A Blast From the Past

Exciting news! I just received an e-mail letting me know an article I wrote several years ago for the Old Schoolhouse Magazine was republished on the Spiritual Warfare for Moms web-site. That is a crazy blast from the past. As I read over the article, it's amazing how much has changed, and yet, the core beliefs are still the same. A good thing for sure.

As of a couple of weeks ago, all of my children have now graduated from high school. It's crazy to think I am a retired homeschool mom! But I love it! I love to see what God is doing in the lives of my children and where He is leading them. Our daughter is transitioning from the political realm into ministry, she will be working at our church, Rock City. She and her husband just celebrated their first anniversary. Our second child takes care of the facilities and maintenance at a large non-profit; he will be walking down the isle later this month. Our third child, is our creative artist. He is very involved with the worship band at Rock City, as well as, playing with friends in a few different bands. Our youngest, who just graduated from high school, would like to pursue a career in law enforcement. He is currently involved in the cadet program with our local police department. He will be participating in a couple of academies this summer, he's looking forward to them.

I love seeing the people God has created and gifted them to be. They are a true blessing. I am so thankful for the time I was able to be with them and share in the schooling process, and now I enjoy them as adults. I have told others our job as parents is to work ourselves out of a job, and to launch faithful, wise people into the world to make an impact for the Kingdom of God. I understand the journey of parenting is never really over, but it does change as the years go on. We will always be parents but our role changes and we transfer over the decision making process from total control over a young child to no control when they become young adults. We transition from caregiver to friend and advise giver (if they ask). This is not always an easy thing but it is necessary.

This was a wonderful reminder to me of the journey we have been on, God is always so faithful.

Breaking Addiction

Last week, I posted about the sadness and devastation alcohol addiction can bring. This week, I wanted to give some places to go for help.

First and foremost, a person must be ready to break the addiction. Once there is realization of a problem, the road to true healing can begin. There are many organizations that provide assistance with alcohol addiction; one organization is Alcoholics Anonymous.

Alcoholics Anonymous, also known to many as AA, has been helping people since 1939. AA is built upon men and women who have had a drinking problem in the past, and are now, in return, helping others who are in that beginning place. They do not turn anyone away from the program; there are no membership requirements. AA is open to anyone who wants to do something about his or her drinking problem.

What if we see a friend or loved one suffering with this addiction? What can we do to help them? Certainly, it is wise for them to seek help from professionals; however, I believe it is important for us to walk alongside them. Prayer is the most important thing we can do; in addition, encouragement and accountability are also helpful.

Everyone needs encouragement. When you are facing one of the biggest fights of your life, it can be the difference between success and failure. Knowing someone cares is so important. By letting someone know you believe they can do it, that may be just the thing they need to get them through.

Not everyone likes accountability. Lets face it; it’s uncomfortable. It’s also uncomfortable to hold someone accountable, but it is so very important. Many times, people need a gentle reminder, whether or not they want it. In the end, your friend or loved one will thank you for caring.

This is certainly not an exhaustive list of resources, but please get help if you or someone you know is dealing with alcohol addiction.




Alcoholics Anonymous. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2015, from http://www.aa.org/

The Problem of Addiction

Have you ever looked at the people who pass you by on the street? I mean, really looked at them. Have you ever wondered what’s going on in their lives? Is there hurt? Is there disappointment? Is there joy?

Unfortunately, there are a lot of hurting people out there. One of the hurts is alcohol addiction. Addiction for many is a never-ending cycle of wanting to do better, being strong for a while, then falling back into the same behavior again. This monster has a strong hold and rarely lets go on its own.

Who are the people caught up in addiction? According to The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc., one in every twelve adults is dealing with alcohol abuse or dependence. According to this fact, we all know someone who is battling with enslavement. Addiction is not prejudice; it does not attack some groups and not others. No, it is equal to everyone. This master grips people young and old, rich and poor; it plays no favorites. Sadly, many people suffer in secrecy, or perhaps, denial.

