September 7, 2006

Well, I never thought I would say this, but things have been pretty quiet and frankly, NORMAL, around the Brown household this past week! We have actually sat at the table and eaten breakfast and dinner together…although I cannot say every meal has tasted good, we have enjoyed it just the same. With the calendar filled but not “full”, and since this is our time of year to stay pretty local; we have a lot of time at home. I say that, and then remember we are out of town next week…

As for last Sunday, we worshipped with the congregation from Lake Louise Church of the Nazarene. It is about an hour from our house and we have been there several times, so we are getting to know the people. Due to the holiday weekend, numbers were down a bit…but we had a great time of celebration and praise just the same.

Pastor Dave Gerber and his wife, Ruth, are really sweet people. They love to laugh and have quite the senses of humor. They have been through a lot medically in the last year and the Lord has seen them through. It is so obvious that their faith has grown and solidified in the midst of the storm and they certainly have not turned their back on God. They have run to Him to find hope and healing. They are a testimony to God’s grace.

We have started home schooling for the 2006-2007 school year. This year, I told Randy that I needed to be organized and familiar with the curriculum. I really was at a loss as to what curriculum I wanted to choose and what the kids really needed, so that is when my husband got involved. Thank the Lord! Randy started asking questions, we narrowed it down and chose a combination of several curriculums (most home schoolers do that). Now, a few days into it, I love everything that we chose. There is a good amount of challenge and just the right amount of structure. Randy was a huge help in getting us organized with schedules, charts and a reward system! I am married to the eighth wonder of the world!

Have a great week.

September 11, 2006

Yesterday we ministered at Highland Congregational Church in Highland, MI, not far from New Hudson. Pastor Gary Evans has become special to us, as we have been there many times now. His congregation loves music and they love to participate. There was even a hand bell choir that played a couple of numbers. It was just beautiful and we really enjoyed that part of the service.

After the service ended, there was a family fun day planned and so, of course, we wanted to stay and be a part of the festivities. As Kadison went from jumpy blow-up thing (I am sure that is the official name) to the next, Randy and I sat and talked with people who have become friends. So many ask us about being plugged into one group of people and our kids stability (they don’t use that word, but that is what they mean.) I honestly love seeing the countless congregations, throughout the year. To re-visit a particular church over and over again, is very rewarding. People often think we don’t remember them or the conversations that have taken place, but mostly we do! Granted, names are virtually impossible to remember, but faces and situations are much easier. We value these friendships and really believe we have a great opportunity to invest in the lives of a lot of people. I never want to underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit to use a simple conversation with another person to change someone’s perspective, or even the course of a life.

Blessings to you as you invest in the lives of those you love.

September 19, 2006

We just returned from New York City last night. We had such a great time; I cannot put it all into words! First of all, the kids stayed with my parents who transferred them to Randy’s parents for a few days. Need I say more? Five days knowing Kennedie and Kadison were having the times of their lives…well, that is a great backdrop for the time of our lives! Because the nature of our life is to be together constantly, which, I really wouldn’t want to change; we enjoy the rare moments of independence!

We planned this trip months ago, not really knowing what the Lord had in mind, but believing we were to go. The night before we left, Dave Schweitzer, a friend from years ago, called and said that his mom lives in Flushing, Queens and that we were welcome to stay with her. This was perfect as money was running low and any area we could cut was a blessing. So, we rented a car and drove to Vinetta’s house and were welcomed in with a big hug from this little 86-year-old spitfire, Spirit filled, and precious lady. We had met her years ago when we were attending Shepherd Fellowship and she visited Dave and his family, but never really got the chance to know her.

