Memorial Day

Memorial Day.  A day of remembrance.  A day to remember the fallen and their families.

I have to say that before I married the army, I don't know that I really knew or understood what memorial day was really about, what it really meant.  I think somewhere in history, probably during the cold war, it's meaning was pushed away in the corners of time.  It became really big again with the 'new wars' of Iraq and Afghanistan but still I wonder at the confusion.

Sometimes we get it a little confused with Veteran's Day another important day to observe on it's day.  Honestly?  I really think that we should be thanking our veterans EVERY day.

On Memorial Day though, I think we need to really remember the fallen and their families.  I was reading earlier today about the history of Memorial Day.  In years past it was spent remembering by visiting cemeteries and memorials.  They had family gatherings.  They decorated graves with flags and their homes as well.  It was a day of remembering.

Many often go and help place flags on graves today too and they gather with family and friends for BBQs and cookouts.  It's the unofficial first day of summer.

Today, I want to remember all those who paid the ultimate price for our country and also their families.  There are 3 special soldiers and families I wish to remember.  I think of them often and I pray for their families.

Col. John M. McHugh 5/18/10 

SGT Amanda N. Pinson 3/16/06

SFC Charles M. Sadell 10/24/10   

I am thankful for their lives, for their willingness to serve and for their families who shared them with our country.  I'm praying for you all.

Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery in the Spring

My Hero

The guy on the right is one of my heroes.  I only have a few but this one is super special to me.  He is an amazing guy.  He is driven and focused.  When he sees what he wants he works HARD to achieve it.  He is truly amazing.

He loves music and theater and is totally into physical fitness.  In fact, he scored a 300 on his PT test before he left for Basic Training.  When he was 10 years old, he decided he wanted to learn to do pull ups.  Now, he can do them forever. 

He doesn’t take the easy way.  He has no problem taking the rough roads or making tough decisions.  He gives life his ALL and is stronger because of it.

I’ve heard what some people say about him and all I can say is that I’m sorry you haven’t really gotten to know him.  He is fun, loving, super smart and his faith runs deep. He is loyal and dedicated.  He makes me proud to be his mother.  

Yes, he’s made mistakes, haven’t we all, but he’s also learned from those mistakes and they have made him stronger and more determined. 

He is figuring out what he wants in life and is working toward it, even if it’s a tough, hard road he has to take to get there, and I know he will achieve it.  

When he left for college, I told him to go and do great things and that is exactly what he is doing.  He is seeking to make a difference in this world and I happen to believe he has already and will continue to do so.  

I know you will never see this but, I love you, Spencer, you are my hero.

Attitude of Gratitude

This morning I was posting on my Facebook Page about being thankful.  I've been trying to learn to use hashtags, so it's #ThankfulThursday.  Anyway, I really started thinking about how being thankful and having a grateful heart can really change us.  It can change our attitudes at the moment or it can change our lives forever if we can hang on to it.
Ephesians 5:20 reminds us to, "give (ing) thanks to God the Father at all times for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

I was reminded of a song from the movie "White Christmas" where Bing Crosby is singing to Rosemary Clooney about counting her blessings when she is worried.  He sings, "When my bankroll is getting small, I think of when I had none at all..."  Putting things into perspective.

I was reading an article this morning about a dad struggling when sending his son off to college and he thought to himself, "what am I crying about? Some parents are sending their kids off to war."  It's all about perspective and having the right one.

It's a choice we have.  The way we choose to look at things in life makes all the difference in how we feel, how we look, how we live and who we are.  I've been working on my perspective a lot over the last year or so and I can see such a change in the way I feel.  My moods are better and less... hmmm... volatile... no, that's too harsh but let's change the perspective and say they are much more steady.  Lol I'm working on it!  I'm much happier, life is less complicated, I smile more, laugh more and have more to share with others. I worry less and I'm just happier, much more content.

Anyway, being thankful is something we should all work at in our lives.  It makes us feel good and reminds us where we are, who we are and whose we are.

Transitions of Life

What a weekend.  My darling daughter was busy with dance, dress rehearsal and recital, and my darling son was finishing his sophomore year in college 2 weeks early so he could leave for basic training yesterday.  It was a weekend that pulled at my heartstrings.  It was a weekend of transitions.

I'm working on a sermon on transitions.  Our lives are full of them.  We have transitions as our children grow, we have transitions in our marriages, with our pets, in our jobs, with our friends, in our neighborhoods, in our churches.  Transitions are just a part of life.  They are everywhere and for me, they are hard.

