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

by definition, "resilient" means able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions, able to recoil or spring back into shape after bending, stretching or being compressed.  In my work with families of young children, we often talk about how resilient children are.  They can withstand so much hardship and, if given the right kinds of attention and love and affection, they can recover and grow well.  Tonight I wish to claim this word and ask that the Lord apply it especially to the senior high school class of 2020.  Isaac is a senior.  He doesn't really even know what he doesn't get to experience, but many of us do.  Finishing your high school year as a group, as a unified body that shares their own culture of conversation, hopes, dreams, memories.....it just matters in a unique way.  If they arrange class reunions (and I so hope they do) they will always remember that they did not get to finish together.  They did not get to leave...

Father God and all of Earth below.....it's Good Friday.  For me, as a Christian God-follower, it is important.  It is a day I remember that Jesus hung on a cross today.....for the whole day....and died there.  He didn't have to.  He could have decided to scrap it and make a different plan.  He is God after all....but out of obedience to God's plan to restore us to a right relationship with Him.....He did the cross. He chose death on this day thousands of years ago so that I get to choose life today.  Every day.  I am so so sorry He had to die for my sins.  I am sorry that I am unable to stop sinning, and to live a righteous life.  I am sorry that without His act of love I would surely have only death and hell forever.  It's Good Friday because He did choose the cross.  Because I know it and believe it and claim it as my truth.  I have life and Heaven forever.  That's the deal.  That's the whole Easter deal.  H...

Two days ago, on Monday afternoon, my auntie and her Tom went for an afternoon walk.  They are a lovely  couple who have enjoyed each other in the season of life that comes after building a family, focusing on career and living in the marketplace world.  They are retired and have been having a blast taking motorcycle trips with friends on their Harley bikes, exploring caves in Hawaii, candy-baking with sisters, hiking the mountains of Norway with her son and family, skiing in Montana with her other son and loving life. Monday afternoon they went for a walk and were walking on the correct side of the road when a car swerved over and clipped her on its way into the ditch.  The car came from behind.  She literally did not see it coming.....and the impact of the collision stopped her heart and she died instantly. We are in shock over the violence of this death, and we are in shock that we can never enjoy her beautiful presence in this world again.  She was...

Father God, as we start this new day I fight to say that this is the day the Lord has made.  I mean, I know you made it.  You authored it and ordained it long ago......and you have plans for this day.  This day that makes me feel weary just thinking about it.  This day where we will all remain socially isolated and distanced and try to work and do school and attempt to play and create and worship and ....live.  This is a day that you have made, Lord, like no other day we have had before or we will have again. Help us, God.  Help your children to do this day well.....today and tomorrow and the days that follow.  Help me to do this day well.  If I break down in tears again today, Father, I know you are here with me counting each tear that falls.  I know you are in my deep breaths, trying to calm down.  Breathe in 4 seconds, hold breath 4 seconds, exhale 4 seconds, pause 4 seconds........You are God in every cycle. Calm our minds and h...

I am not a crafty person.  If someone asked to describe me I guarantee that "crafty" would not be in the top 10...or even top 20.  You know those box kits of gingerbread houses that Walmart sells every Christmas season?  I always buy them and they turn out horrible and the kids have tantrums and its just not fun.  At all.  I want my kids to be crafty.  I want them to learn to spend free time creating something lovely and feeling proud of what they made.....but I'm a lousy craft mom.  I stood in the craft section of Walmart a long time today looking at knitting needles and crochet hooks.  For some reason I really want Josiah to learn to knit.  I don't knit.  Precious definitely doesn't want to learn....but I think it would be really cool if he could knit.  He could make things when he is bored.  He could be really impressive on the Today show when he is a famous athlete some day and tell about how as a child he would knit hats ...

Why on earth would I agree to go buy my little birthday boy a bearded dragon?  Easy answer is that he really, really wanted one.  But of course there is more to it than that.  Here is the bigger reason.  First can I just say that after 5 days of having this little critter, today I finally touched it.  Spike needed to eat and I was the only one home.....so after I cleaned the dead crickets out of his food bin, and dumping the fresh jumpy freaky ones into the bin, I picked him up, moved him to the food bin, watched him inhale about 10 crickets, sometimes 2 at a time (oh. my. word) and then I picked him back up and put him back in his tank.  ew.  ew.  ew.  but mission accomplished.  Then, and I kid you not, I had to go cut up some pieces of raw potato to feed the crickets.....to keep them alive until Spike is ready to eat them.  Yes.  Yes I did.  Attachment parenting involved being connected to your child and paying attent...

I laid in bed a few extra minutes this morning, praying that today would be a good day.  I asked God for extra strength and energy and patience and joy for the day because not only was it Josiah's birthday but we also had a string base lesson at 7:30am after opening Joe's gifts, then I had plans to go get a 3 yr old and bring him to preschool for the first time.  He didn't know me.  He doesn't speak English.....I was a bit nervous.  I had a staff meeting and a home visit and after the birthday party of 15 children I wanted to go watch Claire perform at the home basketball game..... Josiah loved his birthday gifts and had a great school day and a super fun birthday party.  We went out for ice cream to the "Ice Cream Capital of the World"    (in caps because how do they really decide anyway???), then on to bowling, opening gifts and 3 huge orders of fries before we caravaned home and delivered the 13 first graders plus 2 Kredit kids home safely. ...