marymarysays

I'm So Glad...I'm a Part...of the Family of God!

2011-12-11T21:09:00.000-08:00

I'm so proud of my church family today. It's been a great day! Busy. Activity packed. But the kind of day that leaves you with a satisfied feeling when you lay your head on your pillow.

After the worship service, some of the ladies in our Womens Ministries met to have a new event for us,

We brought 2 dozen cookies and met at the church to put plates of cookies together, to take to three sweet ladies who have been sick or just don't get to get out much. Someone brought poinsettias, someone brought cute napkins, we made punch and got cups and away we went with our "Christmas Party to Go."

We sang carols, shared special memories , listened to stories and prayed together. It was just a special time! (Here's just a few of us having fun with Santa at one of the stops.)

Then when we got back to the church there was another group gathering to go to my friend Missy's house (remember, she had a liver transplant a few weeks ago). This was the "Happy Hour" Sunday School Class, and they were equipped to decorate Missy and John's house inside and out.

Pastor Justin started out our Advent focus by asking us to look for God this season. He reminded us that it's so easy to let the busy days all run together until all of a sudden...we realize Christmas has come and gone, and we've had our focus on the wrong thing!

I'm proud of my church family because everywhere you turn, it seems like they are thinking of others this year more than ever!

I'm proud of the 5th/6th Grade Sunday School class as they have lead a service project for the whole church to participate in!

I'm proud of the Youth Department who have spent several hours at the church to ready the set for the Live Nativity. This is their gift to the community each year.

I'm proud of Womens Ministries and this new, fun way to have a party and be Jesus to our friends!

I'm proud of the Happy Hour Sunday School class. They gave up their traditional Christmas party to help out Missy who isn't quite strong enough to decorate like she usually does.

I'm glad to be part of this family! I'm glad to be part of God's family!

This is Why I Love Being a Children's Pastor #6: Watching Kids Pray

2011-11-18T09:50:00.000-08:00

We do prayer with our kids at church. I mean really. In a big way. And all the glory goes to the Lord for giving us ideas and strength and passion for praying with kids.

I LOVE that we share what is on our hearts. Sometimes the prayers make me smile a little as I'm recording them like:
   Please pray for my left nostril.
   Please pray that my cat will stop jumping in the trunk when we open it.
   Please pray for my grandfather because he got fake teeth.

Sometimes they make me happy as I see milestones in their lives like:
   Please pray that my tooth will fall out.
   Please pray that I will learn to ride a bike.
   Please pray that I can learn my sight words.

Sometimes they touch me deeply as we (the children) pray for the adults in our church like:
   Please pray that my job interview will go well.
   Please pray for my son who doesn't know the Lord.
   Please pray for my friend who has a brain tumor.

But what I'm most thankful for is that we have created a safe place to share deep heart prayers as a group of kids like:
   My family is having problems.
   I'm being bullied at school.
   I have to move away from all my friends.

If you don't have the opportunity to pray with kids, oh I wish you could. They are great intercessory pray-ers. They don't judge the person. They don't judge the situation. They don't insist on knowing all the details. They don't talk about it later with their friends. They just take it in.

And then they pray. They leave it with the Father. They don't pick the burden back up after they've left it at the foot of the cross. They believe as strongly in receiving an answer as they do in praying a prayer.

I think prayer is definitely one of those "and a little child shall lead them" areas in the Bible. I have lots to learn about praying with children...and lots to learn just by watching them pray!

Transplant Time-Again!

2011-10-26T07:50:00.000-07:00

My friend Missy is in Arizona this week for her liver transplant. Read the latest blog post here. Our church has set up a 24 hour prayer chain, if you want to be part of it, you can sign up here.

So excited that she will be feeling better soon! Even if you don't sign up, please be in prayer for her on October 27th!

Under the Friday Night Lights

2011-10-21T12:57:00.000-07:00

Headed to one of the last home games of the season tonight. My hubs and I are active in the booster club. Very active.
Some might say over active (teehee).

But you know what I love? Despite the late nights and the tugging and pulling equipment on the field as we help with the half time show, it is one of the few places I get to interact with folks who don't go to church...or if they do, they don't necessarily go to my church.

It's a chance for me to serve their kids,-and be Jesus to them.
To stand alongside them as we support our kids through the high school years-and be Jesus to them. To listen to conversations about the ups and downs of parenting kids today-and be Jesus to them.

I will admit I'm weary of high school band-it's so demanding-but I'm so thankful, and I want to be over thankful for this chance-to be Jesus on the sidelines of the football field, under the Friday night lights!

LeadershipOS

2011-10-21T09:46:00.000-07:00

I got back from Kidmin Conference a few weeks ago. Some things you learn you can come back and implement immediately. But others it takes some thought, planning, tweaking before you can put legs to the new seed God plants in your heart.

Funny thing...I finally got around to reviewing my notes from the conference, and over and over, the message I had written down was centered around kids in leadership.

So...my new seed involves children in leadership. I've already had some conversations with kids who I've identified as leaders in a particular place in our program. They are bouncing at the idea!

Kids in leadership is right on target too. We've got an abundance of leaders! In fact, in a random conversation just this week, someone-not even on the Children's Ministry staff-commented that we have classrooms full of leaders. It's true!

What will it mean for the future when we embrace developing leaders earlier in our church?
It's pretty exciting to think about!

What will their OS look like? (ahem. Operating System)

Leadership in God's church is their OS.
Service is their OS.
A radar for seeing needs and meeting them is their OS.

All because they were given a chance to develop this skill early! They were given the chance to find their strengths and grow them as kids, not having to wait until adulthood to begin work in the kingdom!

Wow! Is that exciting or what?

Gotta go, I've got some work to do!

Kidmin Delivered!

2011-10-11T17:42:00.000-07:00

Just got back from the Kidmin Conference I wrote about earlier. If you've been to these things before, you know how when you first get home...you are in that blurry, swirly period where you are dog tired, full of inspiration and ideas and can't wait to figure out what the last few days will mean for your ministry? That's where I am!

It was a great conference. I highly recommend it!

I'm going to go through notes, boil it all down, and see what I can use and tell you about the best stuff...but for today, here is what I'm still thinking about.

All the...

Connecting with friends...new and old.

Laughing 'til your sides hurt.

Praying with people who GET you.

Workshops and Ministry Conversations.

Kidmin Conference-Can't wait!

2011-09-20T18:41:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited about this brand new kidmin conference that is only days away! When I was a new children's pastor, I went to a conference by Group, and loved it. To my knowledge, they haven't had a conference in several years, so I was a happy girl when they started promoting this new conference.

Here are some things about it that I love:
There will be the typical workshops and large group sessions, but with a twist. There will be times for conversations and networking with both other children's pastors who are right in the trenches with you, as well as the speakers and presenters.

There will be time to digest what you've learned; you know...time to think it through without an unending information cram the whole time you're there.

Group always makes it easy for churches of all different sizes to minister to kids. There will be targeted groups to fit your ministry. Not only just the size of your ministry-but also the focus that you are needing to learn more about.

I just can't wait! I feel blessed to be able to go, woo hoo!

Senior Year

2011-09-16T13:53:00.000-07:00

We've begun senior year at our house. It's crazy. Busy. Nerve-wracking. Fun. Laughter-filled. We are jugglings schedules. Deadlines. Assignments. New responsibilities. And most of all dreaming big. Can't wait to see where those dreams take us!

Watch Your Toes!!

2011-09-16T13:14:00.000-07:00

Last week after a desperate call from the coordinator, I volunteered in the 3 year old classroom at MOPS. It was so fun! As a children's pastor, I spend most of my time with Elementary age children, so I really enjoyed being with these little ones.

So, toward the end of the day, a little guy said, "Ms. Mary!" I looked over to see him standing on the tile portion of our room (luckily) with his legs spread apart a little, and pee falling to the floor. He had just waited too long. (For the record, I asked them all a million times if they had to go).

There was no need to do anything until he was done, so after a few more seconds, and my saying, "don't move, don't move" a million times, I began cleaning up the accident.

That's when it happened...I got pee on my toes! Oogie! I had to smile though, because I'd just read a post from my friend Judy who is beginning a 2nd battle with cancer. (I wasn't smiling because the cancer came back...but because of the difference in our "toe" stories.

She was in a prayer circle at her church recently, and the lady next to her began weeping. She got tears on her toes from this sweet friend. If you clicked on the link and read the post from Judy...isn't that strong? She's such an inspiration and so courageous.

No tears on my toes, but a sweet time with little kiddos anyway!

First 10

2011-08-23T20:51:00.000-07:00

These are the first 10 songs that came up on my ipod today.
1. Must Get Out by Maroon 5
2. Unfailing Love by Chris Tomlin
3. Like a Star by Corine Bailey Rae
4. Superman Tonight by Bon Jovi
5. Misunderstood by Bon Jovi
6. Home by Daughtry
7. Call Me When You Get This by Corine Bailey Rae
8. No Ordinary Love by Chris Botti
9. Committed to the Call by Kim Hill
10. Crashed by Daughtry

What's your first 10?

First 10

2011-08-13T20:48:00.000-07:00

These are the first 10 songs that came up on my ipod today.
1. On Our Side by Chris Tomlin
2. Best Thing by Phil Joel
3. Oh Lord Your Love by Caedmon's Call
4. Desert Rose by Sting
5. So Emotional by Christina Aguilera
6. Pink Elephant by Phil Joel
7. Vehicle by Bo Bice
8. Bounce by Bon Jovi
9. Country Road by James Taylor
10. Powerful by Phil Joel

What's your first 10?

Weather Report

2011-08-10T13:07:00.000-07:00

This is the weather today in Dallas:

I wish today, that I needed one of these:

If that was so I'd be doing this:

And definitely be doing this:

That is all!

My Favorite

2011-08-09T14:09:00.000-07:00

This guy is my favorite. He's a senior. a skateboarder. a drummer. a member of the awesome squad. a smarty pants. a cousin. a good friend. a puppy dog. a good student. a reluctant reader. a grandson. an individual. a guitarist. a travel lover. a Christ follower. a pilot. a kid magnet. a nephew. a comedian. a truck owner. a community volunteer. a snowboarder. an outdoorsman. a son. a big bubba. a composer. a great guy to have around in a crisis. a poet. a cut up. an artist. a gamer. a leader.

First 10

2011-08-06T13:19:00.000-07:00

These are the first 10 songs that came up on my ipod today.
1.Something Takes Over by First Call
2. Fields of Gold by Sting
3. Sexy Back by Justin Timberlake
4. Complicated by Bon Jovi
5. Changed by Phil Joel
6. Crazy by Aerosmith
7. My Stupid Mouth by John Mayer
8. Fire and Rain by James Taylor
9. Only One For Me by Gateway Worship
10. You Are Still Holy by Kim Hill

What's your first 10?

LOOK AT THAT!!!

2011-08-05T13:12:00.000-07:00

"Look at that!!!" That's what you can hear at my sister Jeanne's house when rafters float down the river and see the clothesline!

This is so funny! As you can see the perspective in the photo, the underwear look almost as big as the little camper. THEY ARE !!! They are at least 4x4..that's 4x4 feet wide! One night we were eating dinner on the back porch, and these 2 rafters came down the river and one kept saying to the other one: "get the camera, get the camera, look at that, get the camera!" She never could get the camera in time to take a picture. She did almost capsize her raft trying though.

It's easy to tell people where Jeanne's house is though...you just say, "her house is on the river, you know the one with the giant panties!"

She flies those panties like the queen. You always know she's there if the panties are blowing in the wind.

