Love Verse 4 - Why Love?

We love because he first loved us.

1 John 4:19

Love Verse 3 - Others First

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also the interests of others.

Philippians 2:3-4

One way God reveals His love for us is through the majesty of His creation  which  He has given to us to  delight in. So as I think of loving others, He reminds me of His love for me.  So I am including sunrise pictures from each day I post.

Love Verse 2 - The Only Thing

The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Galatians 5:6b

One Word - LOVE

At the start of this new year, I was challenged to pick "Just One Word".  A word that will give the year focus.  This "one word" idea made sense to me.  In the stressed out, distracted world we live in, it is hard to stick to or even remember my resolutions...but hopefully I can remember and come back to ONE WORD.

So I put a bit a pressure on myself to chose a creative, out-of-the-ordinary word.  Something new and thought-provoking.  But God just kept planting the word "LOVE" into my mind.  A simple, over-used word.  But yet....not simple at all.

What does it really look like to LOVE WELL...to LOVE MORE...to LOVE BETTER.  How am I loving God?  Am I fully loving my family, my friends, my neighbors, my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ?  Am I showing love to strangers, to those who annoy me, to those who I believe are wrong, to those who have wronged me, to my enemies?  Is LOVE the first filter through which I react to those around me?

But yet -- that's the root of the entire Christian life, is it not?  Do others "know I am Christian by my love"?

So in my efforts to LOVE FIRST this year, I plan to type out different Bible verses every day (or, more realistically, on a semi-regular basis) on my blog that talk about LOVE.  Verses that will keep my heart convicted about how God calls us to love.  I wonder what this world would look like if Christians truly LOVED others before all else?

I love this quote from Mother Teresa..."If you judge people, you have no time to love them."

So I start with the first and greatest commandment and the second which is like it...

First Love Verse for 2013

Matthew 22: 36-40

³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

2012 Grateful List

Have you ever driven across the state of South Dakota?  Well let me tell you...between Rapid City and Sioux Falls on Interstate 90...there ain't much to look at.

But that's o.k. because during the boredom of this drive on December 24, after a delightful weekend in the Black Hills, I took time to reflect on the year and actually slowed my brain down long enough to think about writing on my blog again.

Cal was in the back seat with the kids watching one episode after another of the TV series "Chuck" which Carter had received on DVD as an early Christmas gift.  (Probably not an entirely age appropriate choice for our youngest darling, but the the laptop decided to quit and she couldn't watch her Barbie movie anymore...so what else could a girl do??  Please don't judge me, I already stress about the amount of iPod, iPhone, iPad, Twitter, Instagram, FaceBook, Snapchat, texting, Netflix time that we attempt to monitor and control.  It is simply exhausting trying to stay on top of it all.  We are doing our best with momentary lapses. :)

I do worry about losing the good ole' days of I packed my Sister's Suitcase  and The Alphabet Game that I tolerated on long journeys as a child.  Although, earlier in the day, we did have a rip roaring game of Name that Tune - Christmas Carols going.  So I figure if we can somehow mix all the new technology together with classic car games, board games, books, and plain old real conversation....we might be able to raise 3 semi-adjusted 21st century children.  (And, honestly, I greatly enjoyed the peace and quiet of my driving stint.)

So in my reflections of the year this is what I know to be true...we are blessed and we are grateful!

Grateful List for 2012:

1.  A positive career move for Cal at the beginning of the year to work for Fishback Financial.

2.  A miraculous surgery for Cal's mom to repair a shattered femur.  She had to spend three months in a wheel chair putting no wait on her leg, but she made it through that time and is now walking with a walker again.  The surgeon who performed the 5-hour surgery said he was doubtful she would ever walk again  God is so good!

Thanksgiving 2012

3. Three kids...in three schools...on one campus.  A high-schooler, a middle-schooler and an elementary student...all at Sioux Falls Christian.  We are thankful for a smooth transition to highschool and middle school for Paige and Carter.  And we are thankful Taryn is still in elementary because it's nice to have one kid who loves to have mom and dad eat lunch with her and go on field trips.

They still tolerate the first day of school picture :)

Christmas 2012

4.  More opportunities to share God's love with lost and lonely teens and young adults through my work at  the Dawson McAllister HopeLine.  Every Sunday night I am privileged to work alongside wonderful volunteers who show up to answer phone calls and one-on-one chats with kids who are desperately reaching out for HOPE.

5.  A driver's license for Paige at the age of 14.5. Originally, I was not sure if I was a fan of her getting her license at such a young age in this crazy state...but it didn't take long for me to be VERY grateful that I didn't have to drive her to and from every volleyball practice, basketball practice, early marching band rehearsals, youth group and countless social events.

