Have you ever gone somewhere and felt like an outsider?  Ever walked into a room filled with strangers and felt completely invisibile?   Or better yet, have you ever been to a new place and really needed to find the bathroom right away? 

Imagine yourself going to church for the very first time and no one speaks to you at the front door.  Imagine going through the entire service completely alone, only to leave having never been spoken to or touched.  Imagine how lonely you could feel in a room full of strangers who all know what happens each week at church, and who all seem to know one another, yet no one makes the effort to greet you  or offer basic information about the service.  

Church folk, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.  The greeter ministry is vitally important for making that first impression a positive one.  What is a greeter?  What is the purpose of having a greeter ministry?

Greeters are church members that station themselves near the entrance and exit points of the building to greet people going in and out.  They are not there to impress.  Their main purpose is to warmly receive each person into God’s house.  Whether those people are regular attenders or first time visitors, the greeters are to make certain that they are welcomed and their needs are met. 

Is it neccesary for a church to develop an entire greeter ministry?  Will it not suffice to station a couple of people near the door and call it quits?  The needs of each church and the gifting of the church family will determine whether or not a fully developed greeter ministry is needed. For some churches, placing some friendly folks near the door is enough.  For other congregations, more will be needed.  Here is a simple suggestion:  go the extra mile.  Would you ever open the door to let someone in your home and never speak a word of welcome to them?  Would you have a guest come  into your livingroom and never offer them some type of refreshment, or direct them to the whereabouts of the restroom?  For most of us, any guest that graces our door would be welcomed with kind words and a hug or handshake.  They would be served food and drink and offered whatever they may need to make them comfortable.  This is typical protocal for what we would do for a guest in our house.  What, then, should we do for a guest in God’s house?

A well oiled greeter ministry might offer some of the following basic services:

• Greeters stationed outside the building to hold the door open for those coming and going.
• An order of service or church bulletin.
• A small gift for first time visitors.
• Directions to the nearest restroom.
• A tour of the facility if requested.
• Information regarding childcare and Bible study classes.
• Printed information regarding the weekly activities for the church.
• Ushers to accomodate late comers with adequate seating.

Who is knocking at your front door, Church?  How will they be received?  This is the importance of a greeter ministry done well: it has the potential to open the door of a human heart, not only the door of a building.

The debate over breastfeeding in public flares up every year or so, and the public always responds with rage towards the naysayers and support for the breastfeeding mothers in the world.  Typically when the issue becomes inflamed my temper follows suit.  This recent series of events, however, has catapulted me straight over the edge of mere irritation into the land of the angry.  Here is my two cents on the issue: an opinion from the milk-maker’s point of view.

I was priviledged to spend 27 months of my life nursing my children.  I have been stared at and pointed at.  I have nursed my children in public restrooms and other “private” areas, and I have also nursed my children sitting in the open at a restaurant or while shopping in a store.  Now, while I wind the jerking mechanism up in my neck, let me tell it to you straight. 

Nursing a child is hard work.  Nursing mothers are up all hours of the day and night.  They rarely get a full night’s sleep for the duration of the time they breastfeed their child. 

Nobody likes to stay in any public restroom for more than just a couple of minutes- including nursing mothers and their babies.  Nobody likes to eat their dinner in a stinky, nasty, germ filled bathroom, while someone empties their bladder in the other stall.   

Nursing an infant is backbreaking work.  It is difficult to hold a baby for the duration of a feeding without leaning back on something, especially when the mother is attempting to be discreet.  Can a mother go into a public restroom and feed her child standing up while leaning back against the wall?  Yes.  But do you know how cold those tile walls are?  It is an unnecessarily uncomfortable situation.

Breastfeeding mothers don’t feed their babies in public just for the heck of it.  When a baby is hungry, the baby should be fed.  This is common sense.  It is impossible to schedule every errand around a feeding time, especially when those feeding times are coming only hours apart.  Sometimes there is no other option but to go out and do your errands and feed the baby while you are out.  But, truth be told, mothers get tired of scheduling everything around a feeding time.  They want to just live.  When they get the notion to go to the store, they want to get up and go right then- and they should be able to do that without constant scheduling around feedings simply for the benefit of other people who are strangers and grown adults.