Patrick

2011-08-02T19:20:00.000-07:00

Meet Patrick. He's a huge stuffed animal that a family gave me with an equally huge box of candy one Valentine's Day. He took up an entire chair in my office for a few weeks, then I decided that he was going to go home with a different child each week, and have fun adventures with them.

He's been out to countless restaurants, the dentist, museums, on vacations all over the place, he's a great cuddler, but one thing that the kids know...Patrick doesn't like water. They take good care of him.

These days, he's looking a little loved on, and not quite as big as he used to be. That's just fine! He's becoming the Velveteen Patrick!

So it was time for me to go on vacation a few weeks ago. I packed Patrick along with all our luggage and gave him the trip of his lifetime! He went to college, to the Air Force Academy and even fell off the side of a mountain on a hiking trip. (Thank you Sam-my brother-for rescuing Patrick!)

NYC

2011-07-07T19:26:00.000-07:00

My son is at NYC (Nazarene Youth Conference) in Louisville, KY this week. He's there with 6500 other kids participating in service projects, f.u.n., workshops and service times. He's having a great time!

I'm so excited for him...I remember my NYC...it was in Oaxtepec, Mexico. Waaayyy back in 1983. I hadn't really taken time to think about NYC in awhile, even though I was helping Landry get ready for much of last week. I was prompted to think about it today though on facebook as NYC alums began posting "which-NYC-did-you-go-to" questions.

My NYC was an international event, so there were kids from all over the world there. I made friends with some kids from Mexico, and one of the guys gave me this bookmark. I hadn't thought about it in a very long time, but went to my bookshelf where I have an old Bible..and found this memento of NYC. The students from Mexico were giving these away. I've kept it all these years. I'm not a pack rat, so I'm surprised!

The boy who gave it to me was trying to learn English, I was trying to learn Spanish, so for years afterwards, we wrote letters back and forth and would translate them. Somewhere along the way, we lost touch.

I have fun memories of NYC like...
...we met a cab driver who would drive us into Mexico City a couple of times to shop. (where were our youth sponsors?)
...you had to time your curling iron time because there were electricity difficulties at the resort where we were staying, so you didn't want it to go out before you were done.
...making friends from all over the world.
...everyone had to bring a transister radio and you could tune to different frequencies to hear the services in different languages.
...it rained a lot, so during a service one night a girl went to sleep while leaning her elbows on her knees and fell forward into the mud under our feet. (a ps to this story is that my freshman year of college, we were in the dorm telling funny stories, and I told the story of this girl...and she was one of the girls in the room! bwhahahahah)
...the last service where they called us out of the tent by district (like Houston district...SEO district, etc) and they'd say, "Southeast Oklahoma-go and make disciples", etc. It was very powerful for me.
...we found the only restaurant on the resort that would serve ice in colas! We hit the jackpot!

I've been praying for my son that his NYC would be life changing like mine was. So thankful that from the tweets and texts...God is working in his life.

10 Yrs of Ministry means 10 Yrs of Memories #10 Christmas Lights

2011-04-21T19:31:00.000-07:00

Now this isn't particularly funny to others, but one of my favorite memories.

We have the G-R-E-A-T-E-S-T Staff at our church and have tons of funny, blessed memories over the time we've been here.

We go to our District Ministers' Christmas Dinner each year, and one particular year we trecked out to East Texas for the evening. It was comical at every turn, and the big finale was our drive-thru Christmas Light trip. We pulled off the highway and were awed and inspired by millions of twinkling lights. It turned out to be pretty cheesy, a little hillbilly and we laughed the whole time. Now each year, someone brings up the Christmas Light drive and we burst into laughter.

My Friend Missy

2011-04-21T10:57:00.000-07:00

I have a dear friend, Missy, who is going through preparations for a liver transplant. Her husband is blogging about their journey, and this post is especially frank, insightful and inspirational all at the same time. I thought I'd post the link here .

10 Yrs of Ministry Means 10 Yrs of Memories #9 Silas Praying

2011-04-20T19:24:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned briefly in the previous post, prayer has been a huge part of what we do in Children's Ministry at our church. One of my favorite stories is of Silas, who at the time was 5 years old. We had passed out hearts to adults in the church on the first Sunday in February and asked them to write a prayer request on them. Then each time we came to church during the month, the children would divide them up and pray for the requests.

Silas needed help reading the adult writing on the prayer hearts, so I had Kaylyn, a teenager sit with him and tell him what to pray. She read the request to him and he'd close his eyes, pray, and then when he was finished he'd let her know. He didn't rush through the prayers, and was very intent on praying over each reqeust. It was so powerful. When he got thorugh his stack of 6 or so prayers, he came to me and got more hearts, went back and sat in Kaylyn's lap once again and together they prayed through the stack of prayer hearts.

Kaylyn had tears in her eyes, and I a huge lump in my throat as we experienced this precious time of prayer with Silas.

10 Yrs of Ministry Means 10 Yrs of Memories #8 Laughing with Kids

2011-04-19T19:12:00.000-07:00

I love laughing with kids. One of my favorite laughter memories is this one: My ministry at DFC has been focused on prayer for the last 2 years. It's been the most rewarding time I've had in ministry.

In the beginning stages, I told the kids my own story of my "new name" and the incredible experience at a prayer conference. I told them he could give them a new name too, and one of the little boys to me really quietly and said, "Ms. Mary, God gave me a new name too." The boy told me about praying and hearing God speak to him. He went on to say, "He gave Conner a new name too." I said, "Really? What is it?" In all seriousness he looked up and said, "Wiggles-like-a-monkey."

It was really funny. We had a laugh together. One of my favorite things is making them laugh, or the kids working to make me laugh. You gain immediate access into their hearts and minds, and draws teacher and student together in the most unique way. It puts you on the same level for an instant. It's just the best!

10 Yrs of Ministry Means 10 Yrs of Memories #7 Hot Air Balloon

2011-04-18T19:11:00.000-07:00

I've had the fun/nerve-wracking/stressful/gratifying job of directing camps for our district children for several years.

One of the fun memories of that first year was the hot air balloon that we had for the kids to go up in.

They LOVED it! I LOVED seeing them smile!

10 Yrs of Ministry Means 10 Yrs of Memories #6 Landry's Baptism

2011-04-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

When Landry was 10 he was Baptized. It was a special time for our family of course. The baptistry in our church is located at the back of the platform with kind of a wall to hide the stairs up to it. I stayed back behind the wall to help him, but ended up with the best view ever. I got a great pic (which is filed somewhere and I can't locate it.) My hubs Keith read Landry's testimony that he prepared, it was just a very special time.

Then, as Landry got out of the baptistry and was preparing to walk back down the stairs, he hit his head on the nail on the cross that was leaning up against the wall. Ouch! Poor little guy! Baptism took on a whole new meaning for a few hours as the pain in his head stung and hurt!

10 Yrs of Ministry Means 10 Yrs of Memories #5 The $80 Pie

2011-04-14T20:21:00.000-07:00

One year at the Youth Auction my son, Landry and I had a tiny miscommunication about when he was supposed to STOP bidding for a pie, and we ended up paying $80 for the pie. It was the best pie I've ever tasted!

But it was for a good cause! And we love coconut cream pie. So I'd say it was a win-win!

10 Yrs of Ministry Means 10 Yrs of Memories #4 Mice in the Shak

2011-04-13T21:27:00.000-07:00

The Youth House at our church is called The Shak. To give you an idea of what it looks like...it's somewhere between this:

and this:

It's a cool house. Not quite as big as in the photo above, and one-story. Over the years much of the work and remodeling and upkeep has been done by the youth themselves. They have a real sense of ownership of the Shak, and if you ask any of them questions about it, they always say, "What happens in the Shak stays in the Shak." It's cool that it's a safe place.

There are little varments in the Shak from time to time though. When the kids graduate out of the children's department and go to the Shak, we have a cool event called, "The Crossing." We've done this for 3 or 4 years now. We actually go to a bridge in town, and the kids cross the bridge with the teens and youth leaders on the other side cheering them on and welcoming them to the youth group. It has become one of my favorite things we do.

Before they cross over, I talk to them, and present them with a cross. So I was in the middle of the serious words of wisdom that would carry one student through adolescence when she interrupts me, and says, 'Ms. Mary, are there really mice in the Shak?" How funny. That's all she was worried about! I had to be honest with her and say, "yes sweetie, there are mice in the Shak." Humbling. Funny. Helped me to remember to not be so full of my words, that I don't see real concerns.

10 Yrs of Ministry Means 10 Yrs of Memories #3 Stuck in the Elevator

2011-04-12T21:17:00.000-07:00

One time our pastor's wife, Monda, got stuck in the elevator. Monda is always very dignified and for some reason on this particular day, the elevator quit working with her inside it. She had to yell until came to help. But I'm sure she yelled in a very dignified manner. But of course!

10 Yrs of Ministry Means 10 Yrs of Memories #2 The White Squirrel

2011-04-11T21:01:00.000-07:00

Our youth pastor at DFC has been there a little longer than we have. I quickly learned that he is always full of fun, and loves to play jokes on people. It wasn't long before I heard him talking about the white squirrel. At first I thought he was making it up, but I saw the white squirrel for myself one day. It lived in the trees out in the yard of the church. It was fun to see it running through the yard every once in awhile.

10 Yrs of Ministry Means 10 Yrs of Memories #1 10K Eggs

2011-04-10T19:50:00.000-07:00

This weekend at our church they are celebrating our 10th Anniversary. I've known about this for awhile even thought it was supposed to be a secret. That's a whole nuther story. (is nuther a word?) Since I've known for awhile, I've had time to think about what 10 years means, and remember some of my favorite memories. (Also, strategically placed questions have been asked by friends for the past few weeks.)

So I thought I'd share 10 ministry memories with you for the next few posts. (Here's to consistent blogging and getting that post count up!)

#1 The Time we had 10,000 Eggs at our Easter Egg Hunt

This was in the first year I was here. We really had 10 THOUSAND eggs at our egg hunt. We kept getting more and more eggs donated, and I went through a few days of having panic attacks of not having enough eggs, and Wal-Mart had their eggs for $.10 a dozen, so I loaded up, so there you have it. I found out the next week that the White House only had 8 thousand eggs at their egg hunt! We got a big kick out of that!

No Bake Cookies

2011-04-05T19:22:00.000-07:00

I made No Bake Cookies tonight. Yum. Haven't had them in f-o-r-e-v-e-r! As I was stirring (and stirring, sigh) the chocolate, I thought about No Bake Cookies and came up with lots of flashes in my memory banks.

My friend's mom made them all the time. I loved going to her house because she had a kitchen center. Ironic that I liked to play in the kitchen as a little girl. Not so much now!

They had these in the school cafeteria when I was in junior high. You could buy 2 in a sandwich bag (you know the wanna-be ziploc bag) for .25 cents. What would Jamie Oliver have thought of my junior high cafeteria? Scary!

In college we made them all the time. We knew just how the chocolate was supposed to look when it was ready. If it doesn't cook long enough, it doesn't get hard.

Sometime after college we quite making these yummy treats. For the past week I've thought about them every day and couldn't resist the craving any longer! So tonight, I stirred and stirred, and watched for that moment when the chocolate changes ever so slightly, and wah-la, the yumminess begins!

Spring Break

2011-03-28T14:14:00.000-07:00

I spent my spring break in San Diego. The men in my house went snowboarding,

but I headed even further west to learn, think and fill my noggin with new stuff for children's pastors.

It was beautiful weather there, so sometimes I must admit, it was hard to go inside as I was walking between the different seminars offered.

Sometimes I just wanted to kick off my shoes and walk through the green, green grass. (It's so GREEN in San Diego already!) But I resisted.

Sometimes a really tall guy would stand outside the room where our general sessions were held holding up this sign. I guess he got tired at this point and thought he'd let the sign speak for itself.

