1-Year Anniversary

This weekend marks 1 year since we began morning services at Calvary as a re-start. We actually began a Sunday School in January of 2007 and then in March started Sunday night services while Steve transitioned to full time ministry.

Steve gave a brief recap in the service today which really made me stop and think. In the past year, 7 people accepted Christ as Savior. That is 7 lives changed for all eternity. Nothing is as priceless as that. Nothing else matters.

Sometimes I get bogged down in what can become drudgery of every day ministry. Let's face it--we all know how burdensome people can be when they don't get their way or when their feelings are hurt. But when we stop to pay attention to what God is really doing in our midst, it makes dealing with those issues so much easier.

Please don't misunderstand...I'm definitely not attempting to toot our own horn here or even insinuate these results belong to us. They do not. It is all God. We just get the unbelievable privilege of being a part of it. Lives previously headed to hell are now on the road to Heaven. How cool is that? Words cannot describe.

A Little Bit of Everything

My mind is very disconnected today, mostly because I just don't feel well. Actually I feel like a big heap of dung. I'm not sure what that feels like but it must be bad. However, I had a couple of thoughts to share.

First, Friday marks my last day in my current job. I'm so excited to see what God has for us and while it would be very easy for me to say so much more, I'm going to choose not to because I don't feel well physically. I may end up saying something very hurtful because I'm really in the mood to do so. Yeah for progress! A year or two ago I'm not sure I would have cared.

Secondly, as I'm cleaning out the stuff in my cubicle and email, I came across the quote below from sweet, encouraging Brandi. It's from a 1979 letter written by Mother Theresa:

“I pray that I would let Him (God) have a free hand in my life—and even if He chooses to cut me to pieces, that every single piece, however small, be only His.”

Brandi sent this to me at a time when I felt as if I were being torn to pieces, actually shredded to pieces is more like it. It was so encouraging because even at a time when everything seems all wrong, in reality it is a time God is using to sift me, to prove what is right and true, and to burn up all the facade. And if I choose to dedicate those pieces to only Him, the end result will be wholeness once again.

And that's all I've got for now.

Ordination Day

Yesterday (Saturday the 23rd) was a big day for us and the last official step to formal ministry. Steve was ordained during an amazing service. I don't think I can adequately express how I truly feel about this life altering event. It's not like full time ministry is any more real today than it was 2 days ago and yet it is. Surreal is perhaps the closest I can come to the right word. Not only was the service for Steve's ordination but there were also eight people baptized--two sets of spouses, a father with his two sons (ages 8 and 10), and a young woman I'm just getting to know through my ladies Bible study. It was extraordinary!

Listening to Steve's answers to the select public questions caused me to be even more in awe of what God has done in his life. The answers were just right there on the tip of his tongue--there is no doubt he is firm in what he believes and the immediate recollection is evidence as to why.

I was humbled by those who came out to support us. There were two instances that brought me to the verge of tears but I knew if I didn't hold it together I would be a blubbering idiot. I found myself so touched by those who showed tears of joy. Much like I am now.

I'll end with a funny story from the event. My friend Tonya cried pretty much through the entire thing. As she and Rich walked through a receiving line of sorts he said he thought about putting her in the cry room because she wouldn't stop crying (you know, the room in the back for parents with crying babies during a service)! It was hilarious!

Our Little Man's Birthday

Today was Mr. P's 11th birthday and what a little man he is becoming! Of course I didn't let it ruin the party but I sure missed my dad today. So much of who Peter is can be attributed to my dad and of course the birthdays of his grandbabies were high on the list of important things in his life.

The crazy thing was hearing Peter say he would be a teenager in 730 days. WHAT THE HECK?!? I don't even know how that is possible. It causes a lump in my throat to even type that. But it's true. I suppose this is just more motivation for me to really enjoy every single day I have with him because the years are just flying by.

I love this little man. My buddy--that's what we call each other--buddy. So, happy birthday my buddy, I love you.

