Shouting out What?

Last Saturday night our family attended the Lights of Christmas at Warm Beach Camp near Stanwood, WA. The "Lights" are just spectacular and the evening is filled with the sights and sounds of Christmas. A majestic nativity scene is the highlight for me and I also love the Victorian Carolers, "Bruce the Spruce" the talking Christmas tree, hot donuts, apple cider, amazingly gifted musicians, holiday theater, and on and on.

A funny thing happened as we arrived there by car. The parking attendants were waving their flashlights directing traffic and we got headed towards the wrong parking area. I realized it pretty quickly and shared with one of the traffic directors that we were staying overnight at Deer Mountain Lodge. He had me turned around and that is when the fun started.

When we got turned around, he shouted to the next traffic director, at the top of his lungs, "Deer Mountain Lodge", "Deer Mountain Lodge", who then passed it on to the next traffic person at the top of his lungs he shouted, "Deer Mountain Lodge" and then the next person, and on and on it went from person to person. We all cracked up. It was so funny! We were being announced to all the people within earshot, that we were headed for "Deer Mountain Lodge".

We now have another Merry Christmas memory for 2009.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas time news

One of the many blessing of our fall season leading into Christmas was our involvement with 5th/6th grade basketball here in Friday Harbor. Daughter Carly, #11 in the picture, is in 6th grade and part of this team of girls, the Friday Harbor Tigers. Monique and I, along with two other fathers, coached these girls. Due to limited gym time available to us, we practiced at 6 a.m. in the morning on Tues. and Thurs. for 7 weeks. Wow! It was tough enough for the adults to rally up at that hour for a basketball practice, but the girls persevered, showed up regularly and really grew as friends and basketball players. We traveled each Saturday on the ferry to play games in the SWISH league, which was located in Mt. Vernon, WA

The reward, a SWISH league and tournament championship. As you can see, the girls have big smiles on their faces with trophy in hand.

Now the high school basketball season is in full swing. Daughter Ellie, in 8th grade, is practicing with the J.V. which Vic is coaching. Monique helps out with the varsity two days a week. Our passion for basketball was rekindled in the Dominican Republic with our mission trip. More hoop news will be coming soon.

Thanksgiving Preparations

It is Wednesday evening, just before Thanksgiving day and the kitchen is a buzzing. Grandma, Mom, and Carly are busy preparing pies, decorating the table and just plain having fun together. This is what Thanksgiving is all about for us as a family. Wherever we are, this pre Thanksgiving day kitchen flurry is part of the family tradition. The last few years we have been in Whittier, Calif. at brother Tom's house. Aunt Marti is always busy preparing for the big day and has often completed most of her work a few days ahead of schedule.

Thanksgiving traditions are so rich for the Woodward family. Thanksgiving has always been a time to bring family together, connect, relax and enjoy each other. This Thanksgiving will be no exception. We will see what the morning brings, more kitchen buzz, maybe a run through town, The Turkey Trot, or maybe not. Have a blessed day, one rich with American traditions and filled with the Spirit of God, who makes all things possible.

Here is our gift to you from the Scriptures this Thanksgiving.

Colossians 3:14-16 (The Message)

So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

Friends

Our friends, Bob and Alli Benz make the trip to Warm Beach Camp extra special. One of the things Alli and Carly like to do together is mountain boarding. No, the dads don't get on those boards, but we are the go-fer's. We pull the boards up the hill for the girls. Have our daughters got us trained or what?

Father/Daughter with Carly

I finally have a few minutes to sit down and tell you about my two days with Carly at Warm Beach Christian Camp in Stanwood. I have taken Ellie and Carly to Warm Beach for four years now. There is a special father/daughter weekend that features a two night stay and tons of fun activities for dads and daughters. We had a blast, literally and figuratively.

The actual blast-off occurs Sunday morning with a rocket launch, which is one of the activities you can choose to do with your daughter. Building a rocket together, selecting the paint and decorating it is all part of the fun. The launch is a site to see and the rockets ascend out over the horse barn and corrals. Most of the rockets are retrieved, but occasionally one will stray into the trees and get hung up forever.

