Here's one more scene with Brad.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Boomerang Express
Tonight our kids' choir had the amazing opportunity to premiere this year's VBS musical at Lifeway for about 300 folks from all over the country here to attend a VBS conference. We have been preparing for this for a few months, but were literally blown away at how God showed up and SHOWED OFF through our kids! It was utterly incredible. They sounded amazing and we didn't end up having to use any of the panned vocals. I'm still in disbelief over that one. They get to do it again tomorrow night for another 350 folks in a standing-room-only crowd. There are over 100 people on a waiting list to get into the venue. Craziness. Apparently this is the highlight of the VBS conference every year. I'm glad we didn't really understand that until we got there or we probably would have been even more intimidated!
But I have to brag on my baby. Bradley played one of the character roles and he was a natural! Here is a picture of him after he has delivered a show-stopper and the crowd was just cackling at his one-liner. I'm uploading this scene to You Tube right now, so I'll link to it as soon as it's done.
Note the huge grin on his face as the crowd goes wild. I think he might have gotten bit by the showbiz bug tonight!The best part was that the gospel was preached through our kids in an incredibly uplifting and fun way. And now it will be carried out all across the world through Vacation Bible School this year. What an amazing thing to be a part of.
Here's some of the lyrics to my favorite song this year called "Follow":
I've never been the s-a-m-e,
since you called me by my n-a-m-e.
Your l-o-v-e for me has changed my l-i-f-e!
Preach it. :)
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Yesterday morning my kids were working on their math at the table when I overheard this conversation:
Bailey: I hate math! Subtraction is so hard.
Brad: You think that's hard? Take a look at this. (He then shows her the equation that he is trying to solve. n - 12 = 925-907) He points at the variable and says, "I have to figure out what this is."
Bailey: (Looking at him in sheer amazement) Uh, Brad? It's a lowercase n.
So nice that she got to feel smarter than her brother, at least for a moment!
----------------------
Let's talk about Facebook. Some of you may have no frame of reference for this because you've never gone there. But others of you are probably like me, and spend more time there than you care to actually admit.
Facebook is a fun way to keep up with what's going on in the lives of your friends and family. For instance, they might post a status that says they are headed to the beach and you can be happy for them (or insanely jealous, whatever the case may be.) Or they might post a status about their frustration over something in the news. Or they might post something about being overwhelmed, or in a place of trusting God or something similar to that. If you know them well, you may know what they are talking about and it reminds you to stop and say a prayer for them right then.
Facebook is also a place to reconnect with people from your past, many of whom you may not have seen or talked to in decades. This is the part I've been thinking about lately. It's amazing how sometimes you'll reconnect with a person and just pick right up where you left off, as if you just spoke to them the other day. Those are the fun ones. For me, however, those are few and far between.
There's another group of folks that you were acquaintances with, and once you've said hello and sort of done a mini catch-up on where they are in life, there's nothing left to say. And then there's the friend requests that you receive and you look at the picture and name and think, "I have no idea who this person is. None." You wonder, do they really remember me? What was I to them? Am I a complete jerk for not knowing them? You can go down this path of self-condemnation for as long as you like, although that's probably just because I'm a girl. You are then faced with the dilemma of accepting their friend request so you don't seem mean and opening up your stuff to someone you don't know, or ignoring them and feeling like a snob. I'm sensitive about feeling like a snob, but I usually do it anyway.
But recently I've discovered that Facebook has a lot of power, for both good and evil. Let's do good first. I was discussing this with a friend yesterday, and she was telling me a story about reconnecting with a friend that she had lost in college. They had been best friends in high school and had some sort of major fall-out in college that led to the annihilation of the duo. She has regretted losing that relationship ever since. When she learned that her former friend was on Facebook, she immediately sent her a message asking for forgiveness over the way their friendship had ended. Her friend readily accepted, and a broken relationship has now been restored all these many years later. That is an amazing story of redemption.
But I experienced something so bizarre the other day. After reconnecting with an old friend, I suddenly began to feel some old feelings of insecurity. It was someone I always felt intimidated around and always felt the need to impress. I was stunned at how quickly those feelings came back. It's been almost 18 years since I graduated from high school. I've come a really long way from the person I was then. I truly have found my identity in Christ and feel confident in the person that God made me to be. So why was I suddenly transported back to being a teenage girl and all of the insecurity that goes along with that?
