Nintendo Rules!

For Christmas my daughter, Tilly, got a Nintendo DS Lite. I bought it from Amazon. I picked the super cute Ice Blue with a little patten leather carry case. She loved it. We all loved it. The whole family got hooked on playing Brain Age, trying to out intellect each other in the brain games.

In April, Tilly's DS would not turn on. We charged it and it still would not turn on. We tried plugging it in to different outlets to see if that was the problem. The charging light came on but it seemed as though it was not charging at all. It was just dead. At the time we were just getting ready to move back into to our house after being displaced by the fire and figuring out what was wrong with the DS was not high on the priority list. I knew I could not return it to Amazon as they have a 30 day return policy. We had not kept the box and I was not sure what the warranty was on the game system.

One evening in the beginning of June I went on Nintendo's website and started the product trouble shooter. After the website could not recognize the serial number from Tilly's DS (turns out when you buy a product online the serial number is not reported with the purchase, unlike when you buy a product at Walmart and the number is registered as it is scanned) the trouble shooting ended with a phone number to call. As I dialed I was thinking "oh great, I will be on hold forever and then end up talking to someone who barely speaks English..." Nothing peeves me more than bad customer service.

But surprisingly I was about to be impressed with Nintendo's customer service. I was directed by a short automated answer system to a real live human being within a minute of placing my call. She was nice and helpful and American. She ran me through a couple of simple, quick tests - like plugging it in and asking which lights came on. After about 2 minutes she told me that she was emailing me a pre-paid Fed Ex label and asked me if I could provide a box to ship it to Nintendo's service center. She gave me a service tracking number and told me I would be able to track the progress of the repair. It took 13 days from phone call to receiving the DS back. That is pretty darn good considering it took me a couple days to mail it and it had sent to California and back.

The DS works perfectly again. And my year long warranty started over from the time it was repaired. Now that is customer service that keeps customers! Even though I had a problem with the product I am still raving over the manufacturer! I am officially a Nintendo Fan.

I'm Bored...Idea #2

On Saturday evening after a day in the sun, soccer try outs, grilling steaks for dinner and bike riding...Tilly came to me saying..."I'm Bored."

So we decided to make salt dough. I had not done this for years but it is super easy, made from stuff you usually have in your cupboard (although I did have to run down and borrow some salt from Kristi because we were short) and kept us busy for hours.

1 cup salt

1 cup water

3 cups flour

2 tsp oil

And presto...instant entertainment. Hands are busy, creativity is cookin', a quiet time for great conversation, a cheap and easy way to mix up some mother daughter memories.

We are planning on painting our creations the next time she is bored.

If You're Bored...Idea #1

Our summer days and nights have been packed full of recitals, ball games and sleepovers and such. All through the spring and the first weeks of summer vacation we have been running at a crazy pace. But now that are between baseball and soccer seasons our pace is slower and I find my kids saying "I'm Bored...".
I actually think my kids are pretty good at entertaining themselves. They have great imaginations and still find many adventures to get caught up in. We live in a neighborhood full of kids and they are independent enough this summer to ride their bikes to their friends houses and play in backyards and at the park or the school playground. Yet still, with all the hours of free time they have on their hands...I hear from time to time..."I am bored..."
If you are finding yourself in a similar situation here is an idea...

Go to Bonneville Mill in Bristol.

We took a picnic up to Bonneville County Park on Friday with our cousins, The Galls and The Millers (who are visiting from Nevada). The kids had a wonderful time...and so did the adults. Steve scheduled a private tour of the mill by calling the Elkhart County Parks Department. The cost was $1.00 per person. We had a group of 12. The tour of the historic mill that grinds corn, wheat, rye and buckwheat was interesting and kept moving at a good pace. The tour included many nuggets of education not only about history, but of gears and pulleys, machinery, agriculture and even nutrition. There were hands on activities and they turned the mill on so we could see one of the original giant stones grinding corn.


The park is a beautiful place with a look out tower to climb, a stream to wade in and plenty of areas for a shady picnic. This county park is located in the heart of Elkhart County. The park is open everyday from May - October from 10am - 5pm.

If you are in Northern Indiana this is a great close by, get away for the day.

Crazy Day

This Saturday looks like it will be quite the crazy day for us and I am wondering how I am going to be everywhere I need to be...

8am - Little Paws Playground Work Day - re-sealing and making repairs to our community built playground to keep it safe for our community.

9:30 am - Cooper needs to be at the park to warm up for his 10:30 baseball game.