Sometimes I had to stop and take pics of the beautiful flowers that were everywhere on the resort. Look at the color...wowza!

It was a great week of networking, learning and introspection for me. But I must say, I'm glad to be back in the routine of my days.

My Little Girl

2011-02-23T20:08:00.000-08:00

Saturday I sang at the Ladies' Tea at our church. The theme was kind of valentiny even though it was actually after Valentine's Day. So in the spirit of love, I sang a silly little song that my dad sang to me when I was a little girl-before I sang the serious song.

I told the ladies a little about my Dad. He loved music. Driving together, he'd say something like, "Listen to this song I wrote." and off he'd burst into song.

He was a huge jokester, and sometimes I knew that he really didn't "write" the songs he was singing to me, but sometimes he fooled me.

So Saturday, right before the tea began, I stepped to the hallway, called my mom and asked if he actually wrote the song that I was going to sing. She thought it was pretty funny that I was going to sing this song at the tea. She said, "no, honey, he didn't write that one." So I returned to my seat, and 2 seconds later, she called me and said, "but go ahead and tell them he did!" My Dad wasn't the only jokester in the fam!

So here is the little song:
My little girl, she got sleepy,
So she went upstairs to bed.
She laid her glass eye on the mantle,
She placed her peg leg 'neath the bad.
She put her false teeth on the dresser,
and her false hair in the chair.
My little girl, I could love you,
But you're so scattered everywhere!

I love that my Dad loved to laugh, and passed that down to me! I'm proud to be his little girl!

What did we ever do without these fancy phones?

2011-01-13T15:51:00.000-08:00

I love my Smart Phone. I'm pretty much attached to it all the time. I thought I was pretty smart at Christmas time. I was about half way through moving my regular dishes up high and my Christmas dishes down low in the cabinet when the thought hit me...I'm never going to remember where all these things were.

See that was/is a really big deal for me because I agonized with just the perfect way to organize my dishes because, ahem, I have ~~too many~~ a few more than I probably need; so to make them all fit takes skill!

I snapped this pic before I moved another thing...so I would remember where everything was after Christmas when the big put up (Christmas dishes) put down (regular dishes) had to happen. And then you know what? That sweet guy that I'm married to, I'm just going to have to start calling him Mr. Wonderful, executed the big put up/put down for me, and remembered where everything went on his own!

I did pull out my snappy photo to show him though! Didn't want it to go to waste!

What to do...what to do?

2011-01-11T22:00:00.000-08:00

I came to my office at church today. and THIS is sitting on my desk. From Christmas Eve. Sigh. What to do...what to do?

It's on my desk because I gave these away to the kids during my Children's Sermon at the Christmas Eve service. I don't know WHAT to do with them. My first instinct is to chunk them!

or...I could take them to the grocery store and drop them in people's purses when they're not looking.

or...I could put them in a drawer in the Youth Pastor's desk.

or...I could put them in an envelope and mail to my sister. (I say that because once she cleaned out her desk at work and put all the stray paper clips, lint, etc in an envelope and mailed it to our other sister...hahahaha!!!)

or...I could "bedazzle" the top of our Office Manager's phone handle.

or...I could give them to our Pastor's wife to use as shoe jewelry.

There's a story here....she was in a walking boot for awhile, so I gave her some bling for it! Pretty cute!

or...I could take them to the game room and let the kids use them as checkers, or any playing pieces. That's a great idea actually! They are always losing game pieces!

Got anymore ideas for me? Do you want them? Send me your address and I'll put them in an envelope and mail them to you.

Cookies and a Sneak and the Fitter-right Inner

2010-11-08T14:23:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite platter right now. In the theme of fall, and the love I have for it, it's a fitter-right-inner. (That's a real word.)

So I made yummy chocolate chip cookies for the youth auction last night and presented them on my leaf plate. that I love. that screams FALL!

...and here's the sneaky snake in my house who tried to eat the cookies off my beautiful leaf plate before they even got to the youth auction. But I couldn't get too angry with him, he makes me laugh too much!

You know, I just love fall!

2010-11-05T11:38:00.000-07:00

I have decided that fall is my favorite time of year. I may have said this before. I may have written this before. I've found myself saying this over and over to whomever will listen this fall season. So pardon my repetitiveness if you have been on the receiving end of my, "you know, I just love fall" spiel.

I love the leaves, the graceful way they fall to the ground and when you pile them up they transform into kid magnets! Who doesn't love to dive into a pile of leaves?
I love the pumpkins, so many shapes and sizes and their colors...ya gotta be strong to sport orange!
I love the smells, cider on the stove, sweet potato pie in the oven...
I love the sounds, crunching leaves and acorns and twigs as you take a walk.
I love the preparations you make because fall signals that winter is just around the corner. There's getting the fireplace ready, and freshening the sweaters, and opening the trunk with the heavy quilts, and finding the soup recipes and dreaming of the cozy nights with all the family under the same roof together.
I love how the mornings are crisp, and the days are shorter; we spend more time at home during fall.
I love football games with hot chocolate and looking at the cheerleaders and being thankful I get to wear more clothes than they do!

Since I'm in Texas, most of our pretty colors we see only in books, but that's ok. Because for a few weeks, we get to experience the great weather, the here-and-there bursts of color, there's nothing like fall.

Thanks God...You know, I just love fall!

Poor Squirrel

2010-10-26T12:03:00.000-07:00

I've been at home today waiting on the repairmen to fix our internet/tv/link to the outside world. We had a storm in our area on Saturday that decided to visit our front door. Well, not exactly the front door, but we sustained some damage from a lightning strike. It was quite an experience, and I have a whole new respect for lightning and it's power. We can get the sprinkler system replaced, get new wiring and equipment for the electronics...but the sad little squirrel in the pic suffered the most.

Notice the acorn still in his mouth. He really gave his all for a good meal! I'm sure there are life lessons or sermon illustrations that could be gleaned from this experience and visual...but I gotta go! We have internet access for the first time in 3 days! Woohoo!

The Mommy Heart

2010-09-07T19:58:00.000-07:00

This is Landry. He's 16. He loves to laugh. He loves to play guitar and drums. He loves (ok...adores) his Dad. He loves to skate. He's got the whole skater look going for him.

Until...he decided he wanted to get his hair cut off. He said he was sick of it being long. So he asked if it was ok if he got it cut. Short. I wasn't sure what that meant exactly,

Until...he sent this pic from the salon. WOWZA! He wasn't kidding! He said it feels way lighter, and that now he has peripheral vision (did I spell that right?).

When you become a mom, i think you grow a special place inside which houses your "mommy heart." It's a curious thing, this mommy heart. And something as simple as a hair cut can bring the widest range of feelings to it!

I just want to look at him a bunch right now because he looks so different, and every once in a while I get a brief glimpse of the little boy he was.

That little boy is the one who made me promise that when he went to college I would go with him.

That little boy would pose for pictures at the drop of a hat.

That little boy loved me to sing Chababba, Chababba to him every night.

Until....he got too big for those things.

Sometimes I can see the little boy Landry at the same time as I see the 16 year old Landry. Then when I see him with a look like this

I can catch a glimpse of the man he will become, and there's a little tug in my mommy heart as I realize how close he is to being out my door and creating his own adventure.

So until that day, we try to live every minute we can with him!

Until that day, we stay involved in his life as much as he needs us to.

Until that day, we will have all the kids at our house.

Until that day, we will buy lots of pizza for them to eat.

Until that day, we will push equipment on the band trips.

Until that day, we will stay out until 2:00am (like we did last night) with him!

So mommies, enjoy the moments that become minutes that become memories and listen to your mommy heart, just like Jesus' mother did!

"But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." (luke 2:19)

Summer's Gone!

2010-08-31T12:30:00.000-07:00

I remember way back when..about a year ago when I started this blog that I wrote the obligatory post most people write to introduce themselves, saying how they've never done this before, yada yada yada...and then at some point they seem to fall off the wagon. So here I find myself resisting the temptation to write a "Blogger Guilt" post. So I'm not gonna take your time telling you about crashing after VBS, or desperately trying to get my son back to school in good fashion, or complain about how busy the days have been (you're welcome), you get that, right?

But summer's gone! Can't believe it! However, this is my favorite time of year. The anticipation of the 3 weeks of fall we get in Texas is almost as good as the 3 weeks of fall we get in Texas! I can't wait for the autumn colors to begin popping up everywhere, and the soups and chili, and snuggly blankets at night! I'm trying to rush it I guess because the other night I wanted to make Frito Pie for a quick meal and both my hubs and son said, "NO!!! It's too hot!" So I'll wait until it's in at least the 80's at night before I try again...teehee.

VBS...Is it Really Over?

2010-07-26T20:21:00.000-07:00

VBS was last week. It was a great time with lots of work, lots of craziness and lots of fun. Here are some of my favorite pics.

Aren't they the cutest kids ever?

Cotton Ball Moments

2010-07-22T22:07:00.000-07:00

A friend has been working in VBS at her church this week. It's been a fun, exhausting week for her with 3, 4 and 5 year olds. I've loved getting daily updates about how much fun she's been having; she's creative and relaxed and is enjoying her time with these little ones.

I was reminded anew of how busy our lives are as she told me about a special time she had with a little girl and a cotton ball. At some point in the evening, she touched the cotton ball to the little girl's face, and the sweet child stopped and remarked, "Oh that is so soft on my face!" She spent a few moments with the little girl, speaking softly, giving generously and loving selflessly. This may have been the only time in the whole day that this child had someone slow down and give her their full attention. What a special moment she got to share!

It didn't last very long, before she knew it, something or someone called her attention away; the little ones were ready for the next activity, the night was complete and she was relaying this story to me in the middle of a stressful day at work. Busy-ness, deadlines and demands ruled the day and drove the mood.

And she said just to me: "It makes me appreciate those cotton ball moments!" I've thought about this over and over since then. I want to make sure I'm stopping for cotton ball moments with those I love, those at work, those to whom I minister.

Days get busy, people get cranky, situations get all messed up. But with a soft, sensitive heart, a slow down and a good listen, we can all appreciate the cotton ball moments that come our way.

I Crashed the Men's Breakfast at Church!

2010-07-17T15:43:00.000-07:00

Though it was with an official invitation...I did crash the Men's Breakfast today. Keith, the hubs, prepares breakfast with a crew at church. Today, no one else could make it to help, so I told him I would help if he needed me. Sure enough, about an hour into his solo prep effort, I got the call! I felt like the pinch hitter called to save the game! I felt like I was entering a sacred space, as I broke through the barrier of NO GIRLS ALLOWED, and helped him out.

See those eggs? That was my effort! They were amazing!

They were nice to me, they ate the eggs...but they didn't teach me the secret handshake! :(

Summer Camp

2010-07-02T12:45:00.000-07:00

I've been home a week from camp, but haven't gotten a chance to tell you about it yet. You know the running through the first few days, trying to find your routine and tripping over the remains of your trip on the floor and the catching up and reprioritizing and laundry, and man...I'm tired all over again just typing it out!

Camp was great! It always is. With hours of planning, preparation, praying...camp happens. The kids come bounding out of vans and buses and SUV's with their neatly packed suitcases and their fists full of crumpled dollars to spend at the souvenir shop/snack shack. They drag their sleeping bags and pillows through the dirt to put them on their little bunk beds and get settled in. Their eyes are twinkly and their steps are bouncy and their voices are loud as they pick out the perfect sleep spot, check out the bathrooms and ask when they can go swimming!

The counselors and helpers arrive fresh with makeup and new tennis shoes and their clothes are ironed and their pockets filled with patience. On the last day...not so much! (ha) And everyone takes their spot, and the chow bell rings and the first day begins.