Another activity she and I have challenged ourselves with is the rock wall climb. They have a 40 ft. climbing wall and this year the two of us made it to the top. Yahoo! I am so proud of Carly, overcoming her fears and pressing on to the top. She was awesome!

Our friend Bob Benz and his daughter Alli have been going with us the last three years and have made it possible for us to go through their generous giving. We are so grateful! There are so many fantastic moments to reflect on; creating a massive whirlpool with all the dads and daugthers during swim time, shooting BB guns at targets, archery, horse back riding, mini-golf and evening devotions (time with God) together.

See the next post for more on friends, Bob and Alli. The devotions this weekend were particularly powerful for me. Our leader for devotion time, Ed McDonnel contrasted living a fear-based life with living a love motivated life and how those who follow Christ are empowered to live a life of love. Wow!

Ephesians 5:1-2 Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.

Father/Daughter Week

I had a most amazing week with my girls, Carly and Ellie. The week of September 14-20 turned out to very very memorable. It was a week when God and his timing, put together special father/daughter outings for us. The first part of the week found Ellie and I on the Skagit River near Concrete, WA fishing for pink salmon. What a blast! Thanks to friends Joe and Judy Shepherd we had the comforts of home while camping near the river. Joe set up their travel trailer for us. What a deal! He set us up with wood for our campfires and all the tips on fishing the river. Ellie cooked some wonderful meals in the kitchen and she loved the fact that we slept on beds versus air mattresses which we are accustomed to while camping. I got to cook up some manly or dadly breakfasts for Ellie, eggs, sausage, pancakes, etc... That's what I'm talking about! We had so much fun! In the evenings we played cards or bananagrams with many laughs.

The additional blessing was that we caught salmon. Above Ellie is struggling to hold up three nice fish. There were literally hundreds upon hundreds of salmon swimming by us heading up river to spawn. It was an amazing sight to see. On our 1 mile walk up to the fishing hole, a most beautiful fall sight blessed us big time. We were walking in a canopy of deciduous trees and the slight breeze was causing the trees to shower us with leaves. It was as if an intermittent rain was falling full of leaves. Wow! What an exclamation point God gave us to magnify His presence in that time and place.

More blogging coming, this time my two days with Carly, all in the same week!

Laugh Your Way in Seotember

The Fall season is upon us and we are excited to present three Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage video conferences in northwest Washington. You can find out more about these conferences and register online at www.laughyourway.com

Here are the dates and communities where we will be in September:

Sept. 11-12 - Friday Harbor, WA @ Friday Harbor Presbyterian Church

www.fridayharborpresbyterian.org

Sept. 25-26 - Lopez Island, WA @ Lopez Island Community Church

Oct. 16-17 - Christ the King Community Church - Mt. Vernon, WA

www.ctkonline.com

Please consider joining us for this life giving marriage conference. You won't regret it!

Dominican Republic Mission Trip

Our island to island mission is just about ready to launch. You can follow our journey at this specific blogsite: http://woodwardgroup.blogspot.com

We are hoping to keep a journal here of our trip. Internet access may be sketches but we will see what is available to us in the DR.

Thanks for your prayers.

Enjoy the blog. There are a couple of posts there now.

Vic

Life Changing - Flag Page Story

Our dear friend Paul wrote this about his Flag Page experience...

Life changing?

There aren't many times in my life I've used the words 'life changing',
and probably when I did it was meant in a negative way, not positive.
Recently I've made this statement about the Flag Page journey I've been on.
The Flag Page teaches what is good about you, not what you need to change or
get better at. Until recently I thought there was something wrong with me
and the wayI reacted to situations wasn't okay.
I saw others handle lifes challenges and thought others did it right or
better.

The Flag Page teaches that we are each unique masterpieces by a loving God.
It teaches us what is good about us - not what needs to be changed or fixed.

