Render

Here is a funny truth for you: I have turned out to be kind of a computer nerd. I spend A LOT of time in front of not one, but two computers & I actually enjoy it most of the time. Then came something I never suspected or guess would be my job in a million years. I was suddenly the "media girl" at the church...yes, in charge of anything video. Self-taught. Feeling completely inadequate at times, but all the while getting faster at editing & enjoying expanding my creativity through video & media.

So I recently read this verse...now one of my favorites & causes me to wait & ponder it for a moment as I evaluate my life:

"Yet even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments."

Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger,

and abounding in steadfast love..." Joel 2:12-13

There is so much I could say about those verses, but I love one of the main points: it's a heart matter, not a matter of how you look on the outside. We can look all calm, cool, collected, put together, & great on the outside, but what does my heart look like? That is a true reflection of who I am & my character. Do the 2 match up, or are they altogether different? What's the disconnect? And this can look different depending on the day or hour!!! Anyways, what really makes me stop when I read that verse is this word: REND. Render your heart. Here comes the tie-in with my computer & video nerdedom--EVERY time when I am finished editing a video...when I have cut, razored, transitioned...made this video how I want it, have made it absolutely as good as I can so the audience I am making it for will appreciate it & like it...I export the video. Then this box comes up, every time...I see it multiple times each week:

See it?! "Rendering Media..." While in the video world, I do my best to make a great video to present to my audience...as it renders, it is making it presentable. The passage in Joel says to "render my heart"--am I doing everything I can to best present my heart to the audience it was made for? My audience of One? What I am doing to rend my heart for the Lord & make it more presentable to please Him? I'm glad I have this reminder so often during my week--a reminder to examine my heart & see if I am just concerned about the "garment" or if I am truly presenting my heart to the Lord with excellence.

The Ten Toast

August 11, 2001

If I were to make a toast today, it would perhaps go a little something like this:
To my amazing husband & friend-thank you for loving me these last 10 years, loving me as our wedding vows promised on August 11, 2001. You have made being your wife such an honor & joy, not to mention it has been a blast being married to you for 10 years. We have seen a lot of ‘life’ together in our 10 years, some ‘life’ that many people don’t ever have to face, but there is no one I would have rather faced ‘life’ with. Doing ministry side by side has been an incredible journey for me, one I love & have never regretted…I look forward to serving with you for many years to come. I respect you, cherish you, adore you & above all things, love you…deeply.

I thank the Lord for calling me to you & changing my life with you.
And to the friends & family that have encouraged us, loved us, & taught us along the way…THANK YOU! Our marriage has been impacted by so many these last 10 years!

Cheers!

Coeur d 'alene August, 2001

Coeur d 'alene August, 2011

Celebrating my Beautiful Friend

I wish I could be with my beautiful friend, Brittany, today...give her a hug & tell her in person how blessed I & countless others are by her being born this day! God has so graciously allowed me to do life with this amazing young woman...only He could know exactly what I needed when He gifted my life with Brittany Ficek. Who knew several years ago, after meeting & a simple drop-in to Coldstone Creamery that she would become one of my dearest & closest sisters & friends! Her faith is fresh & steadfast...she is wise & mature beyond her years...she absolutely BEAUTIFUL...her heart is genuine & soft...she is compassionate & kind...she is confident...she stands on God's Truth for her identity & foundation...while she has known the Lord basically all her life, she is the walking testimony of faithfulness...she is an amazing, loving, & adoring wife...she is a servant to the core...she loves her family...she prays & worships passionately...she is a light shining brightly...she is fun & has a great sense of humor...she is so gifted & talented...she is reliable & loyal...she loves God's Word & seeks out ways to grow...she loves Christ with all that she is. She is such a wonderful friend to me...one of the best a girl could ever ask for! She knows me well & loves me anyways :) We have travelled the world together & then some...we have some of the most wonderful memories. She encourages me to be more like Christ in all areas of my life. She says the hard things in love & showers me with love & encouragement. She is this & so much more! Happy Birthday Britt--I love you--you are truly an amazing creation & daughter of the King!

19

Today--Christina Jewell turns 19--seems like she was just in middle school, when I met her! But now today, she is not a little middle schooler anymore, but stands as a beautiful young woman of God. I have had the blessing of knowing Chris for 6 years, but I love that it feels longer. Since she is 19 today, here are 19 things I love about Christina:

1-She loves Jesus. She wants to please Him & do His will above all else.

2-She is beautiful...her smile is amazing, lights up the place & brings joy!

3-She loves & wears flip-flops just as much as I do!
4-Her sense of humor...she shares my random, dry, sarcastic ways & can be goofy & silly, which is highly respectable to me.

5-She is faithful & consistent...it's my favorite part of her testimony, that she has stayed true to the Lord & who He has made her to be.

