A doh! moment and then fun......

So first things first - its not a water gasket - its a water pump...... I keep calling it the wrong thing and I was doing so well in showing my knowledge of cars up til that last paragraph too. Needless to say this is my doh! moment for the week.

This past Friday my church, Oak Pointe, had what they called Drivefest. A combo of a drive-in, with the movie cars, and a festival. We had classic cars outside to look at, the food cooking and inside was the face painting, movie, bounce houses in the sanctuary/gym area among other things for the kids of all ages to do. we even had a rock climbing wall. But at 6 pm the rain hit and we were under a tornado warning so everything but the cars got moved inside. I had a blast working the last shift of face painting. One of the first things I painted was a spiderman face - it wasn't my best work, but he enjoyed it. Then I had a woman ask to be a dalmation puppy - a girl puppy. She kept me on my toes and it was a blast making her up. She also mentioned that she was taking a picture of it to put on her myspace page. And I realized later I should have asked her myspace address so I could see, since she came back and took some other pictures of me doing someone elses face.

Then today we went to service and it was just me and the girls as Mike was at out home church, South Lansing Christian Church, to do some wells and water samples after service for the new pole barn they are putting up. Well I latched onto the aunt on one of the girls friends and sat with her. Here I am thinking it was an off day for my singing and she told me I sang beautifully. Now I'm not great or anything, I'm a second soprano and was in the choir at SLCC. But every now and then I have good moments in singing where I just lose myself and it sounds good. Today must have been one of those days. But I am usually better in the crowd than by myself - or so I think. It also helps when I am really familiar with the songs we are singing. And today was like being at home - they were some of the favorites that were and are sung often at SLCC.

So after service she was trying to hook me up with and intro to one of our many gutarists at church to possibly join the choir at OPC. Well I'd been thinking about getting into one of the positions with the childrens ministry and the aunt was talking to the director of that ministry - because they are recruiting people heavily for the new school year. And wouldn't you know it she was talking me up as this amazing singer. So now I've been signed up as a possible worship leader for the kids. Long story short. LOL It'll be fun and I don't think they will be too critical of my voice when I have an off day.

I tell you my van hates me.......

Its time for a trade in I decided roughly a month ago when the driver's side door handle broke. Still opens from the inside which is good considering that the passenger's side does neither anymore. Have I mentioned I own a piece of crap van? We've had the van since 2001, its a 1995 chevy lumina van. Or as the back end now says hevy umin. Think this but in white.


Roughly in 2002 the passenger handle broke but could still be opened from the inside. My hubby fixed it for roughly a month and then it was only ot be opened from the inside again. Now you may think thats not enough to have a vehicle hate you - theres more. Christmas eve 2003 driving to home for parties that night we get to literally within a mile from my in-laws, turn onto the street and have to pull to the side of the road because my (I can't remember which it was but I think its this one) driveshaft on the passenger side went. Luckily we got the part that afternoon before the store closed But were late to the party as we had to borrow a vehicle to get there.

Christmas 2004 blew a spark plug or two. Driving both vehicles to Lansing and hubby was ahead of me when I hear a ticking noise and am having trouble accelerating. So I get in far right lane to pull over if I have too and sure enough the ticking becomes a pop. We get part, get it fixed on side of road and on our way in 40 minutes. Only to find out later that I actually blew another one when a good friend was replacing the wires and the rest of the plugs for me. Replaced the battery at least once in the mean time here.

Feburary 2005 front tireS go flat while driving my boss home. Find out that when the spare houseing rusted out and the spare fell out from under my van that a few rocks lodged themselves in the tire. Making it useless. May 2005 the slight chip in my windshield is now a crack across and needs to be repaired. Also had a power steering leak.

2006 - Drivers side window won't roll down any more - motor died; November a drunk walks through my yard and falls against the driver side view mirror - breaking the backing off it; replaced battery again; and over the summer my ac went.

2007 - My new windshield (from 2005) is now leaking at the caulk - causing my steering wheel column to get soaked after a good rain storm; now have a leak in the radiator hose; driver's side door handle breaks. And lastly in the most recent crap my van has given me - I blew the water gasket and ribboned my drive belt getting to a place to park. That was this past Sunday.

Visit home.....

Went home to Lansing today to pick up the girls from my in-laws house. And to bbq at the sis-in-laws house and remove the fallen tree. We went up in time to attend our home church, South Lansing Christian Church for Sunday School and Worship. Sunday School there is always a pleasure to attend. Ray Lund teaches on just about everything not just strictly sticking to the bible, but sometimes venturing into Christian history. Today we studied II Timothy 3 and as always I learned something knew and have almost a full page of notes.

I then got to hear one of the first messages by the new minister Frank Weller. It was on what was expected of us Christians as the Church body and good Christians. All about the hows and whys of seeking God in our lives, the reasons we fail sometimes and ways to succeed. But the thing that stuck with me the most was the "key" to seeking God of the message. It is love. As Frank so greatly put it our love for God needs to be proclaimed out loud. He gave the example of Tom Cruise on Oprah's couch professing his love for Katie Holmes. That our proclamation of our love for God should be along those lines - out loud, unashamed, unrelenting and for everyone to hear. Just what I needed to hear this weekend. It touched on something I didn't know I was needing. I love when worship sermons do that.

