Taming the Woolly Mammoth

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I wrote this two years ago. That woolly mammoth still needs taming, on occasion but thankfully grief is not “the elephant in the room” any longer. We talk about our life without her and lean into the grief  and not run from it. It’s amazing how much fun my father and I have together. Mom is pleased, I am sure!

I was with my Dad yesterday. I went to his house to see him. Dad said that I never come over anymore. I have not intentionally stayed away from Dad because we talk all the time and we meet for lunch and dinner on a regular basis. However, after being with him in his home, I realized that I have avoided going there. Even pulling into the driveway and looking at the trees and wilted flower pots filled my chest with void and heaviness. It was difficult to open the back door and walk in. It’s as though I have to push against a huge woolly mammoth to move out of my way just so I can walk in his home. I can’t breathe. And then my father sees me. His smile is big, his arms opened as he moves towards me and we hug and the elephant sitting on my chest doesn’t feel quite as heavy. 

I miss mom so very much. My dad misses her more. I seriously doubt that Dad would use the analogy of a woolly mammoth on his chest to describe grief, but he does relate to the heaviness and emptiness without Mom. Yet, I see a growing peace in his soul as the Lord gently helps him deal with his loss. 

He found Mom’s poetry! We thought she had mistakenly thrown the file away, but it was in her office all this time. On top of a shelf, under a stack of books. Dad has been organizing the office, reading her notes, letters, books that she loved…and he discovered the file of poetry. The more I sat with Dad in “his office” and listened to him talk about Mom and her poetry, the more that woolly mammoth moved further away. God is so good. He is more than so good. I can’t describe how good. Only God can tame the woolly mammoth. He is. There is peace in my soul.

How Deep The Father’s Love

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A few months ago, I discovered Page CXVI and this band has become one of my favorite bands. I frequently listen to the vibrant hymns to prepare my heart for personal worship. Quoting the band: “hymns are some of the richest, most meaningful, and moving pieces of music ever written.”   ~Page CXVI

And I’m sure you will agree. You can find their music here.

A portable church environment — #2

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This is post #2 under category, “Portable Church–Church in a Box.” 

Don’t you love it when you discover a solution that will meet a need? Our church has been meeting in a high school for many years. We set up and break down every week. Move desks out-of-the-way, clean up the floor space by sweeping away the debris left behind from students and disinfecting the bathrooms for the many children that will need to use the facilities. Then we place carpets on the floor and proceed to vacuum the carpets, which had been stored in the trailer for the week. We do the same things that everyone else does that owns their church building. We just happen to focus on cleaning our space and environments on the day that we meet. We are an example of team work at its best!

Our nursery ministry has doubled and then tripled. Fairly soon, we will welcome seven new babies! And volunteers like to rock babies and mothers also would like a comfy chair to sit in while they feed their little ones. The portable camp chairs we have  can be difficult to use…especially attempting  to stand up out of the chair while holding an infant. Besides, everyone wants to rock a baby. Babies like to be rocked. We needed rocking chairs. Portable [and comfortable] rocking chairs. I found the perfect chair!

Tip #2: Purchase portable rocking chairs for your nursery.  Our volunteers are happy and especially our Moms!  Here is a photo of the chair I purchased from Camping World. (Item/wide-bronze-rocker/69700) The price is just right for a tight children’s ministry budget!

Praying for the Next Generation

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What kind of legacy do you want to leave for your children? I know I want to leave a legacy like my parents will leave me…and my children and my children’s children.

My Dad recently celebrated his 87th birthday with us. We bought him an airline ticket from North Carolina to Indiana.  My Dad is in amazing physical condition and his strong heart is sold out for Jesus. I think he has memorized most of the bible and is passionate about telling everyone he meets about the love of Jesus and God’s grace. When I picked Dad up from the airport, the  first thing he said was, “Hey there!” and the second thing was, “Would you believe the person I sat by on the plane was already a Christian?”  I said, “Dad, you sound disappointed that he knows Jesus.”  We laughed together because we both know that my father’s greatest joy is sharing the love of Christ to others.

