Jennifer Broberg blog

Pete

November 14 2011

A Father's LoveI got a phone call the other day. It was unexpected. Most of my days I concentrate on the focus to get through the day until something stops me and says, "Can you hear me?" The Holy Spirit is sweet and gentle...sometimes easy to miss if you are too busy trying to beat the clock or check off the next item on your list.It was my dad. I was taken back in time. We connected with the love of the Father as the love of a father reached out for connection. I am thankful for an earthly father who is not perfect but flawed. He is proof of amazing grace transformation through the redeeming love of God for a poor, motherless, and needy boy. It teaches me that I too, with all my flaws, can be loved like this...and points me towards my heavenly father. The one who never disappoints, never fails.At my father-in-law's funeral my husband, Mark, shared a memory from his childhood... a memory of a defining moment for him. In a game of capture the flag, my father-in-law managed to cross enemy lines and was coming to save one of his captured teammates and take them back to safety. Mark was just a boy, and looking around at his fellow teammates and how big and strong they all were in comparison, decided that he would not be the chosen one. But he was wrong, his dad chose him. In that moment he felt valued, by the love of a father who, he knew then, would always choose him.Not everyone can relate to this story. You may have very painful memories of your father, too painful to revisit. But whatever makes you run towards God and His unfailing love, even when painful, is a gift. God chooses you...he always chooses you. He chooses you, not for what you are, or can give, or have come from, but just for you.I am thankful today for the flaws and the pain that keep me going back to the one who is spotless. I keep running back and holding tight. He won't leave me...and I am grateful...that my father, in his imperfections,in his redemption,and in his want, pointed me to my Father, and showed me what true love is.Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Ephesians 3:17-19 (NLT)
Pete 2

A Father's love

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Running the Race

I have always loved to run. Mostly, as fast as I could. It is all I could endure, a quick 100 meter dash...the exhilarating experience of a fast and furious race. Now that I am older and more mature *cough, cough, wink* I have made myself endure the discipline of long distance running. Training long distance is different than training for a 100 meter dash. It's long, painful, long, sweaty, long...you get the jest. What started out as a physical discipline has saturated my life with so many spiritual lessons to grow on.So let me share a few 'lessons" for life, God has whispered in my ear as I have sweated and panted, sweated and prayed, and endured one more mile.~Number one rule to running long distance is to keep going, even when you think you can't. Sometimes you may be tempted to quit or take a break, but it is in those times that if you just breath in Jesus and remember He gives you strength, your next stride gets easier, and when you relax your whole body works better.~There will be pain involved. No way around it there will be pain, unless you are not running the race to win the prize. There are different kinds of pain. Some pain is not so serious that you need to stop, but should keep going. I have found that my wimpy-ness can get the better of me and I can psych myself into quitting, but once determined to keep going, have found that the pain turns out to be small, insignificant, and slowly goes away as I keep everything in perspective.The other type of pain is more serious, and might even take you down if you try to run through it there will be no mistaking this pain. The only way to overcome this is to rest. God sometimes takes us out of commission when we don't take our selves out, when we need to rest and refuel and healing, in Him.~Your race is your race. Don't be tempted to hop lanes and try to run someone else's race, but instead learn from them and remember that each one has been training in ways and length that you have not. God gives us exactly what we need for our race.~When you fall or trip, get up keep going. You may feel embarrassed or lose faith in yourself but here is the great thing, it is not about you it is about Jesus, and His grace for you. He will honor your efforts and faith to trust. His grace is sufficient for you even in the middle of shame. He will help you up and see you to the finish line if you let Him.~Some days will feel lonely and there will be no one to cheer you on to the finish. On these days your coach, Jesus, whispers in your ear, "you can do it! I made you for this and I am right here, I will never leave you, I delight in you!""Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Heb.12:1
October page 1

