I have attended many churches in my life. I don’t claim any particular doctrine, however I can say I have noticed differences in the various churches I have attended.
I strongly believe the Bible was inspired by God. I believe what is in the Bible is truth.
I don’t often tell anyone what they should believe. The Bible clearly instructs us to live our lives as an example. I don’t need to shove my beliefs in someone’s face to demonstrate my faith.
I have attended a couple of churches in the Lower Valley since I moved here nine-and-a-half years ago. It amazes me the difference in attitude more than doctrine.
The first church is a very popular church among community members. I am not entirely certain why since I not one time felt welcome at that church.
This struck me as odd. We are supposed to love one another and my experiences the many times I attended the church did not give me a feeling of love. I felt scorned or ignored each time I attended the church services.
I encountered people I knew in the community and attempted to say hello to them. Often times I received a wane hello in return and they moved on. Other times, the attitudes struck me as though certain individuals questioned my even being in their church.
It is not so much as what is said, but the body language and tone of said individuals was nothing I would consider friendly.
I am a straightforward, overt person. I approach others with a smile and eagerness that doesn’t always appeal to one’s sense of decorum, given certain circumstances. But, in church, I would believed the warm, friendly approach would be welcome.
The experiences at that particular church led me to wonder if people attend it because it is the popular place to be. So, I sought another church.
It was more by accident that I began attending the second church than merely deciding one Sunday to attend a specific service.
My first experience was when my oldest child was my only child. We went to an event hosted for children. The "family" of that church welcomed me, approached me to announce their pleasure at my attendance and invited me to stay longer for additional activities to follow the event.
They embraced me.
After that experience, I attended a few other events hosted by the second church, all the while attempting to give the first church time to grow on me.
The first church never did grow on me and I often wonder if anyone at that particular church even remembers I once entered their "sanctuary."
The second church has since become my "church family." I may still be a face many are gradually becoming familiar with, however the warmth and grace is there nonetheless.
The reason I write this is not to state that any church is good or bad, but merely to emphasize the fact that we all need to feel loved and welcome.
This community is a loving and welcoming community. There is a lot of warmth in the people of the Lower Valley.
In our daily lives, I believe there are people whom we encounter that feel as I had when I attended the first church.
I believe it is up to us to break that particular image when we are going about our daily routines and embrace the individuals we encounter as the second church embraced me.
We can all make a difference in how the community is perceived by just being warm and friendly.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Friday, August 3, 2007
Hope prevails in ‘A New Promise’
by Jennie McGhan
A new book written by a new author from Federal Way, A New Promise, delivers on its title.
Julie Eller’s first book focuses on a family in crisis. Set in the Wenatchee area, the Parnell family is suffering through the loss, but not the death, of the mother and wife of the family.
Rachel Parnell is suffering in the late stages of Huntington’s Disease. She is confined to a nursing home and is on life support because her husband has not yet come to terms with her wishes left with him four years ago. The Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order and her request to "…Let me go, Scott," have haunted him throughout the years.
Meanwhile, the couple’s children are suffering. Tyler is in a state of anger and rebellion against his father and life. He is afraid that his mother may have passed on the gene for Huntington’s Disease to his little sister, Tawnya, and himself.
Tawnya is growing up under her father’s nose and he hasn’t realized she is in desperate need of dental work and some of the care that accompanies puberty.
The family is falling apart and Rachel’s sister, Celeste, decides it is time to help her brother-in-law and the family to cope with their needs. She is a successful accountant in Seattle, who finds she loves her brother-in-law as more than a friend through her interaction with the family.
The fact that Rachel is still alive becomes an issue and a struggle for Scott and Celeste because neither of them wishes to dishonor the marriage, however Scott is faced with financial burdens and the time has come to finally honor Rachel’s wishes.
Scott struggles with the need to inform his mother-in-law and children regarding the DNR and his desire to hold on to Rachel, while facing his increasing feelings toward Celeste.
The family has a lot of obstacles to overcome, however there is A New Promise that will be granted.
This book is a journey of heartache and hope. It addresses the needs of those struggling with questions in the midst of a loved one’s illness and the very real helplessness those left behind can feel.
I strongly recommend the purchase of this book, published by Tate Publishing and available by pre-order through Barnes and Noble. A New Promise is set for release Sept. 11.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Life is a salad, I’ve concluded
by Jennie McGhan
Okay, so I was looking at a salad the other day, thinking of the items I needed to remove from it and what items that I would savor.
