Category: culture

9/11 – never forget.

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We had the privilege of living in the Big Apple for 3 years, October 2001-December 2004.
Those are years we will never forget.
In July of 2001, we skipped our way into New York City, with happy hearts and anxious anticipation. We were interviewing for a youth and young adult pastorate position at what was to become our home church ~ Glad Tidings Tabernacle, in the heart of midtown Manhattan.


(Photo credit: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Glad-Tidings-Tabernacle-33rd-Street-NYC/253046548057077?sk=photos_stream)

We left NYC that week in July, ready for a new start and for closure back home.
Boo-ya. Hired. Done Deal.
Prior to being hired at Glad Tidings (GTT), we were living and working in Dallas, TX at the Women of Faith and New Life Clinics corporate office(s).

September 11, 2001. 
It was my last day of work at Women of Faith, when I received a phone call from my aunt, telling me the news…
Adam rushed home to grab our t.v. He brought it back, plugged it in, and for the rest of the day all eyes in the Women of Faith and New Life offices were glued to the screen.

Has your (new) church been affected?
Are you guys still going to move there?
Are. you. crazy???

Yes. Just crazy enough.  

As soon as we could connect with our Pastors, we found out they were okay and the building was okay, and asked – “Do you still want us to come?”
“Yes. We want you to come. Now – more than ever.” 

So in October of 2001, we officially, unofficially, became New Yorkers. 

…

Nothing stays the same. 

The terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers changed everything…
in our lives. in our church. in New York City. in the World.

New Yorkers are fully committed people. 
They are committed to their causes, to their communities, and to living amidst constant change.

As New Yorkers, we were fully committed to our cause ~ our call as the Pastors for the Youth and Young Adult communities of GTT.
Our job changed the minute we started working there, and things never slowed up or settled down.
NYC is a ridiculously fast paced, outrageous, obnoxious and lovable city.
It requires flexibility, ingenuity and creativity ~ mixed with a lot of resilience, stubbornness and craziness.
You either love it. Or you hate it. 
Sometimes on the same day. Sometimes in the same moment.

9/11 was a day that changed the world. 
But Hope still rises from those ashes…
Light still shines in the darkest places…
Life still thrives in the pit of despair…

Nothing stays the same.
Lives were forever changed…
Buildings are built up and buildings eventually come down. Even the original Glad Tidings building, from 1867, was demolished a few years after we moved from NYC…


(Photo credit: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Glad-Tidings-Tabernacle-33rd-Street-NYC/253046548057077?sk=photos_stream)

New Yorkers know how to thrive and survive in the midst of stress and change.
The buildings they frequent for work, home and play are just that. Buildings. 
NYC is known as a concrete jungle... 
But the buildings don’t make New York City, New York City.
Our lives weren’t changed from visits to the museums, the monuments or the matinee… 
Our lives were forever changed because of the people we encountered.

The vibrancy of the people who live, work and play in the Big Apple is what makes New York City, New York City.

It’s the subway train performer, the street corner musician, the deli worker, the diner waitress, the shoe shiner, the fashion designer, the actress, the opera singer, the Broadway star, the business man, the banker, the CEO, the student, the teacher, the preacher…
The people make the city come alive. The people make the city move.
We will never forget 9/11. People around the world will never forget. New Yorkers will never forget. And New Yorkers will keep on moving their city forward.
…

For a few years, we were part of that city movement. 
Our time there was an epic part of our life journey. 
Our first daughter was born in New York City ~ so she’s an official New Yorker. 
Our lives would never be the same after living in NYC, serving at our church in the heart of the city, and becoming parents for the first time… 
We learned to trust more intimately.
We learned to love more deeply.
We learned to see more vividly. 


 We love NYC. We will never forget 9/11. We are so proud to have served God and love His people in NYC.

Here we are with some of the youth and young adults from GTT.


***
How has 9/11 changed your life or world view?  How has NYC impacted you?  Please share…

In Him, Leslie 

why we love having kids in our church service

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I grew up in church, and my family attended the same church my whole childhood.
My parents were married there, and so were Adam and I ~ 16 years ago!
And to this day, my parents still attend that same church.
My brother and I always sat in the service with our parents.
We also went to Sunday school, in between the early and late services.
But during the main service, kids were always by the side, in the lap or at the feet, of their parents.

