Sunday, March 17, 2024

Sunday Happenings & Sermon Summary LOL

Sunday mornings find us zipping up the freeway to Eagle River. We were a smaller group than normal today...we only had to score 12 seats this morning. JaRissa are ill. Carrie's parents are in AZ. Jamin arrived late. Look at these girls all decked out in Irish Green! 
Carrie & Josi - 5 1/2 weeks

More girls in green

Jamin had a showing in the valley and had to leave us. Luke and Rylan decided to go off on their own adventure and Krista came to lunch with us. Kaelyn was enjoying time with friends. Carrie suggested we go to Pizza Man, a place where they used to go after church and where we had never been. It was GOOD FOOD. I was relieved to find something other than Mexican in Eagle River. ::snort:: 
backside of Josi, Carrie, Stacia, Krista, Livie, Allie, GG, Mike

Front view of Josi. 

There's a lot of energy in this group - they will change their world. 
Livie, Allie, Stacia, Krista

After lunch we drove to JBER to take Krista home.  As we LEFT base we were selected for a random drug search of our vehicle. What a sight we were climbing out of the car so they could search. 
Pretty shady characters! ::snort:: 

The girls met Jamin at the movie theater. Originally, Nolan and I were going but both of us had "things" come up. I'm content to stream the movie when it comes out. 

Michael and I had a fun talk about this morning's sermon...and I watched it again, I wanted to nail down a quote by Neil Cole. It helps to be able to pause a pastor as one writes. snort:: Pastor Brian's sermon is titled, "What Kind of Church is This?" He shared the vision of who ACF church is ... When we were fairly new at MAG Pastor Shannon did a series called, "This is Us." It was a series on his vision for the church. This sort of series is so helpful when one is getting to know a church. We noted Pastor Shannon's phrase, "Your partner in becoming" was also about discipleship.  Pastor Brian did a great job and left us with much to pray over and meditate on. Here are some of the things which stand out to us... 

Many see church as they do a trip Sudsy Salmon... put it in neutral, lean back and hope to come out cleaner. 
ACF church exists to make disciples. 

When discipleship gets hard, we can leave, or we can lean in.

One can be a disciple without being a Christian (interesting verses and conversation as we discussed this) but one cannot be a Christian without becoming a disciple. 

Great discussion on the Word, Mission and Spirit... three essential elements at ACF church - and what happens when one element is missing.

Behind you is a wake of discipleship - for better or worse. People will follow you and you can tell who you are following by what it produces in your life and in the lives of those following you. 

The church only becomes what we are becoming individually. 

If you don't love people; you don't love God. Which is why ACF church can say with boldness "You don't have to believe to belong." Belonging often precedes believing...in Jesus' ministry and at ACF church. 

A long quote from Neil Cole about rivers and lakes..... "A lake and a river are very different things. In broad strokes: a river is constantly changing, adapting and moving. A river can forge into rough ground and smooth it out over time. A river can carve out great canyons and transport goods to those who are in need downstream. A river can create energy; it is a power source. A lake is constant, comfortable and mostly unchanging. We can walk into the lake and walk out in exactly the same place with no change. With a river, however, when we enter into it, we are moved and cannot possibly exit in the same place in which we first encountered it. All who enter into the river are moved to another place, taken into the flow and thrust into deeper waters. A lake is safe; we can wade in at our own pace and go as deep as we want to go. A river is dangerous and will sweep us into its momentum and perhaps take us to places we may not want to go.  A river seems to have a will of its own."

ACF church is a river.  

 GRACE NOTES: 
1. Connecting with our kids at church is a taste of heaven on earth. 

2. A sermon which left us challenged and contemplating what our journey will look like long-term. 

3. Lunch with some of our favorite girls... 

Saturday, March 16, 2024

March Family Celebration

 We gathered this afternoon to celebrate Kaelyn, GG, and Cory's birthday. Ellie got an honorable mention as we're quite sure she will arrive in March! We also celebrated Carrie's completion of her bachelor's in nursing (so proud of her!). 

