I met Sarah and Lisa in October of 2010, but it seems like I've known them for many years. I've spent only two days with them in person. Let me tell you the story. . .
I love the book Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge. It truly changed my life when I first read it over seven years ago. I've read it at least six times since then and each time it refreshes my belief that life is wonderful and that I am very special and important in this world. A few years after first reading the book, I became aware of a Captivating Retreat that is held each year in Colorado. I, of course, immediately wanted to go on one of these retreats. I finally had the opportunity to attend this retreat in October, 2010. I was so excited to be able to go. I was going on my own - not knowing anyone else who would be attending. I communicated with a few of the ladies over the internet in order to prepare for the retreat and find trasportation to and from the airport. I honestly had no idea what to expect and so I left my heart wide open for whatever the Lord had planned for me during that weekend. I thought that I would be on my own for the whole weekend - just experiencing the beauty of my surroundings and the teaching sessions that were planned for us. However, God had a beautiful surprise planned for me - the surprise of two wonderful ladies that he wanted me to meet.
I got into the retreat on Friday afternoon. I settled into my room and met my roommates, all very nice ladies. We had our first meal, which was exceptionally delicious, and our first meeting that night. After the meeting I went out to the darkest spot that I could find and just stood and looked up at all the stars twinkling in the cool, crisp Colorado sky. It was breathtaking! Then I went and sat in the worship room just trying to take in the awesome opportunity that this retreat was to me and talked with God for awhile. I went back to the cabin alone and got dressed for bed. When I went into the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth, I saw a pretty young woman with blonde hair who was also brushing her teeth. We began talking and soon we were sharing our hearts with each other. After we had been talking quite awhile there were some knocks on the wall from our other cabin mates indicating that we were keeping them awake. We reluctantly finished our conversation and went to bed. My new friend, Sarah, made sure that we would meet up for breakfast in the morning and then we both went off to bed.
The next morning Sarah and I met and walked to breakfast together. Sarah saw another new friend of hers, Lisa, and so we all sat together. I honestly don't remember all of the little details surrounding our friendship - I just know that without really planning or worrying about it, the three of us just always sat together for the rest of the weekend at meals and for the meetings. It was such a wonderful blessing to me. We shared things with each other that weekend that some lifelong friends hesitate to share with each other. We were all open to sharing our hearts with each other. So in two days I became close friends with two very special women.
In the year and several months since meeting and connecting deeply with these women, I have never ceased to thank God for their friendship and support in my life. We have supported each other through many struggles - through the internet and over the phone. During a recent several months of a tough struggle in my life, Lisa, has been a constant encouragement to me. She is the friend who sent the Box of Joy that I wrote about in a previous blog. Sarah was just married a few days ago to a wonderful man - whom she is completely and utterly in love with. It has been such a blessing to me to see her wedding pictures posted by friends on Facebook and celebrate her joy across the many miles that separate us.
As I reflect over how God brought these two women into my life in such an unexpected and special way, I am so very grateful for the friendship and love we have for each other. Even though we all live many miles apart, in different states, the bond we share keeps them very close to my heart.
Lisa & Sarah - as you read this I pray that you feel the love I have in my heart for each one of you! You are each such a huge gift from the Father to me and I am so thankful for you and I miss you so much!
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Monday, June 18, 2012
Death and Life
I was driving Jarrod to his bike race at the Velodrome on Wednesday night. As I got to one of the intersections on the main road that takes me from our house to the velodrome, there was a road block and we had to take a detour. I was annoyed because we were running a bit late and I still needed to stop and pick up batteries for the camera before we got there. I took the detour and we got there on time. I didn't really give any thought as to why there was a detour.
Later that day Scott told me that there had been a bad accident on that road, and that some of the people had been seriously injured. I felt bad at my annoyance over the inconvenience of taking a detour, but with a busy life, again I didn't really give it any thought.
