Better Late than Never

It isn’t new, but it’s pretty timeless. Thank you Church on the Move.

Ain’t it the truth

 

June has been one of those time warp months where we have managed to jam 2 months worth of living into one. Ceilidh had her tonsils out, graduates from high school, I have 25 house guests next week – don’t worry, only 17 are sleeping here : )  - I started a new job, Roy’s internship was almost suspended because of a strike by city employees, I managed to cause major damage to our “good car” while navigating a parking lot in downtown TO, & I battled a “suspicious mole” which is really cool if you’re talking James Bond & international intrigue, but just rather eeewww when you’re talking about a sketchy brown patch on your back.

It’s been great. I am serious. Even with the damage to the car, we are in our happy place.  The sun has finally decided to shine & the weather has been glorious. That means we’ve all migrated outdoors & have started connecting with friends & neighbors again.

We’ve been to an auction out in Niagara on the Lake with our friends the Morrill’s & stood under a tent in a storm  to score a beautiful antique pine cabinet for Robyn.

We hung out downtown & at the waterfront with our neighbors & got to hear some great local bands plus a few bigger names for Burlington’s Sound of Music festival.

I love my new job. I’m only a week in & a little overwhelmed trying to get myself up to speed, but so far I haven’t brought shame on Roy or the family. : ) It’s a good fit for my skills & vision – it’s the exact kind of job I prayed for.

Ceilidh & I saw William Hung  in Toronto. This has nothing to do with anything else in this post but it made us giggle.

Yesterday we had an impromptu visit from our friends the Warders. Their daughter was born without the left side of her heart & spent her first months of life at Sick Kids in Toronto. If you need a little perspective on your life & circumstances, spend a few minutes with a family whose newborn has had multiple open heart surgeries & who have lived 2 adults, a 5 year old & a 4 year old in one room at Ronald McDonald House for 4 months.

Finally, while I was sitting in the dentist’s waiting room on Tuesday, feeling sick to my stomach about the damage I just did to the car, a patient leaving the office said to the receptionist – “Ah, it’s okay. Life is short & God is good.”

Ain’t that the truth.

Sod Busting

I am determined to get a vegetable garden going this summer. Last year I had a kitchen garden of herbs in pots that was pretty darn successful. I managed a bumper crop of jalepenos that added zip to my salsa but the tomatoes were a complete bust. I ended up buying 1/2 a bushel at the farmers market so I could make the roasted tomato sauce & salsa fresca I dreamed about all summer.

It can be expensive to plant a garden & my original plan would have needed a 3-4 years to be worthwhile.  Since I’m in a rental home & signed a 2 yr lease, I wasn’t willing to do that. I’ve scaled back & just need a little plot to accomplish my goal.

So, this morning, full of ambition & extra caffeine, I headed to the backyard, armed with my shovel & my sassy new Dollarama gardening gloves. Reality set in within about 2 minutes. My house appears to have been built on solid bedrock, which is better than an Indian burial ground, but still…

I thrust that shovel into the ground & nearly knocked myself over with the impact, managing to turn over a clump of grass. Maybe “clump” is too generous a word. “Tuft” is more accurate. I knew our soil had a lot of clay, but was totally unprepared for how hard it was. All those Little House on the Prairie references to Pa “sod busting” had new meaning. Those pioneers really were tough. Who knew?

I found myself frustrated the sun had baked the ground into concrete when just last week I cursed Mother Nature for yet another soggy, rainy day.

Maybe it’s because I’ve spent 92% of my life in church or maybe it’s because I’m a pastor’s wife or maybe because I’ve taught the lesson to kids 146 times, but I was reminded of the Parable of the Sower. It’s found 3 times in the New Testament - Matt 13:3-23; Mk 4:2-20; Lk 8:4-15. 

The parable teaches about seed that falls on the wayside, stony places, among the thorns & finally on good soil. The application asks the question “what type of soil are you?” with the way you respond to the gospel.

For me, I take it a step further & consider what kind of soil I am for any lesson God tries to teach me.

Sometimes the lesson falls to the wayside.  I see the point, I think about it, but I sit on it, usually because I don’t like change. I like things tidy & in order in my comfortable nest. Maybe I will, maybe I won’t.

Sometimes, I’m a stony place. I know what I should do but dig in my heels & simply choose not to do it.

Sometimes the lesson lands in the thorns. I get it, but then I get distracted because lets face it, life is busy.

But thankfully, sometimes I am grateful to say I am good soil. I catch on pretty quickly, apply the truth & relish the peace & contentment that comes from a lesson learned.

What kind of soil are you? Where does the seed land most often? Is there a lesson you need to learn that came to mind while you read this post?

