Graduation

Ta-Da...The Graduate!
Randy, Micaela, our niece Amanda

My dad graduated!!

Oh my, it's so exciting!

I did what?! Finally finished?!

Our good friends the Lively family minus one.

Pastor BBopp, Kathy and kids

The May family...look at my sweet Adele!

Shera and Olivia LOVE Mister Randy!Our good buddies...The Kimmer Clan

Me and Becky...we're so cute :)

Michelle, Keaton and MicaelaOur pastor, Dave and Elli Beroth and friends Dan and Jeanne Moeckl

Nate, Shanna, me and mini Nate, Aidan

I am so proud of my hunky husband! We attended his commencement service at Simpson College on Saturday morning. He received his BA in accounting after many years of taking classes here and there. Not only did he finish, he did so with incredible grades. Our niece, Amanda, was able to go Indianola with us and cheer Randy on. The speaker was kinda boring and focused on "saving the planet", which is all good, but not what I think of as a graduation speech. It was a beautiful day!

We had an open house for Randy Saturday night and it was great to see so many of our friends come out and honor him. We had about 50 people, tons of food, and lots of memories shared. I tried to get pictures of everyone who came. This is just a few!

Happy Birthday Jenn

Today is my buddy Jenn Adair's birthday. Jenn and I met at church and hit it off right away. She is an amazing woman of God who is growing in her relationship with Jesus in giant steps. She is one of those people who commits with her whole heart and soul and always does her best. She is a great wife to her husband, Shawn and a terrific mommy to Colby and Cale. She LOVES her pooch, Maggie, a long haired Dachshund. The whole fam is huge Cubs fans, which in my book rocks! Jenn has a super fun spirit and everyone instantly loves her. She has been a huge blessing to her niece, Ashlin, and loves her as her own. She was one of my drivers during my surgery recovery and even helped clean my house! That's a good friend! Have a wonderful birthday, Jenn! I love ya bunches!

Amazing Technology for the Kingdom of Christ

I am LOVING Facebook. I'm having so much fun networking with other pastors from all over the world. I just had a live chat with a health care pastor from south India! How cool is that? I have pastor "friends" from Pakistan, England, Australia, several places in Africa and all over the US. I try not to spend too much time fiddling around with it and I get a little annoyed with all the application things but to connect with other believers from so many different places is like traveling to somewhere you may never be and feeling that the family of God is massive and spreading. It's good to realize there are so many different types of ministries in places that are incredibly "dark" and not be so focused on my small contribution in the Kingdom. The common thread of Christ weaves us together in a way that erases boundary lines and cultural differences and knits us together in this tapestry for the salvation of the world. Very cool.

T.A.L.K. Networking Group

I'm not sure if I have ever blogged about the children's pastor networking group I belong to but I should be! It is a great group of Central Iowa people from all different denominations that have one common thread; we all love and minister to kids. T.A.L.K. stands for teaching and loving kids. Pastor Brian Bopp (BBopp) is the founding inspiration and he asked Sherri Stufflebeem, cp at First Federated, and me to be co-leaders for the group. We meet the third Thursday of every month September through May. BBopp was a part of a group in Lexington, Kentucky where he pastored before coming to Iowa two years ago.

Each month, we discuss a different topic such as technology, holiday services and programs, VBS and summer activities, object lessons and games....you get the idea. The churches involved take turns hosting and then giving a tour of their children's facility. Of course, we include praise reports and prayer needs and find ways to encourage each other in what we do. Children's pastors are a part of a relatively small tribe so we stick together, share resources and sometimes equipment and borrow each other's ideas.

Last Thursday we met at First Federated and shared ideas for games and object lessons. We always bring our lunch and fellowship first and then have our meeting. It was such a fun time laughing about some of the crazy, messy games we have gotten ourselves into over the years. I always leave refreshed, encouraged and inspired with new ideas. We have about 60 people on our e-mail list and average about 10-12 at the meetings, depending on who can break away that day. We invite anyone who works with kids to join us!! You do not need to be a full time pastor to come to T.A.L.K.!

I love how we care for each other and no one sees denominations or doctrine. It's a bummer to take summers off but who has time for extra meetings during all the summer activities? Keep us in mind next September when we restart and join in the fun! If you want to receive e-mail minutes from the meetings and reminders of our meeting times and dates, just leave a request in the a comment and we'll get you on the list! Enjoy the pics of our game ideas!

