Close Calls!

Charlie -- He Jus' Makes Me Smile!

Running Away To BE With God

“As often as possible Jesus withdrew to out-of-the-way places for prayer.” Luke 5:16 (Message)

Sitting on a downed log next to the slow moving river I meet with God. A canopy of purple from a red bud tree shades my head as lace from the sun. Pink blossoms blow gently past me to hover mysteriously above the rippling water. I would say we meet in silence, yet it is actually musical. Birds are chirping and squawking, insects are humming and buzzing, dry leaves are crunching, trees are swaying — all in a rhythmic harmony to the words Jesus speaks into my heart. “Praise Him, sun and moon, praise Him, all you shining stars. Praise Him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the LORD, for He commanded and they were created. He set them in place forever and ever; He gave a decree that will never pass away. Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do His bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds… Let them praise the name of the LORD, for His name alone is exalted; His splendor is above the earth and the heavens.” Psalm 148:3-13 (NASB)

Over the past twelve years our Father has called me to “run away” to be with Him alone in the woods again and again to pray, listen and be refreshed by Him. This past spring we have had an especially sweet time together. First just the two of us were alone for seven days at Camp Lutherhaven. Then with Him through a close friend of ours I was taught how to do a little hiking and appreciate the woods from yet a whole new perspective--bringing the Word with us to read and pray together, soaking in a sacred God’s creation.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (NASB) In quiet contemplation I breathe deep the sweet air of the forest, keeping my eyes peeled for what God may send to me to speak rest into my exhausted soul. This past few weeks He has sent cotton tailed bunnies, chipmunks, squirrels, a flock of blue jays, a red tailed fox, a kissing cardinal couple and even several deer. The intricate majesty of His “ordinary” creation astonishes me. Taking my eyes off of me, and moving them onto Him, I find that “He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.” Psalms 23:3

Whenever I know it is time for me to leave the woods to go back to “normal life” I find a big part of me reacting like a small child. I beg God to stay with Him “here” for a little while longer. Honestly, I don’t know how anyone who follows Christ makes it without these quiet times alone with Him. It has been some of my most treasured moments with God.

So although I beg Him for us to stay “awhile longer,” I find that He always seems to remind me "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Exodus 33:14 That then allows me the opportunity to look forward to the next time I am able to “run away” and be alone with Him again.

One Body in the Lord

Recently some people from St. Augustine immigrant church, New Life Lutheran, some seminarians from all over (Korea, Ethiopia, Kenya), and as you can see some c2g people, got together to celebrate the fact that we are all Nations Under God.

If was very Spiritually unifying time together. The Spirit of the Lord, Music and Food brought us together as one body. See the photo's below thanks to Dave & Janet Baker... There is also a picture of Pastor Larry Merino, one of our favorite people.

Self-Centeredness & Anger

Thomas Jefferson once said “If angry, count to ten before you speak; if very angry, count to one hundred.” Where does anger come from? It is a reaction to irritating people and circumstances, you might say. But I believe that the root cause of anger is self-centeredness which is ultimately pride. We live in a world that tells us “It's all about me!” And when something doesn't suit the center of our "me universe" then anger erupts. That's difficult to admit, isn't it?

God has been bringing “self-centeredness” to my attention lately. My husband and I are BIG Komets fans. The coliseum and the games are a good lesson for self-centeredness. First there's the people who run over your toes because they are just focused on something other than you! When you find your seat, someone sits in front of you and reeks of BAD cologne. Another group sits behind you and they don't even watch the game they just talk and talk and talk and talk. AND the refs...well we'll forget the refs...they will continue to be annoying. But, I get so angry when I can't breathe because of someone pouring their entire bottle of perfume on them or talk about how "little George" ran over his big sister with the toy wheel barrow and they had to pretend to take her to the hospital instead of watching the game. I have turned around and told people in back of me to be quiet and watch the game, I've yelled at people to sit down so I can see, I've moved because I couldn't breathe but not until after Ive complained to my husband and whoever else wants to listen.

