Family

Recently my oldest daughter had to do a blood draw. The nurse helping her was so kind as she walked her through the process of getting a needle stuck in her arm. As the blood started to flow through the tube, she said, “We just need to take 5 little tubes of blood.” I watched as Delaney looked quizzically at the red liquid pumping through the vile. She then looked square into the eyes of the woman and said, “Are you going to give it back?”

I audibly laughed at her thought process. Even at 8 years old, she is smart enough to know that she needs the blood running through her body. What she didn’t understand is that even as those viles filled with blood, her body was already making new cells. She would never miss that blood because her Heavenly Father has designed her to be able to give some away, and always have enough.

That’s true for our lives as well. We hold onto valuable things as if it is all we have and we will die without it. We are afraid to give our money because we might run out. We are afraid to commit our time because we might overcommit. We are afraid to love because it might hurt.

We look into the eyes of God and say, “If I give you a part of me, are you going to give it back?” The fear in our eyes betrays the fact that we really don’t believe that God can give us more with the snap of a finger. We think that there is a limit to His blessings.

This week I encourage you to really ask yourself what you are hesitating to give God. Weigh out the emotions, the trepidation, and the anxiety. Remind yourself that your Heavenly Father has designed you to be able to give some, and always have enough. Rest in the fact that even as you pour yourselves out, He is already replenishing you.

#BloggersforSandyHook Tribute

By stacynewell

December 21, 2012

Family, Inspiration

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Today bloggers across our country will be posting cookies and crafts in honor of the children lost a week ago at Sandy Hook Elementary. It is with great honor that I will participate this morning.

As a child, I will always remember my mother’s infamous sweet tooth. She loves anything with sugar in it, and so, very often, I would come home from school to freshly baked goodies. She would proudly offer them as a gift to us, but I knew that she was making them as a double blessing for both her children and herself.

My mother’s name is Sandy.

As a family, we understand mental illness, violent tendancies, and fear. As a Christian, I understand that Jesus Christ is the hope of the world.

Chocolate Cookie Sheet Cake

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 t. salt

1 cup butter

1 cup water

4 T. cocoa

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk with 1/2 t. vinegar added

1 t. vanilla

1 t. soda

Combine flour, sugar, and salt. Place butter, water, and cocoa in a pan and bring to a boil. Pour hot over flour mixture. Beat eggs and add soda, sour milk, and vanilla. Add to chocolate mixture. Pour into 12×18 cookie sheet. Bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Combine 1 stick butter, 3 T. cocoa, and 2 T. milk. Heat, but do not boil. Remove from hear and beat in 2 cups powdered sugar and 1 t. vanilla. Frost cake immediately.

December 16 Coffee Church Highlights

By stacynewell

December 18, 2012

Family, Ministry, Team

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It was a very different weekend than we had planned at North Creek. In light of the shooting tragedies in our nation, we changed the messages to reflect both our grief and our hope in Christ. Bottom line: when we come face to face with the darkest evil, we do not cower, but proclaim the love of Christ. Love wins in the end.

I hugged a lot of crying people on Sunday. It’s OK to be emotional and feel that grief! Just balance it out with the determination to spread the hope of Christ as well. We, as Christians, carry the weight of change in our country. We must be the ones to show up, speak up, and boldy march into the worst situations.

I taught our preschool class at Battle Ground on Sunday with my old friend, Janelle V. Super cute kids with LOTS of distractable energy! Gotta love our Tiny Towners!

Our staff/board Christmas dessert was on Sunday! I looked around that room several times and thought, “Wow. Our church is BLESSED with some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met.” Do me a favor and write one of them a letter or note about what you appreciate about their ministry. You can find all of their contact info on www.coffeechurch.com. They serve with an unstoppable determination and grace.

Invite a friend to church this Sunday! It’s Christmas and we’d love to have them join us as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.

We dropped off a MOUNTAIN of toys to Sarah J. Anderson Elementary on Thursday, thanks to all of you! They couldn’t believe that we just kept unloading more and more toys. Sarah J. serves a lot of low-income families and your gifts will help to bless about 350 children. Amazing!!!!!!

I walked into my daughter’s school yesterday and started weeping when I saw the police officers. I know…that’s a little extreme. But what I saw in front of me was goodness. More people put their lives on the line for our protection, than people who try to rob us of our security. I felt the same way when I saw the teachers as well. We must always focus on the people in our lives who strive to bring peace, grow our lives, and try to make a difference!

