theacousticlife.com » faith and ministry

our creative thermometer

abelara — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:38:35 +0000

deb and i are creative people. if there’s a project that needs to be done, then it has to be done with creativity and WOW.

when we were in Little Rock this past summer they had some kids of staff members come share their experience in moving to Little Rock and their adjustment to life there. every one of them mentioned that during their family’s fundraising process their parents made some kind of chart for the whole family to see how much progress they’d made.

but for the Laras, we didn’t want to simply do some “boring” thermometer. we liked the idea a family had of making a large magnet of a map from their home to Little Rock that they stuck on their fridge and had a little car magnet that traveled down the road.
but we wanted something even BIGGER. so we figured, “hey, we’re not going to stay in this house forever. why not go crazy and make a HUMONGOUS map on the living room wall.”

so that’s what we did. we announced to the girls that they were going to write on the walls, through a projection of the US on the wall, handed out pencils, and then let them go at it. after we’d put them to bed, mom and dad stayed up outlining it in Sharpie markers, and then we colored in the highway to Arkansas with them in the morning.

take a look for yourself.

(youtube link)

yep, God still rocks

abelara — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 06:51:51 +0000

so i talked with my MPD* coach this afternoon and told him that i felt like we were getting to a spot where the “honeymoon” phase of fundraising was coming to a close.
right after New Staff Training we were all fired up, excited to make appointments, and confident with the tools that we’d be given.

now after 3 weeks…we’re juggling a 40hr work week, kids determined to live in a messy house, and people forgetting or rescheduling the appointments they’d previously set with us.

but through it all God is faithful. i have a job that i’m thankful for and enjoy doing. we’ve been blessed with a babysitter who not only watches kids, but cleans as well. and deb have enjoyed getting to spend unexpected time together when our schedule is suddenly “freed up”.

plus, after FOUR appointments this week that were cancelled, rescheduled, or simply forgotten we were blessed with another couple who have partnered with us for $100/month.

that’s exactly what we needed at exactly the right time.

thanks God, you rock! :)

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*MPD = Ministry Partner Development – that’s the name given to the process of us raising a team of supporters so we can report to Little Rock as fully funded staff missionaries with FamilyLife

Raising Royalty

deblara — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 05:38:53 +0000

As a mother or a father, do you ever feel like you’re floundering with the responsibility of raising your children? Do you have a clear strategy regarding how you will ensure that your kids turn out to be decent adults? Many times I feel lost, like the best I can do is keep these kids alive until they move out. However, I also feel that my children need more; God wants me to give them more.

This past week, during my Bible reading, I’ve read again the story of Esther. This book, in the Old Testament, tells of an incident that occurred in Jewish history. The king of Persia, having disposed of his queen, was in search of a replacement. The king’s attendants suggested that the entire empire be searched for beautiful young women; the young ladies would then be brought into the royal harem where they would receive beauty treatments. Following this time of preparation, the girls would be presented to the king. The woman that pleased the king the most would be made queen. The second chapter outlines how Esther was brought into the fortress of Susa, the location of the king’s harem. Esther found favor with the attending eunuchs; she was treated kindly, given a special menu and received twelve months of beauty treatments in the best place in the harem. When it was her turn to meet with the king, Esther was ready. She had been coached and prepared. She smelled good. She looked good. And she had the aura of royalty. The king loved her, even after their first meeting. He was delighted with her and promptly declared her queen.

What does this story have to do with parenting? A lot. It has changed how I have been parenting my six princesses this past week.

My home, anyone’s home, is like that fortress. We all belong to God, but when He calls us into action, will we be ready? Will our children be ready? Will the King be delighted with what we have to offer? Will we exude an aroma of praise or possess an aura of pride? I can prepare myself to meet with the King by reading His Word & practicing a lifestyle of praise.

What about my kids? As a mother it is my task to help my daughters become presentable princesses. They must be ready to listen to HIs voice & eager to obey; they must be beautiful with gentleness & kindness. They must know that their time is coming soon- the KIng will call for them. They must be ready. When a child is alone or hurting, will our children allow God to love others through them? Will our kids be characterized by obedience and gratitude?

There is another, more masculine, example to follow. The book of 1Samuel shows how a mother gave her son to the Lord, to be “the Lord’s helper,” (1Sam 2:18). And, when the Lord called on Samuel to be His prophet, Samuel was ready & obedient.

