Rebuilding the Real You

The last Sunday of August we will conclude our summer quarter in Sunday School. I have really enjoyed the book my class has studied this summer--Rebuilding the Real You by Jack Hayford.

This study looks closely at the way the Holy Spirit works in our lives. Hayford uses the example of the story of Nehemiah and the work he spearheaded to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem as a comparison to the way God works in our lives to rebuild us from the pieces left broken by disappointments, failures, challenges, addictions, problems, etc.

I don't remember how many times I have read all or part of this book, but each time I do I always get a lot out of it.

Two weeks ago was my son Will's 12th birthday (on a Sunday during this quarter). Naturally, I thought back to the time of his birth and his early months. Will had a rough start in life as he was born seven weeks early. I had a rough time as well. The first 18 hours after Will was born, I was placed flat on my back in a dark room because I was very close to going into seizures. They told me not to think about my new baby (so hard not to!); I couldn't eat or drink; I couldn't watch TV, read or listen to music because that kind of thing could stimulate seizure activity. I couldn't have visitors, except they did allow Tim to come in occasionally to see how I was doing with strick orders not to talk much at all.

Finally, the crisis passed and I was out of danger.

I remember how tiny Will was! He only weighed 3 lbs. 14 oz.! I remember thinking that is quite a bit less than a sack of sugar!

I was in the hospital for over a week. The hardest thing was leaving Will behind in the neonatal intensive care unit once I was discharged. He couldn't come home until he weighed about 4 1/2 pounds.

As he grew, he got to where he could sit up as I bathed him. I remember one day when I was drying him off after a bath. As my hand supported him, it looked so gigantic compared to Will's back! The thought hit me, that must be how God's hand would look touching my back--so huge! I liked the thought of that! It reminded me how well God has things in hand. As much as I love and adore Will, God's perfect love for His creation is even bigger than the greatest love I can imagine! That reminds me how much He cares for us.

It was great timing because the chapter we covered on Will's birthday was titled: Knowing How God Feels About You. What a wonderful reminder of how much God loves us!

This study emphasized that the first step must be accepting Christ as our Savior. Then, God works in our lives, bringing us to wholeness, as we allow Him to rebuild us. Some people are more broken than others, depending on what they've faced in life. The study helps us all to understand more fully how the Holy Spirit works to restore believers from brokenness.

This has been an important topic to me for a number of years. First, several years ago God showed me the brokenness in my life and invited me to walk a path of healing and restoration. Then, over time, God has given me opportunities to reach out to others who needed this kind of healing in their own lives.

Over the years, as I have walked this path toward wholeness (I'm still a work in progress), I have seen God do many mighty and powerful things both in my life and in the lives of others. I have been utterly amazed at what God can do to rebuild and restore lives to the abundance He has available for each of us!

Birthday

Last night was one of those nights that left me feeling very content and happy.

Yesterday (Tuesday) was my birthday. On occasions like this, I often think about several aspects of what the day means. One thing I thought about is the fact that my mom did all the work of the pregnancy, labor and delivery, and I get to have all the fun--just because I was born! On the other hand, that is enough reason to celebrate! Life is such a precious gift from God. That was how my day started--deep thinking.

Throughout the day, I heard from my brother, mom and sister (and I will probably hear from my other sister tomorrow). We have a tradition to call each other on our birthdays since we can't see each other in person (due to the distance I live away). It was fun getting caught up with each other.

This evening, my family took me out to celebrate. We had such a great time!

I had read about a Chinese place that is supposed to have some of the best Asian food in town. The only drawback is they only have carry out. So, we decided to have a Chinese picnic supper!

After getting the food, we headed downtown toward a park I had scouted out online. We wanted to go to Washington's Landing, which is an island with a park (and picnic area) that overlooks the city. It sounds very nice. However, traffic was very heavy. We were scheduled to go on the final 'Just Duck Tours' ride of the day this evening, so we looked at the map to try and find a park closer to the Station Square area, which is where the tour begins. There were several parks nearby, notated on the map.

I have never lived some place that has so many roads up above other roads, what I would call a viaduct (I'm not sure if that is the correct term or not). The map I had didn't distinguish which roads were high up and which were below, so we had a crazy time trying to find a park for our Chinese picnic! We finally gave up and decided to have a picnic in the parking garage at Station Square out of the back of my PT Cruiser! Now that is living! It was the most unique birthday meal I can remember. We got a few strange looks. We were too hungry to care! I guess tailgating in the parking garage hasn't caught on yet.

The food was as great as the reputation had made it sound; we had fun trying out chop sticks, etc.