Not everyone my Dad speaks to or sits by on a crowded airplane wants to hear what he has to share. He is a gentleman and will not press people to listen to him but whenever that happens, my Dad will begin to pray for the person near him or sitting next to him on an airplane. Quietly praying to himself…talking to God…praying many of those bible verses he has memorized…fuel for praying for the next generation.  My father uses scripture as a springboard for prayer.

When my children were born, my father held them in his arms and prayed that they would know Jesus at a very young age and blessed them with words from the pages of God’s book. When my grandchildren were born, my father held them in his arms and blessed them with everlasting words of truth, hope and grace. Words from God’s book…memorized years and years ago.

I found this small booklet on my bookcase. I had purchased it several years ago to use as a guide to pray for my children. I remembered ordering numerous copies to give to families in our church. Time has passed and I had forgotten about it…until I put my Dad on a plane back to North Carolina. Unknowingly, my father challenged me to pray  the word of God, especially for the next generation.

This is a helpful booklet for praying specific scripture verses for a specific need.  It was written with the hope that we will not only faithfully pray for our children but also for the generations to come. It is a wonderful tool to help focus your prayers for your children. For example: “Pray that they would desire inner beauty and godly character, and that they would grow more Christlike daily…Psalm 119:9, Ephesians 5:1-11” (excerpt from Praying for the Next Generation, page 34.)

My Dad probably doesn’t need this booklet, but I do. And you may find it helpful, too.

Check it out here: Children Desiring God  Praying for the Next Generation by Sally Michael

A portable church environment — #1

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Church in a box can be tricky. We don’t meet in a traditional church environment…such as a building that we have purchased. But we do have a building to meet in…it just happens to be a high school in the heart of a growing community. We are thankful for this place to set up church every week. We have established a good relationship with the school staff and leadership. We understand that it can be a frustrating thought for the teachers to know that their classrooms are rearranged every week for busy little people to move about and to explore. The computers and smart boards and science books and social studies pyramid sculptures usually cry out to be touched by little hands. We know this and so we work very hard to maintain the integrity of the teacher’s space. And we do this quite well…

Because we enjoy setting up this portable church.  Because we love to worship Creator God. We love families. We love kids.

We have been meeting in the high school for more than ten years. We continue to expand into more classrooms, lobby space, media center, outdoor green space, cafeteria…it’s amazing how fast we are able to set up our church in just a few hours. It’s amazing how fast we are growing. We are ready. Ready for everyone. Ready to worship and celebrate Jesus with children.

Here is a tip: Chart the design of the classroom layout before moving the desks against the wall. This will help with setting the classroom back in its original design. Also, purchase industrial style brooms and several dust pans to clean the floors before carpets and toys are placed in the room.

This is a photo of a nursery environment. I’ll post more photos and suggestions for setting up a portable church environment in future posts.

Gifts from Sunday–Thank You Redeemer Kids

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These many gifts were given to me, on a harried and busy Sunday morning.

I always wake up Sunday morning before the sun brightens the sky. Waking up to a fresh brewed pot of coffee that Don set to brew the night before.

This is a gift. 

I enjoy a cup of coffee on the deck while I listen to the bird’s wake up calls and I talk to God about my expectations regarding the next few hours. I tell Him that I am addicted to stress and anxiety and perfectionism and fear that something will go wrong and that I am expecting to be totally exhausted by 1:00 PM. I slurp down the last drops of coffee while the sun begins to brighten the morning sky and gently flushes my face with its radiance and I am reminded by the continuity of the sun, by Creator God, that all things are YES in Christ! I am free from these addictions because of Jesus death on the cross.   

This is a gift. 

My husband makes breakfast for me. He helps me load the car with all of the other stuff needed for children’s ministry. He opens the car door for me. He hands me a mug of coffee for the ride to church.

This is a gift. 

We arrive at 7:50 A.M. Servant leaders, men in our church, sweating in the early morning hours of heat and humidity have begun unloading a trailer filled with supplies for children’s ministry.  The trailer is empty. They are preparing for children to arrive. We are working together…to do this task week after week so that children will hear awesome truth from God’s book, to learn about Jesus, to play, laugh, explore, sing, dance and worship the Lord.

This is a gift. 

The men are unloading the large wooden carts packed with lots of bins filled with toys, blocks, bibles, and resources and portable pack-n-play cribs, carpets for every room…everything needed for Sunday morning ministry to children. While we are setting up the children’s rooms, there are men and women patiently setting up the school auditorium for worship.

