People call a lot of things coincidences, Christians tend to call them GODinstances. Well tonight I had a Godinstance.
About 20 minutes before we put the boys to bed, we found a really nice DVD shelf on craigslist for super cheap right here in Lakeville. So I ask Sheldon to go buy it, and He does. So instead of putting the boys to bed, I decide to wait for Him to come back home. While I'm waiting, I get the urge to let the boys run off any last bits of energy outside.
So we put the shoes and socks on, jackets too because its so chilly outside and out we go!
The boys take off running up and down our shared driveway in our town-home community. Laughing, giggling, screaming and just plain running like maniacs. By the time we went inside they were covered in an icy sweat.
But just a few minutes after we went outside, I look over and my neighbors little girls came running into the street. And a few things are quite odd.
For one, they are the 2yrs old & 3yrs old(cutest little things EVER!) and they are alone. I keep watching as they come closer to me to see if a parent is coming out after them.
Second thing odd is that neither is dressed.... the youngest had on a diaper and a shirt, and the older sister was wearing nothing but pants. And when I mean nothing, I mean nothing. No shoes, no socks, no sweaters, nothing.
So I say to these precious little girls "hi, wheres your mommy?" And I get a blank stare from both.
So I ask, "Wheres your daddy"
All the while looking around to see if there is anyone around. Nothing, and nobody. And these girls are NEVER without a parent. As I am trying to talk to them a car passes us and I usher them out of the street to safety.
I ask again "Hunny, where is your mommy?" And the older sister just shrugs. I say "Are you cold" (Now mind you I am in a sweater and I'm cold. And the reply is another shrug of the shoulders.
By this point I realize that their parents probably don't realize they are outside...so I tell them to follow me as I lead them back to their house. And they obediently follow. Another neighbor comes out of her garage looking quite concerned, and before either of us got a word out the mother of these girls come flying out of the house calling the girls frantically. I call out to her "Don't worry, I have them! They are right here!"
I saw an entire range of emotions play across her face in matter of seconds and she explains that they were suppose to be in bed and when they started calling her she hid so they couldn't find her. And somehow they managed to sneak out of the house into the garage, and because their garage door was cracked they crawled under the door and got out. She never heard them get out of bed though, and when she went to check on them they were gone. As she was telling me this I could see she was torn between relief, fear, embarrassment, anger, frustration and gratefulness to at least find them safe....but she gently hugged the girls and took them home, and I was grateful I had been there.
The thing that struck me though is that I had absolutely no intention whatsoever to take the boys outside. If it hadnt been for finding that DVD shelf, and Sheldon running out to buy it then the boys would have been put to bed. And we wouldn't have been there to help the girls.
Gods timing is immaculate. Only He can set up divine interventions like that. Only He makes you late for work so you miss that car accident, or allows you to get sick you so miss that flight that crashed, or gives you the nudge to call someone right when they need it, or while on a prayer walk puts you in the path of someones home who you just by chance know and they desperately need prayer, or urges me to take my boys outside to burn off energy and find these baby girls.
Lord I am so grateful that your timing is never off, its always right on time. I am grateful for Godinstances.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. ~ Isaiah 55:8-9
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
First day of school, for both of us
This morning was Elijahs first day at school. And mine too. He is my oldest son and therefore this is the first experience I have had with the whole school thing(As a parent). We all see how those moments go in movies;
Kid gets on the bus
Mom cries
Well Elijah isnt taking the bus, Im dropping Him off, and I didnt cry this morning. At least not a real cry.
But last night, thats a whole different story. We went about our day as normal, had a wonderful day. A nice long 2 hour walk, came home and had pork chops, rice and green beans for dinner, then we put the boys to bed. The whole time prepping Elijah for today;
"Elijah if the teacher says sit down what do you do?" "Sit down Mom"(while rolling his eyes)
"Ok if the teacher says its clean up time, what do you do" "Clean up Mom" (are his eyes even in his head?!)
"If you have to go potty, are you gonna tell your teacher?" "Yes Mom"(add a head roll and a hand on the hip to the eye rolling as if to say "really mom?!" ) But I gotta cover my bases.
So off to bed my boys go, and then it starts hitting me. My first born baby boy is NOT a baby anymore, not even close. Then when we go to bed, Sheldon and I are talking... and I said "Its tomorrow" and he sleepily replies "yep" and I choke.
See now Sheldon had taken some medicine for allergies and was already half asleep by the time He even got in bed....so really when I say "we" were talking it was more "I" was talking and he would grunt.
As I lay there thinking back to the time of his birth and all the uncertainty that surrounded his first couple of days I get kinda teary eyed. Then I remember him learning to walk, and eat, and talk and how stinkin CUTE he always was.
Im laying there in the dark literally holding my breath so that I dont start all out sobbing...tears are still streaming down my cheeks...now you know when you try not to cry when you are obviously crying you tend to squeak....you know what Im talking about. I try and clear my throat so that I can get rid of the sob stuck in my throat and I take a BIG deep breath... and then there goes my nose. Why on earth does your nose start running when you cry??!! Can someone answer this please?!
So now Im sniffling...after a few minutes of lots of deep breaths and lots of sniffling Sheldon finally goes "are you sniffling?" I say "yes" and He goes "why"... I say "because"... He says "because why?" and I say "because" after a few rounds of that I finally admit Im crying. He goes "why are you crying?"
Now you know that if you try and explain why you are crying, you will only start crying harder, and then no one could understand you anyway so I figured whats the point of trying.
I really didnt want to sound like this "ayyeemm chrrrieenngg(sniffle/deep breath) beeecchaausseee maaeeyyyy bbaa(sniffle)bbyyy iiisshh aaaahhhlll biiiiggg noooouwww!(insert wailing sound) (Did you even understand my attempt to translate the language of tears into words?
Pretty much I just tried to explain that I couldnt talk about it, and He accepted it. But I wasnt done..and now I was at a breaking point.... between the sniffles, deep breaths and crinkling up my nose to stop the tears I am trying to think of something else, ANYTHING else.... so I pick up my phone and get on facebook. And it worked, after a few minutes of reading peoples statuses I was past my worked up phase. Whew....that was exhausting and shortly afterwards I fell asleep.
Fastforward to this morning, well I didnt set the alarm and instead of waking up at 630am like I wanted, I woke up at 7am. Not too bad, but it didnt leave time for Ethan and I to eat breakfast, just Elijah. Which was fine because it was more important that He ate(we came home afterwards and ate so dont worry, Ethan eventually got breakfast). But fortunately that loss of a half hour of time left me with NO time to cry.... praise God! :)
Elijah took a shower, got dressed, ate waffles, I did his hair, took photos and out the door we went. Took more photos in the car, and on the way into class. He smiled from ear to ear all morning, He woke up on his own and happy!(thats rare)
And it was great!
