Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Diatomaceous Earth for your garden
As my husband and I expand our garden this year, we realize that critters abound who are set on destroying all of our hard work. Many folks recommended a natural insect killer called food grade diatomaceous earth, or food grade DE. Thus far, we have seen great results in keeping the destructive critters away. I am not good at explaining how DE works, but I want to send you to a DE LINK that I know you will find helpful and extremely informative! The gentleman 'in the know' is named Paul Wheaton, and I'm thankful for his expertise!
The Bait of Satan - by John Bevere
I'm still reading the FABULOUS book by John Bevere called The Bait of Satan. This is my second reading and I'm being challenged again, and encouraged at the same time.
In a nutshell, the bait is offense. From the garden, where the serpent planted the seed of offense in both Adam and Eve's hearts...offense toward God, who appeared to be 'holding out' on them...much of what we deal with in life, including sin (see post below this one) is based in offense. I will not go into book detail here; you will have to read it yourself.
I'm saddened by people who take up offenses. I've been saddened when I myself have taken up offenses. Yet even more frightening to me is when people are looking for offense. Someone will read something or hear something and look for any hint of some sort of connection to something so that they can pick up an offense. Sad, sad, sad.
Yesterday, I had a conversation with a precious friend about this topic, and he said, "It's just sad because where is the ability to express an opinion or even express the truth?"
I"m laughing because I have to ask myself this: "Am I offended when someone takes up an offense over something I say or write that was not intended to offend?"
Finally, I'm reminded of one who took up NO offenses, but many CHOSE to take up offenses in response to things He spoke: Jesus. Everything He said was life-giving, even when He brought 'correction'. Oh that I could speak the truth in love and not be moved if people are offended by what I say. I do know this, I need to grow in the area of speaking in love. The deepest desire of my heart is to bring LIFE, to speak the life and hope freedom that can only be found in the LIFE-GIVER Himself: Jesus!
In a nutshell, the bait is offense. From the garden, where the serpent planted the seed of offense in both Adam and Eve's hearts...offense toward God, who appeared to be 'holding out' on them...much of what we deal with in life, including sin (see post below this one) is based in offense. I will not go into book detail here; you will have to read it yourself.
I'm saddened by people who take up offenses. I've been saddened when I myself have taken up offenses. Yet even more frightening to me is when people are looking for offense. Someone will read something or hear something and look for any hint of some sort of connection to something so that they can pick up an offense. Sad, sad, sad.
Yesterday, I had a conversation with a precious friend about this topic, and he said, "It's just sad because where is the ability to express an opinion or even express the truth?"
I"m laughing because I have to ask myself this: "Am I offended when someone takes up an offense over something I say or write that was not intended to offend?"
Finally, I'm reminded of one who took up NO offenses, but many CHOSE to take up offenses in response to things He spoke: Jesus. Everything He said was life-giving, even when He brought 'correction'. Oh that I could speak the truth in love and not be moved if people are offended by what I say. I do know this, I need to grow in the area of speaking in love. The deepest desire of my heart is to bring LIFE, to speak the life and hope freedom that can only be found in the LIFE-GIVER Himself: Jesus!
Old verse, new levels of understanding
I was on a walk with my sweetie yesterday when we passed by a church's sign on which was written an age-old verse in a bit more modern-day language:
"Sin is paid by death..."
The more traditional version is: "For the wages of sin is death."
I meditated for a minute or two on this newer translation, allowing it to sink in deeply. Death itself pays us when we sin continually and repeatedly. So, I began to contemplate what that 'death' really looks like because there certainly is a lot of sin in the world around us (and we too are sinners), but we don't see 'literal' death happening every time someone is engaged in sin. So, I've concluded the following about what this "death" looks like as a result of sin:
Death in relationships and life to conflicts of every kind.
Death in motivation to move forward in life and life to lethargy, passivity and general malaise.
Death in perspectives on life and situations and life to moroseness and directionlessness.
Death in vitality and life to laziness.
Death in selflessness and life to self-centeredness.
Death in Spirit-filled living and life to living out of our soulish nature.
Death in life-giving thoughts and life to stinkin' thinkin'!
NOTHING good results from sin....nothing. The devil truly is a liar, but we have bought into his lies and given ourselves over to that which ushers in death, and in doing so, instead of being carriers of life, we are carriers of death.
Sorry this is such a heavy blog post....but the reality is that many people seem to think they can engage in sin and be "ok" because they are not seeing 'death' in the traditional way resulting. In fact, they believe they are gaining life, but it's a completely false reality.
I will end with the second half of that verse:
"But the GIFT OF GOD is ETERNAL LIFE in Christ Jesus!"
God Himself has given us a way OUT of sin and it's a GIFT to be received, which brings nothing but LIFE! That gift is Jesus, the eternal one, living, moving and breathing inside of us when we choose, by grace, to walk in Him!
Monday, May 21, 2012
How do you deal with pain?
We live in a fallen world. This is a sad but true reality. Yes, there is redemption, always hope and even when wronged, we can choose to forgive. Forgiveness doesn't change the reality of the fallen-ness, it simply sets the forgiver free.
I've been having to do a lot of forgiving recently, and I've had to ask for forgiveness. Something that strikes me as continually challenging in Christian cultures is the way that people talk about forgiveness and the way they walk it out. Myself included.
I wish I understood even 1/100th of God's heart toward people...then I would really walk in the freedom that forgiveness brings.
There's an old addage which remains true: hurt people hurt people...or even better put: hurting people hurt people. Even if we don't want to, we hurt people simply by virtue of being a living person on planet earth. The key is how we deal with that hurt.
Do we turn our backs? Do we say "it doesn't matter". Do we dismiss those people who have hurt us or those we love and as my good friend used to say: FIDO: Flush It and Drive On. I believe in FIDO in some cases, but when you do it out of hurt rather than out of health, it is emerging out of deep-pain.
So, how do we deal with pain? There is one who endured the most brutal pain anyone could ever imagine...betrayal, beating, mockery, false accusation, and death on a cross. His response: "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."
Do we speak this over our situations and over those in our lives who have caused us pain? More importantly, do we speak this over ourselves when WE have caused others pain? The greatest truth in all of this is this: Our God is the God who is the promise-keeper, and He has kept and will keep every promise He has ever made! He knows every heartache, every wrong word spoken, every dream dashed, every brokenness in every person's heart, and His promise is to make ALL THINGS NEW!
