For I know the plans I have for you

What an awesome, relaxing weekend.  Andy and I were able to sneak away to the city for 3 nights and just enjoy each other.  I knew we needed "us" time, but I don't think I really knew how much we needed it until we got there.  

The weekend came at great timing.  Last week I had some blood work and the blood work was abnormal which means more testing...  It's crazy how fast life can change.  I'm sure that everything will be ok, in fact I know that everything will be ok no matter what the outcome because I know my Father.

If you know me at all you know that I am usually one who gets all bent out of shape when something is wrong with my health.  I'm not a fan of Doctors, I worry about treatment, I worry about illness without cure, I worry about death.  But not this time, I know my Father already has plans, He already has it all worked out.  

On our way home from Chicago today though I started to worry, I felt that old uncomfortable feeling sneaking in.  And God said Jeremiah 29:11.  I even said it out loud.  For those of you who have never heard this verse it is one of my favorites; For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  

When I came home I felt the need to refresh my mind of what followed Jeremiah 29:11 ~

Jeremiah 29:11-14 (New International Version)
 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity.  I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."

How incredible is it to know that the God of this world will listen to us when we call upon Him and come to Him in prayer.  How incredible is it that no matter what the circumstances we find ourselves in His plans are to prosper us and not to harm us.

As long as we are on this earth there is going to be pain and suffering.  The world we live in is broken but the God we serve is mighty and powerful and if we allow Him access He will provide through any circumstance.  Whether that be bad test results, job loss, financial crisis, death, __________(insert whatever brokenness you are experiencing).  

God's outcome may not be the outcome we would have chosen but if you are anything like me past experiences tell me that is a good thing.  At the time my way has looked like the better choice.  Fast forward a few years and I am able to look back and say yeah, He was there in control and wow did He know what He was doing and wow was I foolish.  His ways are not my ways and for good reason.  Isaiah 55:8 says ~  "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.

So I am placing it all in His hands and encourage you to do the same.  I am trusting that the plans He has are to prosper me and not to harm me.  I am trusting my Father, even when the world around me and sometimes my own mind says otherwise.  

Relationships with no expectations

In church one Sunday morning we were talking about families and how a family isn't just your biological family, but also your spiritual family and the community as a whole; composed of many different relationships. And after coming home and thinking about this more it really started me thinking about how much we are lacking in relationships. How we are created for relationship, in fact the first problem that God addressed in the Bible was that of loneliness. From the very beginning we needed relationship, created in God's image. Adam was lonely, so God created a suitable helper for him, and God was in complete, perfect relationship with Adam and Eve before the fall. And we have longed for that perfect relationship ever since.

Thinking about how important relationships are to God I started wondering how often we truly form relationships with people.  I think we tend to form expectations, a give and take sort of bartering system: the mentality of I'll be friends with you as long as I am gaining something from the relationship; as long as you continue to behave a certain way; as long as it doesn't cost me anything; as long as you make me feel worthy.... Relationships with expectations are messy and I promise that as humans we will continue to disappoint each other and never live up to each others expectations.

How about this for a change, what if you loved someone with no strings attached. What if you helped someone out with no expectation of repayment, I mean really none, not even a thank you was necessary. What if you genuinely liked people because of who their Maker was; one of the greatest characteristics of Christ in my opinion is that He liked people. He was in constant relationship with people. He didn't sit in the synagogue waiting for them to come find Him, He met them where they were in life and loved them. This was one of the biggest criticisms of Him from the religious leaders of his time, He befriended tax collectors, prostitutes and drunkards? Should we not do the same?

Want to know God? Look to Jesus. And if people want to see Jesus today, shouldn't they be able to recognize Him in us. Are you in true relationships? Are you putting yourself out there with no expectation of repayment other than the joy you will get from loving? Are you loving people right where they are, regardless of who they are or what they can or can't do for you?

God has blessed us as a people beyond words. We need to take those blessings out into the world. Lose the expectations and ask God to fill you with His love and to guide you in true relationships.

25 Random things about me

1. I gave my life to Jesus Christ and am abundantly blessed because of it. Everyday I am learning what it means to die to this world so that I may live for Him. The best part of a blessed life through Him is it is free, all you have to do is ask, He already paid the price for us.

2. My dad is older than most of my friend's Grandpa's. He will be 80 in August. Please don't ask if he is really that old, I wouldn't make this up, I worry about his health as he ages and wish he was younger so he could do more with us, I'm not ready for him to be "old".

