My Word

Recently, the group I completed Spiritual Direction training with in 2002 met for prayer and conversation.  We have been challenged by one another to share a 'word' that best illustrates what is happening in our lives and how we really are.  Then, as we share our words we are to be in prayer holding the word for each person.

Finally, this morning on my drive to the church office my word came to me.  "Deploy"  is my word. Often in both the Old and New Testaments we hear the word, 'sent', and know that to describe how God's Spirit moves among us and through us for the betterment and completion of God's work.

Our United Methodist heritage lives this out by sending or appointing pastors to congregations or bishops to conferences.  We, ordained Elders, are sent.

Well, I like sent.  It captures the change of location and status.  But lately, I have been musing on the word 'deploy'.  I could have said my word was chaos, transition, mystery, stress, move or change.  But deploy rings for me.

Deploy has the same sense as sent, but then adds the dimension that a person is sent on a mission or purpose to do a thing for which they have the giftedness and training to accomplish.  I am deployed to the Munster community and Ridge United Methodist Church for a mission and purpose as an ordained elder in the UMC.

Now, I need only for the Spirit to begin to reveal the details around my deployment... goals, mission, objectives, purpose, so that my gifts will be focused on what God wants them to be focused upon.

Pray for my (and our family's) deployment in then next 12 days!

Amazing Send Off!

 Sunday May 31, our congregation at Calvary United Methodist Church in Brownsburg, Indiana gave us most loving, gracious, personal and fun send off EVER!

We were thrilled with the foods (delicious cake, sweet tea, BBQ, and all the special foods we like).

The decorations (blue & white) and personal touches of racing, labyrinths, Duke, and Steelers stuff was a great touch.

 The program was so fun!  We loved the music, the speeches, the 'almost arrest with the retaining order', and the gifts (i.e. snow shovel was a great touch).

We feel overwhelmed with love, well-wishes, blessings and affirmation.

Thank you to the team!

Thank you to all who contributed to the gifts and the giving!

Thanks be to God who makes all things possible!

Including our time together.

Amazing Staff at the Reservior

Check out these amazingly talented, servant leaders who give generously of themselves, their time, their talent all for the wonderful work of Christ's church!

I am so proud of these colleagues!

Thank you for a glorious luncheon at Rick's Cafe Boatyard today to wish me well and send me off into the new, wild adventures to come!  At a restaurant on the reservoir made perfect sentence to me as a send off party!  These folks have been a wellspring of encouragement, laughs, and good times in spite of all the crazy ministry, nutty lives and wild adventures we have done together.

I am so glad these folks get my weird humor because they seemed to enjoyed my little 'token' gifts of goodbye... Christmas ornaments... some silly, others sentimental, and some simply because they reminded me of their favorite food or hobby!

I shall miss this team.  But, as I told them, I will them most at Christmas!  Celebrating our Savior's birth while ushering in a new year of brightness and boldness.

In the words of the tiny Tim, "God bless you- Mark, Trevor, Shellody, Kem, Tonya, Lori, Todd, Jennifer, Andrew (Holly & Mark, Brent, and Leanne) in other words, everyone!"

Celebration of Memorial Weekend: Packing!

With only 23 left remaining before the moving truck arrives at my home... there is still a lot of packing and moving to do.

I only wish that my home and church office looked as tidy and simple as the photo to the left.

Instead, my office has dust on all the shelves which I am both taking with me and leaving behind for the next pastor.  There is a pile of boxes in one corner of my office... and two stacks of items remain to be boxed and packaged.
My home is another matter.

We hope, this Memorial weekend, in between Pentecost worship and the World's Greatest Spectacle of Racing (Indy 500) to complete more packing.  It is sweet when so many folks want to help pack... but there is something important about doing the sort, discard, and/or pack ourselves.

As time for the BIG move approaches, faster and faster each day, all mixed up emotions of excitement, nervousness, joy, wonder, sadness,  and a sense of overwhelming 'yuck' at the actual moving process accelerate too.  It is an endeavor to move a family from one community to another.

No wonder, so much of our Scripture is filled with moving stories. Like Abraham and Sarah's move to the land promised.  All the way to the movement of the early church from Jerusalem to beyond.

The church of Christ Jesus continues to send people OUT into the world... and so goes the Knight family.  We pray we have made a positive impact for God's kingdom from where we leave.  And we hope to make a tremendous difference for the Kingdom where we are sent.

Mostly, we cling to the promise that our Gods before us and with us ALL the way!

Amen!

Birthday Chocolates

Check out this amazing gift- a box of chocolates... made out of chocolate!!  WOW!

Never have I received so much chocolate before on a birthday!

One my my close friends from High School whose family are part of our Calvary family got me a GIANT box of Whitman
s Chocolates.  I had to share with the staff and church because there was so much chocolate.

Happy Birthday, chocolate to me, to me!

Makes 44 all the better with chocolate on top.

My Mustang

Back in 2011 as my beloved Gram was in hospice she shared one regret in her life- she never got a red convertible! 

Well, that was a lesson for Eric and I, so as she lay dying we bought this immaculate 2008 Mustang GT for a deal and took my Gram's ashed remains (in her urn) for a final 'topless' drive prior to her burial. 

Since then, we have never regretted this car! Many beloved, fun memories. 

On May 6, I gave up this car and sold it to ensure the best for my family's future. I shall miss the car (and the sound of it's V8 engine) and how FABULOUS I looked in it, but I have no regrets (and I know my Gram doesn't either) because my family is #1 to me.

'Bye Mustang!  

Piano Surprises

One of the difficult aspects of changing communities is that we'll need to change piano teachers for our daughter.  I remember doing that as a kid while my family experienced job transfers.

In April our daughter had her last official recital with her current piano teacher, Mrs. Hassfurder. During the March competition Diana did excellent on her four events, but I did not realize that she had accumulated enough points to earn a trophy this year.


As you can see from this proud photo, she received a trophy at her last piano recital a lot of joy and surprise!

Well done, Diana!  Especially since she had to practice her piano pieces with our home topsy-turvy due to a home remodel!  Bravo!