Playing Catch Up Part II (April & Part of May)

The month of April was filled with training at Pioneers, packing, going away parties, and a lot of good-byes.

We got back from our two-week trip and had a week break.  In that week, we were supposed to begin packing up what we are taking with us when we leave, plow through home school, and prepare for our week long training at Pioneers.  I hurt my back and so all of the previous mentioned things, well, didn’t get done.  That same week, we had two going away parties.  When we got home late from one of the parties, we realized we had completely forgotten to pack for our training.  The training that was the next day…after church.  Since my back was out, Curtis and Brayden were very helpful in getting things together.

Training was informative and at times intense.  Overall, it got us excited about heading to Thailand.  We met two other families that are going to Chiang Mai.  We are looking forward to re-connecting with them when we get there.

April 29th was our last day in Orlando, we left from our church where we were commissioned.  We couldn’t think of a better way to have left.  It was very sad for all of us.   Friends sent us out with encouraging words, gifts, and a lot of hugs.  The only thing that kept us sane was knowing that we were headed to the beach!  Curtis’ cousin gave us the gift of a few days in San Destin at the Hilton, where we were treated like royalty.

When we got to the beach that evening, I took the kids for a walk on the beach.  Elle said, “This is the best blessing that God could give a 7-year-old girl.”  It was the best blessing that God gave all of us.  Thank you, Frank and Brenda, for sharing what God has blessed you with.  May God bless you greatly for your generosity and kindness.

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March 24 of Jesus Calling has been an encouragement during this time of letting go and saying good-bye.

This is what it says,

“THIS IS A TIME IN YOUR LIFE WHEN YOU MUST LEARN TO LET GO: of loved ones, of posessions, of control.  In order to let go of something that is precious to you, you need to rest in My Presence, where you are complete.  Take time to bask in the Light of My Love.  As you relax more and more, your grasping hand gradually opens up, releasing your prized possession into my care.

You can feel secure, even in the midst of cataclysmic changes, through awareness of My continual Presence.  The One who never leaves you is the same One who never changes.  I am the same yesterday, today and forever.  As you release more and more things into My care, remember that I never let go of your hand.  Herein lies your security, which no one and no circumstance can take from you.”

I don’t know about you, but, y’all, I find this very comforting.  My (our) life over the past year is testimony to the security of Jesus.  In many ways, this year for me has been a speed course in letting go of loved ones, possessions and control, of almost everything that the world tells us brings security.  There is NO WAY I (we) could have done everything that I (we) did this year without Jesus as my (our) constant support.  In a world that is constantly and rapidly changing it is comforting to know the One that never changes.  At times, preparing for the mission field has been a lonely road.  Other times, it has been chaotic.  It has been in the chaos and overwhelming times that I know that He is there.  He alone has given me the strength to persevere.   He is my security.  And, I rest in Him.

Playing Catch Up Part I (March)

When I opened our blog the other day and saw our last post was in February, I couldn’t believe it.  With all that has been going on, I am not sure when I would have had the time.  The next few posts, I will try and catch you up on what we have been doing for the past three months.

The month of March was spent with friends and family.  Our best friends came down for their spring break, and we had our chance to spend our very last time at the beach with them.   A week after that we left for a two week support-raising trip to Columbia and Greenville, SC; a stop in Asheville, NC; Knoxville, TN; Charlottsville, Richmond, Alexandria,  Williamsburg, and Smithfield, VA; and last but not least Washington DC.

Columbia & Greenville, South Carolina

The theme of this weekend was “all things southern.”  Curtis’ cousin, Andy, gave Brayden an intensive lesson in southern culture.  The weekend also included Brayden and Elle’s first time to drive, four wheeler rides, hikes, impromptu swimming in the river, and checking out the Gamecock’s stadium.  It was a great time with fun memories.  We left Columbia and headed for Greenville to visit a friend from our seminary days.  Greenville’s downtown was beautiful!

Asheville, NC & Knoxville, TN

On our way to Knoxville, we had a chance to make a quick stop in Asheville, NC.  Asheville has a very eclectic mix of people.  The kids were less than impressed with this city.  We tried to tell them that this was a very desirable place to live, but they weren’t convinced.  We headed to Knoxville, TN where we visited friends from my (Lisa’s college days) and Curtis’ seminary days.  We made a quick trip through the University of Tennessee, and the stadium was opened and “Smokey” was even on the field.   We love Knoxville!

