Loving Our Ugandan Neighbors As Ourselves

One of the things I think us Americans are super duper good at is loving ourselves.

 We like good food, nice clothes, great entertainment and self-care from head to toe.

We post about all these things; we are so “blessed” when we use them that we

 “share” with others.

 (at least of social media)

So when I think about the most important commandments according to Jesus, I think we could be really good at the second part if we "share" in real life as well as we "share" on social media.

Mark 12:29-31 New Living Translation (NLT)

29 Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ 31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” 

 Loving the Lord our God with everything in us….and the second is equally as important, but we must keep it in order. 

Loving God FIRST and then loving our neighbor as ourselves.

Out of the FIRST command will come the SECOND.

If we get the order wrong we just spin our wheels and it fizzles out and goes no-where.

If we keep the Greatest Command in order then it flows in a beautiful and natural way.

So how do we love our neighbors as ourselves…..

If I like something, I bet my neighbors would too.

I like clothes, and good food, and good books, and nice products for my skin and health.

I like shoes and I like purses.

I like Advil when I have a headache and I like cupcakes when I have an occasion to celebrate.

These are a few of our favorite things.

The theme of our donation boxes this GO around is to just love our neighbors as ourselves.

If we like it, so will our Ugandan neighbors.

We are taking things like bacon and jerky and candy and chocolate (for Patience) and clothes and vitamins and essential oils, sunglasses and allergy medicine.

So if there is something you enjoy to love yourself with, and want to love your Ugandan neighbors as yourself, you are welcome to send with us.

This was an extreme case!  God filled up 2 containers a few years ago.

God always fills our vessels boxes to overflowing.

I can’t wait to see what He sends us with to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Uganda - Team Zero Countdown!

We leave for Uganda in 40 days!

One of the best parts of going on these mission trips is seeing who God puts together.

He has put together an interesting combination this time:

Team Zero

Kristy and I were joking one day that we feel we have zero to offer anyone, but we are so excited to GO.

The more we talked about it, the more accurate that name became.

We have ZERO in common and ZERO to offer.

We are:

Zealous Eager children Responding to the love of Our 

Father

We have ZERO to offer.  We come with no special skills or projects on this trip, but we have everything to give because of what has been given to us.

The funny thing about this particular team that God put together is we have ZERO in common.  We have the same Father and that makes us have everything LIFE-GIVING in common.  This team represents a lot of different LIFE experiences, yet only represents 

THE ONE TRUTH LIFE.

Charlie and I are the only ones from this team that have been to Uganda before.

We are excited to go together, even if we are meeting up and parting ways in Amsterdam. 

As ya’ll know we have a zillion kids and we live in 2 different states at the moment or for the last 15 months and it’s always a full-on circus in our lives.  I can assure you we need this time Team Zero and all that it has to offer more than anyone.

Greg and Kristy are married and have no kids(yet) but they have hearts and houses and lives full of all kinds of kids of every age, from all kinds of backgrounds (including our circus).  Greg is very quiet with a head and face full of amazing hair and deep thoughts and words that I beg him to share more openly and more often.

Kristy is one of the most sincere and honest people on the planet, and she takes the time to connect with people at a heart level and nothing less.

Their lives are the exact opposite of our circus and we have ZERO in common and one of the best friendships a person or couple or church (or circus) could ever ask for.

Christina is my dear friend that I got to know and love along with a few of her family members on our Israel trip.

 She is kind and generous and brilliant. She has been a life-saver for me in my lonely times in Montana.  Christina is spontaneous, energetic and full of lively conversation. 

Christina is a widow and a mother and a grandmother and a daughter and so much more.

Tayla is a single sweetheart.  This girl has a heart and a laugh the size of Africa. 
When she says
 “yes”
she means it, and walks with courage and wisdom beyond her years and has a youthful joy and spunk in every step she takes.

This is our team!

Team Zero

Every person on this team has a very different story; we have ZERO in common which equals EVERYTHING 
that is
LIFE-GIVING.

