The boys and I have enjoyed reading "A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr" by David Adler this past week, a children's book that we picked up from the library. It's been fun to read it together and learn a bit about Martin Luther King, Jr. I'll admit, I am learning about this great leader, right along with my kids. I wish I knew more and am inspired to read some of his speeches.
Some of the pastor blogs that I read have had terrific posts about MLK today. I thought I'd pass along the links in case anyone else wants to learn a bit more about his life and legacy.
Eugene Cho
Charles Lee
David Swanson
Monday, January 18, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Canceled Debt
About a month ago, a supporter of The GreenHouse told me that she and her husband wanted to give a financial gift to a family in need and they wondered if there was anyone in our community that might need assistance paying rent. They had heard about the high number of families who have recently moved out of the apartments due to unemployment/inability to pay rent and wondered if they could perhaps provide a safety net for a family in danger of being evicted.
This was the first time anyone had ever approached me about giving directly to a family so it was new territory for me. I told her that I was fairly certain I could find such a family, but that I would need to do a little research and get back to her.
In the meantime, a second supporter of The GreenHouse, independent of the first one, approached me with the same idea. This couple also wanted to help out a family with a financial gift at Christmas time. I couldn't help but chuckle because I knew that God was up to something. I told the second donor that I was already planning to find a family that needed help with rent and asked her if she and her husband would be interested in combining their gift with the other donors' gift to be a blessing to one family. She agreed and that began my quest to make a match between the two donors and a family in need.
In the process of finding that match, there were starts and stops. I'm so thankful for the stops! It's as if God was guiding my footsteps- so gently, but so clearly - and leading me to the person that He wanted to receive these gifts. He closed the doors that needed to be closed and opened the ones that needed to be open.
The week after Christmas, when I finally had a chance to talk to the manager of the apartment complex, the person who was to receive the gifts was clearly revealed: a single mother of four children who this past year finally had the courage to separate from her husband after 18 long years of abuse. Not long after leaving her husband, she was injured in a car accident. And while she had been able to work off and on since the accident, her minimum wage job made it very difficult for her to afford her rent on her own. For the last few months of 2009, she had only been able to pay partial rent and now had a balance of $1064 in delinquent rent. A notification of eviction had already been delivered.
What a tremendous gift it was for me to visit her and tell her that some generous people wanted to help her wipe out her debt! And, what a miracle it was that the amount given by the two donors (in a check written to the apartment complex), was in the amount of $1160, almost exactly the amount that she owed (with $96 to be carried over for February!).
As I shared the news of the financial gift that was coming her way, I told her that the gift reminded me of Jesus. He wipes out the "debt" of our sin. He cancels the whole thing. It's gone! He gives us a fresh start. And, it's not because of anything that we've done. It's a free gift.
This deserving and worthy mom's debt was canceled - it's gone! She gets a fresh start. What a practical and tangible way for her to hear, understand, and experience the gospel. What a blessing for the donors to be able to be used in such a way. And what an honor for me to have a front row seat in the process.
This was the first time anyone had ever approached me about giving directly to a family so it was new territory for me. I told her that I was fairly certain I could find such a family, but that I would need to do a little research and get back to her.
In the meantime, a second supporter of The GreenHouse, independent of the first one, approached me with the same idea. This couple also wanted to help out a family with a financial gift at Christmas time. I couldn't help but chuckle because I knew that God was up to something. I told the second donor that I was already planning to find a family that needed help with rent and asked her if she and her husband would be interested in combining their gift with the other donors' gift to be a blessing to one family. She agreed and that began my quest to make a match between the two donors and a family in need.
In the process of finding that match, there were starts and stops. I'm so thankful for the stops! It's as if God was guiding my footsteps- so gently, but so clearly - and leading me to the person that He wanted to receive these gifts. He closed the doors that needed to be closed and opened the ones that needed to be open.