(Livie) Corry & GG 

The moment CoRielle arrived these two 3-year-olds began to clean. They love to help clean.

I love their matching Dino sweatshirts - gifted to them by a sweet lady at Farm Loop. 


JaRissa and Noah weren't able to make it today - Larissa and Noah are ill.  Izaak was swamped with homework.  Everyone else was here at some point in the day...and it was great fun. 
Games

Carrie and Jenni - LOVE these girls! 

Jamin and Josi

Ellie will arrive this month!

Benny loved the birthing ball. 

Jenni and Livie having a joke off competition.

GG

A sure sign the gang is all here!

Krista and Josi

Great discussions were had around the table...around the kitchen island...and in the living room too. 

Carrie, Stacia and Jojo


This is NOT their baby! Cory, Arielle & Josi


Michael made two ice cream cakes this month. This is a new style, and it was a hit! He also made a death by chocolate one in the traditional cheesecake pan. 

Preparing to sing...


More games

Josi is such a good little gal! Everyone loves to get baby snuggles...and soon Josi will have Ellie to help her with the job! LOL 
Jenni, Jamin and Josi 📷by Carrie

All this and a backrub too! What can I say? I'm living the life! 
Jenni has the right touch! 📷by Carrie

Stacia, Liv and Carrie 📷by Carrie

At some point in the early evening Alex and then families began to leave. Annie was mesmerized by Josi. She followed her around much of the evening, and even carried the diaper bag out to the car for Carrie when it was time for Carrie and the girls to leave. 
Such sweet girls! 📷by Carrie

Nolan, Jamin and Jenni stayed, and we visited. Nolan left and we continued visiting. At some point we all realized it was Saturday evening and we broke up the party. 

It was good to be together as a big group today! 

Friday, March 15, 2024

St Patrick's Tea with Bre

Bre is THE Holiday Queen! She is so good at planning ahead, ordering fun decorations, and prepping the kids to celebrate each holiday!  Today, I was invited to join her and the kids, and Melany and Ketziah for a St. Patrick's Day Tea. 

Gideon, Bella, Ketzia, Jojo, Annie

Fun Snacks


Today is also GG's birthday. He is 83 years old today. We'll celebrate tomorrow with the gang, but we did give him his gifts today.

Mille got groomed today. I had another productive counseling appointment today. Allie worked on schoolwork. Stacia and Lorelai went to the Art Cafe. 

Let the weekend begin. 

Remembering Through Touch by Michael

Josiah holding baby Stacia

The power of human touch is stunning. Let me take you back to when you first brushed the hand of someone you were attracted to. Giddy sensations - almost electric - coursed through your being. Perhaps you remember holding the hand of that person for the first time. It was as if something had come alive inside of you that you did not know even existed. Time has passed and you are holding your first-born child. It changes you forever. Holding that little bundle of joy is like experiencing the Garden of Eden for just a moment. It is a celebration of that first touch so long before, but there is a depth to it, a maturity in comparison to the giddy sensations of that first touch.

One of my favorite games with the kids as they were growing up was "tickle little kids." It was a free-for-all tickle session. Honestly, these were exhausting because I expended much more energy keeping my kids safe than I did actually tickling the kids. The usual course of the game was I would catch one of them and announce, "tickle little kids." They would each hurl themselves at me, and I would tickle them, and then they would run away. There were many opportunities for heads to bonk the floor or heads to bonk the next ticklee, but this seldom happened. I was tired at the end of these sessions and so were the kids - tired and happy. I remember vividly the enthusiasm the kids had for this game. I would have to catch them mid-flight as they would come zipping in at full speed. I would set them down and tickle them. They each, in turn, would squirm away, get a running start, and then I would have to catch them in mid-flight, again. As the years went by, the kids would out-grow "tickle little kids" for the simple reasons that I could not keep them safe, and they were growing up. They were just too big. The power of the tickle in those younger years was amazing. 


