RainyMay.com | Michelle Harris

Daley Was Back In Town

Thanks Daley!!!

Walking In And Out

Scott, the girls and myself piled in the car yesterday and allowed the car to guzzle gallons of gas so we could visit Scott's old stomping grounds, Redmond Assembly of God. Pastor Strum and his wife, Merlene were celebrating 50 years of ministry and of marriage. Over a hundred people showed up to honor their lives with stories of how God used them. Jesus was revealed in each one of the narratives.

I found myself deep in thought.

Change is inevitable. We walk in and out of peoples lives but the thing that remains is whether or not we left the imprint of Jesus on those people...not the imprint of ourselves.

That's what I want for my life. It's the only thing that will remain in the end. Jesus being imprinted on hearts.
Sometimes I get in the way of that happening. I'm so glad that, "He who began a good work in me is faithful to complete it."

More Good than Bad

I'm here and finally settled...more or less. We have done quite a bit of exploring since moving to Milton. Where is Milton you ask? Well it is a small town in the middle of a larger urban area. We live between the country and the city and ironically this defines Scott and I to a T. We love the beauty of the countryside (and quietness) but the activity and amenities of the city. I guess we got both without even trying (except the quietness).

My top ten things about living in Milton...thus far:

1. I am 5 minutes from Costco and Walmart. (yeah, lots of savings!)
2. I am 5 minutes from my new "Nordstrom" of gyms (LA Fitness)...no offense Team Fitness.
3. My cousin only lives 20 minutes away.
4. I have a new stackable washer and dryer.
5. I live 2 minutes from Wild Waves where we all got seasons passes!
6. Scott can come home for lunch since he only lives 5 minutes from the church.
7. We live 2 hours from Mt Rainier and have already driven there to see it's beauty.
8. We can drive to Tacoma which is only 15 minutes away and as it turns out, is a pretty cool city.
9. I can take my bike to the Interurban trail which is only one mile away.
10. There is every kind of (good) restaurant within minutes.

My top ten five things I don't like about living in Milton...thus far:

1. There is a noisy crow that greets me every morning along with a lot more unpleasant urban sounds.
2. Friday night I have to switch on the fan to drown out Buds Tavern. It sits behind the trees in our backyard.
3. I don't know a whole lot of people yet. Three couples to be exact: my cousin, our pastors and our landlord.
4. Our fridge is old and I have to break my back to get food.
5. It's a really long drive to visit old friends.

Hope that last part about the long drive won't keep you from visiting. The soups on and the doors unlocked. Just follow the noise. You'll be sure to find us!

More Than Vanity

About five years ago, after losing 20 pounds, I joined our local gym. To anyone else Team Fitness may just be a gym but to me it has been a big change agent. You see, 5 years ago I started a routine of working out for an hour a day, five days a week. I had no idea how much this schedule would add to my life.

The first thing that I gained from the work outs was health. It didn't take long to realize that the reason I was always complaining about not feeling well was because I wasn't healthy. Our bodies were meant to break a sweat! Not only did I start feeling well but my lower back problems began to slowly get better as I learned so much about body mechanics: core strengthening and stretching! I am walking proof that exercise gives a person a better quality of life.

I must admit that what started out as vanity gave me more than I can explain. Not only did I start to look better, I started to have an amazing amount of energy. I experienced a reduction in stress as I began to take it to the gym and leave it there. Along with the physical benefits also came a whole host of emotional gains as well.
I liked the way exercise made me look and feel so therefore that led to more self confidence. I competed in my first duathlon, something I never dreamed I would do. That race gave me such a feeling of overcoming because I was really nervous to even try something like this.

When I was a girl I wasn't involved in sports. For one reason or another my brother was the one encouraged to be the athlete in the family. To find out at 37 that I was pretty competitive myself, was quite the discovery! I love to ride my bike (thanks to Kat and Cole for getting me started!) out on the trail too.

Another benefit was that I got such joy from being a Christian 'in cognito'. I felt excited to see who God would put in my path that I could encourage or be encouraged by. I loved to see how Jesus would create connections to reveal Himself through the ordinary activity of exercise.

Today was my last day at Team Fitness because of our move to Federal Way. Today will not be the day I give up all that I have gained from the place.

My first item on my list of to do's when we get to our new home: find a gym!

All Work And No Play

Hello blog world, it's been a while. Preparing to move has pretty much consumed all of my waking hours lately.

Yesterday I spent the day cleaning mold out of the window sills, washing the windows(wow, there is so much more light in my house now), and I cleaned quite a bit of black gook out of my oven.

Today I will clean out the fridge and then I think I will treat myself to a pedicure. All work and no play.....what is the rest of that cliche? Oh yeah, makes Jack a dull boy. Is that it?

