Right Now :: May 17, 2014

Right now, I'm sitting after a full-day of fun and spontaneous activity including: running 8 miles with Mark this morning (after one full year since the last time we did it together - thank you MOM!); having a great morning coloring the new cardboard train that we built together (well sort of, Mark & I put it together while the boys ran in and out of it), sitting down the couch with Mark in the basement (which is rare these days) and just saying random things to Ian like "is the TV's name Roger?" "what about the duck?" "I'd like to be a unicorn, ok Charlie".

 

Deciding to have a meal at TGI Fridays, finding a free appetizer coupon and sitting through a meal of Elijah firmly stating "no" to everything. Mark and I saying "grrrr" and rolling with it. Hanging out at Five Below store and then heading home for much-needed naps.

Waking up to Ian standing and staring at the closet in his room and then exclaiming "MY LIGHT TURN YELLOW AND I DIDN'T EVEN SEE IT BECAUSE I was standing and staring Mommy!" --> Wow that's a new concept!

The boys playing in the dirt and with our neighbor and guided by mommy to use shovels and buckets (at least an hour of playing I think, unassisted?).

Then hanging with some close friends, painting, parenting and eating. LOVELY LOVELY LOVELY. I don't want this day to end but it must.

AND RIGHT NOW.... focusing on "This One Thing" sermon that I listened to this last week of Andy Stanley's and had begun "God is Able" by Priscilla Shirer but gave it away because I knew that my friend needed it right now. God has a funny way of giving things and taking them away for our good.

But God is and will be showing me these next several weeks, how to move past a habit and connecting with Jesus rather than relying and being satisfied by my own understanding. God is good, ALL the time.

Mother's Day May 2014

I wrote a note to my own mother and all I know is that when I was writing it, my heart was speaking. I can't remember what I said but I know that it meant something to her and to me. I also wrote my grandmother a note whom at the time was in the hospital. I think it a great opportunity on Mother's day to really recognize and reflect on what our experience with our mothers has been, whether birth mothers, adoptive mothers, spiritual mothers and mentor mothers. She has shown me femininity, she's shown me grace and character. My boys will be come the men of God in part because of how she raised me and whether through her own words or her actions, taught me how a woman receives a man's affections and in turn the respect that is to be given from a man to a women - it's chivalry.

 

 

When God Engages you for this world...if you decide to Pull This Thread

Unravel to the ends of the earth...

I have to say that hearing these words in this video from Jen Hatmaker gives me chills. I have tears behind my eyes and my heart beats faster. I know that once we pull the thread of our current awareness and of our current security in this world that it will unravel, beautifully and with rawness.

I truly desire this and know that He is calling us (Mark & I) to let the strings of our view of this world to unravel and view it the way he does. That...is...so...hard as well. Because then the questions begin to roll off my tough. I feel like we have been moving towards this within the last few years after reading Radical and then when I went through "7": A Mutiny Against Excess but if I really, really press myself I am still currently living in comfort and I'm living in security. I rest in these two spaces and for that I know my heart is drawn towards this change.

It's the kind of change where you're on the seat of your pants looking into what's next while living in the present, depending on His presence each moment because you just can't fathom the next step.

It's foreign to this world, FOREIGN. When God engages Kara Sue Price Messmore for this world...she won't know what hit her...only that the Love of Jesus Christ so overwhelms her heart and her soul that she has no choice but to move in the direction of her Savior and begin to share the gospel in ways she didn't know that she could.

It's having compassion for those who are manipulative. It's knowing boundaries and giving grace. It's being the hands and feet of one whom knows all, sees all and has control over all. Be the change you want to see in the world God's way.

It's the 9-10-11 year old coming out of me who just knows that I'm suppose to do something more in the world. She is bold, she is fierce and she is loving. She wants to "pull the thread" so to speak. She wants to step out and step up to His vision for her life, to her becoming the woman He desires, to be more than the world destines her to be, to be more than the profession says she is and to be the Kara, the daughter of the King, the wife, the mother, the friend that He desires for her to become.

I know she's here...it's just a matter of time and obedience that may determine how quickly she will allow Him to break the mold. Oh....goodness....this is real.

Meaning of my full name

The name Kara means 'beloved, friend, dear, diamond and pure'. It is a female's name that has its origin from the Latin.

