This is it. My final Typepad post. I’ve packed up and headed over to my new site. All the same content, slightly different look.
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See you there!
March 23, 2010
March 22, 2010
I Answered…
You all certainly didn’t let me off easy with your questions. I was talking to Rob last night, and he laughed and said, “You asked for it!” Yep, I did. I hope my answers shed some light on what it is you wanted to know.
What is the biggest challenge your marriage has ever faced and how did you overcome it together?
I think it was the first year after Isabelle was born. Belle was hospitalized at 2 months old, and had lots of early delays. Immediately after she was born, I had some pretty serious complications which required a few surgeries, and lots of rest. Having 3 kids under 5 left no time for rest, so it took me a long time to get better. Quite plainly, we stuck it out together, nothing heroic. We just did it with all the love and grace we could, and came out stronger in every way on the other end.
How has your marriage lived up to your expectations of what it would be like 17 years ago, when you were engaged?
We knew that our relationship was exceptional back then. We got married knowing we were signing up to a life of ministry together, and we were in it for the long haul. It’s what we were made to do. We also knew family would be important, and that Jesus was the most important person in our lives. We’ve grown a ton, but the basics haven’t changed much.
What advice would you give a couple considering marriage?
I would say to them that being married is awesome, but it is daily work that you’ve never done before. It takes practice just like anything. I would say that you need to go into a marriage realizing that “it’s not all about me”, and figure out ways to be sacrificial and giving to your spouse on a daily basis. These small things are what keeps a marriage alive.
What advice would you give to a couple who has been married 5 years and has 1 toddler and 2 baby girls?
I’ve never had twins, but I did have 3 kids under 5, and it was the biggest challenge of my life. Like I said earlier, just do it. Do it with gladness when you can, but know that Jesus is in the mix with you , and his strength is perfect for the most trying moments. You might not see that He was there the whole time until you are out on the other side of the craziness, but He’s there. Just trust that He is.
In what practical ways do you build hedges around your marriage?
- We never go anywhere alone with a member of the opposite sex. Never.
- We say “I love you”, and “I’m sorry” all the time.
- We try to go on regular date nights and at least one over night get away every few months
- We laugh a lot
- We don’t have any secrets
How are you able to keep your identity and not just be Pastor Rob's wife?
I could most certainly fill an entire book with the good, the bad, and the ugly of the answer to the “identity” question. The truth is that there are moments of each, so I’ll answer as honestly as I can:
- The good: I have a front row seat on the work God is doing in Granger and around the world. I’ve been here since 1992, and have watched this movement of God unfold. I wouldn’t change the past 17 years for anything.
I’ve never felt pressure to be anything or do anything I’m not comfortable with. I’ve been allowed to just be me, and everyone is fine with that. There has always been room in our marriage and in our ministry for me to be who I am.
- The bad: On the flip side, as the church has grown, there is less of a need for “average” people like me to help with the really exciting stuff. I used to do drama, teach classes, go to important meetings, etc. As time has brought a phenomenal amount of people our way, there has been a phenomenal surge in amazingly talented people. To put it plainly, I feel left out a lot. Part of my own perception of my identity has been squished because of this.
- The ugly: I’ve lost more friends than I can count because of Rob’s job. It’s strange really. I am not sure of many jobs that make you lose friends faster than being a pastor, or pastor’s wife. When someone disagrees, they leave or block you out of their lives. It’s painful, and identity squishing also.
- The great With all the change at GCC, I have been able to refine my focus, and sharpen some skills that are important to me, which would be lost if I was doing all I was doing before. It’s been a bad thing that really has turned great, but it’s still hard every now and then.
How do you handle being the "neighborhood mom"?
I love it.
How have you been able to carve time out just for the two of you and keep the relationship strong with such such great kids?
It’s hard work, and it costs a lot of money. Getting a babysitter is always a challenge, since we don’t have any family in the area. Time away is so important for us. It’s worth adding childcare into the budget to get out on a date together. We also take advantage of the times when all 3 kids are at school occasionally to go out to coffee and talk. Next year it will be easier to do this, since all of them will be in school full time.
