Let's play catch up!

OK, so it's been over a week since we've posted anything relevant. Let's get up to speed, then we can proceed as normal-

VBS was a smashing success. We had nearly 70 kids, 2 of which made professions of faith, and over 120 people at our family night. Also, instead of a missions offering this year, we had a canned food drive, and the kids brought over 300 items for the Jasper Shares food place. So over all- huge success. Also, the class that brought the most food items got to hit me and Paul, our youth minister, with pies. To see more pics, go to Facebook- our friend Bridgette White uploaded a lot of good ones.

Last Tuesday, we finally bought a truck. It's a 2005 Silverado, and I really like it. We had been talking, praying, and thinking about it for several months now, and decided to do it. There were a lot of factors in the decision, but one of the biggest ones was Sam is on the way, and we wanted to get something a little more reliable and safe than "the green bomb."

Sam is about 8 weeks away. Liz is still getting bigger, which at one point a few weeks ago she didn't think was possible, but she's handled this whole thing like a pro. She hardly complains at all, and when she does it's only at home. There are some women who really milk the pregnant thing in front of others- they play the whole "woe is me" card, because they can get away with it. Who's gonna say anything to a pregnant lady? But not Liz. She genuinely has loved the experience, and it shows in her attitude. I think that for her, it has been a genuine joy to be pregnant, and because it's a joy for her, she's a joy to be around. Boy, did I marry up or what?

Those are the highlights. We'll try to get back to the regular updates. One problem is that my laptop is broken, so we have pretty limited access, but we'll do our best to get back on the ball. Enjoy your day!

-Jared

What a week!

We are right smack in the middle of VBS at Peachtree. As soon as the chaos is over, we'll put up a legitimate new post. But for now, it's back to the madness!
-Jared

AMAZING Workshop!

This week I've been at The Writing Academy in Kemah, Texas for a workshop with two other teachers/friends of mine. It has been amazing! Not only is the creator of this program a genius, but it's like she's thought of everything. She has the workshop set up like a tea room and you get pampered the entire time. Now I don't mean like, "Make yourself at home" , I mean she has thought of everything. Let me give you just a few examples: There are tables and chairs like in a tea room, not a cafeteria or conference room. She has blankets in case you get cold. Cushions in case your bum or back gets tired. Chocolate covered strawberries!!! Enough said right there, but I'm not through. She has a refrigerator stocked with every type of beverage imaginable and if she doesn't have it, she gets it within an hour for you. Every type of bath and body lotions and soaps for you to use. That isn't even half of it. Everyday we get to go to "classroom" time then "make and take" time. Everything that she teaches us, she provides for us to make classroom sets. She has absolutely been blessed with such an amazing ministry. I say ministry b/c she's not just teaching us about writing, she's inspiring us to remember why we got into teaching in the first place...for the kids! It has been such an encouragement to all three of us.

On an additonal note, there is a lady there who is pregnant...like major preggo! When I first saw her, I told the girls I wonder how far along she is...she looks ready to go! I ended up talking with her later on and she's 33 weeks! That's just 3 weeks ahead of me!!!! Ahhh! I definitely feel 30 weeks pregnant this week. The hotel bed is not so great and I'm having a hard time sleeping. Every morning between 2 and 3 am I wake up having to go to the bathroom and then I can't fall back asleep b/c Sam is awake and on the move! He had the hiccups last night or shall I say this morning for the first time ever...or at least that I've felt. That was the craziest thing to feel.

I'm getting kinda homesick...which I get often when I'm away without Jared, but I'm looking forward to this weekend. I'm having a shower in Fannett. I can't wait just to see everyone. Hopefully I'll get to visit with some people I haven't been able to visit with for a while. Then the weekend will come to a close with Father's Day...Jared's first. It's been a crazy busy week, but full of fun, excitement, and encouragement. That sounds like a pretty good week to me.

~Elizabeth

Thankfulness

I'll go ahead and tell you that this blog will probably be more beneficial for me than you...sorry. I'm just having one of those weird days where I need to process things. Writing helps me process things.