Kara - Meaning: Sweet melody. Origin: Irish
Meaning: One who is pure. Origin: Greek
Meaning: Precious one, beloved one, Cherished One. Origin: Italian

Kara, the alternative spelling, is from theCornish word, meaning love. This is likely cognate to the popular Welsh girls' nameCarys.

The name is also that of an island in the Inner Hebrides island group, Scotland; Cara Islandlying just off the southern tip of the Isle of Gigha.

In Turkey the word Kara means 'dark', which may or may not be related to the Gaelic Ciaraof the same meaning.

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Hebrew Meaning: 
The name Sue is a Hebrew baby name. In Hebrew the meaning of the name Sue is: Graceful lily.

American Meaning: 
The name Sue is an American baby name. In American the meaning of the name Sue is:Graceful lily.

English Meaning: 
The name Sue is an English baby name. In English the meaning of the name Sue is: Lily.. In the apocryphal Book of Tobit Susannah courageously defended herself against wrongful accusation. White lilies grew in the Biblical city of Susa in Persia.

--------------------------------

Thus, sweet melody, beloved one, precious one, pure, graceful lily.

Marriage Builders Weekly :: Sex in Marriage

Sex brings more pleasure and satisfaction to marriage than anything else. And sex causes more disagreements and frustration in marriage than anything else.

Sex is one of the main reasons we get married…and sexual problems are one of the main reasons people get divorced.

When I talk about sex to married couples, I like to refer to it as both a thermostat and a thermometer. In your home, you control the temperature by turning the thermostat up or down. Sex heats up a marriage. It makes it better.

Sex can also be a marriage thermometer: it tells the temperature. If the sex is bad or infrequent, then a married couple probably isn't communicating well. You may have stress, or unresolved anger, or a host of other issues. Poor sex is a symptom of these problems.

For more on this topic watch this week's show Watch Now

So a married couple's sex life not only can make their marriage better, but can also reveal whether or not they have problems. What kind of sex life do you and your spouse have? What does it reveal about your marriage?

I believe there are three truths that we need to understand about sex. The first is that God created sex for pleasure and lifelong enjoyment. Our God is a fun God! He wants us to enjoy sex in marriage.

The second is that God gave us sexual boundaries to protect us. Just like vehicles come with an owner's manual that tells us what not to do, God gave us sex but set parameters for it. Things like adultery, fornication, incest, and lust—the Bible says these things are wrong.

No one gets mad because their owner's manual says to put oil in their Fords every few thousand miles. No one says, "Ford Motor Company doesn't want me to have any fun!" Ford wants us to treat the car right so we can enjoy it.

God is the same with sex. His rules aren't to keep us from having fun, but from getting hurt. He wants our bodies to be places of pleasure and delight for our spouses…but for no one else.

The third truth I believe about sex is that God created our sexual differences to make marriage more fulfilling and dynamic. Men and women are very different sexually. For men, sex stimulates our emotions. For women, emotions stimulate sex. We're two halves of a whole.

A woman becomes more sexual as her husband becomes more romantic and emotional. At the same time, men tend to open up more emotionally when their wives become more sexual. It all works together.

Because sex is so important, I tell couples that there are five basic ingredients of a healthy sex life. Husbands and wives should:

1. Commit to meeting their spouse's sexual needs.
2. Communicate their sexual needs to their spouse.
3. Commit to sexual purity (thoughts and actions) to protect the integrity of their marriage.
4. Be honest and accountable about temptations that can hurt a marriage.
5. Refuse to be close friends with those who violate the marriage covenant.

Those ingredients will keep a couple's sex life active, fulfilling, and healthy. God created sex in marriage to be an Eden of pleasure and delight. Embrace it. Talk about it. Pursue it within the safe boundaries of your marriage. And most of all, enjoy it together.

For more about this topic, watch this week's show!

A personality tendency

This is so telling of my personality, I have to "prepare" for my randomness for this e-course painting class.

I repeat, I have to "prepare" for this "randomness".

I did it also for a freezer meal workshop. I say I have rid myself of perfectionistic tendencies and expectations and have "let go" of that part of myself but she appears whenever I try something new. Hmmm....well hello there again, I didn't expect to see you there.