If you only had $15.OO to spend and it was date night where or what would you do??
We would probably go for a hike somewhere , then spend the $15.00 at Starbucks.
Name one thing that you disagree on.
There are no major issues that either of us disagree on. We get along very well on a day to day basis. I think it’s the teeny tiny details that we disagree about, like:
- laundry
- where to put area rugs
- where to hang towels
- I’d rather play now, clean later. Rob would rather clean now, play later
- We don’t like the same kinds of movies
We agree on way more than we disagree on, and I think that’s a good thing.
March 19, 2010
March 17, 2010
St. Patrick’s Prayer
I bind unto myself today
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.I bind this day to me for ever.
By power of faith, Christ's incarnation;
His baptism in the Jordan river;
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb;
His riding up the heavenly way;
His coming at the day of doom;*
I bind unto myself today.I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of the cherubim;
The sweet 'well done' in judgment hour,
The service of the seraphim,
Confessors' faith, Apostles' word,
The Patriarchs' prayers, the Prophets' scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord,
And purity of virgin souls.I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the starlit heaven,
The glorious sun's life-giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea,
Around the old eternal rocks.I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward,
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me these holy powers.Against all Satan's spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart's idolatry,
Against the wizard's evil craft,
Against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave and the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity;
By invocation of the same.
The Three in One, and One in Three,
Of Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.
March 16, 2010
Death By Fork
this is a reprint of a post I wrote awhile back for Blissfully Domestic. It made me giggle when I re-read it, so I thought I’d share it here.
By 11am yesterday, I was depressed. I realized that by then I had heard a relentless stream of new warnings of fatalities.
· Your kid could die if you give them cold medicine.
· You kid could die if you don't give them a flu shot.
· You could die if you do get the flu shot.
· Your kid could get shot and die if you send them to college.
I suppose I could die if I stabbed myself in the hand with a fork, or took too many aspirin, the wrong kind of aspirin on the wrong day when the barometric pressure was just a bit low, and the stars were aligned just the wrong way…
I think I'd just like to live a bit recklessly, and not care so much about dying.
" I have come that they might have life and have it to the full."
~ Jesus, John 10:10
March 14, 2010
Anniversary Blues
Rob and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary this past weekend. Last year we went to Sedona, Arizona for a few days, but this year we decided to save some money and just do a local thing. We were able to get a room at the Sheraton Towers through Priceline for ridiculously cheap. We decided to go see Blue Man, since neither of us had ever seen them live.
Right after we got to our seat, the usher came over to us and asked us if we would like to be in the show. Rob said “yes”, and I immediately felt like I was going to faint. The usher took us to the very back row, and told us that we were going to be the “late” couple. We didn’t have many other details, and I prepared myself for anything.
While we were waiting for the show to start, there were funny announcements going across the screen…they had one woman med Cheryl stand up because she had just won the Pulitzer prize. Another Guy was asked to stand up because he had mapped the human genome. Everyone had to congratulate them, say funny things to them, etc. Then it said, “Everyone say Hi to Rob Wegner! Rob stood up and yelled (we were in the far back row), then the screen said, “…because he its a man of entirely no consequence…he’s pretty ordinary and hasn’t accomplished much…he must be very lonely and sad….everyone say, “We love you Rob to make him feel better”…and it went on and on. We laughed so hard.
When the time came for us to “walk in late”, they blasted this loud alarm, a sign that said, “YOU’RE LATE” flashed on the screen, they played this “you’re late, you’re late song, the Blue Men stopped what they were doing and glared at us (VERY SCARY!) I was breaking out in hives at this point (for real)…and Rob decided to ham it up and hide behind me so he didn’t get on the screen. It was both horrifying and hilarious at the same time. It is the only time in all my years of knowing Rob that he has hidden behind me for anything. They paid us $10 to do it, so he decided to earn his money. People laughed, so it was great. The Blue Men acted like they were going to launch these balloons filled with some sort of mush at us, and I am really glad they didn’t.
Once the pressure was off, I really enjoyed the show. It was so unbelievably creative and fun. Rob and I went to a little Italian place near the theater afterward and had a great conversation about creativity and innovation.
