Westerman's World

No Pleasure-- No Gain

2008-04-29T00:42:00.007-05:00

Has it really been so long? Haven't had any deep thoughts or ponderings lately, I guess.

Life continues to carry on at its frantic pace. Luke and Caroline are more precious than ever. Sometimes the little moments I share with them are so frighteningly fragile and emotionally powerful I just can't stand it. I just want to capture their little expressions and the way they tilt their heads and how they direct their gazes-- I never want to forget.... it all goes by too quickly.

So much has happened in our immediate circle lately, and it brings this home to me so clearly. Life can turn on a dime, never to be the same again. And, for someone who doesn't particularly enjoy change, this scares me to death. I love my life just as it is-- right here, right now. It frightens me to think about how I might respond to sudden tragedy or loss. Would my faith sustain me, or abandon me....? Or, would I willfully abandon it?

So, the "what ifs" and "why me" surely lie around the corner for me at some point-- it is inescapable on this side of heaven. The true question is, do I believe that He is in control and has a bigger vision for me than the one I am limited to seeing. It is easy to believe when everything in my line of sight at present is full of joy and peace....

It occurred to me that we often discuss how we learn so much during the hard times. We analyze the lessons we must have needed to learn through the pain-- "He works in all things for good", etc. So-- if I am willing to accept that God wants to teach me through the discipline of suffering, why do I never consider what He might be trying to teach me in the midst of the joy? If every good and perfect gift is from His hand, then perhaps there are just as many powerful lessons and truths to be learned when things are good and life is good and my sanity is good, too.

It is odd that I never appreciated the depth of this perspective before. It is almost as if we don't need or call upon God until the rug is pulled out from under us and we have nowhere else to turn-- yet, maybe we need Him even more desperately when we are content and happy in this world-- because isn't that when we stray the farthest from Him? Not sure... but I am pondering....

Headed to Pepperdine tomorrow. Looking forward to being reunited with the extended ZOE crew-- to leisurely nights gazing at the ocean, incredible food, and "star" sightings.... what a fun week.

This year's lectureship theme is based on the Sermon on the Mount-- see one of the key verses they list below which I just now located on the Pepperdine website. It seems eerily relevant to everything mentioned above!! God loves to weave His wisdom together for me sometimes in majorly obvious ways.... guess it is the only way I can comprehend! :)

Everyone then...who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. Matthew 7:24-25

The Return of the Prodigal

2008-04-05T11:25:00.004-05:00

I was blessed to experience my first Tulsa Workshop last weekend. ZOE was invited to lead some of the worship times. On Sunday, we visited Memorial Drive Church of Christ and also led during the two morning services. Their worship leader, Shane Coffman, was a wonderful host to us all weekend.

Terry Rush is the minister, and he has been at Memorial for over 30 years from what I understand. We were invitied to tour his office-- a shrine to the St. Louis Cardinals! It was very impressive. He goes to camp with them every spring and has become a huge influence upon the team.

His sermon was entitled, "The Return of the Prodigal Son." I must confess, I wasn't anticipating hearing anything I hadn't already heard before--- I was wrong.

He came at the story from such a wonderful new perspective. He talked about how most of us feel we are only worthy of living in the "barn", but that the Father invites us to stay in the mansion. In fact, his main point from the parable was, "We must party!" His son is the fatted calf who was killed so that we could get back home-- and not have to stay in the barn.

He explained that the early church felt a sense of "awe" and that we should, too. That church should be the party place where we celebrate what He has done for us. Whether we are the older brother who can't accept the celebration or if we are the younger son who can't understand why He would offer us a celebration-- God still wants us to share in the party.

I told Terry that I wanted to bring him back to Nashville with me.... You can just tell that he has a heart of gold. It is obvious that he is dearly loved.

Luke's Spring Program

2008-03-15T09:31:00.000-05:00

Come Shop this Weekend!

2008-03-04T06:55:00.007-06:00

Our Otter Creek Kids' Consignment Spring/Summer sale has arrived! My life is crazy and I am at the church every day this week from dawn till way past dusk!

We have a new fundraising focus this time now that our playground is open. All our proceeds will now go to the "Raise the Roof" campaign to build a new school on our Franklin Road property.

We have more consignors and volunteers than we have ever had. I continue to be amazed at how God has blessed this sale and had allowed me to keep my sanity in the process! :) There are just a million details and nuances that have to be addressed and that have to be stayed on top of to make it work. Since I am the only one who can run the technical (computer) side of things, most of that falls on me... But, I have the BEST team on the sale committee with me. When I say I could NOT do it without them, it is no exaggeration. Thanks, DeeAnna, Janet, Jennifer, Kathryn, Melanie, and Melissa!

