Enduring Grace

Wouldn't it be great if I had a fun, splashy, summer-y photo to the left of this post? Maybe a shot of my kids having a great time at the pool together... or maybe one of Minte zipping down the slip-n-slide, or playing at the water park where we finally bought memberships this year. Or maybe catching a big fish, like he finally did last week. Or hitting golf balls at the driving range, or being silly at Vacation Bible School or enjoying time with cousins. All of these pictures would go perfect with this post. But, I don't have them. Either they are living on the memory card inside my camera (which is at the lake with the rest of my family) or I didn't snap photos... they are simply in my mind. But that is what our summer has been like so far. So fun, so blessed.

I can't believe it's been a month since I've blogged! In that month we have swam, played, enjoyed a visit from my brother and his precious family, enjoyed some activities with family friends who are hosting a wonderful foreign exchange student from France, felt the heat index climb to almost 110 and then feel "cool" when it gets down to the mid-90's... ah, summer in Texas. All good stuff!

We are having a great summer, but I'm not very "together" at the moment! I guess saying that implies that at times I *do* have it "together," and that's probably not the case. It's just that I'm in a season where God has lifted the veil, the scales have fallen from my eyes, and I've realized how very little I really have "together." Ack!!! Not a fun realization. But that's where my faithful Heavenly Father steps in and reminds me that it's been Him all along, not me. Any shred of "togetherness" is always Him. And that's what I'm trying to tap into once more.

But, I'm tired. I'm trying to find the motivation to organize a few areas of my house. I'm trying to stick with a particularly challenging Bible study topic. I'm REALLY trying to get our upcoming school year organized and I'm finding I'm caught between logging/recording last year's work and planning next year's work. I'm experiencing "analysis paralysis." I'm trying to be a good steward of our money. I'm trying to stay faithful to my workouts at the gym, which I started back in the spring. Ugh. So much! How I need God's faithful, sovereign, ever-present grace. I need what John Piper calls God's "sustaining grace."

In His sovereignty, God ordained that I would listen to a Piper podcast on this very morning about this very thing. Endurance. And in His wisdom, He knew that I would hear this poem that would help me remember what His "enduring grace" really is, and how it puts it all in perspective. How I love this about my God. He knows what I need to hear, when I need to hear it. I didn't need this as much a few weeks ago as I did this very morning, and He ordained that I would hear it now. I'm sharing it with you, and maybe it's just for such a time as this that you are reading this today.

According to Piper, God's sustaining grace is:

"Not grace that bars what is not bliss
Nor flight from all distress but this:
The grace that orders our trouble and pain,
And then in the darkness is there to sustain."

SO helpful to me today. The faith I've had in the past, the trajectory my spiritual life has been on in previous months and years will not guarantee my path today. Only God's sovereign grace will keep me a believer, will keep me on the path on which I need to walk. He'll get me over the obstacles. He'll keep me believing. What a promise!

I Am Second. Third, Actually. Maybe Even Fourth.

Maybe you've seen the billboards around your area, or the website advertised: I Am Second. The meaning behind it is that you are second behind Jesus. When Bethany went on her mission trip to Mexico in March, their motto was "I Am Third," meaning, that first is Jesus, second is others, third is yourself. I think that is pretty appropriate! I learned years ago that that is what J.O.Y. stands for- Jesus, Others, Yourself. Remembering that helps me keep lots of things in perspective in my daily interactions and expectations.

This spring, I have thought of those words in a different way. As an adoptive mom, I am not the first mom that Minte ever had. Since he was in the care of others for 5 years before he came home to live with us, I'm not really even the second. I am third. I've read a lot of blogs in the adoption world, and there are as many opinions about how to refer to this as their are bloggers and families. I certainly don't think the way we have done things is the only "right" way (or even right at all some days!) but I certainly have no problem taking my place as "third" in order of the caregivers in his life. Maybe even fourth, now that I think of it!

This past Mother's Day was an important day. A year ago (and the year before that), Minte was in an orphanage, wondering if he would ever have another mother, hoping that a family would adopt him. This year... here he is! Of course, he had never heard of such a holiday. They don't have "Mother's Day" in Ethiopia. So, when the day came, we explained to him what it was. As we began talking about Mother's Day, it became evident (and very obvious) that it wasn't just about me, his American mother. When he came home to live with us here, his (now deceased) Ethiopian parents came too, in a very real way. They are talked about and remembered in some way in our home every day. They are part of his every day conversation and a very real memory for him. So, how could we leave out his Ethiopian mother on Mother's Day? We decided to plant a rose bush for her in the back yard. I asked him if he wanted to plant something, light a candle, release a balloon... other things I had heard/read about. He chose to plant something. When he and his Dad went to the store for the rose bush, they came back with two because he wanted to plant one for me, too. Isn't that sweet? Here is what we ended up doing on Mother's Day... our "Mother's Day Garden:"


I love the way it turned out! His Ethiopian mother's rose bush is on the left, and mine is on the right. The purple flowers in the middle are for the relative who cared for him before he came to the orphanage, and the yellow flowers are for all the "mommies" at the orphanage. The stone in the middle is so appropriate: Ecclesiastes 3:2, "To everything there is a season..." All of us have had our season in this precious boy's life. Some object to referring to oneself as "2nd mommy" or "3rd mommy" in a child's life because that implies that there may be someone after you. Well? None of us knows what tomorrow holds. I can't be certain I will be the last and final mommy he ever has, but this garden reminds me that God is there at every season and will bring just the people into his life to care for him when it is time. This is my season, and I'm just glad to be a part of God's plan for this amazing young man, whether I'm his final mommy (which I hope I am!) or not. God is so faithful.

As Father's Day approached, we asked him what he would like to do, and decided with him that we would plant a tree for his Ethiopian father. We have a shady little nook outside our dining room window that is perfect for a Japanese Maple. It is a window we look out of everyday, so he will be able to see it all the time. Yesterday he and his brother and dad took some time to plant the tree.