We had a great 30 hours away, and are so thankful for Rick and Maribeth taking all 3 girls for us so we didn’t have to pay a babysitter. It was great to know they were having a blast and being spoiled by 2 of their favorite people.
It is so important for Rob and I to get away alone together to celebrate these important milestones. It was great to talk without being interrupted, go to sleep when we wanted, eat whenever, and sleep in a little.
Next year we decided we are going to Greece. Ha! Just dreaming, but we think it would be amazing.
17 Years
Rob and I got married when I was 19 and he was 21 on March 13, 1993. 17 years later, and more in love than ever. Not much has changed except Rob’s mullet.
March 10, 2010
If You’d Like To Leave A Message…
I’m not here, because I am busy chasing two sweet munchkins around our house.
We get to play with Ashlee for 3 days while her Mommy and Daddy are in California enjoying the warm sunshine. I think Belle has met her match. Ashlee may just have as much energy as her. We shall see who wears out first. (if you see me out in public, notice the dark circles under my eyes, and be kind.)
Be back in a few days…
If you’d like to leave a message, please do so after the beep and I will get back with you soon…
beep…
March 08, 2010
Mish-Mosh
So much has been happening over here at the Wegner house. There are so many times when I think to myself, “I need to write a blog post about that”, but time and space are limited. I put together a mish-mosh of updates from the past week, all of which are very fun and/or important, and I am sure you wouldn’t want to miss. (I am flattering myself, I know…humor me.)
- Ellie the dog actually ate Whitney's math homework. This is the bag of evidence. Check the scraps...it's really done! Funniest part of my week was writing the teacher a note to say the dog did indeed eat Whitney’s homework. She thought it was funny. Whit was very glad about that.
- My previous blog post about Dot and Pete and The Global Neighborhood made me really, really happy.
- A 2 hour freezing fog delay on Friday made for a very happy bunch of peeps at my house, Rob included. All the neighborhood kids came over for a spontaneous game of Rock Band before school. Rob was the leader of the band, of course.
- The other night after I had tucked Belle in for the night, I came down stairs, flopped on the couch and heard her yell from upstairs, “Mom! I have very good news! I just prayed for the poor!”
- And the night before, "Dear God, thank you that Mom married a good man. He is fun and graceful and we love him. Amen."
- I ran into my twitter friend @cindyscottday in real life at Martins. We chat all the time online. It was so fun to meet her in person.
- The girls and I met my Mom and Dad in Michigan City, which is halfway between here and Chicago for lunch.
And perhaps the best Twitter update of the week:
AMAZING news. @martyfriend and @KathyFriend have been waiting around Russia for days 2 get custody of Anya. They are on their way 2 get her!
We all have been praying for years for Marty and Kathy to Bring Anya Home. So much so that the saying has earned caps due to how often we have repeated and prayed it. I am wearing my Bring Anya Home necklace in these photos. So many have poured so many prayers into making this miracle happen. It’s been a long, long wait. Finally they get to be a family. I am convinced more than ever that God hears and answers our prayers, and that miracles are real.
I am glad Belle is learning to pray, that we are learning lessons through eaten homework, through accidental friends and spontaneous fun. It’s a good life indeed.
March 06, 2010
St. Patrick-Saint and Legend.
At age 14, a boy named Patrick was captured from his homeland of Scotland by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Ireland, where he lived for six years as a shepherd/slave. By his own confession, he grew up knowing about God, but not loving God. The forced imprisonment left him completely alone and away everything familiar to him. He sat for years watching sheep, and like King David in the Bible spent his hours and days listening and talking to God.
In his early twenties, he had a dream where he said God told him to leave because his ship was waiting for him. He ran through the dark, through swamps and hills over 200 miles and escaped by ship, returning to his family. His family asked him to swear he’d stay close to them forever, since they already lost him once. He had another dream a few years later that prompted him to return to the people in Ireland he had grown to love and share the Gospel of Jesus with them.
