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

I did a thing today.  Claire and I went to serve at The Gospel Mission in Sioux City, Iowa.  She had an assignment to do for her social work class that focused on spending time with a vulnerable population.  She had hoped to do this assignment in Haiti over spring break but the political unrest in Haiti prevented her trip.  She chose to spend her time at home instead and found many, many purposeful things to do.  Gosh I am so proud of that kid.  She can be efficient, serious, humble, moral, whimsical, simple and honest.....and brave.....all in one day.  The amount of time I was able to spend with her this past week and a half is obscene.  I shouldn't get to have that much time now that she is 19 and doesn't live here anymore.   I am very grateful.  We arrived at 9am at the facility and spent about 2 hours putting second hand clothing on hangers, buttoning and zipping and straightening garments.  And we talked and we tal...

It is March 4 and we have umpteen inches of snow on the ground in Iowa.  I say "umpteen" because with the wind its hard to tell how much is there but it is a lot.  More than most years, in fact.  This morning it was minus 7 degrees.....and I couldn't find Josiah's boots before school.  I spent about 10 minutes and worked up a (hot flash) sweat trying to find the snow pants and boots and gloves and hats and facemasks after the weekend....only to learn from my children that all the recesses were inside today because it was too cold to play outside.  I am grateful that they didn't have to play outside today.....everyone is sneezing and has a scratchy throat because winter is wearing on us......the cold, the wind, the wet snow tracking everywhere.....we are growing weary of the winter in Iowa.  I tried to have 2 separate conversations with strangers today as I was out and about and both were like this...."It's just so cold"   "yeah, I don't t...

Last weekend Roger and I took the day off on Friday.  We went out of town and my step-mom came to hold down the fort.  We were shopping at the Duluth Trading Company downtown Sioux Falls.  I saw a really big t-shirt in a 4xL and held it up and said that if I wore this shirt I would feel so tiny.  I'm heavier than I want to be and most of the clothing I would like to put on is too small so it was a small reprieve to imagine drowning in a bigger shirt.  Later that night we went to a concert of Bonnie Raitt and James Taylor who are both in their late 60s or early 70s.  We love their music and the concert was awesome.....and we were among the very youngest people there.  This, too, was a welcome break from our normal activities.  Usually we are the older or oldest people in the crowd around us.  We are older parents with younger kids.  We are used to feeling old.  Our little get-away lasted about 36 hours but we felt like we had ha...

Early this week, Precious asked me if we could schedule a "girls night" together.  I asked what she had in mind.  She said, " well we never get to spend time alone together just the 2 of us..."  I asked her what she wanted to do so that I would know how to make a plan.  Sweet girl wanted the following:  1.  get our nails done together.  2.  Eat at Culvers.  3.  Go to Walmart and shop for dresses and other clothes.  4.  Watch Hairspray together at home.  When you child requests one on one time with you as a parent never say no.  Ever.  It won't happen often.  Roger was willing to help with our girls night and make a plan for Josiah and any other boys around tonight.  Having a spouse who also values quality time is such a gift.  I picked Precious up from school and we went to get nails done at Nails by Julie here in town.  We went to Culvers at 5pm and ate together in a booth just big enough ...

I am feeling compelled to write a response to the recent news about the adjusted abortion law for New York.  It makes me physically ill to think about this happening.  It is not well with my soul at all.   Every day I read more thoughts and commentary on this issue, and the terms pro-life and pro-choice.  Every day I find myself in conversations about it with others and most of those conversations are with other women.  Women definitely have an investment in this topic.....and men should too.    Where should I even start?  Maybe I will start by looking at a couple of my own children in the other room.....children who society may have considered unplanned by their birth moms.  Children who could have been aborted fetuses.....one whose mama was in the abortion clinic at one point......I praise God they were not in New York that day.  I believe that God heard the cries of my heart in those seasons, where I knew w...

Today I happened to pass by someone who has been one of my prayer partners.  We don't spend time together on a regular basis.....except in prayer.  I could hug her every time I see her because her faithful prayers have sustained me in some of my darkest and most lonely moments.  Another friend texted me a voice message recently.  She knew I was struggling and feeling very overwhelmed and she prayed for me.  She prayed scripture out loud to me......and it was life-giving.  I have some seriously intense and powerful prayer partners in this world.  I am humbled and grateful to do life with them.  I need my prayer life as much as I need water, rest and food.  I don't think I could make it through many of my days without the power of prayer.  Praying for others whenever God brings them to mind is part of my daily activities.  I live a prayerful life.  I go over the list in my mind of people I know who are struggling, or waiti...

I highly recommend going on vacation after Christmas.  It was so wonderful to celebrate the Christmas season....and then get on a plane and fly away for a week and a half.  Many of you tolerated the photos I posted daily....which were a request from the grandparents left back home in Iowa.  They did help us get there.....so they deserved to be in on the travel-log.  While I was away my sweet friend Jen came back into our house and finished our entry way remodel project....and painted 2 more rooms and updated my furniture and walls and many, many other details....so I came home to a fresh and clean home.  I also highly recommend having really good friends....and a mom who will help them.  The unfortunate thing about going on vacation after Christmas is that you do lots of fun things and spend money.....and then, if you are 3 people out of 100,000 you might be lifting your carry- on into the overhead cabin of the airplane on the way home at 10am in Ar...