Tommy

I have a friend named Tommy who has taught me some very valuable lessons in recents weeks. Tommy is 3 1/2 years old. He is very rowdy and typically gets in a lot of trouble. Tommy has long blonde hair and huge blue eyes that truly sparkle.

The first few weeks I began working out of our Child Development Center, I got to know Tommy very well... basically because he spent a lot of time in my office in time-out!

I have made it a point to see each child in our CDC as unique individuals that were created to stand out in our crazy world in their own unique way. Tommy is no exception.

Tommy has hit me, kicked me, bit me, and screamed at me over the course of the last few months. I have continued to love him. He has also hugged me, giggled with me, and given me gifts. Tommy tells me he loves me every day. "I love you Cappin Sue" are the first words I hear from Tommy each morning. I have tried to teach Tommy how to behave and why he must behave. He is truly trying and getting better with his behavior. I sit with Tommy and let him be him. He is really great!

He often says to me, "I bein good Cappin Sue". That is a huge breakthrough. Tommy is doing his best to please me. He wants to be good because he knows it makes me happy. Today he is trying to please me and make me happy but someday Tommy is going to try to please Jesus and make Him happy.

I feel like God is bringing me back to the basics in recent weeks. He is stripping all control and order from my life. I cannot remember the last time that I actually was able to follow through on my daily plans. That had been aggravating to me, but not so much anymore. I am doing exactly what I was called to do... share the love of Jesus. Tommy represents mission for me. Jesus has started to change Tommy... there is a difference. Jesus is hope and I see the hope in Tommy's eyes and I can now see the hope of a godly future for Tommy. Wow!!!

Chronicles of Cross Country

For those of you that are sick of listening or reading rather my stories about our daughter's cross country experiences this season, please accept my apologies and just know that the season is almost over.

The kiddo had a REMARKABLE race last Saturday. The race was the regional race that decided which four teams from the region (16 total) and which 16 individuals would quality for the State Meet. Katie came in fourth in the region. No one expected her to do that well. Her coaches assumed that she would qualify in the top 16, but they figured she would come in 10th or 12th. She ran 59 seconds faster than her best race of the season (which took place in mid September). She ran the 3.1 miles in 18:48. She was one second from getting third place and four seconds behind second place.... INCREDIBLE! For those that are not familiar with cross country, it is not too often that a freshman girl runs under 19 minutes and to go to States as a freshman is a big deal.

We go down to Columbus on Friday and she actually runs on Saturday at 12:35 pm. Pray for her safety if you can. There are about 125 kids that all run in a huge pack as the various runners try to break away and I always worry that she will get hurt in some way.

She has a wonderful perspective on things. When she got home last Saturday night she began wondering out loud why God would have her going to the State Meet. She thinks that maybe God wants her to speak to someone there about Him. She is my great!

Well you may have to suffer through one more post about Cross Country... but it is my blog after all. Have a great weekend.

Rambling Thoughts from a Women who has NO energy left to put a coherent thought together!

I have such a mix of emotions tonight. I was tense all morning because Katie had her district meet this morning. She did great. She got 5th place so she qualified for regionals. She was in second up until the last 1/2 mile. The experienced upper classmen of Brecksville High got her in the last few moments. Looking at all the teams and kids going to regionals she was the top freshman in our region today. She falls within the top ten overall. WHEW! Pray for her next Saturday. If she places in the top 16 she will qualify for the state meet.

I also have the stress of the Tribe game tonight. I can't talk anymore about it because I will jinx it. I need to run up and get my lucky shirt on though. It is dirty but we tend to win more when I wear it dirty :)

I have learned a lot the last few weeks. As some know, I learned last month that if you happen to melt a crayon in your clothes dryer the best remedy is to heat the dryer, spread stove top cleaner on it, wait 10 minutes and then wipe. It takes the crayon right off.

Today I learned that if you happen to dry a pen in your clothes dryer (that has exploded of course) all you have to do is use nail polish remover to wipe the ink marks off the dryer drum.

I realize I sound like a loser that doesn't know how to do laundry. Oh well! I have a lot on my mind these days.

