Tears are fresh today. Not sure exactly why today; it's not much different than yesterday. I think I'm seeing and feeling brokenness very keenly. I did change the title of the blog because I've been posting things that are GOOD and encouraging, but today I'm of the perspective that it's not supposed to be this way.
Death is ugly. Need hurts. Sin is abundant. Fear lurks. Struggle is hard. But refinement is good. Thank God this is not all in vain!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Book Review (not written by me)
Here's an excerpt from a review of the book I've mentioned, Learning Evangelism From Jesus by Jerram Barrs. You can find the entire review at www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=568&B=Denis Haack&TID=5.
"Learning Evangelism from Jesus is for people who love Christ and want to be like him. It’s for people who are sick and tired of evangelism, or scared of it, or disgusted by it, or convinced that it can’t be done except by fundamentalists who mistake the proper rejection extended to rude, unkind, judgmental strangers as persecution."
As I type I'm looking at my copy, sitting within arm's reach on the desk, where I placed it as I sat down to check email "real quick." It's an easy read but is rocking my simple-minded head. I mean, I know what I know pretty well, but this is a twist on how I have always viewed evangelism, meaning I have to actually think. Not so used to that these days. You may just breeze through it though.
Needless to say I don't have much to discuss yet because I'm still just taking it all in. Please, please let me know if you decide to read it. It would be a great study for a small group or maybe just in your household. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
"Learning Evangelism from Jesus is for people who love Christ and want to be like him. It’s for people who are sick and tired of evangelism, or scared of it, or disgusted by it, or convinced that it can’t be done except by fundamentalists who mistake the proper rejection extended to rude, unkind, judgmental strangers as persecution."
As I type I'm looking at my copy, sitting within arm's reach on the desk, where I placed it as I sat down to check email "real quick." It's an easy read but is rocking my simple-minded head. I mean, I know what I know pretty well, but this is a twist on how I have always viewed evangelism, meaning I have to actually think. Not so used to that these days. You may just breeze through it though.
Needless to say I don't have much to discuss yet because I'm still just taking it all in. Please, please let me know if you decide to read it. It would be a great study for a small group or maybe just in your household. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Friday, September 3, 2010
Beautiful Day
There could not possibly be a more beautiful day than God gave us today. The storms came through last night and cooled everything off. The high was in the mid-70's and there has been a cool breeze all day long.
This morning I got to slip away for a good hour and a half alone. I've been reading ahead in Anne of Green Gables (it's been our read-aloud book lately), and I'm all caught up in it. I wanted to be outside on this perfect day and enjoy the sunshine and breezes but also wanted to be more comfortable than a park bench would allow. So I drove to the park and sat in the car in the shade with the windows rolled down so I could see and hear it all still. And read in silence, without interruption, to my heart's content!
Then all afternoon the windows have been open. And Brian has been home with us. And we CLEANED the whole house together as a family all at once. And tomorrow is a real Auburn day! And people are coming over for the game!
Oh, but today is Sarah Frances's actual birthday. The girl has racked up--lots of gifts and phone calls! The Gayles are coming over for dinner to help celebrate. Perfect ending to a perfect day!
This morning I got to slip away for a good hour and a half alone. I've been reading ahead in Anne of Green Gables (it's been our read-aloud book lately), and I'm all caught up in it. I wanted to be outside on this perfect day and enjoy the sunshine and breezes but also wanted to be more comfortable than a park bench would allow. So I drove to the park and sat in the car in the shade with the windows rolled down so I could see and hear it all still. And read in silence, without interruption, to my heart's content!
Then all afternoon the windows have been open. And Brian has been home with us. And we CLEANED the whole house together as a family all at once. And tomorrow is a real Auburn day! And people are coming over for the game!
Oh, but today is Sarah Frances's actual birthday. The girl has racked up--lots of gifts and phone calls! The Gayles are coming over for dinner to help celebrate. Perfect ending to a perfect day!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
CRAZY, I tell ya!
What is WRONG with me that each month I am secretly hopeful that I'm pregnant? I mean, it would be the 1 in 2000 chance that B's snipping procedure failed. So why, a day or 2 before it should be confirmed that I'm not, do I get a little excited at the idea that I am?
