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

I've been saving this photo for such a time as this.  I think tonight's the night.  This is me, on the beach of northern California last July.  I was enjoying an afternoon in the sun with Josiah asleep on my chest.  Roger and the rest of the kids and Dale and Lois were all splashing in the ocean, working on surfing.  We had been snacking around our beach camp earlier and had some crumbs and things around the chairs.  I noted a curious sea gull who had his eye on me.  He then began to do some fly over maneuvers, and eventually that bird pooped.  On my head.  I started to squeal and yell and curse.  Profanity.  Eventually Roger and Lois came up to see what all the noise was about and instead of grabbing a towel to wipe my forehead they were doubled over in laughter.  Little Josiah slept through it but he recounts this story often this summer for whatever reason.  Perhaps to punish me.   You see, lately, I have been a crabby, potty-mouth, sarcastic, not joyful person.  I hav

John 21:15.......When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?"  "Yes, Lord" he said, "you know that I love you.  Jesus said, "Feed my lambs". This scripture is a snippit of the sermon we had this morning at our out-door worship.  After the service we voted on calling a new pastor and had 99% approval which is super-exciting....and then a pot luck lunch. ( Let me just say that a potluck lunch where we are asked to bring a hot and a cold dish, to be served after a 10am church service and short congregational meeting is a challenge for me!  How to keep the hot dish hot and the cold dish cold and since I work for public health I understand the implications of not having food consumed at proper temps!  We managed. ) Lately, Josiah has been getting naughtier.  Feistier.  Pushing buttons and causing trouble. It's what littlest brothers do I guess.  For awhile I let it go because he is

Here are some of my thoughts regarding summery things. 1.  Baseball equals summer at this house.  It consumes the month of June.  We sit on steamy hot bleachers and clap and cheer and heckle if we dare and we suck down bottles of water and get sun burned a bit.  I will miss chatting with other baseball parents.  I will not miss the disgusting bathrooms at baseball fields. 2.  Summer food is unprecedented and absolutely worth being noted.  Strawberries picked fresh from a strawberry field.......ripe watermelon that drips down your chin when you take a bite.....grilled meats and light salads......and sun tea, sangria, cold beer, popcycles and my new challenge:  iced coffee. 3.  Cool light-weight,  knee-length skirts with tank tops and flip flops.  Can there be a greater gift to women's fashion than this combo?  Colorful swim suits and flashy sun glasses and baseball caps.  Your favorite t-shirt from a vacation you took where you spent too much money in gift shops and yet you w

Last week Sunday, Claire and I spent a lot of time in her room.  We were packing and talking and sorting and planning.  They left at 2:30am and I shut the door to her room so the dogs wouldn't explore in there.  Claire and Roger have had an amazing week in Haiti.  This was her first trip out of the US and her first experience loving fatherless children. Last night, I tried to prepare her for "re-entry" back home.  I texted her and told her I would be praying for her as she  said good-bye to all she had experienced in Haiti this week.....and worked at coming back home.  It's hard.  It really is.  As hard as it is to leave it is also hard to come home.  Home doesn't understand how much you have changed, how much you have learned........home just wants you back. I will also process the leaving and returning with Roger but that is different.  He is the provider and head of household here, and is established.  I think his re-entry will be easier that it will be fo

It's Father's Day weekend.  Roger is in Haiti with Claire.  Presently they are helping host a prom for girls who will soon age-out of the orphan care program and need to learn to live as young women in Haiti.  Claire made him a dad.  It's super-cool that they get to share this experience for Father's Day. The fact is not lost that they are loving and knowing fatherless children in Haiti.  On Father's Day.  In a perfect world, everyone would know the love of a father.  Since that cannot happen in this world, we have access to God's inheritance and can make sure that all know the love of THE Father, God. Today we were at a baseball tournament for Jeremiah.  Some of the coaches were fathers.  Many fathers were watching and yelling and cheering.  On the playground, another child asked  me if I was Precious' mom or her grandma.  Yes.  She did.  I said, "I am her mom."  A conversation ensued about adoptive moms and birth moms (the other child was al

