God's grace, God's suprises, and God's timing

It has been so long since I've posted... I am still alive and growing tremendously in Christ which He sometimes calls us to do alone, or sometimes without those things we tend to hang onto... blogging being a most recent one these past couple of years...

Things in our life seem very normal yet they definitely are not. We are having an opportunity right now to do here what we hope to do in France and/or Europe someday. I came across a not yet launched church plant where the pastor felt called to start this church in downtown Raleigh, yet confessed was struggling with how to do it. We began visiting this church and after a number of weeks Ken had an opportunity to meet with the pastor and he was dumbfounded at everything we were seeing and everything that really needed to take place before you could successfully launch a church. He invited Ken to come talk with their leadership team and he blew them away also with all the information we had learned over the past 3-4 years visiting churches all over the U.S. and going to some really great church conferences. The pastor then invited Ken to basically help them start from scratch with everything they now needed to do, even offering for Ken to lead a conference for their leadership team and/or their core group leading them up to a launch.

For the first time I really saw how God has put together and prepared us (okay prepared Ken) to do what God has put on our hearts to do in France. We want to help people plant successful growing churches in France and Europe relevant to the needs of the people they are reaching. I always kind of wondered what it would look like... and now I really believe we could hit the ground running. God has prepared and trained my husband in very specific ways that are just amazing when he puts his personality and gifts with it.

For an update, we are still "in process" with the IMB (Southern Baptist- Inernational Mission Board) and really have completed all the paperwork and now just have to sell our house and pay off some debt to be able to go through the indepth interviews and training. We have a couple coming next month from New York to look at our house and sound very interested... but anyone who has sold a house knows nothing is a given until the papers are signed... and I know my God knows about the financial crisis here is the U.S., so we are just praying for patience and to grow in those ways we still need to grow in and learn as we wait on Him. BUT PLEASE PRAY WITH US, because maybe God just want more people to pray for this wall to be torn down.

Okay, now for the next interesting news that has kept me from blogging for the past month (you might need to sit down if you know me very well) but... we are expecting our fifth child in late February... I draw a blank even as I write this. It has been something very challenging for me to get my mind around....or to even talk about. We had not done anything permanent to not have anymore children b/c we did not have insurance the past few years... and now that we do have insurance, I guess God just wanted to slip this in in case we were feeling like we were in control of our lives.

So there I said it... I will blog about this more, but for now I just wanted to say hello and I'm still not sure if I'm back regularly... but since we all need prayer warriors to pray with us and for us and sometimes when we don't know what else to pray... for the sake of lost and dying people in France and Europe pray with us God would remove these barriers and we would be able to get overseas and help those who are already there waiting for us and for those we will recruit to help us. I write this with love and prayers to all who read this and especially to those who have been on this journey so long with us.

Pray Pray Pray

I think the only family in America right now that can get a loan is coming to see our house tonight at 6:30pm. Therefore I will continue my cleaning and painting frenzy (yes, I have to paint every time someone comes to see our house. That comes with having 4 kids, 3 of them boys. Next time we'll use satin paint :-) I also have to fit in mowing our acre yard today since we just found a neighbor who will loan us his lawn mower... Yes, our lawn mower is broken, and I have to say from the last time I mowed it and borrowed my parents lawnmower, everyone needs to push mow their yard every once in a while just to appreciate the invention of the riding lawn mower. :-)

Anyway, God is good and his plans are perfect. That is why even if these people do not buy the house, I will rejoice because His ways are perfect... and I do love our house... :-) and it is really clean!!!

"Son of Hamas Leader Turns Back on Islam and Embraces Christianity"

I saw this article on the Fox News page, and thought you might want to read it. It is fascinating and even convicting to me.

