A Break at the Lake

   The end of last week we were busy around here, workin' outside, shapin' things up around the Barn for the Living Hope Fellowship (the church we attend up here) church picnic. Sunday morning dawned, there were a few clouds in the sky, but no rain- we were thankful for that. The church people arrived, & we had church under a blue sky, followed by lunch & outdoor activities- it was a fun day. Then came Monday- we all looked forward to spending a day at the lake. Jonathon Coleman was celebrating his 5th birthday, & his Grandpa and Grandma have a house on the lake- we were invited to spend the afternoon & evening there. It's about a 45 min. drive from here, but it was worth the drive. We ate a HUGE lunch, the kids swam, & Cheryl took Bets, Myself & Gabby for a "heart stopping" boat ride. Lets just say Cheryl hadn't driven the boat in a while, so once she got her away from the dock, she let her go- her dad was watching from the dock nearly panicking, she was looking back laughing, while Bets & I were yelling "Look out for the neighbors floating dock"!!!! Besides the boat ride, it was a pleasant & relaxing day!!! And just before we left, Dutch had to do a little fishin', so naturally Madison grabbed his fishin' line as well (there's a little competition goin' on between them, Madison holds the record w/ a 16" large mouth). So Madison cast his line & just like that he had a hit- he was bringing it in when it snapped the line. They said it was a nice big bass. Pulling it in would have topped off an already wonderful day!!!

"I'm livin' the dream"

  The phrase "I'm living the dream" comes from the owner of the hardware store up here. Dutch laughs when he talks about him- I personally have never met him, but from what I hear he sounds comical. So anyway, Dutch adopted this phrase & he uses it frequently. I thought about the phrase- from a spiritual point of view & I wondered how many of us are "livin' the dream", and by that I mean, "Are you livin' the dream, that GOD has dreamed for you"??? Are you where you are because God has called you? Or are you stuck in your comfort zone, afraid to really seek God & what He has for you because if you do it may mean stepping out. How much are you willing to do to live the dream God has for- are you willing to go through uncharted waters??? I'm not saying everyone needs to GO somewhere, I'm saying "Is your job where you're supposed to be OR could God possibly have something else in mind for you, but you're not willing to trust him in that area. Does he want to use you, your gifts & talents, but you try to ignore the fact that you even have special gifts & abilities.
  We have come to the place where we like things easy, nice, convenient- but really "How dirty are you willing to get for God, how much of your life are you willing to give Him. I personally have this natural drive to "control" things. I want to tell God I'm willing to do this, this & this- but that's as far as I'm going. But in all reality, He knows the plans & dreams He has for us- He wants to purifiy & refine us, He wants to mold us, fill us & USE us. Are you willing to "live HIS dream"???

In honor of Father's Day

  I posted the song "Lead Me" for all you father's out there. Dutch heard the song on the radio, & he really liked it. He said, "You need to post that on your blog". To which I replied, "Great idea for Father's Day, will you write the blog?" And he said he would, but writing doesn't come easy for him, soooo- to all you Daddy's out there that carry the responsibility of leading a family, don't take your job lightly, we're counting on you guys to be led by the greatest Father of all, so you can lead us with strong hands!! What an awesome responsibility you have- but you have the oppurtunity to get your teaching by the greatest teacher ever known. Stay the course, put your hand in His, & we'll do our best to follow!!!! Happy Father's Day!!! (Be sure to listen to the song- i posted it just before this post)

Sanctus Real - Lead Me

Thank You

  Not sure how to put in words our gratitude to the folks that so generously blessed us when we were in Lancaster last weekend. I don't know who gave the big round plastic tub FULL of goodies from food to flip flops, & clothes, etc.- and I don't know if you read our blog or not, but "THANK YOU". Our children were SO EXCITED & they said "Wow, God has blessed us". Also thanks to my mom for the cart full of groceries, & for puttin' up w/ us in your house for the weekend. And a "thank you" to Sue for the wonderful bread, pies, oh & the gum as well, anyone that buys MaKayla gum becomes her "Best Friend"!!!
We returned to the Haft feeling blessed and overwhelmed at God's provision & excited about the work HE is doing here & in Lancaster.

Jus Sayin'...