Last night Scott put the obituary section of the local newspaper on the kitchen table and shared that we had known the lady that had been killed in the accident. Her name was Brandi and she was the waitress that had served us the last time we visited a local diner. The picture of her is from when she was younger and I honestly didn't recognize her face. Scott remembers everyone though - so he did.
I'm just struck at how all this life and death happens all around me and sometimes I am barely even aware of it. Caught up in the urgency of getting where I am going, taking care of family and kids, feeling overwhelmed and frustrated by all the details sometimes. That day, I wonder if she too was caught up in it all - trying to get her kids somewhere on time and running a bit late, feeling overwhelmed and frustrated by it all. Then all of a sudden there was an unexpected collision and she breathed her last breath - entered eternity in a matter of seconds and it was all behind her. She was 2 years younger than I am. She had a family to take care of too, a job, a husband, so many responsibilities, so many people who needed her here.
Life is uncertain. Life is hectic, frustrating, overwhelming - it sucks the life out of us sometimes. It is life though and death stops it dead in it's tracks. Then we have no more opportunities to make things better - to love more, forgive more, laugh more, cry more, live more imperfect days together with everyone else alive. When we go to the diner now, she will never again bring us our little pots of hot water for tea or our 2 eggs over light with wheat toast and home fries. We will never have a chance to be gracious and thankful for her service and give her a good tip for serving us so well. Her children will miss her smile and even her scolding. Her husband will miss her warm body next to his in bed at night. Her friends and co-workers will miss her laugh and spunk.
So as I live another day, I will try to remember that people need me too and I need them. I will try to be thankful for life even on the hard days and not wish it away. One day it will be over. That will come too quickly and possibly when I least expect it, like it did for Brandi. I will try not to be annoyed at the inconveniences that life brings, because that is part of life and being alive. When we are alive we are imperfect, life is imperfect, others are imperfect and that makes life imperfectly perfect. I will try to accept and enjoy this imperfectly perfect life one day at a time and pray that I have many more days to do so.
As I was typing my blog this morning, my youngest came and brought me tea and oatmeal for breakfast (not sure why.) She just asked me if I wanted orange juice too and if I liked my toast dark or light. Just another reminder of how imperfectly perfect my life can be. Being treated to breakfast by my own little waitress this morning.
Rest in Peace, Brandi. Praying that you are with the Father this morning, enjoying breakfast and being served at His table.
Later that day Scott told me that there had been a bad accident on that road, and that some of the people had been seriously injured. I felt bad at my annoyance over the inconvenience of taking a detour, but with a busy life, again I didn't really give it any thought.
Last night Scott put the obituary section of the local newspaper on the kitchen table and shared that we had known the lady that had been killed in the accident. Her name was Brandi and she was the waitress that had served us the last time we visited a local diner. The picture of her is from when she was younger and I honestly didn't recognize her face. Scott remembers everyone though - so he did.
I'm just struck at how all this life and death happens all around me and sometimes I am barely even aware of it. Caught up in the urgency of getting where I am going, taking care of family and kids, feeling overwhelmed and frustrated by all the details sometimes. That day, I wonder if she too was caught up in it all - trying to get her kids somewhere on time and running a bit late, feeling overwhelmed and frustrated by it all. Then all of a sudden there was an unexpected collision and she breathed her last breath - entered eternity in a matter of seconds and it was all behind her. She was 2 years younger than I am. She had a family to take care of too, a job, a husband, so many responsibilities, so many people who needed her here.
Life is uncertain. Life is hectic, frustrating, overwhelming - it sucks the life out of us sometimes. It is life though and death stops it dead in it's tracks. Then we have no more opportunities to make things better - to love more, forgive more, laugh more, cry more, live more imperfect days together with everyone else alive. When we go to the diner now, she will never again bring us our little pots of hot water for tea or our 2 eggs over light with wheat toast and home fries. We will never have a chance to be gracious and thankful for her service and give her a good tip for serving us so well. Her children will miss her smile and even her scolding. Her husband will miss her warm body next to his in bed at night. Her friends and co-workers will miss her laugh and spunk.
