Loving the Laundry

Now, that is a statement you would never normally hear me say.  Ever.  In fact, laundry is probably my least favorite household chore.  I would gladly trade someone all of their dishes for all of my laundry.  I'll even clean your toilets for you if you'll fold all my laundry and put it all away.  Heavy baskets...endless folding and sorting...and then, just when you start to get ahead, someone wets the bed or decides to make it "snow" in their room using baby powder...and you're back at square one.  

But recently I've been getting to do a lot of laundry that excites me.  What laundry excites me? So glad you asked. :) 

Baptism laundry.  Baptism laundry excites me! All the wet robes and towels after a baptism get thrown in a large laundry basket; and then I get to take it home and wash it. 

 I love it! What is normally an arduous task for me becomes a rejuvenating, soul-cleansing reminder of my great God.  The heavy, wet clothing is an awesome reminder of the burdens we no longer carry.  Every time I throw the load into the washer, I'm reminded of His incredible sacrifice to make all this possible .  The fresh-smelling, warm, newly-laundered garments are representative of our new life in Him.  And each week, I load it up, return each piece to its shelf in a changing room backstage...and pray I get to do it all again next week.  

In spite of me, in spite of us, God is working.  I am humbled and in awe.  It just goes to show His power - that in spite of it all, He is on the move.  There is no other place I'd rather serve Him than right alongside my brothers and sisters at South Haven Christian Church.  I am so very grateful for it all.  

...And I'm praying for more laundry.

Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. -Psalm 98:1

Beautiful Things

Yes, I know...it's been awhile; but Chad is killing me - literally.  Okay well maybe not literally; but I feel like it sometimes. :)  I have dug 41 post-holes, set 41 posts, dug a 50' trench and cleared out 20' of woods.  I'm pathetic, I'm covered in bruises and burns (post-hole diggers and I don't get along) and I'm exhausted.  So when we are done for the night it takes all I have to put some semblance of a meal together for my children, shower them and get them to bed.  I then proceed to collapse and not move until 7am the next day.  So stringing sentences together to form thoughts and thus a blog has not been on my radar.  The only reason I can function this afternoon is because friends came to help and rescued me.  (That might sound a bit dramatic but I definitely feel 'rescued!')  Many hands make for light work (or whatever that old saying is that my grandmother used to say) and I am so very thankful for the 'many hands' today!  When they left this afternoon Chad and I looked at each other and said, "we'd have killed each other if we'd had to do that!" 

I'm whining, I realize it; but between tubing at the lake this past week and digging a trench muscles, hurt that I never knew existed.  It's good for me; and both let me know I'm alive, and leave me thankful to still be alive when they're done. 

These jobs have been messy.  Like mud-caked-on-shoes-dirt-smeared-all-over-faces-can't-find-a-clean-spot-on-me kind of messy.  Dirt and mud don't bother me, I guess that's a side-effect of growing up with brothers; I actually kind of like it.  I tried to get Malachi and Silas to play with some of the mud with me but they looked at me like I was crazy and after a few 'squishes' in their hands they both had a minor freak-out moment because their hands were dirty.  They've got a lot to learn...

...but so do I.   After one particularly messy afternoon we were spraying off our tools and our shoes with the hose; I seized the moment and sprayed Chad with the hose and slung mud at him from my caked shoe.  Since he hates cold water you can imagine how well that went over.  I said I was just trying to help; but he wasn't buying.  However, learning self control to not spray my husband with the hose isn't the lesson I need to learn.  That same mud-slinging afternoon we made one of our numerous treks to Lowe's and heard Gungor's Beautiful Things on the radio. There I sat covered in 'dust' listening to the words "you make beautiful things out of the dust" and I was overwhelmingly at peace.  

"Yes! Yes!" I wanted to scream.  Life is messy and oftentimes leaves us caked in dirt and sweat with bruises and scars that tell where we've been;but that's not the end.  Because of the cross "He makes beautiful things out of the dust...out of us."  He is making us new - He is doing a new thing.  

I pray this is encouragement for whatever mess of life you find yourself in.  God isn't discouraged and disheartened by the mess.  He knows what he's doing; and he is making a beautiful thing.  

