almost one year

Wow, it has almost been one year since Mohan married me! We now refer to our dating period as “the old days”! Ha. It’s been a great year, I just cannot believe how the time goes by. This time last year seems like a blur to me. Here’s what I was doing just in June and July 08 (not in any order)…trying to quit my job at Stone Creek Church, planning my wedding, Chicago outreach, traveled to Amy’s wedding, trained my replacement, high school graduations, meeting new family and friends, saying goodbye to everyone, resigned as a youth leader, marriage counseling :), packing up my apt. and Mo’s house, moving to Michigan, honeymoon to Paris, reception and family in Minnesota, trips back to Illinois, marriage, starting over in Detroit, new apartment, attending Real Church and meeting my new friends….whew! It was a whirlwind, but it was awesome. I hardly did anything “normal” last summer, such as go to the park, or swim, or ride my bike.

Now, this summer i still haven’t done anything too normal – i’m planning to ride my bike and go to the metro parks. But it will have to wait until July since we leave this coming Sunday for vacation!! It does seem that I am always going somewhere. It’s not that I’m avoiding Francy Zagar, its just that our paths don’t seem to cross very easily. We will have to work on that :)

Mo has the week off before the fourth, and it’s an extra blessing that it falls on our wedding anniversary. So we will be traveling to Alaska to see his parents and see some of the sights that we’ve missed on other trips. We’re going to see glaciers and mountains and bears and moose and stuff like that. My goal is to go kayaking or skydiving, either one is fine.

I feel so blessed to be able to travel. When I was a kid, growing up in Minnesota, we hardly ever traveled. Our vacations usually were camping trips or family visits to relatives in Iowa or northern MN. We had a happy childhood, but never really went too far. There are still tons of places in the states and all over the world that I want to see! My list is constantly growing. I think it is awesome that I’ve been able to travel these past few years, and I hope my family gets to see more than I ever saw growing up. I have big plans!

It’s really fun to look back and remember what you’ve been through – the good and the not so fun. Being married is awesome, I wouldn’t trade any of it! And being in the will of God is amazing, no worries here!

Weekend in Louisville

We just returned from a weekend road trip to Louisville, Kentucky. We attended a wedding of some friends from Champaign, IL.
What do you do on road trips? Play the alphabet game, talk on the phone, text, read? I usually listen to an audio book with Mo, until I can’t stay awake anymore! I also spend a lot of time looking around and thinking really random thoughts while we drive, and even while in rooms full of people, especially when I hardly know them. I think about what people’s lives are like, what life is like in certain places and what types of things I might have in common with where I am, or who I am around. Sometimes it’s easy to feel unrelated, and other times I could see myself there. Maybe this makes no sense at all, hmmm.

I think it’s good to travel, even if it is just a road trip to a nearby place. Even right outside of your city, there are people and places that are different than you. Different is good. It challenges us to evaluate who we are and why. It helps us to relate better, and to realize that the world is bigger than us and what we see. Sometimes we start to think that our location is the center of the world, when indeed it is not. It’s simply where we have been placed. There are so many people out there who are living real lives, in their situation and in their location. Do you ever wonder what life is like for the people down the street? in the neighboring city? in Louisville KY? Ha, I’m sure you do! People need hope, and it’s not just one kind of person, or one place. It’s all over, and wherever we go, we must bring it.

It’s good to be home! I love coming home, especially when the apartment is fairly clean :) I hate unpacking, although I did it right away this time, it’s just the random things from the car that are left to put away. We saw some cool stuff in Louisville…we tried to find art galleries and antiques, but it ended up being the wrong time, wrong place type of thing. We hung out with some friends that Mo has known for a while through grad school, and enjoyed good conversation. We saw the large Louisville Slugger Bat, which is six stories tall! And we attended the wedding, which was cool, not the type of Catholic ceremony I expected, but definitely thought provoking. Louisville is an interesting place, I’m not sure what I think of it. If you have seen the movie Elizabethtown, i imagine it’s an accurate picture of the culture :) My conclusion is that it is very hot and humid.

