Needs and Wants Met

This post is dedicated to thanking God. Yesterday we got another box in the mail from our dear adopted grandma Betty, full of things we need and never knew we wanted! God has made a pattern of this, making me aware of a need, only to decide that it's not something I should buy right now. Then it comes in the mail with love from Betty!

Betty came into our lives quite unexpectedly. We were in a small group together for a few short weeks, but after that didn't even attend the same church or live in the same town. However, we ended up living above her garage and developing the neatest relationship with her. Our boys adopted her as their Montana grandma.

"Grandee" was able to travel with us when we moved, and was invaluable in that time of transition for us and the boys. She knew their needs and schedules, and loved to spoil them! She still does!

Betty has always been a wise older woman I look up to and have learned from. She taught me cooking tricks, sewing tricks, upholstering, determination, and much more. I have not had to buy a single piece of clothing for either of my boys, due to her most generous contributions and gifts from family and friends. And I might say they look quite dashing in their attire.

This week I noticed Caedmon has grown out of all his 3T pj's and jeans, and was low on long sleeves. I was trying to decide whether to buy him some pj's or wait until they were cheap after Thanksgiving. Guess what arrived? Halloween costumes, 4T warm pj's, 4T jeans, and a couple long-sleeves, among other stuff! God is good!

I have thanked Betty again and again for being so generous with her resources. I really hope someday we can pour into a younger couple the way we have been blessed by her and so many others! Below is a picture of the newest fireman. We wear the gear night and day, rain or shine. Fires can happen anytime, you know. Thank you Betty!

BEAUTY

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made. . ." Romans 1:20

I LOVE FALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is "our" hill zooming in from our yard, also the famous site of the trains we watch religiously.

This is Weston Avenue, our street. My running route!

The Wisconsin River at twilight.

My favorite lookout on one of my bike loops.

I love this town and the gorgeous colors! I don't ever remember enjoying fall this much! It is my new favorite season. The predictable changing of seasons always reminds me of God's faithfulness. Never have we missed a fall-they always come! Hope you are worshipping the creative Creator!

Psalm 23

It is obvious Caedmon needs work on his "l's" and "s's", but I love hearing him recite Scripture!

Tour de Wausau

I was reading in John 10 about Jesus being the Good Shepherd, and a familiar verse kind of took me by surprise. "The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." I understand that Jesus was the unblemished Lamb, and willingly lay down His life for us, but is it true that shepherds in those days, good ones, were really expected to lay down their lives for their sheep? Did masters honestly expect that when push came to shove, if it was escape with your life, or protect my dumb herd, a good shepherd was expected to sacrifice his life? And with his dying breath know that a few sheep were unharmed? That is crazy! Are the lives of sheep more important than the life of man? Anyhow not a very useful meditation for the day, probably. :-)

Jason and I love our new chariot that attaches to our bikes! What newfound freedom! This last weekend we took a couple long bike rides with the kids, and felt like we were dating! The boys do well in back with a few snacks, and we don't have to hear them bicker! :-) What a pity that fall is very promptly upon us and getting almost too cold to ride, but come spring we will be out every day! The fall colors are becoming more vibrant daily! And crisp days are so refreshing!

I also made one friend here, Stefanie! She invited me to the farmer's market, then to the mall to let our kids play. How grateful I am for little kindnesses in this foreign land! :-) Have a great week!

I can't imagine being more proud of my kids than when they tuck scripture into their memories!

Churching

This will be a tale of our church hunting, and other thoughts on churches:

When we moved to WI we were excited to start the process of finding a church family, especially to meet people who think like us and develop lifelong friendships. We are definitely still in that process!

We have visited 8 or 9 churches so far and have enjoyed worshipping with each group of people. I would say there are at least 4 that we would joyfully adopt as our home. I am finding that I was very wrong in my assumption that it would be easy to find the one small group of people in Wausau that knows Christ and fellowships together. Turns out there are MANY excellent churches in the area! We find ourselves in the best kind of bind, how to pick "the" church?

Jason and I have been completely in unity so far in our opinions about the churches we have visited. We are so hesitant to criticize any of the churches, because they are accomplishing a purpose for some believers and seekers. They are what they are, whether they are our preferences or not, every church has had its strengths! I am amazed at the diversity of bodies of people, preaching, music, and philosophies on witnessing in this one city! I feel like I have a small glimpse of how heaven will be, only there will be no divided churches! I am so comforted that God showed me that a LOT of people love Jesus around here and we won't just be like Lot and his family among heathens.

Music is obviously very deeply in Jason's and my souls, so it is hard to ignore the musical aspects of each church. We really don't want to only consider churches with our favorite kind of music, though. To make things more complex, the churches where we LOVED the excellent music, we also felt like we weren't necessarily as needed at those churches, and may be led somewhere else where God could allow us to get involved in music again. Other factors we have considered are location, friendliness, theology, kids' programs, places we could see ourselves immediately plugging in.

So what is the role of the church? I have always thought one duty of the church is to effectively minister to the community, especially widows, orphans, the needy, and homeless. I believe if the CHURCH were doing it's job effectively, we would have a MUCH smaller government picking up the slack of the needs the church isn't meeting! Do we pick a church based on where we can best serve according to our perceived gifts? Should we look for a church where we can serve in capacities we're not as familiar with to stretch us and let Christ's power be made perfect in our weaknesses? Does God even care where we worship, or only that our hearts are right WHEN we worship and that we are content in every situation? I welcome anyone's thoughts on this.

In the meantime we will continue on our journey, hoping to find peace as we go, and a new set of friends to play Settlers and pinnocle with!

And what is a blog post without a picture of my boys? :-) Caedmon is protectively holding Jonas' hand when they cross the street, so he won't get hit by cars. He is 16 months older and wiser, you know.

A Weekend in Carney

We went to Carney for Labor Day. We go there often, and always have a wonderful time. When Jason and I would dream about living in the midwest when we were in MT looking for job transfers, this is the kind of life we pictured. We live close enough to visit his parents often, and already are creating priceless memories with our boys. Jason's parents are so gracious to host us and feed us, and we pretty much wander around and play the whole time! God has been gracious, so gracious to us, and I am so thankful to have godly inlaws to fellowship with. Bear with all the pictures. :-) Grandpa and Jonas driving the tractor around.

AND This next one is for my sisters. Doesn't he look like PeeKay? [So you want to be a boxah? I think I am too little.]

Grandpa and Jonas picking the beans and bean leaves.

The bountiful harvest-not including the potatoes, onions, beets, and radishes!

We went to see Green Bay for the first time! The boys loved the beach and they were quite cute.

Mmmm sand. My favorite. Sand in the diaper, sand in the mouth. Caedmon always took care not to get dirty. This one?-not so much.

Jason and his dad enjoying the sunshine.

Grandma and Caedmon contemplating life, love, and other mysteries. It was a great trip!