A question.

(Editorial insert from Lynn: "Turnips" are now on recipe blog.)

I have a question. Please respond if you legitimately have an opinion.

Should I open up my other blog, a more personal journal, to be read publicly?

Here's the thing... I canceled my other blog ages ago because I found it difficult to balance sharing the private thoughts of my heart with "fellowshipping" casually among friends in this world of blogdom. I needed a outlet while I was on my internship, and thus started a blog... but didn't realize my own susceptibility to the comparisons that can easily take place when we begin sharing personal things about our journey with the Lord, etc on our blogs.

I then joined Lynn's blog - this blog - which He in turn transformed into a romantic expression of our oneness as only he would... However, now I find that He rarely blogs, I often blog, and comments are made mostly by the same females who had commented on my previous blog! So what have I accomplished in changing over to this blog? ...very little.

The problem is... I really enjoy sharing my thoughts with you. The Lord is often leading me to write and it burns within me to share... So I opened a new blog as my own personal journal that is not opened to anyone to read except Lynn. I have tried to keep this one more casual and focused on the happenings of mine and Lynn's life, a casual opportunity to keep in touch with friends. However, I still find myself sharing personal things on this blog because I really want to share. Sometimes I write in my other blog and its everything I can do not to copy and paste into this one where people can read it and share their thoughts...

Here's what I'm thinking... Keep this blog a family blog for Lynn and I (hopefully he will blog more...) and open up my other blog to be read by others... (though I may not allow for comments yet only because of my own susceptibility to get caught up in what you think...)


Does anyone else struggle with the line between personal journaling and casually keeping in contact with people? Does anyone else feel the susceptibility to compare your posts to someone else's? as though one could be more "spiritual" or better than another?

Weekend update.

Last weekend was extremely busy... and extremely rewarding!

Saturday, Lynn led our 2nd quarterly Worship Workshop, which was once again... fabulous. It started at 9:00 am and finished at 3:00 pm. This time we discussed such topics as Worship and Performance, Worship as Service and Obedience, the Function and Practice of Worship Teams, and Songwriting. We always begin with a time of worship (a setting where Lynn has a little more freedom to introduce new songs and new styles of worship); followed by a time of testimony and discussion concerning the positive aspects as well as the distractions during that time. So far, we have had small numbers, which has made for very intimate times with the Lord and one another! So good!
(Seeing Lynn in this role births so many visions in my heart. He is so excellent at bringing people together and learning about the Lord. God has blessed him with the anointing and gracious spirit that compels others to seek, ask, and knock... and of course find, and receive! Praise the Lord!)

Sunday morning was my (Natasha's) first time preaching here at Immanuel. It went well; though it was a humbling and stretching experience for me. I have "long" since settled my arguments with the Lord concerning my call to teach the Word of God; and now face the enduring hard work of obedience down the road ahead... I am incapable of such a life, nor would I ever have chosen it. But if I remain in Him and He in me, I will bear much fruit; apart from Him I can do nothing (John 15:5).

Sunday after church, Lynn and I left just ahead of our choir to New Beginnings Church in Dartmouth, NS as the guest choir and speaker (Lynn) for their Anniversary Service. This is a black church in our Baptist convention with which we are building a strong family and musical relationship. The evening was full of joy and excitement as we celebrated together, black and white, in many different styles, in the presence of the Lord, for the faithfulness of God. We sang, ate, and listened to a powerful message Lynn spoke on Jeremiah 29:11. We also ate and drank of the Lord amidst the fellowship of believers. "Poor" Lynn wore many hats that day as he played, sang, directed, and preached... jumping from one position to the next! But it was so worth it for the fellowship we shared and the impact this experience had on our choir.

As the cherry on the cake... (except no one even likes cherries, so why do we use that expression? It should be more like the yummy and decorative chocolate shavings...) we spent the rest of Sunday evening with the wonderful Wiedmaiers until we were kicked out of Starbucks, and then until our toes were numb from the cold pavement of the parking lot...

