Heeeeeeyyyyy O!

When you have a nickname like "O", you notice that people say "Oh!" a lot, you enjoy singing Angels We Have Heard on High (especially the chorus... Gloooooooooooooooria...) and you inspire people to do their best Harry Belafonte imitations. Timothy (or O, as we still often call him) even gets in on it. He does a really cute "Ayyy O!" that I really need to get on video one of these days! So one day back a few months ago we went searching for the famous Banana Boat Song to play it for our kids (OK... it was probably Lowell... not "we") and this is what we (I mean HE) found. We've watched it many, many times since and I thought that after the dreary weather we've had around here lately and in many other parts of the country that this would be a fitting moment of sunshine for you. Enjoy!!! I'll be back soon with more ponderings... Smiles & Smooches, Melissa

I Know an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly...

Remember that song? Then she swallowed a spider to catch the fly... Well, this afternoon that's what I almost did. Swallow a spider, that is. I have a big plastic mug with a lid THAT DOESN'T CLOSE that I use for water and apparently a spider decided to investigate it and drowned inside. I only know that because when I was getting ready to make dinner I took a drink and felt something weird and non-water-like in my mouth. I spit it out and it was a spider. Then I spit some more. And some more. (Mikaela thought it was quite funny.) At least it appeared to already be dead and it wasn't very big. I don't know what I would have done if it had been big and alive! Yikes! (And yuck!) Now aren't you glad I shared that with you? And can I advise you to check your next lidded beverage for spiders before you take a drink? You might thank me someday. (I wonder how long it will be before I stop checking my drinks for spiders...) So... what else have I been doing other than almost swallowing spiders, you ask? Well, trying to use my time wisely, for one thing, because it seems to be in scarce supply these days. It seems that the famous "supply and demand" principle applies to time, too. Since Timothy joined our family, it seems that I have less free time than I used to. And since I started helping out with worship at church in December, I have even less time. (I have been really leading worship, though. And I enjoy having Timothy around too. : ) Even if he is perfecting the "Mommmeeeeeee" plea.) Well, aside from taking care of my wonderful family and helping at church on Sundays, I have also been preparing for our upcoming 3rd annual Grove Community Church women's retreat! It's coming up February 20-22 (in case any of you want to join us!!!) AND I have the absolute privilege and honor of getting to speak at 3 of the 4 sessions!!! I am extremely excited and hopefully I'll take some time in the coming weeks to share with you what I'm studying and learning in preparation for it. Last year it was an amazing experience to share with the ladies at one of the sessions about God's LOVE and to lead the worship at the retreat, but God began several months ago to start moving me toward volunteering to speak at our retreat this year instead of leading worship again. To be honest, it was scary to volunteer because the ladies were considering someone from another church (with more experience) and a Beth Moore video series and compared to either of them, I felt quite inexperienced (for good reason!) and a bit intimidated. But I also wasn't feeling passionate about leading worship this year and there were a couple of other girls who were and I was feeling quite strongly about wanting to share/speak. So I spoke up and eventually it was decided that I would do it (with another gal speaking at the Sat. evening session.) It's definitely a step of faith (for me and the other women who said I can do it!), but quite appropriate because I'm talking about trusting God and believing we are who HE says we are. I'm actually basing the bulk of what I'm talking about on the book TrueFaced, so at least I'm not completely on my own. And do you want to know something very amazing? Just this week I found a friend on Facebook who I knew in college and haven't talked to since then (=quite a few years ago!) and it turns out she GOES TO THE CHURCH started by and pastored by 2 of the 3 authors of TrueFaced. I am wondering why God has reconnected us at just this time when I'm working on this... because it can't be a coincidence. : ) Well, that's all for the moment. I have so much more I wish I could tell you... like about how God has even been preparing Lowell and Timothy for the weekend I'll be gone. (Lowell takes care of Timo on the mornings when I'm playing+singing at church and Timo has turned into a major "Daddy's Boy!" as a result of it. So amazing! It will be SO MUCH EASIER for me to leave knowing how much they have already connected lately.) I can't wait to tell you more sometime soon... : ) Melissa PS I don't think I mentioned it, but every Jan 1st, I try to ask God what He wants to teach me about that year. This year He wants to teach me about ministry. And He gave me this passage to memorize: "Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." 2 Cor. 3:4-6 As part of a challenge on Beth Moore's blog, I'm memorizing scripture 2x a month. It's nice to have close to 3,500 others doing the same thing (picking our own verses.) I'm hoping to post about it... but no promises! (If only they would all come exercise with me, too!) Anyone else want to join the fun??? Let me know if you decide to!