Tapping in to the grace and mercy of God in the midst of pain is one of the most wonderful adventures we have been afforded as believers in Yeshua! Only God can do the God-things in our lives, and as we let Him, He will transform us into His likeness, from glory to glory, that His glory will be manifest on the earth in and through us!
I've been having to do a lot of forgiving recently, and I've had to ask for forgiveness. Something that strikes me as continually challenging in Christian cultures is the way that people talk about forgiveness and the way they walk it out. Myself included.
I wish I understood even 1/100th of God's heart toward people...then I would really walk in the freedom that forgiveness brings.
There's an old addage which remains true: hurt people hurt people...or even better put: hurting people hurt people. Even if we don't want to, we hurt people simply by virtue of being a living person on planet earth. The key is how we deal with that hurt.
Do we turn our backs? Do we say "it doesn't matter". Do we dismiss those people who have hurt us or those we love and as my good friend used to say: FIDO: Flush It and Drive On. I believe in FIDO in some cases, but when you do it out of hurt rather than out of health, it is emerging out of deep-pain.
So, how do we deal with pain? There is one who endured the most brutal pain anyone could ever imagine...betrayal, beating, mockery, false accusation, and death on a cross. His response: "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."
Do we speak this over our situations and over those in our lives who have caused us pain? More importantly, do we speak this over ourselves when WE have caused others pain? The greatest truth in all of this is this: Our God is the God who is the promise-keeper, and He has kept and will keep every promise He has ever made! He knows every heartache, every wrong word spoken, every dream dashed, every brokenness in every person's heart, and His promise is to make ALL THINGS NEW!
Tapping in to the grace and mercy of God in the midst of pain is one of the most wonderful adventures we have been afforded as believers in Yeshua! Only God can do the God-things in our lives, and as we let Him, He will transform us into His likeness, from glory to glory, that His glory will be manifest on the earth in and through us!
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Learning curves as we grow
I am learning that I still have much to learn, especially about loving friends. You would think that as a life-long communicator and teacher of communications of many sorts that I would be an expert by now. However, I realize that I am not, and even more-so, that I have a long way to go when it comes to how I communicate so that what I say is not misinterpreted.
I love learning curves that bring me closer to the Father's heart for others.
Friday, May 11, 2012
My two cents worth...for what it's worth
Status updates and posts have been popping up all over social media in the wake of President Obama's announcement that he supports gay marriage. I thought about posting a thoughtful status update on Facebook but then considered how my perspective might be misconstrued in light of the topic. And so, while I am going to post this blog entry on Facebook, I am giving more than just a short, pointed thought, and I would welcome and love to have thoughtful, intelligent, respectful, loving discussion with anyone willing to engage in such exchange.
So, had I posted a Facebook status update, it might have read something like this:
"I support the biblical view of God, the biblical view of God's love for humanity, the biblical view of the brokenness of all of humanity (including my own brokenness), the biblical solution to that brokenness, the biblical view of love, and the biblical view of marriage."
Now, I am keenly aware that, given the recent announcements by both the President and Vice-President of the U.S., my perspective will appear to be out of the supposed 'mainstream' of U.S. society on that last point. Possibly, but really, my views on all the points above quite often don't jive with 'mainstream U.S. society'. My views do express Truth, though, as I am reminded every day of my own brokenness and the brokenness of those around me. I work and live with broken people because I work and live on planet earth, and because I look at myself in the mirror every day. And that is why the message of the Gospel is such good news to me and every person on this wonderful planet because it is grace, mercy, love and healing for every broken part of every person.
Let's face it folks, whether our brokenness is alcohol addiction, a propensity toward gossip, unfaithfulness to our heterosexual spouse, addition to pornography, same sex attraction, violent and physical displays of anger, involvement in human trafficking of any kind, cheating on our taxes, or just plain unloving words spoken toward another because of our own insecurities, we're all broken and in need of redemption.
Thankfully, the biblical view of redemption includes healing for all of the above and much more. The two statements I cling to often when faced with dilemmas such as our nation and our world are facing today are these:
So, had I posted a Facebook status update, it might have read something like this:
"I support the biblical view of God, the biblical view of God's love for humanity, the biblical view of the brokenness of all of humanity (including my own brokenness), the biblical solution to that brokenness, the biblical view of love, and the biblical view of marriage."
Now, I am keenly aware that, given the recent announcements by both the President and Vice-President of the U.S., my perspective will appear to be out of the supposed 'mainstream' of U.S. society on that last point. Possibly, but really, my views on all the points above quite often don't jive with 'mainstream U.S. society'. My views do express Truth, though, as I am reminded every day of my own brokenness and the brokenness of those around me. I work and live with broken people because I work and live on planet earth, and because I look at myself in the mirror every day. And that is why the message of the Gospel is such good news to me and every person on this wonderful planet because it is grace, mercy, love and healing for every broken part of every person.
Let's face it folks, whether our brokenness is alcohol addiction, a propensity toward gossip, unfaithfulness to our heterosexual spouse, addition to pornography, same sex attraction, violent and physical displays of anger, involvement in human trafficking of any kind, cheating on our taxes, or just plain unloving words spoken toward another because of our own insecurities, we're all broken and in need of redemption.
Thankfully, the biblical view of redemption includes healing for all of the above and much more. The two statements I cling to often when faced with dilemmas such as our nation and our world are facing today are these:
"Today, you will be with me in paradise."
and
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
Both of these were spoken by a broken man on a cross who had every right to respond in the opposite spirit, but chose the HOPE-FILLED perspective of His Papa. The first statement is utter grace extended to a man who, in the world's eyes, 'deserved' what he was getting - death on a cross. This man knew his own brokenness and in his own words, cried out for mercy and grace and received it. His ways were not the ways of the Kingdom and he knew it; deep down, he knew it, and reached out to the only One who could extend mercy: The Son of the King Himself. I love that man's words:
"Remember me..."
Take that first word apart: RE-MEMBER...put me together again...I'm broken...lost...have chosen my way over and above the ways of Your Kingdom, and it has led me here...please re-member me...put me back to my true identity, the way I was intended to be.
And it was the man Jesus, the Son of God, the gracious, merciful, loving, kind, gentle, powerful, righteous One, who looked out over broken humanity and made a bold proclamation:
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
It wasn't just about their actions in that moment; this statement, I believe, was a prophetic declaration from the place of forgiveness, the cross, for every person there that day and every person to come.