So life is good and God is great!
Praise His Holy Name!

A Miracle.

Yesterday, we saw a miracle. For the second time, our computer just died. It all of a sudden just wouldn't turn on. We had paid to have it fixed not too long ago and we have no more money to put into a computer right now. Lynn also had Greek homework due last night and thus needed the Bible study software and resources on this computer. So we prayed...

While Lynn was at work I said, "Lord, this is just not okay. It is, actually, unacceptable. You know we need this computer and we don't have the time or finances to make this thing work. For the sake of you Name, Lord, fix this computer!"

Lynn came home a few hours later and tried the computer. It didn't work. We said, "Lord there are no if's, and's, or but's about this one. You just need to make this work."

Lo and behold... it turned on!

We weren't yelling at God or wielding some manipulative power over Him. We just knew His will and this broken computer was not matching up with His will. So we boldly declared it to be fixed and God did it. We were so blessed by this miracle and immediately praised the Lord. He was with us! He heard our prayer and answered it immediately. Praise His holy, gracious Name!!

This has helped build our faith for the many things we are believing God for right now! In particular, the finances for our home, and the right job for me.

"Did I not say that if you will believe Me, you will see the glory of God!" John 11:40

Laughs.

You guys are awesome :). Your comments about babies and recipes were really very funny... Both will come soon enough (though hopefully recipes sooner than the other!).

For now, I would appreciate your prayers as I am looking for a job. I feel as though God has released something in me after graduation... I really want a job in the community where I can build relationships (and settle down... start a family...). There is a women's federal prison in town and I would love to work there!!! Can you imagine being a chaplain or something in a place like that!? Would they even let me talk about Jesus? And if they didn't... would I anyway!?

Anyway... who knows what the next few months will hold. My prayer is "Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness... make straight your way before me... For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield" (Psalm 5:8, 12). The Lord brought me to these verses just prior to grad and then used the commencement sermon as confirmation (it was all about walking with God's favor). This is an act of discipline for me to not worry about how we're going to pay for our house, etc... and scrounge around in all sorts of directions looking for a job. But to keep walking straight ahead, not looking to the left or the right, and believing God to orchestrate divine appointments and lead us in the straight path of righteousness for His Name's sake.

So I am walking into the blessings of God, living by faith and not by sight! Here is my next season... A season of Life and community relationships, a season of radiating the dark corners of Truro with the glorious light of Christ...

Bring it!

(Natasha)

Fini.

Well, it's official... I'M GRADUATED!!!

It has been quite a journey! Thank you to everyone who came to graduation, sent cards, gifts, or supported in prayer and encouragement!

This season of life is officially closed. On to the next! (Which is what?!)

Natasha

Interesting Week

Tasha told me to blog a couple of days ago, which I neglected to do in all the week's activity. I'll get to Saturday and Sunday nights in a moment. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were all days in which I left at 9:00 a.m. and got home long after 9:00 p.m. every day. There were only two days "in the office" this week, so I scrambled. This is also the second Music Festival week, so I'm doing a lot of accompanying. Add Matt's birthday to the mix, and you've got a lot going on. And I'm sleeping well as a result - so good!

Saturday: Tasha's brother Joel was in West Side Story, so we drove up to see the family and the show. What Tasha didn't know is that her sister and family flew up to surprise her for her graduation (this coming weekend). They came a week early so they could also catch the show. I was in the loop so that we could get us in the right place at the right time. After a fairly decent argument over switching the date of our trip from Friday (planned for me before I knew about Melissa) to Saturday (an awful day for me, but now I knew about Melissa), we began to plan. (Fortunately, Tasha's grandmother, who also knew about the surprise, convinced the family to plan our family night for Saturday, regardless of our original Friday plans.) I couldn't convince Tasha to pack anything because she wanted to come back home for church. After exhausting all of my plans, I prayed, "Lord, you know she's going to want to stay. You need to handle this." He did. Less than ten minutes after that prayer, Tasha called me in to the room and said, "You know, I think I should pack for the week in case I choose to stay with the family." Good thing!

