Reformation Day/Halloween/All Saints' Day

As a life long Lutheran, I always remember Reformation Day. I went to Lutheran day school for goodness sakes. We spent the entire month of October learning about Luther. It wasn't until I was older, I finally thought about what the Reformation means for non-Lutherans. If Luther hadn't stood up for what he truly believed and stuck to his beliefs we would be living in a different world. So thanks, Martin, for stepping outside of your comfort zone. Need a laugh? Go here and have Luther insult you!

Martin nailing the 95 Theses. Who knew this Luther bust would bring so much entertainment?!

Now, on to the more well known "holiday" of Halloween. I know many folks have a love/hate relationship with this day. I prefer to focus on the innocent fun part of the day. Like dressing up as something clever, silly, and/or creative and Trick or Treating while using manners. This year I decided to get into the spirit and "dress up" while handing out candy. Friends of ours kindly bought me my first set of Mickey ears in the likeness of Perry the Platypus. (I know, seems odd that I do not have ears.) This sparked me to buy a Perry colored sweatshirt and making a Perry tail. 

So simple and fun. 

The weather was very wet. We didn't have many kids come by, but I did see many of my Holy Cross kids. They were very creative this year. One was Uncle Si from Duck Dynasty complete with tea glass. 

For All Saints' Day, I started the 30 Days of Thankfulness on Facebook. (With many others. I am so happy this is a "thing".) My day one was being thankful for my Grandpa Marrah. He was called to Heaven this past June. My grandpa was a remarkable person. One of the more recent stories I like to tell about him is the fact that the heating and air conditioning guy that serviced my grandparents' system came to the visitation. Why? Because he and my grandpa would sit together talking and praying. Remarkable, right? After his death I put my thoughts about Grandpa in a top ten list. Here it is....

10 ways you know you are Tom Marrah's grandchild
1. By the time you were 10 years old you had more video footage of your life than the Kardashians. Even that time you ran into a tree.
2. In those videos there is equal time give to nature. Birds, flowers, trees...
3. You rode in a limo well before your prom.
4. You played the make grandpa say "huh" game in the van. This was done by saying his name just loud enough so he knew that you said something, but he didn't know what. Therefore saying, "Huh".
5. You have an appreciation for lakes, fishing, and fishing accessories and the stores that sell them. Bass Pro anyone?
6. When you meet one of grandpa's friends you could be sure they knew your life story.
7. You know what is like to have a someone pray for you...most likely done at 4:30 in the morning.
8. You are fairly convinced that you are his favorite grand kid.
9. You had the straightest eye glasses in town.
10. You know what unconditional love is.


 Here's hoping you can find 30 things to be thankful for this November. Even if it is just getting out of bed in the morning. 

God's Blessings,
Joshua, Stefani, and Baby K


 

Michigan District All Pastors' Conference

This yearly conference is always informational and fun. After four years in the district, we now have familiar faces and enjoy meeting new ones. 

We started the "weekend" (A ministry family's weekend is never on the actual weekend) with a nice dinner with friends from Seminary. Coincidentally, they are also expecting a baby in February. After dinner we continued our fellowship by playing a game called Dominion. I think we might be hooked. 

Monday was a full day of sessions. The keynote speaker was Dr. John Kleinig. I skipped out on most of his sessions, because I didn't want to push myself too much. Sitting for long periods of time becomes painful these days.

Tuesday was another full day of sessions with more free time. Every year there is a separate lunch for wives. It is great to have some "girl time" and meet some new ladies. During free time there was a chance to participate in a servant event. We assisted in making food bags for Kids Against Hunger. We also played another round of Dominion before dinner.

It is great seeing everyone and every time, I vow to make it more than once year. Especially, with our friends who live an hour away or less. I hope and pray I have an agreeable 2 month old, so that I can attend the Katie Conference. Maybe I should bring a nanny? Hahaha.

The back of the lodge where we stayed.

God's Blessings,

Joshua and Stefani