Just a small update today. Brodie woke at 5:30am this morning and was burning up with a fever of 101. He's been fine today and has no other symptoms, just can't kick the fever. It's ranging from around 100 to 103. Say a prayer our little man gets feeling better soon. Thanks.
So Tommy has been in Austin, Texas for a Church Planters Conference with ELI since Saturday. I know he has learned a lot and enjoyed being with some awesome christians and leaders but is also looking forward to coming home. Brodie and I are getting ready to head to the airport to pick him up. We Missed You Daddy!!! :)
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Vegas #1!
Hey! Dont have much time to blog right now, but here are a few pics from our trip. I promise to do more sooon!
This is one of my favorite ones. I love the lights of the strip in the background night. We were actually on top of the parking garage at the Bellagio, watching some of the water show that was below.
These couple pics were taken on the old strip downtown, Freemont St.
Then the M&M World! Loved it :). You can see the wall of "m & m's". Of course we got Brodie "blue M&M's" :). This place was 4 levels!
Ok, so not a great pic...but this is Vegas. It is surrounded by mountains. More to come later!...
This is one of my favorite ones. I love the lights of the strip in the background night. We were actually on top of the parking garage at the Bellagio, watching some of the water show that was below. These couple pics were taken on the old strip downtown, Freemont St.So..we went to the Coke place. Jen encouraged Tommy to "experience" the tasting of "16 cokes from around the world". You can tell by our faces...most of them were gross! It amazed us that they drink these drinks in their country like we drink "coke" in ours. Ew. Anyway, it was a fun experience.
Then the M&M World! Loved it :). You can see the wall of "m & m's". Of course we got Brodie "blue M&M's" :). This place was 4 levels!
Ok, so not a great pic...but this is Vegas. It is surrounded by mountains. More to come later!...Monday, February 23, 2009
Broken...
Ok...so I blogged and told you how Vegas started for me. Now I'll share with you about some life experience. On November 4, 2008 I was 17 weeks pregnant with our 2nd child. I went in for a regular visit only to find that they could no longer find the heartbeat of my baby. I think my heart stopped in that moment. Actually, I think it shattered. It was a pain I could never have imagined...and will never get over. This baby was already a part of our life, our dreams, our home. Gone in an instant...not a thing you can do to make it better or to go back and change it. Wishing you could wake up from this bad dream and go back to things as you remembered them the day before. Tommy and I held each other and cried...for days. We coped the best we knew how. We had so many emotions and so many questions. In times like these we want to blame God or question why...but we found that ultimately..He was the only place we found real comfort. To experience His peace...not that everything will be perfect...but that He will help us make it through it. I had to finally come to a point to say, ok...we experienced this...we would never choose it..but it happened...now what? So, how can God use it? For one, our marriage. We thought our marriage was good...even great. This experience took our marriage to another level, it bonded us like nothing ever before. Maybe this was part of the preparation for Vegas? Wow...to use it to help other people. God has already used this to allow us to help other people. To experience the brokeness and pain on that level. It's definately something you can never imagine, having never been there. So maybe how could we help people who are there if we had never been there? So one of the reasons we were going to Vegas was to help the hurting and broken people there...and now...we know what it feels like to be there. Although, we have Christ as our comfort and anchor. I can't imagine going through life or experiences without Him. So although it has been 3 months and 19 days, we are continuing to heal. As Tommy helped explain it...it is an open raw wound at first, then begins to scab over and eventually scars over. It will always be there and always be at a tender spot in our life. Sometimes the scab is ripped off and the wound reopens, but I pray that God will continue to use it to help others who are wounded and scarred.
Monday, February 9, 2009
A Call to Endure...
So my brother Christian wrote this and I thought he was right on, so I stole it and thought I'd share it here with you.