Sunday: I got home at 1:00 a.m. Sunday morning after the show (in which Joel was GREAT!). I got up early, went to the church, and had a fairly normal Sunday. I arrived home that night at about 9:30 p.m., put all my things on the table, and received a phone message from Tasha. I thought, "Okay, I'll take out the recycling so I don't forget, come back in, and call Tasha back." Grabbing the recycling that was still in the house, I headed for the garage to retrieve the rest. Out of habit, I reached behind me and locked the door. As soon as the door shut I thought, "I just locked that." I checked, and sure enough I locked myself out of the house. I checked every window and was chagrined to discover my thoroughness in locking the house down for added security (we're sitting). There wasn't ANY way to sneak in. Neither was there any spare tool or implement in the garage small enough to pick a lock. I grabbed a crowbar at one point, ready to break in at any cost. Instead, I walked down to the Mini-Mart to call a locksmith (now about 10:45 p.m.). No one would come. He told me to break a window, and he'd come fix it in the morning. That call ended quickly. I started walking back home to the crowbar when it hit me: Micah and Jody would be awake! I walked up the hill to their house (with the wind in my face!) and crashed on their couch till the morning. Eventually, a man 40 minutes from my home came to let me in. I was in by 9:30 a.m., showered, and rushed out the door to accompany at 10:00 a.m. Guess how high my blood pressure was?

Recipe Inactivty.

I just responded to two comments on our last post referencing the inactivity on our recipe blog as of late. I thought I'd write a short post about it.

Lynn and I have a recipe blog. We have never been very active at posting new recipes on this blog; but our activity has apparently decreased even more as of late. The reason is this:

Lynn and I (moreso the "I") are out of sorts in our current kitchen. We are still house sitting because, as we've already mentioned, we bought a house but don't close until the end of June. The house we are sitting is lovely, but I find it especially difficult adjusting to someone else's kitchen, kitchen tools, and recipe books. I've never actually looked in her recipe books, though we don't have ours either...

Also, Lynn and I are conserving as much of our budget as possible due to house expenses. Therefore, most of our creative meals involve canned tuna in one form or another... We've actually really enjoyed it and are perfectly willing to post about our cheap, creative, canned tuna meals. (Lynn made one out of the very random ingredients in our kitchen one day that tasted delicious but looked like something too gross to write on this blog...)

One of our favorite benefits to house sitting thus far has been the George Foreman Grill! I don't know what we're going to do without it when we move!! We highly recommend it!

Anyway, we'll be sure to post more recipes, though they may be interesting, within the next little while!

(Natasha)

Repetition.

I read the most amazing thing the other day about repetition. It wasn't really about repetition; it was actually about joy. It is found in John Ortberg's book, "The Life You've Always Wanted".

Ortberg quotes G.K. Chesterton in regard to children and there innate ability to do the same thing over and over again with the same amount of enthusiasm:

"Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, 'Do it again'; and the grown up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, 'Do it again' to the sun; and every evening, 'Do it again' to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never gotten tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, but our Father is younger than we."

Isn't it refreshing to remember that God is the most joyful being in all creation!? Can't you just picture Him exulting in the sun's glory every morning? Many of us would sit and describe how the universe moves and how the earth circulates around the sun, thus causing the impression that the sun rises and falls, when in reality, the earth is just spinning on its orbit... God set things in motion and now it moves on its own.

Truth be told, we can find just as much joy and creativity in the Lord by studying science. I have great respect for those who worship through such scientific research and study. But I also love being a child! When I wake in the morning, I love it when God says, "Good morning, my child!! It's about time you woke up! See, I have risen the sun again today! Today, all creation sings praise to My Name! Today, the Son is glorified once more because His mercies are new again today!! Today, the wind of My Spirit will blow to and fro and no one will know where it is going or where it will stop. Are you ready to come on another adventure with me today, My child? An adventure into the wonders and mysteries of God?"

