::: say cheese...cake! part 2 :::

Fifteen cheesecakes! An incredible band! A wonderful audience! In other words, a great success.

Yes, it was a lot of work, but there were amazing people who came to my rescue, running to the store, washing dishes, giving me hints and tips, offering encouraging words, and, of course, making beautiful and delicious cheesecakes.

Here are a few photos from the cheesecake auction and Honeytown concert. It was so much fun that we're talking about making it an annual event to benefit whatever the need is at the time of the auction.

Thanks, everyone, for all of your hard work, prayers, generosity and thoughtfulness. I'm so blessed!

::: there's a muddy road ahead :::

One of the things that bothers me about our culture is how we can sometimes be presented with a thought or piece of information that sounds like it's just burgeoning with wisdom, but, when truly analyzed, the message is actually quite false. We find this in films and music, especially, but also in writing.

Earlier this week, I was leafing through one of our local newspapers and came across the "religion" section in which there was 1/4 page public service ad showing a pair of shoes lying beside a closed door. Below the photograph was this piece of writing:

"In some homes, it is a tradition to leave your shoes at the door so the traces of the outdoors don't get tracked throughout the house. Floors stay cleaner as slippered or bare feet tread silently about. This week, as you approach your house of worship, enter God's house with happiness, don't bring the outside in. Leave your cares behind...deposit them at the door."

I can see how this piece could seem to offer a bit of wisdom, and, as a mother, I certainly appreciate the idea of a clean floor, but after reading this, my immediate reaction was, "Wait. Leave your cares behind? That's not right."

I mean, when we go through our week, that span of time between Sunday mornings, our shoes take us through all kinds of terrain. Some of it is rocky. Some of it is slippery. Some of it, yes, is even muddy. Sometimes we might even find ourselves wishing we were in someone else's shoes.

But to arrive at church and leave those shoes at the door? Even with my motherly desire for clean carpet, I have to disagree.

When we enter into our house of worship, we find family, family who has also walked for a week through the rocks, slime and mud, and when we gather together, we shouldn't leave all of that at the door, pretending we have no cares or concerns. Instead, we should bring it all in, all of the cares of the outside world, all of the dirt and grime and muddiness we've gathered, and let our church family help us bring it to the foot of the cross, let them help us knock that mud free of our shoes and come away clean, ready to step back into the world and face another week.

Dear Friend

Here's a YouTube video of seventeen-year-old Bard sharing a song at Easter Sunrise Service. Enjoy!

Thirsty for Worship

I hadn't realized how important praise and worship music is to me until I was standing there fighting the tears.

The church we attend is a very small Mennonite church. When I say very small, I mean that regular attendance equals less than 100 people each Sunday and there are only a handful of teens in the youth group. Please don't think I'm complaining. I like it this way. I've been to mega-churches many times, and it's just not my cup of tea. Give me a little chapel with a nice blend of children and old ladies, regular carry-ins, a pastor who knows my name, and I'll be a happy church-goer.

We chose this church after a very long search for several reasons. First, my good friend Linda invited us and made us feel very welcome. Second, the youth group is small, so even though there are only three homelearning families, we're majority. Third, the people are very friendly and made us feel welcome right from the start.

We stayed for several reasons, too. I'm a pacifist. I'm pro-life across the board. I believe that our energy is better spent on serving others than fighting others. I believe that Jesus was a pacifist. I believe that He called us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. After all, when Jesus was being led to his death and Peter chopped off the ear of the high priest's servant, Jesus stopped the fighting, picked up the ear and healed His attacker. The lessons I hear on Sunday morning encourage me in this path. It's not an easy one, especially in the Christian community where pro-Bush bumper-stickers dot many of the vehicles of my fellow homelearners. The Mennonite church espouses the sanctity of all life, and the importance of stewardship of our environment, and the servitude we're called to give to all the world.

We also stayed because we have been continually made to feel welcomed. We've been included in everything from youth group functions to soup suppers to the vote for the new pastor.

And that's what this Sunday entailed.

One of the biggest challenges about staying at this church is that it's a body in transition. While we came in after the big scuffle, apparently the church was divided over what direction they should take. Cling tightly to Mennonite traditions or venture into more contemporary ways? Reach out to the community to draw in more members or adhere to a cliquish mentality? Stay with traditional hymns or enter into contemporary praise and worship? From what I know, the previous pastor wanted to venture, reach out, enter in to the contemporary. Eventually, because there was so much division, he left his position and an interim pastor was assigned.

Now, our pastoral candidates are a young couple, under 30, who would serve as both pastor (the husband) and assistant pastor (the wife), he fulfilling 75% of the pastoral duties, she filling the remaining 25%.

I don't know if it was necessarily because this Sunday was the voting Sunday (they call it "affirmation," but it's basically a vote), or if it just happened to fall this way, but a group of students from Bluffton University presented our Sunday service.

Wow.

The contemporary praise and worship was something I knew I'd been missing, but I hadn't realized how much. I hadn't realized that I'd really been held back, worshiping in a service where no one raises their hands, no one claps--either in praise or as applause for either God or the musicians, no one seems to be filled with JOY when they worship. Instead, it seems that worship is planned and regimented, that there is a focus on singing in parts instead of singing with the heart.

But seeing those Bluffton students sing, seeing them lift their hands, the joy on their faces, the beauty of their voices. Oh! My soul was thirsty for that! And I could barely control the tears.

I know that there are some in the congregation who don't prefer that type of worship. But for me, it was a balm. I do hope we can incorporate more of it, because I'm not sure how long I can continue being a part of a church that holds back so much in their worship time.

When the votes came in, there was 100% agreement on the new pastors. I do look forward to seeing where they'll take us, finding if they'll breathe new and exciting life into this body of believers.

I know that this body and soul really needs it.

::: from the green book :::

Last night, Bard and I went to see Kirk Cameron (Growing Pains, Left Behind) speak at B****n High School. The worship, with Jeff Deyo of Sonic Flood, was very good. It made me miss being in church. I've felt for so long that, because we had a good worship foundation when the kids were little, they'd absorb that. But last night, Bard said she barely remembers attending SFChurch. It makes me sad because I felt like we put a lot of work into SFC for the sake of our kids and now they don't even remember it. While Bard and I were there, I looked into church services at BCF and think we may visit there.

Yesterday:
*worked around cabin
*planted strawberry bed
*Bo mowed lawn
*went to an auction
*got three kitties (pussywillow, chloe and tasha)
(rest of page destroyed by water)

Today:
*Cleaned cupboards
*Cleaned windows
*Hung birdfeeders
*Bo moved tent to the barn
*Bo fixed the grill
*Ate hamburgers for dinner
*Watched the sunset

Ideas:
Guestbook
Bucket for dirty silverware
Bring down wardrobe (for clothes and fridge)
Make a little sign for the outhouse (instructions for use)
Make a checklist for cabin
Corkboard for inside cupboards
Chalkboard
Get Ken to move dirt, grind stumps
Pole barn for cars/workshop/freezer/washer
Cupboard around water heater and next to cupboards with bin for trash
Clean/stain cabin
Support beam
Shower w/3/4 wall on corner of cabin
S'mores basket
Eucalyptus wreath in outhouse