Bejing 2008 Olympics!!! ... and life

Can you say Bejing 2008 Olympics. I am literally drowning in Olympics and loving every second of it. Can you say addicted? Can you say Phelps, men's most amazing 4 x 100m swimming relay in history, or USA men's gymnastics? These are just three of the most amazing events so far at the 2008 Olympics. Two years ago when the last winter Olympics were on, I had a newborn a 1 year old, a 3 year old and a just turned 5 year old and Ken was in France for two weeks. Therefore I holed up in my house and watched the Olympics about 17 hours a day. I would divo all the events, and then when I had time I would watch every event, sometimes 2 at a time. It was one of the most fun two weeks of my life. It was almost like being there. Yes, that is how much I love competition.

This year my sweet husband got cable for my birthday so that I could watch as much as you can possibly watch from thousands of miles away. Yes, I will say it does drive us all crazy to have the TV on that much, but it is only two weeks, and it is almost like a vacation for me; the vacation we can't really afford to take this year.

Speaking of that, please continue to pray for the selling of our house. We have been finished with most of the process with the IMB (Southern Baptist Missions Board) and have a job waiting for us in Europe/France as soon as we sell our house and pay off some debt. We are so excited about finally doing what God put on our hearts 4 years ago, yet we know though that God is still working in us. And in this trudgingly slow process God is really getting at the deep stuff in us, and though this process has been painful, we know He is growing us in ways we need to complete the task He has put on our hearts to do.

So please join us in prayer about this. I continue to feel more and more that this is a spiritual battle and during this process God has brought me back to my passion for prayer. We have also started going back to our old church, C3, which is a 45 minute drive for us. We love that church and the people, and just feel like that is where we need to be as we continue to prepare to go overseas. It is also where all my siblings go (with the pastor's wife being my sister), and I just love seeing them every week... but if we could sell our house, move into a smaller house to rent, and not have to drive so far to be more involved at our church, all those things would get us so much closer to getting overseas.

I really do love all of you who stay connected with me through my blog, and I pray for you often as I read about your needs through your blogs. Our God is such an awesome God and is wanting to do great things through all of us, yet so often we just have to get through the growing process to reap all that He has to give us on the other side.

I Believe He's My Healer

Do you need a hero today? Watch this video and be reminded of who God is. This story is not over, but it reminds us of what God wants us to be in the midst of the storms.



Watch the song here in it's entirity:

Dax Ottinger

Last year I posted a prayer request about a little boy named Dax. He is adopted by a precious family who I think has a three other adopted children. When this family adopted him they knew he had had some special health issues, but they adopted him anyway knowing he was a gift from God. Last year he was having serious health issues, and his doctors put him on a liver transplant list. Well, he waited a year, stayed fairly healthy, and a few days ago got his liver. The transplant went amazingly well, but yesterday and today he got a fever, and the doctors think his body may be rejecting his liver. Please pray for this little boy and his family.

Go to their blog and pray for them. Get to know them and let them know that someone that doesn't even know them are sharing their burden.

My all time favorite post!

I could watch this every day and it still bring tears to my eyes. It just reminds me that all of us have something special inside of us that God wants to use to inspire the world when they see it. It could be something like Hugh Hollowell, who is amazing to watch minister to the homeless; the character of an athlete who falls down but gets back up determined to finish even though they know they will no longer have a chance of winning; or a talent that inspires those who watch. What is it about you that makes you special... and how does God want to use it?

Lordy Lordy My Husband Turns 40 today!

Please feel free to email him and give him a hard time: ken@catalystfrance.org or find him on Face Book under "Ken Witcher"

Emergency Room and a Deer

Last Thursday night was a normal Thursday night. The kids were in bed, Ken and I were wading through a messy house without the energy to clean it, wanting to sit down at our computers and check our emails and read a few blogs. Ken decided to take a shower and I decided to take the top layer off the kitchen. After a little cleaning I went back to ask him a question and he mentioned that he felt really dizzy in the shower. Neither one of us thought anything about it until he continued to be dizzy after about 30 minutes, especially when he layed his head back; he said the room spun in circles. I looked up "vertigo" on the computer and it basically said Vertigo was a symptom of something else sometimes serious and you should see a physician as soon as possible. We thought we would wait a little bit and let him rest, but when this continued for about 45 minutes and being accompanied by nausea and shortness of breath probably from anxiety, we called the nurse line. After a lengthy conversation about symptoms and family history (father had a quadruple bypass at 55) the nurse said she thought he might be having a heart attack and should call an ambulance.

