Bending the Bow

Our Trip to Mexico With the Deans

2009-09-23T13:10:00.001-07:00

...great fellowship

...great food

...meeting new brothers and sisters and hearing their stories

...enjoying the beautiful geography

...finding joy and pleasure in the journey

...WE EVEN GOT A TICKET AS SOON AS WE CROSSED THE BORDER INTO THE U.S.
...rich times
..Thank you Jesus! We love you and we love Your people...everywhere we go.

Plowing

2009-09-19T08:44:00.000-07:00

plowing: work done in preparation for harvest.

Tomorrow Seth and I (...and our four awesome kiddos) are meeting Happy and Jerry Dean (Ten Talents Ministries) at the California/Mexico Border and we're heading down to Ensenada. We will be attending a church service and connecting with some Mexican leaders of some ministries in Baja.

One "leg" of the Bending the Bow vision is to provide a place for families and individuals to experience cross-cultural ministry. We want this short term mission's experience to be financially affordable, short enough that people with full time jobs can still participate without jeopardizing their employment, and to provide a gentle transition from American culture and lifestyle into a developing nation's culture. We feel that Ensenada provides all of these. We are excited that this dream is getting closer to becoming a reality.

...Ah, plowing.

Matthew 9:37,38
He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few.
So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”

Our Mission: To Refresh and Serve

2009-05-28T22:39:00.001-07:00

The mission of Bending the Bow International is to refresh and serve Christian leaders in the nations. Most of what we do centers around five specific areas the Lord has laid on our
hearts:
• Encouraging Leaders through Personal Ministry
• Mobilizing and Leading Need-Specific Teams
• Empowering Individuals and Families to “Go!”
• Equipping “Senders”
• Advocating for the needs of the leaders we serve.

In the coming months we will discuss these individual strategies in greater detail so that you can better understand what we are doing for the leaders we serve. This month we’d like to explain why it is imperative that our missionaries are served and refreshed on a regular basis.

According to the Joshua Project, 98% of all U.S. Christians involved with missions are “senders”.
Senders are the ones that support missionaries through prayer, finances, care packages, letters, and emails, etc.. Less than 2% of U.S. Christians involved in missions actually “go” into a foreign nation and serve. Missionaries carry a huge workload and are out there doing the job all of us are called to do. They are an extension of us. As the senders, it is our responsibility to know how our
missionaries are doing, to find out what their needs are, and to do whatever we can to meet their needs. It is our job to refresh and encourage them; to undergird them so that they can effectively do the job God has called them to do. Their well-being must be one of our greatest priorities. When they are healthy and thriving, His Kingdom is expanding. Our missionaries represent Jesus in the nations. They represent us, as well. And until the work of world evangelization is done, our bridegroom cannot returnfor His bride. We must serve lift and connect with these leaders and take personal responsibility for encouraging, refreshing, and strengthening our missionaries as they lay down their lives to lift up the name of Jesus in the nations.

As we have ministered around the world, we have had the opportunity to serve men,women, families and organizations filled with exciting, amazing, God-birthed vision. We have watched these leaders and their families give everything they have, holding nothing back from the people,
regions, and nations they serve. They have made tremendous sacrifices to “go” and have laid their lives down so that truly every tribe, tongue, and nation will encounter Jesus. These leaders
have embraced the good and dealt with the difficult so that the name of Jesus would be lifted up in the nations. As senders, we MUST do everything within our ability to empower that 2% who are called to “go” and who are influencing and impacting the nations on our behalf.

Our purpose, as individuals and as a ministry, is to make ourselves aware of their needs and to do whatever we can do to strengthen, encourage, and refresh these HEROES as they serve us by serving Him in the serve us by serving Him in the nations.

In the coming months we will go into greater detail about the five areas the Lord has given us to develop that we hope will begin to address some needs we have become aware of through the years. We are driven by a passion to see our brothers and sisters in the nations thriving,
effectively accomplishing everything God has called them to do “...that all of the
families of the nations would worship Him.” (Psalm 22:27)

1 Corinthians 12:25-26
(The Message)
The way God designed our bodies
is a model for understanding our lives
together as a church: every part
dependent on every other part, the
parts we mention and the parts we
don't, the parts we see and the parts
we don't. If one part hurts, every
other part is involved in the hurt, and
in the healing. If one part flourishes,
every other part enters into the
exuberance.