Back home now and glad that I have air conditioning. It was to darn hot today! But the girls do need to be outside in this. They are spoiled in the fact that their school is the only elementary in their district that has a/c. I am torn at the thought that we as kids could run free in our neighborhoods and be safe. Our parents didn't worry about us being out and about. But that feeling is gone, predators are known to live in your neighborhood and nothing feels safe anymore. Whats a mother to do?

And now its bedtime as I plan to get up at the crack of dawn tomorrow and start running.

Summer vacation.......

Just seems to suck the life out of me. I don't get it but I am soooooooo tired and its not like I am the one who is out on school break either. I really don't get it. We have been relaxing and not doing much, other than the stray summer birthday party here and there. Many trips to the library for reading material and an upcoming visit to Greenfield Village. But the girls are getting that cooped up feeling.Playing outside doesn't calm them down as much as it used to which frustrates me to no end. But I think what is getting to me is the endless 'can so-and-so spend the night?' It always is during the week - which means I have to stay up to make sure they go to sleep at a good time. Never happens. Evidently my oldest claims to have stayed up until 3 am last night. I gave up at 11 pm after going into the room twice. God I can't wait for school to start back up for them. Only 25 more days!!!!

But on to other things. This past Sunday at church we went over a passage from Philippians and our youth pastor did the sermon. He talked about heroes in his life and asked who the heroes were in our lives. This brought to mind my youth pastor from High school. I may not have been on the right path at the time but he worked hard at getting me there. I was still trying to be the bad girl that I thought I was at the time and trying to get to church as often as possible when work didn't get in the way. But I loved listening to what he had to teach us. I hated being put on the spot for skits but I tried my best and had fun. Even with the silly things like crazy sock night - I won of course. But that is what made the connection for me at the time - the fun of learning new things in a different way. He left the church the same year I joined the one my in-laws attended. But he is teaching still - just in a different capacity as a High school english teacher in his home state. So if he ever reads this I just want to say thanks Thurman for teaching me the path I should be on even if it took a while to stick.

My Niece

Well my brother and his wife finally had their baby - a girl. There are now 6 girl granddaughters on my dad's side of the family between me, Matt and my stepbrother's kids. WOW thats a lot of pink. LOL

So I went to visit and to see my very first niece ever! And while I was there I found something out about my brother and sister-in-law.....they have been going to church. This was music to my ears. If you have read my story about how I became a Christian then you know that I was attending with my stepbrother. Well so was my brother for a short time, well as long as my stepbrother was taking us that is. But when he got married it was on outdoor ceremony with a female minister and I'm not sure what denomination. But we come from the Catholic background and his wife is from the Baptist background and they found one of the non-denom churches in the area to attend with family. So that is awesome and I am loving knowing that my brother will be in Heaven with me. He said it was a little weird. Kept waiting for the stand up, sit down, kneel, sing a hymn, etc. to occur and it didn't. But the music is more contemporary - which he claims is weird. I told him the service is better when it feels like you are at a concert. Or at least that is how I've been enjoying it lately. I love upbeat music that I can dance to at service. I'm not one to raise my hands in praise unless REALLY moved and neither is my brother. Must be the Catholic in us or something. I clap, was in the choir at my old church and tap my feet to the beat.

But needless to say I was very happy to hear that my brother is on his journey to the God too, with his wife and their new baby. It really made my day. :)

Things that make you go hmmm.......

So this morning I was working on my Bible study guide for the book of Mark. And I was reading Mark 11:17-18 and had some thoughts on why the chief priests and scribes reacted the way they did. For those not familiar with the verses - Then He taught, saying to them "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'" And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.

I read that and while answering my study guide questions thought "what if they sought to destroy Him because they believed, even in some small capacity, and knew that there was no way to save themselves because they were too comfortable in their ways?" Now go with me on this - they believed but had no faith in their belief. They knew their wrong doings against Jesus and the manipulations they had wrought over man with the 'man-made laws of God'. To ask for forgiveness and to follow Him was certain death. But to plot His death saved their way of life, or so they thought and believed. So even if they believed in the slightest they feared for their life more than they could have faith that He would save them from their sins.

If there is anyone who is reading my blog I welcome comments on this. I didn't write it to argue the point. It was just a thought that popped into my head while reading earlier and thought I'd ponder it a bit longer.

Well that explains it......

So yesterday was Palm Sunday and having gone before to Palm Sunday services Ive never had it explained to me. Or at least not as well as Pastor Bob Shirock did from Oak Pointe Church, where we have been attending lately. Simply put the sermon was on 'what the heck are the palm fronds for that you get on Palm Sunday?' Being relatively new to the Bible I have a hard time remembering things unless I reread them or write them down a few times. But I don't remember reading that the people came out to greet Jesus like he was a visiting King. Or that the palm fronds were to line the streets so that his feet or those of the donkey/colt would not touch the ground. In essence their version of the red carpet for royalty.

I thought that was pretty awesome. As well as the other things that I learned yesterday. That and the music ROCKED yesterday. As in I felt like I was at a concert for the first part of service and not at church. We are of the more contemporary persuasion at OPC. I loved it and sang along as loudly and as in tune as my voice would allow. :) If you are interested in hearing the message that Pastor Bob gave yesterday it will be on their website soon or on iTunes. The website is www.oakpointe.org or look for Oak Pointe Church's podcast on iTunes.