Parenting Life Group

I'm super excited for next Wednesday's Parenting Life Group. We are jumping into discipline and searching the scriptures to find out what God says about raising our kids. We have such a great group of people and it has been fun getting to know a few that I haven't got to spend much time with. If you are a part of the group, don't forget to bring your Bible this next week in case you want to mark some of the scriptures we will use. Come prepared to be encouraged and maybe stretched a little.:) We CAN raise Godly kids who have a Biblical world view! So what are the Three Key Elements to parenting? Come find out Wednesday.....

Facebook Blessings

You know...I signed up for Facebook because Micaela's college friends asked me to but it has opened up some cool re-connections. Several of my "old kids" from Berean have re-connected with me through Facebook and it has been so fun catching up with them! Most of them are either in high school or college now and it's so interesting seeing how they are serving God and what paths they are going down in their lives. It's such a blessing to think that just maybe I had a teeny-tiny bit of influence on how they are Christ followers.

I got a message on Facebook today that blessed me so much. One of my kids, now in college, messaged me (not on my wall) and said he was thinking about all the great times we had together in kid's church and how fast time goes. He was one of those kids that could be challenging but we had a very good relationship and I think he knew how I truly cared about him. I just thought it was so sweet to take a minute to say hi and let me know he was thinking about me! Blessed me so much!

It also helped me remember to touch base with people even if we don't have an opportunity to get together. Who has been on you mind lately? Maybe it's the Holy Spirit prompting you to pick up the phone or send an e-mail. You may make someones day like mine was made!! Oh yeah...and JCFC has a Facebook account, too. Check it out!

Laughin' With My Boy

The last couple days have been extra fun not only because of the pastor's conference but because I got to spend some extra time with our son, Keaton. I needed to laugh and I got extra dose of the chuckles compliments of Keaton. By the way...Pastor Glenn Reynolds has a new nickname for Keaton - "The K Train." Good one! Anywho, we are in the elevator of our apartment riding down to the garage and for some unknown reason, Keaton begins to sing, "Can't Touch This", the old MC Hammer song. Not only is he singing it, he's doing the dance moves...you know...the side step thingy. I am nearly wetting my pants laughing and the whole elevator is shaking. When we safely stopped and the doors opened, I said, "Portly men should never MC Hammer dance in elevators!" So if you ever have someone ask you in passing, "What do you know?", feel free to use our new one liner!

Mark Batterson

Wow, two days of being blessed to hear Mark Batterson speak...doesn't get much better than that! After reading his blog for the last couple years, I feel like I kinda know him. I had this idea of his personality and presence and I am so glad to say I was right. He is humble, kind and SMART. I loved how when asked a question he stopped for a moment and really thought about what he said and made sure he was actually answering the question. Most of us have been around people who simply like the sound of their own voices and don't really have anything significant to say. But Pastor Mark not only had timely information and wisdom to share, he presented himself as a humble servant who just wanted to be a blessing to some Iowa pastors. I love being around people who love what they do and Pastor Mark obviously loves being a pastor. Hope I someday get the opportunity to visit National Community Church...and Ebenezer's too.

May I Recommend?

Here's a GREAT little daily devotional book for your 3-7 year old. It's called "Jesus Wants All of Me" and it's based on Oswald Chambers' "My Utmost For His Highest." It is on the bargain book aisle at the beautiful new Family Christian Bookstore by Costco. For a mere $4.97 you can have a whole year's worth of devotionals. They also have a bedtime prayer version that is the same devos every day but has a place at the bottom of the page to write on. Are you investing in your children's spiritual growth on a daily basis? We make sure our kids get fruits and veggies, milk and protein. Think of the basic spiritual food groups, too; prayer, reading the Word, worship, and submission (repentance) to God. You won't ever be sorry for taking an extra 10-15 minutes a day to go over something from God's Word with your kids. :)

Operation Christmas Child

I'm excited to have received our kit to participate in Operation Christmas Child this year. If you have never heard about OCC, it's a simple way to bless a child somewhere in the world with a Christmas gift that also helps them know the true meaning of Christmas. I have everything we need to get involved! It's super easy...start with an average size shoe box (the $1 plastic one's at Target or Walmart work, too!), you choose an age category and whether you want to bless a boy or a girl. Then fill the box with small toys, personal items and $7 to cover shipping costs. Bring them to church and I will take them to the distribution point the week of November 12-19. I will be sending home the print info with the kids in their Creek Kids bags so you can see all the details. I'll be bringing a sample box to church in the next week in case you want some ideas. What a great family project and an inexpensive way to teach our kids about missions and giving.