Well, my husband along with the majority of our family would need to be passed out and in serious distress to call an ambulance. So we called a neighbor, to watch the kids until my mother could get here, and gathered our things and got in the car to go to the hospital. I was a little nervous thinking I may have to call 911 from the road and was reviewing my CPR skills in my head and I began to think if I would have to break his ribs to do effective CPR... but we made it to the hospital... and let me just tell you a secret. If you have to go to the emergency room tell them you have chest pain, or that a nurse from a nurse line said she thought you were having a heart attack... you will get rushed in and immediately attended to...niiiiice.

Well, after about 45 minutes of initial monitoring, they put him took him to the "heart" wing of the hospital to monitor him for a few more hours. They had taken some blood to test his heart enzymes and they needed to wait 3 hours to check it again. At that point is was 12:45am, and I was thinking I should have called the ambulance. So I told my husband I loved him, and to tell the nurses I would be in the grey Honda Oddessy; just knock on the back window if they needed me. I will be sleeping in the back seat... you think I'm kidding...

I awoke around 3:45 and went back in to find they were releasing him. The doctor said he really thought Ken had a bad case of Vertigo which may have been caused by a strange virus he had had the week before and may come back off and on for a few weeks. He said his heart seemed fine from their monitors, but went ahead and scheduled him for a heart stress test next week. So we packed up our things, thanked the nice nurses, thanked the Lord that we had not called an ambulance, and loaded back in the car to let my mom go home and get some sleep and mourn the sleep that we will not get as we greet our children as they awoke... or at least the sleep I will not get.

As we were driving home at 4:30am chatting about the nights events, right before we went through the town that is closest to us, a deer came flying across the road from my left. Now in all these split seconds as I felt relief knowing I was barely going to miss this animal, a second deer came out of the woods right behind him leaving me no option but to hit him straight on never swerving never loosing control, but watching him spin about 3 times on his side into the ditch on the left hand side of the road and still moving his head when he stopped.

While I was yelling, "I can't believe I killed a deer," and was even more in shock of the nights events, Ken told me we needed to stop and look at the damage. "Damage?" I said. "You think the car is messed up?" Well, we stopped and sure enough the whole drivers side was crushed in. I couldn't believe the damage. Well, were able to drive it home, and then to the body shop the next day and they took it from us immediately saying it was undriveable. So now we have a cool Chevy Impala with a sunroof that does not fit our entire family.

God has such a sense of humor. Thank you Lord that my husband is alive; that you have forced him to get his heart checked, and that I have a cool car to drive if daddy's not with us (something I will not experience for many more years I'm sure).

Love Wins Always

Go to Love Wins Always to see more about our experience at our 4th of July picnic. Hugh Hollowell is an amazing man who lives among the poor in the inner-city of Raleigh and truly loves them like Jesus. I have always thought our family would do our duty once a year to go and feed the homeless on Thanksgiving or Christmas when our kids got old enough, but after meeting Hugh through his blog and then in person at the 4th of July picnic, I have thought, no I would rather do what Hugh does. Anyone can slop food on a plate without ever making eye contact or saying anything more than a "hi", but if you read and see how Hugh enters into peoples lives... it is just amazing. It is truly what Jesus would look like if He were to live in downtown Raleigh. I saw what Hugh sees, hurting people in really tough places with not many who really care about the long run of their life.

Please also pray about supporting Hugh or get your church involved. He is doing a ministry that almost no one wants to do. I dirty, it's messy, it's hard, there are probably more disappointments than rejoicing sometimes, but isn't that what Jesus dealt with when He walked on the earth. Not many people followed him, even some of his closest friends betrayed him but he did it because He loved... and Love won in the end.

