Dear Mom reading while your kids play in the pool....

I hate you....I'm jealous of you....I really want to be you....and, God willing, in a few years I will be. I've read all those posts about "Only 18 Summers"  and how moms should not be ashamed of their bodies. Just forget it all and get in the pool and play with your kids. But if you are anything like me you've spent the last 10 years being splashed in the face, drug under water and responding to multiple children circling you like sharks while calling: "Mom, watch me do a hand stand!" "Did you see me jump in the water?" "Swim with me!" "Count how long I stay under water!" "Can I go down the slide?"

Everytime I've gone swimming for the last 10 years I've been in charge of someone not tall enough to touch bottom and keep their head above water at the same time. (With the exception of that one business trip at a Disney resort four years ago where I spent an afternoon at the pool by myself...and yes it was everything I dreamed it would be!) I have done my time putting life jackets on and taking life jackets off. I have treaded water in the deep end for an hour while waiting to catch children coming down the slide. And I'm tired.

Spending time at the pool is a summer tradition for me. My mom took me almost every day it seemed when I was little. And I loved it. She sat outside the gate, with all the other moms, reading her book and talking while my sisters and I played. I never felt neglected. We got a pool when I was a little older and she sat outside reading while we played. And we all turned out fine. None of us ended up drug addicted or in counseling because Mom was reading while we swam.

So in another few years, when all three of my precious children can stand on their own in the pool, and you see me lying on a deck chair reading a book or *gasp* scrolling through Facebook, don't judge me. Just pull up a chair and we'll talk.


Sincerely,

A Waterlogged Mama.


PS If you have 3 kids do you get 36 summers? Just asking.

When God Works in the Backgroud

I have recently been studying through the book of Ruth the ladies over at Love God Greatly. Man, I love this book. Just to summarize in case you've never read it or it's been a while... A woman named Naomi, her husband and 2 sons move from Israel to Moab (another country) during a famine. While there the sons get married to Moabite women. Then the sons and Naomi's husband die. The scriptures don't tell us if their deaths were close to each other or spread out. All it says is they died. Naomi hears the famine in her hometown is over and she decides to move home. One of her daughters in law decides to go with her, Ruth. Now Ruth was the original ride-or-die girl.

“But Ruth replied: Do not persuade me to leave you or go back and not follow you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May Yahweh punish me, and do so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”
‭‭Ruth‬ ‭1:16-17‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

So the next thing she knows Ruth is in a foreign country with her mother in law. Her mother in law is so angry and bitter about How life has turned out that she changes name to Marra which means "bitter". The whole situation is very dim. So Ruth goes to work because, well, a girl's gotta eat.

Chanter 2 is what I am loving this week. The field where Ruth "happens" to go to work belong to Boaz. Boaz "happens" to stop by then field one day to check on things and see how it's going when he notices Ruth. This is the part I miss sometimes. Ruth was working. Her head down looking for leftover grain that was missed or dropped by the paid workers. This is how she ate. If she didn't find enough leftover food on the ground she went hungry. It was a pretty dire situation. She was focused on living. Day to day. One meal to another. Yet over in the periphery God was working. Her life was about to change. Boaz came into the picture.

SPOILER ALERT!

Through a strange set of customs Boaz and Ruth end up married. Ruth goes from being a homeless widow gathering leftovers to the wife of the guy who owns the field. And it gets better. Ruth has a baby named Obed (I know what friend/relative put that in the baby naming pot?) who had a son named Jesse who had a son named David who became king over Israel and a great grandfather to Jesus.

But in chapter 2 Ruth knows none of this. All she knows is that she is hungry and today she gets to eat. I've been stuck in chapter 2 before. A place where the mundane tasks of living and surviving every day takes all my energy and focus. If you are stuck in this place today please know there is hope. I can't promise a Boaz but I can promise Jesus. I can promise that God sees His children. Just because you can't see Him working doesn't mean that he isn't.

The heartbreaking work of youth ministry

In just a few days our local high school will graduate another class of Seniors. Another group of students will be sent out of the relative safety net of high school and into the big wide world to see what life has to offer. But the school system is not the only one lovingly shoving them out the door. Church youth ministries will celebrate with these young people as they reach this milestone. Then when the summer is over and many of them start college or enter the work force they will find there is no place for them in the student ministry department. They have outgrown us.  As they have moved on we have stayed behind to tend to the next group of up and coming teenagers.