I love the way this turned out, too! The tree will grow to about 6 feet tall (about as tall as his American dad), and will be a constant reminder of his precious Ethiopian father, who had so much to do with the man Minte will one day be. As I watched those precious boys (and dad) plant that tree, I was reminded of Psalm 1, and the fact that I've written their names beside that Psalm in my Bible. Oh how I pray that they would be planted like well-watered trees because they meditate on God's Word, whose leaves will not wither and that whatever they do will prosper. What a wonderful reminder! The stone at the bottom of this tree is Psalm 25:4 "Show me Thy ways O Lord, teach me Thy paths."

Hopefully we have helped him to feel like he has honored the memory of his precious Ethopian parents who loved him so much. He knows he was loved and because of that has been able to readily receive our love. It's important for him to know he can remember them. He can miss them. He can talk about them, and most importantly- honor them. These first Mother's and Father's Days have been important milestones in our family. We are so blessed.

Ten Things I Love About My Dad

by Minte, Father's Day 2009


When I helped Minte make his Father's Day card for Luke, I asked him to tell me ten things he loves about his dad. (He's been here about 10 months and he is 10 years old, so that number seemed about right!)

Here's his "top ten," exactly as he said it. :)

1. "He takes us to gun range place."
2. "He play with me, like play baseball or football."
3. "He taught me how to play golf today. There's a lot of things he taught me... like bike, swim..."
4. "He let us mow the back yard and the front. And teach us."
5. "He doesn't drink alcohol."
6. "He's a good father."
7. "I will have fun with him."
8. "He love us."
9. "He's good at playing golf."
10. "We love him because he loves Jesus."

Making Decisions

Recently I came across a book by pastor Kevin DeYoung that I just love. It's called Just Do Something or How to Make A Decision Without Dreams, Visions, Fleeces, Impressions, Open Doors, Random Bible Verses, Casting Lots, Liver Shivers, Writing In The Sky, Etc. Isn't that great title? It's a short, powerful read (I read it in one sitting on a lazy spring afternoon) but it gives great advice. So, I ordered several copies of it and it is my gift to grads this spring. Oh, how I wish someone had handed a book like that to me at a pivotal moment like that in my life. But you know what? I'm still in those pivotal moments! I'm making decisions all the time about my kids' schooling, ministry opportunities, purchases, friendships, involvements, and any number of things. Additionally, I'm counseling my teenagers regarding how to make wise decisions and be confident that they're acting according to God's will. I would write a well-written, thoughtful review of this book, but that's already been done by Tim Challies here. I encourage you to go read the review, and if you get a chance, pick up the book.

This morning during my quiet time I happened upon something along these same lines that I wanted to share today. This is from John MacArthur's excellent book Truth Endures, which is a collection of his sermons from the past 40 years of his ministry. I highly enjoy this book. The sermon I read today was entitled "Making the Hard Decisions Easy." The sermon is found in its entirety here. (Isn't it amazing that such resources are available to us with just the click of a mouse? How I appreciate such ministries!) Here are his points for helping make decisions in a practical, God-honoring way. As he puts it, the ease or "E's" of making decisions:

• Expedience Will it be spiritually profitable? 1 Cor. 6:12 (Will my doing this enhance my spiritual life? Will it cultivate godliness?)

• Edification Will it build me up? 1 Cor. 10:23 (Will it strengthen me? Will it move me toward Christlikeness and toward greater spiritual maturity?)

• Excess Will it slow me down in the race? Heb. 12:1 (MacArthur says, "There are lots of types of bulk: legalism, ceremonialism, and needless waste of time suck your energy and foul up your priorities. So you need to ask yourself a simple question, 'Will it slow me down in the spiritual race: Anything that impinges my effectiveness in serving Christ I won't do.")

• Enslavement Will it bring me into bondage? 1 Cor. 6:12 ("We should never allow a non-moral thing to become our master.")

• Equivocation Will it hypocritically cover my sin? 1 Pet. 2:16 ("In other words, don't put a veil over your evil intent, be honest with yourself. Ask yourself, Is this really something that benefits me spiritually and is for my spiritual profit?... Or am I cloaking over my evil desire?")

• Encroachment Will it violate the Lordship of Christ in my life? Rom. 14 ("Ask yourself, Is this something I believe the Lord would want?... Don't train yourself to violate your conscience. Ask yourself the question: Will this violate my understanding of the lordship of Christ?)

• Example Will it help other Christians by its example? 1 Cor. 8:9-11
  

• Evangelism Will it lead others to Christ? (Will they see a difference in my life?)
  

• Emulation Will it be consistent with Christ's likeness? 1 John 2:6 (Would Jesus do it?)
  

• Exaltation Will it glorify God? 1 Cor. 10:31 (Will what I do exalt God? Will this lift up His holy name? Will this honor Him? Will this adorn the doctrine of God in my life? Will hHe be glorified and honored and praised as a result of this?)

We all have many decisions to make every day. Even every hour! These principles and books have helped me as I continue to endeavor to make each decision- big or small- honor God. It is so freeing! It is a journey, and He is so good. I hope these help you if you have some decisions to make in your life, or if someone you know is at a crossroads. God is so faithful to guide us.

Sometimes you're too busy livin' it...

... to blog about it!

I miss my bloggy friends! I'm fine, just really busy and trying not to stay too tied up on the computer. We're doing great though... had a wonderful Mother's Day and I now have a new teenager- a total of two in this house now! We are trying to wrap up our school year and gear up for a bit of "summer school." (Some coursework we need to catch up on from our year of mom-adoption-distraction and travel. High school credits wait for no (wo)man, LOL.)

Hope you all are doing great! I miss reading everyone! I'll be back soon!

Monday? And May? Already?

Happy Monday! Another week is beginning, and it's hard to believe it's already MAY!! My goodness! April showers have continued on into May here. We have really needed the rain, but we have had some pretty heavy storms for the past few days. Thankfully, it held off just long enough for us to have Saturday's soccer games. Here is my cute hubby coaching our Eagles. It's blurry because I snapped it with my phone (Minte was already on the sideline having his water break.)

Luke's fun aunt and uncle were in town for a visit and came to watch the kids' games. It's fun this year because the cousins are all playing. Trapper and Minte are on Luke's team together, and Gracie plays on another team, so it's fun to all see each other at the soccer fields on Saturdays! Luke's aunt told me she reads the blog (which I didn't know!) so I wanted to be sure and post this fun picture of them with all the kids. :::waving::: Hi Aunt Annie! It was so good to see y'all this weekend!



