Interrupted By Thanksgiving

I honestly tried to not have Thanksgiving dinner this year. I had perfectly good excuses: the dishwasher was broken, the sentimental child was in Korea, his wife was with her family, the middle child would be going to at least two other dinners with his in-laws, the daughter would most likely be with her significant other and his family, and Pat and I could celebrate with Mom at her residence. And my number one reason: if I didn’t have to cook on Thanksgiving, then I would have three consecutive days to strip wallpaper!

My scheme began to fall apart when Brandon called from Korea and said that Hiu Sze wanted to spend Thanksgiving with us. Then Kate called to see what time we planned to have dinner. When I hesitated she said that she and Scott would be coming over anyway to spend the night because he had to be at a nearby job at 4 the next morning. Then while I was upstairs getting ready for work Pat yelled, “Guess who just called!” It was Nathan wanting to know what time we were going to have our dinner!

I gave up. Pat planned a menu and wrote out a list while I went to the church. After work I went grocery shopping with Hiu Sze at 6 pm on the day before Thanksgiving—just one hour before the store closed! The next day Hiu Sze, Pat, and I ate a traditional turkey dinner with Mom at Whidbey Island Manor. Then I went home and started cooking. At 7 pm eight of us sat down to eat our second turkey dinner (third for Nathan and Amanda). And Pat began his prayer, “Lord, thank you that Kit failed at not having Thanksgiving this year.”

Afterward the younger generation played games, and Brandon called from Korea to visit with his brother, sister, and wife. (And used up two calling cards doing it!) Everyone except Mom spent the night at our house. And my children once again showed me that Thanksgiving isn’t just about eating turkey with all of the trimmings—it’s about making time to get together to celebrate the fact that we are all part of the same family.

Now that I think about it, isn’t that the reason for Sunday morning services? We take time to pause and celebrate our common Hope. We celebrate that we can experience unity in our diversity. We celebrate that we are part of God’s growing family.

Or is it that we attend out of habit? Or do we not attend at all because we think that Sunday morning worship is a dated tradition? After all, we have things to do!

My children interrupted my wallpaper plans and got my priorities straightened out for me this Thanksgiving. For that I am truly thankful.

Pastor Kit

More Wallpaper Theology

Our house opens into a small foyer. The living room is to the right, the dining room is to the left, the hallway and the staircase are straight ahead, and the powder room is down the hall. Since this is the first area that visitors see, it is where I began my wallpaper eradication project.

As I stripped the paper I couldn’t help but appreciate how many holes, dents, scrapes and gouges the busy pattern camouflaged. This area had taken a beating over the years as furniture was moved in and out multiple times. Then, too, there were the years when son Nathan lugged his heavy band equipment up and down the stairs to his room. (Occasionally the wall would get in his way!) And then there was the dent in the wall caused by one of the male members of the family tossing a box down the stairs rather than carrying it. (He claims that he simply overshot the intended landing area.)

With the paper off there came surprises. We hadn’t known that the chair railing had once been much lower. Or that the foyer wall was pockmarked with pin holes. But the biggest surprise of all was the collection of nail holes one to three feet above the baseboard heater. (Had a previous occupant armed a preschooler with hammer and nails?) Whatever their origins, for 21 years we had remained blissfully unaware of holes and dents—both large and small—because former owners had chosen to hide the damage under wallpaper rather than to repair it.

Many of us do exactly the same thing. Over the years we get bumped, banged, gouged and dented by life. Some of the wounds are truly ugly… and we just don’t want to deal with them. So we put on a façade in the hopes that no one will notice just how damaged we are. Maybe we tell ourselves that if we cover things up, they will eventually just go away. And the façade we frequently choose is busyness. But the damage remains. It's just under the surface… waiting to be exposed. Waiting to expose us! And we find ourselves spending more and more of our time and energy just to maintain the façade.

I have finished repairing and painting the foyer, hallway and stairwell. The difference is like night and day. When I walked through the front door before, it was dark and dreary. Now it is warm and welcoming.

I am actually looking forward to stripping the remaining wallpaper. The work is tedious and tiring, but this has become my new quiet time with the Lord. I know why I waited so long before starting to strip my wallpaper… but what’s your excuse?