At the moment I am juggling being a corps officer, an area coordinator and I am filling in as the the interim director of our day care and our three learning centers. Difficult circumstances in our appointment needless to say. Prayers are welcome!

Got to go and watch the TRIBE!!!

Follow-up

Thanks for all the prayers. Katie will be fine. She is however on crutches today. Apparently she tore something in her foot during her race last Saturday. I don't know if I mentioned that she came in 9th out of 175 or so people. She ran the 3.1 miles in 19:47. Great race! Anyway... she tore something and to be safe the doctor has her on crutches today and possibily tomorrow. Nothing was broken. She will probably be able to run on Saturday. She is HAPPY for that!

It is stunning to me what a "natural" she is at this sport. Her coach said that if she keeps up at this level she will not need to worry about paying anything for college. How awesome is that???

I am off to the Central Territory tomorrow. I am attending a Women's Ministries Conference. I am one of the reps. from the East. It should be fun but the "day before a trip" scenario is killing me! It is also homecoming weekend so the schedule for the kiddos is CRAZY. The parade... the community bbq...the football game...the cc meet...the dance.... Can Jim handle it all????? YEP! Pray for him.

I've got to go and get things done. Adios!

Blessings AND Prayer Requests

I was very blessed by one of our retired officers on Sunday. She was away on an Auxiliary trip (I could not go) and she brought me back a gift. She had been praying for me all week as she knew it would be an incredibly hard week for me. I had to do the Advisory Board meeting. In this meeting we were to talk about the budget (not a fun topic), talk about the status of a proposed new program (which has been trying to get approval for over a year - they are getting testy about it), and get approval for a county wide strategic plan. I also had a few community relations events that I had to attend (ALONE because Jim was out of town).

I was so blessed when she brought that little teddy bear back for me. It had a t-shirt on that said "Someone at the Citadel loves you!" It made my week!

I also ask for prayers tonight. Our daughter Kate is at the hospital at the moment. She is a cross country runner. She ran at an invitational on Saturday and got 9th place overall out of about 175 runners. She ran against some of the top runners in NE Ohio and came in pretty close to them :) This is only her third race as a high schooler. She was fine after the race but on Sunday her foot began to hurt. It has been swollen and she can't run on it. She is pretty stressed out that she won't be able to run this weekend. Jim took her to get an x-ray to see if she may have a stress fracture. Pray for her. She has the potential and now the very possible dream of making it to STATES this year. That is an incredible accomplishment as a freshman. She is really stressed about having something seriously wrong with her foot.

I also ask for prayer support because the next month will be INTENSE for me. We have had to make some serious decisions regarding the program in our community, the overall effectiveness of how things are done, and the structure of our area. Some of those decisions will have profound affects on our family. Can't go into too much detail at the moment, but please PRAY!

God is wonderful and even though my computer has been garbage all day and lotus notes has not worked, I am calm and at peace (at least for the moment). Have a good evening.

Okay... I am really, really, really not trying to brag, but I am so excited for my little girl right now. For those who haven't realized it or simply don't know me, I have recently moved into the ranks of having a child in high school. This has been a bit traumatic for me but she seems to be adjusting well :)

My daughter Kate is also a runner. She runs cross country and track. She was informed earlier in the week that she would be running on the varsity squad ... pretty good for an 85 pound 9th grader! Today she ran her first ever high school division 1 cross country race. She placed 21 out of 195 runners. That is AWESOME! She ran 3.1 miles in 19:58. She surprised a lot of people including herself. She came in second for her high school. This is so amazing because this invitational is huge. Many of the top runners in the state were there and running. I know her coach expects a lot from her in the future, but I also know that he wasn't anticipating her to do so well so quickly. He told her to try to get between 21 and 22 minutes. (By the way, one minute is a huge difference in a cross country race). I am just so proud of her.

The other Stow girl got 3rd place. She is an amazing runner and went to States last year. Can't wait until next week!!!!

Smell the Roses

Whew! Uggh! Blah! Just some of the things I am feeling at this moment in time. Today is the first day of school. It has been CRAZY!