• Some of us are at our best when we are in a situation where we can get it done - Control Country. 
• Some of us thrive when when we live to have fun - Fun Country.
• Some of us want to be precise and exact in what we do - Perfect Country.
  
• Some of us are motivated to encourage harmony and cooperation - Peace Country.

And these are all good.
Some of us are motivated to be soft, relational and flexible.
Some are motivated to be hard, to the point, results oriented.

And it is all good. We can stop judging ourselves and others and start
speaking a new language of love when we begin to understand ourselves and others.

Life changing!

To learn more about the Flag Page go to: www.flagpagetest.com

Flag Page Testimony

Monique and I have been experiencing God using a tool called the Flag Page. To learn more about the Flag Page go to: www.flagpagetest.com This amazing tool takes a snapshot of your heart, your passions, what motivates you for living life. It reveals how God has created you and how you respond and react in relationship to others in your circle of influence.                                                       

Here is Monique's Flag Page testimony; 

The role the Flag Page has had on our marriage has been huge!!!  Actually, it has gone far beyond our marriage and impacted our children, extended family and just about everyone we come in contact with.  
Because the Flag Page's focus is on what is good about you and what motivates you, it opens up a whole new dimension of communication as you relate to people.  

Vic and I can more readily understand each other in difficult circumstances.  We know more specifically how to encourage one another's heart.  Since we are in marriage and family ministry we are in contact with many people on a weekly basis.  We have seen this tool be used in a way that brings people alive...it is amazing.  It takes the focus off of trying to change another person and redirects it to focusing on...relating to a person exactly the way God has made them.

Married, single, teens and children in our lives have all experienced not only validation through the Flag Page for who they are, but it has given them/us a language to communicate with.  You simply will not understand the impact I am talking about until you take the test.  It will be fun, you will recieve much insight about yourself and others and feel as though you've accomplished something.

Mo

Laugh Your Way in Whittier

Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage is coming soon to Plymouth Congregational Church in Whittier, California. Monique and I will present a Laugh Your Way video seminar on Saturday March 28th for married couples and singles. The seminar promises to be full of laughs and encouragement for everyone so please consider joining us. 

Call us at (360) 378-8435 for information on how to register. The cost for the seminar, $40 per couple and $20 per single, includes lunch. Go to www.laughyourway.com to see some video clips from the conference. 

Guys in Ties and more

Mom would have been proud of her "guys in ties" at her memorial service. What is with the ties anyway Mom? I think I know the answer to that question for this day and it is found in the Scriptures;

Exodus 20:12

¹² "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

This day was about honoring Mom, putting on a tie, praising God for her life and the blessing we received through her. Thanks Mom from (pictured) Jim with my daughter Erin, Tom, son Damon and me.

Celebrating Life Eternal

The picture above is of Monique placing a carnation on Grandma Carrie's casket during our family graveside service. Death has brought the Woodward family closer together with hearts of thanksgiving for the life of our incredible mother and grandmother.


We all had an opportunity to honor grandma with our words of appreciation, love, gratitude and praise for her life, a life well lived. On the left, Ellie and Carly place a flower on the casket. Our God gave us a gorgeously warm, clear sunny day to remember Mom in a special way. She would have loved the weather!




Mom, grandma, would have also love the fact that her old home (brother Tom and family now own the home) was filled with family after her memorial. On the right, Monique, Erin, Brian, Marcy and Damon are playing Guitar Hero - World Tour and having a blast. It would have warmed Mom's heart big time to see us all gathered together having fun, at her house. The Guitar Hero attracted budding family stars of all ages, to the left are cousin Phil on vocals, son Damon (the guitar man) and Marcy on percussion. The evening went on and on, non-stop energy either in the house or outside on the basketball court in the backyard. We couldn't have planned a better gathering in honor of Mom. Isn't that the way it is with God, his plans are so much grander than ours. On the right are cousin Vince on percussion with a female band, Erin, Amy and Marti. When a basketball gets bounced around any Woodward family member it usually attracts a crowd anytime any place. After niece Samantha's high school game the Woodwards took the court with a spirited 4 on 4 half court game. To the left is Amy taking a shot, Ellie and Grant coming in for the rebound. Woodward gatherings also include great meals. After all, the three Woody boys are trained and schooled through our membership in the "clean plate club". Here we gather at a mexican food restaurant as a family. Grandkids; Erin, Jamie, Ellie, Samantha and Amy. On the right, nephew Grant, Remick, Jim, Marti and Monique Woodward. On the left are; Monique, Vic (me), brother Tom and son Brian. I know Mom was looking down on all of us from the heavenly realm and saying, "well done family, nice to have you all together again. Can I get you anything more?" Mom was always looking to serve her family. We love you Mom!

