Family

We are blessed with an amazing family - lots of strong personalities for sure!!

Last evening was amazing.  Brian, Vicki, Jay, David, Kara, Tom and Vicki's Mom were at Kara's.  We shared gifts, food and played Aggravation.  Everyone was kind even though there are attitudes and opinions we all don't agree on....  It was gratifying to see Kara in her own home, serving us dinner - we are so proud of her!!

Jay came home with us and this morning it was Brian, Vicki, Jay and David.  More gifts, more fun.  Everyone seems pleased with what they received though I still think it was easier when they were little!!

Soon we will have Christmas dinner and Megan (Jay's girlfriend) will join us.  Sarah has to work - we already miss her, she is so delightful.  God has blessed David with her.

God is good to us.   Merry CHRISTmas!!

Christmas

It is interesting how Christmas evolves as we age. 

As children someone else is in charge, we go where we are told and enjoy the experience.  It is pretty much all about "me".

When we become an adult we can Christmas hop - time with the family, time with friends.

Then we have a family....  Christmas revolves around the children, meeting the wants, spending time with extended family.

Now we are at the point where our children have homes, spouses or spouses to be - and Christmas becomes a juggling act!  In reality, this year has been fun because we will have three celebrations.

Next year there will be a baby, so again the focus is on children.

At some point we will spend Christmas in the arms of Jesus.  That will be the best!!

Through the years, I think we have succeeded in keeping the focus on Baby Jesus for our family.  We will continue to remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.

God is good.

Family and Holidays

I love the holidays - joy, the celebration of Jesus' birth, the gift giving, the foods, the sense of peace in the air.   Yet, there are times are I really dread the holidays.

We have not celebrated the holidays with Brian's family in years which is sad.  People who are unwilling to bend.

As our children have become adults and have spouses or girlfriends, it has been more challenging.  For the last few years each year has been different, we have spread the holidays out over several days.  We have done our best to spend time with anyone who wants to!

This year we thought everything was set up - getting time with different folks at different times.  Then came the unexpected invitation that includes folks who haven't been very kind to our children.  So we opted out.  Now there will be a price to pay - all we can do is pray it isn't taken out on our children. 

Maybe we have reached the point where getting together with people who don't like us and judge us isn't acceptable. 

Christmas is the celebration of Jesus' birth.  We strive to live at peace with everyone.  This year it will be difficult.

But God, who is our source of strength, is so very good.

Anniversary

This year our wedding anniversary fell on Thanksgiving.  All the children and their husband/girl friends were there along with my (Vicki's) Mom.  We have a wonderful family.

Friday after some shopping (yes, we were the 1561st and 1562nd people at Cabela's even though we arrived at 4:30am!) we headed north.

We spent the afternoon in Sedona, eating dinner at the same place we had our first date!!  Found some Christmas presents too.

Saturday we went antiquing in Cottonwood then headed to Clarkdale to ride the Verde Valley Railroad.  It was four hours of beautiful scenery and enjoyable company.

Before heading home we went to Jerome for dinner. 

It was a lovely way to spend the weekend - together in God's country.  We are blessed to have each other and our Lord.

God is so good.

Missions

It is interesting.  I (Vicki) have loved Jesus as long as I can remember.  Yet missions has never been an area that tugged on my heart.  For years Children's Ministry consumed me, then there were the six to eight years of youth ministry.  For the past two years we have been working with troubled marriages.  Yet it appears missions is tugging at both of us....

Almost five years ago we went on a cruise to the Caribbean.  What a blast.  Yet as we looked at the children who lived in poverty - it pulled at us. 

God has been so amazing at meeting all of our needs and honoring our decision to get totally out of debt (two years to go!).  We are wondering about heading out on missions trips.  There is one in February down to Rocky Point we are seriously considering. 

We have been praying for direction.  We think we understand.  It will be fun to watch how Abba Father works in this to either confirm our direction or redirect us. 

All we really want to to is serve Him - bring Him all the glory and honor He deserves!!  God is so good.

God is Good

Been a while since we blogged - no reason.  Life has been relatively quiet.  We are making progress in finding out what is going on with Brian.  The left side of his heart is enlarged.  He had a sleep study and is now using a c-pap machine every night.  Boy is it quiet in our room!!

The cool thing - he is waking up with lots of energy, he isn't feeling weary in the middle of the day and we are actually staying up until 10:00pm!!

As our children are growing older the holidays are more challenging.  Kara and Tom have his folks they want to spend time with.  David and Sarah have her family.  Jay and Megan, we aren't quite sure as Jay hasn't met her family yet.  

It was sad today - I wanted to decorate for Christmas and Brian said no....  I have to wait until after Thanksgiving. 

We have so much to be thankful for.  God is good.

Another Fun Sunday

Today Brian, David and Vicki (me) went to the Arizona State Fair.  We haven't been in probably 15 years. 

