happy birthday to me!

Yesterday I effectively wasted an entire day surfing the internet. Well, actually, I spent several hours watching 'mini-movies' from Worshiphouse Media...they're the kind of video clips that you can download to go w/sermons, etc. Some of them were HILARIOUS! So I annoyed several of my friends by sending multiple links for them to watch...just wanna share the joy! I read blogs and posted comments at my leisure.

Anyway, WHY - you ask did I waste an entire day? HOW could I possibly afford to do this?? Well, it was my birthday, and I just decided in morning that, other than the 'necessaries' of keeping the children fed, diapers changed, etc., I was taking the day OFF! I left the kids play and run wild - and the house showed it. I didn't work on any of the fundraiser letters or other church administration. I didn't load the dishwasher or fold the laundry. (I did however shower and do a load of wash because my husband took me out for dinner, so I needed to smell good and have clothes to wear...)

And ya know what... even without me doing anything productive, the world went on! My children did are not any 'worse-for-the-wear' because we didn't do any school and they were allowed to play and watch TV. The church work was all still waiting for me today (I worked on fundraising brochures and letters for about 10 hours), as was the laundry, and everything else. So today I worked by butt off, but I have to say, it was worth it! I had a lot of fun doing NOTHING yesterday! (It battled feeling a little guilty in the morning, but it passed by lunchtime!) And I think I was more ready to tackle it all today. Maybe I should do that more often...

scarred for life?

Today Kate decided to introduce her baby brother to some music history and turned him into Baby Mozart. Think he'll be scarred for life??

growing faith and building momentum

I am SOOOO EXCITED! And honestly, that's an understatement!!

We have found a building that is perfect for Koinonia House! It's a storefront space that is for lease. It even has a platform, because the last business in it was Bingo. There's plenty of space for a coffee bar and cafe-style set up for our Celebration service. There is currently an office and other room which would be our Kidz Church classroom. The landlord is extremely nice and willing to work with us, and very positive about leasing to a church (other owners have not been too hyped on the idea). He's also willing to allow us to frame out and throw up a few more rooms, which would be a nursery, prayer room (could double as an extra Kidz Church room if needed), and also an art studio area. (There's even a glass-enclosed area that as soon as our artsy people saw it, they were thinking of displays...) It's on High Street, which, while we are on the outter edge of town, turns into the main street of Pottstown. It's also in an area that really needs Light...it's a couple doors down from an adult bookstore and a few blocks from the low income housing. Plenty of people needing Jesus there!!

Our only thing holding us up from signing the lease and moving in is - money. We need some. Actually, we need a lot. But my faith level is growing with each day. I really believe this could be the next step God has for us! Someone gave $50 seed to officially start our 'facility fund' last night. One of the people at church had an idea for a church-wide, month-long, rotating yard sale. We are willing to sell pizzas, candles, or whatever other fundraisers we can! We are getting letters and brochures ready to send out, as well as filming a 'commercial' that will be posted on our website and YouTube. But MOSTLY we are praying, and gearing up for a corporate fast, asking God for miraculous provision. We are asking him to put it on people's hearts to support us in this HUGE step towards realizing the vision and destiny of Koinonia House. Our goal is to raise $50,000 in order to cover the entire first year rent & utilities, the extra building modifications, furnishings and sound system. With God, NOTHING is impossible!!! If you'd like to be the first to accept this opportunity to sow into the Koinonia House Facility Fund Drive (I'm also looking for name suggestions for our campaign - feel free to post some in the comments!), we should have PayPal up and running on our website by tonight. (Of course, if you'd rather send a check, shoot me an e-mail). I truly believe God is going to provide for us in amazing ways! (Also, if you are a new friend or not familiar with Koinonia House, I'd LOVE to share our vision with you...just let me know!)

learning to relax

We've been having a lot of trouble these days figuring out what our 'day off' is supposed to look like. Since Todd is working at H2O again, which is 3 very long days Tues-Thurs (gone 6-6:30, then home to church stuff on Wed & Thurs nights), we have a lot to cram into the other 4 days a week. I'm not complaining, just saying we are having to learn to re-adjust. Sundays don't really feel like an off-day because of having to load up/set up/re-load/unload all the church stuff, and admittedly, often finishing up the message and other random things. Friday and Saturday are definite church work days. So that makes Monday his (our) day off.

