Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Lydia's Sisters
Thursday, November 6, 2008
A moment with Fiona...
Friday, October 31, 2008
Cascade
Friday, October 24, 2008
Back on track
Thursday, October 16, 2008
An Old Friend
Sunday, October 12, 2008
"...and they will see me there."
2 Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. 3 His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. 4 The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint.
5 Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. 7 And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.”
8 The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message. 9 And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them,
Can you imagine being Mary Magdalene or Mary? What an experience, to be the first people who Jesus spoke to after His resurrection! I think I would fall down at His feet too. My heart races as I imagine being there, in the presence of the risen LORD! And what an important message they carried. They went to tell the apostles where Jesus would meet them. It's probably a good thing that the angel and Jesus both told them where to meet because I tend to think in the middle of all of that I might not remember the meeting place, having witnessed Christ moving about as if nothing had happened to him and all...
Jesus said, "... Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there." They were discouraged, grieving people but Jesus was going to be able to show them this time that prophesy had been fulfilled (and hopefully they would finally get it). Everything that he had taught about had come to fruition and that meant that the apostles' mission was just beginning.
Brent spoke at church today about this part of Jesus' story. I'm glad he did. I found meaning in what he said. My walk-away-thought from his lesson today is that we are not done yet. There are a few things that are changing at PUMP, and change can be uncomfortable in many ways. But Brent reminded us today that our mission and our purpose remain the same. In fact, our work is just beginning. ~ I can think of several people who I hope found encouragement in that today as I did.
Thanks, Brent!
What a game!
Monday, October 6, 2008
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Say It's So!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Dwelling in the Word
Monday, September 8, 2008
In Twitter Fashion
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
From His Lips
Let all that I am praise the Lord.
May the glory of the Lord continue forever!
The Lord takes pleasure in all he has made!
32 The earth trembles at his glance;
the mountains smoke at his touch.
33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.
I will praise my God to my last breath!
(parts of Psalm 104)
When Jesus prayed for His followers He called on the power of God's very name to keep them safe and asks, "Make them ready for your service through your truth; your teaching is truth." The words of God hold all power and authority.
The psalmist says that the authority of God is found in the sky, the clouds, the wind, the stars, fire and light. The soldier found the authority in the words of Jesus, literally that He could speak healing. The followers on the boat watched the authority of God when Jesus spoke to the wind and the water became calm. They saw the power of the words of Jesus.
How is Jesus revealing his authority to you?
Is His authority as real to you as it was to the soldier?
Don't give the bible class answer, that we have His authority in the Bible. While that is true, I don't believe that it is the only way God shows Himself to us. ~ One of the greatest mistakes we make is thinking that God is not active in our world because the Bible has a back cover.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Busy, An Understatement
Sunday, June 29, 2008
On Turning 30
So what do I say about turning 30?
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Psalm 121
1 "I look up to the hills,
but where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let you be defeated.
He who guards you never sleeps.
4 He who guards Israel
never rests or sleeps.
5 The Lord guards you.
The Lord is the shade that protects you from the sun.
6 The sun cannot hurt you during the day,
and the moon cannot hurt you at night.
7 The Lord will protect you from all dangers;
he will guard your life.
8 The Lord will guard you as you come and go,
both now and forever."
Thank you LORD!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
The Scarlet Thread
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Vacation Day 1
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
And then...
Monday, June 2, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Media vs. Politics vs. Truth
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Monday, May 5, 2008
Spinning...
Friday, May 2, 2008
WHEW!
Saturday, April 26, 2008
You do not have mail
Monday, April 14, 2008
The DON'T PANIC! List
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Random thoughts
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Dazed and Confused
Sunday, March 30, 2008
And breath...
Friday, March 28, 2008
Books
Monday, March 10, 2008
Psalm 3
A psalm of David, regarding the time David fled from his son Absalom.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Writing it on my heart...
