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

summer’s over… suck it up and go back-to-school.

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ugh. summer’s over.
and now we have to suck it up and go back-to-school. 

yep. you knew it was coming…

your tan was fading.
the pool water was draining.
your favorite flip flops were wearing out.
Christmas trees were already on display at the craft store.
the back-to-school Target ad came tumbling into your mailbox, advertising new, hip and fresh ideas on how to use duct tape for every school project and fashion statement.

as the day approached…, i heard rejoicing in the streets of my suburban hood.
parents hooting and hollering – school’s starting again! yay! i get to send my kids out of the house, fully supervised, and even fed, for 6+hours! yee-haw! yipee!  
but still.
some were dreading rather than rejoicing…
wishing for one. more. day.
one. more. chance.
even pining for another moment to re-do surviving our family vacation.
so that’s me. the one dreading, with my kids and hubby in full support.
we love summer.
we love our kids being at home.
we miss them during the day.
we rejoice when they return home.
ahhh…another blog, for another time…
as my summer tan was fading a few weeks ago, the kids and i took a trip to Trader Joes.
as we were checking out, the cashier asked me about the kids going back to school. 
we chatted for a while, and she posed the question – don’t you wish you could just start over? wipe the slate clean, and start a new? 
when her kids were young, she always loved back-to-school because she saw it as a time for a fresh start. 
and it can be. 
sometimes we just need a do-over.

any-hoo…as this school year started, i was hit over the head with this idea of a fresh start, and our first grader was hit in the head with his pencil box. 
yep. you read that right. within the first hours of his first day in first grade, he was hit in the head by his pencil box. because another student threw it at him.
when the school called to share with us this wonderful news, we weren’t surprised. we’d had a feeling. 
when my phone rang, i knew it was the school before answering. 
am i psychic? 
nope, not psychic. just following the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
after finding out salem was doing fine and survived the pencil-box-in-the-head incident, my heart had compassion toward his classmate.
he needs a do-over. a fresh start. a clean slate.
he later apologized, and all was well in the first grade land again.
and salem needed a do-over. 
the first half of his first day in first grade was spent in the nurses office. 
we were uber-proud of how salem responded. 
expressing compassion and understanding with his reaction toward his classmate.  

so instead of dreading the school year, i’m asking God for a clean slate.
i’m hoping this year’s gonna be different.
i’m hoping my kids will get ready for school every morning without me screaming at them to put their shoes or pants on. err… i’m hoping i won’t have to scream at them ever again. or tomorrow.
i’m hoping no one else will be hit in the head with their pencil box.
i’m hoping we won’t be late to school… oops already was… again.
i’m hoping my kids will love their teachers and tolerate homework.
i’m hoping my kids will shine God’s love even brighter this year.
yep. i’m still drowning in school papers the kids bring home.
my hand hurts from all the required parent signatures…
i’ve already screamed at them to get ready for school…after calmly asking several times.
we’ve already been late to school, so i already need a do-over on that one.
and if i’m asked to volunteer for one. more. thing – i just might flip out.

but i’m hopeful…
with God, there is always opportunity for a fresh start.

so my summer’s over.
i’ve sucked it up and we’ve gone back to school…
and since then, i have reflected on my conversation with the cashier at Trader Joes. i was grateful to have had a few moments to share with her about God as our slate cleaner. 

when we have a relationship with Him, we have access to His all sufficient grace and His mercies that are new every morning.

…
are you in need a fresh start? there’s always hope for a clean slate with relationship in Christ Jesus.
i’d love to hear your thoughts, and hear your clean slate stories!

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

folding laundry for Jesus

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yesterday was one of those days i’m not immune to…
running all over my house -with plenty of things to do- while accomplishing very little.

well, i did take care of a few things-
the kids needed a ride to their elementary school, so i drove them.
our plumber came over to fix our leaky sink, and i let him in the door.
the dirty dishes were sitting in the sink, and i loaded them into the dishwasher.
the kids room was a disaster, so i cleaned it up.
my family was hungry at dinnertime, so i made dinner.

and before i knew it, evening had come.
i went downstairs to switch out a load of laundry, and it all felt pointless.
really, my whole day felt pointless?
yea. just a little.
hmmm. well, at least i washed a load of laundry…

my thoughts were caught up in what i hadn’t done, should’ve done, could’ve done… 

sometimes i feel as if it’s me against the house. 
and i hate feeling that way… because although i am a homemaker, stay at home mom, non-working outside-of-the-home-mom, or however else you want to label it… 
i don’t exist for my house… 
but i still have to take care of it.

as i bent down toward the dryer, i saw this note my girls had left me a few months ago when they had surprised me, and helped with the laundry without my asking them to. 
i have left their note on the dryer door because i love it! and it reminds me our kids are wonderful helpers! 
and as i was pulling the laundry out of the dryer it struck me – i can fold this laundry for Jesus.
usually, the laundry stays in a pile on the floor. or on the bed. or both. 
sometimes it takes me weeks to put all the laundry away, and the cycle never ends.
folding and putting away the laundry is the chore that is always procrastinated… until the next round of clean laundry is thrown into the pile.
the kids are used to looking thru a pile to find their clean clothes.
and if i do put the laundry away right away, it’s usually shoved into the drawers.
pathetic, i know 😉
  
if i look at the chores at home thru the lens of it being another part of my never-ending “to-do list”, i will always be overwhelmed.

many of things we have to do in life can seem pointless and go unnoticed…
but my heart is seen. my attitude is seen. and my worship is seen.
by Jesus. 
i can please Him by worshipping Him at all times, no matter what i’m doing.
whether i’m leading worship on a Sunday morning, or folding laundry… it’s all for Him.
i exist for Him.

today, i am folding laundry for Jesus. 
what are you doing?

In Him, Leslie