Sorely Neglected Blog Is Hoping To Make a Comeback

2009-09-01T20:54:00.000-07:00

Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the Lord is good.Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

Our Year in a Nutshell: TRANSITION

1. Seth resigned from his position at Rivers of Life.

2. Mary Beth continues to grow in her great love and appreciation for coffee. (not much transition...just continued growth)

3. Josh has been to a thousand doctors, taken hundreds of thousands of medications (none of which worked) and had no less than one million tests done, just find out: NOTHING ...and through this year of sickness and pain in Joshua's life, we have watched our "little guy" grow and mature in His love for the Lord and in His faith. Our whole family has been stretched to the limits (at least I hope that was the limit) and we have grown closer to the One who holds us so close to His heart.

4. Josiah decided (with our permission) to grow his hair until he is reunited with his best friend Tristan, currently residing in Indonesia. We had planned to see Tristan and his family (The MacLean's) in July, but we post-poned our trip until February due to Josh's sickness. ...Needless to say Josiah's hair may be quite long by the time we get to Indonesia.

5. Jonathan lost his second tooth and learned to read.

6. Hannah started kindergarten!

7. We've caught up with friends from all over the world: China, Philippines, Rwanda, Tanzania to name a few.

8. Seth and I participated in an amazing marriage class, Love After Marriage through Bethel Church in Redding (Start saving your pennies; We highly recommend this class!!)

9. Bending the Bow Int'l officially became an official Non-Profit Organization recognized by the all the necessary government agencies.

10. The next Bending the Bow trip into Asia (Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines) is in the works and we are very excited about how it's coming together. We will be leaving in February and returning toward the end of April 2010.

11. Around every corner we have experienced His goodness in our lives. It's been a year of "treasure hunting"...looking for and finding the treasures He has hidden for us. It's been rich a very rich season.

Isaiah 45:3
And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness—
secret riches.
I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord,
the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.

2009-07-21T13:26:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox photobook

Our Puppies 2009...For Sale and Ready to Take Home Just in Time For Easter: AKC Black Labs...All Proceeds Support Bending the Bow International

2009-04-07T18:07:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Getting Stretched

2009-03-17T22:41:00.001-07:00

I'm getting stretched.
     Ha! Like a rubberband....spread thin, tightly pulled from all ends in all directions...just as far as I think I can go.
         And then just when I think I can't be stretched any further, I find myself being stretched a little more, a little farther.
             Now, am I stretched to full capacity? I hope this it! How much more can I take? Seriously,
who signed me up for this emotional and spiritual yoga class?

Trust...I keep hearing Him whisper, "Will you trust Me?"
         I surrendered my options a long time ago.
               My only option, my only answer, "Yes, Lord. I lay my will down. I trust You. I trust the greater work that you will to do in me...the greater work You are doing in me...NOW, through this painful stretching...Yes, Lord. I surrender to Your hand, to Your love, to Your plan for me. I trust Your goodness. I see Your goodness all around me. You are good and You are my Peace in the middle of the storm."

Security..."I will never leave you. I am with You."
Comfort..."I see. I know. I am."
Strength..."I sing over you. I carry you. My grace IS sufficient, My power IS made perfect in your weakness."
Reminder..."I keep My promises."
Peace...anchors my heart. I BELONG to You. You are my loving Father, my intimate Bridegroom, my Comforter.

You anchor me.

Jonathan's Dream

2008-12-13T13:09:00.001-08:00

Joel 2:28
I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your old men will dream dreams,
and your young men will see visions.

Psalm 8:2
You have taught children and infants
to tell of your strength,
silencing your enemies
and all who oppose you.

This morning I was talking to our good friends, Aaron and Brenda McKenzie, who passionately love Jesus and have given their lives to serve Him. The McKenzies currently live in Israel where they have established a base for/with Iris Ministries. They spend a great deal of time serving and ministering in and around Bethlehem. While we were talking Jonathan was still sound asleep. When he woke up he began to tell me his dream:

In his dream he had fallen asleep in our hallway. When he woke up (still in his dream) he was in Bethlehem. He began praying and all of the sudden he could see a "force field" of protection around all the Christian believers in that city. No one could see the force field except other believers.

Now, that right there is a GOOD word!!!

Jesus, thank you for the supernatural protection You've placed on Your people,both leaders and laymen, who have been called by You...who have said "Yes! I will go...Yes, I will follow...Yes, I will obey."...and those who are relentlessly serving you in the Kingdom trenches around the world.

Aaron and Brenda McKenzie

Iris Israel

Seth & Mary Beth Sponsler

Bending the Bow International
Empowering Leaders to Hit Their Target
Psalm 22:27 "...so that the families of the nations will worship Him."

Lifetimes Are Spent Searching For This Key

2009-01-05T15:08:00.001-08:00

...He LOVES to reveal secrets and mysteries to us.

Joshua 1:8
Study this Book of
Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be
sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and
succeed in all you do.

