Radical

We're about to really go off the path here.....

As a teenager, I remember reading In His Steps, a book that would later start the WWJD craze that we had a few years back. (There's nothing wrong with WWJD...it just sadly became a bit of a commercialized cliche) When I read that book, I was totally inspired. I wanted to see what the world would look like if a few people in a community really took Jesus' words seriously and began to live by them. For a few years, I passed a lot of my life through that filter (I would say everything, but let's be really honest), asking myself, "How would Jesus respond to this situation?" and really trying to live out what I felt was the appropriate response. During that time, I felt closer to God, more assured of purpose in my life and enjoyed the peace of feeling that I was on the right track. I studied my Bible regularly, journaled, prayed longer and deeper than sentence prayers over meals and the occasional impassioned plea for help. I went on missions and was involved in community outreach. Life was great!

Then I graduated from college, got a job, and started a family. Life was still good...my life even involved ministry as part of earning a living. Surely, I was still doing what Jesus would do. But over the last few years, I've begun to struggle a little. I'm starting to see a problem in my life: I feel comfortable where I am. Instead of continually asking myself what would Jesus do today, I'm relying on past experience to lead me into where I should be serving and what I should be doing. Most of the time, that can be a good thing. Past experiences teach us all kinds of things that should be applied to present and future experiences. But what if I'm not doing what he has for me because I'm only doing what I think I'm good at? What if I'm missing his heart because I'm focused on leading the way that I think is the most effective?

This week, I read Radical. David and I have struggled with "the american dream" since we were dating. Both of us have spent time in foreign countries where people sleep on the floor and have no electricity or indoor plumbing. We feel blessed to be part of a country where most people can take these luxuries for granted. But we know that we have been blessed to be a blessing to others. How can we reach our community and our world if we shift our focus from what we can give to others to what we can accumulate for ourselves? Don't get me wrong, I love having a nice car and new clothes, etc. I just don't ever want that to become my focus.

As I read the book, I was encouraged, inspired, and brought back to that place that I found as a teenager. What would the church look like if we actually heard Jesus' words and followed them? Can you imagine a church that commits to taking care of orphans because that's what the Bible says and the members contact the Department of Human services to let them know that there are enough families in the church who are willing to become foster or adoptive parents to take care of all or the orphans/foster kids in the county? What if, instead of having a Bible study in our comfortable homes, we had a Bible study in the common room of the local low income housing community and got to know the people that lived there? What if every single person in the church committed to doing something outside of their comfort zone to bless others this year? What if we asked God to open our eyes to the needs of others and then asked Him to use us to meet those needs? What if we asked ourselves "What will it take to reach lost and dying people?" rather than "What can I spare for this charitable cause?" Are we willing to go there?

As I start to ask myself these questions, I realize how comfortable I've become. I realize that I need to go back to that place where I'm open to whatever, whenever,however God opens doors for me to serve, even if it seems outlandish or farfetched.  Life is an adventure! I think we're about to set out on a whole new level of adventure this year as we begin to really ask ourselves ...how would Jesus respond to the people that I encounter in my job, in my neighborhood, in my church, in my community, in my world and what is He asking me to do about it?

Holy Week?