We went at 10:00am (free entrance until noon), we parked in the free shuttle lot and spent most of the day watching the Police Canine competition.  Brian and David did get their fair share of fair food!!

The only downside - now Brian and David want a puppy!!!  I want to scream.  We have three dogs - two of them don't get a lot of attention.  It would be great to find a home for Sam and Princess where they would be appreciated.  Sam is pretty grumpy so it would have to be someone with no children. 

Somehow I think we will be waiting until Sam, Princess and maybe Tank are in Doggie Heaven before we start with a puppy. 

I am really enjoying having Brian around all weekend - I do wish the doctors would figure out why his pulse is so high and find something to control it.  Perhaps even more I want my prayers for total healing to be answered yes.

God is good.

Fun Sunday

Randomly we decided yesterday to drive the Senator Highway.  This road goes from the I-17, Bumblebee Exit up to Prescott.  While it is only about 40+ miles or so - it takes a good three to four hours!

You start in the desert, go into the amazing pines of Crown King, meander through the scrub of the upper desert, back into the pines of the Prescott Forest.

We haven't done this drive in about two and a half years - the road has gotten much rougher....  But it was a ton of fun. 

We found the remnants of an old mine, where we ate our picnic lunch.  It is something to think about those who went before us - what kind of people were they?  how did they survive in this rugged terrain?  did they love our Jesus?

The leaves were beginning to change - brilliant yellows, deep reds.  God does such an amazing job. 

We are so blessed.  God is so good.

Heart Problems

For those of you that have been wondering if I actually had a heart. Yes I do. Those of you who really know me would agree to the fact I have a huge heart. Well according to the latest doctors report.......I have been diagnosed with the Super Ventricular Tachycardia and Left Ventricular Hypertrophy.


My heart rates have been fluctuating between the low end of 20's to as high as 192 beats per min. The left ventricle is the blood pumping chamber and the heart has to work extra hard to keep the blood flowing and the result is I get light headed and experience chest pain and have difficulty breathing.

I have had my medication changed again and am getting quite tired from the effects of the pulse being dropped. It's like a car running on rich gas and then being switched to lean. There are still more tests that have to be completed including a sleep test that remains to be scheduled. The doctors are hoping to manage the problem with medications and if this does not work there is a surgical procedure they can do to get into the heart to "try " and correct the problem.

Our option is that the Lord will place His healing hands on me and this will resolve and there will not be the need to deal with this further. The kidney function tests are all normal and they can not explain this. We can it is call GOD. Yes we believe God healed me while I was in the hospital and wants me to remain focused on Him.  Please keep us in prayer as we continue this journey and we will post when we know something further.

Turkey Hunting

Turkey hunting / camping was fun - David and Sarah putting out the feed in hopes of luring in some turkeys.  I am pretty sure they were watching, otherwise how would they have known where the blinds were??

Tank was having a blast running around, rolling in the meadow. 

 But, no turkeys were to be shot by Brian and David.  They did, however, shoot five squirrels.  No, we don't eat squirrel, but Tom, our son-in-law does.   Now we just have to remember not to scream when we open the freezer and there are squirrels!

Sarah was quite the trooper - learning about hunting, how to skin a squirrel.  She taught us a better way to make our breakfast burritos too!!  I (Vicki) truly enjoyed getting to know her.  She has a beautiful heart that loves Jesus.

The camo boys while coming up empty handed had a blast.  It was cute to watch them get up at 5:00am without complaining....  Hunting is one of those things that bonds.

The weather was pretty cold and rainy.  The nice part of having a camper is NOT being on the ground while it is raining!!

We saw LOTS of deer and elk.  Probably because that season ended the day we arrived.  The same way all the turkey will come out of hiding next Friday!!

We did get to see the leaves as they started changing colors.  God does such amazing work.

God is so good to us.  The opportunity to get away and relax, to enjoy each other's company, to spend time just worshipping Abba Father.



Right Hand

Brian can't use his right hand for another 10 days due to the angiogram.  Don't think we EVER realized how much we use our dominant hand.

Brian is healing.  The doctors are still searching for answers.  While the evil one believes this will bring us down, cause us to doubt - God WINS.  He will get the glory. 

We can't to see how He works in the doctors to determine what is wrong, how He meets all of our financial needs, how He brings us closer to Him.

God is good!!!

24 Crazy Hours

For about two months now Brian's blood pressure and pulse have been way out of wack.  When we were in Colorado his Spiritual Dad and Mom convinced him to call the doctor (yep, my words to call the doctor had gone in one ear and out the other....)

So, he goes to the doctor, who sends him to the cardiologist after writing a note that his work must not be strenuous...  guess that puts him on short term disability for a while.  The cardiologist starts a series of tests, everything coming back healthy and positive but the symptoms are all there....

