My Christmas Thank You List

Did anyone watch AFV with a little boy that had a Christmas gift list a mile long and he didn't stop! The Santa would say is that all, when the little boy took a breath then he would start in again. He remembered the entire list in his head!

That video reminded me we should have a thank you list to Jesus that long. What other people have a God like our God? No one. So, this is my blog about the main things I'm thankful for.

The list starts out with Jesus, He is the center of everything. He is the reason for everything in this life; all we are, all we have, all we have accomplished. He is the reason we breathe. He is the Giver of life and salvation. Without that, nothing else adds up or makes sense. Second is my family. My husband and friend Jim for over 52 years and all the children we have together, and that's a lot! We are a blessed family. Third, is TRC, the best church we have ever been a part of. I'm thankful for faithful, loving pastors who diligently watch over our souls with our elders. I'm thankful for the life lessons I have learned at TRC. I'm thankful for being part of a
GIVING church. When criticism comes, it's a signal to give more!

I'm thankful for friends, in church and out of church. One friendship is over 30 years long. That's a treasure. When we see each other, we pick up where we left off. Friends are those who stick with you no matter what. When they have something to say, they say it. When there is nothing to say, they come to comfort. The greatest friend we all have is Jesus, He sticks closer that a brother, (that's in Proverbs.)

I'm thankful to Jesus for my cousin Jan. We have been watching God bless her life the last several decades. God has blessed her with a loving, faithful husband who loves the Lord, two beautiful daughters and a passle of grandchildren that make grandma and grandpa so proud. God has been taking good care of Jan as she has gone through some tough procedures for breast cancer. She has had her last chemo and radiation treatment and we are so thankful to God.

So what's on your "thank you God" list? Bless the blog world with your list.

Merry Christmas to everyone and God bless you.

Planting Seeds 2

Planting seeds always produces the goods. Planting seeds is a double-fold blessing. Joy when we plant; giving what we have, and joy when we reap the harvest.

Grandpa Amundson loved planting, then looking over the whole field with the satisfied look of a man who knew it was a job well done. He didn't say much, the look and nod of the head was enough. Planting was in his DNA too, his father before him, his father before him. So far, the news of family history has gone back to the 1700's in Norway.

The wisdom of Jesus uses planting and scattering seeds as a parable to teach us about the kingdom. God provides the seed, we plant and God gives the increase. We are workers together with God, it's a winning combination. Here are two of my favorite scriptures on scattered seed and harvest. Luke 8:12-15, 2Cor. 9:6-11. Scatter some seeds this week and the following week, and the week after...yielding an abundant harvest.

1. Surprise someone, ask them out to lunch because you know how valued they are to God. Their response might be, "You want to have lunch with us?"
2. 5.00 left in your pocket, purse or wallet? Go ahead, I dare you. Give it to someone.
3. Stop and talk to the next worried person you see, they're all over the place. Encourage them, tell them Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith.
4. Buy a coffee bar drink for that teenager who is sitting alone.
5. Volunteer once a month in the nursery. Feed, rock to sleep, change a poopy diaper and love on those special babies. Toni Knight is the lady to see.
6. Tell Mary you will help her clean the kitchen after lunch. If you need encouragement in your life, Mary and Sue are ready to give it out.
7. Buy a Bible for a brand new Christian.
8. Send a note of love and appreciation to pastors.
9. Be a voice of faith when things are shaking.
10. Be a good listener.

Pick one this week, without expecting thanks for what you do, then do something else the week after, the week after, the week after. Before you know it, a new habit has been established, the habit of good deeds. Good deeds are kingdom work and our eternal reward is coming. Imagine the look on the face of Jesus when He says, well done, you're a good servant.

"The seeds of good deeds become a tree of life..." Proverbs 11:30

Planting Seeds in Minnesota

I've got planting in my DNA. My brothers and I spent our summers on Grandpa and Grandma Amundson's farm in Rothsay, Minnesota. We had certain jobs to help Grandpa, all our uncles and farm hands as they did the work of farming. Amazing how scattered seed grows up to be straight, long rows of corn. It's a beautiful thing!