Happy Birthday To My Forever Bofriend!

The saying "love is blind" is ridiculous.  Love sees deeper than the outside appearance.  My man's outside appearance is pretty great to look at and to love, but what I see is better than anything I could ever see with eyes, I see the heart of my man.  I get to see deeper and know more about this man than anyone else on this earth, and what I see is a strong faithful man that has a strong faithful heart that has been transformed by the LOVE of Christ.  Every year that goes by, God opens the eyes of his heart wider to see clearer and love truer.


 It's been a weird year for our family and we haven't seen a whole lot of Charlie.  He has been away from us about 90% of the time.  During this year apart, I have learned more about the heart of my man than all the years before.  I have seen him endure hard times, and do hard things throughout our 30 years together, but this year he has shown up, working 1000 miles away, with more sacrificial love than I thought was possible.


Charlie lives and loves selflessly, generously, and works tirelessly.  He loves sacrificially, he is a defender and a provider.  Charlie loves and cares for many close to him and around the world.

Charlie is a builder by trade.  He can build anything and everything. Everything  he builds is built to last. He builds strong and beautiful.  We don't have a house to call our own right now, and it seems a little (or a lot) strange, but I know my man is building something for this family that will last for eternity.  I trust the work God is doing in and thru this man of mine.

Most guys his age, in this business are slowing down a bit, getting a little more comfortable, maybe relying on the lifetime career and experience they have built up over the years to give them some security and a bit of a cushion. Not my man, he is still hard at it.  I guess you could say according to the world, Charlie has been foolish and made some pretty costly decisions, but according to the Bible, he has been a Kingdom builder, building on a sure foundation that will last forever.


Hebrews 3:4 New Living Translation (NLT)

4 For every house has a builder, but the one who built everything is God.

 I pray we do get to live in a house that Charlie builds for us again someday, but even if we don't, I know he has been building and investing for this family into a Kingdom that is amazing and forever.

Luke 14:27-2927 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? 29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you.

Throughout his 56 years,  Charlie has been given a lot of talent and had many ambitions, and he has the  mind and body to bring it all together to great success, but every time he gets the chance to do something great for himself, he gives it away, he lays it down, he steps aside. His heart overrides his bright mind and his strong body and he lives for the LOVE that costs him everything.

If Charlie never builds another thing on this earth or if he gets the opportunity to build his biggest and best project yet....the work he has done and continues to do will survive.  God has done a work in my man's heart and it is a lifetime project being worked by the Master Builder.  The "project" can get a little messy sometimes (mostly by me), but I see what God is building and I love what I see.

1 Corinthians 3:12-14 New Living Translation (NLT)12 Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. 13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. 14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward.

I don't know about you, but I see lots of rewards surrounding this man already!

I have looked over the last year of pictures and all I see is a man serving his family and loving them well. I see a man that loves Jesus and will travel the world to learn more about Him.  I see a man that is smart and strong and humble.  I see a man that gives everything he has ever been given to benefit others!  

Love is not blind!

                       I see you Bofriend and I know Jesus sees you too!

 Happy Birthday!

 Keep building!  Keep up the good and important work that lasts forever!

PUT YOUR HANDS UP!!!! Part 3 of 3.

It was on a Tuesday, July 9, at around 12:40pm, and we had only been on the road for less than 3 hours when things got CRAZY!!!  We literally got MIXED UP in a high-speed chase!!

We were happily traveling along in our rented 2019 Tahoe, with the music playing and just rolling along the Interstate.

We saw a car that looked exactly like the one we were driving, race by us driving reckless.  Mik and I were commenting on how this person was driving so crazy.  We watched them as they sped by us and they went to pass 2 semi-trucks that were both in the right-hand lane of a 2 lane interstate, just as the semi that was in the rear went into the left lane beside the first semi and blocked out the car.  We watched as the car tried to get thru and then zipped over to the far right and passed on the right-hand shoulder of the road.  It was raining and it was happening as we were all climbing a hill and as the car passed on the shoulder, they all dropped down on the other side of the hill, and the spray coming off of the semi-trucks tires made it impossible to see anything.  I commented to Mik that whatever was going on was not going to end well.  I was still shaking my head about what I just saw, and I looked in my mirror and there were lights - flashing lights - a bunch of them!

