Monday, December 6, 2010

and so it goes…

As a result of the informational meeting last week, I have committed to be a mentor for the next two years to a student through  Transitions.  M is graduating this spring from high school, and so, I join her in her life journey from this point on.  Exciting, hopeful, unsure…adventures are ahead.

Thank you, Lord, for this opportunity…

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

radical…the last chapter

I have so enjoyed the way I have read this book – along side people I don’t know, but are on the same journey.

Today, Marla is hosting a Radical celebration & giving away prizes. Check out her blog!

I’m finishing up with the questions Marla posed today:

Question #1: How is your life different because of reading Radical? (Tell me something cool God is doing/has done.)

Question #2: How can we pray for you as look forward to 2011 and living radically?

#1.  My life is different now because my perspective has changed.  I am looking beyond myself & beyond the other three people that I live with.  I have been sensing God leading me to be involved with the foster kids in this area, just not sure how, in what way.  Well, tonight I am attending an informational meeting/training for mentors for the Transitions program.  This is for students who are graduating from high school, and transitioning out of the foster care system.   Mentors work with their students through their sophomore year in college, educationally, socially, emotionally & I hope, spiritually.  I have butterflies in my stomach!  What if? What if? What if? I’m not letting my mind go to all those what if’s right now.  Except, what if…God uses this student in my life to make more like Him? What if God uses me to truly make a difference in this person’s life?   I’m going tonight, to get more information, and see what happens.

#2.  Wow. How can you pray for me? Pray that I will be aware of God directing me, daily, hourly.  And pray that I will be obedient when He does. 

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Monday, November 22, 2010

old friends…

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Friends since 3rd grade.  Florien High School & Louisiana Tech.  Sports, girls, youth group, fun times, near misses, family, celebrations, losses, victories, defeats, disappointments, weddings & funerals. 

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I don’t have the appropriate words to describe these guys.  Wonderful weekend.  Reliving old memories, and making new ones.

How good our Father has been to my husband, blessing him with such a friendship – two men, now husbands & dads, both so strongly wanting to honor their Father in their lives.  A great thing, to have the encouragement & strength of each other.

How blessed am I, to do life with this man God must have created with me in mind.  And, a perk: his friends have become my friends.  I love Jennifer (Don’s wife) as if I have known her forever.  We seem to get together every few years, but it seems like it was just yesterday.  When we part ways, I am encouraged and also inspired. 

Man, life is good.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Radical…the last chapter

Radical…the last chapter of the book, but surely not the last chapter of the new work that God has begun in me.

I’ve been along with  marla and others for this Radical read-a-long, and here we are, on the last chapter.

Marla has posed these 3 questions for this post:

#1.   Which of the 5 components are you most jazzed about?

I am most jazzed about…“Spend your time in another context.”  I like where David Platt said, on pg. 200 “Going starts where we live, but it doesn’t stop there.”  I love it!  It’s not Brookside Blvd OR Sierra Leone, it’s Jefferson City AND Sierra Leone, AND inner city St. Louis, etc.   pg. 203 “The point is not where we go, how we get there, or even how long we stay.  The point is simply that we go.”

#2. Which one do you think will be the most challenging? 

The one that will be the most challenging for me is …“Spend your time in another context.”  How about that? Most exciting & most challenging.  This one will be the most difficult for me, because giving my time is even harder than giving money.  I don’t mean those 10 days in May in West Africa, I mean daily life, giving myself to the ones God will be placing in my life. I know it’s from Him, I know the desire in my heart to minister & step out of my comfort is from Him, but honestly, it is still hard. Hard, but not impossible.  Thank you, my Father, for not leaving it all up to me.

#3.  Any plans for the coming year you’d like to share? ARE YOU IN??

Yes! Plans, plans, plans!  Trip in May, which by the way, is open to anyone who would like to come along!  just say the word.  And, Jay & I are planning (in Feb when our next semester of Life groups start) on a Life group that is centered around serving others.  Every other week, we will do some sort of Bible study, and the opposite week, we will be out in the community, serving somehow.  We haven’t figured out all the details, yet, but we are working on it.  We want it to be serving in ways that we can serve along side katie & Mary Margaret, things all 4 of us can do together.  We are also planning to go on a mission trip this summer, to inner city St. Louis or Kansas City. 

Those are our specific plans of going, we have other plans, too, that we are still discussing amongst the 4 of us.

Exciting times are ahead…

what about you? any thoughts to share?

