Mom Tongg

Quarry Intern Graduation

2009-06-25T22:14:00.000-07:00

I always get excited this time of year when it comes time to graduate another class of interns from The Quarry School of Creative Ministry. As an alumni, I have a great respect for everything that the interns have poured into The Rock Church and not only that, but just the sheer life change that occurs in them. Now, as a staff member, it is amazing to be a part of their growth process and I am so proud of all that they have accomplished.

I love Romans 5:3-5; "And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

To the graduating interns:
You've made it! In less than 24 hours you graduate and I am so proud of you and all that you've persevered through to forge your character. I can't wait to see what this next chapter in your life holds for you. I love you all!!!

To everyone else:
We will be honoring all THREE years of graduates tomorrow night at 7pm at The Rock Church Monroe Campus. Come celebrate their great achievement.

Guest Blog from my Mom, Linda Gorman

2009-06-25T22:06:00.000-07:00

A letter from Mom and ‘Gramma’:

Human life is precious. My family is precious to me. I have an amazing and courageous husband. I have three of the greatest kids any Mom could dream of having; 1 daughter and 2 sons. I have a 3rd son that married my daughter, he is the best, he is beyond fantastic and he is the father of my two precious grandsons, Taber and Titan. I have a 2nd daughter who came all the way from New Jersey, and as far as I am concerned she has been ‘grafted in’ to our family by God. Whatever adjectives I just used to describe my family doesn’t begin to describe what a blessing and a fulfillment they are to me. I love them all beyond words. We are just regular people living extraordinary lives in God.

I woke up this morning with this quote in my head: “Your life can either be an example or a warning”. This is a quote that we frequently heard from the pulpit from Linda Knight in the first 15 years of The Rock Church. The same Linda Knight who taught me how to pray. The ‘example’ described living the right way and the ‘warning’ described living the wrong way. This morning I saw the news of the passing of Farrah Fawcett and as I was driving in my car this afternoon I heard also that Michael Jackson had died. It is a sad day when anyone dies, no matter who it is. God’s heart is broken. He is a Father.

In the past nine years, I have had the privilege of discovering the true meaning of who my heavenly Father is. I was saved in my late teens, but only began to ‘walk’ with God at the age of 24. Little did I know when this ‘walk’ began what God would require of me. The only way to summarize the past nine years of my life is to describe it with the scripture: “Obedience is better than sacrifice”. I have learned that true obedience will cost you something. It will cost you personally, sometimes in great measure. But that’s okay because when you come out on the other side, your joy will not only be full, but also true, you will know who you are and most importantly you will know the Love of the Father like never before.

Obedience is the key to unlocking God’s destiny for your life. There is no other way, there are no shortcuts. Obedience is the key.

On March 18, 2009, a Wednesday morning, as I was preparing to leave to babysit Taber and Titan, I was watching the news coverage of an American actress; she had fallen while skiing, had hit her head and was in a coma in a hospital.

As I watched I suddenly had a burden to pray for what I thought was her. It came over me suddenly in the form of travail; a place I have had the privilege of visiting many times. I hit the floor and suddenly found myself praying for someone that “they would live and not die” but the depth of the travail that followed was something like I’ve never experienced before. You must understand, I have prayed for 25 years. It came time to leave and I had to pick myself up off the floor with such a heavy burden and yet God lifted it from me. It affected the rest of my day though as I kept thinking of “that person”, even as I drove to be with Taber & Titan.

On Sunday, June 14, 2009 I was privileged to have heard Francis Chan’s message and was really moved when he spoke about how we question God at times, we ask Him “what are you doing?”, and just how absurd that is, that He is the very breath that we breathe.

I suddenly realized on June 17, 2009 who the travail was for.

On June 17, 2009, a Wednesday spent with my grandsons turned into a terrifying moment (see Kathryn’s blog post). We watched as our precious Titan battled for his life, to keep his very breath. I believe, I know we witnessed God breathing life back into him. Neither Kathryn nor I knew infant CPR. As we were witnessing the symptoms of no oxygen on Titan’s face (some of you understand, but I will not detail it), suddenly his little chest just filled with air and he came back to us.