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Mac is back!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Up And Running
Monday, February 25, 2008
Blue Screen of Death
There are pros and cons to the whole thing.
Good: I still have access to email that does not require a trip to the library or someone's home to check my email.
Bad: I cannot check email during nap time or do any work stuff as is usually the case during nap.
Good: I will not have the option of computerized distraction during the day.
Bad: I will not be able to play music from iTunes.
Good: My Mac should be in my hands by this time next week so I know that this is a temporary mality.
Bad: Now we have to decide if we need to buy a new computer... or not.
Good: I won't have to shop for the computer. Logan will take care of that... if we decide to get one.
See? There are more good things than bad things. I think we're doing pretty good.
The one thing that bites though is that we've lost all of our most recent pictures. Logan has the rest backed up, but there were some pretty cute ones on the computer that I can't get to now.
The lesson? I don't even know. Is there a lesson in this? I'm not worried about it. I just have to alter my time management so that I can fulfill my job duties. That's kind of inconvenient. The altering, not the job duties.
So, I'm signing off for now... I won't know if you comment until I can check my blog again... later. So thanks in advance if you comment... most of them will probably be encouraging and sympathetic, so thanks for that too.
Friday, February 15, 2008
And the waves begin to swell...
This is the time of the year when I go dark... The quiet before the storm is over. There are so many things to do I don't know if I'll get around to blogging again until April. So if you are the praying kind, please pray for our family to remain sane and healthy through the next month and a half. Between meetings and appointments (they are different, really), home schooling and babysitting/PreK, keeping the house up, PUMP stuff, water aerobics, housing (work) business and soccer I think I'll be able to sit down around March 23rd.
I'm not complaining, mind you, I chose the things that make me busy.
See you on the flip side!
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Blue Like Jazz
Honestly, I wanted to see what all of the hype was about. I remember hearing about this book in 2005 but being a non-reader at the time I didn't care to pick it up. I thought it would be some sort of life changing oracle by the sound of the buzz floating around. But Donald Miller seems to me to be a normal guy who by some magic of language can put on paper the collective thoughts of people walking the journey of life in search for Jesus. He mentions God a bit but it seems to me that he is in search of a friend whose name was a mystery and his face was not known to him. - I cannot speak for the general public or even for my friends but it seems like Mr. Miller gives voice to the struggle to find Jesus and true spirituality, which is different than Christianity according to him.
He talks several times about the difference between Christianity and spirituality and that churches frustrate him because of their politics and false love. I found myself agreeing with his thoughts which is what makes me think that he gives this voice to those searching for the true Jesus who calls us to love one another no matter what.
I was also struck at the end of the book by his realization about loving himself. Love your neighbor as yourself was a profound thought to him in understanding that he wouldn't say the things to his neighbor that he says to himself. This thought got me to ponder how I treat myself. And of course I read this at a time when I feel especially vulnerable spiritually.
One other thing that I kept thinking about was the fact that his provocative statements about Christianity and spirituality are rather bold. I don't buy into some of the things he said, though I couldn't quote them now, but other things I found myself secretly agreeing with. I think that is because of the traditional manner of Christianity from my childhood that I didn't really buy into either but didn't have the guts to challenge and don't know if I do now. ~ At any rate, I find myself grateful that I have a minister for a friend who I can say confidently speaks boldly in truth whether I am listening to him on Sunday or in conversation over dinner between our families.
There's my two cents.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
82 Things
I started compiling a list of a hundred things. I started a couple weeks ago and have put a few things on every now and then as I think of them, but I didn't get all 100 and I'm tired of thinking about myself. So I'm posting 82 things about me.
18. Potato soup is a comfort food for me.
19. I can hear the high frequency noises that come from electronic contraptions but I have a hard time hearing and understanding the voices of men.