The Word

2009-01-03T13:47:00.001-08:00

I found this cool website with a variety of Bible reading plans. They let you pick from about 10 translations and they have 13 different reading plans to choose from. After you select the options that work the best for you, you give them your email address and every day they email a link to your reading for the day. You can read online...or on your own.

Oh, the Word of a Lover spoken to His bride...His sweet Words to me...His words: my sole source of strength and stability, my calm and my peace. A single Word spoken by my God sends my enemies running for their lives. His Word is my confidence and my security...my offensive weapon.

I am hungry to know His Word...both written and spoken...Logos and Rhema...I want to taste it, chew on it, digest it. I want every fiber of my being to be filled with His Word. I want His Words etched on my heart...written on every cell....transforming me into all that He is...causing me to fall before Him, exposed, undone, alive. I want my heart to beat with the rhythm of His...to move, to speak, to touch...as He is moving, speaking, and touching; not randomly, haphazardly, but rather because I KNOW His heart and I move together, in tandem with His...because I know His Word.

These Words spoken directly to me from my Greatest Love..These Words pierce my heart...quiet my soul...wash me...convict me. His Word causes me to yearn for more...and they release me to run and play and laugh and cry and to live life to its fullest because as I hear Him speak His Word to me I am changed.

Isaiah 50:4

The Sovereign Lord has given me His Words of wisdom,
                                       so that I know how to comfort the weary.
                                   Morning by morning He wakens me
                                  and opens my understanding to His will.

When He speaks into my heart, it changes everything about me: how I think, what I see, how I feel, my perceptions, the way I look at life and the people He has place in my life. His Word feeds me...and it must be the priority of my day to be quiet and to still my heart...to listen...to train my ear to listen.

I am looking forward to these daily reminders and grateful for the accountability that this plan to read through the Word this year provides.

If you want to check it out, click here...

Hangnails and Hugs

2009-01-02T17:37:00.000-08:00

Last night Hannah came into our room crying.

"What's wrong, Hannah Banana?"

"My finger nail is coming off and it hurts sooooo bad," spoken through tears.

First Seth got up with her and clipped her fingernail, but the tears and her acknowledgment of the pain continued. I finally got out of bed and attempted to try "fix" the problem. I started with a band-aid and we went back to bed. That didn't relieve the pain of the raw, exposed nail bed. Then, I put some vaseline on her finger; still the pain continued. She laid in bed next to me trying to sleep, but the pain kept her wide awake. Finally, she cried to me, "Mama, I don't even think I can sleep because it hurts so bad."

She so simply articulated her pain and the problem it was causing her. We got back up and tried a few things....Nothing worked, so I held her. Finally she fell asleep.

Many times as I struggle, I do everything in my own power to work through it and fix it on my own. Tonight I could feel God's compassion toward me when I struggle. He is not put out by my pain or problems. His heart is moved with grace and mercy...with understanding. He loves it as I share my struggles with Him...when I include Him in the things I am working through. Sure He already knows my pain; He sees it; He feels it, but as I include Him in the process, when I invite Him to be a part of the solution He runs to be with me. Sometimes the pain doesn't go away, but it is so satisfying to feel His arms envelope me....and to feel His heart broken by my hurt. That's the journey we're on...sharing the good and the bad with a loving God. HE KNOWS my name and SHARES my life...all of my life; and He loves ME, hangnails and all.

The Journey of The Thousand Gifts

2008-12-26T09:40:00.000-08:00

One of my FAVORITE Blogs is "Holy Experience". Ann Voskamp makes me laugh and cry...and most of all she challenges me in the core...the center of who I am. She makes me love Jesus more. In her blog she offers a challenge: The Thousand Gifts ,to start a blog
gratitude journal. I am going to begin my own list and will try to be
consistent in adding to it.

My Journey of 1,000 Gifts Begins....The things I am grateful for:

1. He knows my name.
2. He love me deeply.
3. Mr. Incredible....who also knows my name and loves me deeply.

4. Laughing children...filled with joy.

5.The Experience of Learning How Other People Live First Hand.

To Be Continued...

Wounded By Another Believer?

2008-12-22T08:07:00.000-08:00

Last week I stumbled across a book on one of our bookshelves. The binding was unbent. The pages pristine. For all appearances it had never been read. "Exquisite Agony" by Gene Edwards. I picked it up and began to read the back...

"Pain suffered by a Christian at the hands of another believer is one of the most destructive experiences
one will ever know. Few recover completely. Many are destroyed from effective Christian living forever..."

