beth, please change…

WARNING: if you are looking for an exciting post, please leave this blog immediately…

I hate errands.  I hate going here and stopping there and dealing with “stuff.”  I hate them so much that I don’t do them.  This Sunday, however, I decided to call my friend Kym to see if she could go with me on some errands.  She likes photography and is on the phototeam at Yorkville, so I thought she might enjoy herself during one of my errands to the camera store. To my great surprise and joy, she was able to come with me. 

After much deliberation I had selected 43 (can you believe it?) of my best pictures for my walls at home (after 3 years of bare walls.)  I just needed someone to hang out with me while I figured out what I liked, what sizes to print and if I wanted to afford it! And someone to say “what on earth are you thinking!? don’t print that!”  Kym was up for it and we had a good time despite Wolff Camera’s not so-hot-very inconsistent-editing software. (I have to learn Photoshop!)

Then we stopped at Sears to return a gift, waited for ever, teased a lady that Kym thought was gonna be mad (but she wasn’t - we actually got a laugh out of her) grabbed a cup of yummy berry infused chai from Starbucks and off we went back home again. 

This was the first time in a long time I actually enjoyed running errands…

Everything is more fun with a friend.

whoa! Crazy title!

Our Advent Series at CCC, Let It Be Christmas and a post by Todd Heistand got me thinking about Christmas a little differently this year.  I love new revelation!

I have had this new sense of how anticipated the birth of Christ was for the Hebrews.  They had waited so long for someone to lead them out of the crappy (yes, I said it) lifestyle they were leading.  How many of their children, husbands, wives died because of the conditions they lived in?  What a disgrace to God’s own people to live like that. Where was their God?

This sense of intense waiting has made me rethink the entire episode.  How unbelievable it must have been for Mary and Joseph that they would be the ones to raise the new leader of Israel!  But even more than that, how crazy that God would entrust himself to the care of us humans.

I’ve been reading the One-Life Solution by Henry Cloud (take the time, it’s good).  In one section he talks about empowering people.  You provide good guidelines, adequate supervision and let the person run.  They fail or succeed on their own.  It carries way more responsibility and burden, but also greater reward.

As I watched “Let It Be Christmas” at the Yellow Box tonight (go see it!) I thought what an empowering act to humble yourself to the extent of being born to a teenager, in a nation that was not powerful enough to even protect themselves from being overtaken.  He didn’t micromanage Joseph… “Hey Joe, don’t you think you should make reservations in Bethlehem?  I don’t want to sleep in a dump.” or “Joseph, get a head start, you know your wife is gonna pop any day now!” He let Joseph be Joseph and Mary be Mary.  He gave them guidelines (signs, the law, angels) he supervised them - never letting them our of His sight (”psst Joe, go to Egypt, it’s gonna get bad”)

But still it was their responsibility to be loving parents, to figure out how to raise a kid smarter and kinder than them, how to make ends meet, how to keep their family safe, to hear from God in regards to their child…

That’s empowerment.  Thank God.

Every year for the past 3 years I have invited the Martin kids over for Gingerbread house making.  This year we had newcomer Matthew with us!  …and a house full of BABIES! It was chaotic and I am pretty tired - but really happy.  I love breaking out my favorite Finnish recipes.  I love making “glue” out of melted sugar - the kids think it is as good as magic, not to mention the excitement and danger! (that stuff is HOT and will burn your skin off!)

I’m energized by the concentration, glee and sense of accomplishment each kid has and the pride on mom and dad’s faces!  It’s fascinating to watch as each child’s personality develops from year to year.

So, I am eagerly awaiting next year’s Gingerbread house day!

At Yorkville COMMUNITY we celebrated little people on one of our BIG DAYS -baby dedication Sunday!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures:

It’s not a celebration without a CAKE!

Praying…a great way to start life!

What a sweet kid.  If he saw a camera, he just turned on the cuteness!

Sons and Dads - 4 generations!

Perry getting Jax riled up!

Life happens - cleaning up and moving on!

I couldn’t capture the  absolute best part though, so I will just tell you about it.  After we meet the families and their adorable, sometimes crabby, sometimes spitting up, sometimes sleeping babies, we all stand and commit to helping each family to raise this child and pray together for them.

I get tingles every time.

Zechariah 4:10 “For who dares make light of small beginnings?”