Heading Out

Steve and I are heading out this afternoon for a mini-vacation-yet-work sort of thing. He has a staff retreat outside of Bozeman and we took full advantage of the days offered to us. We're staying the entire time (tonight - Thursday morning). Then we're headed to Fairmont for a late anniversary celebration.....our anniversary fell on a scheduled night of ministry so we just rolled with it. Us and 10 others had dinner together for our anniversary. I know, how romantic, particularly for our 20th!

A few weeks ago we ran into Pastor Paul & Tami one Friday night when we were working late at the church and they told us they had fast food in the office for their 14th anniversary in July. He said, "welcome to ministry life - that's kind of how it goes." All I can say is better late than never!

So, I will be delightfully out of touch this week! My friend Sherri will be watching the boys which means they will be spoiled rotten with all kinds of bad habits by Friday afternoon! But given the option, I wouldn't have it any other way. Thanks Sherri!

Final Wednesday with Peter

This past Wednesday was mine and Peter's last afternoon because I'm out of town next week and then school starts. So, for now we wrap up the summer with great memories and a guarantee to figure out something for next year too.

We went to Pompeys Pillar and I hadn't been there since the revamp for the Lewis & Clark bicentennial. They've done a great job on the interpretive center, new walkways, and the works. However, with all that comes a price tag. I didn't know there is now a fee so I wasn't prepared...as in no cash. You'd think since it's 2008 that taking a credit card wouldn't be a big deal but in this case it was. They didn't take it at the gate (but they do at Custer's Battlefield) and it was a major drama in the interpretive center. They pulled out the old slide-y thing and had to call for approval. It took like 15 minutes so if you go, take cash!

Once we made it through all that, we really had fun climbing to the top, then back down and to the river where Peter skipped rocks. As you might recall from a previous post, I am a rock skipping idiot.

We ended our final fun Wednesday at our favorite soda place....Kings Hat.

Mr. P at the Interpretive center:We met some cool cats up on the top who volunteered to take this for us:

Peter in his quest for triple skipping (he didn't make it):

Photo Finish

I'm a big fan of a few of the Summer Olympic sports. Swimming happens to be one of them. Did you catch the men's relay shown last night? The excerpt below is copied from the Beijing Olympics 2008 website (there's even a picture of the 4 guys but as I suspected I wasn't able to copy and paste in here):

"That Michael Phelps fellah was in the thick of it as expected, notching up his second gold medal of the Games in (yep, you've guessed) a new world record time, with his American colleagues in the Men's 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay, keeping his quest to crack Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals in one Games (Munich 1972) on track.

Australian lead-off man, Eamon Sullivan, set a world record in the opening leg of the event – however his Aussie comrades were soon left trailing in the wake of Phelps, Garret Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones and Jason Lezak, who audaciously slashed almost four seconds off the previous world record the team had only set the day before. The French team, which briefly led in the third leg, held onto silver, ahead of Australia, which claimed the bronze."

However, they didn't write it with nearly enough enthusiasm for this American. The truth is that the French team was talking smack in the months, days, and hours leading up to this event. In their own words: "The Americans? We're going to smash them." Ah, French arrogance at its best.

The reality is that Phelps started off strong, Weber-Gale and Jones did okay but by the time Lezak jumped in the water, we were considerably behind. My heart sank as it seemed the French smack was going to be proven right. After all, they were the favored to win. In the last 5 or 10 yards Lezak came on so strong and I was literally on the edge of my seat, cheering out loud for this guy I don't even know. He made a reeeaaallly long stretch at the end and touched first.

Americans had won the gold! Not surprisingly, no acknowledgement or congratulations came from the French team. But our guys didn't need it. No, they were excited enough for all of us. It was a beautiful, photo finish. The icing on the cake was making the French team eat their arrogance. They should be full for a while.

But I Want....

Long before we got Sam we were purchasing this one particular small, stuffed kitty for Jake. We discovered it was one of the few toys he didn't have shredded to bits in a few short days. Once Sam came along we grew weary of them sparring over it. It didn't matter what we bought Sam, he always wanted Jake's kitty.

