BROKEN THEN BETTER

A few months ago one of the "slats" on a window-blind in our guest bedroom was broken. L has had it, among other things, on his "honey-do" list since that time. And as the date approached for my mother-in-law to come out for a three week visit, he was ready to address it. L originally thought it would be a simple trip to our local home improvement hub, after all, we're talking a cheapo blind that we put on all the windows in the house when we moved in four years ago. They get replaced as we pick a room to upgrade, and that room's time has not yet come. So, off he went to our local home improvement warehouse, only to discover that these particular blinds are no longer made. Well!

So after many trips for L and a joint trip to decide on a proper replacement that we both liked and that would fit on a window with rather odd dimensions,we made our selection. The set of blinds we chose, was considerably more expensive and much nicer than their predecessors. I guess you could say, we ended up doing an upgrade-by-force. And things really looked UP when we finished. It makes me glad to have had the inconvenience, that relative to the outcome, was minor.

This situation really struck a chord with me. Though, I'm speaking "blinds" and "windows" this experience sounds much like what God does in our lives - breaking and blessing. So many of our blessings and growth spurts come on the heels of broken-ness. He moves us to uncomfortable circumstances, personal valleys and weaknesses that give him the opportunity to make even greater revelations of himself, increase our measures of Faith and ultimately move us to a higher spiritual place than we were before the "break." I would say that qualifies as an "upgrade," totally.

When I look back over some of the trials in my own life, though uncomfortable and painful at the time, I am thankful for my growth, my learning, my healing, the increased measure of Faith and more-so the Almighty & Sovereign God I serve! Only through him can I become broken then better.

HI, FIVE

Well, the much anticipated age of 5 has finally arrived at our house. Last week, C turned 5 and it has been as eventful as he said it would be. So far, not a day has gone by that we didn't talk about him being 5. That's okay, I love it and him - to pieces.

It's hard to believe the little boy who made me "mommy" has grown up so fast. Really, it seems like only yesterday that my husband (who, according to my mother-in-law, once had his drivers license snatched for speeding tickets) drove only 10 mph from the hospital with this precious cargo in tow.

As you can imagine, our lives and hearts were changed forever. Yeah, there were the mounds of poopie diapers, the never ending runny noses, the bumps and bruises and the accumulation of all things BOUNCY - seats, swings, etc - but it is all worth.

Here are just a few things (well, slightly more than a few) about C that I love:

1. - He is a tremendously loving and very protective little boy.


2. - He thinks his Dad hung the moon.


3. - He thinks his mommy is very smart. (a direct quote)


4. - He thinks his Nana (my mom) is the most fabulous cook in the universe (and that's another quote).


5. - He has settled nicely into being a BIG brother (yes, it was a transition).


6. - He is the most verbal child I have ever known (and being from a HUGE family with over 35 1st cousins of my own, I have known quite a few children). His abilities to make his "case" and express his P.O.V. never cease to amaze me.


7. - He can be painfully shy at first meeting but once he warms up LOOK OUT, the child can talk.


8. - He LOVES family. Spending time with or just talking about cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and all things family make his little eyes sparkle.


9. - Hearing him pray, absolutely melts my heart. He is getting really good at the Lord's prayer.


10. - He is festive to the core. He wants to celebrate everything. He even told me recently, that right between Mother's Day and Father's Day there should be Children's Day. Get this: he so much wanted this to be, that he discussed it with his teacher a few weeks ago, and a little girl of Turkish decent shared with them that there actually is a Children's Day celebrated in Turkey and one on the books in the United States. So he is now committed to its revival, via our house.


11. - He is learning to read and spell.


12. - He is mean on a computer.


13. - He has taken a real interest in cooking. The boy can really stir some muffin mix.


14. - He wants to be a doctor-builder-fireman-police officer-ambulance driver-cook, who plays soccer and football on the side, when he grows up.


15. - Despite his plans for football, he is becoming quite the basketball enthusiast. He begs to stay up past his bedtime and watch the NBA playoffs. L and I laughed so hard the other night when he blurted out "The other team is winning because Kobe [Bryant- LA Lakers] is NOT applying enough pressure." What? Where did he get that?


16. - He loves to sing, especially songs about Jesus.


17. - He loves books and storytelling.


18. - When he was about 2 1/2, my mother-in-law, would have her friends call to hear him talk to them about the Bible. He remembered every single story we ever read to him. It was AMAZING, really.


19. - He has a stubborn streak, but it is usually overshadowed by his sensitive,caring side.


