Okay..... It's Sunday

Okay....it's Sunday.....!

What do you do with Sunday? Is that day special or is it just another day of the week to check off in your day planner?

Last Sunday my husband and I had the joy of being greeters. I love doing this, for I get to greet people that I know and many who I do not know, I get to shake hands and give hugs or stoop down and greet those pre-schooler's who come in wearing pretty dresses or button down shirts. Then there are the teens who wander in looking for their friends, the couples who have been attending worship for many years, the teachers carrying their supplies, or the mom who just wants to get everyone in the door. If you're a mom of any age you can remember the Sunday ride to church that just didn't seem to go as you had planned. The older kids fought all the way there, or the baby got sick and you had not packed a spare outfit, or there were some unkind words exchanged between your husband and you. We have all been there and done that and, as we got out of the car for THE WALK to the door, we were not always able to pull it all together with our Sunday "all is well" smile. Oh, how I remember those days, and sometimes when we would have a sleep-over with a grandchild we relive those Sundays.

"Remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy"

Let me share with you about a time in my life when I am sure God was wondering why I was not remembering the "keep it Holy" part. You see, I was a busy working mom with a husband, three children in grade school, middle school and high school. Sunday became the day that I pridefully thought was meant for me. So Sunday lunch became my target of "poor me". After all, I prepared meals all week long - someone should think of me! It was my day of rest. That's what scripture says, right? Wrong thinking on my part! Selfish thinking, prideful thinking, stinking thinking! So first I suggested we get fast food. Good idea. Wrong! No two could agree on what it should be. This went on for weeks-the arguments over food. You would never know that we had just returned from Worship.

The Lord finally got my attention and let me know what a selfish, prideful, strong willed wife and mother I had been. An idea began to form in my mind. How about planning a meal that could be put in the oven before we left for church? Use the timer. Okay Lord, I will try that. Well, the first Sunday of the new plan worked like a charm. No arguments, good food and time to talk about what the children had learned in church. Peace, enjoyment, a time to reflect and savor the day.

My time of giving up my selfishness for the welfare of all has become a much anticipated time for me. Soon Sunday became a time when my teen children would ask to invite a friend for Sunday lunch. That was pretty neat! Great way to meet their friends in a non-threatening atmosphere. Now this Sunday lunchtime has become a tradition for me. I now look forward to the time I can be with my adult children and grandchildren. My grandchildren often invite a friend to join us. Now on Sunday our table is full, but there is always room for one more. Some Sundays the food just seems to multiply and no one leaves hungry. Sunday is a time to reconnect with each other after we have been in God's House.

How do you feel about Sunday? Do you look forward with anticipation? Is Sunday the one time you can be quiet and let the worship music carry you away? Do you allow God to speak to you through His Word and perhaps leave you with areas in your life you need to examine? A time to meet friends? A time to check off the square of being an example of a good Christian parent, having taken your child to church? Or is Sunday a time of stress with just one more "have to" in your busy over-scheduled weekend? Is Sunday the day you finally get caught up with work around the house? Or is Sunday you day to rest because God said that is what the Sabbath is for - a celebration of anticipation. "Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

Okay it's Sunday! Greet the day with anticipation.

My Week in Jamaica by Tammie Utne

Wow, Jamaica! Really? Are you sure you want to go? I remember having this conversation with my son, Jake a year and half ago when he decided he wanted to go to Jamaica. Lance volunteered himself to go with Jake and I breathed a sigh of relief because I don't think I was ready yet. Jake came back so excited and told his sister, Rebecca and well, that was the end of the story. Rebecca was sold and couldn't wait to go this year!! I honestly didn't want to be left behind if my whole family was going so there I went.

