mrs soren's blog

New Blog Address

2010-08-10T18:03:00.000-07:00

Hey, I've moved my blog to a new address. This will be my last post at this address. Thanks for reading, and come read my first post at the new address. Here it is!
http://mrssoren.blogspot.com/

Pure Michigan

2010-05-19T15:59:00.000-07:00

I am from Michigan. I love the phrase "Up North". I love snow. I love brilliant fall colors. My favorite place (besides Grandma's house) is Mackinaw City/Island.
There are ads running on the radio right now promoting Michigan tourism. Every time I hear one come on I ask everyone to be quiet and I turn it up loud. It's always Tim Allen talking. He is from Michigan and has the perfect radio voice. I sigh at the end of each one and look forward to the next time I can go up north. Here's one of several of them. If it doesn't make you nostalgic, you're not from Michigan!

To Love Your Husband

2010-02-25T11:20:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a great group of women I get to study with! You all are such good sports, and I so appreciate your transparency and vulnerability. It makes for an interesting, fun and safe environment for learning and growing.
We covered the big topic this week-sex. And the more I talk to women, the more I am convinced that we need to talk about it! And the more I'm discovering that young women, especially, want to talk about it. We all agree that older women are to teach younger women; but I'm not sure very many older women want to teach about sex. And I believe lots of young women are looking for some guidance in this area.
So let me reiterate two major points we talked about this week:
1. Sex was God's idea and all His ideas rock! It is a GOOD THING to be ENJOYED, not only by your husband, but by YOU! It is a beautiful picture on earth of Christ and His bride, the Church.
2. We are to meet our husband's needs, including his need for sex. If we don't, we are opening a door for Satan to tempt him. If we neglect our sexual relationship in our marriage, we are sinning.
I don't want to end on a seemingly negative note, so let me say this: God never intended sex to be a chore or a drudgery. You get out of it what you put into it. And as with just about everything else, it all starts in the mind. Let's change the way we think about sex. I challenge you to reprogram your thoughts. For the month of March, think only positive thoughts about sex. It all starts in the mind. See if you and your husband notice a difference within a couple weeks. No negative thoughts, words, or responses about sex (including your response when he wants it!). Let's see what happens...
Any thoughts or ideas to encourage each other?
Tracy

Wisdom To Know Your Man

2010-02-04T16:14:00.000-08:00

What an interesting week in class! I loved studying, talking, and hearing about the different types of men we're married to, and the wisdom we need in being godly wives to them. I think God was so creative when he gave all of us different personalities, strengths and tendencies. Life and marriage would be uninteresting if we were all predictable and all our husbands had the same character traits.
So, I'd like you to tell something specific you've learned about the type of man you're married to, and what you've chosen to change about how you respond to him.
Don't forget to pray for your man, and to pray for wisdom for yourself! Remember that your relationship with your husband is to be a beautiful picture of Christ and His bride, the church. That thought is so humbling to me. What a privilege!
Have a great week!
Tracy

Thank you , Thank you, Thank you!

2010-01-23T06:27:00.000-08:00

Mike reads my blog, and he was a little troubled when he read my last post in which I mentioned our fun weekend, and then posted what he assumed was a representation of him and me. I assured him he is not that gray and we are not quite that "seasoned" yet, and that it was just a picture of a couple obviously in love. This week I was careful to find a picture of a pair that more closely resembles us. Ha! I wish! Actually, I don't. I like where we're at right now; which is somewhere in between.
How's your week going? I loved Tina's reminder to us all to be thankful. Aren't we so blessed? Sure, we have plenty we could complain about, if we chose to, but life is so much richer if we choose gratefulness.
Any specific ways you've chosen to express thankfulness to your husband this week? Nothing is too big or too small to show gratitude...think of how appreciative you feel when someone genuinely thanks you for something. Our husbands are gifts from God; let's not take them for granted. Ever.
Thank you for participating in this study, and for your gentle and humble spirits!
Tracy

Five Days In...