I can remember many times during church I would fall asleep in my moms lap, because I love sleep.
But on some Sunday’s, I was paying attention…
One Sunday while the preacher was talking about Jesus dying on the cross, I blurted out “Mommy! why didn’t you tell me Jesus died?!”

There was a rumble of laughter in response to my innocent 4 year old question.
There was an acknowledgement that I was listening and hearing what the Preacher was saying.
And there was a sense of pride from my parents knowing I was learning and understanding, in my 4 year old ability, all about Jesus.

A few years later, I am sitting in the same church with my parents, and listening to my mom sing the Doxology, “Praise God from Whom all blessings flow…”
We sang it every Sunday, but this day was different…
As I was listening to my mom sing, I realized – she really believes what she’s singing.
She really loves God.
Her worship was a testimony to me.
And I wanted the same personal relationship with Him.

I wanted to know God for myself, not just because we went to church every Sunday…
not just because my parents loved God, or my friends loved God, or for anything other reason.
I wanted a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.

To live your life recklessly abandoned to Jesus as your Lord, Savior, Shepherd and King ~ this is no easy task. 
We want this personal relationship with Jesus for our own kids, and for all kids everywhere… 
And this is why we love having kids in our church service. Yes, even the crying ones. the fidgety ones. the nose picking ones. the distracted ones. the shy ones. the diapered ones. and the hyper ones.

Our kids have been sitting with us in church for a while now… and while this can be slightly difficult being the Pastor and Worship Leader, I wouldn’t have it any other way… except on the days when our 3 year old is throwing a huge fit, and flailing herself on the floor, in front of the sanctuary, seconds before the church service is about to start, and I’m about to jump on the stage to lead worship after yelling at her to pull herself together thru my gritting teeth because church is about to start for heaven’s sakes!!! 

On those days, I desperately wish she would go into Children’s Ministry.

We value our kids being in church with us. We offer a wonderful children’s ministry program at our church, and most of the kids go to their respective classes during the service. For a while now, we’ve had the first thru fourth grades stay in worship with us, before going to class for their Bible lesson.

Sometimes after worship, we have a testimony time called God Sightings. This morning, we were absolutely amazed that our 9 year old, Soleil, stood up in front of the church and gave a God sighting. Most people who know Soleil know she is pretty shy, and you have to be a pretty special in order for her to talk to you. She doesn’t give most people the time of day.

This morning, she shared in front of everyone, on the microphone, her testimony ~ she loves to read, and for a while her favorite book series has been Dork Diaries. She shared how a few weeks ago, she realized something ~ although it’s a funny and engaging book series, it has no value. There’s only one book that has true value. The Bible.

Whoa. I couldn’t believe our shy daughter was actually talking on the microphone sharing her heart, with the entire church! 
Slap me silly, I was in shock. And so was Adam, even as he was holding the microphone for her, he couldn’t believe it. 
Soleil had shared that story with us just a few weeks ago. I held it close to my heart, so proud of her understanding of true value. I didn’t share it on Facebook, or tell any friends…, because as Soleil grows older I am learning ~ she needs to tell her own stories. She is finding her voice and will speak it. She is seeking and understanding Truth. And she is growing in her own relationship with Jesus.

Jesus says to come unto Him as a Child… {He-llo. Matthew 18. C’mon somebody, let’s read our Bibles.}

and ya know why?! because sometimes, adults suck at having faith, trusting God and living out the Gospel… but children. Children speak the truth with no filter, and they know how to live their lives with reckless abandon. Adults, let’s step it up and help teach them and guide them… to give their trust and faith to the One who will Love them more than any other person, place or thing in this world ~ Jesus. 
And adults, let’s learn from our kids. Their lives have such value and they know true value, probably better than we do. 

We could not be more proud of Soleil… and all the kids in our church. And this is why we love having kids in our church service! 
…
Have kids impacted your view of God and His Kingdom? Please share!

In Him, Leslie

Miley Cyrus, the VMAs, and Jesus.

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In today’s facebook news… I saw a couple of posts about something Miley Cyrus did on the VMAs? with a teddy bear? and a foam hand?… and then read a few blog posts that were linked with “letters to Miley” regarding her… ahem… VMA ‘performance’. 
To be honest, I don’t really know who Miley Cyrus is.

I wouldn’t be able to pick her out of a crowd if you paid me to.