Pastor Kit

Wallpaper Theology

When we bought our house 21 years ago, every room was wallpapered except for one... which had really dark wood paneling. The house had been on the market for 6 months, and I’m convinced that the wallpaper was the reason why it hadn’t sold. It would have been a deterrent for us, too, had we not loved everything else about the house--floor plan, location, yard, price. So we decided that we could live with the wallpaper until "we" had time to remove it... never dreaming that decades would pass with that old wallpaper still hanging around.

There were several reasons for our procrastination, but one stood out--the large living room and all of the hallways were covered with the same paper. And there wasn’t a definite starting and stopping place because of the way these areas were connected. Therefore once "we" started, I would be committed to stripping, prepping, priming, and painting this entire area... and I simply didn’t have the time or energy to do that while raising children and working. (Nor would my short-suffering husband Pat have tolerated “that messy part in the middle” very well.)

There was an insidiousness to the wallpaper. It began as an annoyance. I didn’t like the color--it was too dark. I didn't like the pattern--it was too busy. But it did do a great job of camouflaging the places where renters had hung pictures over the years. And we had left-over paper to repair the worst of the damaged areas, so for years we tolerated its presence.

But then the extra paper ran out. And then the wear and tear on the walls began to dictate the placement of furniture (not to mention the color of accessories). Eventually, I would walk in the front door and become depressed because the most visible areas of my house didn’t reflect my personal preferences. I didn’t feel "at home" in my own house!

I wonder if that isn’t how the Holy Spirit feels about us at times. We are supposed to reflect God's holiness more and more--in thought, word, and deed--as we mature as Christians. But do we? Nearly all of us have one area in our lives where the very thought of change finds us so overwhelmed that we continue to “make do” rather than to let God begin the necessary changes. What initially began as an annoyance eventually becomes a dictator which is at odds with the person God intends us to be. And we have to make a choice.

So I’m stripping wallpaper... and God is talking to me as I do it. And you’ll be hearing more "wallpaper theology" in the weeks ahead. In the meantime, why not let God begin His renovation project in your own life?

Pastor Kit

Framing Faith

In October of last year I began a wallpaper eradication project that grew to include my whole house… 7 rooms, 2 halls, and 2.5 baths! Many of you followed along as I chronicled the lessons I learned while I was stripping my 70’s era wallpaper.

I recently finished the project… one year after it began. Today the paint, rollers, and brushes are stowed; the steamer is boxed; and the final window treatments have been installed.

Looking back, it has been a year-long journey; a journey that included new beginnings for some family members, life-threatening illnesses for others, and, yes, even deaths. And ironically, my “escape” during this turbulent year was my wallpaper eradication project.

On Saturday I was trying to finish the final detail of the project – building a frame for a wall-mounted mural – when God reminded me that it was a picture that had started my journey.

Here's how it happened. One night my husband, Pat, couldn’t sleep. He got up in the middle of the night and moved a large painting from one wall (Where it had hung for 21 years!) to another wall. That simple act set in motion a series of events that resulted in my year-long project. And somehow it seemed fitting that building a frame for a mural would be the final detail in a project that had begun by moving a picture. But I was still struggling…

Meanwhile, Pat was on the computer setting up this blog. (His idea — not mine.) On one of my trips downstairs to the miter saw, he asked, “How do you view your devotionals – what do you consider them to be?” I stopped, thought a moment, shrugged and said, “I guess they are snapshots of my faith.” I then went on to make my cuts.

I was trying to construct a frame that would make the mural appear to be more like a window than a picture. I wanted a frame that would draw people INTO the scene. I wanted it to invite viewers to enter another world. And I was pleading with God for inspiration.

And then I got it — I had that "Eureka!" moment! I knew exactly what I needed to do to finish the frame… AND I knew the answer to Pat’s question. My devotionals are not intended to be static snapshots of life and faith. Rather, I intend them to be a “window” through which others can see how I intentionally live a personal relationship with a Loving Savior. And I want to invite others to do the same.

The mural is now framed to my satisfaction. The blog “Framing Faith” is also now up and running. And I’m going to ask Pat to post the “wallpaper eradication” series now that it, too, is done.

Life is a journey. The terrain is ever-changing. Transitions are inevitable. Many events and circumstances are beyond our control. BUT we get to choose how we respond in every situation! Faith is a choice. How we incorporate faith into our thoughts, speech and daily activities is also a choice. So what are you showing others about your choices? How have you been framing your faith?

Pastor Kit