The workers have been busy!

Much progress has been made in our wood floors. They were meticulous in making sure everything was sanded down perfectly. The result was a slightly later start than they expected. But we'll take accuracy over speed any day!

The kids were SO excited Friday night to see the floors. They were dancing, spinning, making "snow angels" -- I think they spent an hour just playing on the floor out of excitement.

We need to polish it up real good, but at this point, we're ecstatic about the floors. When I got home last night, Amara's room is nearly done, and our room and Dominic's room will be next. Should be done by the end of the week.


YAY!

These two cute little spooks will be coming soon to a neighborhood near you.

They are SO excited for Halloween this year. Since our neighborhood doesn't really have Halloween (poorly lit roads, no sidewalks, few houses, etc), we like to bring our neighbors a little Halloween gift instead. I had just finished the kids' costumes and wanted to give them a test run, so we got all decked out and brought our neighbors some painted pumpkins.

Amara is totaly jazzed to be a puppy in her box that says "Puppies for Sale." She's also quick to add, "I'm just kidding," to ensure that no one runs off with her beloved puppies. She's not even annoyed to be carrying around the box. However, she was quick to add that when we do it "for real" she also needs to carry a bag to collect candy. Gone are the days where I can get away with saying that school and work parties suffice for trick-or-treating.


Little D-Man has been infatuated with Cowboys since we visted the Old West town this summer in Maryland. We found him a cute little hat and boots to go with his belt and holster that he got as a vacation souvenier. I made the chaps and vest, and he's in cowboy heaven. He's got the "Yeehaw" down pat. Now we need to work on the "Get along little doggies."

I'm a week late (well, not quite), but here's how I spent my birthday.

Wednesday night I picked up the kids from school, bought 8 pumpkins, and began painting. We didn't paint them all, but got a few ghosts and spiders painted. The kids loved it.

Today (Sunday) we dressed up in our costumes (well... the kids did anyway), and brought them to our neighbors. Pictures will come later.

I'm overdue with posting about Chapter 6 from "Crazy Love."

I think part of it is because life has been crazy here lately with all the home renovations.

But I think the other part of it is that I'm still kind of trying to figure out how best to wrap my head around the chapter. For me, Chapter 6 was a convicting chapter. It's one where I know all the right answers, but at the same time, feel like my actions aren't living up to the answers as I know they should be.

The prevailing thought for me during this chapter: "Love IS Action."

Growing up, my home church had a rotating monthly service committee called "Love In Action." All the families of the church were put into a group. I believe there were something like 13-15 groups. Each group served for a month, and were responsible for meals at church events, coffee hour, greeting, communion serving, etc. The idea behind it is wonderful -- it's us showing our love in action.

Yet, if we LOVE, we shouldn't have to be grouped to show forth the action. For truly, love IS action.

If you love someone, you don't sit on the couch and say, "Here I am, serve me." You say, "Here I am, how can I serve you?" And this is the thought that's kept me from writing about this chapter this week. I feel like I'm being the "Here I am, serve me" version of love -- not just to God, but to others around me as well. I'm too caught up in the craziness around me and feel that I'm deserving of a break. As if others don't also experience that craziness.... As a result of my attitude, no one is getting the love they deserve from me.

I also had a revelation this week. Jon and I have talked many times that we haven't been "happy" since Baltimore. Certainly we have -- but what we mean by that is that our life has become more and more hectic, stressful, busy, stretched thin. And when I was considering this week why that might be, I realized the biggest difference: I haven't truly been serving since we left Baltimore. I've done things here or there or with the larger group at work during charity events. But I've not gone out of my way and sacrificially served. I've not gotten plugged in at church.

I try to claim that it's because I want to volunteer/serve as a family, which isn't untrue or a bad thing. But the difference is that Jon's job requires that he serve on a daily basis. My job isn't like that. So while Jon needs the evenings and weekends to refill, I need them to give -- to serve as a way to refill. Understanding, of course, that my family time is critical, and too short since we both work. That said, I'm taking it as a challenge to myself to find a way to serve on my own that doesn't take time away from my family -- or as little time as possible.

So all that said, I've kind of touched on the chapter without even opening the book. So now lets open up the book.

On page 100, Chan speaks of his Grandmother-in-Law, Clara. He speaks of how in love she was with Christ, how she couldn't wait to spend time with Jesus every day, how her life was completely centered and focused on Him. I was fortunate to have a "Clara" in my life. My Grandmother was one of those women who lived her life for Christ. I would often walk through her kitchen to find her head in her hands bowed in prayer. Meals not only began but also ended with a prayer. She has even shared that she saw Jesus late one night as she was nursing my sick aunt back to health. Everything she said or did pointed to Christ.

