A Day in Golden

Yesterday the girls and I went on a field trip to the Colorado Pioneer Museum. It's a small museum, but has some really interesting things to see. Here are just some fun pictures from our time after the museum.

Funny Videos

These are not of the best quality, and still for the family to watch, they are good for a laugh.

Swing in a Tree

Blogger just started allowing videos to be posted, so I though I would post my favorite one of Claire. This was made in the girls' treehouse at Gran and Pop's house in Kentucky.

32 Today!

Happy Birthday to me. Happy Birthday to me. Happy Birthday to Amy. Happy Birthday to me!!!!!!

The Wife

This week I have been faced with the whole thought of being a church planter's wife much more than usual. I hardly even consider myself a woman with that title anymore, though I know that I am.

I recently had a conversation with a great friend who is planning a church planter's wives retreat in Texas in a few short weeks. I have attended many times. She asked me to brainstorm some new twists to the retreat. . .This morning I googled my way to a blog that was created to open up dialog between church planting wives. . .Then I looked on the NAMB website. They have this survey for church planter wives to take so that they can more fully understand the struggles that we face. They want to provide some type of assistance in support and training. . .And in the middle of it all, I keep thinking to myself - "I don't struggle."

Everyone around me seems to struggle with being the wife of a church planter. There is horror story, one after another, of the church planting family who falls apart in the middle of the process. The wives married with intention of being the wife of a computer programmer or an established church staff member. Then God directed the husband down a new road and the wife had to change her whole entire paradigm of thinking in order to follow. Even if she had every good intention of following the exciting journey of starting a new church, the stress of it all was too much to handle. The family suffered. The kids suffered. The church suffered. The marriage suffered.

And to that I say, "thank you, God, for making my story quite different." For it is a fact that these tragic stories unfold every day. And to those families, my heart goes out to you. I wish I could help you. I wish I could make the journey easier for you - or at least more comfortable.
You see, no matter how hard I might try to connect with the ladies that I talk to who are struggling with the whole idea of being the wife of a church planter, starting a church, and protecting their families in the middle, I have a very difficult time. For some reason I have not had those delimas.


Sure, there have been seasons of pulling out my hair, wondering if we would have enough money to pay the bills - many, many seasons. But doesn't everyone short of Bill Gates have those seasons? And sure, my husband is gone a lot. But what about the wife who's husband travels to Seattle Monday through Friday of every week and she and the kids only see him on the weekend? Is my life harder than hers? My husband sleeps next to me every night. Sure, he may get called out here and there, but seriously, who doesn't?

The journey of church planting for this wife has been nothing short of pure joy. I can't allow myself to feel guilty for the lack of struggle. We are blessed.

We are blessed to live in Superior, Colorado. We are blessed to have a very unique and loving church community. We are blessed when the checkbook says that we have $50 left and 5 days until the next paycheck. At least we aren't in the red yet. We are blessed when someone calls in the middle of the night. Often times if it weren't for Kevin they would have no place to turn. To me that makes me proud and honored to be the wife of a man who people can befriend to find comfort and guidance. We are blessed when the volunteers call in sick. At least we have children and families coming through the doors of the school building where we meet who need childcare. It's a stress to find someone to fill all the positions needed to pull off a Sunday morning event, but isn't it minor in the whole scheme of things?

I have had the privilege of watching entire families come to Christ. I have watched mom and dad baptize their child. I have seen broken families heal. I have watched leaders emerge. I have seen young believers discover their calling. I have seen people stretch themsleves into areas they never believed they would go. I have watched people serve and love and even travel to the other side of the world to share the love of Christ.

Cool River will be 4 years old soon. Yes, I am still a church planter's wife. We are a small congregation in one of the toughest areas in our nation to start a church - Boulder County. We still meet in a school. We are still young and very vulnerable. Every single stress of church planting is still upon our shoulders. We have to set boundaries and be intentional about family together times. We are in the thick of this thing called church planting.

In my mind, the journey is just all about perspective. I came into this season knowing full well that we might not make it. Statistics said we wouldn't. But I also knew that God didn't care about the statistics or the struggles or the time that it would take to get this thing off of the ground. He was most concerned with my heart. So I have tried very hard to continue to be concerned about the same things as him.

Through the good and bad I have tried hard to step back and always gain God's perspective on the situation. And as I have found that, the journey has seriously been a breeze. What an honor it is to be called out to do something as outrageous as starting a church. I have loved the ups and downs and the adventure of it all.

For this church planter's wife, there is no place I would rather be.

Venture Vietnam Team Progress

Click Here

100 +

I woke up Monday morning to a phone call from a dear friend, Johnnie Morgan. She is one of the sweetest ladies in the entire world, as well as a secretary for Bob Roberts at NorthWood Church. She simply wanted my blog address.