I remember being just where those campers were last week. Enthusiastic about being independent for a week, meeting new friends, seeing old friends once again and enjoying the camp experience all the way down to my toes. I remember one camp where it was by the Bay and the bunks were attached to poles with chains to hold them steady. I felt like I was on a submarine. There wasn't always air conditioning in our cabins, and I remember being sticky and hot at night and trying to stay up all night talking to my friend. I remember one counselor who always wanted to look perfect (ha) and I would always mess up her hair right after she sprayed it. I bet she was glad to see me go home at the end of camp!

But enough about me! Camp was great! New friends were made, everyone survived, and of course, the suitcases were lighter on the trip home, because of all the unclaimed towels and underwear left behind.

Not Only's

2010-06-17T14:44:00.000-07:00

Have you ever felt like a deer in the headlights? You know what you should be doing, but just can't seem to get there? That's how I'm feeling this week. You see, I committed a few months ago to devote a portion of next week to a writing project that I have. I am just days away from it, and instead of feeling excited, or exhilirated, or elated, or energized (enough with the 'e' words)...this is me.

I'm at that place where I need God as he was in Isaiah 41. Not the part of the warrior fighting the enemies, but in verse 10, "Do not fear for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely. I will help you, surely. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

I love how the writer emphasizes the words of God with "surely." To me they mean, "did you get that?" And then he goes a step further and says, not only am I going to strengthen you, not only am I going to help you, but then...I'm going to hold you up in my very own righteous hand!

God likes to amaze us with his "not only's".

Not only am I going to deliver my people from slavery, but I'm going to split the sea in half to ease their departure!

Not only am I going to get my prophet's attention, but he's going to live to tell the story of life inside the belly of a whale!

Not only am I going to send my son to the earth to show you how to live, but when he dies, he will arise triumphant in 3 days!

So he's saying to me, from Isaiah 41:10, "Mary, not only amd I going to strengthen you, not only am I going to help you, but I will give you rest in my own righteous hand!"

Five Random Pics #3

2010-05-25T20:08:00.000-07:00

I live in Texas and LOVE it! My family and I were having lunch in Subway one Saturday and some riders on horses came up and rode their horses right onto the sidewalk. I took the pic from inside the restaurant. Only in Texas!

When you help the Children's Pastor (me) set up for events, you get to test out all the equipment!

Driving home from work one day I saw this street vendor selling cotton candy. In 30 degree weather.

My great-nephew. Is this not the cutest kid ever?

This pic is so sweet. I love the little boy wearing the man's hat. The bowed head of the man showing his love for this boy. This is my brother and his grand son.

This Was a Happy Day

2010-05-20T20:37:00.000-07:00

This was a happy day because:
1. I got to see my son receive an award at the awards assembly.
2. The choir at his school sang a gospel song called "Anchored in the Lord". I can't get the lyrics out of my head. "I'm anchored in the Lord. Do you love him? Do you trust him? Do you praise him? Do you serve him?" Cool huh? But you'll think it's even cooler when you realize that he goes to a public school!
3. I took a turn sitting at the front desk for the receptionist and she had miniature reese cups in her candy stash. (it doesn't take much to make me happy)
4. My son was able to find everything he needed for the banquet this Saturday. And I got it on sale! That stress is over!
5. I made it to the office today before the hail started!

Five Random Pics #2

2010-05-18T17:00:00.000-07:00

Here we go again...ready?

Two sweet little girls. Wonder what they are talking about. So glad that our church is a safe place for kids and lifelong friendships are formed.

Our Pastor's wife, Monda, has had a boot on for several weeks. One Wednesday night, I decided she needed some bling!

Taken at Thanksgiving, the road beside the lake house where we spend the holiday with my family each year. This is an amazing picture my son took.

Me and My hubs. He makes me laugh.

Hot air balloon at church camp.

Ok...show me your randomness. Post 5 of your own pics!

Today: My Life in Pictures

2010-05-18T13:03:00.000-07:00

This is where I am.

(I'm working on VBS)

This is where I wish I was.

This is how I feel about it.

Sigh

This is why I Love Being a Children's Pastor #5 Their Faith is Huge

2010-05-17T19:45:00.000-07:00

When I say, "sometimes I learn more from the kids than they learn from me", that's for real! I've heard Sunday School teachers say that for many years, and to be honest, I may have uttered an internal "whatever" before, but I gotta say, it's as true as the sky is blue!

I love this picture of my great-nephew. He is ready. He is standing firm. And he is expecting big things to happen!

That's how it is with kids and their faith! We tell them about an all-powerful God...a three-in-one kind of God! They can have a relationship with him, and read about the over-the-top miracles that are in the Bible...and yet sometimes when it gets right down to it, their faith is bigger than ours.

I've seen this over and over praying with kids at church. I ask them to pray about something, they do, and they believe that their prayers are going to be answered...as true as the sky is blue.

So this is what I've learned.

Bring my petitions to God in prayer.

Pray in faith BELIEVING.

Leave them there.

I'm not big enough to answer them anyway.

I do believe, Lord, help my unbelief. Mark 9:24

A Fun Summer Afternoon

2010-05-16T20:57:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, I had some time all by myself. I took my son to a skate park with his friend, and I took some work to do. I knew there was a pretty little park across the street where I could work. I made sure the boys were in the skate park and then walked across the street, and sat down. As I was walking, I was thinking...It might be hard to concentrate on work, because everything was so green, beautiful, and there were happy families playing together. But I was determined. I got all my work spread out, got comfortable in my picnic table seat and looked up...

How are you supposed to work with that view? It was beautiful! I couldn't concentrate so I turned a little to get a NEW view. Maybe that would help! Maybe not.

Oh no! I came here to work! Another beautiful view, and very shortly, a mom and her adorable little girl with ringlets and a party dress on came to take pictures on the bridge.

Then I noticed the background...see that rail car? I had to get a closer look!

I've always wanted a rail car to have a classroom in at church! That would be so cool! (um...as you can see, after the little girl and her mother came to the bridge, I'd had enough work and packed it all up, to walk around and enjoy this beautiful park.)

There were some guys dressed up like knights or some such period costumes that were jousting , but I didn't take a picture of them because they were armed with styrofoam swords and who wants to be charged by an angry knight with a styrofoam sword?

The next thing that caught my attention was this:

It looked so charming and inviting, and I wasn't disappointed.

and...

but THIS made me smile!!

It was one of those old fashioned coolers! When I was little, and we would go visit relatives in a small Oklahoma town, there was an old country store with wooden floors and a screen door at the end of the road where my uncle's house was. One of the coolest things about going to that store was that you could go in and get a drink and you didn't need money! Everyone knew everyone, and you could just tell them who you were, and at the end of the month, they would send my uncle a statement. He bought me lots of Fanta Orange Sodas without even knowing it!

I sure did enjoy my day, and the work got done later Saturday night!

Sunday School & Memphis

2010-05-16T19:14:00.000-07:00

Gotta tell you a funny. Today in Sunday School one of the teachers was talking with her kids and the conversation turned to a family who is moving to Memphis in the next few weeks. She asked them to guess the most famous person who was from Memphis.

They couldn't figure it out, and finally a little girl guessed. Are you ready for this?

Miley Cyrus' father!

Haha! I love kids!

You May Not Know This About Me...

2010-05-14T21:08:00.000-07:00

but I LOVE the circus! Seriously. I don't know why, can't remember when it started, but I love the circus! It was always so fun every year when the circus came to town.

So we were driving home from dinner tonight and passed the arena and I saw a sign like this on the marquee:

Immediately I let out a big "woohoo" because advertising has already begun for the summer run of the circus. But my excitement was not shared by my family.

They do not love the circus.

They do not love going to see the animals unloading from the train and led through town.

They do not love watching the elephants get washed.

They do not love the flying trapeze,

the car with 15 thousand clowns,

eating cotton candy

or my favorite part...

The Ringmaster! Or more specifically, when the Ringmaster says these famous words as the evening begins:

"Ladies and gentlemen,

boys and girls,

children of all ages,

welcome to the greatest show on earth."

and the words that some people miss at the end because they leave too early:

"...and may all your days be circus days."

Corny, I know...but I love it!

Maybe I love it because there's something for everyone: wild animals, silly clowns, displays of bravery and athleticism, junk food.

Maybe because of the mystery that surrounds circus people. I mean really, who would choose a life like theirs? It seems to be a family business though.

Maybe I love it because you see people (you know, children of all ages) laughing, clapping, smiling and having fun together!

That must be it, the children of all ages part. After all, that's what scripture directs us to do...to come to the father as a child, no matter what our age. I love the word picture here...of coming to God in the most simple way we know...as a child. Takes the pressure off! I'm thankful for that!

So, I'll just keep enjoying the circus (sans my family), treasuring the memories of my own childhood, and making all my day circus days! (Cause my life is so crazy it really is a circus!)

Five Random Pics #1

2010-05-11T19:44:00.000-07:00

I love looking at pictures, so in that spirit, I thought I'd post 5 random pics from my phone. They don't go together at all, but I like them and thought I'd share with you! I'd like to see the randomness of your life! I hope you'll post 5 of your own.

Andre is one of the teachers on Wednesday nights at my church. He and his wife Michele are so creative and LOVE kids so much! I always want to peek into their classroom to see what fun things they are doing with their kids!

Remember skating on Friday nights? All-skate, frito pie right out of the bag of fritos and trying to go to the bathroom with skates on? We had a skating party at this old school skating rink, it was so fun.

Michele and Missy at the rental car place at the airport in Nashville. I love these silly girls!

The youth group had a garage sale, and Tyler and I decided we'd take silly pictures. She'll do anything!

I love back pictures! This is Landry and his friend Nic.

Ok-so there's my 5, post 5 of your own!

The Mom with the Drummer Boy

2010-05-04T18:42:00.000-07:00

You know, I've said that I always thought it would fun to be a groupie & run away with a band, but I was thinking Bon Jovi or Aerosmith! Not the marching band! Life's funny like that!

All the band parents ~~have to~~ get to help the band set up before the halftime show. It's funny what they ask you to do. Landry's freshman year, my job during the show was to stand on the cord that connected the sound system to the outlet in the wall of the stadium. Seriously. That was a job! Until I got replaced by a generator. Sigh. So then they found other things for me to do.

So here's me... I'm just the band mom, with the drummer boy.
I'm the prop mover, he's breaking his sticks.
I'm the gong pusher, he's keeping the beat.
I'm the uniform inspector, he's looking cool on the drumline.

I love it! (and in case you're wondering, in the picture above...they have to hold the strap of their hat in their mouths so that if their hat falls off their head during the show when they're moving around, it won't fall into the drum head.)

I'm Glad I'm a Mother

2010-05-03T18:44:00.000-07:00

My son, Landry, is 15. He's the coolest kid I know. I've loved every age he's been. Now we're at the age of him not wanting us to embarrass him. So sometimes I like to play with him and tell him that I'm going to burst out into song in front of his friends, or wear a t-shirt with his picture on it to the football game, or tell stories of him a a baby.

I love to be silly with him and try to make him laugh, and remind him that God thought that I was the best mother for him! He matched us up, and I am the best that God could do! He rolls his eyes and says, "thanks, a lot." He has fun with me right back!

So this week I want to post some of my favorite pics of the little guy that made me a mother.

In this pic he's saying, "I'll be your bu-ud." Which he would say to me when he wanted me to do something.

What a Kick!

2010-05-03T14:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday in children's church we had a first! We got to skype with Jenny, our missionary friend who is currently in Thailand! It was a 12 hr difference, so at 10:30a in Dallas, we logged on and were connected to her in Thailand at 10:30p. (She's a young-un so it wasn't late for her!)