We also have the BEST volunteers anywhere! Thanks to the hard work and sacrifice of our workers, our sale looks as good on Saturday as it does when we first set it up. They are constantly straightening the floor, counting cards-- and do such and amazing job at check-out, etc. etc. I am so humbled by how they step up every sale and give of their time and energy.

So-- keep us in your prayers! Pray for tons of shoppers and people with happy attitudes-- me most importantly! Tell your family and friends and come shop if you are near us!

Spiderman Bash!

2008-02-20T07:56:00.007-06:00

I had such fun designing his invite. We used real Spiderman comics between the cardstock to create a fun, unique background border. I put Luke's eyes behind the mask for another special effect.

Bo and Luke blowing out the candles and making a wish together. Sweet!
Caroline was a grump for the later half of the party and wouldn't let anyone hold her but me! Jana (Scott's mom) finally took her and got her to sleep! Thanks, Jana! :)

There were almost 20 kids at the party! They were SO well-behaved.
Luke's birthday table with all his presents.
Bo and Luke, the birthday boys.
The Spiderman bounce house was a big hit!
During the midst of my sickness, I was worrying myself to death that I wouldn't be well enough in time to pull off Luke's first "big boy" birthday party. Luke wanted a Spiderman birthday theme, so I had designed the cutest invitation and had rented a huge Spiderman bounce house for the party.

One of my good friends Cayce has a son, Bo, who is 8 days younger than Luke. They are in the same class at Otter Creek and are big buddies. He wanted a Spiderman party too, so we decided to do a joint birthday party for them since the invite list would be basically the same anyway. She was also gracious enough to move the entire party back one week just to make sure we were all well. That was SO generous and thoughtful of her! It was such a blessing hosting with her-- lessened the work load and lowered the costs-and the boys loved it! Maybe next year, we can do a "Dukes of Hazzard" theme! I told Cayce that she has to be "Daisy"!! :)

I took my last antibiotic on Thursday and was up at the gym on Friday night for three hours decorating, but, praise the LORD-- the party went off without a hitch, and the kids had a great time!

Happy 4th birthday, Luke, my sweet boy!

Did I mention Caroline turns 2 next week?!?!

Valentine Wishes

2008-02-16T21:48:00.001-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day from our two sweethearts....

On the Mend

2008-02-05T08:41:00.000-06:00

So, it's been almost two weeks since I've been out of comission. I had started to rebound last week, but by the weekend my fever had come back (not as high), and I just felt sick again and had NO energy. I suffered through Saturday and Sunday and went back to the doctor yesterday.

The first thing she said, "Well, you no longer have the flu." Most of the time, even the worst flu case can only hang around for 5 days or so.... After a few chest x-rays, she confirmed I had pneumonia! Not what I wanted to hear, but at least I knew why I had continued to feel so badly.

After only one day of high-powered antibiotics, I feel much better! At least I feel like my body has a fighting chance now.

So-- I am still crushed that Caroline has been at my parents' for so long. I know she won't remember, but I do! I cannot wait to have her come home.

What an experience this has been! Things I have learned/pondered:

We take our health for granted.
Pain teaches us things we could never learn otherwise.
We are blessed to live in a country with wonderful doctors and medicine.
How fortunate I am to have a loving husband who takes care of me, and amazing parents who take care our our children.
There is nothing worth watching on TV-- besides American Idol.
ALWAYS get a flu shot-- no excuses!
Working out at the Y is a wonderful thing-- how I have missed it!
Life goes on without you-- despite how important you think you are to the whole process.
Friends who check in on you are priceless.
"This world is not our home-- we're just a passing through!"

I am ready to end this chapter of sickness and resume "normal" life.

No Tears, No Tears Up There

2008-01-27T11:09:00.001-06:00

I have been leading worship on Tuesday mornings for our Ladies' Bible Study. We are looking at "contentment"-- the whole "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances" from Philippians 4:11.

We started out looking at our need to be happy and how we often try to find contentment in other things rather than God-- the only One who can truly satisfy. Then last week we were called to focus on heaven-- to realize that we will always be "restless" in this world, because the eternity that God has placed in our hearts knows that this world is not our home. I have been very blessed by the study so far.