"Forget the former things; see I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." Isaiah 43:18-19

The Gift of Chester

As some of you know, today was Chad's birthday.  The greatest thing about Chad's birthday, for me, is not the excuse to eat junk food and sweets, or the buying gifts and spoiling him, but the mere fact that he is always older than me.  Completely selfish, I know, but it's comforting to know that no matter how old I turn each time April 19th rolls around on the calendar, Chad is always 315 days older.  It's just some justice for his lack of grey hairs, no wrinkles, his adorable baby-face and his ability to drop 10 pounds in 2 weeks.  

I want the world to know that I am thankful for the gift of my (slightly older than me) husband.  I love my husband and I am proud of him.  It takes strength of character, integrity and humility to do what he's doing and in the way he's doing it.  I'm proud of Him and I respect Him. 


So, I stole his idea.  He did this for me on my last birthday (how high he needed to count for me for that birthday is irrelevant) so I thought I'd do it for him too.  Since he is 31 today, here's the top 31 things things I love about my Chester:

1. He loves his Savior
2. He loves Malachi 
3. He loves Silas
4. He loves me
5. He loves Chinese
6. He gets me
7. He's gifted
8. He's humble
9. He's gentle
10. He's funny
11. He's sweet
12. He's sincere
13. He speaks sarcasm
14. He loves people
15. He's a good friend
16. He desires to learn
17. He knows he doesn't have all the answers
18. He respects those older than him
19. He values those younger than him
20. He desires to continue learning
21. He's cheap (he prefers "frugal") :)
22. He watches football with me
23. He loves the Colts
24. He's a gifted communicator
25. He calls me his Baby Girl
26. He spoils me
27. He defends and protects our children and me
28. He would lay down his life for our children
29. He loves hot summer nights just as much as I do
30. He chose me
31. He chooses to follow his call

This list just scratches the surface - and I look forward to many more birthdays together.  I am so thankful for the life God has called me to live - even if there are rough days.  

So here is my challenge to you ladies out there: love the men in your life.  Respect them and show them you respect them.  Whether you're married or single - love your husbands, fathers, sons, brothers, uncles, cousins, friends...you get the idea.  Mark Twain said, "I can live for 2 months on a good compliment"; so I challenge you right now to speak life into your men again and give them an honest and sincere compliment.  It might be awkward and weird at first...but it could make all the difference.  


"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves." Romans 12:9-10

A Swim Lesson

God is showing off through all of this in ways I could never have imagined.  I am humbled.  The out-pouring of support has just been completely over-whelming.  To all of you who have supported us, either financially, spiritually, emotionally, or physically and to the many more who have offered to help in any way you could - we are truly, truly grateful.  Not only can I not name names because of how many of you there are; but some of you I do not even know who you are.  You know who you are...and God knows.  I pray for God to continue to bless you as you have been such a blessing to us!  Great is your reward. 

I haven't really had much to update on this last week.  We are back home and trying to stay busy.  Chad's tackling his 'honey-do' list with enthusiasm...and I'm loving it!  I'm struggling to simultaneously keep up with him and clean up after him as he tackles all the projects he never had time to before.  It's great; and I sleep really well at night.  :)

One of the things keeping us busy is swim lessons for Malachi and Silas.  My idea not theirs.  Overall they've done really well.  However, Mr. Si Man hated his first lesson.  He screamed most of the lesson and clung to my neck saying, "this is not fun, mommy.  What are you doing?" like I had straight-up betrayed him.  No matter how much I prepped him and prepared him he still fought every step of the way. 

Fast forward to yesterday's lesson.  I was fully prepared for another battle. Feeling the potential outcome (his learning to swim) was worth it, I put on my game-face and braved the pool.  Nothing was different, same teachers, same location, same skills practiced.  Nothing was different, except Silas.  He was a completely different kid - he loved it.  He put his face in the water, blew bubbles, laid on his back and kicked his legs like a champ! He actually kept trying to pry my hands off of him saying, "I swim by myself Mommy".  However, since I wanted to make sure he would get in the pool next time I didn't let him learn the hard way why I needed to keep holding him. 

It was after we were dry, showered and fed that I started reflecting on that lesson and relating it to my walk with Christ.  Nothing in Silas' swim lesson had changed nor did his ability to actually swim.  If I had listened to him and actually let go he and his 36" would have sunk to the bottom of that 48" pool.  But Silas had changed.  He lived through it once before; and in his two-year-old way decided to relax, enjoy the water and to trust Mommy.  

