Blessing, Bringing, Giving

When was the last time you went to "church"?  I am guessing for most of the people who will read this, it was within the last few weeks.  I want to ask you something, when you went - were you blown away by the power, presence and persistence of the good news of who Jesus is and what He has done for you?

For most of us, especially those of us raised in "the church", probably not.  We have grown numb to the truth and unaffected by the unimaginable power present within the life of a follower of Jesus who is filled with the Spirit of the Living God.

We go to church, play our part, drink some coffee, sit when we should, stand when we should and bow our heads when we are suppose to.  If we are really committed, we may even take some notes that will never be looked upon again and leave completely unchanged and unmoved.

But, what if, you weren't numb to the Truth?

As a matter of fact, what if you had never heard it before?  What if grace was a foreign concept for you and you had spent your life searching for something, but weren't sure what it was.

Would the place you last attended have felt differently? Would the words the guy on stage sang/spoke felt differently?  Would you have wished you had one of those "Bibles" everyone was reading from?  Would you have desperately wished when you read your Bible it made sense like when the guy explained it?

My family moved across the country, to reach a group of people who fall into that last group of questions.  The people we meet are not churched.  The relationships we are building are not birthed out of a fondness for Beth Moore or Francis Chan, but something else.  We are missionaries reaching out to an unreached people group right here in the United States.  Colorado is an amazing state.  We love it here.  The people are amazing, friendly, welcoming, relational and truly great!  But, they have not been introduced to the one whom they are longing for.  They search for truth in sports, exercise, food, drink, money, and many other things; all of which leave them just short of what they expected.

Waypoint Church (www.waypointonline.org) exists to help these very people find the Jesus they are searching for.  God has been doing amazing things in our hearts as He prepares us for whats next.  But, we need help!

We cannot do this on our own.  We don't want to do this on our own, because with all of our hearts we believe God is doing a GREAT work in Colorado, and has asked many to join in the labor.

We have outgrown our house, where we have been meeting since mid-September, which means we need to find a new place to gather on Sunday mornings.  Starting very soon, we will be gathering at Ponderosa Elementary School to worship on Sunday's - which means many things for our small band of believers.

1) God is blessing us with the opportunity to grow and develop as a young church in the city of Loveland

2) God is bringing together our very own A-team with the right gifting to help us be excellent in all that we do, because we realize that EVERYTHING matters ALL THE TIME - and we only get one chance with many people to blow them away with how awesome Jesus is!

3) God is giving you the opportunity to help!  With new space comes many new needs and we can't do this on our own.  We are in need of people to break out their checkbooks and debit cards and bless the work that God is doing through Waypoint Church.  We need $10,000 to be able to purchase equipment, signs, and children's resources to keep kids safe and offer a worship experience at their level.  We need you to give!  I believe, with all my heart that our God is able and eager to bless us, and those who are faithful, but we need to trust.


We have made it super easy to give, please just click on this link Just Give! and you will be able to give online right away.

Please help us reach this city.  Help us make a difference in an area where most people haven't yet had the opportunity to grow numb to the Truth of Jesus, and as you give, watch Jesus ignite a fire that burns away the numbness you've been experiencing.

Thank you for your help and prayers!

A bit of financial freakout....

While we are super excited about all that is happening in our lives right now - there is also a lot of faith and sometimes some freaking out that occurs in the Tyler household!

We are in the final days of pregnancy (I say "we" like I have been a part of the hard work - when we all know it has been Katie) and I can't wait to meet our daughter on Tuesday morning!

And very soon after that, we will begin packing and preparing to move to Colorado to start Waypoint Church in the city of Loveland.  I can't tell you how much I find myself dreaming of Colorado, praying for the people of the city and thinking through how we are going to join in what God is doing to see a city transformed.

Last night at work, it was brought to my attention that some people may not know what it means to "start a church" - and I would like to take a moment and explain...we are moving there with some friends of ours, and our 2 families are going to literally START a gathering of local believers and unbelievers to worship Jesus and change a city.

This is not a small goal or task.  Where we are going - there is no church building or church people.  This is not the Bible belt.  This is not the South where the Gospel is tolerated and assumed.  This is out West, where the culture is about beer, marijuana, and making money while you can cause the good life is only for today!

This is a city that has experienced a bunch of new families moving in, and a lot of growth and yet, something is missing in the city - and we believe that something is Jesus.

It takes a lot of faith, a lot of work, and unfortunately - a lot of cash to make this realization come to be.

Just this week, Katie and I sat down and calculated our expenses in the next 6 weeks, and after spending about $2,500 on my daughter (totally worth it!!!) we will still have to be prepared to spend:

$2,000 on a rental truck
$3,500 for all the expenses of moving into a new home and city
$1,200 in fuel and hotel expenses to get to Colorado from North Carolina (30hr drive)

That's a total of $6,700 that we need to raise, JUST FOR OUR FAMILY!!!  Our good friends, the Sanders need the same level of support and financial aid as well...

Up to this point, I have hesitated asking directly for money...

But, I want to boldly ask those who read this and care about what God is doing in Colorado and where He has clearly called my family - to please pray about how you can financially support our journey to Colorado.  I believe that there are men and women out there who will read this, who could write a check, or give online and take care of the rental truck expense. I know that there are those who could give us the $40 it would cost for a 1/2 tank of gas (ridiculous - remember when it was only $10 to fill up a car).  I believe that there are those who could take care of one or two nights in a hotel on our drive across the country.  No gift is too small, and all is needed and greatly appreciated.

I believe that God wants to, and is going to do AMAZING things in Loveland - and He has given us the great honor to be invited into this story.

Now, I am extending the invitation to you.  Will you give and help us get to where God is moving so we can see a city changed?

