There's a Butterfly on my Shoulder

I've had a butterfly tattoo on my shoulder since 2006... I got in in part as way to rebel against the religous people in my life at the time that were telling me I wasn't good enough, and in part to remind myself that God created me perfectly and I was good enough.  I know that a butterfly tattoo is the stereotypical ink that girly girls get because "they're pretty."  But I specifically chose a butterfly as a symbol.  

Butterflies are the best illustration of what Jesus does for us..now and eternally.  One day you are trudging along in the dirt on your belly as a lowly catapillar.. then you take a nice refreshing rest.. and you wake up a beautiful butterfly.. full of color and able to fly.  The comparison is sort of obvious when you think of the ressurrection..in Heaven we will all take on a new amazing form... but the illustration is true now as well. Every day, that we choose to give God control He molds us, changes us, transforms us... we can be butterflies on earth!

When I went to get my tattoo, which was surprisingly not as painful as I had planned on it being, I was going through a difficult time in my life.  I was in a place where there was so much pressure on me to be someone I wasn't and no matter how hard I tried to be the person people were telling me to be, my efforts were never good enough.  I became pretty depressed, and hopeless.... If I had been a butterfly before that, I allowed these people to rip off my wings and shove me back down face first into the mud.  Eventually I remembered that God loves me and has a plan for me and I began trusting Him in the bad situation...I made my way out of the cocoon and got my butterfly wings back!   So I marched myself down to the tattoo shop and had my wings inked on my shoulder to always be a reminder that I don't belong in the mud, but in the air.


So this spring when you you catch a glimpse of a fluttery little butterfly... remember that God has a set of those lovely little wings for you too :)

  Posted by: Devyn Lundy

Let's Get Together

It's March the sun is shining.. spring is around the corner!!!  March also brings a new series of Life Groups and Bible Studies to Mercy Church... many of which are just for us girls! Being a part of a Life Group has so many benefits-- you will have fun, you will make friends, you will learn, you will really feel connected at Mercy Church!  Please plan to sign up for these fun groups this Sunday at church!  Also make sure your man checks out the group, "Mercy Dads," this group is designed to give mom's of young kids a night off.. because daddy takes them with him!!  There are soo many good groups this quarter...here is a list of all the groups and bible studies we are offering this spring:

SUNDAY SCHOOL

 

1) THROUGH THE BIBLE

Leader: Dennis  Putinski

When: Sundays – 9:00 AM

Location:  Mercy Church - Room 137

Description:  Join Dennis to study through all 66 books of the Bible, old and new testament, and learn new exciting things about God’s word. You’ll be sure to leave well educated.

 

PRAYER GROUP

 

2) PRAYER - M3 (Mercy’s Mountain Movers)

Leader: Sally Barchman

When: TBD

Location: 3009 W. 49th Place , Westwood , KS - 66205

Description: If you like to pray this Life Group is for you!  This team prays for all the prayer requests turned in to the church each Sunday via weekly emails and also weekly group prayer meetings on various nights. Regular attendance would be lovely, but this can also be on a "drop-in" basis for people who would like to have extra prayer a certain week.  This is also a great way to get connected with members of Mercy Church in a smaller setting. 

 

 WOMEN’S GROUPS

 

3) REAL WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY

Leader: Christen Blando 

When: Wednesdays - 7:00 PM

Location: 6412 W. 61st St. Mission , KS - 66202

Description: For women of all ages who want to experience a deeper level of faith through Bible Study and fellowship with one another. We’ll be doing a 12 week study of the book Beautiful Things Happen When Women Trust God by Sheila Walsh.

Book: Beautiful Things Happen When Women Trust God by Sheila Walsh.

 

4) CHICKS FOR CHARITY

Leader: Michelle Thomsen & Jennifer Jordan 

When: Wednesdays - 6:30 PM

Location: TBD

Description: Be a part of this Wednesday evening woman’s life group offering  encouraging love and support for each other while also reaching out to those in need in our community.  Each month we will meet at a centralized eating establishment for dinner and fellowship. A charitable theme will be designated for each of these events and all items collected will be donated to a local charity (TBD) in the name of Mercy Church .  Be a part of something as special as you.

 

5) HOOPS IN MOTION

Leader: Nikki Smith 

When: Sundays - 5:00 PM

Location: Oregon Trail Park - Olathe - 66061

Description: Fun, fitness, fellowship using hula-hoops.

6) BON APPETIT

Leader: Kori Carew 

When: First Friday of the Month - 6:00 PM

Location: Rotates each Month

Description: Love food? Want to explore the foods of the world right here in Kansas City ? Join us the first Friday of each month as we fellowship at various Kansas City restaurants. 

