Shopping and My First Black Friday Part 2...and Please Pray

I survived my first ever Black Friday experience intact. As a matter of fact, I enjoyed a rather peaceful drive to my friend Nicki's house in the wee hours of the morning, smiling at the memories of shopping with my mother and laughing at the hysterical "good-bye" note written to me by my oldest son on a paper plate...showing tongue-in-cheek concern for my safety. I took the road with the belly-getter hills, thinking of her. It felt as if she was in the car with me, the memories were so close. I could sense one of those Daddy's little girl days in the works...you know, those days when it's evident God has gone before you and leaves little blessings throughout the day...and you feel just like "Daddy's little girl".

And, it was like that...

I wish I had something more exciting to report, but other than one disconcerting moment when a pack of wild dingo-type shoppers dove in front of us for some item I couldn't see under the pile, I saw nothing disorderly. We quickly found the bargain I was looking for, were handed a ticket by a polite Wal Mart employee, and waited in a short orderly line for the coveted item. I saved $40 on the gift for our youngest son...and jumped up and down after the purchase! We finished our shopping and checked out in lawn and garden without even waiting in line!

Nicki (who happens to be Sawyer's mama) and I shared laughs and memories throughout the day. We marvelled at how easy and pleasant everything had gone...and I smiled, feeling not only the closeness of my sweet mother, but the blessing of my Heavenly Father throughout the day. I'm so glad I went. So glad I didn't let the tug of guilt keep me home. I would have missed out on the blessing of that day...and the gift of time with a good friend. Who knows? I may even have a new tradition. We'll see! =)

In other news...

Please pray for us as we prepare for tomorrow. Our band, One Way, will be doing the worship music at Holgate United Methodist Church and I will be sharing our family/ministry testimony. Please pray that the Lord would go before us, that He would give the words, that others would be encouraged and that He would be glorified. On a personal note, this is only the second time my husband, Tim, has heard me share the account of our journey. And, it can bring so many emotions for us. Praying for His strength...that He would enable us to be vessels for Him...even in our broken, imperfect state.

Also..don't forget to join us on Monday to kick off the SGM Christmas Extravaganza 2010. We will be sharing the ways that we remember our loved ones at Christmas and other memories. Be ready to link your post on the Walking With You page on Monday. This is for anyone missing someone they love this year....not just grieving parents. And, there will be some blessings offered to those who participate...yes, I am bribing you...but it's for your own good! We'll call it incentive...or positive reinforcement. =) I hope you will join us. It was a blessing for those who participated last year.

Ride 4 Grace, Meeting Bloggers, and a Hodge Podge of Happenings

Life is definitely getting in the way of blogging lately...as it should! Life is meant to be lived, after all...and living it is exactly what we've been doing.

At the end of July...We enjoyed a family vacation to the Mohican, where we camped, canoed, rode go-karts, witnessed a race-stopping go-kart wreck involving James, and both Tims, argued around a campfire about the proper pronunciation of the word creek, stayed in a teeny-tiny "cozy cabin", slept in bunk beds, experienced astounding success popping Jiffy Pop popcorn over the campfire, lost to James in putt putt, lost to the Tims in a splash fight, laughed at (husband) Tim's made-up songs, and had an all-around lovely weekend. I am trying to upload (download) pictures as we speak...ahem...blog, but may not get them all up in this post. So stay tuned...



I met a dear bloggy friend, Monica...otherwise known as The Writer Chic, and shared a delightful lunch with her and her two sweet children at The Olive Garden. I really enjoyed our conversation, and wished it could go on and on. We talked about how that will be just one of the many amazing gifts in heaven...that great conversations will not have to end. We'll have plenty of time in eternity one day to laugh and sip lemonade and chat with great friends. Won't that be wonderful? It's kind of incredible how we can meet a blogger and feel as if we know her...as if we are old friends. That's how I felt when I met Monica.



I first found her blog from a comment she left on BooMama's blog. I saw that she called herself The Writer Chic, and loved the cool name. So, I clicked over. I read off and on for awhile, and have often felt a kinship with this sweet mama. When she walked through the loss of her son, Duncan, my heart was knit together with hers in yet another way. Over lunch, we found more in common, as we shared our hearts. What a gift to have met her. I encourage you, if you have time to stop over and read Monica's beautiful account of her son, Duncan's life and her time with him. Monica is a wonderful writer, with a beautiful smile and sweet spirit.