Noon - Cooper has a double Header - he will be playing back to back games to make up for a rained out game earlier in the season.

2:00 pm - Tilly's travel soccer team, the Pumas, have their Tourney this weekend at the Jr Irish fields up by the airport in South Bend. Her first game is at 2:45 pm.

5:15 pm - If they win the first game - which they surely will - they advance to play again.

7:00pm - Tilly's dance recital begins in Warsaw. Her dance is not until the second half of the show and it takes an hour and 10 minutes to drive from the Jr Irish fields to Warsaw High School, so we figure that we can let her play for a good part of the game and still make it before intermission. Her team is already down one player for the second game - another girl who is in the dance recital - so they will need Tilly to be able to sub out.

I try not to let Tilly and Cooper's schedule's get to crazy by limiting how many activities they participate in at the same time...but somehow things all boiled down to this week. Everyday we have had running to do. In a couple weeks things will slow down. At least until Kiwanis soccer starts in July.

Memorial Day Weekend!

Our weekend was great fun that included...

a Little League Game...

Fun with Grandma and Grandpa at the lake. Both the kids went swimming off the boat in the middle of the chilly lake! We all played in an awesome family/neighborhood ball game. Family ball games are a tradition all summer long for the Stillson's, but this game was especially fun because Aunt Jess (an amazing left fielder:) was visiting from Arizona and we recruited some neighborhood kids to join us, so we actually had an outfield.We walked (well I walked, the kids skated on their Heelys) in the Goshen Memorial Day parade to show our support for our favorite candidate for sheriff...Julie Dijkstra!

I love holiday weekends!

Soccer!

To see Tilly and the Northwood Soccer Club Pumas in Action Click to enlarge.

Blogging Break?

I guess I ended up taking the entire month of April off from posting on my blog. Probably by now no one is even checking to see if I have a new post.

What did I do with all the time I wasn't blogging?

• Working on the house - we are not finished by a long shot, but the new carpet, paint, bathroom sink and vanity, lights, furniture and etc are all making the house look alot better than a few months ago!


• Unpacking - First Response and Certified Restoration Dry Cleaning brought back all our belongings in about 400 cardboard boxes. Each item delicately (and annoyingly) wrapped in foam, cello tape or tissue paper. The unpacking is going slow because we are rarely home more than a few hours at a time.


• Soccer - Tilly is on the Northwood Soccer Club's travel soccer team this year. She practices 3 times a week and has games all over. We were in Marion last weekend.


• Baseball - Cooper's games have begun, I think their is only one Saturday in the whole month of May that he does not have a game...it is tomorrow. (but he does have a 3 hour practice tomorrow)


• Jail Ministry - I have begun a new bible study class every other Friday night at the Elkhart County Jail. I am truly the one being blessed by my time there.


• Church - I am still involved with the youth ministry, planning VBS, and other ministries at the church...which by the way has officially changed it's name and denomination. We are Grace Point, An Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

Tearing Down Walls

This is a door way from my kitchen to my den. This is looking from the kitchen.

Same door way from the den looking to the kitchen. We decided to transform the den into a breakfast/computer room by taking down this wall.

Going...

Going...
Going.Gone.

I think I am going to love my new breakfast room!

What is in a Name?

My church has officially left our denomination (Presbyterian USA) and thanks to other churches also leaving the denomination who paid half of our buyout we will own our building (that we already paid for), for just $40,000 more.

One of the tasks at hand for my church is renaming itself. We will be part of the Evangelical Presbyterian denomination but we can choose any name we like. The congregation will have the opportunity to suggest names and the elders will make the final decision. For me, this is a symbolic way for us the have a fresh start without erasing the solid foundation we have built. I have been praying and thinking about the importance of the name we will choose.

We do not have to include Evangelical Presbyterian in the name. Certainly it is a trend for new churches to not include their denomination in the name. I read where someone wrote “For some, this is a pragmatic concession to avoiding doors where there should be windows in a church’s public image.”

Should the name of our church tell you who we are before you ever walk in the door or should our name welcome you in so that we can tell you about it ourselves? I think we should avoid any name that excludes people…I for one, and I might be the only one, think we should leave our Presbyterian baggage out of the name. Even if we hang our new Evangelical status on the title Presbyterian, which we would have to if we were to use Presbyterian according to our dismissal guidelines from PCUSA, we still would be boxing ourselves into a denomination and excluding others who are not a part of that denomination. I would say that few people driving by our church on State Road 19 would know the difference between Presbyterian and Evangelical Presbyterian.

