Do Your Thang Pt. 2

Sunday night we had the priviledge of being apart of The Global Oprhan Project’s Big Event. It is was a night to celebrate and also raise awareness of the opportunity to provide for and serve and love orphan’s all over the world. It was at the Midland downtown KC. It was a gorgeous theater! Nate was responsible for pretty much everything that went on the screens. Tommy, Jacob and I were part of the musical entertainment. We opened the night with a bunch of cover’s for about 45 mins while people mingled and ate and then provided the exit music. I love singing with Tommy and Jacob. They are some pretty talented guys. I think I could do evenings like this every day and be one happy chick.

Check out The Global Orphan Project and see how you can help support orphans all over the world.

Do Your Thang

My husband is the most creative talented person I know. Not only does he spend hours on his laptop branding all of our series and bumpers and video’s for Restore, he is creative with his talks. This is Nate doing his thing. I love to hear him speak. He has grown so much as a comunicator since the days of “Exempla” in college. He is so creative and so passionate about comunicating God’s Word to people. He spends countless hours praying and tweeking his talks so that people are challenged and changed and inspired to find their way back to God.

I can’t wait to see how God makes His mark on Liberty, Missouri through Nate!

Magnificent

I enjoy the band U2. I think my friend Trisha Mulshine introduced them to me when we were in high school. They have some great songs. A lot of times when one of their albums would come out the first time I heard it, I wouldnt be that impressed but the more I would listen the more I would fall in love with the songs. But when I heard magnificent, I instantly loved it. The second verse, I would say, is a new mantra of mine. “I was born to sing for You.” Its no secret that I love to sing. I sing everywhere, all the time. I ALWAYS have a song in my head. My life is pretty much a musical. Someone will say a phrase which then makes me think of a song and then I have to sing it….for the rest of the day. But my desire is to sing for Him and Him alone. He is my audience. That is why I can’t wait for Heaven, singing with a choir of people for Him….forever.

I was born, I was born to sing for you
I didn’t have a choice but to lift you up
And sing whatever song you wanted me to
I give you back my voice from the womb
My first cry, it was a joyful noise, oh, oh

Only love, only love can leave such a mark
But only love, only love can heal such a scar
Justified, till we die you and I will magnify, oh, oh
Magnificent, magnificent, oh, oh

Only love, only love can leave such a mark
But only love, only love unites our hearts
Justified, till we die you and I will magnify, oh, oh
Magnificent, magnificent, magnificent

Move that bus

I was priviledged to go to Catalyst this year. A leadership conference in Atlanta. It was 2 days packed full of great information. I have taken away many of the things I heard and have continued to process through it and apply it to my life.

One of the speakers spoke on how we are to reflect the beauty of Christ. I’ve heard that many times in my life but he gave the illustration of that show Extreme Home Makeover. He illustrated the moment when the deserving family gets a look at their new home. The bus moves and the show doesn’t cut straight to the home showing all its bells and whistles…the camaras go straight to the faces of the family. The joy, the tears, the happiness, the awe, the thankfullness, the excitement, the hope….How they feel about the house is relfected on their faces.

When we have spent time with the true Hope, it should reflect on our face. His beauty should be reflected through us. I want that. I want to reflect the  beauty of the Magnificant.

 

My Boy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ethan is in 1st grade. We had his parent/teacher conference the other night. We weren’t sure what was going to be said. See, Ethan’s name means…strong and constant….and he is that. He has always been a “strong willed” child. He’s grown out of it a bit but now its just more mature. For instance needing to give him the reason why you are doing what you are doing and he has to understand it. But he is a joy. So creative, so smart, so imaginative. His teacher said the same thing. She said he is a leader, he is so smart, she said he is wonderful to have in class. One of the things we are working on with him is staying on task. When she gives table work, everyone races to get there’s done but Ethan is dreaming up the next lego invention. She says he knows what to do and quickly does the work being the last to hand it in.

Nate and I were talking about how much our children are such a mix of the two of us. Ethan is strong like I am but imaginative like Nate. Nate was the same way as Ethan in school but I was always on task wanting to be the first one done.

