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.