I don't like to be unprepared...I like to know. My anxiety rises as I don't know what's coming especially if with a group of people. I like to be random, humorous and outrageous in the safety of my safe places. The only exception to this...and some still applies but is with running. I can run a different course that I don't know and usually do ok as long as I have no timing or pace expectations otherwise I stumble a lot.

Motherhood is definitely this way with not knowing the moods of the boys or what they will do next but now I just expect the unexpected with them.

more phrases - deep Truths

trust His goodness

Let Peace find you.

Invite Jesus in.

loves you perfectly EVERY single moment

Let pain transform.

Take-Aways from Cafe Chocolate March 7-8

I learned...
Extravagant Grace for Us - Laughter/Icebreaker session
* Becky Perry is simply flat out hilarious (I knew it but had not experienced in a large group yet)
* that each of us speakers were chosen by God (not coincidental) that we did the sessions we did
* that story about Jesus turning water into wine had much more significance than I had ever considered or known
   - Jesus created better wine than had already been served = his wisdom and his grace is beyond compare (it would have shamed the bride and bridegroom if there wasn't more wine) so Jesus went above and beyond
   - the wedding might have been Martha's sister Mary and disciple Thomas' ??
Extravagant Grace for our Friends
* Barefoot friends are those who go the extra mile with us - who walk with us and support us in the raw times and seasons
* it was so much fun giving the message about friends - I felt so honored and humbled
* the story about the paralyzed man's friends bringing him to Jesus and lowering him on the cot through that person's house brought out what importance, effort and possibly sacrifice it was for his friends to do the action
  - his friends cared for him so much that they went against the custom and had such faith to know that Jesus would heal him
   - in the same story Jesus stated "Your sins are forgiven" and went straight to the man's heart (Jesus didn't immediately say "get up and walk" rather he first dealt with what the man needed most...his heart)
   - it made me think about how many times I think I have to relieve a physical need for friend which is good but how much more wonderful would it be to provide an encouragement for a friend's heart?
Extravagant Grace for Those in Need - Service session
* stitching the wrap together for my grandmother was frankly hard (it looks easier until you have it in front of your face)
* it was perfect timing for us to do the craft because it brought out insecurities and possibly even frustrations (I don't claim to be a "perfectionist" but I am type A and I'd like for it to look at least the best it can)
* AND I recognize how much I hate to measure anything even with a book...I LOVE to eyeball everything
* Janet and Emily were so much fun to watch in their elements (when I wasn't slightly getting ticked at my stitching)
Extravagant Grace for our Enemies - Forgiveness session
* it was very telling to me
* Tiffany's vulnerability made the session that much more raw to me
* viewing the person I have the hardest time forgiving in the chair and letting him/her go...was hard and healing - it's a daily action
Extravagant Grace - Quiet session
* the chocolate tasting quiet time was a..w..e..s..o..m..e, maybe it was alone time, maybe it was taking the time to savor the different types of chocolates or simply it was personifying the chocolates and seeing themes in my own life
* Carolyn is just too sweet and quite funny - her sincerity is so genuine
* themes: essential ingredients of life: Jesus, His Word, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, self-control :: nourishment of the soul includes consistency in His Word and Wisdom :: chocolate is often grown by other plants and absorbs those plant's flavors (i.e. floral, citrusy, nutty or fruity) and it was neat to see how I absorb qualities of my friends and even their laughs
* more themes: with truffles - I tend to take little bites until I get to the center and I don't immediately bite into it...I relate this also to how I develop friendships - I take little bites until I know I can trust
"The Lord doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart." Samuel 16:7
* Like Dark Chocolate "Sometimes God uses bitter times in our lives to bring richness in our relationship with him or in our character." --> through change He moves me into a willingness to move out of my comfort zone
Extravagant Grace for My Sins
God's grace is life-giving...to me..."how is my life different because of God's grace?"
* I'm not paralyzed in fear and anxiety
* I'm not a slave to myself and my fears
* He's shown me I am 'made for more'
* Laura has a way with words and wisdom - I'm in awe of her ability to relate to even those of our world who are deemed "disabled" or "special needs"

Lastly, worship - the take-away was that of allowing myself to be drawn to the words of songs that I did not know but knew that God would transform my heart through. Kara Joy and Pat made it easier to sing louder especially when Pat would look right at me and smile.