I have to back up a little bit because God was working through this entire year preparing for this trip for us. It started immediately after Lance and Jake came back and the spiritually maturing process that I began to witness in Jake. It began also in Rebecca where I saw a spark in her to want to help others and serve God. It also began in a simple trip to the Pediatrician's office back in August where a nurse I vaguely knew asked if I ever thought of working there. I laughed and told her I did still keep my Nursing license but I was busy Substitute Teaching. Then, the thought occurred to me, Why not? What are you afraid of? Just see if you can do it after all these years off and if it doesn't work out then at least you tried. So I did and that was another answered prayer. You see, the money we received from my paychecks paid for our trip to Jamaica and God knew ahead of time, we would need the money. A broken washing machine and other unforeseen expenses this last year was going to put this trip in jeopardy. Thank you God!
As we went to the Sunday evening meetings in preparation for Jamaica, a nagging feeling kept eating at me. What am I doing here? How can God use me in Jamaica? I think I find myself as my kids are growing up and are now both officially teenagers that they don't need me anymore. (lie from Satan). I looked around the room as we would gather and see very capable people who for the most part had been there before and knew where they would be helping. I finally gave it up to God and realized that if His Word is true, then I am God's workmanship that He can use. I just have to make myself available.
Leading up to Jamaica, we were set to fly standby since Lance works for American Airlines. All flights looked green the weeks leading up to our trip. Until two days before our scheduled flight and there was an unforeseen fire at Miami's Airport which shut down completely. Uh Oh! This was another trust moment and we didn't freak out because I kept on thinking, God if you want us to get there, you will make a way. He did! We ended up having to pay a little bit for a direct flight from Dulles straight to Montego Bay! Thank you God!! The rest of the group made it safely a couple of hours later from Dallas and if they had been scheduled to fly into Miami, they would have been days late!!! Another answer to prayer!
We made it to Jamaica and God ended up using me at the school. I also taught nutrition, dental health and women's health for the moms/church members. That was totally out of my comfort zone. I don't like to speak in public and I really don't feel comfortable in women's ministry settings either. But, I think God likes to take us to our “uncomfort” zones to explore where we will go and to trust in Him again.
My lesson that week among all of the beautiful Jamaican smiles and hugs from the sweet children we met was that we all serve a very Mighty God who is capable in taking our insecurities and fears and using them to help others. May God take you to your “uncomfort” zone and as the Jamaicans like to say "No problem Mon".

Good Clean Fun!!

GLCC ladies are invited to an evening of "spring cleaning" in the church gym on May 20, from 7:00-8:30. Kristy Lamper who is a professional cleaner, and Lydia Gardner, a professional organizer, will be speaking and sharing their hottest tips. If you've been like me and have felt apathetic about any type of housework, this social evening might be just what you've been looking for. There'll be fun and fellowship and opportunities to make new friends.

So...mark the calendar, bring a friend, and join in the fun as we get motivated to kick clutter and chaos to the curb!

No childcare, but no cost either. It's free:)

Get Out There!

When my husband and I first got married, I immediately noticed how, when we were out and about, my mom and dad in-law would talk to anyone and everyone like they had been old friends forever. The checkout lady at the store, the people sitting at the next table over at the mall food court, the waitress, the man pumping gas next to them at the gas station. One time I even witnessed my mom in-law sit down next to a complete stranger at a bowling alley and 10 minutes later those 2 ladies had exchanged phone numbers and later got together for a lunch date! Most of us have our guard up when we are in a crowd of unfamiliar people, but Phil and Marilyn have a gift. They can put you at ease right away to them nobody is a stranger.

I tend to be the opposite, the kind who is more quiet until I get to know you and the kind that does not want to invade your personal space uninvited. I have often marveled at the talent some people have for connecting with others right away. Mark and his family have been very good for me in this area of my life and I have to say I am getting better and more outgoing as I get older.

Recently I had the opportunity to be a help to someone that I did not know very well. It required me to be in her home with her and her grandchildren for an afternoon to help her around the house. I could have said no since it was slightly out of my comfort zone but I said yes and I had such a fun afternoon getting to know this fantastic lady and her sweet grandkids. Back at Christmastime, GLCC had a women's night, The Gratitude Groove. I was on the fence about going since I did not know very many women at the church and I usually do not go to stuff like that alone. I went anyways and that was the night I ended up meeting my awesome friend Jenn, who's family is also adopting from Ethiopia! Wow, small world! I would have missed out on these blessings had I not been willing to get out there.

You just never know who are going to meet and what blessings are waiting out there for you in the form of other people. Next time it's your errand day, see how you might change someone's day. Make eye contact with strangers, smile at them! Ask the checkout lady how she is doing before she asks you. I promise you will have fun doing it and get a positive response from people. When I turn the tables and go out seeking to positively effect someone else instead of seeking out what I can get, I am usually the one who ends up getting blessed. John 13:34-35 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Bloom Where You're Planted

This week's bloomers are Judy Dickerson and Patty Easley. Together they are the supervisors over GLCC's preschool program and we want to thank them for their hard work and dedication to the little ones under their care.

Patty tells me they've been a team for the last 4 years and enjoy the various aspects of their positions. Part of their responsibilities include recruiting and training teachers and volunteers, stocking and maintaining the classrooms, and overseeing the curriculum. This is the tip of the iceberg in regards to the full extent of what a Sunday morning might require from our delightful duo...constantly seeking to make sure each and every child has the best experience possible. Jesus wanted the little ones to come to Him and at Grace Life Community Church, Patty and Judy are doing the Lord's work by caring so lovingly for God's littlest worshipers.