I'm Gonna Spread the Joy...Not the Jam

That was our Big Idea today in chapel at Des Moines Christian School. I've said it before...I LOVE doing chapel at DMC! It was sad to think that it was the last time for this school year but Mr. Lambert said I could come back next year!

This year, DMC has focused all their chapel time on building healthy relationships and "Joyfulness" is the topic for May with the scripture verse being from Romans 15:13; "May the Lord of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." The Big Idea comes in as there are a lot of things that can jam up a relationship; jealousy, anger, selfishness, misunderstanding, etc. So we want to spread the joy, not the jam!

I spoke of the joy we can have in truly knowing our family and friends so in our relationships we can use that knowledge to bless and help them. I used the example of how I know more about my friend Amy than just her height, address and what color her eyes are. I love her more than that! In knowing her well, it brings me joy to minister to her needs. I said if I knew she was stressed out and having a bad day, a call to take the girls for awhile, plus a nice Starbucks beverage and some new fancy paper for the craft room would be just what the doctor ordered. I should have added a little Barry Manilow playing in the background!

Jesus was more than our Savior...He was a real friend to those around him. He knew Peter so well that when Peter acted before thinking, Jesus knew just what to say to him to make him listen. Jesus knew Thomas was a guy who didn't believe just everything, he needed proof. So when Jesus rose from the dead, He had to show Thomas the scars on His hands to get Thomas to believe. And John...this one speaks volumes. Jesus knew John so well that He totally trusted John to take care of His mom after He died. He told John, "Behold, your mother." You just don't trust a casual friend to take care of your mom!

We can be friends and friendly but how much easier would it be when ministering to the lost if we took time to learn something more about someone than just their name and where they live? There is true, boundless joy in having relationships that run deep with caring and trust. HEY ~ What's the Big Idea? I'm gonna spread the joy, not the jam!

Just for Fun

Thursday afternoon, I was invited to DM Christian's Preschool program where Lisi stole the show! She knew every word of every song and the girl has some great pipes! You can't get much cuter than preschoolers! My buddy Colin was announcing he needed to potty. One little girl had a melt down because she had a sweater on and announced quite loudly that she was just too hot! Rachel C. was taking care of Colin and his sister Ana that day and she said he wasn't too happy that he couldn't wear his Spiderman outfit. Welcome to parenthood! Good times.

Friday night, Randy and I went to a dinner put on by the Division of Adult Learning at Simpson. Great food and a fun time of celebrating the accomplishments of these folks that work full-time, have families and still are able to do college! We are soooo proud of Randy. It was cool how each of their own advisers spoke about each graduate personally. You could tell the advisers really got to know the students.

Saturday, Keaton and I had a few errands to run and we ended up at one of our favorite places, Nobbies. Now you need to understand something. This is a store that gives children's pastors goose bumps...chicken skin, if you will. It's just got cool stuff! We always make the most of any time together and boring errands can be made into pee-your-pants laughter. Who knew hats could be so entertaining. Helps that it is Keaton wearing them. :)

Dreaming Big

I had a great meeting yesterday with my partner in crime, Pastor BBopp. He is so great to work with and a VERY creative thinker. He and I had a dreaming time together as we brain stormed about possible ministry paths. It's been a long time since I was in a meeting that I was so excited about. We are praying for some big things that will take a move of God and some hard work to accomplish. It's definitely one of those Mark Batterson quoting moments, "Pray like it depends on God and work like it depends on you." BBopp is always saying that I am strong in areas that he is weak so I guess we compliment each other's ministry styles.

I haven't broke the news to him yet, but another thing that God is showing me is that we will need three nurseries by this fall when people rally back to church after the summer slump. Hope I don't scare him too bad. :) I'm just chasing lions.

Sacrifice

Sacrifice - what does that word mean to you? I think of giving up or going without something that means a lot to me or gives me pleasure. We all have experienced sacrifice but I heard of an example this week that was very inspirational. A college girl's softball game on a lovely spring day takes an unusual turn. After hitting an over the fence home run, Sara, from Western Oregon realizes she missed tagging first base and makes a quick turn to tag the bag. As she does, she tears her ACL and drops to the ground in horrible pain. The coaches and ump realize if she cannot run and they use a pinch runner, it's ruled a two run single. (There was a runner at second and third base.) If her teammates even touch her, she will be ruled out. Mallory, the first baseman for the opposing team, Central Washington, asks the ump if she can help her. Of course he was shocked by the question but stated there was no rule against it. So....the first baseman and shortstop proceed to pick her up and carry her around the bases and carefully help her tag each bag with her good leg and carry her to home plate. By helping this injured girl, the opposing team gave the others enough runs that they lost the game. Now that is a sacrifice that you don't see happen too often in our competitive world. The parents of those girls should be so proud. It really should be a "normal" reaction but the world is what it is - selfish on most ends.