The week after Christmas, when I finally had a chance to talk to the manager of the apartment complex, the person who was to receive the gifts was clearly revealed: a single mother of four children who this past year finally had the courage to separate from her husband after 18 long years of abuse. Not long after leaving her husband, she was injured in a car accident. And while she had been able to work off and on since the accident, her minimum wage job made it very difficult for her to afford her rent on her own. For the last few months of 2009, she had only been able to pay partial rent and now had a balance of $1064 in delinquent rent. A notification of eviction had already been delivered.
What a tremendous gift it was for me to visit her and tell her that some generous people wanted to help her wipe out her debt! And, what a miracle it was that the amount given by the two donors (in a check written to the apartment complex), was in the amount of $1160, almost exactly the amount that she owed (with $96 to be carried over for February!).
As I shared the news of the financial gift that was coming her way, I told her that the gift reminded me of Jesus. He wipes out the "debt" of our sin. He cancels the whole thing. It's gone! He gives us a fresh start. And, it's not because of anything that we've done. It's a free gift.
This deserving and worthy mom's debt was canceled - it's gone! She gets a fresh start. What a practical and tangible way for her to hear, understand, and experience the gospel. What a blessing for the donors to be able to be used in such a way. And what an honor for me to have a front row seat in the process.
Happy Birthday Jonah!
I blinked and my baby turned five.
at Chuck E Cheese tonight for his birthday party
Happy Birthday Jonah. I love every ounce of your being.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Christmas Recap
Hope you all enjoyed Christmas with your loved ones! Here's a recap of how we spent ours:
On Christmas Eve, we went to the evening service at Valley Hi Covenant, followed by dinner and presents at Steve's parents' home.
My dad came over to our house on Christmas morning to join us for presents, breakfast, playtime, and more playtime.
In the afternoon, we drove down to Danville and had dinner, a book exchange, and lots of visiting with my mom, stepdad, brother, and sister-in-law.
The boys stayed in their Christmas jammies all day long, reveled in all the attention they got from grandparents, aunts, and uncles, and delighted in opening up presents!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Christmas Wishes
Wishing you moments of
PEACE
JOY
LAUGHTER
and LOVE
Merry Christmas from our family to yours!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
We did it!
Well, we made it through another semester of law school. Woohoo! Three semesters down, three semesters to go. Last week was especially hectic with back-to-back finals for Steve on Thursday and Friday, but he (and I) made it through...and now he's off for three weeks (and by "off" I mean that for three weeks he only has to work as a software developer and be a father to three little boys).
Since Steve finished finals yesterday, we made arrangements to go out last night to celebrate his accomplishment and to re-introduce ourselves to one another. Honestly, it was one of the best date nights we've ever had! We had a phenomenal dinner at Mulvaneys and then headed over to Marilyn's to hear The Nibblers, a band that's fronted by a friend of ours from church, Hans. I was floored - the band was incredible and Hans is very, very talented. Steve and I had a great time being together, talking without interruption for as long as we wanted, and letting our hearts be lifted by great music. And yes, we even got out on the dance floor!
With Christmas just around the corner, the completion of Steve's finals came not a moment too soon. I'm really looking forward to slowing down a bit this next week and preparing my heart and mind to receive the precious gift of my Savior once again. This last month has been filled with some hard lessons for me, most of which I fiercely resisted before finally giving in and acknowledging my "I suck" status. But in a way, I'm thankful for these hard lessons because they remind me of my lowly position before a Holy God who is able to handle all of my pride, reputation idols, and whatever other yucky stuff I can throw at Him. And I know that as I acknowledge these, He is able to resume His right place in my life and I can once again fully worship Him.
Some of the hard lessons I've been learning during this season of Advent:
1. Sometimes my kids just need ME - not a playdate, not a fun outing, not chores or errands, not a distracted mom at her computer or on her phone - just me, all day, on the floor, playing with them, setting consistent and firm limits and following through each and every time. That's one gift I can give more of.
2. I'm not perfect. I hate making mistakes, but the truth is...I'm hopelessly flawed and I really can't juggle all of the balls that I think I can without dropping one once in a while. And while it's been painful to be reminded in a myriad of ways that I’m not perfect, the reminder is a good and necessary one, nonetheless.
