7, 5, 1

Well, I started this post on my phone ages ago (probably about a month ago), and now it's gone.  Oops.  It was really a lot (a lot) of babble - which is why I didn't post it then.  But I think it's important enough - just for my own memory - to post a little bit here about what 7, 5, 1 means.  The definition, and also why it's important to me.

1
This number is more symbolic than an actual definition, and it represents a large group study that I started earlier in the fall.  We are reading The Story, and this study will take us through the spring (we meet every other week, taking a longer break for Christmas).   It was important for me to participate in this study because I've never read the Bible all the way through, and at times it is difficult for me to understand passages without having all of that background.  The Story is a chronological, novel-type version of the Bible - still with much of the text of the Bible, though some parts are summarized.

5
Our church has been studying The Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations (by Robert Schnase) - both in small groups and with church-wide devotions.  As part of an ad hoc group that meets to specifically explore the Passionate Worship aspect of the five practices, I also wanted to participate in a small group study to learn more about what other members of the congregation thought about the five practices.  My small group has exactly two people - myself and the leader.  Not a popular time, I suppose, but she is still faithful to lead our very small study even though I would certainly give her the "out."

 
7
This book (7: A Experimental Mutiny of Excess by Jen Hatmaker) makes me want to pretty much toss out everything we own.  I think the only reason that I haven't (so far) is that I want to sell what I can to raise money for our adoption* and I have a long-standing (genetic?) history with clutter and "stuff."  I'm studying this book with a group of ladies meeting every other week in the home of a friend.  Some of the ladies I already know, some are new - as an introvert, this is the perfect setting for me to get to know new people.  But back to the book...  I couldn't really get into Chapter 1 - it was about Food.  I can't really put a finger on why I wasn't into it, except that I was chomping at the bit to get into the chapters about clothing, spending, media, and waste.  We started Chapter 2 this evening  - Clothing.  I couldn't help myself, I cleared out about 1/3 of my closet over the weekend.  Decent, wearable stuff that I'm just not wearing (Hello, Goodwill!).  I could probably eliminate about 1/2 of what's left, but I haven't decided exactly what this chapter will look like for me.  (We are each deciding what significant, meaningful actions we will take during the time period we study each chapter/topic - typically, three to four weeks.)

Why three studies at once?  Hmmm...  They all sounded good, and since I read Five Practices over the summer, I was already prepared.  I've always wanted to read the Bible, but that's a bit of a daunting task - so The Story seemed like the perfect way to get the background I have desired and that would be helpful in other studies.  This doesn't mean I won't ever read the Bible, but this makes it accessible to me now.  And 7, well, I've been trying to conquer the excess for about two years now.  I've got plenty of reasons to be motivated, but Jen just adds another layer to it all that kind of rocks my world.

Y'all, three studies at once is kind of crazy, but it is a beautiful kind of crazy.  Even cooler?  The three studies and the Sunday school class I taught last month all included the same part of the Bible - and my favorite part of the Bible at that!**

All of these studies are groups of women, though Five Practices was open to everyone.  I am really enjoying the opportunity to meet new women and get to know acquaintances even better.  As we discussed in our study this evening (7 - small group), women tend to judge each other - and we judge ourselves, too.   But once we get past that, we can be genuine with each other - and that is when our true beauty shows through.  I am so thankful for the opportunity to be genuine with these women, and my courage grows each time we meet. 

*things are progressing slowly, because we have needed to put things on hold for a bit. We are returning our focus to the process, though, and hope to have it officially in motion very soon.
**from what I've read so far - I did read the actual Bible to about 2 Kings

Step One...

You may have missed our quiet announcement, and now I'm excited to share that today we took the first official step in our adoption process.  Although we've already spoken with our adoption coordinator, been to an information session at our agency, spoken to several adoptive families, and made several of the preliminary decisions, today is the day that we mailed our application.  It's been a long process to get to this point, so getting here is really exciting for us.

Once our eyes are opened, we can’t pretend we don’t know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act. ~Proverbs 24:12

I keep coming back to this piece of scripture over and over again.  I saw it on an adoption blog about the time we finally realized that we were being led to adopt a child - and it didn't just speak to me, it practically yelled.  That was a few months ago, but the work in our hearts started long before that.  It's an amazing story I hope to share here one day.  For now, we covet your prayers as we continue this extraordinary journey.