On Monday there is the stress test.  Brian didn't do well - the test had to be stopped.  The folks told him if he didn't feel better to head to the ER.  He comes home, dinner is ready and he is starving (that six hour fast was brutal!).  Being the ever loving wife - I told him he looked terrible.  His reply - "Let's eat, I'm hungry". 

After dinner I asked him which hospital he wanted to go to.....  he didn't argue.  We headed to West Valley as that is closest to his doctors.  When he told the admitting folks he had chest pain they whisked him into a room.  In the five minutes it took me to answer all the questions - they had him IV'd, hooked up and blood drawn!!

The initial "results" said renal failure.  That made some sense because the kidneys control so much.  But how?  His plant physical in April was fine.  The doctor did a CBC two weeks before - did something horrible happen?  So he was admitted.  About midnight I headed home.

In the mail there was a letter, the idiots at Sedgewick Claims (the third party administrator of short term for APS) denied his short term since there is no diagnosis code.   Yes, I wanted to scream. 

So now, not only am I worried is my husband (best friend, awesome Dad, godly man and all around nice guy) is going to die but I get to worry about him not getting paid!!!!

This morning I head to the hospital early.  Brian had a rough night but he is being monitored.  My next challenge is dealing with the idiots.  After several calls, because they kept "cutting me off" I was able to talk with a supervisor who agreed the claim should be reopened.  She will confirm that on Wednesday, otherwise we get to appeal.

The cardiologist came in - an angiogram is on the slate today.  At first it was scheduled for 11:00am, then it got moved to 4:00.  The one thing I will never understand is "hospital time".   And the positive results on the "renal failure" - according the doctor it was an error in testing - we are choosing to believe God healed.

So many phone calls, so many prayers.  All answered.  The angiogram came out perfect - arteries are all clear, heart is beating strong.  That leaves us with the question - what is going on?  His blood pressure and pulse remain high.

Either the doctors will figure out what is going on or it will go away.  Either way - all the glory and honor belong to God.  I believe God has some amazing things left for Brian to do - the enemy is after him.  BUT - God wins.  God is so good.

The Rim and Children

The Rim has to be one of our favorite places.  Last weekend David, Brian and myself did a day trip to scout for turkey. 

This past weekend Brian and I went camping.

In a couple of weeks we will be bagging two turkeys.

It gives me such a warm fuzzy feeling to watch Brian and David together as they are planning their strategies. 

We raise our children, then sometimes, we are blessed to have those children turn into our friends.  I haven't quite figured if it is personality or

chance or shared faith.

We raised all of our children to love Jesus.  But now they are adults - they chose the relationship they have with us and with Abba Father.  We have done our best.  The rest is up to God.

God is good.

Health

Brian is off work.  The doctor put him out last week because his heart is doing odd things - the blood pressure is erratic and his pulse is extremely rapid.
Yesterday he had an echocardiogram.  Yes, he has a heart!!  He met with our regular doctor today to get paperwork filled out.

So ironic - the plant sent him home due to the doctor's note limiting physical activity.  He fills out the paperwork for short term, the folks there want to know what the diagnosis is.  So do we!!  They seem to have trouble understanding that at this point the doctors do NOT know what is going on.

Not quite sure if we should feel good because the doctors are baffled or to be worried.  Bottom line - God is in control.  He is the Great Physician and He has Brian right in the palm of His hand.

Now we rest in the palm of Abba Father's hand.  He loves us.  God is good. 

Bittersweet

Jay has moved out (again).  It is bittersweet.  He is almost 21 and really needs to be on his own - becoming a man rather than living off of us. 

Because of the poor decisions he has made there has been a lot of tension in our home over the past few weeks.  It will be good when we get his room cleaned out and prayed over.  

God is in control - He loves Jay much more than we ever could.  We claim the Scripture - "Raise up a child in the ways of God, and when they are old they will not depart from it". 

Jay will return both to his family and to the Lord someday.  God's timing is rarely ours.  So this is where we trust and wait, knowing God's way is ALWAYS the best.

God is good.

Colorado

Last week we had the opportunity to spend time up in Colorado with Brian's spiritual parents.  (Rex and Joyce have provided lots of love and guidance over the years.)

We flew into Denver, then drove to Cedaredge.  What a beautiful drive - we found a some old mining towns.  We decided not to go past the "NO TRESPASSING" sign....this time!

Brian, David and Rex had a wonderful afternoon of shooting and playing with guns.  In fact, the next morning David shot the pesky squirrel who was invading the garden!!

We went antiquing - good thing we flew, otherwise the car would have been packed!!

We stopped to visit some friends who invited David over to ride horses on Sunday - boy was he in his element.  It is so much fun to watch him have fun.

It was a relaxing time, full of love and friendship.  We are blessed to have amazing family and good friends.

God is so very good.

Turkey Scouting

We took the opportunity to get away and scout for turkey.  Though it was really wet and rainy - we had an amazing time.