My husband and I have been in youth ministry in the same church for over 12 years now. Next year we have the possibility of seeing our second generation of youth some through as some of those entering 6th grade had parents that were once a part of our youth ministry.  

Over twelve years I have watched many, many scrawny, short 6th graders grow into mature 12th graders. And once you are a part of our ministry you are one of "our kids". I may not feed you everyday or help with homework but I worry about you. And when these mature students go out into the world I worry, too, if we've taught them enough. Did I show them enough Jesus in the past 6 years?  When they felt no one in the world cared did they know they could just show up to youth group and be loved and accepted?

This year a very special group of students graduates. One summer my husband spent more time with the students in this class than he did with our family. I do not exaggerate....I counted. And I didn't totally mind. These kids came to my house on Sunday afternoon...and other days when they learned to drive. They dug out the beaver's dam in my pond and helped set off fireworks on 4th of July. Some days they would come over and mow the grass without being asked....partly because they wanted to drive the zero turn mower.

As with any relationship there are bumps along the way. We grieve when students past or present make decisions not in line with what the Bible teaches. But they will always be our kids. We will always be here if they need to talk or need advice. We celebrate when things go well. 

This letting of go of kids that were never really ours...kids we borrowed for a few hours every week...kids we only had for a few short years...this letting go is the hardest part of youth ministry. Already I can feel our Seniors pulling away. This tearing away doesn't stop us from loving. It doesn't stop us from investing every year in a new group of students that will break our hearts again when they leave. This is the ministry to which God has called us. To equip, guide, grow up another generation of students to walk out into the world and stand for Him. 

Child Abuse Prevention Month

April 28 has always been a special day to me. It's a my birthday that I share with my dad and my twin sister. In 2010 it became an even more important day to me when I gave birth to my second child. A son. A child born after much heart ache and fear. As I sat in my hospital room snuggling my newborn across my state another family was mourning.

April is Child Abuse Prevention month. And April 28 is Kelsey Briggs day. If you don't know Kelsey Briggs let me catch you up. Kelsey was 2 when she died due to blunt force trauma to her abdomen. Her mother and stepfather have been convicted of this crime.

Parenting and Mommying is hard. Some days it's walk-away-from-it-all-hard. And sometimes that what we need to do...take a break. Walk away and let someone else listening to the whining and crying for a little while so that we can come back refreshed and ready to love our babies.

There is a 10 year old boy in OKC who has been in foster care since he was a very young child. His profile says he loves Minecraft and Legos.  What he wants is a home. To be adopted. To have a mom and a dad. To be loved. For days after reading that I tried to figure out how we could re arrange the house to accommodate one more. Cause if you know much about my family it's that I have 2 boys already who love Legos and Minecraft.

Just a few weeks ago two small children were found wandering the streets of a nearby city in diapers at 4 AM.  It was three hours later before they were claimed. As I read that story I felt like saying with Jesus "Bring the little children to me."

Be a foster parent. Love on a foster family. Be part of the solution.

As citizens we must be alert to what is going on in the lives of people around us. if you see someone struggling lend a helping hand. But if you suspect a child is in danger or being harmed you must call and report this. There are services DHS can put into place to help families. Not all children need to be removed. Some families just need help. But some children need to be removed from an unsafe situation.

All children deserve to be loved like my sweet middle child who turns 7 today. Please hug your children and love them well. Take care of yourself. And don't be afraid to make the calls for help from other authorities when needed.

Raising children in the ministry

I knew as far back as college that I would marry a minister. Thirteen years ago this June I did just that. A little over 2 years later we went from a ministry couple to a ministry family when our daughter was born. Now we have 3 kids and life in the ministry has changed many times over the past 13 years.

We are often at church when no one else with small children are there. There are many Sunday nights when my kids are the only children in worship. Sometimes there is no nursery and the 3 y/o just has to go into worship with us. Once I left and went to the park because he was just too disruptive. I figured if I was going to sit in the nursery with my own kiddo and no one else's we could play just as well outside. The up side to this is that they get to know people they otherwise would not interact with. On visitation night they get to help their Sunday School teacher write cards to their classmates and will often take a card home to pass along to a classmate the next day. They are learning evangelism at a very early age. 

When I was growing up there were a lot of jokes about pastor's kids (PKs). Often these children are put on such a pedestal and expected to b have so well that as they grow up they rebel. We are careful not to tell our children they must behave because they are the youth minister's kids. Instead we try to impress upon them the need to behave in a way That is pleasing to God. 