If so, please visit http://www.waypointonline.org/partner/ to give online

or you can write a check to:

Longs Peak Baptist Association (write "Waypoint Church" in the memo line)
P.O. Box 755
Loveland, CO 80539

Legacy...

How often do you think about your heritage?

Probably not a whole lot, right?

Neither do I.

Most of the time I just go about my day, really not thinking about a whole lot of anything (I think thats called being a "man"), but this morning I was struck by something as I started reading the Gospel of Matthew...

The first words

The VERY FIRST WORDS

of the New Testament

after over 400 years of silence

are about

LEGACY

Do you find it odd that after all that time of silence the way the Spirit would begin talking to people again would be to have them look back?

I know I do

Or, rather, I did

But, if you slow down and think about it - we all should start by looking back at where we came from.  Our history plays a HUGE role in who we are and where we are going.

You are someone's son

You are someone's daughter

What does this thought stir in you?

Anger
Love
Bitterness
Joy
Sadness
Peace
Frustration
Excitement

Here is the reality that struck me this morning -

I am a part of a legacy that goes far beyond what I could ever imagine.  My heritage leads all the way back to the beginning, and while I may not be able to (or really want to do all the work) to trace it back that far

God knows

He has always known

When He begins the New Testament with a story of lineage and legacy - He is speaking to us

He is reminding us that this story is about one family

One legacy

His family

His legacy


And we get to play a part of it, because Jesus is making the leap into that legacy

No longer is He simply the Creator of humanity

He is adding to His story the legacy of humanity

He is jumping into the line of David, and Abraham

And inviting us to jump in as well

Does that stir something in you?

It should...

17 days and counting....

The countdown to our journey has begun!!

Check out our website at: www.waypointonline.org

FITNESS FRIDAY!!

While I readily recognize that I by no means am going to be gracing the cover of a Men's Health magazine anytime I soon; I do greatly value fitness, eating healthy and strive to take care of myself as best as I can.  So, with that in mind, I am setting aside Friday's on our blog to talk about things related to health and fitness; not because I am an expert but because it is something I care about and wish someone would have clued me in on earlier in life.

For those who may not know some of my story, when I got married almost 9 years ago, I weighed in at roughly 320 lbs (I am not 7'4" so that's not a healthy weight).  It hurt when I walked, I got out of breath going up stairs, I wouldn't go to the beach because I was embarrassed, and I greatly lacked confidence in who I was.  I walked around ashamed of who I was, and so to escape that shame, I ate.  And ate. And ate some more.

Me back in the day...yikes!!!!!

Than, one day, soon after my wife and I got hitched, I stepped on a scale, and it was like God peeled back the scales on my eyes and I saw who I had become.  I decided than and there that I was going to do something about it.  I started making better nutritional decisions; and getting active.  I immediately eliminated all fast food, fried food, soda, and began walking.  This dropped me down to 280 lbs in about 2 months.  I lost weight quickly and with the weight loss came immediate confidence and a desire to see more weight come off.

My wife and I moved to New Orleans soon after we got married and we decided that instead of cable, we would invest in our health, which is when I went from walking to running (thank you elliptical machines for helping me transition) and shed another 30 lbs.  When Katrina hit and we lost everything and relocated back to Tampa, FL - that was where I began plateauing some, even though my fitness level increased.  I started running all the time, but I allowed some of the bad food back in my life - and so it was a bit of a push.  I would run hard in the morning, but eat less than stellar throughout the day and see little to no progress in my waistline.

I have never dropped below 200 lbs healthily (I have in the past been below that number, but it was due to fasting - which is not about weight and never a good way to lose poundage) and that is my new goal.

Since my family relocated to North Carolina, I have made excuse after excuse about why I am not working out, and I am back to feeling like each day I live in guilt about how I ate and behaved the day before.  No more excuses and no more laziness.  Today, as I went to the gym for the first time in awhile, I remembered something I believe God taught me a long time ago;  if our bodies are truly TEMPLES (which the Bible says that they are) and we are to care for them (which it encourages us to do) than of course Satan would try and attack our bodies through food and self-indulgence.  He would try and make us feel lazy, guilty, ashamed and embarrassed about who we are.  He would whisper lies into our ears about how we can't, won't, or shouldn't get out and get active  He would make that ice cream, or pizza look so much better than it ever tastes.  And we are all too eager to allow ourselves to be deceived and we become worshippers of our stomachs, just like the Corinthians.

Here's me and my lovely bride today!!

So, today - I repented of worshiping my stomach, and for laziness - and I am done with excuses!!

I have decided that because of some knee pain I have had from a slip at work, I am going to run a little, but not push that too much, so my knee can recover, but I am going to begin swimming!  We pay a bunch of money every month for a membership at the YMCA - and I am going to begin swimming. It is a full body exercise, and super difficult and something I have never really tried to do for healthy reasons.

Today I swam 250 meters, it took me about 8 1/2 minutes and between each 50m lap, I had to stop and breathe.  My hope is by next "Fitness Friday" I will be able to say it took me less time, and I was able to go a little further!

My encouragement for everyone reading this, is to do two things this week:

1 - PRAY before you eat - and I am not talking about a recited prayer or "thanking God" for this food.  That's fine, but I mean search the heart of the Lord and see if what you are about to put into your body will benefit and help, or destroy?  Slow down and make food choices carefully and don't allow what tempts the eye or nose to lead you down the wrong path.

2 - GET OUT and do something - whether it is walking, jogging, riding a bike, swimming, sit-ups, pilates, or even stretching - just try to do SOMETHING active for a set amount of time each day!

Pastor, stop focusing on things that AREN'T your job!!!!

