He is Greater.....John 3:30 says He must become greater, I must become less"

several sweet friends presented me with a coin jar in the last 2 days, as a birthday gift.....for my friends at Sarah's Covenant Homes.  I find myself getting tight in the throat with emotion when I greet a friend who has a jar.....and a smile....because I know that they know that this matters.  Pennies.  Virtuously nothing in the economy of the day....and yet so, so much when we consider the widow's mite, and how Elijah helped the jars of oil to never run dry for the widow and her son.....and the loaves and the fishes.  God can do so much with so little.....but we have to present the little.  It's part of the obedience of it.  So. Remember. This is not about me. This is about the children of God who are forgotten, stepped over, cast aside (like pennies on the road)......and the ministry who gathers them up, who elevates them to princes and princesses, and gives them food and fun and clothing and education and love.....and more love.....and the most love.....and this

Remember my friend Sarah and the ministry of Sarah's Covenant Homes?  I haven't written much about it lately.....partly because I was nursing some pain over not being able to adopt one of her kids.....and I would love to be planning another trip to India soon....and hope to do so.....but until then, know this. Sarah's Covenant Homes needs help.  For now, they cannot post photos and videos of the kids because the government of India says no.....and she has sent out a distress sound because funding is slipping.....and bills aren't getting paid.....for these children.  guys.  That's just not ok.  How is it that we can have bleeding hearts for a child when we see a photo of how desperate they are, or how cute they are.....but without that photo we can turn away and not help.  These kids......they have no one if they don't have us.  They have been denied and rejected over and over.....and their needs are greater than those of the children in my home and yours.....

I have a birthday in a day and a half.  I usually love my birthdays but I find that as time passes, I love them less.  I hoped to be more put together by this birthday and I am not.  I wanted to be thinner and in better shape and more organized.....I wanted a fresh take on life....and I thought I knew how that looked.  God, as always, has a different agenda. I kinda wanted to skip this birthday.  It's on a Tuesday, for cryin out loud.  We are busy with school and soccer and such.  The kids don't want to skip my birthday.  Roger doesn't want to skip it either.  I guess we will have it. God has ideas for my birthday celebration....new ideas of things to come that I never imagined were possible.....ideas that will help moms and babies and adoptive families....so many good ideas, My Father has. I guess I'm kinda excited for this next year.....the Lord is doing some crazy cool stuff for His kingdom.....and apparently I have an invitation to the party.  :)

The conference I attended a week ago, entitled :Empowered to Connect, by ShowHope, continues to speak to me.  It was 2 full days and I missed soccer and Roger had to pull more than his fair share but it was so worth it.  I want to redo it again, and again because there is just so much good info there!  (I think it was actually 2 weeks ago, but whatever.) Here's my musings for today, with reference to the Hope Connection work of Karyn Purvis and Dr. David Cross and gobs and gobs of research and clinical hours.....and my endorsement. Saying "Yes" puts trust in the bank.  It does.  Fear and pain, whether internal or external, drive maladaptive (negative) behavior.  The yeses change that.  When you say "yes" to a child who is struggling, it causes something magical called "felt safety".  Children feel safe when they get a "yes".  Don't we all, really?  A man proposes to the woman he loves....if she says "yes" relief and joy flo

Gosh.  There are so many ways to help people.....more than a person can fit in in a day, really. There is hosting an international student, and having a friend over to play when you really want to do some Trust-basted relational intervention strategies on her....and the aching and hoping it makes a difference for her and her family.  There is preparing a meal for the worship director, or the co-worker with sick children......there is helping a young mama prepare her talk for MOPS.  There is meeting for lunch with a young woman who longs to be mentored.... There is attending webinars on human trafficking and conferences on providing first aid for mentally ill youth.....and prenatal teaching and offering parenting support.  There is driving kids from soccer to dance and stopping at Subway to feed them.  There is dishes and laundry and vacuuming and cooking and bathing and kissing and praying...... There is being present.  And planning ahead.  There is reflecting and remembering...

So far, in 5 months of being the owner of a German Shephard, I have done 2 things correctly.  1.  Lexi is crate-trained.  When she is barking incessantly, or attacking Jedi, or any combination of those two things with anyone else in this household......we can tell her to "take a break" and put her in her crate for anywhere from 15 minutes to 9 hours.  2.  We have a nose harness for her leash.  I can now take her for a walk without her pulling hard.  She walks/runs beside us in a calm way. We have not managed to get her to stop barking, stay out of the pool, not bite toes, not attack people at the door, not jump on people and not grab food from the table.  We have not managed get her to sit or stay for more than a few seconds.  It has been suggested to consider a shock collar and I really, really don't want to go there.  I will if I have to.  Precious told her tonight, "Lexi, you are my dog.  Some day you will listen to me and sleep with me and I will be in

Are you making plans for summer?  It's that time of year for us.  Today was the deadline for summer rec applications, school physicals for fall, etc.  We are now down to about 6 weeks left of school and then a 3 month summer break for kids.....and sort of for me as well.  I can cease to be hyper-vigilant about checking emails and schedules regarding assignments and homework and tests and concerts and games.....As we wrap up the end of this school year we are trying to find Claire a job.  Well.  I am trying to find her a job.  She's not trying too hard and has a large list of jobs she doesn't want to do this summer..... One topic of discussion that is increasing in frequency is that of our summer vacation.  For the past 2 years, we have gone to a lake in Minnesota for a week with my family and it was really relaxing and edifying to my soul.  It's not gonna work out to do that vacation this year.  We are doing something different....as in... 180 degree turn different.