EXCEPT, I forgot to send a lunch with Him...and in order to get a lunch at the school you have to order the week before. I had started doing it the night before but realized we didnt have any sandwhich bags....and then didnt think about it again till I saw all the other kids lunches lined up on the teachers desk. So after I dropped him off, I went to the store, bought baggies and took him a lunch. I knew I would forget something....but at least it was an easy fix.
Ive heard of kid who are scared to start school....yeah I just cant relate to that. Mine was practically screaming "LET ME GO!!" as He grabbed his name tag and ran into his classroom....He didnt even kiss me! And then I was kinda caught off guard, the teacher comes up to me and says "Thank you for that letter you wrote" and I kinda looked at her and drew a blank. She continues "Pastor Kindle read it to all the staff this morning at our meeting" then I remembered I wrote a thank you email to the school for such a wonderful experience at orientation last week... I had NO idea that everyone was gonna read it. So I got a little embarrassed, but in a good way.
Elijahs teacher prayed with Him as he walking in and then He was in class....and other than chit chatting with a few other moms standing outside the classroom.... there was nothing else for me to do. So Ethan and I left... and I didnt cry. I almost did....but I held it back. Now dont get me wrong... I am beyond excited for Elijah to be in school... in fact a part of me feels kinda guilty for being so happy that He will be gone for so many hours. A part of me feels relieved to have time alone with my youngest now, but theres still that tiny tiny part that is sad that He has come to this stage already.
And now its time to go pick Him up and hear all about his adventurous day! I wonder what stories I will hear....
I am grateful for the way life has a way of going so fast...even when sometimes its too fast. :)
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6
Kid gets on the bus
Mom cries
Well Elijah isnt taking the bus, Im dropping Him off, and I didnt cry this morning. At least not a real cry.
But last night, thats a whole different story. We went about our day as normal, had a wonderful day. A nice long 2 hour walk, came home and had pork chops, rice and green beans for dinner, then we put the boys to bed. The whole time prepping Elijah for today;
"Elijah if the teacher says sit down what do you do?" "Sit down Mom"(while rolling his eyes)
"Ok if the teacher says its clean up time, what do you do" "Clean up Mom" (are his eyes even in his head?!)
"If you have to go potty, are you gonna tell your teacher?" "Yes Mom"(add a head roll and a hand on the hip to the eye rolling as if to say "really mom?!" ) But I gotta cover my bases.
So off to bed my boys go, and then it starts hitting me. My first born baby boy is NOT a baby anymore, not even close. Then when we go to bed, Sheldon and I are talking... and I said "Its tomorrow" and he sleepily replies "yep" and I choke.
See now Sheldon had taken some medicine for allergies and was already half asleep by the time He even got in bed....so really when I say "we" were talking it was more "I" was talking and he would grunt.
As I lay there thinking back to the time of his birth and all the uncertainty that surrounded his first couple of days I get kinda teary eyed. Then I remember him learning to walk, and eat, and talk and how stinkin CUTE he always was.
Im laying there in the dark literally holding my breath so that I dont start all out sobbing...tears are still streaming down my cheeks...now you know when you try not to cry when you are obviously crying you tend to squeak....you know what Im talking about. I try and clear my throat so that I can get rid of the sob stuck in my throat and I take a BIG deep breath... and then there goes my nose. Why on earth does your nose start running when you cry??!! Can someone answer this please?!
So now Im sniffling...after a few minutes of lots of deep breaths and lots of sniffling Sheldon finally goes "are you sniffling?" I say "yes" and He goes "why"... I say "because"... He says "because why?" and I say "because" after a few rounds of that I finally admit Im crying. He goes "why are you crying?"
Now you know that if you try and explain why you are crying, you will only start crying harder, and then no one could understand you anyway so I figured whats the point of trying.
I really didnt want to sound like this "ayyeemm chrrrieenngg(sniffle/deep breath) beeecchaausseee maaeeyyyy bbaa(sniffle)bbyyy iiisshh aaaahhhlll biiiiggg noooouwww!(insert wailing sound) (Did you even understand my attempt to translate the language of tears into words?
Pretty much I just tried to explain that I couldnt talk about it, and He accepted it. But I wasnt done..and now I was at a breaking point.... between the sniffles, deep breaths and crinkling up my nose to stop the tears I am trying to think of something else, ANYTHING else.... so I pick up my phone and get on facebook. And it worked, after a few minutes of reading peoples statuses I was past my worked up phase. Whew....that was exhausting and shortly afterwards I fell asleep.
Fastforward to this morning, well I didnt set the alarm and instead of waking up at 630am like I wanted, I woke up at 7am. Not too bad, but it didnt leave time for Ethan and I to eat breakfast, just Elijah. Which was fine because it was more important that He ate(we came home afterwards and ate so dont worry, Ethan eventually got breakfast). But fortunately that loss of a half hour of time left me with NO time to cry.... praise God! :)
Elijah took a shower, got dressed, ate waffles, I did his hair, took photos and out the door we went. Took more photos in the car, and on the way into class. He smiled from ear to ear all morning, He woke up on his own and happy!(thats rare)
And it was great!
EXCEPT, I forgot to send a lunch with Him...and in order to get a lunch at the school you have to order the week before. I had started doing it the night before but realized we didnt have any sandwhich bags....and then didnt think about it again till I saw all the other kids lunches lined up on the teachers desk. So after I dropped him off, I went to the store, bought baggies and took him a lunch. I knew I would forget something....but at least it was an easy fix.
Ive heard of kid who are scared to start school....yeah I just cant relate to that. Mine was practically screaming "LET ME GO!!" as He grabbed his name tag and ran into his classroom....He didnt even kiss me! And then I was kinda caught off guard, the teacher comes up to me and says "Thank you for that letter you wrote" and I kinda looked at her and drew a blank. She continues "Pastor Kindle read it to all the staff this morning at our meeting" then I remembered I wrote a thank you email to the school for such a wonderful experience at orientation last week... I had NO idea that everyone was gonna read it. So I got a little embarrassed, but in a good way.
Elijahs teacher prayed with Him as he walking in and then He was in class....and other than chit chatting with a few other moms standing outside the classroom.... there was nothing else for me to do. So Ethan and I left... and I didnt cry. I almost did....but I held it back. Now dont get me wrong... I am beyond excited for Elijah to be in school... in fact a part of me feels kinda guilty for being so happy that He will be gone for so many hours. A part of me feels relieved to have time alone with my youngest now, but theres still that tiny tiny part that is sad that He has come to this stage already.
And now its time to go pick Him up and hear all about his adventurous day! I wonder what stories I will hear....
I am grateful for the way life has a way of going so fast...even when sometimes its too fast. :)
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Never Say Never...
Sometimes Gods humor is a little one sided...lol
I was at Women of Faith last year listening to Mary Beth Chapman share about her experience of losing his little girl in a terrible accident.