The key is seeing the two statements together. Forgiveness is available as is healing, but we must bring our brokenness to the only One who can heal our broken hearts, and thus our broken lives. Then and only then can we walk in true identity, true freedom, true wholeness because only then are we one with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the authors of life.
So, as I put my hand in the hand of the only One who can RE-MEMBER me, I extend my hand to all who recognize their own brokenness; I have one thing to offer: love, and the longing to have them walk into the loving, healing arms of Papa, whose embrace brings life, healing, true identity, and love immeasurable!
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
All the blessings of friends
This sounds super cliche, but the older I get, the more I realize that the most important things in life are the people God has blessed us with in our lives. Some of those amazing people have read one or both of the books I've written (so far), and here's what they have to say about Walking Forward - Discoveries in Freedom and Forgiveness and The Senders:
“Arden is passionate in all she does. She has a heart for missionaries and those who support them. "The Senders" specifically recognizes and applauds this behind the scenes group of people that make it possible for missionaries to do what God has called them to do. She also has a longing to see the broken healed. Her first book "Walking Forward" is a helpful tool for those individuals to begin that process of healing. She is a blessing to us all.”
Arden is a detailed, yet concise writer who displays the importance of the Body of Christ coming together as a whole to not only be sent but also to send in her book titled, "The Senders." She captivates the readers eye through her personal experiences and her desire to include various perspectives of those who have sent out missionaries. I highly recommend Arden's book titled, "The Senders". I believe this is the beginning of a new wave of missions on the rise that will cause the Church to rise to another level of involvement of God's redemptive plan for all mankind to know HIM and make HIM known.”
Arden is a remarkable woman who has labored as a teacher in the U.S. and Europe, and has tremendous insight into the application of gospel principles to modern living. Her book The Senders reflects a side of modern missions rarely studied - the sacrificial and committed support that is required to send a missionary abroad, and a look at the people who provide that support - their motivations, their character, and their hopes for making the world a better place.”
“I am writing on behalf of Arden Czaszewicz to highly endorse her character, her work and her two books, "Walking Forward-Discoveries in Freedom and Forgiveness" and "The Senders". Sincerely, Mary Kay Ohaneson-Laughton”
“I came to know Arden on a trip to Kansas City. As two professionals passionate about education, we hit it off immediately. I have read her books and feel they are valuable to Christian audiences. I highly recommend both books.”
“Arden is a brilliant author. When she teaches you a lesson you remember it when the conversation is through. She's a person after God's own heart and the anointing the she has on her life will have an impact on your own.”
“Arden is a gifted writer and storyteller. Her two books are a gem for those who want to grow in their faith. I have enjoyed reading them both and look forward to her next effort. She is an inspiration and has much to teach all of us!”
If, after reading these comments, you are curious to know more or get your own copies from the author, e-mail me at tmhunarden@gmail.com
To God be the glory!
“Arden is passionate in all she does. She has a heart for missionaries and those who support them. "The Senders" specifically recognizes and applauds this behind the scenes group of people that make it possible for missionaries to do what God has called them to do. She also has a longing to see the broken healed. Her first book "Walking Forward" is a helpful tool for those individuals to begin that process of healing. She is a blessing to us all.”
Arden is a detailed, yet concise writer who displays the importance of the Body of Christ coming together as a whole to not only be sent but also to send in her book titled, "The Senders." She captivates the readers eye through her personal experiences and her desire to include various perspectives of those who have sent out missionaries. I highly recommend Arden's book titled, "The Senders". I believe this is the beginning of a new wave of missions on the rise that will cause the Church to rise to another level of involvement of God's redemptive plan for all mankind to know HIM and make HIM known.”
Arden is a remarkable woman who has labored as a teacher in the U.S. and Europe, and has tremendous insight into the application of gospel principles to modern living. Her book The Senders reflects a side of modern missions rarely studied - the sacrificial and committed support that is required to send a missionary abroad, and a look at the people who provide that support - their motivations, their character, and their hopes for making the world a better place.”
“I am writing on behalf of Arden Czaszewicz to highly endorse her character, her work and her two books, "Walking Forward-Discoveries in Freedom and Forgiveness" and "The Senders". Sincerely, Mary Kay Ohaneson-Laughton”
“I came to know Arden on a trip to Kansas City. As two professionals passionate about education, we hit it off immediately. I have read her books and feel they are valuable to Christian audiences. I highly recommend both books.”
“Arden is a brilliant author. When she teaches you a lesson you remember it when the conversation is through. She's a person after God's own heart and the anointing the she has on her life will have an impact on your own.”
“Arden is a gifted writer and storyteller. Her two books are a gem for those who want to grow in their faith. I have enjoyed reading them both and look forward to her next effort. She is an inspiration and has much to teach all of us!”
If, after reading these comments, you are curious to know more or get your own copies from the author, e-mail me at tmhunarden@gmail.com
To God be the glory!
Monday, April 30, 2012
Friday, April 27, 2012
Spring flowers
Springtime is one of my favorite seasons of the year...along with everyone else on the planet probably. This spring is very special as my husband, Paul, and I celebrate our one-year wedding anniversary, and prepare for many years ahead together.
A while back, I wrote a post about knock-out roses and how significant that word, 'knock-out', is to me and to us. As you can see in the pictures above, our knock-out roses are flourishing and present a picture to the world of the Lord's goodness to us and what He thinks of us!
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Walking in Freedom
"There is a way that seems right to a man...."
This morning, I am reminded of my utter and complete dependence upon the Spirit of God. You see, I know the truth about my own heart and that outside of Christ and a living, ongoing connection with the Father through Holy Spirit, I can easily be deceived.
When I was a Young Life leader years ago, I remember a talk a fellow leader gave in which this story was told.
"A mother was trying to drive home a lesson to her teenage son who wanted desperately to go see a very questionable movie. He claimed that everyone was going to see it and that there was only a little bit of questionable material in it, and why did she have to be so strict? His mom decided to make her son and his friends some brownies, and in the process, drive home her point.
The son and his friends came into the kitchen when the smell of the freshly baked brownies filled the house. They waited with eagerness as his mom placed the pan of brownies on the table and began to cut pieces for each of them.