All three of our children have gone to church camp as infants or toddlers. Two of them were partially potty trained at youth camp. I decided, though, that I did not want my children to always go to camp with us. If they grow up going to camp every summer then when they are old enough and their friends are going there would be nothing for them to look forward to. Instead we take that time as a opportunity for them to spend a week with family they don't see very often. 

We try to take our children with us as much as possible. God has really blessed us with friends to help with our kids when we can't take them with us. It's a lot easier to take one child along than three. And it's easier to find someone to watch one child than three. I don't think our friends who help us really know how much they mean to us. 

It is difficult sometimes to plan a weekend away. Sunday is the biggest day for my husband as it is the day most people come together to worship. It's his busiest day of the week so we don't miss it much which means we have to miss other things. We try to emphasize to our children the importance of worshipping  God and not just "going to church". 

Raising children, working my own full time job and being a partner with my husband in ministry can be a difficult plate to balance. I want my children to grow up knowing we are not consumed by the church or the work of the church but that we are consumed by Jesus. 

If you are a ministry mom what are some of the struggles you face?

How do you raise your children with a focus on Jesus and not on just going to church because it's what we have always done?

What do I do with Jesus when the retreat weekend is over?

James 1:23-27 says "Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror. For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but one who does good works — this person will be blessed in what he does.”

This was the focal verse for a youth retreat I attended this past weekend. The theme of the weekend was "Don't be a Couch Potato". It reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend several months ago. Her church had just finished a weekend youth retreat and she expressed her frustration with how youth often come back from retreats and camp fired up for Jesus but in 1-2 weeks time half of them are not even attending church much less continuing personal Bible study.

Our speaker this weekend was Ryan Young.  In one of his sermons he noted that many student leaders spend less than 10 minutes a week in personal Bible study. Before you begin to shake your head about how our young people need to spend more time in the Word of God, ask yourself how much time have you spent in the Bible in the past 7 days?

Often times we use a retreat or camp or revival service to look deeply at ourselves in the spiritual mirror of the Bible. We have good intentions of making the needed changes to our lives to live more dedicated to Christ. To follow Him and serve Him more deeply. But as the weeks go by we begin to slip into old habits. Much like when we go to our favorite hairstylist for a cut and color. We watch closely as she blow dries our hair and styles it perfectly. We memorize her movements and buy the same products she uses so we can recreate this salon look at home. But a few days into our new resolve to have perfectly coifed hair everyday we begin to run out of time. The alarm doesn't go off or the kids don't want to get dressed and we think "just this once I'm going to pull my hair into a ponytail and let it be." Then another day goes by and that ponytail look is so much more convient. We have forgotten what we looked like in the mirror.

Retreats and camps are great. They nourish the soul and give us rest from a world consumed with strife. But if we come back unchanged we have missed the point. Let the Word of God change you. Let Jesus make you different today than what you were yesterday. Resolve to spend time reading and studying God's Word everyday. Let God reveal how you can follow Him more closely. Then do something about it.
‭‭

Politics and toddlers

It was 8 AM on a Tuesday morning. I was supposed to be at work or at the very least on my way to work. Instead I was standing in my pjs staring at the clothes in my closet trying to find something that matched but did not require ironing. It was at that moment my super sonic mama ears heard sloshing in the other bathroom. Considering that the only other person home with me was my newly toilet trained 3 y/o I knew nothing good could be happening.

I flew down the hall in my sock feet to find said 3 y/o with his pants at his ankles plunging the toilet in the hall bathroom. He was actually trying to clean some debris left from another child and grabbed the plunger instead of the toilet scrubber. And while I applaud his dedication to cleanliness and his willingness to help me out by cleaning the toilet, all I could think about is that this is the child who likes to suck on his fingers. Fingers that just held a plunger while debris containing water sloshed everywhere. After cleaning up the mess (and this was the smallest of the bathroom messes he has made this week) I finally was on my way to work.

When we were finally loaded in the car and our way to work all I heard on the radio was North Korea vs Donald Trump.  Who would do what, when would it happen, best case senario vs worst case scenario....blah, blah, blah. Now I know that someone has to deal with mad dictators. And it's important to be up to date on matters going on in our world. I must say I'm glad I'm not the one dealing with it.

It seems there are two parts of reality right now. The reality of big worldly matters like nuclear bombs , protests and Russian planes in the wrong airspace. And then there's the Mom reality. This reality includes making sure all the little people in our lives are fed, clean and safe. When these basic needs are met then we have to address bigger concerns. Like teaching those little people to be kind, compassionate and loving...and yes, not to play in toilets.