Virginia & Washington D.C.

We visited five different cities in Virginia.  Our first stop was in Charlottsville to visit our friends from seminary.  It was an encouraging and refreshing time.  Curtis’ cousin lives in Richmond, and we had a wonderful time with him.  We learned a lot about the city, went to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, and UVA.  Lisa’s college roommate lives in Alexandria, and we had a chance to have dinner with her and meet her husband and children for the first time.  It had been ten years since we had seen each other.  It was great to catch up.  We took Curtis’ mom and Brayden to Washington D.C. for a few days while we took Elle to Williamsburg.  We did have a chance to worship on Palm Sunday at the National Cathedral and give Elle a very quick tour of Washington D.C.  On our way out of Virginia, we visited friends from seminary.  It was great to visit with them and have our children get to know and enjoy each other.

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We thoroughly enjoyed our trip.  Thank you everyone that hosted us, we appreciate your hospitality!  It was a blessing to see all of you.

He Restores My Soul

Psalm 23 :1-3

The LORD the Shepherd of His people.

A Psalm of David.

 The LORD is my shepherd

I shall not want.

He makes me to like down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.

If you read Curtis’ previous post, you know that he is HOME!  When he pulled up Monday it felt like relief.  ”I was like, hey babe.  I am so glad you are home.  Take the kids and go fill their tank because mine is empty.”   Those weren’t my exact words, but what I was trying to communicate in my non verbals.  I needed a time out.

The next day I had a hair appointment scheduled and a date with Curtis for Valentine’s Day.  That was super exciting because I LOVE getting my hair done and I LOVE going out with Curtis even more.

On Thursday, a new friend took me out to lunch.  What a wonderful time of encouragement we shared.  She is such a neat lady.  I am thankful that God has placed her in my life.  My tank was beginning to fill.  When I got home, a friend was there waiting on me to get home so we could hang out.   Elle had a blast with her daughters (I think her little tank was getting full).   We all enjoyed every minute of it.  I am talking back porch, Adirondack chairs, Curtis sharing his Cafe Du Monde coffee (a treat for him from his trip to LA) and in the background we could hear wonderful noises of laughter and playing coming from the girls.

Yesterday, I met with a friend that is also a counselor preparing to go to the mission field.  She just returned from her vision trip to Indonesia.  It was great to hear her story and God’s clarity in her calling.  It is nice to have someone that is going through similar things at the same time.  It was great to process all that is going on in our lives.

The last post I wrote, “Fight Club” was very much the opposite of what I have experienced this week.  I put part of  Psalm 23 at the top of this post because I felt like God was leading me beside quiet waters.  It looked a lot like time alone for me.  Time without the husband and children.  He restores my soul looked a lot like all of the times I met with friends.  My soul was being restored my tank was getting filled.  I know this Psalm is taken out of context of what David was experiencing.  He had major problems.   He had people after him wanting to kill him.  I don’t have that problem.  But, I do share with David the same God that cares for His children’s physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.  This Psalm talks about God providing refreshment in the difficult experiences of life.

Each one of the people that I spent time with this past week I know God has placed in my life for various reasons.  I know they all make me a better, more Godly woman.  When I was with them, I felt “normal” again.  I felt like myself.  I felt God’s loving arms around me through His people.  Thank you LORD for restoring my soul and making me more of who you created me to be.

I want to thank all of the people that have been praying for me during this time.  When I hear that people are praying for me, it really feels like God lovin’ on me in a time that I so desperately need to feel His presence.  Thank you.

Living graciously,

Lisa

Home Again!

 

I had a wonderful road trip through Baton Rouge, LA; Jackson, MS; Memphis, TN; Germantown, TN; Nashville, TN; and Columbia, TN.  I had the chance to visit old friends and make new friends along the way.  I experienced abundant hospitality and generosity, while missing my family back home at the same time.  I have finally returned home today, and it is good to see Lisa, Brayden, and Elle.  With each support trip, I feel more like a missionary preparing for the field.   

