An interesting day and an update

Yesterday was a interesting day on many fronts. It capped off a crazy busy week with a visit to Mom and Dad's to see the Slussers. Haven't seen them since the summer and won't see them until Thanksgiving so I drove up for a quick few hours of hugs and talks about God's work in our lives. I loaded some cute pictures of the girls in their fairy costumes and the interesting skies on the way home.

Then we were off to the EIP Company Party. I wish I could say it was okay and leave it with that. Bob and I had a challenging evening. And since I know this is not a place to air out dirty laundry, I'll say that we were both challenged in our areas of weaknesses and neither did very well. I was very angry and hurt and disappointed and was kind of at my wit's end about what to do when we arrived home. So I did the only thing that makes sense when you are out of human answers - face down in prayer. Thanks to our study on the Psalms, that was the end God led me to because I was at my own end. Thank you Lord for putting that answer in my stubborn head. And after a long time of prayer, God gave me two things. First, my carpet is a train wreck. Under every peice of furniture was a heap of animal fur. "God gave you that??" you might ask?? Yep. My back was spasming and I couldn't lay flat and I noticed that it had been a LONG time since I moved the furniture. And then I laughed out loud. I was angry with Bob over something that God was working on me with THAT VERY WEEK - doing things that you didn't want to do and not griping or complaining in any way about them because you were doing them out of love for each other and our God. And I'm still not there. Why did I expect that he would be....?? And the second thing was that if there was going to be a change, it wasn't going to be in me lecturing. It was going to be God that does any changing.

And today, Tommy preached words for both of us straight from the heart of the Father. Dirty Little Secrets series part 2 - Fairy Tales are for Children not our Love Life. Amen. Marriage is hard and we stink at it most of the time because we're selfish. So I am so relieved that we are working together on this with Christ in the middle. This way, we actually have a shot at a happily ever after .....:)

On another happy note, Bob's dad is doing better as far as the short term issues that they were dealing with last weekend. They will continue to need constant prayer but God brought a bushel of good out of some very tough things this week and Bob and I are absolutely not alone in seeing that He's hard at work. After some rought times with the Clacks and Masterinos over the years, I can honestly say that He has healed all of us and there is more love for them than I ever thought was possible again.

Answered Prayer

Without going into too much detail out of respect for other's privacy, Bob's family is going through a terrible time with his diagnosis of Alzheimer's. Some very traumatic events occured this weekend that were pretty shattering to everyone in the family. And again - as with so many events of late - prayers went up from our church family, from my family, from friends, probably from some strangers. And God heard our cry. We went up to see the family this evening and SOOOO many things transpired that showed that God was there. His dad is still struggling - they all are. But there was a peace there that was inexplicable given the circumstances. He is relatively okay and things seem okay for the time being. Bob related to me that he's spent a good deal of time thanking God for things lately. An email circulated twice to him about an angel that stands at heaven's gate who's job is simply thank you delivery. Funny - I haven't seen it once :) But it has spurred him to really make a point of thanking God. And he thanked Him a big one this morning.

Father - Thank you for the prayers you answered and for opening our eyes to see that this was your orchestration. Your love for us is so overwhelming and I bet we miss it far more often than we catch it. Please help us to see so we can glorify you the way you so heartily deserve. In the name of the Prince of all Peace. Amen

Iron City Church turns 1!

ICC turned one this weekend and it was an emotional day for me. My life is so different because God brought this church a block down the road from us.

Check out the pictures - double click for the captions.

But as always, He gave us the perfect illustration of the value that His church brings to the world. It isn't about the numbers - although we saw our summer average double this week and a dozen or so new folks. It isn't about how we sounded - although in a quieter chorus we heard the voices of the glorious praise ring above our own. He brought someone into that sanctuary that needed Him. Someone who needed Him desperately at that very moment and might not be in a place to be able to grab on as tight to His outstretched hand. So He sent ICC. He sent Michael with a hug and a listening ear. He sent Ami with a eye for the sadness and ear for the listening and hug for the hurting. Father, you sent your children. And I was a blessed witness to the love that you have for us and that runs over from each of us that you have blessed.

God is doing amazing things at Iron City Church. We aren't filling the seats like some of us wish but He's doing something that far surpasses that. And I don't want to miss that.

Celebrate with us. Christ is being proclaimed.

Put-in-Bay - Finally!!