If you dont know who she is, she is the wife of Steven Curtis Chapman, a very famous christian musician. Well a few years ago their young adult son accidentally ran over their youngest daughter in their driveway and she did not survive. To get more details on the story go get the book "Choosing to SEE" by Mary Beth Chapman. Aside from the grief and guilt caused by an accident like this, one of the things She said that night was to never tell God you wont do something. She said that He has a funny way of making us do things we NEVER want to do. She said told God that she would NEVER be a public speaker, and that she would NEVER write a book and that she would NEVER travel all over the way her husband did. Well the outcome of the death of her daughter was sharing her story with the whole world and helping people see the good in their own tragedies. How can something good come out of such devastation?(read the book!) Through Mary Beth and her family being so open with their grief, many many families have learned how to handle their own losses. One of her last funny comments was "I will NEVER go on a 6 month long vacation to Hawaii with only my husband alone") haha, she made a funny! LOL
So what relevance does that have to me? Well one of the main things I always said to myself was that I never wanted to be a pastors wife. In fact the first time someone spoke a prophecy of Sheldon becoming a pastor I think I literally cringed. We had only been married a few months and that was the last thing I expected hearing from someone. Then it happened again a few months later. And then again about a year after that....and then again and again and again. It was a recurring theme that always popped up that Sheldon would become a pastor. And its something He has always had a desired for in His heart. But me? No way! I didnt want that responsibility, thats huge....that meant always being available to people, always being on call, always opening your home, always sacrificing for others.... and as the wife having to sacrifice some of my time with my husband.
Then something changed. I dont know when, and I dont know exactly how. But looking back... I remember those feelings, but I dont have them anymore.
Sometime in the past 2 years a change so deep encompassed me that I didnt even realize it happened. As I watch Sheldon do his schooling for a ministry license that fear is no longer there of becoming a pastors wife. I think even when He started talking about classes last year there was still a tiny bit of reluctancy within me, but nothing like it had been years ago. Then the more He did it, the more bible studies I led, the more involved with community stuff I got into, I realized that feeling was completely gone. And then a few month later the offer came up to become the Womens Ministry Leader for South Oaks Community Church. And I jumped on it! It had been growing in my heart for the past year to get involved in womens ministry.
And now looking at the possibility, Sheldon may in fact become a pastor one day... and Im not scared of that thought anymore. I no longer dislike the idea of all the responsibility but rather I look forward to it. I embrace the idea of opening my home to others, sacrificing for others, being available to those who need someone, and allowing my husband to grow into the man of God He has been called to be. So the main idea here is never say never to God. He will find a way to use us outside of our comfort zone, and once that gets comfortable He will stretch you again.
Had you told me 5yrs ago that I would be the Womens Ministry Leader for a brand new church, I may have laughed at you just as Sarah laughed at God when He told her she was with child in her old age. But Gods plan for our lives is greater than we could ever imagine.... He sees a picture that we hardly see a pixel of.... just never tell Him never.....LOL I am grateful that God doesnt always give into what I want, He knows better.
"And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"" Acts 20:35
0 Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”
Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”
13 Then the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”Genesis 18:10-14
I was at Women of Faith last year listening to Mary Beth Chapman share about her experience of losing his little girl in a terrible accident.
If you dont know who she is, she is the wife of Steven Curtis Chapman, a very famous christian musician. Well a few years ago their young adult son accidentally ran over their youngest daughter in their driveway and she did not survive. To get more details on the story go get the book "Choosing to SEE" by Mary Beth Chapman. Aside from the grief and guilt caused by an accident like this, one of the things She said that night was to never tell God you wont do something. She said that He has a funny way of making us do things we NEVER want to do. She said told God that she would NEVER be a public speaker, and that she would NEVER write a book and that she would NEVER travel all over the way her husband did. Well the outcome of the death of her daughter was sharing her story with the whole world and helping people see the good in their own tragedies. How can something good come out of such devastation?(read the book!) Through Mary Beth and her family being so open with their grief, many many families have learned how to handle their own losses. One of her last funny comments was "I will NEVER go on a 6 month long vacation to Hawaii with only my husband alone") haha, she made a funny! LOL
So what relevance does that have to me? Well one of the main things I always said to myself was that I never wanted to be a pastors wife. In fact the first time someone spoke a prophecy of Sheldon becoming a pastor I think I literally cringed. We had only been married a few months and that was the last thing I expected hearing from someone. Then it happened again a few months later. And then again about a year after that....and then again and again and again. It was a recurring theme that always popped up that Sheldon would become a pastor. And its something He has always had a desired for in His heart. But me? No way! I didnt want that responsibility, thats huge....that meant always being available to people, always being on call, always opening your home, always sacrificing for others.... and as the wife having to sacrifice some of my time with my husband.
Then something changed. I dont know when, and I dont know exactly how. But looking back... I remember those feelings, but I dont have them anymore.
Sometime in the past 2 years a change so deep encompassed me that I didnt even realize it happened. As I watch Sheldon do his schooling for a ministry license that fear is no longer there of becoming a pastors wife. I think even when He started talking about classes last year there was still a tiny bit of reluctancy within me, but nothing like it had been years ago. Then the more He did it, the more bible studies I led, the more involved with community stuff I got into, I realized that feeling was completely gone. And then a few month later the offer came up to become the Womens Ministry Leader for South Oaks Community Church. And I jumped on it! It had been growing in my heart for the past year to get involved in womens ministry.
And now looking at the possibility, Sheldon may in fact become a pastor one day... and Im not scared of that thought anymore. I no longer dislike the idea of all the responsibility but rather I look forward to it. I embrace the idea of opening my home to others, sacrificing for others, being available to those who need someone, and allowing my husband to grow into the man of God He has been called to be. So the main idea here is never say never to God. He will find a way to use us outside of our comfort zone, and once that gets comfortable He will stretch you again.
Had you told me 5yrs ago that I would be the Womens Ministry Leader for a brand new church, I may have laughed at you just as Sarah laughed at God when He told her she was with child in her old age. But Gods plan for our lives is greater than we could ever imagine.... He sees a picture that we hardly see a pixel of.... just never tell Him never.....LOL I am grateful that God doesnt always give into what I want, He knows better.
"And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"" Acts 20:35
0 Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”
Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”
13 Then the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”Genesis 18:10-14
A new Chapter
So today is the first day in September. And this month marks the turning point and some major changes that will be happening in our lives. Last week Sheldon started a brand new job, next week Elijah starts school for the first time ever, then we launch our first ever official service LIVE for South Oaks Community Church and the fun just keeps going!
New beginnings offer fresh starts, new relationships, and a chance to push past your comfort zones and reach further than you had before. But they also mean growing pains, mistakes, stumbles and a learning curve. So far its been fabulous, I LOVE our team at SOCC and I love my pastor. We all work so well together and most of all we all know that everything we do must be centered on Christ. Its not about us and our comforts, but about spreading the love of Jesus.