2010-01-18T07:17:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone!
God timed things perfectly for me. Coming off our first class of "Help Meet", my husband and I had a weekend alone, as our kids were off at the High School Retreat from Friday till Sunday. We had a really great weekend! Saw a movie, had breakfast out, hung out at the bookstore, and enjoyed some quiet time at home. It's always weird having the house to ourselves!
The kids are back now, and the challenge resumes; the challenge to be a positive joy-filled wife and mother amid all the usual stuff that life brings - good and not-so-good.
I'm wondering if anyone would like to report any ways that you have consciously tried to be a helper to your man this week, and any results of those efforts? It's always encouraging to hear what's "working" for others, and it often spurs the rest of us on to try a little harder!
I'm looking forward to our next class. And I'm praying for you. Hope you'll do the same for me!
Tracy

Help Meet Bible Study

2010-01-13T18:46:00.001-08:00

We started a new women's Bible study this week at The Well at Cedar Creek. We are reading the book "Created To Be His Help Meet", by Debi Pearl. Though we are just getting started, we had some great discussion and some tough questions were already brought up. I'm so grateful for the chance to go through this book with a room full of other women who are seeking God's will in their marriages.
I'm excited to see God work in the next few weeks! Keep an open mind, Girls, and let's pray for God to reveal to us how we can please Him in our relationships with our men. It all starts in the mind, so pray for God to guide our thinking.
I'd say the key truth for this first week is, I do have a choice in how good my marriage will be.
What are your thoughts or first impressions after our first class? Let's hear 'em!
Tracy

2009-11-15T15:38:00.000-08:00

I'm blogging from Richmond, Virginia today. Mike and I came down to run in a race. He ran the half marathon and I ran my first 8k. I really enjoyed it and it was easier than I expected! I'm already looking forward to my next race.
The best part of the day, though, was the time spent with family and friends. This race has become somewhat of a tradition for us and several others that we ministered with in Virginia a few years ago. It's fun being together and cheering each other on. We all waited together to watch my cousin Dave finish his first marathon. Then we spent the rest of the day visiting and just being together.
It was an extra bonus to wake up today to a sunny 70 degree day! Mike and I went for a nice walk today to stretch our sore muscles and we were reminded what a beautiful state Virginia is! It's been a great weekend.

Amen to Modesty!

2009-10-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

This morning was our third session of our Esther Women's Bible study at Cedar Creek. It's a Beth Moore DVD study. This morning's session was about the meanness of Haman in the Esther story, and Beth camped on meanness in general and really laid it all out to us as women. One thing she stressed had me shouting Amen! She said, "Mean girls dress provocatively around other girls' men!" And then she said, "Keep your breasts to yourself!!!"
All I can say is, "Preach it Sister!" That needs to be said in every church in America, in my opinion. But who's going to say it? Whose responsibility is it to say it? I dare say, it's not the preacher's.
First of all, mothers should be teaching their daughters how to dress appropriately and in good taste, glorifying God with their appearance. But that's not going to happen if the mothers themselves are falling out of their shirts! The world has lowered its standards through the years, no doubt about it. But God has never, and will never, lower His!
So how are women who dress immodestly supposed to know what's appropriate? Other godly women are supposed to tell them! Is it awkward? Yes! But so is standing around visiting at church in mixed company with a christian woman sporting a slot machine on her chest big enough to drop a silver dollar in!
Our men have it rough as it is, with society and the media and technology making it difficult for them to stay pure. Why should they have to come to church and worry about lust because some woman is wearing something two sizes too small or six inches too short?! Boy, satan is having a heyday with this one! We need to get a clue. And if you already have a clue, love a sister enough to tell her to put some clothes on. Your husband will thank you.

Amen.

Ladies' Day @ The Creek

2009-09-29T10:36:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in a while and my friend Kim scolded me (again) so here I am, and way overdue.
Saturday was a blast. It was our second annual Ladies' Day @ The Creek. It's an all day event that has taken the place of an overnight retreat. We had a friend of mine up from Nashville, TN to help lead worship and do a concert. Check her out at www.tonjarose.com.
The day was all about finding and using the gifts God has given us, and doing it with passion. Ironically, several women served in different ways that day for the first time, stepping up and using their talents willingly. It was great. Liz, a young, new christian, helped with worship. She has a great voice. Connie was the emcee for the day and did a fantastic job setting the tone for the day and closing the day with a beautiful, heartfelt prayer. Melisa taught a workshop for the first time, and blew me away. She was totally prepared and delivered some awesome thought-provoking material. Cherie taught a craft workshop , using her creative gifts. Two women handled the lunch (for 60 women!) and it got rave reviews.
This is what it's all about! It was so cool to see so many serving in so many different areas; the body of Christ working together to bring Him glory. I love the church!

