Bible Study, Project 365

P365 – Day 101 (Women’s Retreat -My Prayer)

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I am blessed to serve on the steering committee for our church’s women’s retreat. I work with an amazing collection of godly women. This year’s retreat is rapidly approaching and I am in the throes of the preparation.

paper work

One thing I especially enjoy (in a sick and twisted way) is producing the retreat notebook. I love buying the crispest, whitest paper I can find at Office Depot and finding the perfect images to go with our theme. I spend hours (this is the twisted part – I’m a serious perfectionist when it comes to Publisher) getting the fonts just right and coordinating colors. A friend introduced me to Pixie which has opened up this amazing world of color matching.

Unfortunately the notebook is something that can only be done at the last minute as schedules are constantly changing and evolving and there is always something that needs to be adjusted near the end. This makes for a rather frantic time period for me. Thankfully I am a last minute kind of gal who thrives on a high pressure deadline.

I love being involved in the details of the retreat – knowing who is going to be in which cabin and what the speaker is sharing and what time we move from session to session, etc. It feels like I am part of some big grand secret. I am just thankful that I am not responsible for everything (or we would have a very interesting retreat).

If I’m not careful I spend all my energy working and worrying and preparing for the retreat and don’t save any time for readying my heart to hear from the Lord. The retreat is a wonderful time for fun fellowship with the women in the church but it is primarily an opportunity for me to learn more about God, to be challenged and convicted, encouraged and strengthened. I don’t want to run myself ragged before the retreat even begins or I have no energy left to meet with the Lord (I’ll be asleep). And so I am driven to my knees.

My prayer for the retreat…

Lord, quiet my heart as this special time approaches. Give me clarity in thinking as I finish up last minute details (and the list seems overwhelming at times). Help me to get enough sleep so I am rested and ready for a busy weekend. Speak to me in a powerful way through the women appointed to share. Let me be Your vessel. Help me to set aside my own desires and be directed by You. Teach me something new about who You are and what You want for my life. Fill my words with grace and encouragement as I walk among the other women. Meet me in my weaknesses, Lord, and fill me with Your strength. Help me in the areas where I am leading. As I think about the theme of the retreat, A Heart Transformed, I lift Paul’s words in Romans 12 up as a prayer.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will..

Kathy

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Aunts and Uncles, Events, Project 365

P365 – Day 100 (Easter Eggs)

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I like to think of holidays (including birthdays) as sort of fluid. There’s no need to be bound by the actual date, is there? In our house, we open Christmas presents for a good week. It isn’t that we have so many gifts (although with five children there is certainly a respectable pile under the tree) but that we like to S…T…R…E…T…C…H out our Christmas celebrations. Once the last present is open, it means Christmas is over.

where's the dye?

Although my primary Love Language is probably quality time, I have a strong love of gifts. It seems rather shallow in comparison to some of the other gifts. Although maybe you aren’t supposed rank the 5 love languages – I guess that kind of defeats the purpose of understanding people feel loved in different ways and in order to make them FEEL loved, you need to speak the language that communicates best to them.

Still, I feel a bit childish to admit that a present makes me happy. What am I, five? None the less, it’s true and I’ve come to accept it about myself. Thankfully I have a husband who LOVES to give presents almost as much as I enjoy receiving them. Aren’t we a wonderful team! One year my birthday lasted for several weeks with Tim bringing out a steady stream of presents. It was heavenly!!

bowls of color

I digress (it was all that talk of presents, got me a bit giddy). I was hoping a discussion on elaborate, stretched out celebrations would distract everyone from the fact that today’s pictures revolve around dying Easter eggs.

And Easter was several days ago. Sigh. I blame this terrible breech in egg dying protocol on my mother in law. I also blame my mother. My mother in law went and caught the flu this Easter. Now how are we supposed to dye Easter eggs and eat jelly beans and chocolate all day if Grandma is sick? Especially if I am on record as being generally opposed to candy and rely on the grandparents to provide my children with confections of all sorts. Some people have no respect for proper traditions.

dan, josh, andrew

2000 boys

Daniel, Joshua and Andrew wait patiently for Grandma to fire the starter pistol on the great Egg Dying Competition of 2000.

rachel's working hard

Rachel’s hogging the blue in 2000.

And my mother? She loves dying Easter eggs. She will work hard to gather some children (even if they are grown up, not a single one of them under the age of 10, or even 25) for an afternoon of Easter egg dying. She does, however, live in Michigan. Yes, Michigan. That is MUCH too far to go for an afternoon of egg dying. Some years our family has managed to combine our Michigan visit with Easter (truly a worthy feat).

phil and daniel

Here my brother, Phil, and Daniel work hard at their eggs in 2004.

sarah and jenn
more sarah and jenn

It’s 2004 and Sarah lets Aunt Jenn help her a little bit but eventually she wants to get her hands on that spoon and do some dipping herself.