With Elijah starting school this year it will give me more one on one time with Ethan that He has never had being the little brother. I look forward to being alone with Him and teaching Him all the things I taught Elijah....but with Elijah right there all the time He tends to overtalk Ethan. I also look forward to all the new things Elijah will learn at school, hearing all his stories when He comes home, helping Him with homework and volunteering at His school. I am possibly more excited than He is, although He is very excited. And that excitement is mixed with a terrible sad feeling that His baby years are officially over and the memories I have are all that are left of that time period. (sigh)
Now with Sheldons new job, it means no more overnight shifts(which let me tell you how much of a struggle that was!), no more consistent weekend shifts and He will be home for dinner every night. I cant even begin to explain how happy I am for that!
With all the new things that will be happening, I look back on the last 5yrs of our marriage and all the things we went through, and it shows me hindsight is 20/20. So many things make sense that we had to go through, losing our apartment, getting our vehicles repossessed, having to move in with my mother in law for a year, Sheldon working 2 jobs, and so much more. I feel like 10yrs worth of experience was jammed into 5yrs, almost like God said...OK...Here's a crash course on life.
So into the new journey We go, not looking back.....but anticipating what the future holds....
All in all I am grateful for some of lifes crash courses!
"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18
New beginnings offer fresh starts, new relationships, and a chance to push past your comfort zones and reach further than you had before. But they also mean growing pains, mistakes, stumbles and a learning curve. So far its been fabulous, I LOVE our team at SOCC and I love my pastor. We all work so well together and most of all we all know that everything we do must be centered on Christ. Its not about us and our comforts, but about spreading the love of Jesus.
With Elijah starting school this year it will give me more one on one time with Ethan that He has never had being the little brother. I look forward to being alone with Him and teaching Him all the things I taught Elijah....but with Elijah right there all the time He tends to overtalk Ethan. I also look forward to all the new things Elijah will learn at school, hearing all his stories when He comes home, helping Him with homework and volunteering at His school. I am possibly more excited than He is, although He is very excited. And that excitement is mixed with a terrible sad feeling that His baby years are officially over and the memories I have are all that are left of that time period. (sigh)
Now with Sheldons new job, it means no more overnight shifts(which let me tell you how much of a struggle that was!), no more consistent weekend shifts and He will be home for dinner every night. I cant even begin to explain how happy I am for that!
With all the new things that will be happening, I look back on the last 5yrs of our marriage and all the things we went through, and it shows me hindsight is 20/20. So many things make sense that we had to go through, losing our apartment, getting our vehicles repossessed, having to move in with my mother in law for a year, Sheldon working 2 jobs, and so much more. I feel like 10yrs worth of experience was jammed into 5yrs, almost like God said...OK...Here's a crash course on life.
So into the new journey We go, not looking back.....but anticipating what the future holds....
All in all I am grateful for some of lifes crash courses!
"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Monday, August 1, 2011
Crossroads
As usual there seem to be themes that pop up in my life. I have accepted it as Gods way of talking to me in certain areas. One of those themes is crossroads.
When I was 16yrs old I was able to get my driving permit, and eventually my license. That gave me the ability to get a better job at any distance I wanted to drive. I no longer had to rely on my mom to get me places, and I definitely didnt have to rely on the city bus. Getting my license lead me to Sears Portrait Studio as a photographer. I went to "Crossroads Driving School".
A few years later I was in a relationship with a guy. After about a year we decided to move in together. Even though it was against my better judgment. It was a 3yr relationship that ended horribly. And I promised myself and God that I would never again live with another man unless it was my husband. The apartment we lived in was called Crossroads Apartments.
A few years later, married to wonderful man we find a home church that helped us grow in our faith in ways we couldnt imagine. During our year and a half there we were baptized together, took several bible studies that freed us of lots of baggage, and then even lead a few studies ourselves through the church. We gained spiritual strength and growth and some amazingly supportive friends/family.
This church is called Crossroads Church.(lovingly called CRC).
Then Sheldon and I began having that inner feeling that we wanted and needed to do something. What that was, we werent sure. We talked about hosting several bible studies outside of the church, community outreaches, neighborhood watches, and a few other things. As we prayed, we were given the opportunity to pray for a new church plant. So we prayed for the new church, and in that we began to feel led to be a part of helping plant this new church. But there was that feeling of not wanting to leave our home at CRC. So we prayed some more.
Then we got convicted. The Holy Spirit gently reminded us that as christians we were not called to sit in a comfy spot and worship God. We are not suppose to "sit on our blessed assurance", but to go out into the world. To share the gospel with every nation. And that means every community here in our own state as well.
So it was no longer a question of "well we really feel led to go be a part of this new church, but we dont want to leave our home because we love it!", it became "we feel led to do it, so lets DO IT!"
The roads I have chosen in my life I have outlined what my life has become.
**Getting a car lead me to my 1st photography job and preened my skills which lead me to owning my own business.
**Living in that apartment with that guy taught me to put my foot down and learn my value as a woman. I had to set and stick to what I wanted out of any future relationships which lead me to a man who was looking for the same thing and we married within 5 months of dating. Since we are going on almost 5 years of a happy marriage I would venture to say that was a great outcome! :)
**And searching out a new church and finding a home that was so welcoming and nurturing we learned how to grow. Which lead me to the opportunity of being the Womens Ministry Leader at a brand new church called South Oaks Community Church. We shall see where this road leads me :)
So as I cross these roads in my life, I pray that God is my guide the whole way. Whether it was learning to drive and be independent, making mistakes and learning what it means to be in a wholesome healthy relationship, or it was finding a home church and growing closer to God.....
I am GRATEFUL for all my cross roads!
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15
Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established. Provers 16:3
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. John 15:5
Special thank you to Pastor CJ & his beautiful wife Cheryl for loving us so warmly and embracing us as we were a part of your church. We love you guys and appreciate everything you have done for us and with us! We will be praying for CRC to reach above and beyond your expectations!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Are you cold?
We moved into our townhouse just this past September. So we havent even been here a year yet. Almost, but not quite. Its a brand new house, they built it the month we moved in and were still completing little tasks while we moved in. This place was a blessing to a very large need for us. And we love it!
One of the things though was that our downstairs bathroom never had hot water. It was always ice-cold. We never called the maintenance people, and I guess thats because it was never much of a problem, we could get by on other areas of the house. And eventually we just got used to it, we all knew...even the boys, that the sink in the bathroom had very cold water.
Well after about 10 months we mentioned it to our caretaker and they put in a report for us. The very next day a guy came in and turned a knob, and VOILA! Hot water!
What a simple fix!
It came to me today that Jesus is our simple fix in life. But how many of us have learned to deal with the cold of life? We are use to it, so instead of doing anything to change it, we just deal with it. We accept that life will be hard and unfair. And while that might be true, if you gave your cares over to your caretaker, and opened the door of your heart, it really could be as simple as a twist of a knob(or prayer) to release the peace and love of God.