I think it's the power of the wounds that haunt us. I have spent a lot of time with God examining things in my past that were the catalyst for certain behavior patterns and aspects of my personality. A lot of those are painful memories, even though on the surface I have lived a pretty charmed life. But the spoken word can be so cruel. All of you can remember something that was said to you during childhood that hurt you so deeply you have never forgotten it. Even if it wasn't intentional, the scar still remains. If you never go back and invite Jesus to heal that place, it has the potential to fester until it becomes an infection that permeates your very being. But we can talk more about that another day.
For now, what to do about Facebook? For me, I just have to remember that my identity is not wrapped up in who I was at any stage over the past 35 years. It is wrapped up in who I am in Christ. Thankfully, I can rest in the knowledge that no matter how I may feel today, Someone thinks I'm a princess and loves me with an everlasting love that will never fail and is completely unmerited so it can't be lost. Thank God for that!
I'm off to update my status...
Bailey: I hate math! Subtraction is so hard.
Brad: You think that's hard? Take a look at this. (He then shows her the equation that he is trying to solve. n - 12 = 925-907) He points at the variable and says, "I have to figure out what this is."
Bailey: (Looking at him in sheer amazement) Uh, Brad? It's a lowercase n.
So nice that she got to feel smarter than her brother, at least for a moment!
----------------------
Let's talk about Facebook. Some of you may have no frame of reference for this because you've never gone there. But others of you are probably like me, and spend more time there than you care to actually admit.
Facebook is a fun way to keep up with what's going on in the lives of your friends and family. For instance, they might post a status that says they are headed to the beach and you can be happy for them (or insanely jealous, whatever the case may be.) Or they might post a status about their frustration over something in the news. Or they might post something about being overwhelmed, or in a place of trusting God or something similar to that. If you know them well, you may know what they are talking about and it reminds you to stop and say a prayer for them right then.
Facebook is also a place to reconnect with people from your past, many of whom you may not have seen or talked to in decades. This is the part I've been thinking about lately. It's amazing how sometimes you'll reconnect with a person and just pick right up where you left off, as if you just spoke to them the other day. Those are the fun ones. For me, however, those are few and far between.
There's another group of folks that you were acquaintances with, and once you've said hello and sort of done a mini catch-up on where they are in life, there's nothing left to say. And then there's the friend requests that you receive and you look at the picture and name and think, "I have no idea who this person is. None." You wonder, do they really remember me? What was I to them? Am I a complete jerk for not knowing them? You can go down this path of self-condemnation for as long as you like, although that's probably just because I'm a girl. You are then faced with the dilemma of accepting their friend request so you don't seem mean and opening up your stuff to someone you don't know, or ignoring them and feeling like a snob. I'm sensitive about feeling like a snob, but I usually do it anyway.
But recently I've discovered that Facebook has a lot of power, for both good and evil. Let's do good first. I was discussing this with a friend yesterday, and she was telling me a story about reconnecting with a friend that she had lost in college. They had been best friends in high school and had some sort of major fall-out in college that led to the annihilation of the duo. She has regretted losing that relationship ever since. When she learned that her former friend was on Facebook, she immediately sent her a message asking for forgiveness over the way their friendship had ended. Her friend readily accepted, and a broken relationship has now been restored all these many years later. That is an amazing story of redemption.
But I experienced something so bizarre the other day. After reconnecting with an old friend, I suddenly began to feel some old feelings of insecurity. It was someone I always felt intimidated around and always felt the need to impress. I was stunned at how quickly those feelings came back. It's been almost 18 years since I graduated from high school. I've come a really long way from the person I was then. I truly have found my identity in Christ and feel confident in the person that God made me to be. So why was I suddenly transported back to being a teenage girl and all of the insecurity that goes along with that?
I think it's the power of the wounds that haunt us. I have spent a lot of time with God examining things in my past that were the catalyst for certain behavior patterns and aspects of my personality. A lot of those are painful memories, even though on the surface I have lived a pretty charmed life. But the spoken word can be so cruel. All of you can remember something that was said to you during childhood that hurt you so deeply you have never forgotten it. Even if it wasn't intentional, the scar still remains. If you never go back and invite Jesus to heal that place, it has the potential to fester until it becomes an infection that permeates your very being. But we can talk more about that another day.
For now, what to do about Facebook? For me, I just have to remember that my identity is not wrapped up in who I was at any stage over the past 35 years. It is wrapped up in who I am in Christ. Thankfully, I can rest in the knowledge that no matter how I may feel today, Someone thinks I'm a princess and loves me with an everlasting love that will never fail and is completely unmerited so it can't be lost. Thank God for that!
I'm off to update my status...