As a parent, you just want your children to succeed. You want them to learn, and be a productvie member of society. Ethan is such a fun child and I can’t wait to see how his personality develops and what he becomes.

 

Fall Fun

 

 

 

 

My favorite time of year is Christmastime. But Fall comes in a close second. There’s nothing like wandering around the pumpkin patch. Sipping on cider. The smell of goats and donkeys in your nostrils. Nate gets very excited for all things pumpkin. He and his friend Jason used to do a pumpkin dance when pumpkin rolls, pumpkin crisps and pumpkin pie were around.

We used to have a tradition when we lived in Illinois that we would go to Tanner’s orchard with my Mom. That place was great. It was a few bucks and lots of fun for the kids. Make shift train rides, giant wooden play places, free cider, apple picking, lots of goats, pumpkins, etc. We have been to a few here but they aren’t quite as good as Tanner’s. The best one was Weston Red Barn…there wasn’t much to it but we were with the Restore Family which made it a great time of smores, chats around a bonfie, hot dogs and hayrides.

I think the change of seasons brings about hope for the future. No matter what is going on in your life, when things start changing, its a reminder that something new is on the horizion.

 

The Best church Ever

I think I serve at the best church ever. We, the “C”hurch, are all in this together no doubt about that but….I’m just saying Restore Community Church is the best church ever. Not only did we start just 2 years ago, helped many people find their way back to God, are changing the spiritual landscape of Kansas City….but, we built a church, school and homes for 120 orphans in Haiti, the 3rd poorest country in the world. Oh and we as a church are supporting those orphans making sure that they have everything they need. A whole community in Haiti is being changed as a result of the generosity of a baby church. Children with nothing, now have something. Education, food, beds, clothes, and hope.

Who knows, Restore may never have a building of their own here in KC but we can say we’ve already built one…in Haiti.

This is what it is all about…hope….to the ends of the earth.

Diet Coke

I love me some diet coke. In fact, I love coffee but I have to have a diet coke first thing in the morning…and then coffee. I know, I’m a picture of health and wellness.

I’ve been enjoying the mini cans of diet coke because I never quite end up drinking the whole can. So on Monday I was at SuperTarget and bought some groceries along with my mini cans of diet coke.

Fast forward to today (Thursday) I open the fridge looking for a frosty cold mini diet coke only to find I need to replenish the fridge. Go to my pantry….the shock and horror of it….missing. I panic, did I really go through 2 cases of mini’s?? Then it dawns on me, that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. My precious mini’s were under the cart. I left them there. Only to be enjoyed by some other addict or put back on the shelf. Money, down the drain. I don’t know what is worse, the waste of money or that I have to go back out and get some more mini’s.

Arms High

“I’ll stand arms high and heart abandoned, in awe of the One who gave it ALL. I’ll stand my soul to You surrendered. All I am is YOURS”

I find myself realizing more and more everyday how flawed and imperfect I am. Its not anything new, its just becoming more and more apparent to me. My conversations with God have gone from “Well, why in the world did you make me this way?” to “Well, how in the world am I going to change, what steps should I take to prune the bad so the good fruit can come out?”

But today I was listening to a song that says the words above. And really, I don’t know what to say, or what to do but I can just offer this heart to Him, completely. So that is what I will do. If you see me, you’ll see that I am surrendered. I’ll stand with arms high and completely surrendered to Him. And in the process of my surrendering, maybe just maybe I’ll become more like Him.

Have you surrendered it all? Do you ever find yourself  literally with your arms stretched out to Him offering your whole self, flaws and all?

Routine

Its been a week since my life took a big change from working what seemed like every waking moment to just a measly 25 hours a week. I feel a bit lost with all of this home time I seem to have now.

I need to get into a routine. And it may seem weird, but I feel lost as to what my routine should look like. Because I do work, and its not always the same times but the same 4 days. I need to fit in time with God, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, bills, time with Abbey while Ethan is at school and time with Ethan when he gets home. I’d also like to maybe…just maybe for the first time in about 3 years….exercise.

I need a plan cause thats how I roll. But I am staring at a blank page not sure where to begin with this routine. Is there anyone who has a routine that I can get a jumping off point from??