So as I live another day, I will try to remember that people need me too and I need them. I will try to be thankful for life even on the hard days and not wish it away. One day it will be over. That will come too quickly and possibly when I least expect it, like it did for Brandi. I will try not to be annoyed at the inconveniences that life brings, because that is part of life and being alive. When we are alive we are imperfect, life is imperfect, others are imperfect and that makes life imperfectly perfect. I will try to accept and enjoy this imperfectly perfect life one day at a time and pray that I have many more days to do so.
As I was typing my blog this morning, my youngest came and brought me tea and oatmeal for breakfast (not sure why.) She just asked me if I wanted orange juice too and if I liked my toast dark or light. Just another reminder of how imperfectly perfect my life can be. Being treated to breakfast by my own little waitress this morning.
Rest in Peace, Brandi. Praying that you are with the Father this morning, enjoying breakfast and being served at His table.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Visiting Church
For years I viewed church as a location, a building, an activity. Something that involved leaving your home and going elsewhere to be involved in a service or ministry or some God related business. When I say the word church, that is still the main idea that comes to my mind.
I have since come to learn that church is actually a group of people. Me and you (if you are a follower of Jesus) and others who believe in what God did through the work of Jesus Christ. We are the temple of God - we carry Him around in these imperfect, unpredictable bodies and show the world by our actions who He is. Kind of a scary thought when I realize how many mistakes I make in any given day. So the church is the people - not the location or the special activity. Wherever two or three come together in His name.
Well anyway - yesterday I visited a church. A congregation that meets in a specific location to 'worship' (another word that has different meanings for different people.) It was a Lutheran church. Very traditional, with organ music, liturgy, standing and sitting when instructed and a service completely printed in the bulletin. It wasn't a format I was used to - very structured, very subdued, very 'old style.' I went with my family because we were invited by a good friend for Friendship Sunday - an older woman who has been very involved at this church for most of her adult life. We went to encourage her. She was pleasantly surprised and very pleased that we came. That alone made the visit worthwhile. It blessed my heart to be a blessing to her. My children learned a good lesson and we had a very nice time. We especially liked the treats at the 'coffee hour' afterwards even with 2 over-zealous camp directors trying to convince us to send our children to their summer camp program. Our friend was a little embarrassed, but I honestly love passionate people who believe in what they are doing.
Since I don't go to this type of church usually, I was really soaking in the atmosphere and format of the service. I loved the old sanctuary - the pews, the posts holding up the U-shaped upper sanctuary (where the organ was also located) and the beautiful stained-glass windows. The pastors (one female, one male) stood up front - one on the right, the other on the left. The female pastor gave the children's message to the children who came to the front. The male pastor gave the adult message from the high center pulpit. It was a good, encouraging message. What I was most impressed with though was the depth of the Biblical truths that everyone read out loud together. If you really focused on what you were saying - it was pretty powerful.
I kept the bulletin, because everything we did in the service was printed in the bulletin (which is very helpful when you want to remember something important that you learned.) I wanted to share one particular piece that we read out loud together that really impacted me. It was the Affirmation of Faith:
Pastor: "Let us say again what we believe."
People: "We believe there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, and we know that in everything God works for good in those who love God, who are called according to God's purpose. We are sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen."
Wow! Awesome. Powerful. Truth. Everyone reading it together - agreeing together that this is what we believe. It was wonderful.
The whole service was filled with similar truths that everyone read together in unison. There was a Prayer of Confession: "Forgive us, renew us and lead us so that we may delight in your will and follow in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen." Another prayer went like this "God of amazing surprises . . . Put us in touch with truth that cleanses and makes us whole so we can relate to others in ways that reconcile and redeem." The Offertory Prayer: "We give with joy, gracious God, for you have been with us even when we were unfaithful. . . .We give now that your church may be empowered in the proclamation of the good news and the transformation of human life." And the Dismissal: "We will open our eyes to the goodness of God. We seek to follow faithfully where Christ leads. What we will become has not yet been revealed. We are confident in God's will for us. Amen."