There is little I can do to influence the bigger reality of the world I live in. I pray...everyday...and that is the biggest thing I can do. And yes I can call or write my Senator and/or Representative. I can even tweet POTUS. But what happens there is not up me or you.

So, Mama's, in the face of uncertain times in and uncertain world and reality we can't control we have to let go of our fears and anxieties of the outside world. Look around at what you can influence. I want to make my world and the world my children live in safer and happier. If you will teach your children and I teach my children how to be kind, loving and compassionate then together we can change the world.

Embracing the brokenness

I recently finished an online Bible study hosted by Love God Greatly called Broken and Redeemed. Towards the end of that study my church's women's ministry started a study based on the book The Broken Way by Ann Voscamp. With this much focus on brokenness I began to pray and ask God what He is trying to teach me.

I don't have extraordinary brokenness in my life. No terrible trauma that has taken years and counseling to resolve. I have the ordinary kind of brokenness. The difficulties life brings because we live in a fallen world kind of brokenness. Nevertheless, I have persisted in this study of brokenness.

I deal with it everyday. For 17 years I have been nurse. People come to me expecting me to be a able to heal their physical brokenness or at least put a patch on it so they can go a few more miles down the road. I had seen people ignore their brokenness and deny it hoping it will go away. I have witnessed others attack their brokenness with all they have to give in an effort to fix it. As a mother my children are forever bringing me broken toys that need to be put back together or broken clothes for mending.

And yet I prayed .... But I'm not broken Lord...what is this all about?

 Then came the study of adultery...But Lord, surely this doesn't apply to me...I've never been unfaithful...

" Adulteresses! Don't you know that friendship with the world is hostility towards God? So whoever wants to be the world's friend becomes God's enemy" James 4:4

That verse struck me...hard. Although I have never been unfaithful to my husband there are many times I have been lured in by the shiny, sparkly things of this world. Now hear me out, I don't think it's sinful to have nice things. But when we become so caught up in having nice things and having  things the way we want them that those shiny, sparkly things become the focus of our lives, things are broken.

 I am broken.

Jesus knows broken. He embraces broken. He came to be broken for you and for me. His brokenness heals all of my broken places. If I will let Him.

The Golden Years of Parenting

I realized recently that we have entered what I will call the Golden Years of parenting. Our third (and last...do NOT ask me if/when we are having more the answer is NO!) child is FINALLY potty trained. This means that for the first time in 10 years  I am not buying diapers. (Do you hear angels singing? Because I think I might!) Our two older children are 9 and almost 7. This means they are independent. They can do chores and pick up around the house and give themselves a bath! Yesterday I even had them separate out their own Easter eggs and candy

It occurred to me that there is a very brief window between toddlerhood and teenagers that might be the best part of parenting. There are defiantly sweet things about little babies. The way they smell and snuggle their little heads right under your chin like it was created to go right there.  But there's something about older kids who sleep through the night...in their own beds nonetheless... that is oh so sweet as well.

I hear so many people lament the growing up of their babies.  And I'll admit I sat on the back porch and cried after doing school physicals for Jr high kids and realizing my daughter will be in that group in just one more years. But it's so magical to watch them grow! To watch them develop skills and understand more about the world around them is such a wonderful things.

Three years ago I had an infant, a 3 year old and a 7 year old. It seemed like someone was always crying (some days it was me!). Someone always needed something. Bath time took FOREVER.  I wasn't sure we would survive. But we did and it was worth it.

Maundy Thursday

Sixteen years ago I attended my first Maundy Thursday service at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. One of the classes I was taking that semester was Worship (I know, sounds easy...it wasn't). When Maundy Thursday rolled around that year I was living 500 miles from my family and going through a difficult time where I felt very alone. Maybe that's why that service affected so deeply. But to this day I remember that service.

Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter. It was the day Jesus ate his last Passover meal with his disciples. It would only be a matter of hours before He was betrayed, arrested, beaten and hung to die. In this particular service the auditorium was dark. The music was somber. When we left that day we left in silence. Remembering the darkness and silence that extended from Jesus' death until His resurrection.

Maybe that service made such an impression on me because I was going through my own time of darkness when it felt as though God was silent on many issues. Have you ever been there? When you pray and you believe that God has a plan for it all but the silence and darkness is deafening and terrifying?

Every year I try to imagine what those disciples felt. What did they think? They believed in Jesus. He made so many promises but now He was dead. How was this going to turn out right? For 3 days they had silence and fear as companions.