Fight Club

I have so many posts inside my head that never make it to the blog.  I wrestle continuously about what to post.  I have a running dialogue with myself about the posts that go something like this, “If I write a post about _________ what is my purpose in writing that?” or, “If I write about ___________ will our readers be offended?”, and “I don’t want to write about ___________ because it will sound like I am complaining, and I don’t want to come across as a ‘complainer’.”  Today, the dialogue went something like, “Just write.”  Besides the dialogue that keeps me from writing for our blog, I have another involvement with “fight club.”  I am not talking about the movie or an actual “club,” I am talking about what is going on inside of me.  Since we have returned from seeing our families at Christmas, things have been in so many ways good (see previous post), but in so many ways it has been HARD.  I said to Curtis, I think I am the big “D”.  The “d” stands for depression.  I don’t usually stay in this place for very long, but I have found myself having a hard time “snapping out of it.”  In my mind I am going over my life.  ”Is everyone well, has anything bad happened, is my marriage okay?”  The answers are yes, no, and yes.  So then, what is my problem?

Curtis had his first support raising road trip last weekend.  He was only gone from Friday to Monday.  No big deal.  I have gone longer without seeing him.  But, this time it was different.  He was going to see our best friends, and I wasn’t getting to go.  I felt like I should be going too.  I was missing out.  This past Friday he left for another trip.  He will be gone for ten days.  Again, I find myself having a hard time on feeling like I am missing out.  Part of what I have loved about raising support is meeting with people, sharing our story (which reminds me of what we are doing) and receiving encouragement.  I am not going to lie, once we decided that we were moving overseas everything became very isolating and lonely.  And when we came back from Christmas we didn’t go back to our “home.”  We moved into someone else’s home.  We live close enough to drive to a friends house, but far enough away that people can’t just “stop by.”  Instead of it taking 45 minutes to get to church, it takes an hour.  Instead of our friends living two to ten minutes away it is twenty to thirty minutes.  So what’s the big deal?  We are a one car family.  When Curtis leaves, so does our car.  So if I want to see people, they have to come to me.  The problem is, they don’t.

That is where the fight club enters.  I forget why we are doing what we are doing, I am isolated from my friends (read: support), and I have a terrible problem of being jealous when Curtis leaves.  Because being at home and homeschooling isn’t a blast like a road trip would be.  And I fight within myself to “get it together.”  I wrestle with being content in all things.

Last week when Curtis returned he gave me the gift of getting out of the house.  He said, “Don’t just run errands, go do something fun.”  What’s fun?  What am I going to do?  Where am I going to go?  So I got dressed, took the car, drove off and cried for about twenty minutes.  And I prayed.  I went to a bookstore and found the book “Jesus Calling” ( I don’t know how to underline on the blog).  This is what I read from the book,

“I am your strength and shield. I plan out each day and have it ready for you, long before you arise from bed… concentrate on staying in touch with Me. Refuse to waste energy by worrying… My Presence watches over you continually, protecting you from both known and unknown dangers…which is the best security system available.” 

I needed to be reminded in the fight that God is my strength and shield.  I am not alone, He is with me always.  What a gift those words were for me.  Had I not bawled my eyes out minutes before, I might have lost it in the store.  Because at that moment, I realized, He cares about me.   In the grieving of loss of closeness to friends, selling a house we loved, saying good-bye to family, children struggling, husband gone…I forgot.

Kings and Queens: The Other Side

In our last post, Lisa described our privilege of serving Kings and Queens in our home throughout the years, as we said “good-bye” to that special place.  We have now moved into our temporary home with a mother/daughter family (Kim & Andrea) who have entertained us as Kings and Queens.  Many have asked about where we are living now.  I must confess that our Father has not only provided us with an adequate home while we are in transition, but He has been pleased to pour out blessing on us.  Kim & Andrea have been extremely gracious, generous, and thoughtful to our family.  They have truly treated us as honored guests in their home.  In fact, they have expressed their enjoyment of having us in their home, and their actions have led me to believe that might actually be true.  They have three dogs, one rabbit, and one hedgehog that have all become the objects of Elle’s affection.  The dogs, particularly, have befriended Lisa.  Brayden and Elle have greatly enjoyed the “game” room, and Brayden is ecstatic about the multiple flat screen TV’s with cable and DVR.  Who knew DVR would make TV enjoyment so much more efficient for all of us?  Not many homes could accommodate our family of four (including home-school world), but this house and family have done just that.  And for those of you who know us well, you will be able to imagine how blessed all four of us feel that Kim insists on cooking dinner for all of us every night.  Paradoxically, during this season of transition and being unsettled, we are being entertained as Kings and Queens.  Praise be to God and thank you, Jesus, for Kim & Andrea!