I was up until 3:00am because one child hadn't quite finished her summer reading homework...bet you can't guess who that would be! I woke at 6:00am to get the first child up. I dropped her off for her first "official" day of high school. Of course as I pulled out of the lot, I cried.

I came home and sat down by the next child. She began crying... actually it was more like weeping. She didn't want to go to school. She wasn't ready to be away from me all day again. So for all those camp staff who cared for her as she cried at camp because of homesickness, know that it was not you or how you did things, it's just my girl! Of course as I held her, I cried.

After dropping her off at the bus stop I came home to watch Sponge Bob with my boy. He talked about being nervous. Thirty minutes before the bus was to come he jumped up and said we had to go. I tried to explain that it was only a five minute walk to the bus stop. He exclaimed, "I dont' want to miss it again!" I had know clue what he was talking about until he reminded me that last year we missed the bus on the first day of school... Oh yeah!
We left the house fifteen minutes before the bus was to be there. We were about 100 yards away when we saw the bus. It was early. He took off running, yelling back to me, "I love you mom! Have a good day." My boy!

I came home and plopped down for a moment and of course, I cried. I did not cry tears of joy that our routines would now return or that I now had some sense of quietness back to my life. They were not tears of sadness that they were growing up and caring more for themselves either. I think my tears were for the changes. I don't always see them coming. I don't take the time to see them coming.

I read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass this week. There was a part where Alice walked into a garden where the flowers spoke. I don't know exactly why the author put the talking flowers in there but I came away thinking that maybe he was trying to let us know through those talking flowers and that little girl that so often as adults we just walk by and literally don't take the time to see the beauty around us and to hear the life around us. There is the saying, "Take time to smell the roses!" Do I do that? Probably not. Kids naturally do that until they are subjected to us adults who constantly try to rush them around and conform them to our adult world, a world which drowns out the voices of the life and lives around us.

Okay, deep enough for 8:30am. Today I am going to make a vow to smell the roses and listen to their voices more. For those that know me... hold me accountable. Life is too precious to walk by it!

I AM A LONER!

I like people. I must admit though that when it comes to work, I just like doing things myself... my way! I would rather do an entire project by myself (no matter what the size) than to have to cooperate with a team of people. I am creative, but once an idea hits me I like to run with it and not look back. When you are an employer and have lots of employees to consider it can be a bit difficult and for me personally can stunt my creative drive. We had four employees in our first appointment, but none were program type people so I was free to be creative and no one cared. We had four employees in our department in our second appointment (all program people). That was workable though. We now have 41 employees and things move SLOW! I know we have entire departments hoping that we will forget about our "creative" ideas and just let them do their thing their way. As pooh bear says, "Oh bother!" I'm going to go crazy with my "to do" list of creative things by the time I convince folks to give a few of them a try.

Abundant Blessings

I think sometimes I can get so caught up in the busyness of the day that I forget to see the blessings. I have decided to make the effort to appreciate the blessings today that I have. Being in this appointment has made me miss the corps people from our first appointment. Many of those saints from our first corps are with the Lord now and I have found myself missing them dearly. I didn't appreciate them or that corps nearly as much as I should have, that is until I left it. I am not going to make that mistake here. I count my blessings from God and appreciate each one.

The photo above is of our men in one of our Sunday School classes. This is just a few of the men that come to Sunday School. As I think about the number of men in our corps I am astounded. It can be hard to get men into church (traditionally), but God has blessed us with men of God that are seeking Him in ways like never before. Praise God!

We also do a Salvation Meeting. It happens at 6:00pm. We just started this particular meeting last September. Though some believe an evening service will just not work in this day and age, it works for us. On this evening we had an outdoor meeting. There were 88 people there. Several of the neighbors came. Several of the homeless that reside in the neighborhoods surrounding the corps showed up too. One man was in a wheelchair and he frequents our daily soup kitchen. He introduced himself as "Wheelchair". His real name is Clarence but his friends call him Wheelchair. So "Wheelchair" it is because we at the Army are considered his friends.

It should be noted too that the folks we get on Sunday morning are not all the same folks we get on a Sunday evening. It appears that the "unsaved" and "non-church going" folks prefer the evening service. Go figure!

