Califoregon Living

One of the little things I do to brighten my boys’ days is to write notes on their bathroom mirror.  They decided to treat me by decorating my own!

Late one afternoon, I got a call from our friend Eric, asking what we were doing that evening.  David had Worship, but the boys and I were free.  He said he had six extra Kings tickets to give away for the game that was three hours away.  I took the tickets and  our friends John and Stacy joined us with their son, ‘G’.

The seats were nosebleed, but ‘A’ shrieked, ‘these are the best seats ever!’  I love his enthusiasm!

The first half of the game was insanely exciting, ending in a tie at 57 all.  But, the Kings could not make their baskets, and the Clippers could during the second half.  They still held their ground though, and I think lost by 8.  I would love for us to go back for some more games.

Stacy and me…

John and Stacy…

This year, we are honoring the Easter season, not just the day.  On Shrove Tuesday (AKA Fat Tuesday/Mardis Gras), tradition is to make pancakes for one of your meals, because it uses all the ‘indulgent’ ingredients, like eggs, milk, and sugar.  The boys made the pancakes while I supervised.

One of the boys friends plays on a baseball league.  They made the championships and we decided to watch ‘M’ play.  They lost he game we watch, but it was double elimination and they ended up winning the final game!

‘M’ dad, Chris, manages the digital scoreboard.  He let the boys take turns and add the scores to the scoreboard.  They loved it!

‘M’ as catcher…

…at bat…

…and after the game!

They made mini nunchucks with twigs and a rubberband…

They made a “costume” for Daddy too!

I just love my big guy.  He definitely is one of the most incredible people I will ever know.  He is a natural leader and with the appropriate guidance, the sky is the limit with what he can accomplish.

Independent, headstrong, self-assured, confident.  That’s just scratching the surface of ‘A’.  The way he processes things is amazing.  Even though he is all boy, insights and assumptions are often well thought through and appropriate for the situation.  In addition, he must always know what is going on with the adults.  Who is calling us on the phone….what conversation we are having…etc.

Here are a few examples that capture a glimpse of this precious person.  These all occurred within a 48 hour period.

1) Lately we have had to deal with the boys slacking on their morning chores.  They get distracted and play, wrestle, or fight instead of doing the tasks they are supposed to do.  I have had to step in and be ‘mean’ mom and stay on them every step of the way.  David took on that role yesterday and it was nice for me to have some reinforcement.

Thursday is the favorite day of the boys’ week.  We spend all afternoon playing at the park with friends, (around 4-5 hours typically).  There are around 10 moms and a bunch of kids.

I decided as a consequence for their attitude toward chores that I would have the kids do their schoolwork at the park during play time.  ‘A’ did not say a word, but his eyes welled up with tears and went back to work.  I went upstairs to check on them a few minutes later and he had a sign taped to his shirt that said, “Please don’t talk to me.  I’m too upset to talk.”

I caved.  He looked so dejected.  I revised and said that if they buckled down and finished their chores, their Bible lesson, and we did the rest of school after dinner with no complaining, they could just play at the park.  Both happily obliged.

A few minutes later, ‘A’ had a different sign on his shirt.  It said, “Please don’t talk to me”.  With the first sign, I was impressed at his creativity, but with this second sign, I’m feeling like he’s playing a bit of a control game.  (Yes, I know, he was playing a control game with the first sign as well….)  So, I asked him what was the deal with the second sign.  He tried to respond using charades, and I told him he had to use his voice.

He responded that he did not want to talk to anyone because then he would be distracted.  He proceeded to tape his own mouth shut to reinforce his commitment to staying on task.

2) While at the park, my friend Leslie said, “I just wanted to share with you what I overheard with your boys.”  She said that ‘A’ and ‘R’ had a little boy with them, not a part of our group.  The boys went up to two women and asked if they knew the two boys that were on the slide.  The ladies said they knew them.  ‘A’ told them that they were picking on the little boy.  One of the ladies said that one of the boys was his brother.  ‘A’ said, “well I just wanted you to know they were picking on him.”