I went to pull over, but mostly just thinking I would slow down and get out of their way and let them by because they were coming FAST and looked to be in hot pursuit.  As I slowed down; I realized they slowed down too, ...I said, " OH @#*&$, they are pulling ME over!!" .....as I  came to a stop I was rolling my window down at the same time, getting ready to find out WHAT I was getting pulled over for.  The lead police car went a little by us... threw his car in reverse and stopped it at an angle just off my left shoulder IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSTATE and pulled his gun out.  He was in firing position behind his car yelling - PUT YOUR HANDS UP!!!

I went into complete panic mode!   I couldn't make sense of what was happening.  The radio was playing worship music, and I was being yelled at to put my hands up.  There were 3 more police cars surrounding us,  with 3 of the officers out of their cars with their guns out and pointed at us.  One was pointed at me and the other 2 at the kids from behind the car.  Everything seemed so loud and fast and dangerous and out of control!!!  All I wanted to do was get out of that death trap!  I had my hands up, as did all the kids (including Cellie, the 4 year old) and I would move from hands up and looking at the police who was yelling at me, to  turning my head and yelling to the kids in the back to get their hands up, to taking my left hand down and desperately feeling for the door handle.  I had to get out and away from that car and get those guns off of us.  Since it was a rented car....my hand could not find that door handle in all my panic. 

Mik was in the passenger seat in the front, with his hands up, and he says in the calmest and clearest tone I've ever heard come out of his mouth, "They think it's us."  That's all he had to say for it to ALL come together in my swirling brain!!!  I started frantically waving and pointing ahead of us, and yelling, "It's not us - they went that way."

The police heard me and came to the same realization at the same time (they later explained) and they got back in their cars and sped away.  We sat there stunned. We were sitting in disbelief..... By the time they got back in their cars and sped away, which was probably seconds and felt like an hour, there were at least 9 police vehicles in the chase with lights flashing!  Nobody stopped to explain to us what was going on.

We finally pulled ourselves together to get back on the road and within a minute you could see the car coming the other direction with the line of police chasing behind.  The car had taken the opportunity when the police were occupied with us, and they had crossed the median and tried to sneak by.  It didn't work, the police were hot on their trail. 

Charlie called the police from that county that night to get some answers as to what in the world was going on that had his family pulled over and guns were drawn.

They called him back the next morning and they also called me after they talked to Charlie.  They were so nice and explained exactly what happened and were sincerely apologetic.  They were chasing the car that looked like ours since Billings and once they had crossed state lines, they had to leave it to Wyoming to pursue the car and they caught sight of the car about the time we saw it and they lost sight of it when they passed the semis.  It really was the perfect storm, and we could totally understand how it happened.  They also sent a very nice and professional letter of apology and explanation.  The police were already looking for how to get ahold of us when Charlie called them first; they wanted to contact us, apologize and make sure we were ok.  They ended up getting the car stopped with a spike strip.  The officer that I spoke with said hindsight is 20/20 and someone should have stayed back after they pulled us over to explain what was going on and make sure everyone was ok.  If anyone understands ADRENALINE and HINDSIGHT these days...it's me...so I totally understand!

The car they were chasing looked just like ours and was a rented vehicle driven by a woman and it had Colorado plates....our plates were Colorado also.

***I spent a lot of the rest of the drive replaying the events that took place and asking the Lord to show me what I couldn't see, help me to see what is going on in the spiritual realm.  I feel like our lives are under attack, but we are surrounded and protected.***

2 Kings 6:15-17 New Living Translation (NLT)

15 When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha.

16 “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” 17 Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.

The importance of our "identity" also kept running thru my mind as I thought thru the events.  We are in a series at church and we are talking about "identity".  I mean to tell you, it was a super clear example of the dangers of getting identity wrong!!!