A small disclaimer

I feel like my last post needs a little clarity. It probably was not as harsh as it sounds, but we all know how we walk in a room and say things in a way we did not exactly mean to say them. That was sort of the situation last night. Months ago I still would have had an extreme response, but I was just so surprised by how I responded, and I wasn't mad or frustrated or piously spiritual, I was just calmly happy... and it really shocked me. During all this I was able to hear God speak to me while I was cleaning. It was such an awesome experience.

A Miracle of a different kind

When we think of miracles, we typically think of someone being healed of something, a stray person coming to know the Lord, financial blessing at just the right time..., but I don't think we rejoice enough in this type of miracle or really even give it much voice...

Tonight my husband came down after spending time putting the kids to bed, while I sat resting for a few minutes at the computer, and he said, "Are you reading blogs? I hate coming downstairs after putting the kids to bed and having to spend time cleaning the kitchen when I just want to sit down and rest."

Now for all of you out there who don't know me well, I spend all day every day on my feet mostly cooking, cleaning, schooling, disciplining, breaking up fights, refereeing arguments, attempting to train good behavior, changing diapers, running up and down the stairs, more disciplining, and more similar activities... chasing after 4 kids 4 and 1/2 years apart (wishing I could fit a run in to keep me sane) ... While my husband, sweet man that he is, sits at a desk all day, except for the break he takes at lunch to run 3-4 miles while listening to his ipod, and drives in a quiet car to and from work listening to sermons or music, or just sits in silence sometimes praying...

Now I do not know why I responded this way, but in the past you probably would have seen fire come out of my eyes with that comment, and an argument or anger or coldness that would have lasted well into the night and possibly a few days with the expectation of sincere groveling and penance. But tonight, when he said that, I sat there for a second, then quietly got up and began cleaning the kitchen. Even while it was happening I felt like it was an out of body experience. I thought, "Why am I doing this? Why didn't I say anything. What is wrong with me?" And then it hit me, and I wanted to leap out of my skin and throw a party. Something in my "spirit" took over in that situation and I did the right thing!!!! I responded to my husband with respect and honor. I honestly cannot ever remember responding like that in any similar situation. And then I thought, "We can go to France!!!!"

One thing that has been on my heart for the past year is that a bad tree cannot bear good fruit, and a good tree cannot bear bad fruit, basically meaning, what is inside comes out when we are put under pressure, and I can assure you that alot has come out of me these past 10 years of marriage that is not good. And I have been very broken and have spent much time in prayer and in scripture about it this this past year... and I just saw the first fruits of my labor... and wow it was beautiful.

So the reason I share this is not because I want you to think my husband is a jerk, because he is not (I will share what he did for our 10th anniversary). I think God just has to allow us to go through things sometimes to show us we need to grow more because there is something bad on the inside. Or he wants to show us that we have broken a bondage that we have been under, and now when put under pressure good comes out.

Tonight I saw a miracle of a different kind, and it was beautiful.

Happy 4th of July!!

I always seem to be a day late with most of my holiday greetings; birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, etc. ... so...

Happy Independence Day!!! Hope your holiday was as awesome as ours!! We celebrated our 10th anniversary on the 3rd, helped feed the homeless on the in downtown Raleigh on the 4th, went to a Mudcats game with family on the 4th, watched our first fireworks show in 7 years after the game , and then went to an all day track meet for our oldest son on the 5th squeezing in a Saturday night church service at a not yet launched church plant we feel God has led us to be a part of in downtown Raleigh.

It was an amazing holiday with "the cookout with the homeless" being the highlight of the weekend. They were so kind to us and our kids, and it made me realize they are real people with lives and families and pasts, and parents who rejoiced at their birth... I met two guys specifically named Thomas and James. I was blessed by my conversation with them, and you could see it made them feel special that someone would treat them like a person. I found out that James had a son that was hit by a car and killed when he was 9 and a few other things about his life. I found out that Thomas was about to turn 40 and we joked about mid-life crisis. One man gave Phelicia a little "4th of July" toy airplane still in the plastic bag that he had probably picked up off the ground at some celebration in downtown Raleigh. It was so precious though, because he actually came up to me and asked if he could give it to her, and then gave it to me to hand to her. The respect that these people gave to Ken and I and our kids was amazing. Ken met a guy who had been in the military the same time he was, and they probably served close to the same time in Panama in the 80's.

