A Short Siesta

I took a short siesta from the blogging world.... it's true.
I really want to post pictures and stories from when my mum was here, but didn't have time to do that this past week so I just continued to rest away from the Internet- you guys should try it, it's exhilarating!
So, I wanted to say a quick hello while I have time this morning!  And to say that I'll be back soon.

With that said, I'll post a picture that Gloria took of Norah and I.  I think that it's fitting because Norah is one of the best and most committed siesta-takers I know.  Even I have a hard time competing with her napping schedule!

Fellow Traveler

You can't change who I am
Or the way that i think
I won't change how you live
Or the words that you speak
But neither of us is a stranger to joy or pain
No matter how we're different
We're very much the same

Fellow traveler let me take you to a place where I've found rest
Fellow seeker let me show you where I've found true happiness
Fellow beggar I have good news, I know where there is bread

I don't know where you've come from
Or where you've been along your way
But I can tell you what I've lived through
And how I made it here today
Let me share with you the story of hope I've come to know
A love that's always for me
And a peace that frees my soul


- Ginny Owens..... good song

"A Praying Life"

I'm currently reading this book called A Praying Life by Paul E. Miller.  And I can't help myself, I have to post something about it because it's been so wonderful to read.  Here is an excerpt from the book:

The difficulty of coming just as we are (in prayer to God) is that we are messy.  And prayer makes it worse.  When we slow down to pray, we are immediately confronted with how unspiritual we are, with how difficult it is to concentrate on God.  We don't know how bad we are until we try to be good.  Nothing exposes our selfishness and spiritual powerlessness like prayer.

In contrast, little children never get frozen by their selfishness.  Like the disciples, they come just as they are, totally self-absorbed.  They seldom get it right.  As parents or friends, we know all that.  In fact, we are delighted (most of the time!) to find out what is on their little hearts.  We don't scold them for being self-absorbed or fearful.  That is just who they are...

This isn't just a random observation about how parents respond to little children.  This is the gospel, the welcoming heart of God.  God also cheers when we come to him with our wobbling, unsteady prayers.  Jesus does not say, "Come to me, all you who have learned how to concentrate in prayer, whose minds no longer wander, and I will give you rest."  No, Jesus opens his arms to his needy children and says, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28 NASB).  The criteria for coming to Jesus is weariness.  Come overwhelmed with life.  Come with your wandering mind.  Come messy.

What does it feel like to be weary?  You have trouble concentrating.  The problems of the day are like claws in your brain.  You feel pummeled by life.

What does heavy-laden feel like?  Same thing.  You have so many problems you don't even know where to start.  You can't do life on your own anymore.  Jesus wants you to come to him that way!  Your weariness drives you to him.

Don't try to get the prayer right; just tell God where you are and what's on your mind.  That's what little children do.  They come as they are, runny noses and all.  Like the disciples, they just say what is on their minds.

We know that to become a Christian we shouldn't try to fix ourselves up, but when it comes to praying we completely forget that.  We'll sing the old gospel hymn, "Just as I Am," but when it comes to praying, we don't come just as we are.  We try, like adults, to fix ourselves up.

Private, personal prayer is one of the last great bastions of legalism.  In order to pray like a child, you might need to unlearn the non-personal, nonreal praying that you've been taught. p. 31-32

Seriously-  Get this book and read it.

 

 

 

A good song

The Church by Derek Webb

I have come with one purpose 

to capture for myself a bride 

by my life she is lovely 

by my death she’s justified 

I have always been her husband 

though many lovers she has known 

so with water i will wash her 

and by my word alone 

So when you hear the sound of the water 

you will know you’re not alone 

'Cause i haven’t come for only you

but for my people to pursue

you cannot care for me with no regard for her

if you love me you will love the church

I have long pursued her 

as a harlot and a whore 

but she will feast upon me 

she will drink and thirst no more 

So when you taste my flesh and my blood 

you will know you’re not alone 

There is none that can replace her 

though there are many who will try 

and though some may be her bridesmaids 

they can never be my bride

Listening

I've always been a better listener than talker.  Even when I was a little girl, it was more natural for me to listen than to talk.  But graciously, the Lord has taught me how to use words.  And I now talk too much...  it's okay, I knew you were going to say it too.

Over the past few weeks, Yaya has been expressing more through her words.  By not just using her words to talk, but using her words to express her emotions.  When I child does this, we don't always want to listen.  Especially if it involves self-centeredness or whining over circumstances; both being sins which we see in our own hearts (all of the time if you're me).  During these times with children, it's easier to talk at them instead of listening to them.

