Just a quick update since it is 10:42 on Saturday night and I have to be at church by 7:30 tomorrow morning to sing...
My dad is doing well and was actually released from the hospital today, which was earlier than we were originally told. He doesn't like hospitals (who can blame him!) so that was good. It was also good because it means the doctors feel confident that his foot is healing as it should be.
Before he was released, my mom moved a few of their things to Youth Haven this morning, so they are there now. The big move will take place in a couple of weeks, and hopefully he will be a bit more mobile by then. He will start dialysis in Jackson on Monday, and my mom will start working in the Youth Haven office on Tuesday.
Naturally, we are thrilled to have them close by and the boys are looking forward to being able to "stop by" a couple days a week after school.
Thanks for all of your prayers! Please continue to pray for healing and for both my mom and dad throughout this transition. My dad will have not only the physical hurdles to overcome, but also the emotional struggles of leaving pastoring after 38 years. My mom is doing an amazing job, but I know she is sometimes apprehensive about starting a new job and trying to make sure she is properly caring for my dad. Just a lot of changes that will take some getting used to. The people in my mom & dad's church have been wonderful and will have a retirement open house for him the afternoon of October 19. We appreciate the way they have loved and cared for my parents.
I'll write more later. I hope everyone has a wonderful Labor Day weekend!
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
God is in Control
Just when I think I'm doing really well at leaving things in God's hands, something happens to remind me how bad I am at fully surrendering my will to Him.
This evening I learned that my dad will have surgery on Thursday to amputate a toe. Without going into too much detail, I will just say that it has to be done as quickly as possible to help remove the risk of an infection spreading to his blood. This will be his second surgery this summer.
I know that God is in control, and that He has a plan for my dad's life. I would like that plan to be smooth sailing from here on out. Unfortunately, that's not the way it works in this life. And it's hard to see someone you love so much experiencing this degree of physical difficulty.
Tonight as we said our bedtime prayers, I listened to Stefan pray, "Please help Grandpa's surgery to go well, and please don't let anything bad go wrong." The voice of an eight-year-old expressed the very words that were in my heart.
I am praying for healing, for strength, for guidance for the surgeons, and for no complications. I'm praying for my mom, that God will lift her up as she supports and cares for my dad. I'm praying for my dad's spirits, that he will not be discouraged.
My dad doesn't want to be a burden to anyone. But when you love someone, being there for them is not a burden! So I will be at the hospital on Thursday and do whatever I can to help care for him afterward. It's the least I can do after all my parents have done for me. I am truly blessed to have both of them in my life.
Surrender doesn't come easily to me, but it does come as God gently urges me closer to Him. I don't know what tomorrow brings, but He knows, and He will be there to see us through.
Thank you for your prayers.
This evening I learned that my dad will have surgery on Thursday to amputate a toe. Without going into too much detail, I will just say that it has to be done as quickly as possible to help remove the risk of an infection spreading to his blood. This will be his second surgery this summer.
I know that God is in control, and that He has a plan for my dad's life. I would like that plan to be smooth sailing from here on out. Unfortunately, that's not the way it works in this life. And it's hard to see someone you love so much experiencing this degree of physical difficulty.
Tonight as we said our bedtime prayers, I listened to Stefan pray, "Please help Grandpa's surgery to go well, and please don't let anything bad go wrong." The voice of an eight-year-old expressed the very words that were in my heart.
I am praying for healing, for strength, for guidance for the surgeons, and for no complications. I'm praying for my mom, that God will lift her up as she supports and cares for my dad. I'm praying for my dad's spirits, that he will not be discouraged.
My dad doesn't want to be a burden to anyone. But when you love someone, being there for them is not a burden! So I will be at the hospital on Thursday and do whatever I can to help care for him afterward. It's the least I can do after all my parents have done for me. I am truly blessed to have both of them in my life.
Surrender doesn't come easily to me, but it does come as God gently urges me closer to Him. I don't know what tomorrow brings, but He knows, and He will be there to see us through.