Well I don't know about you but for me it is HARD to "get it together" right now! I think "spring has sprung" for me. I am r-e-a-d-y for s-u-m-m-e-r. Big time. Thankfully my laundry and menu planning schedules have kept me on track. You see, I don't have schedules because I am together, but because I'm NOT! It's really helping this week, too, as I'm going to be gone Friday and Saturday. So, this week I simply bumped the laundry schedule up a day so all the laundry will be done before Friday, and switched my usual Thursday leftover night with my usual Friday soup night. This is very, very helpful for me.

Speaking of helpful... I was SO happy last night when I was looking over this week's menu because of something I try to do each week that's a real time-saver for me: When buying the week's worth of groceries, I buy what I'll need for the following Monday as well. That's where menu planning comes in handy... the fact that I even know what we're having the following Monday! We had such a busy weekend I didn't get to the store (which is often the case). So it feels great on this slow-going, cloudy, sleepy Monday morning to know that I already have today's ingredient's ready for tonight's dinner. I've got time later today day to snag the rest of our groceries for the week, but tonight's taken care of.

This week for Menu Plan Monday, Laura asked us to share how we choose recipes. I like to try lots of new ones that I find on the internet as well as using my Allrecipes.com "Dinner Spinner" app on my phone. There are SO many great recipes out there, though... how to choose? Some of my reasons are similar to hers, but here are my "top 5" criteria:

• 45 minutes or less of prep/ cooking time, or a slow-cooker recipe. I either want to put it in the Crock Pot by mid/late morning and be done with it, or only need 45 minutes late in the afternoon/evening.
  
• Ingredients that are healthy or can be made lower fat by simply choosing lower fat/ reduced sodium soups, etc.
• The main ingredients are something I know everyone in our family likes. There may be a few new spices or a new way of preparing it, but the majority is made up of something most everyone is familiar with.
• The fewer ingredients the better. I don't look for "5 ingredient only" recipes exclusively, but when I see a mile-long list of what's needed, I keep on clickin'.
• Something economical, or that can be substituted with things I can buy more cheaply. Some recipes I choose call for expensive cuts of meat or really expensive fish. I will substitute something that fits our budget better. Usually that works out great. In fact, I'm not sure that's ever been a problem.

That's about it for my criteria. I don't usually do a whole week of "new"... I may try a couple of new things, but I make sure that at least 2 or 3 nights we have something familiar. Often by the time I make it to the kitchen to make dinner I need to be able to function on "auto pilot" (or "auto chef") so I don't want to have to think very much, LOL.

So, here's what's cooking at our house this week:

Monday: Chicken Tamale Casserole, black beans, salad
Tuesday: Hawaiian Meatballs (my kids LOVE this), rice, stir-fry veggies
Wednesday: Ye tekekle Encoulat be Misr (Ethiopian "Breakfast for Dinner"- Boiled Egg with Lentil Sauce), from "The Recipe of Love" now available here, injera from a nearby ET market
Thursday: Tomato Basil Soup (recipe here, scroll down to page 4), salad, garlic bread
Friday: YO-YO (You're on you're own)- Mom's at a homeschool convention. :)

To read -or share- more recipes, planning strategies, and ways to choose recipes, visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie! Have a wonderful first-week-of-May!

A Greater Grace

Well it was a dark, stormy Monday morning here today. While we really need the rain, and I love hearing it these mornings while I'm curled up with my Bible and my coffee, I always worry about my sweet husband and everyone else who is out driving in it. The worst of it seems to have blown through, so for that I am thankful!

This morning I was having my not-so-quiet quiet time while the thunder was crashing outside, and soon enough I had a shaky, scared mini dachshund in my lap. Oh, how he hates storms! So, I held that little whining, shaky dog, reassuring him that everything would be okay, while I prayed to my Heavenly Father, bringing Him everything that totally scares me. I saw the similarities immediately. The storms rage, and God, Who sees the big picture (the radar) knows it will soon pass and that it is bringing something much-needed into my life, but I sit, whining, shaking and restless in His lap. During my prayer time I had my Bible open to a passage I had read in the book of James. As I was praying through my ever-familiar "junk" that it seems I always have to ask forgiveness for, I was actually starting to become discouraged with my struggle with the same old things. While in some areas I see growth and fruit so readily, there seem to be certain issues, my besetting sins I suppose, that I continue to bring to Him day after day. What is UP with that???

When I opened my eyes to comfort my trembling, scared little dog, my eyes fell upon a verse that jumped right out at me because I had color-coded it during a previous study: "But He gives a greater grace." (James 4:6a) Well, that says it all, doesn't it? I should write that on the inside of my glasses today and see everything through those words. He gives a greater grace than that storm that's blowing outside my window. He gives a greater grace than my Grandmother's undiagnosed illness. He gives a greater grace than a car accident on a rainy commute to work. He gives a greater grace than parenting challenges. He gives a greater grace than any sin I could bring to the table. And I love the "but". "But" puts whatever comes before it in a different light. Focusing on my fleshly shortcoming is a form of pride, and on earthly challenges breeds fear. Say what I may, I can tag that "but He gives a greater grace" onto the end of it and that changes everything! In that moment I recognize His sovereignty. I love it. Thank you, Lord.

Yesterday while the rest of the family was setting up for our final Awana awards ceremony (under our leadership), Minte and I had the privilege of welcoming home his most recent friend from the orphanage. Welcome Ellie!!!

There's a picture of "greater grace" right there! There are children in orphanages with no families. But, He gives a greater grace. Sometimes parents experience fertility issues. But, He gives a greater grace. The adoption process and the costs involved sometimes seem insurmountable. But, He gives a greater grace. Sometimes Mommies have surgeries just weeks before they are to travel to bring home their new child, and think they cannot travel. But He gives a greater grace. To follow Ellie's story, visit her family's blog here.

Maybe you are considering adoption, either for the first time or a subsequent time, and feel like there are barriers. Or maybe you are in the midst of an adoption and have hit a wall. I encourage you to speak those very real obstacles aloud to yourself (and to God) today, and then tag it with "but He gives a greater grace, " humble yourself before the Lord, and see what happens!