"Before you dig in, I want to let you know that I decided to add an extra ingredient to this batch. I added just a little bit of dog poop that I picked up in the back yard this morning. Oh, don't worry, it's all mixed in, and really, it was just a tiny little bit, and you probably won't even taste it; really, it's no big deal. Enjoy the brownies boys!" she declared as she served up each plate.
The boys fell silent and looked at each other and at the freshly cut, wonderful smelling brownies in front of them, and then proceeded to leave the kitchen, not touching the brownies."
Please don't get me wrong...I am not advocating any sort of legalism or nit-picking...rather, when the Spirit of God points out something that is not right, are we willing to listen to that voice over and above the 'popular' voices around us? Are we willing to take the challenging road, which is sometimes lonely, but is always the road that leads to higher discernment in the Spirit? Are we willing to hold fast to that which is True? To Him Who is Truth?
Food for thought...and no pun intended.
This morning, I am reminded of my utter and complete dependence upon the Spirit of God. You see, I know the truth about my own heart and that outside of Christ and a living, ongoing connection with the Father through Holy Spirit, I can easily be deceived.
When I was a Young Life leader years ago, I remember a talk a fellow leader gave in which this story was told.
"A mother was trying to drive home a lesson to her teenage son who wanted desperately to go see a very questionable movie. He claimed that everyone was going to see it and that there was only a little bit of questionable material in it, and why did she have to be so strict? His mom decided to make her son and his friends some brownies, and in the process, drive home her point.
The son and his friends came into the kitchen when the smell of the freshly baked brownies filled the house. They waited with eagerness as his mom placed the pan of brownies on the table and began to cut pieces for each of them.
"Before you dig in, I want to let you know that I decided to add an extra ingredient to this batch. I added just a little bit of dog poop that I picked up in the back yard this morning. Oh, don't worry, it's all mixed in, and really, it was just a tiny little bit, and you probably won't even taste it; really, it's no big deal. Enjoy the brownies boys!" she declared as she served up each plate.
The boys fell silent and looked at each other and at the freshly cut, wonderful smelling brownies in front of them, and then proceeded to leave the kitchen, not touching the brownies."
Please don't get me wrong...I am not advocating any sort of legalism or nit-picking...rather, when the Spirit of God points out something that is not right, are we willing to listen to that voice over and above the 'popular' voices around us? Are we willing to take the challenging road, which is sometimes lonely, but is always the road that leads to higher discernment in the Spirit? Are we willing to hold fast to that which is True? To Him Who is Truth?
Food for thought...and no pun intended.
Monday, April 23, 2012
"Thou shalt not...." (Continuing Confessions)
Over the course of my 20+ years of teaching, I ran the gamut when it came to how to run a classroom. My first year, I had a list of about 15 rules that I expected the students to follow and obey. Most of them were "thou shalt not" types of rules. Not only did it end up pitting the students against me as they tried to see how far they could push the envelope, but it kept me on my toes continually watching out for infringements and then having to remember to be consistent in punishment for each student. The next year, I reduced the number of rules to about 10. That seemed to ease the load a bit, but there was still the spirit of "thou shalt not" pervasive in my classroom, no matter how much I tried to build positive, life-giving relationships with my students.
Finally, and I don't remember what year this was, I heard a seasoned teacher say that she had one guideline in her classroom: "No one has the right to keep the teacher from teaching or other students from learning." Now some may say that this still sounds like a "thou shalt not", so let's reword it one more time: "The teacher shall be given the privilege of teaching and the students shall be given the privilege of learning." When I adopted this one guideline in my classroom, both teaching and learning sky-rocketed. At any time a student "mis-behaved", the only thing I had to say was, "Do you want to allow me to teach, please?" or "Would you please give Tommy the opportunity to learn?"
My rules and guidelines early on in my classrooms were correct and true. But they set up an atmosphere of mistrust and pressure to 'perform' on everyone's part. Once I adopted and implemented the 'one-rule' guideline in my classroom, everyone could get down to the business at hand: teaching and learning.
I wonder if in some ways, when Jesus said that the two greatest commandments are "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and the prophets rest on these two commands," that He was implementing a way to live out the new Covenant, bought with His blood. The Pharisees tried to regulate morality and their understanding of spirituality. Jesus turned it all upside down, but because there tends to be a bit of "pharisee" in each of us, we like to return to that which is comfortable and that which we can control. Instead of living by the Spirit, because where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom, we fall into a new kind of law-giving way of functioning, which ultimately stems from an orphan spirit.
I tried all day long to justify my classroom rules, reminding the students that the spirit behind them was love and care and concern for them; really, though, I was afraid of losing control of the classroom, and the rules were a way to shroud that fear that not even I was aware of at the time.
Don't we do this to each other in the Body of Christ? We place a lot of "thou shalt nots" on one another, stating that the 'spirit behind them' is love, but in reality, there is an orphan grasping for some sort of boundaries within which to work. Jesus Himself knew that the only boundaries we needed were the two greatest commandments: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself." Love is at the heartbeat of God for His children, and calling them forth into their full identities in the Father and into their sonship and daughtership in the Holy Spirit.
So often in my classrooms over the years, with my one guideline in place, I was able to say very quickly and concisely to a student who was misbehaving, "Susie, I'm not able to teach right now," and immediately, Susie knew and did not feel condemned or embarrassed because I didn't point out this that or the other in her, but rather what I needed. Similarly, I would state, "Eric, is John able to learn right now?" Again, almost immediately, without me having to state the negative, both Eric and John would come back to 'center' and we could proceed in moving forward toward the goal.
"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." "It's for freedom that Christ has set us free." My goal in my classrooms was to create life-long learners; is it our goal in the church to create life-long lovers of God? Then let's allow Holy Spirit to lead and guide and do what He wants to do in our midst to bring revelation of the Father and the Son and create passionate lovers of God and lovers of each other in the family. My goal as a follower of Jesus is to help people walk in freedom in the Spirit by pointing them and connecting them to Jesus.
Finally, and I don't remember what year this was, I heard a seasoned teacher say that she had one guideline in her classroom: "No one has the right to keep the teacher from teaching or other students from learning." Now some may say that this still sounds like a "thou shalt not", so let's reword it one more time: "The teacher shall be given the privilege of teaching and the students shall be given the privilege of learning." When I adopted this one guideline in my classroom, both teaching and learning sky-rocketed. At any time a student "mis-behaved", the only thing I had to say was, "Do you want to allow me to teach, please?" or "Would you please give Tommy the opportunity to learn?"