I'm in this weird phase of my life, where I'm learning a lot and growing a lot but in difficult ways. This morning on my way to church I was having myself a good 'ol pity party...yep I said it. I, Elizabeth, pastor's wife, sister, daughter, future mother, insert whatever title you want, was having a pity party...and on the way to church! I ought to be ashamed of myself. Well, I'm not. God is working all the time, even in the midst of my self pity. While I was thinking about all the stuff I had going on in my mindspace this song came on the radio. I'm not sure the specific title but the song goes like this:

All who sail the sea of faith
Find out before too long
How quickly blue skies can grow dark
And gentle winds grow strong
Suddenly fear is like white water
Pounding on the soul
Still we sail on knowing
That our Lord is in control

Sometimes He calms the storm
With a whispered peace be still
He can settle any sea
But it doesn't mean He will
Sometimes He holds us close
And lets the wind and waves go wild
Sometimes He calms the storm
And other times He calms His child

He has a reason for each trial
That we pass through in life
And though we're shaken
We cannot be pulled apart from Christ
No matter how the driving rain beats down
On those who hold to faith
A heart of trust will always
Be a quiet peaceful place"

As I was driving and listening the Lord reminded me that just because things aren't going "my way" doesn't mean He's not there. It doesn't mean He's not listening or knowing my heart. It just means that sometimes He has another plan on working things out. I really needed to hear that in that very moment. Isn't that cool how God does that? I love it. Only God knew my thoughts that morning as I was driving to church, and only He could've brought that peace and revealed some truth through that song. My dad told me one time that every song comes with a memory. I remember the first time I heard that song. I was sitting in the kitchen of my pastor's wife's house. She was playing the song for me and telling me that she thought about singing it in church. Looking back, I see how strong of a woman she was. I knew what was going on in her life when we were listening to that song. Things I haven't had to deal with but she did. She knew that the Lord was in control, just like I needed that reminder this morning. God doesn't always swoop down with an easy fix. Sometimes I wish He would, but that's not how it always works. In the meantime, I have to learn to trust Him and His plans for my life.

He has a reason for each trial
That we pass through in life
And though we're shaken
We cannot be pulled apart from Christ
No matter how the driving rain beats down
On those who hold to faith
A heart of trust will always
Be a quiet peaceful place

I'm praying that my heart would be so full of trust that no matter what goes on around me I would be at peace. Jared gave a great illustration (props to the Dr. Adrian Rogers) this morning about this. Think about a glass full of milk. When it gets jostled, what comes out? The milk. Whatever the glass is filled with on the inside will come out when it gets jostled. Its the same with us. Whatever we're full of on the inside is going to come out when we become jostled. My prayer is that I would be full of peace. Whenever I become jostled, the peace of God would come overflowing from inside of me. Lord, help me to have a heart of trust that will always be a quiet peaceful place. Thank you for Your gentle reminders that I'm not alone. You know the desires of my heart.

~Elizabeth

God or Men?

Tomorrow morning, I'll be preaching Acts 4:19. In Acts 3, Peter and John are hanging out at the temple, and there's a crippled man begging at the gates. Instead of pocket change, Peter heals the man- life change instead of pocket change (I just thought of that...maybe I'll use it tomorrow...) Then, in chapter 4, the religious rulers have Peter and John arrested, and tell them to quit teaching, preaching, and healing in the name of Jesus. After all, they had just killed Jesus to prevent an uprising, so now they had to squash this movement. What I'm preaching is Peter and John's response. They say:

"Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."

One of the earliest pieces of advice I was given about preaching and preparing sermons was that many of them would come from my own lessons from the Lord. Actually, the man who gave me the advice called it "personal overflow." In other words, it's ok to preach about whatever God's teaching me, because it's likely that others are dealing with the same issue. And lately, God has been dealing with me about who I'm going to please- him or man (I include myself in the latter category).

I have this need to be a people pleaser. I want everyone to like me, and I want everyone to think I'm doing a good job, and I don't want to make anybody mad. But there are a couple of problems with that.
1) I can't please everyone all the time. People are fickle, and it just won't happen.
2) Often, pleasing people means displeasing God. When "Joe Friendo" wants "a" to happen, but God wants "b" to happen, I'm going to have to disappoint somebody.

Last week, I had someone approach me because 3 people had approached him about something I had done at church that they didn't approve of. (By the way, none of them had approached me, which I pointed out, and asked that in the future he ask them to call me.) The event in question was not an issue of theology, morality, doctrine, ethics, etc. It was minor, miniscule, teeny tiny. I did something that needed to be done, but it upset a few people. I think God is using that minor event to prepare me for some bigger things on the horizon. I've been praying about, thinking about, talking about some pretty major changes to take place in our church. Things that, if they take place, may upset some people. But I have to decide- am I going to please man or God? Am I going to make them happy, and therefore keep myself happy, or am I going to be obedient to God even when people don't like it?

