Thursday, May 29, 2008

Sleep Deprivation & Perspective

I've been struggling with sleep deprivation for some time now. Havilah is a beautiful, happy, but high maintenance baby. She reminds me of Pierce, our firstborn, who got me into babywearing & co-sleeping in the first place. Anyway, I was frustrated by Pierce waking me up this morning to tattle on Jaden. And then once again woken up from a nap today by Jaden waking me to ask me what he should eat (he knows what he can eat when I'm napping with Havilah!) With enough sleep under my belt, perhaps I would have been patient and understanding - they're just kids. But my eye has been twitching for two days and I've felt like I'm at the bottom of the barrel : ) I was praying after I vented my frustration to the boys. I felt like I blew it. This video crossed my path a few minutes later - a fitting answer to my prayer. I'm thankful for the perspective it gave me - and what a beautiful story. These days are hard (very hard!!), but I'm so thankful for these blessings that are so much work!

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Indescribable

From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise - Psalm 8:2a



Indescribable
Chris Tomlin

From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation's revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untamable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God

Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go
Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow
Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light
Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night
None can fathom

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name
You are amazing God
All powerful, untamable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God
You are amazing God

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untamable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God
Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
INCOMPARABLE, unchangeable
You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same
You are amazing God
You are amazing God

Friday, May 16, 2008

Elijah's Got a Brand New Bed

The boys are very excited because Elijah has now moved into their room (coming from the crib in our room). We found a cute toddler bed at IKEA that moves from this small position to medium, then to standard twin. He's excited to go to bed every night, but is a bit confused in the middle of the night when he wakes up. It goes like this - lots of jiggling of our doorknob. Elijah stumbles in the door. A few nights ago, it was "I woked up." Two nights ago it was "I so tired." Then we walk him back to his bed. He's a very adorable confused person in the middle of the night.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

A Visitor

We had this special visitor looking through our fence this morning!

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

A Whole Lot More Than Forgiveness

Today's daily reading from Ransomed Heart Ministries:

When the Bible tells us that Christ came to "redeem mankind" it offers a whole lot more than forgiveness. To simply forgive a broken man is like telling someone running a marathon, "It’s okay that you’ve broken your leg. I won’t hold that against you. Now finish the race." That would be cruel, to leave him disabled that way. No, there is much more to our redemption. The core of Christ’s mission is foretold in Isaiah 61:
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to
proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.
(v. 1)
The Messiah will come, he says, to bind up and heal, to release and set free. What? Your heart. Christ comes to restore and release you, your soul, the true you. This is the central passage in the entire Bible about Jesus, the one he chooses to quote about himself when he steps into the spotlight in Luke 4 and announces his arrival. So take him at his word—ask him in to heal all the broken places within you and unite them into one whole and healed heart. Ask him to release you from all bondage and captivity, as he promised to do. As George MacDonald prayed, "Gather my broken fragments to a whole . . . Let mine be a merry, all-receiving heart, but make it a whole, with light in every part." But you can’t do this at a distance; you can’t ask Christ to come into your wound while you remain far from it. You have to go there with him.

(<> Wild at Heart , 128–29)

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Monday, May 5, 2008

Wild at Heart



Mark had an incredible weekend in Colorado at the Wild at Heart Advanced Retreat with John Eldredge. He went to Wild at Heart Boot Camp in February 2007, and was able to make the roadtrip with Chuck, Keith & Adam again this year. They drove out of hot, muggy Houston, into a late winter storm in Colorado.