The forest was incredibly green and lush.  We have never seen as much grass as there was on the forest floor.  We were able to see deer, elk, blue jays, squirrels and the ever-elusive turkeys!! 
Brian was so stinking excited.  There were six we could see.  The challenge is - they were behind a fence that said "Property of Arizona Game and Fish".    He is going to be calling to find out what scoop is - can they hunt there?

We also found some really nice camp spots. 

Although the rain was beautiful and needed - I get sleepy!!  And I was supposed to be looking for turkey tracks!

We really needed the break, short as it was.  Last week was pretty tough - seems like we are being attacked from every side. 

But, God is good.  His creation is beautiful and Heaven is a day closer!!

Sandwich Generation

We are learning what it is like to feel like peanut butter and jelly.  Sounds odd, perhaps, but it is true. 

Our children are 19 to 26, sort of independent.   Our parents are in their 70s, sort of independent.  Yep - children and parents are bread.  Brian and I are peanut butter and jelly - stuck in the middle.

We have heard the term "sandwich generation" before.  The past few months we have been feeling it.  The children are looking for reassurance, guidance, money.  Our parents are looking for reassurance and guidance.  We are blessed there! 

How do we weigh the needs of our children vs the needs of our parents vs our own needs?  Because of what God has allowed us to go through we protect our time, our marriage.  Right now it seems we are being pulled from all sides.

While Jesus didn't have children - I think He understands - He had all those disciples pulling at Him, wanting His time.  And, Scripture is very clear - He took time for Himself, time with Abba Father to reenergize, to be loved on.

Peanut butter and jelly - yep.  There are times one of us has to be sticky sweet and other times salty.  Sometimes we trade roles.  God is good because we balance each other out.  Just have to keep our focus on the Lord.

God is very good.

A Week Later

A week later I am still laughing about our lunch - I mean, look at these silly people.  I simply bought Pringles because they were on sale and I had coupons.  They turned it into a wonderful time of laughter. 

Actually it is interesting how the weekend we didn't do anything major or spectacular - but is was so much fun. 

God has created such an amazing world.  We have explored lots of Arizona.  We have been blessed to see parts of California, Colorado, Alaska, Hawaii and the Caribbean. 

I sure hope in Heaven that we will get to see all the other amazing things Abba Father has created.  Plus the fact that He has been working on Heaven for over 2,000 years and He made the earth in six days.

Such a privilege to be His child. God is very good.

Camping

Can't believe it has been almost a month since we have blogged.  Life is good.  God is blessing our socks off.  

Last weekend we went camping up near Lake Mary with David, Lizz, Joey, Samson and Brittany.

The guys went up onThursday, the ladies on Friday. 

We went to Lowell Observatory on Friday evening - it was pretty cool.  We saw Saturn with all the rings.


David and friends went out to take pictures - isn't it amazing how David ends up in all of the pictures?
We went looking for elk / deer and found lots of them. 


It is refreshing to know what great friends David has.  They are respectful, well-grounded and firm in their faith.  It was so cool to sit around the camp fire and talk spiritual things.

Brian and I had a wonderful time and were encouraged about the future when we see young people like these.

It was good to get to know Lizz better.  How did David get her???  She is a beautiful young lady.

Hoping to get out again several times before winter - Brian and David were drawn for turkey so that will be A LOT of fun.

God is so good.

David's Friends

Last Friday evening our Neighborhood Group was supposed to come over for dinner and swimming.  One family decided to stay longer on vacation, another was fighting the crud....  so it was cancelled.  Well David had invited some of his friends over.  So we switched it up and had about 15 young people over.

They provided so much laughter and hope.  These folks are good, hard-working and they love them some Jesus!!  They were thankful for the food.  They enjoyed the pool.  There was some great conversation. 

One of the cool things - two of the young ladies who were here we have had the opportunity to love on for several years.  We hadn't seen Eboni in probably four or five years.   Not only did she remember us - she remembered us as having loved her.  If only we realized how important our words, our actions, our reaching out to someone who is hurting is. 

These young people can invade our home any time. 

God is good.

Father's Day

Father's Day for me (Vicki) is bittersweet.  Brian is am amazing father who truly love his children.  But, my own Dad has been gone for almost nine years. 

My Dad was a good man.  He loved the Lord.  He loved his family.  He taught us right from wrong.  He stood by us when we made bad decisions.  Never once did he say "I told you so.".  He was taken from us far too soon.

Sometimes I still cry.  Every little girl wants her Daddy.  I think the reason I can easily love Abba Father is because I had such an amazing earthly Dad.   

And God, in His infinite wisdom, has placed in our lives the most amazing couple - Rex and Joyce.  He has filled a void in my life that I thought would be empty forever.  I can't wait til we get to go and visit them later this summer.   We learn so much from he and Joyce. 

God has blessed my socks off with the people in my life.

Gold Fish

While at Mingus Lake I noticed these gold fish in the parking lot.... 