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Ride 4 Grace 2010





Our dear friends Dave and Brooke Amspoker and Holly Haas hosted the last fundraiser event of Operation Support Sufficient Grace 2010 this past weekend. We did not have the turnout we hoped for, but we are so grateful to those who did come and share the day with us, offering support to Sufficient Grace. There were about ten riders and a few family and friends joined us for an ice cream social. A local CMA (Christian Motorcycle Association) group came to show their support, as well. The ice cream was delicious. James had a wonderful time helping to serve our guests, and Holly and I sported our Sufficient Grace Ministries T-shirts. (I've had a few people ask if they can order SGM t-shirts and thought about making them available online at the Dreams of You Shop. Let me know in the comments if you are interested!)












Thank you so much to our friends and family who continue to support this ministry, and thanks to Dave for all your efforts in planning the Ride 4 Grace and Holly for all of your help. Also...thank you to both of your families for their support. A big thank you to Randy and the folks at the First Church of the Nazarene in Findlay...what a beautiful building God has blessed you with. We are continually blessed by those who have supported this ministry in various ways. You can read more about the Ride 4 Grace event at Caring for Carleigh...

And...in other news...our band, One Way, has been busy practicing music for our upcoming appearance at the Corn City Festival on Saturday, August 21, 2010 at 11:30am. If you are in the area, we'd love for you to stop by and listen...and show us some love! I'm hoping maybe someone will try and make a dvd of the performance. Anyone out there, who may be coming and who has a dvd camcorder thingy...and wouldn't mind taping, that would be great. Then, maybe I could share it here...if it sounds o.k., that is.

Oh...here's Tim riding with Ned in Ned's Smart Car at the Ride 4 Grace. Sorry babe, that was the closest to being on the ride as you were going to get that day.



Sigh...no cool bikes for us...

Introducing... One Way

Finally...

after months of agonizing...

prayerfully considering...

wanting to choose just the right name for our little band...

it has been settled.

We have a name.

It may or may not be just the right name...

but it is the one we finally decided on.

Drum roll please...

Ladies and Gentleman...Without further adieu, I give you...

One Way



I wanted to share a picture from last night's Christmas Praise Night at Harvest. But, sadly I forgot my camera. I am hoping someone else took pictures because I did see some flashes. If so, I'll share it here. Even better, if someone recorded a portion of our little performance, that would be great. We really need to get a camcorder (or whatever they call those fancy digital thingys they have now!). The above picture is from our performance this summer at the Corn City Festival.

So...about last night. It was amazing. I love listening to Christmas songs, singing Christmas songs, listening to my husband as he sings Christmas songs. It was a beautiful time of worship as the choir sang, soloists sang, children played piano, guitar, and other instruments. It was just good and lovely and all about the celebrating the glorious fact that Jesus came for us.

This morning, I awakened with thoughts about last night, as I often do. I don't like that I'm a replayer of events, but I am. I replay things, and wonder if I should've said this or that. This is something God's working on in me...urging me to give it over to Him, and not worry about my own "performance". This morning, I'm not really wallowing in regret or anything. Mostly, I'm just thinking with a smile how awesome and full of grace God is. And, I'm kind of wishing I would have shared that last night.

We did three songs last night: God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman, O Come All Ye Faithful, and O Holy Night. For God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman, we used the folksy-rock sounding version of the Sarah McLaughlin (and a band whose name I'd rather not mention, because their name sounds less than holy and pure... =), with our own twist of course. And the last two Tim played the electric guitar with an upbeat rock tempo. When Tim changed guitars in between songs, I was supposed to fill the space by talking a little.

Well, I forgot to bring the poem and scripture that I was going to share in that little time-filler. So, I was left instead to try and fill the space, with the stuff rolling around in my scattered brain. Even though I'm quite a talker...I drew a blank. So... I just kind of stood there talking about how I couldn't really think of much to say, so I'd just ramble on about nothing for a minute!

This morning when I woke up, I was thinking about that...thinking about the amazing things God has done in our lives. And, I thought of what I should've said in those couple minutes of rambling. And...since I have a blog, I thought I'd share it here.