Grandma's House!

2009-07-31T20:40:00.000-07:00

Do you have a favorite place? I do. It's my Grandma's house. That's where I'm blogging from tonight. My kids asked me why I love it here so much. I guess it's because it's the only place that remains the same from my childhood. I have lots of good memories here. And of course my
sweet Grandma is here. She's going to be 90 this fall. She is still going strong. I don't like to think of life without her, so I will just continue to relish my visits to her little house, chatting with her over coffee and hearing about all her memories and stories of days gone by.
We go back home tomorrow. Life will resume it's busyness. But I will have had
my "fix" of Grandma's house and some precious time with Grandma, so I'll be good to go!

Can't Wait to Celebrate!

2009-05-04T06:49:00.000-07:00

Only five days until we celebrate being women at Cedar Creek! Saturday is our Mother/Daughter Celebration and it's going to be great! Our resident actresses have written a cool program that's a take-off of the popular "Extreme Home Makeover" show. It's going to be called "Extreme Makeover-God's Edition". I've heard some of it already, and it's going to show us how to deal with sin patterns in our life by using the Word of God. It will go right along with our decorations, which are centered around the theme of "The Secret Garden". Just as forgotten, dormant gardens can be brought back to life and made beautiful again, so can our lives be transformed and made beautiful if we will let God work in us, pulling out the weeds of sin and bad attitudes and planting the fruit of the Spirit in us.
To really make the point visually, there's going to be an actual GARDEN in the room, big enough for the women to walk through, with live flowers and the whole bit. I can't wait to see it all come together!
I pray that this Saturday won't just be a nice women's event that makes us all feel happy, but that it will have spiritual impact on all of us. I pray that the Holy Spirit will be at work, changing us and prompting us to be more like Jesus. That will be the real sign of the success of this event. May God use this celebration and those involved in making it happen to stir the hearts of those attending so that they will want to be more like Him.
Now that will be cause for celebration!

What a weekend!

2009-04-12T17:39:00.000-07:00

This was a weekend to remember. It started Friday with a moving Good Friday service at Cedar Creek. The room was packed with people singing and praising God for what He did at Calvary. Mike shared about what Jesus went through because He loves us so much. The evening ended with a powerful video called "It's Friday, but Sunday's comin'!"
Then Sunday came! Today, that is. Cedar Creek had a great time celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. It was one of those services that you wanted to last and last; the kind that makes me long for heaven.
I'm so glad I serve a living Savior. He is so many wonderful things, but the best thing is that He's alive. We didn't sing this particular song today, but the words are fresh in my mind:

We serve a risen Savior, He's in the world today.
I KNOW that He is living, whatever men might say.
I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer.
And just the time I need Him, He's always near.

Praise God, He lives!!!

Home Again

2009-04-05T16:34:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful. Thankful to be at a place of contentment in life so that coming home from vacation is not a drudgery, but a joy. There have been times in my life when I didn't want to get back home and into the swing of things. That's a depressing feeling and I am thankful to not be feeling that way. I love life. I love my life. I love being back home with my family in our own house. I love being back with my church family. It was so sweet to worship at Cedar Creek this morning, and be among my brothers and sisters who love me and help me grow. The worship team was really on today and the preacher was "in the zone", preaching a great sermon reminding us of what Christ did for us at Calvary. I love it when he gets fired up like he did today. I think he's awesome. But then I'm kinda partial.
God is good. I am blessed. Sometimes I feel guilty because I see so many others who are unhappy. But then I remember that joy is a choice that we make. The Apostle Paul had joy. He wrote about it in Philippians. While he was in prison. Hmm.
What would the world be like if we all had joy no matter our circumstances? What would the church be like? Attractive, I would suppose.

"...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace..."(Galatians 5:22)
"Rejoice in the Lord always; I will say it again, Rejoice."(Philippians 4:4)

Our Last Day

2009-03-31T20:13:00.000-07:00

I've been hearing about "Puckett's Grocery" for years now. Tonja has talked about this place where she sings on occasion, and that also has the best food around. It's in Franklin, TN and today I experienced it. I had an awesome burger on a wheat hoagie bun, and some scrumptious onion rings. Mike had some incredible pulled pork. We had a great time, although nobody famous came in. Tonja used to work there and has waited on some celebrities, including Brad and Kimberly Williams-Paisley!
After Puckett's, we went through the Opryland Hotel. It's absolutely beautiful and HUGE! Then we walked to Opry Mills, a huge mall that had a big Gibson guitar store. Luke especially loved that.
It was a long day and we walked a lot, so we enjoyed coming home and chilling out and watching American Idol.
Enjoy the pictures of our fun day with the Roses!

