Happy Spring!

Spring in Colorado is a guessing game. On Easter morning we woke up to 2 inches of snow. Two days before we were playing at the park. Once again this weekend, we are enjoying another beautiful and sunny day, but tomorrow the snow returns. I have to admit that I do love the seasons, no matter how unpredictable they may be. I hope you are enjoying the anticipation of warmer weather as well. Maybe these little smile will continue to brighten your Spring. . .



















FYI...For those of you who wish I would actually do some writing again, I plan on starting to do that again as early as tonight. . .so don't give up on me yet! Check back!

A Day with Dad at the Butterfly Pavilion

Kevin took off this morning to enjoy a rainy Spring Break outing to the Butterfly Pavilion. Check out brave Claire and Rosie the tarantula!! We had a great day and I thought we would just share it with you.

My Poor ECO Boy

Today I am kicking myself for not taking more pictures of our dog before his first tragic day at the groomers. I really don't have a good one to share. Many of you know that on New Year's Eve our cockapoo fell and fractured his femure. At this time her was only 5 months old. He then was sentenced to surgery and 6 weeks in his kennel. And what a long 6 weeks it was.

The funny thing about 6 weeks is that you would be amazed at how much a puppy's hair can grow in that amount of time. I must admit that ECO was resembling a black and brown "Cousin It" until this morning. Poor guy, he couldn't even see where he was going. I felt as if I had to help him out by getting him groomed, but he was such a cute fluffball. . . Like I said, I wish I had a before picture.
Instead, I have only one picture to share. . .the after shot. I know. It's sad. . .All I have to say is this. . .ECO IS NOT A POODLE!!!! No offense to you poodle lovers out there, but I never intended to own one. Yet, today I do. His hair once was at least 3 inches longer all over and all shaggy. Hopefully it will grow just as fast during the next 6 weeks. I'll let you know.

Oprah's Big Give

For years I have watched Oprah. I'm not what you would call a die hard fan, but when I am flipping the channels late in the afternoon she often catches my attention (or maybe that is Brad Pitt, or Johnny Depp sitting beside her that catch my attention). All the same, we all watch Oprah every once in a while.

As a matter of fact, I was glued to the television just last week as her new reality show, Oprah's Big Give, aired. Who doesn't love to see someone doing good in our world today? It gives us a boost. It touches out hearts. It makes us feel good.

But yesterday, I have to say that I stopped feeling so good about Oprah. . . . read on to see why. I don't want to make anyone mad - just informed. Everyone knows that she has leaned towards the New Age end of faith for quite some time. I suppose I'm just suprised by her boldness this time.

Oprah does great things for people. I like her. I'm sure I'll still watch her show the next time George Clooney is sitting beside her and I'll still spend my hours waiting to see who makes the "biggest give." Just thought you would like to know this one. . .as I was listening to some of it I can definitely say this. . .I believe it's a pretty messed up deal.

Oprah's New Jesus

Oprah has skyrocketed the career of another author on her book club. But this endorsement is a bit heart-wrenching. She's taking her fans through a year-long "Course in Miracles" by Marianne Williamson. Each day, her book club site features a different lesson on this essentially new religion. Here are some quotes from this book:

• "There is no sin."
• "A slain Christ has no meaning."
• "The journey to the cross should be the last ' useless journey."
• "Do not make the pathetic error of 'clinging to the old rugged cross."
• "The name of Jesus Christ as such is but a symbol... It is a symbol that is safely used as a replacement for the many names of all the gods to which you pray."
• "The recognition of God is the recognition of yourself."
• "The Atonement is the final lesson he [man] need learn, for it teaches him that, never having sinned, he has no need of salvation."

Quote from a pastor somewhere in cyberspace. . .Last night, I told a longtime friend who is not a believer that I had stepped down as pastor of RCC. She replied, "Well it's hard to have a church that teaches what you believe. Most people aren't so narrow." [dagger in the heart] Jesus is indeed more appealing when he's not the way, the truth and the life. But any other Jesus is a whole other religion.