I also learned that when God tells you to do something...you do it. Amanda showed this and I know His Spirit's voice but often silence Him if it inconveniences me or makes me feel uncomfortable. But the more I silence Him...the less likely I am to hear Him.

A Collection of "Life" phrases for Me

My 2014 Word: "Pour Out" -- many different meanings to me right now

Pour Out

Pour out my will so His can move me…
Pour out my heart to others…
Pour out my energy to move for health…

your story matterswhat you do matterswho you are mattersyour walk matters

Kingdom thinking - God's thinking is so backwards - some of these phrases won't make sense to the average person but underneath it all makes sense.

dependence is freedom

daughter of the King

allow myself to have the courage to let go...let God take over

give yourself grace

you are enough

you're doing it different

let it go...

don't compare...

He will lead you

gifted for this moment

Yes to letting go
Hello grace
Choose not to compare
Embrace that you are enough
Practice your gift in this moment
Be unique
Stay aware of His presence
Unleash your heart and be present
Permission granted to to do my best and let the rest go
Follow God's leading and timing

the significance of my insignificance

I will not live an unlived life.... by Dawna Markova

What I Wish some of my phrases were (I know that it would be awesome to have if my heart was right there):

radical obedience

self-abandonment

stand in His Truth

Motherhood phrases:

be the adult you want them to be
speak-life to him
"I'm awesome. I got this."'

Quote from Kelly Rae Roberts:
"Everything shapes us, everything matters, and everything is an opportunity for letting in gobs of light and love - even our deepest cracks, especially our deepest cracks."

My so-called Gremlins....work...

My so-called Gremlins...the thoughts that are detrimental to me and tell me stories about myself that are not uplifting at all primarily plague me at work right now. In other seasons of life they have plagued me in motherhood and in sports.

Think of a scenario in your life that you’re having friction with. Could be anything really – anything that you’re having some noisy gremlins about.

I find a consistent Gremlin right now - tells me that I don't do a good job at work and that no matter what I'm doing "it's not good enough, not fast enough and not thorough enough nor compassionate enough". It reminds me that "I'm lazy" for not jumping up at that person's request or that I just don't know what is going on with that patient or with what that physician does. It tells me ruthlessly that somehow "you're not suppose to be here". You're not a good example.

Question: What are your soul whispers telling you? Your whispers are usually in opposition of your gremlins. They often sound like little tiny quiet nudges, asking for our attention.

I'd identify my 'soul whispers' as that of the Holy Spirit to whom I know my true identity is known and formed through - whom my discernment and wisdom is received. This particular whisper or voice tells me "give yourself grace", "stop thinking about it all that way", "take a pause and gather yourself".

My authentic self as it is, she tells me "you are good, you are thorough and you do it differently than your peers". She asks me to be nice to myself and to do the best that I can but not to stress out about it. Essentially, at the deepest level God asks me to invite Him into the situation and into the multiple requests and phone calls I receive per day. He asks me to let go of some of the control and to let Him move without me killing myself to find everything out.

Question: Think of someone you admire and deeply respect. Someone you consider to to be wise, self-aware, fully dependable. They could be a dear friend, or a distant mentor. What words of wisdom do you think they would offer?

She would say, "why is it that you're trying to do this?" God is so much bigger than these circumstances. You are good enough Kara. You have His Spirit within you to surpass all of the nonsense of this job. He has given you wisdom and compassion to be there for your patients and to do the job as it works for you. Don't compare yourself to your coworkers. Don't think that you're doing it wrong if you're doing it different. Stop comparing...give yourself grace.

Question: What is it your heart most needs to hear? Self compassion is key when answering this question.

He has gifted you to be in this moment right now. He will lead you...let it go, give yourself grace and others grace. Silence the turmoil that is in your heart and know that you are good enough. You are!

Question: What permissions can you allow yourself?

I give myself permission to work differently and to not know the answers immediately. I give myself permission to ask questions and to give myself grace for not knowing. I give myself permission to do the best I can and then let it go.

Circle all the power words or phrases that stand out.

give yourself grace

you are enough

you're doing it different

let it go...

don't compare...

He will lead you

gifted for this moment

Taking my answers from above and pairing them with the following words to help create a unique mantra. The following words are to get started. What other words might I use as pairings?