Wow.  Leave it to a two year old to teach me a lesson on trusting my Father.  While I have actually never walked this specific road before; my Savior and I have walked other paths and He has always seen me through.  He is faithful.  

It is right now that I am going to not only show my age but also show how un-cool I can actually be sometimes.  I had a very sheltered childhood; and while I am very grateful for this it does afford us some humorous stories now that we're older.  One of the things we were subjected to growing up was Bill Gaither.  Lots and lots of Bill Gaither.  I know every word to every Gaither Vocal Band song from 1994-2001.  One of my favorites (yes, I just used that word) was a song called "Now More Than Ever". 

"The road I have traveled has sometimes been steep, 

through wild jagged places of life.

 Sometimes I've stumbled and fallen so hard

that the stones cut my soul like a knife.

But the staff of my Shepherd would reach out for me

and lift me to cool pastures green.

With the oil of the Spirit anointing my wounds

there I'd rest by the clear healing stream.

Oh but now more than ever

I cherish the cross,

more than ever I sit at his feet.

 All the miles of my journey have proved my Lord true

and He is so precious to me"

Now more than ever...He is so precious to me.  So for right now, for this moment I'll choose to relax, lay back and enjoy the water; because we've been here before, and 'all the miles of my journey have proved my Lord true'. 

(P.S. David Phelps is my ear-candy...so if you want to experience the acoustical goodness that is the tenor voice of David Phelps, see what you've been missing, or are just curious you can listen to him sing 'Now More Than Ever' here.  Enjoy.)

Kara's Mom

We honestly can't remember her name - we just know that she was from out of state and she was Kara's mom. Our paths will probably never cross again; but her words will forever cross our hearts and minds. 

Yesterday was our last "family session" in this phase of treatment.  We go for a 'lecture' and then a group counseling session with other patients and their family members. The lecture is intended to be educational, and then the group counseling session is for more dialogue and practical support. These sessions are very educational and highly beneficial. We're all there for the same reason and can identify and relate to each other's story.  Sometimes our lives and our stories are vastly different, making it seem like we come from such different worlds. Other times our stories are so strickingly similar it makes us feel uneasy - almost like they're telling our story. 

Yesterday while we were discussing with the group the role of the family members and how we as a family unit move forward, the group found out we were in the ministry.  The group session continued on with not much else being said to that fact. It was as we were packing up at the end of the day that we met Kara's mom.  

Kara's mom came up to us in tears - she said she just had to come speak to us to encourage us on in our journey.  She said her husband was also a public figure in the community and very active and involved in their Church; and at the age of 35 he became addicted to pain medicine.  Her husband looked desperately within the Church for love and support and found himself all alone.  Her brother is an alcoholic and sits alone and silent in the pews every Sunday for fear of rejection and shame. Her daughter has followed the same path of addiction and has turned away from Church, feeling more support and encouragement in the world.  "We need you, the Church needs you.  There is such a need for this to get out. Jesus didn't die on the cross because we were perfect - He died because we were sick. Your ministry is needed!" 

Speechless, all I could do was hug her. My heart ached for her and for her pain; and yet my heart was so thankful for the encouragement.  She was thrilled to hear of how supportive our Church has been - and said "it gives me hope." Hope. 

Hope was mutual that day. She filled us with hope as well.  This post is unique in that Chad and I wrote this one together.  We are renewed and filled with hope...and chugging along.  God uses His people to speak His words...His people like Kara's mom. 

"Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:3-5)

I've been thinking...

Chad always gets nervous when I say 'I've been thinking'.  He fears whatever I'm contemplating is either going to be complicated, embarrassing or expensive.  Sadly, he's not always wrong.  
 
Today, I'm preaching (well, really blogging) to the choir.  Literally, I'm talking to those of you who have grown-up in Church and have been a Christian practically all your life.  I'm talking to you who were (and are) at Church at least 15 minutes before the doors open and 30 minutes after every time the doors are closed.  Those of you who attended Sunday School every Sunday and short of being in hospital never dreamed of being able to 'skip church'.  Some of the females in this crowd probably weren't ever allowed to wear pants to a service growing up either.  Those of you are behind the scenes making sure everything runs smoothly.  Those of you who maybe haven't even had the opportunity to sit in a service in ages because you're serving elsewhere in the building. I'm talking to you who do and have done 'every thing right'.   

