Auntie Catherine

My husband's older sister gave birth to two beautiful baby girls on Friday, May 20 at 3:32pm & 3:38pm. They are the two newest, most beautiful additions to our family & although I have yet to meet these little bundles, I'm absolutely in love!

In fact, I've been in love from the moment the exciting news was shared that my sister-in-law was expecting. My love grew after the ultrasound, when it was announced that there were in fact two little babes growing inside. My love nearly overwhelmed me when I saw pictures from the ultrasound & was told that these two, were in fact fraternal twins & both little princesses. Every little girlie/petite/adorable outfit, fabulous accessory, cuddly stuffed animal that I've seen (& in quite a few cases purchased), my love for these little cuties has grown even more.

Working with children & families full time has allowed me to share in the excitement of many children who have entered the world. Although there are many babies who have been born that are so very dear to my heart, no one could have ever prepared me for the excitement, anticipation, and love that I have for my two nieces.

Knowing that these two little princesses will be a large part of our lives, that these little babes will one day be cousins/playmates etc. with my future children, that these adorable little ones will begin to shape what family get togethers/long weekends/Friday afternoons etc. look like makes my heart bubble over.

The words of Psalm 139 have been rolling around in my head, as I've had moments of remembering my parents speaking them over me throughout my life:

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

The truth is that through this whole process I've been reminded of what an honour & privilege it is to invited to partner with parents as they raise incredible kids who love God. With my nieces it's only natural that the family come alongside to encourage & help support throughout the parenting process, which is turning out to be one of the greatest honours I've ever had. I'm realizing though, how amazing it is to essentially be invited into families, as another member, as I come alongside to support & encourage.

To the families that I've been invited into, thank you for giving me this amazing opportunity. I'm realizing more & more just how much of an incredible privilege this is. I wouldn't trade my job or role as Auntie Catherine for anything in the world!

meddling

I just finished reading Church+Home by Mark Holmen. He presents some excellent & challenging thoughts on Faith@Home, whichwould make sense seeing how he's the founder of the Faith@Home movement. This is his third book I've read, & all though they all seem to portray the same basic information, I'm still a huge fan.

One of the ideas that Mark presents is "meddling grandparents." He challenges & encourages grandparents to get involved in their children & grandchildren's faith walk, whether through writing letters/texts/email, making phone calls, & prayer. I love this...probably mostly because I have my own story of how my life has been effected by "meddling."

My great grandma Belsher was an incredible woman of faith. Although we did meet before she passed away, I can't say that I remember as I was still very young. Her legacy, however, lives on, not only in my life but in the lives of nearly all of my Belsher relatives. Great grandma prayed for each one of us every single day. I realize that many grandparents do this, but something to keep in mind is that she had 16 children who lives to adulthood! Praying for everyone in her family was no small feat. Once every three years the Belsher family gathers for a family reunion & it is tradition that on the Sunday of our reunion we have a church service. This was of course birthed & continues all because of great grandma.

I think the greatest way my great grandma has included my faith walk however, is a bit more specific to me. I was a bit of a "miracle baby" as I wasn't my parents first pregnancy. When my great grandma came to visit me as an infant she took me in her arms and said, "All children are a blessing from God, but this is a blessed child." Although I don't remember these words of life being spoken over me, my parents do. I'm fairly confident that now 20-something years later that those words have in fact made a huge impact in my life.

So, to all parents/grandparents/great grandparents out there, who are thinking it's too little too late to have any sort of impact on your children/grandchildren/great grandchildren's faith walk, I would like to encourage you to meddle. Send little notes of encouragement. Make regular phone calls. But most of all pray. You never know what seeds you've planted!

Lessons learned from camping chairs

Camping season is here! This weekend will mark the first voyage of 2011, & I can hardly wait. After a years of sitting in those crazy, slouchy chairs that you pull out of bags & purchase for $10 at Canadian Tire, my husband & I have made the switch to seating which is a bit more expensive, supportive & comfortable. Between our new "directors chairs" & zero-gravity chairs we are not only set, but our backs are already thanking us!

I've determined that I will without a doubt be one of those crazy ladies, who will make it known when you've taken her seat. Should you be one of the many people who joins us in our camping excursions this summer, be warned, if you find yourselves in one of my chairs you will likely be evicted.

I wonder if there's a lesson to be learned in the possessiveness people (I) tend to have?