   A few weeks ago, we were having an issue with our minivan (I swear I am way too cool and too young to drive one, but with kids they are super-helpful) and so we did the natural thing that those of us who have no clue what happens under the hood of a car would do; we took it to the mechanic and let him tell us what was wrong and fix the issues.  After looking the van over, and because of his 20+ years in the auto industry, he was able to tell us what was wrong and than able to help us get our vehicle fixed so we could get back to riding in "style".

   Just for a second, lets imagine what it would have looked like if I had taken my van to the mechanic, and rather than helping me diagnose the problem with my vehicle - he started talking to me about my credit score and what I need to do to boost my score in a tough economy and how I should be planning for retirement.  It goes without saying, that halfway through the conversation I would take my keys back from the crazy man and find a guy who KNOWS cars and is EAGER to discuss cars and their problems, so he can help me with my issues.

     Similarly, sometimes I believes pastors, myself included, try to be like the fictitious car mechanic who advises on financial things when it is not his job or area of "expertise".  I think we get sidetracked with all the minor issues in life and consumed with secondary things and we forget what our main job/call/task is.  So often as pastors, we focus on the physical and temporal things that end up in front of us that we forget our job is primarily the spiritual.  It is easier to ask whether or not the programs got proofread, the web design is relevant and "cutting edge", or if the technology of the church is up-to-date. The tougher question to answer (and I would argue the reason pastors are CALLED to a people/place) is whether people are falling more in love with Jesus, following Him more closely and burdened for those who don't yet grasp His love.  The spiritual element to our job should always be the primary focus.  Yes, the physical and temporal need to be handled, but isn't it far more important to invest in the spiritual aspects of peoples lives (the things that don't burn up and get destroyed) than the physical?

   I have a concern that the church is moving to quickly past the spiritual and focusing so much on the needs and concerns of this life, that we are sacrificing the spiritual elements (aka the PRIMARY element) of our job

   So, while I recognize that Waypoint Church has needs that are real and physical - I would ask first, that you would commit to help us with the spiritual aspect of our calling.  Will you please pray for our endeavor?

1.  Pray that God would move in the lives of the people of Loveland, Colorado.
2,  Pray that we are changed as we step out in obedience.
3.  Pray that God would bring families to step out in reckless abandon and relocate with us to Loveland.
4.  Pray that finances would pour out, not so that we can get rich, but that we can get active in the community and bless some people who, statistically, see no need for God in their lives.
5.  Pray that the grace and power of Jesus would change a city, form a people and ignite a fire in the lives of His Children that would inspire others to be radically obedient.

Will you help us address the spiritual, not the physical - and pray with us??  If so, you can commit and receive more information at www.waypointonline.org


Confused as to what Waypoint Church is?

                  Click http://thetylers04.blogspot.com/2013/04/big-news.html to find out!!!

Our First Financial Supporter...and she's 7!

Today I'd like to share with you a story about our first financial supporter.  Her name is Madison and she is 7 years old.  For our Tampa friends and family, if you haven't heard about Madison's Mission you are missing out.  At the bottom of this post is more information on Madison's Mission as well as a links to her FB page, blog and a recent video segment from Fox 13.  It's definitely worth the visit!  She is an incredible little girl with a heart for people and making an impact on her community.  If her story doesn't spur you on to good works...you should check your pulse.  :)

Madison is a daughter of a good friend & co-worker of mine.  At church Madison has recently learned about church planters and hasn't stopped talking about it.  When her mom shared the news of us moving to Colorado to plant, Madison's immediate response was "I want to help"!    Even though her mom and I have worked together since before we both had kids (can't believe it's been that long), I've actually never met Madison...which makes her financial gift all the more special.

Thank you Madison!

Meet Madison

About Madison's Mission

Madison's Mission, a cause to help local families in need, was created by a little girl with a big heart, Madison Brewer. If you would like to donate and help Madison fufill her mission please message or email helpmadisonsmission@hotmail.com.

Description

Six year old Madison Brewer of Dover is a little girl with a big heart. She is embarking on a mission to raise money for local families in need. Back in August, Madison asked her mother for an empty milk jug. Naturally, her mother asked what she needed a milk jug for. Madison explained that she wanted to collect money for a local family who couldn't afford to buy food for the upcoming holidays. Once her parents, Ryan and Deanna Brewer, realized just how serious she was about this, they began brainstorming on ways to make it happen. With the help of a friend, Devony Davenport Scott, Madison's Mission was created and the journey began. If you would like to help Madison fulfill her mission, please visit www.helpmadisonsmission.blogspot.com, or email helpmadisonsmission@hotmail.com. Donations can also be mailed to PO Box 1533, Dover FL 33527.

Click here to see Madison on FOX 13's  Hometown Hero - Madison's Mission!

To find out more about our big adventure this summer and how you can join our support team, check out this blog post.  Big NEWS!!!! 

Spring has sprung!

  It is kind of funny, after spending so many years in Florida, and being so young when we moved South from Illinois; I can't say that I really REMEMBER a true spring time experience.  This morning,  I was taking Micah, my oldest, to school and I was driving through the historic section of Wake Forest, which is lined with beautiful old homes that have been well taken care of, and extremely well landscaped - but because this is not Florida, and we HAVE seasons, things have been dead and barren for some time now.

  Well, in the last few weeks, spring has sprung all around and I have to say - I am a bit overwhelmed at all of the growth, green and beauty surrounding me.  I had gotten so used to the colors of gray and brown, and the barren trees without leaves, that to see everything full and alive and growing - makes me feel rather claustrophobic as I walk, drive or run around town.