Songwriters and Cupcakes!

2009-03-31T07:16:00.000-07:00

Here's the two highlights from our vacation yesterday: first, I went with Tonja to her writing appointment in downtown Nashville. She writes for Identical Entertainment. There were two guys there to write with her, and both of them have already had success in songwriting. Very nice gentlemen. Anyway, I got to listen in while they began writing a song called "Think I Met An Angel". Very cool experience.
On the way home, we stopped by "Gigi's Cupcakes", and brought some home for dessert. Oh my word. These weren't just cupcakes. They were colossal, gourmet treats from heaven! And with a cup of fresh coffee....mmmmmmm. 'Twas a good day.

God, Friends and Music!

2009-03-29T20:12:00.000-07:00

Wow, I enjoyed today! It started with some good coffee and leisure time with Tonja, then we got ready and went to worship at Franklin Christian Church. Then we went to some friends of Ward and Tonja's for a cookout and some other people came to hang out too. Rob Harris, the music minister at FCC was there and he is also a songwriter here in Nashville. A group called "Fletcher" was there, which is three brothers who are phenomenal musicians. Check them out at www.fletchermusic.net. They all sat around playing and singing, mostly original stuff. It was very cool. God was so generous when He gave us music!
Tomorrow Lindsey, Tonja & I are going to a local tea room for lunch, then Tonja is taking me to one of her writing appointments. Maybe l'll witness the writing of a future country hit! Whether or not that happens, I'm just grateful for the opportunity to hang out with such creative and talented people for a few minutes!
Oh! One other cool thing...the gal whose house we were at today is the niece of Linda Hunt, the academy award-winning actress! Linda Hunt's sister was there too, and she resembled the actress. It's such a small world.
It was a very enjoyable day, and I've had a lot of coffee...I hope I can sleep tonight!

Vacation!

2009-03-27T19:25:00.000-07:00

We're heading to Nashville, Tennessee in the morning and I am excited! We'll be visiting some friends that we knew when we lived in Virginia, Ward and Tonja Rose. They moved to Nashville a few years ago so Tonja could pursue her dream of becoming a recording artist. She works/writes for a publishing company, and she's is going to take me with her to one of her writing appointments with Mark Naramore, a guy who has already had some of his songs recorded! I am looking forward to seeing them collaborate.
We're going to see some sights around Nashville, hit some good eating joints, and we're looking forward to worshipping with Ward and Tonja at Franklin Christian Church on Sunday.
Then Wednesday, it's north to Clinton, Iowa to spend a few days with Mike's family. They're supposed to be getting 5 inches of snow tomorrow! Hope it's melted by Wednesday...
I hope to blog all about our trip when we return! Or maybe I'll check in while we're there!

A Visitor from Virginia

2009-01-31T18:13:00.000-08:00

My family is enjoying a weekend with a friend visiting from Virginia, where we used to live. David Willis, the preacher at Olivet Christian Church in Newport News, Virginia, is one of Mike's good friends, and he came up to speak at Cedar Creek's men's retreat this weekend. Tomorrow he is preaching at Cedar Creek and I am looking forward to hearing him. He's a great speaker!
I've enjoyed him being here because he has a great sense of humor and he makes Mike laugh. I love to hear Mike laugh! It makes me smile and it's good for his health.

This week was the start of the new women's Bible studies at Cedar Creek. There are close to 50 women meeting weekly to study the Word of God and I am excited! Good things are going to happen this year as women of all ages seek to know and love God more, and seek His purpose for their lives. To God be the glory!

Movie Night

2009-01-17T17:18:00.000-08:00

We just got back from seeing the new movie "Mall Cop" starring Kevin James. Loved it! It had a little of everything; action, comedy, romance..but no trash. How refreshing! I think Kevin James is hilarious.