153,000,000

We’ve heard several different estimates of the number of orphans in the world.  153,000,000 is just an average of those estimates.  It is a number that I cannot even begin to comprehend.  It is heartbreaking. 

Before we had ever heard this number, our hearts were moved to learn more about adoption.  And though we thought our family was complete, we’ll be adding to it after all.

Hope for Anton

My bloggy friend, Patrice, has embarked upon a mission to change the life of a little boy - and she needs your help.  

This is Anton.  He has Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa.

Please go here to see how her mission began.  Here, here, and here to read a bit more.  And here to see more ways you can help. (Passionate?  Yep.  And it's infectious - in a good way!)

And, while she's doing all of this, she's also celebrating her own little boy's birthday in a spectacular way. 

If you haven't "met" Jonah, Patrice, and Matt, you really owe it to yourself to hop on over and say hello. 

I'm planning a bit of blog silence for a few days, but I'll be back to promote Jonah's EB Auction!

Prayer

You know how they say "God works in mysterious ways"?  Well, there's no mystery for me today.  He knows what I need and places it right in front of me in ways that I can hardly ignore.  It's really no question Who is really speaking to me.

I've been feeling like my prayer life isn't quite up to snuff lately.  And there are plenty of folks on my prayer list - more than usual, or at least it seems that way - so I'm feeling an urgent need to regain some focus. 

So what does He do to remind me that prayer isn't hard?  That I don't have to jump through a bunch of hoops to get his attention?  That I just need to find a calm place, quiet my mind, and turn my thoughts toward Him? 

Knee Prints - by Ann Kroeker
Lamb - by Angie Smith

For this blogger, these two posts from today are a pretty good message.  One that I can't ignore.

Our Miracle

Miss M passed her food challenge today!  She's now allowed to eat all of the peanuts and eggs she wants!  And let me tell you, she wants everything she eats to have nuts in it right now.

Since she has outgrown the peanut allergy, that means she can eat tree nuts again, too.  They were previously off-limits due to the chance of developing an allergy with exposure.

I've been living Ephesians 3:20-21 today (emphasis mine):

  

²⁰Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Today, along with the past few days of testing and waiting, has been a miracle.  I only prayed for Miss M's egg allergy to be resolved.  I never even prayed for the peanut allergy to be gone - I just never imagined we would be in that small percentage.  (I say "we" because food allergies affect the entire family.)  I'm still trying to get past the surreal feeling, all the while rejoicing in it and hoping that I never forget the lessons I've learned.

This is what hope feels like

There are a lot of ideas for posts floating around in my head lately - however none on my heart as much as this one right now.

This afternoon I sent a tweet asking folks to pray that Miss M's appointment with the allergist would go well.  Today was the day we would retest for her food allergies, and I was praying that the actual testing would go smoothly (with as few tears and as little discomfort as possible).  I was hopeful we would learn that Miss M had outgrown her egg allergy, but didn't even dare to imagine she would test negative to peanut. 

I am now in the enviable position of HOPE.  All of the skin pricks showed no reaction.  Not to eggs, not to peanuts.  I was speechless, teary-eyed with joy, and trying to stay calm so I wouldn't start sobbing.

We are waiting for the results of blood testing to (hopefully!) confirm the results from earlier this afternoon.  While we wait for the longest two days of our lives, won't you please say one more prayer for us?

Scavenger

It was heartbreaking for me.

On the way to school this morning my son asked me, "Why does that man have his head in the trashcan?"
I knew why, but my mom-instinct wanted to protect him from the truth. The truth was that the man was pulling loaves of day-old bread from the garbage can of a local sandwich shop.

I struggle with how to balance the truth - harsh and heartbreaking as it can be - with protecting him from the realities of the world. If he doesn't know that there are people who aren't as fortunate, will he truly learn what is means to give?

Don't get me wrong.  He knows that there are less-fortunate people.  His Sunday school offering goes to a child sponsored through World Vision.  We participate in food drives and Operation Christmas Child.  But seeing it up close, at his age - I struggle. 