We are raising royalty. Will our charges be ready when God has need of them? No longer are we nagging parents; it is our privilege & responsibility to make sure that our children are aware of the fact that they were created for a purpose. I am not parenting for my own enjoyment; the mandate is much higher. The King desires that our children know Him and His commands. As parents, we cannot simply feed & clothe our children until they can do it themselves. We must give them the best ‘diet’ & ‘beauty treatments’ so they will be pleasing to the King when He calls for them.

best laid plans

abelara — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:52:59 +0000

we had a fabulous time at New Staff Training last week in Orlando. we covered some really valuable information and got to know a little better what we are actually getting our selves into. but what i enjoyed the most from our week away was all of the incredible people we met. not only did we have fabulous instructors, but the other participants from the various ministries of Campus Crusade are all top notch people. we made some great new friends, it's hard not to when you spend 10 hours or more for 10 days together.

so we've made it home and have hit the ground running. in fact, we may have started running a little too fast.

deb and i are both pretty competitive people. so when a challenge was given during our training of who could be the first person to get 3 appointments for the following week to share our ministry, we were on it. we each got our three, and i even got a fourth. deb won a handcrafted pen for being the first female to get her 3 appointments by 7:31pm. and i won some books for going above and beyond the assignment of getting three appointments.

but we weren't very strategic in our calendar planning. as it stood when we left training, we had appointments on tuesday, thursday, friday, and saturday of this week. and since i have a leaders meeting at church on wednesday, that meant one or both of us was busy every night of the week from tuesday-saturday.

so it was kinda a relief for us when yesterday our appointment for thursday rescheduled for friday. it's easier to ask a babysitter to come earlier or stay later, than it is to find a babysitter for another night of the week entirely.

Campus Crusade has various goals per week/month that they'd like New Staff to aim for in order to eventually report to their assignment in a timely manner. these goals are adjusted according to a person's work schedule at an outside job. so for me working 40hrs/week at Efcom, plus some more hours towards church related activities, we have goals set on the low end.

well as competitive as we are, and as much as we sense the urgency of the work we'll be doing, we've overachieved our goals for the first two weeks. which is great because it eventually gets us closer to our goal of reporting to work in Little Rock. but it's not so great being away from our family every night of the week.

i think the people at Campus Crusade have set their goals for us very reasonable, probably because they've seen thousands of families go before us and are aware of what drain it can take on time, family, and body. if we can taper back slightly and coordinate our schedule even better, we'll be better off in the long run. doing that i think we'll be able to reach our goals and maybe even overachieve every once in a while, and still have a healthy, sane family when we finally move.

keep us, our kids, and our health in your prayers. thanks.

it’s official!

abelara — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:16:28 +0000

We are now officially commissioned as Missionaries and Members of the Religious Missionary Order of Campus Crusade for Christ.

For His Glory,

Abraham & Deborah Lara

the called

abelara — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:33:11 +0000

as i sit and look at the picture above of our fellow New Staff Training attendees, my eyes are welling up with tears. these people are heroes to me.

only 14 others in the picture above will eventually be joining deborah and i on the staff of FamilyLife in Little Rock, AR. the others are all joining other ministries of Campus Crusade for Christ. some are going to join Campus Ministry, reaching young adults at various colleges around the country. some are headed to Student Venture, to reach High School students with God’s love and hope. still other are bound for Athletes in Action, specifically targeting athletes in college. there’s a few with a heart for Here’s Life Inner City, reaching the poor with the gospel of Jesus Christ. and a couple of them are called to Military Ministry. and still others are being sent to work with The JESUS Film Project®, Keynote, or other International assignments.

you see happy, smiling, young faces.*

i know the men and women who have been called by God to set apart their lives for a greater work of full time ministry. they come from all walks of life. there are students right out of college, former military, pastors, video production engineers, IRS agents, teachers, people from office jobs or manual labor. some have been married for years and have grown children, others have young children, and there are even two couples here that just got married 19 days ago!

these men and women have chosen to leave their friends and loved ones, pack up their families sometimes to a place unknown, and trust fully on God for their lives. these heroes have accepted the task of raising their support not because it’s fun, attractive, or easy to do so. no, they’re here at New Staff Training because each one of them has felt a call from God to do what He’s called them to do (and oh, if you could hear all of the stories i’ve heard). they have a passion for their particular area of ministry. and they have a sense of urgency to their work. the time is short, and we must begin doing the work He’s called us to do while there’s still time.

they are my heroes…my co-laborers…and my friends.

