Changing Lives for Good

My wife ROCKS

There are times in life when God uses your spouse to slap you in the face (figuratively of course) and this morning was one of those times.

I returned from a good but abbreviated Pastoral Assist Team meeting to find myself confronted with a to do list that is simply not doable in a week but has to be done this week (you know the drill right??). I got busy working, stress mounted upon stress as I discovered still other things which needed to be added to my to do list.

Then my wife, Jennifer, let me know that she'd just posted a blog. She didn't ask me to read it (knowing my frantic week all too well), but I wanted to read it. She is honestly one of the people I enjoy reading. I anticipate the day when God gives her the inspiration and opportunity to write what is sure to be a great book but until that time I'll enjoy the morsels of her talent in her blog Whispers of Grace.

Her post today, A Broken Resolution... and a Faithful God, slapped me in the face and I can't encourage you enough to read it ... now ... go ahead, I'll wait.

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I had run quickly into the urgent before focusing on the important. Her post was a gentle reminder for me to stop... busy myself with God ... and then busy myself for God. Thank you God for using my helpmeet to help me focus once again on You!

Whispers of Grace

My wife, Jennifer, has posted a couple of blogs here in the past but she has now stepped in to writing her own blog, Whispers of Grace. I hope you'll head over there and be an avid reader. She's a great woman and a phenomenal writer... and I don't think I being biased in saying that either.

She'll also have a column in the upcoming Haslet Style magazine. I am very excited and very proud for her. I'm sure it will only take a few reads for you to understand that I definitely married above my head... God is SO good!

Death Up Close

Tonight was the viewing for my grandmother who passed away on Saturday, October 11 at 3:30 am. I thought I had prepared myself to see my Ma in her coffin but I was mistaken. I wasn't as prepared for the onslaught of conflicting emotions as I thought. I didn't lose it or anything, but I did see death up close.

The first thing that hit me was the reality that my Ma had passed away. There was no denying that she was the one laying motionless in her casket at the front of the church. And while the reality seems obvious it is also why I didn't want to go to sleep last night because I didn't want her passing to be reality. But there she was... gone... only the shell of her body remaining... which gave rise to another feeling... sadness.

I'm going to miss my Ma... in fact I already do. And to think that I was looking at her for one of the last times in my life made me sad for good reason. I was also sad because I wasn't able to see her before she went to be with Jesus. I talked to her and prayed for her on Friday afternoon but I wish I could've been there for/with her.

Then the truth of God began to break through to me and I felt hope. As I touched her hand and looked at her face I realized that I wasn't touching my Ma. I was touching and looking at the shell of who she was. Ma was with Jesus, and the body that was lying in that casket would one day be raised, transformed, and made like Christ's resurrection body. She was in a much better place free from the sin and stain of this world. Our loss was heaven's gain.

And that hope gave way to excitement because Ma had been ultimately healed. She was happy, healthy, and whole in heaven. Free from pain and in the presence of Jesus. She was there with Pa and Loren, the two men she loved and cared for on this earth. How could I not be excited for her.

It seems almost calloused to say I'm excited but I know she is exactly where she's wanted to be for the past three years. It doesn't diminish my grief but it frees me to view her death as her liberation rather than her ending. I do grieve, but not as one who has no hope. My Ma is in heaven and her death up close has given me reason to rejoice through my tears and to glorify God for His grace.

The Passing of a Great Woman

You won't see her name etched across the headlines or hear the pundits extol her passing but this morning around 3:30 one of the greatest women I know went home to be with Jesus.

Her passing was peaceful which is befitting the person she was. She was always happy to be the one taking care of others and blessing them and perhaps her one fault was struggling to allow others to help and bless her in return. She was a great woman. The kind of woman who impacted those around her by the strength of her care and the depth of her love. The kind of woman who saw the best in you and helped you see it as well. The kind of woman who found her joy in the joy of others. She was truly a Godsend to me.