After the Shock

By now, most of our family and friends have heard my latest news on my ongoing drama with my right knee. After waiting a whole month, I finally got to see the new surgeon that my orthopedist referred me to. From what I have been told by several knowledgeable sources, Dr. David Vittetoe is the man to resolve my issues. I went with the expectation of some additional surgery to fix the pain, dislocating knee cap and "giving out", but I was not expecting the drastic news I received. He said that the prosthesis is not aligned and needs to be completely replaced, they call it a revision. It was a gut puncher. Dr. Vittetoe explained that it is a longer, even more difficult surgery than the original but he was confident that he could help me. He said that he does everything differently than my last surgeon even down to the anesthesia. He is such a busy guy that I must wait until February 11 to get the surgery done.

But after the shock, some crying and even some anger, I am praising Jesus. First, the Lord hooked me up with the best guy in Des Moines to do the surgery. Second, it is a relief that it can be fixed. The doctor said many times he has to tell people that they just have to live with it. Third, this doctor had a better recovery plan and he was such a great listener and had so much compassion. Next, by waiting until February, I can keep all our fall church events on schedule, enjoy the holidays and plan my 2008 calendar around it. And lastly, I am so confident that Jesus is in control of this whole situation and has a plan and purpose for me. Jesus is so loving and kind, and knows me inside and out and understands just how much I can handle - He is not going to give me more than I can bare. He loves me so much He would not have me endure this without there being a reason. I look forward to whatever it is....a divine appointment with someone who needs Jesus, a new level of compassion, or maybe an opportunity to give Him glory and praise for a miracle. Maybe I just need to personally learn something more about patience, endurance or trust. I know He will also provide all we need with medical expenses.

Thanks for all your prayers and encouragement, concern, love and help. We have such a great circle of family and friends....so blessed! :)

Hangin' With My Guys

Randy, Keaton and I made our weekly Target run with a little added fun. These "hair" hats were calling our names! The family that acts weird together....well, errr...they just get stared at!

Something to Consider

As Christ-followers we want to grow in our relationship with Jesus. We believe that in order to grow we must attend church, listen to a sermon, and walk away with life application bullet points that we attempt to implement throughout the week. Then we return 7 days later to repeat the process. This is all good.

Many of us add elements to enhance our spiritual growth. ( Bible study or life group, accountability group, prayer group, etc.) These are the things we do or actions we take in order to instigate spiritual growth in our lives. Of course, this is also very good.

Volunteering (a.k.a. serving) is something we view entirely different. Much like tithing, we view serving as our contribution. Something we give back.

The truth is… volunteering is another method by which we grow spiritually. (As is tithing.) Find a ministry that makes your heart race and you’ll find something that stretches you spiritually more than anything else you could attempt as a Christ-follower. Some of you have hidden talents and hobbies that would be a wonderful addition to Creek Kids. Some of you may have always wanted to play with puppets or dress up as a wacky character but have never had the opportunity. I'd like to help you grow in your relationship with Jesus by plugging you into children's ministry. I promise it's the funnest way to grow! Just something for you to consider.

Good Times

Randy and I had an opportunity to hang out with our sweet little friend, Mia. Isn't this one of the sweetest faces, ever?! We had some fun at the play area in Jordan Creek Mall and some good ole chicken nuggets for din! Can't beat that. :)

Life Group

Our first night of our Parenting Life Group got off to a great start. We have a nice size crowd with a great variety of parenting stages including expectant, first timers and elementary aged kids. We have started with learning our children's love languages. The most important thing to remember though is that whatever their love language is, we have to always show unconditional love. No strings attached!! I'm really looking forward to getting to know our group better and hopefully be an encouragement in their parenting journey!

New Music

Here's a CD I recommend you get your kids and if you hurry out this week, you can get it at Family Christian Bookstore for $5!! It's one that even mom and dad won't mind listening to. It's by Phil Joel of the Newsboys and called "Deliberate Kids." All the songs are very scripture based and super fun. I'm sure we'll break it out in Creek Kids!

Baptism

What a great time we had at JCFC's Baptism and BBQ Sunday night. We met out at Lake Panorama, thanks Mark and Amy, and it was a beautiful night. It was a smidge chilly but if you know me, I think 75 is a little chilly! All the ladies brought yumm-o side dishes and Mark manned the grill. Pastor Josh had the honor of baptising 19 people. I'm so proud of those who took the next step in their faith journey and followed after Jesus in baptism! Can't wait to see the video footage and the professional pics from Erica. My snap shots will not compare, I'm sure. I sure hope I get to baptize some kids this next spring or summer when we do it again! If you think your child may be getting old enough for baptism, let me know and we can talk about it.