Over the next few days, we spent hours talking with her about her life and how God has been her confidant and faithful companion since her husband died when her youngest child was 2. She never remarried and lived to raise her kids up in the Lord. A musician, she told us stories of playing in an orchestra at Rockefeller Center and loving music almost as much as the Lord. She gave us a tour of the town where she has lived for the past fifty some years and even drove us to the subway so that we could go into Manhattan. On Saturday morning, before we left for the church we sang at, we gave her a mini-concert by her request. We chose songs that we thought she may enjoy and sure enough, she did. She asked us how much we practice…this is our never-ending challenge and we know the Lord is correcting us through Vinetta…she said, “I always told my students that if you don’t practice, you don’t play.” She wasn’t saying it because she thought we needed to practice more, but we know the truth! I will never forget those words and it has become our motto! The days spent with Vinetta are so precious to us…we fell in love with her and want to return with our kids so they can meet her and so that she can make a difference in their lives as well.

During the days, we went into the city and did the tourist thing…what a great place to visit! We saw the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Rockefeller Center, Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, Ground Zero (amazing), the Today Show and Good Morning America. We were even part of the outside audience on GMA and our family saw us waving and smiling! Robin from GMA stopped and talked to us after her segment and complimented my eyes! Oh…that compliment went a long way!! As she was standing there, I called my mom and gave the phone to Robin and said, “Here, say hi to my mom in Michigan!” She was happy to…unfortunately, it all happened so quickly, mom was confused as to whom she was talking to! What a blast!

Now to the ministry aspect of the trip…that is why we went…but we took the opportunity to extend it into a little vacation.

Gateway Cathedral on Staten Island is the church that welcomed us to lead worship for their Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday morning (2) services. Pastor Tim Mercaldo is the worship leader and his father is the senior pastor. They founded the church twenty-some years ago and have a beautiful facility. We know the Mercaldo’s through the Evangelical Church Alliance organization. We have not really had the opportunity to get to know them, so we were looking forward to this weekend. They are just great people who have a heart for their congregation and for serving the Lord. All of the services went really well and we enjoyed playing with Pastor Tim and many of his musicians. The singers were great and the choir did a fabulous job as well. It was a lot of fun and yet another experience of seeking God with people that we didn’t really know.

One thing that really stands out in my mind is that they did a dedication of older children. Several families dedicated children that were not babies…some were teens! It was just great to see these parents stand there and say, “From this day forth I will raise my children in the Lord.” We thought it was a great idea and more churches should give this opportunity to people who came to the Lord later in life or who never dedicated their kids as babies.

Who knows how the Lord really used all of the music and conversations with individual people? Only He does and our prayer is that He continues to use us wherever He takes us. This church is used to really good music so I can’t say it was a real treat for them, although I know they enjoyed it. We had many comments about our passion and heart for the Lord. Honestly, there is no better compliment to receive than that…even if it is from Robin at GMA.

Blessings.

September 25, 2006

We had a wonderful service yesterday! Lakes Area Assembly of God is located about 30 minutes from home, which made for a “not so early Sunday morning!” Pastor Bill and his wife, Sharon, have been at this church for about six years and they are just as warm and outgoing as their people! We always say that a congregation tends to mirror their pastor and, here again, it was true. From the moment we entered the building, these people were so loving and warm.

The service began with Rob Watski leading worship with a great band behind him. We loved just worshipping and being led by someone else. This was really a treat for us as we are usually the ones leading. As it turns out, I know Rob from years ago at Youth For Christ. He played in a different band than I, but we were at many of the same functions. It was so exciting to see another friend from my youth who is serving God with music. He has a beautiful wife and adorable kids.

The people were immediately responsive to us and they just soaked it all in. It was so easy to speak to them and, most importantly, the Spirit of the Lord was very evident.

After the service, we went to dinner with Pastor Bill and Sharon and my folks as well. They are the kind of people you really want to see again because they are so seasoned in ministry and we were constantly gleaning from their experience. In fact, they have participated in planting 26 churches through their ministerial career and all of them are still in existence today, some quite large. In order to do that, you have to love the local church and have an eternal perspective! We came away very encouraged.

Have a great week!