time for purpose

It’s funny how time just keeps going. From week to week it seems I do similar things, and go many of the same places…work, church, the store, etc. Whenever you meet up with people, within the first few minutes one or the other usually asks “how are you?” or “what have you been up to?”. I want my response to be appropriate. Even though I may not be doing anything at that moment, in my mind I am filing through all of the moments that i’ve spent. Some of them busy, some fun, most of them productive and all of them a blessing. No matter what I’m doing or what takes up my time, my goal is to be purposeful. Lately I have felt good about remembering to find purpose, whether it’s spending time with friends, children, new tiny babies, studying, practicing, cleaning, cooking, working, relaxing, exercising, conversation. All of it has a purpose. I know that when I lack this feeling or sense of purpose, that it’s time for a readjustment in my thinking. Afterall, the Bible says let everything you do be unto the Lord.

There is so much to be thankful for. When I think back on just this past week or so, I’ve been given many opportunities to do things, and have had so much fun doing them. There are tough times too, but even in those times there is still purpose to be found and so much to be thankful for. I admit sometimes I forget to find purpose in situations and enjoy the moments that life brings…I tend to be much more like Martha, when I should be following Mary’s example.

Some of the highlights the past few days have been…date night with my husband, morning prayer times (I don’t work at 430am everyday anymore!), sitting on our balcony with the cute lights surrounded by our container garden, the fireworks that we watched the other night, helping others, being in the sunshine, and learning more and more about Jesus and His purpose for my life. I’m determined to keep track of all the “to be thankful for” moments, I think we should take advantage of all the time we’ve been given, and make the most of every opportunity.

my week

Is it just me, or is the start of summer feeling quite busy? Maybe it’s looking forward and realizing all of the events and dates that are all spoken for. But even so, I feel that lately when I talk to people they are busy and more busy – running around, doing things outside…I suppose it’s the season. Michigan winters are cold, so once it warms up there’s tons of stuff to do. I really want to get my bike out and actually ride it this year! I should do that before it becomes one of those things that was a nice idea. I have a lot of nice ideas, but I rarely do them all. I am trying to be more disciplined with my time, cutting out general tv watching and trying to reign in those days where I say I have a lot to do, but can’t really tell you what I got done. Anyone feel me on this?! I hate that feeling, so I’m going to go back and look at my process and try once again to start Getting Things Done! I know it will work, it must! I cannot give up. Oh, I saw this awesome article on wiki how about making a dress out of an old bedsheet – looks awesome, but I don’t think I can make time for this project right now, that one goes on the someday/maybe list.

Are they still debating if sugar makes children hyper? I know it makes their teeth rot. It made mine feel fuzzy yesterday, yuck! I don’t normally eat a ton of sugar, but every once in a while you have to live on the edge right?! Lately I’ve been looking into doctors and health insurance stuff, so health has been on my mind. Oh, and it’s swimsuit season, and everyone’s comparing tans and concerned about watching their figure. I think it’s important, and yes I definitely want to be healthy. But at the same time, I want to have fun. Many things in life are about balance. I suppose I should watch my sugar intake…Zoe and I hung out at the mall yesterday, we played with puppies at the pet store, looked at clothes and accessories and bags, and visited the candy store. It was so fun, she is a delight to hang out with and so smart, I am positive that it’s a reflection of being in a wonderful family! At the candy store we piled a little of this and a little of that into some goodie bags and headed on our way…a few minutes later we were ordering at dairy queen. Yes, possibly we had a bit too much sugar for one afternoon, but we did have fun, and it was a beautiful day that needed something sweet. I am sure I spoiled her dinner, and I can just see all the moms shaking their head at me in disapproval. Sorry, Netta!

Speaking of sweet things, I have privileged to spend some time with a very lovely tiny girl and her mommy this week. Brooke and Steve had their baby girl, Alethia Hope, and she is so sweet. I have been learning all kinds of things about babies and mommies, very enlightening!

Mohan and I are coming up on one year, this July 4th! I don’t know what exactly we’ll do to celebrate, but one thing I’ve been doing already is reflecting and wondering how a whole year goes by so quickly! Someone asked me the other day if it was worth it, and I practically fell out of my seat, I don’t usually get animated… but this one called for it. Of course it’s worth it!! And more than just being married to the most wonderful man, being in the will of God with him is the best feeling ever. It’s been a great year, while it’s fun to look back, it’s even more fun to look ahead! I would recommend marriage to anyone. Of course, don’t get ahead of God, and also – let him pick the guy. It works much better this way! Ok, perhaps more on this subject later. Maybe you can share what you did to celebrate your first, or any anniversary?