Where’s your breaking point? Everyone has one...regardless of who you are. It’s that place where life becomes too much to handle. It’s that time when your circumstances encompass you and it becomes hard to breathe. It’s how you feel when you feel betrayed by everything you’ve ever known and you have no place to turn. The point in life, where you give in to the pressures of this world and your eyes swell with tears that you can’t seem to hold in any longer. The flood gates give way and everything comes crashing down on you. The front comes down…the walls you build tumbles to the floor… the happy, go lucky face you put on every morning suddenly seems pointless and not worthy of effort. It’s harder to get out of bed and your day seems to be filled with that one consuming thought that you can’t seem to get past. Your world collapses. Everything you’ve held on to suddenly vanishes with the blink of an eye. Your Identity is gone. You come to question everything. Everything you thought you knew and had figured out suddenly becomes a twisted ball of confusion and unanswered questions. This place you’ve come to…this moment in time…it’s come to be known as your breaking point.
Being that my childhood, consisted of blast doubles and Granby rolls, all I’ve ever known and been taught is that your body can handle much more than your mind allows. Pain, sweat, and tears are all apart of reaching your goals (in life and sports). To overcome these circumstances, that seem to testify against all that is good and pleasing, we must endure. We are called to endure. Regardless of the current trendy pop song lyrics or the cliché, life is not about rainbows and butterflies. Don’t get me wrong, good times and God’s creation contains indescribable joy and enticement that my words could never serve justice in attempts to describe. But, during these desert times…we are called to persevere. Paul encourages the Romans to actually rejoice in these times, in times of suffering and utter despair. Wow…that’s intense. He writes, “We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us…” (Romans 5:2b-4).
Now, the question is: Why is it so hard for us to grasp the truth of these words? Our nature tells us the exact opposite of this statement. At the first site of pain or discomfort, we flee. We take off sprinting in the opposite direction, instead of rely on His peace and strength, which is more than enough and surpasses all understanding. However, Paul teaches us to endure these times because they make us stronger and prepare us for what lies ahead. It is a Call. A Call to Endure. We are Called to Endure hard times, times of utter despair and suffering, by rely not on our own strength, but His. I pray that I grow to fully understand this concept and that I endure (no matter the situation or circumstances), just as Christ endured on the Cross by taking on the sins of the world, because my Identity is in ChristOneLove. OneGod. OneWay.
Where’s your breaking point? Everyone has one...regardless of who you are. It’s that place where life becomes too much to handle. It’s that time when your circumstances encompass you and it becomes hard to breathe. It’s how you feel when you feel betrayed by everything you’ve ever known and you have no place to turn. The point in life, where you give in to the pressures of this world and your eyes swell with tears that you can’t seem to hold in any longer. The flood gates give way and everything comes crashing down on you. The front comes down…the walls you build tumbles to the floor… the happy, go lucky face you put on every morning suddenly seems pointless and not worthy of effort. It’s harder to get out of bed and your day seems to be filled with that one consuming thought that you can’t seem to get past. Your world collapses. Everything you’ve held on to suddenly vanishes with the blink of an eye. Your Identity is gone. You come to question everything. Everything you thought you knew and had figured out suddenly becomes a twisted ball of confusion and unanswered questions. This place you’ve come to…this moment in time…it’s come to be known as your breaking point.
Being that my childhood, consisted of blast doubles and Granby rolls, all I’ve ever known and been taught is that your body can handle much more than your mind allows. Pain, sweat, and tears are all apart of reaching your goals (in life and sports). To overcome these circumstances, that seem to testify against all that is good and pleasing, we must endure. We are called to endure. Regardless of the current trendy pop song lyrics or the cliché, life is not about rainbows and butterflies. Don’t get me wrong, good times and God’s creation contains indescribable joy and enticement that my words could never serve justice in attempts to describe. But, during these desert times…we are called to persevere. Paul encourages the Romans to actually rejoice in these times, in times of suffering and utter despair. Wow…that’s intense. He writes, “We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us…” (Romans 5:2b-4).