20. Water Aerobics is my favorite form of exercise.
21. The latest I've ever slept in is 9:30 in the morning.
22. I have never seen the movies or read the books for the Harry Potter series. There is no particular reason for this.
23. Spring is my favorite season. I also love Fall because its my sister's favorite season.
24. I wonder things like... what made the "Danskin" people choose orange for their 2lb weight color and green for their 1lb weight color.
25. "Soccer Mom" will be added to the list of names that I go by this spring. This is one of the highlights of motherhood for me.
26. Office supplies make a great gift for me. What girl doesn't like a new notebook or Post-It?
27. If I ever work outside the home (and don't run a preschool) I want it to be an administrative assistant.
28. Caring for children is one of my favorite things to do.
29. Memorization does not come easy to me.
30. Sunflowers and stefanotis are my favorite flowers.
31. Diet Pepsi is my favorite beverage.
32. My favorite verses in the Bible are Hebrews 4:14-16.
33. The Wizard of Oz is my least favorite movie.
34. Feet are my least favorite part of the body. I do not even like my own.
35. I like to pretend that being trendy doesn't matter to me. But, I do not like to spend money or shop. So I am not trendy and it only bothers me on the occasion that I am in the company of someone particularly trendy.
36. I recently purchased the bag of my dreams. It is not made of shiny feaux leather, have leopard print or magnetic snaps.
37. I did not shop for the bag. A friend has one and I asked her where to find it. I made the purchase in less than 20 minutes.
38. I love it when my kids blow bubbles in their milk.
39. The toilet paper in my bathroom rolls over the top. It matters to me.
40. Logan and I got married on 9-9-2000 so it is easily remembered... by me.
41. I dip my pancakes in syrup with each bite. I keep my spaghetti separate from my sauce. And I like white rice plain.
42. I love to snuggle my kids and smell their heads.
43. Stand-up comedy is not funny to me.
44. I understand what covetting is by way of a lesson learned involving a Mac laptop.
45. My silky blanket goes with me when I stay overnight at someone else's house. It is a twin size blanket that I used when I slept in my grandparents' fifth-wheel. I love that blanket.
46. There is a church in Grand Junction, Colorado that I can remember very clearly. I went there before the age of six. It reminds me that the time I spend preparing for my preschool bible class matters.
47. Owning and running a preschool is a dream of mine.
48. I do not feel intelligent about politics because I don't have time to read everything there is to know about every candidate, and that seems necessary to me to be able to have an opinion about them.
49. Honesty matters to me.
50. I started this list from 100 so I would know how many I had left to think of. 50 to go.
51. Lipton tea is my java.
52. I dislike doing dishes VERY much.
53. I love the Pirates of the Carribean series.
54. I was not profoundly effected by any minister until we joined PUMP Church of Christ. (I do not say that to offend others, it is simply the truth.)
55. I loved the second trimester of both of my pregnancies.
56. I once climbed and sat in a cherry tree and ate cherries until my tummy was tight. I did not get sick and still do not get sick while eating cherries.
57. Spelling "neighborhood" correctly earned me bonus points in fourth grade. I remember my teacher's name: Mr. Russo
58. Most of my spelling ability is atributed to word-finds in fifth grade. We got a piece of licorice for every word find completed correctly. And I still think words in their s-p-e-l-l-i-n-g. (Mr. Burke was his name. He read a chapter out of a book each day after recess and he pushed his glasses up on his nose using only his face muscles.)
59. I color code things in my planner.
60. Tripping over things in my home is the one thing that frustrates me the most.
61. I do not like rose scented things.
62. In highschool my sister and I lived in very different worlds. But if anyone picked on one of us the other knew and defended the other. I hope for that for our boys.
63. I don't talk to anyone from highschool and will never go to a reunion.
64. I wonder how many people will really read all of these things about me. It makes me feel awkward to think so much about myself.
65. Stefanotis is a beautiful flower whose fragrance fills the room with my mother's presence; her gentleness and kindness and it makes me ache to be next to her.
