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It's Incomprehensible!

Incomprehensible: a very big word to describe how the supernatural fact of the Incarnation of God perplexed me and challenged me mentally, spiritually, and theologically for some time.

Incarnation: the fact that God subjected Himself, His power, glory, honor, wisdom and control to be born of a human mother and enter the totally human body of a baby boy.

My Mission Trip

It seems so long ago when I came to Creekside. That shy and unsure young woman that I was. A friend invited me to come, and I said okay.

When I first decided to come to Creekside I didn't talk much. I came broken and bruised. There had been abuse, and a brother who died too young of drugs. There was alcoholism and just a hurting heart.

Celebrate

As you can probably imagine, there has been much celebration in my house for the past week and a half. For the third time in four years, the Cougars won the Apple Cup! And for me, that is cause for A LOT of celebration.

Live Strong

Consider this: no matter how much effort he put in, the extremely talented, hard-working Michael Jordan couldn't become the "Michael Jordan" of baseball. His talents just weren't as well-suited for the baseball diamond as for the basketball court. Using that example, Tom Rath reports (in the book StrengthsFinder 2.0) how research has shown that people can accomplish more by developing the areas they're already good at than by trying to make their weaker traits stronger. He gives general categorizations of the strengths that each person already has, even if they haven't learned to name them yet.

Noise

As I sit at my desk, the next door office wall is being used as a backboard by the workers getting a new office space ready... or maybe they are just hanging pictures on the wall. It's a noise that interrupts my audio space, but that I cannot quite identify. Upstairs, footsteps are a constant reminder of other tenants. We have taken on the challenge. Creekside is definitely winning the Inter-Office Noise Contest with Rob's Thursday evening worship rehearsals. No complaints ... yet. In our new offices, most of the people are the same (except for Reverb Rob), but the noises are new.

Christian Fluid Dynamics

Have you ever noticed how much water and breath and wind and fire you find in the Bible? It's sometimes hard to keep track of whether to think of the Holy Spirit as "living water" or as "tongues of fire" or simply as something that is "God-breathed." Other people who've had to understand the physical world, have run into similar problems.

"Is this a gas or a liquid or a flame? I dunno. Let's call it a fluid!"

Jesus, Show Me What Glory Means

I have been really busy lately, busy trying to measure up. It is exhausting and discouraging. I have been trying to fit into someone else's armor and it is uncomfortable. I can't move in armor that doesn't fit. And I have found that the armor I have been trying to make work for me is way more elaborate than it needs to be. The Armor God has fashioned for me is all I need to stand against the biggest giant I will ever face.

Abundant Life

I read a new description of what 'abundant life' means tonight. In Reggie McNeal's book The Present Future, he says "When the kingdom fully comes, people will finally realize their full potential as beings created in the image of God. Jesus hinted at this when he spoke about abundant life. To live abundantly is to borrow the future into the present."

A Religious Experience

Standing on the street corner with a co-worker I didn't really expect the topic of church attendance to come up. We had been discussing homes and the various joys and challenges of home ownership. But then she brought up the fact that she and her husband "simply just want to get out of the house every Sunday morning to go hiking." In a quick moment, she caught herself saying something that she thought might offend me.

New Life...

It's amazing to think about the cycle of life. Beth and I went to see Keaton and Reid Watson last week and I was again amazed at the brilliance of life. Also visiting at the time were some other friends who are two months away from having their first child. In their eyes I could see the excitement of what they will soon experience. With me, were Beth and Nathan. Beth, if you didn't know, is pregnant and due in the first week of April.

They'll Know

Last week, the Lambie-Pies said a joyful, tearful (and delicious) farewell to two dear members. It was an evening full of memories and shared fondness that- Wait, what did you ask? What are Lambie-Pies? Well, let me tell you a story.

Getting Clean Without a Shower

I am not a neat freak, but clutter and dirt make me cranky. This became apparent to me a few weeks ago when we had our bathroom remodeled due to a water leak. It was one of those "projects" that we thought would take a few days and ended up taking a few weeks. At one point during the remodel, our one working shower was unavailable for use for 5 days. Before you feel too sorry for me or my family, you should know that I have three boys - ages, 10, 7 and 4 living in my house. Not having a working shower is not an inconvenience to them. In fact, for them, it's a bonus week with no parent bugging them to wash behind their ears or reminding them use both soap AND shampoo.

God Loves Canned Green Beans!

Cruising into the grocery store that day, I had one thing on my mind-go there-get that-move, move--more errands await-just keep moving...be home before the grandkids.