So for me Maundy Thursday is a time of reflection on my own trust in Jesus. A reminder that the Son rose. And a reminder that God can work things out in ways I could never expect.

Why a nurse practitioner and why full practice authority.

In May of 2000, yes almost 17 years ago, I finished a 4 year degree in nursing. By some reports this is one of the most difficult degrees to obtain.  I would agree. When I finished my BSN I had no desire to get a higher degree in nursing. I worked as a bedside RN for 5 years before I decided to get a Master's degree in nursing. During that time I spent 36-48 hours each week doing hands on patient care.

In October 2005 I made the decision to further my nursing  education. My husband and I had moved from Fort Worth, TX to a small town in southeast OK. I was back to working night shift and we wanted to start a family. Night shift is not the best shift for a new family. So, I did some reasearch and started the Family Nurse Practitioner program through the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the spring of 2006. I was responsible for finding my own clinical sites. I quickly found there were not many nurse practitioners in my area. When I finished my program in May 2008 I had completed over 700 hours of clinical time with a physician or NP.  I still had to pass my boards. I spent 2 months review for this test and passed in July 2008. By this time I had been a RN for 8 years.

I took my first, and only, job as a Family Nurse Practitioner in September 2008. I have been doing this for over 8 years now.  I can truly say I love my job. Depending on the day I will see 15-28 patients in a day. These patients range in age from just days old to their 90's. I see patients for well checks, sick visits and management of chronic diseases. In December 2015 I obtained an additional certification in Advanced Diabetes Management through the AADE. I am covered by malpractice insurance through my employer. I also have to obtain continuing education hours every 2 years when my license renews.

Many people don't know what sets apart Nurse Practitioners from other health care professionals. We are governed by the Board of Nursing and have a nursing background. Some states have different rules regarding NPs. In the state of Oklahoma I am required to have a physician (MD or DO) sign my prescriptive authority. This physician is not required to be in the office with me. He/she does not have to review my charts or sign off on anything I do. They are not required to see my patients. I have my own patient load -many of whom request to see me when they call to make an appointment. I assess my patient, order and interpret tests and order medication. There are a few medications I cannot order- like ADHD meds and hydrocodone.

In Oklahoma, physicians are only allowed "supervise" two full time NPs at one time. In rural Oklahoma this becomes a problem and limits access to care. It took the clinic group I work with 3 years to recruit a physician to work in one of our clinics. At times they have to pay physicians to sign the supervision paperwork even though that physician does not work for our clinic group. This is money that could be used to give more services to our patients. Some NPs pay $500-1000 a month for a supervising physician. That's $6000-120000 a year.

What does full practice authority mean? It means NPs do not have to have a physician sign that paper. It does not change what I do every day. I still see patients, order and interpret tests and order medication. But it makes it easier for NPs to get jobs and open clinics. Thus improving access to care. And in a state that ranks 49/50 for access to care this is a big deal. Research shows that nurse practitioners provide safe care for their patients. HB 1013 is up for a vote in the Oklahoma House of Representatives this next week. It would grant full practice authority to nurse practitioners in our state.

Please call your representative to support HB 1013 today.

On my children's baptism

Thirty years ago, on a Wednesday night, I heard a teacher talk about Jesus and how He died for my sins. I went home that night and asked my mother and she told me what it was all about. That night, in my bedroom, she led both my twin sister and I in the prayer of salvation. The next day our pastor, Brother Gibson, came by to talk to us about it. It did not seem unusual to me at the time. Now, as a mother, I wonder what that conversation was like when she called him up. Did she wonder if she had done it right? Was it a matter of fact conversation? Here's what happened, will you come talk to them? I was baptized on a Sunday morning in August. I wore a red and white dress. I knew what I was doing was a big step but I had no idea how big. I had no idea how that moment would affect, shape, direct my entire life.

Last December I decided to do an Advent Box activity I found online. One of the nights we were talking about Jesus and how He came to die for us and how to we have to pray and accept His free gift. My, then 5 year old, son very matter of factly said "I'm going to do that tonight!" My husband and I just looked at him and said "ok". After more discussion that night, he did pray and ask forgiveness of his sins and asked Jesus to be his savior. He's always been a child that made up his mind about things pretty quickly and knows what he wants to do. We decided to give him some time to think about this and make sure he really understood.