3. No matter how tightly I try to hold on to a situation or try to change it, I'm not in control and I never will be. It's okay to let go and relax my shoulders. Give it to God. He's bigger than that.
4. Parenting is much harder than I ever thought it would be. It's okay to admit that I don't have all the answers (and thank goodness for the new book I'm reading, "Setting Limits with Your Strong-Willed Child.")
5. What's my motivation?
6. Perhaps we've got it all wrong when it comes to Christmas. Perhaps we shouldn't be focusing on being a better "giver" of gifts. Instead, maybe we should be focused on preparing our hearts to receive the greatest gift that God has to offer us.
And in the midst of these hard lessons, there have been plenty of points of joy, too, this Advent season, like these:
1. Getting cards in the mail from family and friends. I LOVE to receive Christmas cards - they make me happy! I love going to the mailbox and immediately ripping open all the envelopes to see everyone's pictures and read everyone's letters. Near or far, new friends or old...I love 'em all. Keep them coming! This year I've got them all taped onto my laundry room door where I can see them as often as I want.
2. Lighting the Advent Wreath with my family. Tuesday nights this month have been "Advent Tuesdays" in our home (Sundays didn't work with Steve's study schedule). After dinner we read a short passage of Scripture together, light the candle in the wreath, and then...because my boys think that when you light a candle you automatically sing Happy Birthday to someone...we sing a rousing Happy Birthday to Jesus, followed by Happy Birthday to anyone else whose birthday might be coming up. It's been really fun and a great way to introduce the true meaning of Christmas to our boys. And the very best part of Advent Tuesdays is that after dinner and candles we have Family Game Night. SO FUN - and something that we'll likely continue even after this month: Duck, Duck, Goose, Simon Says, Red Light/Green Light, Hot Potato - you name it, we're playing it. Good times and lots of belly laughing.
3. Reading The Monkey and the Fish. I love this book! It honestly makes my heart do a little dance because it so clearly articulates my dreams for "the church." Have you watched the video yet (the one I linked in my last post)? If not, watch it and let me know what you think! Does it make your heart sing like it does mine?!
4. Celebrating Christmas with The GreenHouse kids and teens. This last Wednesday night we had an elementary Christmas Party and a teen Christmas Party simultaneously going on in different locations! I won't go into a lot of detail since this post is getting very long. I'll just say, "Yay God!" and "Our teen leaders rock!" Both celebrations were a big success.
Hope you and yours are doing well and enjoying this special time of year.
Since Steve finished finals yesterday, we made arrangements to go out last night to celebrate his accomplishment and to re-introduce ourselves to one another. Honestly, it was one of the best date nights we've ever had! We had a phenomenal dinner at Mulvaneys and then headed over to Marilyn's to hear The Nibblers, a band that's fronted by a friend of ours from church, Hans. I was floored - the band was incredible and Hans is very, very talented. Steve and I had a great time being together, talking without interruption for as long as we wanted, and letting our hearts be lifted by great music. And yes, we even got out on the dance floor!
With Christmas just around the corner, the completion of Steve's finals came not a moment too soon. I'm really looking forward to slowing down a bit this next week and preparing my heart and mind to receive the precious gift of my Savior once again. This last month has been filled with some hard lessons for me, most of which I fiercely resisted before finally giving in and acknowledging my "I suck" status. But in a way, I'm thankful for these hard lessons because they remind me of my lowly position before a Holy God who is able to handle all of my pride, reputation idols, and whatever other yucky stuff I can throw at Him. And I know that as I acknowledge these, He is able to resume His right place in my life and I can once again fully worship Him.
Some of the hard lessons I've been learning during this season of Advent:
1. Sometimes my kids just need ME - not a playdate, not a fun outing, not chores or errands, not a distracted mom at her computer or on her phone - just me, all day, on the floor, playing with them, setting consistent and firm limits and following through each and every time. That's one gift I can give more of.