Well- this past week I have been put to the test! On Thursday, I started feeling sickly, but-- as all moms do-- you just keep going and make it work. I took Luke to school, then Caroline and I went to get my haircut, bought me some new luggage for my birthday, washed clothes, then we picked Luke up, we came home-- packed both of their suitcases and then I drove them to Paris so that they could spend the weekend with my parents.

We had a ZOE conference in Fresno and we were flying out early on Friday not to return until late Sunday. Scott was leaving to go to Florida on business, so I was thankful to my parents for keeping the kids.

When I got back to Nashville around 7 Friday night, I was feeling ok-- and I still had a few errands to run and packing of my own to do.

Somewhere around midnight I went to bed. Around 4 a.m. I woke up with chills and a fever of 102! I was SICK! I had to immediately decide on what to do about the ZOE trip. Karin was coming to my house at 6 and then we were picking up Jason. So I needed to decide so that they could make other arrangements-- not to mention my plane ticket-- and who would be the other last minute alto replacement. I felt horrible-- from the illness and from feeling like I was letting people down.

There just didn't seem like any way possible I could go. I didn't know what I had, but with that temperature, I felt I could be contagious, and I didn't want to risk making others sick. And, I honestly have a pretty high pain threshold, but I just doubted that I could "tough it out" on this one-- it had hit me hard.

So, I called Karin to let her know. I hated to leave her alone on the trip! She understood, of course. Then I emailed Eric about the flight and Brandon to let him know. I knew they could use Lindsey (Peter's wife) as my sub and she would do great.

Then, back to bed. I felt rough.

Friday was a rough day-- my temp hovered around 103 on and off and I spent the day swinging from extreme chills to extreme hot from the fever. By that night, I had given up on acetaminophen and switched to ibuprofen. That seemed to work, and by bed time, my fever had come down to 99. I felt SO much better and got a good night's sleep. I woke up Saturday feeling pretty good. Scott left to run errands to get ready for his trip, and then my fever started to climb. I took more ibuprofen, but two hours later, my temp was back up at 103. I called Scott and said I probably needed to go to the walk in clinic (since our doctor's office wasn't open on Saturday).

So, TMALSS-- I spent my birthday in a walk-in clinic finding out I had the flu. And, that there was pretty much nothing I could do but tough it out and keep taking ibuprofen!

And, through all of this-- it hit me that this was a REAL opportunity to put my "contentment" to the test. First, could I not grieve over the fact that ZOE was in Fresno praising God, eating amazing food, and spending to with dear friends without me!?!? Could I be thankful even when I just wanted to curl up on the bathroom floor and never move again? And... I found that I could!!! I was able to repeat over and over again "I have learned to be content in every circumstance!" Praise God!

Now-- don't misunderstand! I am NOT equating my meager bout with the flu to the sufferings of the disciples, etc. But, I am learning something through all of this. It made me think about so many things... Pain and sickness really have a way of changing your reality. You see things so much differently-- you start to long for the eternal where there will be no more tears or sorrow or pain. It also hit me over and over again about how Marcy felt a thousand times worse than me, and I just couldn't imagine what she went through with her two boys there. And, that like Mark said, she really was free now and in a better place.

The pain we experience here just reminds us that our citizenship is in heaven anyway, and it reminds us that we really want to be there with Him one day.

So- perhaps Satan was having a little fun with me and wanted to test out my belief in God's ability to satisfy-- or maybe I just touched some flu-contaminated door handle in passing! Who knows! But, as BAD as I have felt for three days. I am thankful that God has taught me from this pain and I hope it will be a lesson I won't soon forget-- along with ALWAYS get your flu shot!!!

Falling leaves, Melting snow

2008-01-08T00:12:00.000-06:00

Got an email today that revealed the news that Marcy Hayes had passed after a long battle with cervical cancer. I have posted about her recently-- she was only 32 years-old and a mother of two precious boys, ages 7 and 1.

Can't really explain in words how this news impacts me-- and, it almost seems like it is inappropriate to even try when it is not me who will bear this heavy burden, but it will be her two sons and Mark.

Mark is such a magnetic guy. I was blessed to know him at least 10 years ago when we both attended Woodmont Hills. I still think he is one of the best story tellers I have ever heard. He is like a giant teddy bear-- he would just come up and hug on you-- he makes you feel like you really matter to him. Everyone loves him. He would eventually become a "pseudo-youth minister" at Woodmont, and Scott and I worked with him closely during that time with the youth group.