 Okay so good health is something we ALL take for granted, & trust me, when you're not feeling good for a day it makes you SO THANKFUL to wake up the next morning feeling better. I spent most of the day yesterday doing only what was NECESSARY to get by, & the rest of the time I laid on the couch. Now as a mom there are definitely more things that are NECESSARY to do compared to if you're a sick child, or a guy for that matter. If you're a sick child, your mom will probably tell you "Rest & take it easy for today"- nothing more is required, just lay there & get better. And if you're the guy, husband, dad or whatever- when you get sick, you will probably say, "I'm gonna lay down, tell the kids not to disturb me, & can you bring me a cold drink, or maybe hot tea, & could you rub my feet..." BUT us mama's DO NOT have that luxury do we??? It's more like this- "OK kids I'm gonna lay down a bit cause I'm not feeling well, do something quietly please." Silence for about 10 seconds. Then there's a BUMP & Makayla screams.
 "OK kids what's going on?"
"Makayla bumped her head & she wants you mom."
"Bring her in here with her blankey, she can lay beside me."
So she lays beside you, or more like rolls around beside you, all the while kicking & bumping your aching body.
"MaKayla HOLD STILL."
"But mom I need to go potty."
"Can you go by yourself"?
"No, I want you to help me." (notice it's not I NEED you to help me, but rather WANT you to)
So she whines till I begrudgingly, & rather dizzily, get out of bed & take her.
I finally get back in bed- NOW can I get a little rest before Gabby wakes up??
5 minutes go by, I'm just drifting off into la-la land, when I feel a soft tap on my shoulder-
"Yes Shay what do you need?"
"Can we watch a video, we're bored & it's too hot to play outside."
"Yeah sure, & take Makayla w/ you."
A discussion ensues & a hot debate on which video to watch, I listen from my bed thinking, "Don't make me come out there."The two older ones finally give into the whinny 3 year & watch "Holly Hobby". Silence follows momentarily as they become involved in the video. Nows my chance, it's quiet... but wait was that Gabby waking up?? No pleasssse not already, any other day she would sleep for 3 hrs.!!!! Do I get any breaks??
So maybe it wasn't EXACTLY like that yesterday, BUT that pretty much sums up what the day looks like for the sick mom. The kids don't decide, "Hey let's not whine today, & all get along cause mom really needs a break." NOPE! Life still happens for sick mama's, so we grin & bear the pain till dad comes home, which unfortunately for me, Dutch had an off-site meeting last night (very unusual)... SO thankfully my first born (don't you love em, so responsible an all!!!) stepped up to the plate- she took charge of bathin' MaKayla, washed & brushed her hair, got her ready for bed & even tried to explain to her that "Mamas not feelin' good", though I think it fell on deaf ears...
  Let's just say to wake up this morning feeling MUCH better was a wonderful thing & I will try not to take for granted ALL the days we are blessed w/ good health!!!!

Radical

   I've been reading the book called Radical by David Platt.  The sub-title is- "Taking back your faith from the American dream". Sounds heavy, right?? Well it's a really powerful book. In the first chapter, the author talks about the label given to him "youngest megachurch pastor in history". That doesn't sound like a bad thing- BUT his model (JESUS) was a guy who spent the majority of His ministry time with only 12 men. And when Jesus left this earth, He had only about 120 people who were really serious about doing what He told them to do. Jesus was more of a minichurch leader. Obviously He wasn't interested in attracting a huge following, and it's clear that the cost of following Him was far more than the crowds were willing to pay, but He was okay with that. He focused on the few who believed Him when He said radical things, & through their radical obedience, He turned the course of history in a new direction. The author goes on to say- "You & I can continue with business as usual in the Christain life and in the church, enjoying success based on the standards defined by the culture around us- OR we can take an honest look at the Jesus of the Bible and dare to ask what consequences might be if we really believed Him & really obeyed Him." 
  I enjoy a book like this because personally I think we as Christains have made our own rules & interpretations of the Bible to fit our lifestyle. We have watered things down.Jesus message wasn't necessarily easy- He spoke of dying to yourself, He said to be great you need to be a servant (and that doesn't sit well with a "me first" attitude). The author also talks about the underground church in different parts of the world that He has been to & these people have a HUNGER for the Word, & they risk being caught when they come together to study it. But they're willing to suffer for the sake of Christ.
  So by now if you've written me off as radical, well I can't do much about that... BUT if you're interested in reading a well written, & challenging book- you may want to pick up your own copy of it.
*Thanks to a Pastor friend, that we met here at the Haft, for sending us the book.