3. I'm the only girl of 7. My dad has 5 boys from his first marriage. And yes my oldest brother is 55, and yes I know that makes him old enough to be my dad. And yes I know that he is only 6 years younger than my mom. And just in case you haven't done the math further, yes my mom is 19 years younger than my dad. Again don't ask, I'm not lying.

4. I am married to the most wonderful man. Not only is Andy an awesome husband but he is a truly awesome father. He loves his "bonus children" as his own and is magnificent with them.

5. The LORD has blessed with me four beautiful children. Dakota is 13, Drew is 11, Tannin is 6 and Kathryn is 2. They grow too fast, hard to believe we have a teenager in our home.


6.  My mom is one of my best friends.  I am so blessed to have such a wonderful role model to strive to be like.

7. Dakota's dad Josh is also one of my best friends. A lot of people don't understand our friendship and that is ok. Him and Andy are great friends as well. He has lived with us when he was in between homes, he babysits our children and we babysit his daughter. You might think we're strange but to me we are just one big family. I guess society finds it normal to fight and argue over whose weekend it is, who had the child on Christmas last year, how much child support needs to be paid. I say if we can get along, who are you to judge. Dakota has never spent a Christmas without both of us, he has never had to celebrate a birthday with only one of us, he sees his dad whenever he can instead of just 4 days a month. In the end he benefits more than anyone.

8. I am not a very scheduled person. Strict schedules drive me nuts, I think being too scheduled causes too much stress. Plans tend to change a lot and it is hard for me to commit to things, and I'm usually late, but life is not static. It drives most people in my life insane, but for me it makes life easier to just go with the flow.

9. I want so badly to travel to other countries but I HATE flying! I'm claustrophobic and feel like I can't breathe when I'm on a plane.

10. I went back to school to get my associates a few years ago. I only need 3 classes to finish and have a 4.0. I felt God calling me to be home with my children so here I am.

11. I love to write. I write random things and never do anything with them, they usually end up in the garbage.

12. I have the best mother-n-law in the world. I love that when my girlfriends complain about theirs I can brag about mine! I tell her all the time that she could put Martha Stewart out of business, there is nothing she can't do. I always tell Andy that she has big shoes to fill and I will never come close to hers.

13. Aside from being a mom, being a camp counselor at our local church summer camp have been the most gratifying jobs in my life. And I don't get paid for either.

14. My brother is one of the most amazing people I know. He is gifted in so many ways and has never conformed to what others thought he should be.

15. Don't be offended if I forget your name or something we've done. Chances are if you told me something and I didn't write it down, I've already forgotten. Without my calendar I'd be lost, and if I forget to put it on my calendar then, I probably wasn't there or made other plans. On the positive, it makes me good at keeping secrets.

16. I love to read and hate to watch television. Andy is the exact opposite.

17. My middle name is Ragene, chances are you just pronounced it Renne, most people do. I still don't know where my dad came up with that.

18. My daughter is named after one of the greatest women I know, my grandmother. I am so blessed to have so many great memories of her. Now my daughter will be blessed to have many great memories with two wonderful grandmothers.

19. I wanted another boy when I was pregnant with my daughter, God knows better, I can't imagine my life without her and can't wait to do "girlie" things with her.

20. Dakota makes me feel young and old at the same time. Laying on his bed talking to him I feel like I'm still 13, and then I remember that I'm 30. Hard to believe that I've had him for 13 years already.

21. I hated the name Tannin when Andy suggested it. I had made up my mind that when I filled out the birth certificate I was going to name him Kayden Everett Nelson. Not sure why but I didn't and today I love the name.

22. I get frustrated when people don't understand Drew. I've made it a resolution to stop apologizing for him and to quit feeling the need to explain him. If he upsets someone it is no longer my job to make them ok with him, my job is to love him and except him.

23. I love animals and think all children should have a pet of some sort. I think animals are smarter than some people I know. :) And animals will always love you and never judge.

24. I hate riding in elevators. It drives Andy bonkers but I will take the stairs if at all possible.

25. I am a germ-a-phobic. I use way too much lysol in my house.  I am getting better but chances are if you've been here and were sick I noticed everything you touched and sprayed it after you left.

