Salt Life

Buckle up!

noreply@blogger.com (Kushmama) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 14:07:00 +0000

It's been almost a year since my last post and much has happened in that time, obviously...that's a lot of weeks!

I won't bore you with the gritty details, but suffice it to say, change has been the theme of our lives this past year. Proof of that is the fact that my small, close-knit family is now dispersed across the eastern seaboard, including my oldest son who is currently at Parris Island. As I type these words I am writing from a new desk, in a new house, in a new neighborhood in our new home town which happens to be in a totally different state than Florida.

As if those changes weren't enough for a person, my father had open-heart surgery, my grandmother passed into eternity and my husband took a position at a new church as an executive pastor! Whew, that's a lot to process!

When I think of change I'm reminded of rollercoasters. I recently took a trip on one called the Intimidator & yes, it was intimidating! I actually feared for my life! Why is that, though? I was safely secured in the seat, locked in tight. I even asked the attendant if they'd ever lost anyone and of course, they hadn't. Common sense told me I would survive and according to the faces of most of those who'd ridden before me, I could even enjoy the ride.

Just when I started feeling better about things, my seat, which happened to be in the first car, started moving up a steep incline that seemed to me higher than the Empire state building! The closer we got to the top, the more my stomach churned. Time dragged and anxiety increased until finally I found myself being fiercely pulled straight down an almost endless slope. For over two miles I was at the mercy of this metal rocket! Each twist& turn sent me to near tears and audible prayers to Jesus continually flowed from my mouth. By the end of the ride, I was completely spent, jittering with relief that it was over! To my honest surprise, I was safe, unharmed, and able to laugh about my adventure.

That's how life feels to me sometimes. A series of twists and turns which I have no control over. I often get myself so worked up over the many changes coming at me that I become irrational, behaving in a sense like I did on that crazy roller coaster! But that's okay with God. As long as I stay strapped & buckled in to His protection, I'll come out the other side and maybe even smiling.

In Psalm 55 David is dealing with some fears of his own..."my heart is severely pained within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me, and horror has overwhelmed me..." I'd say he was a bit overwhelmed & irrational in his thinking, wouldn't you? But he doesn't allow himself to stay there. He talks it out with the Lord and eventually comes to his senses by standing on the truth ..."cast your burden on the Lord, and he shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved."

God doesn't rebuke David for his honesty. He gently reminds him of the truth. In a sense God says, "tell me all about it, you'll feel a lot better in the end and, by the way, you're under my protection, so don't worry."

That truth has given me courage over the years to face the many changes that are standard in life. Knowing I'm tightly secured in the safety belt of His protection & care, I take a deep breath, close my eyes, say a prayer and wait for the outcome. In the end I always survive, and most times I even end up enjoying parts of it!

Family Vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Kushmama) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:05:00 +0000

Here are a few pictures of our week long family vacation to Ocklawaha. Try pronouncing that one and then give yourself a little Florida geography lesson! We've been going to this part of the state off and on for many years and love it! It certainly doesn't feel like Florida with it's rolling hills and massive oak hammocks covering the the country roads. There are hundreds of spring-fed lakes and rivers that surround this area and people flock to the various parks to cool down in the summer heat. If you've never been to this area, it's worth it to check it out!

Loggerhead Triathlon

noreply@blogger.com (Kushmama) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 11:46:00 +0000

Yesterday my husband competed in his first ever Triathlon. He's been training consistently since March for the Loggerhead Triathlon in Jupiter, Florida which is held annually and very heavily attended with around 600 competitors. The event consisted of a 3/8 mile ocean swim, a 13 mile bike ride and a 5K run, in that order. I was so proud of him when he crossed the finish line! His time fell right in the window he set his goal for - 1:28! Here are a few photos of his experience...

SNAP!

noreply@blogger.com (Kushmama) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:37:00 +0000

Check out Snap! for my latest images! Here's a teaser for you which includes my son & his adorable girlfriend...

Belle Glade Mission Trip 09

noreply@blogger.com (Kushmama) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:37:00 +0000

Thought I'd share a few pictures of what our two oldest children were up to this past week...

Mollie & Andrew each paid $200, along with 300 other students from our church, to spend a week serving a poverty-stricken community just 35 minutes west of our home.

Belle Glade is a small town nestled between Florida's sugar cane fields and the infamous Lake Okeechobee. It has the 10th highest percentage of Haitian residents in the United States and over 30% of the population lives below the poverty line with a median household income of under $27,000. Belle Glades violent crime rate is nearly five times the national average and its unemployment rate is a whopping 9.7%.. With these statistics in mind, our church decided to partner with its local residents & churches to share the love and message of Jesus Christ by reaching out in practical ways to their community .

First Baptist Church of Belle Glade was our host. This is where the entire team lodged for the week. The students were split into two groups with the middle school students leading a Mega Sports Camp at the church and the high school students heading off-site and leading various projects throughout the community.

