*Video* Lauren's First Motorcycle

We have some awesome friends in motocross and a bunch of them pooled together to get Lauren her first motorcycle. We are so thankful, and clearly see their plan to get us back to the racetrack! :)

I have a feeling we'll be there soon, I can't wait!

Yes, it is me taking the video and doing all the screaming...



Thank you all so much!

I have been blessed!

Hello!
We are back from a long weekend in Illinois. We left last Wednesday and got home late last night. We had a really good time, met lots of people and hung out with old friends.

I met a young mom named Heather that is working on starting a trackside ministry along with her husband and a minister friend. They hope to have services at tracks in Minnesota and she is reaching out by offering coffee to moms. She was a real sweetie and told me about the book she was reading, The Bait of Satan. I've read this book years ago and remember what an impact it had on my life. So I wanted to pass along the info to you all.

Very powerful, if you are struggling in your church or relationships at all, get this one.

Are you ensnared by bitterness, seized by anger, held captive by
resentment because someone has offended you?
Bevere shows you how to escape
Satan's grip, avoid a victim mentality, practice forgiveness, experience
reconciliation, and remain free in Christ. Features updated anecdotal
stories and testimonies, and an extensive study guide for individuals or
small groups.

I also wanted to share this song with you. I'm not as thrilled with the video as I am with the song, it really touches my heart and "brings me home."

It is my current favorite in the ipod... but I also like this and this and that... (I always have a million favorites!!)

It helps me remember what is truly important these days!!!!

Love,
Sue

Oldest and Youngest

Matt and his dirtbike...

Lauren and her...quad...
(Notice the gnarly boots!)

Team Allegan Rocks!!

Our boys did sooo good!
Remember the little guy who thought he was practicing? He won 1st place (seen on the right)!!
He's National Champ now!

Can they get any cuter?? Seen here with Lauren and Mark.

Tanner (L) from Missouri, got third place in the 4-6 Div, Sean (center) from California, got 1st place in the 7-9 Div and Lance (R) from Missouri got 1st place in 4-6 Div.
We are so proud of all of our boys, whether they won or not, they were so much fun!

We are in Decatur this week at another National race, thankfully we have great internet reception.

I just have to share with you what I've been thinking about:
Ps 32:1-2
Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.
NIV

Ps 32:55
Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD" — and You forgave the guilt of my sin.
NIV


That is so good!
I know so many that struggle with the guilt and shame of sin.

The cross was enough to take away our sins. Nothing more needs to be done on God's side for our forgiveness- but WE do have to receive it!
Don't let the enemy torment you with past sin. There is nothing so bad that the cross couldn't handle.


Acts 3:18-20
Repent, then, and turn to God,
so that your sins may be wiped out,
that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,
NIV


Times of refreshing!!! Does it get any better than that?!
I love Him so much! I'm so thankful that He loves us even more than that!!!!

Our hope is in Him,
Sue

Greetings from Sunny Florida!

When we left Michigan we had snow flurries, now Lauren is running around in shorts!

I'm a Northern girl, so this is going to be very strange for me to be enjoying such warm weather on Thanksgiving. Therefore, I have vowed to watch Elf, The Grinch and any other Christmas movie I can find, and then to listen to Christmas music all the way home, just to make sure I get myself ready for the season!

In the meantime I will be enjoying my new jogging stroller and getting some exercising- walking- NOT running...my opinion is that unless you are being chased, you never run once you've hit 40 years old. Things just bounce different and it's not pretty!

For some inspiration, I want to leave you with a link to a post I did when I first started posting. It's one of my favorites although most of you haven't read it.

Click here:
Are you living like an orphan?

Have a wonderful Sunday! I am looking forward to service here at the racetrack tonight!
Blessings,

It's just not home!

This is my home away from home. I’m about to spend about ten days living in it in Florida!

I'm incredibly thankful for it!
It is very comfortable, but it’s just not home.
I have many of the same amenities, but it’s just not home.
I have a king sized bed, but it’s just not home.
I have a nice bathroom and shower, but it’s just not home.

In the same way, this world can be comfortable and really wonderful, but ultimately as Christians we know that…it’s just not home.

I can not help but think daily, as I watch the news, that we are getting closer and closer to the day of the Lord’s return to this planet.

Sometimes the signs of the times seem to scream so loud to us, I am amazed that we are still here another day!

2 Peter 3:10-13
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives

12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.

(Talk about global warming! Going “green” won’t stop this!)