Read what Church Norris writes. . .yep I said Chuck Norris. . .just do it :-)

FOLLOW UP. . . MY FRIEND, ALETHEA, WROTE A SIMILAR BLOG ENTRY ABOUT OPRAH AND ADDED AN UNBELIEVABLE VIDEO. CLICK HERE BECAUSE YOU'VE GOTTA WATCH IT!!!! IT'S TITLED "FALSE TEACHER" on April 3, 2008.

What bugs you?

Do you want to know what really bugs me? Well, since you asked. . .what really bugs me is when I try to log onto an account that I have used many times before and all of a sudden the computer no longer remembers my password and neither do I. Do you have any idea how many minutes I just wasted of my day trying to think of every possible word that I could have ever typed as my password on Amazon.com? So frustrating.

Do you know what else bugs me? People who walk around the world talking to the air. You know what I mean. It bugs you too. They are talking so loud that they could be heard in the next town. Their arms are flailing as they laugh or share their dirty laundry with the entire coffee shop or grocery store checkout line. I mean, do I really need to know what she is having for dinner tonight or how mad she is at her husband? No. But still, I am subject to the story of her life. Yep, those little ear pieces that people walk around talking on drive me crazy. How rude!

And do you want to know one more thing that makes me crazy? Complaining women. . .hhmmm. Yes, today I wear the badge of a major complaining female. And why am I telling you about it? Simply because I can.

I'm trying hard to find a spiritual application to this. . . just hold on. . .it's coming. . .

Okay, how about this. . .I wonder how many times the Spirit who hangs out with us day in and day out wants to complain just like me? I wonder how many times he wants to choke me for the things I do that are ridiculous and so far away from his heart? I wonder. . .do I bug him more that I make him smile? Probably so.

Okay, I'm convicted. Time for another latte to soothe the pain.

Just For Fun

Click on above pic to watch some hilarious and often even inspiring video blogs from my all time favorite - Steven Curtis Chapman. Make sure you watch the Video Blog song.

March 2, 2008

From one extreme to the other. . .what a difference 24 hours can make!















Driving to church. . .















Welcome to Cool River!

March 1, 2008

Why do I love Colorado so much? Just look at these pictures and you will see a glimpse of the first day of March. Yes, it's still brown, but the sunshine and mountains are oh so beautiful! Today I took Claire and Olivia for a hike on a trail about a mile from our house. Yes - those are spaghetti straps that Claire is wearing. Today has been a beautiful 70+ degree Saturday. Tomorrow they are forecasting 2-4 inches of snow.

Amy Time

I've found a new coffee shop to read and write. It is called Cafe de Paris - this little hole in the wall, eclectic spot in downtown Louisville, CO. I can't quite figure it out. I assume it is supposed to have the flavor of Paris. I mean there is a statue of the Eiffel Tower wrapped in white Christmas lights standing in the corner. And yet, there are Chinese lanterns hanging from the ceiling and some very odd little reindeer candle holders sitting on the tables. I must say that it reminds me much more of a thrift shop than a coffee shop. (If you can mean that in the nicest possible way, that is exactly how I would like it to be taken.) All I know for sure is that the coffee is great and I can deal with the new age kinda crazy music playing in the background as long as I can count this as time alone. How I love my time alone.

Did I mention the flags on the wall above my head? There is one with a ying yang, one with a Jewish star, one with what I will choose to believe is a Christian cross (yet I'm not exactly sure), another of something written that I think should be a Muslim symbol, and one with a giant picture of the Pink Panther. Now that is the Boulder County that I love!!!

Anyway. . .alone. To my extroverted friends that word even makes many of you cringe. But to me, it is pure bliss. Now don't get me wrong. I would never choose to stay this way all the time. But o how I crave it. This is where I refuel. This is where I get to think and read and journal and feel the most like Amy. This is my time that helps me conquer the world every day. And without it. . .let's just say that you don't want to experience Amy without it. Ask Kevin.