Remembering Mom

On January 8th, 2009, my Mom, Caroline Woodward went home to be with Christ, experiencing life eternal, at peace with God in a realm where there are no tears and no pain. Ellie and Carly, see picture taken at Thanksgiving, are going to miss their grandma and Monique and I will miss Mom. Erin and Damon, not pictured, have many wonderful memories of Grandma's porch, doll houses, toys and games too. 

I was blessed by God's nudging to go visit Mom in So. Calif. just before she died. I just sensed that I needed to go see her, as brothers Tom and Jim were sharing of her declining health and attitude towards living. You know those sensing we get when God speaks; well this time I responded and was able to comfort Mom at her bedside, along with my brothers. There are so many times when I have brushed off God's promptings and not taken action on His leading. How about you? 

What a wonderful mother I had here on earth! My mom served her husband and three boys to the fullest, giving us her best in the kitchen, in the yard, on the playground, on camping trips, with family holiday gatherings, with homework, with the ironing of our shirts, and on and on the list goes. We were pretty spoiled men under her care. 

I'll never forget May day. Did you celebrate May day? We did with Mom. On May day Mom would make small flower baskets for the neighbor ladies and use her boys as the ultra-secret deliverers of the beautiful baskets of love and joy. We would run to the neighbors doorsteps, ring the door bell and then run and hide in the bushes. Mom made many ladies smile on May day as they discovered their flower baskets on the front porch. 

She guided her boys, Vic, Tom and Jim, through Cub Scouts, Indian Guides, sports teams and practically anything we wanted to be involved in or didn't want to be involved in, Ha! Ha! I'll never forget the time she took me to swim lessons against my will. She was bound and determined to get me the basic swimming skills I needed so as not to drown in the neighborhood pools. Man, I was resistant to her efforts. I threw quite a few tantrums at the swim lessons, which must have embarrassed her. Nonetheless, she pressed on and I finally succumbed. Thanks to Mom and her persistence, I can swim. 

Our family vacations were always extra special thanks to Mom's packing and organizing efforts for all of us. She made sure we stayed active; taking us on hikes, horseback rides, bike rides and explorations of the park. Mom wasn't about to let us sit around on our duff's when there were places to see and things to do on a trip. 

Mom was a teacher and a teacher of her boys. She taught us so many things, some of my favorites, NOT!, were ironing, trimming the ivy, raking the leaves, making the bed, folding my clothes and organizing in general. Ugh! I think one of the things most treasured by all of us was a life walk of "sticking to it", "not giving up" and "doing your best". She modeled this to the end of her life. When would call her to talk to her the last few years I'd ask, "how are you doing Mom, she would respond, "This getting old business is no fun, but I'm doing the best that I can". It had to be tough for Mom to sit in her chair most of the day in her later years. You see, she was a "getter done" gal. We love her for that attitude and I pray that I will embrace it more and more in the days ahead. I pray that I am giving that attitude away to my children too. Thanks MOM!

Mom's pie crusts were "to die for", not to mention her wonderful pies, and had quite the reputation for excellence in the neighborhood. She would make pie crusts upon requests for most anyone. She had the knack to make an extra flaky crust that made an incredible lemon meringue pie. Her lemon meringue pie was my favorite. 

I'll not forget the many backyard basketball games I had with friends during my college years and Mom's open offer to fix lunches for the guys. Here is my friend Carl "Cooz" Couser's recollection of Mom.