Rather than using our words in anger or grumbling, we can use our words to be the fragrance of Christ (2 Corinthians 2:15). Have you ever hugged someone and ended up wearing her perfume? We will leave a fragrance, so to speak, by the words we speak. It can be a pleasing fragrance or one that reeks. Instead of speaking words of anger. I should be gracious and with the love of Christ speak words of kindness. Rather than becoming angry, I should exude the fragrance of Christ and have it permeate the entire fan section.

We have a choice. When we choose not to react in self-centered anger, but extend grace, the aroma of Christ is released. Paul writes “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this; Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because our anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires”

When I speak words of love and grace I emit the fragrance of life. When I speak words of grumbling and anger I smell of death. Hmmmm! Which do we want to smell like?

Grace and peace be with you,
Christie

Gently Radical

The woman written of in the gospels who anointed our Savior was just an ordinary woman. However, her expression of love is legendary.

“When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.” Luke 7:37-38 This scene painted in Luke 7:37-38 (see also Matthew 26:1-16, Mark 14:1-12 & John 12:1-11) awakens a feeling in me, best described as “gently radical.”

During this time in history women kept their hair pinned up. Paul even goes so far to say in one Epistle that a woman’s glory is her hair. Yet, humbly she departed from the culturally accepted thing, took her hair down and used “her glory” to serve Him tenderly.

The radical offering of pouring out a year’s worth of wages onto the feet of the object of her affection is riveting. Recently, I heard a speaker discuss this passage. He stated that the average annual wage today in his area of the United Sates is about $50,000 -- he asked the audience to imagine the idea of $50,000 being spent in just a few minutes blessing the Lord. Seems absolutely extreme doesn’t it? Yet, His forgiveness compelled her heart to pour out such an amazing gift! Resonating with me, that great forgiveness begets deep gratitude.

I find it irresistible that she preaches without saying a word -- preaching with tender kisses and extravagant fragrance! Over the years as I am brought back to these passages about the woman (or possibly -- women) anointing Jesus I have always focused on how she ministered to me and how she ministered to the people who witnessed the event, and Jesus’ response to her and those around them. Until recently I never really considered how these moments had also ministered to the Lord.

“Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray Him, objected, Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages. He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. "Leave her alone," Jesus replied. "It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.” John 12:1:3-7.

This passage finally “clicked” for me. While Christ is hanging on the cross taking in His last breaths -- He is inhaling the scent of the expensive perfume that Mary anointed Him with. In those last breaths what He smells is the fragrance of her love, sacrifice and devotion.

As I take in the aroma of her love, it struck me in a whole new way again… how true it is, that we love because He first loved us. This love of hers is only made possible because of His love, sacrifice, and devotion for her and all of His children. Including you and me.

My heart longs to be the kind of woman who uses all that I have to serve Christ. I am grateful that in Christ this is a possible dream. “In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. Through us, He brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation—an aroma redolent with life…“ 2Corinthians2:14-15 (Message)

May the air around you fill with the fragrance of love and life everywhere you go.

Hope by Jan Krist

Eyes wide open ... Hope, Trust, Faith, and Love

Rockin' at Riley

Here are a couple of photos of our trip to Riley Children's Hospital. It was Mimi Burns and friends that made all of the arrangements. Steve Tyler and Duane Eby were the motivation and the glue for the effort. The rest of us got to go along for the ride. We had some great and inspiring feedback from some parents about the reactions of their kids. We hopefully made some kids happier than they were before we came. This was certainly an indirect c2g God thing.
... written by Dave Baker

A Womb With a View

“For [as far as this world is concerned] you have died, and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, Who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in [the splendor of His] glory.” Colossians 3:3-4 (Amplified)

While watching my daughter’s belly grow, I have a growing sense of how this sanctification process I am going through in Christ is somehow as hidden away as my grandchild is today. Consider the supreme care and thoughtfulness God gave to our physical creation while we were hidden in the womb … “Oh yes, You shaped me first inside, then out; You formed me in my mother's womb. I thank You, High God—You're breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, You know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, You watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before You, the days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day.” Psalm 139:13-16 (Message)

I cannot begin to comprehend how He knit together our physical bodies inside our mother’s womb. I am even more mystified by His careful hidden orchestration of our “re-birth and sanctification process” while we are visible here on earth!