I left there feeling more fulfilled than just about anything else I have done in my life... and I have done alot, especially in the name of "ministry". I felt like I was Jesus to some people that have heard alot about Jesus, but have not seen the unconditional love of Jesus in their life. I am so excited to go back and continue in these relationships, and make more friends. I realized these are people with hopes and dreams and hurts and families... we call them "homeless", but they are people who were given names at birth with the hopes that they would succeed in this thing called life. I do not know why they are not able to sleep and cook and live with a roof over their heads right now in their lives, but all I know is Jesus loves them, and He does not call them, "homeless". He calls them by name, and He says "you are special", and "I have a purpose for creating you, "and "I love you and care about where you are at."

I may write more on some of this later... but for now enjoy your holiday!! and I pray God will get you out of your comfort zone and rock your world like He has done in mine.

Belling the Cat

I fear our bluebird population has taken a reprieve somewhere else for a time...

We have two birdhouses sitting on our back porch. I did not set them there with the thought that a bird would come and make a home in it, I probably did it one day while cleaning for someone to look at the house and I thought, "Decoration for the deck!!" They were birdhouses Levi and Austin had made with Cubscouts and I was hoping to put them up somewhere outside because birds will come to our yard if there is food and a house.

So forgetting I had put those birdhouses there, about a week ago I noticed a number of birds coming up on our deck and remaining there hopping around and playing on the railing. It was so awesome. I kept saying I wonder why the birds are coming up on our deck, and one of my sons finally said, "Mom it's the birdhouses." Well, we went out and looked in the birdhouses and sure enough they were building nests in them. We could stand inside the house and because of the closed window could watch them from 2-3 feet away coming and going bringing grass and straw for their nests, chasing off other birds from their territory... It was just amazing and something we all enjoyed doing.

Last Saturday, though, after we had watched the birds for a while we were all getting started with our day, and I heard a sort of a thump; sounding something like what our cat makes when he bangs into the door or falls from the screen trying to let us know he wants in (something I thought we had broken him of). So I looked through the back door and saw him, and because I did not want him to scare the bluebirds away I quickly opened the door and let him in... but as he came in I noticed he had a bluebird in his mouth (it makes me want to scream just typing about it).

I began to scream for Ken (much like you would if you had seen a mouse and were wanting someone else to come and take care of it) and I kept screaming until Ken came in where I was. He found the cat hiding behind the couch and got Tiger (our cat) to drop the bird. We now have a bird (not sure if it is dead or alive) in our house laying behind the couch. They were right by the front door, so Ken got one of the kids to hold the door open and got something flat to sort of scoop under it and as soon as he did that it the bird sprang to life and flew out the door.

I was very happy to know my cat had not taken the life of one of the beautiful bluebirds we watch every day, but I will say the news must have gotten around the bird kingdom because we have not seen many birds of any kind near our porch and even on our bird feeder in a couple of days. I sure hope in their little minds they will forget what happened and come back, or a new group clueless to "Tiger the bird eating cat" will come back so we can watch them again.

Ah the joys of the "life-cycle" and "survival of the fittest". Maybe I should put a bell around his neck as a sign to the bird kingdom that I'm on their side.

Prayer for Ethan

I have a very special prayer I would like to ask you to join me in tomorrow...

I have a cousin that I love dearly who has a son with Autism. If you don't know anyone who has a child with severe autism, it can be very hard on the family. Robby and Karen are the parents (Robby being my cousin) and Ethan is there precious son. He and my oldest son are only one day apart. They are both 7 years old turning 8 in October. My cousin and his wife have spent many years and alot of money turning over every rock in hopes to help their son get better, if even just a little bit. Also as a child gets older with autism the challenges get greater for the family. But as with every physical ailment we can come to the end of solutions and then have to turn to the Great Physician.