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* picture intentionally blurred and darkened for various reasons. email me or call me if you’d like to know why.

how do you know God is God?

deblara — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:58:40 +0000

Ezekiel 34:26 I will turn them and the regions around my hill into a blessing. I will make showers come down in their season; they will be showers that bring blessing.

Ezekiel 34:30 Then they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them, and that they are my people, the house of Israel, declares the sovereign LORD.

I really enjoy reading this chapter in Ezekiel. It shows God, in all His power, taking it upon Himself to go, find and rescue His own sheep, His people. It paints a creative picture of sheep who technically belong in the fold. However, because of negligence on the part of shepherds that have been put into place to care for the sheep, the sheep have wandered away. But this is not okay with God- He desperately wants to maintain relationship with each of His children.

And so, the chapter goes on to point out how God will care for and provide for His people. He will send “showers of blessing.” And the part that really stuck out to me is found in verse 30: “Then they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them…” God’s heart is to bless His people; He wants them to be blessed and to know that it comes from our Heavenly Father because He is good.

There are other passages throughout the Bible, as well, that show when a person or nation chooses active rebellion or passive indifference against God, they receive justice from God. This is simply so that they would get the clear picture that there is one God, and they are not Him.

So the bottom line is God wants us to make good choices that result in blessing. And if we have wandered away from Him, He will actively pursue us until we can once again walk in the abundant life that He can offer us.
God wants us to know that His character is good. We do not “know” He is God because He alone says it or simply because nature displays His majesty. In and of itself, that should be enough proof. However, God wants to prove His love to you through His power to find you and to bring you into a place of blessing.

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Dear God, thank you for passionately pursuing me. Thank you for the showers of blessing that You have in store for me. Today I choose to give you glory & honor because of who You are! Amen.

no. 7

abelara — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:58:27 +0000

we’re so excited that we start our journey today.

we’re heading to Seattle today and spending the night with deb’s sister. and then we meet up with our old pastor’s and friends, Steve & Christine Hayes, who will take us to the airport.

we’ll still be updating the blog and all our other social media outlets during our trip. so stay tuned for the latest from Orlando.

thanks again to everyone who has given towards our ministry. we’re very greatful and humbled to see God’s confirmation on our calling.

for the family,

Abraham and Deborah Lara

no. 6

abelara — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 21:14:32 +0000

we’re still amazed at God’s goodness and at people’s heart of generosity.

deb sent in the last round of support checks/money orders so this makes 6 of these envelopes that we’ve sent in.

thank you, to all who’ve been able to give. and thanks as well to those who’ve mentioned they’d like to give but for various reasons or circumstances are unable to at this time.

we are grateful for your support and prayers.

a fresh start

deblara — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 03:56:19 +0000

Ezekiel 18:32 “I don’t want you to die, says the Sovereign Lord. Turn back and live.”

Ezekiel has been sent with a message from God to wayward Israel. God’s only agenda for His people is blessing and life. And yet it seems no matter how much encouragement and incentive He gives them to make good choices they have a propensity to fall back into rebellion and immorality.

As a mother, I can relate. I feel that no matter how hard I try to steer this ship, this home, in one direction it is constantly fighting to go the other way. I’m going right, everyone else is going left.

So what does God do in this situation?

He draws a line in the sand, so to speak. He says, “from this moment on, choose life. Turn from your sins! Don’t let them destroy you! Put all your rebellion behind you and get for yourselves a new heart & a new spirit” (Ez. 18:30-31)

In the same way, I need to offer my kids a fresh start and a new beginning. But also I need to accept that same grace. God is telling me “the past is passed.” Starting now, put on a trusting heart and a contrite spirit. Accept mercy, and grace, and give it just as generously.

Dear Lord, Help me to walk in these truths today. Give me your strength to be faithful. I need You. Amen. :)

what motivates us

abelara — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 16:45:41 +0000

in this video Dennis Rainey shares his favorite letter that he’s received concerning a Weekend to Remember Conference experience.

visit FamilyLife’s Weekend to Remember site to find conference dates and locations in your area. and if you’re interested in attending send us an email at feedback@theacousticlife.com to find out how you can receive a discount off registration, or other means of attending.

popcorn prayer

deblara — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 00:08:24 +0000

Do you need some practical parenting tips? On Fridays I will be bringing helpful ideas for parents in the areas of cooking, cleaning and developing Christ-like character in your kids!

english muffins and love

abelara — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:47:44 +0000

i would probably describe myself as a competitive person. and if you know deb, she’s also competitive. sometimes this is a fun playful thing between us, and other times it’s not always a good thing. but there is one aspect that i hope we can keep things competitive.

have you ever read your Bible with married eyes? that is, you are soaking in what the scriptures are saying to you concerning your spouse and/or your relationship to them?

in the English Standard Version of Romans 12 the section from verses 9-21 are categorized as “Marks of a True Christian”. but now re-read that through married eyes, focusing in on the second part of verse 10.