In the big scheme of things, this isn't huge but what if more people behaved this way? BTW ~ Mallory won the player of the year award!

Taking a Survey

I got to thinking that as a person who hasn't taken her child to a church nursery in over 20 years, maybe what I think is crucial isn't to everyone else. So...I'm taking a survey. Leave me a comment with the top three or four things you look for when visiting a church nursery, you know, the things that are non-negotiable. Thanks for your help in this unscientific survey. Just want to always be on the right track. :)

That Time of Year

Graduation time....It always makes me reflect about the impact of children's ministry. I have done this pastor thing long enough that some of "my kids" now have kids themselves and we have seen many graduations! I always get sentimental about them and have that bit of pride in how well they all have turned out and just hope I somehow was a blessing in their lives. There is a large group graduating at our former church, Berean Assembly of God, and they were such a fun group. I look at these particular kids and they are all so talented, smart and creative but best of all are using their gifts and talents in serving Jesus. Way to go guys...the Lord has wonderful plans for each of you. We'll be stopping by as many open houses as possible and rejoicing with them!

Happy Birthday Adrian

It was my buddy Adrian's birthday yesterday. Adrian is one of the sweetest gals you'll ever meet with an infectious laugh and passionate heart. She is a wonderful mommy to two precious girls and knows how to treat her amazing husband, Drew. Adrian understands the importance of family, who affectionately call her, Addy! Hope your birthday ROCKED, my friend! Love ya!

Good Day

The nursery split went awesome! All of my team did a great job, the kids loved the new table, parents were super positive, the Bumbo chairs came in handy, and the lesson time was so fun. We had all but one of our previous week visitors return, which was very exciting because I was worried the chaos of the week before may have scared them off! I recruited three new volunteers this week and a fourth to join us after May. I'm anxious to see how our summer ministry sign up went yesterday. Our children's programing changes a little with summer time and so we were looking for additional team members. Praise God for when a plan all comes together! Next Sunday....Baby Dedication! :)

New Home

We are so excited for our friends, Becky and Paul, as they moved into their new home Friday! We stopped by to see if we could be of any assistance but, of course, Becky was pretty on top of everything and had a lot done already. The house is so pretty, warm and inviting. Love the carpet color, appliances and counter tops. Of course, Becky is an artist at heart and has a great eye and taste. The boys were so cute showing us their rooms! Jaden picked the smaller room so he could have the view of his new school where he'll go to kindergarten in the fall. Ethan is getting so tall and talking so much more. He's not the baby anymore. :( Happy new home guys! May God bless your new place with love, happiness, and many opportunities to use it for ministry to seeking and hurting people. Hope we'll be moving sometime soon, too.

Odds and Ends

Did you see the Ellen show the other day with the seventy year old gentleman that went back to 1st grade to learn how to read? Oh-my-lan-ta...I cried at that one! So sweet and the teacher was awesome. Ellen gave the teacher 25 lap tops for her class and a group who encourages people who show great leadership gave him $10,000 and gave the teacher money for library books. Very cool.

My darling friend, Adele, and her mommy, Sandy, brought me a May basket! My one and only this year. I sure enjoyed that pop corn but loved the surprise visit more!

I stopped at KFC to try one of their Snacker sandwiches. Now I know they are a snack and only 99 cents but come on. The piece of chicken on it was the smallest chicken strip I have ever seen. I'm just sayin'! It was literally 2 inches.

My physical therapist tried to get my muscle next to my knee cap to "fire" better by taping it somewhat pushed to the side and then had me do some of my exercises. Her plan flopped and caused me to be super sore! Grrrrr...it was doing great until then. She has been so awesome so I can't be too upset with her! I only have a couple more sessions and I'm done. I still struggle with steps but mainly because I'm afraid to trust the new knee and I shouldn't....it works fine.

Randy's graduation is coming up May 17th! I tried to send everyone an e-invite so if you didn't get one to the party, let me know!!! We want to celebrate big. The party is at our apartment party room from 5 - 8 on Saturday the 17th. We'll have food so come hungry and the kids are welcome! Let me know so we have plenty of eats. In the mass e-mail, I could have missed someone important so forgive me and call or leave a comment! We are so proud of him, I sure wished his mom could have been here, too. Come for a few minutes or stay all night.

