"So, honey, I have a great idea for our anniversary!" "Yes, what is it?" "You want to go to a funeral with me?!"
It was a bizarre way to spend our ninth anniversary, but in one way it was also very beautiful. Wednesday we attended the funeral of a neighbour and a dear member of our community. Also in attendance was his wife of 52 years. We saw, that day, the end of a relationship. The next day we sat with a couple Pastor-husband and I are counseling as they seek to get married. Their story is just beginning. How amazing to watch God work through our whole human timeline.
And just as we celebrated the end of a life this week, so also we celebrate the coming into life of our little Grace girl. Emma turns 5 today and we are so blessed to have had her in our family for these years. Much to give thanks for.
384. Emma Grace Rose 385. Richard "Dick" Waite 386. Missing snakes 387. A new chicken run 388. Sprouts! 389. Church gathering for fellowship 390. Taking time to talk with a sister in the Lord 391. Answered prayers for said talk 392. Time with my highschool group to talk about God's plan for their bodies and relationships 393. Trip with the whole family to Ft. Ticonderoga 394. Mini-golf 395. New shoes for the kids 396. More thunderstorms 397. Freshly picked tomatoes
On Wednesday, Lord willing, Rob and I will have been married for nine years. That may seem unbelievably long for some; it's unbelievably short for us. We have been blessed with many things and frustrated by a number, too. In retrospect (all we have, really), none of our storms have been huge though at the time some seemed insurmountable. I was reminded of this earlier this week when we had a huge thunderstorm come through. It went on for hours and even after I couldn't hear the thunder anymore the lightning continued to flash. It was beautiful if a little frightening. Our marriage is something like that. Huge storms come through, frightening and beautiful in the growth they bring. Sometimes the flashes of those storms remain for years. By God's grace we have weathered our storms and by his grace we'll weather more. This week I'm grateful to God for many things. I'm also grateful to my husband for the many years of love and faithful service to me. What a treasure you are! (And yes, everyone, I'll tell him in person, too! I just want him to know that I want everyone to know!)
Thank you Lord, for: 371. Thunderstorms 372. The morning after a thunderstorm 373. Children's clipped fingernails 374. Children sitting still for said clipping 375. Pancakes 376. Family portraits 377. Village-wide yard sale 378. Great finds! 379. A neighbour going home to be with the Lord 380. Being able to apologize. Again. 381. Volleyball with church friends 382. Marriage 383. My husband
Headed for bed, but not before giving thanks for the many blessings of this week: 355. It's the last week of softball. 356. Parents visiting 357. 6 still-alive chickens, now living outside 358. Pentecost 359. The Holy Spirit 360. Sewing time 361. Renewed prayer 362. Spiders, even big ones 363. Last weeks of school 364. Not being unmarried (I'm so over highschool.) 365. Independent bookstores 366. Conscience pricks 367. Coaching 368. New playset for the kids 369. Playing with those same kids!! 370. No new cavities at the dentist!
There is much to be grateful for. =)
Monday, May 17, 2010
"In everything give thanks In every situation Lift your voice and sing And praise Him from your heart" ~ Psalty Song
Life here in the garden has not been all roses. People are hard, or rather, relationships are hard. We've been separated for quite some time for travel reasons, then returned to extended family visiting (which we love!), and finally we've been struggling through some tough issues in our church home. All of these require relational work. Much growth is happening through that work, but it sometimes seems harder to give thanks in this time. To that end, I'm up early this morning to just do it!
341. Ladies improving in softball 342. Dance parties 343. Church unity 344. Family visits 345. Flying kites 346. Highschoolers coming to play with the kids - just because 347. The local creamery 348. Ralph and Larry stories 349. Sleep 350. A new fabric store 351. The circus 352. Garden beds full of dirt 353. Frogs 354. A brother willing to help
I was encouraged by Ann Voskamp's blog this morning (as I am most mornings), particularly because it spoke to what I've been meditating on for the past couple of weeks. I left my dear family for ten days to visit with a friend who is expecting her first child soon and to attend a cousin's wedding. (I'll blog more about my gratitude for this time on Monday.) I was excited to use this as an opportunity to take some time from my church and community here, to see how others are "doing church," and to dialogue with some of the people I most respect in the faith. All of this happened, but I discovered that it was almost too much. I have so much to process and try and put into practice that I'm not entirely sure where to start!
The theme that came up over and over again was how we as the church are successfully - or not - sharing the message of the Gospel with the world. Many of you know of my ongoing love/hate relationship with the current manifestation of the Church in the world. I was privileged to attend three different congregations while away from home. One was led by my friend's husband, the second is an emergent church on the beach in California, and the third was a college-age gathering led by my youngest brother. (How cool was that, to be preached to by my baby brother and have God speak through him!!) All very different services, but the key that tied them all together was passion. At least one person (sometimes just the pastor, sometimes not) had a passion for sharing the Gospel. I miss that. In my own life sometimes and more often in the life of the current congregation we serve.
In case there are those from my church who are reading this, let me be clear. I love the people of this congregation. You are a hard-working, conscientious, generous group. But I will also be honest: you lack zeal for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am looking forward to growing with this congregation in passion for the message that God Himself came to deliver and die for. I want to see those in our community drawn to its power; I want to be known only as the light-bearers in this place.
How that will come to pass, I don't know. Through prayer. Possibly with study. But I know that I want God to change the hearts of the people in his Church to have a burden for those who don't know the power of the new life that salvation gives. Even if that is for themselves. Those of you who are so inclined, please be praying for us. For me. For this Bride of Christ who is so distracted from her Groom. Would you pray also for vision to put together what I gathered on my time away and wisdom to know how to encourage those around me.
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20
I'm in denial. Again, I might add. Or perhaps I should say, as usual. My sweet husband is giving me a precious gift: some time away. I leave on Friday for a ten-day trip to see my dear friend in Chicago and then to attend the wedding of a cousin who stood up in my wedding. I desperately wanted this time away, but as I draw near my departure date, I'm conflicted. People keep asking if I'm packed/ready/excited. The answer is no. The truth is, now that it comes to it, I don't really want to go. Oh, I want to see my friends and my family. I'm so grateful that I get to see this cousin's wedding. But I don't want to leave my family. It's a reminder that I'm not meant to. Occasional short trips aside, God has called me to be a homemaker, a wife, a mother. It's tough to leave what you've been called to do. And blessed to do! So, would you all please pray for me this week as I get ready to leave behind my vocation (for a some needed R&R) to return renewed and refreshed? Pray for my sweet husband who will be a full-time stay-at-home mom while I'm gone. I'll try and blog on Wednesday before I go, but I probably won't get to this page while I'm gone.
In the meantime I'm grateful for: 329. Not wanting to leave on this trip 330. Emma's selflessness 331. Cool nights 332. A whole day to clean the house 333. A new school term 334. New recipes (Simply in Season) 335. A clean kitchen to cook in 336. A grace-based perspective on parenting 337. Snuggles with Ian and Emma 338. Dinner with the Moskowitz family 339. Not-yet-believers at church on Sunday! 340. Getting started on school this morning
