"Do this..."

As of late I would say that Lord is doing a bit of stirring my life. I can’t tell how major of a stirring it is but none-the-less, things are a brewin’. This dynamic churn has no real start date nor any foreseeable end date for that matter. I can't really put my finger on what it is, but the “why-it-is” I  am gradually understanding. The why is this: this girl has become complacent. Comfortable. Cozy, even. In her Jesus. In her day-to-day, ho-hum of a life. I have neatly, oh-so cutely, wrapped up my faith and displayed it on some life shelf for safe keeping. Safe keeping from what, exactly? Not sure. But it has become apparent that this gift-wrapped faith is no good. Not right. Straight-up wrong! (This paragraph was brought to you by the hyphen.)

Not long ago, I started envisioning some small, easy changes to our family’s goings-on. (Baby steps.) I started to branch out in my reading material, going past the youth mythological fantasy books (though still reading them, just not as exclusively. I mean Camp Half-Blood is my JAM!). Then there was Jen Hatmaker, who oh so kindly confirmed a whole bunch of stuff... just great! Then there was the Engage conference at church, encouraging and preparing, coming alongside parents as they tackle the task of being the primary faith trainers of their spawn. After being divinely slapped around a bit, I had to own up to my half-hearted job of being a "faithful" Christian, which also equates to a quarter-hearted job of "faith training" my kids, my little at-home tribe. Something-s have got to give...

One thing amongst the myriad convictions--one that at first seemed insignificant, but for my family will be significant because it is kind of core to our unit--celebrations. I mean, we are a family that celebrates the big, the small, the seemingly trivial. Yet, outside of Christmas and Easter... well... we suck at celebrating Jesus. And His life's work. And His gifts to us. It is shameful, truly. We get together and do community for the 4th of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day... oh, but when was the last time we got together and "did community" with Christ as the central focus? Easter. Christmas. End scene. 

I am speaking from my heart--from my family's heart. We need more Christ-centered, coming-together, celebrating in our lives. We love traditions. We love celebrations. I need very little reason to bake and I'm thinking Jesus needs to be my reason to bake more often! I know you feel me on this one! I am pledging to put as much attention and effort into celebrating the life, the gifts, and the thankfulness that Christ has brought into our lives as I do Halloween costumes! (so I guess if the Halloween costumes are subpar this year, you know things are not going well!) 

My point is this: I want to be more intentional about "going and doing community." Ben and I are on the same page that one of the shifts we need to make for our family is to start celebrating more of the church calendar. We are well aware of Presidents Day, Valentine's Day, St Patricks Day, Halloween but what about Whitsunday, Corpus Christi, Holy Cross Day, Michaelmas, or Christ the King Sunday. What the what?

We want to bring the traditions home and make them a part of our family, giving our kids tangible ways to show service, thankfulness, and love to those in their little communities. For this is what Christ has called us to do, to be active in our thanksgiving. To add to that, He commands us to do this together, to offer our gifts of thanksgiving in the context of community... wait like a "party"!? Like share a meal with people!?!  Get outta here... WE LOVE DOING THAT! He said, "Do this..." so I think we have to! Our family is going to do this and we are going to start with getting together, in community, and ringing in the Holy Spirit! Party for the Pentecost it is!

Mostly because I would feel guilty if I didn't say this, I will be stealing ideas from a book that I asked Ben to get me for my birthday, and people this man takes care of his lady! I haven't read the whole book (its not that kind of book) but from what I have read, I want to be this woman's BFF. I believe us to be kindred spirits-ish. The book is "A Homemade Year" by Jerusalem Jackson Greer... if you are a family that celebrates, that likes a good tradition, that loves to cook and craft, and you want to do all of these things with Jesus as your focus... get the book! The End

So This Guy I Know...

 So, this guy I know became a doctor this weekend. NBD.

In all seriousness I thought I knew what I was signing up for, marrying a guy that was in the middle of a masters degree with full intentions of completing a doctoral degree directly afterwards. And then seven years later... to say that this degree was anxiously anticipated is the understatement of the century! Though this weekend, as this phase of life was coming to an abrupt end, I found myself reminiscing about all the things that have happened in these last seven years.

I feel like this journey really began nine years ago when Ben started his maters degree and half way through that we got married, because most people just get married in the middle of graduate school.

During this time we moved into our first place, then purchased it from the landlord, then six-ish weeks later bought a house, spent time doing small-ish home remolding, then graduating with a masters degree and promptly starting a doctoral degree with no break.

Then we thought why not start having kids? So we had one of those.

Turns out she was kind of a handful...yeah, that seems the easiest way to describe that.

In the midst of all of that...why not just have another kid...seems legit!

Then he decided to be a handful as well...to which we thought, here we go again but alas he didn't have it in him...maybe we didn't either... glad we didn't have to find out! His little episode barely counts when we look back it.

Then there were, papers to write, practicums to do, an internship (gross), gas bills, hours to log, lessons to learn, birthday parties to be had, Christmas programs, emergency room trips, Easter musicals (yeah that "part-time" job), more driving, oh and lets move AGAIN into another house and do some MAJOR renovations... WHAT. THE. JUNK were we thinking?!

Then came the dissertation, this soon became an off-limits topic, well unless one of us was up for a good fashion argument... yeah, we'll call them "arguments."  I know I wasn't' the one writing it, but I sure did have some strong feelings about it and though the strength of those feelings may have been shared by my one-and-only the expression of those feelings played out in polar opposite ways.

Though there were some "not fun" times, one might even say stressful times, there was never a day that he didn't stop and tell me he loved me, hug me good and long, help with dishes/dinner/cleaning up/putting the kids bed. He helped with many a midnight feeding, cleaning up bodily fluid from a little one that I was having no part of! Sleeping in chairs and/or little beds with sick kiddos, only to get up and drive to class or work or both, plus church. He still gets up every morning and gets the kids cleaned, dressed, feed and out the door... the list is enormously long! I guess I could sum this up by saying there was never a day that went that by that the three of us didn't feel loved, special to him, and supported by him. He is more than awesome!

So here we are nine years later, classes are well over, internship has been done for a while, the dissertation is complete, and Dr. comes before his name!

This weekend people kept asking me questions like, "Oh, I bet you are ready to have your husband back, huh?" My initial response was "oh yes!" but then wait, I've never had a husband that wasn't in school or working on a degree or had something to turn in or finish, and somehow (because he is so amazing) I don't feel like I missed out on anything!