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As church planting wives we are always adding to our “bag of tricks.”  I didn’t realize it at first, nor did I plan to acquire such a wealth of knowledge and opportunity for getting things done on the fly.  But often times, the life of a church planting wife and mom calls for quick fixes, rush clean up jobs, ingenuity and “pulling it off” with grace.  No, I’m not the queen of pulling it off.  I still freak out at times and things do get a bit too hectic.  But I must say that over the years I have learned quite a few trick of the trade that have proved invaluable time and time again.  Some people will say to me, “I don’t know how you do it all,”  I just laugh.  “Believe me, I don’t,” is my reply.  “I’ve just learned a few tricks.” 

For example, I have a closet that I would absolutely die for anyone to open during a party or life group.  Because of that closet, my house looks spotless.  Okay, “spotless” is going a bit too far.  I have 3 kids and a dog.  Nothing is ever spotless.  And if that closet is opened, watch out! to anyone in it’s fallout path.  Still, I have a 10 minute house clean up job down to an art.  And that closet has saved me more times than I care to admit.

Also, because I have 3 girls and they have lots of long hair that rarely gets brushed before we get to the school for Sunday setup, I have a box in my mini van trunk full of brushes, hairbands and ribbons marked “Sunday Scramble.”  It’s also equipped with gum for when we fail to brush teeth, small boxes of cereal for when we miss breakfast and a few toys to pass the time for when they are waiting for people to arrive and church to start.  It saves me almost every week.

A final good one is that I keep a package of thank you cards and stamps in the glove box of my van and post it notes above the visor.  I’m not sure if you are like me, but often times it’s drive time that I get my only opportunity in the middle of a crazy day to sit down and think.  Typically what happens …

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  We started Cool River Church back in 2002.  Both my husband and I were very young and we were completely running on the adrenaline of leaping into a new adventure together.  I didn’t even need Starbucks back then to provide my jump start to the day.  And looking back, I see that initial adrenaline rush was actually somewhat sustaining for the first leg of the church planting journey.  Dreams and vision and the desire to “make it happen” really do provide a lot of fuel at first. 

I also remember how I was such a young mom during those days.  We had a 2 year old, a 6 month old and only about a year into it we found ourselves expecting #3.  I was in mommy mode constantly.  And in all honesty, so much of our first days of planting are quite a blur.  I remember the BIG moments - the markers that propelled us to where we are today.  But most of all I remember chasing kids.  I remember sitting up chairs at the school with baby #3 in a baby backpack while the other two cried or disappeared into the depths of the school, thus prompting an all out search from the entire setup team.  I quickly became the queen of getting three little ones to church on my own.  Potty training and dirty faces, nap time and trips to the zoo were typically the events that seemed to fill my days as Kevin did his thing and worked so hard to put roots in the ground for the Kingdom and the church in our community.  I had friends and I built relationships and I did all of those hospitable things like get the house clean for small groups, but I’m here to tell you that the mommy card trumped the church planting wife card many more days than not.  Looking back, I think my role was much more about holding us all together in the middle of starting a church than the actual act of starting the church itself.

Today life is different.  The adrenaline rushes seem to come and go instead of come and stay.  The new adventure we journeyed into has become our life.  It’s an amazing life.  The flow is more constant.  The days have become more predictable.  We are exactly where God wants us …

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Typically these days I get up at 5:00am and drag myself to the gym.  I know some amazing men and women who are able to wake up and immediately get on their knees.  Some days that’s me.  A lot of days I’m in such a mental fog that all I can do is get on the elliptical and burn calories to the top news on CNN.  Today was that kind of day.

But I must say that my most favorite way to jump start my day is with God.  I find myself able to focus and connect with Him much better when the world is still quiet.  My current challenge is that this year, when January arrived and new year’s resolutions were the topic of everyone’s conversations, I vowed to join a gym. . .  And yes, I admit, that quickly my typical time of going to Starbucks in the early AM with my Bible, iPod and journal had to be tweaked because there was no way I could possibly get up any earlier to get in a workout AND my God time and still be alive by 2pm.  This has proven to be a challenge.  I messed up my groove once again.  I seem to be the queen of change - of trying something new - of getting bored with routine.  I suppose God knew what he was doing when he called me to be a church planting wife.  I actually like it when no day is the same.  But I must say, the ability to embrace change and movement as the next thrill ride on the journey has it’s advantages AND its disadvantages. 