And, how handy are you with a shovel?  Are you free to help with a little sod busting on a vegetable plot in Burlington? ; )

I love big BUT’s & I cannot lie

In the past month, two of our fellow church planters in the Burlington/Oakville area have decided “Enough. I’m out.” and resigned their positions. One is Canadian, one from the States. One has been at it for several years, once since last November. One started from scratch, the other with a team & substantial resources behind him. One closed the doors of the church & it is no more, the other stepped away from the pulpit & left it for another to step up & have a go. I don’t know either of them personally but by reputation they are decent, hard working, godly men who came in – and I’m sure went out – after much prayer & soul searching. I wouldn’t begin to judge.

When I tell you starting a church in Canada is hard, I mean it. It is really hard. As in “You may not survive this” hard. It takes a toll on you personally & on the family. There isn’t a single area of our family life that BCC doesn’t touch.We’re in rented space at the community centre so many activities spill over to our home. Roy & the girls make up half the worship team. No matter how separate you try to keep finances, church expenses sometimes become Dowdy expenses. If someone comes to church then decides BCC isn’t the place for them, we take it personally.

We knew this going in. I grew up in Canadian churches & so did Roy. It’s a completely different playing field up here than what we faced in the States, particularly coming out of Virginia. But, there was no way we could know the intensity or how personal this journey would be.

For these church planters that have resigned, there was no “moral failure” that so commonly pulls men out of ministry. They simply came to a crossroads. For us, there were a few times through the winter where we thought we might be at a crossroads but it turned out to be just a really bad pothole.

It’s frustrating when you so deeply want to communicate truth to someone & they’re indifferent to the message.

It’s difficult to communicate your passion & vision when you’re still trying to establish credibility.

It’s maddening to wait on God’s timing & not shake your fist at the heavens & yell “Are you KIDDING me?” when another disappointment comes.

But, (I love big BUT’s & I cannot lie) it has also been a deeply rewarding experience. We have watched Ceilidh & Sarah’s faith expand & grow to where there were times they actually lifted and encouraged us. We’ve always been very tightly knit as a family which is a good thing because last summer, we were it. As in we didn’t know anyone else here, so it was a darn good thing we got along. Not many families have the opportunity or experience of drawing closer & connecting on a deeper level with their teenagers on the levels we have. What a privilege for us. Our girls have seen the highs & lows of church life & still want to be part of it. They are so much more mature & well grounded than I ever was at their age because of the challenges we’ve faced. How could I ever complain about my life or circumstances ?  Well, I could, but who would listen?

Bottom line, continue to pray for us. We have an amazing faithful group at BCC & it is an honor to serve alongside them. We’ve developed relationships that have grown into genuine friendships. We are blessed.

For those who’ve come to that crossroads & decided this is it, I wish them well & pray God gives them great success wherever He calls them next. They have planted seeds that we’ll do our best to water & grow. For us, we aren’t at that crossroads. Not even close.

The road is hard, but the destination is so worth the trip.

I’m trying my darndest to get back into the blogging game but since my currently available brain-space is occupied by post-tonillectomy/pre-graduation stuff & things, I thought I’d post a recipe or two – old family favorites & new treats I’ve just discovered.

Today’s theme is:

GROSSLY UNHEALTHY HEART ATTACK ON A PLATE FOODS

First – the new. Crispy Onion Rings recipe from Food & Wine . The secret is the club soda.

Crispy Onion Rings

1. 3 cups all-purpose flour
2. 1/3 cup cornstarch
3. 1 teaspoon baking powder
4. 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
5. 3 to 4 cups club soda, chilled
6. 1 quart vegetable oil, for frying
7. 2 large Spanish onions, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch rings

1. In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the cornstarch, baking powder and the 2 teaspoons of kosher salt. Whisk in 3 cups of the club soda until the batter is smooth. Add more club soda, about 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is the consistency of thin pancake batter. Let stand for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat the vegetable oil to 380°. Dip 8 onion rings in the batter, letting the excess drip back into the bowl. Fry the onion rings in the hot oil over high heat, turning occasionally, until golden and crispy, about 3 minutes. Transfer the onion rings to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with salt. Repeat with the remaining onion rings and batter and serve hot or warm.

Second, the old. Baked Ziti from every single friend & neighbor when we lived on Long Island.  My favorite “Someone had a baby/surgery/bad day” meal. 

BAKED ZITI

1 16 oz box ziti
1 26 oz jar spaghetti sauce
1 16oz Ricotta cheese
2 c mozarella
1/2 c Parmesan cheese

Cook the pasta til it’s just shy of al dente.  Remember it’s going to bake & you don’t want mushy pasta.
Combine the spaghetti sauce, ricotta, mozarella & parmesan cheese.  When pasta is cooked, drain & add to the sauce mixture.  Pour into a greased 9×13 pan.
You can sprinkle with additional mozarella – I highly recommend it.
Bake 350 for about 30 minutes til heated through & cheeses melted.

The Body of Christ Needs You

Rick Warren & the team he leads at Saddleback Church are a gifted group of spiritual leaders. Warren in particular has the gift of making Biblical truth both profound & practical. I subscribe to Daily Hope  & every day I get a brief devotional to kick off my day. They give me a common sense start to my morning. From time to time I’ll share one with you – I highly recommend you sign up for yourself.