I have had a lot of fun with Facebook. I belong to a couple of groups that have given me opportunity to talk to other pastors all around the world. It's awesome to get a message like I did today from a friend in Kenya who felt led to pray for me. I have friends from all around the USA, Australia and China, too. So cool to have "family" members everywhere and to know there are people across the globe praying for each other and the cause of Christ.

Have a great weekend!

It's Here!

The toddler table arrived so we had to break it in last night. The kids were so funny....they looked at me like "What are you doing to me?" but really liked it once they figured out it involved Gold Fish crackers. Now for Sunday....

There's Something in the Water

If you attend DM First or visit anytime soon, please be forewarned...there is something in the water!! We have an outbreak of pregnancies. Every time I go to church, I hear of another expectant mom! One family is expecting #7, one #4 and lots of #2's. Added to the huge visitor day last Sunday, I think I had better set some plans in motion for nursery #3 to open in a few months....or maybe a few weeks. Eeek. Seriously, a good problem to have. But back to the baby boom....I'm gonna have lots of newborn fixes and opportunities to minister to these families. An added bonus is several friends who are pregnant, too. Life is good!

Wild Day

This past Sunday was a wild day in the DM First nursery! It was the first day that the congregation from Metro Assembly of God permanently joined our congregation so we had a lot of extra people anyway but it was also a very high visitor day. I had 41 babies for the three service times and 23 of them in the 11 AM service alone! Yowza...we were hopping. It's a good thing this coming Sunday is the beginning of two nurseries! All things are in place for the split as long as our new toddler table arrives this week.

Everyone is excited for the changes and we have had several parents who haven't used the nursery for a while begin to do so again. We are not just adding another room but also a teaching and music segment for each age group.

Our next Baby Dedication day is Mother's Day. DM First has 3 or 4 set days during the year to do dedications because we have enough babies arriving all the time we could be doing dedications every week! I love baby dedications....I get to do one for my friend Jen Yates on May 31 at their family reunion. I did her son, Chance's, dedication in a park, also, a couple years ago.

Say a prayer for me this weekend! You know there are always bugs to work out when you make a big change but I know the Lord will help us transition as smooth as possible.

Iowa District Council and Stuff

The last three days have been long, a little stressful but also wonderful and refreshing. We just finished our annual Iowa District Council for the Assemblies of God. It's a time when all the pastors in Iowa can gather for teaching, preaching, business meetings and voting of leadership and to recognize those who are receiving their credentials to preach. It is also a great time to reconnect with ministry friends, network, encourage and just fellowship with our tribe. I always enjoy council because it is refreshing to me as I don't get to sit through many adult services and the preaching is always off the hook! We had Dr. Ron McManus as our guest speaker and he did a leadership teaching on Wednesday morning that was by far the best leadership session I have ever sat in on. It was 1 1/2 hours but I could have listened to his teaching for a couple more. We were also blessed to have Dr. Blessman from Blessman Ministries speak to us about health care and how we pastors have a tendency to not take care of our bodies as well as we should. He is a member at DM First and his ministry is very cool. He has a gaming ranch in South Africa where you can go and hunt or do a picture safari, then you can be a part of his medical missions. He has an emphasis on providing eye glasses. My pastor, Dave Beroth, recently went and experienced it all.

Of course, the high light of the three days was Keaton receiving his ministry credentials. We could not be more proud! Both of our kids have done so well in the areas that God has called them. Keaton looked soooo handsome in his new suit! It was definitely a "that'sa my boy!" moment. Some of the pictures are with other friends who received their credentials and with some of our leadership. Keaton has an amazing journey ahead of him. I know I am biased as his mom, but he is one of the best at what he does at such a young age. There are not too many people who can do both children's and youth ministries and do them so well. I was told by more than one person in leadership that he is a hot commodity! :) God also laid a new vision on his heart that is very exciting. I'll only let him speak of that as God leads him.

Our district also jump started two new Iowa missionary families and that was super exciting, too. One family is going to Israel and my friends, the Van Wyk's are going to Botswana, Africa. The district also announced a new church plant in Waukee led by a great family who used to be on the mission field, Kerry and Liz Brown and their three boys. It's called Destiny Church and they are launching in September but are still looking for a location.