How many times do we try and get by on things other than God? "Oh I can do it myself" "So and so's got my back, no problem" "oh it will fix itself over time". Dont count on the world to fix and fill what only God can....if you try to get by on other things.....nothing will ever change.
Lets not live our lives pretending like the colds not there....acknowledge it, decide to you dont want it, and grab a hold of your caretaker! Once you open the door of your heart and really let Him work on you, you will realize how simple it is to get your life on the right path.
Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.-Jeremiah 33:6
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.- 1John 5:4
One of the things though was that our downstairs bathroom never had hot water. It was always ice-cold. We never called the maintenance people, and I guess thats because it was never much of a problem, we could get by on other areas of the house. And eventually we just got used to it, we all knew...even the boys, that the sink in the bathroom had very cold water.
Well after about 10 months we mentioned it to our caretaker and they put in a report for us. The very next day a guy came in and turned a knob, and VOILA! Hot water!
What a simple fix!
It came to me today that Jesus is our simple fix in life. But how many of us have learned to deal with the cold of life? We are use to it, so instead of doing anything to change it, we just deal with it. We accept that life will be hard and unfair. And while that might be true, if you gave your cares over to your caretaker, and opened the door of your heart, it really could be as simple as a twist of a knob(or prayer) to release the peace and love of God.
How many times do we try and get by on things other than God? "Oh I can do it myself" "So and so's got my back, no problem" "oh it will fix itself over time". Dont count on the world to fix and fill what only God can....if you try to get by on other things.....nothing will ever change.
Lets not live our lives pretending like the colds not there....acknowledge it, decide to you dont want it, and grab a hold of your caretaker! Once you open the door of your heart and really let Him work on you, you will realize how simple it is to get your life on the right path.
Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.-Jeremiah 33:6
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Quick Honest Prayer, Quick Honest Answer
Love how sometimes God answers prayers just as fast as you send them.
Tonight I was at my moms and I was searching through her books. She has a whole bunch of books layed out neatly on her TV stand, and usually some by her bed and also by her computer. I didnt really know what I was looking for, just something to stand out and look good. But found nothing that I hadnt already read or it just didnt grab me. So I said a little prayer in my head that went something like this "Lord show me some books to read, I want a new book!".
Well about an hour later I went to my final bible study on "Leading from your Strengths" at church. A great study on how we as individuals communicate, what our strengths and weaknesses are and how we can be stronger in our area by working together with others who are different.
I walked into church, walked into the classroom, said Hi to a few ladies there and had barely sat down in my seat as Pastor Cindy walks up with a book in hand and says "I brought this book for you, I think you will love it!" I sat back in my chair with my mouth open for a moment, then exclaimed "I JUST PRAYED FOR A BOOK!!" Everyone looked at me and said "really??" Then not a moment later another lady from class, Samantha, pulls out her bag and says "I brought 3 books with me I think you would love!" I mean really?! All I wanted was for one book to read and I left class tonight with 3!!( I only took 2 of Samantha's books).
The first book I received is "What God Truly Thinks About Women" by Sharon Jaynes, "The Hidden Power of Prayer and Fasting" by Mahesh Chavda and "Face to Face with God" by Bill Johnson. I cant wait to start reading these, and if you are interested I will let you know if I recommend them!
Sometimes God has a way of answering quick honest prayers with quick honest answers. Not always, but sometimes, and for those moments I am so grateful!
"And all things, whatever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive" Mathew 21:22
Tonight I was at my moms and I was searching through her books. She has a whole bunch of books layed out neatly on her TV stand, and usually some by her bed and also by her computer. I didnt really know what I was looking for, just something to stand out and look good. But found nothing that I hadnt already read or it just didnt grab me. So I said a little prayer in my head that went something like this "Lord show me some books to read, I want a new book!".
Well about an hour later I went to my final bible study on "Leading from your Strengths" at church. A great study on how we as individuals communicate, what our strengths and weaknesses are and how we can be stronger in our area by working together with others who are different.
I walked into church, walked into the classroom, said Hi to a few ladies there and had barely sat down in my seat as Pastor Cindy walks up with a book in hand and says "I brought this book for you, I think you will love it!" I sat back in my chair with my mouth open for a moment, then exclaimed "I JUST PRAYED FOR A BOOK!!" Everyone looked at me and said "really??" Then not a moment later another lady from class, Samantha, pulls out her bag and says "I brought 3 books with me I think you would love!" I mean really?! All I wanted was for one book to read and I left class tonight with 3!!( I only took 2 of Samantha's books).
The first book I received is "What God Truly Thinks About Women" by Sharon Jaynes, "The Hidden Power of Prayer and Fasting" by Mahesh Chavda and "Face to Face with God" by Bill Johnson. I cant wait to start reading these, and if you are interested I will let you know if I recommend them!
Sometimes God has a way of answering quick honest prayers with quick honest answers. Not always, but sometimes, and for those moments I am so grateful!
"And all things, whatever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive" Mathew 21:22
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
"Jesus Loves Me"
This weekend we had to make a last minute trip out of state for a funeral. During that trip a theme popped up several time and I found the "coincidences" quite interesting. It seems God has a unique way of talking to me, and the more I listen the more I hear.
The night before we left to Wisconsin we went to the store and bought some new music and a couple books to read. I picked "Heaven is for REAL", a true story about a boy who claims He spent time in heaven during an emergency surgery. Within the first few pages the outline of the book became eerily similar. A family of 4 are going a road trip and the youngest child has been so sick all week that they aren't even sure they should go. Well hello?! Ethan had been sick for 6 days to the point that we almost didn't go either. But we decided that by Thursday He was feeling well enough to go. Well they made the same decision. A few other small things kinda popped out before I said to Sheldon, "Baby, this book is crazy similar to what we are going through right now!"
I turn back to the book and sure enough, the next paragraph talks about the family passing their home church on the way out of town, which just happened to be called Crossroads Weslyan Church(Our church is called Crossroads Church!).
Now at that moment I laughed out loud and said "really??!" to God. And then kept reading.
In the meantime Ethan got so sick during the trip that we had to stop several time to take him potty and then even had to take a trip to the ER because He was screaming in pain while clutching his tummy and his urine was a dark orangeish amber color. We knew he was dehydrated and He hadn't eaten in several days which would explain the dark color. Thankfully the ER we stopped at happened to have an Urgent Care during business hours which saved us a ton of money! The Drs couldn't tell us much, and during a time we were trying to run some tests Ethan calmed down and fell asleep so we decided to get back on the road
(with assurance from the Dr that He should be fine) since we were just about half way to our destination. So back on the road I pick up my book again, and sure enough the next chapter is all about the littlest boy getting worse during their trip and they take him to the ER. Im thinking this is just too weird, and then the book gets worse. They find out the boy has ruptured apendicitis and has had the poison of that coursing through his stomach for 5 days! The outlook doesnt look good, even the Drs arent thinking He will survive this. I stopped reading for a few minutes and said a prayer, "Lord please dont be funny, its already been to similar so please heal my little Ethan and stop the similarities here! AMEN!"
