Happy Birthday Baby Brother!

When I left for college my little brother was still shorter than me. When I returned that next summer he had passed me up and he never looked back. Though we're nearly 4 years apart it seems like over the last few years that difference has become less and less. Now we're both married with children and paying a mortgage. Two years ago he even joined me in the Alaska marathon and passed me up at mile 13 even with feet problems.

Here he is feeding his daughter Mackenzie, only a couple of months old, on the trail! Though I'm sure he would prefer a more flattering, posed picture for his birthday blog posting, I thought this one really captured who he is: rugged and tender. Happy birthday David!

So... what's the plan?

It's been crazy around here, not just with the packing and remodeling stuff going, that's just the physical part we're dealing with. It's also been mentally crazy. I want to know "the plan" and not have to live day to day as we have for... uh, I can't remember the last time I could say with confidence, "today we will do this or that". Hmm sounds like a verse!

James 4:13-14 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life" You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

Matthew 6:31 So do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it's own.

Well I've had the opportunity to live that way through our circumstances and, yes, I know all too well that each day can carry enough trouble of it's own. I'm sure I'm not a natural at living without knowing "the plan" but I have enjoyed the blessing of God's provision and, more than ever, I am clinging to His promises rather than my own "what if" scenarios.

On another note, I don't know if it's this new "lifestyle" or just getting older or what but something is doing a number on my memory. The other day I overheard the kids talking about how old everyone in our family is. It caught my attention when I heard them say, "Mom is 32." No I'm not! I had to step in and correct them:

"Josiah, I'm only 31."

"No, mom, you're 32 and Daddy is 33."

"No, I'm not. I was born in 1975 and I'm... oh, wait... you're right."

Who loses an argument with their 1st grader about how old they actually are! So, I blame it on the constant flux I've been in the last several years and have decided to start looking for some good reference points in my life to help keep me on track. Now that I know how old I really am, I will remember that I turned 32 in Mongolia.

Now to plan 33. Hmmm! Any great ideas for a way to really seal that birthday into my memory? I've got some time to figure it out. See how much I love a good plan!!!

Happy Birthday Mom-in-Law

We really appreciate Grandma Nordstrom. She makes us great meals, both healthy and yummy. We really like her pancakes and muffins. She took care of us while mom was in Mongolia and dad worked long hours (for almost 3 weeks!!). She fixes the holes in our pants, and even put a rocket ship as the patch on a favorite pair sweats. She makes cousin jammies for us at Christmas time, too. She always sends us cute cards for Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas... you name it, and sometimes they even have a brand new dollar in them. Grandma loves to play Scrabble! She can make any event a special one with nice touches and a good meal. We love you Grandma have a happy birthday and we'll see you soon.

Grandma Nordstrom with Sierra at Christmas 2005.

Also in 2005, Grandma with Mia, teaching her Scrabble! Mia's wearing Daddy's hat.

A real blast from the past, Christmas 2002!! Grandma with the the grandkids that were born before that time. Josiah is in the red shirt. Mia was "in the oven".

And the winners are...!!

Since these two friends both had great "Why me?" comments I'd like to give each a ticket to Anita Renfroe this weekend. Karen quickly listed off lots of great blessings and Kristen looked at the flip side and asked "Why not me?" when experiencing trials. I hope you can both go to the concert. I think you'll laugh your heads off!!

For the Newsboys tickets, which are Friday the 18th! Though the comment didn't post on the blog, their mother spent 2 hours putting together a testimony of God's grace and provision through a very trying year in their lives. Then, through the magic and mystery of computers, it deleted everything when she was trying to post it. Thank you Cathi for calling and relaying at least some of the blessings you experienced and lessons you learned because of that time. Now you have the daunting task of figuring out who in the family gets to go to the concert.

Finally, the Davis Family shared their blessings of a joyful daughter and wonderful family so, since we can't agree more, to you goes the Shawn McDonald tickets for May 1st. Let us know if you need a babysitter.

Thank you everyone! I hope you enjoy the concerts!! Praise the Lord.