Yes to _______ letting go
Hello ________ grace
Choose _______ not to compare
Embrace ________ that you are enough
Practice _________ your gift in this moment
Be ________ unique
Stay _______ aware of His presence
Unleash your __________ heart and be present
Permission granted to _________ to do my best and let the rest go
Follow ________ God's leading and timing

Change, change, change...going back to CCJ...

 He doesn't look too much different.

  

  

 

 

 

This post won't do justice to my feelings or the experience of leaving Troy for a few days to go back to Jasper. There are some similarities between the communities but huge differences in the scenarios and individual growth in myself. Yet we were called to go to both communities and have been called to love people.

My role at CCJ looked very different than here at TCC. My personality was/is pretty much the same but man have I grown in motherhood & in my relationship with Christ and will continue to grow here in Ohio. When you look back and go back you realize all over again why such struggles occurred...why such friendships grew or fell out...why you were so confused at times about certain things and didn't pursue them. Hindsight is 20/20 and yet there would have been some decisions that I would have made quicker or another path I might have taken but if I would have, my heart may not have grown the way it did.

It was pretty surreal driving back there and I think it did help that Mark was preaching rather than us just 'visiting' because it helped me to feel more connected. Although children were taller, families looked a little different and staff were added & changed-it didn't feel all that different. And maybe that was the eerie part. The part of that, that made me stop and think "wait a second, but 2 years have gone by and here we are with Ian-5 and Elijah 16 months". It didn't take long to remind myself once the 1400 people came and went that time has moved forward...because I also remember the overwhelming feeling I'd feel most Sundays with not knowing so many people. It's just a different animal.

Now my role is different and I work full-time whereas I did not in Jasper. I was pretty connected with the community there with coaching but not yet here. My time here is a "wait and see"..."give it time"..."give yourself grace and understand that there is a bigger picture going on". It's more about obedience than it is about what I want (and I want many things by the way) but I know they are not all good for me.

So here is to hanging with people Saturday night, feeling connected with them again and watching our boys have a blast. Here is to experiencing such a vibrant and ever-changing environment. Here is to not sleeping much and having our boys do the same -- eeeekkkkkk. And here is to traveling through hilly country and staying with dear life-long friends. It's not goodbye, just see you later.

Lastly, a toast to where God has brought us. To the mystery that awaits us and the new life-long friendships, the new families we meet at TCC and in the community, our current core group who supports us and my coworkers whom I seriously adore. Here's to a new journey "in a roller-coaster of a different color" as I've stated before. Here's to a church family who I think is ready for new changes and to move forward...to a wonderful group of women I get to be a part of and to an awesome student and children's ministries for my boys to grow up in. So yes, it's different and I'm different. Here's to new roads to be run. (But yes I'll still miss Jasper - even with a Penn Station, KOHL's, Coldstone, Red Lobster..etc..etc only 10 minutes away now).  Cheers!

What I Wish I Could Learn

I wish I could learn and pull it to my heart and not just to my head that:
* I don't need to keep "things" to feel valuable to other people (thinking I will give them gifts-half the time I forget)
* God only wants me...He will use my talents as He sees fit and in the way that it will benefit others
* that I really don't "deserve" the life that I live but must be grateful for any blessings
* that all of what I own is not really mine (it's not mine)
* that my low, deep, down-times are preparation times for seasons to come
* that if I would ever delete my facebook account, I would still be an interesting person
* that by lessening what I am distracted by will allow more room for what God wants
* that my size matters only to be healthy and not that it changes my value in God's eyes or with others
* that people-pleasing in my 20's and 30's is futile and I only serve One Master
* that my hair is never going to be a light blonde color (ever-again)
* that the little innocent girl is someone who inspires me and the simplicity of her life is something I seek again...

to be continued...