Little did I know that 3 days later I would have recorded over 100 hits to my blog entitled "Texas Revisited"(scroll down to read it). Thanks, Bob, for the advertisement on your blog directing people to read. It's been fun.

It is rare that I get more than one hit per day - and that one is usually from my mom or Kevin. But in 3 days time, I have had people from as far away as Turkey, Kenya and Canada, and as close as Texas, Tennessee and California to read my thoughts. Needless to say, it has been a bit exciting and quite intimidating for this novice writer who just enjoys writing about what life brings her way.

So "hello" to all of you who are reading!

Venture Vietnam August 2007

Nine years ago Kevin and I were in Vietnam for the first time. In all honesty, we really didn't even want to be there. Kevin was youth pastor at NorthWood Church back then. Only days before we had returned from youth camp in Brownwood, Texas. It was exhausting (and HOT!!!!). And yet, there we were - newlyweds just getting our feet wet - journeying to the other side of world together. It was Kevin's job. We were only going to be in Vietnam for a few days. Then he and I had to run yet another youth camp in Malaysia for missionary kids for the following week. There was nothing in me that even hinted the love that would develop in my heart for Vietnam as a result of only a few days in Hanoi. . .

Today we received these pictures. . .

9 years later Kevin and I have started Cool River Church. The church is 4 years old. No one who has ever entered the doors of Eldorado K-8 where we meet planned on falling in love with Vietnam either. But just look at them!

This is trip # 7 that Cool River has made to

Veitnam. It is the very first trip that Cool River has taken without either Kevin or myself as part

of the group. That in itself is super cool for us.

I can hardly believe it! Would Scott, Brian, Becky or Nate have ever had the opportunity to have this experience if it weren't for the awesome plan of God that her started 9 years ago with me and Kevin? How I love to watch the stories unfold!!!!!

On this trip these guys are installing a computer lab in the North near Bac Ha where we work. Cool River raised over $11,000 to make it happen. It will be a hub for teachers and students and businessmen to be trained.

I love being a part of it all. I love it that my friends love being a part of it all. I love what God is doing in the hearts and lives of our community.

To the team - have a blast!!!!!!!! Next time I will be with you!

10 Years and Counting

Ten years ago today I said "I do."

I remember the excitement of it all. At that time in my life I believed that together Kevin and I could do anything. I had no fears. I had no worries. The life I had dreamed of was only beginning. I was niave - o, so niave. And I'm so glad that I was. The world was big and huge and together Kevin and I were going to set out to find our place in it.

Did we realize the world was big and huge on that day? Did we understand the hugeness of the journey we were about to begin? No - we thought that we were being rebels simply by adding a few different twists to our wedding ceremony that FBC, Princeton, had never experienced. We thought that we were shaking up the world by moving away to Texas - away from the home I had known all of my life. It was an exciting adventure. We felt brave and ready to go.

I suppose that how we began has progressively been the theme of our journey thus far - pushing the norms, bravely saying "yes" to God and moving forward another step. That mindset has brought us through many experiences over the last 10 years.

And looking back, I can do nothing more than stand amazed. Today, 10 years after saying, "I do," Kevin and I have now had some some fears. We have had some worries along the way. God has asked us to do some wild and crazy things. We have only started to understand the bigness of the world around us. Doors have opened wide and closed tightly. Fighting and frustration and all of those things that come with marriage have come our way just like they do with everyone else. We have learned more about eachother and about life than we ever realized that we needed to learn. We have had the priviledge of bringing three wonderful little girls into the journey with us. We have dreamed together. We have challenged eachother. We have helped eachother to overcome obstacles in our personal lives. We have made decisions together. We have lived life together.

And today I want to tell you, Kevin. . .together is the only place I would ever want to be. I really don't care where this life takes us. We have traveled many places together already. I'm sure there is more to come. Ten years is just the beginning. So today, please just know that I feel truly blessed and honored to travel by your side. Thank you for being a man that I can trust. Thank you for being a father that our children can count on. Thank you for loving me when I am unlovable and encouraging me when I am down. Thank you for allowing me to travel beside you as God moves you and opens up new opportunities every day.

In the next 10 years let's continue the journey of turning the world upside down together. Do I really understand what that means? Nope - but I can't wait to find out.

I love you, Kevin. Happy Anniversary!!

Texas Revisited

Way back in May 2006 I wrote this blog entry. . . .

This weekend was a journey "home." It was not the home of my childhood where family and friends of my past still live. And it was not the home where I live now and serve God with my husband and children. It was the home where my heart was born. It was the home of where I discovered myself and my God in a very life transforming way. It was the home of the most defining moments in my life. It is the home of my "heart friends" and "heart moms and dads." It is my mountaintop - where my heart is reminded of and stirred in the deepest way toward God. Being there gives me focus and warm fuzzies and peace and energy to go back to my true home and be better, live life, take risks and serve God - Northwood Church, Texas. God comforts my heart there.