So, if God can raise the dead, why can't he bring healing to this child, if even just a little. Maybe not overnight, maybe slowly, maybe enough so that they would never have to entertain the thought of an institution... but possible. For those of you that have been following our modern day miracle with Tricia & Nate, anything is possible... even today.

Tomorrow they are taking Ethan to be prayed over by the Elders of the church. This will take place 5:00pm Eastern time. So Please join me in prayer for this family and this precious little boy. It's hard for most of us to even begin to understand what they go through day to day without an end in sight... So, I will be praying that they will find hope and healing through this step of faith. I didn't mention, but this is a big step of faith for my cousin.

So...
Father I lift up this family and little boy to you including his older sister who I didn't mention above. You love them and care so much for them. You have allowed this in their life for Your purpose, and you promised not to give us more than we can handle. So please show this family Your grace and mercy. Show them how this situation can be used for your glory. My personal request is that you would heal Ethan completely. That they would be able to hear the words, "I love you mom and dad," from a son who cannot outwardly show his thankfulness for how much his parents do for him. Give Robbie and Karen comfort and wisdom. Heal their hearts where it has broken. Refresh them where the life has exhausted them. Let us see your power tomorrow. You tell us You want to do more than we can even think or imagine... so please let us see You here and now. Thank you for all that You do for us... and for all that You are going to do. We love you Lord...

Let's have a Party!!

Let's have a party!!... No we have not sold our house yet, but I always love it after someone comes to "see" our house, because it is so clean it feels like a hotel, and I always feel like I need to invite a bunch of friends over and have a big party. I felt like I had run a marathon after cleaning and painting and staining (the deck) and planting and mowing, all while keeping all my kids occupied. But since Ken had been sick, I hadn't told you guys that part, I did it all!!... and I accomplished my goal. I felt like I needed to take a victory lap... actually I think I did, around the house.

It's sad that you go to that much effort and stress for a 15 minute visit. So if any of you are in the neighborhood, please stop in. It probably won't look like this for long... at least until the next family comes to look at our house. :-)

We have had some interested people, one family in particular, maybe not the ones who came yesterday, but I continue to feel confident that God has the people chosen already, it is just not His timing yet. Thanks for praying.

House Viewing

Okay today at 6:30pm, or anytime throughout the day everybody needs to be praying. Not that God needs our prayers to act, but sometimes He acts because of our prayers.

I got a little more notice this time, but someone emailed me last week and said they were seriously interested in our house. We emailed back and forth numerous times sending pictures and asking and answering questions. Now, I'm not sure why they used the word seriously, because there are a millions of houses on the market right now, and to me there is no reason why our house should stand our any more than any other ones... unless maybe God already spoke to them about this one and He needs to move us on towards the passion HE put in our hearts 5 or 6 years ago (sharing a relevant Christ with the people of Europe).

We have recently come across a church plant, that is just in the process of launching in another part of town. We have been praying about becoming a part of this group and learning and experiencing more of the hands on process of planting another church... and maybe GOD wants to move us closer. We have no idea. All we know is tomorrow is a good day... (except for the frantic cleaning and straightening I will be doing while trying to keep my kids occupied and keeping them from messing up what I have just cleaned)... and God is in control and knows the plan, and IT IS GOOD!

Homeschooling... Why I do it...

Homeschooling... Yes I am a homeschooling mom. People do it for so many reasons. I do not think it is the right thing for everybody. The only reason I do it is because God led me. A friend gave me some books that spoke about a philosophy by Charlotte Mason... and because of some different learning styles my oldest son has, this is the main reason I homeschool... and I love it.