I'm going to rock your boat...I'm talking about 'openness' and 'vulnerability'.  I must admit, this is extremely difficult for me.  It's it goes against my inner-most being.  Everything inside me cries for me shut up and slap on a smile! 

I think this openness and vulnerability thing is a challenge for some of us...maybe even most of us who have spent our lives in the Church, or who are now in a leadership role.  We are constantly told to 'set the example' or 'be the example'.  And I know everyone who told me that growing up had the purest intentions at heart, for goodness sakes I've even told my own kids that.  I mean, after all didn't Paul instruct Timothy with those very words. "Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity." (1 Timothy 4:12 emphasis mine).  And all along the way I know that was my goal...but somewhere between intent and action the meaning became confused.  

Somewhere along the way I (and I dare say I'm not alone) took that to mean I had to have it all together.  That I had to appear 'struggle-less' (since I'm the one with the blog I can make up words) and that if anywhere along the line I even hinted like things weren't perfect I risked being called a fraud.  I'm called to set the example...but instead I built a wall and put on a mask.  

I assure you, never for one second has my faith been a fraud, a sham or a cover-up.  My Jesus has always been my everything, never was my faith anything but genuine; and I in no way mean to imply that your faith is not real.  However, my smiles, my laughs, the "I'm good" responses, there were times those were my attempt to 'set the example'.  Somewhere I lost the ability to be real.  To be authentic.  To let others know that I was struggling.  

So here's my thought...what if all Christians everywhere decided to let down our guard?  To be authentic.  Let others know we struggle.  Now, I'm not advocating that you lose your temper and have absolutely no self-control; but let your guard down.  Life happens.  Loved-ones get sick, families divorce, kids rebel, friends betray, words hurt, spouses cheat, parents abandon and husbands become alcoholics.  It's okay to hurt; and it's even okay to be mad (for real!).  Instead of focusing all of our energy on making sure we appear to have it all together, let's let the Church be The Church and help us carry our burdens (Galatians 6:2).  We all have battles; and in pretending that we don't, we run the risk of ostracizing those who are fighting very real and very visible battles.  

I can't lie...it's scary, and without the Holy Spirit it would have been impossible for me.  However, I assure you, it's worth it.  Let's drop the facade and be true...no more Sunday Morning masks.   So set the example, let the world (and the Church!) see you and Christ fight your battles together.

"we have conducted ourselves...with integrity and godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God’s grace." (2 Cor. 1:12 emphasis mine) 

Theme Song

So apparently I'm not the best at updating a blog.  I've been getting some gentle, and slightly sarcastic, reprimands to update more frequently; but for what it's worth, I have some good excuses.  :) God is slightly showing off with His timing through it all.  I have a cousin that had some major complications from surgery almost a month ago and is still in recovery.  All of this has enabled me to stay with her and help out with her care, household stuff and kiddo stuff.  There are five kids running around, playing together and just having a ball.  I'm happy to be able to help in anyway I can; and it keeps me busy - which is a good thing.  

Through all of this we have kind of clung to the story of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea in Exodus.  After Pharaoh let the Children of Israel go, through Moses God led His people to the shore of the Red Sea.  With a furious Pharaoh and his army hot on their heals, the millions of Israelites felt trapped and betrayed.  "They said to Moses, 'Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?'" (Ex. 14:11)  Their future looked bleak, the Egyptian army behind them and the massive Red Sea before them.  What were their options? Although the circumstances are different, I understand that valley.  I understand dreading what is before you yet hating what is behind you.  I've actually told the Lord, "I know I'm in the valley and I definitely don't want to stay here...but I don't know if I want to go through what I have to in order to climb out.  It is on this stage that "Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today.  The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.  The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.'" (Exodus 14:13,14 Emphasis mine).  

Chad's homework for one of his sessions this week was to come up with a theme song for his recovery.  We had some fun with this assignment in the beginning; but when it was all said and done he decided to be grown-up and mature.  He picked David Crowder's "Jesus, Lead Me To Your Healing Waters."  (Listen to Chad's Theme Song here).  He picked this song with Exodus 14:13-14  in mind.  Sometimes we're led to the healing waters; however I know I have often grumbled and complained once there about what lies ahead and about what I'm running from.

I thought this was a good idea...finding a theme song.  So that's what I did.  This song is my prayer.  Let It Be Glory!  In it all...Let it be glory

Also - Chad did manage to update his blog last night check it out here if you haven't had the chance to read it yet.