Well I know the boy survives because without his survival there wouldn't have been a book! So a few months after his miracle the family drives past the hospital He stayed at and they ask him if He remembers it(now mind you He is only 3yrs old). And his reply is "of course, that's where the angels sang Jesus Loves Me". And this is where his family find out that during his emergency surgery to attempt to clean out his dying system the little boy got to go to heaven. He is even able to back it up by telling his parents specific things they were doing during this time. The father, a pastor, was so scared and angry with God that He found a private room, locked the door and lost it. He screamed and yelled at God and cried harder than he ever has before. He thought He was alone, but his baby boy who He thought was on the surgeons table was watching him from Heaven. The book goes on to tell about some extraordinary things, which I wont give away because you just have to read it!
Thankfully the "coincidences" end within the book. And Ethan has almost fully recovered now.
But we make it to WI and they start again. We arrived rather late due to all the potty stops and the 3 hour urgent care visit, so we have dinner with my cousins and then its time to put the boys to bed. Well by the time I get done doing that, everyone else had either left or gone to bed. But my cousin Mark just happened to be coming out of the bathroom and said He was up for hanging out a little bit. So we went downstairs and just talked. Now He had just received his last and final chemo treatment a week earlier, and I hadnt seen Him in years. So we were talking about everything He was going through and feeling. And then he says something that made my skin just fire up. He says "Well the first time they thought I had cancer I was in the big machine and to keep myself calm I decided to sing. I started with What a Friend I have in Jesus, and it just didn't do anything, so then I sang Amazing Grace, and nothing. Then I started singing Jesus Loves Me, and I kid you not, a choir of angels started singing with me. Its a sound I can still hear clearly in my head as if it were happening now"
My jaw dropped.
Did I really just hear that right?
A choir of angels sang the exact same song to him that they sang to the little boy in the book. Incredible. And the other thing is that its my all time favorite song to sing to my boys and to kids in general. It has always struck a chord for some reason and always been very special.
My cousin went on to share his story with me, and I truly think He should write a book. :) I wont tell you what He had to say, thats his story.
So as we ended our 2 hour talk I went to bed where Sheldon had already passed out and I woke him up to share everything with him! I told him, I think there may be more to this weekend than just a trip for a funeral!
I went to sleep on cloud nine just waiting for what the weekend might unlock. One of the things the Dad/Pastor kept saying was that even though as believers we talk about things like heaven, when they are presented to us like this we almost cant believe it.
This past weekend had some great times, some sad times and some very specific moments that I know were meant just for me. Maybe the biggest theme this weekend was Jesus Loves Me, so lets just end with that:
Jesus loves me this I know
for the Bible tells me so,
little ones to him belong,
they are weak and He is strong
Yes, Jesus loves me, Yes Jesus loves me, Yes Jesus loves me,
For the bible tells me so!
I am so grateful for the funny way things sometimes happen. :)
"Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven." Matthew 18:10
The night before we left to Wisconsin we went to the store and bought some new music and a couple books to read. I picked "Heaven is for REAL", a true story about a boy who claims He spent time in heaven during an emergency surgery. Within the first few pages the outline of the book became eerily similar. A family of 4 are going a road trip and the youngest child has been so sick all week that they aren't even sure they should go. Well hello?! Ethan had been sick for 6 days to the point that we almost didn't go either. But we decided that by Thursday He was feeling well enough to go. Well they made the same decision. A few other small things kinda popped out before I said to Sheldon, "Baby, this book is crazy similar to what we are going through right now!"
I turn back to the book and sure enough, the next paragraph talks about the family passing their home church on the way out of town, which just happened to be called Crossroads Weslyan Church(Our church is called Crossroads Church!).
Now at that moment I laughed out loud and said "really??!" to God. And then kept reading.
In the meantime Ethan got so sick during the trip that we had to stop several time to take him potty and then even had to take a trip to the ER because He was screaming in pain while clutching his tummy and his urine was a dark orangeish amber color. We knew he was dehydrated and He hadn't eaten in several days which would explain the dark color. Thankfully the ER we stopped at happened to have an Urgent Care during business hours which saved us a ton of money! The Drs couldn't tell us much, and during a time we were trying to run some tests Ethan calmed down and fell asleep so we decided to get back on the road
(with assurance from the Dr that He should be fine) since we were just about half way to our destination. So back on the road I pick up my book again, and sure enough the next chapter is all about the littlest boy getting worse during their trip and they take him to the ER. Im thinking this is just too weird, and then the book gets worse. They find out the boy has ruptured apendicitis and has had the poison of that coursing through his stomach for 5 days! The outlook doesnt look good, even the Drs arent thinking He will survive this. I stopped reading for a few minutes and said a prayer, "Lord please dont be funny, its already been to similar so please heal my little Ethan and stop the similarities here! AMEN!"
Well I know the boy survives because without his survival there wouldn't have been a book! So a few months after his miracle the family drives past the hospital He stayed at and they ask him if He remembers it(now mind you He is only 3yrs old). And his reply is "of course, that's where the angels sang Jesus Loves Me". And this is where his family find out that during his emergency surgery to attempt to clean out his dying system the little boy got to go to heaven. He is even able to back it up by telling his parents specific things they were doing during this time. The father, a pastor, was so scared and angry with God that He found a private room, locked the door and lost it. He screamed and yelled at God and cried harder than he ever has before. He thought He was alone, but his baby boy who He thought was on the surgeons table was watching him from Heaven. The book goes on to tell about some extraordinary things, which I wont give away because you just have to read it!
Thankfully the "coincidences" end within the book. And Ethan has almost fully recovered now.
But we make it to WI and they start again. We arrived rather late due to all the potty stops and the 3 hour urgent care visit, so we have dinner with my cousins and then its time to put the boys to bed. Well by the time I get done doing that, everyone else had either left or gone to bed. But my cousin Mark just happened to be coming out of the bathroom and said He was up for hanging out a little bit. So we went downstairs and just talked. Now He had just received his last and final chemo treatment a week earlier, and I hadnt seen Him in years. So we were talking about everything He was going through and feeling. And then he says something that made my skin just fire up. He says "Well the first time they thought I had cancer I was in the big machine and to keep myself calm I decided to sing. I started with What a Friend I have in Jesus, and it just didn't do anything, so then I sang Amazing Grace, and nothing. Then I started singing Jesus Loves Me, and I kid you not, a choir of angels started singing with me. Its a sound I can still hear clearly in my head as if it were happening now"
My jaw dropped.
Did I really just hear that right?
A choir of angels sang the exact same song to him that they sang to the little boy in the book. Incredible. And the other thing is that its my all time favorite song to sing to my boys and to kids in general. It has always struck a chord for some reason and always been very special.
