Need a good plumber?

I find most of my home repair services through recommendations from friends and I have had great experiences with them. So I thought I would share them!

Need a plumber? Call Mooney Plumbing at 636-940-1777. Mr. Mooney is timely, has reasonable rates and is reliable!

Need an appliance repaired? Call A-Appliance Repair at 636-939-4203. Mike services washers, dryers, ranges, ovens, dishwashers, freezers, refrigerators, ice makers, garbage disposals and microwaves. He offers a senior discount and a 10% repeat discount and he offers a warranty on his work. Most of the time, he offers same day service.

Need an electrician? Mooney Plumbing told me Electrical Concepts is who he would call if needed one. Call Ken at 314-575-7868.

Need car repairs? J & D Columbia Automotive in North O'Fallon is honest and trustworthy. Call Todd at 636-272-4545.

Need a roofer? Pam Havens, a local realtor, recommended this company to me. I found their rates reasonable and their service excellent! A & M Roofing Co. Call them at 314-837-5524.

Need someone to close and open your sprinkler system? Call Outdoor Decor at 636-697-2311.


Hope that helps some of you! Have a fantastic day!!!!!

Lessons I Am Learning From A Friend

A good friend of mine has been in ICU fighting pneumonia for the last few days and he's on my heart tonight as I write. Lately, Bob has been speaking a few things into my life. By lately, I mean that every time we have more than 1 to 2 minutes to speak, he reminds me of these three things.

1. Learn to say no.
2. Slow down.
3. Learn to be silent before God.

Bob, I can promise I'll do #3. I'm working on #1 and #2.

Get better quickly, Bob. Lord, we need him back, please bring complete healing for him and peace and comfort for his family.

I’m on a flight headed back to Seattle for a quick visit with my family, and I’m really looking forward to a brief respite from the life to which God has called me. I am thankful for my grown children who have agreed to make this weekend possible for Brian and I and I am thankful for good friends who have agreed to help them.

I’m pondering, this morning, the comment of a coworker recently who said she couldn’t imagine the stress I am under, nor could she imagine doing what God has called us to do, or why we would choose to do what we are doing. I’m also reminded of the shock that our embarkation on this journey was to at least 75% of the people we know. This was such a huge deviation from how our lives were expected to unfold by ourselves and those who surround us. We must look like we’ve lost our minds.

But, personally, I am thankful for that deviation. We were headed full speed down a highway to a meaningless and selfish destination. That destination? A comfortable life. A life lived working 40 hours during the week and which would allow us to be carefree on the weekend. A life lived in waiting, where we waited, patiently or in my case impatiently, for grandchildren to arrive so that we would have purpose again. A life spent amassing more money so that at age 55 we could quit working and play nonstop.

Thank you, God, for the detour.

Matthew West’s song, The Motions, captures my thoughts today better than I can say them myself. Here are the lyrics. If I can post a link to the song, I will.

This might hurt, it’s not safe
But I know that I’ve gotta make a change
I don’t care if I break
Least I’ll be feeling something
‘Cause just ok’s not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of life

I don’t wanna go through the motions.
I don’t wanna go one more day
Without Your all-consuming passion inside of me.
I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking
“What if I had given everything?”
Instead of going through the motions.

No regrets, not this time
Gonna let my heart defeat my mind.
Let Your love make me whole.
I think I’m finally feeling something.
“Cause just ok’s not enough.
Help me fight through the nothingness of this life.

I don’t wanna go through the motions.
I don’t wanna go one more day
Without Your all-consuming passion inside of me.
I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking
“What if I had given everything?”
Instead of going through the motions.

Consume me all the way, take me all the way
Consume me all the way, ‘cause I don’t wanna go through the motions.
Consume me all the way, I’m finally feeling something real
Consume me all the way.

I don’t wanna go through the motions.

So what is the rest of this life going to look like for me? I honestly have no idea. It’s as though my way forward is illuminated only a few feet ahead of me. Right now and for the next six years, we must raise these boys into young men. What’s after that? And is that all we are called to do for the next six years? Or does God have more for us to be doing while raising M & D? Who knows, perhaps God will bring more children into our life. There are rumblings in the distance that that may be the case, but nothing is close enough to hear clearly.

I only know that I am unsettled.

I’m following my King. I don’t know where He is leading, but I do know that I can see Him ahead and hear His voice calling for me to keep following.

An Unconventional Life "Going Forward"

So, using my last post as a jumping off point (you'll have to go back and read it if you haven't already), following Jesus is going to lead me into an "Unconventional Life" or in McManus's words, "a barbaric life". A life fueled by His passion, a "Genuine" life, if you will.

Our growth group this fall is studying The Barbarian Way (by the way, not by my suggestion, but at the suggestion of another member). It's been good for me to go back through this book. Our church, as an entire congregation, is beginning a study of I John, a small little letter toward the back of the Bible, but with big implications. You can't read that letter and not be forced to choose. Am I going to live life as a "genuine" follower of Jesus and embrace all that means, or am I going to gloss over John's call for authenticity and pretend it won't affect me?