Staying Connected

John 15: 5-8 says "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you." (NIV)  In the message the last part of verse 5 says, "Separated, you can't produce a thing."  

While building the log cabin in Mississippi one of my jobs was to help cut the decking.  I have to admit it was rather exhilarating using the circular saw.  =)  At one point after getting all the decking cut I filled in momentarily for one of the workers installing the decking.  My job was to hold the board in place while Becky used the nail gun to secure it, only the nail gun did not fire.  We eventually traced the problem to a line that came unhooked.  Becky smiled and said it helps if your connected to the source.

As she said this I couldn't help but think of how true that is for us spiritually too.  Just as the nail gun cannot do what it was designed to do without being properly attached to an air compressor, we will never do what we have been designed to do if we are not connected to Jesus.  

Jesus knew that it was vital for us to stay connected to Him.  In John 15: 5-8 He compares that connection to a living vine and makes it clear what happens when we are not connected to His life giving vine; separated, you can't produce a thing.  Our connection to Jesus not only allows us to do what we were designed to do, it also has eternal implications.  

I once read that to stay connected to Jesus we simply needed to:

Scripture - Read the scriptures daily - He gave us His Word so we could know Him.
Time - Spending time in community with other believers, spending time in the Word, spending time serving others, spending time building relationships.
Attitude - Do people see Jesus alive and active?  
You - Daily, minute by minute you make the choice to stay connected to Jesus.

It doesn't have to be rigid, or difficult, you don't have to buy expensive books or attend a mega church; simply choose stay connected to Jesus everyday.  Seek Jesus for guidance, seek Him for comfort, seek Him for assurance, seek Him for love, seek Him for approval.  By choosing to stay connected you will bear much fruit; separated, you can't produce a thing.

Mission Mississippi

Wow...  That one word says so much about our mission trip to Mississippi.  I know I was going to blog while I was down there, however by the time I had free time I was drained and ready for bed, sleep won over blogging.  =)  Since we've been home there has been so many times I've thought I really need to blog, but got busy with life - kids, hubby, house, laundry, school - it consumes me.  

Today however my wonderful hubby is off work and I decided to take my laptop and sneak off into our room and write.  It is funny how it is so hard to find the time to sit and here and write, but once I do it is so relaxing and much needed.  I love writing, always have.  I think part of the difficulty with blogging about the mission trip is I'm not sure where to start and where to end.  God was and is so incredible that it is really hard to put some of this to words.  I don't want to leave anything out, but I also don't want you to get bored and stop reading, so stay with me.  

God provided in so many ways, even before we left.  Back in the planning stage there was a moment where we questioned even going after having said yes.  At one of the meetings we found out that the plan was to divide into women and men for sleeping arrangements.  Well this normally wouldn't be a problem, but with us being so new to Crosswinds and not really knowing people along with the fact that this would mean Andy had to manage 3 kids while I only had 1 and the lack of privacy (Andy is pretty private) it was a concern.  We decided to turn it over to God and asked for His guidance.  We agreed to give it to God around 9ish Monday evening and by Tuesday early afternoon I had an email saying that family rooms would be available to those who wanted them.  Back on!

We left for Mississippi on Saturday after Christmas.  God was gracious in holding off that slow moving storm (it eventually dumped 8 inches of snow) until we were all out of the area.  There were 42 of us total that went from Crosswinds, no car trouble, no accidents, no injuries, no sickness!  His hands were all over us.

Financially we found out we were within around $12 of the money the church had determined we needed to raise to go. In fact at one point while building the cabin it was discovered that money was needed to finish the deck, God literally provided the money the day it was needed.  

Now imagine 42 people working together, living together, sharing 2 showers and a stackable washer/dryer!!  We had schedules for everything and it worked phenomenally!  We signed up each night for a 15 minute shower, we had teams that took turns doing breakfast, lunch, dinner and cleaning up the church.  We worked together on the job site like we all had done this before (some had) and knew exactly what we were doing.  Nobody complained or argued, it was obvious we were all being led by the hand of God.  It may not sound that amazing, but believe me it was.

Within a week we went from a foundation to a log cabin, roof and all.  Not only did we build a log cabin, but we built relationships.  I loved what Pastor Nelson Roth from the church that hosted us said, "Here we see the hands and feet of Jesus in action. Just serving and blessing folks here in Mississippi. And what a great thing it is to see, how the Lord keeps working and blessing and doing good things here after such a horrible storm,".