So what is Amy doing while alone today? I am reading 2 FABULOUS books. Though I never really meant to read them hand in hand, they actually compliment each other quite well. If you get a chance, you've gotta grab them. Mastery (one I previously blogged about) is one for any believer who desires to understand the Kingdom of God and their spot in it. The Multiplying Church is written by Bob Roberts. If you have followed mine and Kevin's writing in the past you have figured out that we love him and his family and the impact he has made on our lives through his life lived out is off the charts. Bob is one of the greatest examples I have ever known of someone who truly lives out the Kingdom of God. See how the books go hand in hand? So read them if you can.


So what is my purpose for writing today? Nothing really. I just felt like writing. That is one thing I have not felt in quite some time.

Read Kevin's Stuff

This month Kevin is the featured blogger on a site called vinceantonucci.com. Vince is a church planter who has a cool church in Virginia Beach. He also has a big audience on his blog as he writes for newchurches.com. Anyway. . .all this is just to say, you should really read Kevin's stuff. Here are the links.

Blog entry 1
Blog entry 2
Blog entry 3
Blog entry 4
Blog entry 5

Another Olivia-ism

The other day in the car. . .
"Mommy and Daddy, guess what. . .God and Jesus and Moses are in my heart!!!!!!"

The Book that Will Change Everything

Okay, so we all know that the Bible itself is the most life changing book there is. Read it. Read it. Read it. And then after you have been doing that for a while, pick this one up to read alongside it.

Mastery by E. Stanley Jones

It's an old one. But it's not hard to understand like so many classics. A long time ago I heard a good friend talk about E. Stanley Jones and how he is one of those more silent great minds and authors. This book was written first in 1955, but man, it is rocking my 2008. I will be so bold to say that if you only plan to read one book in 2008 - make it this one. If you are seeking to figure out you and how you relate to God and his Kingdom - read it. If you have never considered something so deep - read it. If you are going crazy because there are things about yourself that you have tried to conquer but fail every time - read it. This book will change your entire paradigm of thinking about the Kingdom of God and your place within it. Mastery - The Art of Mastering Life.

It's out of print. Click here to find it.

It can be read as a daily devotional or a book. I find myself reading about 10 days worth at one time.

E. Stanley Jones said that, "The art of living is the least learned of all arts." In his book entitled "Mastery," he went on to say this, "Man has learned the art of existing, of getting by somehow with the demands of life, of escaping with half-answers, but he knows little about the art of living with all its demands."

Best Video of the Year

The Kentucky girl in me loves basketball, so this video, in my opinion, is a "MUST SEE." If you cry easily, beware! And also be ready to cheer!

The New Piano

The girls used to call this the yellow Vietnam room (because of all of our Vietnam paintings and decorations.) Now it is officially the yellow piano Vietnam room. We were given this piano for free the other day and the girls are thrilled. Who cares if it is out of tune. To them, LOUD is what matters.

Time Flies

2008 - It came in like a lion this year. Kevin and I said "hello" to the new year in the emergency pet hospital in Boulder. He tells the story really well on his blog, so I won't go into details. Because of the drama that came with that night and the days to come, I failed to really sit down and think about my hopes and dreams for the new year. Now it is already January 21, and here I sit finally taking the time to catch my breath and think on this next year. . . this year that is already one month complete.

My grandmother is always talking about how quickly time flies. I think I'm starting to relate. It drives me absolutely crazy when I think about all of the things that I hope to accomplish - all of the things that I want for my family - all of the things that I need to do - all of the ways that I hope to grow - only to blink my eyes and see that time is slipping away so quickly. At the end of the day I do well to say that my kids got out of their pajamas today, the family was fed, the laundry was done and I read my Bible for maybe 15 minutes. Where does the time go?

And if the time is flying by so quickly, how am I possibly going to tackle living my hopes and dreams? How will I ever meet my goals? Is there really enough time? I surely hope so. . .

You see - this year I do expect to accomplish more than dressing and feeding my kids, getting through a day of school and taking a shower every other day. This year I have big plans. . .

