FYI

Many of you had come up to me asking about a recording from the simulcast. They have just announced that they will be releasing a DVD of the simulcast to be available for July 1, 2010.

Thoughts from a Tuesday Morning Commute

We have a tradition in our house that we pray for our kids on the short drive to the school each morning. I am single parenting for much of the week and so it was me dropping the kids off at school. On the Tuesday morning commute Alexander started praying at about the same point in the drive that Dave usually does! I was so moved by his "copying" act and was reminded of the importance of Deuteronomy 6:7-9 which says,

Impress [these commands] on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.

I have been hearing and reading a lot lately about the ministry of parenting, in particular mothering. I don't remember hearing much about parenting when I was growing up and to my parents and teachers credit maybe I wasn't interested in listening. I have vivid recollections of marriage conversations and prayers prayed nightly by my Dad about the spouse God was preparing for me. Beyond that there was an underlying assumption that after marriage came family.

The topic, however, that received priority attention and conversation especially at school was career choice. We had assemblies and classes concerned with guiding our course selection in high school so that you could study what you wanted in order to get the career you desired. In our school we even had extra such classes just for the girls. The school, in particular my junior high vice principle was very intentional about making these meetings happen. These discussions and the passion with which they were presented had a big affect on my thinking and planning and dreaming in high school, college and early career years.

Now to be clear, this post isn't about continuing education because I believe it is extremely valuable for developing learning and thinking skills as well as necessary for careers. The point I am trying to make is that good parenting doesn't happen by accident. I know because I have made a lot of mistakes by thinking it might. Just as we believe education will prepare a person for the workplace, specific godly teaching and modelling will prepare our children for future living in family. I am learning that it is never too early to be age-appropriately teaching our children the importance of purity in dating relationships and of commitment in the marriage. Just as we need to be intentional about nurturing our own faith, we need to be looking for ways to grow faith in our children and their interactions with life. I remember being inspired by the forward in a book where the author acknowledged his parents faithful teaching of God in their home and how their love for God affected his faith journey as a child and as a grown man. He called his parents home-schoolers in the faith.

A couple of years ago I received a hand printed note from my middle daughter saying that when she grew up she wanted to be a Mom! I think that is one of the greatest compliments ever and did not feel worthy of it. Boy did it ever make me desire to be a better Mom! There is so much of being a Mom that I am learning but what is most important for me is to continually purpose to know God more. In doing this I believe we will desire to reflect the love of God in the moments that make up a day, that we will desire to actually recognize and make the most of a teachable situation and that we will be purposeful about creating those situations that maximize learning. One of the hardest parts of the parenting journey for me has been taking captive every reaction that comes from my being and making it obedient to God. I desire to love my children deeply and to respond in love rather than selfishly responding based on my needs and agenda at that moment.

I was watching and listening to some worship music online the other night and came across a video interview with Darlene Zschech. She was referring to motherhood and encouraged listeners to remember that God's callings are irreversible. We don't have to feel like we are missing out on something if we choose to honour His primary calling on our lives for a certain season. The Holy Spirit will help us understand these seasons.

What encouraging words.
The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it! 1 Thessalonians 5:24

Missing You All Today!

I am at home today with my daughter as she is in recovery. After having a few very rough days she is starting to show signs of her normal self. Her eyes are brighter and she is starting to joke around, one of her favourite things to do.

We started off our day with a cup of peppermint tea, my favourite. It had been given to me anonymously. I love it - I have been searching for this since we moved from Brandon. Thank you!!!! Thank You!!!!

After two weeks of being surrounded by people and a wonderful worship time at the simulcast the quiet is nice and necessary but I would have loved to have hugged a few necks today and heard how you are processing the simulcast. How you are spending your quiet time. What yard work you are doing or avoiding. What spring activities you are up to. What exams you are finishing up?

I look forward to hearing from you all.

Simulcast Commissioning

Hi Ladies,

For those of you at the simulcast today you may be interested in following the link below. It takes you to the LPM blog where they have posted the commissioning that we spoke with a "girlfriend" today along with 300,000 other women.

http://blog.lproof.org/2010/04/sli-simulcast-commissioning-statement.html

I look forward to hearing what the day meant to you personally.