It was awesome! The kids asked great questions, she kept their attention with details about her life there, and then at the end, she was very transparent and let them know how we can support her through prayer.

The best part for me was using technology in the church for good! I get so weary of hearing all the bad things that happen/can happen on the internet. It's just like Satan to take something and try to put fear in people where they won't use tools around us for the glory of the Lord! (Now, don't get me wrong, I know that the dangers on the internet are real!)

So yesterday, we got to redeem the technology that we so enjoy today! For God's glory! For his purpose! And when we do that, we need to tell others about it! What a kick it is to get to give "what for" to the enemy!

Here's the link if you want to watch a little!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BP5bW1otS0

Mother's Day Flowers

2010-05-02T15:55:00.000-07:00

The Mother's Day luncheon yesterday was completely fun! Here are some pics of the tables! They are all so different and creative!

You know they say "it's all in the details", and our table hostesses did a great job of making sure all the details were over the top!

So here's mine. I kind of took ideas from all those that I'd found and posted before and made up something. I put a big vase in the center with a hydrangea, and then little vases all around with different flowers all in pinks.

Flowers are so beautiful! Our Father in heaven created so many different ones for us to enjoy! Imagine the beauty we'll see in heaven if this is what he did for us on earth!

I Can't Make Up My Mind!

2010-04-29T19:13:00.000-07:00

Ok so I've changed my mind. I'm not gonna do the humongo hydrangea thing. I've been scouring pics of floral arrangements and all I know is I can't make uip my mind! Look at these cool pics though!

That's a bunch of inspiration! Aren't they great? Now they AREN'T ones I created...Just found them to kind of get some ideas. Oh and my sister-in-law who's very creative told me about another arrangement in these really tall vases that tower over the table, but allow people to see each other across the table? Have you seen those? They are awesome!

Tomorrow's the day I go flower shopping and then I'll get it all put together tomorrow night. Gonna be a late night!

Time to Make the Flowers

2010-04-26T20:09:00.000-07:00

Next Saturday is the Celebration of Mothers luncheon at our church. My friend Monda asked me to make the centerpiece for the table she's decorating. Each table hostess is responsible for decorating their tables. There are some really creative and elaborate tables each year. Part of the fun is walking around and looking at them!

My style is pretty simple, so Monda is up a creek in the elaborate department! But I enjoy flexing these muscles from time to time!

Here are the centerpieces I made for Monda's tables last year. I love the way this vase filled with tulips (I used 8 dozen) is big enough for you to get the sense of their natural curves.

I love this one because of the colors and textures, but I also love this container! It's actually a silver pedestal urn and I took off the base. I love the scallops on the rim. So girly! Another thing that I love about floral trending right now is - anything goes! When my Mom was working as a florist, arrangements were more symmetrical, and they always intimidated me. Now, you can bunch the flowers "every which way", and call it good!

Monda doesn't really give me much direction when I do flowers for her. I told her that I've been wanting to experiment with a humongo arrangement of hydrangeas. So...if you've seen something, let me know where!

What Does Butter Have To Do With Easter?

2010-04-06T12:57:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was Easter, and as we were preparing for the Easter celebration, I made my favorite cake: Strawberry (!!! I have to put exclamation points because I love it so much!). I haven't spent much time baking over the years partly because it's not my favorite thing to do, partly because we just don't need the sweets around the house.

The consequence of this is that I'm not very good at making icing. So I followed the directions that were given in the cookbook, but the icing just wouldn't harden enough to actually stay on the cake! Ugh...I almost gave up, but my sweet mother-in-law who was visiting, went over the steps with me to find out what I'd done, and I learned two very important things.
And don't laugh at me.
ok you can laugh.
1. You have to use REAL butter in icing.
2. You don't melt the butter before you mix the icing.

See...I just didn't know. The cookbook didn't tell me these things, assuming that I knew. Since then I 've learned that those 2 things are pretty basic-common knowledge-everyone knows, you silly facts about making icing.

But I just didn't know.
I just didn't know the basics.

So what does butter have to do with Easter? Think about the people who only come to church on Easter and Christmas. Do they know the basics? We see them two times a year. They may come to make grandma happy or because that's been their family tradition. But as strange as it may seem, we can be assured that among these people, some of them are just like me...they just don't know the basics.

That Jesus is the Son of God.
That He was the promise foretold in the scriptures.
That He died for each one of us. For our sins, and the sins of all generations to come.
That we can live with him someday.
And it's so easy...believe that He is the Son of God, tell him we're sorry for our sins, and ask Him to come into our heart.

I'm glad that I had this experience with butter this Easter. Because it helps me to remember that just like me there are those who may walk into my church doors on Easter or Christmas, or maybe a Sunday in May, or maybe a MOPS meeting on Fridays, or maybe at the ballpark and not even at the church...that don't know the basics. So I have to be ready to share what I know...it's good news this story of Jesus! Because of Jesus my life is different, my communion with God is personal and my eternity is secure.

Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice for me.

And in case you're wondering...I can make a great icing now!

This is why I Love Being a Children's Pastor #4 Twinkly Eyes and Toothy Grins

2010-03-28T19:45:00.000-07:00

I love it when kids are having fun at God's house! I love the sound of their giggles, their eyes bursting with happiness and smiling so big it makes your cheeks hurt! Let me show you what I mean!

Those are some cute kids huh? These are pics from our Easter Egg Hunt today. They walked in the door with so much energy and asked their teachers 3000 times when was it going to be time for the Egg Hunt. They apparently all were stricken with a serious malady in the night, losing their short term memory because after the 3000 times they asked their teachers...they asked me 3000 more times!

But neither I nor the teachers minded a bit! You see, along with filling those baskets with candy and their tummies with hot dogs today, we got to fill them with the amazing story of Jesus preparing himself and his friends for a trip to the cross that would change their lives forever!

Here's a quick review: because Jesus gave his life for us we have direct access to the Father! We don't have to go through a priest to talk to Him! (Big round eyes and oohs were heard around the room as I reminded them of that curtain thing in the Easter story...you know where the curtain was torn, symbolizing that every believer has access to the throne room of the most high God.)

Because Jesus gave his life for us we don't have to bring a farm animal with us to church to present as a sacrifice! (Twinkly eyes and uncontrollable giggles were heard as I told them how glad I was that I didn't have to bring a goat to church, cause they are just too smelly!)

So in the middle of the 3000 questions, I got the privilege of telling the kids these things. It was so cool! All this excitement before the hot dogs and Easter Eggs! Woo Hoo! Hoorah!

Come to think of it, I don't know if I really got this as a little kid! That Jesus dying on the cross affected how religion and church was conducted. He was thinking of me, through all of the suffering, the questioning, the humiliation that he endured; he did it all because he loved me, he died for me and for you! And our lives are different because of it!

You know what? That puts a twinkle in my eye and a grin on my face!

I Know...I'm Weird

2010-03-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

I really love bookstores. I loved bookstores before it involved the must-have cup of coffee to carry around while you browse. Here's what I like:
1. that all the pages don't feel the same
2. that they come in different sizes
3. that some books have pictures
4. that some books do not have pictures
5. the journey each one represents to a reader
6. the smell of a leather bound book...(don't even get me started about how great a new Bible smells!)
(I'm sure there are a few more, but that's enough).

Now to the weird part: you know what I don't like about bookstores?
1. that I can never. without a doubt. even-though-I-might-have-the-best-intentions. read all the books that are in the bookstore.

This is not a new issue for me. When I was in the 6th grade I thought I would read all the books in my school library. I got all the way through the A's, and realized that I just couldn't do it!

Being a cosmopolitan woman of 2010 I don't present a problem without presenting a solution...my solution is: they could stop the publishing of all books for a certain amount of time so that I could catch up.

But I know they won't do that. So a trip to the bookstore means my tummy gets this tiny, tiny, kind of fuzzy feeling of defeat, and I have to make myself stop thinking about it.

Because I can't. ever. without a doubt. even-though-I-might-have-the-best-intentions. read all the books.
I know...I'm weird. (sigh)

The Egg Plate

2010-03-17T20:45:00.000-07:00

It's always fun for me to hear stories of families; their things, their traditions, their why's and the who's that connect them for always.

The Egg Plate is one of those "things" from my husband Keith's family. When you go to his Mom's house, you can be assured of wonderful southern hospitality, which includes a big, country breakfast. Her eggs are always served on the same plate, The Egg Plate, and I've never seen her serve anything else but eggs on that plate. Funny how the Egg Plate thing was passed down from mother to daughter, and Keith's Mom has one now too.

Keith's Grandmother died a few years ago, and I was privileged to receive HER Egg Plate. Since then, when I make eggs for my family, I always use it. Every time I pull it out of the cabinet to serve eggs, I think of the unspoken tradition, and the way this plate represents a little piece of "sameness" in the midst of our ever-changing world.

There are other items that are in my shelves of course, that represent the past. I'm so glad for the stories that they carry, the people they represent, and the memories they help keep alive.

Birthday Cake #2

2010-02-28T18:48:00.000-08:00

Yep, that's right...this is birthday cake #2. The lovely cake pictured in the previous post was a big suprise to bite into. It seems the pastry chefs at my house had forgotten a key ingredient, and although it was a beautiful creation, it wasn't the tastiest! They left the water out of the cake. (It was the first cake Keith had ever made. I think Landry had made a cake before one time with his Mommy Gran when she was visiting.)

I got a big surprise this morning. Would you believe that those sweet men in my house stayed up until midnight and made me a new cake! I was so tired after the ladies retreat I'd been to and after the celebrating that we did, so I went to bed early. When I woke up today Keith said, "I've got something to show you, wait right here." And he came back with this beautiful 2nd cake! He was so annoyed that it hadn't turned out well and he was determined to get it right, so they stayed up late and took a do-over.

It was yummy, and you can see, there's not a lot of it left. I'm so blessed to be the benificiary of their thoughtfulness X 2!

Happy Birthday Me!

2010-02-27T18:08:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Me! That's right...it's that time of year...when I get to celebrate me, and better than that, those around me do too! Ok, before you click off because you think I'm arrogant and loathesome (don't use that word a lot!), let me tell you that it's hard being a birthday girl! Even though I have to be in front of people lots of the time, to have all the attention focused on me, and have people sing to me and applaud my ability to put out fire (at my age there's lots of "fire" on my cakes!), all makes me a little uncomfortable!

It's been a great birthday though! I've celebrated for several days actually; lunch with friends from work, cupcakes at the ladies retreat I went to, funny cards, sweet cards, make-my-eyes-water-cards, original compositions and artwork from my siblings, sigh...I do feel duly celebrated and loved!

And then there's this birthday cake! It's from my hubs and son! They made it and iced it themselves! It's my favorite...strawberry! This is one of the sweetest tihngs they've done for me! I LOVE it! I love that they shopped for the ingredients (I mean a cake mix), that they got out the actual mixer and made sure there would be no lumps, that they bought a special icing thingy to ice it, and that they put it on a beautiful plate because presentation is so important! I love that my husband made time to do this with my son while I was gone; and laughed with him, and worked together to get it right, all the while modeling a sweet gesture of love! That rocks!

I could write more, but I gotta go get me a piece of that cake!

Olympic Sized Prayers

2010-02-16T14:21:00.000-08:00

If you're like me, you're really enjoying the olympics! What is it about seeing those athletes and hearing their stories and watching them compete that is so captivating? For me, I love watching their eyes as they stand on the podium listening to their national anthem; seeing the hugs between strangers from different countries (don't you know the Father smiles at that?), and getting that lump in my throat as the cameras pan to parents who've no doubt sacrificed to get them there!