It was my first experience to schedule all the child care for the conference and I was so nervous that I would have enough but all went pretty well. We had as many as 18 babies in one room at a certain point and almost as many preschoolers so it took many hands but my team did an awesome job. They didn't have to call me out of service once! After I made sure all was well and we were in ratio, I was able to enjoy council. I wonder how many diapers were changed in the last three days? :) I know we went through a lot of Gold Fish crackers! I also got do do part of the two Kid's Council services so that was fun to hang with the older kids again!

God knows me so well! I have been missing preaching so much lately but the Lord opened a couple doors for me this past week. I was asked to do an extra chapel service at DM Christian for their spiritual emphasis week and you all know how much I LOVE to do chapel! I will be back there in May 14 to do my last one for the school year. PLUS - our district asked me to be the kid's speaker at our Family Camp this year. I filled in a few services for it last year when they had a cancellation and really enjoyed it. Camp is June 7, 8, and 9 and I will have five services to do for kids 4-11. I'm really looking forward to it! Thanks, Lord, for those opportunities!

Kids at Texas Ranch

I am so troubled by what is going on at the Texas ranch that just had 413 children removed for safety reasons. I'm sure that the courts are doing the best they can to protect them and find out if accusations of abuse are truly happening but I feel so bad for the kids. How frightened and confused they must be. Now they are starting genetic testing to see who their parents are and are talking about placing them in foster care. It breaks my heart that they have to endure this because of their parent's weird or extreme beliefs. Of course, I am glad if they are being abused in any way but you know there are innocents involved, too. I hope and pray they can resolve things quickly and that the kids are okay and not too traumatized. Who knows what is happening inside that place in the name of "religion." I see the pictures of the compound and wonder all kinds of things. How are they paying for all those new, huge buildings? Is there one central leader like you hear of in most cults? What exactly do they believe?

Our world has a lot of interesting "spiritual and religious" things going on right now between this in Texas, the Pope visiting and the country's most dangerous woman, Oprah. We need to be praying against the dark principalities of this world and praying that the Truth, Jesus, would be revealed to all. In these end times, the Bible tells us that people's eyes will be blinded and hearts hardened to the things of God. It appears to be happening more and more. Makes me want to go to Texas and bring some of those kids home with me.

Odds and Ends

Did you hear about the "Idol Gives Back" segment of American Idol where they sang Shout to the Lord? Cool, huh!?

Our lead pastor, Dave Beroth, has just finished his first book and is ready for publication! We are so excited for him. He will be preaching a sermon series beginning in June based on the book and then our life groups will have discussion times over the sermons. We as a staff will get the chapters each week to help write discussion questions for the life groups. I'm really looking forward to reading it! The title is Before You Know, He Knows.

Saturday night, we got together with Michael "Obie" Oberbeck at his mom and dad's house since he was in town. He brought a couple of Master's Commission buddies to help him play in the worship band for Iowa District Youth Convention. It was great to see him and catch up on all God is doing in his life. He is loving Texas! Of course, I had to make him some of his fav Scotch-a-roos.

My insurance company sent me a birthday greeting and in it was a "newspaper" page of happenings and facts from April, 1961, my birth year. The Soviet Union launched the first man into space. Some of the popular music was "Runaway" by Del Shannon, "Surrender" by Elvis, "Please Mister Postman" by The Marvelettes and "Runaround Sue" by Dion. Barbara Streisand made her off Broadway debut and the Yankees won the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. The average price of a house was $30,000, a gallon of milk was $1.05, a loaf of bread 21 cents, a gallon of gas was 25 cents, a new car was $2,275.00 and the average income was $5,315.00. Wow, times have changed!

Happy ER Birthday

Well...my 47th birthday was a flop! Not because of a lack of well wishes but because I ended up with a migraine! I haven't had one for several months and I got up at 5 AM Sunday morning with a full blown, throwing up, wanting-to-die migraine. Of course, that meant a trip to the ER for shots after I threw up my meds I have at home. A couple hours later and two good shots in the ole rear and I slept ALL day. I woke up long enough to eat part of an Arby's roast beef sandwich and that's about it. I was mostly coherent by 6 PM but that meant we missed our awesome life group, too. Oh well, I guess I can celebrate another day. Poor Randy got to watch me sleep all day and miss the fun, too. My last holiday was in the ER, too. What's the deal? I think I need to lay low Memorial weekend. :)

ABC's of Me

My pals Angela and Jena tagged me for this list...kinda fun!