As I began to read I realized that I had visited these pages before. This book had quietly and profoundly changed me deep inside many years ago...so much so that the book was only a vague memory; but the perspective and change it brought me has become a lasting imprint of His gracious, unrelenting love toward me. You see, the Lord loves us so much that He wants every single area of our hearts surrendered and healed, and He will do WHATEVER IT TAKES to bring us to a place where we can receive healing. As I read, the Holy Spirit revealed places in my heart I had failed to acknowledge; places where I had been holding onto unforgiveness and offense toward individuals that had "wronged" me. It was as if Someone had pulled a scab off of a long-ignored, festering wound; allowing necrotic areas of my heart come back to life again and the healing process to begin.

A word of caution: if you are looking for a warm, touchy-feeling, make-me-feel-good-about-myself book, then THIS IS NOT FOR YOU. "Exquisite Agony" takes you on an inward journey....into the "house of mirrors". You CANNOT escape the introspective exploration of your own heart as the author leads you on your own journey of healing and wholeness. This book is about one person alone, the only one you have the power to change: It is about YOU! "Exquisite Agony", by Gene Edwards, brings such perspective for anyone who has ever at anytime, anyplace, for any reason been hurt or wounded....which includes all of us, does it not?

Now as much as I would like to expand on the content of the book, I will refrain, because in doing so I would spoil the effect and impact it could have on your heart. Please, I encourage you to find a copy and read this book. The season of history that we living in demands that we walk free from offense and free to release others from the hurt and pain we believe they have caused in our lives.

"Exquisite Agony" is a quick read, with short chapters, and a powerful, lasting impact for those who are committed to personal healing and wholeness. I highly recommend this treasure of a book.

A second, and equally profound, must read: "The Bait of Satan" by John Bevere.

You Know Me

2008-12-20T08:26:00.000-08:00

Your eyes gaze into my heart
    You see me
       You know me.
           Such security in exposure

Known
I am safe in the knowing.
     ....safe in Your knowing of me...
            .....invited to know You.

Deep, Real, Meaningful Knowing
     deeply acquainted with all that I am
          deeply desiring me
              to become more deeply acquainted
                       with all that You are

Complete Vulnerability
Complete Exposure
Complete Security

You provide no immunity from pain...neither do You exempt me from joy and celebration.
     ...these are part of the journey...OUR JOURNEY
           ...and You do not distance Yourself from me on this road; instead You draw me closer
                ...You reveal Yourself on this journey
                    ...this journey of Intimacy and Shared Experiences

The Pain...The Joy
The Laughter....The Tears
      You see through me
           You see in me
                You see me
And these are the tools...the avenue from my heart to Yours and from Yours into mine.
   ...If I will but grant You access to those quiet, secret places reserved for You.

You FIGHT for me and by my side.

You EMPOWER me.

You RELEASE me to be all I was created to be.

Marvelous, Intimate, True Connection
Heart Renewed...Spirit Refreshed

Free...Freedom...You set me free
   free to run
    free to create
      free to hear what You are saying
         free to love
           FREEDOM to bring healing, refreshing, and release
    Deep Refreshing Breaths of Life and Love
Freedom....so sweet.

Wholeness

You fill me up inside
You give me wings to fly
      strength to love
      desire to continue.

Broken by Your love I am completely whole.

Psalm 139: 1-6,16,17
1 O Lord, you have examined my heart
      and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up.
      You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel
      and when I rest at home.
      You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say
      even before I say it, Lord.
5 You go before me and follow me.
      You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
      too great for me to understand!
16 You saw me before I was born.
      Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
   Every moment was laid out
      before a single day had passed.
17 How precious are your thoughts about me,^{O God.}
      They cannot be numbered!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-10T22:11:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Becoming "Bow Flexors" (Team Sponski=A Piece of Exercise Equipment????)

2008-11-23T22:23:00.000-08:00

A Little More Information About Where "Bending the Bow International" and Team Sponski are headed.

Seth and I wanted to let each of you, that have been following our trips, know that we are making some changes very soon.
As of December 31, 2008, Seth will no longer be employed by Rivers of
Life Christian Fellowship. We will continue attending this church and
have been blessed over the past 10 years through our employment,
ministry, and connection with this body of believers. As stated in my last post, we are in the process of establishing a non-profit organization and ministry called "Bending The Bow International". Our paperwork should be complete within the next few weeks.

Since we got married 13 years ago, we have known that eventually we would serve the Lord in the nations in a full time capacity. This time has come and as of January 1, 2009 we will begin this new journey.

For many years Seth and I have known the Lord was calling us to
serve in the nations. We have never felt led to serve full time in one
nation, and through the years as the Lord has clarified this calling,
refined our vision, and given us more specific direction we know that
He is calling us to serve, refresh, and minister to Christian leaders
who are serving all over the world. While we were in Africa this
summer the Lord confirmed to us that it was time to take steps in this
direction. We realize it may seem like a crazy time to leave a job
(in the state of our nation and world's economy)...but we strongly believe the Lord is leading us to take this step of faith and are thus compelled to step. We are extremely excited to continue on this journey of faith and expect to find many treasures along the way.