While the experience was terrifying, both Kathryn and I had God’s peace that everything would be okay, it drove home to me firsthand that it’s not ‘what’ you do “in the moment of the crisis”, although of course we were praying and doing everything we could; it’s what you do ahead of time to prepare for unknown circumstances, hearing God’s voice, and acting in obedience to God that can change the course of circumstances. I take no credit for Titan’s outcome, just that I prayed when God asked me to. God is in control of every situation whether we think so or not. He knows what is coming and He is in control.

My Father God loves me and loves my family so much, that He interrupted my life, my schedule one day, for their benefit. Mom’s and Grandmothers, don’t stop praying for your children and your children’s children and your children’s children’s children. I had praying Norwegian great Grandparents before I was born (Tusen takk). This is the greatest legacy you can leave your family.

I give God the Honor due Him, the Glory due Him and the Praise due Him for a happy ending on June 17. He knows everything in advance concerning our lives and we all must stay ‘tuned-in’ to His presence and His voice. The depth of His love for us cannot be measured. He is Love.

A Mother's Faith

2009-06-19T19:44:00.000-07:00

This Wednesday we experienced something that I pray no parent ever has to experience in their lifetime.

On Wednesday Titan woke up with a mild fever. Since he'd been teething for a few days I figured it was from that and gave him some Tylenol to bring it down. Like every other Wednesday I went off to work and my mom came over to spend the day with the boys.

Later that evening when I came home and checked his fever again it was 103! I instantly gave him some Tylenol and he continued to eat his dinner with grandma. A few minutes later he asked to be picked up and laid his head on my shoulder. My poor little man wasn't feeling good and I was more than happy to snuggle with him. As he lay there, he suddenly began to tense up and shake; he had a seizure. My motherly instinct kicked in and I knew instantly something wasn't right. I laid him in my lap and began to say his name. He was breathing and awake, but was not responding to his name. It was like his eyes were glassed over. Instantly my mom called 911. The 3 numbers you hope to never had to use for your kids (or anyone for that matter). I began to pray and continued to say his name. They instructed me to lay Titan down on the floor to cool him off and in the midst of all of this I needed to call Rory who was on his way home. I managed to say "Get home NOW! Something is wrong with Titan! I called 911!" (Looking back now a little more detail probably would have been good, but that's all that I got out in the midst of it all). As soon as I hung up with Rory I called Pastor Melinda. I needed someone in my ear who could pray, speak life and keep me calm and I knew she would do that. While I was on the phone with her Titan's lips began to turn blue and I noticed that his chest was not rising. He had stopped breathing. In that moment I could not remember infant CPR (its been a while...needless to say I will be taking a refresher course ASAP). Pastor Melinda told me to call 911 back and they would instruct me. So I did...I got as far as pinching his nose and THANK GOD he started breathing again.

Moments later 5 EMT's came through the door and began to help. They explained everything that Titan was experiencing and told me that he would be okay. Rory came in the door right behind them and I took a moment to check on Taber. He was curled up on the couch with my mom and with big tears in his eyes looked up at me and said “Something’s wrong with brother!” It broke my heart to see him so concerned. I comforted him and told him “brother” was going to be okay. They loaded us in the ambulance and took us to the ER to run further tests. When everything came back we found out that he had pneumonia which is what had caused the fever and the high fever had caused the fever seizure which apparently happens in 2-4% of children age 5 & under. Praise God there is no long-term side effects and we believe it will never happen again. The amazing part is that he had no other signs of sickness; no cough, runny nose...nothing! The nurse said he has a strong immune system (woo hoo!) After getting some medicine and instruction from the doctor we were sent home. Titan’s fever was down to 99° and he was back to himself, saying cheese for the camera and giving the doctor a high five.

