A church is just a church right?

Memories at Trinity Lutheran Church...

https://www.trinityoc.org/

Emmalyn's baptism - 2012 (Pastor ?)
Samuel's baptism - 2008 (Pastor Kasting)
Madelyn's baptism - 2003 (Pastor Kasting)
Christian's baptism - 2001 (Pastor Kasting)
My baptism - 2001 (Pastor Kasting)
Married - 1999  (Pastor Kasting)
Dane's baptism- 1976 (Pastor Ruthenbeck)

I have a lot of memories at TLC, but memories aren't the only thing that I hold dear. A church is not made up of bricks and mortar but of other worshipers. The Christians at our church have a genuine love for Christ and show that in many ways. Their greetings to one another, their attention drawn to the pastor's words, their voices praising in song, and their actions to share with insiders and outsiders.

I recently decided to judge our church. To do so, I needed a comparison. While visiting another, only myself and another time with Emma and I. Judged the content of the Word and the people hearing it. I listened with open ears but held true to my known faith. And looked around at the worshipers to search the tenor and faith. The reaction to my child showed me how accepting and tolerant they are of others. No, I was not going to send my child downstairs for Sunday school at a new church while I worshiped with the "grown-ups". 

Jesus loved little children because of how pure their faith was. They have no filter and say what's on their mind! They have yet to encounter all the bitterness of this world and can see things unmasked by the Holy Spirit.

My children are good judges of people and can tell if they are warm and inviting then jump in without concern. This is why I love TLC! My children feel at home smiling at people, they don't hold back and are themselves,  excited to be there and are not afraid.

Just Breathe

This saying will forever be part of my life. Funny how easy it can be to forget to just breathe. When you fail to relax and just breathe, life seems so hard. When deprived of needed oxygen to refresh, you fail to see things clearly, and your heart beats toxins throughout your body. I forgot this many times and felt my entire being filled with many toxic emotions. Less I forget again, I will look down at my chest and remind myself to JUST BREATHE.

Spiders keeping Dad up at night

Apparently, it's too hot outside for the neighborhood spiders. Every night Dane gets woken up by the kids needing Daddy to take care of a friendly spider. I say "Take care" because Maddy wants him to re-home the spiders outside and Christian wants them executed. 3 spiders kept Dane up last night. In the dead of sleep, he was woken first by Maddy...

Whisper..."Daaad, Daaad." Poke, poke. Louder... "Dad!"
Not again, sigh. "What Maddy"
"There's a spider in the bathroom."
At this point Dane had just fallen asleep, it was about 2 am. Stumbling into the bathroom, he grabbed some tp.
"No.. don't kill it!"
"Then why did you wake me up?"
"Take him outside." She crouched down examining the little guy. "I think he's scared."
"How am I supposed to get him outside." The spider was about the size of a grain of rice.
"I don't know, can't you just put him in your hand."
"Maddy I'm either gonna squish it or I'm going back to bed" He grabbed his cowboy boot and pounded the little guy into the floor. "Problem solved, good night."

Half hour later

Christian comes out of his room. "Dad, Dad!"
Seriously! "What?"
"There's a HUGE spider on my TV! Seriously I've never seen a spider this big!"
Opening his eyes trying to focus he sees Christian circling his fingers to the size of a baseball.
Well, that's a spider worth killing. "Show me."
On Christian's TV was a spider about the size of a quarter. "Exaggerate much?" Dane grabbed one of Christian's shoes and missed it! The spiders now scrambling on the floor to get away. "You son of a b****, get back here!"
Christian finds this very amusing and is hysterically laughing. "Get it!"
WACK, WACK, SQUIIISH! "Problem solved, good night."

But no, the big spider must have been a Mama spider. Christian found one more, this one smaller than Maddy's little friend in the bathroom. So small that Dane could barely focus his sleep-deprived eyes on. How my kids can find all these little guys shows you how freaked out they are by these harmless friendly visitors. It was on the ceiling, Dane used his finger to dispatch the little guy. I'm sure it had siblings, so tonight will be another adventure.

post inspired by: http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/03/spiders-are-scary-its-okay-to-be-afraid.html

Simul iustus et peccator

We are both sinners and saints  

Luther calls Christians "simultaneously saint and sinner" because he redefines "saint" as a forgiven sinner. We are called saints not because we change into something different but because our relationship with God changes as a result of God's grace. Luther said: "The saints are sinners, too, but they are forgiven and absolved." 

When I look at myself in the mirror, I always see the reflection of a sinner. But when God looks at me, he sees me through Jesus. My sin is covered with Christ's own righteousness. Thanks be to God! 

http://www.thelutheran.org/article/article.cfm?article_id=4210

Repentance

There is about 18 inches between what is in your head and what you feel in your heart. 
To repent you not just think of your sins as wrong and ask forgiveness, you turn away from sin by showing it with your actions. 

Where am I going w/ this.... 
I was not forgiven for committing a sin that I knew I would repeat over and over again. Just like if Sam would push Emma.. then tell me he was sorry, but turn around and push her again. God wouldn't ask us to repent if he also knew we had the ability to turn away from the sin, an ability that he put inside us. The holy spirit gives us the strength to do anything that God commands us to do. 

I now feel fully forgiven, now that I have truly repented. We now have begun to turn away from the sin that was heavy on our hearts, by putting God in the middle. We now know our strengths and weaknesses, and are working on both. For this I am truly grateful. 

Bedtime and Morning Songs

Good Night Baby - Emmalyn's Version

Good night baby it's time to go to sleep, we've turned the page on this day and now it's time to sleep.

Good night, baby, it's faster than it seems, I used to be the baby and my mom sang to me.

Good night, Good night. I hope you have sweet dreams. The world loves little babies, and you're the world to me.

Good night, Good night. I watch you as you sleep. The world loves little babies and you mean the world to me.

Night Night - Wenzel bedtime song. Sang to my babies Christian, Maddy, and Sam.

Night night MaDalyn, night-night MaDelyn, night-night MaDelyn, see you in the morNing.

Ga, Ga, and Grandpa say night-night, Ga-Ga, and Grandpa say night-night, Ga-Ga, and Grandpa say night-night, see you in the morNing.

Night night ChrisTian, night-night ChrisTian, night-night ChrisTian, see you in the morNing.

Mama and Dada say night night, Mama and Dada say night night, Mama and Dada say night night, see you in the morNing.

Night night SaMuel, night night SaMuel, night night SaMuel, see you in the morNing.

Ga, Ga, and Grandpa say night night, Ga-Ga and Grandpa say night night, Ga-Ga, and Grandpa say night night, see you in the morNing.

Would repeat verses changing up the names that would say night night (cousins, aunt, uncles, pets).

Morning Song - With zooming nose touch gesture

Good morning, good morning, good morning, good morning, good morning to YOU (pointer finger zooms to touch nose), good morning to YOU (pointer finger touches nose again)!

We're all in our places with sun-shining faces. Good morning to YOU (nose)! Good morning to YOU (nose)!

repeat.

My kids always hide their faces so I couldn't find their noses. Silly kids, Mom will find it!