We could be geographical in our name and tell you where we are. Heritage Street Church, Main Street Evangelical Presbyterian Church or Northwood Community Church.

We could go for a cool, hip-even, “emerging” church name. The kind of name that sounds more like a club or a rock band, than a church, like Revolution, The Rock, Elevation, Mosaic, Impact (these are all real names of existing churches). I read this guys blog and found that there is even a church called The Scum of Earth. I was thinking Grave Deifiers, Filthy Rags Community, Metamorphis, maybe get all the little boys excited Transformer Church.

But seriously how about The Lighthouse? That is cool and hip but also part of our church mission statement, which says that we are to be a lighthouse, a greenhouse and safe house.

Maybe we should stick with a name that gets to the point of who we are – keeping words that explain our very essence in the name; Christ, Cross, Grace. Maybe we should POINT the way there… Gracepointe, Cross Pointe, Christ’s Community.

Hmmm….any suggestions?

Answer to Searching

At the end of 2008 I began to blog about my spiritual search for the right church. I had been dismayed by the seeming lukewarm energy of my small church. I began to seek God’s will for my church life and along with 2 friends from my church began to pray for revival. Because of the fire in my house and the subsequent moving around I feel like I never quite finished my thoughts here on my blog.

I am sure that my little Sunday school class were not the only 3 praying for revival of our church, and I am sure that others had been praying long before October but I believe that God placed me in part of His perfect timing as an answer to my search for the right church. I believe this because there has hardly been a Sunday (or any day) since October, when we began to pray, that I have not seen God move in my church in a huge way; ripping open the heavens and sending us His spirit, bringing us new faces, showing us new ways to be His hands and feet, confirming our prayers, open new doors and shutting other doors and showing us the Way. God seems to be moving in my little church in ways that even the nonspiritual observer cannot deny.

If you have been reading and wondering what I have decided in my church search; I will be staying with my present church. But my church will not be staying the same old church.

Blessed

God has provided for me in ways that are so evident in my life. I was stripped down to nothing while in prison. No children, no money, no possessions, no control. The Great God of Second Chances has restored and rebuilt my life in all the ways that we humans count as blessings. I have a home, I have my children, I have a job, and I have an address book of names of those who I count as friends. He has also blessed me in many ways that humans seem too miss as blessings. As I spoke to a group of Jr High kids last week about how Jesus transformed my life I was blessed. God has given me freedom. And I have stayed chained to His side.

Over the last few months my home has temporarily been taken away from me due to our fire and yet it is a perfect blessing. I feel as if God answered prayers through our fire. It has not been hard to praise Him for the fire when all the blessings are pouring in.

The economy has taken a toll on my paycheck. Since I work mostly on commission our lack of sales affects me directly. In the last month my hours have been cut to 4 days a week, which made my small salary miniscule. Today my eyes welled up with tears when I went back to my office from a meeting where we were told that our pay would be cut by 10% including my commission. I started in on my calculator trying to figure where I would save the difference. My heart started to pinch; a scowl crept across my face. I trudged home from work feeling defeated.

Then I remembered all of what I wrote in the first paragraph. I remembered how God has taken care of me. I praise God for all He has done and all He will do. I know that He continues to bless me in ways that are worth much more than money. I know that many are in the same economic situation; I do not have to look far to see those that are much worse off than me.

But here is what I know; that there is nothing that anyone could take away from me that would mean more to me than my God. If I have Jesus, I have everything.

MEALTIME MINISTRIES

My little church is acting in a big way to help our community which has been hard hit by the economic recession. So far God has provided in many ways for us to be able to begin a new ministry and we are trusting in Him to help us continue to provide.

MEALTIME MINISTRIES

A free weekly meal for unemployed and underemployed
individuals and their families in the Wa-nee community.

Every Tuesday
Supper will be served at 5:30pm

Location is at the:

First Presbyterian Church
(in the Family Life Center)
1155 N Main St
Nappanee, IN
574-773-3773

Spread the word to those that have lost their jobs or have had their hours cut. This is a great opportunity for our community to work together and help each other. You can help by donations of money and food or volunteer! There are time slots for cooking, serving and clean up. (Volunteers get to eat too!)