This has been an exciting summer at our corps so far. Below are just a few pictures that I hold dear. The first is a picture of our Jr. Band. All but my own are beginners this year. We are missing about five of them too. This has been a wonderful year with them. These are our kids heading off to Music and Arts Camp. Again, most are beginners. And again, they are mostly brass players with a few timbrelists.

GOD is GOD

Throughout life there will be periods of disillusionment for an individual. There will be people that disappoint you. There will be situations that turn your stomach. There will decisions made by others that sadden you. There will be remarks that hurt you in the worse ways. There will be circumstances that you wonder if you will ever be able to manage and come out still standing.

The key is to remember that God is GOD! God is GOD in the big things. God is GOD in the little things. GOD is GOD!

I PRAISE my GOD in all things today. I PRAISE Him for those little things that are bothering me personally. I PRAISE Him for our crazy, psycho world that seems to be getting more and more evil. I PRAISE Him for all the hurts that are going through my head and heart this day. I PRAISE Him because HE is my GOD and in control of ALL things. I PRAISE Him because GOD will ALWAYS be GOD and there is not a soul on earth that can change that fact. Thank you my Lord and my GOD for being my LORD and my GOD.

Life is Great!

I know a week ago I was sad because it seemed as if my babies were getting way too independent.

This evening I had to go to the store to pick up some breakfast snacks for our Advisory Board. As we were walking my middle daughter noticed my son's toes. It disgusted her.

Em is a special girl. When I first brought her baby brother home from the hospital she really checked every part of him out. She wanted to take care of him. Her way of doing that has stuck with me for 9 years now.

I used to catch her (at the age of 2 1/2) take his bootie socks off and pick the toe jam from between his tiny toes. That was pretty gross in my book, but she wanted him to be clean and comfortable. Emily hated having anything in between her toes so she assumed her brother did as well.

If you were in that store with us it would have been apparent that her brother could care less what is on his feet or between his toes.

We came home and as I was loading the dishwasher I heard a slap followed by a "sit still".

Emily had her brother laying on the couch looking through a book as she cut his toe nails and cleaned them out for him. (By the way, he didn't seem to mind the slap!)

As I watched that scene, I felt so incredibly blessed. I was blessed because my babies were caring for each other. I was blessed because I got a glimpse of my 2 1/2 year old daughter once again. I was blessed because I got a glimpse of my little boy laying there so contently as he was cared for by his big sis. I was blessed because I saw how God created my daughter with compassion and a need to help others from the time she was born and it is working out to this day in her life.

Thank you Lord for allowing me to see the past in my changing children. I am blessed!

DEPRESSION

This has been a traumatic week for me!

I dropped my baby off at the park yesterday morning at 9:00am so that she could participate in her FIRST high school cross country practice. She is officially in high school :(

After practice I drove her down to Camp Neosa AND left her :( She is working there and will be gone all summer... NOT GOOD!

My husband didn't come home last night. He stayed at the corps all night working on a playground for the neighborhood kids. He and two other staff members worked ALL night... I was lonely :(

The CAVS lost :( Enough said! I didn't even watch the game. I watched a movie instead.

I wasn't able to go to the Officers' Farewell today ... United Way Day of Care day! I'm sad that I won't be able to say good bye to some dear officer friends and especially to their dear children:(

Emily has her FIRST babysitting gig tonight. She is growing up TOO FAST :( She shouldn't be old enough to babysit... she is a baby herself... my baby girl :(

I am home alone until about 9:00pm. It is a Friday night and my whole family is out doing their own thing... living their own lives. It is depressing for me :( When did they all get so independent?

I am going to go and have some time with my Jesus.... He will cheer me up :)

NBA Finals

Rasheed Wallace: "Hey Guys... should one of us stop him?"

Rip Hamilton: "I'll just wait here until he comes back down."

Chauncy: "It's only one shot... how many can one guy get anyway? I'm Mr. Big Shot...NOT LeBron."

Chris Webber: "Time out! Time out.....wait we don't have any time-outs left!"

Z: "I got your back buddy."

What more needs to be said? The CAVS are going to the finals!

Thanks Detroit for losing your "poise!"

