Filled with the Spirit

I was able to get out and go on a run (by myself!) a few days ago and it was like the Spirit rained down on me.  With the help of my playlist, of course.  But in the midst of it I had a minor revelation that my church isn't responsible for all of spiritual awakenings.  And definitely not for one each and every Sunday.  I'm responsible for that--at least making sure there is the opportunity for it to occur.  One of the ways I can do that is to attend church each Sunday but the church can't be solely responsible.

I'm learning slowly but surely to draw closer to God during this time on my own.  If Sunday doesn't grow me then I need to sit down at my computer and listen to a sermon where I can stretch and grow and be challenged.  I need to play music myself and worship and pray.  I need to listen to music where I can dance and sing.  It may not be in a corporate body but at least I'm not stagnate.

The prayer is that if our church is not close to finding a viable pastoral candidate by September then we are going somewhere else.  Whether it's going to a different church or starting another we aren't sure.  We can help plant a church but obviously we can't do it on our own.  We believe there is a huge hole here for a younger evangelical crowd.  If I met a younger unchurched couple there isn't any church I could point them to.  Maybe one but it's not even the one we attend.

Here's praying for the best . . . . .

I dream of . . . .

Church planting.  Mission work.  Working at the mission.  One good friend.  Foster care.

There are many things I dream of . . . . covet?  Sometimes I think it's not too much to ask for but at other times I feel very selfish.  I know of so many others who have moved here with so much less.  I know of others who are moving overseas soon and are purging their material life and what they know as home.  I came with all my material things and with my husband's lucrative job which means I didn't have to purge a thing.  I can afford a babysitter, a gym membership and other items that are considered luxuries for some.  But still with all the 'things' of this world what I really long for is a church family who loves Jesus and the Church as much as we do.  I admit a lot of arrogance when we moved here thinking finding a good church would be easy.  It hasn't been.  Organizational leadership is lacking.  People whose hearts are really committed to missions are hard to find.  And trying to find a friend through all of this is hard.  It's only been six months and usually good friends are a few years in coming, I know.

We are praying fervently for a new pastor for our church we call home here.  We fasted on Friday with the church while we prayed.  We really need a great pastor with a great vision for this congregation and thus, this area.  If we don't find it, I will be desperately dreaming of church planting.  Which I don't think my husband can handle at this point.  I probably can't either but at this point I feel the Lord tugging me hard in this direction.  Thank God for sermons on the internet in the interim.

Other things in my life:
--We received our foster care license for the State of Idaho.  We could receive a phone call at any point asking us to house children.  Right now our license is for up to two children ages 0-6.
--We toured the Mission this week in downtown Idaho Falls to see what opportunities there are for volunteering.
--The garden is growing!!  My peas are up and I transplanted 18 tomatoes; probably 3 weeks too early but we'll see.  I have two big compost piles and have mulched the entire garden with grass cuttings.  We have asked the elderly neighbor if we can use her garden space to plant sweet corn.  Since it's right beside our garden and she isn't using it I figured it would be better if we can get corn in there and shade out the weeds than having a garden of weeds.  We'll see--I might have just created a lot more work for myself.

Part of the many seeds I started in the garage (in egg cartons)

 Transplanting to yogurt cups and the like--I kept costs to a minimum.

 Transplanting the tomato plants to the garden

 My sugar snaps--the first plants to come up in the garden!

I will post more pictures soon.  I need to figure this blogging thing out . . . I still don't know how people make theirs look so beautiful.