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

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. ...

Yesterday we were part of the Orphan Sunday Celebration that we try to attend every year.  We worshiped and prayed and ate and read scripture together with countless other families who have grown through adoption/foster care.  We love this celebration service every year.....because we are drawn together.  Sometimes, living as a family who has adopted children, can feel very lonely.  Sometimes it is hard.  When children are separated from their first mothers and fathers, and join another family, there is a big deep hole that cannot be filled by love or safety or anything....because they have lost their first people.  Those of us who have adopted children know this and it is hard to find words for it in a way that would help us to feel helped by other people.  Thus.  We gather together and we understand each other and it pours into our hearts and our families and it is good.  Yesterday was good.  I wanted to write down thoughts and feelin...

I realize that I write about Precious a lot.  I guess she is sort of a muze.  I write about her often because she teaches me so many lessons.  I learn the lesson and then the Lord continues to nudge me to share the lessons with others.  It is not a reflection of loving her more than the other kids....not at all....but for whatever reason she teaches me a lot.  When she was first revealed to her birth mama God told her "This child is precious in my sight and I have great plans for her"....and her mama remembered that and named her Precious.  Her story will likely be big and amazing.  For now, I am a small part of that story and get to share what the Lord reveals, to teach me and to teach the world.  Last summer Precious started to learn to play the String Base.  This instrument is as tall as she is and almost as heavy.  We did 5-6 summer lessons and then set it aside as we got going with a new school year for everyone.  Early Octo...

Luke 21:1-4......."As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasure.  He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.  Truly I tell you, he said, this poor widow has put in more than all the others.  All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."  Orphan care and adoption are my "widow's mite".  We have adopted twice and it was costly both times.  It was costly in terms of finances.....we moved into our last adoption with literally nothing but a request from God to do it.  We had to ask for money just to pay the legal fees....it was humbling and it was not fun.  We got it done.  Day after day and year after year we grapple with the financial junk to afford life with 5 children.....if we had waited until we could "afford" to adopt it would never have happened.  We wouldn't have Precious.  We wouldn't have Josiah. ...