May we and everyone who comes into contact with us know WHO we are IN CHRIST and may we live our lives true to that identity! 

1 Peter 2:10 New Living Translation (NLT)

10 “Once you had no identity as a people;
    now you are God’s people.
Once you received no mercy;
    now you have received God’s mercy.”

Car Incident = Total(ed) Gift Part 2 of 3

Monday July 8, came like Mondays do.  I was supposed to leave for Texas on this particular Monday.  I just couldn't get it together....too many loose ends...too many emotions, too much to do....too much anxiety....too much of too much.

Charlie was my hero as usual, from 3 states away.  He did all the leg work, made all the phone calls, filed all the reports, did all the paperwork regarding the Debbie incident.  As everyone knows, when there is an incident there is a bunch to do.  My prayer was that God would make this smooth and I wouldn't be bogged down with paperwork and phone calls.  God absolutely 100% answered that prayer, unfortunately for Charlie he must have not prayed that (kinda kidding, kinda not) because he spent the day on Monday dealing with the details of the incident.

I had tried on several occasions to back out of our Texas plan.  It all sounded good when the plans were made, but over time I began to get anxious about driving that far, about the cost of the trip, and you name it I worried about it.  Every time I took a step backward (mostly in my mind and heart) God would gently and lovingly remind me of some truth that pushed me back into GO to Texas mode. 

I flipped and flopped all day Monday until I was talking to a friend on the phone and we just walked thru what I was feeling and why, and it became as clear as day that I needed to get over myself and my fear and my hesitation, and GO to Texas as planned, and I needed an attitude adjustment to boot!

I AGAIN, repented of my complaining, and got motivated to GO!!  I got so excited and motivated I went to get my toenails and eyebrows done.  I mean, a change of heart usually means some sort of action, and what better activity to show a change of attitude than a cleaned-up face and toenails painted pretty.

As I was getting shiny and ready to have an early B-day dinner for Charsie (mostly so I could hold my namesake before I left on my road trip) Charlie was chipping away at the broken car situation. 

I ended up having a great day, ending in a birthday party, SedonaLee snuggles, and a walk and prayer time with a friend.  God, not only changed my attitude but gave me gift after gift to get me ready and excited to GO!!

The day ended with picking up a BEAUTIFUL BRAND NEW 2019 Tahoe rental car, paid for by the insurance and arranged by Charlie for me to drive while all the details of the Debbie incident were being assessed and arranged. 

So let me get this straight God....You are loaning me a brand new car to drive over 3000 miles to Texas and back for free????  Yep!!  He certainly did that. 

Debbie Is Totalled. Part 1 of 3

It all started on Sunday, July 7, 2019 @ 2:46am.  It sounded like a bomb went off!  I jumped out of bed or rather jumped up on the bed because there is a window above our bed that faces the street.  The bomb was so loud it even woke/startled Charlie.....which takes a bomb, or something very similar.

Our car (we call her Debbie) that had been parked on the street had been hit and hit so hard it pushed her into the neighbor's mailbox that is cased in brick and filled with concrete (because it had been hit twice before.)  The mailbox was pushed a few feet and tipped over (it weighed 980 lbs.) and our car was sitting in the street 100 feet from where we had parked it.  The street and sidewalk and car were a mess.  There were pieces and parts laying all over the street, including the license plate of the truck that hit the car and drove off.   The police came and did a report and took pictures, mind you this is all going on at 3am.  Charlie parked our Debbie car back in her spot and the police left.

Anyone who knows my man knows he is a finisher, he got out of the car and just started following the trail of blood transmission fluid leaking out of the pickup that hit our car.

The pickup was only a few houses away, parked in a driveway.  Charlie called the same police back to let him know he found the vehicle.  The police came back and thru a series of unfortunate events, the dad of the guys that hit our car was arrested.

Charlie had to leave that morning just a few short, very short, hours after he got back in bed.