If you see these ladies around the church, tell them thanks for the time and care they put into their positions as Preschool Co-Directors.

National Day of Prayer

1 Timothy 2:8 Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.

The National Day of Prayer service for the Manassas, VA area will be held at Harris Pavilion on May 5, 2011 at 7:30 in the evening. Wouldn't it be great if the women of Grace Life Community Church showed up in force that evening, praying for our country, our churches, our families and so much more? Consider bringing your family to the service and thanking God for what He has been doing for your family.

A Journey to Remember

My three daughters and I were fortunate to spend last week in NJ at my parents’ house – the same one I lived in till I went to college. I say fortunate, because it was a real blessing to have all of our home school classes AND preschool off at the same time! You might think that as a home schooling family, we can just take off when we want to and run amok all day long. But we really do have weekly commitments like swim team, youth group, co-op classes, writing classes and preschool for my 4 year old. So going to see Grammy and Grandpa for lengthier stays is a treat that we try to take advantage of when we can.

My parents are always finding ways to help us when they come to visit – whether it be taking care of the girls, helping with school work, folding laundry, making dinner, washing dishes, filling birdfeeders or putting gas in the car (really I think part of the reason my dad likes to do that is so that he has an excuse to track down the cheapest gas price in all of Manassas and so my mom can remind me that NJ has cheaper gas prices AND they pump it for you – remind me why I ever left?).

So when I go home I like to try and help my parents if I can. This time I asked if we could sort through some boxes of “memorabilia” that have been in their attic for several years. Sorting through your own papers and piles can be an overwhelming task (come look at my desk), but it was fun for me – #1 it’s always easier to clean out someone else’s stuff and #2 because a lot of it was mine from years gone by.

You see, when two teachers, married 45 years, have lived in the same house for 40 of those years, are very involved with church and Bible study (read lots of lesson plans, meeting minutes, prayer letters, etc.), have three children who have each left behind 20+ years of spelling and algebra papers, scads of book reports and mobiles, hundreds of art projects that were all deemed worthy of saving, pictures galore, every note they ever passed in church that needed to be saved for blackmail posterity sake, too many postcards and letters to count and well, you get the idea – it’s a recyclers dream come true.

My older daughters helped me bring out several boxes to get started on. If my parents wanted their office back in usable shape, we HAD to go through the boxes because they weren’t going back in the attic!

I had a blast walking down memory lane reading notes that my grandma had typed us on her old fashioned typewriter – you know the kind that if she pushed the keys too hard the period would make a hole in the page. There were journal entries my brother had written in 1985 where almost every single one talked about the weather and how the Cowboys or Yankees did that week depending on the season. Even the envelope with papers and the arm band from when my brother was born in 1974. Newspapers with my parents engagement info that crumbled when removed from the box, pocket Bibles, postcards from camp and trips gone by, a Rubik’s cube keychain, Girl Scout badges, Sunday School papers, calendar pages and menu plans. Oh the memories and laughs we shared! My parents really did appreciate my “loving” encouragement and downright nagging to motivate them to declutter. Now it’s their turn to come nag me to declutter my house.

You may be wondering why I am giving you a laundry list of what was in my parents’ attic. Hang tight – there is a point.

Too often I get wrapped up in the day to day busyness of life and home schooling and don’t stop to think about the memories that we are making along the way. I am blessed with a rich Christian heritage that my parents, through God’s grace, have given my siblings and me that I want to impress on my own daughters and leave them with a similar legacy.

All of those “treasures” that the five of us saved over many years were remembrances of fun times (post cards from my first time at camp), happy times (Christmas lists with the Sears Wish Book product #’s next to each item), sad times (funeral cards of my grandparents) and bad times (let’s go with Algebra I on this one). But it all adds up to the story of our lives.

I realize that not everyone was raised in a Christian home or had a happy childhood, but we all use where we have come from and who we are in Christ to share and relate our faith and God’s grace with others.

It served as a good reminder to me to cherish the time I have with my girls and not just do the next thing in a hurried rush all day long. My mom came across a sign she had in her classroom years ago that serves as a great reminder. “Childhood Should Be…A Journey Not a Race.” Whether you have children or are a child of the King, LIFE really is a journey, not a race.

The Lord has given us more treasures than we can ever imagine and I pray that we not only hide them in our hearts but also pass them onto others for them to savor and enjoy and remember.