Monthly Archives: January 2015

Daniel, Project 365

Coming Home

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Kathy and I had the opportunity to attend a prayer conference for a few days in Oregon. Today, the conference ended and we headed home, somewhat dreading AWANA. It is always hard to muster the energy needed for AWANA, and even more-so when we’ve been traveling home from a conference.

Fortunately for me, my awesome assistant Beckie had everything in hand — she had printed all the scripts, and gathered the props, and generally took charge. Jared and I (Jared is my other assistant, who had also attended the prayer conference) were able to let her mostly just run things, which was lovely.

Sometimes, when we are away, Kathy dreads coming home, especially if the house wasn’t very tidy when we left. When we were about an hour from home, she got a text from Daniel.

Daniel made himself a milkshake, and then thoroughly enjoyed it.

Daniel really knows how to enjoy a milkshake.

“How long until you’re home,” he asked.

We spent several miles speculating about why he would ask this question.

“He’s probably thinking about hiding the evidence of the naughty things he did while we were gone,” I said, rather snidely.

“Or maybe there are some bodies that need to be disposed of,” Kathy rejoined. We laughed nervously.

As it turns out, he was cleaning the house, and wanted to know if he had time for a few last-minute touches. We walked into a house that was all tidied-up. He didn’t answer the door, when we first got home, because he was upstairs, vacuuming Sarah’s room.

Daniel has always been the best at cleaning the kitchen until it gleams.

Daniel has always been the best at cleaning the kitchen until it gleams.

I was very impressed, and Kathy was very thankful. It was so nice to be able to relax for an hour before heading off to AWANA. Thank you, Daniel!

Even the blankets and cushions on the couch were all put away carefully.

Even the blankets and cushions on the couch were all put away carefully.

Project 365, Day 21
Tim

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Being a Disciple of Jesus, David, Project 365, Sarah

Conference & Journaling & Kids

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We’ve been very blessed to bring David and Sarah with us to this year’s Impact Prayer Seminar. Originally we were going to leave them with friends or grandparents, but things got complicated and other families attending encouraged us to sign David and Sarah up for the conference.

These notebooks are getting FILLED up!

These notebooks are getting FILLED up!

I can only echo what John wrote in 3 John 1:4,

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

What a joy it is to have shared this conference with all of our children over the years. As I sat with David and Sarah in the sanctuary, watching them take notes, listen to the speaker, and concentrate, I was reminded, once again, how blessed we are to have such thoughtful, careful, godly children.

Tim and I have attended this prayer conference many times over the past eight years, so we were more than willing to let David and Sarah be responsible for the note taking job this time. The material ranges from goal setting and time management to the incredible blessings of being a praying leader. This year we’ve especially enjoyed the company of several other church friends and families.

A little search of our blog reveals that we’ve written about the prayer seminar before:

The Lord has taught me many things as I’ve walked this path of godly woman, daughter, wife, mother, sister, friend, mentor, leader, homeschooler. He has greatly enriched my prayer life, humbled me through hardship, blessed me beyond measure, and ALWAYS continues to work in my heart and life.

Journaling with colors is WAY more fun!

Journaling with colors is WAY more fun!

I am still processing, thinking and praying about all we’ve studied and discussed and learned during the two and a half days of the conference. 16 hours of teaching on prayer! More than anything I want to be a Champion for Jesus – honoring Him in my service for His kingdom. I want to delight in Him, bring glory & praise to His name, and be purposeful in my days. This seminar has both challenged me and inspired me. Not to mention, been a bit overwhelming as I contemplate being a good steward of all the Lord has given me – my time, energy, finances, gifts, and talents.

Praying that Tim and I, along with David and Sarah, will leave here with renewed passion for following Jesus. Praying that Joshua, Rachel and Daniel will also find encouragement and a fresh love for Jesus even though they weren’t able to join us.

Project 365 – Day 20
Kathy

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Project 365

Prayer Conference

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We are enjoying the Prayer Conference (I think now they call it the Impact Prayer Seminar) at Jefferson Baptist Church. Today we had three sessions and then a dinner afterwards — delicious steak and potatoes and rolls and green beans. The church here really rolls out the red carpet for the 200-odd (in some cases very odd) pastors and lay-leaders in attendance.

We have attended this conference at least three times before (maybe four) — but there is so much information to absorb, and it is great to get a refresher course every two years or so.

Pastor Duke taught on goals for one of the sessions today -- always good to be encouraged in that area.

Pastor Duke taught on goals for one of the sessions today — always good to be encouraged in that area.

The conference includes about 16 hours of teaching from Pastor Duke, but he mixes it up with lots of fun illustrations, and is very easy to listen to. Usually by Tuesday night our brains are bursting, and we just want to go back to the hotel and veg-out.

We usually don't bring our kids to this seminar until they are 15, but David and Sarah are both very mature.

We usually don’t bring our kids to this seminar until they are 15, but David and Sarah are both very mature.

This year Daniel stayed home (he has school on Tuesday and Wednesday) so hopefully he is taking good care of the cats, and vice-versa. I’m sure we’ll come back all fired-up with new passion and enthusiasm for bearing much fruit for God’s Kingdom!