I told Rory that night after we got home that in the midst of everything...the seizure, calling 911, the almost CPR....I had this amazing peace that everything was going to be okay. Even though every single scenario my mind could think of was running through my brain, I never even thought it an option for him not to be okay. Now don't get me wrong, it was incredibly terrifying, but I am so thankful for my mom, Rory and Pastor Melinda because each of them INSTANTLY began to pray for Titan. In fact, we found out later that night when we got home that one of the TRC pastors was in prayer. At the same time that Titan had the seizure, she was moved to intercession and prayed for an infant and that it would live and not die. How powerful!

I am incredibly grateful for all of our friends, family and Pastors who were in prayer for Titan. I can’t imagine having to go through the same scenario alone. I am so thankful that God protected Titan and our family.

Prayer & Worship Night @ The Rock Church

2009-05-05T15:11:00.000-07:00

A Good Laugh

2009-03-21T22:21:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Travis for sharing this vid.

Keepin' the Faith

2009-03-20T11:18:00.000-07:00

Matthew 17:20 says, "He replied, ....I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.'"

A couple Sunday's ago I was at the church preparing for service and Marlys Woods handed me this tiny little clear pouch. She said 'its a mustard seed' and on it she wrote Hebrews 12:2 and Luke 17:5-6. At that moment I realized exactly how small a mustard seed really is and Matthew 17:20 took on a whole new meaning to me. I always knew they were small, but when I sat and actually considered what Jesus meant when he said all you need is faith like a mustard seed.....a mustard seed!!! Seriously? That's it? Do you realize how easy it is to have faith like a mustard seed? To give you a little perspective, look at this period . Now picture it in 3D...that's about the size of a mustard seed. Are you getting this? Jesus said all we have to do is have faith like a mustard seed and say to that mountain in our lives move from here to there and it will move. IT WILL MOVE. Not, I'll speak it and then see what happens...IT WILL MOVE. Not, I'll see if I can muster up some faith, but I'm not really sure if it will do any good....IT WILL MOVE. Give yourself no other option.

When our household is up against something, whether it be financial, health, spiritual; whatever it is the first thing we do is pray and ask God to provide for us, heal us, protect us etc. Then we stand on faith believing that he will help us. We don't allow ourselves to fall subject to anything other than what God has for us. When doubt tries to creep in, I stop myself and say 'NO!!! My God shall supply all my needs.' Now this doesn't mean that everything is perfect, but I think there's a delicate balance between the 'woe is me' mentality and the 'I'll just pretend nothing is going on' syndrome. For me I stand on Faith knowing that trials will come my way, but I have spiritual authority in my life. And you can too!!! Faith is for everyone. It's not a special thing reserved for only the most special people. Faith is for YOU!!!

So next time you find yourself doubting, just remember the mustard seed.

Hebrews 12:2, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Luke 17:5-6, "The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you."

Stay tuned for part 2.....Increasing your faith.

Real Simple Organizing

2009-01-27T22:00:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to lead a Reach Team this trimester. I am leading Real Simple Organizing, which beings this Thursday @ The Rock Church. I'm going to cover the basics of organizing your home and ultimately your life.

This has been a passion of mine for quite some time. I think often times organizing has a stigma attached to it that says "its hard" or "it takes a lot of time." My plan during this Reach Team is to bust down those stigma's and show you how you can tackle your home one simple step at a time (and have fun doing it).

If you haven't signed up for a Reach Team yet, go to www.ReachTeams.com and get connected today!!!

New Service Times this Sunday

2009-01-01T12:27:00.000-08:00

As The Rock Church prepares to launch a second campus in Lake Stevens on January 11th, the Monroe Campus begins new service times this Sunday. See you there for the first service of 2009!

2008-12-23T17:39:00.000-08:00

Hot off the press:

Hello Rock Church!

Well, it is sure to be a white Christmas! With the current snow and freezing temperatures and with more snow to come tonight and tomorrow we are canceling our 6:30pm Christmas Eve service. We will still have our 5pm service. Make sure to get here early as it will be a full house! Don’t miss out…it will be an incredible service!