But I want to teach him to be a giver.  So later on today, after the excitement of field day is over, I'll talk with him.  We'll sit face-to-face and I'll tell him the truth.  Frankly, I think it's much better to explain it to him that way than while I'm driving the mommy-van down a city street watching traffic signals and pedestrians.  He needs to hear the truth when neither of us is distracted.  So I'll tell him the truth, and then we'll talk about what we can do to help make the world, at least our corner of it, just a little bit better.

Today at church

Even with the distraction of children with coloring pages and crayons, this stood out to me:

Scripture is given to us so it can get up and walk around within us.

I really like this idea - that it's not a momentary thing, and that we aren't always changed instantly. Rather, we let it slowly have an effect. We can take some time to think about why it is meaningful and how we can respond.
It helps me find comfort because I know my journey will not be swift. Instead, it is slow and meandering like the scripture walking around within me.

Please Pray

for Jonah, Patrice, and Matt today.

Updates here.

NeedToBreathe

I don't fancy myself the cool, music-scene type, but I do enjoy a variety of music. This is one of my favorites of late - I kept their latest CD, The Outsiders, in my mommy-van CD player for longer than I care to admit. And now, I wish I'd purchased their earlier albums, too. Check out this version of Something Beautiful by NeedToBreathe. (Apologies for the short ad before the video - beyond my control.)



(Have I mentioned I went to high school with the oldest brother of one of the band members? No? And believe it or not, I am pretty sure that is not how I found out about the band.... Also, for what it's worth, I'm two degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon.)

(Did any of that boost my cool factor?!? No? Rats...)

Christmas Round Up 2009

These first few photos have already shown up on the blog header or Facebook, but I just wanted to showcase them again as part of an actual post.

Sunday before Christmas - the sanctuary was decorated with poinsettias in front of the altar, in the windows... it was beautiful. There was still snow on the ground (from the Friday before) so I bundled up Mister J and Miss M in layers before we headed off to church.






The same day, in front of the Chrismon tree. For photos made with my cell phone, they turned out pretty good!












Christmas Eve after two back-to-back church services (in front of the Chrismon tree again). We went to the Children's Service, and then stayed to hear Big J sing with the choirs for the Lessons and Carols Candlelight service. Beautiful (the service and my kids!)







Picking out our Christmas Tree. Mister J loves this part of the holidays - he's always super-excited to go walk (um, run) among the trees, darting in and out, looking for the right one.










Miss M fell asleep on the way to the tree 'farm' this year. It had been quite a long day for her, and with no nap. She stayed asleep as I got her out of the mommy-van, walked around in the cold, and picked out the tree. She woke up when we were getting loaded up and ready to leave.





Our Christmas tree, after all of the lights and decorations were up, most of the gifts were wrapped, and before Santa came to visit. nb - Yes, that's a broken slat on the blinds. I've decided not to fix any more until a) the kids are old enough to stop breaking them or b) we decide it's time to buy new blinds.




The kids' Christmas tree, with Big J's favorite - blue lights. They enjoyed having a smaller tree this year. I'd originally planned to put small trees in each of their rooms, but decided this wasn't the year to put up my ceramic tree, so I didn't have a tree for each bedroom. Instead, we hung a strand of lights in each of their bedroom windows. They are the perfect amount of light for bedtime, and I love them so much that we may just leave them up!

My maternal grandmother on the day after Christmas during the big family celebration at my aunt's house. Out of respect, I won't publish her age, but I will tell you she is mother to six children. She sent her husband off to war when she had one small child and was pregnant with twins (children number two and three). Oh, and she mothered them all without the aid of all of the time-saving gadgets we have today. She was also a teacher, artist, and taxi-driver to two grandchildren. After that, she traveled the US with my grandfather - they drove to Alaska and many other far-flung (at least from our home state) parts of the country. She's really had a very rich and full life. And on this day, she got to sit back and relax in what she called "the Queen's chair" - there was only one better seat in the house, and it was mine. Right across from her.

Best job of giftwrapping a truly hard-to-wrap item. EV.ER. Big J said it looked like andupside down flower. I considered turning it over and camouflaging it among a big bunch of balloons. At least the gobs of colorful tissue paper distract you from the golf club handle sticking out of the top. (And I must say, "Thank You, Bargain-Shopping Husband!!!"


