Celebrating my Mom

November 8, 2008 

Today marks a very important day in history--the day that Cheryl Lynette Klopfenstein was born into this world.  It is likely that no books will ever be written about her.  She has only been out of the country once.  She has lived in the same state her whole life.  She doesn't have any special degrees or accolades.  Yet, I am quite certain that she is one of the people that will be shocked when she gets to heaven to know how many dozens, even hundreds, of people have been impacted through her life and ministry and commitment to faithfulness in the small things. 

The above picture was taken just 3 days after she had brain surgery to help alleviate the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. I love it for so many reasons, mostly because it shows the joy and peace that illuminate so brightly from her, with no regard to circumstances.  And today, as the 62nd year of her life begins, I would like to take some time to share some of the reasons I love this incredible woman.

1) She loves Jesus Christ.  

2) She is a woman marked by prayer.

3) She believes that God does what He says He will do.

4) She has a soft heart to the things of the Lord.

5) She loves others in word and deed (a rare combination)

6) She is honest about her struggle to trust God.

7) She looks for the best in others.

8) She always puts others before herself.

9) She never complains.

10) She lays down her life on a daily basis to serve others.

11) She loves laughter. 

12) She enjoys life and taught her kids to enjoy it as well. 

13) She sacrificially loves her kids.

14) She has faithfully loved her husband for 42 years.

15) She is diligent

16) She gets out of bed each morning, even though it's indescribably hard to do so

17) She is content in the Lord and in what He provides

18) She has a spirit of gentleness

19) She listens far more than she speaks

20) She proves wisdom by her actions more than by her words (though there's wisdom in her words, too)

21) She understands that true beauty is not skin deep

22) She maintains a beautiful outward appearance that is timeless and classy.

23) She knows this world isn't her home and lives like it. 

24) She takes her fears to the Lord before she takes them to people

25) She is hospitable and her home will always be my favorite place to go on this earth.

So, mom, if you're reading this--I could thank you for a million things.  But, more than anything I am thankful that in you, I have seen a beautiful picture of Jesus Christ and the selfless love He has for His people.  I rejoice that He has given you another year here on this earth to point people to Him and will never be able to thank Him enough for giving me the privilege to live under your example.  You have been the hands, feet, and mouthpiece of God in my life and in the lives of so many others.  Today, we celebrate YOU!

2012

When I read this prayer, I cried.  It resonated so deeply within my heart. 

That I can recall, I have never had a more difficult year as a whole than 2011.  The year brought some of the deepest hurts I have ever experienced. 

I watched my sister walk through losing her best friend.

I watched as Mary, who had become like family to us, struggled with a very aggressive cancer that showed no mercy. 

I walked alongside two young boys as they struggled through the months immediately following their mom's death.

I watched close friends walk through their most heart-wrenching circumstances in life to date. 

I walked through months and months of unending conflict with another believer, the deepest and most draining conflict I have ever been in with another believer (or with anyone for that matter). 

I moved multiple times, changed jobs a few times, messed up a lot.

All this to say, 2011 was excruciatingly difficult. 

But, I also experienced some of the deepest joys I have ever known as I saw the Lord powerfully make Himself known in the darkest moments of this year. 

I experienced the comfort of the Lord in ways I have never known before.

But, if I were to sum up this year with one word, one lesson, one truth, it would be this:

Grace. 

I understood the grace of the Lord in deeper and more profound ways than I have ever known.  Over and over again this year, I realized how frail I am.  How sinful I am.  How often I let people down.  How impossible it is for me to do any of it on my own.  And I saw His strong, yet kind hand lift me up again and again, reminding me that I don't stand in what I do or don't do; I stand only in what He has already done on my behalf.   

It is finished. 

There is an abundance of grace. And that's good  news for me, because I need it every moment of every day.   

The temptation for me in starting a new year is to think that because of a change in the date on the calendar, I can suddenly be a new person overnight (literally).  I can make lists and lists of all the things I want to change and do better this year, and can hold on to the hope that this year will be easier.

But, if that were the case, then I missed the point of it all.  The last 12 months of tears and frustration and impatience and hurt and grief would all be wasted if I really believed that I can change myself and that a life free of uncomfortable things is somehow better. 