I really enjoyed this short biography of St. Patrick. Jonathan Rogers shares the legends of St. Patrick alongside the facts we know about him through his own writings. I was fascinated with the legends that grew and grew over the years about St. Patrick and his ministry. No, he was not the first Christian in Ireland, No, he really didn’t drive all the snakes out, and no, he wasn’t the first Bishop of Ireland-all new and surprising news to me.
This is a really great read, and I highly recommend it to anyone, especially as St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner. Reading this book made St. Patrick come alive to me with all his passion for Jesus and the people of Ireland that he loved and gave his life for.
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255
March 05, 2010
You Write The Caption
Ellie is a Golden Retriever. She retrieves everything she finds and brings it to us proudly wagging her tail. This photo needs a good caption. Ideas?
March 04, 2010
March 03, 2010
Dot and Pete and The Global Neighborhood
Say what you will, but I think social media is a wonderful thing indeed. It's today's Global Neighborhood.
Growing up, I was the 9th grandchild on my Dad's side, the first girl in the Lanting family for something like a hundred years. You can only imagine how excited my Grandmother was to finally have a little doll baby to dress up and put lace, ruffles, and bows on.
Sadly, just a few days before I was born, my Grandfather had a heart attack and almost died. It wasn't looking good, so my Grandma did what she knew she should. She called the elders of her church to come and pray for Grandpa to be healed. Her church didn't come. They didn't believe in healing or something like that, so Grandma asked my parents if the elders of their church would come and pray that he wouldn't die, but live. They came and prayed for him, and he lived another 10 years.
I am so grateful that I got to know my Grandpa. He was a peaceful and gentle man, full of compassion and caring. My Grandma spent the next 10 years caring for him, as his health was never the same. I remember her giving and giving to him and everyone else around her and never once complaining.
I spent lots of time with my Grandma, and we were very, very close. She died about a year after Whitney was born, and I am so glad she got to meet at least two of my kids.
Back to social media being a Global Neighborhood...
The stories my Grandma, Grandpa, Dad, and Uncles tell us all about the neighborhood they lived in near Chicago called Roseland, are filled with hilarious tales of wonderful characters, woven with lots of love. Everyone disciplined everyone else’s kids, ate meals together, went to church together. No one was alone and everyone was loved. My Grandma used to drag me to "Roseland Reunions" for years. It drove me nuts, but I was always amazed at how these people treated each other like family even though they weren’t.
My Dad made some connections with some of these old "family members" through Facebook a few weeks ago, and one of them dug up this old photo of my Grandparents none of us has ever seen. Seeing this photo is like finding buried treasure for me. I love how happy and healthy my Grandparents look. It is how I picture them now that they are in Heaven together. My Grandma missed my Grandpa so much after he died. She told me all the time how glad she was that she would see him "soon". I can't wait to see them someday soon. The hope we have for Heaven is a very good thing indeed.
March 01, 2010
YOUR Thoughts on Pain
You’ve heard me ramble on and on about what I have learned about pain in my short 36 years. I did a Twitter/Facebook poll posing the question: Why does God Allow Pain? I was stunned at the response and interest in this question. I did not include every entry because some of you really like to talk a lot, and I though 45 or so short responses would suffice to get a point across.
Take a minute to scan through these responses. I would seriously love to hear your feedback after you read through everyone’s unique opinion about the question of suffering and pain.
February 28, 2010
February 26, 2010
Questions (Pain pt. 2)
As I open this topic of pain, a few questions always come to my mind:
Why are people in pain considered weak or emotionally unstable? Or, in Christian circles, when the subject of pain and sickness are brought up, why does it immediately become a “spiritual” subject? Why do so many who live in daily pain hide it to appear strong? Yesterday I explained some of my own reasons about why I really don’t talk about pain much.
Last summer when we were making plans to go to India, Rob asked Rajendran if it was possible for me to have a bed to sleep in each night because of my Rheumatoid Arthritis. He said to Raj, “You won’t hear her complain, she’s a trooper, but she hurts a lot and a bed would be a necessity.” Raj kindly wrote back something like this (I lost the original email)
In India, sickness and weakness are not considered a thing to be ashamed of. If one is vomiting and there is no where to vomit, one would kindly open her sari or cloth to catch the vomit to help the person. I do not understand why you Americans are ashamed of pain as weakness. We use weakness to show our love and care for one another. Tell her we will all be here to help her.