We went to visit Grandma and Grandpa R for a few days, and took some of Mister J's science experiments along (he'd received them as birthday gifts). This is the Mentos/diet soda geyser - and it was FUN!

Setting it up.... Secure geyser tube to diet soda, count our seven Mentos, pull the string/stopper to drop the Mentos into the drink and.... RUN!

We all bundled up to go outside and watch this, and even did it twice! So glad we planned ahead and picked up two bottles of soda from the grocery store. This one was so much fun that we'll definitely be buying more soda and Mentos!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, family and friends!

It's Christmas Eve, and I am so happy to be relaxing, waiting for my sister to arrive, and writing a holiday post.

The tree is decorated - I love the soft glow of Christmas tree lights!
The gifts are wrapped - I love seeing all of the different colors and patterns arranged under the tree!
All of the cards we have received are displayed in our 'gallery' - it's so nice to get cards and photos from all of our distant and not-so-distant family and friends.

My Mom has been here for several days already, and has been a great help with the gift-wrapping, cooking, child-wrangling, laundry, mailing, shopping.... That's a gift in itself! Big J has also been off this week, helping out with the kids, the cars (oil changes, new tires) and other tasks around the house, and was in charge of snowman construction over the weekend. Merry Christmas to me!
Now, though, it's time to sit back and enjoy all of these preparations in the peace of the evening before we go to bed and await Santa's arrival. The children have been in bed for a few hours now, though I know that they didn't go to sleep right away.
We attended two Christmas Eve services today, beginning with the Children's Christmas Eve Service. Any child that wants to participate in this service can, which is wonderful! Miss M was an angel and Mister J preferred to stay in the congregation and sing. After a quick dinner (Thank You and Merry Christmas to all who were on duty at McDonald's this evening!), we were back at church to hear Big J singing with the choir during the Service of Lessons and Carols. It's a much longer service, including candlelight and Communion, and the kids hung in there! After getting the wiggles out, they were very excited about the 'fire!' at the end ;)

We looked at Christmas lights on the way home, had some Christmas goodies for an evening snack, and let the kids watch a little TV while we wrapped the last couple of (hard-to-wrap!) gifts. Then, it was off to bed in their new Christmas jammies!

While much of what I am enjoying would be considered the 'stuff' of Christmas - the food, the lights, the giftwrap and ribbons - I was struck this evening by the simple beauty of some of the things around me. We had snow last Friday. As I sat in the balcony during the Service of Lessons and Carols, I could see the last of the day's light reflecting off of the snow and through the translucent glass of the sanctuary windows. Then there were all of the different sounds and styles of music from our choirs and special musicians. The Christmas story. Taking Communion with my little boy. The soft glow of the candlelight as it spread through the congregation. Tonight, it really feels like Christmas to me.

Merry Christmas to you and yours. May you have a blessed holiday, wonderful moments with family and friends, and the simple beauty that means 'Christmas" to you.

Prayer Request

Please click on over to Gravity of Motion and say a prayer for sweet little Sarah and her family. Sarah will have surgery on Friday morning, and I know her family would appreciate your prayers.

I am here (also Thursday Thanks #23)

Bible study at my church - "When Wallflowers Dance" by Angela Thomas

My apologies for the wildly askew photo (I think I'm channeling a bit of Esbee here). Just wanted to let you know that I'm still here. That things are OK. But that I'm taking some guidance from today's lesson, part of which included the suggestions to "choose to stop the chaos" and "choose to restore order."

I daresay it's been a full month since I've posted regularly. Life has been rich and full. The children are thriving in their new school. I have been busy with church and work commitments, extracurricular activities, and shuttling children from here to there. I haven't posted the first photo of Mister J in his soccer uniform. Of Miss M in her dancewear. Of a lunch in quite a while (though I pack them every night for school the next day). But trying to juggle all of the balls was wearing me out, so I've had to at least slow the chaos. I've pulled back from a few things - namely, the blog, email, and social networking. I've got photos I want to post, memories I want to document, and funny stories I want to tell. But for now, please forgive me for the lack of posts and photos.