A- Attached or Single: Quite firmly attached - almost 28 years :)
B- Best Friend(s): Randy, Jesus, my kids & a few really close girlfriends
C- Cake or Pie: Pumpkin pie - when I used to eat sugar
D-Day of Choice: Sunday
E-Essential Item(s): carmex, laptop, cell phone, sugar free mints, jewelry, coffee, hugs
F-Favorite Type of Music: Contemporary Praise and Worship, lots of variety
G-Gummy bears or worms: bears, but I don't eat sugar, all gummies rock!
H-Hometown: Sioux City, Iowa
I-Indulgences: Panera bagel with hazelnut cream cheese, Starbucks, jewelry
J-January or July: Definitely July!!!
K-Kids: the best 2 kids in the world, daughter Micaela (24) and son Keaton (23)
L-Last movie: The Bucket List (pretty good, too)
M-Marriage Date: June 21, 1980 (I totally got the better end of the deal!)
N-Number of Siblings: 2 sisters and 7 brothers (six living and one that was given up for adoption that we've never found)
O-Oranges or Apples: this week oranges, sometimes Fuji apples
P-Phobias or Fears: heights, grasshoppers, beetle-type bugs
Q-Quotes: "You can just eat a big bowl of shut the heck up!"
R-Reasons to Smile: Are you kidding? What's NOT to smile about...Jesus loves me, my hunky husband, my awesome kids, my church family, being a pastor, coffee, plus I have TONS of wonderful friends! I could go on and on.
S-Season: Spring and summer!!!
T-Tag: Angela Albers, Trudy, and Adrian
U-Unknown Fact About Me: I'm an open book but not everyone knows I used to weigh 340 pounds
V-Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals: Me like meat!
W-Worst Habit: Being "thin skinned", procrastinating sometimes
X-X-rays or Ultrasounds: ultrasound
Y-Your Favorite Food: bagels, Mexican, pizza
Z-Zodiac: Aries

Make a Difference

A pastor friend of mine sent this to me and I thought it blog worthy!! In our lives, we all have days when we wonder if who we are and what we do makes a difference in the world....or even in our own family. We all have heard what the Bible says about the tongue and the power of our words...there is life and death in them. (Proverbs 18:21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.) I have always tried to be an encourager but fall short many times. This was a beautiful reminder and an amazing example of how who you are makes a difference! We need more teachers like this gal!



http://www.blueribbonmovie.com/

Volunteer Appreciation Banquet

Last night, our leadership team for Des Moines First's children's ministry department had our annual Volunteer Appreciation Banquet. We had a great time honoring all those who faithfully serve the children of our church and community. One cool thing about being in an established church is that you get to meet people who have dedicated more than 30 years to their passion for kids.

It was a ton of work preparing as it is for any big event but we sure had fun working together to pull it all off. We actually have a part time gal, Jill, who's main job is big event planning for the children's department. She had great ideas for the decorations, as you can see in the pics, for our theme of "Bloom where You're Planted." The room was so beautiful after we got all the tables done. I was able to score some incredible door prizes from lots of different businesses. I don't know what it is but I have a knack for getting free stuff! :) I had 90 door prizes to give away for our 120 people that could make the banquet. Our team is much larger but several couldn't be at the event. Pert-near everyone got a prize...love that! Plus we gave away the table flowers and decorations.

Our caterers where Drew and Adrian Stinson and they did a fantastic job! The food was yummy and the presentation lovely! It was great to get to visit a little too. We haven't got to connect much lately because of Drew's new restaurant that is opening and Adrian traveling for her grandmother's death. We had awesome chicken parmigiana and some green beans that were to kill for! The cake, I'm told, was super good. It sure looked cute.

Detective Durk Durango made an appearance to tell us the story of the Faithful Servant and in typical Durk style, had the crowd on the edge of their seats. BBopp is one of the most talented actors you'll ever meet! He writes and performs the coolest skits and characters.

I'm so glad we had this opportunity to say "thank you" to those who dedicate their time every week to love children. It's not always a glam job but so rewarding. My partner in crime, Pastor BBopp, says that there is a little know scripture in the Bible that he likes to quote....this is Jesus speaking (according to BBopp)..."Let the little children spit up onto me." Amen! My feet hurt. :)

Cute Couple

Here's a pic from GYRAD (get your roommate a date) night at Evangel. Micaela went rollerskating with her friend Michael and a bunch of the EU crew. Aren't they cute? I think they should go to Spring Fling together. It's hard to not be a matchmaker. Heeheehee.

Casting Vision

I had my first opportunity at First Assembly to do a training session with my First Embrace team. I was kinda nervous as I am still a new-be at DM First and am still meeting the tons of people that go there.