Last month my daughter, who was 9, came to me to talk about salvation. I have been praying for this for several months and had talked to her about it on several occasions. She has to think about things for a while before she can make a decision. She needs to know she understands before she commits. That night she decided it was time to confess her belief in Jesus and accept Him as her Savior. When she told her brother the next day he said, "Yeah, I already did that."

Today, they were both baptized by my husband. Here's why this matters so very much. The water in the baptistery has no special powers. It cannot heal. It cannot save. It cannot make anything better. But it was a symbol. A symbol of dying. A symbol of living. A symbol of the washing away of sin..of things we should not have done or that we should have done but did not. A symbol of forgiveness. Knowing Jesus will change the way they live. It will change the way they view and interact with the world around them. They have no idea how this will change them and change their lives. I don't know either. But I know my story and I know how it changed me. Since they were born I have wanted more than anything for them to know my Jesus. I have looked forward to this moment. My daughter told me not to cry but it was difficult because my emotions often spill out through my eyes. I so look forward to watching these two grow in their relationship with Jesus.

Disaster Relief Day 5: Church Camp for Adults

I've decided disaster relief is like camp for adults. The past 4 nights I slept on an air mattress in a church.  I shared a room with ladies from North Carolina and Virgina. My roomie from Virgina was a new college graduate who had all the entusiasm of a young adult ready to conquer the world.  She came in each day smiling and smelling of a combination of mold and a hard days work. Two of the ladies in my room looked to be in their seventies and spent all day doing laundry.  They were up before anyone else and came back to the room after everyone else. Th 5th lady in my room was probably I her 50's and was an Assessor. She spent all day driving from house to house looking at what needs to be done and reporting back to her crew.

A typical day started around 6 Am when we got up and got dressed and ready for the day. We had a morning meeting at 6:45 with brief instructions for the day followed by breakfast. (There was an entire other crew cooking for the volunteers.) Lunch options were spread out on the table and each person was in charge of packing his/her own brown bag lunch including snacks. We headed out around 7:45 AM. The rest of the day was spent working until around 4PM. There were coolers full of water and Gatorade available all the time. We took a break around 9:30 AM and then lunch was around 11:30. 

When we got back to the church it was a race to the shower.  This was one time I glad to be a girl because the female showers did not have as long a line as the male showers. The "shower trailer" was a hoarse trailer divided into 6-9 shower stalls each with their own changing area. 

We had dinner at 6 and devotion at 7. By 9:15 most nights we had the lights out. I got about 2 hours more sleep each night than I do at home.  I guess that's the way this was not like camp. Once the lights were out so were we.

One of the cool things about disaster relief is that they send you a state pin from whatever state you have worked in to put on your hat. So all the old guys that have been doing this for years sit around and talk about all the disasters they have worked and compare pins.  

So if you are nostalgic for church camp days but don't want to spend a week keeping up with teenagers volunteer for disaster relief.  It's a lot of work but a load of fun.

Disaster Relief Day 4: Life Lessons

It's been a month since the flooding hit Baton Rouge. Most homes have had some if not all the work done to them.  They may need to be sprayed to kill mold and prevent growth of mold but for the most part the work has been done. The homes that are left belong to people who cannot physically do the work,  the are dependent on other people.  The home we worked in today was a prime example.  We never met the homeowners but we had contact with their adult children. I'm pretty sure they'd had no idea what the home would look like when we were finished.  Our basic job is to clear the entire house so it is empty. Picture all the knick knacks, paper and furniture in your home. Now picture 20 strangers throwing it all into buckets and wheelbarrows and dumping it in a heap on the sidewalk. This was our job.  

I've always looked younger than I am. Which is a blessing when you reach the late 30's. But I've always felt the need to prove to people that I'm not a little girl. I guess some habits die hard.  With the exception of the 11 year old I was the smallest woman on our team.  And I wasn't bigger than her by much! But everybody on the team gave me a chance. I learned how to take about sheetrock and door frames. One big lesson I learned : if you don't know how to get it apart just hit it harder.  I so appreciated all the words of advice. 

One life lesson I have learned over and over is that if you work hard, don't complain and don't give up people will be more willing to help you out along the way.

Disaster Relief Day 3: Jesus loves you down to your studs

We moved to a different house today. The lady who lives there had some family that had emptied most of her house and pulled down half the sheetrock . So we thought there was not much to do...in the beginning.  About 5 of us spent at least 2 hours just pulling nails.  That's 10 man hours just removing nails from studs.  Part of the group removed her crown molding so it can be reused.  So much of the time there's not much that can be saved but we try to help the homeowners when we can.  We spent a total of 8 hours working in this one house today. But now she's ready to rebuild. 