I wondered to myself (because making jokes while Brian is fishing does not go over well) - is this what happens to bad gold fish?  To they end up smashed in a parking lot all by themselves!!

Or should I be sad there is a little child who lost some goldfish.....

Or should I just keep going because, well, thinking about this is down right silly!!!  God is good!

Camping

Last weekend Brian and I (Vicki) went camping.  We ended up at Lynx Lake. Our original plan was to go to Big Lake so Brian could scout for turkey hunting.  But, the Wallow Fire changed our plans.  We decided to stay in a campground rather than the forest just in case.....

We had an amazing time.   Friday we went hiking around the Senator Mine.  Over the last 22 years we have been there several times.  It is interesting to see the changes.  Where 20 years ago a tree was breaking through a concrete slab, now it is twenty feet high!!  The water coming out of the mine is running faster.  The gate that was once there is long gone.   The sense of peace and tranquility is indescribable.

To think about this mine 100 years ago gives perspective - makes our lives seem somewhat less important. 

 
Brian got to do lots of fishing both at Lynx Lake and at Mingus Lake. The scenery was absolutely beautiful.


Besides SOAPing out in the beauty of nature - there is something about being together when no words are necessary.

Hoping to get lots more camping in this summer though the next few weeks are full of activities. 

God is good.

Reflections

I (Vicki) was reflecting on how good God is.  Yes, it is a holiday.  Yes, Brian is working.  Yes, I was doing housework.  Yes, we are so blessed.

We live in a country where we are free.  We can voice our opinions.  We can disagree.  We can stand up for what we believe in without fear.  We can worship openly. 

On a smaller level we are blessed because God is showering us with love and favor.  Our financial goal to be out of debt is moving much faster than we budgeted.  We are in agreement on the goal and we are tithing our treasure, time and talent.  It is fun to try to out give God!!

Our children are pretty much on their own (though yes, two live with us!).   It is fun to watch as they make decisions and live out their faith (or lack thereof).  We have such a peace that we did our best and what they do with their lives is between them and God.

God is good. 

Grand Canyon Caverns

We had the most amazing few days.  Wednesday evening I (Vicki) picked up Brian from work and we headed to Laughlin. 

Thursday we left early and headed down Route 66 to the Grand Canyon Caverns.  We stopped in Hackberry, which is quaint and fun, to take some pictures. 

We were supposed to be there at 11:00 - in true Wuerfel fashion - we arrived 45 minutes early.  So we putzed around the gift shop and the oddities strewn throughout the property. 

When Stephanie, our guide, was ready it was show time.  We donned Dickie jumpsuits, knee pads, helmets with lights and put gloves in our pockets.  Because we had never been there before we did the entire tour AND the behind the scenes.  

We were able to climb way back in the cave and up some holes - places where most folks don't go.  At one point we were way far back Stephanie had us turn off our lights.  It was total darkness, then after about three minutes our eyes started adjusting and we could see shadows.  The silence was eerie.  Since it is a dry cave there are no critters or sounds. 

There were five spots where we had the opportunity to go behind the scenes.  We did all but the last one - we were pooped and quite frankly, my legs were a little shaky.

Yep, that is Vicki and Brian in the background, look for the headlamp - the opening is really small and we did hit our heads, our knees, our elbows more than once!!

Not sure if I am more amazed at the beauty and ingenuity of God or the fact that my knees bent so easily are so strong.   Both are gifts from above.

We had so much fun.  God is so good!!

Anticipation

We are at such a fun and interesting time in our life.  We are at the edge of something miraculous.  We are trusting God to do GREAT and MIGHTY things.

Way too often we limit God.  We tell Him what we think should happen and what we are willing to do.  That is SOOOOOOOO wrong.  So, we told God - use us.  Now we are sitting back waiting to see where we are led. 

Next week we will be official Life Coaches.  On Saturday we get to be used by the Holy Spirit with a couple that is hurting.  Thank you Jesus. 

But there is more.  We are at the edge of the Promised Land - He will be leading us to where the milk and honey are flowing.  This doesn't mean we won't have challenges.  Quite the opposite - we know there will be giants coming at us.  But we are right where Abba Father wants us.

One of the coolest things about loving Jesus is the knowledge that God wins.  God is good.

Mother's Day

We had such a nice relaxing Mother's Day.  Brian was off due to training next week.  We slept in then he made me an omelet. 

David woke up and we ran some errands - nothing big, just hanging out enjoying each other.  When we came home we played Zilch then Brian grilled steaks for dinner.  All of us ate together - it was nice.

We got to talk to our folks in Colorado - what amazing people of God.  I miss them so much.  Can't wait for our next trip up there.  It is a slice of Heaven being with them.

We don't do many of these days - nothing days.  It is good just to rest in the Lord.  He has so blessed us.  Yes, we have challenges - but the blessings are new each and every day. 