If your interested there are lots of pictures posted by church members, http://c3missionmississippitrip2009.shutterfly.com/19.  

Not a typical Christmas

This hasn't been a typical Christmas for us. This is the first year I wasn't running around worrying about last minute presents, in fact I didn't have to worry about presents at all this year. God presented our family with an awesome opportunity, instead of buying Christmas presents our family is leaving tomorrow for a 7 day mission trip. When the idea of not buying Christmas presents started to sink in I have to admit it really started to bother me. I started to fret and second guess myself. This second guessing didn't come because anyone expects gifts from us or because our kids were angry that there weren't any presents under the tree (they never once complained), but it came because I truly enjoy giving gifts.

As I sit here amongst the mess in my bedroom trying to pack for tomorrows journey, I realize that by falling God's call I learned how to enjoy Christmas in a way I would've never imagined. Usually I'm so busy with all my lists, making sure I spent evenly on the kids, worrying if everyone would like their gift, hoping not to duplicate and worst of all - fighting the crowds in the stores. But this year we didn't have any of that. We just enjoyed each other, we talked about the gift of Jesus more and we spent more time with family.

And I pray that as we leave tomorrow for Mississippi that we do more than just build a house. I pray we build relationships and that our relationship with our Heavenly Father is strengthened in ways we never dreamed possible. That our children see that the true gift, not just at Christmas but throughout the year, is the gift of helping and loving others; not because we have to, but because we choose to. I pray that the people we meet and those that just hear about what we are doing don't see us, but see Jesus Christ. I pray that these 7 days plant seeds that will impact lives greatly, seeds we may never even see bloom until we reach heaven.

I'm not sure if we'll have internet access in Mississippi, if we do I'll blog before I go to bed each night. If not I'll have lots to tell after the first of the year. In case I don't have access I want to challenge you as you make your New Year's Resolutions for 2010. In a fast paced society I challenge you to try and simplify your life, slow down and enjoy the little things in life. There is always going to be a bigger and better something out there, and chasing material things only leaves us empty.

Matthew 6: 19-21 says "Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or - worse! - stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being."

I pray that you know that our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ has been pursuing a relationship with you from the beginning of time. There is no greater gift than the gift of love and salvation that He has to offer. He won't force it on you, but it is yours if you choose. No other king in the history of the world has stepped down from his throne. Over 2000 years ago He left all His glory to join us as a baby in a manager, not because He had to, but because He chose to. His love for us is immeasurable and will sustain you through all things.  His love will never fail, will never rust, can never be stolen.  He's waiting, if you listen closely you can hear Him calling your name, will you follow?

The Choice

I read something in my devotional this morning that I thought was worth sharing.  Too often we go around acting as if stuff has happened to us, and sometimes it does, but most of the time it is how we choose to react.  We can choose to live life with love or hate, joy or sorrow, peace or turmoil.  At the end it is our choices, not the circumstances, that matter.

I'm constantly amazed by the resilence of the human spirit and the awesome hand of God at work in our lives.  No matter what you are going through at this very moment I invite you to choose.

I choose love...

No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness.  I choose love.  Today I will love God and what God loves.

I choose joy...

I will invite God to be the God of circumstance.  I will refuse the temptation to be cynical...the tool of the lazy thinker.  I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God.  I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I choose peace...

I will live forgiven.  I will forgive so that I may live.

I choose patience...

I will overlook the incoviencce of the world.  Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll invite him to do so.  Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray.  Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I choose kindness...

I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone.  Kind to the rich, for they are afraid.  And kind to to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I choose goodness...

I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one.  I will be overlooked before I will boast.  I will confess before I accuse.  I choose goodness.

I choose faithfulness...

Today I will keep my promises.  My debtors will not regret their trust.  My associates will not question my word.  My wife will not question my love.  And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.

I choose gentleness...

Nothing is won by force.  I choose to be gentle.  If I raise my voice may it only be in praise.  If I clench my fist, may it only be in prayer.  If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I choose self-control...

I am a spiritual being.  After this body is dead, my spirit will soar.  I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal.  I choose self-control.  I will be drunk only by joy, I will be impassioned only by my faith.  I will be influenced only by God.  I will be taught only by Christ.  I choose self-control.

Love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  To these I commit my day.  If I succeed, I will give thanks.  If I fail, I will seek His grace.  And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.