20. - He knows I am proud to be his mom. I tell him often.

Happy 5th Birthday, Mr. C.

WAKE UP CALL

Every Wednesday morning at 6:30 am, the volunteers in our church's Youth Ministry rise and shine to come together via conference call for brief fellowship and prayer. We pray for growth and effectiveness in the ministry and for one another - sharing our individual prayer requests and praise reports. The sharing is a blessing in itself. I cannot put into words how thankful I am to God for this family of faith and the fellowship with other believers who are committed to personal spiritual growth and the growth of those around them. I feel blessed beyond measure just to be able to start my day with two things I love people and prayer.

O, how I love to talk to the Lord. I recognize prayer as a tremendous privilege and I cherish nothing more than my personal relationship with God, of which prayer is an integral part. I am currently reading The Power of Simple Prayer by Joyce Meyer and I think my thoughts & feelings on Wednesday morning can be summed up in her words:

"Prayer is a personal relationship, an intimate activity that takes place primarily between God and an individual. But as believers, we do not exist in a vacuum. We are part of God's family, we are connected to the body of Christ, and part of the power of the Christian life is found in our relationships with other people. God uses them to sharpen us, to strengthen us, to help us, to celebrate with us, to walk with us through the ups and downs of everyday life....Sometimes we pray for the people around us and sometimes we pray with them. When we pray for them, we are praying prayers of intercession, and when we pray with them, we are praying prayers of agreement....The prayer of agreement brings the power of multiplication, and the blessing of God into a situation."
- Joyce Meyer

Yes, I think that sums it up. And now a prayer:

Thank you O God, for the tremendous privilege of prayer and for your darling Son, Jesus Christ who made it possible for us to approach a Holy God and even taught us how to pray. Thank you for placing me in the midst of people whom I can encourage, and whom I can be encouraged by, as we seek collectively and individually, to grow spiritually and to have a deeper, richer relationship with you. You are an awesome, awesome God!


"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." [Matthew 18:20,KJV]

PRETTY PACKAGES

"But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things a man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7 NIV)

On Sunday afternoon we visited our local farmers market - Harry's. It's always a fun trip. We enjoy the fresh fruits and vegetables as well as the variety of other products not sold in our regular run-of-the mill grocery store. The boys get so excited when we read them all the captions about the various fruits and vegetables there, we always seem to learn something new. The boys' favorite section is the bakery and Sunday was particularly exciting, because we allowed each of them to select one thing of their choosing to take home. C was drawn to a particular wafer style cookie with brightly colored packaging, in fact, he decided fairly quickly that would be his choice. However, there was one small problem. Well, actually there were several small problems that came in the form of missing ingredients. The packaging clearly stated that the cookies C so desired excluded A LOT of the ingredients he has come to know and love. They were "free" of practically everything - gluten, wheat, eggs and dairy - just to name a few. Despite all the "free-ofs," the packaging was pure eye-candy and for C, that sealed the deal.

We engaged in a fairly lengthy conversation around the picture on the outside versus what was really on the inside. I explained as best I could on a 5-year-old-level, that things are not always what they seem and we should not make decisions based solely on what we see. Some of this he understood but mostly he decided to trust me and made another choice.

I thought of the many lessons packaged in this little "packaging" experience for C, not to mention the reinforcements that were there for me. I know we will have this conversation many times over the years ahead, though the reasons for the conversation may change, the basic lessons will remain the same. Here are just a few things I hope to impress upon C (and B), in the years God has given us to teach and train them.

1. God is concerned with the inside. We should live lives that are authentically aligned with His Holy Word. Not just ones that are well-packaged, meaning they look good on the outside and are even filled with religious exercises, yet they are void of any true pursuit of holiness.
   
   
2. Life's pretty packages, though very appealing to the eye (or ear or mind or wallet) do not always contain God's best for us. Seek the heart of God in every circumstance.
   
   
3. Trust God. Where C didn't understand the fancy words after the "free-of" claims, and I was short on simple explanations, he chose to trust me. I was prepared to let this lesson go all the way home with us, if he had stood his ground; But,it was beautiful to see his final decision hinge upon the words I had spoken to him. And I pray that this will be the same way he grows to trust God and live by FAITH even when sight (and packaging) says different.

Lord, hear my prayer.

POMP & CIRCUMSTANCE

I pinched myself and realized/accepted that the child L and I dropped off at this daycare center approximately 5 years ago, - crying and experiencing extreme separation anxiety (oh, that was Me.) - was now graduating, and we are moving on to a brand new phase of life.