Part of the reason I'm sharing all of this is accountability. I think that by letting you (whoever you are) in on all of this, it will help me to make the right decisions. And hopefully you'll be encouraged to do the same. I think this is a pretty universal struggle, and maybe in reading this you'll be encouraged to please God, not man (yourself included).

Learning to be obedient,
-Jared

Details, please!

I feel the need to give you a little more details on yesterday's adventures...Jared didn't give all the details some of you might want to hear. Those who just wanted the pictures...skip this blog.

So our appointment was at 9:00 in the morning, and my motherly instincts already know that Sam isn't really a morning person already. He moves way more at the end of the day and especially when his mommy is trying to go to bed. Knowing this information, I drank a Dr.Pepper with breakfast in the hopes that he would be nice and energetic for Mary, our ultrasound tech (we've had five ultrasounds so yes we are on a first name basis with Mary). To my surprise and delight, there was hardly a wait at the office and we went right back to the room. The next forty minutes Mary had me move from my side to my back (which at this point in the game isn't as easy as it used to be). Our little Sambo is very attached to his hands, we learned. His hands were never in front of his face but they were always right beside him, like he was cuddling with them....it was actually quite cute if you ask me. Finally Mary starts poking me in the stomach in the hopes that Sam will still move his hands. At this point, Sam yawns! I know! Like he was finally rolling out of bed on a Saturday in the summer. That was the neatest thing to see with an ultrasound ever. We got to see Sam's feet, which I'm happy to report each have five toes. We also got to see him making a fist and cuddling next to his face. I don't know if this is a little premature or not, but I think he has my nose...poor guy. Its a lot cuter on his face than it was mine. I told my mom about his nose...she agrees that he might have my nose, but she's hoping he won't have the complex I did about my nose. You see when I was in first grade, I decided that I wanted a nose job, and if my parents wouldn't let me get one then I would have to win the lottery. While I was waiting to be old enough to play the lottery, my face grew into my nose, I guess you could say. At this point in the game Sam should be about 2 1/2 pounds...I need to stress the word SHOULD. Now Jared and I have not been naive about all of this. He and I were both higher 8 pound babies. So I haven't been buying lots of newborn clothes, simply because of genetics. However, Sam is at this point 3 pounds 12 ounces! Yesterday, after our ultrasound we went to the hospital where my sister-in-law Heather had her baby Gavin. In the nursery there was a baby who was smaller than Sam right now! Crazy I know. I'll post pics of the new nephew later. I couldn't believe it. Mary had told me she hoped I hadn't bought a lot of newborn clothes. I told her I hadn't.

Overall, it was an amazing day. Sam is now in the right "position" for his arrival and its so hard to believe how close its getting. It's so neat to look at our babies face. He really is cute and I can't wait to kiss his chubby little cheeks. :) In the words of my wonderful husband, "Who doesn't love a chubby baby?" Very true, very true. Thanks for listening to the details of an already proud mommy.

~Elizabeth

Samuel Joseph...now in 3D!!!

We went to the doctor on Monday for a 3D ultrasound- here's what we saw!

Book Review!

The Principle of the Path by Andy Stanley

(Full disclosure: I am a huge fan of Andy Stanley. Listen to him weekly, read him often, so this review may be a little biased...sorry.)

The premise of the book is this: Direction, not intention, determines destination. In other words, it doesn't matter where you want to be, where you'd rather be, or where you hoped you'd be- you are where you are because of the paths you have chosen. It's really a simple idea, but one that we don't pay attention to very much. For example- I'd like to weigh about 20 pounds less than I do. I know what it would take to get there, and I know what it has taken for me to get as pudgy as I am. But for some reason, I don't take the steps necessary to get where I want to be.

The book is easy to read, and for the most part it seems like common sense in written form. It's a good book, I highly recommend it, and, you should read it yourself before buying it as a gift for your friend/cousin/spouse/etc. (There were several times I thought of different friends and family members- "Man, _______ should really read this!")

In other news: I got some new golf clubs. I haven't hit a driver off the teebox in years, because my driver was so old, and I couldn't hit it well. It was a Big Bertha, and I'm sure that when I got it, it was a great club (I think Dad gave it to me in high school), but I've never hit it well, so I never used it. Last week, Paul was at Games People Play in Beaumont and bought a Nike driver and 5 wood for $100. (a.k.a.-very inexpensive) He tried them out Saturday and didn't like them, so I offered to buy them from him. We went to the range Wednesday, and I liked them, so I bought them. Yesterday evening, we went and played Rayburn Country, and I was very pleased with my purchase. I understand that most of you who read this blog won't care about my new golf clubs, but trust me- it's all very exciting.