2. I'm not perfect. I hate making mistakes, but the truth is...I'm hopelessly flawed and I really can't juggle all of the balls that I think I can without dropping one once in a while. And while it's been painful to be reminded in a myriad of ways that I’m not perfect, the reminder is a good and necessary one, nonetheless.
3. No matter how tightly I try to hold on to a situation or try to change it, I'm not in control and I never will be. It's okay to let go and relax my shoulders. Give it to God. He's bigger than that.
4. Parenting is much harder than I ever thought it would be. It's okay to admit that I don't have all the answers (and thank goodness for the new book I'm reading, "Setting Limits with Your Strong-Willed Child.")
5. What's my motivation?
6. Perhaps we've got it all wrong when it comes to Christmas. Perhaps we shouldn't be focusing on being a better "giver" of gifts. Instead, maybe we should be focused on preparing our hearts to receive the greatest gift that God has to offer us.
And in the midst of these hard lessons, there have been plenty of points of joy, too, this Advent season, like these:
1. Getting cards in the mail from family and friends. I LOVE to receive Christmas cards - they make me happy! I love going to the mailbox and immediately ripping open all the envelopes to see everyone's pictures and read everyone's letters. Near or far, new friends or old...I love 'em all. Keep them coming! This year I've got them all taped onto my laundry room door where I can see them as often as I want.
2. Lighting the Advent Wreath with my family. Tuesday nights this month have been "Advent Tuesdays" in our home (Sundays didn't work with Steve's study schedule). After dinner we read a short passage of Scripture together, light the candle in the wreath, and then...because my boys think that when you light a candle you automatically sing Happy Birthday to someone...we sing a rousing Happy Birthday to Jesus, followed by Happy Birthday to anyone else whose birthday might be coming up. It's been really fun and a great way to introduce the true meaning of Christmas to our boys. And the very best part of Advent Tuesdays is that after dinner and candles we have Family Game Night. SO FUN - and something that we'll likely continue even after this month: Duck, Duck, Goose, Simon Says, Red Light/Green Light, Hot Potato - you name it, we're playing it. Good times and lots of belly laughing.
3. Reading The Monkey and the Fish. I love this book! It honestly makes my heart do a little dance because it so clearly articulates my dreams for "the church." Have you watched the video yet (the one I linked in my last post)? If not, watch it and let me know what you think! Does it make your heart sing like it does mine?!
4. Celebrating Christmas with The GreenHouse kids and teens. This last Wednesday night we had an elementary Christmas Party and a teen Christmas Party simultaneously going on in different locations! I won't go into a lot of detail since this post is getting very long. I'll just say, "Yay God!" and "Our teen leaders rock!" Both celebrations were a big success.
Hope you and yours are doing well and enjoying this special time of year.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
the monkey and the fish
I just started reading a new book, The Monkey and the Fish: Liquid Leadership for a Third-Culture Church, by Dave Gibbons, the founding pastor of Newsong. I first heard about this book earlier in the year when a visiting pastor preached at our church and recommended it as one of the two most significant voices coming out of our denomination right now. His recommendation piqued my interest, so I tucked the two titles away in my memory for future reference. A month or so later, I got a second recommendation for The Monkey and the Fish on this friend's blog and that sealed the deal for me.
I'm finally getting around to starting it...and I'm loving it so far. Does anyone want to read this book with me? I think it could spark some terrific discussion. Even if you aren't interested in the book, I highly recommend checking out this video. It gives a great overview of the concept "third-culture" and is definitely worth the time if you have 10 minutes to watch it. Some of you may even recognize a few faces in the video (Cue, Adam Edgerly).
I'm finally getting around to starting it...and I'm loving it so far. Does anyone want to read this book with me? I think it could spark some terrific discussion. Even if you aren't interested in the book, I highly recommend checking out this video. It gives a great overview of the concept "third-culture" and is definitely worth the time if you have 10 minutes to watch it. Some of you may even recognize a few faces in the video (Cue, Adam Edgerly).
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