Choosing to live the authentic, genuine or "barbaric" life as a Christ follower will profoundly affect me and it's ripple effect will spread to those around me. Those nearest to me will have to make roughly that same decision as they are looking at my life as well. Will I investigate the changes in my friend's/coworker's/spouse's/parent's life and follow Jesus as well, or will I pretend that what has changed her won't change me or our relationship?

My life should point people to Jesus and if I'm following "in his steps" then those around me must make the decision to come along, or watch me walk away. Seems a bit harsh, doesn't it? But isn't that the reality? I'm moving, I'm following, and if you aren't following too, then we will be moving apart from one another, won't we?

I have a decision to make too! I'm following and I see that you aren't. Do I turn around and go back to where you are standing? Or do I keep my focus and continue on? I can't beg you to come with me, you have to make that decision yourself.

Jesus told us over and over again that a life of following him would be costly. But for each of us the cost of following will be completely different. McManus points to this Scripture from John 21 as proof:

¹⁵When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"
"Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."

¹⁶Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?"
He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."

¹⁷ The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."

Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. ¹⁸ I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." ¹⁹Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"

²⁰Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is going to betray you?") ²¹When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?"

²²Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me."

You, dear reader, will probably not be called to be crucified as Jesus was for us. You probably won't be martyred by being crucified upside down as Peter was, or martyred in a den of lions. You probably won't be called to give up your retirement plans and adopt two boys from foster care.

But you are being called to follow Jesus and following him will cost you everything you are.

Passion, vision and looking forward

I've been thinking a lot about this lately and been hearing in various places about "My life going forward". Interestingly, it's also got me thinking about my life in the recent past.

A little less than a year ago, I picked up a book on the advice of a friend. That book is the The Barbarian Way by Erwin Rafael McManus. I read through it and found that my passion, my vision and my "life going forward" were dramatically changed as a result. It wasn't so much McManus's ideas that changed me, but the way he framed scripture that changed me.

For years, I have sat in church or at home and read in my Bible these words:

"The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life." Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very soul?" Luke 9:20-25

I don't know about you, dear reader, but it was easy for me over the last 45 years to gloss over this and pretend Jesus wasn't saying that the Christian life would cost me something. For years, I believed something more akin to this version--quoting from McManus here:

"So what is this good news? The refined and civilized version goes something like this: Jesus died and rose from the dead so that you can live a life of endless comfort, security, and indulgence. But really this is a bit too developed. Usually it's more like this: if you'll simply confess that you're a sinner and believe in Jesus, you'll be saved from the torment of eternal hellfire, then go to heaven when you die. Either case results in our domestication. One holds out for life to begin in eternity, and the other makes a mockery out of life."

Again, quoting from McManus, "The original call of Jesus was so simple, so clean, so clear: "Follow Me." He wants us to surrender our lives to Him and follow Him into the unknown. And if it means a life of suffering, hardship, and disappointment, it will be worth it because following Jesus Christ is more powerful and more fulfilling than living with everything in the world minus Him."

When my husband and I woke up to this the first time (November of last year), our plans for a comfortable retirement at 50 or 55 with a condo in Florida and playing for the rest of our lives suddenly seemed an empty and hollow goal. Is this really what we're supposed to do? Is my life really only supposed to be about my pleasure? Is that all there is for the 2nd half of my life?

This was actually an astounding set of questions for us to be asking. We'd planned this for so long, been dreaming of the day for 24 years when our children were grown and we could finally enjoy what we had to set aside when we first learned our daughter was on the way. We'd watched friends play in their 20's and early 30's, finally settling down to have children when our daughter was heading into the tween years. We'd scraped and saved to raise a family on our early career salaries. I'd foregone the stay-at-home Mom role, so that we could pay rent, eat, etc. Now with the youngest out of high school, we were finally going to get our turn. Until we read this book and until we saw a drama at church.

The drama compared two middle-aged couples. One waiting to hear if their application to become missionaries in Guatemala was accepted, the other waiting to hear if their application for a mortgage on a condo in Florida was approved. The message? What's your life going to be about going forward?

Some of you know what happened next, and if you do, please scroll down so you don't have to read it again.  Some do not!  About the same time, I came across a picture of a boy and then saw that he had a brother.  These two boys were 11 and 10 and in foster care due to educational neglect.  And God said, in a very clear whisper to my heart, "Bring them home."  We spent the next 6 months jumping through all the hoops the state required in order to follow God's command to bring them home.  They've been with us now for 4 months and  exactly one year and two days after God whispered to my heart, they will become our sons forever.

Jesus said "Follow Me".  He never said it would be easy. He never said it would be fair. He never said we would get everything we wanted.  In fact, He made it very clear...If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.

So what is my "life going forward"?  I will give up the world's definition of a successful life and fully embrace Jesus's definition.

I'm following.....