So, one day we were at the pet store and there in front of us was the most beautiful sight. Not only did they have the small Jake-sized kitty but they also had a big Sam-sized one. We were pretty sure we'd hit pay dirt. We bought one of each, took them home, and the real battle began. I'm no dog expert but I've heard they can't see color. I'm not sure I believe that...not to mention I wonder how the heck they know that! Anyway, they both wanted the purple one.

So, the next time we were at the store we bought a small orange one and a big orange one. Ah, peace at last....yeah, right. Immediately they each wanted the kitty the other one had. And, strangely enough, both thinking they had one up on each other, they were happy as clams when they got it.

It's hilarious to watch. Jake pulls around the kitty that is almost as big as he is and Sam goes everywhere with the little kitty tucked safely in his mouth. Seriously, it's the first thing he searches out in the morning and the last thing he drops at night.

It's another one of those weird spiritual insights I have via my dogs. We always want that one thing someone else has -- the car, the house, the clothes, the job, the hair, the face, the talent, the spiritual gift, or heaven forbid, the spouse. Sadly, though, it rarely works out as well for us as it did for Jake and Sam.

No Partiality

"For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow." ~ Deuteronomy 10:17-18a

I'm so grateful for a God who isn't partial even though I can't begin to comprehend how he does that. I mean, really, why doesn't he love Billy Graham more than me? I can't really wrap my mind around that but I'm so grateful it's true. And my response to all this should look like this:

"Fear the Lord your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. He is your praise, he is your God who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes." ~ Deuteronomy 10:20-21

Indeed I have seen great and awesome things with my own eyes!

A Burr in My Saddle

Twice in just about as many months I've sat in utter disbelief as I listened to the following statements:

"It's good that we have different denominations where we can be with people who believe as we do."

"It's a blessing that we have so many different churches or denominations where we can choose to worship with people who like to worship as we do."

What the heck? "NO, NO, NO!" I wanted to scream out. I don't think that was ever God's plan for his church. No, I'm not an official theologian but am confident I can read and understand God's word anyway. Simple enough for a child right? Plus I have a beef with those who are arrogant enough to say, insinuate, or believe that I can't understand the Bible without attending an institution run by humans. Not that I'm knocking higher education. I absolutely am not. But really, we don't need to spend out lives going to school and shielding ourselves from the rest of the world. What's the point of that? To debate? To be right? Whatever. Besides, this is a huge rabbit trail and I guess I have 2 burrs in my saddle.

So, back to the main burr. I believe God intended for his church to be one, as He and the Father and one and that there would be complete unity (remember John 17:22?). Unity does not look like numerous denominations and even more preferences. No, according to Merriam-Webster, two of the definitions of unity are 1) the quality or state of not being multiple; 2) the quality or state of being made one. (emphasis mine)

I don't believe multiple denominations are "good" or "blessings" in God's eyes or from God. They are necessitated by humans who have the perpetual habits of combativeness and divisiveness. I encourage you to think about it but more importantly to search the scriptures for yourself and see if God's doesn't show you exactly what his church is supposed to look like. I think you'll find it most beautifully in Revelation. There is the absence of any and all denominations; there is no section in Heaven for the Baptists only, Lutherans only, etc. -- only for those who believe in Christ as Savior. And we will worship God together. Not in man-made groups.

On a much lighter note, every time I contemplate unity, a line from one of my all time favorite movies pops into my head. It's from Major Payne and goes like this:

"Unity, turds. It's the key word in unit--without the y."

Bowling With Mr. P

Last Wednesday Peter and I went bowling. This week we went to lunch with momma and Steve, took the dogs for a walk (we sufficiently exhausted them and they are sleeping), and now we're playing ATV Fury on the PS2. I haven't played in a long time and I can't remember how to efficiently use the 87 buttons it takes to win. Up to my ears in frustration, I quit.

Back to last week. We both so stink at bowling but we had a really fun time -- us and the 24 senior adults who were also bowling. I guess I stink less because I won all 4 games. He's fairly easy to psych out. All I had to do was say "whiff it!" and each time, in the gutter it went. Given that, it seems only fair Peter kicked my butt today.

