Life in the Big Potato

Hi folks, We would appreciate your prayers.  Our church is going through a rough patch.  I can't share much now, but the light of Christ is shining through it all, and I believe He will do some great things!

Hi friends, Its been an eventful couple of weeks for the Sandersons.  God has blessed us with a new addition to our family.  Our son was born last week 8 lbs. 21 inches long.  He is a healthy baby and enjoys sleeping, eating, and long walks on the beach (in his dreams).  Thank you for all of your prayers, well-wishes, and support. Our church family is taking great care of us, providing meals and offering to babysit Laurel when mommy needs a break.  Our regular families are making plans to visit us soon.  Jana's mom is here now for a week which is a great help and encouragement to us.  Our daughter is doing pretty good with the adjustments.  She seems to like having a little brother as long as it doesn't interfere with here accustomed way of life. As a result of the birth I've been out of pocket for a week and I feel a little disconnected, but church was good yesterday.  We had about 70 people with several of them being new faces.  Our youth band filled in because our worshi...

http://cnn.com/video/?/video/world/2010/02/04/vo.haiti.courthouse.arrivals.cnn Watch this video.  It is some of the American's being transported.  They are pounced on my media and practically manhandled.  Scary situation.

I've never been a part of a national news story.  I can only hope that I never will be.  After hearing about the 10 Americans arrested in Haiti I started following the story online.  You see, one of those 10 is a guy I know through ministry here in Idaho.  Before they left he expressed a strong desire and calling from God to take action.  His heart was moved with compassion at what he saw on the news and knew that he had to do something to help. I couldn't have been more surprised when I read headlines like these: Haiti earthquake: One third of Haiti orphans 'kidnapped' by American church ... US citizens face Haiti kidnapping charges Haiti could send US 'child-traffickers' home for trial Baptist "Human Trafficking" Update: Some Haitian Children Weren't Orphans Sense of superiority drove church to 'help' Haitian children If you have the time, you can go read those articles from early on in the situation, but just by the headlines you can te...

I was reminded recently that we haven't shared specific prayer needs in a while. I'm glad that you're paying attention! Here's the latest. Prayer Update from North Idaho Please pray for children's ministry at NorthStar. We have a lot of babies in our church but not many older kids. We are planning to do a major emphasis on VBS this summer. Please pray that it will bring children and their families to Christ. Praise the Lord our church member serving in India finished her service and made it home safely. Pray for our pastor's wife, Cindy, who is just now moving to Idaho after being apart for 9 months. Pray for our small group ministry. We have about 45 people involved, but we need more leadership. Pray about the future of our building process. We have a good start on a building fund. We have some land, but its not a lot. We have other options, but we need to know what God wants us to do. Thank you for your prayers for our church. Also, here are some pra...

A book found me twice so I decided to take notice and read it. Actually I won a set of Christmas books on a blog a subscribe to, and I decided to give the books away as Bunco prizes (I know I'm so resourceful). Well the other day while L and I were eating lunch the doorbell rang, and the UPS man dropped off another set of the same books I had won before. I took it as a sign. The book I am reading is The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother's Memoir , and I am really enjoying the author Katrina Kenison as she writes about the adventure of being a mom and her journeys with her two boys into adolescence. I know I have quite a way to go until I experience that transition; however, I can't forget what one of my bridesmaids wrote on a card she gave me the day I was married to sweet Bennett, "Live in every moment, life picks up speed from here ..." That's pretty much the theme of the book I am currently reading, and what I have found to be so true since I read Shauna...

What is our ministry going to look like in 2010?  Many of you who read these updates are either financial or prayer supporters of our work through Globe Outreach in North Idaho.  I hope that's a big deal for you.  Its a big deal for us.  To know that people are willing to give and pray in order to make our work possible is a humbling thing.  To be honest I don't always think about that.  I don't wake up every morning thinking, "What will FBC Houston (or whoever) do today through me?"  But that is really what is going on.  When Jana and I are here being obedient to God, working for his Kingdom, everyone who prays for us is playing a part in that work.  That is humbling, but it is also a relief.  It is a relief to know that it is not about me.  If it were about me I would be anxious to prove myself to the world.  I would be frantic to justify my faith with results.  I would desperately need to know that I was responsible for producing something. But the truth is I a...

Since about the 1930's the Christian world has been faced with a worldview shaking dilemma concerning the character of God.  If God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and absolutely loving toward his creation, then why, oh my soul, did He allow the creation of the electric guitar?  This question has befuddled red-faced, tight collared clergy and purple-haired, white gloves alike.  What Heaven honoring purpose could such an instrument have? Now I'm no rock music hater.  I quite appreciate it actually.  Just, like most things, I've always seen it as a neutral force in our world that can be used for good or evil.  Of course, most often it has accompanied what many of us would consider more or less, evil.  Did I qualify that enough?  I mean when you talk about rock, especially electric guitar laden hard rock, you immediately get images of tongue wielding, animal biting, frizzy haired, crazies that are one chemical experiment away from becoming a VH1 special.  I should also mention t...