This morning I was reading "Shepherding a Child's Heart" and a wonderful verse was highlighted by the author, Tedd Tripp: "A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion." Proverbs 18:2.  Tripp says,

"The finest art of communication is not learning how to express your thoughts.  It is learning how to draw out the thoughts of another.  Your objective in communication must be to understand your child, not simply to have your child understand you.  Many parents never learn these skills.  They never discover how to help their children articulate their thoughts and feelings." p. 73

He adds a little later:

"What is important in correction is not venting your feelings, anger or hurt; it is, rather, understanding the nature of the struggle that your child is having. What is important is understanding the 'why' of what has been done or said." p. 74

I admit that when being faced with the truth of Proverbs 18:2, I can honestly say that I am a fool.  I don't listen, I give vent to my own opinions.  And when it comes to the children and others in my life, I don't want to be a fool.  I want to listen because it's through listening than we gain understanding.

What makes me

eager to ....

To dance?  The footloose soundtrack.  Also a little known fact: Any time I hear country music now I want... no, NEED to two step.  I miss you Texas.  I miss you El Chaparral.

To laugh?  Seeing people I love do silly things.  Or sometimes, just being around them.  I'm a giggle box.

To smile?

To cry?  Legends of the Fall, every time... it gets embarrassing after awhile.

To blog?  Talking to my parents and thinking about my friends.

To write a book?  When I think about my desire to share my experiences with others.

To make a yummy meal?  When I hear the word Mediterranean.

To play the guitar?  When I listen to Enter the Worship Circle.

To rearrange my room?  When I feel like a change.

A Question Only An Aussie Could Answer

Do you consider possums and sugar gliders to be the same thing?

Because the other day, I was in the girl's room doing a bit of light reading and found this:

"'Listen to me, Green Frog.  You can learn to swim,' says Old Possum, coming down her tree."

When I taught science to kids, we Americans would always refer to that little furry creature on the left page as a sugar glider.  So, I was just wondering.....

Should she be referring to herself as "Old Possum"?

Is it just her Aussie name?

I mean... a marsupial is as a marsupial does.

Just a cup of tea this morning

We got an amazing package a few weeks ago from Gloria's parents that included some Yogi Tea.

The thing I love about Yogi Tea is that all of the packets include a wise saying on the tab.

This morning my tea said this:

For some reason, this wise saying made me stop in my tracks and hold my breath.

Here's why...

In Isaiah 55:6-8 it says:

6 Seek the Lord while he may be found;

call on him while he is near.

7 Let the wicked forsake his way

and the evil man his thoughts.

Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him,

and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways,”

declares the Lord.

Should our thoughts be forming the world when we are the ones who have forsaken the ways of God?

I would rather it be His thoughts that are forming the world.

My Calendar

I opened my calendar this afternoon because I had a feeling...  A feeling that I have been very busy lately.  And that feeling was right- I have.  It was in fact proven to me by my calendar.  These days I feel that the only way I can stay up to date with myself and my life is to refer to my calendar.  And that's a weird feeling.

But after reflecting on this, I realized that I wouldn't want to be doing anything else.  Because the family and friends that keep me busy are the best people I know.  And the last 6 months have been life changing.

Technopoly...

is not another "chic" version of the game Monopoly.

It's the name of a book that I read in college by Neil Postman.  It was required reading so that I could lead a book discussion for a group of high school students.  It was an interesting read and it fostered discussion on how technology is taking over the world- sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a bad way.  The subtitle reads, "The Surrender of Culture to Technology."

I have seen growing evidence of this all my life, but it wasn't until this weekend that I found the final piece of evidence.  The piece that shows that everything is going downhill, we have surrendered ourselves to technology in a way that we would never be able to go back if it all failed...

Here is that evidence:

Baba has an iphone...

Need I say more?

The Beauty of Winter

The other day I was walking through our neighborhood and suddenly, I remembered a time long ago.  Well, not that long ago- something like 2 1/2 years ago.  Memories just hit me like that sometimes.

It was my last semester of college and I was living in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan completing my internship at a long term care facility.  I walked to work each morning and walked home each afternoon.  I spent a lot of time in the beauty of winter that semester, especially since winter came early and fast.  I loved going outside and seeing the beauty of the snow on the landscape.

It's a time that stands out to me and it's a memory that's attached to my senses.  So even when there's just a bit of a cold breeze here and the sky is full of clouds, my senses come alive and I think about the U.P.
The funny thing about that memory coming up this week is that my sister posted a picture on her blog and it captured my memories exactly.

So Beautiful.

I'm grateful that the Lord is attaching my senses to the memories that He's making for me here as well.

The Ocean Revisited

Last year around this time, I was here: The Ocean

I read over that post from a year ago and was amazed.  At the time, I had no idea that I would be on the other side of the world a year later.  I had no idea what 2010 actually held for me: all the things that God had already planned.  And now that a year has passed, I find myself in the same spot.