Some days I find myself envying that person who is so consistent and steady.  I’m steady in a lot of ways, but in a lot of other ways I miss the steady boat completely.  I’m easily distracted.  I’m a thinker.  I’m always intrigued with bettering myself and my family and finding balance in my life, and yet, some days all of my striving is in vain.  Some days I find myself feeling so guilty for all of the things that I don’t do well that I wake up only to realize that I’m doing nothing well at all.  And on those days - like today - I have no doubt that Satan starts to throw a party …

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Here’s another great site for you to check out!  These ladies are a lot of fun.
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posted by Amy Colón
To continue to connect even more, check out the church planting wives group on Facebook

I have a good friend who lives in Nashville named Pete Wilson.  Years ago you could find him eating turkey sandwiches for lunch at my house in Morgantown, KY, while my husband, Kevin, helped him to start his first church straight out of college.  Lots of time has passed, and these days Pete is the lead pastor of Crosspoint Church, a church that he and his wife, Brandi,  started around 8 years ago.  I follow his blog daily.  It’s always a great read.  But right now I have to say that I think it’s extra cool and definitely worth sharing with you. . .knowing that so many Golcalnet readers are out there getting their hands dirty around the world. 

So, Pete, here’s a little link love going out to you today. . .he’s in India on a Compassion International blogging trip.  I hope you will follow Pete and his team through May 2.  Click on the picture for the blogging link.

And I’m wondering. . .do you sponsor a Compassion child?  If so, how has that experience blessed your family?

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posted by Amy Colón
To continue to connect even more, check out the church planting wives group on Facebook

Follow Church Planting Wives on Twitter!!

After creating a Twitter account, scroll to the bottom of your homepage and click on “search.” 
Search “cplantingwives.” 
Click “Follow.” 
It’s that easy!  Tweet ya later!

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posted by Amy Colón
To continue to connect even more, check out the church planting wives group on Facebook

Do you need to Get Away???  Check this out!

First I saw this on Entertainment Tonight.  Then today I was reading a friend’s blog and discovered this video. . .WOW. . .if you haven’t already seen it, I promise it will be 7 minutes well spent.  Get ready to cry.  Get ready to cheer.  Get ready to be embarrassed. . .

The moment the reality show’s audience and judging panel saw the small, shy, middle-aged woman, they started to smirk. When she said she wanted a professional singing career to equal that of Elaine Paige, the camera showed audience members rolling their eyes in disbelief. They scoffed when she told Simon Cowell, one of the judges, how she’d reached her forties without managing to develop a singing career because she hadn’t had the opportunity. Another judge, Piers Morgan, later wrote on his blog that, just before she launched into I Dreamed a Dream, the 3000-strong audience in Glasgow was laughing and the three judges were suppressing chuckles.  Click Here for more

BUT…

Grazie Susan Boyle! from seb fil on Vimeo.

In the world of church planting we are often willing to enlist anything or anyone that moves and breathes if they are willing to help fold chairs and change diapers and make coffee.  But I wonder, how many Susan Boyle’s do we overlook in our church plants and our towns every day?  Who are we failing to allow to shine? I think I’m a bit embarrassed.  Way to go, Susan!!!

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posted by Amy Colón
To continue to connect even more, check out the church planting wives group on Facebook

Some days I just don’t feel like thinking too hard or coming up with a profound word to pass along. . .I just need a good laugh!  How about you?  Anybody need a good laugh today?  I’ve got one just for you. . .

It’s almost April 15!!  You know what that means. . .your taxes better be done!

I believe that one of the biggest things that everyone forgets to prepare us for when jumping into starting a church is TAXES!  Boy did we learn our lesson the hard way.  Being a “self-employed” pastor definitely has some perks.  You can write off just about anything.  But let me just YELL out loudly. . .PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE make sure that you find a tax person who truly knows everything there is to know about PASTOR taxes.  Take it from the mouth of experience. . .you don’t want to make the mistakes we did.  It might cost you extra to go somewhere other than HR Block or one of those other chain tax companies, but it will be well worth it in the end.  It took us 2 years to dig out of a HUGE tax mess that was naively created simply because we didn’t get the right advice.  And believe me, there is more than enough to concern you in the middle of starting a church than Uncle Sam. 

Here is my #1 recommendation if you are just starting out or not fully confident of your tax preparer…Clergy Financial
You don’t have to live near them. . .they will consult and do everything with you over the phone, email and mail.

I hope I’ve saved you a few headaches today and in the future! 
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posted by Amy Colón
To continue to connect even more, check out the church planting wives group on Facebook

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