Seattle Weekend to Remember

Top 10 Conference Quotes

April 24-26, 2009
Attendance 325
Accepted Christ 11

Here are the Top Ten Comments from the second Seattle Weekend to Remember Conference:

Before this conference my wife and I were on the outs. We had the divorce papers ready and were just waiting to be signed. This conference has renewed love, admiration and spirituality in our relationship. We have re-committed our lives to God and to each other. Thank you for saving another marriage and bringing another couple closer than they ever were before!

FamilyLife is the most effective tool I have seen to minister to those that are most difficult to reach, the affluent and middle class American! As a pastor this conference and ministry has changed my life and marriage

I want to start re-prioritizing my life right now! This has made me feel like I re-met my husband, we are at honeymoon stage, but even better w/our foundation of experience and God!

I liked how the conference is designed so we could get lost together in the big group & really focus on each other & our marriage.

Better understanding of our differences and how to meet each other needs. I know how important it is to be positive and patient instead of selfish. I look forward to falling in love with my wife over and over again the rest of our lives.

[The highlight of the conference was] all of it. We were days away from separating. You gave us hope.

We left feeling new hopes of being able to restore a marriage filled with bitterness and resentment. Our better understanding of roles and the priorities of putting God 1st spouse 2nd, and kids 3rd will help us decrease stress and find a peace in our marriage.

Life change and encouragement!

I have been shown that no matter what I go through, and where I go through it, I will always have my wife. If I treat her badly, God sees and my relationship with him will reflect accordingly.

I appreciate that Biblical matters weren’t touched on until day two. Had we started the weekend discussing God, my husband would have closed down. As it was I think he was receptive J

[The highlight of the conference was] the love letter from my wife. It built me up and showed me the kind of man I always knew I was, but just can’t see sometimes.

Holding On Instead of Letting Go

First Birthday Celebration

In April we celebrated MaryElise's first birthday. It was a fun celebration of her life. One thing we had for her to wear was a little princess birthday hat. The hat was fuzzy along the bottom and fit on like a hairband. When I put it on her in the high chair she didn't seem to mind. Later in the day however, whenever it was put on her head she cried. In fact, she even started crying when she saw the hat.

As evening approached we had cake and presents. Sometime during the opening of presents I wondered what MaryElise would do if we handed her the birthday hat. So, one of her brothers picked up the hat and I handed it to her. She took it in her hand and looked at me with tears in her eyes as if to say, "What are you doing to me?" She cried, but continued to hold on to the hat. All she had to do was let go and move away from the hat but she didn't let go. She held on tight and cried even harder. Finally I took the hat away and comforted my baby.

I learned a lesson that day about my own life. How much am I like MaryElise? There are things in my own life that I continue to hold on to that I really need to let go of...hurt feelings that cause bitterness to grow, unkind words that need to be stopped before they leave my lips, temptations that I need to flee from rather than embracing. It is so easy to hold onto things that hurt us and others rather than letting go and walking away. God gives us the ability by His Spirit to flee from temptation, to forgive when we have been hurt, and to speak words of kindness and truth.

I am so thankful for my precious daughter and the way God continues to use her life to teach me more about myself and about Him too!

April Fools Day

A Mixed-Up Breakfast

On April Fool's Day I had a surprise for breakfast...

The kids came to the table and found their orange juice in their cereal bowls and their cereal in their cups. Whitney and Caleb loved the idea. Benjamin, however, resisted the change.

All I was wanting to do was to have some fun and to make a memory. For my child who doesn't like surprises, this was too much! He poured his cereal onto his napkin (the milk hadn't been poured yet) and tried to pour his orange juice into his cup. In his attempt to keep things as they should be he missed out on the fun of the moment.

I wondered how much I do this with God. He throws curveballs into my plans and rather than swing at a different pitch I stand there refusing to swing until I get the pitch I am looking for.

In Jeremiah 29:11 it says, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" Perhaps if I started off each day giving my plans to God and allowing Him to be the one to lead (instead of me) I could learn to enjoy the surprises in each day too!

Top Ten Comments

Seattle 1, April 17-19, 2009

Here are the top ten comments chosen from the first Seattle Weekend to Remember Conference. Out of 354 people in attendance, 46 prayed to receive Christ! To God be the glory!

1st two quotes from a husband/wife couple…
Him: “Opened my eyes. Showed me that I need to change my life and the way I think about things.”
Her: “We were over. We had destroyed each other beyond repair we thought. Through some friends here we are and we are committed to have a great marriage and family.”

“Huge swings in emotion. Could feel the spiritual struggle. We packed our bags twice to leave. But we committed to stay and we grew closer. Many tears and yet we communicated and grew. Thank you for setting us on our way. We want to come back and feel our marriage is great.” Wife

That God is in control of my husband (not me ;) ) and me. I need to remember that and let Him do his work/plan.

We learned how to talk to each other with so much more respect for each other! We rearely spoke to each other w/depth and understanding, until this weekend.

We both realized what we are missing and what we need. This was an excellent step in our marriage. Thank you.

A loving gentle reminder to live out a great marriage not just a good one.

We are blessed to have been a part of this conference. We are separated right now and have been on the verge of divorce for the past year. We feel a sense of hope and renewed strength.

We now have practical tools to success and grow in our marriage instead of just living together.

Refreshing. We have attended many marriage events over the 28 year period of our married life. This one was way up top of the list. We realized just how in love we are. Thank you.

LifeReady

Are You Ready?