There are so many facets to my God; but I think His joy is one of my favorites. Unfortunately, though, it may be the one characteristic that goes most easily unseen...

God show us Your boundless joy and the truth of Your Word that says, "the joy of the Lord is my strength"!!

(Natasha)

PMS

Okay, we're in a fun coffee shop in town right now having a spontaneous date. We're sitting on the couch by a real fireplace made faux for safety codes. A pew is across the coffee table from us. That's right, a pew. Who said pews are irrelevant? They're totally here in one of the coolest spots in the province. (Seriously - the place has a reputation.) We came here for Maple Tea, which, of course, the "other" cafe has. (There are two of these in town.) Bleh. So, I went with coffee and honey. Tash is having honey and ginger.

Is this the most boring post you've read in awhile? Likely. There's little content. The last time we did a "little content" post, we received more comments than ever. What does that say about us? Or about you? :)

Happy Easter!!!

Good morning and Happy Easter everyone!!!
The most amazing thing happened this morning... Our early church service was canceled on Easter Sunday due to the huge snow snowstorm we received last night!!! Many of you may be in a similar boat; but isn't it just absurd?!

Anyway, snow or no snow, service or no service, hallelujah! Christ is risen, Christ is risen indeed!

With love,
Lynn & Natasha


(Easter morning 2007 out our front window - good thing we don't get mail today!)

(We woke up to the sound of birds who will not be bathing and neighbors who will not be driving.)

Politeness.

There are many unique characteristics of our little town, Truro. Lynn and I are discovering them more and more as we become accustomed to the culture and traditions here. Though I would love to tell you about the many unique tree sculptures, or the interesting history and religious traditions of the town, I will save those for another day. Today, I'm going to talk about "politeness".

What is politeness? It refers to the mannerly behaviors of a community, in healthy relation to one another. Though my perspective is limited, I have observed this to be a very high value in the town of Truro. Being historically part of a "Bible Belt" area, it has strong roots in religious traditions (there I go talking about it...). Over the years, however, as our pagan nation has grown and developed, the town has evolved in its pagan culture. Thus, we live in a pagan community rooted in religious values and traditions. The result is politeness.

Here is an example of the complex pagan/religious culture of Truro:
Driving along, one will undoubtedly come to a four-way stop intersection. These are very common in Truro. Often, when coming upon these intersections, one will encounter some other Truronian in opposing root. Being a very polite community, whoever arrives to a complete stop first, graciously waves the other to go ahead first as if to say, "No, please, go ahead." The other, however, will respond likewise, "No please, you go ahead." After several of these interchanges, eventually one does move forward.

These exchanges are quite common, and frankly, irritating when traveling through town. Lynn and I have often thought, "This is getting dangerous!" The other day, I arrived to a complete stop at one of these four way intersections at (what appeared to me to be) the same time as three other cars, each at another stop. No one moved ahead right away, so I thought, "Okay, I'll go." I moved forward into my left turn (blinker clearly on!), when the car opposite me began moving straight ahead (as in directly i to me). I stopped and nodded apologietically while the other moved on through. I then continued my turn only to find that the car I was coming up alongside at my left was giving me "the finger" and swearing at me! I thought, "This is absurd!"

The poor man in the car is NOT an accurate reflection of our friendly fellow Truronians. However, it seemed so ironic to me. Somehow, the value of politeness in town was not upheld by me moving ahead first. Then, however, it was appropriate to cuss? ...interesting.

So what do you think of politeness?

(Natasha)

I Have It Good

I'm sure you can pardon the slangy title for such a sweet post. It just wouldn't do for me to go to bed tonight without letting you know how good I have it.