I heard this song today as I was driving around the county doing my public health nurse work.  I had been in prayer for Roger and Claire, and this song seemed to affirm what is happening in my family. God is on the move, people.  My husband and first born said "yes" to being sent.....and my middle son asked me yesterday when He gets to go.....so lets keep dreaming and searching and sending and going.....because God is definitely on the move and if we are not moving with him, we just may be standing still. It may not be your turn to go.  It wasn't my turn this time....but I could help send them and fix meals to bless people who donated money...I could do the job of being home and caring for the rest of our family.  Roger and Claire wake up each morning in Haiti and go do morning devotions on the beach by the ocean......seriously.....they may have gone to help and bless but I just know that God is lavishing so much goodness on them and into them that I cannot stay jealo

And they are off!  Roger and Claire spent most of yesterday reading their lists, packing and discussing what they needed for their Haiti trip.  Both were nervous and wanting to be as prepared as possible.  I tried to help in anyway possible.  I kept a secret all day and didn't share it.  I will share it here. In church, in the morning yesterday, we were singing our worship songs.  Roger was on the prayer team so he was on stage.  I was singing/praying as I often do, and listening for the Lord as I often do.  A quiet little thought snuck in that was NOT from my Father God.  It was something like this, " well that's the last time he will sing on stage, you are sending them away and will never see them again"....... I know! Aweful, hideous little demon voices trying to destroy my worship and my reverence and my moment in MY CHURCH!  This is not new, I have battled these little mongrels plenty in my life.  I'm not a baby Christian any more.  I'm all growe

Summer may not officially begin until later in June, but my summer food plans are definitely shifted.  Ever season brings fresh ideas and inspiration for me regarding the food we eat.  My children aren't as brave as I am about trying new things, but they get better every year.  Summer food is so awesome.  We have had a good ninja blender for awhile and in the winter we made lots of smoothies but it broke and we were without for a month or so.  Roger ordered a new one and it came with a recipe book of things to blend.  Drinks, sauces, purees. Jeremiah got very excited as he read through the recipes.  He wants to try lots of them!   I went shopping at 3pm today for the third day in a row to get ingredients for watermelon slushes, peanut butter and chocolate smoothies with frozen yogurt and heavy cream, something with kiwi, something with pineapple and my counter is full of fruit tonight!   Summer food here means more grilling and my husband is a great griller.  It means more co

While attending the orphan summit in May of this year, I was able to hear a message from Ann Voskamp.  She is a Christian author and speaker and even though I didn't know it, she had just finished a journey to adopting a child from China.  She has several bio kids and this is her first adoption experience.  Her child, born in China, had a heart condition.  In her testimony,  she shared that this condition would require surgeries and medical care that the birth mother could not provide so she had placed this child for adoption so that she could have a chance at life and not imminent death.  Ann's message was not necessarily to beat the drum of adoption, but more like.......how do we stop this?  How do we help these families to have the medical care they need for their children so that giving their child to another family is not necessary....... Ann Voskamp gave voice to something I have cried out for many times, with my own children.  I love adoption and I love my family just

1.  You set the table for 8 and only 7 live here now.....and you miss Grace. 2.  You bust your butt to make everything make sense....... 3.  You plan the week and have no idea how to succeed.... 4.  You live. 5.  You breathe. Worship.  Pray.  Hope.  Breathe......worship......pray.....hope. 6.  You accept your failure and make a plan for success. 7.  You work hard to send your husband and first born on a mission trip together......and cook meals for those who decide to give money to pay for their tip. 8.  You strive to do your work because your work matters.....and you love what you do..... 9.  You accept the fact that there are never enough hours in the day.... 10.  You wake up ready to try again. 11.  You understand that you should have/could have gone for a walk or a run today but did not. 12. You notice the unfinished laundry, the messy rooms, the ongoing-ness of life. 13.  You decide to sit outside anyway and take deeper breaths  as spring gives way to summer. 14.  Y

Psalm 37:4 NLT says "Take delight in the Lord and He will give you your heart's desires.".  I like this verse in several translations......I like the promise.  I like the connection with God.  I like the instruction that if I line myself up with the Lord it will be easy for Him to give me a "yes".  If I am loving what He loves, He will give me the desires of my heart.  Take delight in the Lord........ What does that look like exactly?  For me, in June in Iowa, it means noticing and delighting in all the blooming things.  Taking pictures.  Taking walks.  Taking time to stop and notice the beauty of things in bloom, and to smell the flowers and take deep breaths of spring air. ( It means choosing to try to run a bit to try to get into shape.......and then have really sore muscles at night when I realize that I may have aimed too high.  Spring and sun got the best of me today.) Take delight in the Lord......take it...pursue it.....learn what delights Him.  F