“Outdo one another in showing honor.”

the other day i woke up early to go to the store before work to get milk and bread since we were out and because with 6 kids in the house it’s essential to have them. it was towards the end of the month, so we were kinda low on funds, but as i was getting ready deb muttered something about getting her english muffins as well. but then she also added that they weren’t as essential and we could get them next month.

later in the day she thanked me and asked, “why did you get english muffins? i don’t even remember asking you for them.” i mentioned how in her half sleepy state she had asked, but then said they were not needed. but BAM … i had found an opportunity to make her day.

it won’t always cost you $3 to make your spouse happy. sometimes there are free ways, other times it will cost more. at times A LOT more. but can you afford not to?can you just let your marriage drift?

how are you doing, are you looking for opportunities to show your spouse honor? to make their day? to give them more reasons to love you?

devos with deb 8/31/09

deblara — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:58:36 +0000

here’s a bit of a devotional to help start your week- enjoy!

download (17027 KB)

online giving

abelara — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:09:40 +0000

some are probably saying “it’s about time”, but i’ve finally put an official online giving link on our blog for your convenience to partner with us in our journey to staff with FamilyLife.

we’ve been so blessed the past few weeks as we’ve shared with people what God is doing in our lives, in the ministry of FamilyLife and how he’s brought us together. we’ve seen people become excited to partner with us and the ministry of FamilyLife.

well, it’s crunch time people. we’ve only got 15 days left till we leave for Orlando. back in June we were encouraged/challenged to raise $6000 to cover the expenses of New Staff Training and the Follow-up Training. so far we’ve received a little over 50% of that in pledges towards that $6000 goal. yet we’ve only been given in hand a little over 30% of it.

so, for those of you who needed a reminder to fulfill your pledge or perhaps you were waiting for a more convenient way to give (because honestly, who in the world still uses checks?), here it is.

on the right you’ll see an Online Giving button/link that will take you directly to the giving page on Campus Crusade for Christ’s website where you can give towards our ministry. it’s a simple process.

first, you’ll be asked for an amount and frequency (special needs gift or ongoing monthly or quarterly gift). you can also add a note for us in this step.
then, you’ll be asked to give as a guest or log in with your account (if you’ve given to Campus Crusade before-not necessary though).
third, you’ll be asked for your contact info.
finally, it will ask for your method of payment – bank withdrawal or debit/credit card.

by default it asks for a bank withdrawal using your bank account # and routing #. this is the default method since there aren’t any fees associated with it charged to our account. if you use a debit/credit card our account (not yours) is charged the 2-3% processing fee that Visa/Mastercard/Discover/etc. charges to Campus Crusade. in other words if you choose to give $100 using a debit/credit card, we’ll actually only receive $97 or $98 because of the fees (you’ll still receive a receipt for a donation of $100 though).

we could care less by which method you choose, we are so grateful to every person who is able to partner with us; be it with $100, $1000, or $1. we’re simply glad that you’ve obeyed God in what he’s asked you to do, and trust that He’ll take care of our every need. but for some, you may feel it’s worth the extra effort to pull out the seldom used checkbook to find your account and routing #s in order to make sure that every penny of your donation gets credited to our account.

once again, a huge THANK YOU to all of you who have already given, or are planning to give. we’ve got 15 days left till we leave for our first training and we’ll have much more information and vision to pass along in the coming weeks and months as we enjoy (and labor through) this next season of our lives.

so click on the link to the right or the button below.

it is worth fighting for

abelara — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:14:41 +0000

“if He raised Jesus from the dead, don’t you think he is powerful enough to bring new life back into your marriage?”

those words, from the story of a couple we met this past summer when visiting the campus of FamilyLife, have been ringing in my head since then as I see and hear about broken relationships all around me.

I recently listened to a podcast on FamilyLife that describes one story that seemed impossible to rescue. but with God all things are possible. click the link below to listen. and stay through till the very end where they share a letter from the husband to the wife.