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Radical means...Chapter 8

I've been going through this book alongside Marla & a few more online friends. If you want to read more, here's her web address www.marlataviano.com.

She has posed 2 questions this week, in reference to chapter 8 (Living When Dying is Gain).

1. What’s your biggest fear?
2. What are you ready to risk?

The chapter is basically challenging me -- why am I not going? so that is the frame of mind I am in as I write.

8ish years ago, when Jay & I came to the conclusion that we knew the Lord had something else for us (away from North Louisiana), some sort of ministry, the thought of the possibility of going to another country was exciting! a little scary, but mostly exciting. We were both at a place in our lives where we were ready to obey. We were ok with walking away from what Jay (we, I guess) had worked so hard for. He had made partner at a CPA firm, and was now in business with some great men. How could we walk away from that? fantastic neighbors who had become our friends? our families? our closest friends? our church?

We had to view it not as walking away from people/things we loved, but instead walking to Someone we loved more.

As it turns out, Central America (as we were hoping) was not where the Lord had us to go at that time. Instead, we moved (not quite so far way) to the Midwest. And after a rough year or so, we put roots down & now, we feel like this is home.

I have to confess, if God moves us again, specifically, to another country, there is a part of me that would be excited, but the biggest part of me would be afraid. I see it now as a bigger risk than I did then. I'm not sure why that is. I hold on to these girls so tightly. Am I willing to risk their safety, their lives, so that others can know Jesus? I cannot pretend I could do it. Amended statement: I cannot pretend i could easily do it.

pg. 161 "Jesus said to His followers, "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Jesus clearly acknowledged that following Him involves risking the safety, security, and satisfaction we have found in this world. But in the end, Jesus said, following Him leads to a radical reward this world can never offer. This begs a questions from each of us: do we believe the reward found in Jesus is worth the risk of following Him?"

any thoughts?

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Radical means…chapter 7

“ The church is Plan A.  There is no plan B.”

In this chapter, basically the author goes through 7 truths from the Word, specifically, from Romans.  “All people have knowledge of God, all people reject God, all people are guilty before God , all people are condemned for rejecting God, God has made a way of salvation for the lost, people cannot come to God apart from faith in Christ, and Christ commands the church to make the gospel known to all peoples.”

I am still processing all of the above.

He concludes the chapter writing about how people “search” for God’s will.  A friend reminded me not too long ago that God’s will for me isn’t hidden (thanks, Ms. Barbara! I haven’t forgotten!).  The author goes on to say, that “the will of God is for you & me to give our lives urgently and recklessly to making the gospel and the glory of God known among all peoples, particularly those who have never even heard of Jesus Christ.”

The author then writes, instead of asking the question “What is God’s will?” we should be asking “Will I obey God’s will?”

If God’s will includes me living by & obeying His Word, which I believe it does, when am I going to stop picking & choosing the parts I want to obey, and ignoring those I don’t?

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Radical means…chapter 6

If you want to read more about chapter 6, jump over to  marla & check it out.

Quotes that really stuck with me…

pg. 111 “If our lives do not reflect radical compassion for the poor, there is reason to wonder if Christ is really in us at all.”

pg. 115 “Regardless of what we say or sing or study on Sunday morning, rich people who neglect the poor are not the people of God.”

These are strong statements.  David Platt says that caring for the poor is (among other things) evidence of our salvation.  whoa. I had never thought of that. I am still processing. 

He points how easy it is to look away, when faced with the statistics of how many people will go to bed hungry, or even die from starvation today – easy until those faces have names & you have seen them & loved on them.  I agree completely.

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pg. 123 “I realize there is never going to come a day when I stand before God & He says, ‘I wish you had kept more for yourself.’”

The Lord is telling me today…it is just stuff!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Priceless

Priceless is defined as having a value beyond any price.

That describes this past weekend for me. Katie & had a girls weekend away.

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We stayed at the Good House B&B in Warrensburg.

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We ate at Chic-Fil-A (Katie’s very favorite place to eat. hands down).

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We ate the most delicious breakfast ever! We shopped, we laughed, we had long conversation, we saw 2 great movies, Sleepless in Seattle & Secretariat.

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Priceless…having a value beyond any price.

Radical means…chapter 5.

I am just typing out my thoughts here, as I continue to process what I have read in chapter 5.

Our study guide (through church, compiled by Erin Duren) poses this question: Have you ever felt that you weren't a good enough communicator or didn't have what it took to tell people about Jesus? 