This section of the book and the memories of my Grandma reminded me of one of the first contemporary Christian songs I heard and fell in love with: "Midnight Oil" by Phillips, Craig, and Dean.

"Mama liked to burn the midnight oil down on her knees in prayer. If you asked her why she did it, she said she did it cause she cared. Now Mama always talked to Jesus when she knelt by her rocking chair. Oh I'm glad my Mama was willing to burn the midnight oil in prayer."

The song goes on to talk about how now he burns the midnight oil in prayer as well and hopes that one day his boy will grow to do the same. What a legacy - it's one that I pray I'm creating in my children as well.

The next page of "Crazy Love," page 101, poses a question that really stopped me dead in my tracks. Chan quoted John Piper with the following, "The critical question for our generation - and for every generation - is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ was not there?"

It's certainly a question I'd never considered before. When you think of heaven, what do you think of? I think of beauty, perfection, no more hurts, no more fears, no more pain, no more heartache. Most of the songs, books, etc., that I've read or heard talk about these aspects of heaven. The only song I can even think of that speaks of Jesus in heaven is "I Can Only Imagine." Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are many more of them, and I know that Biblically speaking, Jesus is noted to be in heaven. However, I think we're missing the boat -- we're thinking of how heaven will benefit us by things -- not the fact that we'll be in the presence constantly of the Almighty God. The realization that my idea of heaven was focused on the wrong parts of heaven was a sobering thought for me.

Page 102 really drove me to the statement I made earlier about the need to serve. On this page, Chan asks, "Is loving God - and by extension, loving people - what you are about?" I think I've become lax about this. However, it's what I would like to be about.

On Thursday night this week, we had the opportunity to see Aaron Ivey in concert during his home tour. He had a song that really spoke to me. The song is called "Give Your Life Away" and the specific lyrics that hit me are: "And you find you’re never alive till you give, you give your life away." For Jesus Christ, let me give my life away.

Despite all these realizations, we come back to the thoughts I shared in previous chapters. I'm an imperfect being, incapable of loving God the way He deserves to be loved. Chan addresses this as well on page 103. "The answer lies in letting Him change you. His counsel wasn't to "try harder," but rather to let Him in." Jesus promises in John 10:10, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Chan continues, "The fact is, I need God to help me love God. And if I need His help to love Him, a perfect being, I definitely need His help to love other, fault-filled humans."

I think I smiled when I read those couple paragraphs from which I pulled the above excerpt. I had been pretty hard on myself - berating the times I've not given my best, the times I've not loved my family as they deserve or my God as He deserves. Over and over again, I've told my self to try harder, to be more disciplined, to be less selfish. I've prayed about it -- but to be honest, I've told myself to "try harder" more often than I've asked God to help me. I've got my priorities mixed around.

Chan begins to wrap up the chapter on page 110 when he writes, "when we work for Christ out of obligation, it feels like work. But when we truly love Christ, our work is a manifestation of that love, and it feels like love."

In our sermon on Saturday night, our pastor asked, "Duty or Delight? Understanding or Acknowledgement?" Is it a head thing or a heart thing?

God is a heart thing.

Let Him in.

Jon bid adieu to an old friend on Wednesday.

We purchased this motorcycle (an '05 Victory Hammer) for him when we moved to Cincinnati in 2005. Jon's Dad rode it to him from Wyoming. It was his first motorcycle. He loved the bike, spent a lot of time customizing it. In fact, just this Christmas he had it powder-coated, and hadn't even had the time (thanks to home renovation) to put it back together until mid-September. For 9 long months, it went unridden -- longer actually, since he didn't ride in November/December due to the cold.

He said parting was bittersweet. He did love the bike.


Motorcycle riding is still a part of him though. He got rid of his bike so that he could buy his Dad's. It's the same style and year, but his Dad has customized it differently. (I'll get pictures when we get it.) He knew that he'd kick himself if he didn't get his Dad's bike -- no matter how much he loves his own. His Dad has had many offers for his bike -- especially considering it's won many "best in show" awards at bike rallies. But he gave Jon first dibs. Jon took the opportunity.

Of course, we had to take pictures of the bike before we shipped it off. And the kids, who had long been forbidden to touch it, also got a ride. This picture of Amara largely mirrors the photo of her on it at 8months old, when we first got the bike.


And of course little D-man, who pretends everything is a motorcycle, and I'm sure will one day ride with his Daddy and Grandfather!


Bye Bye Bike. You were a good one. Give someone else many fun and safe rides!