We are always wondering if that day off means 'work-around-the-house' day, or actually 'rest and relax day'. Today, I am happy to say, we were able to do both! We did some of the 'necessary' stuff this morning that had to be done, then took off with the kids for a couple hours - had lunch and played in the park. It was really nice. The kids had fun on the playground and throwing stones into the creek. Plus there weren't too many people, since it was Monday, so it was very quiet. Nice... Then we came home to do the first mowing of the season - yeah!! and some other stuff, including finishing some school work. Overall, a very relaxing day! Ahhhh....

HELP!!!

I've done something horrible. I've forgotten the password to log on to our desktop. (I do all my blogging on the laptop, which is how I'm able to post this.) The MAJOR issue is that all Kaitlyn's curriculum is on that computer!! The past two days we have done practice work, art, music, first aid, and anything else educational I can come up with til we get this problem resolved. I am tearing my hair out trying to figure out how to fix this...namely remember the password! Part of the problem is that I only get 3 tries, and then the system locks me out for several hours (I've not yet determined what the time period actually is). I tried looking at the Windows XP Professional website to figure out what I can do, and it looks really...well...like I should have some more computer knowledge than I do for this. The really irritating thing is that I just set the password last week (forgot to write it down...as Todd has repeatedly told me to do, yes, dear...I will never forget to write it down again!!) and I made it something ridiculously easy...I just can't remember what!! AAAGGGHHHH!!



I'd appreciate any prayers for my memory, and also any computer advice!!

learning from Susannah

In my never-ending quest to find adequate time for prayer and personal devotions, my mind often wanders back to Susannah Wesley. I've often heard the story of how in the midst of her day, when she needed to pray, she would pull her apron over her head, a signal for her children to not disturb her as she prayed. Today I thought I would try an experiment. I have a lovely red scarf that I brought out and showed my kids. I asked them what this red reminded them of. OK, being a kind of odd question for me to ask out of the blue, and them being PK's, they answered "Jesus blood". (They figured I had to be going somewhere with this...) So I tried to steer them in a different direction...I said, think about if we are driving; what does red mean? They got it right away "Stop!" "Exactly!" I said. I proceeded to explain to them that I was going to use this scarf as a signal for them; when I needed some time with God, to pray or read my Bible, I was going to put on this scarf and that should tell them, "stop", to not (unless it's an emergency) interrupt me, and that I'd be available again soon. They actually thought it was a great idea (I guess it seems like a fun game...like 'Simon Says'). Later this afternoon I did retreat to my room to steal a couple minutes of much-needed prayer time, and threw the scarf on. Two of them came in, saw the signal, and quietly left the room. Amazing!!

I went tonight and read a bit more about Susannah...pretty amazing lady, especially for her time. I felt a connection...after all, she was a pastor's wife, who homeschooled, was very fiesty and opinionated, and - occasionally - preached a few sermons herself! I think I'll keep reading and looking for more inspiration from this lady...

whirlwind

Things have been quite a whirlwind this past week. I really haven't even had a free moment to post since last Tuesday! We started on last Monday night with a stomach bug which bit 3 of the 4 kids. Thankfully, Todd, Bryce & I managed to escape it. At least it wasn't long lasting.

When I did have some free time (usually evenings, after the kids are in bed), I've been working on the children's curriculum, which is turning out to be a bit tougher than I originally anticipated, but still going well. It's really challenging me to take these concepts that we discuss in Christendom, eleminate all the 'jargon' and boil it down to elementary level. I'm finding it CAN be done, and I truly believe God wants kids to understand His Word, and His Kingdom, but we adults get in the way by making everything so 'lofty'.