A.W. Tozer wrote this:  "To believe actively that our Heavenly Father constantly spreads around us providential circumstances that world for our present good and our everlasting well-being brings to the soul veritable benediction.  (consider the phrase "veritable benediction....really)   Most of us go through life praying a little, planning a little, jockeying for position, hoping but never being quite certain of anything, and always secretly afraid that we will miss the way.  This is a tragic waste of truth and never gives rest to the heart. There is a better way.  It is to repudiate our own wisdom and take instead the infinite wisdom of God.  Our insistence upon seeing ahead is natural enough, but it is a real hindrance to our spiritual progress.  God has charged Himself with full responsibility for our eternal happiness and stands ready to take over the management of our lives the moment we turn in faith to Him." I love that God is taking charge of my eternal h

My house is quiet in an eerie way.  Earlier, there were about a dozen kids clamoring about.  I was working but stopped home for a bit.  My mom was doing her magic in organized chaos with pockets of playful children, rambunctious dogs and lots of dishes and laundry to deal with.  I left in the middle of the "storm" of activity to go back to work and do a couple more home visits.  Now, just hours later, the house is still.  Dogs are exhausted and napping.  Precious is resting.....Josiah is having a late afternoon nap....oh wait....I think he is waking up.  And dinner is in the oven. Ssshhhhh.  We are done with sippy cups here.  They all went into the garbage today.  After 2 nights of little Joe waking me up throughout the night asking for milk......we are taking away the sippies.  Again.  I will offer him a drink of water, I will hold him all night long, but we are no longer filling up sippies in the night and taking them to bed.  Oh boy, he's not so happy. And its no

I have this thought I wish to share.  I hope I can do it.  It's 10:04pm......I'll sure try.   if not, there's always "delete". Today, Claire came home from soccer practice freezing cold, hungry and tired.  "Mom, that symphony concert is tonight".  I had told her I would go with her (thinking it was Friday night) becuase it was an assignment for school.  Big sigh.....rub my eyes in the kitchen......with supper on the stove.  I had already prepared meals for 2 other families and taxi-ed kids for over an hour....and I just really wanted to sit and watch The Voice and snuggle in after a cold, drizzly day of working out in public health. We went to the concert.  We picked up her friend Zoe and went to hear a night of Tchaikovsky......and it was beautiful.  Most of the symphony performers were either students or teachers but the talent was unprecedented.  Most of the audience was elderly couples who were stately and attractive.  They served truffles and c

Today was wonderful.  I got up early to make sure the teen dancers were set to go.  I took down bananas and fixed a "sock bun".  If you are a dance mom, you know what that is.  They left and it was 5:30.  I could have gone back to bed.....but I decided to make my rolls for church.  After sunrise service, our church serves a lovely breakfast of egg bake, fruit and sweet breads......after I finished the cinamon rolls, I decided to make my cheesy potatoes for dinner with family.....and then it was time to shower and head to sunrise service.  Roger stayed home for the first year ever and I went to early sunrise service for the first year ever.  That, people, is a sign I am getting more sleep here. Sunrise service was done by our church youth group.  They did so great.  At the end, just before the dance troup performed, there was a testimony time and Claire was asked to share.  The person who shared before Claire took a long time to share her answer as to when there was a time

Tomorrow is Easter Morning.  He is risen, He is risen, indeed.  I cannot wait to wake up and celebrate the most important event ever.  We will rouse the 3 teenage girls sleeping downstairs so that they can go dance in 2 sunrise services.....then get ready and prepare food and go to church.  We go to church most, if not every Sunday morning.....but Easter Sunday is special.  It is celebration.  It is recognizing the the grave no longer holds him.  He conquered death.....and defeated Satan....and we have Victory.  In.  Jesus. Thursday night we had our Maundy Thursday service.  I was supposed to have a part in a play that re-enacted the death of Jesus.  Our ministry director asked me to do it a few weeks ago on a Sunday morning and I said "sure" but didn't really think it through.  For a week the script sat in my church bag and I never looked at it.  Sunday afternoon came and I knew I had to go to practice that night, and for the next 4 weeks on Sunday nights for 3-4 hour