My daughter is at Lake James Christian Assembly this weekend for the Sr.High Retreat. I pray she's having a great time. Kids are so fortunate these days to have so many awesome opportunities to grow and learn spiritually. When I was growing up, I had Youth Group once a week. My youth leader was a volunteer member of our church. There were about 8 or 10 of us. On a good night. We didn't go on mission trips. We didn't have big conventions. We didn't have a winter retreat. But we had area-wide youth rallies about every six months. And sometimes my youth group got to go. Otherwise, it was just youth group at 6:00 before Sunday night church. No snacks. No videos. No small groups. Just a lesson from the Bible, some time praying to God, and a few minutes to just hang out with each other. And I loved it. My kids don't know how good they have it. I wonder what Youth Group will be like for their kids? And if they will appreciate it?

A Fresh Market Blessing

2009-01-14T19:09:00.000-08:00

Last night was the kick-off event of our women's ministry at Cedar Creek. Almost 70 women from ages 17-82 came to the "Fresh Market", where they could "shop" for a new Bible study and/or ministry to get involved in, hear a dynamic guest speaker, sample some great "market appetizers", and just connect with other women. We had some great giveaways, and one winner emailed me to tell me this great story:

--------original message-------------
Sent: January 14, 2009

Okay, this is VERY exciting! This is a long email, but well worth reading!

Mom and I went to a ladies thing at church tonight. It's the beginning of the new year for the ladies ministry at church. Everything is new and fresh and it was all very exciting. The food was very very nice, the room was decorated just beautifully, the speaker was hilarious and yet she had a wonderful message about serving God through serving others. And the information about the ladies ministry was explained clearly and precisely, and we all had a great fun time!

They had some beautiful door prize type give-aways. I wanted to win something SOOOOO badly, because of course, I never win anything. (Isn't that what we all say?) Well, naturally I didn't win the healthy fruit basket (which I wanted the most)! Of course, I didn't win the meat market prize, nor the seafood market prize. Did I win the prize I wanted the least?? No, thank goodness! It was the bakery prize!

When we first got there they had a shopping cart full of groceries. Everyone was to guess the price of the groceries. They were from Scotts and there were no coupons or specials used to buy the items. It was all purchased at regular price. Everybody was checking out the cart, so I gave it a try. I added everything up in my head, rounding up to the nearest dollar since Scotts is a little more expensive than where I shop. So I guessed $131 and I added 48 cents on the end....because that is how old I am.....and it made perfect sense to me! I then wrote down my name on a scrap of paper along with my guess of $131.48.

Well, the prize at the end of the evenings program was the winner for the shopping cart guess. You didn't win the items inside the cart, they went to the church food pantry. The prize was not told until the very end for some reason. The minister's wife was announcing it and she said the person who was the winner guessed it to the exact penny! Well, I immediately knew that wouldn't be me. So I gave up hope and started looking around for the happy winner. She then said the amount of the shopping cart bill came up to....yep....$131.48!!!

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT??? That was MY exact amount!

And as soon as she said that, she didn't even say the winners name out loud yet, I raised my hands in the air and was saying - YES! YES! Because I KNEW that was what I had written down. Everybody turned around and was smiling and happy for me (or maybe they were laughing at me)! And then she said MY NAME! It really really was me! I actually won! I received a $25 gift card to Jamison's Meat shop. When she told me the prize, I surprizingly realized this was all orchestrated by God.

I know God's hand was in this because we just ran out of meat in our deep freezer. I just used the last of it yesterday. Since we are on a tight budget and have just a single income, we probably wouldn't have bought meat (you know, REAL meat, other than tuna or ground turkey) for another several weeks, maybe next month, or who knows when? Not that we are deeply in need or anything, we just don't splurge on alot of meat that often.

So many many people came up to me afterward and congratulated me! They asked me how I guessed that, and I told them it was a "God thing" because there is no way anybody could guess that exactly to the penny. Although I did tell them all that I "threw" my age in there, just for fun. A few of them told me I didn't even look 48, that they never would have guessed it. That made me feel great on top of how special I already felt!

Nobody can convince me this isn't a God Moment in my life! God cares for us so much, He cares for the tiniest details in each and every one of our lives. How in the world could anyone ever guess the amount of groceries in that shopping cart, to the very penny, if not for God's Divine Intervention?? How in the world would it ever happen that the very day after I used up the last of our meat, I win a gift certificate to a specialty meat shop? We have purchased meat there in the past and love that place. That is definitely God working in my life!