So I was thinking about how I can be part of the Olympics...now if you know me at all, you know I'm so not coordinated so that would be funny in itself...me being part of the Olympics, but I thought I could be a part of this special time by praying for them! Maybe you'd like to join me. As you watch the games, and see the stories about them, ask God to show you how you can pray for these young athletes, their families and home situations, and the countries that they will return to in just a few days!

Who knows what our Olympic Sized Prayers can do!

Snow!!!

2010-02-11T19:50:00.000-08:00

We really got a bunch of snow today in Dallas! 7-8 inches...just can't believe it! My sweet hubs went outside to warm my car up, except he got distracted making a snowman to ride on top of the car. Um...so sweet/funny/creative...but I didn't WANT a snowman riding on the top of my car. As it turns out, neither did my son want to be driven to school with a snoman on top of the car. So what does the hubs do? He gets it off by throwing snowballs at it as we were driving away. Needless to say, I left for work today smiling.

This is why I Love Being a Children's Pastor #3 Kids are Real

2010-02-02T13:14:00.000-08:00

Sunday in Children's Worship the theme was finishing well. I read out of 2 Corinthians the littany of hardships, sacrifices, personal offronts, etc. that Paul went through in the name of Jesus. It is an amazing review if you are tempted to grumble about your situation!

I talked to the kids about finishing what you start, and to have a little fun with them, during the worship songs, we didn't finish any of them. I let the kids choose which songs they wanted to sing, so of course we sang their favorites...and then they didn't get to finish them. Ha!!

A little guy in the back raised his hand and this was the conversation that we had:
He: Ms. Mary, I'm not gonna ask Jesus into my heart!
Me: Really? Well you really should, you're missing out!
He: Nope, I don't want to! Not now!
Me: Ok, that's fine.
He: I'm gonna do it when I retire.

It was really cute, he's in kindergarten.
After church I thought about it and at first, I thought that it was a bad thing, and that maybe I handled it poorly. I began the self-chastisement that comes so quickly when I make a mistake, but then I stopped.

I thought of all the adults that I have come across-across the years, who question their decision to follow Christ. They aren't sure of when it happened, or wonder that they were so young, did it really happen? They end up struggling, in many cases, and live a frustrated and paralyzed life with Christ.

I'm so glad I didn't try to talk this little guy into making a decision for Christ when he's clearly not ready!
I'm sure going to pray that God will use me or other appropriate adults in his life to answer questions, and guide him to the cross and that he will ask Jesus into his heart when the time is right.
I'm so glad that I had the presence of mind, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in my words and my facial expressions, and my body language...to just accept his answer...for now!

So back to the title of this post. I love it that kids are real.
I love it that when they trust you and the environment, they can be honest, and just say what they think.

It puts a whole new spin on that whole "iron sharpens iron" thing, now, doesn't it?

Tea Time

2010-01-23T15:58:00.000-08:00

Today was our annual Tea at my church. This was the 10th Annual Tea that we've had. Everyone brings a teacup to exchange, and after we munch on the yummies, we are put together in pairs and you give your cup to your prayer partner and they to you. The Tea Committee knows how to do an authentic English Tea, and it is always beautiful, tasty and above all else, fun!

You will notice the diet coke at my place setting. I had quite a selection of beverages today. On my way out the door at 10:40 I remembered I hadn't had a diet coke yet, grabbed it and didn't quite finish before I got to the Tea. It was funny how many people came up to me afterwards and told me they wish they would have thought of that!

This is why I love being a Children's Pastor #2 Kids are Kids!

2010-01-15T14:03:00.001-08:00

I had a really cool lunch today. I was invited to be in a focus group by a publisher of Children's Curriculum to review new product and provide feedback. I didn't know what to expect, but had a great time talking with other Children's Pastors from around Dallas, there were about 15 of us there.

It was cool because of all the different faith traditions represented. Let's see, at my table, we had a Catholic, a Presbyterian, a Baptist, a Non-Denominational, and me (I'm a Nazarene). So you know what I "learned"? Not that this was new information to me (and it surely won't be for you), but it was an up-close-and-personal reminder...that no matter what our choice in churches, kids are kids!

They just want to feel important,
they love being around their friends,
older kids are a challenge to keep engaged,
and younger kids have lots of energy!

And the people that love to minister to them are the same, no matter where they attend church! They want kids to know know know that Jesus loves them,
that he came to die for them,
that he has a plan for their lives,
and that he wants them to live with him forever in heaven.

I think the Father was smiling on that little group of Children's Pastors today, because our differences were put aside, and we came together to talk about how to bring the little ones front and center, to be with Jesus.
(happy sigh)

Board Epiphany Dinner

2010-01-10T21:56:00.000-08:00

Each year in January the staff wives prepare a dinner for the church board. We began having this event after the Christmas rush several years ago. Everyone is relaxed, schedules are free, and it's always a fun evening. We have it at our Sr. Pastor's home, which is beautiful. Here are some of the creative arrangements that Wilma of Gigi's Events made for the tables. She and her daughter are getting an event planning business off the ground, and I'd say she has a bright future! The tables are stunning as you'll see below!

See I told you, pretty impressive!

Wowza!

On the right is Wilma making a last-minute adjustment, cause I told her I wanted to take a pic of her!

This though...is my favorite pic from the night!

So that's that for another year. Time to go to bed!

10 Things That Make Me Happy

2010-01-09T20:43:00.000-08:00

I was given this assignment from my friend Dawn at It Just Dawned on Me. This was not as easy as I thought it was gonna be. So, without further ado, here we go...ahem...10 things That Make Me Happy by Mary...

1. That "in the zone" feeling that comes from obedience to a nudge from God. It's funny how God uses our weaknesses to show his strength. I think he gets a kick out of this, and if we are not obedient when he asks us to step out on faith and do what he needs us to do, we miss out on pleasing the Father. Ouch!

2. When Keith (the hubs), Landry (the son) and I are together, talking and laughing together. Landry is 15, and I've enjoyed every stage of his life, but this time is especially fun. It's also especially hard sometimes, so maybe that's what makes the happy times together so sweet. We love to laugh and do so often! We get the sillies and the giggles and there's no one else who can make me laugh like these 2 do!

3. Listening to Keith play the piano. He is so gifted and can play anything you put in front of him. He plays effortlessly and takes the listener on a journey as he interprets the music.

4. Living in an urban area. I am a city girl! I love the traffic, the crowds, the sounds and smells of a city. I love the busy malls at Christmas, the crush of people at a concert or sporting event. I love having choices and seeing change and being part of the energy. I love that people look different in the north or the south, or the east and the west. I love walking through a crowd and catching the sounds 3 or 4 different languages in my ears.

5. Arranging flowers makes me happy. My Mom was a florist, and I often went to her flower shop after school and even sometimes on Saturdays and watched her. I remember walking around the show room and looking at the arrangements, seeing the rolls and rolls of ribbon hanging over everyone's stations on dowel rods, and the smell....there is nothing like the smell of a flower shop. I guess some of that rubbed off on me. I love creating arrangements now. I'm a big copycat and have a favorite florist, Junior, in Dallas whose work I'm especially fond of. I go by the shop every once in awhile and walk around the show room and breathe in the smells of the flower shop as deeply as my lungs will allow. Sometimes, I'm really lucky and I will get to go into the cold room, where all the beautiful flowers are kept in buckets until they are chosen for an arrangement. Junior keeps a stock of unusual colors, textures and extraordinary choices for his designers. So, I'll go home newly inspired and make something of my own.

6. Traveling. Maybe this is a given for everyone. I mean, who doesn't love going on an adventure, staying in a great hotel, trying new foods and seeing new things? I love traveling with my husband. He's really easygoing and just wants everyone to have a good time. I also love it because you can be assured traveling with him will include shopping! He loves to shop! Am I a lucky girl or what?

7. Spending time with my family. I have a huge family, and there is an unexplainable refreshment I receive by spending time with them. They have seen me at my worst and wish for me the best. We share a unique history; a connection to the past answering the riddles of who I am; a bridge to the future assuring me that I do not have to walk alone.

8. Lunch time at work. I have 2 jobs which I love. How blessed am I! My secular job is at a company with mostly women. It's a fun, relaxed atmosphere, and I've enjoyed many hours of lunch time laughter with the group of ladies at Lady Primrose. I've been the recipient of great parenting advice, menu suggestions, and have learned much from this group of strong women. They listen to everyone equally, accept everyone unconditionally and give of themselves selflessly.

9. Keith, my husband. We've been married 20 years and actually still like each other! He's such a great encourager to me and believes I can do anything. He's a great provider and an unbelievable father to our son.

10. Landry, my son. I'm so proud of the man that Landry is becoming. He's a great mix of both Keith and myself. He is solid in his relationship with Christ, and is able to stand up for what is right. He doesn't seem to care what others think about what he's doing. I love that in him. I remember at 15 being a puddle of insecurity and worried about what others thought of me. Landry doesn't have that issue! Thank the Lord!

Ok, so there you go. You know, that's a good way to start the year...gave me a chance to dig inside and think about important things, silly things and funny times with people who are important to me. I hope you'll do this too!

A Guitar is a Guitar is a...

2010-01-04T18:52:00.000-08:00

My husband is a musician, and quite a good one (if I say so myself.) He's built a home studio to write and record music. One of my favorite things is to listen to him play the keyboard or the guitar, and now since my son can play the guitar too, it's so cool when they play together.

Tonight I told him that he needed to update his pic on facebook, and I would volunteer my services as a photographer. I fear that I insulted him though.

Me: Go sit in the chair and I'll get a guitar for the picture.
Him: Do we really have to do this now? (Or something like that...I forget.)
Me: Here hold this one. (Reaching for the one closest to me. It is a pretty white one in case you're wondering.)
Him: No not that one, I need this one. (Reaching for one of the ones hanging on the wall. It is a pretty wooden one...a classical guitar...in case you're wondering.)
Me: Oh brother, it doesn't matter...a guitar is a guitar.

and then there was silence...then...

Him: I can't believe you said that! A guitar is not just a guitar!

He said some more stuff here but I forget and anyway I went to find the camera so I could take this picture.

It's New To Me!

2010-01-03T15:41:00.000-08:00

I found a new website that I think is so cool called picnik and I've been playing around with it today. It's so fun, and I apologize in advance if I over use it! haha So here's the first creation:

This is my son, he's 15 and he's the founder of the Awesome Squad. Sometimes he lets me be on the Awesome Squad, and sometimes I'm deleted from the Awesome Squad.

Ok Here's my Resolution! and a Cool Website I found

2009-12-31T08:16:00.000-08:00

This morning I made a big breakfast for my family and the extra kids that ended up staying out our house last night. I don't spend a lot of time cooking, partly because of scheduling, partly because I have some pretty strict parameters around what I like to do when cooking. And when I say cooking I'm including baking too.

Many times when I'm in the kitchen my mind drifts to times spent in my Mom's kitchen as a girl. I watched her and sat on the cabinet talking to her. She'd let me talk and talk and she'd listen and listen. She didn't make me do very much to help her other than setting the table and cleaning the kitchen afterwards. My sweet Mom was sensitive to my dislike for all things cooking then, thus...to this day I can set an incredibly beautiful table, but cooking...not my strong suit! (I'm totally ok with this, let me say, I am SOO glad that she didn't make me cook!)

But back to this morning, so my husband and I were up before the boys, and ate our breakfast in the family room catching up on TV shows that we'd taped, we finished went back to the kitchen for one last nibble before putting our plates in the dishwasher, and somehow we started talking about pie.

I tried to make pie one time. ONE TIME. It was a Pecan pie. Someone said it was the easiest pie to make so I tried it. It was in our first apartment and I remember taking it out of the oven, taking one look at it and turning around and throwing it in the sink and down the garbage disposal. It was awful! (Or maybe it just looked awful.)