Menu Monday

Once upon a time, there was a mom of young children who hated cooking dinner. Well, not hated it, really, just didn't feel very "together" in that area. There were so many other demands on her time! When she went to the grocery store with her kids, she would put them in the kiddy cart (after getting a free cookie for each child from the bakery!) and quickly zip through the store, grabbing whatever struck her fancy or was on sale. She would drag it all home, shove it in fridge, freezer and pantry, already full of food but such a hodge-podge that none of it really made a recipe. Each day at about Oprah:30, she would go in the kitchen, systematically open the pantry, then the freezer, then the refrigerator, and wonder what was for dinner. Some evenings it came together. Other evenings, not so much. So, she would call a local restaurant (usually Chili's or On the Border), place an order and put it under her husband's name, then call her husband at work and tell him where to pick up dinner on the way home.

As a mom of young children, this mother was a member of a MOPS group in her area. In order to meet some of the other moms and to minister to them after they had new babies, she would occasionally sign up to bring a meal to them. Eventually her own family learned that if there was roast with all the trimmings, or a yummy casserole, or anything that took thought or planning, she must be taking dinner to someone else. Her husband would come in, smell something good, and ask half-jokingly, "Who are you taking dinner to tonight?" Of course, if she was going to go to the trouble to make it, she would always make extra for her family, so they began to enjoy their mom's newfound "food ministry", and it truly blessed all involved.

This mom began to realize the pattern... if she planned it out, bought the ingredients and tried hard enough, she could put a decent meal on the table. She just found her motivation in doing it for other people more than doing it for her own family. Something felt wrong about this. So she did the only thing she knew to do in situations like this: she prayed. She prayed that God would help her put order in this very important area of her life. She prayed that He would simply help her to want to cook for her family. She prayed for the energy she would need each day in the late afternoon to actually go into the kitchen and do it. She prayed that she would find recipes that were doable for her and that her young children would enjoy. She prayed that her family would no longer see her best efforts as always being for "other people."

As you have probably figured out, that mom was me. That was the beginning, years ago, of my venture into menu planning. I figured out that it was really no big deal, no harder than planning vacations, planning lessons for my Bible Study group, planning playdates with friends... or any of the other myriad of types of planning that was involved in mothering. It just took a few moments to look ahead, focus on this very important part of the day, make a list, stick to it at the store, and discipline myself in the late afternoon to get it done. It has blessed me as a mom tremendously to take the dinner hour seriously enough to put some forethought into it and prioritize it. God has taken my meager efforts and cooking skills and multiplied them into what my family has needed them to be. And all of this is to His glory, because I was not always like this! This has been His doing, completely! I shared this because I think it's easy to read someone's blog and assume they've always been this way, or think "Well, that's just how she is. That's not my gift." Though all gifts are from the Lord, and no one has a talent that God did not give them, I think for certain things like scrapbooking, wreath-making, or book writing we can say, "Good for her, but that's not for me." But as women we are all called to "look well to the ways of our households" according to Proverbs 31, and providing meals for our families is one of those ways. So, we would all do well to take this particular role seriously, and then God gets the glory for doing something that we couldn't or didn't do ourselves. The fewer skills or enthusiasm we bring to the table (pun intended) the more we know that God Himself has done it!

SO, by God's grace, here is my plan for the week:

Monday: A Happy Birthday dinner for my husband- his favorite chicken enchiladas, black beans, corn, and a German Chocolate cake
Tuesday: Ye-Assa We't (Spicy Fish Stew) from Exotic Ethiopian Cooking, injera, salad
Wednesday: Chicken Pesto Panini's (my simplified version with shaved chicken and done on the George Foreman grill), healthy/organic sweet potato fries and onion rings from Super Target, pasta salad
Thursday: YOYO (You're on your own... Everyone eats leftovers or makes something for themselves. I LOVE this night!)
Friday: Slow Cooked Corn Chowder, crusty wheat rolls

For more menu ideas or to share your own, visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie. Have a wonderful week!

Truck &Tooth Pull and Sink Serenade

So at the end of my last post I shared that Minte had tried to pull his tooth a few days ago using his RC monster truck. I was uploading pictures and video this morning and came across the footage... so here it is!

Just before the big moment... the string was tied, he was psyched up and ready. (Oh, and I misquoted him in my post. As you can see in the following video, instead of "1,2,3" he yells "Fie-yah!!!" ("Fire," LOL)...




It ended up just making it bleed worse, and didn't quite accomplish what he thought it would. Not sure he'll ever try that again! But it's something a guy's gotta at least attempt once, I suppose.

Here is another video of lunchtime a couple of weeks ago. The boys were in the kitchen making their lunch and I was in another part of the house. I began to hear music (complete with drums), coming from them and not the iPod dock, so I popped in to listen. Minte was singing a song in another language (besides Amharic) that he spoke as a small child, and Kyle was accompanying him using the nearest "drum" he could find. So, for your listening (and viewing) pleasure, here is their brief lunchtime "sink serenade." (I say "brief" because it ends rather abrubtly. They are starving artists, after all...)




Never a dull moment at our house!

Midweek Mishmash

Hmm. Newsy post or something Deep and Meaningful? After three years of blogging, I'm still never quite sure what to post... But, it's been a few days since I've been on the blawg, and I have a few minutes. So, this will be a "stream of consciousness" sort of post. Deep and Meaningful will have to wait for another day. Or another blog! (As in... not mine, LOL)

I just realized today that I didn't post my "Monday Menu" this week. {gasp} That's okay... I've been altering it each day anyway. I have my Beloved Plan, but I didn't get a chance to get to the Ethiopian market for the injera (bread) to go with our Ethiopian meal I had planned for tonight. So, I switched it with tomorrow night's yummy-looking Asian Chicken Salad. Then, today's warm, sunny, summer-y weather got me in the mood to grill out turkey burgers, so that's what we're doing after everyone returns home from soccer. While they're at practice I've got eggs boiling for deviled eggs, bbq beans cooking, and Snicker Doodles in the oven. That reminds me... one day last week (after I had posted the list of "Minte-isms") he came up with a new one: He called the oven the "heaven." I thought that was so cute! When we sort of chuckled he corrected himself. (I'd never realized how similar those two words are!) A couple of days later I made some of his favorite cookies, and he was so excited he motioned toward the oven when I was taking them out and said, "Can I just call it the 'heaven?' " Awww! Sweet boy!