  As I pondered this thought this morning, I wondered - is this sometimes true for us as followers of Jesus?  Do we experience growth, new life, and the wonderful beauty of a relationship with Him - and get overwhelmed and feel like running back to the barrenness of the old way of life?  Do we feel overwhelmed and sometimes scared of all that a life devoted to Jesus offers?  I think we can get so used to the dead way of living that perhaps, a taste of freedom can be scary.  It can make those of us who have been walking paths of dead religion and comfortable idolatry run back to the familiar because the luscious life of new growth, new life and beautiful glory for our King - makes us uneasy.

  A word of encouragement as well that I am walking in right now, with a bold step in faith to move to Colorado and plant a church (gotta work this news into this blog somehow)

BIG NEWS!!!!!!!!!

Well, there is BIG NEWS for the Tyler family; and no I am not just talking about the baby girl joining our family in a few short weeks! Though we are super excited to meet our daughter and start our family of 5; we have almost even bigger news...we are moving to Colorado in just a few short weeks!!!!!

That's right - always on the move, and ever hoping to step further out in faith and obedience, we believe God has called us to plant a church in Loveland, CO with some very close friends of ours!  We are so excited for this journey and can't wait to begin a new phase of adventure and obedience.

Frequently Asked Questions about this decision:

Why Colorado?
Several years ago, God placed a call on my life to plant a church, but I knew I was not ready and the time was not right.  In the last 6 weeks (yup, things are moving fast) God has released us to pursue the call He gave us a long time ago, and partnered us with some very close friends who have awakened in us a desire and passion for the city of Loveland, Colorado.  The West is a different culture and place than either Katie or I have ever been in, and while we love the South and being in the "Bible Belt"; we want to go where there is a need for people to find and fall in love with Jesus, and the city we are called to has roughly 85% of the population with little or no desire for a relationship with Jesus - but they have an interest in spiritual things! So, we believe that the fields are white unto harvest and the time is right, and so begins our trek out West!!!

Why now?
The best answer to this question, is quite simply; because there is no time like the present.  Our kids are young and we believe it will be easier to adjust to this kind of a culture shift now, rather than waiting.  We also have watched as God has opened up the doors for us to make this kind of a radical shift now; and so we want to seize the opportunity while we are free and able to.  Also, the area we are moving to is in a stage of development that really excites us about the opportunity; there is a lot of new families, new homes and new growth; but very little commercial development - which means families have not settled into patterns and routines; and since they are making "new choices" anyway, it is a prime time for the Gospel to take root in their lives and establish a "new way" of doing life!!

What's your plan?
This questions is a little tougher to answer, but basically - we want to pursue Jesus as we love our community and engage in the ever-changing world!  We believe that if we are first disciples and obedient followers of Christ, and engaged and in love with the city; God will take care of the rest.  Some of our planning and dreaming is going to be hazy until we are able to have "boots on the ground" and actually be LIVING in the city.

When is this happening?
God is so good, and in the midst of a big season of change - He has provided just enough of the path ahead for us to continue to take steps in obedience and move forward with His plan!  We are going to get to meet our little girl on May 21st and than it is off to the races, essentially...My wife is going to have a scheduled C-section (prayers appreciated) on the 21st and begin her 6 week recovery from major surgery.  During her recovery we are going to simply enjoy a season of calm, try to raise support for our adventure and really just love on our kiddos and enjoy our last few weeks in North Carolina.  But, beginning the last week of June, we pack, load a U-haul and begin the 29 hour drive to Loveland, Colorado - pulling a car and loading a van with 3 kids (a 7 year old, a 17 month old, and a 7 week old) - planning to arrive in Loveland on July 3rd.  AND THIS IS HOW AWESOME JESUS IS - we ALREADY HAVE A HOUSE IN COLORADO!!!  We have been blessed with awesome internet searching by my wife and found a rental company that is willing to work with our situation and rent us a house that is in the PERFECT location, the PERFECT size, and just within our budget, and it is available the DAY WE NEEDED it to be and they rented it to us sight unseen (which is actually a HUGE deal - most companies refused to even consider it)  So; if all goes according to schedule it looks like this:

May 21st - have baby girl
May 22nd thru June 27th - family time, recover from surgery, raise support for our adventure
June 28th - pick up truck and begin loading U-hual
June 30th thru July 3rd - drive to Colorado
July 4th - begin setting up a life in Loveland!!!  (and probably try to blow stuff up!)

Does the church have a name?
Yes, we do - and the name of our church is "Waypoint Church".  A waypoint is a GPS marker and since we are moving out West where the community is extremely outdoorsy and passionate about adventure, we thought a waypoint would connect with the culture; however we also want people to realize that there is simply one marker, or waypoint that they need to focus on and direct their lives and that is Jesus, the true WAY.

Do you have a website?
Yup, you can visit our page that is ever expanding and improving at www.waypointonline.org 

What about money?
Money is such a sensitive issue, and when you are trying to move across the country with a family and set up a new life and a new ministry/church it requires quite a bit of it.  Here is the basic's  - God is faithful and He has blessed Katie and I with jobs that are transferrable - so we have employment in Loveland already.  This is a HUGE stress-relief, however, the church itself needs a lot of funding to get going, and we also need assistance in the simple cost of relocating across the country.  Stepping out in faith and moving so quickly after having a baby is definitely testing our faith, as we look at the amount of money we are going to need to spend to get out there, pay to set up a life (first, last, securities and whatnot) and we look at how much having a baby costs, plus all the moving expenses - and the total gets rather large in a hurry!  But we are trusting that God is going to raise up supporters who believe in church planting, and want to be a part of the story God is writing in Loveland!

If you feel like you are one of those supporters you can mail support to:

Longs Peak Baptist Association (write "Waypoint Church" in the memo line)
P.O. Box 755
Loveland, CO 80539

How else can people help?
We are in need of quite a bit right now, so anything you can contribute is appreciated.  We need people to pray for us like there is no tomorrow!  The spiritual attack since we stepped out in faith and decided to run this race has been intense - so please be praying for our families.  Also, be praying for the city we are moving to, that God would begin to work in the hearts of people and stir lives to move in His direction for His glory.  We also would love to know if you have connections or relationships in Loveland or Fort Collins - our world seems to get smaller each and everyday and if you know of people we could reach out to and connect with, please let us know.