Lesson Learned

When we were Divisional Youth Leaders it always bothered us to see some really great kids in the division not participate in camp or in divisional activities. We know the impact these things can have on a young person. They feel more connected to the Army and see the bigger picture. Not to mention that their influence and abilities would be a tremendous asset to the programs and to the individuals around them.

My oldest daughter is going to High School next year (YIKES). She is in the band programs and a Cross Country runner. Band sessions and athletic training takes place all summer long. They actually start the week after school lets out. She is excellent in both of these programs and needs to participate in the summer activities. The bandmasters and the coach need her to participate during the summer. Of course come fall she will have football games every Friday night and I just found out yesterday that she will have Cross Country meets every Saturday. That eliminates her from a lot in regards to the Army. She is supposed to work at camp this summer and she is supposed to be in NEOSA Brass this fall. There is no way she will be able to do it all.

I never realized how much school impacts those "off times" in a young person's life. I think if I were a DYS now I would find a way to reach out to those kids more. There has to be a way!!

I have been studying the book of Galatians over the last several weeks. It has been a challenge for me as I have reflected on my walk in relation to God's Word in this particular book.

I thought I would post on some of those things that jumped out at me as of late.

Galatians 5:16-21
Life by the Spirit
16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

As I read this list, I thought to myself, “Wow these are bad things”. Take a closer look at these though. I think sometimes when we think of sin, we think of murder, adultery, stealing, lying and a host of others mentioned in the 10 commandments. When I first read this particular list I kind of scanned over them. However, look at these a little closer.

As I read this I realized that this is so often me. I obviously don't mean to sin, but I do. I do get selfish. I do go into fits of rage. I do sin. I don't believe I am the only one who falls into this trap though. I have seen Christians in fits of rage. I have had friends who were sexually immoral… Christian friends! I have seen believers vying to get ahead because of their selfish ambition. Look at all the televangelists that have gone down in the last few years. Commissioner Todd Bassett, who has served in the Salvation Army as the National Commander was just recently named to head the National Association of Evangelicals after the Reverend Ted Haggert had to answer to allegations that he had a 3 year relationship with a gay hooker. He was the head of the National Association of Evangelicals!!!!

What about dissention? Have you seen dissention in the church? Be honest! Envy? Jealousy? Even as Christians, sometimes we allow these sins to creep into our lives. It is so easy to fall back into the sinful nature which we once walked away from.

When we begin living by our own power we fail. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that we are able to live as God created us to live.

God has really blasted me with this truth recently. It is a passage of scripture that I have read a zillion times, so many times that it simply became words to me. I thank God that He made me read and see these words once more in a new light.

The key for me was the last part of the passage where it says, "I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." Is that blunt or what?

WHAT???

So what happens when the reality of the day hits you smack in the face?

There was a "threat" at my daughter's school yesterday. It happened at the end of the day. A threatening note was found in a bathroom.

Parents didn't find out about it until today when note was sent home explaining what had happened. We have been assured that the school was thoroughly inspected and every inch of the place checked.

I can't write much about this because I am a bit stunned.

At what point did we allow this to happen to our society? At what point did we just sit back and allow kids to do whatever they pleased? When did we get to the point of just hoping nothing crazy would happen to our kids in school during the day? What the heck happened???

Agenda for the Day

My Agenda for Today

Print programs for Home League Annual Dinner (for Thursday)
Pick up centerpieces for the Dinner
Print music for Auxiliary Meeting (tomorrow)
Print Agenda & Minutes for Auxiliary Meeting (tomorrow)
Organize room for Auxiliary Meeting
Prep with husband on Program Committee Meeting
Complete Inventory of Building and Quarters (all stuff in my office)
Take Em to softball practice (while Daddy's at band)
Go to Katie's band concert (while Daddy's at band)

God's Agenda for Today

Stay home with a son who found CHICKEN POX all over his body this morning!!

God is a wonderful God and I thank Him even for the CHICKEN POX! Does anyone know how long he will have these things anyway? It has been 13 years since my last child had them and my memory is not that good. He did have the vaccine as a baby. FYI for those who were vaccinated... apparently there is a booster that you will need about 7 years after the first vaccine. I obviously didn't know about it.

