Summer highlights

So I've been a little slack with this blogging stuff... OK, I've been really slack. I thought I'd add some pictures, a sort of photo essay of our summer.

Tears of Joy

Prayer is a curious thing, isn't it?

There are times when I feel like the more I get to know God, the more I realize that there are mysteries about Him and the ways that He works. Prayer is one of those areas. I mean, I know that prayer is important to God and that He chooses to make it a part of the way He works, but exactly when and why and how He answers prayer isn't always so clear-cut.

So even though I don't understand its intricacies, I continue to pray.

Lately I've been reminded of two dimensions that prayer brings out- not only intimacy in our relationship with God , but also closeness and sweetness is our relationships with others.

Several times in the past month or so I've cried tears of joy. Once was just yesterday as I watched a dear friend of mine get married. It wasn't just happiness for her that brought tears to my eyes (though I am definitely excited for her!), but the thought of the years of prayer that I have poured out for her and for her relationship with her husband. Praying for her brought me closer to her relationally and made my joy that much greater in seeing how God has answered those prayers.

Another tears of joy occasion of late has been seeing the Lord at work in the life of another of my sweet friends who has recently committed her life to Him. All those prayers I've prayed on her behalf have linked my heart to hers forever. When I think about all that the Lord is doing in her life, I can't help but cry- it's so exciting! And I'm humbled that God would let me be a part of what He's doing simply by praying for her.

So I guess this is just an encouragement to all of you who pray... It's definitely an investment. We may not always see or understand the returns involved, but in those moments when we do, we understand what a precious gift prayer is.

True community

Over the past couple years, God has really been stirring in both Kipp and me a heart for community- real community. It seems that both Scripture and life experience both affirm the notion that we were not meant to go it alone. God created us with a desire for community, and it's an essential part of loving, learning, and just enjoying life.

I'm reminded of this truth again this week. We had a rough experience over the weekend, and I've been amazed this week at our friends' outpouring of love, concern, and helpfulness. I've had friends from New Mexico to right here in Staunton call to check on me and offer a listening ear. We even had a friend call and offer to watch Keaton tomorrow for us so Kipp and I could have some time together.

Just the thought that there are people out there who care about us and are praying for us is humbling to me. What great friends we have! They inspire me to want to be a better friend. I'm praying that God will help me to be as thoughtful, compassionate, and helpful as they are. Thanks, guys.

Picky, picky!

Befor I had a child, I just knew I'd never have a picky eater. Right from the start, I thought to myself, I will only give him healthy foods, so he'll be raised to like them and gobble them up. Sounds logical, right? Wrong! Though I have made a habit of giving my child healthy options to eat- plenty of veggies and fruits, a balance of protein and carbs, etc, etc, Keaton seems to have a mind of his own when it comes to eating. He has major texture issues. He'll eat chicken that I've cooked and put in the food processor, but he won't eat a Chick-fil-a nugget. Come on- what kid doesn't like Chick-fil-a? We went to a Tex-Mex place for lunch today with some friends and ordered Keaton a cheese quesadilla. Sounds safe, right? He likes cheese. Wouldn't touch it. He had to be starving. It was 1:00, and he hadn't eaten since breakfast. Wouldn't touch it. I decided not to offer him something else- just let him sit there with the quesadilla. Still wouldn't touch it.
So I'm asking my wise mom friends for some advice. How do you keep from creating a picky eater? Help!

