2014

Here's the road I believe God has me on for 2014...

Love deeply, believe the best, take no offenses.

It really can be summed up in I Corinthians 13.  Are there moments you come to in your life and you think, "This may be what God has brought me to through all those other moments in my life?"  I think this is that moment.  God's been teaching me, training me, speaking to me, correcting me, shaping me, exhorting me to come to this.

Love deeply, believe the best, take no offenses.

This is golden.

The Accident

Our move was going so smooth a week ago today.  It was the last thing on the truck...our king-sized mattress.  Matt & Andy were getting it off the truck and Andy was backing it down on the ramp.  The wind caught the mattress and Andy fell off the ramp, hitting his head on the fence, his knee and hands on the ground, twisting his ankle.  I'd been taking pictures and had my back to them but heard everyone yelling.  By the time I turned around, Andy was telling everyone he was ok and was standing up.

That evening, we were pretty tired and hadn't been to the grocery store yet, so we went to The Grill here in Groom to eat supper.  When we got home, it was dark...and Andy tripped over a 1-2 inch rise on the sidewalk and began hopping around on the foot he'd hurt earlier.  He came into the house wanting to bite nails.  We immediately got ice to put on his ankle and I began looking for some Advil.  He was moaning and sweating and trying to find some relief.  My stomach was in knots.  We both knew it was broken...and we had no insurance.

I went over and laid my hand on his leg and prayed, asking God to heal Andy's ankle.  I went to our bedroom (across the house) and got my phone and texted my kids, asking them to pray for healing.  I then texted some friends who are prayer warriors and asked them to do the same.  I went back to Andy and he was already worried about preaching the next Sunday--he didn't think he'd be able to stand.  I got more ice and kept praying.  Friends were offering to get an inflatable cast for his ankle and we were trying to figure out how to meet to pick it up.

Within an hour, the pain was gone.  Completely gone.  And Andy was walking without a limp.  It never did swell or turn colors...unlike his hand.  The next day, we went to Amarillo to do hospital visits and some Christmas shopping.  Andy walked all day on that ankle and it never hurt.  (Andy never shops all day without his feet hurting but they never did that day.)

Of course, we never had an X-ray so we can't prove it was broken.  We can only go by the intense pain.  But even if it wasn't broken, God healed Andy completely...no pain and no residual effects.  We were amazed and wanted to share what great things God did that night!

Christmas

Christmas was so different for us this year.  We began our move to Groom, Tx on December 19.  We only moved the things we had with us in David & Lindsey's house.  The rest is in storage and will come later.  So we're living bare bones in the parsonage at this point--but we really wanted to be here sooner rather than later.  So...no Christmas decorations.  And I delivered all of my gifts to my mom's house in Pampa where we all planned to meet on Christmas day.

Zach & Shanna called us and told us they were coming on Christmas Eve to our candlelighting service.  They were going to surprise us, but they didn't know what time it started.  So they gave us a call and I was able to cook supper for them.  As we were dishing up food, Matt rang the doorbell and walked in the door!  We were definitely surprised!!

Shanna got a photo of all of us with the timer on her phone before we walked over to the church.  The parsonage is right next door to the church.

Dax with two balls he found to hold.

As we were getting seated, my mom, my sister and her family all walked in!  I was so surprised!

Teri Williams (Chris Coffman's sister) from Pampa also showed up!  She said Chris had told her he drove more than 30 minutes to his church...so she could drive to Groom.  Their grandmother helped build this church in Groom.  It's such a small world!

Before the service started, my brother, Gary and his wife, Amy, walked in--from Amarillo.  It was so special having my family with me on our first Christmas Eve in Groom.

The praise team did an amazing job.  We sang 4 Christmas carols together and then they sang, O Holy Night.  It was awesome! 

It was also my first time to play piano at our new church.  (Matt caught me in action)

Barbie Bowen read The Tale of Three Trees to the children.  Dax joined them on stage (his back is to me in this photo in the gray jacket)--holding two balls he'd been playing with.  He sat so still and really listened.  He told me what the story was about later.  "Trees...and Jesus."

Andy gave a gift to Garrett--a young man who is truly a servant in our church.  His message was that we have to receive the gift of Jesus in order to actually have Him.