For the last 2 years, I've given my family a calendar for the next year as a Christmas gift. This isn't just a normal calendar, this is a digital-scrapbook calendar that I design and include the kids' pics, etc. In the process of designing it, I also include templates for other digital scrappers to create their own similar calendar. Here's what I shared in 2009.

I hadn't really given any thought to what I'd do for 2010. In fact, I'm so far behind on my own scrapping, that I didn't know if I'd do it at all. But yesterday, a sweet woman asked if I was planning to do a calendar again for 2010. And really -- it's such an easy gift to make for my family, and one that I know they appreciate. and I kinda like the one hanging on my wall, too.

So I'm going to do it again. 2010 calendar, here I come.

However, I need help.

Each year, I try to do a Bible verse for each month. More than just verses this year, I want to make sure the message of salvation comes across. (I'd like to do this for the benefit of those downloading the templates and those who happen to see the calendars on the walls, more than for the benefit of my family, who thankfully knows and has accepted the salvation message.) But I'd also kind of like the verse to fit the "theme" of each month. For example, January = new/beginning, February = love, March = spring, April = Easter, etc.

Here are some ideas I've started with:

JANUARY: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1

FEBRUARY: God demonstrated His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

JUNE: "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." (John 8:12)

So... who can help me fill in the verses for each month? Suggestions?

While I was gone last week, Jon called me about our floor installation. We had hoped to finish painting the ceiling and walls prior to putting in the new floors, but experienced some hiccups with the ceiling. Due to that, we wanted to push off the floors til November.

Problem: our floor installer got another contract that would tie him up through December.

We had to stick with our original start date: October 19.

That meant we had to bust tail this weekend to get the house ready. And it was no where near ready.

Friday afternoon this is what was delivered:

There were 71 of those boxes. Each one weighed 88 pounds. Thankfully there are only two stairs to climb up. Unfortunately, I am not able to lift 88 pounds like that, so I was little to no help in this endeavor. Jon and the truck guy hefted all of them.... Jon probably did half while the truck guy pulled them from the truck.

E.X.H.A.U.S.T.I.N.G.

Then we had to move all of the furniture from our bedrooms. All 3 of them. Into 2 bathrooms. We definitely need to be creative in our packing! We moved Dominic's mattress to the basement and we're sleeping on the guest bed in the basement. Everything else needed to be shoved (without damage) into the bathrooms. And they're not huge bathrooms, by any stretch.

So here's bathroom one, the kids bathroom.



Inside are 5 tubs full of countertop stuff, clothes, shoes, etc, curtains (all in the bathtub), 3 night stands, a triple dresser, a stand-up dresser, a small dresser and the hutch that goes on top of it, a hope chest (don't worry, Mom and Dad, it's on the top not getting damaged), a desk, and a mirror. Oh, and the bathroom door, which we had to remove. I think that's it, though I easily could have forgotten something. Oh yes, 2 lamps, a air purifier, and a garbage can. And several paintings.

And here is what you can see of bathroom two. It's slightly bigger, but only because it's square, not rectangular. I'm not sure it's any larger in square footage.



Inside are 2 chairs, 3 plastic tubs, a tall thin cabinet (don't know what it's called), an armoir, a triple dresser, a tall dresser, a television, vcr (yes, why do we have that?), a DVD player, our bed frame and rails, Amara's mattress, our mattress, several paintings. I think that might be it. I don't recall what else we shoved back there. The bathroom door!

And last but not least, our kitchen. This holds the great room furniture, dining room furniture, much of the flooring (2/3 of it), and the box springs that we couldn't jam into the bathrooms.



Whew! It all fit. That was Saturday.

Sunday was tearing up the carpets, removing the baseboards, removing the carpet pads. And then the fun part: tearing up the tack strips and the staples which held down the carpet pads.

Whoever invented those things just might be evil. :)

My hands are completely raw.

I think I spent 10 hours on Sunday stooped over with a pliers pulling staples out of the floor. My pinky literally has a blister.

I've never been so happy to go to work on a Monday!

But it's DONE!

Let the floor installation begin!!!

So what is your opinion of leftovers?

On one hand, I love them, because that means I can be “lazy” and just warm something up rather than being creative and making a whole new meal.

On the other hand, I don’t care for them at all – they’re often “mushy”, overcooked the second time, or all the flavors blend together.

Neither impression of leftovers is particularly appealing – especially when we talk about serving them to God.

Are we lazy? Giving God our leftovers because it’s easier than being creative? Easier than making the effort to prioritize? Easier than sacrificing a bit of ourselves and our time? Or are we giving Him our “mush?” Have we taken the best, freshest, “first-fruits” of our labors, and left Him with the rewarmed, over-cooked, all mixed-together seconds?