Although my camping chairs are only chairs, they're MINE, giving me the authority to decide who will or will not be able to sit in them. The outrageous thing about these chairs is that one was a gift given to me & the other a personal purchase & yet I'm equally possessive of both.

I wonder how often I'm willing to be this possessive over unseen things? How often am I willing to let promises & blessings given to me be taken? How often as I daughter of the King, am I passive & fail to use my authority (which is really His authority...)

AND SO...as the past few weeks have turned out be a ridiculously crazy season I'm reclaiming the following:

The Lord is Catherine's shepherd; Catherine has all that Catherine needs. He lets Catherine rest in green meadows; he leads Catherine beside peaceful streams. He renews Catherine's strength. He guides Catherine along right paths, bringing honour to his name. Even when Catherine walks through the darkest valley, Catherine will not be afraid, for you are close beside Catherine. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort Catherine. You prepare a feast for Catherine in the presence of Catherine's enemies. You honour Catherine by anointing Catherine's head with oil. Catherine's cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue Catherine all the days of Catherine's life, and Catherine will live in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23)

Mother's Day Prayer

Generally at DGC, following worship, offering & announcements the children are dismissed to head off to DGKids. Usually their dismissal is proceeded by a prayer of blessing over them, asking God to touch their lives. Yesterday, being Mother's Day, we did our dismissal a wee bit different. Rather then asking parents/grandparents etc. to lay hands on their children, I asked the children to lay hands on their moms/grandmas/aunts etc. and led them in the following "repeat after me" prayer:

Thank You Father,

For putting me

In the same family,

As this amazing woman.

I thank You

That she loves You

With all her heart,

And that she shows me

That love everyday.

Thank You

That she has determined

To help me

Learn more about You,

And for being an example

Of how to follow You.

May she be blessed

This morning,

As she continues

To worship

And learn more

About You.

We both love You so much!

In Jesus' Name we pray,

Amen.

It was something fun, a little bit different, but most importantly something to bring honour & blessing to the most fabulous women in our lives!

Jesus Feeds 5000

Yesterday morning at DGC something pretty darn awesome happened. While transitioning the service my senior pastor, Wayne Boersma, shared about Jesus feeding the 5000 (Matthew 14:13-23 & John 6:1-15).

Following transition, offering, announcements, the kids were dismissed & what do you think we talked about in Kingdom Park with our gr.1-6 kids? You guessed it, Jesus feeding the 5000!

Although I've experienced similar situations in my life before, where it seems as though God has totally orchestrated something no matter how simple, it was pretty wonderful to be able to see kids faces light up when they realized that what we were going to spend the morning talking about, was exactly what Pastor Wayne had already introduced.

Our focus in Kingdom Park was on Jesus having compassion. Prior to this incredible miracle of increase, Jesus found out that his cousin, John the Baptist, had been beheaded. Jesus had withdrawn, no doubt to mourn the loss of His cousin, the one who had prepared the way for Him. However, being Jesus & all, the crowds just followed Him, basically to the middle of nowhere.

In the midst of Jesus grieving it says "he had compassion on them" (Matthew 13:14). For real!?! Let me tell you the last thing on my mind in the midst of my hurt, pain & loss is compassion. Yet here's Jesus, caring for people & healing the sick!

And the thing that really stuck out to me, and continues to ring true in the back of my mind is this:

He has compassion on ME. Wow. Here I am in this season of confusion, loss & change, & He has compassion on me.

The best part of it all though, is that He has compassion on you too!

Easter doesn't end on Monday.

I love Easter! Basically I'm a huge sucker for candy & sweets, so any excuse to put myself into a sugar comma is my favourite. I'm a huge fan of family, any excuse to get together & celebrate is a good excuse to me. I also love all that Easter represents; unconditional love, forgiveness, hope...

Easter weekend tends to be one of my favourite weekends in church as well. My whole faith system is built around this one weekend. That God would send His perfect, one & only Son to pay the ultimate sacrifice for all sins, and then to defeat death by raising from the dead...the very thought is completely overwhelming as I consider the incredible love shown.

I'm positive that the best thing about Easter is that it doesn't end on Easter Monday. Easter continues day after day after day, as I'm reminded of my Saviour's love in the beauty I witness in creation, as I receive His grace & forgiveness for the thousandth time through those who are a part of my everyday life & as I remember that I get to be apart of the Big God Story, beginning with Creation, including Easter, my life & all that follows.