Breastfeeding my baby is not for your benefit.  If you see a woman nursing her child in public, it is not for your benefit.  It is for the benefit of her child.  Just go on about your business and let her take care of her child. 

America is a nation of pure ignorance about some issues, and I say that in all sincerity.  We claim to be progressive and ahead of everyone else.  Yet, one trip to almost any other country in the world will reveal that we are just about the only people still crying like a baby (pun intended) over this issue. 

I have just about said my piece, but let me reduce it down to what I really mean.  I have chosen to breastfeed for the benefit of my child.  It has nothing to do with you, what you like, what you want, and what you might or might not like to see in public.  I am going to feed my child when the child is hungry.  Period.  If you don’t like it, look away.  I will not approach you and smack the chicken nugget out of your hand when you are handing it to your 6 year old son.  Please do nursing mothers the same favor.  Just let them feed their kid.  That’s all they want to do.

     Ever have one of those moments when you remember where you were at the same time last year?  It’s one of those days for me.  And I bet you will never guess this one…

     One year ago today I was in full blown withdrawl from a pain medication that I had been on for over a year.  Now, before you get too far ahead of me, let me clarify a couple of things.  One- I was not abusing the medication.  Two- I was too goofy to even know what was happening to me.  And since it is obvious that this tale will not be littered with sordid details of drug abuse and any other forms of sneaky activity you may choose to stop reading- but you shouldn’t.  The same thing could happen to you and you might not know what is wrong either- and your outcome might not be as pleasant as mine turned out to be.  So, that’s right friends.  One year ago today I found myself in one of the worst situations I have ever experienced.  It shook me to my core and truly changed me.  This is how it happened. 

     My sweet men and I were having dinner at CU cafeteria prior to Ethan’s soccer camp when out of the blue I become over-heated from head to toe.  And not just a little hot- overheated.  The kind of overheated where you suddenly begin to drip sweat and turn beet red- overheated.  Shane looks up from his dinner and says “Rose!  Are you okay?!  What is the matter?!”  Knowing something was suddenly very, very wrong I quickly said somthing like “oh, I’m fine, just a little hot” and quickly excused myself from the table.  In the next moment I was in a stall in the womens restroom shaking, sweating and trying to breathe through whatever the heck was happening to me.  I began to pray.  “God what is wrong with me?  What is wrong with me?  Please help me Lord.”  During the next 6 days He helped me in so many ways.  There is just no explaining it.

     It would help you to know that I had been through a back surgery several months earlier and had been on a non-narcotic pain medication for about a year and a half at that time.  I had dreams that after the surgery was over and I was put back together correctly I would be able to throw the pills to the wind.  I’ve never been very eager to take any kind of medication but especially not something like that and especially not for such a long time.  (Though, I do realize that many people have to take even stronger things than what I was taking for many, many years.  I do know that- but still- it was a big deal for me to be on something like this)  After the surgery, when I still had pain issues I was disappointed.  But, I was told, “Just give it time.  It will get better.”  And it did.  It got much better.  Just when I was beginning to wonder if I would ever be free of nagging pain, it went away.  Just like that it was gone.  So what do you think I did?  The first day I realized I had no pain, I threw the pills to the wind.  Big mistake. 

     Any of you who have had any personal experience with strong medications know that  you don’t ever ever ever just stop taking something like that.  You taper down slowly.  What on earth was I thinking, you ask.  I had been told so many times that this pain medication was non-narcotic and that most people would never become addicted to such a drug that I just assummed it was okay to just up and quit taking it.  So that’s what I did.  Funny thing is, I quit taking it and then immediately forgot that I had ever taken it.  A few days went by.  And then it was like an atom bomb was dropped on my body. 