Holy week didn't start out so holy for me.  Last night, as I was preparing to sing with our civic chorus (a wonderful piece to set the tone for holy week - btw the performance was awesome!) and David was preparing a special passover dinner service for our youth group, our sink clogged up. This is a new thing for us. I don't think I've ever had a sink completely clogged before. Being the person that I am....it was worrying me. I couldn't leave it alone. I knew that I hadn't put anything bad down the drain and that there was no good reason (in my mind) that is should be clogged. David had already left for church and I had the kids with me. Here's the scene... I'm one hour away from leaving for youth (and the concert immediately following), the sink is full of dishes, the kids are outside on the trampoline (and in a mud puddle), I think, "Hey, I'll get a head start on this evenings cleanup and do a load of dishes now." I load the dishwasher (yell out the window at the kids to GET OUT OF THAT MUD) and start to clear away the counters. I'm thinking, "I'm really on top of this" when water starts to ooze up into the sink. I look at it and think "No big deal, I must have forgotten to run the disposal." So I run the disposal.....and the water backs up into the other side of our double sink. Hmmm....well, when the toilet clogs we use the plunger, so I went and got the plunger. After 15-20 minutes of trying to use the plunger I realize that either I didn't have the strength or this sink is reaalllly clogged. It is now 1/2 hour to departure from the house and I stil have three muddy children and a baby who has decided that now is the time to make a huge mess in his diaper. Tearing myself away from the sink (which is really bothering me now - because I couldn't fix it) I manage to get the kids into the house cleaned up (well, at least presentable) and get the baby's diaper and clothes changed. We walked out the door 2 minutes late.....but we got there. Only problem, I still hadn't changed into my choir clothes so I would have to leave youth a little early in order to stop by the house and change on my way to the concert. No problem, I'm still on top of this. So we get to youth and get everyone settled in....but my focus wasn't there. I was thinking about what I had to do next and also looking ahead to what I needed to try next on the sink. The youth had a great experience with the passover dinner, and I cut out early to get to my concert on time. The concert was amazingly beautiful, the atmosphere was reverent and the music was worshipful. Afterwards, I talked with a few of the people from our church, but left quickly to get home to David and the kids.......and the sink. By the time I got home, he had tried all of the things that I had tried before to no avail. Bummer, I was really hoping that I would come home to find it fixed. However, he had done some research on it and had a few suggestions to try. So we headed to the kitchen ......1st try -  Baking soda and vinegar followed by boiling water  -   X      2nd try -  more plunger - XX  3rd try  - more baking soda and vinegar (and a check of the clean out outside at 10 pm)  - XXX David says "Leave it for the night and we try it again in the morning." Nope, not me, I'm gonna fix this thing! SO repeat 1st and 2nd try for the next hour or so....finally give up in a discouraged and foul mood and go to bed. This morning the sink is empty and David thinks it might be fixed. Yeah!!! Maybe all that baking soda and vinegar actually paid off. Then, he leaves for work and I start to run a load of dishes ....epic fail (double sink full of water again) I decide , "I've had enough of this." I went to the garage and gathered whatever tools I thought I might need. Then I opened the doors under the sink and got to work. Two hours later.....I am sitting on the floor of the kitchen with the guts of the sink disassembled in pieces around me. I am attempting to keep Ethan and Aiden from getting into the yucky water and nasty stuff coming from the pipes, but everytime I steer one away the other gets under foot (Why is this the one morning that Dora cannot hold their attention for 1/2 hour?) As I look at the pieces, I realize that there is no clog in any part of the plumbing that I can access...it must be somewhere between the wall and the clean out. RRRGGH. After trying to snake it unsuccessfully, I call David. He comes home to look at it and tries a few more things, before deciding that we should probably call the homeowner (we rent). He calls and our wonderful landlord tells us that he will be there this evening. Okay.....well, I didn't get it fixed, but at least it will get fixed hopefully. But now I look around the house and realize that while I have been dismantling the sink, my children have been dismantling the house. Toys and clean laundry (which had been piled on the couch for my typical Monday morning chore) had been scattered all over the house, unrolled toilet paper and overturned trash cans in the bathroom, the list could go on..... SO I send Ethan out in the backyard, put Aiden down for a nap and get to work. I straighten the kitchen and clean it as much as I can (with dirty dishes sitting on the counter and sinks full of yucky water). I'm just getting started on the bathroom, when Ethan comes in. *Back story - Ethan is potty training (mostly unsuccessfully) and I had sent him out to play wearing underwear. I made him go potty before he went out, but evidently today was going to be one of the unsuccessful days. *  He is dirty and really, really nasty. I hurry him into the bathroom hoping not to spread any mess in the kitchen that I have just cleaned. I take his pants and underwear off and tell him to get in the tub (yes, it was really that bad!) Right then, Aiden gets up and I go across the hall to get him. I'm coming back into the bathroom in time to see Ethan standing by the potty. Evidently my lecture, "Poo Poo goes in the potty!" has had some effect because he is dunking his dirty underwear into the toilet, trying to get them clean. Just as I cross the floor to him, I see him reach up to flush...... "Noooooooo......."  I quickly rush over to the toilet and try to grab the underwear as I watch them go down the drain. I've had my hands in yucky water all day...but this is the worst.  ARGGGGH! However, the toilet doesn't clog and after 5-6 test flushes appears to be fine, but I'm unsure so I head to the trusty internet to find out what to do when your toddler flushes his underwear. The top three hits on google let me know that the underwear most likely went on through....I sure hope so...So far so good! I have to meet the kids at the church at 3 pm for choir. It is now 2:15. I have a 2 year old in the tub, a baby who needs a change of clothes and I am still in my junk clothes from working on the sink. Oh, and the laundry and toys are still all over the house. I quickly bathe and dress the 2 year old while finishing cleaning the bathroom. Then, I dress Aiden and get him ready to go. I throw on some clean clothes, toss all the toys into the appropriate bedrooms and shut the bedroom doors, and then quickly sort and fold the laundry. It's now 2:50 and time to leave for choir. I'm thinking "I'm am so on top of this!" I go to get my keys out of my bedroom and realize that the door is locked.....from the inside.....One of the kids had turned the knob before I shut the door while cleaning earlier. At this point, I'm ready to sit down on the floor and cry. I call David. For the second time today, he comes to my rescue. I know how to unlock the door with the icepick. I've done it a hundred times (well, not literally, but I do know how to do it!) I can't make it happen. I can't make it happen for 20 minutes. Once David arrives, it takes him about 2.7 seconds to unlock the door and retrieve my keys. I tell him that I'm sorry I ever wanted to be a parent today and that if he wants to trade me in for a newer model, that's fine. I'm ready to retire. We ride back to the church together and make it to choir a little late but still in time to help. The afternoon begins to get better. The weather is nice. The kids are getting along on the playground. David picks us up from choir and we head home in time to start dinner, before our landlord comes over. David announces that he is going to grill hamburgers (because most of our cooking dishes are still dirty). He also purchased and installed a child gate, door knob covers and cabinet latches.  He should get husband of the year award! Our wonderful landlord came over and fixed the sink (it was actually nothing that I could have done  - he even had to crawl around under the house to take care of the problem) so we're mostly back to normal tonight. We even got the library books that were due today back to the library 5 minutes before it closed.  Kids in bed and I sat down to check up on the facebook stuff that I had missed checking obsessively today. I noticed that quite a few of my friends had posted quotes or observations regarding holy week. It struck me that somewhere between church yesterday and this evening, I had completely lost my focus. I neglected to embrace the experiences that I could have had last night, because I was so focused on what "I" needed to do. In the end, every yucky situation that I encountered last night and today had to be fixed by someone else. From the sink to the toilet (which is still working just fine!) to the door, I could do nothing to effect change. No matter how hard I tried, no matter what methods I tried, no matter how many articles I googled for different ideas for fixing the problems, someone else had to come and save me. I couldn't do it myself. Wow, holy week focus is back in place. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Two on One