Monday, January 26, 2009
25 Random Things About Me
I just did this for Facebook, and figured I might as well post it here too. I feel guilty when I go too long without blogging. I have no explanation for that.
1. When I found out that I was moving to Nashville in 1998, I cried. Now you would have to drag me away kicking and screaming.
2. I never thought it would be possible to love four people as much as I love my family.
3. I'm going to India next month. I'm hoping India and Pakistan can sort of chill in the meantime.
4. Traveling internationally is one of my passions. I've been to more foreign countries than American states. I think Thailand is the farthest, depending on which way you go.
5. In once ran from security at the Louvre after accidentally taking a flash picture of the Mona Lisa. I'm pretty sure they weren't chasing me.
6. I sing alto.
7. I'm a big fan of Lost. But I still think Alias was J.J.'s masterpiece.
8. I love homeschooling and am thankful every day for the opportunity to do so.
9. I really dig John Denver, even though most of his lyrics make no apparent sense.
10. I still claim Harrison Ford as my favorite actor, but I seriously enjoy Will Smith.
11. I spent three summers in college working at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
12. I had to wear a dosimeter to keep track of my radiation levels. Thankfully, it was never necessary to check.
13. In high school, I didn't care so much about having close girlfriends until it was almost time to graduate. I am SO blessed to have them now.
14. Having a daughter has made me wish I could go back and do some things differently, but I know that each experience led me to who I am now.
15. I'm so thankful for grace.
16. I love Jesus. He loved me first.
17. Cocoa Puffs is my favorite cereal.
18. I know how to sew, but my machine has been in the attic since I had kids.
19. I'm a huge college football fan.
20. I equally cheer for Tennessee and Alabama, even though some say that makes me not a true fan of either. I seriously love them both.
21. I have no athletic ability.
22. I edit depositions for a living and am blessed with two incredibly talented court reporters to work for.
23. I can't stop myself from proofreading anything I read. It's a sickness. I seriously hope there are no spelling errors in my list.
24. In 8th grade I became obsessed with Gone With the Wind. I read it twice and watched the movie about 20 times.
25. Paula Abdul has hugged two of my children.
1. When I found out that I was moving to Nashville in 1998, I cried. Now you would have to drag me away kicking and screaming.
2. I never thought it would be possible to love four people as much as I love my family.
3. I'm going to India next month. I'm hoping India and Pakistan can sort of chill in the meantime.
4. Traveling internationally is one of my passions. I've been to more foreign countries than American states. I think Thailand is the farthest, depending on which way you go.
5. In once ran from security at the Louvre after accidentally taking a flash picture of the Mona Lisa. I'm pretty sure they weren't chasing me.
6. I sing alto.
7. I'm a big fan of Lost. But I still think Alias was J.J.'s masterpiece.
8. I love homeschooling and am thankful every day for the opportunity to do so.
9. I really dig John Denver, even though most of his lyrics make no apparent sense.
10. I still claim Harrison Ford as my favorite actor, but I seriously enjoy Will Smith.
11. I spent three summers in college working at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
12. I had to wear a dosimeter to keep track of my radiation levels. Thankfully, it was never necessary to check.
13. In high school, I didn't care so much about having close girlfriends until it was almost time to graduate. I am SO blessed to have them now.
14. Having a daughter has made me wish I could go back and do some things differently, but I know that each experience led me to who I am now.
15. I'm so thankful for grace.
16. I love Jesus. He loved me first.
17. Cocoa Puffs is my favorite cereal.
18. I know how to sew, but my machine has been in the attic since I had kids.
19. I'm a huge college football fan.
20. I equally cheer for Tennessee and Alabama, even though some say that makes me not a true fan of either. I seriously love them both.
21. I have no athletic ability.
22. I edit depositions for a living and am blessed with two incredibly talented court reporters to work for.
23. I can't stop myself from proofreading anything I read. It's a sickness. I seriously hope there are no spelling errors in my list.
24. In 8th grade I became obsessed with Gone With the Wind. I read it twice and watched the movie about 20 times.
25. Paula Abdul has hugged two of my children.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
I've avoided writing about Inauguration Week for lots of reasons. I hate to sound cynical in the face of a new day. I don't want to appear whiny or show bad sportsmanship. And honestly, I just haven't wanted to think about it too much.
To be honest, it's not even saying "President Obama" that upsets me. I can handle the fact that power has shifted and my guy is no longer in the White House. It happens. In fact, that's something to be proud of. We just witnessed the 44th shift of power from one President to the next. It is remarkable to have a history of smooth transition like that, especially when the philosophies are so different and passions run so high on either side.