Matthew 25:35 "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,"

Where There is Smoke there is New Carpet

Here is what I have been up to…

• Ordering new carpet
• Getting gas lines run to the house
• Deciding on flooring for the kitchen
• Throwing away things and sorting out non salvageable stuff in my storage room
• Waiting on insurance estimates and approvals
• Buying a new sofa, throwing the old one in the dumpster outside
• Putting my clean laundry away into the boxes that we are living out of
• Surviving with only 2 pairs of shoes (I know most women did not know this was even possible)
• Preparing walls to be primed and painted
• Sorting through the plethora of paint color chips that I have collected
• Wheeling and dealing to get a good deal on my new furnace and air conditioner (Those are Installed but not running until an approval is reached on the scope of duct work)
• Trying to make everything fit in my budget
• Feeling blessed that God continues to provide for me in ways that I could not have ever imagined.

Facebook Hijacking

I was sleeping just before midnight on Sunday when my cell phone rang. I tried to ignore it but it rang again a couple minutes later. I answered it. A man said "Rocki?" I had no idea who it was. After a few minutes of fumbling around and trying to wake my mind up, I figured out it was David, an old friend who I have not seen in at least 6 or 7 years. When I inquired with him if he was aware that it was midnight and told him it was too late to call, he told me "I am chatting with you right now on Facebook."

Surprised, I said "No David, I am asleep."

But he insisted that I had just asked him to call me while chatting on Facebook. I went to the computer and logged on. Sure enough I (or someone who was impersonating me and using my Facebook identity) was chatting with him and a couple of my other "friends".

My status had been changed to "Rocki is Scared."

I am now, I thought.

I quickly logged onto the email account that is connected to my Facebook account. All my emails that I had filed or were in my inbox were gone, they had been erased. I switched back to Facebook and scrolled through the chatting "I" was doing with several friends.

The chat went something like this…

Rocki:
David, I am having a bad day
David:
What’s up
Rocki:
I got a letter from my doctor today and I have a brain tumor
David:
R U kidding
Rocki:
No I am serious, I do not know what to do,
I have not told Jud yet, I am freaking out
David:
I am sorry, I thought you were kidding, what can I do?
Rocki:
I am crying and freaking out! can you call me>?
David:
What is your number?
Rocki:
I cant even think right now, just please call me!
David:
I am looking for the number hold on
Rocki:
RING ME!
David:
Im trying…One sec.

Once he got a hold of me he continued the chat...

David:
Who is this?
Rocki:
Who else?
David:
I just called Rocki and woke her up.
Rocki :
You did not. What is my number?
Go Bleep Bleep! You Bleeping bleep!

This type of chat – with a slight variation in the script, sobbing about a about a brain tumor and then turning lewd and full of expletives happened 3 times with 3 of my Facebook friends who unluckily happened to be logged on at the same time. The "impostor Rocki" wrote on Jud's wall...and it was not friendly. They changed my status several times, sticking again with the brain tumor story.

I tried to sign out of Facebook but it would not let me. I shut down the computer. My mind started reeling. Who would have my password? This person must know me. What are they doing with my emails? Looking for more information to steal? Is this a mean joke or a real hacker who is more malicious than just a couple of insults?

I understand that Facebook has had some cyber criminals who are scamming people out of their money as they assume a stolen Facebook identity and solicit friends for help. I have read about spam that is sent from hijacked accounts that spread viruses. But this fake Rocki was not asking for money or trying to send a tainted link, they were just being...mean.

I have changed my passwords and kept my eye on my bank account. It seems to have worked since there has been no unauthorized activity on my accounts since the password changes...still...I some how feel less safe.

4th Grade Project

Tilly and I spent about 4 hours today doing her 4th grade history project. We studied Tillie Pierce, a 14 year old girl who witnessed the battle of Gettysburg up close when she escaped to a safehouse that ended up being in the middle of the battle. We mapped out Tillie's 3 day ordeal during the battle.

Cooper Bowl IV

Last Saturday we celebrated Cooper's 9th birthday with a big party at the church. We had a blast!

We played many fun games, every one's favorite was the treasure hunt. Every year for the kid's birthdays I plan an elaborate hunt where the kids have to do stunts, decode clues or find hidden spots to follow a series of clues to lead them to a treasure. This year the clues took them all over the church. They hunted under the pews, sliding across the floor on their backs, scoured the books in the library to find the right title, performed a cheer for grandma, made up a commercial, shot baskets, unscrambled words, answered trivia and raced from room to find the next clue. Each team did a great job working together through 12 clues.

One game we played got messy! Using only their mouths the kids had to hunt for a piece of gum hidden in a pile of whipped cream, the first to blow a bubble was the winner! This was a fun game...we took turns racing about 5 kids at a time so the rest of the group could enjoy watching their classmates chew gum sporting a whip cream beard and mustache! And based on the laughter and giggles heard in this video the kids did enjoy it.