This post is copied & pasted straight from my inbox to my blog.

All of you together are Christ’s body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it. 1 Corinthians 12:27 (NLT)

One reason you need to be connected to a church family is to fulfill your calling to serve other believers in practical ways. The Bible says, “All of you together are Christ’s body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27 NLT).

Your service is essential to the Body of Christ—just ask any local church. Each of us has a role to play, and every role is important. There is no small service to God; it all matters.

There are no insignificant ministries in the church. Some are visible and some are hidden behind the scenes, but all are valuable. Small or hidden ministries often make the biggest difference. In my home, the most important light is not the large chandelier in our dining room but the little night light that keeps me from stubbing my toe when I get up at night.

There is no correlation between size and significance. Every ministry matters because we are all dependent on each other to function.

What happens when one part of your body fails to function? You get sick. The rest of your body suffers. Imagine if your liver decided to start living for itself: “I’m tired! I don’t want to serve the body anymore! I want a year off just to be fed. I’ve got to do what’s best for me! Let some other part take over.”

What would happen? Your body would die. Today thousands of local churches are dying because of Christians who are unwilling to serve. They sit on the sidelines as spectators, and the Body suffers.

God calls you to a service far beyond anything you could ever imagine. He created YOU for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for you to do (see Ephesians 2:10). Whenever you serve others, you are actually serving God.

Take a look at this new curriculum from Saddleback Resources: Raising Your Kids without Raising Your Blood Pressure.

And now for something completely different

I for one am exceedingly glad that God doesn’t let us know everything that’s coming over the next hill. Had I known what this past winter was going to be like there’s a very good chance I would have gone to bed in late September & would just now be contemplating getting out from under the eiderdown. It was a rough couple of months so it’s good that I kept it offline. Some of my reasons are good, some are lame, but they’re all better left unsaid.

Moving on.

Roy’s latest sermon series is “Modern Family”. We’ve covered topics like what makes a family, how the modern family functions, & what our roles are within that framework.

One point from last week stood out to me.

Back in the day, Roy sang in church quite often & one of his favorite artists was Steve Green. We even had two of songs in our wedding.

One of Green’s songs, “Find Us Faithful”, was pretty popular & was heard on the radio & in church what seemed like all the time.

We’re pilgrims on the journey
Of the narrow road
And those who’ve gone before us line the way
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament to God’s sustaining grace

Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses
Let us run the race not only for the prize
But as those who’ve gone before us
Let us leave to those behind us
The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives

CHORUS:
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

It was catchy, a little schmaltzy but had a good message. A good message until you got to the last verse that is, then it derails.

After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift through all we’ve left behind
May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find.

I have a problem with the idea that my kids will have to sift through what I’ve said & done to find clues to what I believe.  If your children have to dig around in their memories like Indiana Jones in a tomb to find out what you believed, you have failed.

Failed like New Coke or Clairol’s Touch of Yogurt Shampoo failed.

Failed like Sony Betamax  or Colgate Kitchen Entrees failed.

FAILED.

As parents, we’re passionate about a lot of things.

Breastfeeding. Car seats. Red Dye #40. Peanut allergies.  Sunscreen. Ritalin. Homework. Body piercing. Tattoos. The Leafs.

I dare you to casually drop a comment about vaccinations – pro or con – to a group of moms at the playground. I suggest standing inside the monkey bars where you’re out of arms reach so when the fight starts you’re in a reasonably safe place.

If we can be that bold about our position on chicken pox & it’s vaccine, why can’t we be that bold about something that really matters? (Not that chicken pox doesn’t matter – I had it when I was a kid – misery.)We are quick to step up when someone says “breast feeding is indecent & moms shouldn’t be allowed to nurse in public” or “Lady Gaga is a good role model for pre-teen girls”. Where is that boldness when it comes to our faith. Why is it so hard? Why are we so uncomfortable with it?

Back before Roy & I even had our girls we made a decision based on what our parents had very clearly taught us. There was no “sifting” at the Mac Lean’s or at the Dowdy’s. In fact, at my house, we had a wall hanging with the message spelled out in capital letters -

¹⁵ But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

We’ve tried to incorporate it into every aspect of our lives. Our faith isn’t just tied to Roy’s job as a pastor, it’s who we are. I am Canadian & I’m proud of that. I’m a Cape Bretoner & proud of that. I am Brian Mac Lean’s daughter, & I am proud of that.

I am a Christian & I am proud of that.

Our faith shouldn’t be like grandmother’s china that only comes out on special occasions then gets packed away until it’s needed again. It should be such an innate part of us that it’s woven through every aspect of our lives. Sure we seek out teachable moments & look for opportunities to emphasize what we believe, but day in, day out, it should be visible.

Don’t make you’re kids dig around searching for it. There’s a lot more at stake than just food additives & allergies, red dye & Ritalin.

Live out your faith EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.

And like Steve said,

“may all who come behind us find us faithful”