night skating....every night.

Christmas Morning

The Bunk Express

We wish you the MERRIEST Christmas..... Love the Bunks

Merry Christmas with love.

Crazy J strikes again.

 

Took a head-dive into the coffee table just in time for Christmas.

This kid is such a trooper.

We are actually surprised it took him this long to make it to urgent care.

Always keeping us on our toes....

#reallife

Ronnie.

I knew Ronnie Smith.

I grew up with his family.

His parents were my youth leaders.

I swam in his pool, played in his basement and ate his parent's amazing cooking.

Growing up, he was just a boy.

A boy who would annoy his sister and I when we were downstairs perfecting our dances, threatening to tell everyone at school how weird we were. I told him I didn't care... he knew that I did.

A few years ago he moved to North Africa with his young family to further the Gospel to a people who hadn't experienced God's love. To say I was inspired by this move would be an understatement... I was challenged, and slightly jealous.

A life filled with the purpose of God.

A life set apart from materialism, showmanship and narcissism.

A life laid down for others.

A life of love... true love.

 His sacrifice challenged mine.

It still challenges mine.

He is a hero... not only because he died for Christ, but because he truly lived for Him.

Ronnie,

You left a legacy that wasn't necessarily your intent.

You desired to show God to a people who didn't know Him, and in turn you also challenged the people who claim Him as their Lord to do the same. You marked our life with a question.... a question that we should have asked a long time ago: What are we truly here for?

That question will haunt every decision we make, every breath we take, every place we find ourselves... and I pray that through the tears of loss, we will find purpose, destiny and calling.

You will be in our stories to our children late at night... the man we reference when we talk about passion, faithfulness and mission... the heart we long to fashion ours after as the years go by.

We love you. You will be forever missed.

"Pray that many will see the passion of this young couple and stand in His gap to fulfill the great commission. 'Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. . . . Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.' —Revelation 2:10"
-Benny Matthews

CBS News Report about Ronnie
Fox News Report about Ronnie
John Piper talks about Ronnie
"The History of Redemption" Sermon by Ronnie
"The History of Redemption" book edited by Ronnie

our christmas tree

Chris and Sharkbait.

I took this video a year and a half ago, right after we found our beloved goldfish, Sharkbait, had passed on from this world. Chris has finally come to grips with it and has let me post this video.

thankful.

In Him we have breath, love and hope.

Everyday He graces us with His presence and touch.

 We will do our best to give Him our highest praise.

Family Fun Day: Wild Lights

All my pictures of the night turned out horrendous, but we ended up having a blast for Jake's birthday at WILD LIGHTS at the Detroit Zoo (it started off rough, but once the kids got used to the 18 degree weather we settled in to enjoy our night). If you have never been, it's worth the trip... hot cocoa, fire warming stations, holiday musicals, Polar Express 4-D show, Lego City, Storytime, Pictures with Santa, TONS of lights, etc.

The night was made even better by being blessed with free tickets from strangers.... it allowed us to take our family of 6 to enjoy the night without financial regret.

#reallife

 This was an hour after I had cleaned the house top to bottom.
I give up.

from their lips...

Just doing some meditating on Psalm 8 this morning.

Verse 2 is a game changer for me this morning.

Can the lips of my children bring so much praise to the Sovereign Lord that it will silence the enemy?



he will always be our baby.

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011.

It was one of the most incredible days of my life.

The baby of our family was born.

He completes us.

To my dearest Jacob...

You have such a love of life and it's contagious. You have this incredible ability to bring energy into every situation and those dimples bring a smile to everyone's face you encounter. You are our fireball.... our wild card.... our mascot. Tonight when I tucked you in bed, I whispered something in your ear.... something that was probably too deep for you to comprehend... but you smiled at me as if you knew exactly what I was saying. You always seem to know. I love your unstoppable giggle, your sign for "more," your blonde bangs that are always hanging in your eyes, your fearlessness, your tenacity and your cute little toes. I have so many heart secrets to share with you when you get older... you can't even fathom how much God has instore for you!
I love you.
Happy 2nd Birthday!

one of those nights.

Tonight was just one of those nights.

They always seem to fall on the times that Chris has to work late... go figure.

I won't run thru the list of mishaps, but I had HAD it.

I kind-of lost my cool.

I had to find it quickly.

I called a Family Team Meeting after the teeth were brushed and the baths were done. They all jumped in my bed, hesitant to see what they were in trouble for. I shared with them how I felt we were falling short of our potential as a family and that we could be hindering what God wants to do through us by the way we were treating each other. I paused to see if they were getting any of this, when my oldest raised his hand to say something. He asked if he could pray for our family so that we would always please God. He got it.

