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

 We just returned from a volleyball competition in Kansas City.  These weekends of club volleyball are exciting and stressful, expensive and also costly in social and emotional currency.  Some moments gain and some moments lose in the account.  The recent article that circulated locally about why someone pulled his kids out of club volleyball was interesting to say the least.  What he didn't describe was the social and interpersonal and spiritual gain that are available by leaving town and spending time with people who don't look like you, think like you or care about the same things.....and how some of those moments are rich teaching moments between parents and children that would not be available if all we ever did was live, work and play with our local circle of peers.  I'm going to discipline myself to say no more on that topic.  I was fearful to even bring it up but I'm just tired enough tonight to feel a bit courageous as well.   My kiddo has some really deep fear

 Love.   It's almost Valentine's Day so I am thinking a lot about love.   One thing love does, is it plans a date to go watch a broadway show on a tuesday night because it means he and I get to steal away for a few hours and just be us.  He had the idea.  I had the yes.  Tomorrow night we get to go do a fun thing together on a date and all the other moving parts can work around it.   Love does things like worrying about a young girl we love, making calls, saying prayers and hoping God will do what He can to rescue and redeem.   It does things like praying for families who are hurting, and helping when we can. Love wants adult children who are married or dating to grow in capacity to love bigger and better, to put the other first, to yield and to submit and to honor and to extravagantly bless one another....and love hopes that their significant other does the same for them.  Put God first, then put others, then put self.  It is irrefutably the best way.  to love.   Love misses t

 Last week I walked dogs in unexpectedly warm late winter afternoons.  I realized that when I don't walk regularly it matters.  This week I wanted to walk again but I am such a wimp and if it is cold or windy or rainy or all of those things put together, I don't want to walk outside.  I spend my work days in and out and in and out and cold and warm and cold and warm.....but today I needed to walk.  It was cold and windy and rainy.   I started my walking app that tells me when to walk slow, speed up, slow down, speed up and eventually cool down.  In my home office space in front of a cooking competition.  I looked ridiculous walking in place, dancing and prancing, moving foward and backward and working up a sweat but I got it done.  I sure did.   I got groceries because we were out of milk and I got food for "superbowl Sunday" which is not that different from any other Sunday evening.  My parents come over and we have snacks and drinks and then we eat together and clea