Below are a few pictures of our students in action. You can also click here to see a clip from our local news station's "Making a Difference" segment.

noreply@blogger.com (Kushmama) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:01:00 +0000

Another recommended read..."Bones of Contention: A Creationist Assessment of Human Fossils" by Marvin L. Lubenow, is currently on my nightstand and has been for some time. It's heady so I can't speed read this one. It is worth the time, though, if you're at all curious about the "science" & philosophy lurking in the world of evolutionism. Be sure you pick up the revised edition.

Free Audio Book Download!

noreply@blogger.com (Kushmama) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:36:00 +0000

Click here for a free download of Francis Chan's book, Crazy Love.

noreply@blogger.com (Kushmama) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:01:00 +0000

The book I'm currently reading is Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey. I'm going very slow, digesting and journaling along the way. It's good stuff, but I would expect nothing less from a Covey! Anyway, I've come across a statement made by the author that will forever be stuck in my head. It's a good one for all of us to remember as we're dealing with people in everyday life at work, at home, in ministry or in public...

"We tend to judge others based on their behavior, and ourselves based on our intent." (p. 84)

...chew on that one for a while!

Family Getaway

noreply@blogger.com (Kushmama) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 16:42:00 +0000

The Kush family is not known for being spontaneous. Last week, however, we stepped out and were just that! Dave had a few days off and we were going to hang around and do a couple of day trips....that turned in to a whirlwind trip to Cleveland and back with a couple of stops to and from.

Our first stop was with Dave's sister in Charlotte, N.C. where it was brief - a few hours sleep and a delicious breakfast. We always look forward to time spent with the Davis'! Hospitality central:)

We arrived at Dave's dad's house Wednesday evening where Grandpa was waiting with a dinner spread prepared solely by him - borscht and stew - a very special treat!

Below are a few pictures of some of the other friends & family we were able to catch up with after years of being apart...

We enjoyed a day at Cedar Point with our long time friends from Cleveland, the Foldesy's. Here we are waiting in line for the craziest coaster ride I've ever experienced - The Raptor!

We made a visit to Dave's side of the family at his Aunt Lucy's house in Lakewood. Here we are with his cousin's family who are missionaries and are preparing to leave for the Philippines in August.

Our last stop in Cuyahoga County was in Bay Village to meet up with Dave's childhood friend and best man, Bryan Koorey. He and his wife happened to be in town for a wedding and his parents blessed us with an out of this world breakfast spread before we started our way back to Florida.

Eight hours later we arrived in Northeastern Tennessee where our dear friends, the Gregory's and Durrua's call "home base". They travel most of the time but are blessed to now have homes in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains. Two words - FUN & BEAUTIFUL! Here are our three families' children (minus Beau & Allie).

...and the parents of those adorable kids!!

Is it okay to twitter in church???

noreply@blogger.com (Kushmama) — Fri, 29 May 2009 20:17:00 +0000

I recently came across a blog post by respected Pastor & author, Josh Harris regarding the topic of Twitter in church and thought I share a quote from it that might compel you to read a little further on the subject. Here's a little of what he has to say...

I think we all need to ask what our example says to other people we're worshiping alongside. Can a person look at me during the worship and see from the way I sit, listen and engage that the Bible is worthy of honor, that preaching is valuable? Of course this applies to a lot more than the issue of Twitter. If I'm nodding off to sleep, reading the bulletin, staring off into space or filing my finger nails it can send the wrong message, too. So what does someone think if they see me playing with my cell-phone during the sermon? "Oh, he must be so enamored with the truth of God's word that he's using Twitter to share the truth he's just heard with the world! God, your word is glorious!" Uh, I really don't think so. They'll probably think, "I should pull out my phone...wonder if I've gotten any email.

Just because something is incredibly popular in culture doesn't mean we have to accommodate it in our worship. Who cares if the whole world is talking about Twitter? When the church gathers and the Word of God is opened, God himself is speaking again. Everybody else can shut up. Lost people in this world don't need to see that we're current with the latest trend, they need to hear God's unchanging truth. They need to understand that God's word makes a demand on their life. And they should see from us a reverence and holy awe in the presence of God and his word that points them to the fact that what happens in a Christian church is completely different than anything happening in the world.

...He goes on to say that is a fan of Twitter himself. That the technology is great and can be useful in promoting the gospel message, just do it AFTER church is over.

Any thoughts or opinions?

Fit2Run 4-miler

noreply@blogger.com (Kushmama) — Sat, 16 May 2009 14:48:00 +0000

This morning I finished my first ever organized race! My two girlfriends, Lisa & Kerri, were my supportive companions. We started together, stayed together & finished together. It was fun seeing people we knew and chatting with them before the race. My parents & Dave were even there to cheer us! Once we crossed the finish line we guzzled down some much needed water and grabbed some fruit to replenish our tired bodies. It was hard, but it was fun & I'm certain this is just the first of many to come.