My Latest Poem

So, today at small group we spent a considerable amount of time in worship. Steve wanted to show us that worship takes so many other forms than just singing. Not that singing is bad, but just one of many ways.

As a group we called out words and names that described God. Within a couple of minutes we had over 50 and honestly, we could have gone on and on. Then we had one person narrow it down to 10 and we had to write a poem or letter using all 10. We were encouraged to share with the group but of course didn't have to. Below is what I came up with - the 10 words are in italics.

On the throne sits my king
Sovereign over everything

Powerful, on high he reigns
His righteous wisdom never feigns

Holy, worthy is my friend
Eternal life he does extend

Merciful my Savior is
Soon I will be forever his.

The last thing we did was watch "My King" by S M Lockridge. It's worth the watch & listen if you have about 6 minutes. It will help you remember, or maybe understand for the first time, how big and majestic God really is.

Gems in Deuteronomy

I'm reading through Deuteronomy again. It's not one of those books I usually think about doing as a great quiet time series (unlike Psalms, Proverbs, James, etc) so although I've read it, I've never really taken my time, chapter by chapter to glean truths for my daily life.

I've been astounded at how frequently God has spoken to me the last 10 days or so. As a matter of fact, last week I came across 3:26 which says:

"That is enough," the LORD said. "Do not speak to me anymore about this matter.

Moses is actually recounting their history in the desert and he was forbidden to enter himself. This verse leads me to believe that he asked God repeatedly to change his mind and let him go in. I think it's perfectly acceptable to bring those petitions to God until he answers but clearly he had already answered Moses and this was the final response. The reason it jumped out to me is because I'm positive God has said this to me a time or two. He gives me an answer but I just keep at it. Finally he's like "that is ENOUGH!" (I can also hear my mom's voice echo in my brain as I typed but that's an entirely different story.)

I don't know why I've never really seen that before but there it was, jumping off the page. Then there was a verse yesterday but since it applies to something I am not willing to battle publicly, I can't share that one! But today? Man, another word - out of Deuteronomy for crying out loud!

When Steve got home from his run this morning I said "hey, I got a word for you today." Then I proceeded to read:

"But be assured today that the LORD your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the LORD has promised you." ~ Deuteronomy 9:3

This fits perfectly with a situation he is dealing with this week because we needed assurance that the Lord was indeed going in front of him and the reminder that he is the ultimate avenger. But he said "is that really for me? Or is it for you?" "NO!" I insisted, "it is totally for __________ (this situation in particular)." He said "well, it seems to me it applies equally to you."

And so it does apply to an excruciatingly difficult situation I find myself in. And all this out of a book that has never really inspired me before, mostly because I've always approached it with an "UGH" attitude, I'm sure. I highly recommend it!

Pales in Comparison

I was dealing with some frustration earlier today. I decided to lie down for a nap only to be constantly annoyed by 2 dogs who wanted me to do anything but sleep. I finally drifted off, ready to be in a slumber for 2-3 hours.

Steve woke me up after receiving a phone call of a family in crisis. Out of respect for the family I will not divulge too much information but it involved a death considered tragic by human standards. They struggle to make sense of it. We struggled to make sense of it. Sometimes we just don't understand God's ways. We don't know the spiritual condition of the family, or the deceased family member for that matter. How do you console someone in that situation? Would anything really matter?

All I could say is "I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm just so sorry." And I think that's a perfectly acceptable response. Many times there is nothing else they want to hear. After my dad died I got so sick and tired of hearing "well, you know, it must have been God's plan" or "God knows best". Okay, I know those 2 statements are so true but honestly, I would have preferred they just hush up, hug me, and move on. At one point I told Steve that if one more person said anything like that, I was going to have to punch them in the head. Consequently, I try not to do that.

We prayed with them, offered to minister to them in any way they needed, and then with their blessing, made our way out the door. As we drove home I thought about how my frustration utterly pales in comparison. Matters of life and death have a tendency to do that. Oh that I would always live with that in my mind. We're not guaranteed tomorrow. What if we always made the best of each day expecting it to be our last? What if each encounter we had with another was with the idea that we might not see them again?

How would life be different?