Who Will Counsel the Counselor?

The Preacher has a small office in a building just a block from his church office. This little office is located in a large building that has various business offices, a hair salon, a dance studio and conference rooms. It is tucked away in a corner just as you enter. On the Directory it is listed as 1205 - Christ-Centered Counseling. Inside is a sofa, a leather chair and a very small desk. It is small but cozy. 

The Preacher has tried to make it a welcoming place for people who need some counsel. And even if the main building doors are locked in the evening, his office will be opened at all hours when someone calls.

The Preacher works with people who need just a little help with some decisions. Those who need help with family troubles. Those who are trying to get over the loss of a loved one. Those who are so down that they need to know their life matters. 

In that tiny office he has witnessed laughter, sadness, confusion, tears, enlightenment and despair. He has seen and been through it all with people who he truly cares for. 

Sometimes the only people who are in that counseling office is the Preacher and I. Often the Preacher will use that office for a quiet place to read and study. So when I know he doesn't have any counseling scheduled, I will drop in on him just to see how he is doing and maybe to discuss the days plans. We never speak of the people that he sees in this little office. The words that are spoken in that office with the Preacher stays between them and him.

Sometimes the Preacher needs a shoulder to cry on too. He is not immune to this life's struggles, just like all those he helps. So I sit and listen. I listen to his sorrows. To his worries. To his what-ifs. I listen to his why's. I listen to his dreams and hopes. We cry together and we laugh together. And we pray together. The counselor needs to be heard too. When these times come I will always be here for him.

Love from the Preacher and I

Thankful

"We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if not with thanksgiving? Thanksgiving is the evidence of our acceptance of whatever He gives. Thanksgiving is the manifestation of our Yes! to His grace."                                                                                                Ann Voskamp

"In everything give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."                                                 I Thessalonians 5:18 NASB

 

DIY Chalkboard Lettering

The Preacher and I were sitting, watching TV one evening. Well he was watching TV and I was scrolling through Pinterest. I came across a Pin (click here to see the pin) that I thought was very interesting, so I clicked on the Visit button to see what it was all about. It was titled DIY Perfect Chalkboard Lettering. On the site (click here to visit the site) she had a video of how to transfer lettering to a chalkboard.

I wanted to try out this new technique, but I had to think of something to write on a chalkboard. Then it came to me. Our church is in the beginning stages of a new building project and the committee had used Ephesians 2:21-22 for their scripture. Also, they are using one of the walls at the church to display pictures and things of interest. I knew that I could hang the final product on that wall.

I thought I would share with you how I did it. First, I decided to paint an old canvas that I had, with chalkboard paint. You can get the paint at any hardware store.

I typed out the scripture verse that I wanted on my computer and picked out the different fonts and enlarged it as I thought would be best for the canvas. I then printed them out onto regular copy paper.

Second, you cut out your words and fit them onto your canvas (you can do this on a piece of wood also) to make sure that everything fits.

In the above picture I had placed each word down with a piece of tape.

After you have your words exactly where you would like them, take each one off one at a time. Turn the paper over and with a piece of white chalk rub the back of the paper making sure to get it over all of the lettering.

When you have the paper completely rubbed down with chalk, place it back onto your canvas/board taping each one down so that they won't move around on you during the next step.

Next take a pencil or pen and outline all of the letters. This will transfer the lettering onto the black chalkboard.

After you have all of your lettering transferred take off all of the papers and go over all of the lettering with a chalk marker.  

I found my markers at Michaels

After you have gone over all of the lettering with your marker you can take a soft, dry cloth and rub off any of the excess chalk.

 And then you are done! And here is the finished product on the wall at our church.

If I have completely confused you, please email me with any questions you might have or click on the above link to see the original site where I found this technique.

Love from the Preacher and I

The Preacher Walks Into the Deep Waters To Love

Early in the morning the Preacher received the family's call. The woman who called wanted to let the Preacher know that her mother-in-law was on her death bed and was asking for prayers for her husband's family. Death would be coming at any time. The Preacher told me that we must go to see this family, to be with them in their time of need.

The nursing home, where the family was waiting, was not very far from our town. I told the Preacher that I would drive him and when we arrived that I would stay in the car and read a book and wait on him.

