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

Ecclesiastes 3:7:  a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, As I sit here in late afternoon of Friday, I am aware of something.  It is more stressful to tear down and  break apart than it is to mend, and build up.  This is true of our conversations, of our relationships, and of our homes. About 10 days ago, a storm caused a huge tree to fall on the fence of our yard.  About 60 feet of fence fell in and much of our landscaping, and the little kids' playhouse crumbled.  It was devastating to see.....and it is taking a long time to mend.  Insurance adjusters are difficult.  Weather prevents the project from moving forward.  Our busy lives and our financial burden add stress.....and then there are the dogs.  The little, older dog loves the freedom of exploring the yards beyond ours.  The big one is confined to a chain, a leash, and a locked up house....and so she has to do her business inside mos...

Isaac has about 4 games left of his freshman baseball season.  He has worked so hard.  They have lost and lost and lost games.  Folks, they lose all their games.  They one one game so far.  They are young.  They make mistakes.  Not even all of them love baseball.  My kid does.  I drove him to the bus this week and he said that he wished there was about 2 1/2 more months of baseball this summer, not 2 more weeks.  He loves this game.  He loves playing.  He doesn't even need to win.  He just loves to play. Isaac chose to go to a high school that has a reputation for winning everything....except the sports Isaac plays, namely soccer and baseball.  Lots of other schools in our area hate his school because they win so much.....but those haters....they don't see my kid put on his baseball jersey and hat with pride every game, and go to practices and work hard and make improvements....and go to games and still lose and ha...

When I became a mother almost 18 years ago, I felt a bond of love and fierce protection for my baby that I couldn't even name.  It was a deep and visceral emotion and it was overwhelming to me.  I was a new mom so I started reading parenting books and the one that made the most sense to me was by a Dr. Sears and was called Attachment Parenting.  Everything in me screamed Yes!  Yes!  Yes!  I began to understand that I was created to be an attached parent. Attachment parenting involves responding to baby's cues, not letting them cry it out.  It involves nighttime parenting and breastfeeding and lots of physical touch and affection and denying your own needs and wants sometimes to make sure that your baby feels safe and secure.  It is about building trust with a child so that mentally they feel well.....and it is exhausting.  It is an investment in the child, as a person, so that when they are older, they will be able.  Resilient.  ...

Some great worship music that resonates with me....and my blog tonight.  It's hard choose to not be comfortable:  HeisgreaterwhenIamless.blogspot.com.

Years and years ago I took a trip to India to help work on some adoption files and spend time with some children.  I did 2 trips in a years' time that year and was really compelled by God to go and serve and love and come back to share what was happening there with Sarah's Covenant Homes.  Many of my family and friends responded with love and support and also began to help the children there.  The days before I left, on both trips, I was.....uncomfortable.  I didn't want to go.  I didn't want to leave home and all that was familiar and controlled......I did want to go where God was moving.  I chose to say yes and I learned something.  (Well, lots and lots of things, but primarily this:)  It is ok to be uncomfortable.  In fact, sometimes, it is just what God wants.  I was hot and I was nervous and I was homesick and I was longing for ice in my water, food that sounded good to me, etc.  The good Lord showed me that He longs to be wit...

I may regret this but I'm gonna write it anyway.  Maybe I'm writing it to assuage my guilt....or maybe there is another voice that should be heard.  Either way, here goes. There are lots of good ideas circulating that make lists for how to manage summer vacation with children..  These lists tell our children what they need to accomplish before they can play, or watch tv or whatever.....and they cover all of the things that make us well-rounded.  Read.  Play outside.  Clean.  Be creative with arts and crafts.....prove that you can do these good works and then you may relax for a bit.  Reading programs that bribe us with prizes and awards if we read so many words or pages or chapters or books......and these are all great ideas.  They are! Maybe they are not so great for me....or maybe even for my tribe.  Every year we sign up for the local reading program in the summer and we never ever complete it.  Sign up is Monday.  I wi...