Just a quick reminder that we will be receiving our annual Christmas Offering tomorrow evening that goes to impact amazing Christ centered causes both locally and globally. Our goal this year is to raise $40,000! If you are unable to attend you can give your offering online at www.therockchurch.info/giving.

Help us out!!! Due to the holiday we want to make sure everyone gets the message that we are holding only our 5pm Christmas Eve service tomorrow. Please call or text your friends and family to let them know.

Have a great night and Merry Christmas!

Matt LaCoss
The Rock Church
360.805.0699
www.therockchurch.info

TRC Service Update for December 14th

2008-12-14T07:01:00.000-08:00

This just in:

In light of the snow and icy conditions we are doing church a little different for Sunday, December 14, 2008!

The 10am service is canceled but we WILL have an 11:30am service live at TRC. The snowy weather only adds to the impact of a “Feel Good Christmas” so don’t miss it!

How great will it be to give online? We have the ability to show how strong our church is even when the weather keeps us apart. Let’s send our church family an uplifting message by giving online. Click here to set up and give right now!

Volunteers! Please arrive at TRC by 10:15am.

Connecting people to Life!

The Rock Church | TheRockChurch.info
t: 360.805.0699 | info@trclife.com
16891 146th Street SE Monroe, WA 98272

Fun in the Sun

2008-11-30T23:01:00.000-08:00

Mmmmm Sand

2008-11-30T22:44:00.000-08:00

Discovering sand for the first time....

eating it....

And spitting it out.

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-11-30T21:59:00.000-08:00

Taber, meet the Spray Nozzle

2008-11-28T13:56:00.000-08:00

Oh, the innocence of a child :-)

A Sound Mind

2008-11-28T13:09:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving we are visiting Rory's family in Hawaii. It is so much fun to come here and visit with all of the extended family. We try to make it here at least once a year for a couple reasons:

1) Rory's dad is in his mid-sixties and I (we) feel its important for Rory to get to spend time with him as often as possible. I have the incredible privilege to see my parents on a weekly basis....once a year is not that much.

2) It's important for Taber & Titan to get to visit with their uncles, aunties, cousins, grandparents and all the other extended family. There is such a legacy and Ohana (family) is a large part of the Hawaiian culture.

3) Ok come on, who wouldn't want to take a vacation in Hawaii :-) We are incredibly blessed to have a place to stay when we come.

Since Hawaii is in the middle of the ocean, obviously we aren't able to drive here (although that would be one very cool bridge to drive one :-)). For the past 8 years I have lived with anxiety/fear of flying. About 1 week before we're leaving if I even think about the airport, getting on the plane etc. I get knots in my stomach, nauseous and just all around panicky. On every flight we've taken in the 7 years we've been married, I've had to take some sort of medicine to calm me down. At one point it was so bad that nothing worked except a perscription from my doctor. But this time it was different!!!

I had absolutely no problem at all!!! No sickness, no panicky feeling, no medicine. God has healed me and delivered me from all fear and anxiety. I arrived to the airport with no fear, got on the plane with no fear, had no anxiety when there was turbulence....I am absolutely healed!!!!

All of these years I've wanted to travel in peace. Every time I've gone on a trip I always prayed for peace and that I would remain calm. I clung to 2 Timothy 1:7 on every flight, "For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. " God has given me a sound mind!!!! He has removed all fear and taken every thought that would cause me to be uncomfortable while flying. Thank you Lord for healing me!!!!!

Taber's Big Boy Bed

2008-11-28T11:47:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we moved Taber from his crib to his new "big boy" bed and thus began the boys sharing a room. Woo Hoo!!!

Here's some pics of Taber in his new "big boy" bed. He's super excited about it. The best part of it all....when I went in to get them up in the morning Taber was standing next to Titan's crib. Titan had pulled himself up on his knees and they were having a brother conversation. So cute!!!