This week Northwood came home to us. And last night I received all of those feeling of encouragement and blessing and comfort and being stirred toward God all over again.

As we sat around a bonfire under the Colorado sky last night I was surrounded by about 45 of the new and upcoming remnant that God is raising out of NorthWood. Sure, they were just kids - teenagers in almost every sense of the word. But as Jesus sat there with us last night it was obvious to me that at that very moment in time he had ordained that time and those kids as a very special gift to me and my family.

Even before time he knew that our family would be sitting in that Colorado field with a bunch of students from Texas, worshipping and praising him. God knew that he had many reasons for that night to happen. And he knew that one of those was to be a blessing and encouragement to a little family who needed it more than they even knew until that moment.

As I sat there surrounded by those kids and their voices as they truly worshipped the Father, I found myself being transported back to the time when God started tugging on mine and Kevin's heart to come out here to Colorado and tackle starting Cool River Church. I was sitting in the pews of NorthWood Church at that time. I had no idea where life was about to take me.

I had no idea of the overwhelming excitement of the journey ahead. I had no idea that God thought enough of us at that time to send us to a place that needs him so desperately. I had no idea of the things I would give up to be here. I had no idea of the sacrifices we would be asked to make. I had no idea of the blessings and transformation that was to come in my life. I had no idea of how it would all zap me some days.

And I had no idea until last night of the dryness that was in my soul from day to day trying to serve God in a place that is so far away from the heart of God. But God knew. He knew my heart. He knew exactly what I needed even when I had no clue. Last night I felt that dryness go away. I felt the Holy Spirit just wash over and refresh me once again. I felt God say to my spirit - "It is well. . .all is well. . .and tonight I am giving you the gift of filling you up again for the next leg of the journey. Enjoy it."

And enjoy it is what I did. I sat there surrounded by these adults and kids who love the Lord. I watched my own kids as they were right in the middle of something very special that was happening and it was as if they knew it, too. I think that even as little bitty girls they felt the peace and love of God at that moment.

So, to Northwood, again I say "thank you." Thank you for the heritage that you gave to our family. Thank you to the students and adults who were thinking about us enough to come and serve and visit here this week. Thank you NorthWood for coming home to us. Thank you, God, for always knowing what my heart needs. Thank you for the journey.

Summer is Almost Over

This morning I woke up to the sound of 4 teenage girls giggling as they were in my kitchen toasting frozen waffles for themselves and for my girls. The NorthWood Church youth group has been in Superior this week serving our community - building a park, digging a trail, painting fences. . .

I went to the computer to check my daily sites and discovered that one of my close friends is hiking in Sapa today. They are on yet another trip to Vietnam where they are working with the education system in Hanoi. . .

Cool River's 7th group is leaving tomorrow afternoon for Hanoi. They will be installing a computer lab in the area where we work. . .

All of this activity is going on around me. It is such a blessing to be a part of it all. Yet, I must admit that there is a bit of jealousy that stirs inside of me if I allow it. I wish so much that I was going to be boarding the plane with our team tomorrow afternoon. It's hard to have such a love for a place and not get to be there to experience it with my friends.

But through it all, I am learning one really important thing - the work goes on without me. Sometimes I don't want it to. Sometimes all I want is for my hands and feet to be covered up in all of the "God activity" that is happening and if I can't be there, I want to soak in the jealousy of others who are getting to do what I want to be a part of. So wrong! Tell me about it. But that is the honesty of how I feel sometimes. And that is exactly why God gives me moments like this in which to learn.

Today I am learning that at this time in my life I have a very specific and important task before me and it has absolutely nothing to do with missions or travel or Vietnam. It has everything to do with my family. It is my family who needs me more today than my friends on the other side of the world. To be with Kevin and the girls is a huge God-given blessing. Tomorrow God may open up the door for me to go again. But not today.

Today. . .today is about ending the summer well for my kids. Today is about playing with my girls at the pool. Today is about getting ready to start homeschooling again next week. Today is about paying the bills and washing the car and cooking dinner again.

My life is significant. How I live my today will determine my tomorrow and the tomorrow of my family. And God is going to be active in my home today just as he is in taking others to other parts of the world to make Himself active and known there.

Today my misison is here - in Superior, Colorado, with my husband and kids. Maybe tomorrow it will be somewhere else. Today I will pray for my friends traveling to Vietnam to do what God has called them at this time in their individual lives to do. Tomorrow maybe it will be me. But not today. . . . . . the work goes on well without me. My today needs me.