I’m sitting here at the computer serving breakfast to our little one. And it hit me, how many moms’ life goal is to be able to provide a typical meal for their little one? Matt and my little one will hopefully never experience the unmet need for food. While our family goal for me to be stay-at-home mom may be met one day in the near future, I can always work if our family hits a hard spot. How many mothers in our world would die for that opportunity to provide for their children?

I was surfing around this morning and reading about a small step that Matt and I have discussed. Tears came to my eyes as my heart broke for the little ones in need. It’s sad how typical it is for our culture to arrogantly sweep people under the “third world” rug as if someone else out there will help pick them up. And if we are going to make a difference in their life, we would much rather arrogantly parade into their lives and show them how to use the Internet or how to be a business man as if they are so poor in their own cultures and therefore we should save them from themselves. Yes, the Christian church has made mistakes in the past of being the leading body of “we’ll teach you how you should live” influences, but the Christian church has also been the largest and most consistent body of people who have come to successful aid of the poor. No other organization has provided disaster relief, aid to the poor, and sustaining of third world country’s resources and lifestyles in the world. And many times the Christian church fully funds their own missions at literal cost to the workers volunteering to go provide aid.

The youth group will soon be embarking on a 30 hour famine. While 30 hours of fasting in acknowledgement of life outside of North America (and sadly even inside in some places) may sound useless to some, it is at least a start in having a more Christ-centered view of the nations. In addition to the self-awareness piece of the 30 hour famine, the youth have been raising money to send to buy food to send to those starving. Oh yes, these efforts can come with much criticism from those still sitting on the sidelines, but the fact remains that doing nothing can only be a profession for so long.

There are a bunch of ways to help provide aid to those who most need it, we must only see the world through Christ’s eyes and obey what we have already been commanded to do. Why does it matter what others think or say? Why does it matter what we gain as a result of our works? The call is still the call. And one day, at judgement, we will all give a response for what we did and did not do with what we have been given.

What will you say?

We got our pictures done as a family and primarily to document Rachael at 1 month of life. You can check them out friends and family if you’d like to see our fun. Our friend, Susan, and new friend, Cher, did a fantastic job. We look forward to Rachael’s 3, 6, 9 and 12 month pictures with an awesome full year documenting deal that the little photography studio does. If you’d like me to send you a link to the pictures then go ahead and email me and I’d be happy to send you the link. (Some of you already know where to go so you don’ have to email me.) For the purpose of too much self-disclosure I chose not to post a link to the studio directly on this blog since the photography studio has it’s location posted for business and I’d prefer not to be so easily narrowed in a search engine.

Hope all is going well with everyone.

Will it stand the test of fire?

I sat down at the computer tonight to play what felt like a few hundred games of solitaire while Rachael ate her second dinner. Solitaire helps to pass the time as the little one savors each drip. I often find myself at 4 or 5 in the morning stacking clubs and hearts, etc for a half hour feed. But tonight the question popped into my mind, “Is what I’m doing going to stand the test of fire?” The ultimate answer resulted in a closed solitaire window and some more exalting prayer and study work.

Matt and I had a conversation on the car ride home. A few months ago Matt and I decided to become more intentional about investing in friends’ lives through our church. And since then we rejoice in having a few closer friends. No, they are not our projects. We just wanted them to be more of a part of our “outside of the church building” lives. We greatly value our friends and enjoy the last minute plans and freedoms of neighborhood walks and game nights with their families.

But tonight’s car conversation revolved around growing with our friends. Our church has this dilemma of not being a relationally connected church with the “young adult” population. It’s funny but there really are a few couples in our church between Matt and my ages and 50. So we had an idea and I’m really quite excited about it. We’re hoping to have a weekly get-together with a few dear friends in order to share life together. We’d like to do dinner together and share a time of short devotion or Christian comedians or whatever other creative way of exhorting each other and encouraging each other’s growth. Nothing too high maintenance or requiring of childcare – just an opportunity to love on each other. We’re not sure how receptive others will be to the proposition. But really when it all came down to it, we’d be more than blessed to step up to foster deeper, Christ-centered friendships amongst the “young adults” of the church. So what better way than to open our home and encourage our friends to open their homes for a nomadic group of life-sharing friends.

We’ll see how this all goes. But we’ll never know if deeper friendships can be accomplished unless we try. But the ultimate point is not to merely share in friendship, but to spur each other on toward Christ. I really hope this can be accomplished through a casual weekly gathering. We’ll see.

– May God get all the glory. –

Yesterday at ten til 7pm our heat was turned on. And there was MUCH rejoicing.
And I report to you cyberworld that this morning I am sitting in a tshirt in the office.
Oh the marvels of heat.
As for the lowest temp reached in the house during the waiting process: 51 degrees.
As for the highest temp reached in the the house during the waiting process: 76 degrees (yay for space heaters).
So for those of you who were praying and ever so helpful in offering showers and sleeping space, we thank you all greatly for your love and hospitality. And to celebrate the slow return to normal last night, there was the most relaxing warm bath I can ever remember taking followed by a good, warm sleep in our familiar bed.

And there was MUCH rejoicing!

So one thing that I forgot to share in the small house fire incident is that after returning to the house around 8am, Rachael finally woke up – clueless of all that had happened. And she gave me the biggest, toothless smile I have ever seen. She’s done some little smirks and half-smiles to other people and myself since then, but nothing yet as huge as her post-smoke smile.

As for the family, we have been staying at a church friend’s house for the past three nights while our furnace flooring and all is fixed. Looks like we’re going to be staying yet another night tonight but hopefully they’ll be able to get the furnace back in tomorrow and we can get the heat back on. Due to God’s grace, the weather this week hasn’t been too bad which allows for Rachael and me to stay for a few hours each day with Dakota. So while Rachael is all bundled and napping in her carseat, I remain all layered and attempting to wash the smoke remnants out of our home. (Buy stocks in Febreeze, friends, before I return to the store.)

While life as a nomad leaves Matt and me a bit exhausted (no bed, no matter how nice, can ever compare to our routine mattress). Rachael, on the other hand, slept another 5 hour chunk last night – which she was due after having a few nights of 3-4 hour sleeps (a stuffy nose and new sleeping arrangements have affected her). Despite the continual mobility and packing of all our things each morning because we don’t know if we’ll return the next night, we are all working hard to remain in positive spirits and grateful.

By the way, when the furnace was removed, the workers and our church mechanical/janitorial guy (Mike) were both amazed. There lay a hole burnt straight through to the crawlspace about the size of a beach ball. Mike and the guys agreed that had the fire moved 4-5 more inches toward the carpet then “things would have gotten very bad… fast”. Mike was also amazed to find God’s grace in that what he thought to be the gas line pipe had some fire charring. I tell you all this not to create some drama, but to share with you the bold reminder that we were given: God was taking care of his kids on that Sunday morning. And we were surely blessed beyond measure and still remain so.

So from the polar winds of our hallway, I send you friends and family my love and wish you a good and blessed day serving our Lord. Let the exalting commence.