“All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it's not only around us; it's within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We're also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don't see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.” Romans 8:22-25 (Message)

Certainly, our home is filled with anticipation and preparations for the upcoming arrival of my daughter’s child. With the joy there has been pain in the process (as all of us who have been in pregnancy and labor can attest to!) This joy and pain is an obvious parallel to what I encounter in my consecration process -- growth opportunities, often referred to as “hard times” or “difficult circumstances” and joy of His salvation.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” 1Peter 1:3-9 (NIV)

No matter what “trials” I go through though, graciously, through the Word of God I realize that although I am in the “womb” of being transformed into a new creation in Christ … it is actually a “womb with a view.” In His Word He points to what He is making me into, to what will be revealed on the day of Christ Jesus, and to how certain a fate this is. “There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.” Philippians1:6 (Message)

So all my dear sisters, let’s be happy together that no matter what our age or state of life we are really new creations in Christ!

Charlie's Blankie -- Now I am ready for him to come!

Charlie has been so blessed to recieve a few blankets already. Including a beautiful crocheted one by my friend & client, Deborah Miller (with darling matching hat & booties!) He also received a sweet blanket with his name embroidered on it from one of Kelsey's friends.

However, this is his very special blankie -- because it is the one that I knitted especially for him. OK, NOW I am ready for him to come!

Recap of c2g Retreat @ Lutherhaven

Thank you to Tinea Agen and everyone who helped make the Church Retreat @ Lutherhaven possible. It was a great day to connect with God and with each other!

Dave & Janet Baker were gracious to take some candid shots of our adventure together.

Several adults and a few children went paddling out on the icy cold lake. We learned while they were out there that it is better to wait until April to venture out on the water. Good to know for next time! In spite of all of that, they enjoyed the time together on the water immensely!

In true c2g style we made quite a ruckus with a drum circle. I personally have never done anything like that -- it was a blast!




Kids (tall and small) played, laughed and connected to each other. It was a great time of prayer, play, Bible study, discussion and getting to know God and each other. I have been tremendously blessed by that short Saturday adventure!








Will you share a few words about your experience that day?

Daddy Diaper Duty - Don't Choke

With the impending birth of my daughter's first child, this video just made me laugh... The friend that sent it to me titled it "this is why babies need mothers." What do you think?




Watching this reminded me of that movie line "uh, I just threw up in my mouth a little."

c2g Women's Ministry Events for 2009

March 21 - 11:00 - 1:00 Book Swap & Sack Lunch

April 25 - 11:00 - 1:00 Apron Making with Amber Drake & Sack Lunch

May (TBA) Letter Carriers Food Drive Assistance Project

June 27 - 11:00 - 1:00 Tastefully Simple Party

July 25 - 11:00 - 1:00 Christmas in July (Clothing/Accessory Swap!) & Sack Lunch

August 29 - 11:00 - 1:00 Recipe Swap & Sack Lunch

September (TBA) Hope Center Service Project

October 24 - 11:00 - 1:00 Card Making & Sack Lunch

December 5 - 11:00 - 1:00 Christmas Tea


At our January meeting the ladies swapped recipes. If you are interested in getting a copy of all the recipes, click here.

Parking Problems

A friend of mine over at LaBov shared this with me today. The tag line was "Female Drivers" ... you be the judge.

"Green Sleeves" ... Never To Be Sleeveless Again

Thought you might smile when you see my "newest" creation .... "green sleeves" (giggle...) No longer do we have to use even the 67% post consumer recyclable paper sleeves from Starbucks, when they remember to give them to us...

My friends who are "green-haters" I am sure will give me an eye roll at this silly knitting pun.

Chicks With Sticks ... Yes, I am learning to knit

If you know me at all, you know I am always in the process of learning something new! Somethings stick - somethings don't. I started to learn how to knit about a month ago, and borrowed several books from the library - including Chicks With Sticks - Guide to Knitting. I am enjoying knitting so much that I think this may be a "keeper." Here is my project gallery of my first three scarves. Kelsey's, Karen's and one I just finished for my mom for Valentine's Day.

Playing For Change: Song Around the World

One Love ... One Heart ... Let's Get Together

Heads Up - Youth Group Info - '09 Events Mark Your Calendar

Calling all c2g youth ... We have several opportunities to get together hang out, serve, and do "stuff" thanks to Tinea Agen leading the charge.