Program Evaluation

I spent yesterday afternoon listing all of the things we "do" at our corps. Actually, I listed all of the programs. We have a few Advisory Board members helping us to evaluate things and thought it would be a good time to really get a handle on things seeing that I've been here almost a year now.

I feel like I've never been busier in my life. With the appointment and the kids I just go, go, go! After completing this task of program evaluation I had a better understanding as to why I feel so busy. We DO alot!!! I had 58 different programs to evaluate. That would sound crazy to most, but in all honesty there were 58! My husband and I each lead a few things, but we have leaders for most programs. That may sound great too, but we still have to be involved in those 58 programs in some way because we are the officers (in some cases that involvement only includes our mental powers every once in a while to make sure things are going in the right direction).

Please understand that I am not complaining. It was actually helpful for me to see this evaluation because I realized that we are doing okay. The programs are incredibly balanced as well between evangelistic programs and discipling programs. There always seems to be someone in the corps that wants more though... one more service... one more program. I have a tendency to allow people to guilt me into doing things. I think I will carry this program list with me so that when the guilt brigade comes after me I can pull it out and see that we are doing our best and our best is pretty efficient at this point in time.

If you would like to pray for me and my husband please feel free. We have a vibrant corps with wonderful people. Most of the people are new to the Army in the last year. Our corps was ALWAYS a very traditional corps. My husband and I are young, but more traditional than most officers our age. I think the older folks in the congregation were counting on that traditional side of us to come and change their corps back to what it was years ago. I have found in recent months though that tradition changes. When you have a corps of mostly new salvationists, new traditions arise. Our corps used to be a very large corps and due to a variety of circumstances it dwindled down to almost nothing over the last several years. It is on the rebound now. We are experiencing a time when we are trying to figure out what the Army is going to look like in Akron, OH. It will never be the Akron Citadel of 40 years ago, 10 years ago, or even 1 year ago. That is a hard pill to swallow for some. Maybe that has been a hard pill for me to swallow. Please pray that God helps us all to accept HIS direction for our community and corps. I LOVE this appointment and the people in our corps and our community. I always pray that I follow God's guidance in what we "do" so that He will be lifted up and glorified.

Thanks for reading my ramblings. This is going to be an awesome day... I can just feel it!!!

At Home and NOT feeling GUILTY!

I am home today. I made the decision NOT to go into the office until I absolutely have to this evening. I have to be there by about 5:15 pm and spend the evening there, so I am taking today for me - well actually for my house!

I am tired! That is an understatement. I have not had time at all to reflect or to contemplate anything. Everything I do seems rushed and thrown together. As I look in my office there are piles of work to accomplish... and that is with being in that office six days a week. There is always more administration, speaking engagements, employee problems, corps problems, etc. Quite a change from a year ago at this time. I homeschooled my kids and then spent every evening working. I only went into the office two to three afternoons a week. Don't think I was a slacker though... I am quite happy with the strides I made in that appointment and with what was accomplished through that ministry God gave me there. And though I am not a "women's libber" necessarily, I believe I changed that particular appointment and was not just considered one of those "DHQ wives" that was along for the ride. That probably sounds bad.. sorry!

Back from my rabblings...As I look at my home there are piles there too. It is a mess mainly because when I come home in the evening I typically rush the kids to the various places they are to be at and then we do homework after we get back. There is no time for cleaning. There is no time for talking. There is no time for reading and studying. There is no time for Christian education with my kids except for a few tidbits here and there.

This is NOT how I want to live.

I am enjoying my current appointment. It is a difficult one though. We actually have two appointments - Corps Officers and Area Coordinators. They are very distinct appointments with various people having very distinct expectations of us. It can be very time consuming and exhausting as we try to do both well.

I have decided today that I have neglected my home, my health, my relationship with Christ, my family and my friends over the last 8 months. It must stop today! So I am at home... getting my physical home in order. I am at home... cleaning off my "place" that I meet with God (or am supposed to meet with God). I am at home...preparing a meal for my family for this evening. I am at home... paying MY bills not a hundred other people's bills. I am at home... just being Sue, not Captain Betts!

