Life in the Big Potato

We dashed through the streets in a two-horsed, closed-top carriage, laughing all the way. A White Thanksgiving: Just Like the Ones I Used to Know All of my parents' grandchildren that have been born so far. My nephew is flirting with my wife. They look alike, they walk alike, sometimes they even talk alike - what a crazy pair! Cousins, two of a kind. We had a cute war at our house all week. Wikipedia Wictionary Google images Google define The Free Dictionary Join example Google Answers.com Bible Gateway > 0 w v i d f j g a b

Today we are thankful. Thankful for God's most precious gift to us - His Son. We are thankful that my dad, Bennett's sister, and her three kids will sit down with us tonight and have Thanksgiving dinner. And we are thankful for the team (the Magees) that God has allowed us to serve alongside in Idaho. We are blessed!

Living near a mountain at our elevation and latitude is pretty interesting.  Right now the mountain near our house has a liberal dusting of snow covering the top half of it.  On the ground we haven't had any snow yet, but each morning we can track the progress of snow as it descends closer and closer to our roads and driveways.  After last winter you could hardly blame us if we were to feel a little uneasy at this sight.  But really, there is a reassuring calmness in the air.  It's as if by seeing the coming of the snow and winter we are satisfied that the seasons are still submissive to their Master. People are much harder to predict than the weather.

It was a little over 5 years ago that God took me on the adventure of a lifetime to the Middle East. I was sharing with a new friend about that time today when she commented, "Your life must have been changed there." It was. It was first in preparing for that trip where God revealed himself to me as Provider. I remember the day I brought in the mail to receive all of the money I needed to travel overseas ($1500). Moving to Idaho God continues to confirm His provision, and I am amazed. It was also there that I sat in a native families home and asked myself, "What am I doing here? Is singing songs, baking bread, and teaching English really going to matter in light of eternity?" It was months later until I saw the fruit of those days when the father of the family became a believer of Christ. There are days in Idaho (too many to name) I also wonder why are we here so far away from family and friends and what really is our purpose. Then I remember His call. I remember th...

We've been really busy in North Idaho. I haven't had time to shave or get a haircut for a while. I also haven't taken a lot of time to focus on or talk about missions. On my desk is a bright shinny (unread) new book I've had since spring called Breaking the Missional Code by Ed Stetzer. I know part of NorthStar's health depends on us having a missional mindset both in our community and around the world. It is hard to try to adjust my thinking and the thinking of those I lead when we are in an uncertain time in our church. But perhaps this is the best time of all.

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I know most of you only want to see pictures, videos, and news about our baby, but I'd like to remind you about what God is doing here through our family! The Fall season is in full swing and winter is fast approaching. Snow has topped the mountain that looks down on our house and it's been raining for four or five days in a row. That's a big change from the summer when we had about four total days of rain. Another interesting thing that happens in the Fall is that people come back. As the temperature drops and the skies cloud up our attendance seems to swell. This past Sunday we had pretty full house. We usually forget to count, but Tom and I agree that it felt like a "70" day, (meaning there was probably about 65 people:-). There are many new attenders that have been coming more and more frequently, and we are seeing visitors just about every week. This past Sunday we held our first new members class this year with four people attending. This was my fir...

L is 4 months old. She was almost 14 lbs at her appointment this week and a little over 2 feet tall. She can sit up for a little bit now but seems to fall over after too long.