" Woody, I have awesome memories of your Mom treating me like the 4th Woody brother during my freshman year at Whittier College; when we met on Daryl Nicholson's frosh hoop team. Mama Woody haircuts and stuffing me with food; like your house was a daily buffet, all the while you and me were in the back yard beating each other up on the court." 

I love you Mom for loving me and showing me how to love others with a giving serving heart.

We are gathering the extended family and friends to celebrate Mom's life with a memorial service to be held at Plymouth Congregational Church in Whittier, CA on Sat. Jan. 17th at 2:30 p.m. Please join us if you are in the area. 

Blessings.

Vic and family

12 Blessings of Christmas

This Christmas was so amazing in incredible ways. As we all came to discover, God's hand was guiding our family gathering in the snow from the time the idea was presented at Thanksgiving dinner in November. Brother Tom kept the dream of a white Christmas surprise alive during the next few weeks and then took the plunge to buy plane tickets for himself, Marti, Amy and Brian. They scheduled their flight for Tuesday Dec. 23rd, the day after Tom's birthday. We had just seen and talked to Tom, Amy and our daughter Erin via SKYPE, an online video/phone the evening before their visit. We had no idea Tom and family were planning a special surprise visit to Friday Harbor. We were covered with 6 inches of snow and giving them a bad time for not coming up and joining us in the snow as we talked on SKYPE.

To make matters very interesting for Tom, SeaTac airport had been shut down for 48 hours due to the unsually heavy snowfall. It appeared that their surprise was going down the tubes as northwest travel was paraylyzed by the white stuff. Tom and family went to bed feeling pretty doubtful that their surprise would happen this year. When the 3 a.m. alarm went off, Marti went to the computer to discover that their flight on Virgin America was going to take-off on time to Seattle. Their 6 a.m. departure was the first flight out of Seattle in two days. Hmmmm! Anyone seeing God's hand at work?

Sure enough, they took to the air and arrived in Seattle to a sea of snow. Now they needed to rent a car and hit the I-5 freeway for the snowy drive up to Anacortes and the ferry ride to Friday Harbor. Nephew Brian took the wheel and braved the snowy road conditions for two hours in time to make the 2:40 p.m. ferry. The side roads were icy and Brian experienced some loss of traction, slip sliding away, in a fast food parking lot, but God's guiding hand kept everyone safe.

Ho! Ho! Ho! "We wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas..." This and other Christmas songs greeted me as I opened the door to 4 masked happy carolers, yucking it up. I could not figure out who was behind those masks and neither could anyone else in our house. We were all stumped and confused. Then the masks came off, one at a time, lo and behold, it was niece Amy, nephew Brian, brother Tom and wife Marti. They pulled it off, the greatest Christmas surprise ever.

The Best Christmas continued...

As I mentioned in the previous blog post, this was one of the Best Christmas' Ever. There were many factors that made this Christmas so special. Our son Damon and his wife Lindsey came to visit us here in Friday Harbor from Little Rock, AR, to spend a week with us. By God's design, we were all blessed with a white Christmas. We had so much fun playing in the snow, making snowmen, snow angels, throwing snow balls at each other and generally smothering each other in the powdery snow.

We also had a blast shoe horning 12 people into our home when the Tom Woodwards arrived on Dec. 23rd. The winter wonderland was highlighted by family fun and closeness, something that just can't be duplicated. Our wish and prayer for every family is that they might experience this gift in 2009. The gift of family is one of God's beautiful treasures and He desires that each one of us receive His healing that we might experience family in His love.


Monique, Damon and Lindsey preparing Christmas Eve dinner and Lindsey's family favorite, green bean bundles.

We give God the glory and praise for how He orchestrated this special Christmas 2008. I will speak more of God's guiding hand in making all this happen in the next blog entry.

Masked Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

It has been two months since I've sat down at the computer to do some blogging. There have been several thoughts on my mind to write about but just haven't taken the time to sit down and journal on this blog. If I don't take the time, the thought goes off into space and gets lost for a time. Frustrating! Can you relate?