A little bit about Bending the Bow International:

The idea of "Bending the Bow" is this: When a bow is flexed
there is tremendous potential energy stored up for the arrow that is in
the process of being shot. This ministry is about refreshing, serving,
and equipping leaders and their families who are already in the process of carrying out
God-birthed vision for bringing the Nations TO HIM.
As we serve,refresh, & equip Christian leaders a "bow" (a tool that will propel the arrows) is being flexed so that when these "arrows" are released they will soar...reaching their full potential in order to hit their target.

The flexing of the bow is OUR job: refreshing, serving,
coming along side of, lifting their arms, serving, praying over and
for, bringing in teams to meet specific needs, etc. The goal is that when we leave, that arrow (individual, family, ministry) will experience a greater spiritual, physical, emotional, and relational release as a result of the time we have spent
with them. We hope to see them empowered and filled with the full potential of what God has placed inside of them in that season....so that they can accurately and efficiently hit the mark that God is calling them to "hit".

Psalm 22:27 articulates the heart of why we burn inside to do this....it is
THE REASON we feel called to refresh and serve those in the trenches; Our ultimate purpose and motivation is so that:

Psalm 22:27 (New Living Translation) The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to Him.
That all the families of the nations will bow down before him.

And we want to see families come to the Lord...mothers, fathers, children, siblings..not just individuals...We want to see families ministered to, families ministering together, families who are healed/reconciled/strong, and families
trained up, equipped, and serving together.

If any of you would like to be included in ourmail newsletters/updates and/or our email updates, please email me or leave a comment with your correct mailing address/email addressand I will add you to our list. If you are interested in going with us or just getting more information about one of our 2009 trips into Asia (5 different trips), please contact us by leaving a comment or by emailing us directly. Families with children are welcome.

Blessings and thank you for praying for us during the next several months of transition.

Seth & Mary Beth Sponsler

Bending the Bow International
Empowering Leaders to Hit their Target
Psalm 22:27 "...so that the families of the nations will worship Him."

Transition, Change...and the Launching of "Bending the Bow International"

2008-11-17T17:02:00.001-08:00

Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine.
~Robert C. Gallagher

Do you ever feel like you live in a state of perpetual change....always transitioning somewhere?!?
LIMBO...I think that is the official name.
Waiting...and listening...moving only when you hear Him tell you to step....not always seeing clearly where you are stepping, BUT completely confident as you trust Him...complete peace.
And still it is transition ....and so we are learning to be flexible with the transitions and change or THAT change that was meant to keep us centered on Him wipes us out. Seriously!!
Uncomfortable. Unsettling. All Security Blankets Gone. "Am I doing the right thing? Taking the right steps? Did I hear You correctly before I stepped?" ...The Questions.

And then, Excitement, Joy, Living Centered, Complete Dependence, Refreshed, My Faith is Growing,
My Heart is Learning The Rhythm of His Heart...learning to beat in tandem with His...The Gifts He Brings Me that can only be found in times of "transition"...more treasures straight from His heart to mine.

I feel like I LIVE in TRANSITION. I should be pro by now, but somehow you never become a pro at transition...and you always think it's going be over soon. Perhaps God celebrates our seasons of "transition". Life is about transition and change. It's the process, the journey. And when we learn to surrender to this "work" of "transition" in our lives He makes us ready for the next "place", which usually looks like more transition. LOL!! I guess it's all about learning to completely surrender to a loving God who ALWAYS has my BEST INTEREST in His heart. How much more safe and secure could it get? Surrendered to Him. ....Becoming completely surrendered to His hand, His voice, His heart. That is the goal, isn't it? That is where I want to live.
Surrendered to Him, my ONLY option.

When you are through changing, you are through. ~Bruce Barton

When Seth was in Jr. High the Lord began speaking to him about serving in the nations,specifically the continent of Africa. He had no idea how much pleasure and joy God had in store for him. As for me, during my seventh grade year God began to break my heart for the lost and fill me with His love for the nations. Through the years God has solidified and deepened that calling on our lives...WE ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT SEEING THE PEOPLE IN THE NATIONS FALL AT HIS FEET IN LOVE AND ADORATION...and we love to see people washed in His love and broken by His adoration of them...His created ones...the ones He's given everything for. He is passionate for these broken, impoverished ones, those in bondage, the widows, the orphans; His

heart is moved by these...and together with these, we are the treasures of HIS heart.