7) MERCY MAMAS’ YOGA

Host: Mandy Pruett 

When: Every Other Thursday - 6:00 PM

Location: 15403 W. 164th Terrace Olathe - 66062

      Description: Yoga led by Mandy, just bring a yoga mat and some comfy clothes and sculpt that body

                      through some intense yoga and lots of fun.

MEN’S GROUPS

 

8) MERCY DADS

Host: Geoff Lundy 

When: TBD

Location: TBD

Email: Geoffrey.lundy@farmersinsurance.com or geoff_lundy@yahoo.com

Description: We will meet together every other week with our kids at a fun TBD location. Most of us have wives that could really use a night off, and most of us have kids that could really use some healthy interaction. Here is our chance to give the wives the night off and we will get together and have our kids play and wreak havoc while we chill, and maybe watch sports, and definitely have some great conversation.

 

9) MEN’S COFFEE & BREAKFAST

Host: Timmy Gibson – (913) 390-1200

When: TBD

Location: TBD

Email: pastor@mercychurchKC.com

Description: If you are interested in gathering a couple times a month over coffee and/or breakfast to talk about guy stuff, please sign up to get the email to find out where we are meeting and when.  

 

COUPLE’S GROUPS

 

10) YOUNG MARRIEDS

Host: Jessica Herring & Daniel Fultz 

When: TBD

Location: TBD

Description: If you are a young married couple looking to hang out and get to know other young married couples from Mercy Church then sign up to be a part of this group.

 

11) GAME NIGHT

Host: Allen & Jess Woodward 

When: Sundays - 7:00 PM

Location: 1504 E. frontier Lane Olathe KS - 66062

Description: Get together with others to play games and have a blast. You will definitely want to be a part of this fun time. Just be warned, It might get crazy!

 

Hanky Panky Challenge is drawing to an end

There are only a few more days left of our annual Hanky Panky Challenge!  Don't loose momentum now!

  What I love about the HPC is it makes me focus on the FUN part of marriage.  Its easy to get caught up in the every day grind of bill paying, child raising, job going, household running of marriage.  I love the rebooting the HPC brings to our minds and reminds us about the romance, the cuddling, the supporting, the kissing, the loving that marriage also is.

In these last few days of the challenge.. I have been thinking back about my unmarried life and what I promised myself  I would do when I was married--- like wear fancy, frilly, pjs to bed every night, always kiss my husband good bye before he goes to work , cuddle on the couch with my husband for at least the length of a half hour sitcom every night... stuff like that.  Normally I don't do all those things every day (especially the pj thing... usually i wear some huge old pj pants and a old worn out tee shirt)  but this week I am going to try.   What are you going to try?  What did you dream marriage would be like?  What can you do to help those dreams come to light? 

And even though there are only a few more days left of the actual challenge... lets try to bring Hanky Panky to our marriages all year long (at least something special once a week??) Now that is a challenge!!!  Good luck ladies!

 *try slipping one of these little numbers on before going to bed--- in the name of Hanky Panky!

A GOOD READ :)

If you are looking for a great book to read---one that is as entertaining to read as Twilight, but also good for your relationship with God---look no further than Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers.  It is the story of the Bible's book of Hosea retold in the setting of California in the 1850's during the gold rush.  Its a story of a man who loved his imperfect wife just as Christ loves the church, sacrificial, and unconditionally. No matter how many times his wife would leave him, be unfaithful, break his heart, he kept on loving her and praying for her.. until one day she was a new and redeemed woman.  I love the story  for many reasons, one it is such a good illustration of how God loves us... he rescues us from the muck and grime we get stuck in, and even though we run away time after time, he is always there waiting for us to return and when we do He loves us and forgives us. Also, what a perfect time to read this book as we are learning about healthy relationships at Mercy Church, this book follows a couple's relationship from weak and shallow to strong and grounded... its a story all about relationships!  Another reason-- it's just plain good... seriously, you'll laugh, you'll cry, your tummy will get butterflies!  It's a great read!  Check it out!

posted by Devyn Lundy

Hanky Panky Challenge time....

Its February and that means its Hanky Panky time at Mercy Church!  Hanky Panky is all about strengthening our relationships with our spouses and focusing on fulfilling the needs of our mate... (emotionally, and physically.)

Now for us ladies.. we are probably wanting our husbands to be more romance minded... we want bubble baths, massages, flowers, thoughtful notes, warm embraces.. etc. etc. 

Our husbands, however, are probably wanting our physical relationships spiced up.  So what are you doing to introduce or reacquaint your man to your inner-vixen?