Thank you for your prayers.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Family Vacation
We're back from our family vacation and I can start blogging again! Here are a few pictures and bits of information about what we did:
A visit to Mackinac Island was one of the highlights of the trip. We took our bikes and rode around the Island, stopping to visit several places along the way. We went to the Butterfly House, of course, which the boys especially love because they also have a python. We looked through Fort Mackinac and also climbed up the Mission Point Tower. The boys said that was their favorite thing we did, because they had a lot of information about ships and shipwrecks in the Great Lakes.
We visited Petoskey State Park on two different days to spend some time at the beach. One day in particular, there were a lot of big waves. Stefan and Lukas loved the waves and were swimming like fish, riding the waves up toward the shore. It was fun for me to watch because I remember doing the same thing when I was a kid. I had my bathing suit on but it was a little too chilly for me that day so I didn't join in the fun. But honestly, watching them was all the fun I needed! Lars and the boys also flew a stunt kite for a little while.
We spent several afternoons up at the Mackinac Bridge. One day we went through Colonial Michilimackinac, which we have seen before but is always fascinating. Lars and I both said it's hard to imagine people actually living their lives there. The boys loved seeing them shoot the cannon and going through all of the different buildings they have set up to represent colonial times. We also visited Historic Mill Creek one day. It's a working sawmill that is completely powered by water. They gave a demonstration of sawing logs by hand and then showed how much faster the sawmill was. This picture is of us in front of the sawpit where they did the hand sawing demonstration.
I think one of the best things for me was to just to see my kids enjoying so many of the things I used to enjoy on our family vacations when I was a kid. Here we are at Arch Rock on Mackinac Island. (Ignore the hair - we were all wearing bike helmets all day!) We had a great time together as a family!
A visit to Mackinac Island was one of the highlights of the trip. We took our bikes and rode around the Island, stopping to visit several places along the way. We went to the Butterfly House, of course, which the boys especially love because they also have a python. We looked through Fort Mackinac and also climbed up the Mission Point Tower. The boys said that was their favorite thing we did, because they had a lot of information about ships and shipwrecks in the Great Lakes.
We visited Petoskey State Park on two different days to spend some time at the beach. One day in particular, there were a lot of big waves. Stefan and Lukas loved the waves and were swimming like fish, riding the waves up toward the shore. It was fun for me to watch because I remember doing the same thing when I was a kid. I had my bathing suit on but it was a little too chilly for me that day so I didn't join in the fun. But honestly, watching them was all the fun I needed! Lars and the boys also flew a stunt kite for a little while.
We spent several afternoons up at the Mackinac Bridge. One day we went through Colonial Michilimackinac, which we have seen before but is always fascinating. Lars and I both said it's hard to imagine people actually living their lives there. The boys loved seeing them shoot the cannon and going through all of the different buildings they have set up to represent colonial times. We also visited Historic Mill Creek one day. It's a working sawmill that is completely powered by water. They gave a demonstration of sawing logs by hand and then showed how much faster the sawmill was. This picture is of us in front of the sawpit where they did the hand sawing demonstration.
I think one of the best things for me was to just to see my kids enjoying so many of the things I used to enjoy on our family vacations when I was a kid. Here we are at Arch Rock on Mackinac Island. (Ignore the hair - we were all wearing bike helmets all day!) We had a great time together as a family!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Grace
You've got to love technology. I am actually typing this from my husband's laptop in our car as he drives our family up to Harbor Springs for our summer vacation. I don't know if I'll be able to upload any pictures until we get home, since we only have Internet access using his phone as a modem. I have no idea how it works, but I'm glad to be married to a technical guru!
Since I am in the car, this won't be long, but I had to share this special moment between my kids and me this week. On Thursday, we went to my mom and dad's church for Vacation Bible School in the evening. Lars has an astronomy presentation he shares with the kids at Youth Haven, and my mom had asked him to come share it with their VBS group for family night.
Before the program began, the boys and I were sitting in the chairs in the sanctuary. I was trying to keep them from fidgeting and getting too rowdy, so we played this little game where each of us had to tell one thing we thought would be really cool. Here's how it went:
I said I thought it would be cool if I could open my mouth wide enough to fit their heads inside. Hey, sometimes with 8 and 6 year old boys you just have to be goofy, right?