The reality is that though there were plenty of resolutions that I did not keep from the start of 2011 to now, there is one thing that I did grow in: I think I understand the gospel more deeply, simply because I've needed it and clung to it in new ways. 

So....I will make goals and plans for this year and seek to grow and improve.  But, none of that can be done apart from grace.  Because, I am going to fail in many all of those well-intended goals.  I will need his grace in ways this year that will be new and different than the ways in which I needed it last year.  But that grace and the God who extends it are the same this year as they were last year.  And He knows who He wants me to be at the end of 2012 and what it will take to get me to that place.  If it is through more tears and trials and disappointment, I will gladly accept that because I know His grace will be there to meet me.  I know He will be there in those moments.  And He is what I want more than anything else in this world. 

So, I have goals and plans for growth this year.  But, more than a more organized schedule or a neater room, I just want to know Him more.  I want to abide in Him.  I want to be changed by Him.  I want to say, at the end of 2012, that I have been given a more clear picture of the gospel and a deeper understanding of what it means for today, right now. 

All Good Things Must Come to an End

At least here on earth.

You know those things you look forward to with anticipation for days/weeks/months, then the moment finally arrives and passes far too quickly?  For me, spending time with my family is that type of feeling.  Having 3 siblings, each married with their own family, it's difficult to get all of us in the same place.  So, when we do--it's a special treat.  I want to soak it all in.  But, then it's over and everyone goes back to their respective jobs, responsibilities, life as we know it.

One moment the house is full and loud and filled with chaos, the next--silent.

And then that reminder comes that the good things in this life, given to us as gifts to be enjoyed from the hand of the Father, are temporary.  And though they are good gifts, they aren't the end in themselves.  They are means to the end of pointing us to the Giver of those gifts.  They are to point us to the good things He has in store for us for all eternity--things that will never come to an end.

 But, in the meantime, I'll take those moments--as quickly as they seem to pass.  Here are some of those moments from the past few days with everyone in one place.

Little Brooklyn LOVED the dogs.

The girls loved our time eating (and chatting, of course)

The classic, impromptu "Quick, before everyone leaves" family picture

The "older" kids loved their time hanging out, being the cool kids they are

All the grand kids in one place!

There you have it!  A glimpse into the Klopfenstein family Christmas gathering. The good news is that, for those who are old enough, everyone in our family has been saved by Jesus and we'll get to spend all eternity worshiping Him together.  Now, THAT is a gathering to look forward to!

I think this needs a frame in my house

Remember that you have only one soul; 

that you have only one death to die; 

that you have only one life, which is short and has to be lived by you alone; 

and that there is only one glory, which is eternal.  

If you do this, there will be many things about which you care nothing.

-Teresa of Avila

(as quoted in "No Longer a Slumdog")

 

My easily-distracted heart and mind really needed to read that.  And, knowing how prone I am to quickly forget the only things that really matter, I think I need to frame it and put it some place where I can read it often. 

The Good Guys Make a Comeback

My mom has always been a fan of the shows where the good guy wins.  As long as I can remember, we've watched the shows where criminals are caught, must pay for their actions and justice is met.  You name it--Law and Order, CSI, and of course, Walker Texas Ranger.  I grew up cheering for the good guy with her, which is why I'm not too surprised to find out that my mom has been just as excited to watch football since Tim Tebow has come along as I am.  Neither of us know much about football (to my dad and brothers' dismay), but according to word on the street, you don't really need to know much about football to watch Tebow play--you just get to see the good guy win (and win, and win).

But, Wait! Before you stop there because you think this is just another rambling about Tebow to add to the plethora of articles out there--about whether or not he's a good quarterback, what the secret to his success is, whether or not he needs to tone down his religious comments, about Tebowmania, Tebowing, or any other verb, noun, and adjective that has been created out of the madness--let me just say that this article is just a simple appreciation of a good guy.  And whether or not he ever wins another football game, I just want to take a moment to share why I appreciate Tim Tebow.  And it starts with what Tebow is not.

