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

Well its 9pm and I have almost made it through another Halloween.  It's just not a holiday I enjoy.  It kind of ruins October for me.  The only tv show I really like to watch is the cooking ones on food network and in October its all halloween spooks and gross stuff.  yuck.  I feel like I spend much of my time in prayer fighting spiritual battles, interceding, discerning, asking God to help me fight all the darkness in the world.....and on this day every year the world goes kind of nuts and thinks its fun.  I just don't.  I'm not gonna be a hater or condemn folks who celebrate it....you do you and I'll do me....but for me.....I'm super glad its about done for the year. I've been a mom for 20 years now and have wrestled with this kind of thing over and over.....the Santa part of Christmas, the Easter Bunny part of Easter.....The spooky part of Halloween vs. Reformation Day recognition......there seems to be a worldly pop culture spin and a faith-base...

I had the kind of week that makes you long for Sunday.  I had a lot to do this week, different things than I usually do, like helping pull off a soup supper, run a concessions stand solo while Roger and Jeremiah covered a sileage pile....a really big football game Friday.... a dinner auction Saturday, and it was just a really fun, full, big week.  I knew that if I could make it to Sunday I could rest.  Last night around 9pm I had settled back in at home after my really busy and full week......and I was so anxious to wake up for Sunday.  A morning at church and then......rest.    In our community rest is expected on Sundays.  I've told the kids that it is not this way in the rest of the world......but it is here.  Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it Holy.....and I do realize that it doesn't mean it has to be Sunday....and originally wasn't but that is what we do here.  We keep Sundays set apart for rest and less.  We had lots of t...

I was texting my mom today, asking her for some folding chairs....and maybe a card table.  I am preparing to have guests tomorrow.  Claire's dance team from college is coming for breakfast.  I have some helpers bringing some of the food but I still needed to prepare the egg bake and buy the cider and hot cocoa mix....and cups and plates and such.  I want it to be a nice table when they come to eat tomorrow....so I spent some time working on it today.  I also did some cleaning.  We have been busy and gone for weeks and weeks and I don't usually invest time in cleaning unless people are coming.  Well.  People are coming. I said to my mom via text,......it's no wonder God put it in the bible to "practice hospitality".  It takes practice.  It isn't easy.  My house isn't big enough or nice enough.....I don't have or don't do all the things that make it lovely and seamless....that's why He said to "practice". Romans 12:13 says "Sh...

I want to write about something called "food insecurity"....but first....I want to write about food.  A few weeks ago, Precious and I went and picked some apples from a friend's trees.  It was a warm and breezy Sunday in September.  I decided that if she and I did this together, it would give us a chance to connect, bond, and do something seasonal.  These kinds of experiences are so so good for our brains.  We breathed in the fresh autumn air, we reached high to pick apples, we dropped them in the bucket.....I had plans for apple sauce and apple crisp and all things apple....because it is fall in Iowa.  We got home that day and the apples stayed in the garage because other things needed to happen.  The apples stayed there for a couple of weeks.....and eventually I felt a burden to deal with these apples.  Last week I peeled a bunch of them and tossed them in the crock pot to cook down for apple sauce.  Days earlier I had gone down to my ...

Today is my husband's 50th birthday.  Once upon a time, if it was your 50th birthday a big party was expected and everyone said you were "over the hill" and came dressed in black.....but we didn't do that for my 50th.  We went out for supper, we enjoyed each other as a family, and we relaxed.  I am an introvert so that was perfect for me.  I'm not a good party planner so we didn't do the traditional 5-0 for Roger either.  Sorry, hun.  Because it was a Sunday we did go to church together, and Roger's parents came for the weekend.  We went out for lunch.  He got to watch football and nap on the couch.  We were all home together.....which never happens.  Claire and Jonah and Rick and Barb were with us for lunch and then came over tonight for dinner......I think it was a nice day.  I hope he feels loved and validated.  For me, that is a birthday well-spent.  If you end your special day feeling loved and important and noticed ...

I'm sitting in my bed at 10:30pm watching Jimmie Falon and enjoying rhubarb crisp and red wine.  I'm breaking all the rules I put in place for trying to live healthier.....I intended to eat fruit and veggies, get to bed on time, and avoid unnecessary sugar and carbs.  I feel like failure meets me at every turn sometimes......I purposed myself to be more positive and affirming with my kids but heard myself lecturing Precious all the way to dance this afternoon about her lack of initiative and effort with school work and reviewing for tests and practicing the string base.....what the heck?  I only got to see her for moments today.....and everything I said was like word vomit.  Doggon it.  I didn't get the charting done today that needed to be done.  I had a playdate with a baby instead and played peek-a-boo and let him sleep on my chest for at least 3 hours and watched Beat Bobby Flay on food network for way too many minutes.....I managed the concession st...

Today I was thinking about my daughter.  I had made a plan to meet with her teachers and support staff at school to discuss her learning plan.  We do this a couple of times a year to make sure that she has all the help she needs at school to do well.  I was eagerly anticipating this meeting because once we met I would feel much less anxiety about her school days.  I would have assurance that the people who guide and teach her also understand her and maybe, just maybe, that they would understand me too.  I got to the meeting and we were chatting, waiting for one of the professionals to arrive.  I found myself remembering what life was like 10 years ago when she came home as a newborn.  She didn't sleep.  She fussed and fretted.  She needed a ton of support every day and we had to just learn as we lived each day.  I have learned a lifetime of lessons about the brain, the body, the soul and attachment from this kiddo.  I was trying ...