Processing-Excess in Craft Area

Guiding and Encouraging Women towards Balance, Significance, Personal Growth
--this is what I'm deciding to keep out of my "stash" of left-over crafting

Alphabetical letters
Maps (where are you going? where you've been? where you are now?)
dictionaries
paper packs of paper for framing
boy's paper for framing
Keep Christmas paper...
Paints & Canvas (keep)
Frames (keep)
Sort stamps

Running Project/History
Ian
Elijah

Completed Albums
Left-over Fabric Scraps

Remains of the Day projects
Questions Book - paperwork computer

Sort Idea Books - keep art journal ones (keep 7)
One box of excess supplies (for larger projects) - baby jars

Kid's art supplies (keep-markers, crayons, finger paint, paper packs)

How Excess Affects Me

It literally steals my joy and gives me headaches. The continual maintenance of excess: excessive paper, junk mail, duplicates of toys or just too many toys, CEU information I receive, books I have that I've "intended" to read,

Stuff *stares* at me. I'd like to just box most all of it up and see if I miss it. Likely I will not. What I have learned is that if I don't have "it" (the project material) - someone else I might know will. Thus, being in community means sharing and allowing myself to ask a simple question. I need to let go of things and not hold so tightly to what I deem "mine". Oh so easy to say and think but to actually "DO" - that is the tough part!!

2013 Christmas Message

This year's Christmas message is not one that I mailed out but is equally fun and interesting to look back on the year and reminisce. It was our first full year in Troy, Ohio and we have been here now since March of 2012.

It has been a wonderful and different adjustment for us as we have navigated through buying our 2nd home (moved in February of this year), growing through Elijah's first year of life, and continually re-establishing a family routine through each season.

Mark is active and balancing his ministry as the lead minister with Troy Christian Church and has quite a "unique" staff (for those of you who know them, you know I'm right). He continues to pray for wisdom and guidance as the church moves forward. I am continually amazed at how God works through Him and how Mark remains himself at home and in front of many people.

I (Kara) have been somewhat surprised at God's timing with this current season in my life and have been doing and experiencing full-time social work at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton since May of 2012. I have missed doing therapy but have found that with two little guys at home, medical social work fits much better with routine and with stability right now.

Mark and I both continue to run and try to keep a "base" of running so that we can just pick up and do races but have found running to be less exhilarating as it used be. Nonetheless, I was able to run a couple of half marathons this year (one with my friend Rachel which was so exciting and one where I didn't have expectations but ended up finishing very close to my PR!). Mark ran one in the Spring and is now refocusing to see what he really wants to do.

Ian is now five years old (as of yesterday) and he is full into playing with Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles, Marvel superheros and dinosaurs. He tries to rhyme everything it seems or make up words which at times...doesn't sound like a good word unfortunately. We love him just the same and continue to correct and discipline while he continues to develop quite a sense of humor.

Elijah is 15 months and is fully trying to speak all of our words. His most common words are "tank coo" = thank you, "uh oh" = uh oh, "baa" = ball; (sounds like a hiss) = kitty and of course momma and dadda. We haven't figured out what he calls Ian yet.

                       

On a deeper level, it's been a high and low year of rediscovering simple things and most important things. For me especially, purging of the things that I do not need (at least starting-including emotions, material things,) and redefining who I am as a daughter in Christ. I was blessed to go to a Leading and Loving It "Re:treat" in Nashville, TN this Fall. God's opening my heart's eyes to emotional things (hard to explain)-boldness, going "All-In" but it is kind of rocking my world, my worldview and how I do "life" and holidays. So if you ever see me singing a song and I just start bawling (no it's not hormones - I'm good there), I'm really ok - just releasing some emotions and letting myself connect more deeply with my Creator so no biggy.

Mark has several things that he is praying about as well (but I'll let him share those on his own social media site and in his own time).

We wish all a Merry Christmas and pray for real transformation. The kind of transformation that creates change and shakes the gates of hell. Boldness that includes abandonment of old ways of thinking that keep a person stuck. And a raw realness that comes with vulnerability. I pray this for anyone who might read this message. It's an adventure!!

Peace,

Kara

{Remembering} :: Surprises

Some of the best surprises that Mark and others have done for me (that I can readily remember) ::
* [Mark] South Carolina trip - riddles and scavenger hunt 5/2006
* [Mark] having our friend paint our upstairs hall way and stair way - came back from our vacation to find it done! 8/ 2013
* [Mark] in college for Valentine's - he had friends and other random people bring up mini roses to me with something he loved about me 2001 ??
* [Mark] I came home from a shopping trip with Kristi to a Christmas tree decorated - it was beautiful!!  2002
* [Mark] early Christmas gift on the mantel - he let me open it early 11/2013
* I won a class called "Remains of the Day" which hands down was the most awesome give-away I've ever won & I still have access to it!!  2010
* I won a grand-prize give-away at a Crop for the Cure and it totaled like $250 worth of product!! I was beside myself about it.  2009
* [Mom] the surprise 17th birthday party. 1997
* [MVH coworkers] I was completely unaware (and was having quite a tired, bad hair day) and came for a group lunch whereby it was a surprise baby shower for Elijah - so cool!