The lives of those affected can be devastated financially, as well as, relationally. If you think you or someone you love may have a problem with alcohol answer the following questions honestly: Are you neglecting responsibilities at work, home or school? Do you put yourself in dangerous situations like driving while impaired? Are you finding yourself in more and more legal situations due to driving drunk or being involved in domestic disputes? Are you spending time out drinking with friends, instead of, spending time with your spouse or family? Do you get drunk after a stressful day at work? Are you having more and more “stressful” days to justify getting drunk? If you find these things to be true, this may be indication of an alcohol addiction and you or your loved one needs to get help.

Where do you turn to get help if you feel you, or someone you, know has a problem with alcohol? You have options, next week, I will give you some suggestions on where to turn for help.



The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (n.d.). Learn About Alcohol. Retrieved from https://ncadd.org.

Doors

It's a been a long time since I posted anything. And yet, so much has happened. Three of our children have graduated from high school and the last one will graduate this spring. So what now? What is a stay at home, homeschool mom to do when she nears "retirement"?

Well, about two years ago God started opening doors for me. Now, I didn't realize doors were opening, it takes me a while sometimes, but He was opening doors, none the less. After being able to volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House, a position on staff became available. After much prayer and conversations with Tom (asking if now was the right time), I applied for the position. The position is so interesting for me, working directly with the families and getting to love on them. Human Resources had issues with my "lack of experience/education", however, the hiring manager went to bat for me and told them she wanted me, end of story. I greatly appreciated her confidence in me, but I was a bit taken back, I hoped I would live up to her expectations. After a seemingly long hiring process, I entered back into the "paid" work world on a part-time basis. Over the past two years, I have increased my hours to a full-time work week.

I can't begin to articulate how much I love my job! I truly believe what I learned along the way raising our kids has prepared me for where I am today. I know everything in life has a reason and purpose, there are no coincidences. At times, I just stand amazed at where I am and how I got here, it blows me away.

I am so blessed to do what I get to do. I am also blessed with who I get to walk this journey with. My manager has been such an encouragement to me. What we do matters to her and she takes it seriously. Dealing many times with delicate situations, she has taught me much about grace and kindness.

So now what? You would think I have enough going on, but another door recently started to open. I have learned over my years, God often opens doors I didn't realize were there. Whenever there is a new door in view, I want to look at the possibilities and investigate it. A new door appeared this past fall--college! Yep, I started college! I have the opportunity to attend Ohio Christian University and study Human Services. At this point in life, I have a pretty good handle on what I want to be when I "grow up." I have had only encouragement from everyone around me. God has placed me in a class with amazing people and I have much to learn from them. My current professor has been wonderful, she is so encouraging and wants me to succeed. Again, I am amazed at where I am and so thankful we have a God of details. Even the details of opening doors at just the right time!

Choices, Choices, Choices...

I'm an American so I love choices! Who among us doesn't? There are times, though, we have a lot, or perhaps, too many choices in front of us. This is where I find myself currently...

Now let me start with the fact that I have "skelton" choices--none of them have flesh on them at the moment, perhaps they never will and that will take care of having to make a choice. There are many possibilities for me in the up coming year. Great things that I would love to do, but which should I choose? It is always amazing to me when God brings things into your life that you really weren't expecting or ever thought you would consider. Some of these choices are in stark contrast to one another, which I find even more interesting. I am at a point in my life where I'm looking at "Where do I go from here?" How do I protect myself from not getting too obsessed with picking the right thing and on the other hand, not picking too many things to try to fit into my time. I am one who likes to keep my schedule pretty open, I don't really like being busy (honestly, it makes me claustrophobic), but I realize that can change so quickly.

I have a friend who has had a full schedule for a while now and she is going through and evaluating if what is on her calendar truly needs to be there. In a way, she is narrowing down her choices. The things she is involved in are not bad things, in fact, anyone would look at her schedule and think she is a part of great things! However, she is at the point of wanting to sort through the good and find the best! She's really looking at the big picture and what is truly important--eternally, not the things culture puts importance on. I think she is doing a great job working through it and I love talking with her as she processes out loud.