I watched most of the Inaugural Day festivities on Tuesday morning. I do love the pomp and circumstance and pageantry of it all. It was certainly moving to see the Bushes and the Obamas together. I felt a bit sorry for President Bush because there wasn't a whole lot of sentiment coming his way other than, "Time for you to go!" I know he's a strong man and didn't need that for his self worth, but it still made me sad for him to have to leave that way.
My problem was not with the events of the day. My problem was with the media love fest. I had to watch most of Tuesday's events with the sound muted because I just couldn't stomach what I was hearing. It was shameless. Yes, it's historic that we've elected the first black President (which probably still bugs President Clinton, since that used to be his honor.) But try to imagine for a moment if he were the first black Republican president. How different might things have been? And to hear the journalists talk, it seems we've elected far more than a man. They are trying to convince us that we've just elected the savior of the world. That, I can't take.
I'm sure it is hard for President Obama not to believe his own press. He knows better than anyone that he is just a man, but when you are hailed as the next messiah, how long before you begin to believe it might be true? Scripture is filled with stories of men who accepted the glory that belongs to God for themselves, and it never worked out well for them. King Nebuchadnezzar spent several years eating grass and living like a wild animal. Herod was infested with worms and eaten from the inside out. Two extreme cases, but they show us that God doesn't like it much when men try to usurp his throne.
I am praying right now that our new President will keep a steady head. Because he is our representative to the world. He is the king on the throne of America right now. And if he gets carried away, I worry about the fate of the rest of us.
Here's where I put my hope, though. God is not limited by human circumstances. He sees things we can not see. He can move in ways unimaginable to us. He can use President Obama to work His purposes. It is vital that we pray to that effect. Let's not lose heart in a land that seems at times to have lost its collective mind.
And when millions of people across this nation realize that their hope is misguided and that the man they believed could solve all of their problems is just a man, let's be ready to offer a reason for the true Hope within us.
To be honest, it's not even saying "President Obama" that upsets me. I can handle the fact that power has shifted and my guy is no longer in the White House. It happens. In fact, that's something to be proud of. We just witnessed the 44th shift of power from one President to the next. It is remarkable to have a history of smooth transition like that, especially when the philosophies are so different and passions run so high on either side.
I watched most of the Inaugural Day festivities on Tuesday morning. I do love the pomp and circumstance and pageantry of it all. It was certainly moving to see the Bushes and the Obamas together. I felt a bit sorry for President Bush because there wasn't a whole lot of sentiment coming his way other than, "Time for you to go!" I know he's a strong man and didn't need that for his self worth, but it still made me sad for him to have to leave that way.
My problem was not with the events of the day. My problem was with the media love fest. I had to watch most of Tuesday's events with the sound muted because I just couldn't stomach what I was hearing. It was shameless. Yes, it's historic that we've elected the first black President (which probably still bugs President Clinton, since that used to be his honor.) But try to imagine for a moment if he were the first black Republican president. How different might things have been? And to hear the journalists talk, it seems we've elected far more than a man. They are trying to convince us that we've just elected the savior of the world. That, I can't take.
I'm sure it is hard for President Obama not to believe his own press. He knows better than anyone that he is just a man, but when you are hailed as the next messiah, how long before you begin to believe it might be true? Scripture is filled with stories of men who accepted the glory that belongs to God for themselves, and it never worked out well for them. King Nebuchadnezzar spent several years eating grass and living like a wild animal. Herod was infested with worms and eaten from the inside out. Two extreme cases, but they show us that God doesn't like it much when men try to usurp his throne.
I am praying right now that our new President will keep a steady head. Because he is our representative to the world. He is the king on the throne of America right now. And if he gets carried away, I worry about the fate of the rest of us.
Here's where I put my hope, though. God is not limited by human circumstances. He sees things we can not see. He can move in ways unimaginable to us. He can use President Obama to work His purposes. It is vital that we pray to that effect. Let's not lose heart in a land that seems at times to have lost its collective mind.
And when millions of people across this nation realize that their hope is misguided and that the man they believed could solve all of their problems is just a man, let's be ready to offer a reason for the true Hope within us.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Five weeks from today I should be back in India. There aren't the right words to express all of the many emotions this brings.I can't wait to get back. I feel as if I left a piece of myself there last year and it has been beckoning me home ever since. I can't wait to see faces like these and let those precious fingers take hold of mine. I can't wait to be reunited with friends that I only spent a few days with, but who left permanent marks on my heart.
