Courage to Go Deeper

Yours Truly is excited for the new study our house church (i.e., home fellowship group) is starting. I was really struck this week by the first passage we are focusing on in Luke 5 where Jesus asked Peter if he could get on his boat, then asked Peter to push off from shore a little bit, later asking to go deeper and finally to trust Him and throw in his nets (to catch fish). Such a great picture of how Jesus asks us to invite Him into our lives, then gradually to learn more about Him. He doesn't want us to stop there but invites us to go deeper and even asks that we trust Him and "throw down" to join Him where He is at work.

As I've been praying about this lately I've been realizing that going deeper and joining where God is at work requires not only trust in God but also great COURAGE. Courage to walk with Him every day. Courage to face whatever situations life may bring. Courage to share His grace and love with others no matter what. Courage to stand for the truth. Courage to not give up. When I think of people I know today that have great courage I immediately think of our dear friends Jack and Mel. Jack, while serving as a middle school youth pastor, was seriously injured in a boating accident in his mid-twenties and as a result, is considered to be quadriplegic. His wife Mel, also in her twenties at the time, didn't listen to the counsel of others to leave him and instead stayed true to her marriage vows "in sickness and in health". She has been with Jack through it all. Every day. Now, over 25 years later.

Today Jack and Mel regularly "throw down" with Jesus and are always available to join Him at work. They are an amazing TEAM. They help lead a grad/career group at their church, they disciple and continually pray for others (Mr. Wagner has been meeting regularly with Jack for years), they go wherever there is a need (Mel was with me when I was admitted to the hospital on multiple occasions when I was pregnant with the Little Miss, before Mr. Wagner could get there from work), they provide pre-marital counseling (including ours, Jack even married us) and continue to follow-up with couples they have worked with over the years. Jack and Mel are now like "adoptive" grandparents to our own daughter and her close friend Allison (they sure look young for being grandparents, wouldn't you agree?!). Through it all, they are both two of the most HUMBLE people I know (in fact, I am sure I am going to be in deep murky waters with Mel after she sees this post!). Courage. They have it. Throw down with Jesus and join Him at work? They DO it.

Here Comes the Bride (But Not Yet!)

I'm not sure how "official" it was but our Little Miss got married this past week. We were watching the Rose Bowl with the Booth family and rather than the torture...errr...ummm....I mean entertainment...of watching the Ducks play, the Little Miss (5 years) and Logan Booth (4 years) decided to organize their first wedding. They wouldn't let us come into the playroom until they placed every tiny toy along the wall upstairs (about 200 toy pieces that were probably carried two-by-two over the course of an hour). I thought the toys were the audience but was corrected to learn that they were the "decorations". Out came the (fake) flower bouquets and the parents were (finally!) invited up to observe the proceedings. Being that neither kiddo has ever actually attended a wedding, the ceremony was nontraditional. Yours Truly attempted to officiate and when asked "who gives the bride away," there was only silence to be heard. While Mr. Wagner does approve of our dear friend Logan, our girl's daddy was having visions of the future and couldn't even pretend to give his only child away. I think Mr. Wagner needs another 30 years or so before he'll agree to handing over his daughter! My favorite part was hearing the Little Miss and Logan declare how they will always be good friends and I even heard them use the "L" word. Now, if only we could bottle up these sweet kiddos so they would always stay so young and innocent.

Happy New Year 2012!

From our family to yours, we hope you all had a wonderful time welcoming the new year. We took advantage of the snow and enjoyed a sledding outing with the Curtis family after church. You see, where we live one gets excited about the white stuff even if there is grass peering through. Fun times!