God has tremendously blessed us through the years by surrounding us with great leaders who have loved, equipped, and influenced us. And now the Lord is releasing us to serve Him in a new capacity and we are EXCITED.

As of January 1, 2009 Seth and I will be employed by Bending the Bow International, a non-profit organization that we have established for the purpose of serving and refreshing those living and working in the Kingdom Trenches. (Those who have given up the comforts and familiarities of Western living to serve in other nations. Some are pastors; some are businessmen; some are wives and moms; some are young history makers and world changers being trained as I write this.)We are so excited to run with this vision God has been birthing in our hearts for so many years.

Allchanges, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another. ~Anatole France

Our vision is simple: To serve and refresh leaders and their families so they can run hard after the vision God has given them, walk in supernatural strength, and live healthy and whole lives (physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially, and relationally)as they serve Him in the "trenches".

The important thing is this: To be able at any moment to sacrifice what you are for what [God would have you] become.~W.E.B. DuBois

A Diversion From the Normal Bending The Bow Post...

2008-10-30T14:55:00.001-07:00

Hannah's Quote of the Day...."Auntie Sarah, Noe was putting chicken poop in his mouth, but it's ok, He spit it out!" hmmmmm?!? A little more supervision maybe?

Oh, the joys of cousins spending time together out on the farm.

"The Chicken Poop Song" by Sarah and Noe (Sporting their "African" tribalwear)
Chicken Poop Makes Me Want To Eat Ice Cream
THE END

Lyricists at the age of 4 and 2. Pretty amazing!!! And what about those dance moves?

Fear, Anxiety, and Other Weapons Formed Against Us That Don't Have to Prosper

2008-10-24T00:11:00.001-07:00

It's election time in a very polarized nation....world for that matter. There is a lot at stake this year. People, positions, propositions that will dictate things for months, years, generations? to come. I keep hearing reports from friends throughout the nations of the effects of changing economies, of political unrest, of living in and amoung people who will and are making the ultimate sacrifice for following Jesus.

Here we face broken economies, job layoffs, inconveniences, and more I am sure, but truly, a broken economy in the U.S. is plush and secure compared to the devastation of broken world economies that reach deep into the developing nations where poverty already threatens life on a daily basis. Their money isn't caught up in the stock market; it is parsed out, stretched as thin as it can go to buy the simple things like food for their families...We hear of bombings and attacks in the Middle East....and persecution of Christians in India, Sudan, Iran, and others. These are things we don't want to or like to talk or think about...things that make me sad and sometimes, even, afraid. Then I think about traveling into dark places...and I think of stepping into new and unfamiliar places. I think about myself,my husband, my children; I think of friends living in these dark places....and nationals whose lives were birthed in these nations. And I THEN I remember the power, glory, victory, authority, tender loving kindness, and grace that He longs to pour out on His people...and not just His people, but all the people in all the nations don't yet know that it is Jesus they themselves are crying out for.And in tandem He cries out for them to be washed in His love, to know Him, and to encounter Him and to be encountered by Him. Our God is not slight and He is not needy. He is stategic, and loving, and good. And He shines in dark places and in dark seasons of time.

Today Josh and I have been reflecting on the life of my mother-in-law, Alma. She was sooooo in love with Jesus. She never met a stranger. She loved everyone like a mother. She was a woman of prayer, filled with faith, and love, and so much hope. She LOVED life. We were shocked and sick and angry and sad when she was diagnosed with colon cancer. We believed God could heal her. She believed, as well. This woman lived a surrendered life. Every breath until her last belonged to Him. She was tired and beaten down before she died, but she was NOT afraid. Things were getting darker for her there toward the end of her battle with colon cancer last summer (2007), but we watched His light get brighter in her, through her, for her. She had peace...true peace. I was with her during the weeks and months before she died. I went to her doctor's appointments with her. Never once did she faulter in her trust in God's plan for her life. She gave Him glory and Honor and permision to have His complete way with her. And in this dark season we saw His hand and His light and His love over and over again. She was brave and courageous and she inspired me like no one ever has as she graduated to heaven. She showed me that we don't have to be afraid of the dark, because His Light resonates in us, through us, around us. His light penetrates the darkness around us.

Throughout history seasons ebb and flow. Certainly there are times of Jubilee; times of plenty. And there are times of grave darkness. We are at a cross roads in our history. Lines are being drawn. It is a somber time; a time to think; a time to strategize; a time to rise up with courage and strength, joy, gratitude, and GREAT HOPE! ...a time rise up in love, praise, adoration, and trust in our Bridegroom, our King. Because as darkness covers the earth...even for a season, LIGHT, HIS Light radiates even brighter. His grace, strength, unfailing love ABOUND. He has hidden treasures for us in dark places...We must look for these treasures and we must fix our eyes on this One who transcends darkness, dark places, dark seasons.