Each one was a wonderful affirmation of truths that I hold dear. Each one drove home that I really, deeply believe these things and that I can keep going each day because I do. They took me away from the craziness and unsteadiness of life and put me back on the strong foundation of what I know is true and right. It was a blessing to me and I really appreciated their dedication to these Biblical truths and the impact that it has on all those who attend.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38&39
I have since come to learn that church is actually a group of people. Me and you (if you are a follower of Jesus) and others who believe in what God did through the work of Jesus Christ. We are the temple of God - we carry Him around in these imperfect, unpredictable bodies and show the world by our actions who He is. Kind of a scary thought when I realize how many mistakes I make in any given day. So the church is the people - not the location or the special activity. Wherever two or three come together in His name.
Well anyway - yesterday I visited a church. A congregation that meets in a specific location to 'worship' (another word that has different meanings for different people.) It was a Lutheran church. Very traditional, with organ music, liturgy, standing and sitting when instructed and a service completely printed in the bulletin. It wasn't a format I was used to - very structured, very subdued, very 'old style.' I went with my family because we were invited by a good friend for Friendship Sunday - an older woman who has been very involved at this church for most of her adult life. We went to encourage her. She was pleasantly surprised and very pleased that we came. That alone made the visit worthwhile. It blessed my heart to be a blessing to her. My children learned a good lesson and we had a very nice time. We especially liked the treats at the 'coffee hour' afterwards even with 2 over-zealous camp directors trying to convince us to send our children to their summer camp program. Our friend was a little embarrassed, but I honestly love passionate people who believe in what they are doing.
Since I don't go to this type of church usually, I was really soaking in the atmosphere and format of the service. I loved the old sanctuary - the pews, the posts holding up the U-shaped upper sanctuary (where the organ was also located) and the beautiful stained-glass windows. The pastors (one female, one male) stood up front - one on the right, the other on the left. The female pastor gave the children's message to the children who came to the front. The male pastor gave the adult message from the high center pulpit. It was a good, encouraging message. What I was most impressed with though was the depth of the Biblical truths that everyone read out loud together. If you really focused on what you were saying - it was pretty powerful.
I kept the bulletin, because everything we did in the service was printed in the bulletin (which is very helpful when you want to remember something important that you learned.) I wanted to share one particular piece that we read out loud together that really impacted me. It was the Affirmation of Faith:
Pastor: "Let us say again what we believe."
People: "We believe there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, and we know that in everything God works for good in those who love God, who are called according to God's purpose. We are sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen."
Wow! Awesome. Powerful. Truth. Everyone reading it together - agreeing together that this is what we believe. It was wonderful.
The whole service was filled with similar truths that everyone read together in unison. There was a Prayer of Confession: "Forgive us, renew us and lead us so that we may delight in your will and follow in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen." Another prayer went like this "God of amazing surprises . . . Put us in touch with truth that cleanses and makes us whole so we can relate to others in ways that reconcile and redeem." The Offertory Prayer: "We give with joy, gracious God, for you have been with us even when we were unfaithful. . . .We give now that your church may be empowered in the proclamation of the good news and the transformation of human life." And the Dismissal: "We will open our eyes to the goodness of God. We seek to follow faithfully where Christ leads. What we will become has not yet been revealed. We are confident in God's will for us. Amen."
Each one was a wonderful affirmation of truths that I hold dear. Each one drove home that I really, deeply believe these things and that I can keep going each day because I do. They took me away from the craziness and unsteadiness of life and put me back on the strong foundation of what I know is true and right. It was a blessing to me and I really appreciated their dedication to these Biblical truths and the impact that it has on all those who attend.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38&39
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