For all of you who are holding me accountable to my insanity…I sent in my Survivor application since it is due by Wednesday. Now I can at least say that I tried rather than “I’ve always wanted to…” I really want to eliminate that saying in my life and replace it with, “I gave it a shot”.

It’s the first service of a new year, a new decade, and a new season for North Creek.

Today was a great day to start it all off. Mark challenged the church to read the New Testament in it’s entirety in the first 90 days of the New Year…starting today. No problem. It’s only 15 minutes a day and worth every minute! If you’d like to join us, go to www.coffeechurch.com for the daily Bible reading plan. Or just read three chapters a day until the beginning of April…that should just about do it!

I was super tired and Alvina and LeeAnn made the best vanilla latte to start my day…ahhhh….nothing like a hot cup of coffee to smooth out the wrinkles in the morning! It’s the little things that make a difference!

Lee just finished reading the whole Bible. WAY TO GO! God has awesome and amazing things for his future. Obedience opens doors to miracles.

Lots of people were back from vacation and it was so good to see most people again! We still have some finishing up vacations today, so I look forward to seeing everybody else soon.

Worship was great today! We have a talented team of musicians and singers.

Some great quotes from Facebook today:

Embracing the challenge presented to me at this mornings sermon and looking forward to the new me that will emerge…….

I am going to be different in 2010. I am goint to take the opportunity to grow and change to become something different in the new decade. I am up for the challenge are you?

Excited for the challenge at church, thru the new testiment in 90 days. I even challenged the munchkins to complete it also.

Lots of new faces at church today! It’s fun to wonder what kind of relationship you may have with people in the future. You never know when someone has walked through the doors of the church and they will change your destiny!

Mark and I had pizza with Chris, Gina, and Isaiah Harold tonight. Not planned, but really fun to be with great people dreaming for what might be in the future. I assume that we probably can’t even guess what God will unfold in 2010, but it’s fun to try anyway! It’s so fun to serve God and live the adventure!

My goal this week is to get everything done ahead of time and take Saturday off for family stuff. Here’s to working hard!

In college I had a roommate named Stacey. She and I were fast friends and although distance has separated us, Stacey and her husband, Jon, will always be friends of ours. Stacey and Jon had a difficult process of having children, which included YEARS of prayer, invitro twins, and another little invitro girl. Below is a blog Jon wrote that I thought I would share with you. I know there are several of you out there who are trying to get pregnant and the irony of Jon and Stacey’s story may bring encouragement to you. I know after years of praying for them, I can’t read this without crying. We serve a faithful God.

Sarah Laughed. I Get That.
December 11, 2009

As I told you before, our family walked through ten years of barrenness before we finally had our first children. We have three now, all conceived with the help of doctors. We needed doctor help because of some specific medical conditions that made it next to impossible for us to conceive.

I say “next to impossible”, because, yes, we are now officially expecting child number 4 (next June)!

It’s fairly cliche, really. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard this story: “Our friends tried for years, then they all of a sudden got pregnant.” Whenever I mentioned to friends that we were all done having kids after three, they often poked me back with “Hey wouldn’t it be funny if you all of a sudden got pregnant?”

And it IS funny. Abraham and Sarah both laughed when God promised them a son “by this time next year.” I think I get the joke. It’s funny when you think about it – now, after all this time. After all our efforts and processes and procedures and waiting and hoping and praying and crying and believing and asking and even receiving, now.

It’s a funny thing for us to have what is by all measures a “normal” pregnancy – to not be at the doctor 2-3 times a week, fretting over every detail and number and level. To experience the relative ease of the “normal” process.

It’s funny to see the reaction of doctors, who have the empirical data on our condition. Most people know their eggo is preggo when they get two lines on the EPT. Our docs wanted to test for a whole host of other conditions first – because the LAST thing they were thinking was “baby on board.” Once it was confirmed, our baby docs wanted to send over some ultrasound pics to our fertility docs – sort of an interdepartmental “in your face.” Funny.

Of course, the most wonderful thing of all is seeing the hand of God in this miraculous moment. We will have another child because the One who holds the whole universe together decided we needed one more. And He decided to do it in just His way, in His time, and He is hilarious.

When I found out, I laughed too. Not with cynicism or doubt, but because it’s a moment that’s ironic, and perfect, and full of pure joy. And that’s been a long time coming.

Now a prayer for all those still waiting – waiting for children, or healing, or a thousand other things. May you gain strength by trusting in Jesus. May you know beyond your doubts that you are not alone, not forgotten, not cursed. May He give you the desire of your heart. In His way. In His time. And when He does, I hope you laugh!

Now let’s go with a boy this time. Four women in the house is nice, but five – not funny.

Congrats Jon and Stacey. From the bottom of my heart, I wish you the very best.

You may ask why I’m blogging about dating a pastor…well, it’s the most searched topic that land people at my blog over the last year and a half. Everyday someone in the world searches about this particular issue, so why not start off the year solving the world’s most pressing problems?

Here’s my deep thoughts about dating a pastor (assuming that you are dating with the intent to then marry that pastor):

1. Being married to a pastor is like being married to a movie star, except for without the money, cars, maids, cooks, hairdressers, clothing designers, and gated communities…It’s life in a fishbowl. Everyone in your world really does care what you do…and probably rightfully so. It’s one of those jobs where, like Tiger Woods, your character matters a lot. Except for your “sponsors” aren’t Nike and AT&T. Your sponsors are real people who really do depend on your life being lived according to the Bible.

2. You should probably believe what your potential future spouse believes theologically and philosophically. It just makes life easier if you are both going the same direction because everything is tied together…parenting, ministry, income, church vision and direction…there is no compartmentalizing the life of a pastor’s family.

3. Dating a pastor is a long term commitment to servanthood. It’s not like a volunteer position on the weekends. It’s a lifestyle of serving when people need you. This is often inconvenient, awkward, and draining. It takes unusual stamina and a resolve to keep going through the hard parts of other people’s lives with them, no matter what comes your way. Problems always come up during dinner, vacations, and Saturday nights before church.

4. Along with serving comes a lot of conflict resolution. If you are looking for a life of conflict, try ministry. You get to lead a fleet of volunteers, grow people on a journey with Jesus, and be involved in their most intimate and embarassing issues, which can often result in what is perceived as you being judgmental, even when your intentions are steeped in love. Pastoring and ticking people off go hand in hand…it’s not always pretty, but it’s part of the job description.

All that being said, ministry is also the most rewarding life I can imagine. People really do love and appreciate their pastors. As partners in ministry, you are on the front lines of seeing people’s lives being changed and you hear every story of victory from your congregation. Much of the time ministry drips with love, miracles, and stories of changed lives. If you’ve paid the price of walking through the fire with people, they will often repay you with love and undying devotion to your life’s work. It’s the most humbling exchange in the world.

So, if you are dating a pastor, seriously consider whether you are up to the challenge. The people in the congregation need you to be at the top of your game. Not just for the few months of giddiness in new love, but for the rest of your life. It’s a bit of a commitment.

If you make it to the altar with your pastor in wedded bliss, I wish for you that you will be as happy as I am married to Mark Newell and serving at North Creek Church. It’s a pretty sweet deal I’ve got going!