Not of this world

October page 2 "...And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country- a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he had prepared a city for them." Heb. 11:13-16The longer I am in missions the more I am an alien. Whether we are in Russia or in America, I always feel a little "out of the loop". There are some logical reasons for this and then there is the fact that no matter what, I will never fit in.3 of my children attended public school this year. Haillie had the hardest time having to attend high school. She came home daily with new details of her foreign experience from the cursing and back talking to new things she had no clue about like prom! Things I never thought to prepare her for were amusing and sometimes sad to me. Sad to know the struggles of the American teen and that she is in the obvious minority with her stance on morality and ethics. She was definitely challenged in her balance of being bold and gracious.Community is nice, belonging to a group is a wonderful comfort. The truth is community can sometimes be a hindrance to growth, so far our life has taught my girl to not be afraid to be different and to be true to her convictions. More challenging are those of you who fight against conforming in a world that has been "home" all your life. Not until I left my "home" in America have I ever been faced with the reality of my idols. Over the years I have been stripped of many of them, but I find that it is easy to blend, easy to get back into bad habits. So I am challenged and challenge you wherever you are to live as a foreigner in a foreign land."Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning;they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them." Heb.11:37-38
September 28th

September 28th 2010

September 28 2 page So, I missed writing about my precious daughter on her special day and so I will dedicate this post to her.I just had a birthday yesterday, 4 decades...yes, it is the big one (one of them anyways)and we had a little gathering at a friends to celebrate. My wonderful daughter gifted me with a special poem she wrote for me. Before I share it I want to say that through this season of grief in my life I have found my relationship with my daughter to be more precious and comforting to me than ever before. She blesses me with hugs and words of love at moments when (unknowing to her) I needed it the most. When I long to hear my mom's voice it seems that God sends my daughter to whisper, "I love you!" in my ear. Oh, how sweet...I have discovered in my loss the gift that goes on... this mother daughter relationship.Haillie Scout is now 15 and has been my strong-willed child, very conscientious, methodical, unique, creative, assertive, smart...I have lots of words for her. She is an amazing girl whom I always said would some day change the world. She has been my biggest lesson and gift from God.WHAT MOTHERS DOThis is what those mothers do,To speak the words, "I love you"She listens while you rave and rantAnd while you scream, "I just can't!"Quietly tells you, "You are wrong."And pushes you right along.That's just what those mothers doTo speak the words, "I love you."She sits near and braids your hairBecause to try, you didn't dareOf course she'll whisper in your ear"You're beautiful" then hugs you nearThat's just what those mothers doTo speak the words, "I love you"She'll always kiss you, clean or dirtyEven when you're old and thirtyBut when you're bad and got the cranksShe won't hesitate to give you spanks!That's just what those mothers doTo say the words, " I love you."Dad's are great, (though some do harm)They just lack that motherly charmNo one can love you like a motherThe truth is, you need each otherSo when your mother kisses your cheekOr comes in uninvited just for a peekRemember that's just what those mothers doTo speak the words, "I love you."Hallie Scout LaRue Broberg

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June 29 page 1

SAYING GOODBYE

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It continues, the difficulty of staying in this country. As you may know we are in the middle of applying with the government to live here long term. Many families have made the decision of leaving and there are only a handful of us left that are in a waiting period with this. There is no anxiety in what we have already given to God. Faith and trusting have become a lifestyle for us. Still we deal with the emotions that come when having to say goodbye.We have had to say good-bye to many friends... good friends. If you have never lived here it is hard to understand all the difficulties and opposition we come against. I have sat and cried with friends as we packed up their belongings mourning a ministry and life they had loved so much and worked so hard at. It is a difficult decision, and 1 that I could never judge. We know the warfare, pain, and sacrifice, that comes with this life but at times I think it takes more faith to leave.Last week we again found ourselves having to say goodbye and deal with the loss of more friends. Over the years I have tried to counsel my children in words like, "we can enjoy the thought of having friends all over the world!" and "just think about how God brought those friends to us especially for this time in our lives...they will always be dear to us through those memories if not forever through the years!" These little reminders are not just for my children. I find myself gaining so much from each friend that God puts in my path to journey together for a time, surprising me in hidden treasures that I didn't know were there.Recently, my daughter said to her friend Sarah as they said goodbye for the last time, "See you tomorrow!" This was her way of dealing with the pain, and although we will mourn our loss, I like the sentiment behind those words. So, to all my dear friends old, and new, thank you! I love you and am grateful for having shared part of life with you, you have taught me so much and I will see you in a tomorrow...
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Tuesday, June 29, 2010