Absolutely.  I have gotten anxious about, avoided it, clearly disobeyed the Lord when He was urging me to tell someone about Him. 

However, when I have prayed that He would provide the opportunity, and then He would put the words in my mouth, He has.  Without a doubt, He has. So, why don't I pray for that more? He tells me He will supply my needs, and I've seen Him do it, specifically in these situations. Why don't I do it? trust Him & just do it? pride? fear of rejection? fear of not knowing what to say? fear of looking foolish? all of the above?

Another question posed by Erin: Have you ever heard the expression "actions speak louder than words?" What do you think of when you hear that expression? 

I think of what someone does, rather then what they say. I think of what I say, rather than do.  I am the Queen of Good Intentions.  I say a lot.  What do I do?

David Platt talks about receivers vs reproducers.  Receivers hear the Word, sitting back & taking it in, sometimes even with the attitude, "What can I get out of this? How will this benefit me?"  Reproducers hear the Word with the attitude of, "How can I listen to His word so that I am equipped to teach His word to others?"

I have found myself in both of these roles.  More often than not, I would fall into the Receiver camp.  The last time I distinctly remember being in the Reproducer camp, was several months back (a year? not sure about the time), when I found my life completely changed by applying this principle: It is not God's creation's (Jay, Katie, Mary Margaret, my folks, sister, friends, etc) -- It is not God's creation's role to fulfill me.  It is His role.  When I look to His creation for fulfillment, I will be disappointed, again & again & again.  When people around me do not meet my expectations, I get mad.  When those people around me do not behave in a way that makes me happy, I then get upset, angry, pout, etc.  However, if I choose to live in a way in which I look to Jesus to fulfill me, I not only have a freedom in my relationship with Him, I have a freedom in my relationship with those people around me, too!  The pressure is off. 

All that is to say, I found myself in the role of Reproducer after hearing this principle (many times) and then applying it to my life. My life is changed.  My perspective is so different now.  And I want to tell everyone in my life about this. I want to see others experience a new freedom in life, as I have. 

from Marla - Do you find yourself (and your kiddos) isolated from the world in a spiritual safe-deposit box? How can we break open that box?

Katie (almost 13) and I were talking about this last week. She pointed out to me that she lives in such a “safe” environment, when is she going to get to “practice” showing Christ to those who do not know Him.  And really, the same goes for me (for the most part) with that same “safe” environment.  We (Jay, Katie, Mary Margaret & I) did small group last winter/spring, “practicing” serving others in our church.  This winter/spring we are going to do small group with the specific intention of serving others out in our community.  Katie is ready to get her hands dirty, and we will be right there with her. 

Last thought for now... pg. 103, last paragraph, "Jesus beckons each of us to plainly, humbly, and quietly focus our lives on people."  Pastor Mark challenged us Sunday to love people, and use things.  Another conversation I had with Dario, the pastor in Honduras, was when I asked him about translating for me.  That whole week, I would ask him how to say this or that.  This was the day before we were heading home, and we were eating some chocolate that was so delicious. I asked Dario how to say, "I love chocolate!"  He just looked at me, kind of puzzled, and said, "Here in Honduras, we say we love people, not things. I do not know how to say that."

That stuck.  How may times do I flippantly say, "I love this movie! or I love this book! or I love this chocolate!" How many times do I say, "I love this person, or that person!"  But what am I doing to show that I really do love the person?

"Jesus beckons each of us to plainly, humbly, and quietly focus our lives on people"...and there are plenty around me that I can focus on.  The question I ask myself tonight is, will I choose to focus on others, rather than myself?

I'd love to know your thoughts.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Radical means...chapter 4

Jay gave me good advice, that I did not take. He said, "Do not read Radical right before you go to bed, because your mind will be going after you read it, and you won't be able to go to sleep."



He was right.



pg. 63, where the pastor was saying, "I told that church that if they didn't give financial support to this missionary, I was going to pray that God would send their kids to Japan to serve with that missionary." I went back & read it again, thinking that surely I had read it wrong. I thought, "You have got to be kidding me!" And then I remembered about a SS teacher of high school boys I heard about recently, who took his class to McDonald's during SS, because during class that day, a guest was going to be speaking to the young people about the possibility of giving a year of their lives to go to the mission field (the year between high school & college). That teacher said, "You boys don't need to hear any of that." Again, are you kidding me?