Marcy was this "granola"-type girl-- very healthy and no-fuss about her. She was into "hot yoga". She would give Hank veggie sticks and closely monitored what he ate. She was honest and straight-forward-- you knew where you stood with her. She was so sincere and passionate about her faith. She was welcoming and friendly. She and Mark were such a great couple.

Can't believe she's gone. She was younger than me. My heart just breaks for Mark and the boys.

So, my mind has just been reeling-- thinking about how life is really just a blur. Even this wonderful holiday season which is only just now coming to a close is starting to seem like a distant memory. Why is life like that? Why is it so hard to stay "in the moment" and not to forget what things felt like and the looks on people's faces and the laughter we shared. Yes, we retain bits and pieces, but the majority of it just gets washed up in the ocean of time and waves of other memories who have gone before.

I remember times laughing with Marcy. I remember talking about her philosophy on parenting and discussing with her how she handled Hank in certain situations. I remember fun times at her house and all-night slumber parties with the teen girls at church. I remember the time we went to the Y together to a class and she complained that it wasn't hard enough for her. I remember her deep concern for a family she knew who had a son who was ill and how she always reminded us to pray for them..... Bits and pieces of her-- moments that have come and gone.

I can't imagine what Mark is pondering now-- and all the things he is remembering about her. What will Hank and Isaac remember?

It is just sad-- really sad to me right now.

The worst part is that I feel like I was absolutely no help to Mark during all of this. I didn't know how to help or what to say so I did nothing. I am so sorry for that. Even though he assured everyone that there was nothing we could do-- it still seems wrong. And now, I will sit at her memorial service and mourn with so many others. I will look around and see many familiar faces who also shared those times with me, and we will embrace and talk about the way things used to be and how sad it is that we have lost touch and how great Marcy was and how sad we are for Mark and the boys....

Life is just overwhelming at times. I guess there is some kind of meaning and purpose for people who come into our lives for only a season and then are gone-- like leaves falling of trees in the winter and snow melting in the sun. Without the impact that they make on us-- even however brief-- but for just a moment-- we could never experience the growth and renewal we gain in the "spring" of our lives. And so, they touch us and move on and we move on-- we change houses, change cities, change churches, change friends.... the "circle of life and friendship"....

I guess that is why life-long friends truly are unique. It is only a rare few who actually remain in our lives and never drift away. Those who are always in our memories and who continue to make new ones with us.

Just last week I was blessed to spend time with my life-long friend. She has lived far away from me now for several years and we don't even talk that often, but the minute we do reunite, it always comes back. It is special and familiar. We can share the good and bad and simply "be" with each other.

I am thankful that Marcy and I crossed paths and shared many wonderful times together on this side of heaven. She was a life-long friend to so many, and she will be deeply missed.

Here are some words that Mark sent us just one day after she left this place:

After a three year battle with cervical cancer, Marcy Rae Hayes died yesterday in our home in Thompson's Station. She was 32 years old. Marcy was an amazing wife and an incredible mother to Hank (7) and Isaac (1). She didn't compromise in her faith or belief in the Father, and I believe she is with Him now. She loved us boys with everything she had, but I don't think she would return here even if she had the chance. We don't understand living our lives without her, but we believe that God is good and faithful, and His grace, mercy and love are new to us every day.

We don't know what the future looks like, but we know our God does, and we will count on Him to sustain us. So many of you have loved us and helped us endure this incredibly tough time. We don't know what we would have done without you. Thank you for allowing Jesus to use you.

Sweetly broken and surrendered, Mark

Yes, we are all "broken and surrendered." May God send you His peace and comfort, Mark. May He remind us to treasure each moment and make the most of every breath we are blessed to experience here and to do it all to His glory.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T00:00:00.000-06:00

The Most Wonderful time of the year- Part Two

2007-12-17T08:43:00.000-06:00

I just LOVE this time of year! There is a tangible spirit of joy and love in the air....

On Friday we had a group of dear friends over for a dinner party. I had put a roast on the night before, so on Friday, I just had to make the sides. Luke was up early with me and helped me make the sides and the cake. He really is pretty good in the kitchen. He is so precious when he is helping-- so independent. He can even crack the eggs and add them without getting any shell in the mix. Pretty impressive for a 3 year-old, I think.

Such a great time! We played "Dirty Santa" and laughed and laughed! Most of us have been friends for almost 20 years now. We've been through the good and the bad; dating, engagements, marriage, kids, etc.-- and, now our children are growing up together. What a blessing!