I didn’t even remember she was “Hannah Montana” until a friend reminded me. 
I’ve never seen an episode of “Hannah Montana”. 
<>. 
Now. You might think I am a recluse who writes from under a rock and rarely sees the light of day. 

On the contrary…
I. Just. Don’t. Care.
I don’t care about what Miley Cyrus did or didn’t do with a foam hand and a teddy bear on national television. 
I don’t care about the VMAs – or MTV – or Academy Awards – or the Oscars Schmoshcars – or the Silver Globes – or any other kind of award show that involves red carpet, limousines, over priced dresses, and people giving themselves statues for things they do, in which they are over paid for in the first place.
So. If “I don’t care”… why am I using my precious time and blog space to write about how I don’t know who Miley Cyrus is…?
Because I know God. and He knows Miley Cyrus. He created her and loves her. 
I know a God who cares about what she does and how she lives her life. 
I know a God who cares about the rest of us –the audience- of these shows. 
He cares about how we spend our time, how we spend our money, what shows we watch, who we support, who we make into celebrities. 
We made Miley Cyrus into a celebrity. We have glorified her from a young age as “Hannah Montana”. We push celebrities to push the envelope by our boredom and demand for more. more. more. and We have contributed to how she uses her “stardom”. 
When we are star-struck with someone, we give them glory. 
Who are giving glory to? Who are we spending our time getting to know, read about and talk about? 
We. Have. A. Choice. to put down the People magazine. To turn off the television. To choose not to see the latest movie. To save our money instead of wasting it on garbage. To save our time instead of wasting it by feeding into making other people “stars”. 
So. I still don’t care what Miley Cyrus did or didn’t do on the VMAs. 
It’s not going to change my life one way or the other. 
But I do care about Miley as a human being. 
I desire for her to know her true value and self worth. 
I hope for her to know it is not sex or songs on a stage that will fill her life.
I pray she will see there is a Holy God who sees her as precious. 
And she is worth His great love.
And I hope we will know we are worth His same great love.
I hope we will seek to know about, read about, and talk more about Jesus. 
I hope we will be star struck by an awesome God, rather than the latest celebrity performance.
I hope we will be in awe of the One who gave His life for all mankind.
and I pray He will be glorified. 
In Him, Leslie

the office.

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tonight we said good-bye to a dear friend of ours…
the office.
we laughed. we cried. we reminisced.
and after everything we’ve shared together on thursday nights over the last 9 seasons, we took a good long hard look at where we’ve been… and where we’ll be…

after watching the series ending of this beloved t.v. show, i am reflecting…
on how much i related to those characters and what happened in their lives…
and how much i want a documentary of my own life to look back on…

a few episodes ago, i really resonated with Erin’s character flipping out when she lost the paper airplane contest in the downstairs warehouse.
she tried keeping her temper in check so her boyfriend Pete wouldn’t see that side of her.
and eventually, she breaks down, freaks out about losing and kicks the crap out of a box.
i’ve done that before.

i resonated with Jim & Pam and their fairytale love story.
their friendship, their love for one another, their family, career decisions and everything else.
i know we are blessed to have a great romance ~ thankfully it didn’t take us four years to figure it out.

i resonated with Andy and his dreams of “what was and what will be”…
he was always looking at what he didn’t have and what he missed from his past.
he lived outside of his present reality much of the time in a world of dreams. hopes. pining for the past and planning for future goals.
all great things.
buuut… sometimes i can get caught up in that ‘i miss such and such and so and so’
aaand…. ‘i wonder such and such about the future’…
i end up neglecting what’s in the present. and i don’t appreciate what i do have. 

my favorite line from this last episode was Andy saying, “i wish you could know you were in the good ol’ days, before you left them…” 
amen Andy. me too.

i want to appreciate the past for what it was and enjoy the present for what it is.
i write, i journal, i take pictures and i tell stories to remember.
i want to remember the last 9 years and more to see how we’ve grown and how much we have to be thankful for.
i don’t have a documentary of the last 9 years of our lives… but 9 years ago everything changed.
soleil was born. we became parents.
with writing, journaling, taking pictures and telling the stories ~ i can remember.
i can enjoy the memories and the present moments simultaneously.
and you. can. too.

thank you ‘office’ for reminding me.