I feel like God has placed me in this position for a season to help bring their nursery from great to fantastic. The previous coordinator did a very good job but where she had inexperience, I have some to share. Pastor BBopp and Pastor Dave have other plans for me later in the year but for right now, this is my mission.

The first half of the team came Sunday and the second half will get the repeat session this Sunday. Everyone there was very positive about the changes and additions I shared and were quick to get on board to serve in greater ways. The meeting went very smooth, praise God. Pastor Dave's wife was there and she was super excited about the ideas and helped spread the excitement to her hubby! :) I now have all the $$ I need to implement the expansion. I pray the excitement has a real trickle-down affect and we are able to expand the team, also. Pastor Dave even said he may take a Sunday off preaching so he can serve in the nursery!

Change always brings about work, worry, questions, stress, and some growing pains but if communication is present and attitudes remain positive, great things will come about for the kingdom of God!

Don't Give Up!

If you have ever tried to talk to someone about Jesus and gotten the cold shoulder, you can relate to this awesome post from Perry Noble. http://www.perrynoble.com/2008/04/01/dont-give-up/ Don't give up!

Wedding for my "Brother"

Randy and I went to a wedding Saturday night. Not just any wedding...it was "my brother!" Well, not my real brother but a super good friend of mine that I used to work with at the school. Brandon and I have been pals for about six or seven years. Brandon is the youngest of four boys so I always teased him that I was the sister he never had. It's a weird dynamic of a friendship; I was married, he was single, I'm a believer, he is a seeker with tons of doubts, he's 14 years younger than me but we really hit it off and always had the best, funnest conversations. All of us thought he would NEVER get married but he fell in love with an awesome gal and while on a trip to Alaska last summer, he proposed out on a beautiful lake. Brandon and Shelly are attending the Ankeny site of Lutheran Church of Hope and I am praying he comes to know Jesus soon! It was a beautiful wedding with TONS of people. There had to be at least 400 there. They asked me to say the dinner blessing at the reception, which I was honored to do. The picture of the wagon and Belgians was the bridal party's transportation from the church to the reception. Pretty cool. Literally...it was chilly that evening. :) Congrats to my brother!

Happy Birthday Keaton

Where do I begin? Keaton turned 23 today and that means 23 years of laughter at the Eilers' house. Randy, Micaela and I all have a good sense of humor but Keaton brings the word funny to a new level! If he was not so obviously called to be a pastor, I think he could make it as a comedian!! He has a very quick wit and never fails to have a comeback. He can do some awesome impressions, not so much of famous people but of friends and family. Although, he does do a mean Chris Farley.

Keaton is smart, he's very good at math....totally gets that from Randy. He is good at sports, especially football. He sent more than one defensive lineman to their knees in prayer. Never challenge him in a cannonball contest because he will school you big time! One of Keaton's greatest talents is organization. He loves Rubbermaid containers, labelers and Sharpee's.

As a pastor, I have had the privilege of watching him grow in his ministry. He started working with me and some others when he was 14 or 15 and we could all see his calling right away. Not only is he awesome with young kids, he is great with teens, too. Babies do not scare him, either. :) I had so much fun ministering with Keaton and doing characters like his Professor Poof and Lonnie, the little brother of my Lucy character. There is nothing he won't do to have fun with the kids and communicate the love of Jesus.

Keaton is just in the beginning of his career but he has already had so much success because he is faithful and obedient to what God wants him to do. We are so proud of you, Keaton and thankful that we were chosen to be your parents. Thatsa ma boy! Have a wonderful birthday and your most awesome year yet!

What a Great Day!

My day started with a very productive trip to physical therapy! After my ER adventure, I wasn't sure how well I'd do today but it was awesome. I later found out that my friend, Debbie, prayed for me this morning that I would have incredible bending. She did a good job cuz God came through! I was able to start using the leg press, stair step exercises, can finally do a straight leg lift, can do a full revolution on the bike and my bend is a full 110 degrees!!!! I rode the bike for about 3 minutes with virtually no pain. My legs were a little noodley when I got done. :)

And then the day got better! Amy and Lisi picked me up from PT and off to Panera we went for a little lunch. As always, Lisi had us laughing from the start. After lunch, Amy treated us to manicures!! She was shocked to learn I had never had one. So fun and relaxing. Lisi was determined to get me to choose this gold glitter polish and I felt a little bad to disappoint her but it really wasn't me. We made a stop at the toy place by Archiver's for Amy to get a birthday gift and that was even fun. They have some of the most creative stuff for kids. Is the place called Creative Kids? Anyway...Lisi was such an angel the whole time. She was dog sitting for Iz, too funny.