Some of you may remember how special my grandmother is to me. I've posted a bit about her over the years, mainly here and here. She is an amazing woman, who has spoken so much into my life and has truly helped shape who I am. Would you please be in prayer for her? She is at my parents' house and not feeling well at all. She has made several trips here so she can go the doctor, and they finally did a bone marrow test last week, which we will find out the results of this week. I hate how badly she feels... she is such an active, vibrant woman. Please pray that she gets results this week that her condition is treatable and that they are able to begin a course of treatment so she can feel better and get back to some of her activities. She is such a blessing to so many people! Oh, and please pray for my parents who are doing an amazing job caring for her.

I finally went to the allergist today, after almost two years of increasingly bad allergies and trying to manage them with various OTC allergy meds and combinations of things... Why it took me this long I don't know. If it were one of my kids I would've had them at the doctor the first week! He gave me several prescriptions to "layer" and I go back next week for allergy testing. I hope for some relief soon! I carry a tissue in my hand literally all the time now, and there is constantly one (or more) in the laundry because they are in all of my pockets. I can't imagine what I'd do if I had a job where I couldn't constantly have a tissue in one hand or be seen with a red nose!

Well, here are Luke and I last Sunday, our final night of our church's Awana Club as the coordinators. We've coordinated our club for the past 6 years. I came into that office knowing nothing about Awana, still fresh from directing my last Kids Choir musical (what I did know how to do!). My sweet husband had been asked to be the "Awana Commander," a term that those of you in Awana are familiar with. I had no idea what that entailed or what he would be doing, but I knew it was not a one-man job... meaning, he needed his "help meet" to come on board with him. Over the years we've had up to around 500 kids and 140 or so adults/ volunteers enrolled yearly, so it has been no small job, but we have loved every minute of serving together and have been so, so privileged to work alongside such energetic and innovative leaders. It was not an easy decision to step down at this point, and I guess "stepping down" really isn't the right term... God is moving our cloud, and we feel that it is onward and upward in our journey with Him. It's an exciting time for us as we prayerfully seek His direction for our ministry!

You know, since Minte came home, it seems I really don't blog as much about the older kids as I used to. And you know what? They couldn't be happier about that! Every time I take a great photo of them, or one of them quips something funny or does something noteworthy, they'll shoot me a look and say, "You're not putting this on your blog are you???" I must admit, I would've been completely horrified if my mom had had a blog when I was in middle and high school. So, please understand if I don't give them equal "air time" in my posts... it's because they don't want it! I mean, just because Bethany's finishing an incredible year of school, had an amazing time at prom, is rehabbing messed-up gymnastics knees, recently returned from Mexico and is already plotting a way to get back to China this summer... and Kyle is building his incredibly awesome model rocket this week, has drawn some of the most amazing pictures I've ever seen lately, grown about a foot and a half, and daily mentors his new brother in a way I could never have imagined, I will not mention those things here. No way. I don't want to embarrass them.

So, what has Minte been up to, anyway? Well, last week he informed me he want to grow his hair long. I asked him how long. He replied, "Like zee boy in the digging holes movie." The movie to which he was referring is "Holes" and the hair he was referencing was this:

As you can see by comparison, his hair has a ways to go before it's that long, and the Texas heat is just now cranking up, so we'll see how long it really gets!

Two nights ago he decided he wanted to pull a loose tooth. That was nothing new, as he has lost 4 teeth since he's been home. But this time he decided he wanted to pull it with his radio-controlled monster truck. So, his faithful sidekick/brother tied the string to his tooth, tied it to the back of the truck, he took a deep breath while holding the remote, then counted "1,2...3!!!!" He revved the truck, it lurched forward, and promptly snapped the string without pulling the tooth. It was an exciting moment though! He held his jaw and said "No more truck." I think it hurt worse than he had anticipated! So he pulled it in front of the bathroom mirror the next night. It is still on the bar in the kitchen where it awaits the ceremony that has accompanied the last 4 teeth: being thrown up onto the roof after he chants a song in Amharic. If a bird picks it up, a nice, white tooth will grow back in its place. The other teeth have come in nicely, so it appears to be working!

Well, that's us lately. I'm still having my toes stepped on in the Bible study I'm doing, Conversation Peace. I've got lots more thoughts to share on that another day... but I'll end this long post with a short quote from it that's long on meaning:

"Every thought is a seed.
If you plant crabapples don't count on harvesting Golden Delicious."
~ Author Unknown

Zooming Out

I can always tell it's a good Bible study when it starts stepping on my toes.

Given that fact, I should wear steel-toed boots to the dining room table every morning, because the study I'm doing right now is about speech. I'm on my third week of working through Mary Kassian's study entitled "Conversation Peace." I've always known this is a biggie area for me! Whenever I work my way through my time of confession, the first stop is always "sins of speech." Ugh, ugh, ugh. And of course, the mouth is the overflow of the heart, so it is really revealing what is in my heart. WHY is this such a struggle? And I'm not simply talking about swear words... that would be easy enough to target and eliminate. No, I'm talking about things like...

• Do you say things about others behind their backs that you would not say to their faces?
• Do you make the interaction between other people your concern?
• Do you feel a need to be proved right or to have the last word?
• Do you respond in anger?
• Do you talk too much?
  
• Do you spend a lot of time on the phone (or texting, Facebooking, blogging, Twittering/Tweeting) ?
  
• Do you refuse to admit your error when you feel the other person's error is greater?
• If someone has failed or injured you, do you feel compelled to tell someone else about it?
• Do you make assumptions and assume the worst about other people's motives and intentions?
• Are you sarcastic?
• Do you fail to listen?

Those were just a few of the many questions in the "diagnostic inventory" in which I had to choose "Never, seldom, occasionally, often, or habitually." WAY too many "often" and "habitually" boxes were checked in my book, I'm afraid.

So, now we're getting to the heart of it. It's not just about a change of speech, it's about a change of heart. And it's not just about eliminating the bad, it's about replacing it (or allowing God to replace it) with the good, as only He can. I remember reading in Martha Peace's book, "Attitudes of a Transformed Heart," about the concept of "putting off" and "putting on" (from Eph. 4:22-24):

"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."