It is easy for me to be supportive of that idea right now. Katie & Mary Margaret are years away from the possibility of that choice. God help me if I discourage them from choosing that when their time comes to choose.



pg. 70, "The message of Biblical Christianity is not "God loves me, period."... it is "God loves me so that I might make Him - His ways, His salvation, His glory, and His greatness - known among all nations." I love this!



I was reminded in this chapter that God saved me for His glory, so that He might use me to make Him known. Not so that He could use me to make me known. He desires for me to be a reflection of Him, whether that is here in Jefferson City, or in Sierra Leone, West Africa.



7 + years ago, I felt like moving to the Midwest, 10 - 12 hours away from family & dear friends, was pretty radical. And I know it was to some of the people in our lives at the time. Now, 7 years later, it doesn't seem so radical anymore.



pg 72, "Indeed, Jesus Himself has not merely called up to go to all the nations, He has commanded us to go to all the nations. We have taken this command, though, and reduced it to a calling - something that only a few people receive." I also like that he pointed out that it doesn't have to be to the nations OR to the community around me - it can be BOTH.


Any thoughts?

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Radical means…chapter 3

I got today’s topic from Maria’s blog. Over there you can read lots of different responses to chapter 3 of Radical. She posed the question…

How might we go about making much of our Father in this world?

In my world, one way I can “make much of my Father” is by the way I interact with and talk to people. That means strangers at the grocery store, the person who is checking groceries at WalMart, the girl who takes my blood pressure at the doctor’s office, my students, my neighbors, my family, Katie & Mary Margaret, Jay. My tone of voice should be loving to those I speak to, not demeaning.   I truly believe that the way I treat other people is a direct indication of Christ in me.

Sometimes, I do great with this with strangers and friends, and my family gets my left-overs. They should be getting my “first fruit.” I feel like these two girls are my first mission field. Am I “making much of my Father” when talking with, teaching them, living life before their eyes? Some days are better than others.

I just typed a sentence in the first paragraph that included “my neighbors.” I believe that “making much of my Father” means a little more than waving & an occasional chat by the fence. I have great intentions to do more, but so far, my intentions haven’t gotten me anywhere.

I can also “make much of my Father” by serving others, by having an attitude of service. That is no problem for me, if what is being asked of me is something I really don’t mind doing, if I can still be comfortable while doing it. However, if it involves getting sweaty, messy or stinky, I am the first to come up with an excuse as to why I can’t do it. If it might call for me to be inconvenienced, I want no part of it.

I could “make much of my Father” with my cash. Notice, I said “could.” This is hard for me! I want to use it for me, and for my benefit. It’s easy to tithe, because I never see or touch that money. When it is cash in my hand/purse, I want it all for ME. Saving to go to West Africa in May is a stretch for me. Bigtime.   (Not to mention getting sweaty, messy, etc. )

I have a feeling He is going to reveal to me more ways that I can “make much of my Father.” It truly is my desire to hang on for the ride, and be willing to do whatever He asks of me.

Maria also posed this question…

What would it take in your life to get you to a point where you’re really, truly dependent on God?

I’m still thinking on this one. I’d love to know your thoughts on this.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Radical means…week 2

Several things struck me when reading this chapter.

I, too, have been frustrated at times with the “feel good” message some seem to preach. I have left services thinking that the message that was spoken was true, about how much God loves me, and He won’t ever leave me. But I have also thought, my sins are wretched. My self-righteousness is life filthy rags to my Father. Why was that part left out? I also remember as a teenager, getting very frustrated with some adults that I had observed, and it seemed that they thought God owed them something because they had shown up at church on Sunday. I vented about it to my folks. Daddy just half way smiled, and raised his eyebrows, as if he knew something that I did not. He did. He knew a lot more. He knew that in my youth, things seemed so cut & dried to me, and that as I got older, things might get a little hazy. Now I see that, I, too, at times, have been guilty of that very thing, self-righteous attitude.

Quote from pg 28, 2nd paragraph, “we desperately need to explore how much of our understanding of the gospel is American and how much is biblical.” The last time I went on an overseas mission trip was in 2003, and I went to Honduras, and after seeing believers there living out their faith on a daily basis, I (somewhat) understand this statement. I was so disturbed/distressed (not sure of the right verb to use here) by their obvious faith & my seemingly lack of it, I talked with Dario (the Honduran pastor) and he said, basically, their faith is all they have. They cling to it, their faith is their lifeline. He said to me, “You have everything. You can live life on your own. You have no need for Christ.” and I even went on to think, “Well, do I really need Him? or do I only think I need Him when I am in a crisis?” I have to ask myself, do I practice an “American” version of the gospel, consumed with myself, and going through the motions of “religion?”