The Outpost

Once upon a time, a King decided to share his Kingdom with his subjects. So he signed an agreement, written with his own blood that said that all the members of his Kingdom were free to fully enjoy the benefits of the Kingdom...

Doubt, No Doubt?

I'm the sort of person who has no difficulty in questioning just about anything and everything. I do it relatively politely and benignly, but the questions are always there. I don't think you really get to truth unless you ask questions. The result of a questioning nature in an individual can be one of three things: 1) tons of doubt, 2) an ongoing question and answer dialog, or even 3) enough Q&A that you feel that you've come to some sort of truth and no longer need to ask questions. Some might call this Faith, many do not.

Get Off the Train

Right now, I'm sitting in my little shared office on the bottom floor of the Windermere office in Bellevue. It's the middle of the day and no other agents on my floor are here. It's me, the sound of my computer humming, and my thoughts. I tell you this to point out that I should have been writing this a long time ago. (Although perhaps not while I could be better off working.) There are a lot of things that I should have done a long time ago, but I've put them off and put them off.

How To Get Along When You Can't Choose Your Family

Lately I've been spending most of my free time (and much of the rest of it) with a particular gentleman of my acquaintance. As always at the beginning of a romance, getting to know him has been a joy and an adventure. It's impressive how quickly it happens when you're so intentional about the process (we joke that we're the best time-wasters we know). I could never learn all there is to know about him, but the more I discover, the more I like him and the more about him I want to know.

Laughing

I woke up laughing this morning. I love waking up like that. The joy of the Lord was bubbling over. My cheeks are still sore from laughing.

The last time I woke up laughing was when my husband made a "noise" so loud the clapper turned the lights on in our bedroom. But that wasn't the Lord; that was just funny.

Afflictions of the Hyper-Churched
How to Spot and Stop and Them

If you've attended church (Creekside or other) for any period of time, you've undoubtedly noticed some of the rather unsavory afflictions that the church-going type pick up over time. Like me, you may have even picked up a few of these yourself. In an effort to promote healthy church participation, I would like to highlight three common "afflictions" that plague those who have attended church a sufficient number of times to acquire them. Here's how to both spot and stop them (especially if you find you find yourself afflicted).

Praying Continually

I think God's trying to tell me something. No, I didn't receive an amazing vision of things to come. Nor did I discover some deep, Biblical truth I'd never seen before. This is more like a tap-on-the-shoulder-are-you-paying-attention sort of thing. And it all centers on the topic of prayer.

Jonah

The other morning, it was a Sunday morning to be specific, I was heading out the door to come to church and a loved one reminded me (for the fifth time) to "water the flowers and take the garbage bins to the curb". Mom and Jeff were heading to the lake for the long holiday weekend and I would be left home alone. My response was a terse "I got it". At that point the conversation cascaded into a transaction of words that were hurtful and offensive. It made me want to run away. I really don't know where I would go but it is in those times I ask God to help me keep my eyes on Him. I ask Him to remind me of the forgiveness He has made real in my life and to help me forgive again.

A Tough Conversation

In college, my roommate and I used to say that we 'lived by example'. This was our excuse for not talking about Christ to other people. While I still believe that is a very important part of being a Christian, it isn't everything. There is still a time that talking is the necessary means of delivering the message of Christ.

By the Unlearning of Your Mind

I've recently taken up ballroom dancing. In an average week, I dance about five to six hours over two evenings of lessons and open dance. It's a great workout and a fun social activity, but the learning curve at the beginning is quite steep. I was fortunate ("blessed," you might say) to find a group very open to dancing with and teaching beginners, and I therefore attempted to learn as much as I could, so that dancing would become more fun.

Walking at a 45 Degree Angle Towards God

My dog Chewie is dying. He may not know this truth, but he sure knows that he's having trouble walking. As German Shepherds get older they often develop a congenital condition in which the bottom vertebra calcifies and grows into the nerve cord coming out of the spine at the tail bone. This leads to pain, a loss of feeling in the lower body, and an increasing loss of control of various "output" functions.

Lessons from the Garden

Kari and I were out working in the yard this weekend and she told me about a couple lessons God taught her as she was working. I've come to realize that when my wife says, "Hey, God showed me something" then it's time to listen. So I listened.