I finally got the photos in from our day trip to the islands of Lake Erie. If you check out the slideshow to the left, you'll find them and can double click on them to see them full sized and captioned. I so wish I had gotten a picture of Bob careening around corners in the golf cart. It's so funny how licensed drivers get a kick out of driving an golf cart - but I shared his enthusiasm. I didn't get a picture of so many things. The face he made when we wine tasted, the wildlife museum with every stuffed creature in the world, bar row in town. It was a quick day but it was an awful lot of fun. We had a good time and it turned out to be just fine that we didn't spend the whole weekend there. We got to spend Friday night hanging out with Mom and Dad part way there and were pretty tired when we got home on Saturday - but that's not always a bad thing. We really enjoyed each other's company too. Hopefully, we'll get to do another anniversary trip someday that it worthy of ten years - but then again - maybe we already did that in going to Hawaii.

Which leads me to me PS. This is my 100th post. Nothing special about this one but I had long ago decided that the 100th post would be "Our Story" - that is, the journey that God has taken us on since that fateful day - March 17, 2005. And it just so happens that life's routine has slowed the blogging down a bit. Just in time for a bit of a storytelling. So stay tuned. This will have many chapters I believe.

Financial Meltdown

I read this post today and thought immediately of Atlas Shrugged. This is the biggest propping up that any of us have seen in years. If genius business minds start mysteriously dropping off the face of the planet, I'm praying even harder for Jesus to come back!

http://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2008/10/our_everyone_gets_a_trophy_eco.html

Long time no write!

I can't pinpoint the exact reason I haven't been updating. Not entirely certain. It seems that we've been pretty busy - but I'm not so sure about that either. But here's some updates for ya!

- Preparing for a giant birthday bash at Iron City Church on Sunday!
Our numbers are due for a burst at ICC and we're praying that God finds us ready for a crowd on Sunday! When you sit down and list some of the things that have happened to the core of ICC over the last - oh - 6-8 months, its pretty clear that the enemy isn't happy with what we're doing at ICC and wants us to bail. Deaths in the family and serious illness have hit our church family hard. And particularly so this week. But I was talking to Bob and over the last 8 months we lost Nana and have experienced some serious financial hardship - but our relationship with our Saviour has brought peace that makes it truly full of joy rather than sadness and depression. And He's brought an amazing group of people into our world that allow us a support that neither of us would have thought possible. Pray for God to bring those who need Him to us and give us the words and message. Bob and I sat at the ICC table on Sunday at McCandless Days and talked to a pretty big number of folks about ICC. As the most unlikely of marketers :) we are really hoping we'll see some familiar faces Sunday. We've been participating in semi-weekly meetings with church for planning all these big events too - so maybe we are busier than normal!

- The ICC Worship Band has been sounding AWESOME!!
We had a rocky time for a while - adjusting to the new roles in the band. But it kind of came to a crisis point and since then - we have really come together as a team to sound great for the glory of God!! This last week, I just had a blast praising God. Shhhhhh don't tell anyone but I swear this former Presbyterian nearly raised her hands in praise :) Soon - I tell you - it's coming.

- Every once in awhile you know God puts someone special in your life.
Betty at Trinity Orthopedics is one of those people. I don't always talk to her. A couple times a week. And before we talk, I can't be sure I was thinking of God - but I can tell you that after I ALWAYS am. She is such a testimony for Christ. Loving, kind, and gentle spirited. And so very ready to shine like crazy for Him. Reminds me that I should be making sure that I've not got a basket over my light. I love that God puts her in my day as a reminder of what I should be. Thank you.

- Watching brothers.
Last week our friend Michael took us out to dinner for crablegs. So anyone who knows us knows that this was a HUGE treat!! Bob never goes out to dinner unless its a family thing. And he grumbled a bit but gave in because Michael is like a brother to him. What a total mess we all three were! And I wasn't all that good at it either :) Michael supplemented my meager pickings with whole strips of crabmeat obtained with the ease of a professional. I love him but it was infuriating :) Anyway, he had purchased a gift certificate for Bob for his one year birthday as a brother in the Family of God and gave it to Bob as we finished up dinner. I can't begin to tell you how awesome it is to know that he has such a good friend. Michael is a good guy who's been through stuff just like Bob and it's just awesome that God has blessed both of us with his friendship. And it's an honor to be there for him as he goes through stuff in his own personal life.

- Coming up on 6 weeks SMOKE FREE!
I have now been nicotine free for 2 full weeks. It isn't always pretty and I can tell I'm still a bit crabby but it is a HUGE thing. And mostly all good. I need some serious prayer about not substituting eating for it but I like not smoking. It's definitely an awesome thing that God has given me the strength to conquer. I know it's not done. I'll be fighting the desire for the rest of my natural life and even if I sometimes want one like crazy I like not being a smoker way more......