Prayer.....make it as easy or difficult as you want.

A few weeks ago we talked about prayer in Elementary.  I approached the subject with our early arriver students as prayer can be difficult.  A 1^st grade girl looked at me like I was crazy.  She proclaimed, “Praying is so easy.”  My heart soared.  I love God’s children so much.  

 When does this change?   Have you even been in a group of adults when you are about to start a bible study, a dinner group, etc.  When it comes time to pray we look down, avoid the eyes of others hoping that the host will not call upon us to pray.  

So, how do we pray?  

1 Make it simple.  God loves us for who we are.  So, let your prayers be real, be simple.  This year our family is taking all of our Christmas cards and praying for every family that sent us a card this year.  Sound difficult right?  Nope.  We are pulling out one card each week and putting that family on our fridge.  So, when we walk by the fridge we will pray for them.  We will think of them.  Simple.

   Use the example that Jesus gave us: Pray with Honor, Pry with a caring heart, ask for Forgiveness, and ask for Guidance.  (Below is taken from our Curriculum)

Luke 11:2, ‘Father, may your name be honored. May your kingdom come.  (NIrV)The first part of Jesus’ prayer is about HONOR.

“God, You are the greatest. There is no one like You. You are in control of everything and You know everything, and yet You still love us. Please help me to HONOR who You are with the way I live and the way I talk about You. I give You praise, because You are good and so worthy of my praise. You are my King and I will follow You. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Luke 11:3.‘Give us each day our daily bread.’ (NIrV) “The prayer Jesus gave His disciples was also about CARE.”

God, thank You for the way You take care of me every day. I know there are a lot of things I WANT and I can be pretty selfish sometimes, but You always give me what I NEED. Help me not to worry about the future, but to trust that You will provide for me tomorrow just like You have provided for me today. I ask these things in Jesus’ name, amen.

Luke 11:4a ‘Forgive us our sins, as we also forgive everyone who sins against us.’ (NIrV)In His prayer, Jesus also talks about FORGIVENESS.”

 “God, there are times when I have really messed up. I have hurt other people, and more importantly, I have disobeyed You. Thank You, God, that when I sin, I can ask for Your forgiveness. I also know there are times when others will hurt me and sin against me. In those times, please help me to forgive them the way You have already forgiven me. I ask these things in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Read Luke 11:4b ‘Keep us from falling into sin when we are tempted.’ (NIrV)The prayer Jesus gave His disciples was also about GUIDANCE.

 “God, life can be pretty confusing sometimes. There are a lot of temptations and it can be pretty easy to mess up. I need Your guidance to stay away from the things You have asked me to and to live the way You want me to live. Please give me Your wisdom so I can make the right choices. I ask these things in Jesus’ name, amen.”

A Quilt vs. The Lost One

Have you ever lost something really important to you that you cannot replace? I have.  It was a quilt that my grandmother made me.  She gave it to me as a wedding gift.  It was a blue and white king size quilt that had connecting rings all around the quilt to remind us of the connection of marriage.  It was made with her own hands.   I kept it tucked away in a closet for over 10 years.  Then I decided to begin to use it.  We took it on picnics, had it available in the cold of soccer and baseball games.  This precious quilt found a home in the back of my car.  It was getting some stains, and not as perfect as it was in my closet, but it was being loved.  I loved that this quilt became a part of our family rhythm.   Then one day we used it at an outdoor Easter Service.  It was great.   It was another memory that the quilt was a part of.  Then at the end of that service a massive thunderstorm began.

It was controlled chaos putting away all the church supplies and making sure my kids were out of the fun mud pit and safe in the car. It was about 10 minutes into our drive home that I remembered that the quilt was back on the field.  It was pouring horribly and we were all soaked to the bone so I decided to go back the next day or later that afternoon.When I went back it was gone.

This is honestly something that my mother and I don’t really speak about.  It is a horrible loss that cannot be replaced.  I truly mourn the loss of this quilt but understand this is an item, not a person.  I know this is a loss.   However, it cannot compare to the parable of the Lost Sheep, Searching for the One. This Saturday/Sunday Rev. Robert Hasley will be preaching an important message in all of our services.  This message will inspire use to keep our eyes searching for The One. I urge you all to be present to hear this message.  We often misunderstand salvation, thinking of it as a one-time event rather than a process that began before we were born and continuing into eternity.  That is the gift that everyone needs, and we have to figure out how not only to tell the story, but how to make St. Andrew a place where people walk in from the outside and are able to find Jesus here.  We must continue to search for the One....

Luke 15:1-7 - The Parable of the Lost Sheep Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them. ’So he told them this parable: ‘Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.

My Wish for 2015

As my family sat around on New Year’s Eve we listed our “Top 10” from 2104:

 

10-  Dad’s beard.  (The boys like this much more than me!)

