dog would hand over all her chewy rawhides she has hidden under my rose bushes, her pig's ears (which I won't touch) that Maggie gives her on weekends and her wonderful tennis ball to have one pile of snow like this fortunate polar bear! She gets so hot in the yard in this summer desert heat that we've taken to 'dipping' her twice a day in the pool. She won't go in by herself (or even into a small child's wading pool...she is afraid of everything!), so we dip her. I could see her lying on this ice, melting to the shape of her dog body. lol I tried to bring her inside today, but she was all nervous and just wanted to go back outside.....silly dog.
Summertime is hard on the kids too. Yesterday Charles went off to Children's Camp, along with Maggie, up in the mountains. Even though the Arizona desert is extremely hot this time of year, the mountains, with 80 degree days is just a 2 hour drive, so we have wonderful camp and retreat facilities all over northern Arizona. Pray for them this week. Our church took about 30 people up there this week!
So I'm at home with my 2 teenagers this week, hanging out. Bethany works every day this week, serving chicken to the hordes at the mall, while Emma has a friend visiting for several days. Today Bethany only works for 4 hours, so I let Emma and her friend hang out at the mall until she gets off work. I hope they are having fun....cuz I am enjoying the nice, quiet afternoon!
To be understood Topic: Friendship
Thank you blogger friends for your kind words of encouragement yesterday about my dad's situation. How cool to be baraged with understanding and Christian love. It brought tears to my eyes to read all of your thoughts to me.
God brought to mind these 2 verses today also....
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
Romans 5:3-5 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
Thoughts on Friendship Topic: Friendship I can't help but love those Sonic commercials. They are so silly and sarcastic.....like the one with the husband and wife sitting in their car at Sonic and she is eating a sandwich. She suddenly declares, "Y'know, I don't think there is anything in the world that I love more than a Sonic toasted BLT." The husband looks at her and hesitantly suggests maybe she is exaggerating (can't remember the dialog here) and he says, "After all, what's the Sonic toasted BLT got that I don't have?" Without skipping a beat she says, "Bacon." then takes another bite of her sandwich. LOL Very sassy.
They have a new commercial with 2 girlfriends sitting in their car, eating little banana splits, talking about how cute they are. They hold them together and declare that if you put them together they make a whole. And while looking straight ahead, the one woman starts talking about when they were teenagers and girls wore those little broken heart necklaces to remember their special friends, saying how goofy they were and why did we ever do something so rediculous. All the time she is talking, the other woman is desperately trying to hide the broken heart pendant that she is wearing!
Girlfriends are great...we don't agree on everything or have the same taste in necklaces or humor sometimes, but we need each other.
Yesterday I met with 3 different girlfriends of mine. One was Cheryl, my walking buddy. We did our 45 minute walk around the mall, chattering along.
Love ya Cheryl!
Then a new friend, Mary Ann, had asked me to come out for coffee with her while our husbands had a meeting at her house. So we jaunted off to Starbucks (sorry Hannah) and had muffins and blended iced mochas. We had so much getting to know each other to do that time flew by and suddenly I shivered, it was so cold in that place. We moved outside to the patio area and the warm Phoenix morning sun felt so good, we chatted even longer. We know each other from church, but had never had any exclusive visiting time, so we chatted about family, church, vacations, decorating, Jesus, and what a beautiful morning it was.
Thank you Mary Ann!
Having 3 appointments for girlfriend visits in one day is a little tiring, yet energizing, if you know what I mean, ladies. From Mary Ann's I went across town on the Squaw Peak Freeway, through beautiful desert mountain views to Scottsdale to have lunch with Nancy. If you want to see Phoenix in from a brand new view, just drive the 51 (Squaw Peak Fwy) from north to south....beautiful! Now I know where the picture at the right was taken. I love this picture.