My rules and guidelines early on in my classrooms were correct and true. But they set up an atmosphere of mistrust and pressure to 'perform' on everyone's part. Once I adopted and implemented the 'one-rule' guideline in my classroom, everyone could get down to the business at hand: teaching and learning.
I wonder if in some ways, when Jesus said that the two greatest commandments are "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and the prophets rest on these two commands," that He was implementing a way to live out the new Covenant, bought with His blood. The Pharisees tried to regulate morality and their understanding of spirituality. Jesus turned it all upside down, but because there tends to be a bit of "pharisee" in each of us, we like to return to that which is comfortable and that which we can control. Instead of living by the Spirit, because where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom, we fall into a new kind of law-giving way of functioning, which ultimately stems from an orphan spirit.
I tried all day long to justify my classroom rules, reminding the students that the spirit behind them was love and care and concern for them; really, though, I was afraid of losing control of the classroom, and the rules were a way to shroud that fear that not even I was aware of at the time.
Don't we do this to each other in the Body of Christ? We place a lot of "thou shalt nots" on one another, stating that the 'spirit behind them' is love, but in reality, there is an orphan grasping for some sort of boundaries within which to work. Jesus Himself knew that the only boundaries we needed were the two greatest commandments: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself." Love is at the heartbeat of God for His children, and calling them forth into their full identities in the Father and into their sonship and daughtership in the Holy Spirit.
So often in my classrooms over the years, with my one guideline in place, I was able to say very quickly and concisely to a student who was misbehaving, "Susie, I'm not able to teach right now," and immediately, Susie knew and did not feel condemned or embarrassed because I didn't point out this that or the other in her, but rather what I needed. Similarly, I would state, "Eric, is John able to learn right now?" Again, almost immediately, without me having to state the negative, both Eric and John would come back to 'center' and we could proceed in moving forward toward the goal.
"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." "It's for freedom that Christ has set us free." My goal in my classrooms was to create life-long learners; is it our goal in the church to create life-long lovers of God? Then let's allow Holy Spirit to lead and guide and do what He wants to do in our midst to bring revelation of the Father and the Son and create passionate lovers of God and lovers of each other in the family. My goal as a follower of Jesus is to help people walk in freedom in the Spirit by pointing them and connecting them to Jesus.
Monday, April 09, 2012
Continuing - Confessions of a Former Cessationist
True confessions: (I have since repented for all of the following)
I judged people who raised their hands during worship. I thought it was overly emotional and unnecessary.
I judged people who shouted things like, "Praise You, Jesus!" "Glory to God!" "Hallelujah!" Shouting was rude, disruptive and not biblical, or so I thought. Then I read: "Let' us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms," in Psalm 95.
I judged people who waved banners or flags during worship services. Then I read Psalm 20:5 where it says, "We will rejoice in your salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners!"
I judged people who danced during worship services...where IS your reverence for our Holy God? Then I read 2 Samuel 6:14 where "David danced before the LORD with all his might."
I even judged those worship services where a woman got up to preach the sermon, thinking that this too was unbiblical. Then I had a precious brother and pastor in Hungary walk me through the scriptures and show me that women can be teachers too, and when properly covered by a man and men in the church, women can bless the body with their teaching gifts.
My judgements were off the scale for those people who supposedly fell over during a service when someone prayed for them...I was sure that the person who put his hand on their head pushed them down, or the person was faking falling down. And even if someone was faking and doing a "cd" (courtesy drop), that was between them and God, and did not change Who God is or what He is doing in people's lives and hearts.
I judged those churches where people clapped their hands and sang loudly...but secretly, in the depths of my being, I wished that we in our church would sing songs through more than one time, and there were times when the desire to clap would begin to well up inside of me, but I worked hard to squelch it, out of supposed reverence.
Indeed, I suppose you could say that I was one of the most judgemental people in the church OF the church. Finally, as I began to explore the Scriptures, I learned much more about not only how judgemental I was, but also how wrong I was on every point above.
Probably the most amazing growth in my life has come in the past 8 years as I have released control to the Lord, watched Him break out of the neat little boxes I tried to put Him in and through it all, pour out His amazing love and grace.
Now, the challenge is not to swing to the other end of the pendulum and judge the place and perspectives that I once held. God is a big God, full of fresh revelation, and He has healed my heart and will continue to show me His Truths!
I judged people who raised their hands during worship. I thought it was overly emotional and unnecessary.
I judged people who shouted things like, "Praise You, Jesus!" "Glory to God!" "Hallelujah!" Shouting was rude, disruptive and not biblical, or so I thought. Then I read: "Let' us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms," in Psalm 95.
I judged people who waved banners or flags during worship services. Then I read Psalm 20:5 where it says, "We will rejoice in your salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners!"
I judged people who danced during worship services...where IS your reverence for our Holy God? Then I read 2 Samuel 6:14 where "David danced before the LORD with all his might."
I even judged those worship services where a woman got up to preach the sermon, thinking that this too was unbiblical. Then I had a precious brother and pastor in Hungary walk me through the scriptures and show me that women can be teachers too, and when properly covered by a man and men in the church, women can bless the body with their teaching gifts.
My judgements were off the scale for those people who supposedly fell over during a service when someone prayed for them...I was sure that the person who put his hand on their head pushed them down, or the person was faking falling down. And even if someone was faking and doing a "cd" (courtesy drop), that was between them and God, and did not change Who God is or what He is doing in people's lives and hearts.
I judged those churches where people clapped their hands and sang loudly...but secretly, in the depths of my being, I wished that we in our church would sing songs through more than one time, and there were times when the desire to clap would begin to well up inside of me, but I worked hard to squelch it, out of supposed reverence.
Indeed, I suppose you could say that I was one of the most judgemental people in the church OF the church. Finally, as I began to explore the Scriptures, I learned much more about not only how judgemental I was, but also how wrong I was on every point above.
Probably the most amazing growth in my life has come in the past 8 years as I have released control to the Lord, watched Him break out of the neat little boxes I tried to put Him in and through it all, pour out His amazing love and grace.
Now, the challenge is not to swing to the other end of the pendulum and judge the place and perspectives that I once held. God is a big God, full of fresh revelation, and He has healed my heart and will continue to show me His Truths!