How generous of us…from either perspective.

In my post about the Preface, I even wrote about exactly what he’s challenging in this chapter: falling asleep on God. I busted myself without even knowing it! Chan writes, “God gets a scrap or two only because we feel guilty for giving Him nothing. A mumbled three-minute prayer at the end of the day, when we are already half asleep” (pg 97).

Now, I will say that there’s something safe and comfortable about falling asleep while talking to your Best Friend. I remember fondly the slumber parties of my youth when we’d fall asleep amid each other’s stories – none of us particularly wanting to be the first to nod off, but knowing it was bound to happen.

My personal opinion is that if you’re living in God during the day – praying, praising, giving yourself to Him – that if you happen to fall asleep as you’re praying at night, that might be OK. When there’s a true issue is when you’ve put Him off til the end of the day – then at the end of the day, you realize, “Oh shoot – I still have to pray.” Then you ever so generously squeeze in a couple minutes and accidentally fall asleep out of sheer exhaustion while you’re praying. That’s the kind of leftovers to which I can imagine God saying, “No thank you.”

As Chan says, “Jesus’ call to commitment is clear: He wants all or nothing” (pg 85). Several times throughout the Bible, we’re told to “love the Lord with all our hearts, with all our souls, with all our strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves” (Deut 6:5, Deut 13:3, Mt 22:37, Mark 12:30, Mark 12:33, Luke 10:27).

So… if it was repeated that many times in the Word… you think He means it? You think it might be important?

If we turn to God, He will give us the ability to love Him in such a way. Deuteronomy 30:2 and 6 says, “and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, then…The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.”

We are human. It is not within our capabilities to love God with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. We are too selfish. It is only through the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 14:17) that we’re able to love God. It is because of our belief in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, and the presence of the Holy Spirit, that we’re seen as righteous in His eyes. We are promised in Romans 8:26 “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness” – in our own strength, we are not capable of loving God as much as He commands. But if we give ourselves over to Him, the Holy Spirit will help us in our weakness."

Similarly, when we receive the Holy Spirit, we receive the fruits of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-25) “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” We do not possess this fruit (singular - the Spirit gives us ALL of them) on our own – we are frail and imperfect sinners. We can express those qualities periodically and individually, but they are not qualities inherent to us -- especially all in one. Only through the Spirit can we bear fruit. Only through the Spirit can we love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Page 87 contains key sentences that I believe are imperative to hear, remember, and praise God for: “I do not want true believers to doubt their salvation as they read this book. In the midst of our failed attempts at loving Jesus, His grace covers us. Each of us has lukewarm elements and practices in our life; therein lies the senseless, extravagant grace of it all. The Scriptures demonstrate clearly that there is room for our failure and sin in our pursuit of God.”

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.

It’s very easy in this chapter (and the past one) to look at it as slightly legalistic. If I check off all these things, then I’m a Christian. If I follow all these rules and steps, then I’m saved. However, the Bible makes it clear that works will not gain our salvation. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

However, I think that it’s also important to understand that works come through faith. When we have faith in God, we are to be obedient to Him. When we’re obedient to Him, He’ll use us. When He uses us, there will be action. And of course, action often will come in the form of works – loving others, giving to others, serving others. While most certainly works don’t save us, they are an indicator of the transformation that took place when we gave ourselves to Christ. “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17). As verse 19 goes on to say, even demons believe there is a God and fear Him. It is our works that distinguish us as true believers – works that are Spirit-led.

I also think that we need to be careful not to judge others by their works. “Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.” John 7:24. Only God can see and know a person’s heart. All of us are sinners, all of us are fallen, all of us need to be saved by grace through faith.

A couple weeks ago in church, one of the pastors shared a different perspective on the “Pearl of Great Price” Biblically, the Pearl of Great Price is a parable referring to the Kingdom of Heaven. However, this perspective was written by a man named Juan Carlos Ortiz. In this illustration, Jesus is the pearl. To paraphrase:

A man wants to buy a very valuable pearl. The person selling it declares it to be very expensive. When asked if he could buy it, the person said that anyone can buy it, but that it will cost everything he has. So they start writing down everything… house, boat, cars, all the possessions. Then he asks what else? He says that all he has left is family – so the man takes that, too, and is reminded that it will also cost the man his life. He has literally paid everything for this expensive pearl. However, the seller concludes: “I will allow you to use all these things for the time being. But don't forget that they are mine, just as you are. And whenever I need any of them you must give them up, because now I am the owner.”