I have loved incorporating that concept, and that's what Kassian brought out today in the lesson. She calls it "the power of exchange." I couldn't even finish watching the lesson video today (which I download here from Lifeway.com) because I'm still thinking through this first part.

I have had a situation in my life for awhile now that simply confounds me. I totally don't know what to do. I have brought it (and the people involved) before the Lord daily, repeatedly, for a long time. I don't know any other way to describe it besides that I remain at a total loss as to what I am to do, how I am to respond, and what I am to say. Now I feel even more hard hearted, frustrated and empty. God ordained that today I would be in this study and that she would teach on Psalm 39, where David was in exactly the same position. I really have always loved this Psalm, and used to even keep an M&M wrapper somewhere near to remind me to "muzzle my mouth!" But it goes deeper than that! David muzzled his mouth and grew increasingly frustrated and empty as well. That's me! She pointed out today that that is because he had weeded the critical words from his heart but hadn't planted anything in their place. Finally he cried out "Show me, Lord", which has been the cry of my heart as well. "God, I don't know how to love these people. I don't have it in me."

According to Kassian, as seen in the life of David, I need to exchange the microscope for a telescope. I must zoom out. A microscope makes things seem bigger than they really are. I have focused on "How does this effect me?" "Look what this has done to my life" for TOO long. It's time for the telescope.

The telescope zooms out and sees things from an eternal perspective. I must look beyond myself and my immediate situation. Life is so fleeting! I should be asking... "Based on God's eternal focus, how should I act and what should I say?

So, here's how I'm trying to trade the microscope for a telescope today (as suggested by Kassian):

Realize that:

• The situation is not all about me.
• What I say and how I act have eternal implications.
• I can either invest in eternity or try to score personal points.
• My "opponent" is accountable to God, not to me.
• God's perspective is bigger than mine. He has plans and purposes beyond what I can see.

Maintaining this eternal perspective in every interpersonal communication will help me be motivated to plant the seeds of grace, forgiveness or understanding.

The cry of my heart these past few years has been "Lord, change me!" And this is just another step in that journey...

Monday Minte-isms and Menu

I hope you had a joyous Easter weekend! We sure did. By God's grace, it was just the weekend we needed it to be. We started it off Friday night with a wonderful Passover Seder meal with our Bible fellowship class, had a worshipful time at our church's service and then a relaxing time at home on Sunday. We very much needed some time at home, and God granted it to us yesterday. I feel renewed and refreshed and ready to take on the week! Here is a photo of my precious children in front of the sea of flowers on the stage at our church this weekend. (You can click the photo to make it bigger.) I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am that Minte is with us this year. Last year at this point we were still on our journey to adopt a little baby girl, so this photo is a reminder of God's direction and His perfect will! (In case you are unfamiliar with our adoption story, or would like to learn more, click on the "our adoption" button in the sidebar. To read about how our journey to a baby girl led us to a 10 year old boy click on "a little background" below the picture.)

Minte (MIN-tay), our 10 year old Ethiopian son, has now been with us about 7 months. It has been such a fun journey so far! One of the most interesting and daily-evolving things has been his English language acquisition. I never knew it would be so fascinating (and funny!) to live with an English language learner! Fascinating because he is learning English at such a surprisingly fast pace. What a testimony to the intricate human mind, and to our great God who fashioned it so. Funny because, well, it just is. Transitioning an older, hurting, grieving child into the family can be hard some days. So, God sprinkles it with humor in various forms to cover more of it with joy and laughter. So, I thought I'd start off this Monday sharing a few "Minte-isms."

Here is how you should read them with the "proper" accent:

~All "r's" are rolled (I simply love this. It makes even the most ordinary word fun!)

~"a" sounds are pronounced "ah", so words like "asphalt" (what he calls the street) sound really cool. I think that word is the same in Amharic.

~short "i" is pronounced "ee" as in "beeg". "Mommy beeg lahves buna" was one of his first sentences to me. (Mommy big loves coffee. He figured me out right away. Of course, I was jet-lagged.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Again heart my peenie!" = an exclamation after about the 5th time he stubbed his pinkie toe one day

"Men-eh-nems" = M & M's

"Big crap" = pick it up. Seriously, that's how he pronounces it. It cracks me up too much to correct him.

"Off it" = turn off the TV or light, or delete a picture from the camera

"I'm a-stinking" = I'm thinking. Another variation is "Are you a-stinking what I'm a-stinking?"

"Little bit no loud please." = turn down the volume on the TV or radio

"hiney" = honey

"lift" = leaf

"lift" = elevator

"lift" = escalator

"upstairs" = anything on top of anything else

"downstairs" = anything underneath anything else

"tim-ah-tim" = tomato

"Come on!" = Could you please come here a moment, I require assistance.

"peejah mah" = pajamas

"off-side" = outside

"What eez zas my name?" = what is this called? For example: "Spider house what eez my name?" - his reading sheet had a picture of a web on it and he didn't know what it was called.

"Longa or short day?" = Is it cold or hot today, do I wear shorts or pants?

"Whatzat mean-say?" = What does that mean?

"Zees one" = this one

"Zas way" = that way

"heart" = hot or hurt, depending on the context. For example, "Ees really heart!" requires investigation...

"bucket" = pocket

"han" = hair or hand, depending on the context

"I have a cushion" = I have a question

"Cushion me zis" = answer this for me

"power" (often pronounced "powah") = gas, of the intestinal variety

"Powah ees cahming!!" means, well... get ready.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There are many, many more. I hope I can remember more, because it's been non-stop for 7 months, and he comes up with new pronunciations and words daily. I love it!!!



Now, here's what's cooking at our house this week:

Monday: BBQ brisket, mashed potatoes, grean beans, wheat rolls
Tuesday: Roast Chicken Chimichangas, black beans, corn casserole
Wednesday: Honey Pecan Pork Chops, baked potatoes, peas, corn on the cob
Thursday: YOYO (You're on you're own... leftovers)
Friday: Avocado Soup with Chicken and Lime

I'm not making anything Ethiopian for dinner this week, but I made some Ethiopian Lentils over the weekend, and I'm pretty sure we'll be whipping up some spicy pasta for lunch one day. He beeg loved the African Chicken I made last week, even though that's a primarily west African dish.