We want to say a big “Thank You” to all of those involved in the Christmas Concert last week! It was such a beautiful way to usher in the Christmas holidays. It took an absolute ton of work and people, but it was so worth it! Way to go!

My oldest daughter is home sick today. She actually said, “Why couldn’t I be sick tomorrow so I don’t have to miss school?” Maybe she’ll grow up to be a teacher!

Remember to send us any of your “Circle Maker” stories! You can email them to me directly at stacy@coffeechurch.com. We look forward to celebrating all the things that God did in our lives in 2012. He is good!

Be blessed!!!!

They are all OUR Children

By stacynewell

December 15, 2012

Family, Inspiration, Uncategorized

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Last night I crept into my 6 year old’s room and laid down next to her. I could hear her deep breaths as she slept and feel the warmth of her next to me. I began to cry for all of the parents in Connecticut who will never get the opportunity to do that again.

And I know that today, yet another face will appear on the screen of a young, angry person who committed the ultimate terror spree. It seems like it is always a similar story: He enters a public place armed with a weapon and rage. We wait to hear the fallout and guage the horror of his actions. We ask the same questions, we get the same nonsensical answers. We look into the faces of our children and try to imagine them living in a world filled with fear. Some days the shooting spree is halfway across America and we attempt to pretend that would never happen where we live. Some days it happens down the street.

As all of our hearts break over the two shootings this week in Oregon and Connecticut, we often ask ourselves how we can stop this. Although we can never eliminate hatred in our fallen world, I do think we can make a difference. I believe, even in the face of evil, that the love of Christ still changes things. We will never erradicate all of the horror that free-will can create, but if we pour out love on the unlovable, the wounded, the lonely…we may save some.

So, what can we do? It may be simple, but here’s where I think we start: Dive headfirst into the lives of children and teenagers. Volunteer in children’s ministries, youth ministries, or outside organizations devoted to our young people. Walk the streets of your neighborhoods and get to know the young people who live next door to you. Look into the eyes of kids and teens and tell them they are LOVED, VALUED, and WORTHY. We live in a world that is full of hurt, pain, and rejection. Our voices, as Christians, have got to shout above the awful voices and BE the love of Christ. And the best place to start is with “our” children. Not just the ones you birthed, but all of them.

There will undoubtedly be an anti-gun debate that quickly errupts in the media, but I think the greater issue is that we have tried to create an America that is anti-God. At this crossroads, it is quite evident that we must openly, loudly, and proudly proclaim Christ as the answer to this situation and our nation. He is the HOPE of this world and right now, we need hope desperately.

Bottom line: We may grieve deeply, but we must act daily. Fear is not an option. Failure is not an option. Forgetting is not an option.

We love you Clackamas and Connecticut. We are praying.

The Comparison Game

By stacynewell

November 9, 2012

Family, Ministry

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If you walk through my house, you will see walls packed with perfect pictures full of my children’s angelic faces. Every picture is placed just so and I have painstakingly chosen the “best” ones to honor in my home. There happen to be no dirty mouths, no stained clothes, and the smiles on their faces are so large you can almost hear the laughter from the frame. If you were looking from the outside, you may think that we have it all together…after all, I worked quite hard to make it look that way! My guess is that your house holds a similar perspective of your family on your walls.

I often smile at those perfect pictures, not because of the image staring back at me, but because I remember the agony behind the picture. I remember REALITY and it is just downright hilarious now. At the time, I wanted to string my kids up and leave them out to dry. They were crying, pulling hair, being beligerent, and refusing to project the perfection I was longing for. In fact, there are several years with Christmas pictures that do not contain Kennedy because she just simply would not allow the picture to capture anything short of a fit.

When we compare our lives with others, often we are taking one still image out of reality and thinking that we could somehow attain that moment on a wholistic level. What we need to remember is that every family, every relationship, and every situation is full of humanity, and with that comes tension, issues, disagreements, and strife. You simply can’t find any situation that is truly perfection and therefore worth comparing yourself to. We are all human and we are all on the same journey. We all have good days, bad days, and days that we would NEVER frame on our walls.

We will be much more productive in attaining our “perfect” image if we focus on what we have and how to make the most out of what we have been given. The opposite of comparison is gratitude!

In honor of the Not-So-Perfect Family, here’s some reality shots that were taken just moments before the beauties that adorn my house! Be blessed and love the mess!