be with Me.

I know you’re walking through fire.

I see your head held high even though…
I hear your heart cry when your knees bow in prayer.
I feel the sting of tears in your eyes.

 I want to say, dear one, that it’s quite ok for you to be with me.

If you are lonely, be lonely.
If you are angry, be angry.
If you are frightened, be frightened.
If you are empty, be empty.
 
Just be withme.
 
Be lonely, and I will comfort.
Be angry, I will calm you.
Be frightened, I will hold you close.
Be empty, I will fill you.
 
I promise.
I love you that much.

It’s ok for you to just be with me.

 
My ways are not your ways.
My thoughts are not your thoughts.  Isaiah 55:8-9

reCHARGE!

I asked some friends today how they recharge; what they do when they need a rest stop; where they find an oasis.

Here's what I got: 

my bed with cool crisp sheets, Colorado, a massage and starbucks, music, a pedicure, a nap, time spent laughing with family/friends, a bowl of cereal and the tv remote, a big bubble bath with lavender chamomile candles and a good movie, a pot of coffee, sitting on the bank of a creek with my feet in the water.

Love those responses...don't I have great friends? 

I don't know about you, but right about now, in the "dog days of summer", recharging sounds pretty good!  That's why I'm looking forward to the Kidmin Conference.

I went to Kidmin last year, and was so pleased to find that this conference was designed to feed my soul, tickle my funny bone and...recharge my batteries.  Kidmin is more than just a few days to stuff your head with ideas and gizmos and plans and dreams.  Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of time for the head-stuffing, etc. but it's way more...it's a time to slow down, to listen to God's voice, and to experience the strength in standing together as God's family.

If you're a part of Children's Ministry in any capacity at your church, I hope you can join us there!  reCHARGE guaranteed!

That Whoosh You Heard was My Whirlwind of a Life!

Been just a bit busy lately around the Sims home.  Here's why:

this guy

was at the end of this year:

so there was lots to do.

like finalizing plans for next year

and a big milestone

and celebrating with these people

and these people

at this very cool place.

then...with everything turned in,

all the checks marked off the list

and a big sigh of relief

the big day arrived

and the next day we had a party

and were blessed by lots of friends 

 and family

(and i loved this super cool cake!)

happy.

congratulations sweet boy.

Because of You. A Note to the Kids Staff of DFC

Because of you our children bound into the building each week, eager to see what you have in store for them.

Because of you our children are a great support system for each other. They are in a safe place where they know others love them.

Because of you on my walks down the hall to peek in the classrooms I never see bored kids with their heads layed out on the tables. You keep them engaged and learning.

Because of you our parents invite their friends with children to our church. They believe that much in the spiritual instruction you are giving their kids.

Because of you our children ask tough questions, trusting you as a spiritual leader.

Because of you our children have learned the importance of prayer and are learning more about it all the time. (it's not all me. seriously.)

Because of you I am blessed beyond what I could imagine!
Thank you.

I'm praying for you as you prepare your hearts and minds to minister to our kids tomorrow!

Getting ready for the BIG DAY

I'm working at the church this morning getting ready for the BIG DAY! Easter Sunday!  The cleaning crew is here and making everything sparkle, readying the building for the saints and the seekers who will be with us on Resurrection morning.

I realized it's been awhile since I've been here.

So in an effort to remedy that, here's a photo essay in short form of what my day has consisted of so far.

First stop: picking up lilies to grace the sanctuary on Sunday. My car smelled so good, it was kind of tempting just to keep riding around for awhile and breathing in the sweet, lily smell.

Next on to the church and I spent a few minutes pulling the little yellow things out of the lilies.  They are a mess, but my mom has always told me the lilies last longer without the yellow thing.

They look great all lined up in the sanctuary.  I know it will drive the perfectionists in the crowd crazy because there is one more on the left side of the podium than the right side. 

Bless them. 

I'm just mean.  (haha)

I think all this hard work deserves a snack. So I raided the refrigerator in the kitchen.

Next down to the office to make the memorial worship folder.  Children's Ministries receives the proceeds from the lily sale each year, and the worship folder lists those in whose name the lilies are placed.  It's a special way to honor or remember someone.  And it's an easy fundraiser!

And that's it...all before noon!  Now it's time for lunch!

I'm a Homebody

My ideal day is spent at home. That's funny for me to say, because I've never thought about this before.  I've felt this way for several years, but putting thought to what that means to me is another thing. 

You see, I'm an on-the-go girl.  And in the "before":  home did not hold adventure or excitement. 

Home meant familiar, predictable, routine.

After all...there was a big world out there waiting for me to embrace all it could throw in my path.  Home just shut that all out!

Now I know this one thing...there is enough adventure in my life.  Really.  It's thrust upon me on a daily basis.

There's enough busy in my life.  I may be guilty on occasion of  meeting myself coming and going.

And change?  Fuh-get-about-it!

I really treasure my time at home.

Routine?  I adore you. You haven't changed a bit!

Familiar?  You get yourself right in here! Let me hug your neck!

Predictability?  There's a seat for you at my kitchen table.  Let me introduce you to "same ole, same ole" and "been there, done that!"

Home is my safe haven.  It's a wonderful memory-laced caccoon of happy, growing up and lessons proudly lining it's walls.

Home is there when I fail.

Home is there when I fall.

Home is there when I'm at my best and welcomes me when I'm at my worst.

So I lift my glass to the homebody I've become. 

Bluebonnets

If I had the day off tomorrow I would go bluebonnet hunting.  They are coming in so nicely on all the highways that I'm passing by.

On my way to work is an incredible display of these beauties, but since the time change, it's a little too dark to see the depth of color.