I love eating a Southwest Salad from one of the fast food restaurants near the freeway. The salad has corn, black beans, cherry tomatoes, red onion, pepperjack cheese and grilled chicken in it.
Each of the items is neatly placed in its own section atop the variety of lettuces used by the restaurant.
I always remove the cherry tomatoes. I either don’t want them at all or will eat just a few of them before pouring the unique salad dressing and Frank’s hot sauce on the rest of the ingredients.
It isn’t that I don’t like cherry tomatoes. I actually do. I used to eat them by the handful. However, as I have grown older, I just don’t consume as many because my tastes and cravings have changed.
Well, it dawned on me that life, for me, is much like that salad.
I have a variety of tasks and experiences that I truly savor and some that I sometimes enjoy. There are other tasks and experiences, which I would much rather forget altogether.
I like to mix the ingredients of my life up after covering it with prayer on a daily basis (the dressing).
Some days I will pick and choose which item of the day I want to take in first and foremost. Other days, I can multi-task and take in more than one issue at a time.
Sometimes I feel as though I might just be the salad, all mixed up and tossed about.
And the hot sauce in my salad is that spicy part of life that either kicks me in the rear or perks things up.
But, everything about the salad that I consume and the salad I call life provides me with nutrition.
Afterall, God doesn’t ever give me more than I can handle, and He certainly wants me to stay fit, growing from my experiences, regardless of how mundane or overwhelming they may be.
Each item in the salad I consume is food that helps me to stay fit physically, or it would not be included in the meal.
Okay, so I was looking at a salad the other day, thinking of the items I needed to remove from it and what items that I would savor.
I love eating a Southwest Salad from one of the fast food restaurants near the freeway. The salad has corn, black beans, cherry tomatoes, red onion, pepperjack cheese and grilled chicken in it.
Each of the items is neatly placed in its own section atop the variety of lettuces used by the restaurant.
I always remove the cherry tomatoes. I either don’t want them at all or will eat just a few of them before pouring the unique salad dressing and Frank’s hot sauce on the rest of the ingredients.
It isn’t that I don’t like cherry tomatoes. I actually do. I used to eat them by the handful. However, as I have grown older, I just don’t consume as many because my tastes and cravings have changed.
Well, it dawned on me that life, for me, is much like that salad.
I have a variety of tasks and experiences that I truly savor and some that I sometimes enjoy. There are other tasks and experiences, which I would much rather forget altogether.
I like to mix the ingredients of my life up after covering it with prayer on a daily basis (the dressing).
Some days I will pick and choose which item of the day I want to take in first and foremost. Other days, I can multi-task and take in more than one issue at a time.
Sometimes I feel as though I might just be the salad, all mixed up and tossed about.
And the hot sauce in my salad is that spicy part of life that either kicks me in the rear or perks things up.
But, everything about the salad that I consume and the salad I call life provides me with nutrition.
Afterall, God doesn’t ever give me more than I can handle, and He certainly wants me to stay fit, growing from my experiences, regardless of how mundane or overwhelming they may be.
Each item in the salad I consume is food that helps me to stay fit physically, or it would not be included in the meal.
Display of poor sportsmanship burns me
by Jennie McGhan
This week I had the experience of traveling to another swimming pool with my son for a swim meet and observed something that unnerved me.
The Grandview Neptunes is a small team. They are accustomed to swimming in a 40-yard pool but do very well in the 50-meter pools when faced with the competition.
This week, I witnessed something I have never seen at any of the more than 10 meets I have been to this year.
I looked into the pool during a relay event and saw two boys from the opposing team stop in the middle of their event to slap each other a high-five.
These two boys were far ahead of all the Neptunes.
It bothered me because I wondered what message these boys were sending to their opponents.
Hey! Look at us! We’re so good, we can stop in the middle of our event and still smoke you?
Whatever the message was, I did not, and still cannot, understand the purpose of this behavior.
The purpose of the local swim meets is to create a positive environment in which the children of our communities can participate in a fun, safe activity.
I did not view this as a positive. I can’t think this was positive in any way.
Yet, those watching and cheering for the opposing team, including the parents, could be heard clapping and cheering when these two boys performed this act of poor sportsmanship.
If indeed this was not intended as a display of braggadocio, perhaps the coaches and parents of the boys should think about how it might be interpreted. From where I was standing, the action of the two swimmers turned what should have been a positive experience into a night where our youngsters not only lost the meet, but had their noses rubbed in it.
If the tables were turned, I would never condone such conduct from my child.
This week I had the experience of traveling to another swimming pool with my son for a swim meet and observed something that unnerved me.