Now, the question is: Why is it so hard for us to grasp the truth of these words? Our nature tells us the exact opposite of this statement. At the first site of pain or discomfort, we flee. We take off sprinting in the opposite direction, instead of rely on His peace and strength, which is more than enough and surpasses all understanding. However, Paul teaches us to endure these times because they make us stronger and prepare us for what lies ahead. It is a Call. A Call to Endure. We are Called to Endure hard times, times of utter despair and suffering, by rely not on our own strength, but His. I pray that I grow to fully understand this concept and that I endure (no matter the situation or circumstances), just as Christ endured on the Cross by taking on the sins of the world, because my Identity is in ChristOneLove. OneGod. OneWay.
Sometimes we need reminders...
"Surely I am with you always" Matthew 28:20
"Never look ahead to the changes and challenges of this life in fear. Instead, as they arise look at them with full assurance that God, whose you are, will deliver you out of them. Hasn't He kept you safe up to now? So hold His loving hand tightly, and He will lead you safely through all things. And when you cannot stand, He will carry you in His arms.
Do not look ahead to what may happen tomorrow. The same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering or He will give you His unwavering strength that you may bear it. Be at peace, then, and set aside all anxious thoughts and worries." Francis de Sales
"The Lord is my shepherd" Psalm 23:1
Not was, not may be, nor will be. "The Lord is my shepherd." He is on Sunday, on Monday, and through evey day of the week. He is in January, in December, and every month of the year. He is when I'm at home and in China. He is during peace or war, and in times of abuncance or poverty. J.Hudson Taylor
(excerpt from Streams in the Desert by L.B.Cowman)
"Never look ahead to the changes and challenges of this life in fear. Instead, as they arise look at them with full assurance that God, whose you are, will deliver you out of them. Hasn't He kept you safe up to now? So hold His loving hand tightly, and He will lead you safely through all things. And when you cannot stand, He will carry you in His arms.
Do not look ahead to what may happen tomorrow. The same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering or He will give you His unwavering strength that you may bear it. Be at peace, then, and set aside all anxious thoughts and worries." Francis de Sales
"The Lord is my shepherd" Psalm 23:1
Not was, not may be, nor will be. "The Lord is my shepherd." He is on Sunday, on Monday, and through evey day of the week. He is in January, in December, and every month of the year. He is when I'm at home and in China. He is during peace or war, and in times of abuncance or poverty. J.Hudson Taylor
(excerpt from Streams in the Desert by L.B.Cowman)
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Vegas...where it all started for me...
I'm going to share a little bit of my heart with you and "why Vegas."
I can remember...we received the letter stating that Vince was going to be leaving Forefront and going to start a church on the strip. I thought "man that stinks, I liked them...but that's cool for them to go do that." For a second Tommy joked "maybe we could go with him". "Yeah right...God would never call us to do that" I thought. A few days later I read this...
(Below is an excerpt from our pastor, Vince Antonucci's blog for July 25th 2008)...
"...the Strip might be the most difficult place to start a church. Period. But it also may be the place with the greatest need. About 25 casinos dominate the four mile stretch of road called the Strip. About 300,000 people work on the Strip. Many of them are not only sinners, but their entire lives, even their livelihoods, are wrapped up in sin. Everywhere you go on the Strip there are offers for “Girls in your room in 20 minutes.” There are 10,000 strippers who call Vegas home. The area has the highest crime and suicide rates in the country. One author called the Strip, “a modern amalgamation of Sodom, Gomorrrah and Hell.” Later an area pastor (who knows me and believes me) said he couldn’t imagine how you could build a church over 15 people there. Another told me that starting a church there was a “suicide mission.” So why go against those odds? Well, two reasons. One, as the guy said on the phone, “Someone’s got to try it.” And, second, I recently preached on David vs. Goliath. And we talked about how while the other Israelite soldiers saw how big Goliath was, David could only see how big his God was. And while the other Israelite soldiers thought, “He’s so big, how could I win?” David thought, “He’s so big, how can I miss?” And how facing Goliath forces you to rely on God and see His power at work in your life. Yeah, that’s the second reason."
