As we were leaving, the hosts turned to us and said, “You have good kids. Keep raising good kids – by doing so you give them a gift and an easier life. No one wants to hire jerks.” In the days that have since gone by, that has haunted me.

Am I really raising good kids?

What did they see in my kids that made them think they are good?

How am I going to keep raising good kids?

As the youngest members of the Optimist Club, Ron and I were the only couple to have children with us. For those who know our children – they rise to the occasion for anything afforded them, including being the “entertainment.” It’s reflecting on the “entertainment,” the comments, and laughter of others that has provided a platform for my thoughts on “good kids.”

They have sincere manners – “excuse me” doesn’t sound canned, “thank you” is spoken with delighted fervor, “please” is beyond heartfelt

They love – all people, every experience, simple beauty, creation – and they do it without expectation and without realizing it

They know how to fight – by forgiving, saying sorry and moving forward

They create – with vivid imagination, outloud, and with boldness

They have BIG DREAMS – for themselves, about themselves, and for others – often placing the dreams as a part of their reality

They share – themselves, their things, and the things others have – and they do it without expectation and often without realizing it

They listen – not just to instruction, but to what others have to say – as if they know someday the words will be really useful

They laugh – big full bellied laughs – at others – but more importantly at themselves

They want to be with you – even when you aren’t doing anything – but mostly when you are doing something they haven’t done before, something they are curious about, something they may never do – and when they are with you, they want you with them!

Thank you to my Optimist friends for helping me to see my “good kids” and for encouraging me to keep going! Thank you to my kids for letting others SEE and EXPERIENCE your “goodness”!



It was some time in 1998 – we were returning from a church leadership conference, Bill Hybles was speaking – Ron asked that scary question, “Did God say anything to you tonight?” I wanted to answer, but I wanted to hear from him first, “Yeah, but what did he say to you?” He wouldn’t go, I wouldn’t go, finally we both said, “God told me that one of these days, we’re going to start one of those churches that becomes the ‘Hope of the World’.” Looking at each other with bewilderment, we had no idea what that meant or when that time would come. Together we shared ideas of what that would look like – a church beyond walls, in the community, uniting people in generosity, sharing the extravagant love of God.

Flash forward to October 2006 – we were standing on a mountain in the Eastern Sierra – a beautiful place, full of majesty and splendor, focusing on the awesome creation of God. I looked at Ron and said, “God’s about to do something different with us, isn’t He.” We both knew – we just had no idea what ‘it’ was. Standing on the top of that mountain we knew there was a bigger one ahead of us – one we would climb – one we would probably have no trail map for –one that would require big steps out of our little feet.

Flash forward to August 2007 – we were again on top of a hill somewhere in TN that we had never heard of, somewhere that we never thought we would be – getting ready to go through the ringer at the Church Planting Assessment Center. Could this be the time that God had forecast so many years ago? Were we ready for this mountain? A resounding yes – in the form of affirmation from so many, including those who head CPAC. Only one question remained, “where?”

Flash forward to January 2008 – a moving van makes its way south along the I-95 corridor from PA to Northern Virginia. A place not known, A people not familiar with, A mountain with no map, A job with no income…

Who knew that the next 20 months would involve so many big steps – in raising funds, in building relationships, in establishing credibility, in unleashing generosity. Who knew that time could move so quickly.

October 25, 2009 Restore Community Church held the Grand Opening Celebration for Sunday Morning Services. And yet, the Church began long before that. And while most people see Church as this Sunday Morning thing, Restore is so much more – lived out daily in the community, as one person invests in another, as generosity is extended, as the extravagant love of Jesus is shared. Something tells me that the biggest steps are yet to be taken.

August 5, 1995 – in less than 1hour from Miss to Mrs.

August 5, 2008 – not just Mrs., but so much more
Lover, partner, parent, friend

I am blessed by you Ron -

A stimulant to my thoughts

A spur to my fears

A champion of my gifts

A lover of my soul

My ever devoted love – yesterday, today, forever.

As we prepare for a transition in the next several weeks, that brings us out of our church planting residency at New Life Christian Church and into a full blown needs assessment for a Community Service Organization, these words have become part of my daily prayer life.  Today, as I drove through our target city, I found myself asking God to bring his peace and prosperity to this new CSO and Church plant, that those within the borders would know peace and feel the peace that comes from relationship with Jesus Christ.

I read this quote by Oswald Chambers yesterday and realized it’s where I am today. Hope it encourages you as it has me.

“Faith never knows where it is being led, But it knows and loves the One who is leading.”

Today, I began the study on Psalm 124 – it is fascinating me in new ways. I have never seen myself as one who has faced strong persecution/trials/attack. (I may be opening a can of worms for myself, having said that – pray for my protection.) I know that a battle wages around me and has the potential of being damaging – I’ve just never felt it to be severe.

Today, I realized that severity of attack depends on the person and situation. For me the attacks of my past have been a lack of faith – faith to step into God’s calling without releasing control to Him. This has limited my perspective on just what God can and will do so that I can see Him show up and experience the joy of obedience. Other attacks have been a lack of confidence in “my story” and ability to use it in the life of others. This has limited my perspective on God’s heart that breaks for those far from Him. It has also limited that boldness with which I have reached out to those far from Him.