I’ve got things to do and little time to do them! Have a great week, and take advantage of the beautiful weather!

It’s about time

Here’s a recap of my life lately, a few things have ‘lessons learned’ mixed in. It’s not too interesting, but I have been enjoying life. Maybe something here will encourage you, i certainly am not trying to impress you. Hehe

God’s timing is perfect. Last week Mohan and I embarked on a journey to minnesota, where my family considers home. My grandfather passed away, and on my dad’s side my grandmother went into the hospital. We packed up the car and tied up as many loose ends as possible and headed out there. On the way, the call came that grandma wouldn’t be with us much longer. We were prepared for the worst, but in fact God had something else in mind. In hindsight, I feel as though God was preparing me for this for quite some time. The past months and even the past year has been an amazing journey of transitions, change, new things and more time than usual with family. I confess, family has not always been a priority to me, and I can see how God has been changing my heart, challenging me to love them and reach out to them. I have enjoyed conversations, visits and participating more in family this year. I have also been praying for my family for many different needs. All of this was preparation for a tiring, but valuable visit last week. We spent hours in the hospital with grandma, two of my brothers and 2 aunts traveled from out of state, we ate together, worked outside on the farm, played with the niece and nephew, traveled up north for grandpa’s funeral and spent more time with the other side of the family, ate cheese curds (had to add that in), and drove a lot. There were so many people praying for us, and we felt it. It’s amazing to be part of a family. What seems like such a sad moment in our lives – God used it for a purpose. We were able to see so many of our family that we don’t normally see. A good number of them Mo had never even met! We spent quality time with our immediate family and specifically with grandma and grandpa, by the way grandma made it through and is still with us!

I am definitely happy to be “home” in Michigan. It’s funny, somewhere in the past few months i’ve begun referring to here as home :) I like it. I absolutely love the wonderful Real Church team and there are so many amazing things on the horizon. I am looking forward to some new adventures, and working harder on some of the projects and endeavors I’ve had on my radar. Xmin is around the corner. Lots of prayer and preparation is going into this. It’s always good to go away, I feel a renewed passion for life and the things I return to, not to mention I appreciate “our home” more every time I leave.

We planted a container garden on our balcony a couple of weeks ago. Right now we have a variety of tomatoes, peppers, onions, herbs and some flowers. We purchased those Aqua Globes to keep them watered while we were away, we’re not really sure if they work, but the vegetables and herbs look good. I can’t wait to use some fresh herbs in the kitchen! And I can’t wait to see if the tomatoes are actually purple!

I met Herschel the other day. He is so cute :) thanks Netta for your time and for sharing your life with me!

Identify & Know who you’re NOT

Lately I’ve really been trying my best to identify with Jesus. There’s really no good reason to identify too closely with any other person or ideal; that just leads to no good. I guess you could say that Jesus knew who he was, He knew who his father was who was the one that sent him to earth and he knew what he was supposed to be doing. What an example!

The other day I read that scripture from Proverbs 4:23, “Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life.” I’ve heard many sermons on this, and relating to many aspects of life. But if you think about it for a minute, our heart is what gives us life, all parts of our life are related our heart, physically and spiritually. If our heart is not in tune with Jesus, it is impossible to become like him. And if we don’t know Him, how can we know what true life is all about or find purpose in the life that we have?

Of course there’s more to this. Following Jesus’ example, we should know who we are, and who we are NOT. The first part of this comes up often in my conversations with God. I am always talking to Him about knowing who I am and knowing my purpose. But what about knowing who I’m not? That might be good, so I don’t try to be somebody else. There’s nothing worse that someone who’s trying to be something they’re not. When we are not being like Jesus in this regard, we can easily fall into the comparison trap, or the copying trap, or the trap of trying too hard to live up to other’s expectations of us. Has this ever happened to you?

I am preaching to the choir here.

So, how do you develop a good understanding of who you are?

 

 

This verse

During this past week of prayer I read this verse, Galatians 5:25 and I cannot forget it, so I thought I’d share it with you.