This is the longest in our entire marriage that we've gone without a new baby. Lillian is 2 1/2 exactly. Maybe that's just it. It's just what we do. Have babies. But not anymore. As it should be!
But I held a tiny 3 month old twice Tuesday and it felt soooo good.
And I always thought I wanted to be finished by 30. (and God was very gracious--missed it by 1 month). But no one does that anymore! My friends are still having babies, or just starting even! Maybe that's part of it too.
Bottom line, I am just crazy. CRAZY, I tell ya!
This is the longest in our entire marriage that we've gone without a new baby. Lillian is 2 1/2 exactly. Maybe that's just it. It's just what we do. Have babies. But not anymore. As it should be!
But I held a tiny 3 month old twice Tuesday and it felt soooo good.
And I always thought I wanted to be finished by 30. (and God was very gracious--missed it by 1 month). But no one does that anymore! My friends are still having babies, or just starting even! Maybe that's part of it too.
Bottom line, I am just crazy. CRAZY, I tell ya!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Soccer, sort-of
Characters:
Marne--my closest St Louis friend. Has lived here for 8 years, having moved from Birmingham. Married to John Halsey; mother of Halsey, Virginia Lee, McIver, and Slade. Told us about playing soccer with Central.
Vicki--the director of my Classical Conversations group that meets at Jubilee Church. Married to Rick. Mother of Sarah, William, and Henry. Members of South City Pres. She's never met Marne or Marne's friends. Didn't know they did Central soccer before today.
Mallie--Marne introduced us at a swim meet this summer. They are old friends from Bham. Here for here husband's transplant surgeon fellowship, or something like that.
Ginny--good friend of Mallie's, friend of Marne's, from Nashville. Moved here a year ago for her husband's job.
Christy and Michael Brandenstein--our soccer coach and his wife. He's the pastor at South City Pres and her counseling office is at Jubilee Church. Originally from Nashville.
Scene 1: texting on the phone, last week
Marne texts me and says Mallie's friend Ginny will be at soccer practice on Monday and that they want us to meet.
Scene 2: Cricket Field, Forest Park. Soccer Practice #1, today
I meet Coach B. and his wife Christy. Christy and I hit it off and I end up volunteering to coordinate snacks and get all the moms to sign the waiver right then at practice. Christy has a child practicing with my girls and a Kindergartner practicing on the other half of the field, so she heads that way. My ulterior motive for doing the waiver is to find and meet Ginny, but I never did meet her before practice was over.
Scene 3: on the phone with Brian, after practice
Brian right away puts together the South City Pres connection and asks me if I asked the coach if he knew Rick and Vicki. Nope, I hadn't asked. Maybe I'll remember next time.
Scene 4: checking email at home, tonight
Vicki had emailed to ask if I have a child playing soccer with Central, perhaps in Kindergarten. She had met someone who was looking for a homeschool mom of four, whose name is R Brown (Rachel or Rebecca, she couldn't remember). *which, btw, really makes me laugh out loud that that's the description of me.*
Funny connections: Vicki and Marne have never met or really heard much of each other, but have a random connection now through me and this girl Ginny.
Vicki and Christy are most likely friends...we shall see.
I wonder if Ginny and Christy friends, maybe having known each other from Nashville?
Our CC meets at Jubilee Church, where Christy's counseling office is.
Vicki and Ginny happen to meet at soccer today, but I can't figure out how. Sarah is 10, obviously not in Kindergarten, but the child Vicki mentioned who is playing soccer.
All this in probably two hours total of God-ordained meetings. And it feels good to see networks of relationships come into place. Makes STL feel more like home. Like when the mom I became friends with at swimteam waved to me at 7am the other Saturday morning from way across the street and shouted, "hey!" Hadn't seen her in weeks, but we know where each other lives. And the other week when B had the two littles out at the park, they ran into another mom from the "other swimteam," and she spoke to Brian because she recognized the kids. Awesome. Then there's David, Sol's dad, the practicing Jew. He and Brian talked tonight in the driveway about Hebrew the language because David can read it but not translate it, and it's what B's learning now. That also means B can talk to Sol about how hard it is to learn the alphabet, etc. Cool.