Friday, April 06, 2012
Confessions of a Former Cessationist (continued)
As I mentioned in the previous blog, I am writing a new book, and parts of it will appear here. This is installment #2:
Growing up in a mainline denominational church, I did not have the opportunity to see these greater things that Jesus speaks about with certainty. (See end of previous blog)
Mind you, I saw and experienced many wonderful things, like excellent teaching of the Word of God, solid discipleship programs, wonderful hearts for missions and reverence and awe of God the Father and God the Son and the Word of God, the Bible. I absolutely love and honor the background from which I have come spiritually and every person who faithfully poured into my life through the years. I received a solid grounding in the Word, for which I am eternally grateful.
One noteworthy thing that continually pricked at my heart, even as a young believer, was how quickly we glossed over the third person of the Trinity--The Holy Spirit. To me, and this is most likely my own fault, Holy Spirit was some sort of ethereal entity, very mysterious and sort of "out there," yes, significant, but somehow, He seemed less important or at least less emphasized than the Father and the Son.
I even remember having a conversation with someone when I was looking for a church home during graduate school. This person said, "That church places more emphasis on the Holy Spirit, whereas this church really emphasizes the Word and Jesus."
I took the bait---the latter was clearly 'better' than the former because it's the written Word of Truth that trumps the 'experience' of the Spirit. Somehow, Jesus' words in John chapter 4 to the Samaritan woman at the well got pushed to the wayside in my mind. "A time is coming when true worshipers will worship in Spirit and in Truth."
It's a both/and---not an either/or; it never has been nor ever will be. In the end, it's God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit revealed by the written word of God and the church, God's people, living out the fullness of everything that God is as recorded in Scripture.
I began by saying that I was on the journey away from cessationism before I even knew I was on the journey, and that's because some things really bothered me. Such things as why we focused on 1 Corinthians 13 but glossed over chapters 12 and 14, and why if the Apostle Paul taught clearly that we are to eagerly desire the gifts, especially that we would prophesy, then how could prophesy no longer exist? At one point I was told by a radical mainline person that speaking in tongues was of the devil, so imagine my surprise when one day I am praying and I am, quite suddenly, speaking a language I don't recognize! It welled up from deep inside of me and came bubbling out, and since that time, my relationship with God has only grown more intimate and even deeper as I pray in tongues. I knew there had to be something to this fullness of Christ dwelling in me via Holy Spirit because my new spirit in me, renewed by God's grace, was communing with Holy Spirit like it never had before.
The other mental challenge I had was reading about the five-fold ministry, but only seeing three of the ministries active. Of course there are teachers, evangelists and pastors, but apostles and prophets are no longer in existence, I was told. This confused me a bit, but I simply accepted it, even though it seemed a bit odd to me, especially since Paul was writing about this regarding the early church and how that church and churches to come would be established until Jesus' second coming. As I began studying much later in my walk with the Lord, and experiencing things in my own life connected to these giftings, I realized that indeed they are gifts for today.
....More to come......
Growing up in a mainline denominational church, I did not have the opportunity to see these greater things that Jesus speaks about with certainty. (See end of previous blog)
Mind you, I saw and experienced many wonderful things, like excellent teaching of the Word of God, solid discipleship programs, wonderful hearts for missions and reverence and awe of God the Father and God the Son and the Word of God, the Bible. I absolutely love and honor the background from which I have come spiritually and every person who faithfully poured into my life through the years. I received a solid grounding in the Word, for which I am eternally grateful.
One noteworthy thing that continually pricked at my heart, even as a young believer, was how quickly we glossed over the third person of the Trinity--The Holy Spirit. To me, and this is most likely my own fault, Holy Spirit was some sort of ethereal entity, very mysterious and sort of "out there," yes, significant, but somehow, He seemed less important or at least less emphasized than the Father and the Son.
I even remember having a conversation with someone when I was looking for a church home during graduate school. This person said, "That church places more emphasis on the Holy Spirit, whereas this church really emphasizes the Word and Jesus."
I took the bait---the latter was clearly 'better' than the former because it's the written Word of Truth that trumps the 'experience' of the Spirit. Somehow, Jesus' words in John chapter 4 to the Samaritan woman at the well got pushed to the wayside in my mind. "A time is coming when true worshipers will worship in Spirit and in Truth."
It's a both/and---not an either/or; it never has been nor ever will be. In the end, it's God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit revealed by the written word of God and the church, God's people, living out the fullness of everything that God is as recorded in Scripture.
I began by saying that I was on the journey away from cessationism before I even knew I was on the journey, and that's because some things really bothered me. Such things as why we focused on 1 Corinthians 13 but glossed over chapters 12 and 14, and why if the Apostle Paul taught clearly that we are to eagerly desire the gifts, especially that we would prophesy, then how could prophesy no longer exist? At one point I was told by a radical mainline person that speaking in tongues was of the devil, so imagine my surprise when one day I am praying and I am, quite suddenly, speaking a language I don't recognize! It welled up from deep inside of me and came bubbling out, and since that time, my relationship with God has only grown more intimate and even deeper as I pray in tongues. I knew there had to be something to this fullness of Christ dwelling in me via Holy Spirit because my new spirit in me, renewed by God's grace, was communing with Holy Spirit like it never had before.
The other mental challenge I had was reading about the five-fold ministry, but only seeing three of the ministries active. Of course there are teachers, evangelists and pastors, but apostles and prophets are no longer in existence, I was told. This confused me a bit, but I simply accepted it, even though it seemed a bit odd to me, especially since Paul was writing about this regarding the early church and how that church and churches to come would be established until Jesus' second coming. As I began studying much later in my walk with the Lord, and experiencing things in my own life connected to these giftings, I realized that indeed they are gifts for today.
....More to come......
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
Hope Business Conference
Great speakers...
Times of adoration....
Tools for the journey....
And the reality....going forth!Timely. Spring brings forth hope as we see trees, grass, bushes, flowers blooming and growing.
The Hope Business Conference last week brought great hope to those in the marketplace as they gathered at the Focus building to focus on the goodness of God, the greatness of His being, and His faithfulness in all of life!
Spring in KC
Notice the tiny pink flowers...these are not perennials, but apparently, they never froze this winter and so are blooming again. There's a spiritual lesson and truth in this for sure!
One of our rose bushes and a couple of day lilies just waiting to burst forth and bloom!
