Learning Together

I am so thankful for the opportunity to be leading our new parenting life group! It is so fun to get to know each other better, learn from God's Word together and of course....eat something. :) Seriously, I'm enjoying it. We start our time together doing something we do at our staff meetings. We share "wins". These could be parenting related or something from any area of our lives. They are sometimes huge things and sometimes small; it doesn't matter the size, it's just good to praise God and speak those testimonies out loud. It's so good to be able to rejoice together when we have victories! We also share prayer needs. The Bible teaches we are to "bear one another's burdens" and we know that "where two or more are gathered in His name, He is in the midst of them." How can we grow in our relationships with each other and encounter God without prayer? How can you be upset with someone, be jealous of them, or find them annoying when you are praying with them or for them? You can't. At least not for long. Anyway...I'm getting off track. Call me shocked, I think I'm catching Pastor Josh's ADD. :) Just kidding PJ.
I love that through our life group, we can encourage each other as we study about what kinds of parents God truly wants us to be. If our group can help even one person turn from "I'm not quite sure what I'm doing" parenting skills to God ordained parenting, WOW, what an impact on that family and the future generations.
I've told our group that I may not have all the answers to the tough questions, but we can search out the scriptures and learn together. Some answers may come just because we have experience but all kids are different and the world is ever changing. Praise God that His Word never changes. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and FOREVER. So those answers found in the Word are timeless!
It's not too late to join our group. Drop me an e-mail if you're interested. eilersrl@gmail.com or lorie@jordancreek.org. I have to give a HUGE thank you to our child care angel, Bev. The kids are already attached to her after just a couple of weeks and she is such a blessing to us. That lady is scoring some serious gems for her heavenly crown!

What a Great Weekend

The weekend started out with a great honor. I was allowed to perform my first wedding ceremony! It was for a work mate of Randy's. She and her now husband attend an Open Bible church, but wanted a more intimate ceremony with just family and a few close friends. It was very nice, pretty quick and to the point, just what they wanted. Very fun for me.

Saturday was a full day with errands and Buzz practice. I was so pumped to find the CUTEST decorations for Daddy Date Night! I think I'm almost as excited for it as my girls. We have a very special dad lined up to share with us and I promise it's going to be a memory making night! Hope those dads remember the camera. Better yet, mom better take some pics before they leave the house. We will have Becky Hansen there to take some couples shots. We will just have to put some pics on the blog, too.

Sunday service was the second half of "I Have a Purpose" and the story of Esther. It's fun to hear about some of the converstions it has generated at home. It's always interesting to hear what the kids take away from it. One awesome aspect of The Buzz is that now parents will be able to talk more about what happened at church because they will see and hear it at 9:15 with their kids and then at the 10:15 Creek Kids service, we will expand on the teaching and do some of the regular stuff we already do. The whole family can talk about it and learn together. One word sums that up...SWEET! I assure you, it will be worth getting to church an hour earlier. Think of it as an investment in your family life, parenting skills and you growing as a Christ follower.

Thanks for allowing me to be your children's pastor. I don't take it lightly. I love those kids!

Needed a change

I just had to change the template on my blog. I get tired of the same thing. I need to figure out how to download something better. I'm usually pretty good about tech stuff, but whether it's the site I tried or just operator error, I can't do it! I guess Paul Hansen is going to have to rescue me! :) He's a flippin' genius with tech stuff! Anyway...Happy Monday everybody.

Life Group

Our Life Group is off to a good start. I'm out of my comfort zone in leading adults, but I'm enjoying it and feel like the info we are sharing will really help all of us. There are so many areas of parenting that can be covered, I'm sure we will fill our time very easily. One thing I'm reminded of as I prepare is that even though our kids are 22 and 21, we are still parenting. Of course, not the same way as when they were toddlers but they will always be our "kids" and you are no less concerned for them when they reach adulthood. There are no spankings or groundings but you still want to help lead them and offer advice. It's another parenting skill to know when to back off, but our kids are usually pretty willing to listen to our advise; sometimes they even ask for it! :)

Being a parent is the MOST important job God can call us to. I don't see any parents at JCFC that take it lightly but many people in the world do. We talked tonight how it truly is a divine appointment. God placed each child exactly where He wanted and it's our job to "train them up."