There are other times when touch, well, touches something deep within. Hugging someone when saying goodbye and hugging that same someone when saying hello are both different than when hugging your spouse  or a dear friend goodbye or in greeting. I remember best the hugs of returning from deployment. That last touch as we are separated for four to eight months is, as Shakespeare would say, a sweet sorrow, but that touch of reuniting is sweet joy. There is a unique power in greeting another man (I speak as a man) with that firm handshake of manhood as your father taught you or that gentle handshake you receive from a woman. There have been quite a few times I have shaken someone's hand or hugged them thinking it may be the last time to do so. On a few of these occasions, I have been correct. There are other times I did not know it was going to be my last chance to hug someone or shake their hand.


I can remember a few occasions where I have inadvertently touched someone's hand or arm and immediately known that a line, even inadvertently, had been crossed and an apology was is in order. Such is the power of touch.

These days, touch is very important. I find myself walking past Josiah's 4Runner, and I cannot help but run my hands across the surface of his car. Even when temps were below zero, I would take off my gloves just to touch something of him. 

We were over at Carrie's this past weekend. The deadbolt on the front door was really loose. I needed some tools. Josiah's tools were still in the garage where he had left them so many months ago. I found myself touching them, caressing them, clutching them close to my chest because they reminded me of him. I remember him telling me about purchasing some of them. He found them at a great price, and they would serve him well. I was proud of him. Now, they are touchpoints. They are a way of touching something material that for even a moment transcends into another dimension to allow me to be close to him whom I can no longer hold.

It is not enough to see. I must touch. There is something powerful in the tactile sensation of touching something that was his or reminds me of him.

I have gone to various cemeteries over the years. One in particular always draws me to it. It is in Hardin, MT. We were the associate pastors there for about four years and lived in the town a couple of more years. One of my responsibilities as the associate pastor was to visit the older members of the congregation. They shared many memories of life. They became very dear friends. Now, when I return to Hardin, I find myself visiting them at the cemetery. I even find myself compelled to touch those engraved marble stones. Etched with the names of old friends, I cannot help but touch them. It is a place of good memories, good conversations, good friendships. On the last time through, I found more friends there - friends I was able to  talk to the time before.

Oh, my heart. Remembering is good because I know there is much more behind me than there is before me. Touch, though, is a powerful way to allow my heart to remember. Remember?, yes, and  even more so to walk through this season of tears. We continue to embrace the joy and grief, laughter and tears, celebrations and sorrows of our journey here and now until the day we meet again those who have gone before us.

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Thursday with Jenni

It's such a welcome marker of time, a clear signal another week is coming to an end,  to have Jenni over on Thursdays.   After dinner tonight we settled down for Farkle with our cups of tea.  

We realized we are nearing the end of the Olaf scorebook. It was fun to look back and remember playing in Oregon, the trailer, the RV, and here in Alaska. I'm not sure I can throw the notebook away. It contains so much more than scores. It's a record of family fun...Gma and Gpa and Lori are in it...and Larissa's first time playing with us, and of course Josiah.  It's time to begin looking for another one.   I honestly don't remember who won....wait...Allie, I think! LOL 

Yes, Thursday nights mean an episode (or two) of "All Creatures Great and Small." We have finished season 1. 
Ready for the episode 

Allie is working on a blanket, I didn't catch a shot of Jenni's project, Stacia finished her hat for Ellie and no new projects. 

Another great Thursday with Jenni. We DO love having everyone over...but recently, as we've had Arielle and kids, Bre and kids, Carrie and the girls, then Krista and Nolan, and Jenni tonight I realize how nice it is too to gather in smaller groups. 

GRACE NOTES:
1. Learning new things about self and grace. 

2. Intimate time with family and friends. 

3. Spring Break - a more relaxing pace. 

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Josiah's Girls

 Carrie shared these lovely photos of their baby photo shoot! I'm amazed what they do these days. 

Josi, Carrie, Livie



And here's Josi Faith! 









Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Fun @ Home


 After a busy day we were happy to have dinner and games with Krista and Nolan tonight. Nolan usually wins our games - and he won twice tonight. Michael won one game. 

The girls were out socializing.