Here are some quick and simple ideas for you to test out:

1. Send him romantic or "suggestive" texts through out the day..make sure you mention how strong and hot he is.. and to really rev it up.. send him a picture message of you eating a banana with the message, " thinking of you at lunch time"...  now whatever you text to him.. make sure you follow through when he gets home ;)

2.  Try playing a game at bedtime.  On little scraps of paper write things like: tickle, caress, massage, kiss, lick, stroke, etc.. and through them in a bowl,  in another bowl write down body parts on scraps of paper.. not just the down there ones, but things like "neck, shoulder, hand..."  then take turns picking one from each bowl and doing what they say... it will be fun and silly at first, but will end up being some great hanky panky.

3.  Surprise him by wearing something "special" to bed..  If you don't feel comfortable wearing lingerie you can find something sexy to wear right in your closet... try wearing his dress shirt with strategic buttons undone, his tie loose around your neck, and a pair of heels.


Okay.. there are 3 simple, simple, simple  yet BOLD ideas for Hanky Panky... I dare you to try them out!

Pray Continually??

1Thessolonians 5:17--" pray continually"
This Bible verse has made me feel like an inferior spiritual loser for many years.  It is the hard core drill sergeant  spitting in my face telling me that I will never be good enough for God's army.  As a teen and young adult I would hear sermon after sermon and read book after book about prayer and this "Pray Continually" guy would always show up to bully me.  Any person teaching on the subject would never fail to introduce me to the Bully's side kicks also..  the Webster's definition of the word, continually--
1.very often; at regular or frequent intervals; habitually.
2. without cessation or intermission; unceasingly; always.
They always seemed to prefer the second definition- (he gives a much better right hook)

    I felt like I just couldn't hang with the Drill Sergeant and his cronies.. I just thought I didn't have the spiritual guns to sit in a corner and pray all day every day non stop like I imagined they wanted me to do.  So, I declared myself  a "Bad Pray-er."   I have never been a person that could deliver a goose bump giving, bible verse quoting, get the angels bending public prayer... I usually say "umm," and "like" a lot in any aloud prayer I pray.  And then ,we got my old bully telling me that if I am not praying unceasingly and always .. then I am just not cutting it.. .. GREAT.
 Well...  one day   I had a revelation about my prayer life.. The way that I pray is okay and I am actually pretty good at it!!!! (Take that Drill Sergeant!)  I am not an inferior spiritual loser after all! The bible says to pray continually ,okay.. it was Webster's definition that really sounded harsh.. but continually.. like I continually brush my teeth,  I continually drink water... I continually shop the Macy's one day sale.. etc..  If I can continually do all those things.. then I can and DO continually pray.. and I was already doing it without even thinking about it ( kind of like breathing). I have a relationship with God... and I talk to Him, like I would talk to any other friend of mine... If I see something that I think is cool.. In my mind, I say, "Hey, God, thanks for that, its awesome!"  if I feel like I am going to loose my temper.. I say, "Oh no, God.. I am going to loose it.." If I cant find my glasses.. I say, "Please, God can you help me find  them, I've looked everywhere..."  anyway what I am trying to say is.. the way that I pray  is sometimes a few sentences here and there many many many times a day... instead of many many many sentences all at one or two times a day.. and that's okay... there are other times when I pray.. that I have long drawn out conversations with God, or sometimes I even just write out a letter...   Praying is talking to God... Talk to God like you would talk to your best friend... it doesn't have to be super structured, it doesn't have to be any certain way. What it has to be is yours ( and God's of course)
    Often I have a hard time letting my spirituality be MINE. I compare myself too often with what other people do, and how they do it.. Like my husband Geoff, can deliver the most heart felt beautiful public prayers.. so I  let myself believe I am a bad pray--er because I couldn't do half as well as he does.... but the truth is we are just different.. and contrary to what sooo many christian self help nonfiction books tell you... there really is no right way or wrong way or magic formula for prayer... It's just talking, communicating, and sharing your life with God... and how ever you do that.. whether its at a specific time of day... or at random moments through out the day.. its good to Him.. He just likes to hear from us... continually :)

 Posted by Devyn Lundy
check out my other blog www.mavynmom.com

K.C. Rescue Mission

Come join others from Mercy Church as we distribute clothing to the homeless, be a part of the solution. If you want to volunteer please email me at info@mercychurchkc.com sign up

 

When: Fri, January 14, 5pm – 7pm

Where: K.C. Rescue Mission

1520 Cherry Street * Kansas City, MO 64108

Description: Clothing Distribution

Christmas Eve Service

 

	Christmas Eve Service Friday, December 24 · 6:00pm - 7:00pm
	Intercontinental Hotel, Kansas City 401 Ward Parkway Kansas City, MO
	Please plan to join us for our very special 1 hour Family Christmas Eve Service on the Plaza in the rooftop Ballroom of the Intercontinental Hotel overlooking the Plaza Lights! I do not know of a better place to hold a Christmas Eve Service in Kansas City honestly! Be sure to invite your friends!