And then we had the candlelighting.  Andy started with his one candle and it grew as each person passed the light until the church was full of light.  It was so special.  After the service and after we had hugged necks and wished everyone a "Merry Christmas", my family joined us at the parsonage.  Mom had cooked and brought supper for everyone and we sat on our few folding chairs and enjoyed one another.

This is the beautiful scenery we saw as we drove from Groom to Pampa on Christmas morning.  It was amazing!

 Mom's tree was loaded with gifts!

Dax found Granny's train and was perfectly content playing with it by himself.

Gus took a nap on Granny's water bed.  I think his mommy had to wake him up a couple of hours later to eat.  That bed has kept many a child asleep through the years!

We have a Sanders tradition of letting the kids open their gifts first and then going around the circle and opening gifts one at a time.  (It's a lengthy process!)  Ryan, Addie & Benjamin were elected to hand out the presents this year.

This was the first kid to open a gift.  Uncle Matt gave Dax this drum.  He immediately put it on and never took it off.  We asked him, "Dax, do you want to open another gift?"  "No," he said.

My mom is in the center of the photo.  She wins the trophy for the holiday!  She worked like a horse to cook for all of us and make the day so special!  (Although my sister contributed a lot!)  Andy's mom is to the right in the photo.  

Both my mother-in-law and Sandra's mother-in-law joined us and were a part of the day.

Addie wanted a Jesse doll for Christmas.  Her other grandmother got Addie the cowgirl hat.  What a perfect match!!  Ryan & Benjamin were playing hard all afternoon and I missed getting a photo of them.

My sister & I had recently hit the antique stores in Pampa.  I had admired these glasses (looked at them twice!) and told her I wanted to start collecting 1940-1950's drinking glasses.  She surprised me with these!!  I was so excited!

My mom got me this enamel covered cast iron pot.  I love it!  And it was so needed since my pots and pans are in storage.

David sent us all this photo  Christmas night.  Our last Christmas for our family to own 512 Crockett, Borger, TX.  He & Lindsey are selling the home to buy a farm between Borger & Fritch--which is their dream-come-true!  This house has served our family well for the past 21 years.  I love this house and it's so full of Dietz memories.  I'm hoping a sweet family fills it again.  

What a blessed Christmas...and how blessed I am.

And the page is turned....

Andy & I are moving to Groom, Texas!  

We were at First Baptist Church in Groom this past weekend with Andy in view of a call as pastor and the church voted for us to come.  Believe it or not, we're moving this week!  

It's been an 8-month process for Andy & I....knowing what God had for us and where He wanted us.  There's no doubt in our minds this is it.  He's confirmed it over and over.  

This is the house we'll be moving into at Groom...very cute.  It's the church parsonage.  

It is a 3 bedroom/2 bath home.   

This is the house we owned until last March.  Now our son and his wife, David & Lindsey, own it.  We've been living in the basement the past 8 months.  I think it's interesting that there are so many similarities in the two houses.  If this house didn't have a full basement and attic bedroom, it would be very much alike.  Since FBC Groom is going to remove a wall between the living room and dining room in the parsonage for us, we'll only move the furniture we now have in our basement.  After the remodel, we'll move the things we have in storage.  Since we'll be downsizing, it will be a a job to figure out what to keep and what to get rid of...not one I'm looking forward to!  But downsizing is a good thing!

This is First Baptist Church, Groom.  Groom is a small farming community off of I-40 about 40 miles east of Amarillo.  You can read all about it here.  But what that article won't tell you is about the great people who live there.  That's what I'm so excited about--people with BIG HEARTS who have said they are willing to grow and change.

Isn't the auditorium beautiful?  Andy said it reminds him of a Christmas chapel--even when it's not Christmas.

This may be what you know about Groom--the 19 story cross with the Stations of the Cross surrounding it. 

As I get to know Groom and the people of Groom better, you'll be hearing more.  But I just wanted you to get a glimpse of where we'll be.  We already love the people and can't wait to get started!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas from the Dietz's!