And another thing, mom told me that morning that she was not going to go to the program after all. Joel had to work both jobs so I didn't have a car. The other lady at church who was going to give me a ride ended up not being able to go either. So I resigned myself that I would not be attending. Mom called me at 3:00 in the afternoon and said she had been thinking about it all day and felt compelled to attend the program that night. She advised me that she would definitely be going. I explained to her I still needed a ride and so she picked me up and took me. God wanted us to be there. God has plans for us at Cedar Creek Church of Christ.

God is Awesome, Majestic, and He loves each and every one of us deeply! He has provided for me and Joel and our precious little family countless times when we've needed it. And most of the time, whether it be the $350 we needed to pay an unexpected bill or $25 to put some more meat in our freezer, He provides in the most unexpected ways.

From everlasting, to everlasting, HE IS GOD!!! I sure hope this blesses your day as much as it has mine!

Love you all!
Kimberly

God is awesome! I hope we all can recognize His work in our lives and give Him credit instead of chalking things up to mere circumstance. Thanks for the reminder, Kimberly. To God be the glory!!!

New Year-Happy!

2009-01-01T17:40:00.000-08:00

2009. Fresh. New. Year. What is it about the beginning of a year that makes you want to try harder, do better, be better. Today is just the day after yesterday. Yesterday was no big deal. Except that we all used it to eat large amounts of really bad food that we swear we're not going to eat anymore. Starting today. Why today? Because it's the first day of the first month of a brand new year! We humans are so silly. Why wouldn't yesterday be just as good a day to start being better people than today? It's that resolution thing. It happens every January 1. Or sometimes it happens on Mondays. Usually we're talking about the dieting here. I never quite understood the Monday thing. You're already sooo far behind on Monday because you went so ridiculously overboard all weekend knowing that Monday was the big "start" day. Silly.

But I do get motivated come January 1. It really does have that "starting fresh" feeling. My son has decided to read through the chronological Bible this year and read his first reading this morning. I love that. I just hope he has more stick-to-it-ness than we adults do.

This year I want to be used by God in ways that stretch me and make a difference in others' lives. I want to be more of a servant, and I want my leadership to teach servanthood to others. I want to be a friend to those I usually overlook. I want to recognize potential in others and encourage them to grow and serve. I want to see women get excited about their walk with God and passionate about serving Him. I want to have influence for the glory of God.

Also, I want to lose about 20 pounds.

New Year. Happy!

Black Friday

2008-11-29T14:15:00.000-08:00

I went Christmas shopping with a friend yesterday, on the biggest shopping day of the year. We braced ourselves for the traffic, the crowds, and the long lines, but were surprised to find that it wasn't that bad at all. In fact, in one store the checkout people were waiting for us! The worst part was when we were ready to eat breakfast (it was actually close to lunchtime and we were very hungry) we found out why the stores were not too busy. The people were all at Cracker Barrel! No kidding, not a single parking space to be found. So we drove to Starbucks and settled for a breakfast sandwich and a cup of coffee that could put hair on your face! We got them to brew some Christmas Blend, since it's Christmas time and we didn't want any Thanksgiving Blend because that would ruin our Christmas spirit. After all, Thanksgiving is over and it's just not right to drink Thanksgiving Blend in those fun Christmasy red cups!
So, we drank all we could of the overpriced, way-too-strong Christmas Blend, then went to Dunkin' Donuts for dessert and another cup of coffee; not too strong, but not that great either.
At least the donuts made up for it. Oh, and quality time with a friend.

2008-11-20T18:32:00.000-08:00

I've been busy and haven't blogged lately. Besides the daily wife and mother things, most of my time has been consumed with the launching of the 2009 women's ministry at Cedar Creek. Many women have jumped on board and are already involved in making next year happen. Meetings are taking place all over town. Bible studies are in the works, publicity materials are in the making, menus are being planned, prayers are going up, creativity is happening, and teams are formulating strategies to meet needs. It is so exciting to see so many women plugging in to service in the body of Christ!

I can't wait to see what God will do through women's ministry at Cedar Creek in 2009 and beyond. May we always watch for where He is moving and then join Him there!

Goodbye, Midnight

2008-10-29T05:16:00.000-07:00

I've got the "blahs" today. Yesterday we had to have our sweet dog Midnight put down. She was not doing well for a couple days, so we took her to the vet and found out she had a tumor.
She was the best dog. So gentle and obedient. The house is very strange without her. We will miss her for awhile. We had a "routine", ya know?
The kids already want to know if we're going to get another dog. Mr. Soren and I aren't ready to go there yet. It would be hard to replace such a great dog as Midnight.