We left church today and drove over to our house to see whether the "SOLD" sign went up yet. (As far as we know, we met our end of the conditions on Friday.) As we were leaving for our drive, Natasha let me know she had been scheming and invited me out on a spontaneous date. She had obviously put a lot of thought into it because she had planned a movie (knew where it was playing and the times) and a relaxed afternoon in the city. We saw our house and left immediately on our date. We walked around a little, dreamed about the house a lot, talked about Jesus the whole ride down, had Quiznos and Starbucks, watched "Amazing Grace" (not bad at all), and loved each other.

It's been a hectic several weeks. I know several wives and husbands who would not reward such a busy time with a sweet, lovely, spontaneous date. Among the many reasons I am blessed, one of the most significant is my wife, who selflessly allowed me to run amok for three weeks and still thought to plan a day just for the two of us - exactly what I (or, I suspect, we) needed. She should teach "wife" seminars. :)

Another update.

Lynn and I are currently experiencing an extremely busy season in Truro! A few of the things we're involved in this week are:

• There are the regular Palm Sunday and Easter preparations that any worship pastor must undertake.
  
• Lynn and I are also involved in Cantabile Choir, as we've mentioned. We have a large concert, joined with the First United Church, this Saturday night.
• After Lynn's accompanying "debut" with Contabile (mentioned in a previous post), word quickly spread throughout the town of his accompanying skills. He is now accompanying for many vocal students in the Music Festival, taking place this weak. (I am also observing as many classes as possible since I will possibly be taking over someone's vocal studio in the Fall.)
• Last, but not least, we are trying to meet the last conditions for our house! I am meeting with the house inspector today to go through the house. The end is in sight!

We are so enjoying these various events, and the connections we've been able to make in the community; but we're also adjusting to the high demand of time and energy!

(Personal update - Natasha)
In the midst of all our recent activities, I stubbornly began wrestling again with questions like, "What is my role?" God has been so good to me, and I walk into new ministering opportunities every day; but still my heart grew weary last week and I felt discouraged. I said to the Lord, "I know I am to be content in You, but how long, O Lord! Must I still wait when it feels so strongly like the time is now!!!??"

Within two days I received an email and had a phone call from two loving friends (Ang and Liz). They so encouraged me. My heart was once again grounded in my faith and trust as a child of God.

The next afternoon, within a span of two hours, I was called on to officiate a funeral this Friday, I was asked to preach at our home church May 6th, and asked to preach at a fellow Baptist church in Halifax. I also still have two women's conferences coming up for which I've been invited as worship leader and guest soloist. Also, I recently taught a session in Lynn's worship workshop where I "released" so much of what the Spirit had deposited in my heart. It was rather powerful and broke into a powerful prayer session. One of our church leaders who was there immediately began planning a women's conference at our home church since we have "our own Beth Moore right here" she said :)

I share this because I am overwhelmed by my God. He loves me so much!!! There is no pride in what I do because it is not me who does it! My rest and freedom comes in that I cannot take the credit or the blame for anything I do in His name. Yet, He allows me to walk in the power and strength of His Spirit. He promised me that if I delight myself in Him and rest in His nature, if I "commit my [way] unto the Lord, than He will bring it to pass" (Psalm 37). It is quite something to watch the promises of God unfold before my eyes, things that he had whispered into my heart as a small child...

As his Word says, "Did I not tell you that if you would believe me, than you would see the glory of God!" (John 11:40)

Thanks!

Lynn and I are so excited about our new home (it feels like home already, even though we have a long ways to go before we're actually living there!). Thank you so much all of you who have celebrated with us by posting your encouraging comments. We really hope you get to see the inside, whether in person or by photo. It is soooo awesome :)

Natasha

Expect the Unexpected

The image to your right is the exterior to what we hope will be our home. Yes, it is very soon after so many other things have happened for us. If nothing else, we're being reminded that the Lord's schedule is very different than ours. The story you're about to read should have been expected, considering who the Lord is, who our realtor is, and who we have become.