The enemy...he's come to Kill, Steal, and Destroy....and I have let him have a hay day with my mind. I have let my mind worry, fear, feel anxious. Nothing good comes from these....you end up feeling sad, frettful, and hopeless, fearful. But today I choose to fix my eyes on Jesus and to trust His perspective and vantage point and the words He speaks to my heart...in honor of the One I love and in honor of Alma, who has inspired me to ALWAYS trust Him, ALWAYS see the treasure He's hidden for me....to Love Big and to Stand Strong strengthen by His presence and words....even when I can't feel Him or hear Him very well.

So then, today, reflecting on Alma, I remember that the darker things get, the brighter His presence appears as I surrender my fear, anxiety, and all those other weapons formed against me that I have come into agreement with. I SURRENDER THESE, JESUS!!! Thank you for your blood that covers me and my family. Thank you that you are MY VICTORIOUS WARRIOR! YOU ARE THE ONE WHO FIGHTS FOR ME! The battle belongs to YOU. Doesn't matter what the economy looks like, or our nation's issues are, or how unsettled the rest of the world may be. I TRUST YOU completely. YOU HOLD MY HEART. And I again SURRENDER to You in love and adoration and trust.

Enjoy....a little taste of our summer.

2008-10-17T12:43:00.001-07:00

2008-10-17T12:21:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox photobook

Vanilla Wafers

2008-09-20T14:19:00.000-07:00

Sometimes "re-entry", or, coming back home after being gone for a long time...or really after you experience anything significant in your life (the birth of a child, a death, any huge change really) can leave you feeling a little unsettled. Things change inside of you...and still the world around continues on as before, but suddenly you see things so differently. I always think of myself as box of Vanilla Wafers. It's like "Someone" reaches inside the box and takes a few cookies out....maybe even puts a few new cookies back in the box. The contents change and everything inside has to resettle and find it's place again. All the while, the box and everything on the outside look the same as they always have. It takes a little time to sort the contents of my "box" out. And really it is a beautiful process...experiencing God changing me inside, looking around at the same things I've always seen, but suddenly, and sometimes gradually, seeing them through different lenses...changed. I love that no matter how old I am, no matter how many times life happens around me and inside of me and through me, God NEVER gets tired of providing me with opportunities for my heart and perspective to be changed. I never want to get too old or so set in my ways that I become immune to His transformation of my heart...His gift of change...this treasure of perspective that He brings me.

A Few Things I Love....

2008-09-19T10:34:00.001-07:00

MY BED!!!....with my Husband snuggled close to me!
quiet conversations with my best friend as we fade off to sleep
played with toys
a noisy home filled with chatter and laughter and even tears....arguments sometimes, learning together how love Jesus more....REAL LIFE....REAL RELATIONSHIPS...growing together more deeply in love
my kids running in and out, in circles, all around
hearing someone laugh in their sleep
kitchen messes after a morning/lunch/dinner of cooking together
muddy feet
my journal...my personal journal...or one of my books with a scribble or picture or an attempted word written with love and grand artistic creativitiy...carefully crafted by one of my kids
things attempted, failed, and....REATTEMPTED confidently
a home that is "lived in" (a.k.a. "messy"...at times) that reflects memories being created
3,000 lego pieces on the floor, in the process of becoming what they were created to become (sometime I feel that way about myself)
joy and laughter around my dinner table
sharing stories...not just the nice, tidy ones, but the ones about mistakes made....ones we've learned to laugh about and enjoy and grow from
sweaty kids coming in for a drink of water, a piece of cardboard, and a hammer...or other various things that help them work out their creativity
looking out the window just in time to see my son "sled" down the VERY steep DIRT hill on a snow saucer....and realizing he is not injured, mamed, or worse yet....dead!
lip "closs" and "glitter-sparkly" on my 4 year old daughter...not quite in all the RIGHT places
sitting on the couch together for no reason...huggin', kissin', talking, exchanging hearts
pulling rocks and sticks out of my washing machine...and out of the pockets of boys who had lived the adventures of a lifetime with those very rocks and sticks
unpacking my suitcases after a summer in Africa and realizing that the soveneirs we most treasured (and brought home) were rocks and sticks....and the lovely memories made with these.
children piled in our bed, snuggling, cuddling....laughing...RARELY SLEEPING
overhearing my children planning some grand adventure
having my heart broken by injustice...being soft enough inside to be affected and moved
wiping tears from one of our kid's faces because they,too, have been affected and moved by injustice
enjoying the messiness of a FULL LIFE...the good and the bad....the obstacles and the triumphs...the joy of this journey we are on
ENJOYING the JOURNEY, at least, learning to enjoy it...more and more. LOOKING for the beauty, the sacred, the holiness God interjects through the noise, the messes, the fatigue. The destination cannot become my main focus...The journey, that place of gathering the treasures He brings me...these treasures on THIS journey will make the arrival to my life's destination meaningful, rich, and full. I want to find beauty and value in the journey...in ALL that He provides for me to make my life rich and full and sweet. I don't want to miss any of it because I am so focused on the "destination"...In fact, sometimes, I think our destination is wrapped so tightly together with our journey that the two are inseparable. Sometimes we miss that fact...and in missing our journey we ultimately miss the real destination God has intended for us.