Of course, this produces ONE yellow egg and some very messy fingers requiring serious cleaning up.

cleaning up sarah

With all these mothers not cooperating a bit, it’s amazing we managed to dye Easter eggs at all. Thankfully we had an episode of Bonanza to console and buoy our spirits. Afterward, it was time for some serious egg work.

How can we possibly eat any of the children’s precious works of art? “No, don’t eat the [insert color here] one!” With five children (and parents who want to play with the pretty colors as well), how many eggs do you need to hard boil? How many egg salad sandwiches can one family eat? How long do hard boiled eggs last? These are significant questions. I remember talking to my mother last week.

“Are you ready for your company, Mom?
“Oh, yes. We’ll have an easy lunch, that’s all settled. I’m worried about something else, though.”
“Oh dear, what’s wrong?”
“How many eggs do I boil? How many will each person want to dye? 3? 4? More than that? I’m a bit concerned.”
Pause.
“Um, Mom, is Dan coming over with the kids?”
“No, it’ll just be the four of us. Thom and Jenn are coming for lunch. But you know your father, he always surprises me and wants to do his fair share of Easter egg dying.”
“I’m sure you’ll work it out, Mom.”

rachel and david

So, you see, some of the great questions in life must be puzzled out each year.

Happy Late Easter Egg Dying!!

Kathy

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David, Project 365, Sarah

P365 – Day 99 (Little Buddies)

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David and Sarah found themselves alone this evening. Joshua was off at a sleepover. Daniel and Rachel were invited to a friend’s house for dinner and a movie. It was just the two little ones (oh and Mom and Dad but I’m not sure we really count when we’re looking for fun playmates).

david and sarah

The little rascals (as Rachel sometimes calls them) had such a great time playing together. They are good friends who are very companionable. They had rows of Playmobil figures lined up on the stairs with a big dump truck on the landing next to them. Ready to transport the figures? Run them over? Cover them in a landslide of dirt? Good times!

I’m so thankful that the children enjoy each other and are friends. David and Sarah are close in age but different in temperament and interest. Still, they play together beautifully when the older crew is occupied. They were overjoyed when I said they could have a “sleepover” in David’s room.

“Good, Mom, because I was going to be lonely tonight,” David told me.

How did he know he was going to be lonely? Sometimes you just need a brother or sister nearby to keep you company.

Kathy

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Bible Study, Musings

In His Service

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What does it mean to be available to the Lord?

What does it mean to be ready and willing to say “yes” to His calling on your life? Does that mean we leave everything and go off to become missionaries?

Sometimes.

I have two dear friends, wonderful but ordinary women with families and responsibilities and busy, full lives, who are both serving the Lord overseas. He called and they answered. Watching them say “yes” to God left me a bit breathless. One went to Africa for a year so her husband could serve as a doctor in a rural village. The other went through years of training to become a missionary and is still continuing language studies, now in Thailand.

Was there anything special about these two women and their husbands? Did they stand out in a crowd? Was there a unique spiritual glow about them? A sort of halo? No. Like many women in my church, they love the Lord. They work with children Sunday school classes. They pray and attend Bible studies. They laugh and cry and deal with the mundane chores of life.

What they did do, however, was say “YES” to the Lord. When He called them, they were available. Did they fuss and cry and worry and say, a thousand times, “how do we do this”? Absolutely. But in the end, they walked in faith and obeyed God’s call.

I think about them and what it means to listen for God’s call. In my busy, bustling household, it takes a loud voice to be heard.

“Mom?”
“I’m in the mud room, I can’t hear you.”
“Mom…mumble, mumble, mumble,” children screaming, running feet.
“I said I CAN’T hear you! Come in here if you want to talk to me.”
Washer and dryer both running. Bathroom faucet splashing everywhere. Phone ringing. Computers clanging.

I can barely hear myself think, much less hear a call from the Lord. Sometimes, however, I think I’m waiting for a BIG, LOUD, DRAMATIC message from God. When that doesn’t come, I sigh and gather my things (usually laundry) and go on about my business, feeling somehow less worthy or less spiritual than those who are off serving God in foreign countries or in important ministries.

But what does it mean to be available to God? Are His calls only loud and booming, filled with drama? What about the quiet requests? What about the ordinary ones? Are these somehow less significant to God?

How about the announcement for the prayer meetings, all week, for the Easter services? Do I applaud and think, “It’s so wonderful that our church believes in prayer. I sure hope people go and pray.” Do I sit back and admire the “prayer warriors” in the church and marvel at their spiritual mightiness?

I wonder if being available to serve God, to be In His Service, means saying “yes” to little things, the things all around me. If perhaps it isn’t all flashy and exotic (filled with foreign sights and sounds) but is often simple steps of discipline. It’s inconvenient and time consuming to go to prayer meetings. Oh, the first one is great. There’s music and singing and a good crowd. But the next night, how many people come? What about the next? Or the next?