Last night we had our Christmas show at Otter Creek: "He is the King." I am probably biased-- but I can't imagine that any church in Nashville had a better quality production than we did! :) We had such amazing singers-- Brandon and Sheryl, George Rowe, Jeff Berry, Amanda Vickers-- they were wonderful. George and Sheryl sang two songs together that were beyond belief-- so good that you just had to weep! When they sang, you could just feel the spirit of God all over it! It was heart-breakingly beautiful.

I can't explain how happy I am to be at a church that encourages events like this! Brandon is so good at having the vision and making it happen. He works so hard on it. Love Otter Creek!

So-- as Christmas approaches, I am trying to savor all of these great memories being made!

Breakfast with Santa

2007-12-11T15:27:00.000-06:00

Our annual Family Christmas Breakfast at Otter Creek was this past Saturday. I spent two days at church painting giant penguins and helping to decorate. Tons of work, but worth it! I love being at a place that values families so much! What a special time of year!

The Most Wonderful TIME of the Year

2007-12-04T06:59:00.000-06:00

From Halloween on through Easter is such a great time of year! It just seems like there is always another holiday to look forward to just around the corner-- especially since ALL of my family's birthdays are in November, December, and January. It's the changing colors of the leaves, hayrides and bonfires, Trick-or-treating, Thanksgiving, Nancy's birthday, Daddy's birthday, blessings, Christmas parties, caroling, festive dinners, Santa's visit, ringing in the New Year, MK's birthday, Scott's birthday, Mom's birthday, MY birthday, David's birthday, Luke's birthday, Valentine's Day, Caroline's birthday, Spring Break, Easter!!!!! Such fun, precious times!

This year is especially sweet for me-- it's all about perspective.... We have friends who would give anything to just be enjoying the crazy, busy-ness of the season. Instead, they are dealing with death. She is now 87 pounds and only conscious two hours a day. He is trying to find a way to take care of two toddler boys and maintain his sanity while he is losing his wife. A mutual friend ran into him in Toys R Us last weekend with a cart full of toys. "I know I shouldn't buy them so much--- but this year...." She asked him how he was doing and he replied that sometimes he gets to the end of the day and has no idea how he even made it through because it is so awful. This has just hit me on so many levels.

When a Christmas ornament gets broken or the wallpaper gets ripped off the nursery wall-- that's OK. In the scheme of life, I am just thankful that I have two active healthy children and a healthy husband. Every time I start to complain, gripe, wish for something different, or show a bad attitude, I think of him-- I think of her-- I think of Hank and Isaac and how they will cope without their mom.... it's all very sobering.

Through it all, he still has his faith. I am sure he has questioned God and asked WHY? I have. She was the ultimate "healthy, granola girl", too. She wouldn't even let Hank have a "real" birthday cake for his 1st big day because of the sugar. For snacks she gave veggie sticks. She did hot yoga and worked out all the time. And, she was so spiritual and good to the core... WHY? Why cancer? Why so young?

At church Tim is doing a sermon series on "time":

Isn’t it amazing how time dominates our lives? The passing of it; the pace of it; the need for more of it; the reality that it is constantly running out.

It has been very convicting. Basically, he is challenging us on the concept of time. After you factor in sleeping and time spent at work, we roughly have 12 million minutes left in our lives to use how we wish. So, if that's what we have to "spend", how are we using it? Are we tithing our time? Are we making it count?

The irony of this sermon set during one of the craziest times of the year has been wonderful, too. Almost comical when you can step out of the day-to-day routine and realize that we aren't guaranteed another holiday, another birthday, another priceless conversation, another second....

So, this Christmas I am thankful for time-- for the moments that I have been given each day to praise Him, to hug my kids, to sing, to run, to love.... To every thing there is a season. I am humbled by this "gift" and pray that I remain aware of how valuable it really is.

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-21T18:06:00.000-06:00

We are thankful for you!

May you have a blessed Thanksgiving with family and friends...

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever.

1 Chronicles 16:34

The Westermans-- Scott, Amy, Luke & Caroline

Happy "Hallo-Westermans" 2007!

2007-10-31T23:34:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful Halloween week spent with family and dear friends! First the pumpkin patch at Walden Farm for photos, then to "trunk or treat" at church... a costume party at school with Luke-- and then a major trick-or-treating party at our house tonight!