What's next?
For us right now, we are simply going to continue to pray and make people aware of our adventure and wait for God to do big things as we pursue Him.  We ask that you would pray for us, pray about getting involved and joining our adventure and we are grateful for those who respond in obedience and help us follow His leading as we make this move and begin this journey.

Confessions of a waiter...

Some of you may or may not know this, but since we moved to NC I have been waiting tables at an Olive Garden in Wake Forest - and if I am completely honest, it is the most fun job I think I have ever had!

I truly love my job, but every once in awhile I have the need to vent some of the frustrations we waiters/servers endure - and this blog seems like a healthy space to vent.

Here are some common frustrations of the service industry:

#1 - People who don't tip well, regardless of service!  I only make $2/hr and all of that goes to the government, so if you don't tip me, I don't make money.  A respectable tip for good service is 20%.  If you can't afford to tip, don't come to the restaurant!

#2 - Small children who DESTROY the surrounding area with cheerios, breadsticks, sugar packs, small animals, and whatever else they get their hands on.  I understand that kids make messes (I have 3 of them) but is it that hard to at least ATTEMPT to pick up after them???*

#3 - Arriving at the restaurant 40 minutes before the rest of your party and DEMANDING to be seated.  For real?!?! Be patient and wait for the rest of your party, don't waste my table and my time, I need to earn a living.

#4 - People who order "extra" lemons for their water and than add sugar to it to make their own NASTY lemonade.  Come on now, don't be cheap, we sell lemonade, just buy yourself a glass!

#5 - Patrons who decide to come into a dining establishment 20 minutes before close and eat an appetizer, dinner and dessert.  Take it to go, I wanna go home!**

#6 - People who leave "tracts" as a tip, or write "Jesus loves you" on the tip receipt - that's not witnessing and you either missed an opportunity or offended an unbeliever when you do this!  Man up and share your faith and engage with your waiter if you want to witness - we will be willing to talk, just take the time and make it happen!

#7 - Guests who refuse to make eye contact, spend the whole time on their cell phones, or simply treat the waiter like a grunt and not a person.  I got feelings to, Jack, how bout you hang up the phone and make some eye contact!

#8 - Teenagers.  Your young, spending someone else's money and think everything is funny or dirty - grow up, get a job and stop being annoying.

#9 - People who eat their entire dinner and THEN decided to complain to the manager about the food quality and demand free food.  We know your game, it works, but don't be like that - it makes you lame!

#10 - Dropping a $100 bill on me. Come on now; break that somewhere else - all I got is a little coin purse and no time to run around trying to play that game

* A combination of #1 and #2 may cause an aneurism in your waiter, please don't be those people!

** A combination of #1,2,5 is just plain evil

YOU WRONGED ME!!! or did you??

I have been reading a book called "The Advantage" by Patrick Lencioni and the premise is about building a healthy team...

In the book he talks about the importance of building a COHESIVE team; that trusts one another.  One of the important factors in overcoming trust issues is recognizing within ourselves the "FUNDAMENTAL ATTRIBUTIVE ERROR"

This error, that occurs within the human condition is quite simply this - when I am wronged, it is because the person who wronged me is an evil, greedy, manipulative, spiteful wretch of a human being.  However, when I wrong someone else - it is because my situation/environment/upbringing caused me to be this way; thus making it not REALLY my fault!

As I read these words - a whole new understanding of how I view conflict and relationship strain opened up for me.  I don't know about you, but when I feel slighted or wronged, I find the worst in people to blame and I take it intensely personal!  However, if I find that I have offended someone else; it was because I am a busy man who makes mistakes and WOULD NEVER intentionally hurt anyone else.

What a crazy double standard!!!!

Wouldn't life and relationships be so much better if instead of justifying ourselves and blaming everyone else; we gave one another the benefit of the doubt and sought to understand each other and extended grace upon grace?

Pray...duh

So over the last few weeks my 9 month old has taken to not sleeping very well.  Truthfully it has been more like 2 months, ever since our move to NC.  He may nap but only for an hour (two hours on a good day - yay!) and he rarely sleeps through the night.  However to his credit when he wakes at night, after nursing he will go back to sleep (unless he wakes after 5 am, which then he is simply awake).

  Now we don't remember this problem with our first son, albeit it was 6 years ago.  By this point in his life he was on formula, was in daycare during the day and slept great at night.  With our newest addition I was convicted on the need to nurse him as long as possible.  Working full-time and being a nursing mom is hard.  It takes commitment and consistency.  With my first baby, I did not make it a priority and my milk production dwindled after 4 months.  This time around I was determined to nurse as long as I could, at least to 12 months.  I had friends praying for me and I was committed to make it work.  And praise Lord my milk production is fabulous!

  I have read countless blogs and articles on how to create a good sleeper.  My husband and I have talked at length about the various schools of thoughts on creating a good sleeper.  Nurture, cry it out, switch to formula, etc.  It seems like everyone I talk to has a different opinion and is very willing to share what I need to do.

  After considering all of the different strategies I decided that I need to establish a nap-time / bed-time routine for him, to program his little brain to sleep.  So this past week I have worked hard at creating & sticking to a routine.  And he slept fairly good.  That is until Friday night.  The kid must have come with a weekend sensor.  The two days I can sleep in without the pressure of a pending workday looming...he was wide awake at 4am (Sat) & 5 am (Sun).  Not cool little man.

