Mountain Top Experience

Chris and one of his disciples (who is an instructor with the local mountaineers club) took a weekend trip to Sky Pilot Mountain in Montana. It was a quick, but grueling trip, filled with adventure, danger, pain, and memories. Neither guy was ready for the ten plus hours of hiking required to get to or back from their destination, so they returned exhausted, but glad to have gone. We’re glad to have our man home, but not as glad as he is to be home. And I’m confident that they will both look back on the experience fondly, once they recover and the intensity of the experience has faded from their memory. (I think it Gary Smaller who said the difference between a bad experience and a good experience about six weeks).

What does a backpacking trip have to do with helping make sure everyone in Spokane knows someone who truly follows Jesus? Good question. Let me answer with a question; what did Jesus did with His disciples? How did He spend His three years of earthly ministry?  It certainly wasn’t sitting around the temple reading and discussing the Torah. Jesus shared life with His disciples. They ate, slept, drank, and irritated the Pharisees together. They shared joys and sorrows, amazing successes and (to human eyes) unparalleled defeats. They climbed at least one mountain (the Sermon on the Mount was on a “mountain,” right?). They shared life; the good, the bad, and the ugly.

It seems that discipleship is a hot topic right now.  Books on the topic abound; bookstore shelves and websites are teeming with titles. None of this makes discipleship any easier,  though. And it is not something that happens once a week for an hour or so.  It happens best as you share life with someone else; the good, the bad, and the ugly.  That is what Chris was doing on a mountain top in Montana; sharing life with one of the men God has called him to disciple. As we make disciples, as we share life with people, we are taking one more step towards seeing Spokane become a city of hope where everyone knows someone who truly follows Jesus.

Divine Appointments

Two weeks ago, I met with the catering manager at a local hotel, to look at her facility as a possible location for future events. As it turns out, she is a follower of Jesus, and very excited about what Priority Associates is all about. By the end of my tour (which included lunch, yum), she’d asked me to mentor her; we have our first meeting tomorrow!

Chris had an exciting conversation last week. He met a friend for coffee. Though a believer, this gentleman has never been discipled. Their conversation quickly turned to spiritual things, and Chris shared about how much different coaching made in the life of another gentleman who has been a believer for 20+ years. His friend said, “I want that!” So, now Chris will be meeting with him on a regular basis, to cover some basic principles and concepts that he has never learned. We’re especially excited because this gentleman is an “influencer,” and has many connections within the business community of Spokane.

Thank you for your prayers for Spokane. We are excited to see what God is doing.

(Hearing about) Success in the Death Zone

Wow; what an amazing morning. This morning, Eric Alexander shared with an intimate audience about his experience leading a blind man to the top of Mount Everest.

Leaving my house before 6:30 am isn’t a normal occurrence, and I am not a big “mountaineer” type person. Honestly, I attended this morning’s Priority Associates breakfast because I am married to the coordinator. Consequently, I wasn’t expecting to be so greatly blessed or encouraged. Was I in for a surprise!

Eric Alexander did a fantastic job sharing his story (detailed in his book, The Summit and a movie, “Farther than the Eye Can See”) of leading his blind friend to scale the world’s tallest peak. Eric’s entertaining and winsome presentation, however, included far more than just technical details of the climb. I left feeling inspired to scale my own mountains, even if they are simply the piles of dirty laundry by the washing machine or baskets of clothes waiting to be folded.

Eric encouraged everyone who attended, but he did far more than share an inspiring story. He shared how his relationship with Jesus made it possible to achieve such amazing feats. And though the audience was small, his words connected to the heart of many present. Only God knows the impact that has been made for eternity.

Now begins the true measure of success for an event like today; continuing the relationship with those who attended. Chris and I will begin contacting everyone, to see if we can come along side them in their spiritual journey. From brief conversations this morning, this promises to be a memorable adventure.

 

Progress in the Bathroom

The bathroom has undergone a major transformation. The tile is finished and the tub is in. Yeah. Check it out; haven’t Chris and Chuck done a great job?!

With some help from our neighbors, Chris moved the tub into the bathroom. It looks even better than we thought it would.

Mirror, Mirror, finally on the Wall. Yeah.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The end is in sight. What an amazing transformation!!

When It Rains, It Pours

For the first fifteen years of our parenting adventure, we had hardly any illness or injury. The last year has made up for that, in a big way. Right now, five of our eight children are struggling with health issues. From possible congenital defects (that went undiscovered for years) to joint injuries requiring surgery and possible fractures, besides frequent illness and our son’s almost constant crying, it has been tough. If we have learned anything it is how faithful our God is. What an awesome God we serve!

Right now, though, we need extra prayer for our two oldest. One has been referred to a hip specialist in Tacoma for suspected hip dysplasia. The other is waiting for surgery to correct an ankle injury and may have fractured her patella. Please pray for wisdom for us and the doctors, for accurate diagnoses, and for clear treatment plans.

Thank you for visiting our website and for your prayers. God bless.

Homeward Bound

Sarah is on her way home! Though she told us repeatedly she did NOT want to come, Michele kept her promise to bring her back. As long as 17 days seemed when it started, the time has gone by quickly. We are very excited to welcome Sarah back, to hear about what God taught her and showed her during her time, and just to hold our girl in our arms again.

Thanks so much for your prayers; God has carried us through the last two plus weeks, with grace, comfort, and peace that passes understanding.

Be checking back frequently; we are planning to post Sarah’s photos as soon as we can.

Leap of Faith

Tomorrow we’ll put our daughter on a plane. She’ll travel half way around the world to bless orphans in a place about as far removed from our time and place as you can get. It is not an easy step, though we are both convinced this is God’s call on Sarah’s life. The details have come together in too miraculous a way to question God’s hand.

That reality, however, does not change the fact that we love our daughter and feel very strongly the burden to care for and protect her. Trusting God with our barely thirteen year old and allowing her to travel to across an ocean to a completely different continent, in a different hemisphere, with someone other than her mama and daddy, is a huge leap of faith.

Suddenly, I have a new and very different perspective on short term missions. It has always been my privilege to go, not to send. And not only has God asked me to send, but He has asked me to send my little girl! Tomorrow, as I watch her walk through security and move toward the concourse, without me, it will be difficult not to cry. Actually, I know I will cry!

Even so, I can not hold on to my little girl. She isn’t mine to hold; she is only mine on loan until God calls her home. So tomorrow, I will watch her walk away through tear-stained eyes, gripping tightly to my husband’s hand and clinging to Jesus’ heart.