Please click this link to read the full excerpt, as it really is more powerful than I can paraphrase.

When my children were born, we immediately returned them to God. They are His children. They are on loan to us. They are precious gifts, but they are His. Yet, while we willingly gave Him back our most precious gifts – have we done that with everything else? With our money? Our material goods? Our job? Our house? Our hurts, fears, and pains? I’m ashamed to admit that I haven’t.

I’m left with this question and this song:

What if I Gave All? (by Ray Boltz)
He heard the preacher say
A single dime can feed
A hungry boy or girl
With nothing to eat
So he pulled a dollar
From the pocket of his jeans
And he asked his mama
How many will this feed?
She just smiled
And when she told him ten
He reached back again

CHORUS:
What if I give all I have?
What will that gift do?
My child, a gift like that
Could change the world
It could feed a multitude
He didnt close his eyes
Or turn away
I can see him standing tall
He saw the need
And I can hear him say
What if I give all

Three birthday dollars
Could have bought a special toy
But he reminds me
Of another little boy
Who gave to Jesus
A gift of fish and bread
I wonder if he said

CHORUS:
What if I give all I have?
What will that gift do?
My child, a gift like that
Could change the world
It could feed a multitude
He didnt close his eyes
Or turn away
I can see him standing tall
He saw the need
And I can hear him say
What if I give all

And long ago a Father and a Son
Saw the children lost in sin
Can you see the tears
In the Fathers eyes
As Jesus says to him

What if I gave all I have?
What will that gift do?
My Son, that gift
Will change the world
It will free the multitudes

What if I give all I have?
What will that gift do?
My child a gift like that
Could change the world
It could feed a multitude

We cannot close our eyes
And turn away
When we hear His Spirit call
We see the need
Now let Him hear us say
What if I give all?
What if I give all?

I just had to share this:

Aren't these butterflies fabulous?! Jon's Mom made the curtains. Hand stitched, hand pieced -- amazingly detailed and intricate, complete with swirly butterfly paths. They're AWESOME!

We purchased the bedding from the Pottery Barn outlet before we moved out of Cincinnati. We intended to paint wide green stripes on the wall. Haven't gotten there yet. And we intend also to put paintings on the wall. Haven't done that yet either -- we've got them, just haven't hung them.

Anyway, I sent the pillow shams to Jon's Mom for the curtains. We had purchased the white curtains from JCP, but wanted to pretty them up, and Jon's Mom volunteered to applique matching butterflies onto them. Seriously -- they're amazing. The detail, the intricacy, they're just so perfect.

When they arrived in the mail, Amara was SO excited, hugged them, ran to her room, and immediately wanted to put them up. I wish Jon's Mom could have seen her excitement!


And yes, that's a Christmas stocking hanging on her lamp... no particular reason why.

And yes, that's a giant stuffed fish on the bed. :)

It will come as no surprise to my high school basketball teammates that I'm addicted to french braiding my daughter's hair. But it's more than just french braids -- I just love to play with her hair and discover fun new creative ways to do it.

I always said I wouldn't know what to do with a girly-girl. Pink, ruffles, frou-frou, and lace were forbidden in our house. The pink didn't last too long after our baby girl was born -- but the other "girly" stuff is still pretty much inexistant in our house. However, girly-do's -- they're very much a part of our house.

If Amara's hair wasn't so curly, thick, and prone to ridiculous tangles, it may not have been necessary. However, she doesn't have the baby-soft, fine, shiny, straight hair of many 5 year olds. She has luscious curls and amazing texture that simply couldn't be better for braiding.

So I gave in quickly to the temptation of "girlifying" my girl -- despite my predisposition to all things tom-boy. I just couldn't resist her hair.

There are all sorts of fun hair style websites for girls' hair (see my side bar for one of them that I especially like). But I ran across my friends' site the other day, where she had tried this hair style on her girls' hair -- and I had to try it!

Not only is it super cute, it's also super easy! Just twist and weave. I can't tell you how many compliments Amara received with this style. I need to figure out how to better do a messy bun, because those wouldn't stay in. But the twists -- they stayed put for 2 days!

The best part of all of this -- Amara LOVES the compliments. Enough so that she'll put up with my brushing through the painful tangles. We're talking serious birdsnests like I've never seen.

Ah, the price we pay for beauty. :)

We came home from work on Friday to discover much progress had been made in the kitchen. Actually, there's been a lot of other progress since my last renovation update -- but I've neglected to keep you updated!