One of our jobs was to carry lunches and water and huge containers of fresh milk to the workers. No easy thing for barefoot kids who wanted to play. We had to cross several fields to find just where they were. Some fields had been plowed, some had not.

The unplowed fields were hard, baked-in-the-sun dirt. Still had razor sharp grain stems from the year before sticking up out of the dirt. It was slow moving in this field. It's like the heart that has been unplowed by the Holy Spirit. Hard, impossible to plant seeds in. Just not ready! We loved the freshly plowed field. Soft, warm straight rows of dirt. So soft our feet would sink deep down. That field is like the heart that is plowed by the Holy Spirit. Ready to receive, soft and ready, already warmed by the sun. We are changed by the work of the Holy Spirit!

Ahhh yes, the lunch. The Minnesota "little lunch." Remember, these workers are hungry because they have been working since sunup, so lunch for them is at 10 AM. Must have potatoes, meat (preferably beef, occasionally Grandma would kill one of her chickens for a delicious fried chicken lunch) and either homemade white bread or lefse. Lefse is a Norwegian delight! Made out of mashed potatoes, butter, small amount of cream and flour. Baseball sized globs are then rolled out flat and placed on a very hot greaseless griddle till bubbly and browned. Turns out the lefse looks a lot like a flour tortilla! After all this, is there room for dessert and coffee from the thermos? You betcha! Usually pie. Custard pie of some kind or homemade cookies. My brothers and I would eat the lefse and watch these heros of our childhood consume the lunch we had brought. We would then clean up everything, grab the metal containers that held the lunch, wash them all up and be ready to go again with a snack and coffee at 4pm.

By sundown everyone was finished for the day and all gathered around the big table in the kitchen-dining room. We had walked in to the smell of either freshly baked white bread or lefse. Yum! While it was still dark the next day, Grandma and Grandpa would be stirring around, ready to begin the next day of spring planting. Love for the farm motivated them every day. Nothing stopped them from doing the work of planting and harvesting. Not hail, tornadoes, too much spring rain, or pesky bugs that threatened the crops. They always came back to finish the
job.

All of us are farmers. Or fishermen and women. More on scattering seed tomorrow, going to celebrate Olivia's 7th birthday.

Influence 3

Here is a question for you when you think about being an influence for good in the body of Christ. "Where can I influence in a greater way? Don't let Satan negate our influence with people. Forget what you aren't doing, just do. Take another step up the mountain." P. Jeff.

Here are some descriptive words and phrases P. Jeff ended with: healing, selfless, focus, willing, serve, compassion, generosity ("This is our culture. There is no other way." P. Jeff), faithfulness,, love, forgive, thanks, values, pray, helpers, influencers, go, grace. Phrases: the whole Church, ministers of healing, speak truth, exist for others, don't assume, at one, to be shared, dream big with P. Jeff and P. Melinda, kingdom work, salt of the earth (Mt. 5: 13) influence the kingdom, be about your Father's business, people of damaged faith will find their way back, anchor to you Jesus, called to promote Jesus and his kingdom.

"Our influence matters."

Influence 2

At some point in our lives we have all had people who have influenced us. I clearly remember the people that had influence in my life before and after I became a follower of Jesus.

All of the following sentences in quotes are from P. Jeff. One of the most powerful statements P. Jeff made was this. "Our influence matters." Influence can lead us to do positive things or negative things. Not one person in this world can say they are without influence. Did you know that being an influencer is a skill that we can learn?

"We MODEL influence. What we say and do will be repeated!" How many of you have had the experience of having a child repeat what they have heard at home? Oh-oh! It's happened to us, that's modeling. One day I saw the three children of a couple from church doing what they know mommy and daddy do. They had Bibles in their hands, Sunday best t-shirts and shorts on, walking with a very determined walk into the lobby. Doing what has been modeled for them consistently.

"We MOTIVATE when we communicate on an emotional level." Sometimes influencing requires us to be cheerleaders to others and that's a good thing!

"We are MENTORS when we have direct focus on a person, we build confidence and trust." One of the greatest blessings in our lives as Christ followers, AND one of the greatest responsibilities is to mentor other people.