I have learned so much in just two days of working.  Like the best tool to remove a slew of nails is not always a hammer.  Mind blown.  I've learned how to remove sheetrock and feel a certain amount of success when it comes down in big sheets and not little clumps. I have never been very coordinated or strong but I try to take advice and be teachable. And that goes a long way.

The FEMA truck was working on the same street that we were on today.  It has one or two huge bins (depending on the truck) and a monster claw with an operator sitting on up by the bin so he can see what he is doing. We saw them fill 6 of these massive garbage trucks ( for lack of a better comparison) and they barely got 2 blocks done in 8 hours. So if you wonder why the cleanup effort lasts so long it's because the damage is so massive. Entire homes are on the side walk like junk. The claw picked up a couch in one load and dropped it right in. 

The last two days I have helped strip homes down to the studs. I have learned that if there is anything between the mold spray and the wood the spray won't work. The mold will continue to grow. We have found layers and layers of flooring in one house. When everything is stripped away we can see what a home is made of and the true extent of the damage. That's how God sees us.  He sees us down to the bare bones. He knows how deep the hurt and damage goes. He knows how many layers we have piled on top of the damage to try to cover it up. But He also knows that everything must be removed between Him and us. His love does that. His love puts all the damaged stuff on the sidewalk. Not so people can walk by and gawk but so it can be removed. Thrown as far as the east is from the west. If you have never experienced the saving power of Jesus please ask me about it. I will be glad to talk to you about my Jesus anytime. He wants to take all the broken, moldy, smelly things out of your life and build you up again, brand new. 

Disaster Relief Day 2: Sledgehammers and Divine Appointments

Today we finished gutting a house. To give you and idea of the amount of work required on this job it took 15-20 people 13 hours to clean out this house.  That's 260 man hours on one project. We were working on a parsonage. Being a youth minister's wife this hit close to home. There were a few momentos that were salvageable but most of it went to the curb. 

Yesterday I joked that I wanted to use the sledgehammer. The guys laughed. But today they gave me a chance. Of course they all stood and laughed because I'm the smallest adult on the team but I kept up. And it was fun.  In fact, I may have found a new calling: demolition. 

We took a break between house #1 and house #2 and stopped at DQ for some ice cream ( I had an ice cream/coffee mix because, well, why not ?). One of the couples with use brought their children along. The van they rode in left to go to another job without them so they rode with us. We were a little cramped. But at DQ we spotted a 4y/o boy waiting for his mom to get off work.  Our crew sat down and start d talking to him.  The kids immediately took up with this boy. One of the guys on our team bought him an ice cream. His mom thought he was bothering us and told him to move but I told her he was fine.  I sat as a bystander to see God allowing us to love on this little boy and as a consequence his mother. There wasn't much time to share Jesus with them but I know when we left that mother knew there was something different about those people in the yellow hats. Those parents followed the leading of the Holy Spirit when they brought their children. And it was no accident that they were left by the van they originally rode in.  God had what I can only describe as a Divine Appointment planned for us today. It was nothing we orchestrated. It was purely His guidance. 

The lesson I learned today: it's important to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit so you do not miss those Divine Appointments. But it's ok to have some fun and even tear stuff up in the process!

Why I'm doing disaster relief

A month ago I watched through social media as Louisiana was hit with terrible flooding.  A friend of mine from college and her family, including 3 children, were stranded on the interstate. When they finally got to safety and then home again to assess the damage it was a mess. I messaged her asking what she needed. Her reply "I just need bodies. We have everything else." My mind reeled.  I had no idea how I could help but I felt such a burning in my heart to do something.  Then our Pastor announced the Oklahoma Disaster Relief was being called out.  Our church would take a crew. And then the kicker. They were letting untrained volunteers go on this trip.  I could barely listen to the rest of the sermon because I knew I wanted to go (sorry Pastor!). As soon as the service was over I looked at Hubby and said "I want to go." Hubby looked at me and said "really?" 

You see I'm a youth pastor's wife. I'm a mom to three terrific kids. I work full time.  I have all these balls I'm juggling so I don't usually get to go on trips.  I stay home and juggle. It has been a decade since I have gone on a mission trip without children.  Which is ironic because it was on a mission trip that God spoke to my heart and called me into ministry. 