What I should've said:

We have been having way too much fun playing together the past several months! It has been such a blessing. And...can I just say this? The four of us standing here together...this is a picture of grace. We've known each other since we were kids...and we were ornery kids. We loved music and have played/sang since we were kids. (Tim and Dave even played together in the "famous", Stage Fright and BAB!). Back then, we played and sang for our own glory...but today we play and sing for His glory. Each one of us has a story of sin and redemption, of brokenness and restoration. Not every part of every story has to be told...and that's how it should be. What matters in this one, is that it ends with redeeming grace. Or maybe that's just the beginning of the story.

We named our little group One Way, because there is only one way toward redemption, only one way for salvation...and that path is through Jesus Christ. One of our favorite verses is John 14:6: Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me." Jesus made a way for us...and I'm so grateful that He came to save us on that holy night.

Then, we would've closed with O Holy Night...wouldn't that have been just right? Maybe, but it didn't happen that way. Instead, I stood there while crickets chirped as Tim tuned his guitar. That's O.K., though. Because, as I said...it's not about my glory...not about me doing it just right, or saying it just right. It's about His glory...and man is it just a humbling, unspeakable gift to be allowed to be used by the Lord at all. The truth is, if I would've said all of that, I would've probably collapsed into a puddle, because the grace covering us just means more than I can even say. The places we have walked to get to this place of standing beside each other, lifting our voices in worship to our God...thinking of it melts me. Maybe, I didn't need to say it. Maybe, just the picture was enough. And, hopefully...whenever anyone sees that picture...and hears those voices...they just see Him and hear Him. Because, really each of our stories are His story. We are His.

He is the writing our stories, and He isn't finished yet. I can't wait to read the next chapter!




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The Walking With You Christmas giveaway winners will be announced within the next couple days or so. There's still time to enter. Just comment on this post. You will also be able to continue to link posts until Christmas, even after the giveaway is over. I have been so blessed to read the ways you remember your loved ones at Christmas. Thank you to those of you who shared your hearts so beautifully. It is truly a privilege to walk with each of you.

While We Were Out...

Most Saturday mornings, I can be found sipping some tea and visiting blog friends...praying and working on Sufficient Grace Ministries shipments, emails, correspondence, etc. This morning, I arose early to attend the Arise! Cry Out! Moms in Touch International Event with my in real-life friend, Lynette (a mighty little prayer warrior and one of my dearest friends). I have prayed, with Lynette and my other Moms in Touch friends since my Sophomore was in Kindergarten. I have seen the Lord work in mighty ways as I've prayed alongside these mothers over the years... in weeping and rejoicing.

Lynette and I are pictured below after four hours of tearful, intense prayer.



We joined our prayers with mothers praying from 9:00am to 1:00pm in various time zones around the world, covering the earth in 24 hours of uninterrupted prayer. Mountains moved as mothers cried out to the Lord on behalf of their children. It was beyond-words beautiful...and a humbling privilege to be part of the miracle. We left exhausted, cleansed, renewed, and encouraged. It was truly a divine appointment...the Holy Spirit's presence was evident through each moment of those four glorious hours of focused intentional prayer. And, I am so grateful that we shared this day together.

But, while we were out...

MckMama blessed our socks off...AGAIN!!!!!!!! I had no idea that Sufficient Grace was once again receiving a blessing from MckMama and family as she included us in the three charities supported by the MckFamily. Readers commented on the post where she pledged to include a generous donation to each (giving $1 for each comment posted to the 3 organizations - Sufficient Grace, String of Pearls, and The Liz Logelin Foundation). In addition to her generous donation, she encouraged her readers to make their own donations, and they have been flooding in! This was a complete surprise, and an amazing blessing from our amazing God and this amazing MckFamily!!!

Most of you know that we are rejoicing over the miracle of sweet Stellan's healing from SVT. MckMama's post regarding the miracle that we all share as our own, was so beautiful. I especially love that she acknowledged not only the miracle of God's healing on earth...but also the miracle when He heals by taking his child to heaven. Both are miraculous...both are great gifts. Thank you, MckMama for your generous, amazing, beautiful heart. I love you, dearly...and we are blessed beyond words.

In addition to all of the obvious ways that God has blessed us on this beautiful November day, can I just share one more thing? Often, I feel pulled in various directions as a mom, wife, ministry leader, etc. Today, in more ways that I can convey with words, God spoke to my weary heart during those four hours of prayer. There are so many things on my heart to do. I am busy and rushed...sometimes trying to operate on my own power, instead of leaning on the Lord. He reminds me and draws me back. Today, as I prayed for my children, I thought for a moment how I long to do even more in the ministry. But, still working full-time, I am juggling both, for now...along with our family needs.