"We are MULTIPLIERS. This is the highest level of influence." The book of Acts is the story of many of the Churches greatest influencers, their love for Christ had highly motivated them to go out and multiply the Church. And here we are today, in the 21st century. Here is a challenge for you. Read and reread the book of Acts and learn from some of the best! What an adventure story of these influencers!

Influence 1

A week ago Tuesday evening, P. Jeff talked to the Support Team and elders about being influencers in our church, communities, nation and world-wide. It wasn't a brand new message. He has taught on being an influence when he began his pastoral ministry. In fact, Jesus taught His disciples on having influence.

All of us who have the Spirit of God residing in us, have influence in people's lives. Whether we realize it or not, God's Spirit has given us gifts. All of us have gifts and those gifts are to influence the people that God sends into our lives. We may be in a place where we think we either don't have the motivation to influence...because we are too shy? Afraid to speak? Positive we will be rejected? Any number of reasons we can come up with. The truth remains, God has given us gifts. We are fully equipped to influence people to be saved and to become dedicated followers of Christ. (Hebr. 13:20-21, Eph. 4:11-13, 2Tim. 3:16-17).

Our influence is one of the most important gifts we have been given, and P. Jeff inspired us to be influencers in His great kingdom. If you wern't there, I'm going to blog some of the things P. Jeff said so you can be blessed too.

I- influence in the same direction, unity. Thoughts, actions, deeds align.
N- nurture, TRC leaders will never intentionally hurt people, give the benefit of the doubt.
F- faith, show our faith, what we stand for.
L- listen, focus on people you are talking to, have empathy. Having empathy is not always
having answers.
U- understand, having sympathy for people.
E- enlarge our sphere of influence, enlarge our thinking, make a committment to enlarge our
visibility and come to both services.
N-navigate change.
C- connect people to people when your plate is full.
E- empower others.
R- reproduce great influencers

Breakfast at the Village Square Cafe

Jim and I have been going to this "forties" decor diner for ten years. Today I decided to write a blog about it, and grabbed the napkin I was supposed to wipe my mouth with and started blog notes.

Village Cafe is in Redmond, across from the Redmond Fire Dep't, station 12, hello guys, we appreciate what you do for us! TVC is booths, tables and a counter with red vinyl swinging stools. Collectables all over on shelves. Saturday morning at the cafe always means long lines. We thought with the heavy rain, people would be making breakfast at home. Not so. Jim and I got the last two stools at the counter, shook the rain off and sat down.

Ahhhh! Seated. My steamy hot venti coffee is staring me in the face, order up! We are at the center of the cafe counter, right in front of a huge mirror that covers the wall in front of us. I notice people are lining up behind us, they look cold and wet. They all have that 'I'm waiting' look. They want our seats. Sorry, we just got here. These people are hungry and ready to leap in if we give so much as a hint we are ready to go. (If they had noticed the venti coffee, they would have known it would be a long time before we left.)

My first bite. I look in the mirror. Yep. They're watching! Not only have people filled the cafe behind us, a long line of really wet people are looking at all of us through the window. Now, I'm faced with a choice. Do I shovel it all in quickly and give counter seats up, or do I take the proper time to eat a waffle, one piece of bacon and one scrambled egg? Being proper won out.

I take another bite. This time it's the crispy, browned waffle that smells so delicious. They are still staring. I'm about to find out why these seats were open! The waitress is bringing plates of uneaten food toward us. The garbage dump is right in front of us, under the counter! The pan for dirty dishes is next to the garbage. Took a look at my plate, more than half the breakfast is left. I've got at least 15 more minutes to eat the last of the meal. The line of people outside have gotten so cold and wet, they are huddled together in a bunch. Still looking in the window. I think, "It's nice strangers could get together and help each other out." I take another guilt-free bite.

Twenty minutes are up. We start stirring around and the hungry, patient people behind us have noticed. Newspapers are being folded and put under arms and their eyes are on the menus. I grab my note filled napkin and we're off to other errands.

I know we'll be back to the Village Square Cafe. Well, maybe not on a Saturday.