So this week's progress:

This is the view from the great room into the kitchen. You can see the trayed ceiling. This used to be a large flourescent light fixture, as shown in this post. We plan to order 4-6 light pendant lighting for that area. Under it is the kitchen island, which holds the oven/stove. The tray was actually completed earlier this summer -- but I didn't share pictures at the time.

The biggest change this week is the faux crown moulding at the very top. As you'll see in the pictures from the old kitchen post, we had 12-inch soffits surrounding everything in the kitchen. We felt that the soffits made the kitchen look very dated. Granted, it was built in the 80's, so it didn't just LOOK outdated, it WAS outdated. But we felt that falsley extending the cabinets to the ceiling with the faux crown moulding would look more updated, and also be one of the easier fixes. The alternative would be to knock out the soffits and potentially raise the cabinets... or leave it open. But I've never been a fan of open-top cabinets, and raising the cabinets seemed an insurmountable (and very costly) task.

This is the view of the pantry (above photo) . Talk about awesome cabinet space, eh? You know those huge spice containers you buy at places like Costco or Sam's club? That's the depth of each shelf. It's so nice, because nothing gets lost or buried in the pantry. It's easy to stay organized -- or at least it would be if I attempted to do so! Anyway, the soffits above this bank of cabinets go into the stairs to the basement. This would have posed a different challenge if we wanted to eliminate the soffit completely -- opening the top really wasn't very possible, because I think it would have opened into the stair well.



And finally, this is the laundry room. It has all the same cabinets as the kitchen (the whole house does), but also has the same soffit. We thought it best to continue that "fix" into the laundry room. These look significantly lighter in the photo than the kitchen cabinets -- rest assured, they all match. The laundry room just happens to be better lit currently, due to the need for the island light in the kitchen. The laundry also has an old fluorescent light box, which we'll replace once we figure out what we want to use instead.

The biggest cabinet project now is to replace all the fixtures. We're not fans of the oak doors, simply out of personal preference for less striation in the wood. However, they're solid wood, and we just couldn't afford to replace them with anything that would be as high quality -- especially because literally we'll have over 100 door pulls to replace, when you consider that every cabinet in the house looks that way! So we'll just replace all of the pulls with something more contemporary, and we'll feel SO much better about our cabinets. We're definitely happy with how our new faux moulding looks! I was hesitant, but it turned out so good.

Lesson learned: trust Jon's design instincts.

I think I was in heaven last night. Singer's heaven that is.

Two of the first Christian groups that I fell in love with were Selah and Avalon. They were together in concert last night. I think I lost my voice!

About 10 years ago, I heard an a capella arrangement of "My Jesus I Love Thee" that I think I wore out. The harmonies were goose-bump inducing. I discovered it was Avalon and have been forever hooked.

Around that same time I discovered a brother and sister singing group, called Selah. My brother and I were always singing duets in church, in choir, etc. So their dynamic struck a chord. While they've had a new (and fabulous) lead female singer for the past 4 years, their history endeared me to them from the start. Again, their harmonies are just incredible.

To see them both...together... live.... HEAVEN! I think I had a perma-grin on my face throughout the concert.

As if that weren't enough....

As Jon and I sat down, not expecting to know anyone, a woman comes up to me and says, "Sarah?" I pride myself on remembering names and faces, and I was desperately wracking my brain for who she was, and feeling absolutely HORRIBLE that I couldn't place her. Then she explained why.

She recognized me from my blog!

That's a new one! Blew me completely away. That has NEVER happened before, and quite honestly, I never really expected it to happen. She's a member of Bloom as well (Hi Pebi!!!) -- that's the Book Club for the Crazy Love book I've been writing about. Just so happens she lives only a few miles from me. Cool, eh? I thought so!

Speaking of Bloom, I also had the opportunity to meet Angie, who's one of the founders of Bloom, and also writes an incredible blog that I discovered a few years ago. She's the wife of Selah's lead singer, and she and her daughters came to the concert. They sat directly across the aisle from us! I felt like a total stalker, but also knew I'd regret it if I didn't at least say SOMETHING. So I thanked her for Bloom. That's really all I intended to say, but she was so sweet and gracious and engaged me in conversation -- certainly not something she had to do.

All in all, it was quite the evening. Todd's words (Selah) moved me to tears of sorrow. Amy's words (Selah) moved me to tears of absolute laughter -- wow is she funny! And their songs moved me to depths of praise. They sang my favorite song: "It is Well with My Soul" -- which as it always does, moved me to tears as well. I'm SO greatful that no matter what storms are around me, it is truly well with my soul. And then the two groups joined together for the finale. Wow! (You've never heard "Testify to Love" like that, I bet! Or "You Raise Me Up" for that matter!)