9- Education- we have amazing teachers that we LOVE!

8- A trampoline! 

7- New Home!

6- Trip to New Mexico

5- Trip to Washington, D.C.

4-  Our Church Family

3-  Friends- making new friends and treasuring the old friends.

2-  Family- especially new nephew, Collin!

1-  New Dog, Ginger!

 I am amazed on how fast the years go by.  In this next year our family will have a 6^th grader (gasp), I will graduate from Perkins (yippie!!), and we look forward to all that 2015 has in store for our family.  

Our family devotion book starts the year with this verse, “For I know the plans I have for you.” declared the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  - Jeremiah 29:11

The adventure of 2015 is waiting for us, let us remember that God is with us always and will be with us in every moment of 2015!

This year has been full of many great memories with our friends and family.  My prayer is that this year your Church Family at St. Andrew can also be a part of your “Top 10 ten of 2015”.    I feel blessed to be on the faith journey with your family!  Thank you from all of the Faith Zone Team for sharing your family with us!

We wish you a Happy New Year! 

Let us know of any upcoming births, surgeries, or big events so that we can celebrate and pray with you in 2015!!!  Email Kim: kmeyers@standrewumc.org

Bridging the Gap

his is an article written by one of our curriculum writers.  It really spoke to me so I though I would share!

by Sarah Anderson

The other day, by the time I walked out the door, I had already lived a thousand lifetimes. I had been awake for two hours, but was ready to crawl back in bed and request a do-over. It isn’t my favorite way to usher in daylight—with chaos, messes and more noise than my non-morning person ears can comfortably tolerate.

Every parent is familiar with those days—when the whirlwind of activity furiously descends before you can even get a sip of coffee in, and it maintains a steady speed and intensity as the hours wear on. The entirety of your waking hours is spent simply trying to catch up. On days like these, my world seems small. Itty- bitty children small. Confined. A little claustrophobic. It is hard to feel sentimental and purposeful about my role as a mom when I can’t keep up with laundry, dishes, and the unexplicably sticky little hands tugging at me.

I read an article the other day detailing the origins and meaning behind a letter from the Hebrew alphabet, vav. Scripture mentions it for the first time in Genesis

1:1. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The letter is said to have connective meaning—like our word “and”. Heaven and earth. But it is more than that too. It is used later to refer to the hooks used to join the curtains enclosing the tabernacle—the earthly dwelling for a holy God. In other words, vav is a clasp, a bond, a method of joining what may not otherwise be fastened together. It brings two realities together and connects them—an unlikely marriage and meeting of two vastly different things.

Days like the one I recently experienced need a vav. I know two realities to be true. Life with toddlers is overwhelming and feels endless. But, life with toddlers doesn’t stay this way forever and will be over far sooner than I know. Two seemingly conflicted ideas, desperate for a hook, for something to bridge what feels like an infinite gap. The messiness of the now and the reality of what I know is coming need a bridge so I can be more present in my present.

For me, the vav comes at night. It comes when the lights are turned off and the toys are put away. It comes when I take the time to direct intentional glances towards the rooms that hold the boys who run me ragged. It comes when I realize, right before my eyes, right under my nose, right down the hall from me, miracles are unfolding. Tiny bodies are growing. Souls are aging. It comes when I can pause long enough to realize I am witness, every day, to the greatest marvel made accessible to humanity. I get to watch babies become boys—who will someday become men.

Vav for me is when I am at peace with the chaos of my days and the understanding that they will pass slower than I would like, but be over faster than I am ready for. It is when I learn to marry the disarray that can be life with toddlers to the beautiful necessity such days are to the bigger picture being created in the blur of this season. I have come to believe that every parent needs a vav—the chance to see outside the overwhelming present to the imminent future. And it is our responsibility to find it and hold fast to it.

Vav is a perspective changer. A reality grounder. And when joined rightly, and hooked correctly, it is a sanity preserver. Tomorrow may find me just as harried, just as tired, just as caffeine-needy as today. But I know, what I will find at the end of the day to make me get up and do it all again. Two sleeping boys. One grateful mama. And a God who joins them both together. A beautiful vav if I ever saw one. 

The moments in between

So, This past year my holiday was nothing grand, or super spectacular.   We did not go on a cool trip or really get any crazy gifts.

Now, we did have almost 2 weeks to hang out as a family.  We did this and did that and spend several of days in our PJs!  It was wonderful!!!

When it was time to go back to school and back to work I was ready for our routine back!  I think even the kids will tell you they were ready to get back to school.

And now it is 2 weeks later, and we are still going.  We are not in our PJs, baseball season is starting again, my semester is starting again, work is back in full swing, etc.   I have to admit this week I had the holiday blues.   Now, don’t get me wrong I love all the things in my life that keep us busy and going as a family!  But, I also love lazy days that involve no to-do list and PJs!