The duck tour was amazing! You start out in a vehicle that drives through the streets of downtown Pittsburgh. Our tour guides were great. We learned so much history! It was probably the best tour we have ever been on anywhere. Then, they head straight for the river, and all the passengers wonder if the guides have lost their minds, but somehow this vehicle suddenly becomes a boat! It was incredible!

Both Ben and Will got turns as captain of the ship once we were in the water. They both had fun with that. Other kids on board took a turn as well. It was terrific, seeing the city from the water.

Ben takes us for a spin

Will is in the driver's seat

Once we returned to Station Square, we stopped for dessert at Hard Rock Cafe. That was my treat for the day instead of a birthday cake. Sometimes it is fun doing something a bit different.

Then, we headed back home.

It sounds simple as I try to describe it, but it was such a special, fun evening! It is hard to describe the laughter, the fun conversations, our boys trying foods that are new to them, the fun of the tour and all the things that made this evening great.

This was one of those experiences that reminds me of several things: 1) what a blessing family is 2) how fun it is to explore and try new things 3) the wonderful gift life is and 4) to go with the flow. Sometimes, things don't go quite as planned, but we adapt, go to plan B, and still have a great time!

I guess this is one way to get to know the area, to get out there and explore!

By the way, the Chinese place is called Zaw's; it's in Squirrel Hill in case you are in the mood for some great takeout!

Western PA Family Camp Meeting

We are enjoying a great week at our beautiful Western PA campground! This week is called Whitehall Family Camp Meeting. We are so fortunately as a church that our state ministries office has a beautiful facility like this. We are surrounded by rolling hills and lush forests.

As a mom, my experiences are very much influenced by the experiences of my children! Will is old enough this year to go to the youth activities. That is exciting for him! Ben was old enough when we moved to PA to jump right into youth activities. He's having a great time, too.

The youth have two services per day, one in the morning and one at night, in the barn. The adults (and kids) have a service each night in the tabernacle plus conferences throughout the day. Kids have activities planned for them each day as well. Friday night there will be an intergenerational service where all the youth will join the adults and kids in the tabernacle to enjoy a worship service together.

Ben and Will have both enjoyed the youth services. Will gave me permission to share a conversation we had tonight about this week. After church, Will told us that he feels he has become a better Christian this week. He also shared that tonight in youth church, he raised his hands in worship for the first time in his life! That gave us a great opportunity to discuss ways to be expressive and to connect with God through worship. Wow! That was really exciting for Tim and me.

State and national Church of God events are wonderful to be part of. They are planned by people who have a heart for God. They carefully (and prayerfully!) plan every event to be very much worth the time you invest by attending. I wanted to share what Will experienced as an example of the way this week impacts people's lives. I love the way the organizers plan things for everyone in the family.

Worship has been great this week! The worship leader is Dr. Steven Darr. We have known Steve for a number of years. Tim's mom attends the church in Lake Wales, FL, where Steve is the worship leader in addition to his duties as head of the music department at Warner Southern College. Everything Dr. Steve Darr does, he does with excellence! That is a great example to remind us all to give God our very best efforts.

There is something extra special about celebrating, praising and worshiping God with the large number of people in the tabernacle.

The speaker this week, Rev. Jeanette Flynn, has been awesome. We are always inspired, challenged, encouraged and blessed any time we hear her share. The services are a great time to seek God, learn and grow.

I was invited early this year to be on the campmeeting music committee. We have met about once a month to make plans for special music, worship teams, orchestra, choir, arrange for sound equipment rental, etc. I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of this team. I have a heart for the importance of state ministries so this has been a great experience for me. I've enjoyed watching all of our plans come to fruition. I was hoping everyone would be here when and where they were supposed to be, and so far it has worked out well!

Another extra special thing for me was singing Tuesday night with my quartet that recently formed through my involvement with the Sounds of Pittsburgh chorus. This was our first time to sing in public together! We have been practicing for several weeks. We appreciated the warm reception we received from all the folks here.

In addition to the scheduled activities and events, there are plenty of great experiences with friends. We especially enjoy times around the campfire at night, sharing stories, laughs and mountain pies. We've had a lot of rain this week, so that has interferred with campfires a bit.

We love running into old and new friends around the grounds, stopping to catch up, encourage, share, etc. Those encounters are priceless!

Another very special part of this week has been spending some time with Ben's girlfriend, Stacy. She lives about 45 minutes from Whitehall so we have gotten to see her a couple of times this week, which is great. Stacy has a wonderful family; we've enjoying getting to know her parents Steve and Marcy plus her lively, fun sister Courtney over the past few months.

I would encourage folks to take the time to make Whitehall Family Camp Meeting part of you plans for next summer. You'll be glad you did! This is one trip that can be life changing for your whole family! Wow.

The dates will be August 2 through 10, 2008. Even if you can't come for the whole time, you'll enjoy whatever time you can invest.