Our move day is this Tuesday and Wednesday. I'm anxious to get settled in our new home and look forward to getting to know someone. Anyone. I'm afraid we will be friendless in Federal way for a while so if you know me and want to send out an encouraging word I'd gladly receive it. I've never been much of a loner and I don't plan on starting now.

Monsters

My daughter Cambria and I went on a shopping spree at Costco yesterday. I bought a 24 case of Monster energy drinks! What kind of mother am I, you may be asking. Well, she said if I bought them I would be the best mom ever. I asked her if that could last for at least one year and she agreed.

We are celebrating her 14th birthday at our house tonight with a group of about a dozen teenage boys and girls. The volume is going up and I am guessing the Monsters have kicked in. Scott and I are contemplating a long evening walk....do we dare leave them alone? I'll let you know how it turned out later but for now my sanity is my priority.

This Old House

We are preparing our house to rent it out. It is weird. I am cleaning from ceiling to floor and it looks and smells wonderful. Why didn't I do this sooner. We have taken out some furniture so it appears larger so it will be more appealing to the potential renters. The better the place looks the more I want to stay.

I have lived in this home for seven years now and have so many wonderful memories with our children as elementary students. Where did the years go?

I drove up to the house today to see a new lawn ornament: the for rent sign. I cried.

The good news is we found a place to dwell. We will be living in a beautiful 3 bedroom town home with lots of extra space. Everything is new and the girls are fighting over who gets the room with the walk in closet. They have a connecting bathroom between their rooms that they are really excited about. I am looking forward to a large soaking tub. Time to go buy some bubble bath:)

Floating in Outer Space

Quite a few years ago I read a delightful series of fiction books by Jan Karon.  I can remember the main character saying,"I feel as if I'm floating in outer space tethered only to God." At the time I read these words I was in transition and so was Father Tim.

I still find this sentence to be the exact picture of how I feel, even today during my present transition.
Maybe I can elaborate. Its not like I'm grounded to the space in where I find myself, because I am leaving. I am pulling up the roots that I have tied myself to. I have not created new roots nor do I even know what this new place will look and feel like.

I am some where in outer space and those things that brought me such security are changing. Many things are disconnecting from me or I am from them. Except the main thing. He is the one that I am securely tied to. I don't plan on letting go and even if I did He holds tightly onto me. My frailty and sense of vulnerability only make me more aware of how close Jesus is. He is coming with me and that is not going to change. 

Nine and a Half Years

Over nine years ago Scott and I felt called to plant a church in Lynnwood, WA. Jesus also impressed this dream into others hearts and so we began a journey that reads like a chapter of our life. It has been a long, beautiful, and growing time.

Yesterday, June 22nd, we announced that we will no longer be the pastors of The Rock Church and today I feel sad. I am sad because I am saying goodbye to people who have shared a dream with us. A dream to love and care for people, who in a lot of cases had no church experience. We desired to create a place that felt safe enough for individuals to look into their hearts, for maybe just a moment, to see what they were missing. A place where they could invite Jesus into that empty space.

I can remember in the beginning stages of the church plant Scott challenged everyone to dare to dream. And so for the first time we wrote down ideas of what God might have for The Rock. The sky was the limit. We dreamed about spiritual things and maybe not so spiritual too. I can remember picturing a rock wall in our church foyer. I mean, we were named The Rock, after all.

Not all of the details of our dream came true but what I realize  as I reflect over the past years, is that the heart of our dream came true. The Rock is a place where truly no church experience is required. Just today Scott received, what we consider to be the highest compliment of all. He had a church member say that they had been looking for a church that they felt they could invite their unchurched friends to and they had finally found that at The Rock.

It is time for us to go. God is leading us to a new place but we are content because the heart of the people at The Rock is the same as ours. It is a heart that desires people to know Jesus.

I am sad because I am saying goodbye to some amazing people. I am hopeful for the future. I am anticipating a good year for my family and  a good year for The Rock.  A verse that keeps going over and over in my head as it pertains to my family and The Rock Church family: He who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it in you.

Responsible

I am a first born so it seems I find my pendulum swinging hard to the responsible side. I not only try to do everything right for my own life but I try to right the world for everyone else's life. I take on too much responsibility.

This is not right. The load becomes heavier than God intended.

I was singing a song the other morning with Marissa curled up beside me in bed. The words were: "Be still and know that I am God."  I kind of forgot Marissa was beside me until she said, "You're Michelle Harris not God."
I laughed as she looked up at me with her coy grin.

I pondered her statement later in the week..."YOU ARE MICHELLE HARRIS NOT GOD." I thought how often I take on all kinds of responsibilities as if I think I'm God. I mean, I don't really think I'm God. Of course I know I'm not, but I think I can try to control life's events hoping to keep everything in a perfect balance. I forget that someone bigger than myself is organizing my life in a way that may not seem perfect to me. But in a way that can be trusted.