Significance

Don't we all long for significance...purpose?  Is it in all of us to long to do something great, big, bigger than ourselves?
As I read the Psalms this morning and got still, these thoughts began to press my mind.  I'm probably thinking on these things because we're without a job.  And I long to do something significant...something BIG.  But I know in my heart that any job done well, whether big or small, brings glory to God and is useful for His kingdom.
I think it goes back to wanting God's approval.  Didn't we all long for our parents' approval--or that of important people in our lives?  I can remember doing things to gain my parents' approval.  And if they somehow overlooked what I'd done, I tried doing something bigger to gain their notice.  Maybe that's where our desire stems from.
But God is not human.  We don't have to work for His approval.  He notices everything and is looking mostly at our hearts.  His eyes roam the earth looking for a man whose heart is after Him.  He doesn't notice our outward appearance, but looks at our hearts.  He writes down every word that we speak about Him.  The big thing to God is us.  We are His treasure, His inheritance.  That totally does not make sense to me--that I am His inheritance--unless I put it in perspective as a parent.  My children and grandchildren are my treasure.  I honestly don't care what they DO.  I care who they are...I care about their hearts and Who they pursue.  I long for relationship with them.
When I look at it this way, I know the biggest thing I can do for God is be.  Be who He created me to be.  Love Him.  Love people.  And bring Him glory.

Rest & Relaxation

Andy & I left Borger last Tuesday--heading for Ruidoso, NM.  My brother and his wife graciously offered their cabin to us to get away.  And boy!  Did we need to get away!  Andy had just gotten home from China and I had bounced around between my kids having lots of fun.  Our goal on this trip was to completely rest.

The deer greeted us at the door when we got here.  There are probably 20 deer that hang out in this area and are almost domesticated.  Apparently, one of the neighbors feeds them because they were hanging out in his car port and he was just walking among them.

The first morning we were here, we pulled in to a restaurant for breakfast and heard our names as we walked in the door!  Bobby & Linda Bridges were up here vacationing, too.  We had so much fun catching up with some Borger people we hardly ever get to see!

Thankfully, we had a cool night and got to build a fire!  It was so nice--just what you want when you go to the mountains to rest!

We saw this sign as we drove into town and as we were deciding where to go to church Sunday morning, this was the only place we could find...and knew what time it started!  But it was so much fun to visit and pray for jockeys, trainers, owners, etc.  Honestly, we don't usually go to church when we're on vacation.  But we have a desire to visit some churches and just see the state of the church at large.

It seemed Andy was getting the hang of resting.  But I soon found out it was just because he was jet lagged.

We knew Lindsey wouldn't forgive us if we didn't go try her favorite restaurant here.  So we got the green chili chicken tamales at Tina's.  I highly recommend them.  We were going to try her famous pie....but we ate late and the pie was quickly gone.

Now we're cookin' with peanut oil!!  JACKPOT!  We found the flea markets.  I love flea markets.  In fact, I love them so much, I think we've visited all of them at least twice!!  I found some great bargains.

I didn't know Ruidoso had a movie theatre!  But we saw the sign that "42" was showing--and we both wanted to go see it.  We went at 4:00 in the afternoon and were surrounded by geriatrics.  In other words...people our age.  But it was a GREAT movie!!  It was inspiring...but also made me sad to see how people were treated not so long ago.

We got to go try out the country club cuisine while we were here.  Andy was very happy because it was prime rib buffet night.  I was happy when I saw the desserts.  I chose this fabulous tiramisu.  I wish I'd brought the rest home.  Oh. my. goodness.

I'd asked all of my girls what they needed/wanted for all of their Pinterest projects so I could look for things at the flea markets.  Shanna's desires were a little ambiguous.  She wanted something fun for her walls.  Andy found this.  (I wouldn't let him buy it, Shanna!)

Today, we drove to Lincoln, NM to look around.  It's the area where Billy the Kid hung out.  This was their retro post office (still in use...just like this).  I absolutely loved it!  And I also mailed something from there.

We went on to Capitan and looked around in their flea markets.  I think Andy would have purchased this phone booth ($1500), if he'd still had a basement to put it in!

One thing we've learned on this trip....we're lousy at resting.  I knew I'd be lucky if I could keep Andy here a week.  I was hoping for two.  But we're heading home tomorrow with a little jaunt south first.  We have some business to take care of.  But we're both anxious to get home and get back in the game.  We're tired from all this rest!  But...we may take a couple of more trips before we do....

I'll keep you posted.