Love, Chronic Pain, and Toothpaste

I have fibromyalgia. This is a fancy-schmancy medical-ese way of saying that on any given day, I hurt all over. Sometimes a lot, sometimes a little, but every day I'm in some sort of pain. It is mainly concentrated around my hips, but spreads throughout my entire body and is frequently accompanied by overwhelming fatigue. One current theory is that although FM is not necessarily caused by a traumatic injury or motor vehicle accident, such events can bring out FM. I was in a serious car accident in 1991. The lap belt saved my life, but did lifelong tissue damage and since then I have been in pain every day.

A Blast From the Past

Did you hear who's coming back to Seattle next week? Ken Griffey Jr. will be back as a Cincinnati Red to play against the Mariners for the first time since he left the Mariners in 2000. I'm hoping that you all remember 'Junior'. I grew up a baseball fan (as you already know) in the Seattle area which means that I grew up watching Harold Reynolds, Jay Buhner, Edgar Martinez, Alvin Davis, Dave Henderson, and many more. But none of those players quite matched the hype that Ken Griffey Jr. brought with him to Seattle in 1989. For 10 years we were awed at his speed, leaps, and amazing catches in centerfield. We remember him scoring from first base on Edgar's 11th inning hit against the Yankees in the playoffs in 1995. And his beaming smile from under the pile at home plate after he scored the winning run in that unforgettable series (photo on left). We remember his graceful left-handed swing that caused so many homeruns. But mostly we remember that when he came to the big leagues, we finally had a GREAT player on the Mariners.

A Change In Perspective

This past Saturday, under the firm conviction that glorious weather should not be wasted, three friends and I drove up to the Granite Falls area and hiked to Heather Lake. After a moderate ascent over rough terrain, the track opens suddenly out from the forest onto a spectacular vista. Heather Lake itself is almost unremarkable, but it’s surrounded by lush summer meadow on one side and on the other, a snow-covered cliff face dotted with waterfalls of melting snow.

Thought About Giving and Serving - and A Possible Tummy Ache

Mac's March 25 sermon on Luke and how we are to serve the poor and needy arrowed into our lives as a family. First of all-it's not just about money. Now, before anyone heaves a huge sigh of relief, let me clarify! It is about money, but so much more. What God wants for us to give our first fruits and talents, not the leftovers. It works itself out differently in each individual life, but it IS a command and it DOES require obedience�hence the possible tummy ache.

Chosen

Rheumatoid Arthritis is the kind of arthritis that we usually associate with "old" people. It's the kind that enables old geezers sitting in their porch's rocking chair to forecast the weather - "storm's a-comin?, boy. I kin feel it in my knees." I, however, developed Rheumatoid Arthritis at the age of seven.

Lots of Situations Let Loose Lucifer

In 1971 Joe Zimbardo ran a psychology experiment in the basement of the Stanford psychology building. He simulated a prison, recruiting students into roles as prisoners and guards. After six days, he had to halt the experiment because of the brutality and inhumanity that was being unleashed on prisoners by guards. This became a famous experiment in psychology circles because of the unexpected transformation of good and otherwise normal students into those willing to perpetrate evil. Fast forward a few decades, and along came the prison abuses in Abu Gharib. Although the abuses there came in the context of a war, the same thing happened; seemingly normal people were perpetrating evil. Dr. Zimbardo was called on as an expert witness to defend one of those accused in the Abu Gharib abuses. In this role he was thrust face-to-face with the evil done at Abu Gharib , and more personally, with the evil that had occurred in the experiment he had done years before.

Oikos

Oikos. It's a funny word. I have been thinking about that word lately. Oikos is a Greek word. It is in a family of words based on the idea of home or household. A person's oikos can be one's family, friends, neighbors and associates. It could also be people who share a common interest, like a hobby or employer. Relationships. A social web of people. The family of God.

What Does Your Sign Say?

Lately I have seen many people standing on corners of the street with signs asking for food, money, or a job.

I thought about these people and how I sometimes act towards them. Sometime I judge them and think if I give them money they are only going to get drunk. I even think they most likely have more money than I have so I won't give them anything. Or I have worked hard for what I have so I won't give it to someone else.

Cry To Jesus

Sometimes trials in our lives are like Seattle rain - misty, intermittently obnoxious, but overall a minor inconvenience. Other times, events in your life hit you like an earthquake; without warning, they just knock you right over, and you never saw it coming. As you lie there on your back, surveying the damage, weighing the scale of the repairs you'll need to make, your only option is both the simplest and the hardest thing you could be asked to do- get back up again.