Have I mentioned that I was in singer's heaven yet? Two of the best harmony-driven groups joining together -- 7 people singing in harmony. I.N.C.R.E.D.I.B.L.E!!!

Yes, I was hoarse when it was done.

And so well worth it!

Jon and I really enjoy movies. We don't even care if they're good or bad -- they just mean relaxation, escape from reality, and potentially even a date.

Movies = good (even if they're not)

So Saturday night, Jon rented a movie. He put it in, and I said, "Oh good, a comedy!"

He responded, "You're kind of comedy, not the funny kind of comedy."

I was puzzled, so he elaborated that it was a romantic comedy. Then he said, "They just add comedy to the end to sucker guys into watching them. They're really not very funny."

I pondered that.

I think he's right! Not that they're NOT funny... but they're funny in an, "Oh yeah, I can relate to that," kinda way. Not a slap your legs and cry tears of laughter funny.

Food for thought.

Chapter 4 was a challenging one for many people to read. I know it was for me. In the preface, Chan assured us that this book would not be painless. This is definitely a chapter he had in mind when he wrote that.

The chapter consists primarily of a checklist of what it means to be lukewarm. I think what’s challenging about this list is that it’s likely we can all relate to every single item on it. At least I know I can. Perhaps (and thankfully) not all of the items at once, but I know this list has certainly convicted me.

Chan’s Profile of the Lukewarm (paraphrased from Chapter 4) – how many can you relate to?

Lukewarm people:

• attend church fairly regularly because that’s what “good Christians” do.


• give money to charity / church as long as it doesn’t impinge on their standard of living.


• choose what is popular over what is right when in conflict; they care more about what others think than what God thinks.


• don't really want to be saved from their sin, they just want to be saved from the penalty of their sin.


• are moved by the stories of people who do radical things for Christ, but assume that this is for “extreme” Christians.


• rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends – anyone who might be uncomfortable.


• judge their morality or “goodness” by comparing themselves to others.


• say they love Jesus, and give Him a part of their life…but just a part, not full control.


• love God, but believe that loving Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength is only possible for pastors, missionaries, or radicals.


• love others, but often not as much as themselves; their love is conditional, selective, and often comes with strings attached.


• will serve God and others, but within certain limits.


• are thankful for their luxuries and comforts, but rarely try to give as much as possible.


• do whatever is necessary to keep from feeling guilty.


• play it safe and are slaves to the god of control.


• feel secure because the attend church, were saved, were baptized – are complacent.


• have structured their lives so that they don’t have to live by faith.


• probably drink and swear less than average, but really aren’t that different than your typical unbeliever.

I think the biggest reason we (I) struggled with the list is because we (I) like to believe that we’re (I’m) doing a good job, that we’re (I’m) good people. We (I) like to see hope, to have the happy ending.

But the truth is: we’re (I’m) human.

And because we’re (I’m) human, we (I) fail, we (I) fall short, even our (my) best efforts aren’t good enough. That’s why we (I) need Jesus! Praise God for Jesus!

As I read through Chan’s laundry list, I found myself groaning inwardly at my failures, at my shortcomings. I’d get to one item on the list and say, “hey, that one I’m actually good at,” and have a small little victory party in my head. And that’s my point exactly – we want to be successful. We want to believe we’re good. Or we want to believe we’re not that bad.

When I was in high school I went to an FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) basketball camp where one of the speakers warned us not to put other people on a pedestal. No matter how good or holy they may appear to be, a person should not be put on a pedestal.

Why?

Because they’re human. And due to their human-ness, they will fail you. Always. Without question.

That can also be applied to our relationship with God. We’re human. We fail Him. We let Him down. It’s not a matter of “if,” it’s a matter of “when.” Due to our human condition, it will happen – and probably more often than we’d like for it to.

But that’s part of the awesomeness of God. "He’s gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love." (Psalm 145:8) He’s a God of second chances. He knows we’ll fail Him. Though he doesn’t like it, and even hates it, He still loves us. And He loves us with a redeeming love. “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13-14)

Just as my salvation can’t be achieved by my own merit, once saved, there’s nothing that I can do that will remove me from His grip. “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

Did you read that amazing promise? NOTHING can separate us from the love of God which is only found in Christ Jesus our Lord. NOTHING. And that, my friends, includes my own shortcomings and failures.

In Chapter 4, Chan warns us not to assume that we’re good soil.

I grew up in the rich farmland of South Dakota. Farming has been in my family for generations. The soil on which my family farmed and made their livings is some of the richest, most “good” soil to be found in the world.