Do you have a dream? Do you have something your heart aches for, but you can’t quite put your finger on it? Do you see BIG things ahead, but when you look down you only have little things now?

Every time my heart is stirred towards something, I look around and see there are people more talented, more innovative, more generous and harder working than I.  I feel so small, unworthy, insignificant. Who am I?

It’s at times like these that God brings to mind the Zechariah verse: “…do not despise small beginnings” NLT  Small beginnings are not something to make fun of- or worry about.

Today I am giving God my small heart and my small minded ideas - not despising them but trusting in a HUGE God to honor them as they honor Him.

beth, please change…

If you could change into anything you wanted…

They aren’t just incredibly witty titles (maybe I exagerate).  Change is my mantra.  Not so much because I think I am horrible or ‘just not right’ (that may be what others think), but because the Bible says “be transformed by the renewing of your mind”.  (Ro 12:2)

I need to regularly ‘renew’ or change the way I think (about me, God, my mission, my life - His life).

When I hear God tell me to “reevaluate” it is a reminder to keep changing. To be concerned when I am stagnant, uninspired, coasting or maintaining the status quo.

When was the last time you took a break to think and pray about where you are in your walk with God?  Where are you going?  What is God saying to YOU?

If you could change into anything - and then change back again - what would you change into?

If you could pick any super power - what would you pick?

Your turn…

If you’ve seen me, chances are you have seen me with a camera!

I like to take pictures because it gives me the opportunity to step back and observe.  There are some moments that you just want to be able to remember; some stories you want help telling.

Here is my story of COMMUNITY’S Yorkville Campus…

First we have our youngest attender so far, 9 day old Aiden.  He is completely unaffected by our BIG DAY.  huh.

Over 50 kids in and out of the SUPER SPORTS Bounce house and only one or two crying episodes!  That HAS to be a record of some sort!

I love this about boys…they have an ENTIRE field to run and play in (and they did) but mostly they love to be in a pack-squished together, curious and looking for the next crazy thing to do-which they find quickly!

Taylor helped some kids take a breather -and show their colors (a Cubs fan here)

Tom and Guy, in their eagerness to make sure Dave felt welcome, collided on their way to shake hands…

…a good laugh is best shared…

Playing silly games and just relaxing!

…hoola your cares away!

Lots of smiles…

Our New Leadership Resident, Flavio, and his family taking it all in.

Jeff and Perry listening to Dave share about COMMUNITY‘S Yorkville Campus roots. I work with dedicated  comepetent, funloving Christ-followers.

Does it get better than that?

I think this is my favorite.  Check out the looks on the guys faces as they are about to pummel their friend Tony. It’s all love… (just don’t tell them we figured it out)

As I took these pictures I enjoyed the family we have become. I enjoyed seeing the kinds of looks you give the sister that annoyed you, but you love her anyway. The looks of love before your brothers beat you up on the football field.  Kids being played with and comforted by whomever was standing nearby. Food being passed around and recipies swapped.  Deep conversations about stuff you never have time to talk about, but have to tell someone.

This is hpftwbtG.

If you would like to see all the pictures from Yorkville’s 2nd Anniversary Picnic click here.

I called Olive Garden today to get directions and the girl on the phone said, “Welcome to Olive Garden, when you are here you are family!”  Catchy.  But I hate it when places like that say things they don’t really mean…

Last Saturday, determined to get to her destination, my 74 yr old mom battled floods and rain storms to make it to the St Charles Olive Garden; her friends had already called and spoken to the hostess, Amanda, saying, “Please send our regrets to Fae.  We were supposed to meet her for her Birthday Lunch, but the weather has us stuck.”

Jon, the manager on duty, felt so bad for her when she finally got there that he decided to talk to his other manager. “…she’s all alone on her birthday, what if she didn’t bring money?  We should buy her dinner.” 

That’s a really nice gesture. But THEN they took turns sitting with my mom, talking about their hobbies, about her artwork and her family!  I literally got goosebumps when my mom told me this story!  So today I took mom again to the St Charles Olive Garden to take some pictures and see if I could meet some of these people.

As you can tell from the pictures - I did!

Thanks Jon, Amanda and the rest of the staff at Olive Garden for treating my family like your own! 

You really DID mean it.  Wow. 

**btw, I had the Apricot Chicken today, yummmmmm…