*please feel free to share, comment and follow this blog! thank you for reading 🙂
in Him, Leslie

insanity

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some days i think i’m going insane, ifffff…
insanity is ‘doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.’ [at one time, Albert Einstein was given credit for this quote]

“brush your teeth, change your clothes, get ready for school, put your shoes on, brush your hair, do your homework, don’t whine, don’t fight, don’t mess around – just GO to the bathroom if you need to…”

i tell my kids the same thing over and over and over again – every day – expecting this time they will do what i am asking them to do without my having to repeat myself over and over and over again. i’m expecting different results, right? daily, i do the same tasks over and over and over again – the dishes don’t disappear, the laundry won’t wash itself, the bills won’t pay themselves. insanity, right?

a few weeks ago, i began the work out program insanity. 
i love running. and usually that’s my exercise of choice…
but i realized i needed to do something different, if i was expecting different results. 
so the insanity began.
i’ve peed my pants while doing the jumps.  [sorry, tmi] after having 3 babes au natural, this happens.
i’ve sweat more profusely than any other time in my life. i’ve debated taking a shower before and after the workout because of the insane amount of sweating with this workout. 
i’ve never sounded more ridiculous while trying to be healthy. seriously, these power and diamond jumps evoke weird noises when you’re giving your all to this work out. 
buuut… if i’m working out in the evening – and then eating noodles for dinner at 10pm – it might be, just might be, pointless.
so i’m working out with insanity and i’m expecting different results.

buuut… insanity is not really ‘doing the same thing(s) over and expecting different results’.
insanity is actually defined as:

1) a deranged state of the mind usually occurring as a specific disorder (as schizophrenia)

2) such unsoundness of mind or lack of understanding as prevents one from having the mental capacity required by law to enter into a particular relationship, status, or transaction or as removes one from criminal or civil responsibility
3) a: extreme folly or unreasonableness



 b: something utterly foolish or unreasonable


…

the insanity work out program is centered on exercises which work on/from your core. physically, our core is primarily what keeps us together.
it is all about your posture, keeping the correct posture for each exercise, and making sure your core is always in check.

whether you’ve been exercising a long time, or never have, our physical core needs the most focus. everything hinges on our core.

so what about our spiritual core?
we have to maintain our spiritual core, keep it in check, and work on having a correct core posture, or it will get flabby and out of shape and cause us heart problems… hmm… the same as our physical core.

my hearts core desire is to maintain a spiritual posture of surrender. 
if i am surrendered to God, i can fully abide in Him, lean on Him to keep my spiritual core in check and trust the Holy Spirit to convict me of sin.

there are many things that can impact the deterioration of our spiritual core… leading to sin – and even insanity. 
one of the most disruptive areas of sin that can absolutely crush our spiritual posture of surrender, is pride. 
pride is the polar opposite of surrender. 
part of our spiritual work out plan should be to keep our pride ‘in check’.

how can we avoid insanity? 
in the same way a physical work out needs to be maintained on a regular basis, keeping our spiritual core in check is a continuous activity.
this can’t just happen in a church service on christmas, easter, or even once a week on sunday mornings…
sin never takes a day off.
how do we maintain a healthy spiritual core? everyday we must be spending time in God’s Word, in worship, in a posture of surrender.

in the Bible we can read of King Nebuchadnezzar, who was filled with pride. even after he saw the miraculous works of God and praised Him, still his own heart was filled with pride. he was humiliated, stripped of his rulership, and… eventually he went insane. {Daniel 4:28-37 NKJ}

The king spoke saying, “is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty? While the word was still in the kings mouth, a voice fell from heaven: ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you!”… that very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.


we are responsible for our core posture.
physically, we need to maintain an exercise routine and build up our core posture.
spiritually, we need to maintain our core posture of surrender unto the One true God.

it’s never too late to start building your healthy core posture. 
physically, start today – start with 1 mile – 25 sit ups – 10 push ups – whatever you can do. just do it.
spiritually, start today – read your Bible for 15 minutes – pray for 10 minutes – take 5 minutes to listen to a worship song.

there is always hope for physical and spiritual restoration.

“at the end of time I, Nebuchadnezzar lifted my eyes to heaven and my understanding returned to me. I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever… at the same time my reason returned to me… now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. and those who walk in pride He is able to put down.”

what’s your spiritual posture? how are you maintaining your spiritual core?

thank you for reading 🙂 as always, feel free to comment, share and follow this blog.

In Him, Leslie