So in the pie conversation this morning Keith (my hubs) says: what about making a Pecan pie?
Me: bleck...remember I tried that once. But I should learn to make a Chocolate pie like my Mom!
He: Yep, you should do it!
Me: If Carmen can do it, I can do it! (Carmen is my sister-in-law who called me at 11:00pm one night this summer asking me for my Mom's Chocolate pie recipe because she and her husband wanted one! They ended up calling my Mom and made it that night and it turned out great!)
Me: That's gonna be my New Year's Resolution! To learn to make my Mom's Chocolate pie!
He: Great idea, you should do it! (He's so supportive...and he loves Chocolate pie!)

This is what it ~~should~~ will look like!

So, I'll let you know how it turns out.

Oh yeah, and I found a cool website reading another blog...this guy works at a used book store and has collected/posted recipes he's found in the pages of books. Handwritten Recipes

Gotta learn how to do this!

2009-12-29T12:21:00.000-08:00

You know we all have tons of Christmas goodies every year, and I remember saying this last year too (to myself though), but I really want to learn how to make some of these!

A friend gave our staff at church a basket full of these delicious apples. They look GREAT and you know I am all about presentation. But they taste so good too! Keith and I shared one last night-one by yourself is a little intense, but just right shared.

This is why I love being a Children's Pastor #1: Tater Tots from Santa

2009-12-28T12:39:00.000-08:00

At church I asked a cute 3 year old boy what Santa brought him for Christmas. He looked up at me and said, "Tater Tots."
Me: Tater Tots?
Him: Yes, but you can't eat em.
Me: Really, you got Tater Tots from Santa?
Him: Yes, but you can't eat em.

So I went down the hallway and ran into his older sister and said, "Hey your little brother just told me he got Tater Tots from Santa. Really?

She said, "No...he didn't get tater tots. I'm not sure what he means." She sat there for a few seconds and said, "OH...I bet I know what he's talking about...he got a TEETER TOTTER from Santa!"

My Mom's Santa and other random Christmas things

2009-12-26T10:27:00.000-08:00

My Mom gave me her Santa for my home a few years ago. As a child I remember him holding candy canes, but I have re-purposed him to hold Christmas cards from our friends. This is one my favorite things to unpack each holiday season. Last year, I didn't even pack it away, but kept it in my room on top of a high dresser so I could see it all year.

I have a friend who shared a great idea...she puts all the photo Christmas cards in a basket on her breakfast table, and each morning she and her family choose one of the photo cards and pray for that family. They do this all year long. Cool idea I think!

This is my mantle this year. I love how it turned out!

My husband Keith and I made these ornaments with the names of Jesus on them years ago on one of our first Christmas's together. They are some of my favorite things to put on the tree.

The remains of Christmas morning breakfast...Monkey Bread. Can't have Christmas at my house without it!

The table all set and ready for lunch with our family and the Allen's, some of our dear friends.

Snowflaking

2009-12-02T20:51:00.000-08:00

On the left are the snowflakes on my windshield as I pulled up to my office today. It snowed in Dallas! (for about an hour) It stuck on the ground! (for about 10 minutes) My friend Shelly from Chicago called me to say that it snowed in Dallas before it snowed in Chicago this year! (now that's just funny!) HA!!

But my favorite thing about today was at dinner tonight. On the right is an adorable 3 year old who was at my table. As he was telling his Dad about his day he said, "Dad, it was snowflaking today!" Very well put! That's about all we got today...a snowflaking! Isn't that cute? Isn't that 3 year old cute?

30 Days to De-Clutter Report

2009-12-01T15:47:00.000-08:00

So, late October I posted that I was going to attempt to de-clutter at my house for 30 days. I have to say that there were a few days that I skipped, but I did get a lot of work done in the de-cluttering department. I filled up lots of bags and donated them either to a local charity or the local garbage man! Isn't it cool that we live in a country where you put your trash out and it disappears the next day?

Juror #1465

2009-11-30T18:36:00.000-08:00

I had jury duty today. This is the first time I've ever had this experience. It was a huge inconvenience because of the timing. If you've had jury duty, you know that it's a lot of sit and wait, and move to a different place and sit and wait and so on...

At first, I had a bad attitude about it, but the sitting and waiting worked a little magic on me. I was dismissed, so I didn't get to see the whole process through, but I glimpsed democracy and its' importance. I saw a tiny bit of how the justice system operates. I watched for just a minute the civilized and orderly manner by which disputes are settled.

I came away thankful to live in a country where such a system exists.
I came away grateful for those who are serving across the globe in order to preserve this way of life.

Thankful Thanksgiving

2009-11-29T20:15:00.000-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving this year! We are so blessed! The first part of the week was spent with my husband's family, and the last part of the week spent with my family. Keith's family is not much for picture-taking, mine, however...lots and lots of pictures of every conceivable happening-no matter how big or small!

One of the things we always do is go down to the dock and take pics of families together, individuals and general silliness.

The scenery is beautful and makes great backgrounds for the aspiring photographers.

The rustic house where we base all the activities from is provided courtesy of my sister and her husband.

This tree-lined road was a beautiful spot. Maybe a great Christmas card pic?

Just look at this handsome fella! I got lucky and he posed for a few photos.

Procrastinatin'

2009-11-23T19:53:00.000-08:00

It's time to pack for Turkey day and I can't because I'm procrastinatin'
I need to remember what i should take but I can't because I'm procrastinatin'
Camera, chargers, clothes and food...bluh, I'm just procrastinatin'
I'll get it done, I'll be on my way, in spite of my procrastinatin'.

Adkghekils;gbj Alsdkggj Agoighjkdla

2009-11-15T20:25:00.000-08:00

Got that? Me neither! But it's what my brain feels like today! I just got back from this awesome prayer conference called, "Come to the Fire". It was amazing. And I'd love to tell you about it! But now, all I got is this: gjkkl;kw;krj gjklew; s gjkler;ghgf'as. God so good! He just overwhelms me with how when we ask him to show us new stuff, he does!

He Sure Does Love Me!

2009-11-11T01:57:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we went to SNU in Bethany, OK for our college Homecoming. My husband arranged a night for us to get together with friends from our youth pastor days in Woodward, OK. Being in Woodward and serving in that church there was such a happy time for us! We looked forward to seeing these special people in our lives!

So over lasagna and salad, laughter and joy, we experienced that sweet spot of remembering and reaquainting, found within the context of the family of God. I've had this experience before, but the Lord used this one to remind me of the importance of relationships. of loving on people. and letting them love you back.

Though we hadn't seen some of them for years, because of the family of God, because of committed lives where their faith is lived out each day, even some of the experiences we've had apart, have still been shared.

Here's what I mean: When you have friends who are believers, who are really lovers of Christ, you can know that as life has happened-they've been trusting in the one they cannot see to guide their steps. You can know that when times have gotten hard, just like you, they've fallen to their knees and asked for help from the one who is peace, who is a brother, who is our breath. You can know that because of a life lived in faithfulness, they have lifted their faces and been thankful, and been humbled by blessings from God.

These relationships that God provides for us, these people that he allows us to journey with, are part of a bond not too far away from your blood family. I think back to late-night talks in the parking lot-in the dark-listening to each other's faith story, or long rehearsals for choir musicals, or being the safe place where kids can come and hang out and do homework. What sweetness is found in the midst of God's children.

So I'm blessed today, and want to remember what God has shown me through this experience. I'm humbled, and thankful, and smiling on the inside! He sure does love me!

Un-Halloween

2009-10-31T20:25:00.000-07:00

My Halloween this year was different. Landry, my son is 15 this year. So...
no more looking for days and days to choose the perfect costume...
no more trying it on a couple of times before the Halloween-night...
no more tromping up and down the street cheerily singing out "trick or treat"...
no more spreading out all the candy in the floor to examine each piece to see what treasures abound...
am I sad? Maybe a little...but it wasn't such a bad night.

As a family, we went to the mall today (one of our favorite things) and shopped and people watched...
we went to the snowboard store to dream of gliding down the mountain with ease and style...
(um...I must say I stayed in the car for this one, let the boys have some guy time!)
we went to dinner at a restaurant where-if your plate falls on the floor it will break...
we had a fun conversation.

We talked a little about scary movies, and I reminded them of the Halloween when a man gave Landry all his leftover candy (Lollipops from Valentines, Chocolate bunnies from Easter, and Candy Canes from Christmas). We just enjoyed spending time with each other.

So it wasn't so bad, this un-Halloween. I wouldn't trade a plastic pumpkin full of Reese Cups and Snicker Bars for it!

30 Days to De-Clutter

2009-10-26T15:47:00.000-07:00

I'm going to commit to taking the next 30 days to de-clutter my home. It's not the most cluttered home I've ever seen, but I could definitely benefit from simplifying my life. So I'm gonna give it a try.

I have this inner battle about throwing things away. I don't know if it is the teacher in me, or growing up with a very sensible mom who taught me not to be wasteful, but I have struggles with the toss-out!

So, here goes, we'll see what happens! Day 1 is the laundry room.

Let the Children Come

2009-10-21T20:14:00.000-07:00

Tonight I took the K-6th Graders on a field trip to the International Museum of Cultures. We were treated to a private tour of the Torah Project. This is the only known collection of the entire Old Testament in one place. It was really amazing. Not only did we feel pretty special because no one else was there, but the kids know the Education Director of the Museum, Ani, our Pastor's daughter. So it was intimate and fun and special.

When we think about what church was like for people when these scrolls were written, it's a world away from what church is for us today. Ani told us that the only book that the Jewish people would have in their homes is the book of Esther, because it didn't have the name of God in it anywhere. The books with the name of God were only kept in the temples because it was the holy place.

I love that the word of God was so reverenced. I love the picture above; seeing those little fingers touching the Hebrew scriptures, and knowing that Jesus said, "let the children come to me." What a great word picture.

When Jesus came to us, he brought with him accessibility to God as never before.

When he left us, he gave us the comforter and his living word. I don't want to take for granted that I have the Holy Scriptures in my home, always at my fingertips.

My Ears Are Ringing

2009-10-17T20:30:00.000-07:00

We have a new instrument in our house. (you can't really see it in this picture, but I just like this picture!) It's a set of tenors or quads, you know it's 5 drums that one person carries all at once. It looks so heavy, but more than that. It is LOUD! I thought the marching snare drum was loud, but these are REALLY loud! My son has had a drumset for years, and I've always said, "It doesn't bother me...it's music!" So I'm trying to repeat that to myself over and over!

Glad we made that "NO Drums After 9:00pm" rule. I'm sure our neighbors are too!

What You See

2009-10-16T11:53:00.001-07:00

I was stopped dead in my tracks Wednesday night while talking to one of my teachers at church. This particular teacher always has something wise to say, and this night was no different.

If you've been in a classroom at all, you know that from time to time it's just stressful. Maybe that stress comes from fatigue (your or the children's), or from not being as prepared as you should be, or from behavior issues...there are lots more, but we'll stop here...you get the idea.

So the teacher began telling me that she's been praying for her kids in earnest. There are several different kinds of kids in her class: one who knows lots about the Bible, one who hasn't been to church very much in their life, one who doesn't like to follow directions, one who likes to interrupt. And in each of their own ways, they can be an interruption to the classroom.

She told me that when she was talking to God about one of the kids who is an interrupter, God said back to her: "What you see as an interruption, I see as someone who can speak my truth!"

That's it...that's what stopped me cold. Wow...I need to remember that every time I step in front of kids. What I see and what God sees is so different. God has big plans for all of us! God has big plans for the kids in our classrooms. Their idea of God will come from what they see of the Godly.