66. Halloween is my least favorite holiday.
67. Sometimes I can still remember how my strawberry shampoo smelled when I was little.
68. Michael Jackson, Huey Lewis and the News, Carol King and Accapella (Travelin' Shoes) musically shaped me.
69. Motion sickness sometimes gets the best of me even when I'm driving.
70. I cheated on my final in Acts Class with Stan Granberg. Three years later I contacted him to tell him about the cheating and slept the best in years that night. He changed my grade to a D which could have been an F. I am still grateful to him for the grace.
71. I love cream and brown tones in a room.
72. The only toys I have from my childhood (that I can find) are two My Little Ponies.
73. My great- great granddad was a horse-back circuit preacher.
74. My highschool music teacher said that the difference between gospel music and blues is, "Oh Lord" and "Oh baby".
75. He also taught me how to hit the high notes by teaching me to shoot free throws, that purple is not just a color, and that a good jazz band doesn't find the beat with the drummer.
76. I let my kids jump on my bed.
77. Anxiety sweeps over me at the grocery store if I get there and realize I've forgotten a comprehensive list.
78. My favorite name of Jesus is "Advocate".
79. Chocolate gives me migranes.
80. I still struggle with regret over my wedding photographer. He did not allow my grandpa to take pictures of me. ~ I should have fired him on the spot. ~ It still makes me angry to tears and sad that I didn't stick up for him. Sometimes I fanticize about what I should have said to the photographer, and then I get embarassed and ask God to forgive my foul mouth.
81. When Logan and I got married it was the last time I saw my grandmother. I still remember her kiss and hug.
82. Conflict does not scare me. The possability of damaging a relationship scares me.
83. My first pet was a Samoide named Bear. Well, he was my dad's dog, but he shared. Bear loved oranges and snow and playing with my dad. He used to turn into a white fluff ball when my dad brushed him. We had to put him down when I was 18. ~ I still miss him.
84. I learned to sing in church where my mother gave us a half piece of gum before church started so we wouldn't bug her for it during communion. I still sing with gum in my mouth.
85. I was once ranked tied for 3rd in the solo competition at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival in highschool. It is my first memory of having a placement in a competition of any kind. I sang with gum in my mouth.
86. I wish to have played volleyball in highschool and college.
87. The dentist chair is my second least favorite place to be.
88. Any place where "shopping" is required is my least favorite place to be.
89. The idea of getting on a plane makes my stomach hurt and my heart beat fast.
90. I will be 30 in June but I feel like I've been 18 for a really long time.
91. I do not wear anklets.
92. Orange juice is my favorite juice.
93. My son and I love the same Pooh character.
94. I love to read. I have read more in the last 30 days than in the last ten years.
95. People say I look like my mom and act like my aunt. I think it's because I believe my mother to be the most beautiful woman alive and my aunt's manner was impressed upon my heart at a very young age. I think my mother to be strong and my aunt to be gentle. Both are traits I do not think I know yet.
96. I know that there are eight steps to the second floor, nine to the ground floor and seven to the first floor of our building... 41 steps to the dumpster... 38 to our car from the front door... 22 to the Johnson Center and seventeen steps up to the cafeteria.
97. Kaytlyn, Abigail and Fiona are daughters of my heart.
98. I do not like Diet Squirt and orange Chicklets at the same time.
99. I love to garden and have a potting bench that Logan built for me. But I do not have a yard. So I have house plants and plans for a beautiful garden when we buy a home with a yard.
100. My greatest wish is to sing for Disney.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Before Portland
This is Nolan with my Grandpa who recently passed away. It's nice to have a picture of them together.
Kevin - "Short help is better than no help."
Nolan's First Christmas. He slept through most of it.
Snow Day at Nana's house... building Snow Nana's and Snow Papa's.
Welp, that's it for now. Hopefully I can share more later... probably on their page. Maybe I'll post one of Kevin's latest head wound. He's such a boy!