This was 7 years ago, and my walk with Christ is – I won’t say completely – but very different now. Even now, I like to think that I need Him, but really, do I? need Him every single day?

OK, back to Radical….quote from pg 41, last paragraph, “I invite you to receive it…a heart that is not only cleansed of sin but now longs for Him.” That is so where I want to be! to long for Him, for my strongest desire to be for Christ, to know Him, and be filled with Him, His Spirit & His love for others, instead of filled up with ME.

3 hours have passed since writing the above. There are two more points that I cannot stop thinking about. pg. 31 - 3rd paragraph, "The gospel confronts us with the hopelessness of our sinful condition." Two years ago in Bible study, my leader told us she had begun praying that God would reveal her sin to her. She told us that we had better not pray that until we were ready. to. deal. with our "stuff." A few months later, I began to pray about that & asked the Lord to "reveal it to me in small doses." Oh boy, was I in for it -- He began to reveal things to me like 1)unforgiveness & bitterness 2)control (wanting it, a lot more than I realized or wanted to admit) 3)pride - ironically, I had prided myself in the fact that pride was not something I really thought I struggled with. isn't that funny? and more issues to be covered another day. Reading this today has reminded me that I need to pick that prayer back up...and ask for more small doses.

Last thing - pg. 40, paragraph 1, "I pray that we will be a people who refuse to gorge our spiritual stomachs on the entertaining pleasures of this world, because we have chosen to find our satisfaction in the eternal treasure of His word." Entertaining pleasures of this world -- would that be books? movies? internet surfing? facebook? OUCH. those are my toes....

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Radical means…

ramblings & thoughts after chapter 1…

when I looked up the definition of the word radical, here is what i found:  “original;  extreme, esp. as regards change from accepted or traditional forms”

original – that struck me, because, well, isn’t Jesus The Original when it comes to the model for how we, as followers of Him, should live?

and then the next part…”extreme, esp. as regards change from accepted or traditional form” --- is the way I “do life” as a Christian based more on tradition than actually following Christ?

quote from pg 7, 2nd paragraph “I could not help but think that somewhere along the way we had missed what is radical about our faith and replaced it with what is comfortable.”  That nailed me. I have just started to realize how much “being comfortable” affects so many of my daily choices.  I am just starting to see what high priority that is for me.  yikes! that is cold water in my face.

quote from pg 11, 5th paragraph “Yet the kind of abandonment Jesus asked of the rich young ruler is at the core of Jesus’ invitation throughout the gospels…Jesus was calling them to abandon their comforts, all that was familiar and natural to them.”  Do I want to have that heart? well, sure! do i, though, really?  “to abandon my comforts & all that is familiar & natural to me.”  I am sitting here trying to imagine what that would even look like for me.

last night, i asked jay what sort of things have run through his mind, possibilities of what Jesus might call us to do.  He said, giving away our savings, forsaking financial security.  then he asked me the same question, and I said, selling our house (aagh! are you kidding? this house we have worked so hard on & dearly love?) and moving to a smaller house in a “not so lovely” neighborhood, with the purpose of ministering to those who live around us.  jay then reminded me that we both know that God gave us this house, so maybe He is calling us to truly allow it to be used to minister to others in a way different than we may have previously considered -  being foster parents, or even adopting.  (can i just say here, that even typing these words makes my pulse go up? anxiety.)

so, as i was thinking about chapter 1, and conversation with jay, i also thought of a conversation i had with daddy over the weekend. he & mom have been at our house for a few days to visit.  when i asked him if he had heard of or read this book, i went & got it so he could see it.  he glanced at it, and then turned to me and said, “well, isn’t following Christ radical? isn’t that what He calls us to do? put aside ourselves & be filled up with Him?” 

when i think about it, my dad is one of the more radical followers of Christ that I know – in that he has stood by his convictions & not been conformed to the world around him.  for him, when he gave his heart to Christ, he truly gave His life to Him, gave up control.   and that is how he has lived since.

being obedient to Him, and going to West Africa this May is radical for me….how in the world can i think that i could follow Him to “abandoning my comforts & all that is familiar & natural” on a permanent basis?

please comment & tell me what you think.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Time marches on…

I have recently started following a new blog, thanks to Joy, who led me to it through http://boomama.net/.  Here’s the link if you want to have a look. http://www.marlataviano.com/family/stop-the-clock/  I have just joined her “online book study” of the book Radical by David Pratt, which we are about to go through at church.  There’s room for more! It’s not too late to join.