The Road to Bear Paw, part 3 (House sale edition)

Today we had two house showings. The first was planned, the second was a call that came during the first showing. They had actually called last week and left a message but I wrote down the number wrong and wasn't able to get a hold of them. Just another good example of why it's important to follow up when people don't call you back right away. The first couple was mildly interested, they called us back and asked some more questions but it was just a lukewarm outcome. The second couple loved the house. They told us they love it, they want to buy it, they have the money to buy it and they're going home to prepare an offer. So, we'll meet on Monday.

This is so preliminary that it seems silly to actually blog about it but I had specifically prayed this morning for some kind of confirmation of God's plan today. So, I thought I should bring you along on the journey. It seems like we've faced frustrating delays or disappointing set backs throughout this whole process. Sometimes it's like we're caught in a rip tide... so close, so far, oh oh so close, oh... so far, over and over again. We continue to trust God is working all things out in His perfect timing. Today, though, I needed encouragement; hence my prayer. I've showed the house to too many people who just weren't the right fit. The people today were making their plans for the house, asking about what stays and what goes and they appreciated the potential and character this house has. They were friendly, too! It was great a reminder that "just like that" God can move this process ahead. There are so many things that are outside of our control and of course we are so anxious to get up to camp and get our hands dirty. Even on days when that lack of control is especially uncomfortable (like today) we can still fall back on the truth:

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.

Hebrews 13

Praise the Lord!

Don't forget the contest. I'll decide Monday night and announce in Tuesdays blog who the winners are!!

I'm a looker!

Some people are leapers and some are lookers. A leaper is someone who is ready to leap, they like adventure and risk. They are best known for what they have done or what they are doing. A looker is someone who considers the risk and weighs out potential consequences. They are best known for their wisdom. I fall into the latter category, not because I'm particularly wise, but because I do not like risk. Thankfully God brings leapers into my life to help shift my focus off the looking part of life and into the part where you actually do some things. One leaper in my life is my husband Andrew. Isn't it true that opposites attract and, though it causes great conflict sometimes, being married to my opposite always presents the wonderful opportunity for growth. I remember when we were dating and we faced a defining leaper vs. looker moment. We were at wooded park in Salem that had a little stream flowing through it. In the middle of the stream was a medium sized rock. Andrew promptly leaped out onto the rock and beckoned me to follow him. HA! After looking the situation over I could plainly see it was too far, the rock was too small, it was impossible (even though he had clearly made it). Long story short, he persuaded me to make the leap by promising to hold my hand and help me through it. For 15 years now, this been the example used when Andrew wants me to leap into something and I'm too focused on looking things over.

I have also been blessed with several leaping friends who live their lives doing the things that God calls them to rather than looking and looking at different opportunities. They have stories to share of how God is moving in and around them. They've been places and done things, and are experiencing God. We have a pastor, Steve Fowler, that is definitely a leaper and the way God uses him and his family is enviable.

Over the past year I have been focusing on doing more leaping and leaving the things I would normally focus on up to God. I have to report that there have been no serious injuries and I have seen some amazing sites and actually experienced the greatest joy and peace of my whole life. I leaped onto the short term mission team to Mongolia, of all places, and met some awesome people who, again, are leapers. In God's hands I left the finances to get there, childcare for my three young kids, and safety on the nearly 3 week trip. He was outrageously faithful in all those areas!

This is Krista Fields, a missionary from Salem, a mother of 3, serving the Lord in Mongolia. Here she is with her adopted Mongolian daughter Eden!

Here a crowd of Mongolians wait to be seen by the American eye doctor and his assistants.

It was fun to meet people like this Mongolian couple.

I also leaped to a local outreach for homeless women and actually got to wash and massage their feet. I wonder if I had the privilege of being the first person to treat them in this way. Do they know that Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and told us to serve each other in the same way? Do they know that Jesus died for them? I went into this experience with the idea that I would bless these women; I ended up thoroughly blessed myself.

Pursuing the purchase of Bear Paw Camp has been an obvious leap. There is so much unknown and some risk involved, but even the process has again provided the experience of fully trusting God which has created so much joy and peace. I am in great anticipation of the results of this leap, not because I'm such a great leaper, but because I realize I'm holding the Father's hand and he'll guide to the best place to land at just the right time. Praise the Lord!