Are you ready to be able to share your faith? Robert Lewis, along with FamilyLife, has created LifeReady and the first resource available is Explore. Explore teaches you how to share your faith one on one in a way that is non-threatening and powerful. We had the opportunity to be a part of the audience when this was being taped and we'd love for you to check out this incredible resource. LifeReady

Waiting on God

Lessons from my Children

Sometimes I am surprised by the way God uses my children to teach me lessons about Himself.



I must confess that sometimes I get frustrated at my children's response to "wait just a minute" or if I tell them "no". In their impatience or disappointment they show a lack of trust in me as their mom. Don't they know that I love them and I want what is best for them? Sometimes my "no" might be because I have a surprise waiting for them right around the corner or my "no" might be because I know what is best for them. To give in to their demands would mean the best would be spoiled (and they might be too!)



But how often have I treated God the same way? When my prayers go unanswered or God says, "No" to my request, I question if He really knows what is best. Instead of looking at His character I look at my circumstances to determine my joy and contentment. What a mistake!



As we have waited for our house to sell we have been disappointed by 3 low offers. We have also lost the perfect house we made a contingent offer on in Washington. It has been easy to doubt, to question, and to second guess decisions we have made.



During this period of waiting God has been working. He has not been surprised by the low offers we have received. He has not been surprised that the house we wanted got another offer. He has not been surprised that we are still in Arkansas. He has a purpose and a plan in every part of our waiting.



We have seen God's provision in allowing Courtney to finish her sophomore year here in Arkansas. We have been thankful for more time with friends here in this state. God has taught me more about His character and His faithfulness. God has given me time to allow my trust and faith in Him to grow rather than to rely on my circumstances.

I looked up wait in the Merriam -Webster dictionary and here are some of the definitions:

• to stay in a place of expectation of
• to look forward to expectantly
• to be ready and available

That gives me a better idea of what it means to wait upon the Lord...rather than thinking of being deprived it gives a picture of eager expectation.

"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." Psalm 27:14

"Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors." Proverbs 8:34

"The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him." Lamentations 3:25

"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord

more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning." Psalm 130:5-6

Now I am looking forward to expectantly to see what God is going to do in our situation and what else He is going to teach me about His character.

Happy Anniversary

Celebrating 22 YearsMarch 21st, 1987

I thought it would be fun to look back over our 22 years together and see the changes through a collection of pictures.

Outside our first "home"...a basement apartment in East WenatcheeCelebrating our first anniversary

A surprise shower celebrating our first home in Wenatchee

A summer ski trip at Mt. Bachelor

A trip to New Zealand to visit friends and celebrate finishing our Master's Degrees. Laura found out she was pregnant right before this trip and was very sick!

1993
Celebrating our 6th Anniversary with a welcome addition~Courtney Beth!

Preparing our hearts to Welcome Jesus~It's almost Christmastime!

1995
Welcome Baby Isaiah!

Tom and Isaiah at Alex & Riann's wedding

A snowy Christmas in 1996

Family Camp at Tall Timber

1998

Welcome Baby Benjamin

All loaded up for our move to Little Rock as we joined staff with FamilyLife

2400 miles later we arrived at our new home...and had our very first meal...a pizza dinner on the floor in our kitchen...all our stuff was still packed away in the truck!

1999 was a Campus Crusade for Christ Staff Training Summer at CSU (Colorado State University). We stopped for a quick tour of the Cliff Dwellers at Mesa Verde.

In July of 2000, we welcomed Josiah to our family!

On the Road Again...

In June of 2001 we traveled to Arizona for the FamilyLife Weekend to Remember Conferences. On our drive home we stopped at Carlsbad Caverns and took a walking tour inside the caves. It was a good experience, even for one who was concerned about being claustrophobic!

2001 was another CSU staff training summer. We drove from Little Rock to Colorado for staff training. We then drove to Washington state to visit family and friends. From there we drove all the way to North Carolina to visit family and then we drove back to Little Rock. Our notebook shows the number of miles we drove for that trip!!! After that Josiah would cry if he even got near our van!

October 2002

Caleb joins the Clifton Family

February, 2003

Fall of 2003

What we are really like...

The Three Amigos

Some of Laura's crazy side of the family at Thanksgiving in Washington following the Weekend to Remember in Bellingham...

2004 Brought Joys and Trials

Courtney and Isaiah both got baptized on Easter Sunday

We welcomed Whitney Grace into our family on October 31st...if only we knew the challenges that God had in store for us...

Courtney finally got to hold the sister that she had prayed for...

Just a few hours after Whitney was born she was in the NICU at Baptist Hospital with respiratory failure. This is her picture before being transfered to Children's Hospital.

Whitney Grace at Children's Hospital. She spent 5 weeks here and it was almost 3 weeks before we could hold her. She had PPHN (Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of a Newborn).

Finally...I get to hold my baby!

5 weeks old and Whitney finally got to come home...with an oxygen tank!

The Clifton Kids at Christmas, December 2004

Fall of 2005

2006

March 21, 2007...celebrating 20 years of marriage. Tom worked the Anchorage, Alaska Weekend to Remember Conferences. I joined Tom to celebrate our anniversary and to help with the conferences.

Tom's parents stayed with our children during the conference. 2007 was another CSU year. We drove to Rocky Mountain National Park and took a hike in the beauty of God's creation.

2008

MaryElise decided to "surprise us all" by arriving 3 1/2 weeks early...while Tom was in Alaska! God provided two special people (Teena and Renee) to help me through labor and delivery. It was an incredible blessing. God is so good!

Tom got home as quickly as possible. He got to meet MaryElise in the NICU. She was doing great but had to spend a few days there before coming home.

MaryElise was only 5 pounds when she was born and very tiny. Here she is next to Whitney's 15 inch doll!

October 2008