'I think it's cute'

When talking to my neighbor today, who is an older man, apparently I said the word 'crap'. Later in our conversation he brought it to my attention and said, 'it's funny that you said the word 'crap'. I like that about you. I like that you're spunky and say what's on your mind. I actually think [the word crap] it's cute'. What a compliment! More than once in my life I've been told I'm spunky, honest (even too honest), mouthy, blunt and even rude. God made me a unique individual as he did you. There's no doubt that I was created to be spunky and sometimes loud or mouthy. But there is a time that I have to be careful to control my tongue. Just because I'm wired to be rude or blunt doesn't give me the excuse to play those cards anytime I feel like it. It's hard! Taming the tongue is one of the hardest things for me to do. When I get angry, you'll probably know it. If I'm stressed, it will come right off my tongue. I'm very aware of this. It's on my mind a lot. I'll admit, sometimes I forget and so spout off. But, for the most part, I really am trying to say less and listen more. I know sometimes it doesn't seem like it. I've also been told I don't act like 'a normal preacher's wife'. I take that as a compliment as well! But, on the bad side, when my tongue has gotten out of control, I've been reminded that I wasn't 'acting like a preacher's wife'. Although I do want to set an example, please never put me on a pedestal. Please never elevate me (or anyone else) above yourself or anyone else. As soon as I mess up, you're going to be disappointed and say 'that's not the way a preacher's wife should act'. How do I know this? Because it's happened...more than once. I'm human too. I serve the same Jesus that you do. I'm covered by grace just like you are. I just happened to have a husband who, as a family, we've been called to ministry. So, while I may say what I'm thinking I never intend to be rude or mean hearted. Sometimes we say things with good intentions, but they come out with the wrong tone. I do this one WAY too often. I can be joking and saying something funny and someone be offended. I stop and ask, "WHAT?" Well, my tone was ugly and my joke sounded serious or mean hearted. I'm trying to be very aware of this. The bible warns us that 'For out of the fullness (the overflow, the superabundance) of the heart the mouth speaks.' As hard as it is to admit, when I have a bad attitude and ugly words are flowing, that means my heart is ugly and bad too. I will probably never walk on egg shells for people, but I will try to meet them where they are at and respect them. I will never change who I am completely. because as a child of God, I'm just this way. But know that I am aware and that I realize that it is a personal struggle for me. James 3:8 'But the human tongue can be tamed by no man. It is a restless (undisciplined, irreconcilable) evil, full of deadly poison'. So, let me warn you now.....there will come a time that I will make you mad with my words. I will probably hurt you or offend you. Hopefully never on purpose, but I am a messy, messed up person who serves a perfect Saviour. And that's all I have to say about that!

OH CRAP!!!

I was in my REM sleep. Dead to the world when I heard Winston meowing from the other room. It took a few meows for me to realize 'HE NEEDS TO GO OUT TO USE THE BATHROOM"! Winston is technically an outside cat, meaning he stays in at all times, but uses the bathroom outside. He doesn't have a liter box in the house. When I opened my eyes I immediately noticed the sun light coming into my window. My inner-head reaction was OH CRAP!!! I knew if the sun was out, it was past 7:15, which is wake up time for school. I was frustrated because my alarm didn't go off. 'Why didn't my alarm go off?' I asked myself. 'What day is it that my alarm WOULDN'T go off?" These thoughts and questions all happened within a matter of seconds. I grabbed my phone, checked the time, 8:01 AM. My inner voice became my audible voice and I yelled 'OH CRAP! Now we're late for school and the cat needs to use the bathroom. I blinked my eyes, collected my thoughts, looked at the day and date on my phone......SATURDAY!!!! AHHHHH, (this is where I'd normally go back to sleep for hours) BUT, remember, the cat needs out. Because we now have a huge, 90 pound, 3 year old lab, Winston can no longer go in the backyard. We are gradually letting him in the front yard trying to get him used to staying around the house, not going into the neighbor's yards or the road. He was used to having free roaming in the backyard because of our privacy fence. As you can sense, I'm a little protective of my four legged, long-haried baby. I 'walked' the cat (this is where if I had a cat leash, I'd be using it), got him back in, ran the dish washer, swept the floors, make a cup of coffee, and got back into bed to enjoy this warm cup of goodness!! Happy Saturday!!

We made it!

CITYChurch has now had 2 public worship experiences. Our first week, Oct 2, 2011 went really well. There were only a couple very minor things that went wrong. Honestly, I didn't know if we'd be able to pull set up off, much less a service. God was so good to us, so faithful. We were able to go in on Friday night for an hour to set up as much as we could, and an hour early on Sunday morning. This saved our butts. The second week came, again we were able to come in for an hour in advance. We got almost the whole kids area and connection table/cafe area completely done in that hour. It left us with finishing up the worship area and some odds and ends here and there. So, those week stressed me out. I thought they were going to be difficult. Turns out, they were pretty much a breeze. It's THIS Sunday that I have reason to worry over. We don't get to come in Friday and we don't get to come in early Sunday morning. We get there at 8:30 and must have everything ready for full service by 10:30. We have 1 1/2 hours to get everything done, so we can chill for a bit before all things start! I'm nervous, I'm not gonna lie. But, if I stop and worry over it, all it does is make me scared and in a bad mood. This is allowing Satan to have a victory. I had to go to the doctor today because I started feeling yucky Wednesday night. I'm now on antibiotich and hoping to be strong Sunday. We already have people out of town so I can't afford to be sick. My body and voice need to be strong. Praying God has me completely healed and ready to go Sunday morning! We've been so blessed these past 2 weeks. We have a handful of people who are in....sold out.....on mission! We desperately rely on our team. We'd be gonzo without them! I thank God for the people he's put into our path. We're praying for more people to step up and help us set up/tear down and be a part of our CITYGroups. It's all a process that we can contribute to but ultimately have no control over. Come see us soon!