And they did. It was never spoken of, but they cared for me and our family so much, that they really became part of our family. We miss them and can’t wait to see them again this summer.
What if one of the reasons God allows pain is to teach us to care for one another, and bear one another’s burdens, like our friends in India do with such grace? What if he allows pain to teach us to give and receive all at once?
Many people think pain is weakness and to be avoided at all costs. I am plunging headlong into pain and learning all I can along the way while trying to feel better every day.
More to come…
February 25, 2010
Pain
I live with a lot of pain. Ouch. That hurt me just to write. I don’t talk publicly about pain for a reason. I don’t talk about it because I know that 1/2 the general public will offer me all kinds of hopes and remedies and diagnosis from their own experience and expertise. It irritates me so much that I keep my mouth shut.
I know I shouldn’t eat sugar. I know I should exercise more. I know what natural remedies are out there and that the prescriptions I have to take could cause blindness, obesity, weight loss, hyperactivity, tiredness, dismemberment, and death. (a bit of sarcasm). I know that Jesus is the Great Physician, and He can heal. I know, I know, I know.
So, I get tight-lipped and angry when people offer their solutions.
But, I do think I’ve been selfish.
I’ve learned a lot from pain that I think is worth sharing.
So I’m gonna. I won’t like it if you send me your Grandma’s snake oil, but I will respect and admire your need for fixing others. More tomorrow.
February 24, 2010
Guzzling Quiet
Rob gifted me a few hours of alone time the other night. My status update on Twitter was, “He must have noticed the twitching.” It’s been a long few weeks. I had a few minutes to type and think at the library. Decompression is always good.
So here I sit at the library suffering a few moments of quiet on my own. The clicking of my keyboard keys is the loudest noise I have heard all day. All the other noise of kids and dogs barking, cereal spilling, and plants tipping over are white noise to me anymore.
Silence and solitude used to be my companions whether I liked them or not, and I really did grow to love them. When I finally did get used to them, they seemed to have vanished as suddenly as they came.
Silence and solitude renew me so I can just be again.
I need a replacement; something to stand in their stead while they are gone from me. A captured moment here and there, and that’s all I can get, and then I am guzzling them down, hardly able to enjoy them because I know they will be gone so fast.
I’m learning to let those not so often quiet moments shape me. I’m learning to listen harder, stare longer, walk nearer, and live harder.
It’s hard as it sounds, and on days like this, it’s harder. But it’s worth it. He’s so worth it to me.
My soul thirsts for God, the living God. Where can I go and meet with God? Psalm 42:2
What re-charges you? How do you re-connect with your soul, with God? Everyone’s different. I’d love to hear about it.
February 23, 2010
Book Review: The Liturgical Year
The latest book I have read for Thomas Nelson’s Booksneeze program is entitled: The Liturgical Year: the spiraling adventure of the spiritual life, by Joan Chittister.
The book takes us through the liturgical year, beginning on the first Sunday of Advent and carrying through the following November.
The premise of the book is to help us begin to fully understand that Christmas and Easter are our anchors to the Christian faith, and the in-between time a cause for reflection and anticipation of what is to come.
Joan is a Benedictine nun, and I have come to love her writing through other books of hers such as “Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope.” She has a connection with the heart of God that is evident. She loves Jesus, and it appears she has a passion to paint the picture of liturgy as a source of hope and life to those who call themselves Christians.
Being Liturgically clueless, this book was a bit confusing. There are many feasts and celebrations I had not heard of before. I chose this book hoping it would somehow connect me to the Liturgical practices I don’t really know about, but the book left me wanting for more understanding and desire for clarity on practical ways I can incorporate the Liturgical practices into my Evangelical life.
With that said, I think anyone who wants to explore the Liturgical life further should pick up this book. It certainly opened the door of curiosity a little wider for me, and I walked away understanding a bit more of what the Liturgical calendar is and why it is important.
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255
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