Apart from the countless number of articles on Tebow that have been popping up all over the internet, there has been another topic that has come up quite frequently--the decline of real men.  There's been entire books written lately about how increasingly more men are staying at home well into their 30s, playing video games for the majority of their day, not finishing college degrees (or finishing much of anything), and yet still having all the "fun" with any woman they want.  Our movies reflect these type of men; college campuses reflect the epidemic that seems to be occurring in our culture today; I read an article on CNN a couple of months ago that helped paint a picture of the dilemma our society faces today.  As a single woman, I speak on behalf of us all that these trends are anything but encouraging. 

In the midst of it all, enters Tim Tebow.  He's a successful college football player who makes it to the NFL and continually proves critics and foes wrong with his success.  He has multiple endorsements, is talked about all over the news and internet, and within the last few weeks has become one of the most talked about athletes in any professional league.

Now, we've seen these guys before--the extremely successful, nothing-stands-in-their-way type of athletes that people can't stop talking about.

The difference with Tebow is that instead of hearing about which celebrity woman is his newest accessory or how many houses he owns or how much money he makes or the brawl he got himself into at a bar, we hear about the hospital he's building in the Philippines, the sick kids he's visiting in hospitals, the fact that he has claimed to be saving himself for marriage and--overshadowing all of it--he has a deep and bold commitment to live for Jesus Christ (and that commitment far outshines any of his football achievements). 

At this point, every single girl in America should be rejoicing.  Not because we have a chance to be with Tim Tebow; not because he is perfect by any means and should be the standard to which all men should be held. But, we should be overjoyed when we acknowledge that celebrity athletes are a beacon for the culture of the social "norm."  Just when we started to hum the tune "Where have all the good men gone?", a celebrity athlete steps in and shows us that good guys in their truest form still do exist.  They're not all professional athletes that the world is talking about, or men who have been given the enormous platform that Tebow has.  But, guys like Tebow remind us all that the guys worth waiting for are out there and that our hopes of finding a man who can rise above the cultural norm, work hard, and take a stand for what they believe, all the while remaining humble and holding fast to Jesus Christ is not just a shot in the dark. 

So, thank you, Tim Tebow for rising to the challenge and showing America that fame and success doesn't have to equate to arrogance and immorality; and thank you for reminding a disillusioned generation of girls that good guys--even celebrity athlete ones--still do exist.  


Out of the Tebow madness, a few really well-thought articles have been written.  Here are the best I've seen:

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7319858/the-people-hate-tim-tebow  A very interesting evaluation from a secular perspective as to why there's so much "buzz" about Tebow.

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2011/12/13/tebow-calvin-and-the-hand-of-god-in-sports/  The most in-depth and well-written answer to the daunting question of whether or not God is helping Tebow win games.  (The last 2 paragraphs are the best, in my opinion.)

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/current-events/features/27544-tebow-time  A great challenge for believers in how we need to respond to Tebow--regardless of where we land in our views about him.

The Jesus Storybook Bible

The intended ages for the book is 4-7....but I have been completely engrossed in it the past few days. I love the way it is written and how it can make me excited to find out what happens next even though I already know the story. It's imaginative and creative and makes my heart race in the same way that reading about Aslan in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe does (And, not to mention--the artwork is beautiful!).  It tells the full story of redemption from the Fall in the garden of Eden to the second coming of Jesus when He makes everything right again.  The entire Bible is told as one big Story where each individual part--from Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac to the parting of the Red Sea--is told in a way that points to Jesus and talks of the "Great Rescue Plan" that is being carried out and how all of these accounts are just foreshadows of what is to come in Jesus. 

Here's a little taste of why I love it so much.  This is an excerpt from Jesus' calling of the 12 disciples, starting off right after he left the temptation in the wilderness:

Jesus left the desert and set about the Great Rescue.  He was going to get God's people back.

But first he needed to find some helpers and friends.  He had a lot to do.

He would need some people to help him.  

Who would make good helpers, do you think? 

Clever ones? Rich ones? Strong, important ones? 

Some people might think so, but I'm sure by now you don't need me to tell you they'd be wrong.  

Because the people God uses don't have to know a lot of things, or have a lot of things--

they just have to need him a lot.