Nancy and I have been friends for years. I met her when we both lived in Williams and now we both live in Phoenix. We hadn't had any visiting time since moving here though, so we had a lot to catch up on! We have been through a lot together...some very hard, rough patches in life and in friendship. But those are the kinds of friends you can bare your soul with and not feel so vulnerable....there is a trust and accountability there. And we did....and it was good.
Hang in there, Nancy!
Each appointment was unique....3 friends, one new, but comfortably familiar and encouraging, one new and fun to get to know, one rekindled and on a much deeper level...caused by walking through hard times together. So it was an interesting day!
I needed a totally different kind of day...a day to spend with friends. It is very refreshing, in a way that being with my husband or family can't produce. (sorry honey, you've great, but it's that bacon thing...please refer to the first paragraph) =) I love you though...and you know I love you more than any bacon sammich!
Flickring Topic: Photo entries I've been doing some serious therapy! I uploaded a bunch of our photos from this last year on my Flickr page. I don't scrapbook, but I do like to make online photo albums. I just added a bunch from our vacation to Colorado which I blogged all about last summer. There is a whole section on the Great Sand Dunes in southern Colorado....very nice pics taken by my husband while he climbed them. I will add more to my Israel collection this week I think. I finally found the rest of them!
We were in Flagstaff over the weekend. Charles performed a wedding for a young couple who we've know since they were in Jr. High. Beautiful wedding, happy time and we saw lots of people we haven't seen in a few months.
I took my mom to visit my dad this morning. He seems to be adjusting to his new environment pretty well now. He talked to us a little bit and didn't seem to be having any paranoia problems today. We took him to get his haircut, then back up to lunch. He gave me a sincere hug and kiss goodbye (he usually shows some aggrivation or whispers a paranoid thought into your ear when you tell him goodbye).....it was a good visit.
My husband, the pastor, wrote a great post on his blog about really listening. I will just refer you over there today. 
When our kids were little, I used to let them choose 2 or 3 songs to sing, then pray and kisses. We alternated that with reading a book before bed. 
The second day of the prayer conference, we got to hear 
I promised someone that I would give a report on the prayer conference my husband and I went to, but I didn’t realize how hard it would be to do. How do you capture 3 days of studying prayer….of being in God’s presence in worship and under teaching that seemed to be appointed by Him for this very time? The conference was a week ago, and I’ve been mulling it over and wondering how to condense and overview. A lot of what we learned I will just touch on. Here goes:
This is the best summer picture ever to make people who live in Phoenix smile. I borrowed it from 
Bethany works every day this week, serving chicken to the hordes at the mall, while Emma has a friend visiting for several days. Today Bethany only works for 4 hours, so I let Emma and her friend hang out at the mall until she gets off work. I hope they are having fun....cuz I am enjoying the nice, quiet afternoon!
I can't help but love those Sonic commercials. They are so silly and sarcastic.....like the one with the husband and wife sitting in their car at Sonic and she is eating a sandwich. She suddenly declares, "Y'know, I don't think there is anything in the world that I love more than a Sonic toasted BLT." The husband looks at her and hesitantly suggests maybe she is exaggerating (can't remember the dialog here) and he says, "After all, what's the Sonic toasted BLT got that I don't have?" Without skipping a beat she says, "Bacon." then takes another bite of her sandwich. LOL Very sassy. 
tiring, yet energizing, if you know what I mean, ladies. From Mary Ann's I went across town on the Squaw Peak Freeway, through beautiful desert mountain views to Scottsdale to have lunch with Nancy. If you want to see Phoenix in from a brand new view, just drive the 51 (Squaw Peak Fwy) from north to south....beautiful! Now I know where the picture at the right was taken. I love this picture.
with friends. It is very refreshing, in a way that being with my husband or family can't produce. (sorry honey, you've great, but it's that bacon thing...please refer to the first paragraph) =) I love you though...and you know I love you more than any bacon sammich!
I've been doing some serious therapy! I uploaded a bunch of our photos from this last year on my 