Life is good. Enjoy your day.

-Jared

Summertime Bliss

Ahhh....summer. I love it. Normally, I take the first week of summer to just relax and be a couch potato before all the busyness starts, but Monday morning I hit the ground running. I loaded up three huge trashbags to Good Will, did all the laundry, and organized our closet! I know right? Then on Tuesday I did yardwork. Jared mowed, while I cleared around some of our trees in the backyard. Talk about exhausting! On a side note, I might have possibly gotten into poison ivy? I took some precautionary measures after the fact, but so far no itchies. Hopefully it will stay that way. Today we had another checkup. This time it's been every three weeks instead of four. The doctor was very pleased with everything. He said that I'm hitting all the milestones that I should be. I had only gained a pound this time. Jared couldn't believe it. "How can that be? Your belly is growing Liz." Those were Jared's words as we left the doctor's office. He's so cute. :) Everything's shifting I guess. For the most part, I feel good. Since school's been out things are a lot easier I guess. My feet aren't swelling as much, and I have this new found energy. Tomorrow I plan on going shopping in Houston. June is quickly filling up with LOTS of activities! Next Monday we go to get our 3d ultrasound! Yay! I will certainly post pictures...unless they make our little Sambo look like an alien, then I probably won't. If you could see me, you would know how relaxed I am just by the look on my face. I love summer that much. Today it poured all the way home from Beaumont and its still pouring. I think I might go home after church and make some hot chocolate. That's how relaxed I am! I only drink coffee and hot chocolate when I have time to sit and enjoy it. Now you know why I love summer so much. This is the way life was meant to be...I'm sure of that.

On another note, our bible study is coming to a close for the summer. I'm bummed, but at the same time looking forward to this time where we can reflect and see what God has in store for us in the future. I'm so thankful for each of the girls in our group. I say girls b/c I still feel like a girl....well lady. Lady is more appropriate than women. I certainly would rather be called a lady than a woman...sorry if that's offensive. I don't mean it to be. Anyway, its been so neat to see how God put five different "ladies" together. We each have five different stories, ideas, perspectives, you name it. I was sharing with them about how God spoke to me last Sunday. We were singing the following chorus when BAM!

He knows my name. He knows my every thought. He sees each tear that falls, and He hears me when I call.

We had the Lord's Supper, but before that Jared talked about why we celebrate holidays like Veterans Days, Memorial Day, Presidents Day, etc. We set aside those days to honor and remember people. Its the same with the Lord's Supper. We set aside that time to remember what the Lord did for us by sending His Son to die on a cross for our sins. As Jared spoke about how the crucifixion was performed I couldn't help but think about how humiliated Jesus must have felt. The humiliation he felt for my sins. Then, as we sang the chorus to this song I began thinking about our little baby Sam. God knows his name, He knows his every thought, He sees each tear that will fall, and He hears when he calls. God sent Jesus to die on the cross for the sins of our little boy. That is so hard for me to wrap my brain around. God already knows everything about Sam's life. He knows the hairs that will be on his little head. He knows the mistakes he will make. If He knows all that, and I know His Word tells me that His plans are for good not evil, then why in the world do I worry about everything? I do pray that the Lord would make Sam into a mighty man of God. My prayer throughout this whole pregnancy since day one has been that Sam would love and serve the Lord all the days of his life. How amazing is it that God already knows all of this. How wonderful it is to know that I can rest in the arms of Jesus, knowing that He made the ultimate sacrifice for me...for all of us. I am so thankful that God sent His Son Jesus to pay the ultimate sacrifice so that we could have a relationship with Him. In having a relationship with the Lord comes the peace that surpasses ALL understanding.

So as I enjoy the relaxation of the summer, I'm also enjoying the presence of the Lord. The two of us hanging out, spending time together. That's really all either of us wants. God wants to spend time with me (and you) and I want to spend time with Him. When we live in perfect harmony, in communion with God, our life is so much fuller...more abundant. I'm starting to realize the "life to the fullest" that Jesus was talking about. It's a really good life. I pray that you are experiencing life to the fullest with God.

Enjoy your summertime bliss.
~ Elizabeth