This time is going to be different. This time Jeff will be with me. I am MOST excited about that. I want him to see what I saw, feel what I felt. I need him to know why I was so messed up when I got home. I just need him to go. And I am excited that a world he's only heard about will suddenly be brought into living color. Names will have faces; stories will have audio. Those who love him because of me will now love him because of him. I can't wait.
We will be conducting eye clinics this time around. Imagine having the opportunity to be Christ's hands and feet when He said He came to bring sight to the blind. We have a chance to change people's lives and then tell them Who sent us. It is going to be amazing. I get chills every time I think about it.
There's much to be done between now and then. But each day brings me closer to something I've been looking forward to all year. No, India isn't necessarily the safest place in the world to be heading. But in reality, anything can happen any time, anywhere. And the calling on my life to go is so strong it can't be ignored. I've never felt the power of prayer as strongly as I experienced last year, and I don't anticipate that being any different. But I depend on you guys to cover me. So if you read this, please say a prayer and keep them coming. Pray the way will be paved smooth. Pray for safe travel for us and our children. Pray for my sister-in-law, Gena, who'll be taking care of the older two. Pray for my in-laws, Gene and Gale, who will be trying to keep up with the Bry man all week.
Most importantly, pray for the hearts of those sweet Indian people who will be visiting our clinics, that they will be open to the One who has brought us.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
So What Are You Doing Today?
We've been without a washer/dryer for the past week. Apparently I do more in between my weekly wash day than I realized. This doesn't even count the four loads I did at Mom's. It is ridiculous for five people to produce this much uncleanliness.
Friday, January 09, 2009
Warning: Bad Word Ahead (And don't go skipping to the end to find it...)
Bailey has really been struggling with her spelling words this week. She's had some words with the -ight spelling, and some with the -ite spelling. She has had a terrible time keeping straight in her head which ones are which. So she's spelling d-e-l-i-t-e and w-h-i-g-h-t. It's been extremely frustrating for both of us. Both right and write are on the list, and that has caused just extra headaches.
Friday is spelling test day. I knew going in that it wasn't going to be easy for her. We reviewed up until the last moment before the test. I even gave her the idea to associate write with kite, since she never misses that one. I said, "Think, 'I am going to write about a kite.'" It seemed to help at least a bit.
So we get through the phonics part of the test with ease, and it's now time for the spelling section. I've given her the first three words and she's breezed through them. It's now time for the final three (she's only tested on a random six of the fifteen she studied.) For might, she writes m-h-i-t-e, apparently because white was the word before that, which she wrote correctly. She gets right correct. It's time for the big finish.
The word is sight. She looks up at me with fear in her eyes. She's drawing a complete blank. Slowly she begins to write, s-h-i-t. And she stops.
If it hadn't been so obviously what she was feeling, it might not have been so hard to keep a straight face. But I could not hold back the laughter. Sadly, I have to explain to her why I'm laughing, which has already drawn Bradley in from the other room. He is incapable of playing this cool, which turns her cheeks even redder than they were to begin with.
Not our best homeschooling moment... but definitely one I won't soon forget!
Bailey has really been struggling with her spelling words this week. She's had some words with the -ight spelling, and some with the -ite spelling. She has had a terrible time keeping straight in her head which ones are which. So she's spelling d-e-l-i-t-e and w-h-i-g-h-t. It's been extremely frustrating for both of us. Both right and write are on the list, and that has caused just extra headaches.
Friday is spelling test day. I knew going in that it wasn't going to be easy for her. We reviewed up until the last moment before the test. I even gave her the idea to associate write with kite, since she never misses that one. I said, "Think, 'I am going to write about a kite.'" It seemed to help at least a bit.
So we get through the phonics part of the test with ease, and it's now time for the spelling section. I've given her the first three words and she's breezed through them. It's now time for the final three (she's only tested on a random six of the fifteen she studied.) For might, she writes m-h-i-t-e, apparently because white was the word before that, which she wrote correctly. She gets right correct. It's time for the big finish.
The word is sight. She looks up at me with fear in her eyes. She's drawing a complete blank. Slowly she begins to write, s-h-i-t. And she stops.
If it hadn't been so obviously what she was feeling, it might not have been so hard to keep a straight face. But I could not hold back the laughter. Sadly, I have to explain to her why I'm laughing, which has already drawn Bradley in from the other room. He is incapable of playing this cool, which turns her cheeks even redder than they were to begin with.
Not our best homeschooling moment... but definitely one I won't soon forget!
Monday, January 05, 2009
Thursday, January 01, 2009
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