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

Hello internet programming.....I want to talk to you.  Today I was making dinner and listening to a show that my Josiah was watching on You tube Kids.  It was one of those vlog shows and they were having yet another extravagant Christmas party.  Everyone was dressed in matching pjs and the parents gave eachother thoughtful, tear-jerking gifts....and the kids all got about 24 different presents...and every one was happy, aunts and uncles and grandparents.....Josiah will be sadly mistaken and disappointed by our Christmas after watching episode after episode of this crap.  And yes.  It's my fault because I let him watch it so that I could cook a wholesome meal at home on a Thursday night.  I cannot keep up with how much internet/social media advice there is on which foods and chemicals and cleaning items are toxic and dangerous.  Apparently I can't eat regular salt any more.  It has to be Himalayan pink salt crystals now.....and I can't dust with...

We had a very thankful day today.  I got to wake up and have all of my people at home.  Knowing they would all wake up and stagger into the kitchen at some point for breakfast was heart-warming.  No college.  No early morning lifting or early morning conference calls......we had our church service last night and were given a chance to remember several families in our congregation who had struggles this year and had reasons to give thanks.  It was a great way to set up the holiday today.  We didn't make plans to go Black Friday shopping.  We did make our plan to go as a family to pick out our tree from the tree farm.  We also drew names for Christmas presents.  Mostly, though, we watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and football, ate lots of food, relaxed in our home and took naps.  We spent time with family we don't get to see very often.  We remembered important connections.  I remembered Thanksgivings over the y...

This morning we attended a church service that we try to do every year.  It is the annual Orphan Sunday service at First Reformed Church here in town, and we go as a part of the community that is Katelyn's Fund.  If you want any more info on this ministry please let me know or just google it.  When we began our adoption journey 10 years ago we reached out to Katelyn's Fund to help with the financial burden....and we also received emotional and relational support from this group.  Our daughter Claire joined the Katelyn's Fund family independently when she went on a trip to Haiti to meet and interact with the kids and staff of One Vision Children's Home, whom KF supports.  She met Withney there.  He is a little boy that came into care.....and needed sponsorship.  We have been his sponsor for 3 years now.  Roger couldn't come with us this time because he was home with a nasty virus.  My big man-cub  boys have come to this servi...

He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down.  Psalm 104:19 Lord God Almighty, maker of heaven and earth was so thoughtful and intentional in His creation of the world,  of the universe.....He made the moon to mark the seasons.....to number our days each month, to reflect all the changes in  time, and to help us understand seasons.  My favorite moon is harvest moon.....when it dominates the dark sky and glows brightly, to let us know which season is ending and which is beginning. Seasons do that.  They end and begin.  The season of fall will give way to winter in a few weeks......and every season gets to take its turn with us for awhile.  The same is true for seasons of suffering and trials, I think.  We were never promised a hassle-free life.  We should not be surprised when it is our turn to deal with hard things.  The past 12 months have been a rather hard season for me, for multiple reasons and I ...

November is National Foster Care and Adoption Month!  If you know me even a little bit you probably know how much I love this topic.  Since I was a very young girl, I have had a heart for adoption.....and rescue.....and to set the lonely in families.  For me it is foster care and adoption months all 12 months of the year, but for the rest of the nation, we raise awareness in November.  Tonight the annual Katelyn's Fund auction took place.  We have been a part of this ministry for years and years and we love it so much.  We had planned to attend the auction dinner and stay for part of the actual auction fun, then go to the college for a home basketball game because Claire danced at half time.  We didn't have funds to donate any big ticket items or to buy any, but I decided to donate a meal a month for a year.  Of course, I first called my mom and asked if she would help me do it....because I am NOT crazy, after all.  (insert snicker....chuc...

I've been thinking about perspective today.  I went for a walk because it is late October and the sun was shining and my weather app said it was 60 degrees.  Along the way, I noted that 60 degrees on October 29 with significant wind is not as warm and pleasant as 60 degrees in April after a long dark cold winter.  60 should be 60 right?  60 is not 60.  60 is only the temperature of the company that it keeps.  Let that sink in a bit.  60 is only as warm or cold as the company it keeps.  Metaphorically speaking....so are you and I.  I am only as warm or cold or generous or selfish as the company that term keeps.  It is all relative to what is around me, what else is considered in the moment.  I can be extravagantly selfish on Monday morning with my music playing and a hot cup of tea and a room full of quiet peace......but I cannot be that selfish at 5:30pm when my family is all around me and waiting for dinner, a ride here or ...

Being a parent is just hard.  It is the hardest thing ever.  Because I know this, I have chosen a career working with young parents.....as if I don't get enough at home.  Yikes.  I'm sitting here in the dark typing a blog because what I really want to do is watch my latest Netflix binge series....but I can't because Ms. Precious apparently cannot sleep tonight.  So she is in my room, in her nest on the floor.  tossing and turning.  I want to yell at her and force her to go back to her bed right this minute because, quite frankly, I am done parenting today.  I won't do that.  That won't help her.  Or me.  Her nest is our compromise for her restlessness.  She is not in our bed anymore.....but she sometimes cannot sleep in her bed either.  I just want some solitude....I just want some privacy and some down time....to watch my stupid (albeit inappropriate) Netflix show.  It's called Orange is the New Black.  It is w...