God stirred my heart and this brought me to tears...tears for the broken and hurting people and tears of acknowleding that God was going to use us to help. The sin, the hurt, the brokeness, the lost, on and on. Someone had to go. So..the next day or so we are driving to our small group and Tommy says "will you pray about going to Vegas" (he has no idea that I had even had the slightest thought or reaction to Vegas). I told him I had been praying about it(which of course surprised him...but I also knew God was telling us to go). So on the way to group that night we discussed why Vince or anyone would go to Vegas....it came down to, because that's where Jesus would go..today. So we got to group and our discussion was same conversation that we had in the car....Tommy and I looked at each other ...and just knew that it was God. So that night we asked Vince and our group to pray for us about going to Vegas. I was hoping I could talk God out of it, honestly..or that He would change His mind. So, anyway, over and over He has confirmed it to us....GO..people there need you. We know they don't need us...they need HIM. We are honored and priviledged that God might be able to use someone like us...that we can be a small part of making the difference in someones eternity.
I can remember...we received the letter stating that Vince was going to be leaving Forefront and going to start a church on the strip. I thought "man that stinks, I liked them...but that's cool for them to go do that." For a second Tommy joked "maybe we could go with him". "Yeah right...God would never call us to do that" I thought. A few days later I read this...
(Below is an excerpt from our pastor, Vince Antonucci's blog for July 25th 2008)...
"...the Strip might be the most difficult place to start a church. Period. But it also may be the place with the greatest need. About 25 casinos dominate the four mile stretch of road called the Strip. About 300,000 people work on the Strip. Many of them are not only sinners, but their entire lives, even their livelihoods, are wrapped up in sin. Everywhere you go on the Strip there are offers for “Girls in your room in 20 minutes.” There are 10,000 strippers who call Vegas home. The area has the highest crime and suicide rates in the country. One author called the Strip, “a modern amalgamation of Sodom, Gomorrrah and Hell.” Later an area pastor (who knows me and believes me) said he couldn’t imagine how you could build a church over 15 people there. Another told me that starting a church there was a “suicide mission.” So why go against those odds? Well, two reasons. One, as the guy said on the phone, “Someone’s got to try it.” And, second, I recently preached on David vs. Goliath. And we talked about how while the other Israelite soldiers saw how big Goliath was, David could only see how big his God was. And while the other Israelite soldiers thought, “He’s so big, how could I win?” David thought, “He’s so big, how can I miss?” And how facing Goliath forces you to rely on God and see His power at work in your life. Yeah, that’s the second reason."
God stirred my heart and this brought me to tears...tears for the broken and hurting people and tears of acknowleding that God was going to use us to help. The sin, the hurt, the brokeness, the lost, on and on. Someone had to go. So..the next day or so we are driving to our small group and Tommy says "will you pray about going to Vegas" (he has no idea that I had even had the slightest thought or reaction to Vegas). I told him I had been praying about it(which of course surprised him...but I also knew God was telling us to go). So on the way to group that night we discussed why Vince or anyone would go to Vegas....it came down to, because that's where Jesus would go..today. So we got to group and our discussion was same conversation that we had in the car....Tommy and I looked at each other ...and just knew that it was God. So that night we asked Vince and our group to pray for us about going to Vegas. I was hoping I could talk God out of it, honestly..or that He would change His mind. So, anyway, over and over He has confirmed it to us....GO..people there need you. We know they don't need us...they need HIM. We are honored and priviledged that God might be able to use someone like us...that we can be a small part of making the difference in someones eternity.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Viva Las Vegas!!!
Ok, so we leave tomorrow for Vegas. Please be in prayer for all of us as Brodie will be staying home with family and friends. I'm sure we will have lots to share with you when we return. Thanks :)
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