So, where is the balance?  It is in the small moments in between the crazy schedule when you:

· you are laughing as a family, dancing around to a Mary Poppins song.  (Dan is a really great choreographer if anyone needs help on a show.)

·      begin reading a book together with your kids, and you let bed time stretch a little late because the time reading is just what you needed after a long day.

·      Have a date night with your husband/wife where you can enjoy the person you married.

·      Have a night out with friends when you come home and your cheeks hurt from laughing so hard.

·      Enjoy the quiet moments of a devotion book or prayer time.

So, welcome 2014.   I can’t wait to see what you bring me, but I know my favorite parts of this year will be the little moment’s in-between my life!

See you all on Sunday, 

-Kim

What we do matters!

So, how do you spend your day?  What do you focus on?  What do you give time to?

I have been reminded again and again that what we do matters….and it is usually years after a deed (good or bad) is accomplice that I will get an email letting me know what an impact that particular event had on the person. What we do and say matters.  It matters as a member of the family of Christ.  Our words and our actions reflect our true character….our faith.  It stays with all of us....it becomes part of who we are.

This holiday I read several books, and the last one is written by Reggie Joiner and Kristen Ivy- Playing for Keeps.  “What you do this week matters”.   It is written for parents or Small Group Leaders.   This book speaks to how we spend our time.   I talk about how if we give quality to our time with, a small group, our children, etc.  We will respect the time more.  This book blocks our time into 7 ways:  times, love, words, stories, tribes, and fun.

TIME MATTERS- It takes time over time to make a History worth repeating…..When you visualize Time you can , count it down, measure it out, Mark it up (birthdays, holidays, vacation, special events).

LOVE MATTERS- think of music….we can see that love matters…without love, we would not have:  Aretha, Madonna, Lady Gaga….the blues would make no sense….Country Music will be only about beer and tractors, the world would not be a good place without love.  We have to prove our love over time….by showing up, knowing who they are, and never running away.   Love is not comfortable.  This is why we have the blues. 

WORDS- We say an average of 10,123 words per day.   So, how can they matter…..we all know that they do.  A few select words over time can impact someone’s direction in life.  - How?  

Learn another language- I am not taking Spanish or German, but a language that you can focus and communicate- faith language, a emotional language, Weigh what you say- Notice the important moment and be careful with your words Recycle Big Ideas- We all learn from repudiation…..repeat the big stories, talk about them….We need to hear good things again and again, so that are apart of who we are.

STORIES MATTER- Kids need stories from grandparents, stories from fiction, and stories from the bible- Stories over time can move us to imagine a world beyond ourselves.  We need to be agile to amplify the story- discover the arts, capture the story line, get in the action.

TRIBES MATTER- Tribe shows us how we belong.   Basically, people need people, and kids need a tribe.  We as adults define ourselves in tribes: reader, biker, mom, student, and pirates.  We can do this simply by “going in circles”- keeping our friends and family close.  This helps us with keeping traditions, eating meals and saving a seat for each other.

FUN MATTERS- This is my favorite one…..the one that I at time over look…..fun matters.   When you are spending time with your kid doing homework that is good, it is important, but don’t forget to play games also.  Fun makes friendships go deeper- we all need to learn how to loosen up, to learn what we like and to lose the agenda.

So, Time, love, words, stories, tribe and fun…..this is how we make our words and actions matter.  Sounds simple….I recommend that you start small, focus on one aspect…add another, then another, and then this is part of who you are.

See you soon,
Kim

2014

Welcome to the New Year!   This marks a one year anniversary for me serving here at St. Andrew!   I wanted to take a moment and Thank you all for the love and support you have show myslef, myfamily and all of the Faith Zone team! 

My friend shared this on New Year's Day and I though I would share it with you:

Whoever had the idea to cut time in slices and call them "years" was a genius. They manufactured hope, allowing it to function at the limit of exhaustion. Twelve months are enough for any human being to get tired and give up. And right then enters the miracle of renewal and everything begins once again, with another number and another willingness to believe that from here on everything will be different.

For you I wish a dream come true,
a long awaited love,
hope renewed.

For you I wish all the colors of life
all the happiness that could ever make you smile
all the songs that could ever touch your heart.

For you, in this new year,
I wish that all of your friends would be closer,
that your family be more united,
that your life be more fully lived.

I would like to wish you so many things….
But it wouldn't be enough…

So I simply wish you that you would have many wishes, big wishes.
And that these might move you every minute along the path to your happiness.

"Time" -Carlos Drummond de Andrade

Happy New Year! May we all dare to live greatly, let our many dreams, wishes and desires take us further than we ever thought possible and never, ever give up on hope… every day is the chance to write a new story for your life!