Once upon a time, there were two farmers. The first farmer had many acres planted in rows and rows of corn as far as the eye could see. In the springtime, enormous machines would plow the fields, making long, straight lines in the soil. Then other enormous machines would drop in the seeds so that they were all just the right distance apart. The young plants were fertilized in order to grow a tremendous number of the largest, most robust ears of corn you could ever see. Later, large airplanes would dust the corn with poison to kill the insects that might be lurking, waiting to harm the crop. Finally, a tractor would come and cut down the corn while many workers moved quickly to get the harvest loaded onto huge trucks. The farmer was very proud of himself. “This corn will travel all around the world. Look how much man can accomplish in just one season!” he said.
The second farmer did not have many acres planted in rows as far as the eye could see. He only had a small plot in his back yard that was full of all sorts of growing things. He had tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, okra, pumpkins, herbs and flowers, and even a peach tree! This farmer plowed his field himself, so sometimes his furrows were squiggly instead of straight. He planted the seeds himself, so sometimes they were too close together and he had to thin them. When the young plants sprouted, he carefully pulled out any weeds that threatened them. He kept a sharp eye out for harmful insects so that he could prevent infestation. He watered the plants deeply every day, and soon this thriving garden became a joy to his life. At harvest time the farmer made a simple soup and sat down to eat with his family. “Thank you, Father, for what you can accomplish in the fullness of time,” he said.
Educators today face enormous pressure to be like the first farmer. They are to produce results as quickly and efficiently as possible. At the beginning of each school year, they are presented with curriculum standards and scope-and-sequence charts. In many instances they are expected to cover a lesson per day, regardless of whether or not their students have mastered the material. Then, at the end of the year, one test (usually multiple-choice) will tell them, their principals, the students’ parents, and the media how well they did their job. One of the many problems with this all-too-common industrial model of education is that teaching the learner has been overlooked in favor of teaching a curriculum. Let us not forget that education is not a product which can be put together on an assembly line. In the words of Mason, it is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life.
Even though the first farmer had the ability to manipulate nature, I do not think anyone reading this blog would argue that food that has been processed or spent weeks ripening on a truck is of better quality than what you grow in your own back yard or pick up at the local farmer’s market. (As a southern girl, I can tell you that the best tomatoes you will ever eat have been left on the vine to ripen in the sun! Yum!) Children, too, are living organisms who will grow on their own time table. Yes, there are things you can do as a teacher to speed things along, but meddle too much and the harvest will not be as sweet. As Mason said, let us allow our students to take from a reading what they are ready to digest. Let them explore their world freely. Let them make connections on their own. Prepare the ground with a loving environment, carefully pull out the weeds by helping with habit formation, let them drink deeply from God’s word, and then leave the rest to the fullness of time.

Happy Father's Day Dad! You are my Hero!

I am not sure I can say enough about my dad. If he reads this I think he would be shocked... but it's all those things that you don't say, but should... and I don't have enough time or space, but I just want to introduce you to him.

I am so proud of my father. He has influenced my life in ways he will never know. I'm sure many people come to the end of their life and wished they had done things differently at times, but he has 4 children all deeply in love with Christ and serving the Lord... And as a believer, to get to live and witness that is about as great a heritage as anyone could ask for. He was the first one in his family to become a Christian. His family was very poor, and even had some skeletons in the closet that can get strongholds on a family. But he and his siblings broke the cycle. His parents and even his father who had been an alcoholic, eventually accepted Christ and never looked back. And is I am correct, everyone of the grandkids from his parents, are walking with Christ and many very involved in ministry and Bible studies today.

My father was introduced to church as a child through a bus ministry and eventually made a profession of faith and answered the call to ministry. At the age of 18 he boarded a train from Clovis, California, with one trunk holding all his worldly possessions, and headed for Oklahoma to Bible College to become a preacher. He is the only one in his family that left California to follow the calling God made on His life, and for that I honor him.

He then went into music ministry, and led many church choirs, taught music at two Bible Colleges, and eventually pastored a number of churches. His love is music and even has a masters in voice, but his heart is lost souls. He is an amazing pastor and teacher. I sat under his preaching most of my childhood, and therefore feel very discipled by him. I still think of illustrations and sermons that sunk deep into my heart and I forever pull them up in tough situations.