However, good soil on its own won’t yield a harvest. Sure, crops might grow for a time, but without constant tending, weeds will overtake the crops. Without proper plowing, even the good soil will become hard and unable to receive seed. Rocks work their way to the surface frequently and must be removed. In other words – good soil requires constant attention, constant nurture in order to remain good.

Chan’s warning didn’t sit well with me at first. But I’ve come to realize that he’s absolutely right. Of my own merit, I would say that I’m pretty rotten soil. But through Jesus Christ, my soil is rich and good.

In my Monday night ladies Bible Study, our leader often says there’s no plateau in our relationship with Jesus Christ. If we’re not moving forward and strengthening it, we’re moving backward and away from Him. To me, this is where the “lukewarm” comes in. It’s an ugly place to be.

Revelation 3:15-17 addresses the lukewarm: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—"

However, God, in His mercy, doesn’t leave us in that hopeless state. He shows us the solution.

The following verses (Rev 3:18-22) continue: “I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Lord, I confess to you my lukewarm-ness – it is so easy for me to slip into comfortable mode, to go through the routines of my daily life without giving you control. Lord, please refine me, so that I might be proved genuine (1 Pet 1:7). I thank you for your promise to complete the good work that you’ve begun in me (Phil 1:6). May my heart and my life be as clay in your hands; mold me to your will (Jer 18:6). Amen.

In my last post, I mentioned our "Legacy of Love." I've actually mentioned it in previous posts as well. Both Jon and I have been blessed with a history, a legacy if you will, of strong, long-lasting marriages. At our wedding, we featured 3 generations worth (those who were in attendance) of photos on the back table. Not only is it a Legacy of Love... it's also a Legacy of Faith. And for that, I'm eternally grateful.

A few days ago, I received an invitation in the mail to attend a family reunion. Nothing out of the ordinary right? People have reunions all the time.

However, this reunion was for the descendants of my Great Great Grandparents (Paternal Grandmother's side), Iver and Ingeborg Skaare. It will take place next summer in conjunction with the 125th Anniversary Celebration of Bergen Church. The reason they chose this date and location is because my Great Great Grandparents were founding members of the church.

So I did a little bit of digging.

Bergen Church is a place that I'm very familiar with. I didn't attend there (it was an hour from my home). However, when we'd gather for holidays or other family events with my Dad's side, it was always very central to the conversation. People who gathered at my Grandparents' house were often integrally tied to Bergan Church.

In my digging, I discovered this document detailing the history of Bergan Church. It was amazing to take in the heritage into which I had been born. Certainly a Legacy of Faith had been given long before even my father was a twinkle in anyone's eye. Within this document are many, many names that are personal and familiar to me. I thought they were just friends of my Grandma's, but it turns out many of them were family -- cousins, aunts, uncles. I always enjoyed the family feel at my Grandparent's house, so warm and so welcoming. But I didn't realize just how interwoven family was -- family WERE their friends.

I read about how my Great Great Grandparents were founding members of Bergan Church, how they were one of only a few founding members present at the 45th Anniversary celebration of the church. How heartbreaking it must have been to watch the church burn on December 26, 1934, with the congregation gathered to celebrate Christmas. Yet, from the ashes, my Great Grandfather (Paternal Grandfather's side) was called to be one of those who constructed the new church. So on my Dad's side of the family, this little country church was really the cornerstone of their faith and their life.

I also found this article written by my Great Great Grandmother's brother and shared by one of his descendants. How interesting to discover just how they, and thus my family, ended up in that small town where so much of my heritage is based.

Also uncovered was this article about my Great Great Grandmother. The details surrounding my Great Great Grandparent's wedding was enjoyable to discover. But more than that, I loved reading about how my Great Great Grandmother recalled it with laughter. I love to think that laughter and joy was a prevailing mood and sound found in their house. My Great Great Grandparents were both born in Norway, thus spoke Norwegian in their home. However, they were married by an American priest -- one who spoke only English. So they didn't understand a word of their marriage ceremony! The Norwegian language not only was spoken by them, but also my Great Grandparents, and even my own Grandmother. I recall many stories from my Grandma about growing up speaking Norwegian, being confirmed in Norwegian. My brother and I both went to colleges with strong Norwegian heritage and were able to sing "Beautiful Savior" in Norwegian at my Grandparent's funerals.

What began as an invitation to a family reunion really became a heartwarming discovery of my family history. My family may not have been famous or wealthy, kings or princes, but they knew riches that were immeasurable. Their faith, their family ties, and the Legacy they passed on to future generations...my generation...is something much more "rich" than fortune or fame.

And once again, for that I am grateful.