When we were driving home, I told the boys that someone shared with me what they overheard.  ‘A’ said, “Oh yes, I told him I’d give him three strikes or I would tell their moms if they did not stop picking on the little boy.”

One of the boys responded, “well, you don’t know who my mom is…”

‘A’ replied, ‘Strike one…”

3) I joined the boys on the slopes and spent the morning skiing with my honey while the boys were in lessons.  After lunch, we decided to family ski/board together.  David and I took turns with each boy.  At first, I thought that we would just do the bunny slope (like Julia’s chair at Snoqualmie), but the boys assured us that they could do a more advanced run.  Assuming we’d just slowly meander down the run, I took my spot behind ‘A’.  Next thing I know, he is halfway down the hill.  I had to go faster that I was comfortable to catch up to him!  He was then doing these 360 degree twirls.  I was stunned!  I had no idea he was already this good!  7 lessons!!

I overheard a snowboarder say to his friend, “check out that kid; he’s an awesome little boarder.”.  I stopped and said to him, “I can’t believe it.  I had no idea!  He’s only had 7 lessons!”  The guy said, ” well, he’s a natural.  Keep encouraging him.”

‘A’ definitely had his share of spills.  After catching up to him at the bottom of the run, he told me, “Mom, I made some pro-wipeouts on some pro-moves!”

After a few more runs with him, I was physically spent.  I told him I was done, and he said, “OK, mom, I will just do the runs by myself.”

Um….no….you are going to wait for Dad.

High confidence is great, but he still needs work on discretion.  On one run, we all decided to try a different chair.  The run was another blue run like the one we had been on all day.  We made a plan and started down.  At a fork, where we all should have stopped, ‘A’ kept going onto an ungroomed run and ‘R’ followed along.  They were too far for us to get onto the groomed run, so David and I had to commit to the ungroomed run.

The boys did fine, but David and I endured many falls and slowly side-stepped down the hill.  ‘A’ got a stern talking to for not using good judgment.  A lesson was learned by all.

I treasure this kid and look forward to how God shapes him and his purpose here on earth.

I serve as the retreat coordinator for a wonderful ministry and family, Reb and Bev Bradley, of Family Ministries.  We recently had a Women’s Retreat, titled, ‘Falling in Love with God’.  About 50 women spent a weekend immersed in singing the hymns, and either being reminded of, or learning for the first time, God’s love for them.

The retreat team leadership is comprised of twelve women who exhibit different skill sets and talents.  Michelle is the decor queen.  She always transforms the rooms into something beautiful and special.  This year, she used birds, branches, and music sheets to tie in the focus on Worship and song…

This is Linda, managing the registration table.  The branches contains prayer tags.  On each tag is the name of a women attending the retreat.  Each woman picks a name and that is the woman she will pray for over the year…

Bev had these little Victorian style ceramic boxes that she gifted to everyone, along with a personal note from her.

A few of the teens that attended the retreat made these stars out of song sheets.  Each woman took one home with her.

Setting up the main room.  Each chair had a blank tote bag.  Inside the bag was a folder with a welcome letter, shcedule, and a pen.  There was also a Family Ministries catalog, and a bottle of water…

A craft table was to be set up with items to decorate the tote bag with.  I just took a stencil and pen and did this on mine…

My friend, Stacy, is in charge of the icebreaker and Friday night Karaoke!

I love this picture…united in sisterhood and friendship in Christ.

There was a lot of sharing.  Marci, our hike leader, shared this heart rock she found, as well as sharing breaking free from a stronghold she had for a long time.  God is amazing!

As the retreat coordinator, I tend to all the logistics.  This makes it a different experience for me as it does the typical attendee.  Regardless, God worked out some mighty things in me during this weekend.  The process just extended a little longer into the week.