For more menus, to post your own, or to get a helpful menu-planning template, visit Laura. I hope you have a great week!

Busy But Blessed

Happy Monday!

It was a busy, busy weekend for us. I'm not exaggerating when I say that every single category of our family's life had an event this weekend. It was all fun, but I am exhausted (mainly mentally!) from all of it. We are so blessed to have some wonderful activities in our lives, but it seemed like it all happened on one weekend! And as busy as we were, we still had to miss two events because they coincided. It was a lot!

Friday night was our daughter's prom. We are so blessed to have a Christian Homeschool Prom each year in our area. I had no idea it would be such a lovely event! Luke and I went downtown on Thursday evening to help set up, and the moment we walked into the hotel, it took my breath away. I cannot even describe the magnitude of the decorations, and how "top notch" it all was. I was astounded. She looked beautiful and went with a precious group of girls... They had an amazing time. She texted me at about 2:something AM that prom was "awesome" and that they were headed to IHOP. She'd text me again to come get her. So, at 3:something I headed out to bring her home so we could start our busy Saturday in just a few hours. It was worth it, and I'm SO glad she, her friends (and the approximately 900 kids who attended the event) had a wonderful time.

Saturday morning began with soccer. Luke is now coaching Minte's team, and this season my nephew is playing as well. Minte LOVES his cousin, and is very excited that they are on the same team, not to mention that his Dad is coaching. They won their game on Saturday, and it's should be a great season. Go Eagles!!

After that, we just had the MOST fun!! All of the families who have adopted from Ethiopia so far from our agency got together. Minte and his best friend from the orphanage, Yeneneh, were united once again, and we finally got to meet the Seay family in person after corresponding in email and by phone for months. We felt like we already know them, and a little bit like we are now related! It really was a special reunion for the two older boys. All of us had an amazing time together loving on all the kids and swapping stories. D and A, our hosts-with-the-most, have written about the get-together on their blog and will post some great pictures this week I'm sure. I was too busy gabbing to bet many photos, so I can't wait to see them myself! Thanks D and A!!! Y'all are the best!! We love our Buckner friends/family! Brian summed it up on his comment on the photo on Facebook: "it's amazing how strangers can become friends and friends become family...this was an amazing day and worth every extra mile we drove..." I couldn't agree more, and we can't wait to see them again next time they come through.

Yesterday Luke and I hosted our final Awana Leader Appreciation Dinner. I say "final" because, after much prayer, we have decided to step down from our role as coordinators of our church's Awana club. We attend a rather large church, and our club attendance (including volunteers) is around 600 people, so it's no small job! It has been a difficult decision, but after 6 years in this role, we feel the Lord is "moving our cloud" and it's time to move to whatever else He has for us. (Or at least time to take a breath and pray about what that might be!) So, it was a bittersweet time with our precious friends and Awana leadership last night. We are very much looking forward to a bit of a break once Awana is over in about 3 weeks, and can't wait to see what God will do next in our marriage and ministry. He is so good!!

While that was going on, Kyle and Minte were at my nephew's birthday party, and our family's Easter get-together. They decided to do it this weekend as many of them will be out of town next weekend. I don't have any pictures yet, but apparently Minte had a great time at his first-ever Easter Egg hunt. I told my sister-in-law, "I haven't had it in me to tackle the whole 'a big bunny comes and hides eggs and how that does/does not tie in with the true Easter story', so explain that to Minte however you want. Thanks!" LOL He apparently enjoyed it and especially got a kick out of the annual grown-up knock down dragout Easter Egg hunt.

Now, on to focusing on the true meaning of Easter. I posted this photo last year of our Holy Week candles. They look similar this year:

We are be using Noel Piper's readings found here again this year as well. If you were to look closely under the ivy you would see our Advent wreath, and these are some of the candles we used at Christmas. I think that's quite symbolic. It was also thrifty, because I already had it all on hand! It's not too late to put together some candles and incorporate some scripture readings each evening to make this week leading up to Easter a more set-apart time in your home. I've posted some other links here. I'd love to know some of your ideas!

I haven't posted our menu the past couple of weeks, as fascinating as that always is I'm sure. :) One thing that I thought was so fun last week, the day after I had cooked Ethiopian food (which I've been trying to do each week), I asked Minte what he wanted for lunch that day. He looked at me with a smile and said, "My mah-zehr cooks Ethiopian food!!" Translation: "I want leftovers from last night!" I may not make it perfectly, but I know he loves it that I try. This week I'm making an African dish that's been one of our family's favorites for awhile, but more of a west African dish involving peanut butter ("ground nuts") and chicken. Very yah-mmy!

Here's what's cookin' this week:

Monday: Country Pasta with Mozzarella, roasted carrots, salad, garlic bread
Tuesday: African Chicken Treat, brown rice, peas
Wednesday: French Dip Sandwiches, sweet potato fries, salad
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Passover Seder meal with our Bible fellowship... for the potluck I'll be taking Ham & Cheese Bowties, spinach salad, and a yellow cake with chocolate sauce

For more menus, or to share what you've got cooking this week, visit Laura at OrgJunkie.

I hope you have a blessed, set apart week as we take time to celebrate our resurrected Lord and Savior!

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it"
John 1:5

"Loosed" for the Lord's Purposes

Originally posted March 31, 2007

"...and He said to them, "Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it. And if anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord has need of it.' and immediately he will send it here." Mark 11:2-3

I love this passage, especially as I came across it this week approaching Palm Sunday. The "colt" Christ is speaking of in the above passage is the donkey colt that He would be riding as He entered Jerusalem in His "triumphal entry." There are so many lessons to be learned from this pivotal moment. But, I keep coming back to the colt.

I have been carrying a bundle of notecards in my purse for the past few months. Some have scriptures on them, which I'm trying to memorize. Some have Greek words on them, from my (very) Elementary Greek curriculum that I'm slowly working through. One of the notecards that I regularly review has the word, "luo" written on it, in my best attempt at Greek script. The word "luo," as I have memorized, is Greek for "I loose." In the Greek scriptures I have memorized, this hasn't been a word. I haven't used it in any translations or sentences yet, but faithfully I have memorized this word. Luo. Got it.

