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The Secret Tribe of Mommies in Ministry

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May 9, 2013
Inspiration, Ministry, Team
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Being a mommy in ministry is not for the faint of heart!  For the last seven years I’ve been at church before 8:00 am every Sunday morning.  Having a 6 and 8 year old currently, that means that I have bundled up babies and toddlers for the majority of those years to come with me at the crack of dawn.

  • I will admit to pre-dressing my kids the night before in an attempt to make Sundays a bit easier.
  • I’ll also admit to stealing potato chips from the youth snack stash in order to feed my kids breakfast on occasion.
  • I’ve brushed their hair and teeth in the church bathroom on mornings when they just couldn’t handle it any earlier.
  • Once when Delaney had a fever, I brought a bean bag and let her sleep it off in the back room where nobody could bother her.
  • My kids have both attended TIny Town in their pajamas.

The best thing about my life is that I’m not alone.  There are MANY women in our church that I have rubbed shoulders with for years who have faithfully shaken their kids awake way too early to serve at God’s house.  By the time you see these moms, they are well dressed, makeup on, kids in order, and doing polished ministry.  I get to see the other side of their lives when they are doing their makeup after worship practice and putting on their kids clothes just before the front doors open for church.  Some of our musicians have admitted to having their child’s bodily fluids on their clothes, hidden discreetly behind their instruments.  We laugh together at the reality of moms in ministry and sometimes lament our difficult tasks.

But there’s another interesting facet that I am watching from the gift of longevity….these kids that have literally been drug into our church before the sun comes up are simply amazing.  We are about to have our first graduate from our group of church planter’s kids and we have every age of child from 18 on down…and the depth of their character is inspiring.

  • They competently manage and lead from a very young age.
  • The older kids help to take care of the younger as if they are siblings…and the young ones look up to the older ones with awe.
  • These kids know worship songs to the core of their being because they have been running and dancing through worship practice for years.
  • They LOVE ministry and are good at it.  It’s in their second nature to minister and to serve.
  • They are not afraid of risk and challenge.  They have lived lives of faith as long as they can remember.
  • They are not bitter about coming to church (although they all wish it started later!).

momIt is for all of these reasons and more that I don’t feel bad when I see a nursing mommy, with arms loaded, making her way into church early on a Sunday morning.  I just simply smile with understanding and make sure there’s a cup of coffee to put in her hands.  I also grab one of her kids and put them to work somewhere.  After all, I know that she’s not there for her own glory, but because she believes that God will use her example to mold and shape her child.

So, here’s to the Secret Tribe of Mommies in Ministry.  I have seen your tired eyes, disheveled hair, and rumpled clothes.  I’ve watched you balance too much and feel the stress of commitment.  I know you think you’re nuts sometimes for trying to do ministry with a toddler by your side.  But always remember, there’s a tribe of mommies on your side, too. 

May 5 Coffee Church Highlights

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May 6, 2013
Ministry
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What a gorgeous stretch of weather we are having!  We were in Hawaii on vacation last week and I must say that the sunshine made the transition back home EASY!

Mark and I feel refreshed after a week off of our regular schedule.  We opted not to have internet access while we were gone, so other than a couple of Starbucks runs to use their internet access, we were disconnected!  It was pretty fun to just enjoy the beauty of Oahu!

On another note, we were also very glad to be back at church yesterday!  Love North Creek, this series, and all that God is doing in our midst.  We really can’t say enough about our leadership team.  They are easy to walk away from and trust with the church, but they are also easy to come back home to!  Although, I must say, they all told me to stop texting them while I was on vacation…I just wanted to know how church went when we were gone…geesh!

Matt and Alissa have been working overtime to perform Love Songs for our congregation during our relationship series.  It’s been awesome and showcases just what amazing talent we have in our midst.  Thank you to the worship team as a whole for doing even more than you normally do to bless us!