I'm humbled and inspired by her words.
And I can't wait to get back to class to "see" those kids with "God eyes"!

Mum's the Word

2009-10-12T20:00:00.000-07:00

I learned two new things recently.

1. How to make a homecoming mum.

2. That Texas and Oklahoma are the only states that really even have homecoming mums. Who knew?

I thought that these over-the-top flowers were common for homecoming celebrations across the country, and as I was researching, found out not so.

I learned how to make one (not really hard by the way, staples and goo-ga is all you need!) so that my son's girlfriend would be well-adorned on homecoming night.

Only a Shadow

2009-09-29T14:09:00.000-07:00

My son is 15 and plays drums in the HS marching band. In Texas, where football is king, our weekends are spent under the Friday night lights, and in October, our Saturdays are spent at band contests. So last weekend began the first of a very long month for us. (Please pause to say a prayer for us here.)

They say when things happen in threes you better pay attention, and I've got such an occurence to document.

So here's #1. Friday night at the game, there was a little girl standing down by the fence looking through the chain links and intently watching the cheerleaders. She waved her arms every time they waved their arms. She threw her head forward every time they threw their heads forward. She jumped every time they jumped.

#2 and 3 were together on Saturday at band contest. There were two kids standing by themselves, and one was playing drum major and one was playing color guard with a flag. They waved their arms and flag fast at the fast parts, slowly at the slow parts, and they even traded their positions back and forth.

It stopped me, these expressions of admiration from children, and reminded me of the power of influence. Do we even realize how our actions are affecting those around us? The watchers, the followers, the imitators. Who are these people in your world?

Co-workers?

Acquaintances at the gym?

Parents on the t-ball team?

Kind of makes you stop and think. It's a little humbling to me. Here's my prayer: That watching me is only a shadow of me watching Christ. That following me is only a shadow of me following Christ. That imitating me is only a shadow of me imitating Christ.

Father let my life be only a shadow of you.

I love rain!

2009-09-18T08:08:00.000-07:00

It's been raining in Dallas for 7 days straight now. I love it! Here's what I love about the rain:
1. I love the feeling you get when everyone in your family is safe inside your house and it's raining outside.
2. I love it when I wake up and it's raining, and I realize I don't have to get up...I can keep on sleeping.
3. I love the way everything looks after it's rained, especially in the summer, when it's still green, it looks clean and refreshed.
4. I love the excitement in the air if you are out in the rain-like at the grocery store or something...everyone is bustling about wanting to get home so they can experience #1.
5. I love it when I remember to put my umbrella back in my car!

Last night we finally were all at home at the same time and got to experience a little of that comfort feeling of the rain outside and we are inside. We had frito pie and I made banana bread. We watched TV together and laughed, shared a few stories as we'd remember them, and just experienced peace together.

I don't know about you, but in my life, these moments are rare. Maybe that's one of the things that God has in mind for us with rain...not only does rain nourish the soil and all that grows, fills up our streams and rivers and oceans...but what if that's another thing that is accomplished through rain? Slowing down, regroup time, quiet time, together time, remembering that our safety is inside the love of God-as we enjoy the safety inside our home.

Maybe it's far fetched, but maybe...not so much. So thanks God for my time with my family last night. I got it! I so enjoyed it and can't wait for the next time. Maybe I won't have to have a rain storm to make that happen!

Just Breathin'....

2009-09-16T12:25:00.000-07:00

That's how I feel, I'm just breathin' today. This has been the busiest 3 weeks on record. It was like December! I had a Children's Musical, then a special surprise thing for our Pastor and wife, and then last weekend was Princess and Pirate Party. They were all really fun...but I'm glad to have a few days that are just normal. Maybe I can catch up on my laundry. Maybe finish the project of cleaning out/throwing away at home. Maybe have a date with my husband! Maybe my family will get a home-cooked meal served at our dining room table. Maybe I will get to read the rest of that book that I started.

But for now I'm just gonna breathe. Ahhhhh...I like this breathin' thing...I should do it more often!

Boys and Bugs

2009-09-04T06:42:00.000-07:00

So I had to make a stop on the way to work this morning, and as I'm walking back to the car these two really big men caught my attention. They were screeching and pointing and laughing and just having a good ole time over a bug! Yea...a bug! They saw an unusual bug on the ground and were very entertained by it. It gave me a little giggle as I got back in my car.

So what am I to learn from this experience? That boys and bugs will always love each other, no matter what their age. Who knew?

It's a secret...sort of

2009-09-02T14:16:00.000-07:00

Our senior pastor has been at our church for 10 years. So this weekend we're celebrating that accomplishment as a church. It was supposed to be a secret, but in the reality of suprise parties, surprise visits, etc., I don't think it's much of a suprise anymore. (except there is a little bit of a surpise left, but I won't write it until the weekend is over...I can keep a secret you see!)

Ten years at one church...not a small feat these days. They have stood firmly by what they believe in while facing the usual hardships that go along with ministry; some incredibly heart-breaking, some requiring personal sacrifice, but still they have stood firm.

I'm so thankful to stand beside them in ministry. I'm thankful for the way they have modeled servanthood, integrity and love when many times those things were not returned to them. What a blessing they have been to my family.

Those Preacher's Kids!!!

2009-08-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

We went to my Mom's this weekend. Upon arriving, we were delighted to learn that 3 of my 5 siblings would also be there. We don't get to be together very often, so of course, I love these times!

As you can imagine, growing up in a parsonage family, there are lots of funny stories through the years. I'm younger than them though, so I was not part of most of the stories.

We went to lunch and somehow the conversation turned to times past and the stories started rolling. They put the disclaimer out first that they had no money, TV/Cell phone/Computer...blah, blah, blah...so they had to make up their own fun. And I must say, they were over-achievers in the making up fun department!

Many of the stories were about one man in one particular church.
...he had a hearing aid and they would talk silently to him and then when he'd turn his hearing aid up, they'd talk really loudly.
...they would have to pick him up for church sometimes and they decided they didn't want to do it anymore, so they peeled out of his driveway, almost ran over a stop sign, swerved around corners, and generally scared him to death.
...the church was not air conditioned and had big windows they would prop open, so in the summer the insects flew throughout the services. He would spray people down with mosquito repellant when they came in the door. This is so funny to me to think about..."What's your ministry here at First Church?" "Mosquito Spraying". haha

Now you must know, my family is full of great story tellers, so I'm not doing them justice here and leaving out lots of details...

I'm so thankful for my family and for the stories that make us who we are. We're just THOSE PREACHER'S KIDS!! There are more funny stories of course...I'll have to post some every once in awhile.

In the God Zone

2009-07-17T06:32:00.000-07:00

I missed my Dad last night. He went to heaven about 5 years ago. Last night was our denominational assembly on the district level (aptly named District Assembly), a gathering of all the area churches which takes place once a year. The evening services are always rich with good music and one of the leaders of our church speaks.

Last night was the ordination service where they give ministerial credentials to men and women giving their life in service to the church. It is a sacred time and always a teary-eyed time for me. They have a choir made up of ministers, and to look at those men and women, knowing the sacrifices they made to get there, the sacrifices they make on a daily basis to be the spiritual leaders wherever God has placed them touches my heart like nothing else.

I missed my Dad because he was a minister. He would have been among those on the platform last night.

Watching him, I was able to see first-hand what it means to give your life to the church. Sometimes it brings unexplainable joy, sometimes it brings earth-shattering pain, but no matter on which end of the spectrum he was...I always saw a satisfied soul, in the "God Zone", doing what he was called to do.

That's what we all should strive for. To be in the God Zone. That place where we are fully-surrendered to God's plan for our life. That's the place of total contentment, abandoning self to live life in the middle of God's purpose for us.

No other place will do.

No other plan will fit.

No other god gives us complete peace.

The cool thing about it...God gives each of us something different, a unique fit for our skill sets and abilities.

We ask? He show us.

We seek? He whispers His direction.

We follow? He leads us there.

To the God Zone.

Camp Report

2009-07-15T21:14:00.000-07:00

I got through the camp speaker thing. It was such a fun experience, and a great stretching exercise for me. There was this one precious moment by myself, in my very nice room at the campground, where the Holy Spirit really spoke to me about what I was to speak about the next day. It was a different direction than what I had prepared for, but I really felt the presence of the Lord and the words poured out of me as I was writing.

I have been focused on prayer in my own ministry for the past few months. I wanted so badly to incorporate prayer into camp, and as I was preparing, I just hadn't felt any real direction other than speaking the whole week about Daniel, and his experiences with prayer.

But I told the kids on Thursday morning that I wanted them to spend some time listening to God. I went into a little detail about the different ways we have used prayer in children's worship and at the end of the service asked them to go out of the chapel and by faith, listen to hear the voice of God, come back into the chapel sometime during the day and write down what they had heard.

The responses were a little overwhelming for me. I was expecting a few of the kids to really get it, and most of those to be girls...but in the next 30-45 minutes, both girls and boys poured back in the door and came to the altar where paper and pens were ready for their responses.

Here are a FEW of them:
...I love MY Jesus My Savior. He gave me a new perspective on life AND he told me sometimes we have to let things go and move on.
...Have trust in your faith towards me. Be faithful towards me. I always know your name and I'll never let you go.
...Go share his message.
...Believe in me & love me.
...I know. (that one got to me!)
...I am always here for you, and I will help you be strong.
...He said, "I love you, I have plans for you, just do whatyou know is right."
...He said he loves me and I shouldn't leave anyone out.
...He said to never stop being myself.

So needless to say, the Lord really met these kids at camp. These 2 boys came up to me, and said, "Ms. Mary, we know you told us to pray by ourselves, but me and my friend here were finished praying, and we came around a corner, and there were these other 2 boys standing by a truck, and we just stopped right there and all joined hands and said a prayer together." WOW! Boys! Praying together!

I'm so excited about how the Lord worked, and I totally and completely give God the glory. I am such a weak vessel, and it is not me and nothing I did on my own!

Just a Little Touch of Jesus

2009-06-11T20:43:00.000-07:00

Jerry, who works in our warehouse, had a visit from a man performing a routine inspection on one of our shipments last Wednesday. In the course of the conversation, the man said, "Jerry, can I put your name on my prayer list?" Jerry was certainly surprised by this request and told him sure! As the conversation progressed, the man went on to say, "Jerry, do you have a prayer list? Will you put my name on it?" I don't know if Jerry has a prayer list, or if he is a believer, but he told the man that he would be praying for him too.

As Jerry relayed this conversation to me, he was still processing this whole conversation and said, "I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna be praying for him. And he's gonna be praying for me. Isn't that amazing?"

You know...it is amazing. It's amazing what God can do with our obedience. Jerry got just a little touch of Jesus in this casual conversation-in a warehouse-on a Wednesday. And it really made an impression. So much so that he had to tell me about it. You can be sure that in the quiet moments, working by himself, he's replayed this conversation over and over in his mind, and remembering how it felt to have this random blessing bestowed on him. I've been praying that in these moments, that the Holy Spirit would speak to Jerry's heart. That a yearning for more and more of Jesus would grow.

So what about you and me? What is our response when our Master has someone who needs just a little touch of Jesus, and he needs us to be the vessel through which his strong hand is extended? We've got to be ready. Listening.

It's kind of exciting to think about isn't it?...being used by the Almighty.

2009-06-11T08:37:00.000-07:00

I'm speaking at a PreTeen camp next week. Here's me...nervous...excited...panicky...sure...controlled...nervous...excited...you get it.

Here's God.

He's just there for me. He smiles at me through this process...maybe there's some eye-rolling, certainly some head shaking...but he's just there. For me. In all my weakness and human-ness.

Aren't you glad for that? In your own moments like this?