The Grandview Neptunes is a small team. They are accustomed to swimming in a 40-yard pool but do very well in the 50-meter pools when faced with the competition.
This week, I witnessed something I have never seen at any of the more than 10 meets I have been to this year.
I looked into the pool during a relay event and saw two boys from the opposing team stop in the middle of their event to slap each other a high-five.
These two boys were far ahead of all the Neptunes.
It bothered me because I wondered what message these boys were sending to their opponents.
Hey! Look at us! We’re so good, we can stop in the middle of our event and still smoke you?
Whatever the message was, I did not, and still cannot, understand the purpose of this behavior.
The purpose of the local swim meets is to create a positive environment in which the children of our communities can participate in a fun, safe activity.
I did not view this as a positive. I can’t think this was positive in any way.
Yet, those watching and cheering for the opposing team, including the parents, could be heard clapping and cheering when these two boys performed this act of poor sportsmanship.
If indeed this was not intended as a display of braggadocio, perhaps the coaches and parents of the boys should think about how it might be interpreted. From where I was standing, the action of the two swimmers turned what should have been a positive experience into a night where our youngsters not only lost the meet, but had their noses rubbed in it.
If the tables were turned, I would never condone such conduct from my child.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Procrastination isn’t good when it comes to our health
by Jennie McGhan
Okay, so we women, and men for that matter, often times have a tendency to allow our medical needs slide until absolutely necessary.
We dread going to the doctor. We don’t want to hear bad news or find out we are eating the wrong things or hear the doctor say we need to change habits with which we have grown comfortable.
I am one who has procrastinated for five years on getting the annual physical. I have gone in for an ear infection or something that needed immediate attention. But, I had failed to schedule the dreaded physical exam.
Well, I finally "bit the bullet." I went in for the exam this week. It went better than I anticipated. I found out my blood pressure is lower than I remember it ever being and I now know my weight. My doctor scolded me slightly about the time lapse between physical exams, citing that I should schedule them on my birthday.
Unfortunately, I am getting old enough now that I need to have other health issues tested that I haven’t needed before. So, I had the wonderful experience of taking a trip to the lab at our local hospital for blood work. Needles … Need I say more?
My doctor also noted that with my increasing age, I am not far from needing another test suggested for women. We will explore that in just three years. And, I am not excited about it.
It is a fact of life that we need to keep up the maintenance of our health. Without the check-ups, something could go drastically wrong before we realize it, and our health may be in jeopardy.
I know this. Do I like this fact? Certainly not, however I don’t wish to have my health deteriorate. I don’t relish the idea of getting older. After all, I still feel like I am invincible.
I am still young. Many point out that I am a "baby" in comparison to themselves. But, I am not as young as I may look. I am not as young as my age suggests. There are certain changes that begin now. And, that is a fact.
Perhaps denial is good in some instances, however our health is not something to take lightly. A trip to the doctor can wake one up to reality.
I am just happy that I am still relatively healthy and can look forward to a few more years, God willing, on this earth.
Hopefully, I will be courageous enough to set aside all procrastination in the years to come.
Okay, so we women, and men for that matter, often times have a tendency to allow our medical needs slide until absolutely necessary.
We dread going to the doctor. We don’t want to hear bad news or find out we are eating the wrong things or hear the doctor say we need to change habits with which we have grown comfortable.
I am one who has procrastinated for five years on getting the annual physical. I have gone in for an ear infection or something that needed immediate attention. But, I had failed to schedule the dreaded physical exam.
Well, I finally "bit the bullet." I went in for the exam this week. It went better than I anticipated. I found out my blood pressure is lower than I remember it ever being and I now know my weight. My doctor scolded me slightly about the time lapse between physical exams, citing that I should schedule them on my birthday.
Unfortunately, I am getting old enough now that I need to have other health issues tested that I haven’t needed before. So, I had the wonderful experience of taking a trip to the lab at our local hospital for blood work. Needles … Need I say more?
My doctor also noted that with my increasing age, I am not far from needing another test suggested for women. We will explore that in just three years. And, I am not excited about it.
It is a fact of life that we need to keep up the maintenance of our health. Without the check-ups, something could go drastically wrong before we realize it, and our health may be in jeopardy.
I know this. Do I like this fact? Certainly not, however I don’t wish to have my health deteriorate. I don’t relish the idea of getting older. After all, I still feel like I am invincible.
I am still young. Many point out that I am a "baby" in comparison to themselves. But, I am not as young as I may look. I am not as young as my age suggests. There are certain changes that begin now. And, that is a fact.