Nine Years Ago; Cooper

Nine years ago today I had a son. Tilly was just 14 months old when she became a big sister.
Cooper has been "intense" from the moment he was born. He is a strong willed child. He has been a challenge to me as a mother from his very first days to this very day.

Although "intense", he is a loving and affectionate child. My favorite time of the day with him is bed time. I always lay down with him for 30 minutes and read. He loves to cuddle and listen. When the lights go out we pray. If I ever forget to pray, he will remind me.

He is goofy! He always has me laughing. Check out this funny video that the kids made and posted on their blogs.

He is bright! School comes easy for him. Teachers count on him to have an answer to most any question. His teacher told me that but I also noticed that when I started teaching his age group at church, if no one has their hand up you can count on Cooper to know the answer.

He is extreme…when something interests him he dives in full throttle, or if he gets something in his head it is there for good, you will have a hard time convincing him otherwise. He does things his way.

For example – an "extreme interest"; When he was in kindergarten he read a book about the Titanic. He loved it. We made a time line out of pieces of computer paper taped together, each year was represented by about an inch. He wanted to see how long it was that the Titanic sat in the bottom of the ocean before they found it. He also basically memorized the first couple chapters of the book, he knew all the facts, statistics and dates regarding the Titanic. He drew floor plans of the ship. He wrote stories about it. He was obsessed. He was 6!

To me he is Super Cooper…He is super smart, super stubborn, super strong. He is exceptional. He is extreme. But as much of an extreme challenge as he is, he is also an extreme joy. He is one of a kind. And I am proud to be his mom. I love him more than he will ever know.

I am sure many of the traits that drive me up the wall right now have been given to Cooper by God and when harnessed and focused in the right direction those same traits will be used by God in a mighty way.

Happy Birthday Cooper!

The Suite Life of Tilly and Cooper

It has been over a week since we have been displaced by the fire. The first week we stayed at my Aunt Jeanie's house, she was on vacation in Belize for the week so it worked out nice for us to "house sit", wink, wink.

This Sunday we moved into the Amish Acres Inn in Nappanee. The insurance company approved for us to have a suite and adjoining room. The kids are pumped as they think living in a hotel is a "Suite" life. I am loving the continental breakfast in the morning and the whirlpool bathtub, but am not so much liking the noisy neighbor that keeps the TV at full volume until 3am(she is an extended guest too because her house had a fire as well...weird, huh?).

I am not thrilled with living out of boxes, but am not going to complain about that. Each box is a reminder of the stuff we still have. We are thankful that our entire house did not burn down, that nothing was lost that cannot be cleaned, re-carpeted, painted or replaced. Aunt Jeanie and Kristi are keeping us well fed. Tilly's dog and Cooper's lizard are staying with Jeanie. God is reteaching me lessons about what is important and essential in life.

My furniture and belongings are nearly completely packed out. My friend who had not heard about the fire called to ask if we were moving because she saw moving trucks in our drive way. I told her we were moving for 4-6 weeks and then we would be back. Our house has been full of visitors; packers, adjusters, investigators, etc. I will receive an estimate and report from the adjuster next week. New carpet, paint, insulation, and a furnace are on the list of things to be replaced. Most of the other items will be cleaned.

We do not have my computer but I am posting this from the lobby on the guest computer and will try to keep my blog updated.

My 80's Song

So funny...cuz this is so me (in the 80's, not now)...Thanks Steve for the link!

Your 80s Song is "1999"

If you were transported back to the 80s, your life would be all about living large. You love the excess that the 80s represented, even if the party wasn't meant to last. (Thank God) You think of the 80s as a time of wild fashions, big money(I was making the big bucks back then), and fast cars (oh my Z-28 Camero). And that's a world you wouldn't mind being a part of! (NOT.)

What's Your 80s Karaoke Song?

Smoke

Today I met with several people that my insurance company sent to start taking care of the damage that occurred when my furnace caught on fire.

Tomorrow the First Response team is sending a company to pack up all our textiles; bedding, clothes, towels, shoes, rugs, curtains, stuffed animals, etc to have them cleaned. I had to choose what we will need quickly and what we will want stored until we are able to move back home. They will be cleaning the stench of oil and smoke out of everything they can, and inventorying what they cannot.

In the next couple days First Response will take everything out of the house, from furniture to dishes, from my washer and dryer to my Christmas orniments, it all gets removed, cleaned, accounted for and stored. They told us today that the clean up would most likely take 30-45 days. Now we are just trying to figure out living arrangements.