A Whole New Year...

Hi friends! I'm sitting here typing this on my new laptop! (Gotta love those Christmas sales!) Hubby & I have talked about it for a while and he tried (unsuccessfully) to get one for me the day after Thanksgiving, but finally found a great deal online - no early morning trips and long lines necessary. : ) But, oh, where do I really start? Last Monday morning, as I was sitting down for breakfast with Lowell, he said he had a secret he needed to tell me before Christmas. He was quite serious. I said, "Okaaayyy..." and braced myself for whatever he was about to say. (Are you worried that I'm about to divulge his secret out here on the world wide web?????) Turned out to be that his sister and family (the ones who live in Thailand!) decided at the last minute to fly home to CA for Christmas and they were arriving in town the next day!!!!! He was the only one that knew. It was SO MUCH FUN to surprise his parents Tuesday night when they all got here. We hid the boys in over-sized duffel bags and Christmas carolled at their house and then told them we had a couple of early Christmas presents for them. : ) They both thought we had dogs hidden in there but were extremely ecstatic to find their grandsons and parents hiding behind the bushes. Like I said - SO. MUCH. FUN! So memorable. We'll be talking about this one for YEARS, I'm sure. : ) (Sherry, I'll try to get some pictures up here soon. : ) The next days were filled with Christmas Eve service preparations and Christmas celebrations with Lowell's family and 2 with my family and lots of (oh my goodness - so much!) delicious food, a trip to the snow (for everyone except Timothy and me) and to top it all off, we - just Lowell, Mik, Toby, Timo & myself -went to the coast for 2 nights. It was beautiful and a nice, quiet change from the full schedule of the weeks before. Honestly, on Friday I was thinking back on the weeks before and could hardly remember what happened in between Dec. 14 & Dec. 21st. I thought Mik's bday (12/13) had just happened the weekend before and then realized it was 2 weeks ago and what in the world happened since then????? I am PRAISING GOD for getting us through this month the way He did. I had so much fun (could be the theme for this month!) leading worship on Dec. 21 and coordinating the Christmas Eve service for our church and in spite of the added load of responsibilities (TIME!) we were more ready for Christmas (in regard to presents being purchased and wrapped) than we've ever been before. I KNOW it was because God knew what was coming and that I would be madly cleaning Monday and Tuesday and everything else. He took care of everything in so many ways that I don't have time to describe. I guess I won't likely be posting again here in 2008. : ) I love starting new years looking ahead and wondering what God is going to teach me about. And I'm looking forward to sharing more with you as the weeks and months come and go faster than I can get a handle on. : ) This life is quite a ride! I'm glad to be sharing it with you. : ) And I'm glad God's holding on to me so I can throw my hands up in the air and scream with the twists and turns knowing I'm secure in His grip. FOREVER. “This is what the LORD says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”- Isaiah 43:16, 18-19 Are you ready for the new thing He's going to do in your life in 2009??? Happy New Year everyone!!!!!

Merry Christmas!

(This is a poem I wrote last Saturday morning and sent out with some pictures to friends and family.  Most of you who are reading here probably got one, but in case you didn’t…  here it is!  Merry Christmas!  Things have been fun and crazy around here…  More info to come soon!)

 

08’s almost gone, 09’s drawing near

Much is the same, but Timothy’s here!

Born 7-07-07 (what a birthday!)

God brought him to us and he’s ours, here to stay!

 

In March, just a picture, a name & a promise

With July came a phone call! “Can you come in August?”

Mikaela & Toby would soon meet their brother

Surely we have a God who is like no other!

 

To Bangkok we flew as a family of four

August 24th, watched Kamin come through the door

And then, what adventure!  Elephant rides,

Cousins to play with, a new name to decide

 

Finally home from Thailand, a family of FIVE

A new toddler and jetlag… By God’s grace we survived!

Now Mikaela is 8, thriving in 2nd grade

And Toby is 5, still at home he does play

 

Lowell still works for the Housing Authorities most every day

But when he comes home, he’s ready to play

Melissa is grateful for all of God’s grace

As she serves at home and at church—what a pace!

 

And our youngest son? Mr. Timothy Kamin

Such noise does he make

Such joy does he bring, he fits right in!

Life is often crazy and full to the brim

Of lessons and love straight to us from Heaven

 

As we look to the future only one thing is sure

If we rest in God’s hands we will be secure

So in all of our stress and in every mess

Jesus, help us remember: WE ARE SO VERY BLESSED!