So what is it that needs to be learned here? I have a few thoughts. First, I think that God puts things in our path to see if we are willing to do something that is way outside of what we thought we would ever do. It could be a way to see if we are willing to trust Him even if it doesn't make sense in our minds at the time. I try to remember that I can't see the big picture or who He molding me to be. Second, what happens when those choices (still great) don't seem to be fun anymore. I need to remember that it's not always about my comfort. There are things that I need to be a part of or do that I may not necessarily enjoy but they are the best choice. There may be people involved that God wants to use me to reach and introduce them to Him, in which case I must simply obey. How do I discern between what is good and what is great? I don't know what exactly God has for me but I pray that He will make it unmistakably clear at the right time.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6

What I've Been Up To

I realize it's been a while since my last post, just need to get in the habit of posting I guess. We have had a great summer, it was definitely a great year for swimming! I'm always glad when the pool gets used, and it was used quite a bit. The kids realized that they enjoy swimming at night with the pool light on, it is neat to see the water refections on everything.

One thing I have been able to do this summer is to begin volunteering. I've been looking for ways to get to plugged into the community around me and so I thought a volunteer position would be a great way to get outside of my comfort zone a bit and meet new people. In June, I began volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House here in Columbus. Right now, it is the 2nd largest house in the world! It is a beautiful facility and it is maintained very well. I really enjoy working there, and there is something different to do every day. My duties range from preparing lunch to doing laundry to basic housekeeping of rooms to answering phones and guests questions. It is so cool to know that you are being a blessing to people who are going threw a tough time in their lives--a sick child. I did not realize how much goes into running such a place. They have different groups come in every night to serve dinner and everything they use in the house has been donated (they put out a "wish list" every month of their needs)--amazing how generous people are! They collect pop tabs that they turn in to be recycled and use the money from that as well to manage the house--feel free to collect those and I will gladly take them in! There are so many ways to volunteer, I had no idea!

We have also started school again, I have all high schoolers this year. High school is way easier than the lower grades in my opinion. This year, I have one less due to graduation--still hard to believe! We are doing a worldview class with others this year, actually, we have 10 students in the class. I am looking forward to some great conversations! If you know anything about me, I am passionate about teaching worldview and making sure our kids know how to think! We are doing drama again this year as well. A friend and I wrote the play for this fall, it is a funny who dunnit--is that possible!? We have not given out the ending yet and there is much speculation about who is guilty--so much fun having that knowledge!!!

We are still plugging away at church. There are some new things on the horizon that are looking very exciting, I'll keep you posted as they come about.

So that was the past three months for me in a nutshell. Sorry if I bored you too much!

What's the Church's Responsibility?

My husband and I have had more than one conversation about this topic. I guess when you set out to start a church, you start to evaluate everything--style, atmosphere, core values, etc. Our church is different, for goodness sake, we watch a preacher on-line 500+ miles away! And yet, it works! It's the way we do church, we realize it's not for everyone, and that's ok. But where does the church stand in area of responsibility of the spiritual growth of a believer?

It seems like we have been programed to run to the church for our growth, or perhaps blame the church for lack thereof. For some reason, probably culture, we have ceased to take responsibility for the things we should being doing on our own--raising our children, reaching out to the unsaved, helping the poor, growing in our walk with Christ. The church is to equip the believers to serve the body, it doesn't say spoon feed and coddle for years on end.

Most of us can read, so why aren't more of us digging into God's Word and following His leadings. Why is it assumed that people just can't possibly understand the Bible and therefore we must talk down to them instead of expecting them to do it on their own? One of my favorite quotes is, "Children will live up to your expectations." Why do we expect so little out of "church people"?

I'm not saying that we leave people out to dry--it is hard to know where to get started with Bible reading, but instead of referring them to an easy to understand book of the Bible to start with, we refer them to a book about the Bible, and so there's no immersing them in the Word. We have so many studies and step-by-step plans that we often forget that all we truly need is the Bible!

I think one way to grow is to get outside of our warm little comfort zone and meet others outside our world. Why do we wait on the church to do that for us as well. It's great when there are organized church functions, but why will we only participate in that? How often do we get so involved in those opportunities that it truly changes us, not just make us feel like we did a good thing and mark that off our list. I realize it is hard to figure out where to get started--but I believe we must.

So that is what I have been sitting on lately. I have an opportunity to serve in a capacity that is out of my comfort zone, and they are asking for a commitment on how long I will serve, scary but something I know I need to do--and I truly want to do as well!