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

Here are some phrases I have heard recently: "We were homeless" "I am scared" "I'm bored" "I am all alone" "I don't know what to do" As a nurse, I want to fix things, to heal people.  These are social and community issues that I cannot fix or heal.  I can sit with someone who is homeless, and talk about options.  I can offer reassurance for fear.  I can help problem-solve ways to spend time in the day.  I can help point someone in a new direction......but I cannot fix most of the things I encounter every day. I am so grateful that there is Jesus.  Fixer.  Healer.  Safe shelter.  Peace-giver.  the Light to our Path and the Purpose for our days.....because there is Jesus it doesn't matter what life throws at us.  How dare this world say that there is no God.  How dare they say that we don't need a savior.  How dare the world say this.  We are in desperate need of a Savior.  The Savior came.  He came as a bab

Today is Palm Sunday for us!  It is the start of Holy Week for Christians.  I wasn't at church this morning, as we usually are on  Sunday mornings.  The weight and importance of this Holy Week has begun to weigh heavy on me, now that we are home from our weekend in Minneapolis.  We had a great time and the drive home told all 7 of us that we had spent PLENTY of time bonding as a family.  (Insert smiles)   We are all ready for a bit of space.  I am grateful tonight for a home that allows us to have space.  I can be at my computer in the dining room which is the central hub of our home.  The littles are in front of me in the family room but they are occupied and don't need me for a minute.  The teens are all in their spaces.  Roger is at practice for Maundy Thursday church service which will happen this coming Thursday.  It is a re-enactment of The Lord's Supper before He went to the cross.......Roger does a fantastic job with these dramas.  I can't wait to go watch him.

I'm reflecting on parenting tonight.  It is actually way too late in the day to be doing this, but I am doing it now anyway, at 10:20pm......because for today, hopefully, I am done....parenting.  Last night Precious was up at 11:30pm and restless.  She found her way to the little nest we built for her on the floor in our room and was able to sleep there all night.  Hopefully tonight she can just stay in her bed.    Parenting. Last week one day, I was the driver for carpool for the pre-schoolers.  On the way to preschool these 4/5 year olds were having a conversation/argument about whether it was Jesus or God who died on the cross......seriously.  I made a feeble attempt to explain the triune God to them in the car.  Whatever I said made them stop arguing and think a bit.  Parenting.  Later that day, Claire had a question about a scripture passage that didn't make sense to her.....something in the old testament.....and so while I was fixing dinner I got out my life applic

I have needed a way to help our little kids process their emotions.  What usually happens, is that the day is full of events and activities that stir emotions in them, but they don't have the ability or invitation to respond.  Whatever emotion they felt at the moment gets stuffed down somewhere....and then at the end of the day, when everyone is tired......all the emotions start to bubble up.  By then, the emotions no longer connect to the events and activities that caused them.  For my kids, and for me......this is how anxiety happens.  Events cause feelings that cannot be felt or named or validated in the moment.....and then later they come back up in a powerful way.  The later way feels like a panic attack, or a stomach ache, or a headache.....or a bad dream.....or tears that don't make any sense.  Yesterday I asked Precious if she wanted to go talk to someone about her feelings and her emotions, to learn how to talk about them.  She said yes.  I asked her if she and I