13 Hours of Rain

My burden was once again punctuated by a moment where I witnessed you kids singing Vacation Bible School songs at a church near our home. I teared up as I took in the sight and sounds of 100+ kids praising Jesus. In that space, I prayed that the seeds of faith would be planted deep in your hearts. And that your faith and the faith of the ones surrounding you would grow and mature and survive the transition from home to adulthood. Because so many young adults these days are packing their bags, moving away, and saying goodbye to church. I believe the North American church does a reasonable job of introducing our children to Jesus. We have our Sunday School programs, mid-week Kids' Clubs, Bible camps, and Vacation Bible Schools. And as our children transition from childhood to the teenage years, Youth Groups take over with their mix of Bible Studies, pizza parties, and community service. It is often the hope and prayer of Children Ministers and Youth Pastors that these experiences...

Yesterday, I found myself in the stationary store, filling my cart with school supplies while methodically checking items off a list. You two kids were exploring the surrounding treasures or accompanying your Dad as he picked up items from obscure aisles. Part of me was giddy, as I soaked in the aroma of new wax crayons and the sight of fan-dangled binders. I loved school as a kid and purchasing school supplies brought back happy memories of learning. The other part of me was sad at the end of two very quick months of random schedules and flexible timelines. I have enjoyed viewing more cork board than paper on our family's bulletin board. I have thrived in a more relaxed environment, where we awoke when we wanted to (well, you kids anyway) and enjoyed quieter weekdays. Plus, it was been great to have your Daddy home. Soon, the schedules will begin, the alarms will sound, the school newsletters will arrive. And we will rush off to catch the big yellowish-orange bus for another 1...

Your Grandpa & Grandma's backyard is a gold mine for a photographer's eye. The entire yard is filled with a variety of foliage, texture and ambience that transforms a run-of-the-mill portrait to something deserving a second glance. I had a blast clicking and experimenting away on you two! Here are some of my favorites pictures taken with a Canon EOS Rebel T5 and a 75 - 300 mm zoom lens: Settings: Creative Auto , 1/200, 5.0, ISO 100   Settings: Portrait , 1/200, 4.5, ISO 100, Light/Scene: Shade Settings: Portrait , 1/250, 4.0, ISO 100, Light/Scene: Shade For all of the above pictures, my camera automatically set the shutter speed, the aperture opening and ISO rating based on the subject and background lighting. However, for the last two shots, I selected the Light/Scene setting as "Shade" before I took the picture, which gave the picture a warmer tone than under the default setting. For comparison, check out the next picture which was taken ...

in·teg·ri·ty : the quality of being honest and having strong principles; moral uprightness. group·think : the practice of thinking or making decisions as a group in a way that discourages creativity or individual responsibility. e·mo·tion·al in·tel·li·gence : the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one's emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically. There are times I wonder if institutions or organizations (or dare I say churches) even ponder on what kind of leaders they are hiring. Sometimes it seems like a particular person attained a position of power because of three interconnected reasons: (1) personal connections, (2) the ability to perform well in an interview, and (3) the assurance that the prospective employee will be in sync with the status quo. Of course, qualifications and experience are definitely considered. But even the resume items of education, previous places of employment, prestigious awards, skills and d...

For my 40th birthday, I asked family to contribute funds toward a new DSLR camera instead of gifting me something else. After receiving generous donations to my camera fund (thank you!) and saving for a few extra months, I purchased a brand new Canon EOS Rebel T5 with an additional zoom lens packaged with the price. Yay! I am definitely not a brilliant photographer. But I am above average, I think. At one point in my life, I aspired to be a professional photographer, where I would capture wedding bliss. But then I realized the steps to be really awesome would require much time and investment (and a lot of summer weekends). That's a commitment and goal I am just not ready for yet. Maybe one day. Or not. In the meanwhile, I want discover my new camera, and determine what it can and cannot do. I'd like to refine the art and science my skill and build an informal portfolio. Maybe I'll take a class or two to learn something new. For now, I aim to just play and click and prac...

This Fall, it will be four years since we moved to this small prairie city. And I realize I am not chasing church anymore. Chasing church? Sounds strange, doesn't it? Let me explain. I am expending less energy on trying to fit in at my place of worship. Instead, I am allowing God to bring people along my path that fit with me and our family's passions and interests. At the Family Camp we were recently at, your Daddy and I had an opportunity to connect with a woman who attends our church with her husband. Because of their ministry, they attend sporadically. As a result, they don't feel like they are building relationships within our church. Your Daddy and I shared with her how we often felt the same, that we didn't fit into the existing groups that comprised our congregation, in spite of our church's overall welcoming spirit. Our collective struggle encouraged us and this woman to pursue relationships with people like us. After all, there are probably more people i...

My experiences of camp have been mixed. I remember the first time I was at camp. It was with my family. My Dad was the program director and us little kids, along with Mom, tagged along for the experience. I recall the female teen campers gushing over the program director's cute brown kids. And I enjoyed making a blue paper mache doll during craft time. My next camp experience was as a young pre-teen. I attended a Pentecostal camp with one of my sisters and a cousin. My memories included a slug filled slough-of-a-lake, plain macaroni with ketchup (yuck!) and awesome chapel services. At the end of this camp, I was prayed over to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (i.e. the ability to speak in tongues). I didn't receive it. I was okay with that. Years later, I participated in Teen Camp at the camp I attended with my Dad. The food was fabulous. Almost everything else was a BIG disappointment. I was an awkward, chubby, not-so-trendy young girl who didn't catch the eye of ...