Thanksgiving Family Photos

Photos Courtesy of Shanna Dietz

Andy Dietz Family

Matt Dietz

Jay & Amy Wright Family

David & Lindsey Dietz Family

Zach & Shanna Dietz Family

Grandparents/Grandkids

Grandparents/Grandkids

Andy's Mom, Liz/Great-Grandkids

Becky's Mom, Wynola/Great-Grandkids

The Gang

A Road Less Traveled the 2nd

Siblings/Cousins

A Road Less Traveled the 2nd

This is what you've all been waiting for....a band photo of A Road Less Traveled the 2nd.  They're hot...they're amazing...they're loved!  You can tell they're good just by the photo.

Left to Right:  Ryan, Olivia, Isaac, Addie, Josiah

Ministering to Problem People in Your Church by Marshall Shelley

If you're new to my blog, you may not know that I review books for publishing companies.  This is a review of Ministering to Problem People in Your Church; What to Do with Well-Intentioned Dragons by Marshall Shelley.

I've always heard that if a young man desires to go into ministry, you need to try and talk him out of it.  If it's a true calling, you can't talk him out of it, but if he's not called...he better get talked out of it!  This book could do that.  Even after being on staff in churches for the past 33 years, this book was discouraging...but honest.   Marshall Shelley uses real-life experiences of pastors from every denomination (names changed to protect the guilty) to show that the largest battle we face as a church is from within.  Very sad.  There are dragons within the church--people who either don't know how to articulate what they want and just cause trouble trying to get it or are control freaks who want to usurp authority and take a church hostage.  These real-life stories may shock the layman but anyone who has been in church work very long will have stories of their own to add.

The encouraging part of the book is in the last four chapters.  Mr. Shelley, again using testimony from pastors, offers solutions and ways to tame the dragons...or to at least habitate peacefully with them.

If you're a pastor, about to become a pastor, or someone who loves your pastor...you may want to read this book.  I'll warn you:  you might become discouraged to know the state of the church.  But if you're a pastor, you can learn a lot from people who have gone before you.

I'd give this book 5 out of 5 stars.  It's informative and offers solutions and is an easy read.
Thank you to Bethany House for providing this book for review. 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

A Road Less Traveled the 2nd

Our Thanksgiving was so much fun.  As most of you know, Andy & I don't have a house.  We're living in the basement of our old house which David & Lindsey have purchased from us.  And they were gracious and asked the family to join them for Thanksgiving this year.  It was different for all of us.  Amy's family stayed with my mom because it was the half-way point between us and Jay's mom and dad in Briscoe.  Zach & Shanna stayed with Shanna's parents and Matt was at Andy's mom's house.  So it all worked!  We were all together on Thanksgiving day which was lots of fun and filled with good food.  Matt fried 2 turkeys and everyone else brought their specialties.  It was great.  It's always so much fun catching up with each other.  But one of the greatest blessings for a grandmother is watching the cousins play.  Eight of our ten grandkids were here and they all had someone close to their age to play with.

Everyone came back Saturday so that the guys could all record on Matt's new album.  So while they were in Fritch recording together, the cousins formed their own band (which includes dancers) and named it A Road Less Traveled the 2nd.  (In case you don't know, their Uncle Zach was in the band A Road Less Traveled.)  It was so cute.  And it's so fun to see their musical talents and to see the love of music perpetuated in the next generation.  So I thought I'd share their music with you.  I think you'll be surprised at how good they are!  I can't wait to share their band photos with you later.

Giving Thanks

I have so much to be thankful for this year at Thanksgiving!!  God has done incredible things in the Dietz family in 2013.  But I won't lie...it's also been a rough year.  One thing I've learned along the way is to give thanks no matter what.   

If I were to wrap up all of my grateful thoughts about 2013, it would be that I am so overwhelmed to be included in God's kingdom plan.  If I'd been God, I would never have left it to a bunch of misfits that keep making mistakes and willfully working against me and my plan.  I honestly just can't wrap my mind around the fact that God has considered me and agreed to include me.  I find it hard to understand that kind of grace.

I recently heard a pastor say that the angels in heaven can't believe that humans are so complacent and dispassionate about the God of the universe allowing them to be a part of His plan.

This year...I'm thankful.  I've seen it.  I've learned.  It's amazing...a miracle that God would allow me even a small part.

Thank You, God.  I love you.

Can we talk about holiday expectations?

The holidays are upon us!  Can you believe it?  And with the holidays come holiday expectations.  Have you entered this season expecting it to look a certain way?  Have you expected your children to come home?  Do you expect your son, daughter, their spouses, your grandchildren, your parents to act a certain way or do certain things?