Sample E-devotion

2008-10-17T08:47:00.000-07:00

Here's the daily devo I sent out today to the Wed. night ladies class. It's based on Calvin Miller's book, "Love: Cultivating Spirit-Given Character":

Day 2: The Purpose of God in My Life
Read Genesis 21:1-6

God's love is inseparable from His grace. The gifts that He gives us show His grace, and the grace that He gives us shows His love. See how you can't have one without the other? Because His very essence IS love, He is naturally full of grace toward us.
If we look at our passage in Genesis, we see that "The Lord was gracious to Sarah...and the Lord did for Sarah what He had promised. Sarah became pregnant." Though it might have seemed like odd timing to Sarah (remember, she laughed at the notion of having a baby when she was older than most grandmothers, and even named her baby Isaac, meaning "laughter"!), as it turned out, God new the perfect time and the perfect way to show His love to her. Though God's promises sometimes seem dormant, they are never dead. Because He is love, His heart is compelled to give. Grace in its most basic meaning is "gift". Sarah held that sweet little Isaac and easily saw that God is love.
We thank God for His gifts when we say "grace". If we see a ballerina gifted with poise, balance, and interpretation, we say she is graceful. When we talk about the many blessings and gifts that God gives us, we say He is gracious.
So how are we to see the purpose of God in our lives? Scripture says we are His ambassadors. Our feet carry His message. Our hands reach out as His hands. Our minds hold His vision. Our hearts beat with His compassion, all in the name of love.
Sarah's story reminds us that our relationship with God is not one-way. He is not stationary on His throne merely listening to incoming requests, but otherwise uninvolved. He is in the middle of our lives, graciously giving His love. And our purpose in this life is to give Him glory by being the vessel through which He can show that "grace-love" to others. Now that's purpose!

Questions:
1. Do you know what God's purpose is for your life? Explain.

2. Do you show God's love to others? In what ways?

A New Study

2008-10-16T06:54:00.000-07:00

Last night our Wed. night ladies class finished up our study entitled "You Matter More Than You Think". We had a great time learning about how all our efforts, big and small, make a difference in other people's lives, and the more we realize that, the more we will want to make that difference!
Next week we will begin a study, "Cultivating the Fruit of Love". But starting today, I'm sending all the ladies an e-devotion, with some thoughts and a couple questions to ponder and journal about. Then we will discuss some questions together on Wednesday. We've never done this format before, so I hope it works! I know that God can take any measly effort of ours and do His wonders with it, so I'm counting on that! I also have the blessing of a fun, accepting, forgiving, nurturing bunch of women to lead on Wednesdays. They are a joy and I learn much from being with them each week. They are gifts to me!

Beauty Instead of Ashes

2008-10-11T13:36:00.000-07:00

Just got back from a women's conference here in Fort Wayne. Enjoyed some great worship (and I pray God did too!) led by all women--including a complete band! There were also some dancers expressing their adoration and praise to God through movement. Pretty cool.

We heard several keynote and workshop speakers.
The theme of the weekend was "Beauty Instead of Ashes", taken from Isaiah 61. I love the King James rendition of this passage:
To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. Is. 61:3

You don't have to look very hard to find women who are struggling. So many are still trying to shake off the ashes; so many are mourning; so many are weighed down with a spirit of heaviness. Is there something God is asking us to do? Is there someone in your circle of influence that God wants to minister to and begin healing through something you might do or say? Are we open to being instruments through which God can offer beauty, joy, or praise to someone who is hurting? I pray I'm not too busy to encourage others along the way. Jesus was busy. Really busy. But He wasn't too busy to offer love to those mourning and in despair; those who were abused; those who were neglected; those in the grip of sin; those who were depressed or grieving. May we all be alert and aware of those around us who are hurting. We don't have to perform a miracle. He may simply be calling us to listen. Or to hug someone warmly. Or to offer a fresh perspective on a situation. Maybe someone desperately needs a sister to look intently at her and smile. There's a reason Jesus taught so often on the topic of love. It's kind of important. It defines our relationships. It affects how we feel about ourselves and others. It determines how we treat each other. It is sorely lacking in our world today. And sadly, it is lacking in the church.