You see, I don't do well in nursing homes, especially when the person is in a bad way. I blame this on my mother. If she couldn't find a babysitter she would take us to the nursing home where she worked. She would leave us in the common living room with all of the 'old people'. To a young girl these people were scary. The people were sitting in their wheelchairs, some strapped in, were sleeping with mouths wide open, some would be yelling or screaming at nothing and others would drool getting their shirts soaking wet. Watching this was a very scary experience!

The Preacher and I arrived at the nursing home. I tell him again that I will stay in the car and wait. He says to me, "No, come in and say hello to the family." We were greeted by the family who were sitting in the common living room. After we exchanged "how are you's", we were escorted into the mother's room. More family members were surrounding her bed. The mother asleep, mouth wide open, trying to grasp this life's final breaths.

Me, I'm looking for a way out of the room, but the Preacher, he takes a seat right next to the sleeping mother and begins rubbing her shoulder ever so tenderly. Then he begins to ask the family questions about their mother. Questions like – how many children did she have, where did she grow up, where did she attend church, what did she like to do. All of the children began to tell stories of their mother and they began to show us pictures and some paintings that she had painted herself years ago. Their eyes brightened as they went back to a place of remembering.

The Preacher asked if he could say a prayer for the family before we left them. We all bowed our heads but the Preacher reached over and spoke the prayer words directly into the mother's ear.

The family thanked us for coming and we left to go about our day of living. Later that evening we heard that the mother, in the afternoon hours of that day, had taken her last breath and left this world to suffer no more. 

I began to think of how wonderful this man is, the Preacher. He too is not crazy about these types of visits, but unlike me, he doesn't look for a way out. He walks head on into the dark waters of fear. He is compassionate. He loves people and that love overtakes any uneasiness that he may feel.

I envy this. This love. This Jesus kind of love. I do pray that someday, I too, will be able to put behind my fears so that I can walk head on in and love like this.

Love from the Preacher and I

DIY at the Preacher's House

October went by very fast! Probably because we attended the National Storyteller's Festival and whenever you take a trip away from your normal everyday duties, time just seems to fly by. (I posted a little about the trip here)

Also I was given a chance to be a guest blogger on Elaine Mingus' blog, radicalchristianwoman.com, and you can see my post by clicking here. Elaine had asked for a post on alternative ideas for Halloween. I had told her of a conversation my son and I had when he was 4 or 5 years old and she asked if I could put that in my post.

Now it is November and I'm sure this month will go by just as fast with the holidays approaching us. But that is okay with me because I just found out that our son should be back in the states soon, so the countdown is on!

I thought today I would show you a couple of DIY's that I did last week. 

This little curio type cabinet has been hanging in our garage since we purchased our home in September of 2015. The previous owners had been using it to store tools and paint. It was a little dirty and banged up a bit but I thought maybe I could clean it up and use it.

So after cleaning and scrubbing the oil and dirt off of it, I decided to place it on our gas fireplace and use it to showcase some of our pictures. But I thought it looked a little bland. I saw on a shelf in the garage, a can of blue spray paint so I got an idea. Why not paint the back of the shelves? That would make it pop.

I had to spray the paint into a bowl and used a foam brush. Here is a tip - don't use a foam cup for the spray paint, the foam disintegrated right in my hands and paint went onto the garage floor. I was nervous to explain this to the Preacher but he was okay about it and helped me clean it up. Maybe you already knew that, I think I knew that too but didn't listen to myself.

I love the way it turned out! 

My second project was to transform this lamp.

I have had this lamp for a long time and thought about buying a new one to put in our son's room. But I found lamps can be a little pricey. I remembered I had some left over chalkboard paint and so the light bulb went off in my head. I will spray paint the lamp! 

I roughed up the lamp with some sandpaper and cleaned it up. I then taped off all of the working parts with painter's tape. And then I gave it 3 coats of chalkboard spray paint. Of course, letting it dry in between each coat.

I found a new shade for it at Ikea and I love it! Now you can say whatever you would like to who ever is staying in the bedroom.

I hope you enjoy these very easy DIY tips!

Love from the Preacher and I