Why I'm not becoming a democrat either...

As I said in a previous post, I would call myself a fiscal conservative who is demanding social justice.

Neither party of our current two party system fits that definition.

The Republicans bill themselves as the party of fiscal conservatism but the last 8 years, under President Bush, proved them to be as big spenders as the Democrats.

The Democrats seem to think that any problem can be solved if we just throw enough money at it.

Where is the party who believes that we should spend no more than we take in and who believes that the states are in a better position to make spending decisions than Washington?

Where is the party that believes in true social justice?

Who is clamoring for fairer sentencing laws?

Who is clamoring for school choice so that parents can send their children to schools that are making the grade rather than failing?

Who is clamoring for choice, true choice in health care?

Who is clamoring for capital investment into our inner cities so that they don't become havens of crime?

Who is clamoring for social programs that work rather than those that put a bandaid on the severed artery and call it good?

Who is demanding good manufacturing jobs here in America and refusing to take political campaign money from companies who ship jobs over seas?

Where is the church? Why isn't she demanding social justice?

Ok... those are today's thoughts. No answers yet, just lots of questions...

Why I am not so enamored with the Republican Right anymore....

Ok, I'll admit it. I used to be a right-wing fanatical talk show addict... I've even called in and talked to some of the big guys... O'Reilly and Hannity in particular... Now I'm having a hard time stomaching their screaming vitriol.

(Quick sideline... I looked up vitriol to make sure I was spelling it correctly and using it correctly. Here's the link: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/vitriol. Isn't it interesting that the second definition is sulfuric acid and the third is something highly caustic or severe in effect, as in criticism. Hmmmm.....ponder with me for a second, would you?)

And the Left is just as vitriolic.

Where is the polite discussion? Why are we so polarized as a nation? Why are we so quick to believe what is being spewed on the airwaves by either side?

I'll be honest again and say that I voted for McCain/Palin. I liked their policies better than I liked Obama's. However, I'll also be honest and say that there are times where I wish I could tell my two youngest sons that I voted for Obama. See, to them, they simply see the first black American president. And to them, that is reason enough.

I've decided now that I need a third party to choose from. One that is fiscally conservative, but socially just. I can't say that of either of the two parties we currently have.

Here's another political musing for you.

Democrat - derived from the Greek word demokratia - essentially means a proponent of government by the people

Republican - derived from the Latin rēspūblica and means a proponent of government of the people

I found this interesting too. It's from The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Republic - A form of government in which power is explicitly vested in the people, who in turn exercise their power through elected representatives. Today, the terms republic and democracy are virtually interchangeable, but historically the two differed. Democracy implied direct rule by the people, all of whom were equal, whereas republic implied a system of government in which the will of the people was mediated by representatives, who might be wiser and better educated than the average person. In the early American republic, for example, the requirement that voters own property and the establishment of institutions such as the Electoral College were intended to cushion the government from the direct expression of the popular will.

I also looked into these two philosophies:

Libertarian - The libertarian, or "classical liberal," perspective is that individual well-being, prosperity, and social harmony are fostered by "as much liberty as possible" and "as little government as necessary. Hmmm, that's somewhat interesting.

Christian Democratic - They could loosely be described as "compassionate conservatives", socially conservative and fiscally moderate to liberal. In some respects they are the opposite of the Libertarian Party. They generally follow Christian moral principles and so are against abortion and for human rights. Hmmm, also interesting...

So what's a mom to do? I have no idea.... yet.... any suggestions?

Here goes nothing!

I don't know if anyone will read this, or if anyone cares what I think, but I'm throwing it out into cyberspace and we'll see what comes back.

As I was setting up my blog, I was thinking of how to best to describe myself. I guess the best way is this:

I'm a middle-aged, middle-class mom from the Midwest who now finds herself tenuously holding onto the political middle ground while seeking to follow her King.

I would not have embraced this description a year ago or even a month ago, but I'm now proud to say it.

I've been married almost 25 years to my best friend and we have 4 children, two whom we birthed and two who are being added to our family through adoption from the foster care system. My husband and I follow Jesus, however not all of my children have embraced Him as we have.

The past three years have brought big changes to my thoughts and beliefs. Not my faith, I've been a Christian for longer than I have been married, but how I act on my faith.

Three years ago, we were told that a new campus for our church was going to open with the goal of "integrating Sunday morning". We jumped at the opportunity to help pioneer this church. We've lived in the St. Louis area for more than 6 years but were dismayed by how racially segregated this region is and wanted to be involved in helping that to change. I'd say this was the catalyst for my thought metamorphosis.

As I interacted with my new brothers and sisters whom we've met through the church, they have changed me in profound ways. My own prejudices were revealed, even though I was sure I didn't have any, and I was forced to confront them and change. As I changed those, I realized my political beliefs, as a former rabid Republican, were changing as well. My approach to faith changed too as I could no longer be a casual, consumer Christian.

Ok, that's enough for today.....