I am happy to be alive

Last night I wasn't quite so sure I'd make it.

Yesterday afternoon I started to feel a little bit out of it. I actually took a nap for the first time in years. Not that I have anything against them. I'm just a terrible napper - they usually make me feel worse. Unlike Mike who is quite proficient at napping anywhere, anytime. In fact, I fear he's close to becoming a narcoleptic.

But I digress...

The afternoon progressed and I developed a minor sinus headache. I took some sinus medicine and noticed that we were out of pain medicine. I drank some hot tea and tried to relax a bit. Mike came home and took Jackson outside to play with the neighbors. By the time they returned I had a full-blown headache that was throbbing. I sent Mike to the store for meds. By the time he returned I was certain I had a migraine.

I have never had a migraine before. Let me assure you that I hope to never endure one again. I felt nauseous. I could not get comfortable. I laid in a fetal position, lights out, compress on my forehead and just held my head and prayed. It was completely debilitating. I don't know what I would've done without Mike there to help with Jackson and take care of me. Sometime around 9:30 the medicine kicked in and I fell asleep.

I have always felt that I had a relatively high tolerance for pain. Labor seemed to pale in comparison to what I experienced last night. I have such sympathy for those that endure reoccuring migraines. I feel totally fine today. But, I doubt I'll go anywhere soon without some pain medicine in my bag!

trippin'

In a few days we'll head out on our anniversary trip. I am so looking forward to it! We decided when we were engaged that we were going to go away on a trip each year for our anniversary. Even if it was just for one night. It's a priority to us to get away and just focus on each other. We'll be at an adorable B&B in the mountains for several days. Enough time to sight see, eat at great restaurants, shop, maybe hike a little (if I can convince hubby) and, best of all, a day where we are planning to sit and do nothing but relax. Amen.

Our son benefits from these trips as well. My folks are taking the little guy for a few days. And will spoil him rotten, of course. They've got a bunch of fun activities lined up for him - a lake day on the boat, the zoo, maybe Dollywood, etc. Funny how they never take ME to any of these when we come to visit. Hmmm...

seven

When I was a teenager, I made a girlish, whimsical list of all the things I wished for in a future spouse. Some typical standards like honesty, an incredible passion for God, love children and intelligence made the list. Also included were wishes of lesser importance, more dream-like, such as that he would be 6 feet tall, tan, be in ministry, well-read, and play the guitar. In 1998 I met that man. And, April 28th, 2001 I married him. It was uncanny how he is everything I had wished for, and more!

Mike and I are celebrating 7 years of marriage today. I'm happy to say that after 7 years, he still makes my heart flutter.

I lamented last night that our VCR finally died, and our crazy wedding videos could not be seen. They are quite funny. For some reason, despite all the arduous planning and preparations, we had numerous glitches.

It started with me forgetting to kiss my father after he brought me down the aisle. He went in for my cheek and I was looking the other way. Oops. Then, a janitor had moved the Bible from which Matt, Mike's brother, was supposed to read a passage of Scripture. The groomsmen relayed the message up to Mike and our friend Pat, who was officiating. Pat thankfully had a copy in his notes and they passed it down the row of groomsmen. Real smooth. During the exchange of rings, I discovered that after several tugs and pushes, Mike's ring did not fit. We used my wedding photographer's ring for the wedding pictures. Somewhere during that time we also realized that the ring had been engraved incorrectly. Read more about that funny story here.

With all that craziness finally over, I was ready to get to the reception and relax! We arrived only to discover that the DJ was a no show. Fun times! Did I mention that hubby had given me a lovely gift of ballroom dancing lessons and we had practiced our first dance?? My photographer came to the rescue (again) with announcing various things like my dad's speech and time to cut the cake. And, the reception hall played classical music through their sound system. Thankfully, most didn't realize we were supposed to have a DJ.

After the wedding, I insisted that Mike get his ring fixed before we left on our cruise. So, we went to the local mall in our get-away clothes to get it fixed. And, I prayed that we would not see ANYONE we knew. Oh, and I ran in Walmart to get some chapstick. You know, the things every woman dreams of doing on her wedding night. :)

Thankfully, that's where the glitches stopped, and we had a wonderful week in the Caribbean.

It has been a fantastic seven years. Not always glitch-free, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

World Malaria Day

Tomorrow, April 25th, is World Malaria Day. Over 750,000 children die each year from this tropical disease carried by mosquitoes. That's 3,000 children a day. Unthinkable.

Mike, my hubby, has experienced the powerful effects of this disease. He got malaria while on the mission field in Tanzania, where he lived for about 2 years. For 3 weeks he was extremely ill with it, but he was able to get (and pay for) medical help. Although he has not had any recurrence, once you get Malaria, you have it for life and the symptoms can flare up at any time.

Compassion International is sponsoring a program called Bite Back. For a one time purchase of $10 you can give a family a much needed mosquito net. Something that that would make a huge difference for families in poverty that cannot afford this protection. Wanna join my family in participating? Go here.

