Lessons from Chewie

Last night, when we were supposed to be sleeping, Chewie and I were reminiscing over the last 6 months, noting how it feels like just yesterday we were saying our vows.

I was telling Chewie about how he's an even greater husband than boyfriend (which seemed impossible pre-marriage) and how thoughtful he is and how selflessly he does things for me (and others).

Case in point, we have a dinner-dishes arrangement: if he cooks, I do the dishes (and vice versa).  But let's be honest here - I never cook, which means he does.  Which means I'm supposed to do the dishes.  I really hate doing dishes.  It's not a hard job, but I really hate it.  I don't know why.  I just do.  And I complain about doing them.

The other day I realized that Chewie's been doing the dishes lately.  He hasn't said a word about it - he just does it.  And with a good attitude.  Just because he knows how much I hate doing them.  And even though he did the cooking.  (Can you tell one of his main love languages is service?)

Then I realized just how selfish I've been recently.  It took days for me to recognize that he'd been doing those dishes, and I should have realized it right away.  And I've done this in more than one way, too.  It's not just selfishness about the dishes - it's so many other areas as well.  I've been a baby when I don't get my way, like I'm entitled to greater and better things.  And like Chewie has to provide them for me.

Boy, am I ever convicted.  I've been priding myself over being a good wife and person in general, when all I've really done is act selfishly (and pridefully, obviously).

In small group last night, we discussed the parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector in Luke 18:9-14.  And it was like a smack in my face about how I've been the Pharisee lately, prideful and self-righteous.  Chewie's been so much the Tax Collector, humble and honest.

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. (v. 14b)

I'm definitely experiencing this right now, in the not-so-great way.  And I'm so grateful for lessons from the Father through my husband, who teaches me so naturally about sacrifice and selflessness through his actions, even when he's not being intentional.

So this is what I'm working on this Christmas season, learning to be selfless and more gracious and loving.  Which is kind of the whole point of Christmas anyway.  That Jesus came to earth born as a baby, a human, ultimately just to lay down his life sacrificially for sinners like me.

Thank you, Jesus, for your birth and sacrifice.

The Haps

I broke down and purchased the Kindle version of the book I wanted to read.

And I'm not ashamed either because I'm loving the book so far.  And I'm not regretting saving the $20 extra it would have cost me for the hardcover copy at Barnes & Noble.  I'm sure Chewie's pretty happy about that, too.

In other news, we finally got all of my medical bills paid off from April/May.  A small victory to most people, but a huge relief to us (me, in particular).  It wasn't a ton of money but enough bills to be slightly overwhelming (especially at first) and frustrating...

I mean, it's one thing to pay the cable bill that I choose to have in my home for tv watching.  But I don't choose to get sick or, in my case, get an awful ear infection in the middle of the night and rush to urgent care the week before I get approved for medical insurance.  Bam! - $350 urgent care bill.  Those bills are frustrating to me.

We also scored years 1 - 6 of Harry Potter on DVD at the local FYE for $40 the other night.  Granted, they're used DVDs, but they're 100% guaranteed.  So we've been making our way through them every night.  And I have to say - I really love it.  There's just nothing like snuggling with the hubs watching Harry Potter movies.  Chewie even made me sugar-free brownies last night, too.  I'm a lucky girl, for sure.  :)

This last weekend, ETBU, my beloved alma mater, celebrated it's 100th birthday.  I so wish I could have been there to celebrate, but I'm 3000 miles away.  However, I'm celebrating my own way today: wearing an ETBU shirt and sporting my handmade ETBU infinity scarf (which I'm planning to blog about soon).  Happy birthday, ETBU!