My cousin went on to share his story with me, and I truly think He should write a book. :) I wont tell you what He had to say, thats his story.
So as we ended our 2 hour talk I went to bed where Sheldon had already passed out and I woke him up to share everything with him! I told him, I think there may be more to this weekend than just a trip for a funeral!
I went to sleep on cloud nine just waiting for what the weekend might unlock. One of the things the Dad/Pastor kept saying was that even though as believers we talk about things like heaven, when they are presented to us like this we almost cant believe it.
This past weekend had some great times, some sad times and some very specific moments that I know were meant just for me. Maybe the biggest theme this weekend was Jesus Loves Me, so lets just end with that:
Jesus loves me this I know
for the Bible tells me so,
little ones to him belong,
they are weak and He is strong
Yes, Jesus loves me, Yes Jesus loves me, Yes Jesus loves me,
For the bible tells me so!
I am so grateful for the funny way things sometimes happen. :)
"Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven." Matthew 18:10
Thursday, April 28, 2011
If you only understood
A few weeks ago I had to take my son to the doctor. I was a little concerned that he was showing signs of allergies and asthma. So I made the appointment for Him to see a specialist and then I prepped him on the fact that they would do little scratches on his back to test for certain allergies. Little did I know that it wasn't just a little scratch to this "scratch test", it was a double needled poking device. And they didn't do a little scratch they had to break his skin, 17 times.
Needless to say my precious, innocent 3yr old baby boy had to be held down while He screamed in terror. Laying on His tummy while they poked his back He cried out, "Mommy! Make it stop! No more Mommy! Please!" As tears filled my eyes, I held him down with a few other nurses and tried to tell Him it was almost over. "Elijah hunny, just a few more, we have to finish this, I promise there are only a few more" I said as sweetly as I could without my voice breaking. They continued to dig the tools into his skin and He cried even harder, my heart broke with each scream.
Finally, after a long agonizing few minutes, it was over. I tried to hold my son to comfort Him while trying not touching his back. His screams turned to softer sobs, I pulled Him back and said "I am so sorry my sweet, But we have to do this test so that I can know how to make you better when you are sick". He looked at up with big thick wet eyelashes, "Mommy, dont ever make me do that again, ok? Please Mommy, Ill be good forever!", "Elijah, I would never hurt you on purpose, and I would never make you do something like this unless it was for your benefit, I love you too much". He nodded His head gently and the soft sobs turned into silent tears, which faded into a quiet acceptance that it was over.
My dear Elijah, I love you too much to allow something bad to happen to you on purpose unless I knew it was for the better.
Arent we like my little boy, with God? When we go through trials in life, we cry out "Why God why?? How could you love me and let me go through this?? If you were really out there, wouldnt you save me from this pain?" And God quietly says "I am here my child, I will never leave you nor forsake you. But my thoughts are higher than your thoughts, and my ways are higher than your ways. And although you cant see the bigger picture, or understand why you must go through the things you go through, I can. I know that this is for the better, for a better future and a better life. This trial now is strengthening you for what is to come later."
So although we may feel alone in our situations and our heartaches in life, and we feel that if God really loved us He wouldnt let us suffer through things, just remember that God truly does loves us. Just as I cried silently for my little boy as I allowed Him to suffer through pain for His benefit, I did it because I love Him. And God loves you a million times more, His love is never ending, never failing and never runs out. Just hold on through the storms in life, it wont last forever and the whole time God will be holding you, even if you cant see Him.
He loves you too much to ever hurt you on purpose, and He will never put you through things unnecessarily. Try and find your blessings in every situation!
God loves you too much.
He loves you TOO much.
His love is never failing, never.
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him - James 1:12
Needless to say my precious, innocent 3yr old baby boy had to be held down while He screamed in terror. Laying on His tummy while they poked his back He cried out, "Mommy! Make it stop! No more Mommy! Please!" As tears filled my eyes, I held him down with a few other nurses and tried to tell Him it was almost over. "Elijah hunny, just a few more, we have to finish this, I promise there are only a few more" I said as sweetly as I could without my voice breaking. They continued to dig the tools into his skin and He cried even harder, my heart broke with each scream.
Finally, after a long agonizing few minutes, it was over. I tried to hold my son to comfort Him while trying not touching his back. His screams turned to softer sobs, I pulled Him back and said "I am so sorry my sweet, But we have to do this test so that I can know how to make you better when you are sick". He looked at up with big thick wet eyelashes, "Mommy, dont ever make me do that again, ok? Please Mommy, Ill be good forever!", "Elijah, I would never hurt you on purpose, and I would never make you do something like this unless it was for your benefit, I love you too much". He nodded His head gently and the soft sobs turned into silent tears, which faded into a quiet acceptance that it was over.
My dear Elijah, I love you too much to allow something bad to happen to you on purpose unless I knew it was for the better.
Arent we like my little boy, with God? When we go through trials in life, we cry out "Why God why?? How could you love me and let me go through this?? If you were really out there, wouldnt you save me from this pain?" And God quietly says "I am here my child, I will never leave you nor forsake you. But my thoughts are higher than your thoughts, and my ways are higher than your ways. And although you cant see the bigger picture, or understand why you must go through the things you go through, I can. I know that this is for the better, for a better future and a better life. This trial now is strengthening you for what is to come later."
So although we may feel alone in our situations and our heartaches in life, and we feel that if God really loved us He wouldnt let us suffer through things, just remember that God truly does loves us. Just as I cried silently for my little boy as I allowed Him to suffer through pain for His benefit, I did it because I love Him. And God loves you a million times more, His love is never ending, never failing and never runs out. Just hold on through the storms in life, it wont last forever and the whole time God will be holding you, even if you cant see Him.
He loves you too much to ever hurt you on purpose, and He will never put you through things unnecessarily. Try and find your blessings in every situation!
God loves you too much.
He loves you TOO much.
His love is never failing, never.
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him - James 1:12
Friday, April 22, 2011
Intimate Moments
But Jesus said, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children." Mathew 19:14
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Journey into the unknown
As many of you know(and if you dont where were you hiding for the last month?) Sheldon and I took the daunting task of running for political office. Well honestly He did the running, and I was His live-in secretary! But it was the craziest month we have yet to experience. But it was also one of the most rewarding things we have done. Looking back, we knew we were getting in way over our heads, but even then we didnt have quite the understanding of how much. We were approached with the opportunity to take on this incredible job, and after much prayer and several confirmations, we agreed.(see how I keep saying "we" as if I did much other than support him and work the computer LOL).