God is so good.  We are so loved!!

Step of Faith

I (Brian) have been looking at leaving my current position and going back into the insurance industry. After having some what I felt were real good interviews, God did not want to move me and I am still in a position in which I am not really happy working. Don't get me wrong, god has done wonderful things in our lives over the past two years and we have been blessed above and beyond.


This past week we decided to make an aggressive effort to get out of debt before making any change from the present. On Monday, there was a posting at work for a new support team working with the strategic projects team. This position would alter my current schedule from working 15 days a month to 20 and the loss of extra overtime on the weekends but would be a Monday through Friday job working 10 hour shifts with every Friday being an overtime day. The posting indicated the position would more than likely be based on seniority however they were evaluating all candidates and only taking 8 for this elite detail.

Ok so here goes the step of faith. I submitted an email to the Commanding Officer and received encouraging words back. I sent ""although this position could be based on seniority and I would be considered a long shot, I wanted to let you know am interested in this position. " to which I received a response " Great!!, I will put you down." So I have been praying that this is the position that God has created an therefore not let me go from where I am. Please join us in prayer as we pray to seek God's will in the career choices.

Also last Saturday we attended a class at the church that will prepare us for the ministry at the church working as lay pastors working with troubled marriages. We have realized God does move us through the storms and wants us to remember he will always be there and wants us to bless others as he has blessed us.

Thanks for the prayers and we will keep you updated as we progress

Ministry from Pain

God is good.  We have one more class before we are officially Life Coaches.  We are learning so much about God, ourselves and what happened in our marriage.  We are even more convinced of how BIG God is.  He is still performing miracles.

I (Vicki) am reading a great book - In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson.  He says "Now here is what you need to understand: If you don't turn your adversity into a ministry, then your pain remains your pain.  But, if you allow God to translate your adversity into a ministry, then your pain becomes someone else's gain."

Whoa - God IS going to get more glory.  The simple fact that Brian was able to repent and our marriage was reconciled is two miracles.  Now, we can share our story, we can offer hope. 

Day by day we are understanding more and more just how BIG and how amazing our Lord and Savior is.  God is so good.

STUPIDITY

  Okay:


This is a hard blog given the subject matter but here it goes......I/Brian had been wanting to go fishing on my days off. Last night we tried Surprise lake and it was crowded, windy and the fish were not biting so we left after about an hour of no luck just broken lines and drowned worms.

This morning I/Brian received a text from David saying if he got off early he wanted to go fishing. Brian drove down to the Gila river and was looking for spots for us to try later. As I approached the river, I noticed several areas normally used by people fishing had been fenced off for the PIR construction project and new roads around the river. I found an open road and drove in about a quarter of a mile and realized the road practically stopped at the river.

Deciding to turn around, I quickly found myself getting stuck with the soft sand and river rock. After trying to dig out, I called Jay who walked down to the river carrying a shovel and some water for us. After Jay arrived we tried everything we could think of to get the truck out of the sand. We quickly discovered we were on an underground spring and no matter what we did the truck kept sinking.

After eating crow and calling Vicki and telling her what I had done, we found a local tow company and called to inquire about the service. Wow tow bills can be expensive and this one cost me $200.00 per hour and was charged from the time the truck left the shop until they were finished. Well the total service call took less than 30 mins. and the bill was only $200.00.

Funny part is the driver knew exactly where I was and said they usually get calls to pick up stolen vehicles without the tires and they are much harder to recover. So after about 4 hours of baking in the sun, we got the truck out. Oh and no I did not catch any fish........

So what a lesson to learn especially when your kids know what happened and tell all their friends who say not nice things and your wife is mad and said you should have just stayed home. Well next time I will walk where ever we are headed and not try this. Just for your amusement I am attaching pictures.

Parenting

Somehow I thought that at this point in our lives we would slow down.  But, God has other ideas for us.  Sometimes we meet ourselves coming and going.

While we don't have to drive children to practices, games and what not.  We now get the privilege to spend quality time with them.  And, for the most part, we really like them!!  And they even like us too!!

While we will always be the parent - there is a transition going on - we are becoming friends with our children.  We have raised them to love the Lord, to be responsible citizens, to be servants.  Our job is done.  We are not responsible if they chose to turn away from what we taught them.  Getting our arms around this has been freeing.

God loves each of our children much more than we ever could.  He is in control.  We will not be brought down by guilt or what ifs when they make bad decisions.  We all have made bad decisions.  We just continue to love them and pray for them. 

God is good.

Miscarriage

Kara miscarried the baby.  Our grandbaby is in Heaven.  Brian very eloquently said - "Looks like your Dad is the first one to hug her."   I do think Uncle Mark might be fighting to hold her though....

Yes, Brian "knows" she is a girl.  Yes, we know she is in Heaven. 

Our hearts grieve with Kara and Tom.  What words can you say?  We know that all things work together for good - Romans 8:28-29.  That doesn't make it feel any better. 