So this past weekend I did all the laundry and laid out clothes for the kids all week. Even picture day. Yes, you read that right. Picture Day at school is this week. I helped Hubby think about meals. And this morning at 6:30 AM I loaded into a truck and drove 9 hours to Baton Rouge, La.  

I'm hoping to blog throughout the week about the work here so stay tuned!

You Might Be The Youth Pastor's Kid If......

1- You know where the church secretary hides all the good snacks.

2- The pastor teaches you to throw rocks at church camp.

3- You're the only one to get 12 hours of sleep at youth camp.

4- You can fall asleep despite the rocking worship band playing.

5- You have "church camp sheets" that only get used once a year.

6- You hear your parents talking about camp and you wonder what cousin you get to spend a week with this year.

7- You are potty trained at youth camp.

8- You're first "real" concert is to see Toby Mac.

9- You can sing along to all the songs on the Christian radio station but have no idea the lyrics to the songs you're friends are singing.

10- You know all the VBS songs weeks before VBS.

My 20th High School Reunion

I travelled 400 miles to go to my 20th high school reunion this past weekend. 20 years ago I couldn't wait to graduate and move far away from these people. I've been looking forward to going back and reconnecting for weeks.  How time changes things.

This was not just a high school reunion. It was a reunion of my childhood. I grew up in a one redlight town in the 80's and 90's. We had 43 people in our graduating class and most of use had known each other since 1st  grade. We grew up together. We had slumber parties together. These are the people we talked about our first kisses with. We were cheerleaders together and went to band camp together. As a youth minister's wife I spend a lot of time with teenagers. I listen to a LOT of teenage girl drama. This weekend I smiled, hugged and laughed with lots of those who caused MY teenage girl drama.

Time changes things. Marriage, babies, tradegy changes things. I looked around and didn't see an extra 20 pounds here or extra wrinkles under the eyes there.  I saw the bright faced 18 year olds that used to be.  I saw dreams that worked out and some that didn't. We laughed together because the music was too loud and we were "out past our bedtimes".  We stood in the middle of Main Street for our class picture. The same Main Street that we rode down in floats in the Christmas parade and marched down in the Homecoming parade.

I had a terrific time! These were the friends of my youth. They shaped who I was for better or worse and helped to catapult me into the woman I have become.  It was great to catch up.

There was no pretense or pretending or trying to be better than someone else.  I am who I am and that's it. And even though 20 years ago I didn't feel like that was enough this time it was.

Why Legoland is the safest place in Dallas

Two weeks ago when we went to Dallas for a short vacation we spent a morning at Legoland. First up  let me tell you I thought it was a little overpriced. It was $90 when I paid for 4 of us and we probably stayed 3-4 hours. For that much I want something to keep me occupied all day. (To be fair we did not take advantage of the outside water play because I just did not want to take the time to undress and redress 3 children into water gear and then back again)

The two best parts of the place were the 4D movie and the Kingdom Quest Laser Ride.  The laser ride cart was built for 5 ( seriously how many attractions can seat a 5 person family all together and everybody gets their own laser gun?) it was great because the 2 year old could operate his own laser gun and thought he was big. The 4D movie was entertaining and short enough to keep even the 2 year old's attention.

There were lots of places to build Legos and see how they work and lots of already built scenes. One of the places my bigger kids wanted to play was the play land with slides, nets, stairs and giant foam Gate is serious. At the entrance to the play land there was a lady, an employee, standing guard. She made sure each child met the required height and she made sure there was a parent present before a child was released. This was GREAT! I knew my children were going no where until I showed up (I never left I was almost constantly trying to track them through the playland). Then there was the tweenager. The exchange went something like this:

Girl: my mom and dad are over there ( indicates somewhere in the crowd around the corner near the cafe)

Keeper of the Gate ( KG): well I can't let you out if they're not here

Girl: I'm just going to walk over there

KG: I can't let you out if they are not here. Please step to the side to these others can get out.

Girl (stomps to the side, crosses her arms, rolls her eyes): I am not a baby! I am 10 years old!
Me: giggles off to the side
KG: I will call my manager and she will take you to your parents. Please put your arms down to your sides.
Me: Those are my kids.(motions to my kids waiting patiently behind Attitude Girl) And thank you for not letting them out without me here. I know they will not be abducted.
KG: (motions at Ms Attitude) See what I have to deal with here?

Just for the record I did see Ms Attitude with her parents a short while later so she was not trapped forever in the playland. BUT, the rigidity with which the Keeper of the Gate guarded those children ensured safety.

So in the end Legoland may be overpriced but the safety factor is pretty high.