6-She knows her Bible...I admire her memorization skills & how she has God's Word in her heart.

7-She is a great big sister, daughter...she loves her family.

8-She has a wonderful voice & uses it to worship the Lord.

9-She is an encourager...I cannot tell you how much her words have affirmed me over the years...her cheerleading has spurred me on & kept me going many times.

10-She is a servant...she likes to stay quiet, behind the scenes, but she will serve however she can, even if it means getting out of her comfort zone.

11-She is smart!

12-She has grown up & matured in awesome ways, especially this last year with going to college.

13-She is great with kids--truly gifted in this area.

14-She seriously remembers EVERYTHING!

15-She reminds me of myself in ways when I was her age...we can relate well.

16-She is sweet & has a soft heart.

17-She is an amazing friend--she cares deeply for the people around her. She is sensitive & compassionate, a great listener.

18-She is not high maintenance at all...LOVE this.

19-She is strong & I admire her for it.

Happy Birthday dear Christina--may God bless you immeasurably this year!

Leslie Lou!

Today I celebrate my beautiful friend Leslie~even if I have to celebrate her from a distance~she is so worth celebrating! Her birthday not only reminds me that I am glad she was born, but even more, that God saw fit to weave our lives together, to serve Him together, to be sisters, & dear friends. I always liken Leslie to a miracle in my life...the fact that God always has a hold of His children & woo's them back to Himself, even after we have gone astray. Leslie's testimony inspires me. It always reminds me that God is relentlessly pursuing us & He has a specific plan for us. I had to let Lou "go" for a while, but the Lord faithfully brought her "back" in more ways that one. Now...now, you should see her! It is the power of a life renewed & committed to Christ & serving Him, making Him known & loving Him fearlessly. She has been an awesome friend to me...she loves well, prays hard, seeks diligently, works heartily, has a huge heart, is beautiful inside & out, & above all wants the Lord's will to be done in her life. She displays the power of a transformed life & lives it out. While I so miss her, I know God has a plan for her in KC--she has been brave & is working hard at what God has called her to do. I guess for now, I am OK with sharing her :) And I know that just as much as she has had a huge impact on me, it is likewise with so many other people. Leslie is the kind of woman you want in your life, that's for sure! Happy Birthday Lou--sending you lots of love & praying for you--not just today, but all the time. May God bless you richly this year, may He become more real to you than ever before, & that He would lavish joy & peace on you! Love you!

Celebrating Julie

I remember meeting her when we were here for Jim's interview, before he was even hired for sure at Emmanuel. I remember being in her home for a committee meeting & feeling welcomed. I can remember her from day 1 of being in Billings & at Emmanuel...now almost 6 years later, I cannot imagine my life without her! She has always been such a light, love, & laugh to me. She & I...we've seen some life together. Some joyful. Some sorrowful. Some confusing. Some encouraging. She is the kind of friend & sister I want by my side. She is wonderful to serve with. I love laughing with her. We cry together. We rejoice together. She is so encouraging to me. She faces hardship & still trusts God in ways that spur me on & inspire me. She leads me to Christ. She loves her husband & family. She is strong. She is beautiful. She teaches God's Word with passion. She is hilarious. She worships in spite of her circumstances. She is real. And I am overly blessed to count her as a close friend & sister. Oh I really could go on & on! But today, I celebrate Julie Lortz! Thank You, Lord, for creating such an amazing woman after Your heart & allowing me to be a part of her life!

Dating

I am not a huge Valentine's Day person. I love love...a lot. But I am just not into the 'day' becoming so commercialized & becoming the ONE DAY you show love. I am all about living love every day, especially to those I truly love, singly to the one God has given me to love on earth. But, Valentine's Day is a special day for Jim & I...this year it marked 11 years since our first date...ELEVEN YEARS!!! And I am more in love & like with him now more than on February 14, 2000. I know that sounds cliche, but it's true. I have grown to respect & love Jim more & more as God uses him in my life to love me, teach me, challenge me, bring me joy, set me towards Christ, make me laugh, & ultimately to make me into the kind of wife that he deserves & pleases the Lord. We just did a Young Adults Retreat this last weekend & we had the blessing of taking 40 from our OverFlo group...& our speaker talked about being marriagable--what better to talk about when 130 20-somethings are in the room with that very thing on their mind?! It was very good, very challenging, & a fresh perspective...all straight from God's Word. Marriage is a big deal...an amazing blessing...but not for the faint-hearted & definitely not for those that don't want to work & pray hard. But as for me, I have loved dating my husband for the last 11 years...love gets better every day. Thank you, Jim Taber, for changing my life...which ultimately, I have Christ to thank every day for love, for Jim (that God saw me being marriagable for him), & making my life something I never expected, but wouldn't have any other way.