 

Aiden and Ethan concocted a very clever plan this morning. Ethan got some chocolate cake and carefully left it on the edge of the table. Then, Ethan distracted Mommy with a really nasty diaper. While Mommy gave Ethan a bath, Aiden quietly went into the kitchen, pushed the chocolate cake onto the floor and began feasting.  From the look on Aiden's face, I don't think he expected to get caught so soon :) I am not sure what they'll come up with while I'm cleaning the chocolate cake off of the floor....but I'm pretty sure that I am definitely outnumbered and possibly outsmarted! I have a feeling this is the beginning of a long and successful (although hopefully not always as messy) collaboration :)

Boys and Their Toys

When Gage was born, we were so careful about the toys that he played with....we wanted him to have imaginative play and concrete play. Blocks, cars, stuffed animals, books...we wanted him to experience and learn through playing (Gage is our first child - can you tell?)  We talked long and hard about whether he could have toy guns. AT first it was "No Guns" (because guns are not a toy) When Gage was a little older and began making his own guns out of sticks, etc., we said, "Only water guns or other guns that don't look like real guns or make sounds like real guns and only for pretending that he is a hunter. NO pretending to kill people." After a few more years, we moved to a rural area where boys have guns and go hunting at 6 or 7 years old. We bought him a BB gun and began to teach him gun safety. Then, Ethan was born. Toy gun rules began to get lax as Gage brought home cap guns and six shooters (any sheriff in the Wild West needs his cap gun and besides, we had been teaching him gun safety, so he should be able to handle this new responsibility right?)  and Ethan, at the tender age of 18 months, began to play guns with his brother. He didn't want the water guns....he wanted the six shooters. He wanted them NOW and was prepared to shatter of eardrums of anyone who didn't comply with his wishes IMMEDIATELY. So we gave in and let the toddler play with the six shooters....but "NO KILLING PEOPLE"  Evidently brothers don't qualify as people, because now the boys run through the house yelling and "shooting" at each other. When I get onto them, they explain that they are "shooting to wound not to kill" (guess I should been more specific for my extremely literal sons). This morning, I got Aiden (10 months) out of the tub and put him on the floor in his room with some stuffed animal veggietales to play while I cleaned his room. He held Larry the Cucumber for a minute, then set him down on the floor and walked over to his brother's toy box. He then carefully selected a realistic looking six shooter, walked back to Larry and pistol-whipped him. He's starting pretty young, so I guess it's a good thing we lost the BB gun when we moved. :)

Something new....

The picture at the top was taken at Ceta Canyon last August. It's amazing how many things can change in a few short months.     When that picture was taken, we were resting up after Aiden's birth to start a new year at FUMC in Denver City, planning for the upcoming school year and talking about where God might take us in the future. Little did we know that He was going to take us places we never dreamed in the matter of a few weeks.  Now, we are in Pampa, Texas at FUMC, living and loving on people here. A new church, a new house, new friends have been added to the memories (and friends :) that we cherish from DC.  Since coming here, we've also brought new things.....new youth program, "new" youth building (actually, renovated) and a  new volume level (our children have been responsible for most of this...) I'm so excited to see what will happen in the next few months as our church goes through some changes as well. With "new" is coming excitement, and excitement is always a good thing to have in a church!