Entertaining Kings and Queens

Tonight is our last night in our home.  I haven’t really had time to reflect on all that has happened over the past almost 8 years here.   In the brief time that my head clears of all that I have to do,  my thoughts go straight to being thankful for God’s blessings.  We have entertained Kings and Queens  in our home.  To you they might look like our friends and family, to us they are honored guests.  We brought home our daughter to this home, celebrated birthdays,  Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, worshiped, laughed and cried with friends, home schooled the babes, started a home group, and had great neighbors.  It has been a home that has sheltered us from the storms of life to countless, literal hurricane storms.  Over the last few days people have asked us, “Are you sad about selling all of your stuff?”  Our response has been the same for all of us, “No it’s just stuff.   But, we will miss our house.”  It has been more to us than a house.  It has been a place of memories.  Good memories.  We are blessed to have lived in a place that none of us wants to leave.  Thank you LORD for the blessing of this place we have called home.  We know that our Earthly home pales in comparison to our heavenly home.  We give you the glory for anything good that has happened in this home.  You are worthy to be praised.

We would love to host any Kings and Queens that want to visit us in Thailand.  Come on, you know you want to.  

Living graciously,

Lisa

What is the Ultimate Goal of the Church?

Have you ever heard a sermon that has impacted your thoughts so much that you will never forget it?  I was listening to a sermon (at home having solo church) and the pastor verbally painted this picture when he preached on worship.  The pastor talked about how we are created to worship.  Not just the people in his congregation, or the ones that believe in God, but every creature is created to worship.  He said that if we really understood what that meant there would not be a seat available in any evangelical church on Sunday mornings.  And, not only would there not be seats available, but that there would be people standing in any space they could find in the churches, people would be lining up outside the church buildings to be a part of corporate worship. I try to imagine the Sabbath day looking like that.  I think, if we really understood worship and the Sabbath day, it would probably look a lot like Tuscaloosa, Alabama did this past Saturday when the SEC football teams, Alabama #2 played LSU #1.  The fans planned ahead, they bought their tickets, and they took a road trip, if they weren’t from Tuscaloosa.  And then, they anticipated game day.  On game day, they got up early, dressed up in their teams colors, ate yummy food with their friends, then they spent the rest of the day and evening cheering for their team, and some continued after the game to the post-game parties. People that love football and are fans of a team, think nothing of doing whatever they can to be a part of watching their team play.  Whether it’s buying season tickets, watching at home with friends, being a part of the game parties that last all weekend.  They don’t want to miss out.  Everything in the football towns revolve around game day.  At our house, Curtis reminds us that there are four seasons: winter, spring, summer and football season.  What would happen if we took worship to that extreme?  If we were that serious about worship that we didn’t want to miss out on glorifying God, the Creator. What if everything in town on Sunday’s revolved around worship?  What if we anticipated the Sabbath day like a good rivalry football game? What if we got up early, got ready for church, packed out the church buildings, and ate a meal after church together and worshiped God all day?  And then the following Sunday, we did it all over again.  There is nothing wrong with football.  I like football season.  I like being a University of Tennessee fan even if they never win a game.  The problem is that people are packing out the football stands and getting excited on game day, and come Sunday there are empty seats in the church and people look like anything but excited, that’s a problem.  I am not talking about coming to church faking it (referring to excitement), but excited to give back to the LORD because our hearts are full of gratitude for who He is.  I am convinced it is because we don’t fully understand who God is, because if we did, we would do anything to not miss out on worship.  I will be the first to admit, my mind doesn’t grasp the fullness of God’s glory, but I want it to. I want to. I want to understand how to worship God everyday with every part of me so that He gets the glory He deserves.  I have been reading the book “Let the Nations Be Glad” written by John Piper.  It’s a book on the supremacy of God in missions.  The very first paragraph in chapter one says, ”Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is.  Missions exists because worship doesn’t.  Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man.  When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more.  It is a temporary necessity.  But worship abides forever.”  I had to read that over and over to let it sink in. Not because it was difficult for me to understand, but because worship is not what the church emphasizes.  I think that maybe it’s considered a “given” because, duh, why do you even go to church?  It should be a given, but it’s not.  As Christians, we should look like football fans on Sundays, prepared for worship, with our game faces on  minds shifted to focus on God alone because we are on Holy ground, and we get it.  We get it.  Take time today to stop what you are doing and worship God.  Give Him the glory.  The Bible says in Psalm 86:8-10, “Among the gods there is none like You, O LORD; Nor are there any works like Your works.  All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O LORD, and shall glorify Your name.  For you are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God.”  