When I came home, and found out that Sufficient Grace was being blessed today, I felt the Lord whisper to my heart..."I've got this, my daughter...I've got you, and I will take care of you and all that concerns you today."

I can't be everywhere...doing everything on my heart all at once. In fact, I wasn't here for any of the hoopla...had no idea it was happening. I can't be everywhere, and I don't have to be...because my God CAN and He is faithful. I was exactly where I needed to be today...praying for my kids. But, while I was out...our capable, mighty, amazing God was taking care of the ministry. Abundantly blessing it, even...through the willing hearts of His people.

Thank you MckMama...and everyone who gave today...and to those who continue to support Sufficient Grace Ministries and the families we serve.

Our cup runneth over...

Saturday With the Band

Thank you to everyone who listed name ideas for our band. We still haven't chosen one. Although you guys had some great ideas...nothing really seemed to be THE ONE yet. (I especially loved the ones with the word grace in them...and "Falling on Faith" was an awesome one! Thanks Holly!) I will keep praying and seeking on this. For now, I will just refer to our little group as "The Band".

O.K., let me just say that the past few weeks leading up to our little "gig" in the park have been filled with some of the most intense spiritual warfare and overwhelming feelings of weariness and struggle I have had in a long time. I spent a lot of time in prayer and in the Word. The struggles in the days leading up to our performance were really hard. Our family has been so very busy, running to and fro. Sometimes, even serving can be tough. It's hard to minister to others when we are feeling this way...hard to get in front of people and share or sing. We had little time to just be...as almost every moment was filled. Marthas...that's what we were...desperately needing to see the preciousness of sitting at the feet of Jesus, like Mary... but feeling burdened with the responsibility of the next thing on the list. Not that we are not grateful for the opportunity to serve. We are. So grateful. And, we know that there are times when you have to push through those feelings and persevere...trusting the Lord to equip us when we feel unable to take one more step. And...He is always faithful!

I felt like I was drowning beneath a list of unanswered emails, unshipped shipments, unwritten blog posts, unkept rooms in my neglected house, unsent bills, unwritten thank you notes, unanswered phone calls, unfilled-out paper work...the list goes on and on. And then there were golf tournaments to attend and band practice. Errands to run. School and work to return to. Children to spend time with. A marriage to nurture. A sense of unworthiness and condemnation settled over me in the last few weeks. And, it felt a little like our family was in a pressure cooker and the heat kept getting turned up a notch as each new commitment was heaped a top our pile.

It's like that sometimes. I would love to say that I always have it together and float through life peacefully. That I never grow weary and feel overwhelmed. That I always clean my house, never snap at my husband, never raise my voice at my children, and never feel completely exhausted. But, I would be lying.

As the days approached, I grew more and more overwhelmed. The morning of the performance, I prayed early in the morning. And, the Lord led me to this perfect, amazing psalm as He urged me to focus on praising Him, instead of looking at the giant before me. I want to share it with you, today...in hopes that you will find encouragement for whatever you face.

I will praise You with my whole heart;
Before the gods I will sing praises to You.
I will worship toward Your holy temple,
And praise Your name
For Your lovingkindness and Your truth;
For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.
In the day I cried out, You answered me,
And made me bold with strength in my soul.

All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O Lord,
When they hear the words of Your mouth.
Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
For great is the glory of the Lord,
Though the Lord is on high,
Yet He regards the lowly;But the proud He knows from afar.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me;
You will stretch out Your hand
Against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand will save me.
The Lord will perfect that which concerns me;
Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

Psalm 138

Isn't that awesome?! His word so ministered to my weakened, weary, broken spirit. I shared the Psalm with the boys in the band and we prayed before practicing that morning. The "gig" turned out pretty well. There were plenty of little glitches, but it was a lot of fun and a blessing. I felt strengthened and encouraged. And, grateful for the opportunity. Tim and I are so thankful for Dave and Ryan for their willingness to join us for this. They did a great job! And, we are so thankful that we were invited to do this. Most of all...we are thankful for the faithfulness of our God who is able and willing to perfect that which concerns us. Because of His faithfulness...I want to praise Him with my whole heart...to sing of His ways...to praise Him with singing. And what a privilege it is to be allowed. Thank you for your prayers. They were felt and much appreciated!