We jumped in and took off running, and didnt stop still after election day! Sheldon took on learning every possible thing he could soak up about politics, while attempting to call over 900 delegates and alternates, while making appearances at conventions and meetings, while also working 12 hour overnight shifts. His schedule on about every day looked something like this:
4pm - leave for work
5pm - start work
5am - leave work -
6am - get home and try and fall asleep
7am - his phone ringing off the hook
8am - give up on sleep, shower and get ready
9am - leave for meetings, appearances and speeches
3pm - come back home to dress for work(and even then there were several times he took his clothes with him so he could dress at work)
4pm - start all over again
Needless to say He was running on fumes and the Holy Spirit by the end of week 3. Although a lot of people were in support of what Sheldon was doing, many others didnt even want to give him the time of day. Many times did we question if this was really where God wanted us. But NEVER did we give up. No matter how many times those delegates and alternates slammed the phone down on Sheldon, no matter how many times people negatively questioned his lack of political experience, He did not quit. He pressed on, tired, weary, discouraged several times, and out of energy, He pressed on.
The closer we got, the more negative people around us became. But we prayed, and kept receiving confirmations and comfort that we were to stay on this path, this journey into the unknown. God sent caring, loving and supporting people to wrap themselves around us.
Come election day, Sheldon gave his speech and swayed several more votes his way. And although He did not "win", there was a victory that day. People swarmed around him to congratulate him on an amazing, touching and inspiring speech. And now that its been almost a week, we are still receiving emails from people telling Him that they cant wait till He runs again. He received 88 votes. Which has now turned into "the proud 88".
Maybe in all of this, the outcome was never for Sheldon to win the election, but to light a fire under some of these peoples chairs. To encourage them to take an extra step out of their comfort zone and do something about this world we live in. There is no doubt that it gets worse as the days go by. And if we dont step up and take our part and then some, who will? Why wait on someone else to do what we could just as easily do?
God reminded me of the story of Moses. He was called to lead the people out of slavery in Egypt into what was called the "promise land". A place of plenty, and peace. And he felt unqualified. He begged God to use another person, but God told Him he was to do it. (he did give him another person to speak for him) After trials and tribulations, and 40yrs in the desert the Israelite's were finally able to cross into this promised land.
BUT.....Moses did not. Moses did all that hard work, pushing against forces that seemed to push back ten times harder, leading millions of people who complained, grumbled and back stabbed every chance they could. And although He was probably pretty sure He was going to make it to the final push, that was not Gods plan. Moses lead, Moses encouraged, Moses taught, Moses created relationships, Moses heard directly from God, But Moses did not enter into the worlds promise land. He was a great man, but Gods plan for him was bigger than He realized. He created these leaders from within the people who he lead out of slavery, and passed the baton to those people to go the final push.
I believe Sheldons call was not to win this election, but to change the hearts and minds of the people he would come in contact with. Winning would have been nice, sure! But hearing so many people tell us over and over again "we have been praying for a man of God to step forward and become a leader for soooooo long!" was enough to help us understand that winning wasnt what was going to create a victory that day. The victory came from those whos hearts were pricked to be better, those who looked at a young man with no experience stepping up to something no one else had done and thought...what more can I do? And in those who met a passionate man of God, who was being obedient to the spirit even if it meant losing a worldly election. 88 people looked at Sheldon that day and said "we think Hes good enough for this job".....88 people took a chance on a man they had never heard of before, with no experience in mans eyes, and more than 88 people were touched by Sheldons message. Thats victory to me.
I am so grateful for every experience we are given. Sometimes that means winning, sometimes that means losing, sometimes that means both.......but every step I take I know that Gods plan is the master plan and He already has every answer written in the stars for me.
We jumped in and took off running, and didnt stop still after election day! Sheldon took on learning every possible thing he could soak up about politics, while attempting to call over 900 delegates and alternates, while making appearances at conventions and meetings, while also working 12 hour overnight shifts. His schedule on about every day looked something like this:
4pm - leave for work
5pm - start work
5am - leave work -
6am - get home and try and fall asleep
7am - his phone ringing off the hook
8am - give up on sleep, shower and get ready
9am - leave for meetings, appearances and speeches
3pm - come back home to dress for work(and even then there were several times he took his clothes with him so he could dress at work)
4pm - start all over again
Needless to say He was running on fumes and the Holy Spirit by the end of week 3. Although a lot of people were in support of what Sheldon was doing, many others didnt even want to give him the time of day. Many times did we question if this was really where God wanted us. But NEVER did we give up. No matter how many times those delegates and alternates slammed the phone down on Sheldon, no matter how many times people negatively questioned his lack of political experience, He did not quit. He pressed on, tired, weary, discouraged several times, and out of energy, He pressed on.
The closer we got, the more negative people around us became. But we prayed, and kept receiving confirmations and comfort that we were to stay on this path, this journey into the unknown. God sent caring, loving and supporting people to wrap themselves around us.
Come election day, Sheldon gave his speech and swayed several more votes his way. And although He did not "win", there was a victory that day. People swarmed around him to congratulate him on an amazing, touching and inspiring speech. And now that its been almost a week, we are still receiving emails from people telling Him that they cant wait till He runs again. He received 88 votes. Which has now turned into "the proud 88".
Maybe in all of this, the outcome was never for Sheldon to win the election, but to light a fire under some of these peoples chairs. To encourage them to take an extra step out of their comfort zone and do something about this world we live in. There is no doubt that it gets worse as the days go by. And if we dont step up and take our part and then some, who will? Why wait on someone else to do what we could just as easily do?
God reminded me of the story of Moses. He was called to lead the people out of slavery in Egypt into what was called the "promise land". A place of plenty, and peace. And he felt unqualified. He begged God to use another person, but God told Him he was to do it. (he did give him another person to speak for him) After trials and tribulations, and 40yrs in the desert the Israelite's were finally able to cross into this promised land.
BUT.....Moses did not. Moses did all that hard work, pushing against forces that seemed to push back ten times harder, leading millions of people who complained, grumbled and back stabbed every chance they could. And although He was probably pretty sure He was going to make it to the final push, that was not Gods plan. Moses lead, Moses encouraged, Moses taught, Moses created relationships, Moses heard directly from God, But Moses did not enter into the worlds promise land. He was a great man, but Gods plan for him was bigger than He realized. He created these leaders from within the people who he lead out of slavery, and passed the baton to those people to go the final push.
I believe Sheldons call was not to win this election, but to change the hearts and minds of the people he would come in contact with. Winning would have been nice, sure! But hearing so many people tell us over and over again "we have been praying for a man of God to step forward and become a leader for soooooo long!" was enough to help us understand that winning wasnt what was going to create a victory that day. The victory came from those whos hearts were pricked to be better, those who looked at a young man with no experience stepping up to something no one else had done and thought...what more can I do? And in those who met a passionate man of God, who was being obedient to the spirit even if it meant losing a worldly election. 88 people looked at Sheldon that day and said "we think Hes good enough for this job".....88 people took a chance on a man they had never heard of before, with no experience in mans eyes, and more than 88 people were touched by Sheldons message. Thats victory to me.
I am so grateful for every experience we are given. Sometimes that means winning, sometimes that means losing, sometimes that means both.......but every step I take I know that Gods plan is the master plan and He already has every answer written in the stars for me.
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