We have another pregnancy in our midst!  Mike and Alecia have officially announced their baby coming this fall!  This one is particularly special to us as we have been praying for a decade for this family!  Sometimes God’s timing is not ours, but it is always purposeful and perfect!  Congrats to both of you!

Will you partner in prayer with our church?  We have a email prayer ministry that we’d love for you to be a part of.  Just email prayer@coffeechurch.com and we’ll get you signed up.  You will get prayer requests and you can also email your personal prayer needs.  Every week we have various needs presented and almost 200 people prayer over those emails.  Isn’t that cool!?!?!

We’ve had a lot of great things coming out of our relationship series!  The people who are choosing to do the dates we are providing (or come up with their own) are seeing profitable results.  Here’s something I’ve been thinking about:  when your spiritual authority asks you to do something, do it.  God has anointed His chosen leaders and He will bless your obedience.  We’ve personally seen that as we’ve asked for help from our spiritual authorities.  When they have given us guidance, and we’ve listened (despite our own desires), God has done amazing things.  I think we miss that in our culture because we don’t understand God’s view of authority and obedience.  Spend some time studying the Bible on that topic.  It’s fascinating!

We are in the process of assembling summer small groups!  If you are interested in leading a group, please email Tasha at Tasha@coffeechurch.com.  She will walk you through the big picture and see if it’s a right fit for you!  Our summer groups are highly relational, so if you have an out-of-the-box idea, let us know!

Well, I must get back to work!  So much to catch up on after being gone!  Be blessed!

 

 

 

 

April 28 Coffee Church Highlights

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April 30, 2013
Ministry
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While I am on vacation I have asked Chris Harold to guest blog the weekly Coffee Church Highlights. Chris serves on our team as executive pastor in addition teaching each week at one of our campuses.

 

We officially launched our relationship series Us at both campuses this week. Every week we are covering a global marriage principle. Tied to each big idea are specific date nights, or as we call it “Love Work.” Its been a lot of fun to watch couples do some pretty wacky stuff all in an effort to celebrate their spouse. Some of our couples created a Facebook page around the date nights to share ideas. If you have a moment like that page to discover more ways to date your spouse. If you are on twitter you can also share your experiences with the hashtag #workingonus.

Kris Gray, youth pastor extraordinaire, preached at our Vancouver campus on nurturing romance. It was incredible to see both men and women have an “Oh, no! I think she is talking about me” moment. Kris does a wonderful job encouraging and equipping you students and adults to pursue God’s best.

We have plenty in store for the rest of the series. So stay tuned.

The leadership team is still investigating the purchase of the Highway 99 property. In order to walk wisely into this opportunity, we have engaged Architects, structural Engineers, legal representation and many in our church. Which means a lot of meetings and even more emails. We are constantly reminded that we need a ton of discernment, covered in prayer and supported by people. Would you take sometime over the next several weeks to pray for our team?

We also had several new volunteers join us at both of our campus. It’s beautiful to see people getting involved in the mission. Training new volunteers never gets old! If you are looking at joining our team you can do so by clicking here.

Our summer small group session is just around the corner. If you would like to host a small group, please email Tasha at tasha@coffeechurch.com.

It’s going to be a great week at the Coffee Church! Be blessed!

 

 

 

April 21 Coffee Church Highlights

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April 22, 2013
Ministry
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DSC_3872Baptism, Baby Dedication and 80’s Music…nothing new at the Coffee Church this weekend!  So much fun, life, and adventure!!!

David got baptized at Hazel Dell.  He’s got an amazing story about life change and what Jesus has done for him.  We loved celebrating with him and look forward to watching God use his life in amazing ways.

On the other end of our community, we dedicated Cora at Battle Ground.  Her mommy, Alissa, is one of our worship leaders on that campus.  Alissa and Roy are great parents whom we LOVE very much!