Linkage

My dear hubby has changed his blog url and is now actually blogging with frequency. Check out his site here.

the audit

A few months ago I received the kind of letter one never hopes to get... A random letter from the IRS informing me that they found an error in last year's filing*. It took a few moments for me to fully wrap my mind around the fact that we were being audited by the IRS. Let me assure you that it was a VERY nerve-racking experience! Visions of a man in a suit coming to take all our financial records and assuming that we were somehow fraudulent went through my head. I totally freaked out. Then, I did what I always do when I get overwhelmed about financial stuff - I called my daddy, who has expertise in all areas of finance. He informed me of a scam a co-worker had dealt with under the guise of an IRS audit. Oh, what fun.

I immediately called them to verify if it was legit. It was. I inundated the phone attendant with a long series of apologies, then asked how much we owed and promised to mail it in the next day. It was important to me that this customer service rep know that I did not do it on purpose! He could not give me a figure at that time, but requested just a small amount of paperwork. I was to receive a letter in the coming weeks with further information.

The dreaded letter came with a surprise. It seems that they discovered that they owed us a fair share of money that would be mailed in a few more weeks. I had to sign off that I agreed with their findings. Um, O-KAY.

The check came today. Holy Cow. People give tax audits a bad rap!

*Note: taxes for ministers can be extremely complex and confusing and I don't even attempt to figure it all out on my own! I keep careful documentation of everything and send it to an accountant to do the hard work. In this case, it was just a simple mistake.

What a great weekend! We had lots of great family time, rest (for a change), and fun! It's rare to have a Sunday night where I feel as rested, peaceful, and content. :)

Friday night we went to the Carolina Baseball game. My son was enthralled. He really enjoys daddy's softball games, but this took it to a new level. Shortly after arriving, he looked down at the field, saw the uniform colors and immediately yelled "Gooo Heels!" - I was one proud momma! Our friend Nate works for the team and threw up a game ball for him. He was most interested in being a ham for all those sitting around us, as he found out quickly that he could get smiles and giggles from the crowd. Where did such extroversion come from?? There were several home runs - and he looked at me and said "I saw another home road, mommy". Too cute.

Saturday morning hubby took our son fishing, again, and freed me up for shopping. It's amazing how much I can accomplish in a few hours of shopping without a 3 yr old!

Today was the 2 year celebration at church. We had another record attendance and I was so pleased to see so many newcomers connecting with the members of our church. It was all simply wonderful, and I just praise God, again, for what He is doing at The Bridge!

Yikes! It's crunch time.

Just found out our pool will open on May 10th. That's less than a month. LESS THAN A MONTH, people. Oh my word. Not much time to get this body "swimsuit ready". Besides the whole my body is just not the same after have a child issue, I have to fight the blindingly white issue. Oh, and since we have been outside quite a bit lately, what little sun I do have has made the farmer's tan on my arms issue. Last I checked, this is not the hottest trend for this summer.

Which is unfortunate for me.

Yes, it is crunch time, indeed. And, maybe a little help from the sunless tanning lotion.

Acts 5 - Part 2

38Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God." - Acts 5:38-39

Church planting is not the "easy road" as far as ministry work goes. Not by a long shot! In fact, there are some pretty dismal statistics about the number of church starts that fail compared to those that succeed. When my hubby first mentioned that he felt the Lord was putting church planting on his heart, I was sceptical (to say the least!). After all...we didn't know anything about starting a church from scratch! Wouldn't that require us to move and [gasp] try to find churches and individuals to sponsor us? I was pregnant at the time - just not the right timing, I thought.

But, weeks and months passed and Mike persistently kept bringing it up. We prayed for direction. Seeing him grow in conviction and resolve - I knew I was in trouble! Mike is very blessed with the gift of faith. He gets a direction from God and he is ready to immediately step out in faith and go and do whatever he is called to do. It's one of the gazillion things I love about him. I, however, am not so gifted in that area. I have the gift of organization. I see a task at hand and start coordinating all the little details needed to meet the goals. This church planting thing was WAY too overwhelming for my mind to take in!! Like the verses above, I was fighting against God. I remember fervently praying that if this was the road that the Lord wanted us to take, for Him to please give me that same calling and vision. And, to please give us some kind of inclination as to where to go from there.

It seemed that God's confirmations came one after the other. I went from finally accepting it, to having an insatiable passion for starting a new church. Those days were bathed in prayer for direction and vision. God began to lay the Morrisville community on our hearts and we couldn't shake it. He faithfully provided a launch team of incredible people who were willing to leave their home churches and take on this faith-adventure with us. Financial support came in. Meeting space was found. And, on April 16, 2006, we opened our doors for our first weekly services.

The Bridge is now approaching it's 2 year anniversary. We are having a celebration next week at church. Not to applaud us, but to celebrate with each other the work the the Lord is doing there. As part of the celebration, we've asked folks to email us their "Bridge Story" or how God has worked in their life as a result of The Bridge. Already, the stories bring such tears of joy!