Local Flooding

2008-11-12T16:44:00.000-08:00

The Rock Church has been officially activated as an American Red Cross Shelter for all people being evacuated due to the local flooding. Volunteers and city officials are on site.

It is so awesome to be part of a church that cares so much about people! If you want to help, pray for those being displaced from their homes, bring cookies and just love on people.

As a side note: in order to accommodate those in need of shelter, there will be no All Things New or Youth Services tonight, Wednesday, November 12th.

Aeroflex

2008-11-08T18:00:00.000-08:00

This morning I attended Pastor Melinda's Aeroflex Reach Team at the GRID. It's basically a cardio workout using small hand weights. It was such an awesome total body workout. I've been going to the Y with some other TRC ladies on a pretty regular basis, but this was a perfect way to mix it up a bit. Definitely worked some areas that I haven't in quite a while :-). I can't wait for the next one. Come check it out Thursdays & Saturdays from 9:30-11am @ The Rock Church.

A Moment in History

2008-11-04T21:38:00.001-08:00

Tonight as I watched the coverage of the election results I couldn't help but think about what a privilege it is to be a part of such a momentous moment in our US history. I'm sure some day I will be telling my children all about where I was when Obama was elected President.

Pastor Jeff put it into words very well on his blog. You can read it here.

Long Lost Twin

2008-11-01T22:50:00.000-07:00

This is my 2.5 year old Taber (sorry it's blurry)And this is his long lost twin (aka the nephew of a girl I went to high school with)
Crazy huh!!!

I Heart This Book

2008-11-01T21:56:00.000-07:00

This morning I went to make Titan's (8mos. old) breakfast and realized that we were out of baby oatmeal. So, I busted out a book I had purchased shortly after Taber was born to see if I could find any sort of backup options and came across this recipe:

1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats (not the quick-cooking ones)
1 cup water

Place water on the stove to boil in a small saucepan. Place rolled oats into your blender (or food processor) and grind for 2 minutes until it turns into a fine powder (some chunks are fine depending on the age of your child). Once the water boils, turn the heat down to low and add the oatmeal powder. Stir briskly with a wire whisk and cover. Cook over low heat for approx. 10 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent scorching and to remove lumps. Makes two 1/2 cup servings and will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.

I mixed the cereal with some homemade applesauce and Titan absolutely DEVOURED it. You can also make the same cereal from brown rice, barley or other whole grains. I froze the unused cereal, which will keep for 2-4 weeks.

For both of my boys I've made their food myself. Not only is this much lighter on the budget, but to be honest it tastes so much better than the jarred food. I will say though that jarred food is always good for those unexpected last minute outings :-).

I highly recommend this book for anyone with little ones under a year old. It has an extensive section of fruits & vegetables, which outlines the best methods to cook them, what age it's best to start each one at and what vitamins are found in each. It also outlines what your baby should be eating based on their age (this section is by far the best!!!).

What are some of your best baby finds? I'd love to hear them!

Bob's Corn Maze

2008-10-29T17:34:00.000-07:00

Having grown up in the Woodinville/Monroe area my entire life, somehow I've managed to never visit a corn maze. And every year I see the signs on Highway 522 and hear stories from friends about how much fun they are. So a few weekends ago we packed up the boys and Laraine and headed out to Bob's Corn Maze.
It was such a blast!! It took us about 45mins to an hour to make it all the way through, and Taber absolutely LOVED it!! He was the designated leader and did a great job of showing us where to turn next. The farm was very cute, complete with pumpkin patch, trike track, hay rides and an awesome tire swing! All in all it was a great family outing on a beautiful fall day.

Yes It's Me

2008-10-29T17:24:00.001-07:00

I finally took the plunge and created a blog for myself. I've never been a huge fan of writing so the idea of creating a place where I'd have to write on a regular basis never appealed to me. So I figured, time to face my fears (or at least my dislikes). In this blog I will share my experiences, favorite finds, family adventures, and lessons learned along the way.