We had no idea these could be multi-colored! Beautiful!
This is our neighbor's back yard, and we get to enjoy the view from our deck!
Yesterday, our first rose bud bloomed! I see this as a prophetic picture of passion week...life emerging from the red blood shed.I love spring! The colors bursting forth, new life emerging, dormancy transforming to alertness, and beauty!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Endorsement for my book, The Senders
My precious friend and sister in the Lord, Linda Valen, of Master Potter Ministries, has written a wonderful endorsement for my book, The Senders.
I encourage you to get your copy today by following THIS LINK
The Senders
By Arden Czaszewicz
Endorsement by Linda Valen
The Senders is a unique approach to missions that peers into the hearts and minds of those who pray and give to missionaries! We tend to focus on the heroes who have left everything to live in a different culture, walk by faith, and are called to preach the Gospel. But who thinks about the often unsung heroes behind the scenes who help to send missionaries through their financial gifts and prayers? What motivates them to give and why and what do they value as The Senders? This is a must read book for anyone raising finances and prayer support to do missions work! It reveals many keys that are shared through the eyes of those who help to make mission work possible! Some of you may become The Senders after reading this book because your heart has been impacted and challenged. It is well worth your time to read this engaging book to find out what makes these valuable partners do what they do and why!
Linda Valen
Ministry Director
Master Potter Ministries
info@masterpotter.com
I encourage you to get your copy today by following THIS LINK
Monday, March 26, 2012
Power in a name
Have some fun with me for a minute or two. First, I want you to think of the name of someone you know well. It might be a friend, relative....it doesn't really matter except that you know the person fairly well. Now, when you say that person's name or hear that person's name, what comes to your mind? Take a second and just list in your mind all the things that pop into your mind connected with that person.
As an example, I am thinking of my good friend, MJ (If you are reading this, MJ, enjoy). The first things that come to mind, after the smile on my face, are huge hugs, laughter, a good friend who is always wanting to know how others are doing, one who is more concerned about others and their walks with the Lord than she is about herself, a true "momma-figure", generous, kind, fun and funny, faithful, hard-working, caring, loving, etc.
Do the same with the person that comes to your mind.
Now, let me toss out a name to you for you to consider....ready?
Silvia Tapp.
What comes to your mind? Do you know her? What can you say about her? How has she impacted your life? What are the ways she has influenced you or been a friend to you, motivated you or encouraged you?
I would hazard a guess to say that not one of my blog readers has a clue who this person, Silvia Tapp, is. I don't even know who she is! I made up the name myself and personally, have no connection with any Silvia Tapp and consequently, no response like I had above regarding my friend, MJ.
Now, let me toss out these names and see what comes to mind:
Adolph Hitler
Bill Clinton
Margaret Thatcher
Jennifer Lopez
I believe each of us has certain perceptions or ideas that pop into our minds and hearts at the mention of these people's names, and whether positive or negative, each of them carries some sort of meaning, some sort of power to them which affects us whether we want to admit it or not.
Where am I going with this? I was reading in my Bible this morning, John chapter 18. I will quote here the relevant text:
"Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, 'Whom are you seeking?' They answered Him, 'Jesus of Nazareth.' Jesus said to them, 'I am He.' And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. Now when (Jesus) said to them, 'I am He,' they drew back and fell to the ground." (verses4-6), (emphasis mine).
I was struck this morning in a new and fresh way of the power in a name. Quite possibly, some of the soldiers who came out with Judas had either seen Jesus or heard about Him in the previous three years. Quite likely, there were many things disseminated about Him that were true as well as falsehoods. The significance in this passage is both Who Jesus is and the power of the name that He carries.
The soldiers are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, and Jesus responds with "I am He", the same words used by God with Moses on the mountain when He gave Moses his marching orders to return to Egypt and free God's people: "Tell them I Am has sent you."
Indeed, there is power in the name of Jesus...but the power lies in the reality that He is the great "I Am", God incarnate, and at the mention of His name, the soldiers who had come to arrest him "drew back and fell to the ground." (v.6). Why would strong, mighty, armed soldiers, on a mission to arrest some random teacher/preacher man, some rabble-rouser, some guy who was stirring up people, why would these mighty men of battle draw back and fall to the ground upon hearing, "I Am He"? Both WHO He was (and is) and the authority that He carried as the incarnate manifestation of the great I AM packed power as He spoke. This is the same I AM who spoke and everything came into being, so of course, in declaring His true identity, He causes even the strongest amongst us to draw back and fall to the ground.
We sang a worship song yesterday, part of which says: "There is power in the name of Jesus, there is power, in the name of Jesus, to break every chain, break every chain, break every chain." Clearly, in this passage in the Gospel of John, the name of Jesus has power. Those soldiers may not have known in the moment exactly who they were dealing with, who they were arresting because they had not been with Him, they'd not befriended Him, they'd not listened to His heart, they'd not seen His life, felt His love, experienced His grace and mercy, walked beside Him or shared a meal with Him...yet still, they felt and responded to the power of the name as it was spoken.
If we followers of Jesus, who, according to Scripture have the fullness of God dwelling in us through the Holy Spirit, knew the authority that we carry in Him, can you imagine what could happen for the glory of God to be revealed in the earth? If the love of the Father was manifest in us as Jesus prayed just 6 verses before those I quoted above saying, "And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You (Father) loved Me (Jesus), may be in them, and I in them." (John 17:26) THIS was the pinnacle of Jesus' heart...that the LOVE of the Father would be in believers and that Jesus Himself would be IN them, so that the same life-giving power would flow through us to everyone around us.
Now that's a walk with Jesus every believer needs to grab a hold of, and it's in that intimate, knowing and being known relationship with God Himself, in Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. And when we know Him in that way, then He can pour through us, and when people hear the name "Arden Czaszewicz", they will say, "She carries the love of the Father, the grace, mercy, forgiveness, kindness, gentleness, long-suffering, and power. She smells just like Jesus."
But what about my non-believing readers? What is your perception of Jesus? What pops into your mind when you hear His name? Why? Do you really know Him?
Jesus was the vessel of the Father's love and the very essence of the Father Himself, saying, "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father." How amazing, church, if the same could be said of us.