This remembrance though will be etched in my mind for a long time. The etching carves deeper because my emotions were seriously stirred and emotions, when linked to life events, are the tools of memory makers.

We are enjoying a White Christmas here in northwest Washington; the first one in a long time. As I write on Christmas Eve there is a sprinkling type rain falling, which is threatening the snow dusting which highlights the trees, but I suspect the white blanket of snow on the ground will stay through Christmas.

Now for the surprise; yesterday afternoon, around 4 p.m., for the first time in many many years here in Friday Harbor, Christmas carolers came to our front porch. They were very mysterious because all of them were wearing ski masks. They came with loud boisterous voices, belting out familiar carols but I could not identify the faces behind the masks. There was laughter amongst the caroling and it definitely seemed that they knew me. Who could this be?

My daughter-in-law Lindsey and son Damon, here from Arkansas, and a little boy Adolfo who we were are caring for were the only ones in the house with me. I looked and looked at each face but was completely stumped. Who are these people? I began to suspect they might be some of my son's old high school friends stopping by to say hello. But then, would they be caroling?

The carolers continued to belt out the carols with laughter and joy. At about this same time, my wife Monique and her mother came in the back door to the house. We are all stupefied by the carolers and could not figure out who was behind the masks. Daughters Ellie and Carly were off sledding with friends so we didn't have their help in figuring out the mystery.

Finally, this band of merriment began to take off their masks. Much to our surprise, the voice behind the deep HO! HO! HO! was my brother Tom and his family; wife Marti, daughter Amy and son Brian. Wow! We were all in joyous shock. Merry Christmas! they shouted and we all hugged and laughed for what seemed like hours later. What an incredible memory that has been carved in our hearts and minds.

In my next blog...I'll share what makes this masked mystery even more amazing.

Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage

Monique and I had the opportunity to attend a Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage Conference in Yakima, WA in September. Wow! We laughed and laughed as Mark Gungor presented hilarious truths about make and female communication.

Honest, Hard-hitting and Hilarious are three words that best describe the conference. We were so encouraged by this teaching and have decided to promote the conference as part of InFocus Family Ministries. It is another way we will reach out and offer hope to marriages and families.

We will host a video conference in Friday Harbor on the weekend of November 14-15th at The Elements Hotel. Please call us to register - (360) 378-8435

You will laugh, be encouraged and empowered to live out a healthy marriage relationship.

Dad and daughter weekend

The weekend of September 12-14 daughter Carly and I attended Dads/Daughters weekend at Warm Beach Camp, near Stanwood, WA. Our friends, Bob and Ally Benz joined us in our cabin. To the right is a picture of all of us after our sunset canoe trip.








We all had an incredible time and were blessed with warm summer weather. One of the campfire chapels that we all shared together spoke to me. It was a message for the dads, talking about before responding to our daughters behavior, always remember the forgiveness we have in Christ. The phrase that stuck with me is, "do everything on the backside of forgiveness". When we reflect on the Savior's unconditional love and forgiveness freely given for our sins, our responses are seasoned with grace. This makes such a huge difference in building our relationships with our daughters and allows us to give consequences with love.


We had a full weekend of activity, horse back riding, swimming, archery, BB gun target shooting, mini-golf, shooting baskets, tire swining, Foosball, 4 square and ping-pong. At the last minute, Carly and I decided to make a rocket. We launched it on Sunday morning, and it never came back. The wind grabbed it and planted high in the trees. Oops, we needed a change in trajectory.



Something to remember, respond in love by being on the "backside of forgiveness".

Fair Time Again

One of our favorite family events that brings summer closer to a close is the San Juan County Fair. This week is fair week and our family tradition has been for each of us to enter something in the fair. I'm entering the sunset photo I took last summer of Fisherman's Bay on Lopez Island. It was one of those special moments when God chose to accent the heavens with a multitude of colors for His glory. What an incredible display of the Creator's majesty, creativity and splendor. The heavens truly do declare the glory of the Lord.