The other exciting thing swirling in my head is that we found a building that would be a great facility for Koinonia House. We have definitely grown to the point of needing our own space, for so many reasons, which would be a whole other post in itself! I'm really excited, and I'm a 'driver' type personality, so I would love to just to make this happen NOW!! I'm trying to get ahold of myself, and think clearly, because we will need to do some major fundraising first. We could probably just barely afford the rent on what our weekly tithes have been, and nothing else including utilities! So we're going to raise some funds up front so we can feel comfortable and integral about entering a lease. But having a facility would be such an answer to prayer. I feel so bad for Todd trying to study and work out of the laundry room in the basement, which right now has a river running through it from all the rain we've had!

waiting to hatch

My very pregnant sister is so creative... I love this pic and told her she should post it on her blog. Then I realized, hey, I have a copy of it and could post it on MY blog! Not sure how you feel about pregnant bellies (hope this doesn't offend anyone), but I think they're beautiful, and am sad when I think about never having one again (but then that feeling passes when I think of everything that comes AFTER the pregnant belly... So I stand by my motto..."These four and NO MORE!") Anyway, just gotta love the creativity and can't wait for her to 'hatch'...

writing project

I've been working on the curriculum that I'm writing this afternoon, and thankfully, it's been going pretty well. I e-mailed the first 2 lessons to the publisher to get her thoughts and input (in case she doesn't like it, I won't keep investing time into it...), and also to my illustrators for them to brainstorm with. I'm anxious to hear the publisher's thoughts and to keep working on it, but uninterrupted time is sort of hard to come by around here... If anyone out there has been reading this blog, and if you happen to throw up a prayer for me about this writing project, keep it coming! It's much appreciated! Keep you posted...

reflections on the cross

I don't think any other song more accurately reflects my heart's emotions when I think of the cross:




At the Foot of the Cross

Beneath the Cross of Jesus
Lord I would spend my days
In the shadow of the One
Who ransomed me
May I not become familiar
With its marvelous good news
But live my life with it
Always in my view

At the foot of the Cross
Lord I bow down and worship
Overcome by so great a love
At the foot of the Cross
I will cherish all Your mercy
All Your goodness Your wisdom
Your power
At the foot of the Cross

Upon the Cross of Jesus
Lord I would fix my eyes
For it always will remind me
Of these truths
My iniquity seems endless
Yet greater still Your grace
And I will glory in the Cross
Throughout the ages


© 2000 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP)

my everything

Last night I was reading and pondering all of the gospels' accounts of the resurrection. I found myself thinking a lot about Mary Magdalene and her reaction to Jesus' death, and then when He appeared to her after His resurrection. As I read the accounts, it seems that Mary was so profoundly, emotionally affected - almost more than anyone else. She was in agony. It says she was crying and weeping - one note said, more accurately, wailing. I found myself beginning to understand what she was experiencing. Think about it. The things that we know for sure are that Jesus had delivered her from demons, and that she traveled with Him and the disciples, along with some other women who supported Jesus ministry by their own financial means (Luke 8).

As I read different things I began to wonder a few things, that this side of eternity, I may never know for sure, (and really it doesn't matter). I was thinking, it might be possible that Mary could have been the woman caught in adultery and brought to Jesus, who sent away all her accusers. It might be possible that she was the woman who broke the alabaster jar, poured it out on Jesus feet, and washed them with her tears. Then again maybe not - it doesn't say who these women were. But in one way or another, I could identify with all these women, be it the same woman or not. They all had been rescued, accepted, forgiven and loved by Jesus. And now, seemingly, He was gone.

Whether 'the woman' in all these stories is Mary or not doesn't matter. The point is that for Mary, Jesus had become the center of her world, her life, her everything. She thought He was gone. I cannot imagine the sense of loss. Yet imagine her elation when He spoke her name - "Mary". I understand being rescued, accepted, forgiven and loved by Jesus. I have felt His presence. How I long for the day I too am able to see Him face to face.

Easter morning

As I have been reflecting on Easter and the days leading up to it, I've been truly bummed that we don't have Celebration service in the morning. (Because we don't have a building, there's another church here in town that graciously lets us use their buildings for our service on Sunday evenings.) In someways, it's great...we do get to sleep in on Sunday mornings for instance. But this one time in particular, I so wish we met in the morning. There is just something about getting up on Easter morning and worshiping your heart out! I mean, I love worshiping, in general, but on Easter my heart just feels like it wants to burst with gratitude, awe, and victorious joy! As Todd & I talked about it, I expressed to him that I don't just feel this way because of tradition...it's more than that. It's sort of like an emotional release that I feel, knowing that, after reflecting on Jesus' suffering leading up to Sunday, He TRIUMPHED! I understand and choose to reflect on the cost, but even more so, I love remembering that because of His resurrection, because of His victory, I am able to walk in victory!