Expectations are killers.  It's Satan setting us up for failure and death.  He wants to crush our hopes, our vision, and bring death to relationships.  That's what expectations do...they strangle those in whom you place your expectations.

Bring your expectations to the altar.  Offer Him thanks for what you have....whether it's all of your family coming together or no one coming home.  If it's not what you'd hoped, you can offer him a sacrifice of praise.  You may never have another opportunity to praise Him in this way again.  Thank Him for health.  Thank Him for those children and grandchildren.  Thank Him that your parents are still living.  Thank Him for food, for clothes, for a warm house.  Thank Him that He's in control...and you're not.  Thank Him that He's promised to never leave you nor forsake you.  Praise Him for being the King of kings and yet caring about every detail of your life.

As you thank and praise Him, you'll find those expectations falling off.  And you won't have to expect anything from anyone other than Him.  We can say with the Psalmist that our hope and expectation are in the Lord!

I've reached the age I can say whatever I want to say....

People my age start saying that.  "I've reached the age I can say whatever I want to say.  I don't care what people think anymore!"  I can't tell you the number of times I've heard people say that.  And it's so tempting.  It's tempting to let go of all inhibitions and just zap the world with my thoughts and feelings.  The older we get, we get comfortable.  Comfortable with ourselves...comfortable with wanting what we want...and not caring the heck what others think.

But I have to ask....is that what the fruit of the Spirit produces?  Galatians 5:22-23 says, " But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge]."

I especially like the Amplified version of this verse and the amplification of self-control:  self-restraint, continence.  Dictionary.com describes continence as the ability to voluntarily control urinary and fecal discharge.  Maybe the Holy Spirit wants to control the discharge of our mouths!  

And of course...the love chapter exhorts us to be kind and bear up under anything and to not be rude or insist on its own way.

I'd like to encourage people my age.  Instead of getting way too comfortable and letting our tongues fly loose, let's cinch up those thoughts instead and let the Holy Spirit produce some good fruit.  Let's walk in life, encouragement, and love!

Life Changes

Andy & I are in the middle of life changes.  It's been exciting!  I never dreamed we'd be here, but God has gotten us out of our comfort zone and apparently is sending us in a new direction.  Here's what I'm amazed by.  (I knew some of this theoretically, but seeing it in action is a completely different thing.)  I'm amazed at how God has a perfect plan for His kingdom and wants to include us in it.  (AMAZING!) I'm amazed that when we don't know which direction He's taking us, our minds are completely transformed and awakened to include His new plan.  I'm amazed that He plants His thoughts, His ideas, His direction into our minds and hearts and that suddenly I'm excited over something I might never have considered!!  (I mean, seriously...this is exactly how it's been!)  I'm amazed that with one word from God, a plan unfolds and our worlds are righted and become much broader.
I can't wait to share the details as God's plan for us unfolds...but it's still unfolding.  And God's plan and timing are perfect.  I hope you'll be encouraged if you're in God's waiting room.

Husband/Wife Communication

Or go here if the video doesn't come up:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4EDhdAHrOg

Pastor Dwight showed this Sunday morning and I thought it was really, really good!!  Enjoy!

LIFE!!

I feel like someone out there needs this word tonight.  In the midst of your confusion, fear, lost hope, and death...there is victory!  God wants you to see the victory, the conquering King, our HOPE!

Easter Sunday.  The day it finally all made sense to the disciples.  Hope was reborn.  Disillusionment became a righted paradigm.  Amazement and wonder filled their hearts and minds.  The messiah was victorious and had conquered death, satan, and the world.  Jesus was ALIVE!  

And He's offering you that same hope, that same wonder, that same life.  He wants you to know that all is not lost.  What you've thought was the end is only the beginning.

The Spirit of God has made me,

And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

Job 33:4

Church in heaven?

When I was a kid, my mom taught Good News Clubs (Child Evangelism Fellowship)--and still does, I might add.  I remember at the end of a Bible lesson, she would sometimes talk about heaven--what was in heaven and what wasn't in heaven.  We'd all cheer when she'd tell us there was no school in heaven.  And there was a secret satisfaction when she'd tell us there was no church in heaven.  (But I was also the kid who, at the end of my first year in public school, was shocked to learn that we still had to go to Sunday School during the summer!)  