Anyway, In her latest post, she asked this question:

“In your current stage of life, do you find yourself wanting to stop the clock or fast forward a bit? And why?”

I was just talking with a friend about this the other day…so I posted a comment – I am usually a lurker, just read & never comment, but this time, I did, and here is what I wrote…

“I, too, want to STOP the time & just freeze everything. Our girls are 12 & 9 & I ab-so-lute-ly love it. We can play a game together, laugh at the same things (at ourselves - which I love seeing in my kids, that they CAN laugh at themselves, & we laugh at each other, too), and enjoy a (somewhat) meaningful conversation, we don't have to pack up the house to go on a trip - it's easier to be spontaneous now, we go & see movies together, like Toy Story 3 & each one of us enjoys it, and so important...we are all tall enough to ride all the rides!! (If the girls decided they actually liked roller coasters, this part would be even better, but we have hope that they will change their minds).  All 4 of us like to read, and sometimes I read aloud to the girls, but sometimes...I love these times...we all end up in the living room, each with a book.  love love love these times!

This was good food for thought. "

So now I would like to know…from both of you who read this, what about you? do you find yourself wanting to stop the clock or fast forward a bit? and why?

Friday, August 27, 2010

What in the world?







I went on my first (far away) mission trip my freshman year in college (1990) when I went to Belize over Christmas break. Mack & Judy Anthony took 4 of us students. It was an unbelievable experience. I knew I wanted to go back.




The next year, I went back to Belize, and then to Honduras in the next years. The last time I went was in 2003. I have kind of felt like that was a part of my life that was - not over - but on hold for now. The last time I left Honduras, I made the statement, that the next time I went, I wanted it to be with the other 3 Hughes. 7 years have gone by, and well, that is something Jay & I talk & dream about, taking the girls on a mission trip (beyond the United States). I've had it in my mind that the next time I went, it would be the 4 of us.




Then, I met Sarah. A new, refreshing friend. And I began to hear Sarah talk about Sierra Leone, West Africa. [Africa has never even been on my radar!] And I saw the pictures from her last trip, and I saw her excitement as she prepared to go back & I also began to feel this tug, that I tried to ignore, and even tried to talk Him out of it.




It didn't work.




I am now committed to go to West Africa in May. Is this crazy? yes. Have I come up with at least one hundred reasons why it won't work? Of course. Do I have any idea where the $3000 is going to come from? no idea. Is there an element of fear involved here? uh, yes.




but...it is now a matter of obedience. In Bible study, I've learned that obedience is faith with action. And now, as scary as it is, it is time for some action.

Friday, July 30, 2010

Our home

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1811. Home sweet home for the Hughes.

Thank you for taking time to look at the transformation of our home. We are so blessed, beyond what we could have ever dreamed of or imagined.

Mary Margaret’s room

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check out the carpet.

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Ben installing mm’s fan/light.

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She matches her room. Can you guess what mm’s favorite colors are?

Katie’s room

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This is the “master bedroom” upstairs, so Katie was thrilled when she realized she would have her own bathroom.  She wants to paint the bathroom lime green & turquoise, but that hasn’t happened…yet.

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Jay built window seats in each of the girls’ rooms.

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Katie loves her purple room. 

Half bath

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This is the half bath just off of the living room.

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Jay was in “destruction” mode.

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Jay installed the bead board, and built the cabinet for the sink.

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The finished product. I think this is my favorite “before & after.”

The entryway

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Jay pried up every single one of those individual  tiles.

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  I love seeing the difference with these side by side, esp the stairs.

  Brad Prenger did an excellent job on our hardwoods.

Dining Room

When we were looking for a house, there were  a few “requirements” at the top of our list. A dining room was one of those,

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We stripped the wallpaper & also removed the paneling.  And, yes, the light fixture.

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Becky suggested that we open up the wall between the dining room & the living room.k's bday, house & more 024

view from  the living room

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I found this at the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store, and painted it to go in the dining room.

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Mom & Dad gave us these as a wedding gift.

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I love the way it feels so open now.  

I found the rug at Aldi’s. I know, not where I would think I would find a rug!

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I bought this fabric when we were in Myrtle Beach last year, before we had a house. Mom did these panels & I love the way they turned out.   

That concludes the dining room post.