The prayer was sincere.... focused... incredible.

He told everything to God that was in my heart, but said it much better than I ever could... and I know God heard each word.

The others followed suit.... much more literal.... just as sincere.

 I knew God was showing me something.

Something I keep forgetting.

 God uses their faith to strengthen mine and their love to challenge mine.

Seems like God always uses those nights to be THOSE nights.

and in all things... session 48

Things I am thankful for on November 19, 2013...

1. Psalm 16:9
2. Bailout Blend from Great Lakes
3. Snuggling in front of our fireplace... everynight
4. Our new dining room chandelier. [we've been looking for 2 years]
5. Motivation
6. Melaleuca Oil- saves the day every time
7. New Christmas music
8. The unlimited power of our Almighty God
9. Transformation
10. Laughter

@ the joe.

A few weeks ago, Isaac's hockey team played a game on the ice at The Joe Louis Arena.... the same ice that we watched our beloved Red Wings play just hours later. It was such an exciting day and Chris and I loved spending this neat moment with him. Go Canadiens!

Noah is here!

Noah Grey Lapenta Stout

One of God's perfect creations.

I'm simply amazed.

(Special props to Heidi for chronicling the entire week!)

I have a confession....

I have a confession to make.

I eaves-dropped on my husband.... for over 1/2 hour.

I called him to see what time he would be home, and he accidentally answered his phone in his pocket. He had good reason. From what I gathered, he was in the middle of troubleshooting a machine that was pretty important to the owner, and fixing it was vital. 

I couldn't hang up.

I had to hear this interaction.

I wanted to see what he was like at work.

Here are my conclusions:

1. Eaves-dropping on your husband is border-line creepy.
2. My husband works his butt off.
3. His job is both physical and mental.
4. He has integrity no matter where he is at, who he is with or what he is doing.
5. He is brilliant.... seriously, brilliant.... and listening to the way people rely on him to have all the answers is remarkable... hearing him come up with them is even more impressive.
6.  I am a proud wife.

"I'm not afraid because...."

The Halloween season can be so confusing for the kids.

 Last night we had a long talk about why we don't have to be afraid.

I could tell they were getting it.

We talked about the God who made the wood so that door could creek like that in the 1st place.

Big God talks.

I read Isaac's journal entry from class today.

Now I know he got it.

Psalm 73:28

We were commissioned as a staff to take a day to unplug and spend with God.

Just a Bible and a journal... out in God's amazing canvas.

It was sobering.

It was beautiful.

It was vulnerable.

It's something I need to do more often.
It's amazing how much God speaks when we are quiet enough to listen.

Zoey's Field Trip: Blakes Cider Mill and Apple Orchard

into the brilliance...

We read an incredible article this week as a staff entitled "Into The Brilliance" by Timothy Willard. You can find it in Volume 8 of The Making of a Leader series by Catalyst.

 

In the meantime, enjoy some of the parts that stopped me in my tracks this week. There were so many parts I wanted to share, but for the sake of time, I've stuck to the few that hit me hardest. I'm still amazed by the fact that our God takes every opportunity to speak to those things in our lives that are hidden... the things that no one sees. Well played, God, well played.

 

Into The Brilliance

by Timothy Willard

 

To you, eager traveler- the one with the sunlight in your eye and a dream on your shoulder- when you head out on your journey don't get caught up with trying to catch those who've already left the safety of the friendly vale. Don't copy them. You are not a mime. You are a frontiersman.

 

You know your calling. You hear it when you wake up. You've walked in its echo since you can remember climbing trees as a child. The calling never changes; it is God's purpose for you. And that purpose grows as you grow. The bigger it grows, the stronger its pull. You task is not to discover your calling; it is not to unearth your intended purpose. If you don't already have that in your dream-sack draped over your shoulder, then you have been miming your entire life. And you are already lost.

 

"In many cases," writer philosopher Dallas Willard, "our need to wonder about or be told what God wants in a certain situation is nothing short of a clear indication of how little we are engaged in His work." If you're not tuned in to God's work, but are more bent on your own ambition, then it's time to set a new bearing.

 

What could be most mystical than the invitation to follow a failure into death? "If you want to follow Me," Jesus said, "then pick up your cross." This calling is what makes you a frontiersman. And, the great irony of this "land unknown" is that to live in it allows you to be fully known. In this land you can be at ease. This land allows you to hear the voice of God and to fall in love with it. In this land God's voice becomes your desire.

 

God is calling us to Himself, daily. As leaders we have the option to sleep in and let the sun rise unnoticed. Or, we can unzip our tent and head out into the gleam.... into God and all His glory.