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

I think maybe I missed it before because it’s right after this famous verse.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Galatians 5:22-24

And then right after it comes this exhortation.

Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Galatians 5:26

I love the Word of God!

uncomfortable love

A while back I heard a Pastor talking about his church, and something he said really stuck with me. He was describing the location and the people that he reaches. He mentioned that the community calls their church “the drunkards church”, simply because most of the church goers were at one time drunks, and that is what defines the people in this area. But here’s what stuck out to me. He continued describing the church by saying, “Many of the people have come to the church and met Jesus, and the drunks still feel comfortable in our church too.” It doesn’t seem like a profound statement, but I started thinking about it.

Do sinners feel comfortable coming to church with us, or do they feel like they need to clean up their act first? How many times do we describe people and treat people based on what they’ve done, or the negative part of them that we know. By the way, I’m keeping this simple, and trying not to bring up specific issues. Whatever comes to your mind is the issue. But I think those of us who are followers of Christ need to make sure that our love is Christ like, that they do feel comfortable coming with us into our gatherings. I know I know-they are supposed to feel uncomfortable because of the Holy Spirit, and conviction! Why don’t we let God take care of that part? Quite possibly we should just worry about the entry level stuff, like loving them and caring for them. Sometimes we might think it’s our job to change people, it’s not. How will they ever know about the power of God if we don’t let them get close enough to feel it? How many times will we let them come to church before we expect their lifestyle to change? What about friendship? Is there a point when we give up on them because they haven’t changed yet?

Are there certain people that we wouldn’t be friends with because we consider them too hard or too naughty or too far out there for God to save them? Do we shy away from people that are entangled with the really difficult sins? The grey areas, as we call them. It’s a crazy thing once you start getting into it. And most of the time, if we look truthfully at our hearts, we do treat people differently, even based on their sins. This isn’t like God. He loved us first, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. This has been heavy on my heart lately, not because of any specific thing that has or has not happened, but because I know God wants to change lives. I hear about people who are hurting, or are in trouble, and I think, could God change them? The impossibles situations are nothing for him, He is the Redeemer. He can take anything and make it worthy and useful and beautiful. It’s my prayer this week, along with God changing this city, and maybe He wants to start in me.

Cleaning products and projects of society

There are no excuses, but when I don’t post it’s because I’m busy…doing stuff!

Mostly productive things, I think. This week I have been staying on top of cleaning the house, just routine stuff, although we do have friends coming this weekend, so that is always extra motivation. In the midst of cleaning this week I did an experiment that I have been contemplating for a couple of weeks (I always like to think on things before I do them, to weed out the dumb ideas) – i made my own household cleaners.
Not because most store bought cleaners are toxic, and all that, or because I am going green…mostly because it intrigues me how I am such a product of society. Meaning I do so many things only because that’s all I know, or because I didn’t realize there was a different or better way to do it! I think we do a lot of things the way we saw our parents and grandparents, or whoever we grew up around, do the basics. You learn tricks and shortcuts, and often if you asked yourself why you do it that way, there might not be an answer – it’s just the way you do it! But this week I changed it up, and it was fun! I don’t know that I’ll stick with it, or how far I’ll go, but it is intriguing and it worked. The house smells so fresh and so clean clean.

Other things this week have been a new six-week study at Logos on Wednesdays, what an amazing opportunity and message we discussed last night about breathing and the very fact that God is in us. I am constantly being challenged and I’m determined to breathe out the junk that doesn’t belong.
“And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father.” Colossians 3:17

How has your week been? Do you ever get to the end and wonder if you did everything you were supposed to? Fortunately, the week is not over, and if we find ourselves at the end, there’s always tomorrow, and another week coming fast! There is so much good to do – so I say, just do some every day, whether it’s cleaning, loving, giving, or being or any number of things you might get to do. Remember we are his representatives. What an awesome opportunity!

free

Anyone interested in some cds? I\’m getting rid of all my christian cds from pastimes. I have a bunch of albums (Bleach, Delirious, KJ 52, Shaun Groves, Kutless, Pax217, AA, Earthsuit) i dunno all those bands i used to listen to. Take them off my hands, or i\’ll just find them a new home :)

thanks!