I'll tell you all about them soon. . .

Christmas Pics

Good soup, good friends
and a birthday party for
Jesus on Christmas Eve. . .














Christmas morning. . .let it snow, let it snow about 7 inches

The Sweetest Gift

Today I was given the sweetest gift. It was nothing material. It did not come in a package with a big red bow on top. It was simply the sound of the sweetest voice I have ever heard.

You see, Emma is my quiet, less likely to share emotions or do things to make others look at her, kind of girl. She is the one who hides in her room when Gran and Pop have to leave to go back to Kentucky so she doesn't have to say "goodbye." She is the one who tends to clam up when adults speak to her (though she is getting much better - thank God!). And she is the one who typically sings like a mouse, if she sings at all, during worship on a Sunday morning. Other kids around her just sing and clap, but Emma usually stands quietly and barely makes a sound.

But today. . .today was so sweet.

The majority of our worship team was out of town today for the holidays. Kevin decided to make it a family celebration and just pull out the school's grand piano and let a guy from church lead us in some good old fashioned Christmas carols. I don't know if it was the fact that we were singing Christmas songs or that it was a much more intimate setting, but by the second chorus of the first song, for the very first time in worship, I heard my Emma singing out loud with all her might. And she didn't stop! Now of course, I didn't dare show a sign that I was listening. If I had glanced her way, she for sure would have silenced once again. Instead, I just soaked it in. Her beautiful little "off key" voice singing Silent Night was one of the best gifts I could have gotten this Christmas.

Isn't it funny - we run around like crazy shopping for the perfect gift - and yet it is the sound of a little girl singing Christmas carols at church that ends up topping the list. Thanks, God, for allowing me to notice a great gift this Christmas.

The Saga of a Church Planting Mom During the Holidays

As I set out on the holiday season this year I had one wish. In my imagination it seemed like such a simple word with a simple meaning that should be somewhat easy to achieve if I planned everything just perfectly. I mean come on, failing to plan means planning to fail, right? But if I planned it all just right, then all would be perfect. . .

The image that I pictured in my Leave it to Beaver, White Christmas, Silent Night dreams was PEACE. This should be simple, right? It's what the entire holiday season is all about. . .mornings filled with blissful children eating breakfast while reading a Christmas book or the Bible story around the table. . .afternoons making snowflakes and cookies as the snow falls outside - no one fighting or yelling - no where to go - fuzzy pajamas are the outfit of choice for the day. . .evenings curled up with Kevin and a good book by the fireplace as my sweet, loving children sleep with visions of sugarplums in their heads. . . PEACE.

Just make sure that all of the Christmas shopping is completed by the first week in December before the major rush hits. Check - I did that. Then plan all of my own holiday parties very early in the season so to give me the incentive to get my house in order and the tree decorated. Check - I did that. I successfully pulled off a coffee/baby shower for about 33 ladies in our church. We had a terrific morning. My duties are now done and the rest of the days until the new year will be nothing but joy and PEACE.

So today I sit here. It is December 16 - 15 days have passed since the coffee. We are finished with school until the new year. The house is clean for the hundredth time. And I am still anticipating my blissful PEACE. Did I miss it somehow? Was it just within my grasp only to be swept away with my calendar of events that quickly packed out? You see, nothing is happening quite as I planned. You would think that I would have learned that reality by now. Life spins and spins and we can either make the choice to keep up or fall off. Today, I am trying to keep my balance.

Today I am sick. And as I am sick, there are 17 people whom I love in my living room having a small group meeting that I should be attending as well. But I'm not. . .because I'm sick. But my house is clean. . .and life spins. Yesterday looked like this - 10am - 12pm Cool River Kid's Event for the holidays, 1:30 - 3:00 Town of Superior Event - Skate with Santa, pick up the girls from a playdate, 5:30 - 8:00 Game Night at another friend's house, 8:00 put the girls to bed and crash. . . I absolutely LOVE to be with my friends. Parts of me simply adores the holiday rush and madness. I'm the one who wants to go to the mall on Christmas Eve Day just to sit back and watch the crowd scramble about as I drink my Starbucks and join them in their spinning. But what about PEACE?

