13 Hours of Rain

Dear Children, At this point in time, you are not official Christ-followers. You haven't intentionally accepted God's Gift of Grace through Jesus' atoning Death on the cross and triumphant, divine Resurrection. But we, as your parents, believe, in faith, that you will joyfully embrace the Words of Life found in the Bible, one day. And when that happens, you will be faced with the command of God to make that Good News known to others in your circle of friends, acquaintances, and co-workers. Now, this post isn't really how to share the salvation found in Christ in some five-step procedure that is supposed to work every time if you apply it correctly. These formulas were very popular in modernist times of the past century. Now-a-days, building relationships with others is key to even have the right to delve into spiritual matters. Authentic, caring friendships that result in sharing each other's lives in context are valued instead of agenda-driven, door-to-door,...

Eirene. Meaning: peace, rest. The Greek word invokes a state of untroubled, undisturbed well-being. It denotes the absence or end of strife. It is synonymous with asphaleia or security. Such a state of peace is the object of divine and saving promise and is brought about by God's mercy, granting deliverance and freedom, from all the distresses that are experienced as a result of sin... Peace as a Messianic blessing is that state brought about by the grace and loving mind of God wherein the derangement and distress of life caused by sin are removed. Hence, the message of salvation is called the Gospel of peace. (Source: Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible, NASB, Strong's Lexical Aids to the New Testament) As believers in Christ, we have been admonished by the Apostle Paul to: Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. (Colossians 3:15a) We are called to eirene . We are called to live a life free of strife, specifically...

 Building a Snow Fort Dear Kiddos, My joy was threatened prior to Winter Break by a hack job to my e-mail contact list. Within moments, suspicious e-mails were sent bearing my address to every single person or organization associated with your Daddy and I. Panic set in and my peace was shaken. So began the arduous task of communicating "it wasn't me" and switching to a more secure platform. In spite of the unfortunate "hiccup" to my morning routine, the day progressed to the anticipated weekend. Your Daddy and I benefited from free babysitting, compliments of our church, which allowed us to indulge in supper for * just the two of us* at a local happenin' restaurant. We even had some time to watch snippets of Anne of Green Gables that evening, as suggested by your Daddy! Sunday and Monday were more hectic than envisioned. A whirlwind visit to your Grandparents (on both sides) motivated by a semi-spontaneous milestone celebration was filled with...

Inevitably, I get ask, "So, have you returned to work?" My answer, "No, I stay at home with my kids." My response is received with general affirmation and the words, "Good for you." Then, that's it. (Usually.) My current position of homemaker is a basic conversation stopper. Especially among other women. In a few moments, people ascertain my job description: I am the care giver, the cleaner, the cook. Kind of boring, eh? Some days it is difficult to stand in the shadow of my husband. He gets the glory at this stage of life. People want to hear about his stories and adventures as he interacts and educates teenage minds. In comparison, my anecdotes about what my kids said or the exciting new recipe I attempted isn't that noteworthy except to a few close family and friends. At times I struggle with coveting his role as breadwinner. I wish I could engage with other humans on a professional level instead of at the level of goldfish crackers and play...

A's Symmetrical Tower, J's Drilling Machine (Notice the Blue Wall in the Background: Kitchen Reno Update coming soon!) Dear Daughter, You are an excellent communicator. You pick up expressions, attach them to neurons, and retrieve them for future conversations. You have an aptitude for languages and understand your Mother's tongue quite well. You speak with your hands for emphasis. You enjoy rhymes and patterns. You are a leader. You create games and recruit others to join. You have the ability to persuade others to greater heights and more exciting adventures. You rarely fear standing up in front of people. You are an encourager. You enthusiastically exclaim "Good job!" when your brother accomplishes something significant. You tell me that I'm beautiful. You thank me for "insignificant" things. "Mommy, you are my best Mommy because you let me watch television sometimes." You are honest. When I cry "woe is me", you r...

Dear Lord, It is one of those afternoons when I've got fifty minutes tops to composed something memorable on this space. The breakfast and lunch dishes are still piled on the counter. My husband's laundry is overflowing in his clothes hamper. And my kids are plugged into a Veggie Tales. Yup, I'm not getting top honors in house cleaning or parenting at this moment. Oh well. I've been pondering on the whole area of gift projection, when a person passionately believes that all Christ Followers should be excited or motivated in a particular area of spiritually. You can translate this into the secular world as well. Whether we want to admit it or not, we have certain standards that we impose on others. Take the whole world of Mothering. We live in a world where the blaring voices of the information age bombard our living spaces. Mothers are told that they should do this. Or that. Or else this or that will happen to their precious little one. Anyway, I digress. If I r...