Mark your calendar now:

Beginning February 15 - Bring your instruments & voices @ 10:00am on Sundays for band practice.

February 26 - Fort Wayne Rescue Mission, we will help to serve the super meal and provide clean-up time

March 7 - Camp Lutherhaven Retreat - kids & adults invited - lunch provided for $6 each

March 13 - WinterJam @ the Coliseum $10 at the door (save up for this event!)

April 23 - Earth Day, Park Clean Up, 5:00 meet at Johnny Appleseed Park - we may ride bikes to Lawton Park to pick up trash in both parks

May 30 - Lindenwood Hike, 10:30 am - 1:00 pm, hiking & Bible study time in naure

June - Looking for your suggestions

July 16 - Swimming & Canoeing at Chain of Lakes (We need extra adult supervision parents)

August - Assist with the Refugee VBS, we will join the VBS groups to assist with the Burmese

September - Frisbee Golf

October - Prayer Fest at c2g

November 12 - Laser Tag at Ultra Zone, 6-9 pm $10 each

December 10 - Christmas Caroling & Bowling

Naked Lady Party Recap

Our Ladies luncheon was a huge success! With 25 people in attendance, everyone went home with new items to add to their wardrobe. More importantly, many many bags of clothes were donated to Love Church. Pastor Phil wants me to remind everyone that Love Church has a very active clothing bank. Last year they serviced 2,000 people with needed clothing. They are always in need of children's clothing and ladies size large clothing. They are very grateful for our help. Thank you Ladies!!!

We plan to make this an annual event-so hold onto those unwanted items or feel free to drop them off at Love Church.

A big thank you to Tinea Agen & Christie Badillo for their leadership and coordination of this event.

Conversation with God

Relationships are built and strengthened while spending time together – sometimes silent, but usually in conversation.

Of the many ways I have heard prayer described; pleading, request, petition, intercession, invocation, appeal, communion, plea, supplication, entreaty, conversation … my favorite description is … divine union.

As I waded into the sea of Scriptures dealing with the concept and practice of prayer I was refreshed with living water.

Click Here to Receive this FREE PDF collection of Scripture references.

Their Eyes Were Watching God

Image via Wikipedia"According to her autobiography, Zora Neale Hurston wrote Their Eyes Were Watching God in seven weeks while she was conducting ethnographic fieldwork in Haiti and recovering from a failed romance. The circumstances were hardly promising, but the novel, published in September 1937, almost exactly a year after she arrived in Port-au-Prince, is her masterpiece. While it presents diverse oral performances-personal narratives, folktales, courtship rituals, speeches, and sermons-the folk material fuses seamlessly with a formal narrative that charts a woman's coming to voice and to selfhood. The protagonist, Janie Crawford, begins a quest for romance but achieves spiritual fulfillment." (by Cheryl A. Wall, see her full article here.)

Sometimes I stumble upon a book or or an article that has been so obviously put in my path by my Father in Heaven. See lately, I have been hoping and praying to experience (with understanding) the truth of :
"God, my Shepherd! I don't need a thing. Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life." Parts of Psalm 23 (The Message version)

A Psalm my friend Bob encouraged me to meditate on. Some days, I get a glimpse of Him, and other days my eyes are so glazed over from staring at my circumstances and my computer screen that I don't notice much of anything!

I am only 7 chapters into this delightful novel, however, it is speaking to my soul and has captured my imagination! One particular line at the end of the third chapter, has been crowding my thoughts for a few days ... "She knew that God tore down the old world every evening and built a brand new one by sun-up." This one line is rich with symbolism and possibilities. It has so struck me -- that it has led me to pray and ask questions about this beautiful and absurd idea. Consider it and share with me please ... what does this line make you wonder?

As I read, I laugh and shake my head! Janie Crawford and I have much more in common than just our quest for romance ... look for more on that to come soon!

Playing For Change: Song Around the World

From the award-winning documentary, "Playing For Change: Peace Through Music", comes the first of many "songs around the world" being released independently. This video resonated with my spirit and gave me goose bumps of how connected we are one2another.