Pastor James also had some encouraging words that I feel are valuable to share for those ministering to others in various ways. Sometimes, I struggle with the performance thing. I want to focus on the Lord and not my own performance or ability....to take comfort in His strength, not cower in my weakness. James wrote these words: "I always try to remind myself of what “success” means anytime I minister. So often we look at success as did a lot of people come, did it sound good or go good, were the people happy? When God has laid on my heart that success is simply being obedient to His will and letting Him take care of the fruit."

Well said, Pastor James...we love you!



Here are some pics of "The Band" from Saturday...We performed 17 praise and worship songs! (The most I've ever belted out at once!)

See the look on my husband's face...He is so ornery!



I won't even tell you what he just did with his guitar right before this picture was taken! Can you see my hand pushing it away? He is a stinker!






This picture made me smile, because Tim and Dave mastered "The Look" to cue each other on the endings and tempo changes...





I cracked up when I saw this pic. Dave and I both have the same "we're holding our breath" look on our faces!


Tim and I singing This Little Light of Mine...




Tim and I with Ryan "Sufficient Bass" Tackett...


May God get the glory...

Friends and Seasons

You know how they say there are different seasons of our lives? And some people are only in our lives for a season. Well, I don't like that very much. It's one of the reasons (one among many) that I'm going to love heaven. No more good-byes. No one that will only be in our lives for a season.

I'm not feeling very well today, and there is supper that needs cooking, a tired, hungry husband who would appreciate the aforementioned supper, a little boy that needs tickled, and a teenager somewhere that I'm sure has been saving up some sass just for me. So, I will try to be brief. Also, as an added bonus, it is a chilly, rainy day. Now I know some of you out there love you a good rainy day. I am not really a fan...unless of course I am allowed to spend it in my bed under the covers with a good book, which is really where I wanted to be all day today. But, I wasn't. I was at work...so I didn't love the rainy day. Anyway, my mood is a little cloudy. Sorry about that.

On my mind today are those friends in my life who have been so dear to me...but only stayed for a season. As far as friends go, Tim and I are quite blessed with some pretty amazing people. We live in the town where we grew up and our children attend the school where we went as children. I even work at my childhood school, alongside my childhood teachers. We love our church family and love to spend Saturday evening and Sunday morning with them. We have friends that have been in our lives since we were twelve (and...even younger than that!). Friends that have supported us through the losses we've endured...through my mother's illness...who support us in our efforts to serve through our ministry...friends who laugh and cry and pray with us. I have friends to golf with, talk with, reminisce with, and lunch and shop with. Some friends...special, dear friends walked with us through the valley of the shadow of death (more than once). And I mean walked with!

Some friends just get you...you know what I mean? It's so great to connect...to find people who know you (flaws included) and love you anyway. Friends you can just "be" with...no effort, no facade...just be. We all need a place where we are just loved and accepted. No strings attached. I have had a few friends like that. And recently...one of my favorite lunching shopping, being-"me"-with friends has moved on to a new season. It is a mutual drifting as we are going separate ways, but I am not a fan of this moving on. It breaks my heart that we change and tear away from relationships. I like the never say good-bye part of heaven. On my mind today are several sweet friends who spent much time walking through various journeys with me, but who are in another season now. I miss them.

Lately, I have less time and interest in the lunching/shopping stuff. (Not that I've spent an overabundance of time doing these things before.) But I find myself kind of nestling in with my family and focusing more on the needs before me. I want to enjoy life...and I am a huge fan of fun! But, I also have appreciated something in blogland that I haven't found much in real life friendships (although there are a few dear friends who have been supportive - and you know who you are! Thank you!). In blogland, I have found some who are really focused on reaching out to comfort grieving families or to share the love of Jesus. While many encourage and support us, and we are so grateful, not many in my life are burdened or understand the passionate desire in my heart for Sufficient Grace Ministries. That's O.K....I understand that. God lays different things on our hearts. It isn't something I can really share and have someone understand.

Until now. I am so thankful for blog friends I have met who share the desire to reach out to others and share the comfort that God has given them as they have walked through various trials. Hearts that are burdened to pray for grieving mothers and to offer them hope. I am blessed and encouraged daily by so many of you. And while my heart breaks for the friendships whose seasons have ended in my life...I rejoice at the new friendships I have been blessed with...the bond of connection that I feel with some I have never met. What a beautiful gift. Thank you for your part in that. Thank you for making this path a little less lonely. A lot less lonely.

Love to all...