Natasha and I have been looking for a permanent home here since November. We were blessed with a house-sitting opportunity, but we knew the Lord would have to open some other door relatively soon, since we can only be here through the summer. We've looked in more homes than we can remember, and we've consistently felt that our realtor needs to be involved in the whole process.

Our realtor is not only good at her job, but she is in love with the Lord. She has been praying with us constantly since we met for a smooth transition to the town and this particular ministry. She definitely walks in the Spirit.

Not long ago, Natasha felt strongly that our realtor was going to find our home. One week ago today, she (the realtor) called me at the church to say there was a hot new listing that many of the realtors seemed to love. It's in a nice area of the community and gorgeous inside. There was already a list of people to see the home. After some consultation (i.e. Natasha saying, "We need to see this NOW!"), we went to the house that day. If we ever felt a strong sense of "This is it!" since we were married, it was that afternoon. Less than 36 hours later, our offer was accepted and we began meeting conditions for the purchase of this, the Lord's home.

This was decidedly not my timing. The night we saw the home, before our second look, I spent a lot of time praying. I kept telling the Lord that too much was happening too fast. I kept getting silence. When I finally asked the Lord if He agreed with me, He said, "I am with you. What's too fast for that?" We went back the next morning, and I've never felt that kind of peace.

Now we're praying to the Lord, believing Him that this sense of peace was the revelation of His will for us. We're close to meeting the conditions, after which we will close on the house later this summer. We received a very encouraging e-mail from our realtor, who is now a dear friend and sister in Christ, reminding us that this isn't our property to begin with. This is the Lord's, and He will see to it that He uses it for His glory, His kingdom, and His ministry. While this is an exciting time, we invite you to believe with us in Jesus' name that the next two weeks will progress smoothly and that people will find restoration, healing, encouragement, challenge, peace, etc., in our/the Lord's home. We are in awe of what He is doing around us and how He is revealing more of His character through it all. We are humbled to know Him more through these intensely packed weeks. Thanks for your prayer.

(FYI, the house has a front and back deck, a great yard, lots of landscaping, three bedrooms, one and half bathrooms, a laundry room, utility room, sauna (used for storage by the current inhabitants), storage, family/small groups room in walk-out basement with propane woodstove, living room with propane fireplace, dining room, big kitchen, breakfast nook, mudroom, more storage than I expected in a relatively old home, a shed, a fence around the back yard, a double-wide driveway, and a location just on the edge of town to satisfy my desire to be near civilization and Natasha's desire to be in the country. Yes, it's quite perfect.)

The Wind.

A few weeks ago I had a prophetic dream.

We lived in a white house in Truro (though the area is not particularly significant). There were people upstairs in a "den-like" room watching TV and laughing together. I recognized some but not all.

Lynn and I went to a store. It was an athletic store and one of my close cousins was there. We were in a large, open, white room with rows of sneakers on the walls. There seemed to be an adjacent room with something else going on. The clerk was working behind the desk when suddenly a huge wind storm swept into the town bringing destruction. Lynn and I stood holding each other in the midst of crazy wind. I was frightened but we were quiet and at peace. (I just now realized that none of the sneakers moved from their places on the wall. We were abiding in the refuge and protection of God.) The clerk was now standing in the middle of the room facing the door. She was amazed, even mesmerized by the sight. The wind swept in through the door and carried the clerk away. Lynn and I moved into a back closet as the noise got louder and the wind stronger. We held tightly to one another. I did not see what happened to my cousin; but I knew she was fulfilling the important role God had for her. It just led her in a different direction.
(Signifying a vast move of the Holy Spirit)

The wind subsided and debris lied everywhere. Houses and buildings were destroyed. The friends watching TV in our home had disappeared.

