Pixiemom

To all of you who have been praying for us, I want to thank you so much. It’s been a rough and stressful time. I can finally tell you a little bit of what was going on.

As you know, I’ve been asking for prayer since the summer about church. Jeremy and I have left the church we have attended since moving up here. I felt like I wasn’t able to do the job God wanted me to do. I had tried to talk to the person I was having trouble with, but felt like I was rejected, so Jeremy and I met with him with Pastor and though things improved for about a month, it kept going back and forth. I was insulted many times and it hurt badly. What I do is for God and for God alone and I put my heart into it. To be told that I’m lazy or insensitive really made me depressed. It got really bad near the end and I was dreading going to church. No one should feel like that. We should want to go to church and worship and fellowship. No matter what, when I was up there praising God, I forgot everything and enjoyed worshiping the One who created this world and who made me who I am. I have many friends at that church and I miss them a lot. I know it was a surprise when we announced that we were leaving and it was really hard for us to keep it a secret, but we felt like it was best that way.

Tomorrow will be the second Sunday we’re visiting this one new church. We’ve had two Wednesdays there. The kids seem to love the programs they have for them. There are a good amount of kids there. Not too many, but enough. They have different adult home study groups during the week. We have gone the last two weeks to the one that takes place at the same time as the children’s program on Wednesdays. I’m still not sure what I think of the books they use for that, but I do enjoy the people, especially the older couple… they are hilarious.

We are now praying on whether or not to stay here for a little longer or to find another church to try. As part of our way of deciding (other than lots and lots of prayer) we like to have the Pastor come over to talk, so if we enjoy it again this week, I think Jeremy is going to see about asking the Pastor if we can set up a time to talk. Then, finding where we can serve in this church. I think Jeremy needs a break from teaching and sound system right now, but I really want to sing. Not really lead… just sing. I need to know where I can fit into this church if we are going to stay. They don’t have a choir, but they do have a praise and worship team. I wonder if they have some kind of drama team. I know that I’d enjoy that as well.

So, there you are… up to date on what is going on with our church situation and you now know what you were praying for.

For our immediate family, AnnaBeth starts the birthday season on September 8th and James ends it on January 14.

Yesterday was James birthday. He decided to take the $20 and go to Walmart. We’ll be doing that this weekend. For his birthday dinner, we had tacos. It was very, very yummy. For dessert, we had dark chocolate brownies with chocolate chips in them and ice cream. It is nice that with living up here, it is easy to find soy ice cream for my sweet boy who is allergic to milk. We didn’t have very much ice cream before we moved up here to Chicago-land because of the lack of an acceptable substitute for him.

Anyway, my son is now 11 years old. He’s having a fun time learning dancing. He has two classes that he’s having to take. The first one is jazz stage techniques. For the recital, they are doing a medley, and I don’t know what they are. The second one is Musical Theater dancing. For the recital, they are doing the Broadway version of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious from Mary Poppins. I don’t know which one, but in one of them he will have to lift one of the girls. The only thing he is concerned about is not being strong enough and maybe dropping her. I think he’ll do fine.

So, that is that. My wonderful favorite son is now 11 years old. Wow… It’s amazing how fast time goes by.

It’s a new year and there are going to be more changes happening that I know of and probably some I don’t know of as well. I’ve gotten closer to some of my friends and farther from others. I don’t like having more distance with my friends. I like having friends and I don’t like when they seem to pull away. Maybe to them, I seem to be pulling away, but I’m not meaning to.

Things around here are so active and busy that time seems to pass by without me noticing it. I have had a hard time lately trying to get things done and feeling like I’m unable to do what I’m supposed to do… in many different areas of my life.

I am going to see what I can do to better my ministry this year. I really need to show a lot more growth in my Christian walk than I did this previous year. I am not happy with how I’ve felt with my spiritual growth lately. It’s not made as much growth as I’d like.

I am hoping maybe this year will be the one where I might find part of my dream of singing more, even outside of the churc

I want to be a better wife to Jeremy and also a mom and find out what it will need to help my kids learn what they need to learn.

No, these aren’t resolutions. These are things that I want to do all the time. I don’t always accomplish what I’d like to accomplish and it bugs me sometimes, but I can’t let it get to me too much. I need to find a way through it and either give up what can’t be or find a way that it can be. If I dwell too much on what I think are my failings, I will become too depressed and I need to stay positive and continue life praising and living for Jesus.

Speaking of Jesus… I had some one on one time with Noelle on New Years Eve. I took her out for our little date time. We got her some new pajamas from Target as half of what she has is way too small and then she got a chocolate ice cream sundae while I drank a chocolate marshmallow latte from Oberweis. (My Christmas gift to my kids was to give them each time out with me every other month.) We were talking about Jesus and His sacrifice and gift to us and she was applying it to her own life. I am thinking that I may see something come about from this child faith of hers this year. I have 3 children who have confessed their faith in Jesus, who have given their lives to Him, and who have been baptized. I am praying for both AnnaBeth and Noelle for them both to see how their lives can be affected by Jesus and what they need to do to live in Him and for Him. I would love to have my prayer warrior friends join me in praying for the two of them as they learn more this year and open up to the choice that will come about living for Jesus.

Hmmm, this also brings to mind the fact that I need to update my testimony. I should do that soon.

I love you all. Many prayers and blessings go out to you, my friends. May this year bring much joy to you, no matter what you may go through.