Lukas said he thought it would be cool if he never had to go to school but could stay home and play all day.
Then it was Stefan's turn. In all seriousness and innocence, he said, "What if there was no sin in the world?"
I love that he was thinking on that level! Yes, it would be really cool if there was no sin in the world. Leave it to my 8-year-old to bring that thought into a silly moment.
Unfortunately, there is sin in the world, and because of that Jesus had to die on the cross. But I am so grateful he was willing to sacrifice himself so that I could become a child of God. I am also grateful that both of my children have accepted him as Savior.
This leads me to my next thought: if there was no sin in the world, there would be no need for forgiveness, no need for grace. If that were true, would I love God as much as I do now? Would I acknowledge my need for Him and depend on Him from day to day?
The truth is, my life on earth is so much richer because I know that I am a sinner and God loves me anyway. Even as His Son hung there on the cross, He saw my every fault, every failure, every sin - and believed I was worth the price He paid. That is so amazing to me!
It would still be "cool" if there was no sin in the world, because it would mean no pain, suffering, or death. I can't change the fact that sin exists, but I know I have been cleansed from all my sin by the blood of Jesus. Grace. Now that's cool.
Since I am in the car, this won't be long, but I had to share this special moment between my kids and me this week. On Thursday, we went to my mom and dad's church for Vacation Bible School in the evening. Lars has an astronomy presentation he shares with the kids at Youth Haven, and my mom had asked him to come share it with their VBS group for family night.
Before the program began, the boys and I were sitting in the chairs in the sanctuary. I was trying to keep them from fidgeting and getting too rowdy, so we played this little game where each of us had to tell one thing we thought would be really cool. Here's how it went:
I said I thought it would be cool if I could open my mouth wide enough to fit their heads inside. Hey, sometimes with 8 and 6 year old boys you just have to be goofy, right?
Lukas said he thought it would be cool if he never had to go to school but could stay home and play all day.
Then it was Stefan's turn. In all seriousness and innocence, he said, "What if there was no sin in the world?"
I love that he was thinking on that level! Yes, it would be really cool if there was no sin in the world. Leave it to my 8-year-old to bring that thought into a silly moment.
Unfortunately, there is sin in the world, and because of that Jesus had to die on the cross. But I am so grateful he was willing to sacrifice himself so that I could become a child of God. I am also grateful that both of my children have accepted him as Savior.
This leads me to my next thought: if there was no sin in the world, there would be no need for forgiveness, no need for grace. If that were true, would I love God as much as I do now? Would I acknowledge my need for Him and depend on Him from day to day?
The truth is, my life on earth is so much richer because I know that I am a sinner and God loves me anyway. Even as His Son hung there on the cross, He saw my every fault, every failure, every sin - and believed I was worth the price He paid. That is so amazing to me!
It would still be "cool" if there was no sin in the world, because it would mean no pain, suffering, or death. I can't change the fact that sin exists, but I know I have been cleansed from all my sin by the blood of Jesus. Grace. Now that's cool.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Creative Genius
Yesterday I clipped some branches from my hydrangea bush and brought them inside to enjoy. This morning I noticed an elaborate spider web had appeared between two of the blossoms. I found the spinner: a tiny black spider, about the size of a sesame seed. I didn't have the heart to kill it, so I gently lifted the branch from the vase and put it outside.
Normally I'm not a big fan of spiders. Or any other kind of bug, for that matter. But you have to admire a creature who can spin something as spectacular as a spider web. If I could have captured its beauty on camera I would have, but a photo wouldn't do it justice. It was perfectly symmetrical, an incredible geometric design of lines and angles that, I would venture to guess, couldn't be more evenly spaced if you used a ruler and compass to create it.
The most amazing thing about the web is that the spider was only doing what God created it to do. It's just another example of our God's creative genius. Truly, my admiration is not of the spider, but of the awesome God who created it. Yes, the web serves a purpose for the spider, allowing it to capture its food. But it is also a thing of great beauty, especially when the light shines on it and illuminates the silky strands. And it all comes naturally to the spider, because that's the way God made it. It doesn't expect praise or recognition for its web; it just goes about its task with diligence.