Lots of relationships. Lots of people. Lots of prayers being offered up and answered around here. God is so good all the time. I'm considering changing the title of the blog.
Marne--my closest St Louis friend. Has lived here for 8 years, having moved from Birmingham. Married to John Halsey; mother of Halsey, Virginia Lee, McIver, and Slade. Told us about playing soccer with Central.
Vicki--the director of my Classical Conversations group that meets at Jubilee Church. Married to Rick. Mother of Sarah, William, and Henry. Members of South City Pres. She's never met Marne or Marne's friends. Didn't know they did Central soccer before today.
Mallie--Marne introduced us at a swim meet this summer. They are old friends from Bham. Here for here husband's transplant surgeon fellowship, or something like that.
Ginny--good friend of Mallie's, friend of Marne's, from Nashville. Moved here a year ago for her husband's job.
Christy and Michael Brandenstein--our soccer coach and his wife. He's the pastor at South City Pres and her counseling office is at Jubilee Church. Originally from Nashville.
Scene 1: texting on the phone, last week
Marne texts me and says Mallie's friend Ginny will be at soccer practice on Monday and that they want us to meet.
Scene 2: Cricket Field, Forest Park. Soccer Practice #1, today
I meet Coach B. and his wife Christy. Christy and I hit it off and I end up volunteering to coordinate snacks and get all the moms to sign the waiver right then at practice. Christy has a child practicing with my girls and a Kindergartner practicing on the other half of the field, so she heads that way. My ulterior motive for doing the waiver is to find and meet Ginny, but I never did meet her before practice was over.
Scene 3: on the phone with Brian, after practice
Brian right away puts together the South City Pres connection and asks me if I asked the coach if he knew Rick and Vicki. Nope, I hadn't asked. Maybe I'll remember next time.
Scene 4: checking email at home, tonight
Vicki had emailed to ask if I have a child playing soccer with Central, perhaps in Kindergarten. She had met someone who was looking for a homeschool mom of four, whose name is R Brown (Rachel or Rebecca, she couldn't remember). *which, btw, really makes me laugh out loud that that's the description of me.*
Funny connections: Vicki and Marne have never met or really heard much of each other, but have a random connection now through me and this girl Ginny.
Vicki and Christy are most likely friends...we shall see.
I wonder if Ginny and Christy friends, maybe having known each other from Nashville?
Our CC meets at Jubilee Church, where Christy's counseling office is.
Vicki and Ginny happen to meet at soccer today, but I can't figure out how. Sarah is 10, obviously not in Kindergarten, but the child Vicki mentioned who is playing soccer.
All this in probably two hours total of God-ordained meetings. And it feels good to see networks of relationships come into place. Makes STL feel more like home. Like when the mom I became friends with at swimteam waved to me at 7am the other Saturday morning from way across the street and shouted, "hey!" Hadn't seen her in weeks, but we know where each other lives. And the other week when B had the two littles out at the park, they ran into another mom from the "other swimteam," and she spoke to Brian because she recognized the kids. Awesome. Then there's David, Sol's dad, the practicing Jew. He and Brian talked tonight in the driveway about Hebrew the language because David can read it but not translate it, and it's what B's learning now. That also means B can talk to Sol about how hard it is to learn the alphabet, etc. Cool.
Lots of relationships. Lots of people. Lots of prayers being offered up and answered around here. God is so good all the time. I'm considering changing the title of the blog.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
The Browns Come To Town
In mid July all the Browns from Bham, minus Jimmy (we missed you!), came up for a visit. We ate our way across town and did about everything in St Louis you can do with seven kids. Here are a few shots of our fun.
Outside the penguin exhibit at the Zoo.
Waiting in line at the arch.
The view from the top of the arch, looking west.
View of the ground below the arch. The Mississippi River has flooded the street at the bottom of the steps.
Waiting to go to City Museum.
The full-body "skating" area in City Museum. Not sure where Patrick is in this pic.
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