Rules for Kid's Running

Phil Lang, local youth running coach with over 19 years experience and two talented running daughters of his own, however, knows his stuff. “My rule is a kid can’t run in one day more miles than the grade they are in.”

So for a third grader, a 5k fits the bill; a sixth grader, up to a 10k, and so on. “This rule allows for progression, which is key, especially for youth,” says Phil. “Doing too much, too soon leads to failure in one way or another in almost every circumstance. Just because a kid wants to do a race doesn’t mean the parent has to let him or her.”

Early Preview: One of the Christmas Cards

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Christmas preparations :: Love the Lord with all your heart, all your mind, all your strength

2009

My first post beginning this blog back in 2009 was about us deciding not to partake in the American Christmas tradition of Santa Claus and we at the time were grasping, "what will this mean?" "Will we be making our children miss out on something great? Will they be traumatized or traumatize others? Will this be too hard to do in a society that worships this character Santa beginning in October?"

I've read a lot of articles, blogs and others' stories about this transition and as our eldest reaches this impressionable age, this year will be the time to beginning fully discussing who is Santa Claus....why do we focus on Jesus solely and not do anything with this Santa? This is especially when this fun concept is put right in front of his face at pre-K in school every day with decorations, stories, Elf on the Shelf and parties. A couple of years ago a kind, well-meaning friend just showed up at Ian's birthday party dressed up as Santa (since his bday is so close to Christmas) and we rolled with it the best we could but at 3, luckily he really didn't care and just wanted to play. The rest of the kids were enamored. It's a hard subject and it seems it's become a very personal one even to those who continue this tradition simply out of "this is how I was brought up and I'm fine now". 

But we've, especially, I've discovered that if our hearts are going to move towards God and His Kingdom and focusing on the worth of others because of His sacrifice then 1) I really shouldn't be wanting to spend $$ on my family or others just out of...well I budgeted all year and want to see their smiling faces...2) I don't need to fall into rationalizing "I'm still going to give charitably but am a giver--that's my personality", or even 3) this is what you do around November-December.

Now don't get me wrong - I LOVE Black Friday but primarily I love people-watching. Getting great deals for items I would have bought anyway - icing on the cake. More budget to give more. And I also realize the consumerism part of me will struggle with this.

The plan: have my boys write their lists based upon what Jen Hatmaker explained is how her kids' write lists: 
Something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read. That's it. (This year we are adding something to give,

Here's the rest of her blog post: The Christmas Conundrum
Giving
The second stream we can choose to float down this Christmas is out from underneath the consumer umbrella altogether (mixed metaphors, anyone?), and it is simply sharing our resources with those who need intervention to break the cycles of poverty and despair. This year, we are giving each of our children $100 to spend on the vulnerable. This is part of their Christmas present, because as you and I know, it just feels so awesome to be a part of Jesus' redemptive story. We will give them some options, and they can distribute their money however they want. Here are some trusted, responsible organizations to partner with, donating in increments as low as $10:
www.IJM.org/GiftsofFreedom 
www.worldvision.org 
www.mercycorps.org 
www.miraclefoundation.org 

And this is me - I'm thinking maybe something local for Ian, so he might even be able to see what he's giving.

 2010 

 Crazy Amount of Gifts - for Immediate & Extended Families

2011

 

2012

 

Let's fill our homes with Jesus and find ways to worship Him with our little families every day this month. Let's join the Advent Conspiracy, daring to believe that Christmas can still change the world. May beautiful words fill our houses; lyrics like Come and behold him, born the the King of angels. As much as possible, let's mute the competing chatter trying so hard to invade our spaces; turning it down, turning it off. Celebrate Advent with your kids with diligence and anticipation. We ordered a fun version of the Advent Calendar, and each night the kids open a new envelope full of Scriptures and family activities. (Tonight we are reading about Jesus, the Light of the World, talking about what being a light in the darkness means, then playing flashlight tag. Yes, I'm sure someone will get hurt.)