Randy and I enjoyed a nice diner at Granite City before church and now I'm about ready to crash. I praise God for the progress I'm making with the knee. I praise Him for so many good friends who have been my wheels, meals, vacuum-ers, and encouragers!

Birthday Fun

Randy, Jerilyn, Ranay, Michelle, Micaela, Heidi, Keaton and Jacob

My darlings...ain't they cute?

Pre-party game of Life

Jerilyn...aka Irene. Pretty hair!

Pastor Keaton leading us in pizza prayer.

Keaton's gorilla hat gift from Michelle and Coop..very funny!

Pull the strings and it beats it's chest!

Katie Lou Who

Mic looking very serious!

We had such a great time celebrating our kid's birthdays on Saturday night. You will notice in the pics that we are NOT celebrating in our apartment. We are at the Main's house. How many people do you know that will just let you invade their house while they are out of town? Mark and Amy so generously allowed us to gather there because of our lack of space and our Nazi neighbor who complains if we breath too loud. Anyway...thanks Mark and Amy!!

We had Nick and Willy's, some cake and chocolate chip bars and a whole lot of laughs. Micaela's old friend from Berean and Becky's sister, Katie and her boyfriend James came out. It was kinda funny getting them there. They are both directionally challenged! Some other late comers were Nate and Angela who's dad pastor Glad Tidings AG. Mic brought two of her gal pals home, too. Jerilyn and Ranay are sweethearts and such good friends to Micaela. It was too funny, Jacob couldn't remember Jerilyn's name and ended up calling her Irene the whole weekend! Praise God for good friends and kids who don't mind their olf folks hanging out with them!

Happy ER Easter

I had an unusual Easter. I sent the first few hours of the day in the ER. I started having this terrible pain in my calf yesterday and after having it for about 12 hours and it getting increasingly more painful, at 6 AM I called the on-call doc from my surgeon's office. His advise...go directly to the ER. Do you know how hard it was to call my "boss" and tell him I wouldn't be there on Easter morning? Hated that phone call! Of course, BBopp was so understanding and glad I was going to get it checked out.

We had to wait for an ultrasound person to be called in to check it out. Thank God there is no clot but I still have this crazy tearing pin in my calf that I cannot get rid of! I'm calling the surgeon again tomorrow and see if there is anything else I can do to help it. The ER doctor told me to stay of off it, elevate, use some heat and watch it. Eeeek, more laying around! I'm so thankful there is no clot.

We were still able to pull off a great Easter dinner with some team work. Thankfully I had prepared most of it yesterday. It was so fun to have the kids here, as always. Hope you all had a great day remembering what Christ did for each of us. Thank you Lord for paying the price for all the stupid things I've done. Thanks for loving me as I am.

Happy Birthday Micaela

Thursday was my beautiful daughter Micaela's birthday. It's so hard to believe she is 24 years old already. I've been thinking about what all to say about Micaela and it's gonna be hard to keep this from getting too long!

First of all, I'm so thankful that my girl loves and serves Jesus! She is a passionate person by nature and it is true in her walk with the Lord. She is faithful in her relationship with Christ and I continually see growth in her journey.

Mic is my artsy-fartsy girl. I think she got her talent from Randy's side of the family, definitely not from me. She has a natural eye for creativity and uses it when she can to help others from designing t-shirts to creating logos. She's in school to be a graphic designer.

Micaela has a heart for missions. She has been on five trips out of the country and many places within the states to share the Gospel. Her ministry team at Evangel University, Oath, spends their school breaks traveling and ministering to various churches through music, drama, preaching, and service projects. Micaela's specialty is drama. In high school, she was the best "demon" in all their church dramas and always helped train the younger kids to minister.

Mic loves board games, amusement park rides, Target, Starbucks (I trained her well), shoes, "The Office" TV show and hanging out with friends. She loves to laugh and has a great laugh to share. She is a loyal friend and is very close to her brother. She has musical talent, too and is learning to play the bass guitar. These are only a few things that I love about my girl!

Mic...you make me proud and I thank God He chose me to be your mom! Happy Birthday.

Back to Church

Sunday was the first day I was back in service at church. It was good to see all the babies and friends but I sure was tuckered after the day! I missed four Sundays and it seemed like ten! I'm making good progress just not sure I should have done Sunday but I can only be down for so long. Here's a pic of some of the snackers. What would we ever do without Gold Fish? ;0