Swept Away by Mary Connealy

Swept Away by Mary Connealy is a story about a young woman named Ruthy MacNeil in 1868.  Her parents died and she was taken in by a family who not only treated her as their slave, but abused her as well.  While they were crossing a river in a wagon train, flood waters swept many of them away, but Ruthy was saved by a piece of wood wedging her arm and keeping her afloat.  Luke Stone is on his way to Palo Duro Canyon in the panhandle of Texas (where I live, by the way) to avenge his father's death and reclaim his homestead stolen by Flint Greer, a horrible man who claimed a mail-order bride on whom he took out his full rage quite often.
Luke is an honorable man who spent time in prison after the Civil War and made friends with others who came to help him reclaim his land.  Of course, Ruthy, after being rescued by Luke in the river, became a part of the plan because she was as good, or better, as the men in tracking and shooting.
The rest of the story is filled with good characters and a great plot and gentle humor.  I highly recommend this easy read!
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.
Thank you to BethanyHouse 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

Signs, Wonders, and a Baptist Preacher by Chad Norris

Signs, Wonders, and a Baptist Preacher by Chad Norris is an excellent book!  I highly recommend it.  In this book, Chad Norris describes his journey into allowing the Holy Spirit to work in his life.  His one request from God was that he wouldn't look weird as he walked into the workings of the Holy Spirit.  From there, he talks about the natural workings of God and how those have looked in his life and the lives of those around him.
I love how he describes this life--that it can look "messy" at times.  God may heal one person and not another.  There's no explanation for that.  And it can trip many of us up until we no longer expect God to work.  He calls that "messy."  In fact, he's learned not to give an explanation for God and how He does or doesn't work.
Chad explains in this book how God worked in the New Testament and how he still works today.  It's a very thought-provoking book for someone who's never seen God work this way and very encouraging for those who may have stopped expecting.
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.
 Thank you to Chosen Publishers 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

Emergency Room Visit

Andy cut his knuckles. He was cleaning up the backyard after the big move and pulled the trash can down on himself and the ground. His knuckles scraped the ground.

He said it was cut to the bone and he needed to go to the emergency room.

So here we are. The doctor said it wasn't the bone, but the tendon.

He wanted to know if we saw any skin on the ground--it would have been nice for a graft.

He's gotten a shot to numb his fingers...and now we wait. I'm betting on 4 stitches.

His doctor is a comedian! Andy asked him if he took sewing lessons to be able to give stitches. His reply, "No. I just watched lots of YouTube videos!"

Three stitches on the first finger. Two on the 2nd. I missed. I think he's going to live.

**Shanna taught me to use the blog app on my phone!!

Change

The Dietz family is in the process of change.

Through the years,  I’ve asked God to keep my heart open to change because my roots go deep and it’s easy to become staid and comfortable.  This prayer came after watching older people who were unwilling to embrace change and, as a result, they became hard, opinionated, unmovable, stubborn,  and cantankerous.  I didn’t want to be like that.

Andy & I began to know about 2 years ago that change was in the air.  God was preparing us for a move.  We didn’t know where or what it would involve…but we just knew.  I began training Selena at Living Water to take over my job as director.  I began asking God last June if “now” was the time for me to resign.  I finally felt the freedom to let my board know last September that I would be stepping down at the end of the year.  Andy & I both thought God would open doors for him by that time for a new adventure.

Around the first of the year, David & Lindsey asked us if we would consider selling our house to them.  They’d been looking for months and hadn’t found anything.  Since Andy & I were feeling change was in the air, we began praying about it…but they were still looking at other houses, too.

We never intended to step away from our church with nowhere to go.  But circumstances brought us to that point.  Andy knew it was time to resign–after 25 years of being on staff here.  The amazing thing is that when he told me what he planned to do, there was absolutely no fear in my heart.  I knew it was time, too.  We’ve both walked into an uncertain future with confidence–confident that God was in complete control!

We approached David & Lindsey again about buying our house and we will be closing on it with them April 1.  On the first weekend of March, they had a crew of people from their church come and help us move all of our things into storage.  It was amazing!  We moved into 2 bedrooms in the basement–making one a bedroom and one a living space–and  they began remodeling the rest of the house.  (She’s blogged about some of it here.)

This Sunday, Easter Sunday, will be Andy’s last Sunday in our church.  He will leave on April 4 for his last trip to Asia with our church.  It will be a medical trip not only to take care of some people, but to thank them, encourage them, and bring home our doctors’ medical equipment.  I was given the opportunity to go but since we’d put our things in storage, I couldn’t find my passport and didn’t have time to get a new one.  I’ll hate missing it.

So…when Andy gets home from that trip April 14, we will officially be jobless and homeless.  ;)  We can’t imagine what God has in store for us.  My brother and his wife have graciously offered to let us use their cabin in Ruidoso for a while, so the first thing on our agenda is to take some time to get away, hear God, and hopefully find what He has in mind for our future.  We are more than anxious to serve Him in whatever capacity He offers us.

Change can be scary…but it can also be very, very good.  Living things grow and change.  We honestly feel like God has propelled us into this change.  Our future is veiled…but only to us.  We know God is in complete control!  (Please feel free to remind me of this along the way…)  The Dietz family would really appreciate your prayers.  Between us & our 4 kids, 4 of us as families are moving right now–as well as my brother!  It’s been a little crazy!!

“But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.”      Isaiah 40:31 Amplified Version

2012--A Year in Review

2012 was an eventful year for the Dietz family.