Time for a change...

noreply@blogger.com (Kushmama) — Fri, 15 May 2009 17:00:00 +0000

Well, what do you think? I've been wanting to do something to update the look of my blog and so far this is what I've come up with. I have some great things in mind that I'd like to do with some photoshop stamps and such, but I just haven't had the time to mess with it. So for a temporary and quick facelift, I downloaded some free headers, pulled them into skitch and then added some text. Boom, done! I even changed my weather widget and profile picture. All this took about 15- 20 minutes. I'm so proud of me...even if it is elementary looking, I figured it out myself:)

Death is not Dying...

noreply@blogger.com (Kushmama) — Thu, 14 May 2009 20:30:00 +0000

Rachel is 37 years old and dying of cancer. Click on this link where you can see a recent talk she gave to a room full of 600 women. If you do nothing else this week, you must watch this video. It brings great perspective and will leave you wanting to learn more about her journey.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

noreply@blogger.com (Kushmama) — Sun, 10 May 2009 14:12:00 +0000

My most amazing mother, who never seems to age and never tires, has been such a great example to me over the years. She has modeled service & love for others, self-sacrifice, and an undying love for our God & saviour, Jesus Christ. Thank you, mom, for giving so much of yourself over the years!

What I did yesterday...

noreply@blogger.com (Kushmama) — Wed, 06 May 2009 12:52:00 +0000

Here's the view from my horizontal sun-tanning position on the beach in Delray yesterday. Not bad, huh?

A pro-life Oakland pastor choses jail time over a plea bargain

noreply@blogger.com (Kushmama) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:34:00 +0000

Tim Challies had a link to this article in his A la Carte post today. I felt great emotion as I read it and decided I just had to share it with my readers. The article begins...

"For 19 days in March & April, Walter Hoye was locked in a cell with 29 other prisoners at the Santa Rita jail near Oakland, Calif. There were times when he wished he could have stayed longer..."

Click on this link to read the rest.

Beautiful Resurrection!

noreply@blogger.com (Kushmama) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 16:10:00 +0000

With five Easter services scheduled at our Royal Palm Campus this weekend, over 800 volunteers signed up to help pull off an evangelistic outreach event that surpasses what few ever experience in a lifetime. Last night we packed out two services with over 5,000 in attendance, and many of those made decisions for Christ! Today there were three more services and I've yet to hear the reports on them, but I'm sure God showed up in an amazing way. It's His day, after all, isn't it?

I pray I never get too used to the enormity of the events that take place in this church I call home. I confess, there are times when I honestly don't give it much thought. But really, how many out there get to be a part of something in which, week after week, thousands of men, women & children fill the seats and hallways of our buildings to learn about Jesus? We at Christ Fellowship do. And this Great God of the Universe that we serve, He's the main attraction. I pray He's well pleased.

A stunning stage & talented choir prepare us for worship

John Maxwell teaches live

Laralee directs our extraordinary Kids Choir

From the back of the packed worship center

Overflow seating in the Student Ministries Zone

Overflow seating in the main foyer

Our amazing worship leader, Greg & his beautiful wife, Mia (both of which have mad vocal skills!)

April Fools!

noreply@blogger.com (Kushmama) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 19:19:00 +0000

Here's what we woke up to this morning in the Kush home.....

Check out my latest run...

noreply@blogger.com (Kushmama) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:29:00 +0000

Family Photo

noreply@blogger.com (Kushmama) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 01:51:00 +0000

My dad is an only child but had the joy of growing up with a cousin, Colleen, who really was and is more like a sister. She and her husband are very much a part of our close-knit family and occasionally they head south for a visit. This year we decided to pull off a family picture during our "Goeppner Girls" birthday celebration. Here we are with Mamaw, my dad's mom and Colleen's aunt, matriarch of the Goeppner family.

Happy Birthday Mollie & Penny!

noreply@blogger.com (Kushmama) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 01:42:00 +0000

March 18th is the shared birthday of our amazing daughter and my beautiful sister-in-law. Every year we enjoy spoiling these two special "Goeppner Girls". Here's a photo memory of our family celebration...

Coffee with Jesus

noreply@blogger.com (Kushmama) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 21:37:00 +0000

A friend showed me this today and I just couldn't help myself. It's pretty funny and convicting at the same time. I'll be thinking of this short clip the next time I bow my head to pray, how about you?

Glenn Beck

noreply@blogger.com (Kushmama) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 21:55:00 +0000

Check out this little visual Glenn put together to help us understand what's happening to the US dollar. A little alarming if you ask me....

Nate & Tiffany's Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Kushmama) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 21:48:00 +0000

Check out some shots of Nate & Tiffany's sunrise wedding from last Saturday. Just click here.