Just a thought.

The Desires of My Heart....His Promise Fulfilled

2008-09-08T20:30:00.001-07:00

My heart is full of gratitude to and love for Jesus. Sometimes the love I feel inside towards him almost overwhelms me. It's not that I haven't experienced difficult times, rather, I have lived with the reality of His presence...His nearness...His love...through both good and hard times, and I have learned that His unfailing love is BETTER than life.

One of the first promises the Lord ever gave me was Psalm 37:4: "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." I was 12 years old and just embarking on my journey with Him...and even way back then I knew what I wanted my life to be about: LOVING JESUS WITH EVERYTHING THAT'S IN ME, being a wife and mom, and serving Him in the nations.

...years upon years later, I look around and take inventory of my life. I am rich! And He has been so faithful to that promise He gave me when I was 12. I gave Him my whole heart and to this day I am in love with Him. He is my life, my breath, my strength, my peace, my rock...and He has given me so much more than I ever believed was possible: An amazing husband, my best friend...he releases me and empowers me. He stands with me, fights for me, and he loves me with his whole heart;
four incredible children that are learning to love Jesus, serve Him, and value the things He values. They are strong and flexible and they make my job as their mom such a delight; and then there is this whole, great, awesome place He has made for me to serve Him in the nations...to lift His name up all over the world...to declared His glory and goodness...to touch, to bring His life and love and healing wherever I go; and these are only a few of the many things He has lavished on my life.

I am rich and my heart is filled with love and gratitude towards Jesus, my King, the One Who holds my heart...Who knows my secrets...Who hears my cries...Who keeps His promises...Who has captivated me. He Owns My Heart...and He ALWAYS will!

No Weapon Formed Against Us Will Prosper! (Isaiah 54:17)

2008-09-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

I Thought It Was Time For A Little Face Lift...for our blog, that is!

We made it home safe and sound. Josh tolerated the right home fairly well thanks to so many of you guys praying for us. After we got home his pain started to escalate again. We decided to take him to the emergency room. To make a long story short, it was decided that Josh would be transferred to Oakland Children's Hospital. This hospital is much better equipped to deal with kids and we had a wonderful doctor who specialized in malaria and other infectious diseases. Once we arrived at that hospital it took several hours before we were situated in a room. Josh had been in horrible pain all day, however, before we could give him anything for pain he fell asleep. The next morning he woke up with minimal pain and (for the first time in weeks) muscle spasm free. It was really miraculous. All his tests came back negative. He has not needed ANY pain medicine or medication for muscle spasms since he was admitted to Oakland Children's Hospital on August 24. That is AMAZING!!!!

The conclusion we have come to is that he has had a reaction to the medicine we were taking to PREVENT malaria....poor guy, not only did the medicine NOT work, but he has suffered horrible side effects!!! Stinky devil! Well, we know how this story ends: Jesus fights our battle and He is our VICTORIOUS Warrior!!!

Seriously! Josh disclosed to me that he had asked the Lord to give Him a fresh encounter with Him. As crazy as this whole journey has been God's goodness has prevailed in all of our lives!! And we love Him sooooooo much and have truly experienced His UNFAILING LOVE and PROTECTION! He is GOOD!

...oh, and the doctor sent away a special blood test to determine if Josh actually EVEN had malaria in the first place....Interesting! We continue to contend for his COMPLETE healing. Lariam (the medication we took) can stay in his system for weeks, even months. He is still having joint pain, muscle pain, and abdominal pain. Thank you for continuing to intercede for him.

Protection, Healing, Nearness to His Heart, Deeper Trust, Reversing Malaria?, A Sweet Journey WITH Him down a Unfamiliar, Uncomfortable Path...These are my Treaures found in the dark places.

Isaiah 45:3
And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness—
secret riches.
I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord,
the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.

It's been a long AND grand journey, and we are home!!...AND There is No Place Like Home...