Work is work, as usual.  I've discovered, however, that I need to sleep a few extra hours on Sunday nights because of how much Sundays wear me out.  I end up paying for it big time on Mondays.  And I know what you're thinking, "Mondays are hard for everyone.  You're not special."  But, keep in mind, my typical Mondays are actually Sundays because my work week starts on Sunday, not Monday.  So my actual Monday is like everyone else's Tuesday, except that it still feels like everyone else's Monday.  Wrap your head around that.  #ministrylife

That's right, I just used a hashtag in the middle of my blog where hashtags don't even matter.  You're gonna have to get over it.  :)

Which reminds me of something Chewie said last night that's too long of a story to explain here...but that reminds me that there will be a post coming soon from the Chew-ster himself.  This is a first for him.  And I don't think he really cares, but I'm super excited about it, especially since I know what the topic is.  So be looking forward to that.

Hope you're all enjoying your week thus far!

New Adventures

It’s happened.  Seriously.  If you haven’t already heard: I’m officially the new Worship and Family Ministries Pastor at First Baptist Church Port Orchard!  The interview process actually started several months ago – I just had to keep it under wraps until very recently.  I was hired on Oct 2^nd, and I’ve been setting up camp in my – very own – office, putting my books on shelves, hanging certificates on the walls, and decorating the room with wall art and pictures.  I finally got to pull out my religion textbooks and Greek New Testament from college and crack open their dusty spines.  It’s been so nice getting to start a career in the field I love so much – not to mention what God called me to do all those years ago.  Thank you so much to all of you who have been praying for the Lord to open a door for me – your prayers have definitely been answered.

Lots of you guys have asked me what I actually do, and I figure it’s easiest to post it here than answer each question individually.  My position has two distinct facets to it: worship ministry and family ministry.  In the Bible belt, my position is kind of the equivalent of a Music and Education Minister. 

The first facet is worship ministry.  Our church has two services on Sunday mornings.  The first service is more traditional, mostly hymn singing.  The second service is more contemporary, mostly praise and worship choruses.  We have several different worship teams who lead the different services.  For example, I am in a praise team with Chewie and one of our close friends, and we lead worship a couple of times a month during the second service (commonly referred to as the deuce service).  Some of my responsibilities for this part of my position include scheduling which worship teams lead on which Sundays.  I also provide leadership to the teams, answering questions and making sure they have the resources they need for the Sunday services.  I’ll also be intimately involved with the worship planning team which kind of creates a general template for the Sunday worship services and makes decisions regarding different aspects of the services (like what responsive readings to do.

The other facet of my position is family ministries.  This mainly pertains to the preschool, children’s, and youth ministries at our church.  I provide leadership to the teachers of those classes and will hopefully get the ministries to a point where they flow naturally into one another.  For instance, I would like for the 4s and 5s class to be taught in a way that prepares them for the 1^st-3^rd grade class, which is being prepared for the 4^th-6^th grade class, and them for the youth group (and the youth for an adult class).  I’ll also take a more active role in planning events for these age groups, including overseeing VBS during the summer.  In the more immediate future, I’ll be taking more responsibility in the youth group because our youth pastor’s husband just accepted a position as associate pastor at a church in Oregon and will be moving there in the coming months.

This is by no means an all-inclusive list of my responsibilities at the church, but it hopefully gives a better feel for what I’m doing now. 

I’m incredibly excited about being here.  I really feel like God has been preparing me for this position for a long time.  I had no way of knowing this is what he had in store, but I believe this has been his plan all along.  It’s cool how he sometimes gives us a glimpse of his bigger picture.  For so long I questioned why God brought me here to the NW without giving me clear direction about my career and ministry here.  And now I can see and understand a bit more why he brought me through the stuff he brought me through to this point.  All the trials and tribulations and doubts and uncertainties make a little more sense. 

Other things in my life are really great right now.  Chewie and I are doing especially well.  I’m probably going to buy a ticket to visit home in the near future.  My small group is thriving right now – we just started a new Bible study and changed the time of week that we meet, and I think it’s a definite move in the right direction.  There really isn’t much else going on other than starting the new job.  It’s kind of the biggest thing happening right now. 

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods, wherever you are.  Be blessed this week in the knowledge that Jesus paid it all for you!