Perhaps denial is good in some instances, however our health is not something to take lightly. A trip to the doctor can wake one up to reality.
I am just happy that I am still relatively healthy and can look forward to a few more years, God willing, on this earth.
Hopefully, I will be courageous enough to set aside all procrastination in the years to come.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Growing up with character
Okay, I don't often like to "brag" on my children because some times I feel that it is too much. My children are not always obedient and they aren't geniuses, but I love them dearly and believe they are perfect in God's eyes. So, I am hoping this comes across as bragging because of who I have "trained up" my eldest child to become in Christ.
I went shopping with my three darlings, whom too many people think are so adorable. I would like to ask them to spend a week with these little angels because they can be awfully ornery and stubborn.
On this particular trip, B insisted he bring his allowance because his little brother was going to have a birthday in just a few days. I thought that was wonderful of him to think of his little brother, not expecting him to truly follow through at the age of 10. I figured he would find something he would like and buy that under the guise of his brother's birthday present.
So, we shop and he asks me to let him know a good time to sneak off to purchase the present he KNOWS his brother will like. I tell him just before I am getting to the meat to go find the present and go to a register to make his purchase. I would meet him at the vehicle.
Low and behold! The child spent approximately half of his money on a Lightning McQueen toy that his brother really did end up loving.
To me, this showed so much character. He could have left all the gift purchases up to me. But, he did this and I am so proud of him.
The youngest child's birthday was this past Saturday, June 9. One of his "most favoritest toys" is the one his Bubba bought him.
I let my son know how proud I am of him. I am proud that he has a heart for the Lord and occasionally forgets to be selfish. At 10, I hardly believe he is capable of being so selfless and mature. But, he is growing up and with the Lord's help, he will become quite a wonderful young man.
Monday, June 4, 2007
In-Law Question
Okay, so there are bad stories about in-laws out there. I just don't get it! I don't understand in-laws that can't embrace one another and love one another. Heck! I can't understand families who can stop talking to one another completely.
I have some in-laws who believe rumors and have outright told my husband they wish he had never married me. After the fact, they have advised him to divorce me. He recently told me one of his sisters would like to beat me up.
I am no saint. But, I certainly am not EVIL. That is how I feel they think of me.
He is the "baby" of five with his closest sibling being six years older than him. And, all the siblings are female. So, mom is very protective and since he has already experience heartache from someone else leaving, she is even more protective.
But, I have tried to be my true self. They didn't like that I am so "open" about my feelings, opinions or whatever. So, I began guarding myself. Part of the reason I guarded myself to friendships is because our small town ... Well, the grapevine here is much like the old game. I would say something and it would be repeated and twisted until it was the exact opposite of what was really stated. NO friends in town!!! That became my cardinal rule. This family is in too deep with too many people whom I don't know to trust.
But, the hurt I feel over all of this runs pretty deep. I have lived here more than nine years. I have been married to my husband more than eight years. I don't feel like much more than an outsider in the town I live in. Fortunately, I work primarily in another town. But, some of my news stories are in this one and I have had one interview (unknown which one exactly) bite me.
Then, my in-laws think I say these nasty things and I have no way of defending myself.
Is it worth a defense? Or, should I just keep my guard up at all times?
I have some in-laws who believe rumors and have outright told my husband they wish he had never married me. After the fact, they have advised him to divorce me. He recently told me one of his sisters would like to beat me up.
I am no saint. But, I certainly am not EVIL. That is how I feel they think of me.
He is the "baby" of five with his closest sibling being six years older than him. And, all the siblings are female. So, mom is very protective and since he has already experience heartache from someone else leaving, she is even more protective.
But, I have tried to be my true self. They didn't like that I am so "open" about my feelings, opinions or whatever. So, I began guarding myself. Part of the reason I guarded myself to friendships is because our small town ... Well, the grapevine here is much like the old game. I would say something and it would be repeated and twisted until it was the exact opposite of what was really stated. NO friends in town!!! That became my cardinal rule. This family is in too deep with too many people whom I don't know to trust.
But, the hurt I feel over all of this runs pretty deep. I have lived here more than nine years. I have been married to my husband more than eight years. I don't feel like much more than an outsider in the town I live in. Fortunately, I work primarily in another town. But, some of my news stories are in this one and I have had one interview (unknown which one exactly) bite me.
Then, my in-laws think I say these nasty things and I have no way of defending myself.
Is it worth a defense? Or, should I just keep my guard up at all times?
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