This is a gift.

Families begin arriving. Children are laughing. Volunteers man their stations with smiles and eyes sparkling. They arrive on time! Everyone is eager to help. Several fathers step out of their comfort zone to dress up like wild and wacky pirates…to tell kids about an awesome treasure that God has for them. Parents have gathered around to watch and listen, children are laughing and engaged, volunteers are loving this time with children. And I am observing all of this. I am laughing.

This is a gift.

I linger by the classrooms and listen to the language of the gospel being shared in a variety of ways. Children and Shepherd Leaders in small groups, huddled close, exploring details of this treasure God has for us. I peek to watch babies being snuggled and cared for, toddlers playing and 5th graders reading verses from God’s book. I am amazed to experience God work. I am humbled by the reality that I am included in all of this.

This is a gift.

The halls are filled with parents coming to pick up their children. It is now time to go home. Hungry children and ravenous teens are ready to bolt for the dinner table. The fellowship lingers, however, as families greet each other outside the classrooms while volunteers are sharing about the fun things they did that morning with children. While this is going on, the Servant Leaders are pulling out the large wooden carts and helping to pack up bins and fold up the camp chairs and carpets and pack-n-play cribs and empty trash cans…we are packing up for next Sunday. Two women, two servant leaders , pack these large carts. Every week they pack the carts.

This is a gift. 

The time on my watch reads, 1:00 P.M. And my task is done. I am ready to go home to the dinner table. But the Servant Leaders have not finished packing the trailer with those large wooden bins and all of the rest of the stuff that is piled outside waiting to be loaded in that trailer. They will continue to serve this church for another hour.

This is a gift. 

Don and I drive home. We talk about the morning and things we learned. I realize that I’m not exhausted. I feel refreshed and content. I begin to silently pray to Creator God…thanking Him for these gifts.

This is a gift. To see a little bug doing what Creator God created it to do.

Morning Calm Arrives

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Life and Light
Just a few moments to pray and prepare my heart for the busy morning that awaits. Praying that the Lord will speak into the hearts and young minds of children. I want to remind the children that they cannot make themselves love the words in God’s book. They can read and think about the Word of God and the way of wisdom but unless God gives them understanding, they will not see the goodness in the commands of God. They can fill their minds with God’s Word and His commands, but they cannot make their hearts love what is good and right.

Morning calm arrives with delight in God’s Word.

Lord, help me communicate that calmness. 

Psalm 19:7-11 
The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the [whole] person; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure and bright, enlightening the eyes.
The [reverent] fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold, even than much fine gold; they are sweeter also than honey and drippings from the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned (reminded, illuminated, and instructed); and in keeping them there is great reward.

Mentoring, Friendship, and Little Birds

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Photos taken Spring, 2011

I have the immense pleasure of spending time with a friend, whom I admire and have deep respect for and she is also a resource of strength and knowledge that I’ve only begun to tap into. Nancy (my friend) has graciously taken me in to teach me a few things about water-color painting. I’ve had a longing to learn how to paint with water colors for a very long time and since moving to the lake, this longing has only grown stronger.  I was going to register for a beginners art class and then I thought of my friend, Nancy. Actually, I believe it was God who gave me the thought to think of Nancy! She is a gift from God. Yes, it’s that simple and it’s that big of a gift.

I wonder if Nancy has any idea of how much she has helped me to relax and enjoy the small things…to move slower, to observe the small details and to see Jesus even in the thorns.  

I believe we all need a mentor and friend to model a different way of living, a different way of viewing problems, a different way of pacing and working through a hectic season of life so that we may know Jesus in a deeper and more personal way. My friend guides me back to the gospel…to  loving Jesus anew, just by spending time painting with water colors.

My time with Nancy goes by much too quickly. To make it linger a little longer, I was thrilled that she invited me outside to see something very special. Yes!…I grabbed my camera first and walked outdoors with her. It was wonderful to venture into that lush backyard at Nancy’s home and stand under huge walnut and pecan trees, as she directed my gaze to bird’s nest of little robins–a nest of robins within the thorns.

Ah, the sweet love of a friend. Oh, the joy of finding Jesus again!