I’ve always feared “spiritual” attack – I’ve feared as the Psalmist remarks being “swallowed alive, engulfed, and ripped apart.” But, I’ve never looked at it from the deliverance side “we have escaped, He didn’t abandon us, we’ve flown free, their grip is broken.” Psalm 124:8 reminds me that “God’s strong name is our help, the same God who made heaven and earth.” God does not overlook the attacks on His children, in fact He takes them very personally. Check out Zechariah 2:8!

I never prayed for peace specifically but it came – it came as I gave each worry over to God.

We don’t know where we will be tomorrow – literally – we don’t know when the home we are renting will sell and we will have to move out, we don’t know where we will be planting a new church , we don’t have all the details of our fund-raising wrapped up yet, we are still living out of boxes. Funny thing about all this, I can not remember another season of life, since becoming an adult, quite as peaceful. Life today is a season of peace – beginning each day, as I pray through what could worry me, as I let go of the control to “know” in the moment, as I sit and enjoy the moments with my children, even as I shuffle through boxes still trying to find that elusive Lego that will make all the others fit together.

Peace

My 4 year old son, Ryan, has recently taken up residence inside my journal. His name and other self-scripted words are appearing in various forms, on various pages as I thumb through looking for space to write. Each time I come across these marks of his penmanship I smile (okay – the first time I was actually slightly irritated), and remember him. I remember his joy at discovering he can form letters and make words. I have also found myself pausing and reflecting on his proximity to my – not just because we are in the same house – often times that is not the case – but because my 4 year old is with me in those moments, his marking is in my life, shaping who I am even now.

Before sitting down to write these thoughts today, I had been reading various Psalms. All of this got me thinking about how God takes us residence in my life – about the God markings scripted around me, waiting for me to notice them, waiting for me to remember the proximity of God – not because I can physically see Him – but because, as Psalm 139 reminds me, his markings are all over my life, shaping who I am now. Even though I may have moments where I want to, Psalm 139 reminds me, I can’t escape the presence of God in my life.

Have you seen God’s markings today? He wants you to!

Today, my oldest daughter, Karena Grace, turns seven!! It amazes me how quickly time flies. It amazes me that I can still remember everything about my pregnancy, about the delivery, and about things that Karena has done over seven years.

In August of 2000, Ron and I moved from St. Catharines, Ontario back to the US, to Peoria, Illinois. After a week in Illinois, I was sick – not head cold sick – the kind of sick that has you begging for an end to come – the kind of sick that would last me way longer than I could ever imagine being sick. Of course, after years of infertility treatments and surgery, I thought what any normal person would think – “Yuck! I have the flu in August.” In October, after nearly eight weeks of being sick, some friends finally suggested a thought that had never crossed my mind – “Hey, maybe you are actually pregnant.” Sure enough, I was. Ron and I were excited to be parents, glad to have an answer to my out of control sickness, and thanking God for a miracle – a baby that many had written off.

May 17, 2001, Karena Grace, burst into our life – not just a miracle – a real blessing. Karena has taught us many things in seven years, we see ourselves differently – we have a totally different picture of what it means to be a child of God – a sense of awe and wonder for how God cares for his children has rocked our minds – we have been awakened to a greater appreciation for the arts – compassion and sensitivity has become a bigger part of our world. Being the first child, the first grandchild on both sides of our family, puts Karena – and all of us in a unique place. Ron and I are learning the art of parenting – and actually enjoying it, we’re not perfect parents, but we’re figuring it out. Our parents are enjoying the pleasures of “children you send home at the end of the day!”, and in a sense rediscovering the arts of genetics in a little life.

Karena, mommy and daddy love you! We love your always ready smile, we love your heart that extends itself from God to people everyday, we love your excitement for the simple things in life, we love to hear you create new songs of praise, we love to watch you express yourself in dance and artistic creations, we love to watch you catch caterpillars, frogs, and things moving.

KARENA, WE LOVE YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE YOU – CREATED IN LOVE – A TRUE MIRACLE OF GOD!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KARENA!!

If you are looking to date, are dating, are thinking about marriage, or are in the midst of making wedding plans – I recommend you read this book. Also, if you work in pre-marital counseling or with young married couples – read this book.

Craig Groeschel, founder and pastor of LifeChurch.tv, doesn’t share research data or psychological principles for building strong marriages. Instead, his approach for fostering committed, long-lasting marriages comes through he real life experiences – full of messy relationships, and a journey that led him to meet his “One” – entering into a relationship with Jesus Christ. Through self study he learned the importance of developing a relationship with his “One” first, then working to find his “Two”.

This August, Ron and I will be married 13 years. Some of you are probably thinking, “this isn’t exactly the time to be reading a book preparing you for marriage.” Truthfully, it was refreshing to read this book – seeing in print many of the “habits” (chp.14), we have put into practice throughout our relationship, in print. It was also a great reminder that passion and pursuit doesn’t stop once you get married -passion and pursuit are a vital part of the marriage covenant that “goes all the way.”

Thanks to Craig Groeschel for writing this book from his life story – challenging us to live differently than what society calls “normal”