An Abundance of Bathwater

Do you know what the overflow valve is in your bathtub? It's a little hole that drains the extra water out of your tub if it rises above a certain level - like when you leave the faucet on too long, or swish around in the tub. The overflow valve is a safety mechanism, built right in. You put the water in, and if it gets too high - no worries! ? the extra goes right down the drain and not over the edge of your tub. It's nice. It creates a sense of balance - you can put so much in, but not too much - so your bets are hedged against a forgetful mind or a wayward knee.

Why Being a Christian is Like Mowing My Lawn

Last week I mowed my lawn. It's a big lawn; some might call it a field. I've come to think that mowing this lawn is a lot like being a Christian.

Disciple

Rabbi! Jesus- I am trying to catch up to you but there are so many people. I am rushing along with the throngs, singing and celebrating and praising You.

At Work Last Week

At work last week a co-worker told me her granddaughter drank Drano and kerosene because her boyfriend slept with another girl. Another co-worker didn't show up for work one day. None of us knew where she was. When she came in she told me her mom had taken her money to buy ?crack? cocaine. She didn't have any gas in her car, and no money, so she couldn't get to work.

Family

I've been thinking recently about family. I don't know about you, but I am lucky enough to have a large family when you count my aunts, uncles, grandmas, cousins, and in-laws - and they all live in the area. Many of you even know part of my family, since a whole tribe of us attend Creekside regularly.

Everlasting Life

Allow me to share with you the most profound sentence I have read in a long time. It was innocuously nestled inside Day 8 of the advent devotional The Christ of Christmas, which Creekside provided to the congregation this past December.

Look at me! Don't cry!"

by Linda McAllister - 03/08/2007

The words of an imposing Russian woman were abrupt, yet compassionate. They were directed towards Vera, a brown-eyed, 8-year-old girl with waist length hair that matched the color of her eyes. She was standing perfectly still in front of Natalya, the school principal. Natalya continued her pointed interview. "Vera, tell me the truth. What happened to you?" Vera had come to school that morning with an abrasion on her forehead.

Here I am, Lord!

by Debbie Hancock - 03/01/2007

When I moved back home in late 1999, at the request of my dying father, it was something I didn't think I could ever do it. I couldn't imagine how I would ever go back to the place I grew up as a kid. The place I was sexually abused. By my father.

Lions in our Midst

by Char Forslund - 02/22/2007

I collect lions. It started over 25 years ago. We were worshipping at Seattle First Covenant then and the pastor, John Nilson, and I shared a love of all things C.S. Lewis, especially the Chronicles of Narnia. We read and talked together about a multitude of other books, but the love affair with Narnia always circled back. John Nilson was one of my best friends, my pastor, my teacher, a fellow searcher and pilgrim.

Faith Tested

by Mark Lanum - 02/15/2007

I spend a lot of time in front of a computer, and specifically searching the internet. Over time I have noticed a growing trend in the opinions expressed on the internet, especially on sites frequented and used by those in the computer and technology industries. With an alarming frequency, these articles are written from a point of view that assumes not just the falsehood of Christianity, but that religion as a worldview is ridiculous and no longer applicable to our modern life.

Drumstick

by Erik Godo - 02/08/2007

When I first started drumming, each of us had to bring our own drumsticks each time we played. I decided this was silly, plus if you broke one, what would you do then with no spares? So I bought a pair and put it in the drum box we keep all the drum stuff in.

A Hero's Welcome

by Abigail Short - 02/01/2007

My grandma Kaethe (pronounced like "Katie") was born on August 26, 1915, to ethnic German Mennonites in the Ukraine. By the time she was five, her family had buried two younger siblings. She suffered through a severe famine before graduating high school. As a teacher in the Russian school system, she was continually forced to hide her Christian faith, and she lost her father, grandfather and fiance the secret police because of that same faith.

Preparing for the Unexpected

by Mac Taylor - 01/25/2007

I plopped myself down in the easy chair to let my jello-filled muscles return to a semi-solid state after showing off my latest soccer prowess. I must be crazy, playing two indoor games that finish at 10:30 PM on a Sunday night. Nothing that a few ibuprofen and TIVO can't handle. I begin the transformation to the desired end goal: sleep. ?NOVA - Arctic Passage - hmmm - Click

A New Year

by Paulette Chaussee - 01/18/2007

It's a brand new year - but It's the same old resolution! Month after month - year after year - I resolve to make it a reality. PUT GOD, AND WHAT MATTERS TO HIM, FIRST IN MY LIFE!

Our Stories - 2007