Here are some the points of impact from Bev’s sessions…

-Trusting in Jesus, recognize that it’s going to get dark.  How can we trust if we are never placed in a situation that requires us to trust in Him?  God is God.  It’s going to be hard.  He will provide.

-What do you have to lose not saying ‘yes’ to Him?

-You were created to be amazed by Him.  I believe this 100%.  We were made for Him, to adore Him, to be amazed by Him.

-Don’t seek answers; seek Him.  I recently read a quote by Graham Cooke that was similar, like ‘Don’t seek God’s will; just seek God.”  This is so true!  If we stop worrying and stressing over what His will is for us or seeking specific answers, and we focus on Him and our relationship with Him, we can trust the He will provide and guide on His terms, in His timing.

-You can’t (fully) love someone you don’t trust.  You can’t (fully) love someone who isn’t safe.  

-The greatest enemy of love is self.

John 10:4 “When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”  (I think if I were to pick the one verse that Bev would want to make sure everyone knew and applied, it would be this one.  We need to know our Shepherd’s voice.  We need to know Jesus’s voice.   Then, we would know if what we hear is not from Him, but from a stranger, and flee…)

John 4:10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”  (This is when Jesus met the woman at the well.  There is such richness in this whole conversation with her.  It is a whole sermon in and of itself.)

Ephesians 3

Psalm 34

Psalm 42:1-2 “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.  When can I go and meet with God?”

Song of Solomon 1:8 “If you do not know, most beautiful of women,  follow the tracks of the sheep and graze your young goats by the tents of the shepherds.” (We need to follow the tracks of those who have walked with the Lord; in trial and in triumph.)

Martin Luther: “When I cannot pray, I always sing”

1 Chronicles 16:34 “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.”

Lamentations 3:22 “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.” (Bev said that the Hebrew word for ‘compassion’ is a verb.  It means ‘to touch with mercy’.)

Psalm 143:8 “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.”

DO NOT CLAIM YOUR WEAKNESS AS YOUR IDENTITY!  Do not walk one more day crippled by a bad identity.  God is worthy of your trust.  Weakness came to you so His strength is to be manifest.

Psalm 32:8-9  “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.”

Psalm 139  Read the whole Psalm.  Note:  There needs to be dark.

Pray for faith to trust Him more.

Do not consider them trials.  Consider them bridges.

Psalm 149:1 “Praise the LORD. Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of his faithful people.”

Ephesians 3:16 “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,”

Only God has both power and authority.

Love is something that can be taught.  We can learn through the Holy Spirit to be affectionate toward others.

Love suffers.  When we love, we take down our protection and become vulnerable.

Psalm 95:6-7 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God  and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear his voice,

Psalm 63

Ephesians 1:18  “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,”

Psalm 59:16 “But I will sing of your strength,  in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.”

John 16

Psalm 31:9 “Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am in distress;  my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief.”

The first step in recognizing the gospel is the dependency on Christ.

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The area where the Holy Spirit worked with me….

• Connecting with and focusing on the person standing before me.  Stay in the present and not get distracted over the mental ‘to do’ list.  Trusting God to choreograph the weekend and not me.

A fantastic end to a fantastic weekend…

My good friend and  retreat roomie, Crystal, rode with me to the retreat and joined me for lunch in Nevada City after.  She gave me a few cues that made me think she might be pregnant, so I suggested she get tested before she got home.  She was game, so we stopped at a grocery store in Grass Valley.  I picked an expensive test, but she said to pick a cheap one.  So, I pulled a cheap one and she took the test.  She called me into the restroom and we thought it might have been positive, but it was hard to tell.  So, I went back and bought her the expensive one; the one that actually spells out the words (not)pregnant.  We picked up a Large 7up, and drove to Loomis, where she took another test in the Taco Bell.  She’s PREGNANT!  When I dropped her off at her home, her husband was there and she shared the news with him.  It was sweet of her to include me in this special announcement.