Today as I read the above passage I "got it" on a little deeper level! The colt had to be "loosed," for "the Lord has need of it." Whoever owned the colt was not told exactly what the Lord would do with it, only that He the Lord needed it. What needed to be "loosed" was so that the Lord might use it for His glory. That particular colt carried our Lord to a chorus of "Hosannas," acknowledging Who He was. It's the same word used in the New Testament to describe when Lazarus needed to be "loosed" from his grave clothes after his resurrection. It's also the word used to describe the woman who was "loosed" from the evil spirits who had plagued her for over eighteen years. In these instances, involved being "loosed from" as well as being "loosed to."

What do I need to "loose" so that the person of Christ might be better displayed in my life? What do I need to be "loosed" - set free- from? The One who calls me, Who will use it for His glory, is the One who will do the enable the "loosing." Praise His name!

"Hosanna!

'Blessed is He who comes in the name

of the Lord!'

Blessed is the kingdom of our father David

That comes in the name of the Lord!

Hosanna in the highest!"
Mark 11:9-10

"The Best Year Ever"

Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying: "When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, 'What are these stones?' then you shall let your children know, saying, 'Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land'; "for the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over, that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever."
Joshua 4:21-24

After my last post, I just had to post this picture. Isn't this awesome?? We returned Sunday from a few days in our "little house in the big woods." We've been going there for about 6 years, sometimes twice a year. It was a wonderful time! There were about 10 families there this year, and everyone had a great time of fellowship. One afternoon, most of the younger kids (and one energetic dad!) spent the better part of an afternoon constructing this in the creek, just up from where the photo in my last post was taken. I just love it! They even used some vines to tie together the beams of the cross. And the pile of stones... I posted about the Ebenezer stone in my last post, this one makes me think of Joshua stones. In Joshua 4 I love how they took stones from the middle of the Jordan (while it was parted) and set up stones on the other side to remind them that God had parted those waters and made a way for them. What a wonderful reminder!

Which makes this photo all the more meaningful for me:God truly did part the way and make a way for Minte to be with us. Thus far the Lord has brought us, and He will continue to lead. This picture brings such amazing thoughts to my mind. God is so good.

Here are a few other pictures from our time away last week...

My sweet little Zacchaeus, the "wee little dog." He totally doesn't get the "outside dog" concept at all. But, he is a trooper.

I love this picture! Minte was truly a "blur" most of the week, speeding by on his bike and running around with his friends. It was fun to watch (and try to capture with a camera!)

A man and his dog.

Wendem. ("brothers")

Lots of fun with friends, here playing Uno, Minte's "numero uno" favorite American game so far.

Bethany with her adorable friends. These girls warm my heart and give me hope for the next generation!

Snuggling by the campfire with my cute husband on a chilly spring morning. It just doesn't get any better than this!

On the last day, Kyle said, "This was the best year ever, because we were ALL here."

Amen to that.

Thus Far

Oh how I love this picture! I post it almost every year... it's at a state park in Oklahoma, where we are headed tomorrow. My daughter took this photo a few years ago, the first year we went. I just love looking at it! I can just feel the spring breeze rustling through the tall trees, hear the birds and the sound of the water trickling... We've had such fun times there, where we've "camped" at different times in cabins and also RV's. My 12 year old told me yesterday that it is his most favorite place on earth. We are so blessed that we've been able to create memories there together, both as a family on trips alone, and in groups of 9 or more families. (In fact, it was there that we first filled out our adoption application at Thanksgiving. Last March, we imagined that we would be going back to the cabin this year with a baby girl in our arms. Isn't it funny how God works?)

Today as I looked at this picture again, I noticed something else I hadn't really focused on before: the rocks. I noticed them because of something I read this morning during my quiet time. I was in the midst of bringing some difficult things before the Lord. So many things are weighing heavily on my mind and heart. There are situations around the world and circumstances in the lives of those I love that I can't imagine how God will work out, but I know He will. There are individuals for whom I'm praying, for whom I ache so deeply and in whose lives I so earnestly want to see God glorified. I was reading something this morning that encouraged me to think about what God has done "thus far." I have a hard time doing this (in my fleshly nature), especially with certain people in mind, because I hate to hang my hat on how things are, even when things are good. Certain battles rage on in the lives of some of my loved ones, and it could go either way. Truly, God promises victory for those who trust in Him, but sometimes in this Genesis 3 world, that victory happens on the other side of eternity. Sometimes it seems I pray while holding my breath! A victorious walk with the Lord is such a day-by-day thing.

I was so glad to be directed to 1 Samuel 7:8 today. The Israelites were in the midst of a fierce battle with their ever-present foe. They asked the prophet Samuel to "not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that He may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines." He faithfully prayed. God's people won the battle. That battle. Afterward, Samuel took a stone and set it up not far from the battlefield, and named it "Ebenezer" which means "stone of help." I absolutely love verse 12, "Thus far the Lord helped us." Thus far. The ongoing struggle with the Philistines was hardly over. They had not conquered them forever. Their enemy had been around a long time, and would continue to be. But it was time to stop and thank God for the "thus far" victory.

And then keep praying.

Samuel knew it wasn't over forever, but that didn't keep him from publicly giving God the glory for what He had done thus far. Long after that, even generations later, God's people (who were still fighting the same enemy) could continue to look at that stone and remember the "thus far" deliverance and continue to trust God for the "what's to come." I have needed to do this, especially in the realm of mothering. So much of what we do as mothers is a work in progress, and all of it is so uncertain. All of our efforts are going toward a time that we will never see. Thankfully, God assured me through His Word this morning that it is a Phil. 1:6 work-in-progress. He started it and will see it through. But we are here for the "thus far," and can give Him glory for the fruit we do see, while praying for the bigger picture. I took time this morning to visualize every difficult situation that weighs so heavily on my heart, and to really see the people for whom I am praying. Across each scenario in my mind's eye, I mentally stamped the words "Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us..." I was convicted this morning that I need to redouble my prayer efforts in certain areas, for certain people, thanking God for the "thus far" victories... no matter how small.

Now, when I look at the above vacation photo, I see the stones. I see them one after another in the midst of the water, a succession of "thus fars." That's what this life is, really, this walk with God...this motherhood journey. I'm so thankful I'm not walking it alone!