Although the sugar comma continues for a few days following the fabulous visit of the Easter Bunny, Easter itself continues & will never ever end.

25 things...

Just last week I celebrated my 25th birthday. Being inspired by my lovely friend Joh, who just turned 30 & decided to blog about it, I've created a new "25 things". A couple years ago "25 things" were popping up all over Facebook...this is new updated list now being 25, with various little (& some not so little) things that I've learned & random things about myself.

1. Nothing quite compares to being married to my best friend. Being married to Matt is the craziest, greatest, most exciting adventure I've ever been on. The only thing that seems to be predictable in our lives is the unpredictability & I love it! There's no one else I'd rather face each day with.

2. Although quitting would often be easier on all fronts, it's amazing the character that is built in continuing & pressing on. Hopefully the character that is being built into my life speaks of the God who's strength carries me through.

3. I am a mother. I've come to the realization that being a mom is more then pregnancy & giving birth. I love the children in my life & count it an absolute blessing & honour to mother those in my world.

4. People are of utmost importance. The day that I'm too busy for people is the day that I've completely abandoned that which I've been created for.

5. Family is irreplaceable. Four years ago my siblings & I determined that our relationships would always be a priority. I'm thankful that my parents instilled the value of family in the three of us. I'm also thankful for absolutely amazing in-laws who love & accept me as one of their family.

6. My parents have always told me to find my passion & chase it. This is quite possibly some of the greatest advice I've ever been given.

7. Words are important. Choose what you say wisely. Choose how you say something even more wisely. Ultimately choose to speak life.

8. A good cup of coffee & book is good for the soul. Take time to do that which refreshes and rejuvenates you.

9. Sometimes you just need to fake it until you make it.

10. Always be in a place of willingness to learn. My grandpa used to say that it wasn't a good day unless you learned something new...may everyday be a "good day"

11. Remember the legacy that has been built into you, and keep building upon it for the future generations. My great grandma Belsher was a great woman of faith, & there is no doubt in my mind that that legacy she built has been instilled into me. This legacy is something I hope to continue building upon, knowing that my ceiling will be my children's floor.

12. Never forget that there is no one else quite like you. No one with the same gifts, talents & passions. You are valued, cherished & loved just because of who you are.

13. Forgiveness is one of the greatest gifts you'll ever receive. Forgiving others is a greater gift to yourself then your offender.

14. Sometimes I feel as though by denying how I'm feeling I'm dealing with the issue, this is not true at all. Every emotion you feel is worth validation. Sweeping thoughts & feelings under the rug does no good to anyone. Recognize how you're feeling, but don't ever settle with staying there, be willing to move on.

15. Always give people the time of day. You never know who's path you'll have the opportunity to cross. Treat those you encounter with same dignity & respect that you expect.

16. Dream! When dreams become realities, don't forget to dream again.

17. Don't brush off gut feelings. Holy Spirit nudges in the simplest ways at times.

18. Diamonds are a girls best friend & pearls are for girls - words for all princesses. (PS: Although REAL ones are fabulous, the average person can't tell the difference between real jewels & ones bought at Le Chateau)

19. Waterproof mascara is without a doubt one of the greatest beauty product available.

20. Some of my closest friends are the same age as my parents. Get some solid, stable "older" people around you. Learn from their past. Ask them for wisdom. Allow them to speak into your life.

21. Community is essential to human survival. Some communities established will only be seasonal, some will be come & go communities that when reunited it seems as if you never left, & still others will be lifelong & very constant.

22. Tears are not always a bad thing. I definitely lean towards being someone who's overly emotional, & a result tears are often involved. Tears of pain, sorrow, hurt, joy, laughter & often just because I've completely overwhelmed. The amazing things about my tears is that there's a cleansing that comes with them.

23. Realize that there are more seasons then Spring, Summer, Autumn & Winter. Every stage of life is seasonal & although sometimes things seems to drag on forever remember that "He changes times & season; he deposes kings & raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise & knowledge to the discerning." (Daniel 2:21)

24. Unconditional love is grey. It's easy in my own mind to see things as black & white, I know what's right & wrong. The thing is, for love to be unconditional is has to be grey, willing to see past the behaviour & to love regardless.

25. There is always one constant. In a world that is constantly changing there is one who is the same yesterday, today & forever. It's in Him alone that strength, hope, peace, joy & true love can be found. He is always faithful & true.