I'm also choosing, in my case, to establish order. I'm trying to eliminate the clutter and disorganization in a pretty heavy-handed way around here. I'm trying to repurpose spaces and "stuff" in a way that makes sense for our family. It's going in baby steps, but the small victories keep me motivated.

I'm the midst of all of the de-chaos-ing and re-ordering, I'm taking a bit of time for myself. Not just doing the grocery shopping alone, but some real, adult time with other women in my Bible study. And here's my Thursday Thanks just a bit early.... I am so thankful for the women who are crossing my path as a part of this study. I am learning from them and connecting with them in new ways each time we meet, even if they are women I have known for years. In just a couple of hours a week, I am refreshed and energized in a way I'd forgotten existed.

I'll be back, though it may continue to be sporadic for a time. My goal is to complete some projects around the house, re-claim the calm that comes along with order and organization, and meet a couple of personal goals, including a return to more regular blogging.

See you soon.

Thursday Thanks #13

This week, I'm thankful for...

My daughter's imagination - whether she's having conversations on her calculator 'phone' or stirring up pancakes in my storage baskets with her magic wand 'spoon,' being able to overhear her imaginative play has been a wonderful treat!

Visiting with Grandpa H, Memaw, and Aunt L last week - I love cooking for a crowd (ok, a small crowd!), and we all enjoyed the opportunity to spend time together!

The sun finally shining again today! We spent about 3 hours at the pool - and it was wonderful!

Hearing my children say their prayers at night - or reminding me if I forget! I made up a short bedtime prayer a few years ago for Mister J. I began saying it with Miss M several months ago, and in just the last few weeks she has started to say it on her own. The first few tries, she began with "God is great..." and would then ask me to help her "say the right words." Now, she can say it on her own. I'm so thankful (and proud!) of both of them!

Dear God,
Thank you for another wonderful day.
Thank you for my family and friends.
Help me have patience and make good choices.
Amen.

Thursday Thanks Tank #5

So much to be thankful for this week!

I had a great weekend at my Dad's - even though I missed the kids!

Had a fun day geocaching with the kids on Monday!

Got to spend some time with my blog this week. And, apparently folks miss me when I don't blog! Well, maybe they miss their fix of kid pics - but that's OK too! Felt very special when I got some requests to start blogging again!

TODAY is Big J's birthday! Love you, sweetie!

Thursday Thanks Tank #3

• NOGGIN shows 24/7 - it's been a lifesaver as Miss M recovers from her tonsillectomy.
  
• Witnessing the power of prayer - check out this little miracle!
  

Pray for Us ... Pray for Others

I follow several blogs that include prayer requests or buttons, and found one today that encourages a community of prayer. Today, I posted my prayer requests there, and I want to share them with you.

Miss M is having her tonsils out on Monday morning. Please pray for us, and for all involved in her care. We will be at the hospital overnight, but are anticipating a quick recovery (and lots of popsicles!).

If you have noticed the new "Praying for Jonah" link on my blog, please follow it to learn more about the Williams family. Their son was born on Feb 27th with a rare, genetic skin condition. Please pray for them, too.

Please visit ...where laughter lives... for more prayer requests. It'll be updated often throughout the day, so keep checking back when you have a few moments.

On winning the lottery...

If you noticed that I labeled this post with 'faith' - among other labels - you are probably wondering how that's related to the lottery. Please, let me explain...

I've been carrying around a lot of anxiety lately that's related to the school-choice and magnet school lottery process in our school district. Knowing that the results are beyond my control, I've prayed a lot during the wait. I have asked God to do His will. I have asked for patience during the wait, for knowledge to make the right choices, and for the ability to accept (with grace) the results, whatever they were.

Tonight, I am saying prayers of thanks. We found out this afternoon that our son is in our first-choice school and our daughter is 5th on the waiting list for her grade level. I'm not a fan of the word 'luck' - it's one I purposefully avoid using. But God does have a way of making me feel like I won the lottery. The chances of our either of our children getting in were so slim. We were told many times not to get our hopes up. Certainly, He had a hand in this.

Prayers of thanksgiving.... Over and over again.