Esther

Today in Creek Kids, I preached the first part of a two part sermon on our purpose using the story of Esther. First, let me say I LOVE preaching and teaching about Esther!! It's one of my favorite stories and it is so good to help us remember that we are not where we are by mistake. The last few weeks we've been learning that Jesus gives us new beginnings (a do-over :)) that includes a new attitude and new behaviors and last week we learned about chasing lions; going after our dreams and goals even if some people think we are crazy. So this week and next we are learning about our purpose. The Big Idea is "I have a purpose!" I wish I had learned that when I was a kid. I want all my kids to know and understand that God not only has a plan for them, but He has them in this world EXACTLY when He wanted them here, in the family He wanted, living where they live...for such a time as this. Esther is a prime example.

I told the story up to the point where Esther tells her cousin Mordicai that she will fast and pray before she approaches her husband the king to try and save the Jewish nation. The kids were on the edge of their seats as I talked and when I asked if they wanted to know what happened next, they all moaned when I said they'd have to come back next week!

It is NEVER too late to seek after God if you are unsure of your purpose. Whoever you are, you have purpose in this world. God does NOT make mistakes and even if we do, He can still use us. Our memory verse is so powerful. "And we know that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 NIV Thanks, Lord, for showing me my purpose!

Buzz Practice

We had our first Buzz practice this afternoon. It was great. Everyone did an awesome job in rehearsal and I just know this is going to ROCK our church. It is exciting to me personally to see something I've dreamed about for over a year starting up for real and to see so many new people joining the Children's Ministry team at JCFC. God is providing people with talents that we may have never tapped into without the Buzz. I know He is going to bless those who have stepped out of their comfort zone to be a part of this and those who are sacrificing their time, too.

No other church in our area is doing the Buzz and as far as I know, no other church in Iowa. If there is one out there, I'd love to hear about it. In a short amount of time, I'm sure we will have kids coming out of the woodwork to experience the Buzz with their families! Not only will they enjoy it, but it will help the whole family grow in their relationship with Jesus.

Thank you Lord for what You are doing and where You are leading us. Keep us focused on You, the vision for the church You have given us, and winning people to Your Kingdom. May all this be pleasing in your sight, not for the praise of man but for your honor and glory. Bring us families that are hurting, searching, that need discipleship, and are open to what You have for them. AMEN!

A Few Things...

Micaela is back safely at school and their power is on. She and some of the girls on her floor took a road trip to one of their grandpa's house where the storm had missed so they actually had heat and could shower! A lot of people in the Springfield area are still without power and it looks like they may get more bad weather this weekend. The system that is headed our way is also going through Missouri. Bummer.

I could kiss my family doctor! Well, not really, but I'm so happy I went to see him. I was so frustrated with the care I've gotten with my surgeon, I decided to go see my family doctor and see if there was anything I could do about how much pain I am in. Anyway, he was so compassionate and let me unload on him. He agreed that the surgeon wasn't listening. He gave me two prescriptions that are helping so much. One was an anti-inflammatory that is safe to take with my blood thinner and a patch that I can wear on my knee 12 hours a day that has litocane in it. It basically works like novicane! It's rockin' my world. I'm not pain free but it is helping so much I can walk better and do my exercises the way I need to. I praise God for working through my doctor.

Last night, Randy and I had dinner with a gal that he works with. We met with her and her fiance to discuss their wedding next week. They have asked me to perform their ceremony. I'm very excited about this opportunity. They go to an Open Bible church, but wanted a small ceremony with just family and a few friends and weren't comfortable having a big, church affair since it is a second marriage for both of them. It was fun talking about their vows and all the other details. I never thought as a children's pastor I would have the chance to do a wedding but I'm sure looking forward to it! It will be good practice for when I do our nieces wedding in Dallas in March. I'm glad I was asked to do the hitchin' and not be "The Wedding Singer"...bad idea! Although...I could teach them "The Throw Up Song." That would be an interesting wedding.