Please don't look at this post as me being pessimistic. I am actually quite optimistic today. I am optimistic because I think I have finally gotten it through my think head that I cannot change the world for Christ, when mine is falling apart around me.

Date Night

The kids are on spring break this week. Believe it or not, they have never had a spring break!
Jim and I have decided to take as much of the week as possible to spend with the kids. We have at least one meeting each day, but for the most part will be able to get away and spend some time with them.

Last night at about 9:00pm Jim and I decided to go out on a date. We went to Kent, OH (which is only about 5 minutes from us) for a movie. It was quite an experience. The movie was good. We saw "Reign over Me". It is about a guy who basically got "lost" after his family died in one of the planes during 9/11. His friend was a bit "lost" in his life too, even though his life seemed normal.

No one was in the theater until about 30 seconds before the movie started. As we sat there it occurred to us that we were the oldest people in the theater... by about 20 years! Kent, Ohio is college town (Kent State University). The college kids are on spring break so the place ended up being pretty full. It was an odd feeling being there. They laughed in places that seemed odd to us and then we laughed in other places, by ourselves of course.

We both whispered to each other, asking how these kids would understand and truly "get" the movie. Most were probably around 12 when 9/11 happened. Most probably didn't have spouses. Most probably didn't have kids or a family of their own. Though it was a good movie and younger people might enjoy it, until you have certain life experiences I don't think you can truly "get" the entire movie.

Jim and I then embarked on a discussion of the importance of life experience. Education, wisdom and intellegience are great, but experience does count. I think about the Army in general and discussions that happen regarding the leadership of the Army. Many push for younger more culturally relevant individuals to be put into higher leadership roles. Youth can bring a lot to the table, but so does experience. There is a difference between seeing something happen from a distance and actually experiencing it.

I think I would still be considered a young officer. I hope though that I never get to the point where I stop seeking the opinions of those who have come before me, those who have already experienced some of the things I am yet to experience.

As we left the theater EVERYONE seemed to be looking at us. It was freaky. There are not too many situations where I feel like the oddball, but that definitely was one of them.

Date Night

The kids are on spring break this week. Believe it or not, they have never had a spring break!
Jim and I have decided to take as much of the week as possible to spend with the kids. We have at least one meeting each day, but for the most part will be able to get away and spend some time with them.

Last night at about 9:00pm Jim and I decided to go out on a date. We went to Kent, OH (which is only about 5 minutes from us) for a movie. It was quite an experience. The movie was good. We saw "Reign over Me". It is about a guy who basically got "lost" after his family died in one of the planes during 9/11. His friend was a bit "lost" in his life too, even though his life seemed normal.

No one was in the theater until about 30 seconds before the movie started. As we sat there it occurred to us that we were the oldest people in the theater... by about 20 years! Kent, Ohio is college town (Kent State University). The college kids are on spring break so the place ended up being pretty full. It was an odd feeling being there. They laughed in places that seemed odd to us and then we laughed in other places, by ourselves of course.

We both whispered to each other, asking how these kids would understand and truly "get" the movie. Most were probably around 12 when 9/11 happened. Most probably didn't have spouses. Most probably didn't have kids or a family of their own. Though it was a good movie and younger people might enjoy it, until you have certain life experiences I don't think you can truly "get" the entire movie.

Jim and I then embarked on a discussion of the importance of life experience. Education, wisdom and intellegience are great, but experience does count. I think about the Army in general and discussions that happen regarding the leadership of the Army. Many push for younger more culturally relevant individuals to be put into higher leadership roles. Youth can bring a lot to the table, but so does experience. There is a difference between seeing something happen from a distance and actually experiencing it.

As we left the theater EVERYONE seemed to be looking at us. It was freaky. There are not too many situations where I feel like the oddball, but that definitely was one of them.

Shirley

I had to go to a funeral this week. Well, I didn't HAVE to go, I wanted to go. It was the funeral of a dear friend... a saint in my mind. Shirley was a soldier from our first corps appointment. She was a wonderful soldier and a true mentor.

