Slide show Christmas Card. God Bless!

Forgetting

So I was furiously trying to get ready for my final final.  I've been teaching at DMACC this fall.  (Des Moines Area Community College).  I gave the final to my first class on Monday, and here it was Tuesday at 3:08 pm.  I would give my second final exam - the final final in 21 minutes, then Caitlin called (she was home sick from her job)

"You picked the kids up from school right?"

SILENCE....

P A N I C!!!!!!!!!

Race to the van, get the kids, and get back to DMACC two minutes before the final.....sheeeesh.

Yes I had forgotten my own flesh and blood, waiting for their faithful father to get them from school....yeah humanity is humbling.  Isaiah 49:15 says: 

 "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!"

So thankful for the MANY ways God is so different from me.

STRESS!!!!

 

In my psychology class we just studied a chapter on stress, and I found the following list (That is kind of humorous, or is it?)

 

Here are a few more clinically proven methods to stay stressed or to increase your stress level.

Never exercise.

Eat, drink and smoke anything you want.  If cigarette smoke cannot cleanse your system, a balanced diet is not likely to do it either.

Gain weight. Work hard at staying at least 25 pounds over your recommended weight.

Take plenty of stimulants. The old standards of caffeine, nicotine, sugar, and cola will continue to do the job just fine.

Ignore the evidence suggesting that prayer, meditation, yoga, deep breathing, and/or mental imaging help to reduce stress. The work ethic is good for everyone, always!

Get rid of your social support system.  Let the few friends who are willing to tolerate you know that you concern yourself with friendships only if you have time, and you never have time. If a few people persist in trying to actively care about you, avoid them.

Personalize all criticism.  Anyone who criticizes any aspect of your work, family, dog, room, house, or car is mounting a personal attack. Do not take time to listen, be offended, and then return the attack!

Throw out your sense of humor. 

Never, never ever ask for help, and if you want it done right, do it yourself!

Become a workaholic.  Put work before everything else, and be sure to take work home evenings and weekends. Keep reminding yourself that vacations and time off are for sissies.

Discard good time management skills and work/study boundaries.

Schedule in more activities every day than you can possibly get done and then worry about it all whenever you get a chance.

Procrastinate.  Putting things off to the last second always produces a marvelous amount of stress.

Worry about things you cannot control.      

Become not only a perfectionist but set impossibly high standards.

And either beat yourself up, or feel guilty, depressed, discouraged, and/or inadequate when you do not meet them." 

So, do you identify with these?  Laugh at these?  But how many of them describe your habits and lifestyle?

AUUUUUUUUUUGH!

It remains profound to me that through His word, God says things to us like:

"Do not worry about your life"

or

"I have learned to be content, whatever the circumstances"

What a great invitation to walk away from the way we live life, 

and instead embrace His life.   

 

 

Amidst the busyness of our new life in Ankey, we found ourselves heading into today (Saturday) with no plans...hmmm...

Well then, amidst the endless options awaiting us just outside our door, amidst options for activity, interaction, and the American dream, we stayed home and pretty much did nothing!

For most of today nothing looked like:  practicing memorizing 50 states for a 4th grade assignment (with daddy candy prizes given out), folding some laundry, singing with the guitar, playing a few video games, cleaning the bathrooms, playing with playdough and mostly doing..................just what came next.

In the midst of all this, came an amazing moment.  Josiah has been really captured by the story of Jesus in a boat in a STORM! from the gospels. So he created it in playdough form.  It was incredibly cool for me to watch this. He was both historically accurate as well as culturally relevant, as Jesus and the disciples were having pizza in the midst of the storm.

I love the amazing moments in the midst of doing nothing.

Not profound, just cute!

I came home the other day to this "important" meeting that was taking place on our kitchen table.  I was astounded!  In my very home, here they were - Darth Vadar, Luke Skywalker, Yoda, and some random, nameless storm trooper chatting the afternoon away.  It was all very pleasant by the way, no explosions of anger, no death rays, nothing about giving into the dark side. In fact, they were all getting along very well. 

I must give credit where it is true.  Our amazing 8 year old was indeed "teaching" and mentoring them.  Josiah was telling them that they didn't need to fight, and that it was very important to share and get along. Wow, I must say I was impressed.