I've never made many New Year's resolutions.  Fear of commitment I guess.  Or fear of failure.  This year I think I have come up with a good one: one push-up everyday. Before you scoff please consider the following reasons for this resolution. 1.  It is attainable.  I am very good at doing push ups.  I can easily do 2 sets of 20 within 5 minutes, no problem.  So one push up doesn't bother me in the least.  2.  It is flexible.  I can do one push up without sweating.  That way I can do it any time of day without worrying about taking an extra shower or changing clothes.  If I lay down and remember that I haven't done my OPUAD (One Push Up A Day) then I can quickly get it done without threatening my sleep pattern. 3.  It is extensible . If I decide I want to add more to the workout then I can certainly do so.  In fact I know I should do more exercise, so having the opuad in place will lay the foundation for an expanded routine. 4.  It is active.  This is not a resolution w...

With it being our first Christmas outside of Dixie, we were really hoping for a white Christmas like the ones Bing Crosby used to know when he went to Gonzaga University nearby. However, it looks like we may have gotten all the snow we are going to get for 2009. Which, after the last two years, no one seems to be upset about. We haven't posted much about the ministry that's going on in North Idaho recently, so I wanted to give an update. Our pastor is still working on getting settled in, finishing his new house, arranging things for his wife to join him here, etc. We've seen several people visiting the church checking things out. Please pray that the right ones will stick around and commit to being a part of God's work here. I (Bennett) have been meeting with some other pastors in town about how we can work together to impact the college campus. There's three of us (more to come maybe) that plan on simply meeting up at the campus week to week to pray meet stud...

Turning 30 wasn't so bad after all. Bennett did a great job of making sure I felt loved and appreciated ALL day long! And my friend Amy reminded me that it wasn't until Jesus turned 30 that He entered into ministry. Thanks Mike and Mindy for entertaining L Saturday night so we could have an amazing dinner at the Melting Pot!

Last Friday night we were invited to take part in the Silver Lakes Baptist Association Pastors' and Wives' Christmas Party. The party was hosted by FBC Bonners Ferry and held at the pastors home which is about an hour and a half travel from our house. The food was great at this party last year, so we did not want to miss out. Pastor Dugger lives up on a hill (in Mississippi we would call it a mountain) overlooking the town. So driving to his house takes you just out of town. As we passed through and were just leaving town our daughter let out a sigh from the back seat and said, "baby Jesus". Jana and I were very much entertained by this and laughed as I sped up the hill into the darkness. When I turned off the highway I saw what every driver hates to see most. Blue lights. I won't extend this post by telling you everything that went through my mind. Its enough to say that I wasn't sure why I had been pulled over. When the officer walked up the first th...

http://hv.thevillagechurch.net/blog/hvpastor/?p=363 I'm re-posting this link, because I just think a lot of people need to see it.  There is explanation on the website.

We are back from Mississippi, and it was a great trip. L had a blast with her cousins and meeting all kinds of new people. She also experienced some southern traditions like fudge, sweet tea, and cracking pecans on Nana and Grandpa's farm! While we were home Bennett was able to share with FBC Houston, our supporting church, "Life in the Big Potato" from L's perspective. It was such an encouraging and emotional time as we were able to thank them for their amazing support over the past 3 1/2 years. This will be our first Christmas in Idaho, and Bennett's first Christmas away from his family. We decided since baby boy is coming soon it would be wiser to stay close to home. We're praying for a white Christmas centered on our Savior spent with close friends and our NorthStar Family. and some other things we're looking forward to this month: Christmas dinner with other churches in our association turning the big "30" this month seeing th...

I think I forgot to post this sermon I delivered October 4 at NorthStar. Audio Source File

This past weekend Bennett and I had the opportunity to go to the Weekend to Remember Marriage conference. Family Life invites full-time church staff and their wives to attend this conference free of charge, and these conferences take place all over the country. This weekend we along 400 other couples joined together at the Coeur d'alene Resort to invest in our marriages. For us this was a time of refreshment and renewal; however, there were couples attending in which this past weekend was their last resort. Here are some truths that God implanted into my heart: 1. Bennett is my gift from God- the moment I said "I do" he became that gift 2. If our marriage isn't intentionally moving towards ONENESS then we are moving apart Six months after we were married God moved our new family to Idaho. God reminded me this weekend one of the reasons He moved us. Here in Idaho, thousands of miles away from friends and family I have had the privilege of becoming one with my husband....

Audio Source File Our pastor was out of town for a couple of weeks, so I was allowed to preach a couple of the services here at NorthStar.