So now we pray for Kara and Tom, for physical and emotional healing.  We ask Abba Father to hold them close, to draw them to His lap where they can rest and be loved on.

Even in the storm - God IS good.

A Whole Bunch of Nothing

Finally finished the taxes today.  This year just wasn't motivated, perhaps because we owe??  Actually took a nap this afternoon.  This was not planned, was reading and just started dozing.  There is something peaceful about a Sunday afternoon nap.

Been thinking about a hobby.  Since we don't own our home (yet!) I am having trouble getting into "improvement" things, like planting a garden.  And, the Diamondbacks were SNOWED out today.  Thinking about quilting - it has been a long time, but it is fun to do. 

We are so blessed.  There are times I don't think we comprehend the privilege of living in America where we have so much freedom - to worship, to praise, to meet freely.  Think I want to work on being more grateful. 

God is so good.

Grandparents

Yep, we are going to be grandparents.....   Yes, it is Kara and Tom.  They have been trying for quite awhile and are now five weeks pregnant.  The baby is due November 20, 2011.

Brian is so stinking excited - so cute to watch.  He actually went out and bought an outfit already....

The big question we are struggling with - what will the baby call us?  We have already checked with Kara to see what Tom's folks have picked.  We are looking at our options.  In reality - we have some time. 

Praying for this baby, for Kara and Tom.  God is good.

Camping

Here they are - two of my favorite men. 

Brian and I went camping up at Dead Horse State Park.  David drove up and joined us. 

They caught lots of fish - mostly trout.  The weather was really windy which made me cold.  Tank was rather annoying as he kept jumping in the lake....

Saturday afternoon we headed to Jerome after David left - it is such a fun little town.  So much history.  We gave in and ate lunch/dinner at the Haunted Hamburger.  Really good. 

It is so amazing to see all that our Lord has created.  We have only scratched the surface of the west - the entire world awaits us.

God is good.

Accidents

A week ago this morning I (Vicki) was rear-ended on the way to work while sitting at a red light.  It was quite annoying.  My car has been in the shop getting fixed and I have been visiting the chiropractor - a whole new experience for me.  Though sore, I am feeling much better.

Then yesterday, Brian texts me, his van pool was in an accident coming home from work.  Some woman merging onto the freeway decided to take their lane too!  Lots of blessings - they had already dropped off three of the guys, there was not car in the lane they went into, no one in the van was hurt badly - just bumps and bruises and it wasn't our car!!.  So now Brian gets to visit the chiropractor.

How bizarre that within a week, we were both in accidents.  Praise God for those angels that are in critical condition protecting us.  God is so good.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Yep, it is that time of the year where we are busy, busy, busy.  I (Vicki) am always busy at this time of year because the auditors appear.  They provide distractions for about six weeks and do have a tendency to make me grumpy. 

Brian is busy at work too - poor management planning.  Our Saturdays are taken up with the acupuncture on Brian's foot (this is amazing,  he is in much less pain) and church.

We love our new church.  We had the opportunity Friday evening to visit with our Small Group - lots of fun to catch up.  There are some folks we will be getting together with. 

We are hoping to get out for some spring camping....  Brian's new toy is a pop up camper.  God is good (duh) and provided us with one far beyond our hopes.  It will be good to spend time with God in nature.

God continues to bless us.  God is so good.

Healing Continues

As most of you who read this know - Brian had an affair.  It lasted seven months - the details are unimportant.  One of the last things we needed to do in our healing process was to visit Las Vegas.  It was in Las Vegas that Brian met Satan with skin on....

So we went last week.  Wednesday and Thursday were fun - healing.  Friday, it was rough.  Brian was snippy and not very nice.  After a couple of hours I gave in and cried.  Tears don't impact Brian so he knew I was at the end.  We talked and prayed.  Brian's statement "I am so angry at myself, how could I have done this to you?" made me realize just how far we have come. 

When we saw this shirt we both burst into laughter.  What happened in Vegas, didn't stay in Vegas!!

Nothing is hidden from our Lord - He knows all and sees all.  Someday we will have to give account for our actions and thoughts.  I am so glad that Jesus has already forgiven.  We are taking the grace and moving on - worshipping and serving our Lord and Savior.

God is good!

God's Sense of Humor

Wow, is God good or what? As you know our marriage has survived a very difficult time. We are healing and God is moving very quickly in our lives.


Last December, we visited CCV and felt like God was really speaking to us as we listened to Pastor Don Wilson deliver the message. We felt at peace as we sang the worship songs and chatted with those seated around us as well as those we spoke with after the service.

In this last series of messages, Pastor Don spoke about stepping out and taking risks and doing what God has called you to do for Him. Well we are doing just that. Sunday we attended the first steps class and spoke with members of the staff further about our ministry to be available for those who are struggling in their marriages. It was confirmed again that this is the ministry God has called us to and we are to further pursue His plan.

