At Peace

Have you ever wondered that as you grow older you are becoming the worst case of yourself? Those little annoying things that someone in your family does or that one friend that gets on your nerves and then all of sudden, you are becoming those things...displaying attitudes or little annoyances in your own life that you always thought, 'oh, I will never do that'. God has been slowly and painfully working on my heart about those things. Whether it is an annoying behavior or something that is not Christ-like, I need to come to terms with who I am. I need to daily give my whole self over to Him and walk in His ways. I know that each day brings new 'things' but I also know that they are never going to go away if I never take them to Christ. I have been looking through the scripture tonight trying to find an application, something to make this make sense and these are what I found. Colossians 3:15 says " Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts...you were called to peace and be thankful." Instead of focusing on all those things that I do not want to be or do, I need to break free from them and be at peace. At peace with myself. At peace with who I am. The annoying and the not-so annoying. And then I need to be thankful. This leads into the other verse. Colossians 4:6 says "Let your conversation be always full of grace...so that you know how to answer everyone." When I look at the worst case of myself, I am not thankful. My words are not filled with grace. So...do you see the worst case of yourself? or Are you at peace? That is where I want to be.

My View Point

Last week William attended the Central Charger soccer camp. He was so excited to get all the gear: the cleats, the shin guards, and socks. As he was appointed to his team, I observed a sense of excitement and of hestitation. Each day became a little easier and familiar. Throughout the week he learned skills such as dribbling, passing, and blocking. The view from the side of the track was heartwarming as he listened with such intensity to his coaches. He thrived on seeing and talking to Coach Mahr and Coach Melissa. His desire to do good and be able to kick the ball was evident; his frustation and disappointment when he didn't get to the ball was also evident. I am proud of his dedication; his desire to learn and I look forward to watching many games this fall.

A Hope and a Future

As many of you know, Tim, William, and I have been a part of a new church plant for almost four years now. We have seen many trials and growth pains come our way as a church and as individuals. As I look back at where we have come from and where we are going, I am reminded of Jeremiah 29:11. " For I know the plans I have for you" says the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future." I see that hope and our future in the lives of our small group every week. I am encouraged by our growth and humbled by how God is using the lives of these men and women. We had no idea of the plans for our family...for our church. God did. He knew that we would prosper and for His ultimate glory. What an amazing thing to experience and be a part of.

Dondra

Words can not express how much joy and fun we had last week during our time with sweet Hannah. She is growing and changing so much; developing her own little personality. She loves her cousin William and whenever he would leave the room and come back, she would squeal with delight. (her arms and legs moving as fast as they can!) We will cherish this time together. We love you Hannah!

your aunt Dondra

History

On wednesday night of this week, I experienced history in the making. It wasn't a cure for cancer. It wasn't the latest and greatest addition to the IPOD. It was seeing 92 people (2 of them are my sister and brother-in-law) be commissioned to be foreign missionaries around the world. As the praise team sang "He Reigns", each of the missionaries filed in with the presentation of the flags from each country and with an excitement I have never seen before. Dodie and Jake gave their testimonies of how God brought each of them to this point of surrender and obedience. They will take their family of three and be missionaries, be Jesus, to the people of Peru. As the speaker challenged each of us to be our own missionaries, I am reminded of the words in Acts 1:8 "You shall recieve power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you shall be my witnesses to me in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the earth." How exciting it is to know that they are going to a part of something great. As the day ended, I was forever changed. I am proud that I caught a glimpse of history...the history of lives being changed through Jesus Christ.

Dondra

Celebrating Easter

As the Easter season approached, I knew early on that I wanted to share the true meaning of Easter with William. This would be the year that we discussed everything from Palm Sunday to the Resurrection. With the help of some great research (via the internet), helpful advice from friends, and wonderful books, we discussed at length the meaning of this special day. We read the books entitled The Legend of the Easter Egg and the Legend of the Three Trees. What amazing words and illustrations to show him that this isn't about the eggs or the candy but about the love of Jesus and what He did for us. As each day came and went, the closer Easter was. As we prepared for our egg hunt at church, we made a cake for the cake walk. William asked me "who is the cake for?" and before I could answer he said "it's for God and Jesus!" This is what it is all about. :)

Dondra

p.s. the pictures below are of him showing off his decorated egg and his cross we made on Good Friday