Shirley was about 70 years old when we were in Mt. Vernon. She didn't seem that old (not that 70 is old of course). Shirley was THE lady you could count on handling things when we had to be away or when we simply didn't get something. She actually ran the Christmas toy shop/distribution effort for us. I distinctly remember Shirley telling me every year that at some point I was going to have to learn how to do her job. She tried to tell me each year that she was old and would be retiring soon. I would simply smile and let her know that I was never going to let her retire. She also assured me that we would not be in Mt. Vernon forever and that someday I would have to do the toy shop in another location. I would just tell her that she would have to move with us. It always seemed to work!

I did watch Shirley though and I did learn how to do Christmas from her. I would have to say she taught me quite well by her example :)

As I sat in her funeral service on Thursday I came to realize that I truly never believed that Shirley would retire. I never believed that she would ever die either. Shirley was a rock. She was a rock that I counted on more than I ever realized.

I was a kid in that first appointment. God knew that Shirley was EXACTLY what Jim and I needed. Without her who knows what would have happened.

I pray that the Lord helps me to daily realize the saints that he places in my path. I need them. I also pray that God uses me in the life of another. Will I be that rock, that example of Christ, to another? I can only hope.

AMAZING GRACE

God is truly amazing. So much has happened in our corps in recent months. In September we began having a Salvation Meeting again. It has been a long time since we have had to have a Sunday evening meeting. Our territorial leadership set a mandate to begin these services a while back. We decided to begin them in September of 2006.

We have three corps in our county and an ARC. All of us join together every Sunday evening to celebrate Jesus and to preach the gospel. This meeting is focused around salvation. We expect that those who are unsaved will be in the meeting. Believe it or not, every week we have someone who does not know the Lord come to the meeting.

Last week we had 79 in the meeting. The altar was packed with those who felt the Lord tugging on their hearts and lives were won for HIM.

We also have a county Bible Bowl team and practices are held on Sunday afternoons at 4:30 pm, prior to the Salvation Meeting. That has been such an experience for the kids. The corps are three VERY different corps, with VERY different types of kids. By God's grace they have bonded and it has been a tremendous blessing to see the Summit County kids hanging out together at divisional events. I bring the kids up because on Sunday evening as I looked around our chapel I realized how God was working in them - the kids.

Every week these kids see the grace of God at work. They hear the testimonies of the guys who are new to the ARC program and have been saved. They hear the guys praising God for one more day of sobriety. They watched as a gentleman who has lived as a woman for the last 20 years was saved, and literally overnight went back to living and looking like a man (and they rejoiced with him in this change). They see the homeless guy who was picked up out of the park the night before sitting in our service. AMAZING GRACE is played out for them each and every week. Think of the impact God is making on their young lives!!

On Sunday night I sat behind three eight year old boys: an african american, a caucasion, and a puerto-rican. They giggled and talked through the whole service (quietly of course). Let's talk about racial reconciliation! God is AMAZING!

Time

It is a new year already. The older I get the more I realize that time passes quickly. I have been helping my son with a timeline of his life. Though he is only eight years old, he has quite a bit he'd like to put into this timeline.

I sat down with him and have gone through many old photos. The photos were instant reminders of times past and of a future that is coming very quickly. Before long, my house will be empty of children and probably pets too. In all honesty, it makes me a bit sad.

Why does time seem to go so much quicker when we are adults? As a kid I just wanted to grow up. Now I wish I could go back to my younger years.

I think as we age we realize that there is much that we would like to accomplish in our time on earth with very little time to do so. I sometimes wonder if we go overboard with our own desires for accomplishments rather than spending our moments pondering and asking God what He'd like us to accomplish.

I constantly preach to people that they have a purpose in this life and that God has a plan for them as individuals, a plan that will help HIM to carry out HIS will on earth through them. I am a believer in that philosophy.

The trouble comes when WE try to figure out that plan and more of OUR plans get in the mix than HIS plans.

Maybe the answer, if there is an answer, is to enjoy the time God gives us. Enjoy and marvel in THIS day! Maybe at any age we should be living in the present rather than constantly dwelling on the past or trying to change our future. Maybe if we did that with gratefulness in our hearts, time would not be such an issue with some of us. Something for me to think about on this day!!