Luke was a knight this year. I had wanted him to be the "big bad wolf"-- with Caroline as little red riding hood, but he was much more interested in being Spiderman, Superman, Batman, or a Power Ranger. It always baffles me that he even knows who these characters are since he has never seen the cartoons or movies. I think it is an innate part of being an American boy. So, I at least talked him into something that wasn't as typical, and Caroline was his princess side-kick.

Of course, getting the dress and crown on her proved difficult-- and forget the red glitter shoes altogether! I had to bribe her with a sucker to put the costume on at all at trunk-or-treat Sunday.

Tonight she didn't even touch it. She fussily went down for a nap just as the kids were heading out the door to go trick-or-treating. When she woke up, she just helped me pass out candy at the door, and she seemed perfectly content... so I didn't even try to force the issue!

So, I didn't really capture the perfect costume photo this year with the two of them together, but the memories I have of this Halloween I will treasure forever.

My Two Favorite Photos from Fall 2007

2007-10-31T12:11:00.000-05:00

I think I took at least a thousand photos this fall, but if I had to pick two of the kids individually, these are them.

Fall 2007

2007-10-27T15:20:00.000-05:00

The Westerman family has had a ball this fall so far! This morning we headed out to Walden Farm in Nolensville so the kids could play in the pumpkin patch together. I can't believe how big they are getting and that another fall/halloween is already upon us. Time just keeps ticking by and the kids keep growing!

ZOE Moments

2007-10-12T17:06:00.000-05:00

Wonderful time last week at ZOE! The new scheduling format made things very relaxing and enjoyable for us! There were many highlights-- my favorite thing mentioned that has stuck in my brain... Randy Harris describing "thin places" and how that relates to our Christian walk and worship. The singing was incredible-- wish we would record that live one year! :)

Me and Karin- We've been singing together for so long that we can read each other's minds!
A moment that felt like teens at Winterfest!-- a black light revealed a hidden surprise at the closing session!

Jack and Jill Maxwell painted another classic moment- Jesus call for us to go into the world to share Him.

Mega-ZOE at Otter Creek on Sunday. What an amazing group to sing with! What a blessing!

CHO on the go

2007-09-29T14:42:00.000-05:00

Can't believe ZOE weekend is upon us-- one of my favorite weekends of the year! Hope to see many of you!

Life over the past three weeks had been a wonderful blur of typical day-to-day life as a SAH (stay-at-home mom). We get up, eat breakfast, head off to the "Y" (or to Luke's preschool on Tues/Thurs), eat, play, nap (everyone but me!), play, wait for Daddy to come home. I SO want to treasure these times with Luke and Caroline. Every day is so precious.

Bible study is going well. Our moms' encouragement class has been great, too. The book has made me stop and think about my "profession" and the decisions I make each day. It is odd that we spend so much time, money, and energy pursuing our careers. After we've spent four years in college-- and perhaps on to grad school or internships-- then we get hired and then spend more time at conventions and meetings learning how to be better and comparing notes with others in our chosen field. We spend hours trying to get ahead and learn more and do more and climb the ladder..... Then we decide to have kids and stay home to raise them and that all seems to go out the window! After all, now we are just "moms."

It is a "career", too. I choose to be where I am. And, although I have temporarily (or permanently?!) shut the door on my previous teaching career, I still put in many long hours. This class has also reminded me that I need to maintain the mentality I had when I taught of constantly wanting to be better, find new approaches, learn more, etc. It is good to remind yourself that even though some days I SO don't feel like making beds, washing clothes, loading the dishwasher, fixing meals, etc. that is IS my job-- my career choice. I am responsible for those duties as CHO (chief housing officer) for my family. Beyond that, God has blessed me with this time to be home with my children and of being their mom, and I want to do it well-- for His glory.

Several of my dear friends are going to start a "Desperate Housewives" (desperate for GOD!) group which meets every other week. The goal is for us to pursue times of total honesty about our lives as mothers trying to raise Godly children-- what we do well, what we struggle with, what we need help figuring out. We want to be accountable and challenged and encouraged. I am blessed to have women like that to share this amazing journey with. We are going to use Nancy Leigh DeMoss's book "Lies Women Believe" as a resource.

Watching Luke play soccer has been so fun! Many of his friends are in their third season of playing and are much more adept than he... but, it is so cute to see him running around out there in his yellow jersey! Scott is also loving being a coach and working with him and the other kids.

What a miracle kids are! I am just in awe each day as I watch Luke and Caroline grow and soak in the world around them. Am I officially a soccer mom now? Whoa!