I think maybe I'll have my own Easter morning service at the piano...

this explains everything

This is me...no kidding. I really wouldn't have needed to take a quiz to know this, but in case you are unsure what type of person you are, click the link.

You Are a Night Person

For you, there's nothing worse than having to get up and moving early. In fact, you probably don't hit your peak until well after the sun has set. So if your struggling to make it on a normal schedule, realize it's not your fault. You just weren't meant to do anything during the day!

Are You a Morning Person or Night Person?

laughter, blood & tears

Tonight we had quite an exciting evening. There was laughter, blood and tears. Wanna know what happened? Bryce punched out his tooth...on purpose! His one front top tooth has been loose for a couple of weeks now (the other one is already gone). I actually thought he might pull it while we were away last week, but when we got back it was still hanging there. Over the past couple days he's wiggled and tugged, but to no avail. Tonight he was asking me to come in and pull it while he was asleep. He's pulled other of his own teeth, but he insisted this one hurt more. When I told him I was not going to come pull it while he slept, I guess he got frustrated. After much discussion, I told him not to worry about it, it would come out eventually. We were watching TV on the couch when all of a sudden I heard a 'whif' sound (I thought he was trying to blow it out) and he started yelling "It's out! It's out!" I looked over to see blood running down his chin!! (I'm not exaggerating!) I yelled for paper towels and he very proudly announced "I punched it out!! I just thought, 'OK, I'm gonna do it!' and I did! I just punched myself!" He soaked 2 paper towels with blood (Kate told me after he went to bed that she was sure we were going to have to take him to the hospital because of "how much blood he was losing!"), managed to splatter some on my pants, and had it all over his face. We washed him up, took a couple pics, and he promply asked me for a dollar. I told him he had to put it under his pillow, to which he rolled his eyes and said, "Mom, the tooth fairy is not real, so can I please just have my dollar. Then I'll have enough for my Madden '07 game." (which he's been saving up for). What a way to get that last dollar!! Raising boys is a whole different game...

I'm back!

Well, it's been quite a while since my last post! I've thought several times, "I should blog about this...", but really haven't had a spare minute to do so! Last week we were at a leadership conference Monday through Thursday, which was very good, but also rather tiring. It's wonderful and frustrating attending these, because we get encouraged and challenged, but also end up taking a hard look at where we are currently at, which can be a bit frustrating as well. Overall, I personally am excited about all the things going on at Koinonia House, the amazing things God has been doing (check out some of the testimonies on the "News" page of the Koinonia House website - www.koinonia-house.com), but also feel renewed in my passion to go after our vision again. I feel like I've become a bit complacent because I got discouraged because of all the hurdles we experienced in the second part of last year, especially in our personal life. Renewed passion for me means readjusting my attitude toward some things, probably re-examining our website in hopes to come up with a more accurate reflection of who we are as opposed to something that 'sounds' better (I looked at it again when we got home and thought "Boy, this seems very 'churchy'..."), praying more consistently (worry and lamenting less) about church building/finances/etc.

Another exciting thing that happened at the conference is that it looks like I'm going to be writing a children's curriculum! Larry Kreider just published a new book called "Building your Personal House of Prayer - An Extreme Makeover for Your Prayer Life" and I am going to attempt to adapt it into simple lessons to be used for kids in Sunday School or small group settings. The book takes the Lord's prayer and breaks in down into 'rooms' of a house that represent elements of the prayer. For example, "Our Father who art in Heaven" teaches us to approach God as father - this would be the 'Family Room' in the 'house of prayer'. "Hallowed be Thy name" takes us to the 'Adoration Room' - reminding us that as we pray, we should express adoration and honor to God. I've heard Larry teach on this a couple of times, and as I was listening to him teach it again at the conference, I thought "I could really use this with my kids. It's a good, yet fairly simple concept, and I could even make a 'house' picture to use as a visual reminder..." Then I thought, "Well, if I could teach my own kids, how hard would it be to write up lessons to teach lots of kids!" So I talked to Larry about it, we talked to the lady in charge of the publishing division of Dove, and...here we are!! So if you happen to think of it, I'd appreciate any prayers as I tackle this project!!

Well, speaking of which, I should spend some time on that now...