One day, Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee when he saw some brothers & friends

mending their nets.  They were poor fishermen.

Jesus called out to them, "Let's go!"

Peter, Andrew, James and John looked up at this man on the shore.

And they couldn't explain it: their boats needed to be put away, 

their nets needed mending, fish were still wriggling on the shore. 

But something about this stranger made them just drop their nets and their fish, 

leave their boats--and everything--and follow him.

This God-Man was like no one they had ever met.  When they looked at Jesus,

their hearts filled up with a wonderful, forever sort of happiness 

and inside it was as if they were running free in an open field.

Jesus asked 12 men to be his helpers: Peter, Andrew, James and John,

Matthew Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, another James, Simon, Thaddaeus, and Judas.

Meeting Jesus would change all of them forever.

I am using it as inspiration for developing curriculum for teaching the 1st graders Bible.  But, I highly recommend it to everyone--whether you have kids or not!  It will awaken those adventurous parts of your heart and bring the Story of God's Redemptive Plan to life!  You can click here to buy it on Amazon.

The Household of God

I really hate disappointing people.  Regardless of how small or big the offense, I hate knowing that my actions, words, lack of action--whatever it may be--have let someone down.  I am also not a fan of conflict. (I almost put "hate" conflict, but I am learning to see it as opportunity for growth and change; it's not all bad when looked at it that way).

Anyways, when I find myself in conflict with someone, it is hard for me to think about anything else.

My mind and heart are distracted, my energy is drained, my effectiveness in any other area is significantly lessened.

As uncomfortable as those feelings are, I think they are important because they remind us that God doesn't desire for those broken relationships to remain as they are; He desires unity, peace, reconciliation.

I mean, just look at the cross.

Undoubtedly, that was all Jesus thought about in the weeks, days, moments leading up to His betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion.

Think for a moment about the people that Jesus had experienced "conflict" with leading up to the cross--Judas, Peter, the high priest, the soldiers, the people who spat on him and mocked him, on and on.

And what did Jesus do?

He died for them.  He asked that the Father would forgive them as they were right in the middle of beating him, humiliating him, denying him, breathing threats against him. 

He thought about how burdened his soul was, but He also knew what would be accomplished for all mankind.

Unity between Jew and Gentile.

Peace between God and Man and peace among men.

Reconciliation from what was broken and lost in the Garden of Eden. 

So, He drank the fullness of the cup.

And everything changed.

The way I approach conflict is completely different now because of Jesus, especially with other believers.

I don't have the option to leave things broken and messed up between brothers and sisters in Christ.  That doesn't mean we will always agree on every point.  But, if we both claim to love, follow and submit to Jesus Christ, that means we always have the means and the motivation to overcome whatever peace-squelching division exists between us.

Sadly, we all know that divisions still exist.  We have all seen the painful effects of broken relationships between believers. 

And yet, the Church is what God chose to reveal Himself and His character to the world.  He could have used any means.  And He chose the broken, messy, often-failed relationships between His people to be what would declare His love and what would mark His people as His disciples.

"By this all people will know that you are my disciples,

if you have love for one another."

John 13:35

And He even chose that the Church would be a display of His glory from the foundation of the world. 

"...through the Church the manifold wisdom

of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities

in the heavenly places.  This was according to the eternal purpose that he

has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord." 

Ephesians 3:10-11

But, maybe that's the whole point after all.

Maybe the fact that we are broken and messy and often divided would show His glory and power and love even more.  That we serve a God who uses brokenness for beauty, pain for purpose, division for divine reasons continually leaves me stunned. But, in Him using broken people to march forth His Kingdom, He receives much glory. And when He restores a broken relationship through the Cross, His power is clearly seen. 

He's building a household of Jews, Gentiles, slaves, free, men, women--all on the foundation of Jesus Christ--the only foundation upon which all peoples find unity and a common place to stand.  He's shaping each of us, chiseling away our anger and hatred and selfishness, so that we might come together as His household.  One that, while imperfect, points undeniably to the Savior who fixes broken things and in which God Himself might dwell.  

"You are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit." Ephesians 2:19-22