I have been reminded of this is such a real way over the past few months. A mother of one of Luke's classmates at Otter Creek has recently lost her baby who had trisomy 18. Her faith and candidness through this whole ordeal as touched thousands. If you want to be inspired and reminded of how precious life is, check out Boothe's blog-- then go hug your kids.

Sale, Soccer, Studies, and Sanity

2007-09-10T11:01:00.000-05:00

The sale was a success-- we made almost $16,000! I have to admit, the sale was twice as big this time and I think it took twice as much out of me! I have regained my sanity (OK- so maybe that's debatable!), so now all is well.

In the midst of sale week, Luke started his second year of school at Otter Creek. He is in Miss Anna's 4 year-old class. He also has a "best friend" this year-- Hunter. It is so interesting to watch him develop socially, worrying about what people will think of him, etc. There are MANY lessons to be taught on that level, and we are just beginning that journey.

He also began his first sport- soccer. After the first game, he let it be known that he didn't like the guy with the whistle very much! He isn't nearly as good as some on the team, but for his first effort, not too bad. We have been taking him to the practice fields at night so he can work on his skills. This has been helping even if it just makes him feel more comfortable. This is also a journey we are just starting-- I see many, many sports teams to follow in his future!

Our new "young families" ministry at Otter Creek is underway! We are calling it the FOCUS Ministry- Families at Otter Creek, Connecting, Uniting, Sharing. I am thrilled that this will provide a place for all of us to meet and build relationships.

I started two new Bible studies this fall. "Living Your Life as a Beautiful Offering" by Angela Thomas begins tomorrow. I will be leading the worship times for that. On Wednesday nights I am participating in "Professionalizing Motherhood" by Jill Savage. It is a discussion group of other young moms trying to figure out what God has called us to do with our kids and while trying to maintain our sanity! It should be fun- if not good therapy!

ZOE conference is less than a month away! I am excited to sing the new songs with everyone and see how the worship leaders respond to them. Sheryl and I have made a commitment to each other to pray for the conference and those coming. We want to make sure we are prepared not just physically for the conference (knowing the songs, staying healthy) but spiritually-- making sure we appreciate the opportunity God has given us and to make the most of it to His glory.

So-- as usual in my life, one major thing ends and many other events jump in line on the calendar to keep me busy! But, life is good, and I am blessed!

Come Shop at the Otter Creek Kids' Consignment Sale!

2007-08-21T08:43:00.000-05:00

I know I have been horrible about posting this month! So much to tell, too!

Peter and Lindsey's wedding was unbelievable! Yet another wonderful ZOE family moment. They had the wedding at Trentadue Winery. It was a picture perfect spot... just heart-breakingly beautiful-- and so was Lindsey. Sheryl sang "So are You to Me" as Lindsey came down the aisle--

As the music at the banquet
As the wine before the meal
As the firelight in the night
So are you to me

Everyone was in tears! What a blessed time!

Scott and I had so much fun touring around Sonoma and Napa Valley. Even though I am not a wine connoisseur, I now have an appreciation for it. Our favorite tour was at a family-run winery called Benziger Family Winery. We got to take a tractor tour out into the field of grapes, we learned about how it is made, and then we got to go into the caves to see how they store it.

OK-- so once we got back, I went into full-scale consignment mode! Our sale has DOUBLED in size this time! It is a terrific problem to have, but it has also kept me busy!

The sale is this weekend! If you are in and around the Nashville area, come shop and help us raise money for our church playground.

Visit the website for complete details. www.ottercreeksale.com

Luke has also started back to school! Unbelievable! He has his first soccer game this weekend, too! :)

I promise I'll do better posting starting next week! :)

From Haiti to Home

2007-07-28T08:37:00.000-05:00

Yet another wonderful ZOE moment this past Thursday! Our wonderful executive director, whom many of your know, Eric Noah-Wilson and his wife Natalie returned from Haiti with their newly- adopted children, Patrick, Nadege, and Miklene.

This has been a long journey for them, and I know that they were so relieved to have them set foot on American soil at long-last.

God has been actively involved in the whole process, and they could tell you story after story of how He has worked.... but, just one from this final trip:
When they arrived at Embassy and needed to have the kids processed, the consular told them that they should leave and come back later because it took the computers a long time to process, etc. Eric and Natalie told them that that they were praying and believed in miracles, so they would just wait. The man shrugged his shoulders and left. Ten minutes later, the man returned bewildered, saying, “I cannot believe this, we have the results. We will have your visas ready in about thirty minutes.” Eric and Natalie told him, “God is in charge!” The consular then replied, “I wish He would show up more often.”