 As I walked into the church that morning, I felt on edge and unnerved - the adrenaline wouldn't level out.  As soon as worship started I felt the love and correction of my Heavenly Father come over me.  We had just finished a series at church on "loving your neighbor"  and right along with loving our neighbor is the Scripture about loving and praying for our enemies.
So whether you categorize the man who hit our car as a neighbor or an enemy, I hadn't done one thing the Bible teaches me to do:

Matthew 5:43-44 New Living Translation (NLT)

43 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!

Ugh!!!!  The beautiful part about the Christian life is, it's never too late to turn to Jesus.  I stood right there in worship and repented of my sin and acknowledged that the guy who hit our car, and his dad, were having a much worse day than I was, and I just prayed that God would show up for them in whatever way they needed.  This is one of the greatest benefits of following Jesus - I didn't have to fix one thing, I only had to let the Lord fix my heart and He is trustworthy to fix who needs fixing and heal and help "whosoever" believes in Him.

PS.  For those of you who have read my blog for a long time.....you may remember this happened to another car of ours in Billings a few years ago.  Click HERE for the blog post from a few years ago.

Laboring Thru Life - One Contraction At A Time

Laboring thru life is the lens I see thru right now.

Life, and the stages of labor are similar. Ups and downs, peaks and valleys, highs and lows. I’m entrenched in birth stories right now, it’s everywhere I turn, and I love it to the fullest. I have cried and rejoiced over all that goes right and wrong in laboring thru life. My heart tends to pound with fear and faith in the same beat.

We have a family texting thread that would make grown men cry; yet all the women thrive over the chaos of the thread. We go from outfit to body functions in the span of one text, and never miss a beat.  

Recently though, we have had two babies born within this thread of women. Can I just explain the detail of instruction we can give to a laboring mama thru text messages from across the United States of America. As I was fully engaged in the most recent birth via text, I began to understand that laboring and life should use all the same phrases throughout the different stages.

I have had some anxiety / stress as of late, and I could hear the birthing coaches giving instructions that can totally apply to me in my anxious state.

Take one contraction (day) at a time. Don’t get overwhelmed but take it one at a time. Don’t get behind or ahead of yourself. Focus! Breathe! Don’t tense up! Relax. Change positions!! Bear down!! Rest when you can!! Push thru the pain.
 Pray!
 Pray More!
 Praying Always!



Nothing in life or labor gets done without a fight and surrender at the same time. Fighting for life and the surrender to the process is all part of laboring thru this life. We have to fight for our lives and the lives of our loved ones and especially the vulnerable, the unborn.

We have to fight to focus on the giver and sustainer of the WAY the TRUTH and the LIFE. We must not get distracted, but fight to surrender to the ONE who has WON!

Throughout the fight and surrender labor dance there must be adjustment and humility, whenever you are thrown a curve ball and the plan laid out, is changing direction. The result is what matters, but adjustment and flexibility are important to the process.

Surrender to the process, submission to the experienced, to the authority, and to one’s that have gone before. Surrender to the WAY the TRUTH and the LIFE.


The fight is mean if it isn’t in love; the surrender is weak if it isn’t in the power of submission to the ONE with all authority in Heaven and on earth.

There is Nothing more humbling than labor and laboring through life. It brings you to your knees and  strips you naked and makes you grown, it makes you bawl in pain and weep with joy.

Life and birth will disappoint and exhilarate in the same moment. Life and birth are the same, in that you can go into it with a great plan and good ideas of how it should go, but ultimately you have to adjust and continue in faith in the situation and circumstances you are dealt.

This is my beautiful friend Brooke Bath!

Life and labor bring you to the end of yourself and also brings in new life and love you never knew before, it changes everything. Maybe this is one of the layers of meaning of the verse that says:
1 Timothy 2:15
But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.



May we labor thru life in faith and love!!! May we fight for life and surrender our lives to LOVE and HOLINESS. May we cry for the unborn, and the yet to be born, and weep with joy at birth and rebirth. 

Psalm 30:5 (ESV)
Weeping may tarry for the night,
    but joy comes with the morning.