Why me? A contest.

I like to talk. When we're having group discussions, I join in. If a speaker asks for comments or questions, I usually have some. If they need a volunteer to share their testimony, my hand goes up. So it only follows that when the local radio station asks for callers, I call in. After all, I get to talk on the radio!! Last summer I answered a trivia question correctly and won some free coffee! Double blessing; coffee and air time. The second time I was on, they were asking people to describe a superhero. I came up with Wo-Man, who can take care of the kids, fix your breakfast, and stop crime all at the same time. Since I pronounced it "Whoa-Man" the male host never figured out my little play on words (remember that joke, "What did Adam say when he first saw Eve? Whoa-man) so it wasn't as funny as I had hoped but still... I was on the air! The third time they needed some answers to Bible trivia. The question was, name two books of the Bible that start with "Z". Zephaniah and Zachariah. Woo-Hoo! I win again. Although this time I only got the joy of answering correctly and impressing my kids, because there wasn't any prize. This morning was different though. There was a prize and it was a big one. Three sets of tickets to a couple concerts and a fun speaker: Anita Renfroe, Shawn McDonald, and Newsboys. All I had to do was talk for more than 20 seconds without pausing or saying "um" or "uh". Excuse me, do you know who you're dealing with here? Why even bother giving me the topic, you may as well just hand over the tickets. Well, I had to fulfill the task so they gave me the topic: Lifesavers. No problem! I began discussing the little candies, fruit flavored or peppermint, and then I segwayed to the preserver variety of life savers used around water and then I decided to discuss the people that actually do the life saving; firefighters and paramedics. I had more but they cut me off. We have a winner!!!

Have you ever wondered "Why me?" when something's gone wrong? I think we all have, but do we think to ask, "Why me?" when we're experiencing great blessing? One "why me" is the door to despair, a complaint, and a proclamation that life is not fair and I didn't get what I deserve. The other type of "why me" is the door to gratitude, a praise, and also a proclamation that life is not fair and I didn't get what I deserve, I got something better! But aren't both doors always present in any given circumstance? There are always things to praise God for (my heart is beating, the sun is out, the car started, my shoes fit, I have a coat) and there are always things I can choose to complain about, usually in comparison to someone else who "has it so much better." The temptation of those "why me's" come so easily that I won't even give you any examples. Well, this morning I had a choice to make about my response to my circumstances. You see, when I picked up the treasured tickets I won from the radio program, the first thing I did was read the dates so I could get them on the calendar. The first one was Anita Renfroe, April 12th. What? That's the day of the out-of-state wedding we're attending. The second one, Shawn McDonald, April 19th. What, what? That's the weekend I'm attending Women of Faith in Spokane. The last one, Newsboys, May 1st. Will we even be living here? I finally win something great and I can't even use one ticket. Why me? Now I'll just have to give them away or maybe I can sell them on Craig's List for a couple of bucks and go buy a latte. But wait a minute... (hear the click of one door closing and the opening of the other) seriously, why me? Why have I, of all people, been given the wonderful opportunity to bless other people with some great concert tickets? What joy!! How blessed I am to have this privilege and all it cost me was a 20 second monologue about Lifesavers! Thank you Lord for the joy I will experience in giving these away and for someone else's joy that I will get to be apart of.
So you may have noticed the title of this blog mentioned a contest. I thought it would be fun to hear from you some of your "Why me?" comments. (Please remember to choose your door carefully, I'm looking for the one of praise). The best "Why me?" commenter will be given the tickets of their choice. I will decide on the winner on Monday, April 7th so there isn't much time. Pass this link along to your friends, perhaps you'll even have the chance to connect them with a blessing. If you live too far away to attend one of the concerts, still give us your best "Why me?" if for no other reason than it will bless me to read about your blessings!

To post a "Why me?" simply click the COMMENT button then make sure you choose to post with your name so I can announce the winner. Better yet, if you are a blogger, post with your blog name so other people can check your site out.