One interesting story in particular, though, that has made one of the deepest imprints on my life to this day, was when we were coming home from visiting our family in California. It was Sunday morning, and even though we were traveling we did not miss church. So we were somewhere in the desert of New Mexico (and I mean desert) around 10:30am we got off on an exit and proceeded to find a church. I'm not sure how we found it because I'm not even sure there was a gas station, but we did find a church, and went in and sat at the back as it had already started.

Now we're talking middle of nowhere in the desert of New Mexico, and there were probably not 10 people in the small church building. Now to say the piano player was horrible was an understatement, and they were struggling through a hymn as we tried to sneak on the back pew. At the end of that song the person attempting to play the piano said their piano player was out of town and that she had prayed that God would send someone so that she would not have to play that morning.

Now I don't think I mentioned that my father was an amazing pianist. He is the kind of person who can sit down at the piano and play almost anything by ear, or with music, and also add all the fancy stuff. Therefore, my siblings and I started kind of looking at my dad wondering if he was going to say anything. Well, he sat there and let this poor lady struggle through one more song where she stopped a couple of times when she lost her place, or just couldn't find the right note, and would mentioned every time that she just knew God was going to send her a piano player that morning. Well, my father eventually raised his hand slightly and said, "I play the piano," and went up and helped lead us all into the presence of an amazing God.

Now don't stop reading because the story gets better. When the music was all done, a man walked up to the podium and turned to my father and said, "You wouldn't happen to be a preacher because our pastor is also out of town"... So my father sort of laughed and said, "Well actually I am the pastor," and ended up preaching the sermon that morning also. Amazingly, earlier that morning he had asked my mother to drive so that he could have a quiet time in the back of the van, where he just happened to go over a sermon he had preached before. I still stand amazed when I think about it.

It still brings tears to my eyes when I think of that story. God cared so much about that lady and her simple request that He used a family from Missouri on vacation in California, as the answer to her prayer. A simple family with parents who thought it was important to find a place to worship on Sunday mornings. We were the answer... that just blows me away. God used my parents who were just trying to be faithful to what they knew.

It convicts me to my core about why I don't pray in any and every situation, and why I put so much on myself to do things sometimes when God is just saying, "Come to me Gina because I really do care about the small things"... And just in typing this, God has impressed upon me that maybe if I would be faithful to the convictions He has put on my heart up to this point in my life I could be the answer to someone's prayer over and over and over again."

Thank you dad for being such an awesome example for me to follow. It's even in the small things you do now like staying faithful in a church and really getting involved no matter what life throws at you. I love you and can only hope to leave a legacy to my children as you have given to yours.

Nothing like the smell of napalm in the morning...

Nothing like waking up to the smell of strange smoke that looks like fog and you're trying to figure out if there is an electrical fire nearby or maybe a small war... We soon found out that it was the smoke from fires in eastern North Carolina. Now I'm thinking this is not L.A. ... we are in North Carolina where it actually rains... okay well it used to rain a few years ago...

Can anyone say "rapture"... Recently I often think, "floods, earthquakes, fires, wars... shouldn't we be seeing Christ in the clouds soon?" It's all so strange... so the kids and I are going to go drown our concerns at the local YMCA pool where there actually is water.

On a side note, if you think your day is stressful today, remember the Lawrenson's. Tricia a young twenty something with cystic fibrosis who just had the joy of experiencing a life long prayer of having a child, and who soon after had a lung transplant is having some complications which can be a by-product of a transplant. Please pray for this family as they are back in Durham in the hospital after only a short time home for testing and biopsy to try to figure out what is going on.

Remember also people like the Steven Curtis Chapman family, people in China and Myanmar many suffering without the hope of Christ, the orphans of Africa, and so many others who really know what it is to struggle and suffer. Yes, God cares about our smallest problems, but often our complaining just needs a fresh perspective.