  Thankfully I have a wonderful husband who is willing to get up early if needed to relieve me.  Although because he works in the evenings so I try to let him sleep as much as possible.

  This afternoon while rocking little man (after 10+ minutes of screaming his little lungs out) I found myself praying and then subsequently in a time of confession.  After all of this reading, brainstorming & sleeplessness...I hadn't asked God what was best for Levi.  What?!?  How could I not have consulted the One who created him?  The One who knit Levi together in my womb.

  This was a HUGE awakening for me.  This longtime child of God and wife of a pastor is a little ashamed to say (type) it out-loud - I had not sought from the Lord what to do.  Needless to say, right there while rocking Levi to praise music and praying for guidance, he fell right to sleep.  I don't have a magic bed-time solution yet but I know the One who does! 

  So to all those well meaning advice givers...before speaking what I'm sure is a well meaning piece of advice to a mom of a baby, please stop, remember your baby-season of life and offer a hug before you offer advice.  Better yet...offer a big hug (skip the advice) and pray for her right then and there.  You may end up with a hot mess of a mom on your shoulder and likely a little drool from her quick power nap during your prayer, but you will be blessing her heart more than any piece of advice you could give.

Grandma Time

My mom made a quick trip up here to visit with her good friend, Barbara.  Although our time together was brief, it was nice to have her here to see our home and just be together.  We enjoyed a few great meal together, played cards and explored a few new places in Raleigh (the state Farmer's Market & the Natural History Museum).

What a blessing it was just to see her and spend time together.  Micah really enjoyed it and now we are counting down the weeks until we get to visit her in FL.

New Routines

Nate recently got a job at Olive Garden so now we are working on getting settled into a new routine of him working.  He has been working a lot as they are understaffed but he is enjoying it thoroughly.  Micah is still loving our new home and all the neighborhood kids that come along with it.  Just in our row of 4 townhomes we have four girls (ages 9, 7, 5, 4) and 8 boys (ages 7, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 7 months and another on the way <-not us).  That's 11 kids running around not including our little guys who you can tell wants badly to be out there running as well.

There is always a flurry of activity in and around our home.  Since all of our kids, mentioned above, are still young they aren't allowed to go much further than right outside our homes, all of the older kids in the neighborhood tend to gather at various times in front of our house as well. There's always something fun going on...water gun fights, nerf wars, chalk drawings, BeyBlade battles, basketball or a fun game of tag.
They have their moments where they need alone time in their respective houses but for the most part, they all do a wonderful job playing together and having fun.  

We still have three weeks of summer to enjoy.  So far we haven't taken any adventures but with Nate getting settled at O.G. we haven't had much time.  We did join the YMCA here so we have been enjoying all this Y has to offer.  It has some fabulous pools, so along with working out we are having a blast swimming.  Sometimes for exercise, sometimes in the kid splash pool (inside) or enjoying the summer heat in the family pool outside, with the big slide.  

Micah excited after passing the Black Band Test.  

The black band allows him to go down the slide and swim in the deep end.  He's been learning how to swim laps with us in the inside, lap pool.  He's quite good & enjoying it.  (Likely because Levi can't be in there with us...so he gets good quality time.)

A home for my jewelry

As we continue to get settled in our new home, I keep finding new ways to organize things.  After scouring the internet for ways to organize my jewelry and looking through tools I already had at home, this is what I came up with.  Not all my jewelry will be on display just my everyday "fun" jewelry.  

Ikea bar & hooks for necklaces/bracelets with light pink tulle for earrings

It's hanging in our bedroom right under a mirror.  I love having it all displayed so I can see what I have.  The only downside is that it is hanging above a floor air vent.  I still need to find a home for my earring studs (nervous that if I drop them they'll be gone forever in the air vent).  For now everything that isn't hanging here will be either hanging in my closet jewelry organizer or my jewelry box.

Love that I have a little splash of girly in this house full of boys!

Two weeks in

We have been residents of NC for two weeks now.  Sometimes it feels just like a vacation but more and more this is feeling like home.  Everything has been unpacked and are house is feeling more like home every day.  Micah is thoroughly enjoying having friends all around - there is always someone to play with.  The townhouse to our right there is a 7 year old boy and the townhouse to our left, there is a 5 year old boy (as well as 7 & 9 year old girls).  I couldn't ask for better neighbors.

God has blessed us richly!   

We got Micah registered for school this week.  He got assigned a brand new school.  As of Monday, there were only 35 students registered for the entire school!  By the end of this school year they are hoping to have 100 students.  At first we weren't thrilled about the assignment, mainly because we didn't know about the school.  But now we are excited that we will have the opportunity to help create the culture of this new school.  Micah will get to be a part of creating school colors, a mascot and I'm sure much more.  What a great experience it will be.

Nate is taking one summer class that will begin in about two weeks.  Until then he is trying his best to enjoy the down time but it can be difficult as historically we have been on the go so much.  We are trying to not take for granted this down time.

I'm settling into a new work life.  Working from home full time has it's advantages and disadvantages.  Thankfully I am being productive and the boys know not to disturb me while I'm working.  However I am feeling a bit disconnected from my workgroup.  But overall it's been a wonderful experience.  And I get coffee and meals delivered to my desk - what service!

The weather has cooled off just a bit.  We had way too many days of record breaking heat - 100+ (over 110 with the heat index).  Thankfully we have had some rain which has cooled it down.  This is much more like what I thought it would be.  

That's all for now.  Be blessed and be a blessing!

Micah and our neighbor, Daniel (5), both lost the same tooth on the same day.

Micah with some new friends outside our townhouse

The view from my new office

Update from NC

It's been very hot here in NC since we arrived, over the weekend our high was 104 and this coming weekend appears to be just as hot. I thought we were escaping the heat by moving north. :) Thankfully the NC summers are much shorter than FL ones.