Suddenly, a lot of time had passed. The dream shifted to an area I do not know with people I did not know. It focused on two particular women living in a home, one younger and one elderly. They wore long, dark robes that covered their bodies and their heads. This signified hard work, grief, and trial.
(This signifies persecution)

The younger woman seemed to work hard outside of the home; but the elderly woman seemed particularly hidden. She was set apart as though she had her own hidden "wing" in their home. (The home was large, but desolate, colorless, and run down). One day, the younger woman came in to the elderly woman's "wing" and saw a young man (young adult age). He was sitting at a school desk and grinning from ear to ear. He was full of color and life; he was glowing! The younger woman was shocked because she had not realized that he was there. The dream ends focused on the young man as though one cannot keep his eyes off of him. He is so radiant in God!

Who is this man? Is he another deliverer for the people of God to be raised up after persecution? or Is he somehow the Christ, coming again to deliver His people for all eternity?


Today I came across another prophecy concerning this "wind storm" over the Maritimes (and beyond). There have been many. It's by Larry Randolph from Dec 6/06:

Larry Randolph was speaking in the Oshawa just a few weeks back and shared the following:

He had a vision of Jesus standing off the east coast of Canada in the Atlantic Ocean. Jesus bent over and blew a great wind, the wind of the Holy Spirit. It created a huge wave that headed to the east of Canada, & from there it went down along the eastern seaboard of North America.

Living Vicarious.

Drake Emmerson (with Mom - my sister, Melissa Emmerson)
*born Christmas Eve 2006
*soon to be three months old















Destiny (~1 yr & 10 months) and Drake (~3 months)

We love our niece and nephew!!!

Overwhelmed!

Well, Lynn and I have had quite a week.

I'm not even sure I can count all the exciting or devastating things that have happened in the last week or so, but they have all led up to a physical and emotional breakdown for me today :). I wish I could learn to catch these dives into the pit of exhaustion before they come; I have yet to master it. Thankfully, though, by the grace of God and the encouragement of my husband, I am much quicker at recovering and getting back to my normal self.

We will have an update soon that explains some of the week's events.


Those who go down to the see in ships, who do business on great waters, they sea the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep. For He commands and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up the waves of the sea. They mount up to the heavens, they go down again to the depths; their soul melts because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end...

Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses. He calms the storm, so that its waves are still. Then they are glad because they are quiet; so He guides them to their desired haven.

Oh that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, and praise Him in the company of the elders.

Psalm 107: 23-32

(Natasha)

Our new car!

Before...















...and after!

Update.

Lynn and I have been experiencing the joys of a busy life in ministry! Here a few key points of interest:

1a. The fourth pastor has officially joined the IBC staff. Kaj Binderup is retiring from the ministry to Truro to be near kids and grandkids. So, as all good retiring ministers do, he has joined the IBC staff as part-time visitation/seniors pastor. We are just getting to know him, but are quickly becoming infatuated :).

1b. His wife Joan is my new favorite person on the whole earth! She's blunt, spunky, hysterical, and cute :). She and I will be ministering together in May at the women's retreat for our Baptist Association (sort of like a district). I will be leading worship and teaching on worship, while Joan is the guest speaker. I greatly look forward to this ministry opportunity!

2. Lynn conquered his first major event at IBC a couple of weeks ago. It was our 117th Anniversary service!! :) The whole day was filled with music from our choir and guest choirs, mostly from the black-Canadian churches in our area. It was awesome. A little crazy, too; but awesome :).

3. Non-ministry related - by tomorrow evening, Lynn and I will be driving a brand new Corolla! We are very thankful to our dear old car who has done so well these past three years and protected us from any serious danger... But there is a season for everything and the season of our '95, teal, Grand Prix has come to an end. God has come through once again. Isn't it the craziest thing to go from a 12 year old car to an brand new one!? Praise the Lord!

4. A quote from last week:
Lynn: "You are the most patient wife on the face of the earth."
Natasha: "Was that sarcasm?"
Lynn: "No, just blatant lying."

Have wonderful day dear friends!
Natasha