My oldest turns 7

My oldest turns 7 today. It's taking a while for that sentence to really register in my brain because the flood of thoughts and feelings it evokes are numbing:

"where did the last 7 years go" ... "oh no. Have I done a good enough job preparing her for what she's going to face" ... "I remember when she fit between my elbow and hand"... "I must be getting old"... "Wow, she really is growing up"... "Uh oh... better put more away for college" ... "Wow, my little girl is turning seven."

And those are just in the first few nanoseconds. And then I see her smile and she comes and gives me a hug and says, "You're the best daddy ever" in such a tone that I think she actually believes it. I think about all she's been through with the eye surgeries and dealing with glaucoma and I see the little girl that she is and I'm amazed. I watch as she enthusiastically wants to help start the church and hands my business cards out to friends like they're candy and I'm proud. And I listened tonight as she played with all the friends she invited to her sleepover and I'm happy because she's happy.

And all of this makes me think of my Father. My oldest isn't perfect at all, but nothing changes my love for her or my desire for her unbridled happiness. God is the same way. He loves us in spite of all that isn't perfect about us and He desires our unbridled happiness as well. He wants us to experience the best life has to offer... Himself. But all too often we settle for what's good enough for us when God wants to give us what is great enough for Him.

Who knew Popeye was all about nutrition?

We had a fun dinner conversation last night. After sitting down to dinner where I had fixed 2 salads... one for Jen and the kids with basically lettuce, carrots, and a little bit of spinach, and one for me which was all spinach along with tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and my favorite new dressing extra virgin olive oil. My oldest asked if spinach was good for you and we assured her it was and then I asked a very silly question of my six year old...

"Have you ever seen the cartoon Popeye?"

"What?... no... what's popeye?"

So that launched a description of the cartoon and before we knew it we realized that Popeye was actually all about nutrition. Think about Popeye's two loves... spinach and Olive Oil. No wonder he was so strong and healthy (forget about the pipe for just a minute ok).

And then ... enter Brutus (I think that was his name)... He was big, obese, and always in a bad mood. My 6 year old made the comment that he wasn't nice because he didn't eat his spinach. Which of course made us laugh and encourage her to eat some spinach... and it worked!

Then Jennifer remembered "the guy who always wanted a hamburger"... you guessed it... Wimpy. What does that say about fast food... not only will it leave you broke (I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today) but it will also leave you with a rather round belly and make you a little Wimpy. Nuff said.

What a great trip

We just got back from our 2150 mile adventure to see my aunt, uncle, and grandpa in Asheville, NC. We had an absolute BLAST and we're already looking forward to a return trip next summer. (And that's huge considering the time it takes to drive that trek).

The kiddos were fascinated with the horses... (ok I'll admit mom and dad were too) and it was such a joy to see their joy when they got to ride or even simply pet them. Enough for now I have to get everything ready for the morning!

It's definitely a plane

Well... Sunday after church we ventured out toward the Alliance Air Show for lunch plus some. We eventually found a place where we could park the van off a back road and it turned out to be a pretty good spot, especially for the Blue Angels.

 

And after a couple of "Wow"s and a "It's too loud"s Brittany and Julia preferred to play in the rocks or pet a nearby dog. Eating out after church, ice cream for dessert, planes doing cool things, rocks to play in, and dogs to pet... great afternoon by their standards.

What impacted me from the afternoon was the importance of teamwork. When the Blue Angels flew in tight formations and performed stunts together it was literally amazing. They have to work as a team in every maneuver or there could be disastrous results. And while a single Blue Angel was neat... it was the team flying together that truly made they afternoon great for me.

The Church at Sendera Ranch isn't a solo mission. It takes a team to launch a church or there can be disastrous results. Want to be part of the adventure that will literally change lives for good?

The infamous 1st pumpkin

As promised .... pictures of the first pumpkin I've ever carved:

And here's Jennifer's:

Too bad they only lasted a couple of days.

All in all it was a rather fun evening. Happy birthday again Aunt Joan.