Now...I know what my mom meant about there being no church in heaven.  But we are the church, right?  And the tabernacle Moses built was patterned after the one in heaven.  (Hebrews 8:5)  Of course there will be worship in heaven.  

But...thinking on all of this this morning, it made me question:  Will anything we're doing in church today survive the heaven test?  Of course, some things are needed on earth that aren't in heaven.  For instance, evangelism.  We're told to take the good news to the world.  But I just wonder if some of the things we consider important in our churches today would survive in heaven? Just a thought.

"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."

Prayer

Some day I hope to sit down and put thought to the blog about what I'm learning.  I feel as if God has put in His thumb drive and downloaded tabernacle truth into my heart and mind.  I'm almost on overload.  But oh it's been good...so good!

Last night, we heard about the altar of incense.  This is a picture of prayer.  Think about it.  Only the priests were allowed in the holy place and for most priests, this was as far as they could go--to the altar of incense.  This was the closest they could get to the presence of God.  Only the high priest could go into the holy of holies.

I've recognized the importance of prayer throughout my life...but in hindsight I see how desperately the evil one hates it.  Years ago, a group of us wanted to learn how to pray.  We were seeking God.  We wanted more of Him.  Now I realize He wanted more of me.  But our hearts were after Him.  We began meeting once a week in our homes to pray together.  It was incredible.  We saw a child healed of seizures.  We saw God provide.  We became an intimate group of believers.  We heard God.  But it was something as little as "do we serve a meal?" which stopped our meeting together.  We tried coporate prayer at the church. And we saw God move in.  But it was something as simple as a few people who could never move beyond praying for Aunt Pearl's ingrown toenail which stopped us from meeting together. It's always the little foxes which spoil the vine.  And I'm realizing satan wants to stop us at each station of the tabernacle--in our relationship with God.  In fact, he never wants us to enter.

I don't know where God is moving me now in my prayer life.  But my insight into it is so different.  I'm so grateful for people like Gary Miller who focus their whole ministry on prayer.  We need to understand prayer--it's one of the most intimate steps into relationship with God.  I hope to grasp the intimate nature of prayer and how the incense of my prayers waft into the presence of God.

The Billboards, Banners & Flags of Facebook

Billboard

I've grown weary of the billboards, banners and flags of Facebook.  It used to be that we got on Facebook to communicate with one another.  I was able to catch up with friends from my past and stay in touch with my family and know what they were up to.  Of course, my favorite thing was to see adorable photos of my grandkids which my kids posted.  But out of 7 kids, I only have 2.5 surviving Facebookers.

But now...now I have to wade through mountains of billboards, banners and flags.  I got caught up in it myself...until one day I realized I was clicking "like" on one banner after another.  It's hard to find anyone putting original thought out there.  One day this week, I realized I was having to wade through so much junk to find anything my friends were actually doing.  And heaven forbid if a ball game or popular TV program is on--that's the only updates you see.

Banner

And then there are the banners of political persuasion that people wave.  For the most part, I already know how my friends/family fall on the political lines.  I'm all about being informed of what is going on politically.  We live in a country where we have the right/privilege to speak up, vote, and inform our authorities of our persuasions.  Just give me a way to make a difference--a way to make my voice heard where it matters!  Otherwise, it's just banners flying in my face.

Flag

I love Pinterest.  I'm all for Pinterest.  I belong to Pinterest.  But when/why did Pinterest invade Facebook?  I've already seen the recipes, DIY projects, home decor...on Pinterest.  Pinterest is clogging my Facebook highway.

I encourage you to go and take a look at your Facebook page.  I have more billboards, banners & flags than original thoughts, photos or stories on my Facebook page.  I have some friends that that's all they do---post billboards!

Here's my solemn promise to you.  I'm going to do my part to clean up the Facebook highway.  No more billboards, banners or flags from me.  I'll only post original thoughts, photos or stories on Facebook--things which will share who I am and which will hopefully interest you.  We're quickly forgetting to communicate--we're just regurgitating what someone else posts.  And if we're not careful, we're all going to get disinterested and lose contact again...or become zombies who can't think for ourselves!

Whew!  I feel better.