Project 365, Day 19
Tim

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Project 365, Tim

Tim the Handy Man

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Although I have several skills and abilities, home maintenance and wood-working are not among them. I have a certain anti-genius when it comes to projects around the house.

I'm hoping that David is not like me in this regard.

I’m hoping that David is not like me in this regard.

Whenever I forget who I am, and attempt a household project, it usually follows a certain pattern:

1) I identify the problem and purchase the necessary supplies.
2) Several months go by. (Although some might credit my natural laziness, there is another explanation.)
3) Kathy makes occasional remarks about how nice it is that I have the supplies for the project.
4) I spend a half-hour rounding up the tools I will need. Kathy helpfully points me to the supplies that have been cluttering up her living room for the past 8 weeks.
5) Cautiously, I begin the project.
6) Something goes wrong. Something always goes wrong.
7) In an attempt to fix whatever goes wrong, I damage the thing I’m trying to fix, and I usually waste about 1/3 of the supplies I purchased.
8) I begin to casually speculate about whether I could burn the house down, and make it look like an accident.
9) I spend several hours trying to get back to where we were, before I started this ill-fated project.
10) I go out and purchase more supplies.
11) I eventually cobble together a solution that mostly addresses whatever went badly wrong.
12) I finish the project, which usually looks like a demented four-year-old has savaged it with a reciprocating saw.
13) I vow to never again get sucked into a home maintenance project.

You can see why (2) above usually lasts several months. It takes me a good while to forget how inept I am.

As it turns out, when you force a caster-sleeve into a hole that is too small, things start to go badly wrong.

As it turns out, when you force a caster-sleeve into a hole that is too small, things start to go badly wrong.

Today, I must’ve had a fever, because I attempted three projects, and finished two of them. Although the first project didn’t really accomplish anything, we got off pretty lightly ($16 in supplies, and no permanent damage). The second project was a smashing success, if you don’t mind that the blinds I installed aren’t the same color as the ones to the left or right of it. And so far, there have been no serious losses in the third project.

I was trying to put new casters on Kathy's computer chair, to make it higher (and so it would roll more easily). Neither objective was achieved.

I was trying to put new casters on Kathy’s computer chair, to make it higher (and so it would roll more easily). Neither objective was achieved.

Never mind that we’ve been without a window blind for 18 months.

Just don't look too closely at the color of this blind.

Just don’t look too closely at the color of this blind.

I’m telling you, I am a brilliant anti-genius among handymen. Want me to come over and work on your place?

Project 365, Day 18
Tim

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Holidays, Project 365

Holding on to Christmas

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When January comes, and everyone goes back to work or school, there is a tendency to move on from Christmas. Trees and wreaths dry up and begin to lose their needles; you need to clear them out if you don’t want pine needles to be still turning up in your carpet when your grandchildren have grandchildren.

Some people feel like they can’t really get started with the new year (with its new resolutions, diets, and fresh starts) if they leave all the Christmas decorations hanging around until Valentines’ Day. So pretty much every house on our street has taken down (or at least turned off) their Christmas lights.

Every house except ours.

You can see Daniel and David on the porch, if you squint, and use your imagination.

You can see Daniel and David on the porch, if you squint, and use your imagination.

Well, actually, there are two other houses on our street that still have lights. One is right next door, which makes me smile. Maybe houses are like people, and they prefer not to stand alone against social pressure.

Even the garage is festooned with lights and bows.

Even the garage is festooned with lights and bows.

This year, Kathy went all-out in lighting the porch and the bushes. She picked up a few of those pretty star-lights at a garage sale this past summer, and I think the house looked very festive. So I am feeling a bit stubborn about allowing the lights to be taken down — after all, who says you have to stop celebrating Christmas in January?

I really like the red bows and the star lights.

I really like the red bows and the star lights.

We have a fake tree (which makes Joshua sad), so we don’t even have to worry about the needles. There is something about coming down the stairs in the dark of the morning, and seeing the lights shining on the tree, with all our red, blue and gold decorations gleaming happily — it warms a deep, quiet place in my heart that remembers all those Christmas trees of past Christmases.

I think many of us wish we could recapture the special way we felt about Christmas when we were young children, and we’re always disappointed that we cannot ever really experience the full range of that innocent wonder. I suppose we can’t feel that way anymore because we are jaded by disappointments and the slow attrition of the years on our souls. Having a Christmas tree shine a few extra days (or weeks) is my way of resisting that hardening of the heart. And yes, I’m still listening to Christmas carols on Pandora as I write this blog post.

Sooner or later, Kathy’s love for variety will kick in, and she’ll insist we take down the tree and the outside lights. But until then, Christmas still reigns.

It may be a fake tree, but I still love it.

It may be a fake tree, but I still love it.

One of my favorite Christmas movies is A Christmas Carol (I prefer the version with Patrick Stewart, but I don’t mind watching any of the other six renditions that we have). I have always aspired to be like Ebenezer Scrooge in his redeemed form, and this quote about him is what I would like people to think or say about me:

His own heart laughed and that was quite enough for him. And it was always said of him that he knew how to keep Christmas well if any man alive possessed the knowledge.

Project 365, Day 17
Tim

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