It was a short, sweet, sentimental ceremony (try saying that, really fast three times). Through song they encouraged each other to stay strong and do their very best in everything. Through poetry we were reminded of all they had learned through play over their pre-school years and how they were molded in some way by each and every relationship and each and every interaction. For C I can say that he was not just "molded" or "formed," he was "enriched." Most of our experiences were positive. He was surrounded by people who genuinely loved him and spoke nothing but positive, life giving words to him since he was a baby. Now, he is a happy, smart, self-assured and tremendously loving child who makes the most of each day.

L and I were moved beyond belief and after putting the kids down on Friday night, we talked at length about the past five years. Earlier in the week, as L worked to make sure the video camera was properly powered, accessorized and ready to go we paused to watch some footage of years gone by. This was the basis of our Friday night walk down memory lane. We laughed until we cried at some things, we were misty-eyed about other things and pondered the really tough times of child rearing, so far.

The rough and tough times have been many and though they seemed so very difficult in those moments, they did not define us. In fact, today the details around some of those "low" moments have become somewhat fuzzy and it takes both of us to get ALL the details exactly right. Like: Exactly how long was he hospitalized with RSV? or When he was taken to the pediatrician's office to get that very smelly eraser fished out, was it from his ear or his nose? It turns out that it was TWO separate instances, making the correct answer "BOTH!" My, goodness!

Through it all, it was those "valley" moments that give us the wellspring of what we feel in our hearts today - appreciation, thankfulness and assurance that God is always near. Always. I remember, when C became ill and was hospitalized L's mom just happened to be visiting and she just happened to bring a good friend of their family along. When L and I were distraught that C's condition did not seem to be improving, we learned that the family friend was a mighty prayer warrior. She stood by C's bedside and prayed God's word back to Him and within hours God began to restore C's health. O, He is sovereign! Reflecting this weekend has given us joy and most importantly the right frame of mind in which to move forward: by faith and and not by sight, trusting God in every situation. No matter what hard times we face, we know that in the end they will all work together for our good and "God is so much God," that he can reduce mountains to mere "fuzzy" memories and minor bumps in the road so we can focus on the joy in our journey.


"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" (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV)

ZOO (IN A GOOD WAY)

Last Friday was THE Zoo - literally ....

This Friday will be A Zoo - figuratively, as we kick off another activity filled weekend and I'm not complaining one bit, in fact I'm looking forward to every thing in the "line-up." I would not wish to trade out one single.solitary. event. So, even though I refer to it as a "zoo," I mean that in the best kind of way. We will see and do lots of different things - all priceless and exciting:

Friday night is C's Pre-K graduation. O, how my heart melts! This is truly a watershed event for our family. Over the past several months, everything (energy, effort, activities, everything) - has flowed into this moment and over the next several months all things will flow out of this milestone. C's age and grade (Kindergarten/5) makes him "eligible" for lots of new things - church choir, city league football and who knows what else. We're excited but it is bittersweet I tell you, just bittersweet. I have stocked up on tissues, for tomorrow and the months to come. Most of the ceremony will be a surprise to the parents but I've had the pleasure of hearing C practice a few of the songs around the house and I tear up EVERY time. He is really growing up and it was a fast five years!

Saturday I will be Mistress of Ceremony of a Women's Tea at a dear friends church. The theme: Women of Many Hats. Everyone is wearing a hat, this could be like the Christian Kentucky Derby(what fun!!!)> The scripture focus is Titus 2. Talk about excited. I can't wait to fellowship with a room full of women on Biblical Womanhood, Balance and Discipleship, Intentional Living, Spiritual Integrity and the overall Pursuit of Holiness in the most practical areas of our lives as outlined in the Word of God. I expect that our hearts will be truly blessed.

Sunday I begin my very first Kay Arthur precepts class with a small study group at our church. We will be embarking on an inductive Bible Study of the book of Leviticus. I cannot wait to behold the wonders of HIS great law.

That's what's going on with us and as I prepare my heart is thankful.

Thank you Lord for the many wonders you have placed in my life. The gift of two beautiful children and a wonderful husband to me and father to them, who actively expresses his love for us each and every day. I thank you for the friends you have placed in my life who love you with all their hearts and like me, are chasing after you. I thank you for my church - this great family of faith - some of whom I will connect with on Sunday to begin a study of your decrees and commandments, so that we might know your more and come closer each day to living lives that uncompromisingly align with your Word. In Jesus' name, Amen.

"In every thing give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thessalonians 5:18, KJV)