I guess I did have a thought.  Maybe Luke and Leia weren't twins after all, maybe they were triplets, and Josiah was Anakin's third child.  I mean the "force" was strong with him that day.  After all, who else do you know who can get Darth Vader and Yoda to sit down for afternoon tea?

Kids' wisdom

Heading off to church this morning, and one of my sweet kids says...."I hope God talks to you and tells you what to say today"

How simple is that?

As I prepare to prepare...pray, read, ask God about what I think I'm supposed to preach on, that I already think I might know, but am not sure.....as I prepare for an elders retreat this Friday night and Saturday morning and try to prioritize and ask for wisdom...and as I seek to slow down so I can speed up, listen so I can speak, meet with Him so that I can forget about myself.....................

I am reminded that indeed God is eager and will be found when I seek him with my whole heart.  Jeremiah 29:13

Wholehearted Prayer

Some folks gathered for prayer last night at church.  I have heard all my life and read from Scripture how significant prayer is.  That's crystal clear from God's word, and yet....

Much of my life has been prayerless.  Much of what I've seen and experienced in God's church is prayerless and powerless, or at best is a meeting with a list of requests that ends when the list is prayed through.

But is this the kind of wholehearted seeking God calls us to?

Joel 2:13 says:  "Rend your heart and not your garment"

So when do we prayer in this way?  When does seeking God go beyond our list and bring us to a full, wholehearted, humble surrender before Him?

I was delighted in the hearts of our folks last night.  The vulnerability, honesty and God honoring praise was sweet.  I am honored to be a pastor here, and am thrilled to be seeking the Lord with a broken hearted group such as this.

Ankeny here we come!  Actually we're here, and incredibly excited to be a part of this community.  We've only been in town just over a month, but we love it, and love why God brought us here.
I am the pastor of North Pointe church, and amazing, and Spirit-led group of folks who we have quickly grown to love.  We can't wait to life for Christ here and see what He will do in our family, church and community.
I look forward to using this site to connecting with old friends, as well as making a bunch of new ones!
Here's a pic of my awesome nine year old and myself hanging out after church on a Sunday morning.
His, Pastor Steve

A Little Wooden Hoop

by Dr. Jack Hyles

“Twas just a little wooden hoop her caring hands would clasp.

Some cloth, some thread, a needle’s point, As treasures she would grasp.

“What are you doing, Mother dear?” my straying voice would cry.

“Embroidering,” she answered clear, With mothering reply.

“I must confess, ‘tis quite a mess, oh erring mother mine.

Why waste your day to idle play, with balls of tangled twine?”

“Why, mother, are the darkened strands so mingled with the bright?

You hold some black threads in your hand; why can’t they all be light?”

“My son,” soothed Mother’s smiling voice, “your view is from below.

When I am through I’ll beckon you, and then, you too, can know.”

“You cannot see from ’neath my knee what I can see from here.

So play while, my restless child, and I will lift you near.”

When Mom was done, she cooed, “My son, come sit upon my knee.

Come quickly, crawl upon my shawl, it’s time for you to see.”

I soon found rest upon her breast, to see from Mama’s side

To my delight, a sunset bright, A view I’d been denied.

“What wasn’t known to you, mine own, is that another’s hand

Had drawn for me to plainly see a predetermined plan.

“The course I took, I ne’er forsook. a wiser one’s design

He’d placed a plan within my hand, that was not really mine.”

“What was to thee, where thou could see, a messy underneath,

Was from my eyes a sweet surprise, a lovely evening wreath.”

“What are You doing, Father dear?” my aching heart doth sigh.

Embroidered in my life I see some dark threads drawing nigh.

“Tis messy too, from earthly view that I know here below,

Don’t weave my life with shadowed strife; please send me only glow.”

I heard a loud, yet silent voice “look up to Me, My child,

Just be about My business now; i’ll show you after while.”

“You need the night as well as light to make you hold my hand.

You need the dark as well as bright to do My perfect plan.”

“So trust Me now, though furrowed brow seems oft thine earthly plight.

I’ll hasten near to wipe your tear that falleth thorough the night.”

“Just do My will and love Me till my face is in your sight.

Then you will see, ‘twas best for thee, your Father’s plan was right