Books I Don't Read

I typically read books to learn something or to become a better person.  I am not really a pleasure reader. I usually wait for the movie! But...I just read two books I MUST write about because they were awesome. Quite similar, in fact, Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, and Savannah To Sweetwater by Doris English both were riveting.

Being historical fiction, Savannah To Sweetwater is the story of loss and love in a pre-civil war setting. Political conflict and unrest coupled with spiritual enlightenment make the mysteries of Sweetwater a Georgia plantation favorite!

Redeeming Love is an early American novel of the less modern Biblical character Hosea and his wayward wife. It is a true picture of grace, and the challenge of learning to identify and accept real love.

I'm glad I stepped out of my comfort zone! As novel readers would say, "The books were better than a movie."

trials or temptations?

What is the difference between trials and temptations?

Trials are for the purpose of making us better, developing character, making us more like Christ. Sometimes God allows trials to come our way to strengthen our faith. Trials may come in the form of challenges. A difficult day, a sickness, injustice, long lines at the DMV, financial or relational trouble. Yet all of the challenges in life can grow us up and make us stronger. James chapter 1 explains,  "when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing."

Temptations, on the other hand, are never from God. Temptations are meant to destroy us, to make us ineffective and to ruin our lives. James continues to explain, "remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, 'God is tempting me.' God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away."

We all go through trials in life, and certainly we are all tempted to do wrong. What about you? Are you going through a rough time, a trial that seems to last forever. Hang in there! Or maybe you are being tempted to make decisions that will destroy your future or hurt those who love you the most. Either way, we find in James 4:8, "Come close to God, and God will come close to you." He is there when you need him. He will come close and help you through your trial or give you the strength to resist temptation.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ZACH!!
Zach is 14 today, and here are some things I love about him :)
He is funny every single day!!
He is intense and passionate about almost everything he does.
He is sensitive and cares about hurting people and loves animals.
He loves justice and will fight for it.
A couple weeks ago, I was upstairs and looked out the window, and Zach was on the roof--he's crazy!
He works hard to do things right. He will stay up late and study and get good grades. He is very smart. He takes advanced classes and gets almost all A's all the time but he is goofy and humble enough that people do not know that his iq testing is extremely high.
He talks about the future and has big goals and dreams and prays for wisdom to make good choices.
He is confident and does not care about what people think about him.
He does not want anyone to be hurt or left out.
I love to watch Zach play baseball and wrestle! He does Insanity workouts and drinks protein shakes.
He loves NY city, he loves family and has a deep faith in God.
He is one of the most loyal people I know.
He does not give up when people say it cannot be done.
He is a huge giver! He gave money for a child to have cleft surgery, and now he is saving for another missions project.
He is a visionary. He can see what things should be like and can tell what will make something successful. He is a networker. He makes things happen and is never bored.
When he was a baby, he would smile before he ever even opened his eyes in the morning!
He is a pleasure. A hugger! A gift from God. An amazing man!
I love you Zach! Happy birthday!!

My Dad!

Dad, I am so proud of you! If I could think of a word that describes you, it would be "faithful." You have always been fun, encouraging and smart! You have always taught us truth. Thanks for loving us so well. Happy Fathers Day!!

Why Did We Write It's Personal?

As we talk with church planters and their wives, there are many topics of conversation that commonly come up. They share their excitement and concerns about launching a church, dealing with growth and change, friendships, balancing family and ministry, leading a staff and being authentic.

When Exponential, Leadership Network and Zondervan approached us about writing a book as a couple for church planting couples, we were certainly humbled and overwhelmed with the task, yet our passion to see healthy people launch healthy churches is what drove us to write this book.

When we planted West Ridge Church, we did not know other church planting couples, so now, we wanted to not only share our story to encourage church planters, but include honest interviews with twenty- two other church planting couples as well.

So the question, "Can you survive AND thrive on the journey of church planting?" We think it can be done. We think it is definitely personal and, at the same time, it is not about us, but rather about the One who has called us and equipped us. May He be the one we always seek to make famous!

today i ran

I ran with Brian today. I like to walk the neighborhood and occasionally do tae bo. Sometimes I go to the gym, but today I ran. I just needed to. We ran for 20 minutes when I had to take a break. I told Brian to keep going. I would walk. So I walked a little and ran a little until, at last I saw Brian at the top of the hill!  "Brian!!" I yelled. But he was listening to his Ipod. If I could run up the hill, maybe I could catch him! The hill was too much, but at the top of the hill, was the downhill slope. I know I can catch him on the downhill run! I ran fast; I was out of breath. "Brian!" I yelled, but he still could not hear me. Now I had to prove to myself that I could catch him! I HAD to catch him! As I panted unattractively, I passed an old lady with beehive hair. At least I was faster than she was! There was Brian, on the other side of the soccer field. I cut across the field, not caring what I looked like. It occurred to me that I might throw up, but I had to catch him! So I yelled once more, this time more loudly than before, "Brian!!" And he heard me! He turned around and there I was. I had caught him!

On my way back to the car, it occurred to me, what if we chased that hard after God? What if we didn't care what we looked like or who heard us? How might our week look differently if we pursued him with such intensity!  What if we forgot about all the things we had to do and sought after him because we were thirsty for him, rather than for what he might do for us? Fortunately, God is not listening to an Ipod. He will always hear.  James 4:8 says "Come close to God, and God will come close to you." And Jeremiah 33:3 says,  "Call to me and I will answer you and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known."

truth and lies

Sometimes we believe lies. Sometimes people tell us things that simply are not true and we believe them. We believe we cannot do something because someone tells us we can't. We may believe that God is mad at us. We may believe that we lack the ability to do what we were created to do. Do you ever talk yourself into the lie that says that you can dabble in sin and not reap the heartache and consequences? Do you look in the mirror and believe that God made an unfair mistake? Have you been somehow conditioned to believe that the God who created the whole universe and keeps it spinning is too busy or does not have the ability to hear your every prayer and meet your every need? Has someone told you that you are inadequate? Do believe that you can never forgive or receive forgiveness?

How can we discern between truth and lies? Hebrews 4:12 is a powerful verse. "For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires." In God's word, we find the wisdom to discern between truth and lies. God's truth exposes the lies that we believe and gives us the power to grab hold of life-changing truths. Fill your mind with it! Grab hold of it! And be wise.