the irresistible revolution

I'm almost finished (sorry it's taken me so long, Rich!) with a book by Shane Claiborne called, "The Irresistible Revolution: Living As An Ordinary Radical." If you haven't read it already, it's a must read! Shane discusses what it means for Christians to live like the early church, to step out of the comfort zones that our western culture has told us we need to stay in and to be the hands and feet of Jesus to a broken world. He documents his journey to Calcutta, to Iraq (has some interesting thoughts on war) and to the streets of Philadelphia to live among the poor in an intentional community called "The Simple Way.". This book will "comfort the disturbed, disturb the comfortable, and invite believers to change the world with Christ's radical love."

it's a beautner!

For those of you who haven't heard of the word "beautner," one of the Oosting coined descriptions for people or things that are well, interesting in their own "unique" way, here's a good example of one. It's my sister, Andrea's, 1995 oldsmobile Achieva, her mode of transportation that just never gives up despite recently hitting a deer, going through 2 flat tires in a few months and getting backed into by a suburban. Even more, along with having to hold onto a shaky steering wheel, Andrea has had the privilege of watching a mouse climb up from the hood and onto the windshield...while driving!

Tim helping Andrea fix her flat tire.


The plunger method....almost worked if it weren't for those darn creases!

Tim just wouldn't give up. Is that poo on the beaut?


Maybe it'll work if I take the whole door off! Nope.

monster baby

Check out this hilarious video to see what a 3 year old is going to do to a monster! :)

Congratulations Andee!

My "little" sister, Andrea, graduated yesterday from Hope! She is an amazing woman and we're excited to see how God is going to continue to use her gifts to impact this world!

weekend projects and fun

I finally gained some motivation and most importantly...decided on a paint color...to add some pizzazz and warmth to a couple of walls in our house. The color is called "chestnuts roasting." I got nervous that it was a little too orange at first but we loved the color once it dried! What do you think?


Tim spread some pine straw and bark and made a little rock wall to get a start on our landscaping. It looks beautiful!


We took the "little dude" out for it's first 2007 expedition! Of course, Lake Mac was a windy and choppy and we got a little wet but we had a good time!


Tim reliving his boyhood. He enjoyed taking out one of his favorite "toys" - a homemade go-kart that I bought him for his birthday last year. :) He usually takes it down to a church parking lot down the road and likes to whip around. I have to admit, it is fun to ride although someone (namely, his wife) keeps reminding him that he needs to get a helmet. :)

the plunge

Yesterday I (Tim spent all day working) had the privilege of joining 1,800 other Hollanders in serving our community through an outreach initiative called "The Plunge." Central Wesleyan takes lead in organzing the event and multiple churches in the area particpate. Although we all strongly believe in making serving others a part of our every day lifestyle, it was neat to know that so many other people chose to make serving a priority yesterday and spend most of their day being a blessing to others in the community.

My CABLE group (small group) through Engedi went to a local trailer park and assisted a man named Eddie in weeding and planting flowers around his home. It was a beautiful day and we were blessed to serve next to Eddie and hear his own heart for the Lord and for serving others. Our CABLE group is planning on making this trailer park our focus in serving through helping out with the Gleaners food distribution every other month and Eddie wants to help us with this! He was also interested in coming to Engedi and being a part of a church community. It's so awesome to see and join God where He is already working!

Grandpa Dock

We learned this past Sunday that Tim's step grandfather, "Grandpa Dock," passed away in his sleep after a long battle with various health complications. Grandpa and Grandma Dock have lived in South Carolina for many years and unfortunately we have not been able to visit them since then. We wanted to post something in honor of him and the memories that Tim has from their times together:

* learning how to water ski on Crooked Lake (where Grandpa and Grandma Dock used to live)...the first time forgetting to let go and being dragged underwater. :)

* riding the 3 wheeler and having it flip backwards on us (Tim, Matt and Sean) at Grandpa Dock's house.

* Grandpa Dock huffing and puffing and doing funny things with his mouth/tongue when he was angry.

* Matt catching the muskrat under his armpit at Crooked Lake.

* Playing video games and drinking Pepsi while at Grandpa Dock's house.

* Grandpa Dock's tough but caring personality.

Please pray for Ron, Grandma Dock and the rest of the Dock family as they continue on this journey without Grandpa.