This weekend was a really hard transition for me.  We sent my darling son off to Basic Training for the US Army.  He'll be gone about 4 months.  4 months!!  Kids growing up is a hard transition for mommas.  We love our kids and want to see them grow up and start lives of their own but at the same time we want to keep them close to us!  That whole letting go thing...  it's tough.

I wasn't a fan of my son joining the military.  I've already lived that live for the last 20 years and am kind of done but when he told his dad that he knew the military was where he is meant to be... well, it pulled at my heart strings again.  I suddenly heard the words from Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for him declares the Lord, plans to prosper him and not to harm him, to give him a future with hope." (Loosely translated by me.)

It gave me comfort and peace.  It is making the transition a little easier for me.  Don't get me wrong!  I cried.  I bawled my eyes out.  I see a photo of him, I walk by his bedroom, I see his favorite foods and I immediately think to myself, "Oh I miss him" as tears well up in my eyes.  Then I remember how much he wants this.  I remember that we raised him right and well and then I remember Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it." (Same translation as above.)

It all gives me a bit of peace.  A bit of comfort and helps me to trust in God throughout these transitions of life.  God's got this.  He's on my side.  He's on my son's side.  He knows the plans, plans to prosper and give a future and hope.  Sounds pretty good to me.  Sounds pretty comforting too.  I love that He is there to comfort us when we need it most.  Those quiet words, verses he puts in our minds and on our hearts to help us through the tough transitions of life, well, it's pretty awesome.  It's helps me deal.

What helps you deal with life's transitions?

Care, Show and Harvest

Dictionary.com defines stewardship as:

1. the position and duties of a steward, a person who acts as the surrogate of another or others, especially by managing property, financial affairs, an  estate, etc.

2. the responsible overseeing and protection of something considered worth caring for and preserving

I love the part that says, "...something considered worth caring for..."  Our faith, our earth, our home and family, our church.  Those are things I consider worth caring for and more.

Stewardship has been heavy on my heart the last few weeks, maybe even months.  Actually, now that I think about it, it's probably been on my heart for over a year!

There is so much that stewardship entails, especially in the church.  Our gifts, our service, our presence, our prayers, and yes our money.  The ministries of our church need our stewardship.  They need our protection, our caring, our attention.  

The ministries of our church are our people, both members and non members, both inside and outside the building.

I may be crazy, but I feel that if we are being good stewards of our ministries, the money will come.  I could be wrong, I don't know but it is a very strong feeling I have.  Let me explain what I mean.

If we are showing our 'church', our 'people', our community that we care, that we are here for them, then they will feel that they are a part of the church, the community and will want to 'care for and preserve it.' (Please refer back to the second definition of stewardship.)

If we show (not just tell) what our ministries are doing and who they are serving, I think maybe people will get excited to be a part of it.

How do we do this?  

First we make certain that our ministries are in ministry.  We make sure that the people of our church and community are being served by us.  Are we visiting people?  Are we being sure that our shut-ins, our ill, our lonely are being cared for by our ministries?  Are we taking care of our youth? Our children?  Our adults? Are they being nurtured?  Are we reaching out to them?  Teaching them?    Are we serving in the community?  Are we reaching out to those in need?  Are we staying in contact with our 'people' on a regular basis? Do we let our 'people' know we care about them, that we are here for them? Do we have ministries that do this?

Then what? How do we show that we are doing this? 

We ask people to share.  We ask a child, a youth, anyone to share what the church and it's ministries that are offered to them, mean to them.  Maybe we ask them to speak in church, or ask them on video to be shared, or even ask them to write a little something that can be shared in the newsletter, on the website, Facebook and so on.  We ask and we share.

We find ways to SHOW our ministries and how they are making a difference in someone's life.  When people SEE ministries in action, when they SEE the fruits of the ministries of the church, they just might want to be a part of it!  Whether hands on or financially, they just might want to help.

This needn't only happen once a year during the stewardship campaign.  I think it should be happening on a regular basis!  People need to see and know what is going on in the their church and not just on Sunday mornings.  They need to know and SEE that ministry is happening all the time.  They need feel that they are a part of it.  If they never see or hear from those who are on the receiving end, they may not realize that ministries are happening.  Well, they probably know that the youth and children meet but they don't know what they are doing, or that they are effective, that the are making a difference in lives unless we SHOW them.