June 19 page 1

My 13 year lesson on boys...Happy birthday, Noah!

Today is my son's birthday. We already celebrated it but I thought I would write a post in honor of him.From his beginning Noah was easy. His delivery was quick and easy and that was just a foreshadowing of what life in general would be like with Noah. He has been our easy-going, fun loving boy from the start. Always able to take bossing from his sister and endure wounds without a tear. And it seems that I just looked away and when I looked back he had turned into this young man.I never had a brother and boys have been quite the mystery to me but having a son has given me an up close and personal lesson on the joy and struggles of boys. I am now a more understanding and compassionate woman to my dear "brothers" in this world! All I have to do is think about my own son and it gives me a greater sensitivity to their plight.When Noah was 4 he said he was going to live with me forever! When Noah was 6 he said he would build a house right next door and live but he would not get married. When he was 8 he said that he would probably get married and live next door. When he was 10 he said that he would probably not live next door. Now he says, he might not even live in the same country. Having boys is both exciting and heartbreaking for a mom. God made it so they naturally pull away from mom to be mentored by dad...and mom just gets to cheer them on from the sidelines and put in her advice here and there. The pulling away is happening and I am rejoicing that my boy is growing up and learning to be a man from one of the best men I know, his father.God gave me an incredible gift in my son Noah, and along with that a new perspective of "boy"...they are fascinating!
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Miles, Tim, Mark and Noah

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Perspective 1 It has been a long time since I have sat down to write, I have needed some time to heal, to listen, to grow. It has been a dichotomous year, challenging my faith in ways I never have felt before while building an amazing trust as I weather the the waves of pain and hang on to the anchor I have in Him. I have been here before, I never do like it, but I always look back and think, "that was the hardest time and the sweetest time." Intimacy comes in those times of being stripped naked of our comforts, our "blessings"...thank you, Lord. Along this same thought I would like to share with you the faith of the church we are so priveledged to be working with.Easter is a big holiday here for most nationals, it seems to be the one thing that tradition has thrived in the wonderful symbolic things they do to honor Jesus. I have always enjoyed it more here than in the states. Our church is a large one, and has to rent a large facilities every year to house the congregation of 4000,this year it was to be held in the sports hall. There was an attempt to discourage the meeting on Good Friday, but with some solving it seemed to fail. Sunday morning, yet another attempt took place, a bomb threat...so when arriving we were told to go home, the service had been canceled. My heart broke and I could not hold back the tears as we drove home, disappointed in not being able to celebrate and worship together with our church but more than that, for our church, this country, and my Jesus.The next week our church met in a smaller facility and had 2 services for a late Easter celebration, and I asked a friend about his thoughts on the whole thing. I told him how I felt, how awful it is to have such adversity, his reply to me was, "In other countries not far from here, people are being put in prison for their faith, some are dying."....Perspective. I tell this story for the purpose to highlight the faith of the church here not the adversary, because it is not about the trials but about the victory...the victory that is ours, no matter what andthe resilience of a people whose faith is challenged and built on a long history of "disappointments" but has stood, (Matt 16:18 "and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it...") because they know, (Ephesian 6:12) "... we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against...the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."May our perspective be influenced not by what we see, but what we know, what God says to be true and by a faith that believes in moving mountains.
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Perspective

Teen challenge cutting wood

Homeless child

Sunday, May 23, 2010

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