*I don’t want to assume that everyone that reads this blog is a Christian.  If this is new information for you, I have listed below some questions and answers taken from the Westminster Shorter Catechism with verses from the Bible that fully explains why God created us and how we are to worship Him.  If you don’t have access to a Bible and would like one, please send me an email at mftt2012@hotmail.com, it would be my pleasure to send you one.

Q. 1. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

Psalm 86:9; Romans 11:36; I Corinthians 6:20 and 10:31; Revelation 4:11[b]. Psalm 16:5-11,Psalm 144:15 and Psalm 145; Isaiah 12:2; Luke 2:10; Philippians 4:4; Revelation 21:3-4

Q. 2. What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him?

A. The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him.

Matthew 19:4-5; Genesis 2:24; Luke 24:27, 44; I Corinthians 2:13 and 14:37; II Pet.1:20-21, 3:2, 15-16; Deuteronomy 4:2; Psalm 19:7-11; Isaiah 18:20; John 15:11; 20:30-31; Acts 17:11; II Tim. 3:15-17

Living graciously,

Lisa

Using Your Gifts

The body of Christ is richly blessed financially as well as its gifts and talents.  Over the years we have been blessed to be the recipients of some of those gifts.  Since we are now support raising, we have the blessing of being the recipients of God’s generous gifts to others.  This past summer, our friend Melonie Grover shared her creative gift as a photographer with us.  She generously shared her time and talents taking our family pictures to use for our prayer cards and newsletters.  She is just starting her own business Imago Photography and has launched her new website http://www.imagophotography.net/.  She wrote a blog post about our family and included some of the pictures.  Click here to read her blog http://myimagophotography.blogspot.com/2011/07/m-family-adventure_26.html.  If you live in the Orlando area and need a great photographer give Melonie a call.  You won’t be disappointed. She is fun and creative.  I encourage you to share your gifts and talents with others, it will be a joy to you and a blessing to others.

How are you using your time and gifts that God has given you to bless others?

Living graciously,

Lisa

Before the Throne of God Above

One of my all time, hands-down, favorite songs to sing in church is “Before the Throne of God Above.”  I have never been able to get through it without crying.  The first time I remember singing this song was during communion.  I went forward, received the sacrament, and returned to my seat, and I meditated on these words.  Oh, and I cried.   The words paint such a beautiful picture.  Verse two (*see below)  is the part that always makes me cry.  It’s not a sad cry, but a “THANK GOD” I have a Savior cry, because seriously, without Him, where would I be?  I love this song because it reminds me of Christ’s tenderness towards me , but more importantly it reminds me that Christ is a deliverer, full of never-ending compassion for His people.  I am going to post the words.  Meditate on them.  Let them sink in deep.  When I get discouraged, this song is a reminder to me that I have a great High Priest whose name is “Love” who ever lives and pleads for me.  Read below, my friend and be encouraged.

“Before the Throne of God Above”

Before the throne of God above I have a strong and perfect plea, a great High Priest whose name is “Love,” who ever lives and pleads for me.  My name is graven on His hands, My name is written on His heart; I know that while in heav’n He stands no tongue can bid me thence depart, No tongue can bid me thence depart, No tongue can bid me thence depart.

*When Satan Tempts me to despair, and tells me of the guilt within, upward I look and see Him there Who made an end to all my sin.  Because the sinless Savior died, my sinful soul is counted free; For God, the Just is satisfied to look on Him and pardon me, to look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there, the risen Lamb, my perfect spotless Righteousness, the great unchangeable I AM, the King of glory and of grace!  One with Himself I cannot die, My soul is purchased by His blood; My life is hid with Christ on high, with Christ my Savior and my God, with Christ my Savior and my God.

*Words by CHARITIE LEES BANCROFT (1841-1923)

What is your favorite hymn or song?

Living graciously,

Lisa