Sunday at JCFC

Yesterday was a great day in Creek Kids. I preached the sermon "I am a Lion Chaser" that I had done at Des Moines Christian School. I hope the kids enjoyed it as much as I did preaching it. After service, we had our monthly Food Court Fellowship. One great thing about being a theater church in the mall is the food court! Every second Sunday of the month we invite the whole church to hang out and eat together. Yesterday, we had an awesome crowd for FCF. I think more people stayed than ever before! I enjoy it so much because I get to talk more to my kids and it gives me a chance to brag about them to their parents. Parents can also ask me questions that sometimes they might not ask on a regular Sunday because we are so busy tearing down. It's all good. What can be better than munching on some Potato Oles from Taco Johns AND connecting with someone you haven't gotten to know yet? It was so cool to see some of our newer people getting to know all of us. Can't wait until next time!

In the Dark

Poor Micaela. She called me Saturday and said they had lost power at 10 PM Friday night due to an ice storm. The whole north side of Springfield, MO including the Evangel and Central Bible College campuses were in the dark. As of Sunday, they were still without power and not expected to get it back until at least Wednesday. Bummer. she wanted to bring a group of girls here but our weather wasn't much better. So one of the girls in her dorm has a grandpa with a HUGE empty house about 5 hours east of Springfield so they piled into 2 cars and hit the road. Classes were officially cancelled through Wednesday. I guess this will make a great college "remember when" story. :) Mic said the cafeteria was trying to feed all those Evangel kids with only a generator. That would be challenging. I pray they get the power back soon. I think of the kids who have no choice but to stay on campus in dark, cold rooms. No hot water for showers, no laundry...gonna get a little smelly 'round those parts!

Exciting Things

Dara and I worked on the church calendar last week and got all the kids events planned out for the whole year. It's so exciting to see all the opportunities we are going to have to reach more kids and their parents and to build relationships within our church. The kids were pretty pumped when I mentioned a few of the activities and the newest BGMC contest. All the events are on the church web site, http://jordancreek.org. Thanks Dara!

Friday, February 9, is our first Daddy Date Night. This event is for all girls who are of Creek Kids age. It's a dress up affair with a princess theme. We will have dinner, special music, a short devotional, pictures of the cute couple and door prizes. It's a great opportunity for dads to show their daughters how they should expect to be treated when they are really dating. It will be a magical night.

Our February BGMC contest is the first Sunday (as Missions Sunday usually is) and this time it's Sock it to Missions day. The kids are to find a unique sock to bring their offering in. We'll have some prizes for the biggest, ugliest, funniest, holiday theme, and best decorated socks. It's just a fun way to continue teaching the kids the importance of giving and spreading the Gospel.

Randy and I are gearing up to lead our new Life Group starting next week, Wednesday, January 17. It is a parenting class...sure wish I had this available to me when I was a young parent. We will never profess to be perfect parents but we did learn a few things along the way. We have some awesome resources to share with you. It's going to be fun.

Stinkin' Devil

I hate the devil. He's been doggin' me lately and I ain't havin' it!! How do I know it's the devil? Because the things I've been feeling and hearing are lies. God doesn't lie, so guess who's getting the blame? I've been struggling with this second new knee, doing everything the physical therapist says but not gaining much ground. She was sure when I went to see my surgeon today that he would want to surgically manipulate it because my bend is not where it should be. Surgical manipulation means they would put me under general anesthesia and bend my leg as far as they possibly could. The risks are muscle tears and a chance of breaking a bone. Then therapy starts all over again. She basically told me part of the reason my knee isn't where it needs to be is that I can't handle the pain. The other is the condition it was in before the replacement. When she said that, I immediately thought, Lori, you are a failure. Those words are simply a lie from the devil. With God I am "more than a conqueror" Romans 8:37. I had a conversation with an old friend of mine who reminded me of a lot of things that I knew but was needing to hear. Thank God for Christian friends who stand with you in times of trial. JCFC is experiencing some amazing things right now and in the last few months and what better way to distract me from being about my Father's business than to use my knee? This is war! So, let me finish my story. I went to the surgeon today and he did not want to manipulate it, he wants me to do some more therapy and wait a while. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is going to see me through this and for whatever reason, He is allowing it to take more time than "normal". I need to be careful to not miss the reason. Maybe it's to win someone at the physical therapy office to Christ, maybe it's to prove His faithfulness to someone who is questioning God. I don't know for sure but I need to pay attention for the open door. Don't mess with me, devil, I will beat you every time with Jesus.