Love God and love each other. That's what Jesus said is most important. He said it's God's number one priority for us. What blessings are we missing when we become too busy to love? Brush the ashes off a sister today. Pour a little oil of gladness on someone who's hurting. Do you know someone who's going through a really stressful time? Throw a blanket of praise around her. Allow God to use you to make a difference in someone else's life. They won't be the only one blessed. And He will be glorified. And isn't that why we're here?

My Favorite Place

2008-10-03T08:07:00.000-07:00

The kids and I are heading to Michigan for my Grandma's 89th birthday. I love to go to my Grandma's house. It's my favorite place in all the world. Lots of family will be in and out all day Saturday, my aunt is going to have pots of soup simmering on the stove and some good bread to go with it, and of course there will be cake! Mmmmm. And lots of coffee...Warm fuzzies are floating all around me just thinking about the whole scene!

The Squirrel and the Power Guy

2008-09-30T15:42:00.000-07:00

I was working on a lesson for my Wednesday night class today when there was a loud BOOM and the power went out. I thought, hmmm, that sounded like a transformer. Squirrel? I looked out the window and sure enough, there was a big, fat, although quite motionless squirrel hanging over the side of the transformer. Poor thing. Never even knew what hit him. I called the power company and within an hour or so, Mr. Power Guy was in my backyard with a very long stick, knocking Mr Squirrel to the ground, restoring power to my house. I thought,"Wow. Power restored. Problem fixed. That was easy." And an illustration was born. Funny thing, I had literally prayed a couple of hours earlier that God would send me ideas and illustrations as I prepared my lessons. So......
Sometimes we are in a "spiritual rut" for whatever reason... trials come, our emotions rule us, we've been offended and become bitter and unforgiving, circumstances rob us of our joy, the list is endless. Whatever the reason, Satan has come along and "knocked out our power". We may realize this, so then we begin struggling and striving to get back to where we were. We think the matter depends on us. Or that if we could change our circumstances, things would seem better and we would be happier and closer to God. Usually it's so much simpler. The Power Guy. He has that long arm that He uses to reach down and rescue when He hears there's a power outage. Don't misunderstand; He's well aware of any and all outages. He's just waiting for us to report ours. Then He loves nothing better than to knock that satanic squirrel off our situation and restore power to our being.
Crazy squirrel. He never saw it comin'. That Power Guy rocks.

I like Art Bush

2008-09-28T19:03:00.001-07:00

It was a great day at Cedar Creek today. We had a wonderful time of worship and I enjoyed meeting and chatting with a visitor named Cherise from Hamilton. She loves CC and says she comes to worship with us when she needs a "shot in the arm". I wish she'd come for her shot every week--she is so sweet!
Art Bush was with us today, sharing the gift of his smooth voice with us. I always enjoy hearing him. He is so humble and the message of his music always comes through clearly, because he wants to bring glory to God and not himself. I love that about him. The only trouble today was, he didn't sing long enough!
He sang "I Can Only Imagine", while a very moving video played. It showed a man in a nursing home longing for his wife who had gone on to heaven. Then it showed him passing away and going on to join his wife. I was sitting by my Dad, and we lost Mom a couple years ago. I was thinking of how much he must want to go be with her, and how much I miss her too, yet how happy she must be there. We were both crying. I never quite know what to do for Dad at those times. I can't imagine losing my husband, and we've only been married half as long as Mom and Dad were. I guess the lessons are obvious. Love and cherish your loved ones while you can. And be grateful that this life is not all there is! Praise God for that!

A good day!

2008-09-25T14:19:00.001-07:00

Hey everybody! (Actually, "hey, you two", because probably only Soren and maybe a friend or two will see this intoductory post) Welcome to my humble ablog. I am intrigued by this whole thing and though I don't lead a particularly extrordinary life and therefore have little to write about that anyone would be interested in, I have recently been thinking that it would be fun to just write for the sake of writing and get some of these thoughts out that swirl around in my head.
I had a wonderfully full day which included some of my favorite things....coffee; a trip to Anchor Room, our christian bookstore; lunch with an acquaintance-turned-friend; pie after lunch (with coffee); an evening at the Auburn Fair with my family and good friends, which included a hot apple dumpling ala mode and....coffee and some live country music. Lady Antebellum rocks!
God is very good to me and I am blessed!