Internal tantrums

I've found, over the course of my parenting career (which is not yet an extensive one), that God uses it to teach us about Himself and about our relationship with Him. This week I had one of those aha! sort of moments along these lines.
Sometimes Keaton asks for things- OK, often Keaton asks for things. And often it's food. (He's quite a hungry little dude usually.) So let's use that as an example. It's snack time, and he asks for some raisins. OK. I give him some raisins. That's something I can say yes to.
Sometimes, though, he asks for something we're eating that he can't have. We say no, and Keaton screams and cries and throws a fit. We still have to say no, not because we're mean parents or we don't love him, but because we do love him and don't want him to choke. And besides that, we don't want him to learn that throwing a fit gets you what you want.
So the other day, Keaton was throwing a fit over something- I don't even remember what- and I thought to myself, "That's how I am with God sometimes." I want something, He doesn't give it to me, and I throw a fit. I don't cry and pound my fists like Keat does; it's usually just an internal sort of tantrum (but a tantrum nonetheless). I just get frustrated and impatient. I seem to forget sometimes that God knows better than I do what is best for me, just like a parent knows better than the child does what is best for him. I get bogged down in the thought that I want something and I want it now. I don't understand how God doesn't see that He should give it to me.
I guess that's just it... I don't understand. I have to remember that there are lots of things I don't understand. But I can have confidence that God knows what is best for me- that He knows when to give me what I want and when what I want isn't actually what's best for me. If only I could abide in that sort of faith. That's what I'm aiming for.
Lord, help me to learn from my pouting child:)

Easter

Les Petits Parlent Francais

So last Monday I started up a new French class that I'm teaching- for 1 and 2 year olds. I started it because I believe so strongly in teaching a foreign language to a child as young as possible. Nonetheless, I was a bit nervous- though excited- about it at first. I mean, I have a 1 year old myself, and I play/sing/speak with him in French, but several toddlers at once? I've never really tried to teach a group of toddlers anything, much less teach them a foreign language.
It turned out to be so much fun. Keaton, who is the youngest of the 3 students, sorta did his own thing most of the time, placating me once in a while by letting me help him do the motions to a song or two. My other two students, though, were parlez-ing French by the end of the hour. What a cool thing to hear an almost 2 year old playing and singing in French! Her mom said she was even speaking French words here and there throughout the day without being prompted by anyone. I wish I had a brain as sponge-y as theirs are.

Keaton's new wheels

The Least of These

So this blog thing was Kipp's idea... I don't really love to write. I used to. When I was in elementary school, I wrote poems and articles- even a "chapter book" or two. It seems like these days, though, I sit down to write and my mind goes blank. I feel this self-induced pressure to be as clever or witty or insightful as the latest blog post I've read of someone else's.

Well, today I'm biting the bullet and posting something myself. I'm feeling lately like writing may help me process my thoughts and emotions better. It may not be the most brilliant thing you've ever read, but I figure I'll give it a try...

Yesterday in church, the youth led the service (and did an awesome job!). Several of them talked about how the Lord has been working in their lives and what He has been teaching them. One girl talked about the burden she has for the poor- about how much the Bible has to say about the poor (which is a lot, so it must be important to God) and about how just writing a charity check doesn't really cut it (God has much more than that in mind).

I agree... but as I'm processing this, it gets more and more complicated in my mind. What does it look like to care about the poor?

Especially in this country. It seems to me that so many of the poor and/or homeless in our nation are caught in a cycle of poor choices and life-consuming addictions. That doesn't mean we can say, "Well, they screwed up their own lives. It's their own fault that they're in that situation." We still need to help them. But how? There aren't any quick fixes for most poor people in our country. We can't just give them a little food or a little pocket change and be done with it. Only life-on-life love, sharing, counseling, and teaching can break these sorts of cycles.

Then I get home from church and am taking advantage of a nice, quiet afternoon to read a little. I'm currently reading a book by an anthropologist who lived among the Beng people of Cote d'Ivoire, West Africa. In this book, she tells the story of a little baby who died of tetanus while she was there, despite her desperate efforts to save him. The unfortunate thing about the death was that it could have been prevented, had the mother been vaccinated herself against tetanus. Even more unfortunate was that a government van came to her village just two days prior to the baby's death and offered "free" tetanus vaccinations.

If the shots were free, why wasn't the mother vaccinated? She couldn't afford to pay 5 cents for a needle and 25 cents for the notebook she was required to purchase for the nurses to write her vaccination history in. So the "free" vaccine wasn't so free after all. If we give money to help Africans fight disease and food shortage, it may help some, but more is needed if these problems are to really be overcome.

But where do we start? There is so much to be done. And most of us are so far removed from these people's lives. How do we make an impact and love like Jesus loves?

Does anyone have any thoughts on any of this? I'm thinking out loud here.