It makes me wonder, how much effort do we expend on things that don't matter, when if we would just do what God created us to do, it would be such a thing of beauty!
There are so many self-help books out there, so many people telling us, "Do this and you'll be happy," or "Follow my five-step plan and you're sure to achieve success." We don't need to strive after all of that!
God has uniquely gifted each one of us. If something comes naturally to you, chances are it is a gift from God. And our giftedness is as individual as our fingerprints. Imagine how breathtaking this world could be if we would each diligently do that one thing God has created us to do - letting Him get the glory and not seeking praise for ourselves. Then, when we let His light shine on our efforts, He will illuminate them in such a way that people will say, "What an awesome God!"
Colossians 3:23 & 24 - "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."
Normally I'm not a big fan of spiders. Or any other kind of bug, for that matter. But you have to admire a creature who can spin something as spectacular as a spider web. If I could have captured its beauty on camera I would have, but a photo wouldn't do it justice. It was perfectly symmetrical, an incredible geometric design of lines and angles that, I would venture to guess, couldn't be more evenly spaced if you used a ruler and compass to create it.
The most amazing thing about the web is that the spider was only doing what God created it to do. It's just another example of our God's creative genius. Truly, my admiration is not of the spider, but of the awesome God who created it. Yes, the web serves a purpose for the spider, allowing it to capture its food. But it is also a thing of great beauty, especially when the light shines on it and illuminates the silky strands. And it all comes naturally to the spider, because that's the way God made it. It doesn't expect praise or recognition for its web; it just goes about its task with diligence.
It makes me wonder, how much effort do we expend on things that don't matter, when if we would just do what God created us to do, it would be such a thing of beauty!
There are so many self-help books out there, so many people telling us, "Do this and you'll be happy," or "Follow my five-step plan and you're sure to achieve success." We don't need to strive after all of that!
God has uniquely gifted each one of us. If something comes naturally to you, chances are it is a gift from God. And our giftedness is as individual as our fingerprints. Imagine how breathtaking this world could be if we would each diligently do that one thing God has created us to do - letting Him get the glory and not seeking praise for ourselves. Then, when we let His light shine on our efforts, He will illuminate them in such a way that people will say, "What an awesome God!"
Colossians 3:23 & 24 - "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."
Friday, August 1, 2008
Martha Syndrome
Are you like me? Do you find yourself cleaning the house a little bit more thoroughly when you know someone's coming over?
I do my best to keep the house clean on a regular basis, but life with two boys is pretty busy and sometimes the dirt in the little nooks and crannies doesn't get cleaned up. You know what I mean. The little places where the vacuum doesn't reach. Who has time to get down on their hands and knees and clean those places regularly?
It's hard enough to keep the visible places clean! If you have boys, you know what I'm talking about. A little while ago, my parents came to visit and we were getting ready to go out for dinner. Of course, everyone has to use the bathroom before we go anywhere. We have a toilet in our laundry room, and I said to my parents, "You can use that bathroom if you want to. It's clean." To which Lukas quickly replied, "Yeah, it's really clean! I haven't even peed on the wall yet!"
Cleaning is a constant task that always lurks over a young mother's head. I've come to realize that my goal of having all the laundry washed, dried, folded and put away before more dirty laundry appears in the basket is unattainable. I've been trying since Stefan was born and have finally conceded. It's impossible.
But when company is coming, I catch myself scouring even those hard-to-reach places. I hear the words escaping my mouth... "I can't believe how dirty this is! I don't want people to think we actually live like this!" Hmm. We actually do live like this. Maybe a more accurate statement would be, "I don't want people to know we actually live like this."
Why do I feel this way? Would my family and friends really think less of me if they saw a dirty handprint on the sliding glass door? Of course not! It's just the Martha Syndrome coming out in me.