I love Texas in the springtime when the fields are full of blue, orange and reds.  How blessed we are that the father put these flowers in our way to tease our senses and fill our pupils with color so vivid that you can almost swim in it. 

He sure has my attention!

Repurposing (that's a word) the Pond at Church

If you read the earlier post about the pond at our church having to be drained because it was leaking into the elevator, you are no doubt waiting to find out what will happen next.  The boys working the garage sale had a great idea for me!

Garage sales are fun for Children's Pastor's, there's always treasures, and I get to fill up my nose with all the little toys I find. 

So the boys took the balls that I snagged and repurposed them!  I love it! Never mind that it's a safety hazard...a little bump or bruise from a rock wouldn't hurt anyone! 

Now if I can just find a few hundred more, I'm good to go!!

It's a Green, Green Day

I forgot to wear green today.  Ok, really...I have no green to wear.  So when I came to the youth garage sale, I got the ole pinch-er-roo!

I went down to my office to find some green.  Here's what I found.

Then I saw this!

Score! But alas...as the saying goes, I'll be wearing them on my hips if they pass my lips!  Even if they're green!

When Trash Becomes Art

Evidently, the ordinary job of taking out the trash in my house has risen to a new level of creativity and brings me to this thought-provoking question...does trash...at this point become art?

Must be...because you see, otherwise, the boy in my house named Landry Sims would KNOW that the trash was to be emptied.  Sure...wouldn't any reasonable high school senior think the same thing?  Silly boy.

But it did give me a chuckle, and I almost aplauded at his use of physics and balance!

and by the way...he took out the trash.

This is Why I Love Being a Children's Pastor #7: Kids Can Find the Good in Just About Anything

Today is MOPS (Mother's of PreSchooler's) day at DFC.  Since the director is out, I said I would get here early and open up the building for the set up team.  I got to spend a few seconds (yea seconds-they are busy guys...) with the kids who got here early.  They were busy greeting each other, running in and out of every room and finding objects to make light sabers and swords out of (did I say they were boys?).

In not very long, their attention drifted to the empty waterfall thing that used to be a fountain with goldfish in it.  We're not quite sure what to do with it just yet, but it had to be emptied because the water was leaking into the elevator shaft and the tree was so big that it was about to break the windows.  (I'm holding out for an indoor playground myself.)

Right now, it's just empty.  After lots of questions about where the fish are; where did the water go and many more..it became a jungle gym, a mountain of rocks, and a hideout all within the span of about 5 minutes.

And that's what I love about kids.  They are able to bounce on to the next thing.  Yea, they're kinda sad that the goldfish are gone (they went home with Macy). They noticed that the money in the bottom is gone (we gathered it all up and used it for our Sponsor Child).  But now they get to go in the big middle of the "pond" and climb and play and laugh and imagine. 

There's a lesson there for me.  When things change-and they always do-I can refocus my energy, readjust my plan and realign my steps so that I won't miss the next thing. Because the next thing always follows change.  And like my friends, the light-saber wielding explorers, taught me...it's not such a bad thing!

The Sweetest Sound-My Mary Moment

I remember when my son was a tiny guy and at night we would listen to him singing in the next room. That was the most beautiful sound. It was literally a sweet sound like a sweet taste is in your mouth. I'm not sure I can even describe it in words.

Tonight I am lying in bed and can hear him singing in the next room. And the sound is just as sweet. He's sung classic rock songs, his own silly-made up songs, and praise songs. To hear you're 17 year old singing, "I will adore you" in praise is about the best thing a Mom could ask for!

I am so blessed, so thankful and am having a "Mary moment", the other Mary, not me. I'm having one of those, "and she stored up these things and treasured them in her heart" moments. I think Mary had more moments like that with her son than just at his birth. I believe she felt just like I do tonight...

Thankful.
Blessed.

My Favorite Word

I just read something with the question:  What is your favorite word?  It took about 2 seconds for this word to pop into my mind.

STILL.

I think I love the word still.

I love my favorite word -still- at night when I lie in bed, everyone is all settled down for their sleep, and I can hear the silence.
No sounds, no hum of computers, no music, no distractions. Just the sound of still.

I love it because of Psalm 23 and the reminder that "he leads us beside still waters."  Man...I'm so thankful for the still-water-times in my walk with the Lord. 
The times when we can just -be- with the Father. 
The crisis-free, frantic-free, times we enjoy. 

Insert tiny laugh here because, we all know trouble free times are rare, and boy, aren't we thankful that the still waters are also found in the midst of crisis and frantic living.  Responsibility and deadlines and people issues OH MY!  They swirl around...and ahhh...even then, you can turn to the master and retreat to the still waters of fellowship with him.  He even reminds us of this with the "Be still and know that I am God" verse.  Sometimes in the midst of our frenzy, the best thing we can do is be still and listen for God's voice guiding us to the solution we need.

I love my favorite word -still- when I think of grace.  I must confess that I'm a sinner in need of grace.  I make mistakes, the worst of me comes out sometimes, and I do not always make my Savior proud. 

But still He loves me.
Still He wants me to come near to him and pour out my heart.
Still He wants me to lay my burdens down,
He wants to see the broken pieces of my situation,
He wants to be my Savior.
Still.
He doesn't want to put distance between us.
He doesn't want to scold and fume at me.
He just loves me
Still.

Isn't that a great word?

My Fave New App

I'm so excited about a new app I got.  It's called Pocket Prayer Pro. It's so cool because you can keep track of prayer requests, schedule your prayers, and there is scripture included divided into different topics that you might be praying for. 

I love praying scripture, I believe there is such strength in praying back God's words to him.

I've used it for a couple of weeks now, and I'm hooked!