13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
NIV

I don’t say any of this to scare you, it shouldn’t scare us at all.
We are God’s children, He has a home in heaven for us- be it tomorrow or 100 years from now!

We should however take notice and not hold on to anything in this world to tightly.
The Bible says we are ambassadors here on earth. An ambassador goes to a foreign land on goodwill missions and negotiations. Our negotiations are that of reconciliation!

2 Cor 5:20-21
20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
NIV

So let’s not get too sidetracked in this world and forget why we’re really here!

It’s just not home!

Don't forget to enter the free giveaway for Christmas praise and coffee!
Click HERE to enter the November drawing!

Life on the road

(Photo courtesy of cardreamer.com)

Here we are at the track. It has been HOT lately! This summer we've been to southern Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and lots of local races here in Michigan.

This is such a change for us to be gone traveling so much, but we love it. I was so conflicted when we felt the Lord moving us out of church ministry and into this, but now I see His hand all over it and feel like I am growing so much closer to Him in the process.

We have met so many wonderful people, it has been quite an experience.

This was not what I had planned for our life. I was comfortable in home church ministry and all the workings of the local church, but God had different plans.

Prov 19:21
21 Many are the plans in a man's heart,but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails. NIV

I'm so glad that God doesn't leave me comfortable, I would have missed so many blessings along the way!

Prov 3:5-6
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him,and he will make your paths straight. NIV

I knew this was true, and now I have once again experienced the joy of leaning not on my own understanding. My little brain can't wrap around God's paths, but I have learned to trust Him even when life doesn't seem to make sense.

I love this verse, and the Lord continues to make it alive to me:

Rom 15:13
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him,
so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. NIV


He is hope to the hopeless,
strengh to the weak,
comfort to the weary,
rest and peace to those who are anxious,
love to the lonely,
light to the darkness.


The verse has lifted me out of some really deep pits in my life including my confusion and fear when the Lord was leading us into a new direction:

Matt 11:28-12:1
28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
NIV

Life on the road has been a blessing because it's right where God wants us. We are off to Branson, MO and Florida and lots of stops in between in the next few months!

Let the Lord do with your life whatever He wants...don't fight change if He's bringing it.
There is joy in the journey!

Our Weekend at Sunday Creek

We spent the weekend in southern Ohio at a motocross race.

Here's Josh coming out of our weekend home!

Lauren hanging out with the racers in the motorhome while they cooled off.


Finally! She gets to ride!

Playing frisbee outside our trackside trailer.

You have to go through her to get your motocycle fixed!

Josh and Steph hanging with some friends.

We had some really great family time!

Please keep Lauren in your prayers as she has another surgery tomorrow on her cleft lip & palate. She should be overnight just one night.

I'll catch up with you all when we get home. Hopefully this weekend I can check your blogs out- I've been gone so much lately!

Sue

Shining our light=doing good to others

As you probably can tell, I’ve been super busy lately with not much computer time. Sorry!

But you have been on my heart, and I do have some thoughts that I want to share with you.

God has put my life into a whole new “mode” and frankly it’s freaking me out a little. I’ve always been surrounded by Christians and submerged in church activities and ministry.

However, that is not the case this season in my life. Instead, I find myself outside of “church life” and spending a lot of time with unbelievers, and I must admit I am loving it!

I’ve been thinking about how God called us to be a light.

Jesus said:
Matthew 5:14-16
14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
NIV

I’ve always known that and thought that I was being a light all the time.

But now I see, that the truth is -

I am WAY more comfortable being a light in a light place!

Funny- God never said it was about MY comfort did He???

A light that is turned on in the daytime is not as effective as a light that is turned on in the dark.

What does it mean to be a light in a dark place???
Just like the verse says- “that they may see your good deeds.”

I used to think that to be a light you had to be preaching at people, but that is not what this verse says.
We are to do good to others and THAT is what causes our light to shine.

Then God opens hearts so that maybe we will be able to share the saving knowledge of God.

Or maybe it will be a seed in their hearts and someone else will present the gospel to them.

What do you think it means to do good?

In my life right now, one of the ways is to open my home on the nights that we have several of our motocross riders (ages 7-10 yrs) and their families come out to practice on our track.

Looking out from my deck:

Check out the little guy jumping!

I would love to hear if God is challenging you to be a light in the world!

This one's for Daddy!

We are Cobra motorcycles dealers (the little ones that the 4-10 year olds ride) and Daddy can't wait for his little Lauren to saddle up!