We are getting settled into our new home and I began work this week. Although it's work, it is nice to get into a routine again. The house is all unpacked and is feeling more like home everyday.

Micah is LOVING it here. The neighborhood is full of kids. What a nice change. He plays outside most of the day with occasional breaks inside to avoid the heat or to grab a snack. It has been a change for us to allow him to play outside without us being with him, but the older kids watch out for the younger ones and they stay right in front of our house (my rule until I feel more comfortable).


Levi is cutting four teeth at the moment (ouch) and Micah just lost his second tooth. Fun times in this Tyler house.

While our house is feeling more like home, we miss our family and friends. Our biggest prayer at the moment is to find our new church home and for community. Until then we are trying to enjoy our new slow paced life and remember it will soon be over once Nathan & Micah start school.

Move…19 days away

I forgot to post yesterday’s (Monday’s) Florida Fun activity.
Monday was a pretty typical “Florida Fun” event for us and one we will greatly miss. Playing in the pool! Micah and his buddy (and daddy too) had a blast swimming in our friend’s pool. The boys have been asking every day to visit the pool but between the rain and other things going on we haven’t had the time. Monday the planets aligned and we made it happen. The boys were in heaven!

We also had the chance to have dinner with some great friends! We will sure miss their company.

Countdown has begun...21 days left in FL

In 21 days our moving truck will be loaded and we will be heading to Wake Forest, North Carolina.  The next three weeks will zoom by so each day, we are going to aim to do something "Florida".

Today's "Florida" fun was completed by Micah.  Micah enjoyed a Rays baseball game with his friend Joshua.  The Rays beat the Orioles and the boys had a blast!  Thanks Brian & Tara!

Let the Countdown Begin

We have twenty-one days left as Florida residents.  Crazy to think about.

The next 21 days are going to race by so today I reflect.  Reflect on the wonderful friends we have made over the past few years, the great experiences we have had here and the memories that will last a life time. 

God brought Nate and I back to Florida six and a half years ago after Hurricane Katrina.  What ride the last six years have been.  We bought (and sold) our first home, both of our boys were born, we adopted a cute (sometimes annoying) puppy - Zoe and we had lots of parties with friends and family.  One thing I have enjoyed most in the last six years is the relationships.  We have loved living so close to family and having the joy of celebrating big life moments together - two weddings and two babies (so far)! 

Our home has continually been filled with fabulous friends - some we have laughed with, cried with, celebrated babies being born, mourned deaths - all who we remember.  It's impossible to recount all of the planned (and spontaneous) parties we have had...but some of the most memorable have to be Micah's 1st birthday party, Crawfish boil in the backyard and the boys throwing fireworks in the pond on some firework occasion (making my house shake) and roasting marshmallows in the backyard.

For the Tyler family - - life is defined first, by our relationship with the Lord but secondly by our relationships with people.  I hope the legacy we leave here is one of love, laughter and a contagious joy of the Lord.

Thank you to all of the wonderful friends we have lived life with over the last six and a half years.  Reflect with me...what has your favorite "Tyler memory" been?

Summer Time in FL = pool

We spent Friday evening in the pool with Memaw & Papa (Nate's parents). It was also Levi's first time in the pool. As with Micah, we wanted to get him used to the water soon and learn to go under water. So it was his turn to be initiated by daddy. Needless to say Levi was not too happy with Nate but after the third time under the water, he was somewhat used to it.

Micah, our little fish, had a blast and afterwards he spent the night with his Memaw & Papa. What a treat! Only 4 more weekends in FL...gotta take advantage of our time here while we can.

Creative Date Night

As I said previously, Nate and I have been enjoying painting lately. Last night we had a fabulous date night and went to Painting with a Twist. What a fun place!

- Thanks to Nate's parents for watching the boys while we took some time for ourselves. Only four more weeks of being by family...glad they could drop everything and come hang with the boys.

If you are married, devote some time to your spouse this coming week. Get a sitter, wear something nice and ENJOY each other. Laugh, hold hands, eat somewhere different (or your favorite spot) and have fun!
*If you can't afford a sitter, have a picnic in the living room or in the backyard after the kiddos are in bed. Or "baby swap" with another couple and give each other a date night.

Fun at the Trop

Today we were blessed by my company with Rays tickets. Not only tickets but parking, food
It was Micah & Levi's first MLB game. The game went to 11 innings (we only stayed for 9), but we listened to the Rays win it on the way home.

Learning to flex our creativity

Nate and I have enjoyed painting lately. Here are some of recent pieces. Enjoy!

Her children will rise up and call her blessed

For Mother's Day this year Nate and I wanted to make something for each of our mothers. This is a picture of the painting I made for my momma.

Oh the love

What a wonderful day! Today was Micah's first day back to school & Nate was off work...so I got to spend my day with the love of my life. It was fabulous. I can't believe how blessed I am to be married to my best friend. There is no better way to go through life.

Weekend Update

So, I'm going to be blogging over the next few weeks for the sake of Nate. That way if he gets a chance he can read it and be up to date on all that's going on at home with his family.
For those of you that stumble upon here, sorry for the boring updates.

Here's what we've been up to the past few days....

• Day 1, Thursday: We dropped Nate off at the airport then chilled at home the rest of the evening. I was preparing for our women's event, which was the following night, so I was busy cutting verses out and relaxing.
  