 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

With Much Love,

Lowell, Melissa, Mikaela, Tobiah & Timothy

 

 

 

 

YIKES!!!!!

Christmas is NEXT WEEK.  You are all probably more aware of it than I am.  It seems that every year I feel like I can’t think too much about Christmas until Mikaela’s birthday          (which was last Saturday) is over.  We had a lot of fun celebrating her birthday (party on Friday with a bunch of screaming happy girls that involved lots of glue and glitter) and ended with a trip down Christmas Tree Lane on Saturday.  Then Timothy was dedicated at church on Sunday morning, which was very special. 

 

I’m also leading worship at church again this week and helping coordinate the Christmas Eve service (for Christmas Eve of course)…  so blogging has once again been bumped off the “to do list”.  Because you do, after all, want to get a Christmas card/letter from us, don’t you?  (If you don’t think I have you address, you can email me and at least I’ll email you an electronic version. J)  I’ll probably post whatever we end up writing (because I can’t stand to send out a picture/card without a letter) here on the blog, whenever it gets written – which had better be soon if I don’t want people to get them after Christmas!

 

OK.  I’ll stop rambling.  Just wanted mostly to say HI and I hope you’re more prepared for Christmas than I am!  But prepare your heart, if nothing else, because that’s what gift Christ wants from you more than anything.  J

 

Blessings,

 

Melissa

 

GLORY!

Hi Everyone!  Long time, no blog…  I know!  I don’t like using the word “busy,” but I have been BUSY!  There’s just no other way to say it!  If you read my last entry, you might recall I said I had some opportunities to share come up (though come “down” from God would be more accurate).  One of those involves leading worship at church (a couple weeks per month) and that by itself is taking up a bunch of time I wasn’t aware that I had.  I have also been occupied cleaning up after Timothy who has learned how to climb onto tables and drag stuff ALL OVER THE HOUSE (oh, and I’m trying to keep him off the tables, too.) especially when I’m trying to get ready for worship practice.  Sooo, thankful as I have been, I haven’t found much time to blog about it.  Or anything else.

 

But at the moment, I’m having an issue I thought you might be able to help me with.  AND I’m hoping to catch 2 birds with one cage (because that sounds nicer than killing 2 birds, don’t ya think?)  Tomorrow morning (in oh, about 12½ hours) our church is having a women’s Christmas Tea and I’m helping coordinate the program part of it (because I’m too lazy to decorate a table and would MUCH rather talk and sing than cook, thankyouverymuch).  I get to introduce the theme of the morning and also introduce the theme of our women’s retreat (coming in February 2009!)  Trouble is, I haven’t written anything out yet.  And I’ve learned that I ramble a lot more and sit down afterward thinking “why in the world did I say THAT?” when I don’t write out my thoughts before I get in front of a microphone.  But I was having trouble figuring out where to start writing…  which is why I’m “talking” to you.  I thought maybe if I tried to explain what I’m talking about to you, I’ll feel less pressure and catch both birds (have the intro’s written and a blog post, too!)  So, after that RIDICULOUSLY LONG intro, here’s what I think I’m going to say about our theme “The Glory of Christmas”.

---

A week or so ago, my son Toby told me he had figured out why the moon was normally in the sky at night instead of during the day.  It had something to do with the moon not shining brighter than the sun.  I let him finish his explanation and then I tried to explain to him that the moon doesn’t really have any light of its own.  The only light the moon has is a reflection of the sun’s much brighter, more brilliant light.  The moon is a reflection of the sun’s glory!  Many times in the Bible, glory is talked about in a way similar to light.  In talking about a new heaven and new earth, Revelation 21:23 says “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.”  I think light is amazing .  You can see a source of light like a light bulb or the sun, but you can also see light reflecting off something else.  Think about it for a second.  Look around and see if you can see any light.  What you will see is either a source of light or light reflecting off of something else. 

 

God’s glory is the same!  We see God’s glory in 2 ways:  By experiencing God (through His word and  Spirit as He reveals Himself to us) and by seeing His glory reflected in the world He created and in the people He has created in His image.  We were created to reflect God’s glory!  When Jesus was born, an angel of the Lord appeared to some shepherds and “The glory of the Lord shone around them”  Then a GREAT host of angels appeared with the first angel praising God and saying (say it with me): “Glory to God in the highest!”  And after the shepherds hurried off to see the baby, they returned “glorifying and praising God.”  God’s glory was shining and being proclaimed like never before that night in a manger and the hills of Bethlehem and today we are celebrating the Glory of God that still shines when we celebrate Christmas today.

 

(And that’s all you get for now…)  J