I was in the back yard working in my garden. Grace was beside me throwing a fit because she wanted to go for a walk instead. Then a van pulled into the parking lot close to our house. It was a couple from the neighborhood who I've seen/heard fighting often. This fight was no different. My daughter stood staring as they screamed at each other. F-this! F-that! God-d here & there. Grace just stared. "Hey!" I shouted, "Watch your language! I've got a 1 and half year old over here!" They significantly lowered their voices and moved further away from my house. I was thankful, until I could hear the woman going at it … [Read more...]
Grace's First Ice Cream Turns Into So Much More
On Grace’s 11 month birthday we decided that we would celebrate by cashing in her free ice cream cone coupon that she earned by completing the summer reading program at the library. Although I’m not a fan of McDonald's, that is where the coupon was for so that is where we went! As Nate and I were walking into the place I was feeling sick to my stomach and a little like white trash. Nate & I sat down in a booth with our food. I ordered the fish sandwich. It came in a perfect rectangle shape and I honestly thought to myself, “This is not real food.” Oh well! We weren’t there for real food. We were there for real missions. In comes … [Read more...]
Stressed Out!
This past Sunday the sermon was focused on stress. It couldn’t have come at a better time for me! Our Pastor pointed out how extremely stressful our culture is and how that has become the norm. Sometimes it feels like if I’m not super busy then I must not be doing enough. It is almost like the American stress level is an indicator of how successful we are. However, in reality what we should all do is take more time for ourselves and learn how to say, “No!” I recently read a book that featured the Holmes-Rahe Stress Scale, which is a simple test you can take to see how stressed out you are. It asks you a series of questions based on … [Read more...]
Jesus vs. the Easter Bunny
While I was at Kmart the other day, I decided to look around for things I could put into an Easter basket for Grace. She is only six months old, but I still thought it would be fun to get her something. As I was looking around the large section devoted to Easter things I noticed two things: 1) There is barely anything appropriate for a 6 month old Easter basket 2) There is no Jesus. I looked all over and I couldn’t find a single religious item! I was especially interested in getting a book for Grace’s basket, but all of the books were about bunnies! ALL OF THEM! It is so sad that I have to go HUNTING for religious Easter … [Read more...]
Global Citizen
I originally posted this on Facebook in April 2008. The trip I took to India in December 2007 was my 14th country I have visited. One thing that I always struggle with whenever I go overseas is what am I going to do with the new perspective I have gained and with everything I have learned? This post is just a little bit about all that. So what is different about me because of my travels? The Food I Eat: Because of my trip to Guatemala & Mexico in 2003, I eat a ton of Spanish/Mexican food. I always loved that kind of food, but something happened to my tongue in Gaut. I came back from that trip with a real passion for black beans! How I … [Read more...]
Ten Questions to Ask at the Start of a New Year
In December of 2004, I listened to my pastor give a sermon on a list of spiritual challenges for the New Year. I never keep sermon notes from messages I hear, but five years later I still have this list. Here it is: “Ten Questions to Ask at the Start of a New Year” By Donald S. Whitney The beginning of a new year is an ideal time to stop, look up, and get our bearings. To that end, here are some questions to ask prayerfully in the presence of God. 1. What's one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God? 2. What's the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year? 3. What's the single most important … [Read more...]