Luke 10 tells the story of two sisters, one sitting at Jesus' feet, the other bustling about the house trying to make sure everything is just so. Finally, Martha has had enough. "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
"Martha, Martha," Jesus says. "You are worried and upset about many things..." He could be speaking directly to me. And I'll bet if we're honest with ourselves, most of us could insert our names in place of Martha's and it would be a pretty accurate description.
Jesus goes on to tell Martha that Mary has chosen the better thing, and it will not be taken away from her. In a nutshell, none of that other stuff matters. It's easy to get so busy preparing for someone to come over that you don't actually enjoy the company. I know I have that tendency.
I was working in the office the day Lars' cousin Derek arrived from Tennessee, and I hadn't realized he was arriving that day. As I smiled and hugged him, I took a mental inventory of our house. Was it clean enough to invite him over? And then I realized I was being ridiculous. Lars and I love Derek and we hadn't seen him in a long time. The boys would be so excited to see him. Besides, he is 1) in college, and 2) a guy. Trust me, he would not care about the condition of the house. We had him over and we had a great time. And you know what? I didn't even worry about the toys that were left out!
But there's another lesson here, too. Mary wasn't just socializing with a friend or relative. She was sitting at the feet of Jesus. Now, I know there are times when I've neglected my quiet time with Christ because I was busy with other details of daily life. Like Martha, I am worried and upset about many things. I need to get over that Martha Syndrome. I want to be more like Mary and choose the better thing.
I do my best to keep the house clean on a regular basis, but life with two boys is pretty busy and sometimes the dirt in the little nooks and crannies doesn't get cleaned up. You know what I mean. The little places where the vacuum doesn't reach. Who has time to get down on their hands and knees and clean those places regularly?
It's hard enough to keep the visible places clean! If you have boys, you know what I'm talking about. A little while ago, my parents came to visit and we were getting ready to go out for dinner. Of course, everyone has to use the bathroom before we go anywhere. We have a toilet in our laundry room, and I said to my parents, "You can use that bathroom if you want to. It's clean." To which Lukas quickly replied, "Yeah, it's really clean! I haven't even peed on the wall yet!"
Cleaning is a constant task that always lurks over a young mother's head. I've come to realize that my goal of having all the laundry washed, dried, folded and put away before more dirty laundry appears in the basket is unattainable. I've been trying since Stefan was born and have finally conceded. It's impossible.
But when company is coming, I catch myself scouring even those hard-to-reach places. I hear the words escaping my mouth... "I can't believe how dirty this is! I don't want people to think we actually live like this!" Hmm. We actually do live like this. Maybe a more accurate statement would be, "I don't want people to know we actually live like this."
Why do I feel this way? Would my family and friends really think less of me if they saw a dirty handprint on the sliding glass door? Of course not! It's just the Martha Syndrome coming out in me.
Luke 10 tells the story of two sisters, one sitting at Jesus' feet, the other bustling about the house trying to make sure everything is just so. Finally, Martha has had enough. "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
"Martha, Martha," Jesus says. "You are worried and upset about many things..." He could be speaking directly to me. And I'll bet if we're honest with ourselves, most of us could insert our names in place of Martha's and it would be a pretty accurate description.
Jesus goes on to tell Martha that Mary has chosen the better thing, and it will not be taken away from her. In a nutshell, none of that other stuff matters. It's easy to get so busy preparing for someone to come over that you don't actually enjoy the company. I know I have that tendency.
I was working in the office the day Lars' cousin Derek arrived from Tennessee, and I hadn't realized he was arriving that day. As I smiled and hugged him, I took a mental inventory of our house. Was it clean enough to invite him over? And then I realized I was being ridiculous. Lars and I love Derek and we hadn't seen him in a long time. The boys would be so excited to see him. Besides, he is 1) in college, and 2) a guy. Trust me, he would not care about the condition of the house. We had him over and we had a great time. And you know what? I didn't even worry about the toys that were left out!
But there's another lesson here, too. Mary wasn't just socializing with a friend or relative. She was sitting at the feet of Jesus. Now, I know there are times when I've neglected my quiet time with Christ because I was busy with other details of daily life. Like Martha, I am worried and upset about many things. I need to get over that Martha Syndrome. I want to be more like Mary and choose the better thing.
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