So, several of us from the ZOE family were over-joyed to be standing in the airport when the Noah-Wilsons arrived Thursday afternoon! It was just another example of God's faithfulness, and it was such a blessing to celebrate together.

Please keep Eric, Natalie, Nadege, Patrick, Miklene, Tristan, Lainey, and Elijah in your prayers as they adjust to their new life together.

Beneath the Cleansing Flood

2007-07-22T20:48:00.000-05:00

Yet another glorious ZOE Family moment tonight! Karin's son, Jackson, was baptized!

It was a beautiful event-- Karin and Blake spoke, the other children read Bible verses. What an absolutely perfect way to celebrate the ultimate "birthday." All of ZOE was there to be witness to the important event. When we started, Jackson was such a baby! Now he has grown into such a terrific man of God, who has just begun his journey.

When I was baptized back in December 1983, it was quite a different situation. Our youth group had taken a long road trip from Mayfield, KY, to Jonesboro, Arkansas for a youth weekend-- I think it was called Uplift or something like that.... pretty new and progressive for the day--when churches were just starting to hire "youth ministers." Anyway, Jeff Walling was speaking-- (I still kid him about it to this day-- how funny that we ended up working together in ZOE these many years later)-- and this was back when he used to sing 100 verses of "Just As I Am" with short, moving dialougues between each stanza. Well, needless to say-- my best friend, Stacie, and I just couldn't resist after the 52nd verse. We both hit the aisle with at least 200 other deeply convicted pre-teens. It was a mass baptism that night-- one after another! I have a photo of it somewhere, but I sometimes regret that my parents only had a photo as evidence. They never once acted like they were disappointed that they weren't a part of it-- things were just different then, I suppose. I think I would be crushed if I missed Luke or Caroline's one day.

So, I tend to like the more planned, thought out baptisms of today. I think it is a blessing to everyone involved.

Thanks, Jackson, for letting us share such a special time with you and your family! God bless you and guide you always!

Blessings and Boot Camp

2007-07-20T15:45:00.000-05:00

Monday night, we were blessed to celebrate another ZOE Family moment-- a baby blessing for Melissa and Baby Kyle who is due to arrive in August. Above are all of the ZOE Girls-- singers and/or wives of singers!

It was such a special time-- full of lots of laughter and tears! Everyone went around the room and shared special thoughts, prayers, memories, scriptures.... Sheryl, Karin, and I sang over Melissa. We knelt down around her and laid our hands on her along with the others gathered. We ended up choosing "He Will Rejoice Over You" based on Zephaniah 3, which seemed to be appropriate for the occasion:

The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.

We finished our 11th ZOE project last night!! This year's theme is Overflow and it is sort of a look back on the various themes and highlights of the last 10 conferences.

I think all of us really feel like there are some solid songs on this CD. I can't wait to hear the final mixes on them. We have an original song by Randy on this one that is powerful. We also scooped a song by a very popular Christian group-- thanks to Jason-- that is great! They haven't released it yet-- so our CD must come out after theirs-- which is funny, because it's not like we are really competition for them! :)

Next week is my last week of boot camp. It has been an AMAZING experience, and I am SO much stronger and fit as a result. I didn't really lose weight the first month-- I think it was more of putting on muscle and re-contouring everything. But, this month I have lost 6 or 7 pounds which is GREAT! :) I plan to keep it up by going at least 2-3 times a week from here on out. I am so addicted now!

Mid-Life Moment

2007-07-12T21:59:00.000-05:00

At the tender age of 33, I think my dear husband is a tad young for his mid-life crisis, but-- he still ended up with a sports car!

It's not as exciting as it sounds... His 1994 Jeep was his reliable ride and would have remained so, but the mechanic told us over the weekend that it had some pretty serious issues that needed to be fixed to keep it safe and road-worthy. Conveniently?!-- one of Scott's best friends ended up with a Porsche to sell at the same time. In an odd turn of events-- his friend owns some real estate and the tenant got behind in his payments, so he gave him his car. He wanted the money over the car, so he gave Scott a good deal, and the rest is history.

Scott's not sure if he'll keep it, or just have fun with it for the summer. My sister and Scott's Dad are already lined up to buy it!

We had a great fourth! Hope you all did, too!

I'll post more photos soon. Already busy working on the sale.