Love Renewed: Paul and Tina Meek

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ps. until Sunday, 8/16, when you sign up for a Weekend to Remember Conference at regular price you can get a certificate for another couple to join you free of charge. if you’re interested, go to familylife.com/weekend and enter the promo code: HOPE.

a great habit forming

abelara — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:23:12 +0000

I am truely honored and humbled everytime I put one of these suuport envelopes in the mail.

it’s great having people join our team and believe in helping to strengthen marriages and families.

envelope no. 3

the adventure

abelara — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:38:33 +0000

seriously, these are the cutest missionaries you'll ever meet. :)

(direct Youtube link: http://is.gd/1mrt0)

ep. 3 – we’re moving

abelara — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 07:16:39 +0000

if you didn’t know already, you can now find and subscribe to our podcast in iTunes (http://is.gd/1jKdX)

in this episode of the podcast we discuss: waiting, the kids, stranger on a plane, fundraising, join us

we’re moving! (updated)

deblara — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 07:01:20 +0000

update: added contact info for sending in financial support

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i’m pleased to announced that i’ve added deborah as an author to this blog. and as her first post we like to share something she wrote this past week to some facebook friends. enjoy:

25 things that’ll blow your mind!

1) We’re moving to Little Rock, Arkansas!

2) Last week (from June 17- June 21, 2009) my husband, Abraham, and I spent time at the ministry of FamilyLife in Little Rock, AR.

3) My mom, Rebecca Berghoff, took care of our 6 lovely daughters for the time we were away.

4) My mom took our girls tent-camping for part of that time- accompanied only by a 10-year old cousin (our oldest is 8 and our twins are 14 months); they all survived and had fun eating marshmallows and taking hikes.

5) While at FamilyLife I shook hands with both Dennis and Barbara Rainey.

6) FamilyLife hosts Weekend to Remember Conferences each year; in 2008 there were 155 Weekend to Remember Conferences with more than 87,700 people in attendance and 2,973 reported salvation decisions.

7) FamilyLife also produces a daily radio program, distributes resources to many ministry channels,has developed HomeBuilders- a Bible Study for families, has international ministries, and reaches out to orphans through Hope for Orphans.

8) In February of 2008, Abraham & I attended our 3rd WTR; it was there that we attended their staff opportunities meeting and indicated we were interested in joining their staff.

9) Staff with FamilyLife are essentially missionaries; they raise both financial and prayer support; they uproot their families and move to the foreign field of Arkansas; the focus of their ministry is “to build godly marriages and families who will change the world, one home at a time”.

10) After a year in the application process and jumping through figurative hoops we were invited to come to Little Rock to preview the ministry.

11) I spent 5 days away from my kids; I didn’t change one diaper or get any food spilled on me.

12) Our time with the staff at FamilyLife was extremely affirming and validating; by the close of our time with them both Abraham and myself felt confident that this is where God wants us.

13) “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10

14) Upon completion of this interview process, we were asked to come on staff with FamilyLife.

15) When we came home and shared the news with our kids they were all- mainly the older three- extremely excited.

16) Before we can report to work, we must attend two additional staff trainings and build a team that will come alongside us to monthly support our ministry to marriages and families.

17) The first one will be held September 12-19, 2009 in Orlando Florida.

18) During this week of training we won’t even be taken to DisneyWorld.

19) The approximate cost for Abraham and me to attend these trainings total just over $6000.

20) “And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.” 2 Corinthians 9:8

21) At this point, I want to appeal to you to partner with us to meet this special need. Would you prayerfully consider giving $500, $300 or$100 to cover these expenses? (I throw out those numbers to encourage you to think big:o) Undoubtedly, we would gratefully accept any amount that you could donate.)

22) I am really excited about what God has in store for my family at this season in our lives! I know that He is a BIG God; He already has all the details of our lives worked out!

23) If you feel that God has equipped you to help us at this time , you can send checks directly to us. (For a tax deduction, make checks out to Campus Crusade for Christ- or CCC).

24) Whether it is giving financially or simply by praying for us, know that we care about you and appreciate your interest and investment in our lives.

25) “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4 :19

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If you have any further questions or comments please leave them here, email me, twitter me, or call me. I look forward to hearing from you!!

Until the whole world hears,

Deborah Lara

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if you’d like to send us financial support you can mail checks to:

503 Concord Ave.
Grandview, WA 98930

make checks out to: Campus Crusade for Christ

after we get our missionary acct. # assigned we’ll put it in the memo of the check and then send it in to Campus Crusade for Christ.

once we get our acct # if you’d later like to send in on going support directly we’ll have an address to give.