I look around the people at The Bridge and it is so amazing to see the lives that have been changed. People who were far from God, who are now Christ-followers. People who had been scarred by churches in the past finding a church that loves and accepts them. The best way I can describe it is that I feel like I have front row tickets to watching an incredible work of God. "For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."

Acts 5:38-39 - Part One

God has used these verses in my heart for the last 2 weeks. It comes from Acts 5. After Christ's death and Resurrection, the apostles were boldly telling everyone they could about the truth of the gospel. In this case, they were imprisoned and yet an angel freed them and instructed them to speak again in the courtyard. When the officials gathered to figure out what to do with them, they came to this conclusion:

34But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 35Then he addressed them: "Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."

The message of the apostles - the message of the cross - has not been stopped yet. Throughout history, many have tried to thwart it's progress. But, it is not a message or purpose of human origin; It will prevail.

And, I reflect on my own life.... There have been many times when I have fought for my own desires/purposes. Headstrong and proud. I have found myself fighting against the will of God, only to find failure and frustration. But, when I have aligned my life with the things the God desires of me, it has produced more than I could have ever imagined.

UPDATED: American Idol meets God??

[Updated at the bottom of this post]

Hubby and I just finished watching the infamous "Idol Gives Back" fundraiser. I enjoyed the show. However, the manner of which it ended has been something hard for me to wrap my mind around. When Seacrest announced the idols were going to sing "Shout to the Lord", Mike and I looked at each other and asked if we had heard that correctly.

A Christian praise & worship song on American Idol?!? I know that Mandisa did one, and some group did a bluegrass version of "This Little Light of Mine" a few weeks ago, but it is NOT the normal musical offerings of the show. Sure enough, they sang the song... only, instead of the lyrics "My Jesus, my Savior", they substituted Shepherd for Jesus. An attempt to be PC, I suppose. Grr...

My first reaction was complete frustration that they altered the words.

Then, I thought about how a song about worshipping God because "nothing compares to the promise I have in You" was song for millions of international ears. It IS a beautiful song. Who knows the countless numbers that are googling right now to find out who sings that song so that they can download it to their ipods.

God uses all things for His glory. I pray that the world can know of his love, and the meaning behind the lyrics. Regardless of the intentions of the AI people for using the song.

"My Comfort. My shelter. Tower of refuge and strength. Let every breath, all that I am never cease to worship You. Shout to the Lord all the earth, let us sing. Power and majesty, praise to the King.... I sing for joy at the works of your hands. Forever I'll love you forever I'll stand. Nothing compares to the promise I have in you".

UPDATED: They sang it again on 4/10 (results show), except this time they didn't take Jesus out. Hmm.. Why the switch?

What Lies Beneath

I have a dermatological appointment coming up that I dread...

Not that the appointments are painful in any way. It's just that I am quite moley (is that a word?). I have a ridiculous amount of moles. And, being blessed with fair skin, I have to constantly monitor all the silly moles for changes. I have already had several removed - one that was deemed "precancerous".

That was not a fun thing to be told, let me assure you!

Particularly the part when they had to re-enter into my scar and take a larger circumference around the former mole, leaving me the most beautiful reminder on my back. I have fun finding swimsuits to cover that!

I dread them potentially finding another "suspicious" mole and digging it out. But, what is worse is not knowing.

I have this weird obsession/fear with hidden illnesses. Those awful, stealthy things that hide and then appear seemingly out of no where. I would love to have one of those full body scans to see if all is well inside. No surprises. Most find this a bit sadistic. I recently discovered that my friend Lauren feels the same way I do. Which makes me a bit more normal. Right? :)

don't forget

To my NC readers... if you have not already registered to vote, or if you are like me and have moved and need to update your registration, you need to go here and take care of that before April 11th in order to vote in the upcoming May 6th primaries. You can also go there to check on your voter status (where you vote, etc). These primaries are more than just for presidential candidates, but also for governor, lieutenant governor, senate, congress and more.

Your voice counts!

too cute for words

Long Lost Treasure

So... in my quest of purging I found a true lost treasure. A mixed tape my college roommate and I made freshman year (1994). Every single song brings back a flood of memories. And, well, makes me feel old. It was my favorite mixed tape ever. Sadly, we have no cassette tape players in my house! Agh!

I thought I'd share this musical perfection with all of you ...

Undone - Weezer
That Kind of Love - PFR
Lola - The Kinks
I Alone - Live
What's the Frequency Kenneth - REM
Shine - Newsboys
Brown-Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
Into Your Arms - Lemonheads
Let Her Cry - Hootie & the Blowfish
You've Got a Friend - James Taylor
Ants Marching - Dave Matthews Band
Today - Smashing Pumpkins
Take My Hand - The Kry
I Now Live - Crystal Lewis
The Mountain - Steven Curtis Chapman
Basketcase - Green Day
'74-'75 - The Connells
29 - Gin Blossoms
Cecelia - Simon & Garfunkle
Romeo & Juliet - Indigo Girls
Linger - Cranberries
I Will Not Take These Things for Granted - Toad the Wet Sprocket