Today I spoke with the Staff and learned that with a new church plant, they have lost a few coaches to assist with the new church and the ministry at the new location and there is an immediate need for coaches like Vicki and myself. As God would only do, the person I spoke to quoted a quote we have been using for a long time. "God does not waste any hurt", "He uses it to strengthen us and for us to be the pillars when those around us are hurting". WOW......Another confirmation of God speaking to us.

During my conversation, I learned we will be attending training in the next two weeks and the training falls on days in which my work schedule does not conflict. Further, following the training, we will become members of the pastoral care staff and will work directly with the pastors and the persons facing difficult times in their marriages.

As part of CCV's strategy we have found a neighborhood group just blocks away from our home.  This will allow us to further reach the neighborhoods for Christ and allow us to actively involved in our neighborhood with the ministry God has called us to. 

I/we are so excited to see how God ahs lead us out of the desert and is taking us to higher ground to work with Him thus giving the glory directly to Him. What an awesome God we serve.

We ask continued prayer for us as we continue to follow God's calling in our lives.

Go God

Can't believe how mightily God is working in our lives.  And we know it must be God because so much stuff is happening as we are taking BIG steps of faith.

We went to class today at CCV, we are going to switch to a new Neighborhood Group - about four blocks from us.  How cool is that?  We will be starting training to move forward into helping other couples whose marriages are in trouble.  God NEVER EVER takes us through something without letting us use it for His glory. 

And yet, as we follow in obedience, the evil one continues to attack....  Silly devil - God wins. 

This is going to be a great week - God is so good.

Stepping Out

While life has been pretty busy recently - we are also so much at peace.

Moving to a new church and a new ministry is good.  Pastor Don yesterday challenged us to step out.  How often as fully devoted followers of Jesus do we accept mediocrity rather being willing to be bold and step out?

I love the statement - There are no regrets when we step out for Jesus.  Jesus will never, ever fail us.  He wants us to step out of our comfort zone.  So, here we are - taking risks. 

The really cool thing - we are headed the right direction because we are under attack of the evil one.  Our comfort lies in the fact that we know who wins - God. 

God is so good. 

Violated

Friday evening Kara called - she was bubbly and happy.  She had a great review at work.  I encouraged her things were looking up.  About two hours later she phoned, their home had been burglarized. 

We jumped in the car (Brian, myself, David and Jay) and went over there.  No - there was absolutely nothing we could do but be there.  Their home was trashed.  It looked like something out of a movie - the mattress was off the bed, things were thrown around....

At this point over $25,000 in jewelry, guns, electronics, money is gone.  More importantly - their sense of security is gone.  Our homes are supposed to be safe haven.  But some bad guys took that away from them (and from us). 

I wonder what type of person could break in a home, seeing pictures all around then trash it, taking what they wanted and moving on.  Gone are the pictures - all their pictures, courtship, wedding, starting life together.   Gone are the pieces of jewelry given to her by Brian, myself, Tom.  Gone are Tom's guns. 

As I watched Brian holding Kara my heart was touched.  She wanted the security of her Dad.  But even Dad's can't protect us from bad guys.

So now I pray - pray Kara and Tom will regain their sense of home; pray blessings on the officers who were so professional yet kind; pray the bad guys not only will be caught, but that they will feel remorse for the actions, pray too they will come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. 

Even in this darkness, God is good.

Following God

We are changing churches.  It has been a tough decision, but it comes down to following where God is leading.

Palm Valley (PV) was a great place for us but now God is calling us to Christ Church of the Valley (CCV).  Here we will be able to take what we learned over the last two years and share it, reach people, offer hope.  God is good.

As we said good bye to our PV Small Group there were tears.  These are the folks that walked through the absolute worst time of our lives with us - they loved on us, prayed for us, held us accountable.  There was never judgment from this group of friends.  We know we always have a place with them.

It is excited to start out on a new season.  God is broadening our perspective and our ministry.  Too often, we as fully devoted followers of Christ, settle for mediocrity.   We don't trust God to do the really BIG stuff.  That is what we are doing - expecting God to show up BIG.  He will.

We are so thankful for old friends and for the new ones we will be meeting.  God is so good.

Signs

God is so amazing.  For the past few months we have been struggling with a major decision.

Yesterday I (Vicki) asked God for a sign.  While I know this is Scripturally based - I seldom ask, perhaps I don't want to annoy God!!!  Within two hours - God had given me, not one, but two very clear signs about the direction we are headed. 

I love the fact that my Lord and Savior loves me SO much that asking for a sign is no big deal to Him.  And, in this case, He wanted be to be clear. 

Soon, we will share the decision with our friends, but for now we are simply savoring our time with Abba Father. He is preparing us for some pretty BIG stuff and we need to have His strength.  Resting in His arms, growing in His love.  What a great way to start the new year.

God is good.