Can't Stop Thinking ...

that Christians miss opportunity after opportunity to truly love people. Our move into suburbia has been an eye-opener and an important lesson in loving the way Christ loved.

There is Jonathan, the sweet 9-year old who roams our neighborhood from sunrise to sunset seeking friends. Our kids love hangin' with Jonathan... and he is welcome in our home at any time. Our protective boundaries have been defined; something we never had to do living in the country. Our kids understand our rules. But they still know that we are supposed to love everybody, not just the people who look, speak and act like they do. Our home is a great place for that to happen!

Then there is Melissa and Luis. They stumbled upon our place when we were moving in and asked if they could haul off the things we didn't want. Alex gave them a few things and said come back anytime. Melissa returned a few days later, wondering if we had more give-aways. Since we have a garage full of boxes and much to discard, we excitedly gave her more to cart off. She revealed a tiny bit about herself and then said good-bye.

A few days later, Melissa returned again. This time she and Luis were joined by a young man. After the task of loading our stuff into their shamble-of-a-truck was complete, Melissa told Alex the story of Luis finding the young man living by a creek, starving. They took him in. These people took him in. They don't have 2 pennies to rub together and yet they share what they have cheerfully with a stranger. What an example of Christ to us; would we ever have voluntarily done such a thing?

Yesterday, they came again. Melissa shared that they are about to lose their house. She takes the things she gets from us and sells them at a flea market to make enough to feed the three of them. Unbelievable. And yet, why do I find it unbelievable? Because I've been asleep to the needs of others... no less of a sin than the ones we as Christians currently call the 'big ones' and abhor. Seriously folks, turning a deaf ear to the needs of others is sin. Period.

I believe that Jonathan, Melissa and Luis are the start of a flood of folks that we are going to meet that will challenge us to truly love others. True love involves loving others when they have absolutely nothing of 'worldly value' to offer us in return; loving others who do not appear to be the 'ideal playmate' for our children; loving others who do not smell good, who do not look good and who may not know Jesus.

My mind cannot wrap around why God is digging so deep, changing everything in me. My heart sees a glimpse of the type of Christian we've been for many years and wants to flee from it! And despite the pain that I know is coming, I'm ready to be more of a true Christ-follower - more spiritual and less religious; more loving and less judgmental; more of Him and less of me.

We worshiped God singing this song on Sunday. I believe it is true for every city, every people and every nation! What a word of Truth; a word of Hope; a word of Love!

Blog Hop - My Favorite Photo...

Daddy Carry Me!

There are a myriad of reasons why this photo continues to be on my all-time favorites list. As an introduction, this is my husband, Alex, a strong and capable Daddy, to be certain. Little Mommy, 6, goes before him on the path toward the lake. Our Prince Caspian, 3, has his hand in Daddy's hand. Little Boy Blue, 2, is being carried by his Daddy. Budding Author, our 9-year old, has already ventured down to the lake on his own.

So, where am I going with this? Not only does this picture reflect the love of my husband for our brood; it also reflects the love of our Heavenly Father. The longer we experience a relationship with Him, the more comfortable we are stepping out and knowing He is right behind us! Our youngest, and most vulnerable, is always the one that wants Daddy's arms to comfort him in tight situations. And Prince Caspian, experiencing the taste of a bit of freedom, is happy just holding Daddy's hand.

May we seek to be people who live with the confidence that our God is right with us, even when we step out in faith and walk a few steps forward where we may not automatically see Him. And may we never grow too far in our walk that we can't come back and say 'Daddy, carry me' when things spin out of control.

Happy Blog Hop!

Laura

Testing Comments

A new friend of mine at Rockin' C is trying out a new commenting system. I like it! So, I thought I'd give it a whirl. I love comments, but really don't get many compared to the folks that appear to be visiting my site (thanks to sitemeter). If you have any words of wisdom, thoughts about my ramblings or just anything else that you may want to share, please feel free to do so.

Hopefully, I will have all of the commenting/blogging/website kinks worked out before we unveil our missionary site in 3-4 months. Help me test it all out!

Peace,

Reflections on Mr. Kirby

With Independence fresh on my mind from yesterday's festivities, I cannot help but reflect on a brief, but stirring, encounter our family had with Mr. Kirby. It was a busy Friday evening. We had just closed on our house and were donating much of our furniture to dear friends. One friend, Kathy, came to pick up the entertainment center and side cabinets that Alex has had since before we married. Kathy's husband came to do the heavy-lifting and they brought with them an elderly man, Mr. Kirby.

Kathy has previously shared much with me about Mr. Kirby: how he adopted 6 children after he and his wife had tragedy-upon-tragedy with biological babies, how he was a successful engineer who suddenly at 50 years of age decided to respond to the Lord's call to be a pastor and how he has become very independent following his wife's death 5 years ago.

One thing she didn't share; Mr. Kirby's decorated military service to our country in World War II. That Friday night, he entered our home dressed in starched khakis, a neat and tidy shirt and a ballcap perched upon his head that read 'Purple Heart.' My Budding Author, 9, was intrigued and began to ask Mr. Kirby about his experience. What a humble man stood before us. While he shared stories of friends' lives lost, his eyes were misty. While he told of specific battles, his youthful vigor returned.