Oh boy!

6.  A great celebration with my family as my dad turned 70.   The legacy of Christian parents handing down their faith generation to generation is a gift I appreciate more every year.

Doing what the Schelhaas' do best -- feasting!

7. Family memories created on vacations to Florida, Chicago, Pierre, SD (must get in a fishing trip) and the Black Hills.

Cocoa Beach in February

Chicago Skyline - June

Gino's East before the Cubs Game

Bragging rights for the biggest fish! (August)

After a day of skiing. (December)

Cold day at Rushmore

8. No concussions or broken bones for Carter -- this mom is yet to come around to being excited about her son playing tackle football...but he had a great, injury-free season and is now enjoying basketball and middle-school drum-line.

9.  The twirling, cartwheeling, jumping joy of Taryn.  We think she might be spending more of her life up-side-down in various dance/gymnastic moves than right-side up at this point. The girl just has to dance!

Spring Recital

10. Above all I am grateful that we rest assured in the knowledge of a Savior who loves us so deeply that he entered this world to dwell among us and prepare a way for us to live with Him eternally.

May you all have a blessed New Year!

Jen

Now is the time!

It's good to get a way with the family.

The five of us...together for five whole days.

No constant parting of ways to run to a practice or a game or a social event or meeting.

Days to simply be all together...having fun.

These are my people -- they make me who I am.  They define my heart.  It feels so good to be together.

No additional friends...The brother and sisters must be friends for these few days.  

No distractions of a dirty house, laundry, errands.  We can really listen and talk and laugh at each other and with each other.

We fly to Florida ....definitely a bonus when the family get-a-way has us leaving behind snow and heading to 85 degrees.

We visit my mom and dad...another added benefit...spending quality time with 'rents.

On a Sunday morning we go to a Nature Reserve and my dad in his wisdom says that sometimes observing God's creation is just as good as going to church.  An act of worship to marvel at the creativity of God.

Moss Laden Trees

Storks, cranes, spoonbills, Ibis, Herons, Egrets and more -- my dad with his bird book names them all.

Except he can't find these odd ducks in his book.

Gators

 Girl and her dad

Boy and his grandma

Vacations are a time of creating memories and inside jokes that will stick.

Like when Paige said she was going to "Blow a casket."

Or when grandpa said we should just "Sleep until we wake up." (Meaning no alarms.)  And Carter dryly points out that he always sleeps until he wakes up since when he's not sleeping he's awake.

Or when playing password (giving one word clues to your team mate to get them to guess a certain word).  I say "Pimento" -- Paige guesses "Aspirin"...thinking a pimento was like Ibuprofen.  (Good Grief!)  Yes, the word was "olive".  And Carter is giving clues to try to get us to guess the word "Box" and his first clue is "Fun."  (Really?  I was to guess "Box" from the word "Fun". He is an easily entertained boy.)

(And here's the thing with inside jokes -- they probably should be kept "inside" because written out...they aren't nearly as funny as the side splitting laughter they produced in the moment.  Oh well!)

More great memories were created in the magical land of Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Huge AI fans and this Disney version of the show did not disappoint

 Paige is not known for her soft-spoken ways and she let us have it on the Rock-n-Roller Coaster.  She screamed at the top of her lungs from the moment of departure till we got off.  At one point she was screaming "I'm going to pee my pants."  Carter - well he was speechless.  I had to nudge him at the end of the ride because he looked stunned.  I'm not sure if it was the speed or embarrassment over his sis.

Probably our favorite day was our day at Cocoa Beach.

We couldn't get this boy out of the water.

 Screaming again!  Although her real screaming occurred when she was attacked by a flock of 30 sea gulls as she was eating a bag of Doritos.  It was quite a sight to behold. Cal joked that he should have put some crushed chips in her belly button while she was laying out.

Looking for the perfect wave

And the perfect shells to bring home for every kid in her class.

Family...the greatest gift God has given me in life.

My mom said while we were down there that every age that she has reached has been rich and full...but if she had to pick a time that she would go back to it would be the years when my brother and sister and I were in our school days...when we were active, involved, dreaming, thinking, discussing under their roof.  The stage our kids are at right now.

These kids of ours...they are so quickly moving forward in their life's journey.  And before we know it, they will have moved on...

But now...Now is our time!

Ice Feathers

The landscape has been BLAH this winter.  Don't get me wrong...I'm not complaining about the warm temps or scarce snow this winter has provided.  But it's just so brown and dead! 

So when I awoke to frost adorning every tree branch, grass blade, and weed, my heart was made glad!

Overnight -- God made creation grow brilliant white feathers!