Love,
Nicole

Living Beyond Yourself

Here we are ladies! Our final session of Living Beyond Yourself.
And look at that amazing food!
We all stood so quietly for this picture as we anticipated eating in moderation!

Thanks for the amazing cake Maria! What a gift you have.

Thank you ladies for sharing and learning together.
I am so thankful to God for our times together.

These are a few of my favorite things!

I love the newness of spring. Going for long walks with Max,

Getting out to run in beautiful weather, no ice!

Seeing new growth and colour,

Enjoying BBQ season!

What are your favourite things in spring?

Happy Easter Monday!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend complete with time to celebrate and to reflect.

After our church celebration we were able to come home and do an Easter egg hunt outside.

I am thankful that nobody took a picture of me climbing on the garage roof to get my chocolate...what we (I) will do for chocolate!

For those of you in the Wednesday night Bible study. We are back at it again this week at 6:45pm and will be discussing and watching Week 9/Session 9: Gentle Giants. We only have 2 sessions left, let's finish strong!

If you aren't at the study and are looking for something to work through right now, you may want to consider "So Long Insecurity". It isn't a formal in depth Bible study by Beth Moore but as one might expect the read is engaging and conversational and the work it encourages is life changing. There will be a number of copies for sale at church in the next few weeks at the same table that we are selling tickets for the "So Long Insecurity" simulcast. Come, check it out!

A Heartfelt Gift

Although I shared a few wonderful picture memories of our family trip to Florida what I haven't shared yet is the wonderful gift I received from my Mom.

We had been together in Florida long enough to have hugged everyone, brought in our luggage and checked out our living quarters for the next 8 days when I spotted a LARGE creative memories photo album. Mom is often busy scrap booking and so naturally I assumed it was her handiwork. So I asked what was in the album. As Leanne (my sister) responded Mom sprinted to her bedroom only to come back with a very large package. It was another memory album for me!! Mom had gone to a lot of work to create 3 albums, one for each child, from our parents' childhood to their wedding to our births - school years and our own weddings, their grandchildren all up until my Dad passed away in 2000. Needless to say I have been emotionally moved by her act of love. My Mom is not one to speak words of sentiment often but her creative genius, her ability to decorate and make any room beautiful is incredibly inspiring. She puts her outfits together with the same care. We have enjoyed looking through the albums with both laughter and tears. What was so comforting to me was that Mom thought to do this and carried it out. I love seeing what she put in each of the books but just the thought of her taking the time to put this all together to create a memory and to show her continuing love was incredible on its own.

Mom's gift has reminded me about the process of grieving and living beyond the grief; seeing the hope the lay ahead. Grieving takes time, it takes energy and it seems to continue with me through my journey teaching lessons and reminding me of things I want to pass on to my children. Although the immediate pain of the loss is gone, new situations arise. We have parts of our lives that have no memory of our loved one even though they live on through a smile, a wink, a hug, a good joke.
I had an inconvenient grieving experience on Space Mountain at Disney of all places. When I was a young girl - much the age of Megan - I went on the Space Mountain ride with my Dad. I was a bit scared and he assured me that it would be great and he held me and laughed the entire ride. I remember loving the ride and being comforted by his laughter. So here I am this time doing the same to my daughter Megan, only she is not consoled and I am fighting back the tears remembering how much fun my Dad was but at the same time I am thinking about the automatic pictures that are taken on the ride to purchase afterwards and I am telling Megan just to close her eyes so that she wouldn't throw up!!!

As Good Friday is upon us we remember the love that God has for us. The hope that He has given us. Hope that allows us to continue on through the hard times and to give out of what we have learned in the hard times. That His love is able to fill us with reason for living more than any personal longing fulfilled ever would.

I pray that we will take time to reflect on God's gift of love and that we will know Christ more and the power of His resurrection. (Phil 3:10)

Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my dear [sisters], stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.
Romans 15: 54b - 58