Also, some of our kids got to go Nitro Kids Conference last weekend.  What an awesome experience for those kids!  Can you imagine being a young child in the midst of 2000 other worshipping kids?  What a memory for those little hearts as they are learning that following Jesus is an epic adventure.

nitroThis week Mark and I are at a Pastor’s Conference in Coeur D’Alene.  We are looking forward to talking to our old friends and making some new ones.  And we might be hunting for a youth pastor for our Battle Ground Campus! 😉

Our worship team opened the preaching with an 80’s tune at Hazel Dell as we started our relationship series.  It was hilarious and we are looking forward to a song each week at both campuses for the entirety of our series.

Our youth ministry turned four this week!  Happy Birthday to a bunch of teenagers and leaders who are making a big difference in our communities.  Our most valuable asset in our church are students, both teen and kids.  They are the lifeblood of any church and we are grateful for their participation and energy.  What a gift they are to us!

Part of the relationship series is that we are giving away date packets after each sermon.  Some of it may seem cheesy, but it’s worth it!  I dare you to follow those date instructions to a tee and see where your relationship goes over the next month.  Hazel Dell, get on it this week.  Battle Ground, it’s coming your way in seven days!  Don’t miss church.

It was a very long and tragic week in the news.  We live in a fallen world with hurt, pain, and suffering.  There is no greater balance than the hope and life that flows from Jesus!  What a contrast.  If you are discouraged and confused by what you see on TV, open your Bible.  There’s joy in the midst of the darkness.

It’s going to be a busy week!  Much to do, but we’re doing it all for His glory, so let’s get on it!  Be blessed.

 

 

Raising Godly Pastor’s Kids

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April 19, 2013
Ministry
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One of the interesting facets of being pastors is raising kids that love Jesus.  We’ve been warned plenty of times about the negative effects that ministry can have on children, but we blissfully ignore those and keep moving forward.  Today, as I put my 3rd grade girl in a van to go to Kid’s Conference, I was reflecting on some of the ways we are implementing Christ into our kids.  I’ve blogged in this regard before, but I’ll add a few more today.

Here’s some of our foundational parenting tips:

1.  It’s gotta be their call.  I know that no matter how badly I want my kids to love Jesus, it is ultimately their decision.  Sometimes I have to force myself to relax and have real conversations with my kids.  A couple of years ago, Delaney said to me, “I’m not sure I believe in Jesus.”  Honestly, I wanted to plead with her in that moment to change her 6 year old ways.  I could picture myself on my hands and knees with a hankie and some tears.  Instead I calmly said, “That’s OK.  Let’s talk about why you feel that way…”  It opened up lots of conversations, both then and over the next several months.  It also proved to her that following Christ is not merely an emotional response, but a well thought out decision as well.  Her strongly worded sentence was her way of saying, “Mom, I have some questions.”  Christ was never afraid of questions.

2.  They will sit in a lot of vans on their way to a lot of camps and conferences.  I know what happens at camps and conferences and it’s worth every penny!  Being in a pastor’s family is definitely a challenge for kids and teens, so the balance we can give them is to cram all the fun we can into ministry.  One of those ways is to take advantage of overnight trips.  The kids and youth love them and it partners fun with following Jesus…what could be better!

3.  We are more concerned about what we are FOR as a family, rather than what we are AGAINST.  We’d rather show them LOVE for people lost in sin rather than be AFRAID of their presence in our church and lives.  And we would rather them find FREEDOM in their relationship with Jesus rather than feel CONDEMNED by their own sin.  There is a balance to all of this, but the bottom line is we are raising strong, young women with a Biblical foundation.  That should not come with a lens of fear, condemnation, and judgmental hearts.  If we impart the love of Jesus into their hearts, we can ultimately trust them with the behavior choices that come in the future.

So, that’s what we are trying.  I’ll let you know in about 15 years if it worked for us!  What I do know is that God is a God of grace and His mercies are new every morning.  I know that verse was never more real to me than when I started having kids.  I am thankful that God can take the best of what we have to offer and help my kids navigate life and ministry in a positive way!