How do you find peace when your children are hyped up on sugar all the time from every party they attend? How do you find peace when your to-do and to-go lists grows so quickly and effortlessly? How do you find peace when you are dragging your kids to every school party and holiday function that everyone says they simply must not miss out on? And how, o how do you teach the simple yet grand meaning of the holiday season in the middle of the spinning? Sure, we have a birthday party for Jesus on Christmas day. We set out the nativity and tell the Christmas story. We sing Silent Night and O Little Town of Bethlehem over and over again. We give shoeboxes filled with goodies to the kids around the world and we gather toys for children in our town. We go and do and spin and run even to get the important things done. But what about the PEACE?????

I have a few churchy, logical answers to the entire delima. I know what I could do or maybe should do to experience it. But then another kids screams because her sister pushed her out of her room. Or then the dog chews up another favorite toy. Dinner burns or something breaks. Someone whines or won't got to sleep. And my peace. . .it drifts farther and farther away. And in my exhaustion, I just close my eyes and hope for a more peaceful tomorrow.

Lord, I don't mean to whine. I am blessed above and beyond anything that I could have ever imagined. It's not about wishing life were different. It's all about wishing my brain could somehow deal with it all better. I think PEACE probably comes when we allow it to come. Please help me to allow it into my life starting today.

Officially Published

For those of you who have been reading my blogs for the past few years, you will remember that at one time I made the comment that I would love to write a book someday. Well, I guess you could say that this is my first official baby step in that direction.

A few months ago I was asked to write a letter that turned out to be a two page insert into this possibly first ever compiled book that is specifically for church planting wives. It's pretty cool to see my name and thoughts in a book that was also contributed to by people such as Dave Ramsey (Christian Financial Planning guru), Tina Cole (wife of Neil Cole, house church/church planting dude :-)), Kim McManus (wife of Erwin McManus, emerging church guy with Mosaic in LA) and Niki Roberts (wife of Bob Roberts and one of my best friends and mentors). Though my input was very small, it was a lot of fun to be a part of it all.

To the church planting wife or wife-to-be AND to the church planter. . .it's a good read. It's like turbo training in 166 pages. The best part? You can download it here for free. PS. . . I'm on pages 54 - 55.

Cakes I Made

To the Movies

HAPPY 6th BIRTHDAY, CLAIRE!!!!!
For Claire's birthday she decided to take her sisters and 2 friends, Megan and Kate, to the mall for candy at Fuzziwigs Candy Store and to get a Webkinz. Then we all went to see Enchanted. It was a fun, snowy day.

HaHa

On Friday's the other two girls go to school and Olivia and I spend the day together. Today we are at home watching it snow.

As Olivia was eating her lunch and watching cartoons, I went outside to the garage to do my weekly cleaning out of the van. When I came back in, this is the conversation that Olivia and I shared as she was standing on the steps with ECO.

Olivia: "I thought you and Daddy were gone." (there were no tears in her eyes. . .only a huge Olivia smile)

Me: "You did? No, I was out in the van cleaning up all of your trash."

Olivia: giggle

Me: "What would you have done if we had really left you alone? Would you have been scared?"

Olivia: "Nope". . . giggle

Me: "So what would you have done?"

Olivia: "Just chewed gum.". . . and she pranced away to play with ECO again.

For those of you who know Olivia well, you will laugh at this classic Olivia answer. She is a gum monster.

Boy, Do We Know How To Pick 'Em!

Once again, the Colon family pick won Dancing with the Stars! WooHoo, Helio and Julianne!

Click Here to Watch Them Dance

Happy Holidays from the Colon Family

Vietnam Video - Summer 2007

This is a video from Cool River's most recent trip to Vietnam. Enjoy!!!

The Holidays are Here!

Click Here for a Holiday Greeting from the Colon Girls.

A November Saturday Morning