In between the mountains...

And the ocean.

Wondering what will become of 2011.  Wondering what the Lord has in store.  And wondering where I'll be in a year's time.  But until the year unfolds, I'll choose to live one day at a time.

"For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed.' says the Lord, who has compassion on you."  Isaiah 54:10

Carry

"I'm willing to get my hands dirty.
I'll expose myself to things that I wouldn't if I weren't called into community.
Because Jesus bore things that weren't HIS to bear- I'm willing for my life to be complicated.  I'm willing for it to become messy.
There's no such thing as love that doesn't require sacrifice.  No community that doesn't require suffering."

- Paul Tripp

It's important to remind myself that this quote comes from a heart that yearns to grow in community with others.  It is gospel-centered.  Carrying each others' burdens means that I'm not focused on what I get out of the relationships in my life, but instead I seek to be in redemptive relationships.  This is something I'm continuing to learn every day, every way.

Trip to Tripp

So this weekend I went to a conference.

Paul Tripp spoke on a topic very close to my heart... community.  The conference was called "Your Walk with God is a Community Project."

Before the conference I would joke around with people- using that phrase like a funny insult (all out of well-meaning and love, of course... you know how I am about wanting to have a good laugh).  But during the conference, I was convicted in many ways.  Along with many other things, Tripp talked about sin and how it breaks our community with others.  It made me think a lot about my own sin:

"Sin is everywhere and the DNA of sin is selfishness.  If you want to experience depravity, take a family road trip.  We are so self-oriented and easily-irritated, its easier for us to be adversaries than a community."


"Sin in its fundamental form is anti-social.  It causes me to de-humanize the people in my life.  They stop being objects of affection and become either vehicles or obstacles to please me.  The vehicles are for MY good and the obstacles are for MY bad.  Sin is obsessively self-focused."


It's so important for me to remember that I am a sinner- I don't want to become calloused to my sin, only seeing fault in the people around me.  It's also important to remember that as Christians, we have been given purpose through Christ's death.
2 Corinthians 5:15- "He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf."
One of the primary purposes for which Jesus came was to break my bondage to myself.  Grace causes us to live for something bigger than ourselves and thankfully, it causes us to live in community...  Taking family road trips all the time!!!

chip chip, chip away

Today we celebrated the legendary Australia Day! Oy Oy Oy! And it was wonderful! But in the midst of that we spent some more time scrapping the old coating off of our once legendary waterslides. This event in the festivities of Australia Day was named "Hands Across the Globe" which I thought was pretty funny because so many departments on camp were helping.

For those of you who don't know, these waterslides used to have a big name. Much like Wooly Mammoths or the late great T-Rex. Kids and counselors would slide down them singing, "Wicky, Wicky Waterslides. The Red, the Blue, the White..." so on and so forth. But during the last two years, they have met their match and have been enduring a slow and painful death. Over the last few weeks, we have shed even more of their blood by scrapping that old paint away, sometimes accidentally digging deeply into their porous fiberglass. (Ooo, I liked that sentence)

But anyway, I am blogging about this tonight because sometimes I feel a little bit like I'm being attacked by tiny shards of fiberglass in my own life. Things will happen that will just prick at the surface of my heart, and I will choose to ignore it. But then those things will build up and I'll feel pain, much like I'm feeling the pain of that fiberglass imbedded in the arm I was leaning on most of today. Okay, maybe that's a little melodramatic. But after something stung a little bit too much tonight I was looking at some verses, and my eyes stopped on this one:

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

2 C 4:16-18

These promises are so amazing. I know that while there is some pain on this side of earth, my inner "woman" is being renewed day by day and there is an eternal weight of glory attached to it. And you know what, the most comforting thing is that our eternally happy dad rejoices so much more in his name than ours. So I will take that fiberglass, and be reminded that there is purpose behind all things. And that my dad is a restorer!

The Gift that Keeps on Giving

I recently joined a 29 Day Giving Challenge. For 29 days, I give one gift to a random someone a day. The first night that I started, I gave the gift of a willing ear and a shoulder to cry on.
Day 2: A welcome gift of sorts
Day 3: Quality Time with friends
Day 4: I have not decided yet

It's an interesting challenge for me to begin because I have had a hard time thinking outside of the box on this one. It's really easy for me to consider material things gifts, but other things such as quality time, I'm not so apt to think of as a gift. But what I have realized in the beginning stages of this is that intangible things are sometimes the most important gifts. So, I'm not only going to challenge myself to give, but I'm also going to challenge myself to be creative. And to create opportunities for life-changing gifts. Because hey- anything is possible, even if it's only my life that's being changed. :)