As an example, I am thinking of my good friend, MJ (If you are reading this, MJ, enjoy). The first things that come to mind, after the smile on my face, are huge hugs, laughter, a good friend who is always wanting to know how others are doing, one who is more concerned about others and their walks with the Lord than she is about herself, a true "momma-figure", generous, kind, fun and funny, faithful, hard-working, caring, loving, etc.
Do the same with the person that comes to your mind.
Now, let me toss out a name to you for you to consider....ready?
Silvia Tapp.
What comes to your mind? Do you know her? What can you say about her? How has she impacted your life? What are the ways she has influenced you or been a friend to you, motivated you or encouraged you?
I would hazard a guess to say that not one of my blog readers has a clue who this person, Silvia Tapp, is. I don't even know who she is! I made up the name myself and personally, have no connection with any Silvia Tapp and consequently, no response like I had above regarding my friend, MJ.
Now, let me toss out these names and see what comes to mind:
Adolph Hitler
Bill Clinton
Margaret Thatcher
Jennifer Lopez
I believe each of us has certain perceptions or ideas that pop into our minds and hearts at the mention of these people's names, and whether positive or negative, each of them carries some sort of meaning, some sort of power to them which affects us whether we want to admit it or not.
Where am I going with this? I was reading in my Bible this morning, John chapter 18. I will quote here the relevant text:
"Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, 'Whom are you seeking?' They answered Him, 'Jesus of Nazareth.' Jesus said to them, 'I am He.' And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. Now when (Jesus) said to them, 'I am He,' they drew back and fell to the ground." (verses4-6), (emphasis mine).
I was struck this morning in a new and fresh way of the power in a name. Quite possibly, some of the soldiers who came out with Judas had either seen Jesus or heard about Him in the previous three years. Quite likely, there were many things disseminated about Him that were true as well as falsehoods. The significance in this passage is both Who Jesus is and the power of the name that He carries.
The soldiers are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, and Jesus responds with "I am He", the same words used by God with Moses on the mountain when He gave Moses his marching orders to return to Egypt and free God's people: "Tell them I Am has sent you."
Indeed, there is power in the name of Jesus...but the power lies in the reality that He is the great "I Am", God incarnate, and at the mention of His name, the soldiers who had come to arrest him "drew back and fell to the ground." (v.6). Why would strong, mighty, armed soldiers, on a mission to arrest some random teacher/preacher man, some rabble-rouser, some guy who was stirring up people, why would these mighty men of battle draw back and fall to the ground upon hearing, "I Am He"? Both WHO He was (and is) and the authority that He carried as the incarnate manifestation of the great I AM packed power as He spoke. This is the same I AM who spoke and everything came into being, so of course, in declaring His true identity, He causes even the strongest amongst us to draw back and fall to the ground.
We sang a worship song yesterday, part of which says: "There is power in the name of Jesus, there is power, in the name of Jesus, to break every chain, break every chain, break every chain." Clearly, in this passage in the Gospel of John, the name of Jesus has power. Those soldiers may not have known in the moment exactly who they were dealing with, who they were arresting because they had not been with Him, they'd not befriended Him, they'd not listened to His heart, they'd not seen His life, felt His love, experienced His grace and mercy, walked beside Him or shared a meal with Him...yet still, they felt and responded to the power of the name as it was spoken.
If we followers of Jesus, who, according to Scripture have the fullness of God dwelling in us through the Holy Spirit, knew the authority that we carry in Him, can you imagine what could happen for the glory of God to be revealed in the earth? If the love of the Father was manifest in us as Jesus prayed just 6 verses before those I quoted above saying, "And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You (Father) loved Me (Jesus), may be in them, and I in them." (John 17:26) THIS was the pinnacle of Jesus' heart...that the LOVE of the Father would be in believers and that Jesus Himself would be IN them, so that the same life-giving power would flow through us to everyone around us.
Now that's a walk with Jesus every believer needs to grab a hold of, and it's in that intimate, knowing and being known relationship with God Himself, in Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. And when we know Him in that way, then He can pour through us, and when people hear the name "Arden Czaszewicz", they will say, "She carries the love of the Father, the grace, mercy, forgiveness, kindness, gentleness, long-suffering, and power. She smells just like Jesus."
But what about my non-believing readers? What is your perception of Jesus? What pops into your mind when you hear His name? Why? Do you really know Him?
Jesus was the vessel of the Father's love and the very essence of the Father Himself, saying, "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father." How amazing, church, if the same could be said of us.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Finished
A work in progress....
....and the finished product, along with our peach tree!I am finding that projects are so much more fun to do with another person...namely a husband! ;-)
This year, we decided to expand our garden, realizing that last year we lost some yummy veggies to critters, which meant building some sort of barrier. In addition, we decided we needed to have a fruit tree, and agreed on a peach tree. So, that's what you see in the picture. While we won't be able to harvest the peaches this year, it's such a great picture of investing into the future and the next generations...hmmm, could that be a Kingdom value?
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Expanded garden!
Our wonderful Swiss neighbor and friend, Jonny, helped Paul put together the garden frame! We could not have done it without him!
A work in progress!
Love our local rental place where we got the roto-tiller. :-)
It was a bit chilly the day we tilled up the yard. Here are Paul and Jonny teaming up to cut deep into the soil for the garden bed!
Jonny examining the finished product! Now for soil, then the deer and critter fence must go up!Gardening! I watched my father spend hours in the garden as we were growing up, bringing in fresh veggies every evening for dinner and thought, "Someday, I want to have a garden too!"
I've had one the past three years here in KC. It started out as a 10'x18' plot the first year, grew another 9' the second year, and finally, this year, it is a whopping 27 x 20' garden plot. Paul and I are so excited to grow, grow, grow this year! Our dirt will be delivered today, and planting will start very soon as we need to get cold crops in the ground!
With food prices increasing almost weekly, it's nice to know that we will be saving lots of money and eating nutritious food!
Monday, March 12, 2012
Weekend in Chicago
Family portrait at The Bean!
Do you see the message to the left of Paul's ear? :-)
From the John Hancock Tower!
What a treat!
So fun to take a "reflection" picture in The Bean!We were so blessed to share a special weekend with some very special friends of ours. Jonny, Maria, Jamie, Alisha and Matea are a precious family from Switzerland who live just two houses away from us here in Kansas City. Since Paul is from Chicago, we decided to organize a trip together for a long weekend, showing our friends the big city. We enjoyed ourselves so much and have built a life-long friendship with these precious ones!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)