I feel a little overwelmed. But I am trying to focus on answered prayers and blessings that will come out this.

Kristi called me tonight because she and her girls were studying tonight in the book of

Exodus when they happened upon this scripture...

Exodus 19:18-20

18 Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain [a] trembled violently, 19 and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.

I thought it was a perfect smile from God, reminding me that He is in control.

Four Wheeling Fun

Cooper's Grandparents bought him an extra special birthday gift this year...Tilly loves it too.

Local Librarian on NPR

Linda Yoder, director of my local library, was recently interviewed by Madeline Brand on National Public Radio. The topic was how the library is being used as a resource for the unemployed during these tough economic times.

You can listen HERE.

Fire!

Our weekend was eventful to say the least...

Saturday afternoon we were at home enjoying our weekend when Jud felt the house rumble, he thought that a plane or something was flying over head, when he stepped outside to look for what had made the house shake he saw that there was black smoke pouring out of our chimney...this may sound normal but we did not have a fire burning...at least not in the fireplace. He came inside and told me about the smoke, asked me to turn off the furnace and headed down stairs to check out our old oil burning furnace. Moments later he came barreling up the the stairs and told me to call 911, the furnace was on fire and flames were shooting out of the ducts. As I got 911 on the phone I scurried around the house to get shoes and coats, we got Tilly and the dog out (Cooper was at his grandparents). Jud got Tilly to the neighbors. You can read her version of the day HERE.

About 5 trucks from our little town's volunteer fire department arrived about 10 minutes later. We stood out in the snow with others from the neighborhood and watched as the firemen worked.

The fire was contained to the furnace and basement, but oil and soot came blowing out all the vents in the house leaving black oily residue and a nasty smell.

We are so thankful that the furnace did not blow during the night and that we are all safe and sound. We are staying at my aunts house for now (she is on vacation in Belize this week). Hopefully I will know more about how long it will be before we can get a new furnace and get the placed cleaned up once I meet with insurance tomorrow.

Please pray that everything will be covered by insurance and the process will be swift.

A Couple Things...

Before I rush off to work this morning, a couple of random thoughts...

1. I was moved by Obama Inauguration yesterday. I thought his speech was low key, earnest, and hopeful. I loved how much he invoked history. I am a lover of history and could not help be moved by the thought of how much has happened in America in the last 200 years.


2. The best new thing we have found so far this year is the Kiwi tool that Jud and Cooper picked up for free at the grocery yesterday. Cooper LOVES kiwi, it is one of only a handful of fruits and veggies that I can get him to eat, so we try to keep well supplied. The way my mom always served kiwi was cut in half and with a spoon to scoop out all the yummy kiwi from the furry skin. That is how Cooper likes them too and now he has the perfect tool. This awesome little kiwi utensil has a knife on one end to cut the fuzzy fruit in half and a small spoon on the other end, the perfect size for scooping out the delicious green flesh! LOVE IT!

Do You Want to Go to Church?

Do you want to go to church? I mean, when you wake up on Sunday morning are you excited to get to church? I am not talking about the minute you wake up and you lie in bed wishing you could sleep in, I mean once you are up…do you look forward to getting to church? Or do you look for excuses why you don’t have to go this Sunday.
Do you just go to church because you know you should? Do you WANT to go to church?

I think this is a sign of spiritual health.

This summer I found myself not looking forward to church at all. In fact there were many Sundays this summer that I found a reason not to go. I thought it was because it was summer, the lake was calling my name, or we had stayed up too late…but it was more about the fact that I was not enjoying church. And more over, it was about my spiritual health.

Summer is one thing, there is no youth on Wednesday night and I was traveling a lot, but once it was fall, school had started and I was teaching youth on Wednesday night (which I love), but I still was not excited about Sundays. All summer long I was being blessed by my new ministry visiting the ladies at the Elkhart County jail. But meeting the Holy Spirit in the jail seemed to make the empty hole I felt at church even greater. I had lost interest in my Sunday school class. I tried to listen to the sermons but most Sundays found myself looking at my watch waiting for the pastor to stop talking. The trouble that my church was having with our denomination was disenchanting to me. There was a negative attitude growing inside my heart. This all led me to my church search that I have been posting about in the last month.

In the book Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, Jim Cymbala writes "We are always either drawing nearer to God or falling away. There is no holding pattern."

I was falling away. From church. From God. Not a back sliding free fall, just the kind of barely noticeable falling away, but the kind of falling where you wake up one day and say “how did my heart get here?’