If I sit around waiting for a “Grand and Mighty Call from the Lord” and never listen for His quiet, still voice, what does that say about my faith and my walk? Why would I think God would give me an important, significant job if I’m not willing to take little steps? Do I say “yes” to the little bits of work He gives me. Is my default answer, “no” when people come to me with a need?

Tonight the phone rang. It was late (after 10:30 pm) which is never a good sign. My mind immediately thought of family or friends who might be in distress. In college, people would call at all hours of the day and night. In polite, grown up life most people don’t call after 9 pm. I guess we all have to get up for work or children and be responsible and all that.

It was M. on the phone. She was calling with an urgent need for help. Her friend was in the middle of a bad situation and she needed to go and pick her up. She asked me if I would go with her. It was late. I was tired. I already had my contacts out and my teeth brushed. I had stayed up late the night before and only gotten 6 plus hours of sleep. I had a bunch of computer work to do. And on and on. I didn’t hesitate for a moment.

“Yes.”

“You can! Oh, thank you!” Poor M. was so flustered and in the of the crisis that it took her a few minutes to figure out I could best help. Finally she decided her husband would go with her to pick up the friend (and her car) if I would stay home with her kids.

“I’ll be there in 10 minutes,” I told her. “I have my shoes and sweatshirt on and am walking out the door.”

M. knew I am a night owl. She knew I would be awake. She hoped I would be available to help. Such a little thing for me to do and yet it enabled her to do a bigger thing which reaches out to touch (and maybe save) another person’s life. Ripples of significance stemming from obedience to God.

We won’t know the impact our little yes’s have for the kingdom of heaven until we walk with Jesus there. I want to live a life that hears the quiet AND the loud voice of the Lord and, more importantly, obeys. I want to become more and more practiced in the spiritual disciplines so God can use me.

“Yes, Lord, send me.”

To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Matthew 25:29

Kathy

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Events, Project 365

P365 – Day 98 (Happy Easter)

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He is Risen Indeed!

We went to the early church service today. As a family of seven, we take up almost a whole pew just by ourselves. Tim convinced us to go to the 8 am service this morning so visitors could enjoy our favorite pew at the later (and more populated) services. Oof! I know it wasn’t a sunrise service (and I have to admit I’m grateful) but it was still a bit early for this sleepy family. Especially since we were out late the night before. Tim even left early to go and pray for the pastor before church.

Can you say Prayer Warrior in the training? Or maybe Prayer Armor Bearer? Prayer Serf? Something like that.

purple couple

We had a delicious pancake breakfast after the service, served by the high school youth group. No dishes to wash, which makes my day (and the children who push paper plates as often as they can). We had a good group join us for Sunday School (studying I Corinthians 14). Lively discussion on prophecy and tongues.

Our Easter guests canceled because of illness. Sniff, sniff. No Grandma and Grandpa time. I decided to still prepare a nice Easter dinner. The temptation to slap some of those paper plates on the table and call it lunch was strong, but I resisted.

easter dinner

Inspired by Joshua’s dinner presentation the night before (blog entry on that still coming), I picked out a pretty tablecloth and even managed to find some placemats and cloth napkins that vaguely coordinated. The kids begged to use the crystal goblets. I think they just like making the crystal ‘sing’ (by rubbing their fingertips around the top of the glass). Ah, we’re a classy bunch. Rachel had already changed into her play clothes so her matching purple outfit was nowhere in sight. Use your imagination.

After a lovely dinner, I snuck away to the couch and fell asleep for a little bit (amidst two computer games and the other general ruckus). Tim and the children cleaned up much of the kitchen. Daniel ran off and got me a blanket and pillow so I could nap in comfort.

My nap was short lived but precious. We managed to clean up the house and get it ready for company, all the while leaving just enough time to watch an episode of Bonanza. Ah, yes; I think this little treasure is going to be a new family favorite. What’s not to love? At least 400 episodes (all in color), brothers, guns, bad guys versus good guys, all resolved in one hour. The boys (and I include Tim in that group) were captivated. Our company arrived just as the show was coming to an end. Tim forbade us to watch the conclusion until he gets home from work tomorrow. Pure torture!

We spent all evening playing games with friends from our Small Group. We started off with a few rousing rounds of Scum (always popular with church groups), moved on to teach the crowd Bang (where you basically attempt to kill the other players) and returned to Scum as a finale. Tim and Don snuck in two games of chess while the outlaws and sheriff were duking it out in Bang.

We ate a casual dinner. Some of the children joined us for games. Rachel was the Bang Consultant – running back and forth helping people with their cards. The little ones played with dolls and cars and the like. It was a very fun evening.

daniel and em

Daniel spent some time holding baby Emily.

Hope you enjoyed your Resurrection Weekend and spent some time with friends or family.

Kathy

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