• Day 2, Friday: I worked from home. Micah was so wonderful. He let me work most of the day. We took breaks throughout the day to take Zoe for a walk, eat breakfast/lunch, put a puzzle together, talk, color, whatever little 3 year old boys need to do. I was semi-productive when it came to work. I got to talk to Nate for just a few minutes before his flight took off for Tokyo - yay!
  We headed up to the church to prepare for the women's event around 4:30. Micah was a wonderful kid, as usual, as we got ready helping with whatever we needed him to. Papa came to pick him up around 6, which left me an hour to finish up preparation for the event.
  God is so good. I was a little discouraged because only about 15 ladies attended our event. We had to think quick on our feet and scrap the game/activities we had planned because of the size of the group, but we still had a good time. In fact we had the opportunity to spend even more time connecting, so that was great. I spoke for about 15 minutes about the lies Satan tells us and how I combat them. Not sure how everyone else thought I did, but I think it was ok. I spoke and shared what God told me to....so it had to be great. :)
  
• Day 3, Saturday: My momma called, while I was still sleeping, to see what we were up to for the day. She ended up coming over and we hit up the yard sale at our church. Micah brought along his piggy bank and ended up finding a few great deals. Two games for $1.25 and a sidewalk chalk toy for free...can't beat that. Then we headed up to Walmart to search for a new vacuum, because ours doesn't work great. I couldn't decide...so I ended up buying 12 journals for $3 (they were only a quarter each, how could I pass that deal up?)
  We ate some decent Cuban food at a new restaurant then Micah and I relaxed most of the afternoon at home.
  Later in the evening we went over to Nate's parents house to figure out a new software program the church has purchased and eat some dinner. Nothing fancy, just a nice evening.
  
  I still hadn't heard from Nate - at this point I was going a little crazy. I did see online (gotta love technology) that his plane from Detroit to Tokyo had arrived safely as did his plane from Tokyo to Bangkok, Thailand. But I had yet to actually hear from him. (This is the longest communication gap we've ever had....and I didn'tlike it).
  
• Day 4, Sunday: We woke up and ate some eggs, shocker. We headed off to church without daddy - that was weird. An awesome thing happened during the first worship song. I was bummed that I still hadn't heard from Nate but nonetheless I was worshipping....then I got a text from my hubby!!! Again, gotta love technology. Even though the team was experiencing internet and phone issues, he was able to get on Twitter and update his status to send me a message. I felt like my heart exploded - in a good way. I knew with everything in me that he was safe (because my God is that good) but it was such a relief to finally receive communication from him.
  After church Micah and I hit up Walmart again, this time actually getting a vacuum (no more journals), then we spent some time vacuuming the house. Gross - I didn't realize how 1) dirty our floors were and 2) how awful our old vacuum was.
  For the last hour or so I've been trying to get our son to take a rest, unsuccessfully.

Missing my hubby like crazy. The house feels different without him here.

I am so blessed to have a husband who loves me but loves his Saviour more. What a great example he is to his family. Love you & miss you. Hopefully we'll get to talk soon.

Praying for Nate & the group he is traveling with (David, Norris, Todd, David, Keith & Drew). May they be blessed, safe and have a blast. The spiritual warfare is increasing as they are there - but GOD IS BIGGER. Be strong and courageous!

Listening

This past Sunday while at a leadership training at South Bay, God showed up. OK, I know that sounds a little silly...because God is omnipresent, always present....but I guess what I mean to say is I shut up and heard Him.
We were learning about listening prayer and responsive reading and what that looks like. This wasn't a totally new concept to me but apparently I had some things to learn.

We had a time where we got to practice this discipline on our own. I got away to a corner of the sanctuary and got on my face, expectantly waiting to hear from God...but not really prepared for what would come. As I read through Psalm 139:17-18, I practiced responsive reading (replying to God's statements, asking clarifying questions, etc) and waited for Him to respond.
Ps 139:17-18 "How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!"
During our conversation I asked God several questions..."really, you think about me that much?" "What are your thoughts about me?" "What lie have I believed that causes me to doubt that?"

While I was expectant that He would speak, I was blown away when He did. He spoke right to my spirit and answered far beyond what I could imagine, revealing lies that I had believed and replaced them with His truth about me.

I think it is so cool that we serve such an awesome God who wants an intimate relationship with us. He desires to speak to us. How cool is that?

God has done great things for us

Be praying for my family. We have a lot of upcoming events and new ways we are getting involved in ministry...therefore we know the enemy is prowling.

God is doing some amazing things around us & I know that if we let Him, He is going to do amazing things through us.

Just a quick recap of what's been happening in our lives and what is coming up....

1. Nate will be traveling to Myanmar (aka Burma), Cambodia, Vietnam & China to assist with training pastors in these countries exactly one month from today. We are still in need of support - about $4,000 still. Be praying for support, that God would prepare the way for this group of men, safe travels and open doors. Also, be praying for childcare while Nate is out of the country for 16 days. I will need to work and since Nate is our primary care giver for Micah, we are going to need childcare during the duration of his mission trip.
2. I have joined the Women's Leadership Team at South Bay Church and I am really excited about the opportunity Christ has given me to serve the ladies of our church. Pray for creativity, unity of mind and the desire for the women of SBC to connect to one another.
3. Nate has been asked to lead our small groups ministry at SBC. This is a huge undertaking and can only be successful by operating under Jesus. Pray that he will continue to seek God's direction for the ministry, for small group leaders to be raised up and for the people of South Bay to get excited about connecting to each other.

Contemplations

These are just some random thoughts...mainly for me. Some brought about by my friends/family and some brought up by reading through the Word.

- Love. Do I truly love? What does love look like?
- Am I living in the past (past accomplishments, responsibilities, ministries, duties, etc) or am I living for today? Living out the passion, gifts He's put inside of me?
- Am I being the part of the body God has designed me to be?
- How can I live an ordinary life when I serve an extraordinary God?
- Don't just live out of old encounters but expect new ones!
- Live in a way where the things of God invade into your everyday life.
- If you don't love...you fail. (ouch!)