Parenting Life Group

I can't believe next Wednesday starts our next Parenting Life Group. Time flies! We will cover lots of important topics in a twelve week period. Our Life Group is Wednesdays from 6:45-8:15 at our place. If you are planning on attending and haven't talked to me yet, please let me know ASAP if you are interested. We have just a couple of spots left for child care. I'll provide a snack for the kids and some goodies for the big people. Give me a call or e-mail me for more info. eilersrl@gmail.com

Exciting Stuff for Fall

I had a very productive day with fall plans! I'm very excited about our Family Fall Festival. On Saturday, October 20, we will have a great time together at Westridge Elementary School from 6-8 PM. It's a Wild West theme night with carnival style games, tons of candy, food and even a costume judging! We will have awesome prizes for the best Wild West costumes in the age categories of birth-2 yrs. old, 3-5 yrs. old, 6-8 yrs. old, 9-11 yrs. old, 12-18 yrs. old and even 19-100! Now rumor has it that Pastor Josh will even be dressed up so don't be a party pooper you "adult" people! I was teasing the kids during service and said someone could even come as a tumbleweed...I don't think they got my joke. But hey...it would score points in creativity!! One other exciting thing about the Family Fall Festival is that I won't have to ask moms and dads to help me set up, tear down and run the games! We have an incredible ministry team from Evangel University coming to be my slaves, er..helpers, for the weekend! Yes, that is our daughter Micaela's team, Oath, that she is the assistant leader of. Isn't that great?! This is a wonderful opportunity to invite friends and neighbors has it is a FREE community event.

Next, we are having our Family Gingerbread House Building night on Friday, November 31, 6:30-9 PM at Westridge Elementary also. Each family who reserves a spot will be provided everything they need to build and take home their own gingerbread house. What a great way to start a new family tradition. To make the night even more fun, we'll start of f with a pot-luck dinner! Come on, we have the BEST cooks at JCFC! I'm already for some of Dara's fried green beans and Amy's chicken and rice, and Randy will go for any of Mandy's desserts, and oh how about some of Angela's potatoes. http://jcfcgoodeats.blogspot.com/ Sorry, I'm getting all off track here! The church web site is ready for you to sign up on and get your spot reserved. The cost of this evening will be announced soon.

I also purchased our Christmas Musical for this year! Last year will be hard to beat but it is exciting to think of all the new kids we have to include this year. The musical is called "Sing a Song of Christmas." I'll be setting practice times and location soon. I know what you're thinking...it's the first week of September! But we need to get on it soon to be ready by December 16. Save the date and tell all your family and friends to mark their calendars. Last year we had an amazing turn out! I love it when a plan comes together.

Sunday Reflections

Oops, I borrowed Pastor Josh's title. Oh well, just am happy to report we had a great transition day at JCFC. Launching our second nursery made me a little nervous but all on all it went awesome. We have one minor detail we have to change with the new paging system but I think we have that solved. It will be so nice for our babies with all the extra room. It also enabled us to let the smaller Creek Kids sit in the front row of the new theater! Our stage used to take up all the floor space but now we have gained a few feet. They thought it was way cool to sit right in front, a privilege reserved for the 3-5 year olds! There has to be some perks to being the half-pints! :)

Our church's attendance was amazing with it being a holiday weekend! Pastor Josh and I were both pleasantly surprised. It was great to see so many taking advantage of the new coffee shop. It was kinda funny... everyone was enjoying the coffee time so much, they almost forgot to check in their kids. :) Glad you all enjoyed it so much!!

In the letter I sent to Baby Steps people, I forgot to mention a very important addition to our infant nursery. We now have a nursing mother's area that has some privacy with a screen and rocking chair. We hope this helps all our new moms to know there is a clean place designed for them whenever, if ever, they need it. I'll be getting some pics of our babies to insert into the screen's picture frames, too.

Good Day Off

I took the WHOLE day off yesterday and spent it with my hunky man! We slept late and I made him French Toast (his fav) and then we decided to catch a movie. We went to Jordan Creek and had a little Chic Fil A and then off the Nannie Diaries. Sadly, neither one of us liked the movie. It was way depressing but did have a good ending. The only funny parts are shown in the trailer. Anyway, it was still fun to spend time together. We came home and Randy cooked us some of his awesome burgers. The man can grill!! Great day, just the two of us. :)