You never know, it may just touch someone's life, someone who is looking for a place to belong, a place to serve and be served.  More ministries could grow out of the showing, touching more lives, making more disciples.

Where there is life, there is everything you need but hidden life, life not shared, well, it's hard for it to be sustained, hard for it to grow.  If a plant is hidden from the sun, hidden from view, it can't grow but if you put it in the sunlight, and you take care of it, it will flourish!  It will produce and the harvest will be great!

What do you think?  Do you think we should be showing more throughout the year?  What ideas do you have?  Please share!

It's often taboo to talk about this but here it goes!

Our church recently finished our annual stewardship campaign.  I'm not on the finance committee, so at this point I have no idea how it went as far as pledges go.  To me, it seemed like a fairly soft campaign and I can understand why... kind of...

People seem to get really squirrelly when the church starts talking about money and stewardship.  It's really frustrating.  It's a fine line to walk.  You don't want to be pushy because people don't like that but if you go too soft, well, people don't get into it.

Several years ago, we used the "Practicing Extravagant Generosity" study for our stewardship campaign and it was wonderful!  Honestly, I think it changed my life. I don't know how well it went for our congregation as a whole but it was great.

I have to share with you how this changed my life.

I've always been an on again, off again tither.  We always tried to give 10% but sometimes it was really hard and we were unable, but we always gave.  When we first moved here we were struggling financially.  We had two house payments as we tried to sell our home where we used to live.  We continued to give to our last church until our pledge was paid but when we started giving here it was below the 10% because we just couldn't make it work, or so we thought.  Some months we did some months we didn't depending on what was going on that month.

Then we started the Extravagant Generosity study.  Somehow, I even ended up leading it a couple of weeks in our Sunday School Class.  It had a book of Daily Readings that went with it and I read it most every day. The last scripture for the last day before the last week was Malachi 3:10.  

                  "Test me in this and see if I don't open up

                  heaven itself to you and pour out blessings

                  beyond your wildest dreams."  

                         ~~ Malachi 3:10, from the Message

My husband and I were just completely taken with this.  Our wildest dreams?  Really?  Right then we decided that we were going to do this and do it right. I typed up this scripture and hung it on our bathroom mirror and on the refrigerator so we could read it everyday. We were going to "Test him" and see if he kept his promise.

My husband was getting ready to retire from the military and we didn't really know what the future held for us as far as a job for him and our financial future but here was God telling us to trust him and if we did he'd make it worth our while so... We jumped in with both feet, no holding on to the sides! 

We have not looked back since.  At least once a month either my husband or myself will read the scripture again and comment on how blessed we have been.  We aren't independently wealthy by any stretch of the mind and since my husband is a contractor for the military, his job is not always the most secure but we are blessed beyond measure and we don't worry that much anymore.  

We have found this scripture to be so true, this promise to have been kept.  It's been amazing and very freeing.  I've often felt that I needed to share this story with others, that maybe if I did, it might help others in their generosity.

The decision to tithe is a hard one.  It's one that people and churches have wrestled with for years and it's not to be taken lightly.  Sometimes it's really hard!  I know it is!  But we have found it worth it.

                  "Test me in this and see if I don't open up

                  heaven itself to you and pour out blessings

                  beyond your wildest dreams."  

                         ~~ Malachi 3:10, from the Message

Living

It's been a busy time in our house.  Holy week was full.  My darling daughter and I were in the Maundy Thursday drama, my husband returned from a 17 day trip, my darling son and his sweet girlfriend came home for Easter.  We had a kids camp at church on Good Friday, family fun day at our home on Saturday, Easter and more family fun on Monday.  It was full, full of good times, family time, church time.

We kept ourselves busy making memories to last a life time, I hope anyway!  I've really been working on living more.  Sometimes, it's too easy for me to get caught up in the pretend world called Facebook or the internet and before I know it I've wasted half a day (or more) so I've really been trying to disconnect so that I can connect with real life, to LIVE.

Funny that this has been something that has been happening, that been growing in me throughout the season of Lent.  It has been a great lesson and what perfect timing to have come to full life during Holy Week.

Saturday, I worked hard on documenting it for us so we could some 'hard copies' or our memories.

 

The next couple of weeks will be crazy busy here but I plan on living through it.  We have dance recital coming up, basic training, and summer!  It will be full.  Hopefully full of new memories, family time, learning, leaning and growing time too.



Have a wonderful day filled with living.

"... And life is worth the living, just because he lives"