January–Went to Lubbock to celebrate Zach’s birthday with him.  I also went to Dallas to babysit the Wright kids while their parents went to a pastor’s conference.

February–I went to Dallas while Jay & Amy went to Ethiopia to bring Hadassah home!  While I was there, the kids & I watched Dax’s dedication in real time at their Lubbock church.  What a blessing to be there when they brought Hadassah home–it was a beautiful experience.  I hated leaving with Jay & Amy so jet lagged!!  I wasn’t sure they were going to make it.  (But they did.)  After coming home, I took Caitlin & Alexis with me to Lubbock for Dax’s first birthday party.  The only problem was Dax’s parents got a stomach bug….but we stayed at a nearby motel and totally had a great time swimming and eating!  We handed Sprite, crackers & Pepto through the door to the sickies.

March–Jay & Amy were moving from a townhouse in Dallas to a house (thank goodness–no more neighbors knocking on the wall!).  I had no idea how Amy was going to manage packing and moving with a new baby who wouldn’t let her out of her sight!  So I asked my mom if she’d be game for going and helping.  Then Lindsey (the queen of organization!) was also able to go and we had a great time packing and moving.

April–Andy left for China on a medical trip.  I babysat Ryan & Addie while Isaac, Hadassah & Josiah all had birthdays.  Hadassah was also baptized that same week.  On the 28th, we left on a CRUISE with David’s family.  What a blast!!  We ate, swam, partied and ate some more.  It was so much fun watching things through Ryan & Addie’s eyes.

May– I went and kept Dax while his parents went to Ruidoso.  Gary & Amy met me there and we spent the weekend together while they attended Amy’s niece’s graduation.  The kids and grandkids came before Mother’s Day and we were all together.  So much fun!!  It was great seeing Hadassah and how she was adjusting to her new family.  Caitlin & Alexis came to meet Hadassah for the first time.  (They also gave beauty makeovers to Addie & Olivia!)

June–Andy & I went to China.  I was excited to meet Abby–our Chinese daughter’s baby whom we had the privilege of naming (mom & daughter).  It was a precious time.  I was so emotional when I left.  I didn’t expect that.  Abby was adorable.  David began his new job as worship leader at Celebration Family Church in Fritch.

July–We had the BEST 4th of July!  Gary hosted our annual Sanders Family Reunion at Wonderland Park.  It was the first time most of our grandkids had been there.  THEY HAD A BLAST!!!  We declared it a huge success and want to do it again!  I came home with a bug from China–I really think I had a parasite.  We made the birthday circuit for Shanna, Matt & Amy’s birthday.  We went to Lubbock to take Shanna out to eat and then I came home and headed to Dallas for Amy’s birthday.  We met Matt for lunch for his birthday when I got home.  Addie is a “steak girl” so we went to Outback for her birthday.

August–We got a call on the evening of the 6th that Zach & Shanna were headed to the hospital.  They were going to call us back if they kept her.  This meant that August Cohen Dietz was coming about a month early!  We began to get ready to head to Lubbock.  We got there and Shanna was still in slow labor, so we went out to the pickup to get a little sleep.  The next morning, Gus came!  He was taken to NICU early on because of his breathing.  He was adorable!

September–We celebrated Andy’s 62nd birthday.  Shanna’s sister, Amanda, was home from Alaska, so they were in Borger–which meant we got to see Dax & Gus.  Such cute boys!

October–Andy & I celebrated 25 years of ministry at First Baptist Church, Borger, TX.  What a milestone!  I also submitted my resignation to the board at Living Water Ministries.  My plan was to work til the end of December.  I was also keeping it quiet until the first of December.

November–We kept Ryan & Addie while David & Lindsey went to Dallas to celebrate their 10th anniversary and had lots of fun.  Andy & I then went to Dallas with some friends to a dinner where Glenn Beck spoke.  It  was hosted by Messianic Jewish Bible Institute.  We had a blast with our friends!  Afterwards, we spent the weekend with Jay & Amy.  We babysat the grandkids one night while they went to a wedding and then went to church with them before we went home.  It was Andy’s first time at their church in Dallas.  We had a very special Thanksgiving with most of our kids and grandkids and our moms and my siblings at our house.  Matt deep-fried 2 turkeys for us.  Shanna took family photos.  At the Living Water Thanksgiving, I told the volunteers that I was resigning.  A bittersweet time.

December–I was on the countdown for finishing my job.  It was a very busy time at Living Water.  Then all of our kids and grandkids came to our house for Christmas.  It was a wonderful time–and it snowed!  It was a perfect Christmas with so many fun gifts, watching cousins play and enjoy one another, late night laughter with adults, and good food.

If I had to sum 2012 up in one word it would be FAMILY.  Our family changed in 2012.  There were adoptions, additions, and transformations.  We were together more times than I actually remembered.  It was a good year for our family.  We helped one another, worked for one another and blessed one another.  I can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2013!  I expect…change.