     And we’re back to the cafeteria where I am hiding out in the bathroom.  My men are occupying themselves at the table while I am trying to pull it together.  I didn’t know what was wrong but I knew it was serious.  I couldn’t put my finger on what was wrong but I also couldn’t stop shaking and sweating and that wasn’t even the worst part.  The worst part was this feeling of doom and despair that had enveloped me like a cloud.  I couldn’t shake it- and I couldn’t identify it either.  And what did I do next?  I washed my face, took several deep breaths and put on a pretty face.  After all, my baby had a soccer game and I could not miss it.  I was screaming inside and I was becoming violently ill but somehow I put a mask on and went on about my evening.  By the next day I could no longer do that.  Shane had gone out of town that next morning and there I was.  At home alone with my two little people who had no idea that mommy was sicker than she had ever been in her life. 

     What happens to someome who is going through withdrawl?  I can only speak for myself, but it came on suddenly.  One moment I was normal and then next instant I was violently ill.  Shakes.  Sweats.  Body aches.  Hot flashes.  Rapid and irregular heart beat.  Chest pain.  Insomnia.  Diareaha.  Anxiety.  Panic.  Looking back, I can’t believe I was stupid enough to wing this at home.  I had no idea what was wrong with me.  Honestly, I thought I had slipped over the edge into what some would call “mentally ill.”  As bad as the physical symptoms were, what was happening inside my head was so much worse.  After 6 days, most of the physical symptoms had gone but not the anxiety and panic.  They had become rascally visitors and they weren’t going anywhere for a while.  About day 10 I took myself to the doctor.  I gave the doctor my symptoms.  She seached through her PDA for a few minutes while I sat shaking over in the corner.  “I think you have a panic disorder”, she said.  What!  As if I hadn’t already been in a panicked state, I was in a full fledged panic now.  I have never struggled with anxiety or panic or any other kind of emotional or mental health issue. I don’t say that proudly, either.  So many people do struggle with such issues every day.  Thanks be to God, I had never been one of them.  What she said just didn’t sit right with me.  I kept praying.   Then, after a couple of days spent in despair over the possibility that I am still feeling such anxiety and that some doctor (who had never previously met me, by the way) has told me she thinks I have a panic disorder, something so simple occurred to me.  Just ask Him. 

    I had been depending on God for every second of my existence for the past couple of weeks.  He was the only way I got through the physical symptoms.  He was sustaining me while I continued to struggle with anxiety and panic.  So I asked Him.  “God please tell me what is wrong with me.  Please show me what is wrong in my body.”  And just as simply and quickly as I had asked, His answer came.  The pain medication.  I had stopped taking it suddenly.  Immediately a peace came over my body and soul and I knew it was the truth.  He had just given me the answer. 

     I immediately called my mother who concurred that every symptom I had was consistant with drug withdrawl.  I breathed a huge sigh of blessed relief.  I had not lost my mind.  And slowly, over time, the anxiety went away as well. 

     I am writing about this for a several reasons.  One reason is that I still think about it alot.  I am so grateful to my Creator for a sound mind and a healthy body.  I am so grateful that He cares when things like this happen.  I am so grateful that He gave me the answer to what was wrong with me, that he returned my sound mind to me.  Another reason I share this story is so you won’t do something as foolish as what I did.  I could have died.  And I sat at home and tried to just get through it.  It was irresponsible of me- I have children to take care of.  Not only was it foolish of me not to get myself to an ER, it was also foolish of me to stop taking any medication so auddenly.  I will never treat medication so flippantly again.  I have vowed to remember that anything I put in your body will have an effect of some kind and I have promised myself to remember that my body is not a machine.

     I remembered this today because today is Ethan’s last soccer game, just like last year.  This year, we aren’t going to the final soccer game because Ethan has croup.  Last year it was a totally different situation but one thing is still the same:  He is the same yesterday, today and tommorow.  Praise be to God!

Fluffy and Fabio enjoying a book on the boys first day of school.

Making friends with the ball

Great kick!

Ready for School

He is barely containing the excitement

                                                                                                             

Ready to learn!

Let's go to school!

My Sweet Newborn Isaac 2005

Isaac means laughter

My Big Boy August 2011