Come to find out, Mr. Kirby is one of the most decorated World War II veterans in North Texas. Bronze star, Silver Star, Purple Heart and more; all awarded to this precious elderly man standing in my home on a summer Friday night. We were inspired by the eighty-something gentleman who graced our home that night. His life of service shines.

As our visit came to a close, Budding Author stood very close to Mr. Kirby, hugged him, and with a deep sincerity said "Thank you, Mr. Kirby, for serving our country and fighting so bravely." Mr. Kirby looked down at my growing boy, winked and with a teary-eyed smiled said, "You... you were worth it."

Breath of Fresh Air

Knee-deep in planning for our next school year, I stumbled across a wonderful Tapestry of Grace resource: the Virtual Conference workshops by Tapestry owner and creator, Marcia Somerville. On a whim, I decided to listen to the 'Tips for Teaching a Houseful' workshop.

Marcia's voice played in the background as I entered lesson plans on my computer. Her tips were timely and refreshing to me. I've struggled to get motivated to plan for our year in the midst of major life changes. I have even asked our kids several times if they would like to try out the public school across the street this year since we probably won't have this opportunity again. The answer has consistently been 'No thanks, Mom.'

So, yesterday I sat and began seriously planning for our August 3rd start date. Encouragement came from Marcia's reminder that I can do this. I can create and maintain a quiet, calm environment in which my kids can learn and thrive. I can love my little preschool guys and give them plenty of attention in the midst of schooling. I can personally thrive in my relationship with God when things are calm and quiet. I can love my husband deeply even when I'm literally wrung out like a dirty dishcloth after a day of Mommying. I can do this!

The primary thing I took from the workshop was this... my job is to live for God, to serve God and to do the things He has called me to do. I'm not to blow from side to side like a wayward leaf every time some attractive option comes up that would rob us all of the plans He has for our family. I'm not to worry about what others think of our choices: to homeschool, to move outside of the United States as missionaries, to adopt and so on. I'm to put one foot in front of the other and walk with His hand firmly leading ours.

Whew... you'd think I would have learned all of this by now :). The reminders are welcome, especially since I never had to leave my house to listen to them.

Audio Freebie

Recently, I've been shaken up by Francis Chan's book "Crazy Love." It is about living radically in a world which pulls us toward mediocrity. Guess what? This month, "Crazy Love" (I dislike having to put quotation marks around titles in Blogger) is the free audio book of the month at www.christianaudio.com ! Be sure to use the discount code JUL2009. Enjoy Francis Chan in iTunes while you do some home school planning or facebooking.

Little Boy Blue Grows Up!

If you know our family personally, you know that Little Boy Blue is ALL... BOY. He's active, energetic, stubborn, strong-willed and delightful. Everyone at church jokes about Little Boy Blue and his obsession with balls and round objects.

If you don't know our family personally, I'll just put it this way... he's had a very rough start to life. His challenges have been many. He does have an obsession with all-things-round that stems from some early attachment issues that have resurfaced during our relocation. It sounds odd, I know. And unless you are familiar with the attachment challenges of adopted children, this may not make sense :).

This morning Alex ventured to take all 4 kiddos to a special free screening of Ice Age 3. After a week of single parenting with Alex out of town, I was delighted to spend some time home school planning for our next year. Alex and I laughingly put together a back-up plan for Little Boy Blue's first movie experience as we knew he would only last 10 minutes max!

Much to our surprise, our little boy wonder lasted the entire movie in Daddy's lap! Of course, he stuffed his face full of popcorn the whole time. Today is a day for small accomplishments in our family. The incremental growing-up of kids is a celebration at every stage; for this family, Little Boy Blue's self-control is a major, major milestone.

Change in Decor and Thoughts on Books

It seems I continually like to change things up over here at my blog. In real life, I hate rearranging decor. Funny, the blog is so much easier to do!

I'm heavy in the midst of home-school planning. My mind races about how I'm going to home-school in another country with all.of.our.books! Honestly, I'd rather take books with us than clothes. No kidding.

If any of you know of home-schooling families who live abroad as missionaries who also happen to blog, please send me links. I'm curious about how they manage the logistics. Our goal is to keep as much of our current curriculum as we can (think $$$). And yet, maybe some simplification is in order?

Ideas are heartily welcomed.

Always a Light...

Can I just say that God never ceases to surprise me?!? Here I thought we were leaving so much behind as we moved into our rent house. The birds, the trees, the comfort and so on. And yet, here on this tiny suburban lot, I find several species of bird friends that delight my daughter. I also find a school room window that looks out, not on the busy road next to us, but on tree tops! Delight.

And instead of our acres to roam and romp on, our kids have a pool in which to dive. We are not 'leaving behind'; we are walking forward. And tomorrow looks ever so beautiful to me.

Bubble, Bubble, Toil & Trouble

Bubble. Bubble. My sin continues to bubble up around me and pop right in my face. It is as if God is intentionally revealing each and every sin of mine. If I miss something, He doesn't hesitate to place a reminder squarely in my path. Self-centeredness, pride, bitterness, self-centeredness, foolishness, lack of faith; oh, and did I mention self-centeredness??

May I seek His face and His healing and try to keep my mouth shut. Can anyone relate?

Yes, I warped Shakespeare there for the sake of an appropriate title. However, I do love the bard; no harm meant, Mr. Shakespeare.