Multitude Monday, Take 350

"So if you are awash in a sea of God's gifts, dive in and savor them. Relish all there is to relish in them as a means of expanding your mind and heart to know God more deeply. Receive God's gifts gladly, give thanks for them, and then be as generous with others as God has been with you."

--Joe Rigney, The Things of Earth

Thanking God the last few weeks for gifts like...

7355. long daylight hours
7356. air conditioning
7357. the perspective that fasting brings
7358. exposure of my heart and its disordered appetites
7359. Steve's endless patience and gentleness

7360. the boys' first experience of the symphony: Pixar in Concert

7361. the way music can evoke emotion so powerfully
7362. access to it and the means to expose our boys to it
7363. Saturday morning prayer, coffee and conversation with a dear friend
7364. our church's culture of celebrating life, throwing showers for fifth babies
7365. having to help the boys choose gratitude over whining --> good for my own attitude

7366. a family hike at Radnor Lake

7367. heavy but really good conversations with Steve
7368. blackberry picking

7369. Elijah's voracious reading
7370. gorgeous clouds at sundown

7371. a zoo visit with friends
7372. the adventure of getting caught in a downpour

7373. rain was better than sweltering heat!
7374. a friend's powerful example of loving her neighbor sacrificially
7375. clouded leopard cubs

7376. a decade of marriage to the man of my dreams
7377. a big fancy dinner at home with the boys for our anniversary
7378. first sweet corn of the summer
7379. Jude's face when he saw I'd bought some

7380. Airbnb
7381. first tomatoes of the summer
7382. a family bike ride on the greenway to see fireworks + avoid the traffic

7383. glow sticks from the dollar store

7384. Elijah's excitement about Sunday school, loving his teacher
7385. Jude singing the doxology terribly off-key

7386. an afternoon spent with a family from church
7387. crepe myrtles beginning to bloom
7388. the capacity to learn a new language
7389. His promises to tenderly shepherd us
7390. the wise and loving earthly shepherds He has provided to us at our church

7391. a friend's support and encouragement in efforts to get healthier
7392. a new blue skirt
7393. a friend's husband getting baptized
7394. zinnias from the farmers' market
7395. 18 years of walking with Him

7396. the fact that my biggest problem last week was ruined vacation plans
7397. grace to remain calm and not get angry with our travel agent
7398. evidence of the Spirit growing me: I felt more empathy than judgment for her mistake
7399. we didn't lose any money in the whole debacle
7400. grace to process my emotions in light of Truth and His steadfast love

7401. our pastors, who reflect the Good Shepherd as they care for our souls
7402. finding out I had $20 in credit from consignment sales at the bookstore
7403. blueberry cake
7404. boys eager to be Mama's helpers

7405. lunch and time to catch up with friends
7406. a High Priest who can sympathize with my weakness and extends mercy & grace

Multitude Monday, Take 349

"...keep your eyes open, your heart broken,
and the words thank you always on the edge of your tongue."

--Christie Purifoy, There is a River

Thanking God this week for...

7332. Vacation Bible School mornings
7333. Steve's healthy view of his job--not having his identity tied up in his work
7334. supper salads
7335. hydrangeas blooming in the neighborhood
7336. the privilege of spending a morning studying Scripture

7337. our turn to be family of the week on our church's prayer list
7338. being able to go to Wednesday night prayer meeting since school is out
7339. the beautiful, earnest prayers of brothers and sisters
7340. hearing them pray for our family
7341. time to chat with our pastor afterward

7342. boys sitting and reading with me first thing in the morning
7343. friends coming over after VBS
7344. an encouraging note from a friend
7345. double-batch of strawberry-rhubarb jam
7346. opportunity to serve a friend by babysitting her boys before VBS one day

7347. houseful of boys, having fun and playing together
7348. a friend babysitting so Steve and I could go to a work party
7349. her loving me and my boys enough to share helpful insights
7350. the fact that I can serve Jesus by cleaning a bathroom
7351. my parents' enduring marriage, 35 years strong

7352. fantastic discussion in our women's Sunday school class on Colossians
7353. inviting us to "continue steadfastly in prayer"--the fact that we are never bothering Him, but He delights to have us continually in conversation with Him
7354. friends around the dinner table on Sunday night

May Gifts and Instagrams

Somehow I didn't manage to put up a Monday gratitude post for the entire month of May. Thought I would just hit the highlights plus a few photos from Instagram--this month, I've been thanking God for...

7285. a family bike ride on the Bicentennial Trail

7286. Jude bringing me a clematis bloom from the backyard
7287. eight children sponsored through our church on Compassion Sunday
7288. fresh strawberries
7289. boys wanting to make their own thankful lists

7290. peonies

7291. a Mother's Day coupon for 26 kisses

 
7292. Pampered Chef warranties

7293. the forgiving cut of a maxi dress
7294. field trip with Elijah

7295.  Steve taking care of me when I was sick
7296. Jude being an unbelievable champ when I was sick, requiring almost nothing of me
7297. indoor plumbing
7298. bleach wipes
7299. feeling human again

7300. strawberry shortcake for supper

7301. the pleasure of watching all three of my guys devour it and delight in it
7302. tiny gingko leaves, new growth on the ends of branches

7303. grace to say no to my flesh
7304. dry shampoo

7305. fresh lettuce from the garden
7306. the privilege of watching a sweet girl grow up over the last 4-5 years and celebrate her high school graduation

7307. so very much evidence of God's grace at work in her
7308. her radiant smile, feeling of accomplishment
7309. antibiotics

7310. a gallery wall in my dining room! finally!!
7311. magnolia blooms
7312. their lovely scent when you walk by a tree
7313. this amazing, forthright call to the church by Jen Wilkin
7314. Jude yelling outside: "BIRD! HEY BIRD! THERE'S A WORM OVER THERE!"

7315. Christy Nockels' new worship album
7316. visit from Steve's family
7317. the privilege of speaking to a small group of women on Psalm 63 and finding satisfaction in God
7318. my dear friend's generous hospitality
7319. other women's wonderful insights in our Sunday school class, seeing things I hadn't thought about

7320. nursery duty = rocking a sweet towheaded 2yo for an hour while he slept on my chest
7321. the way fresh eyes cause you to notice things you've passed a hundred times but never seen
7322. God's compassion toward rebels
7323. no school = no early alarm for the boys = extra morning quiet time for me
7324. rhubarb from my in-laws

7325. spider plant babies from my mother-in-law

7326. gorgeous deep orangey-red lilies lining a friend's front porch
7327. a friend sharing her heart and painful struggles
7328. opportunity to pray with and for her
7329. the way Jesus is so beautiful in her in the midst of her suffering

7330. visit from old friends
7331. kids pretending to jump and dance like Newsies 

Things I Learned in May

I can't believe I haven't written a single blog post since last month's "Things I Learned" post. Anyway...


1. Immigration is not like Disneyland. 
I don't have a lot of strong or well-informed opinions about immigration. It's just not something I've researched enough to understand. I would say, however, that I probably had something like the mindset Bronwyn Lea describes: "If they want to move to the U.S., they should do it legally and just get in line." Her personal essay, picked up by HuffPo, was eye-opening. A few startling insights:

I would love to be the holder of a green card -- that elusive piece of paper which would grant me the right to remain in the U.S. indefinitely -- but as it is, I don't and can't qualify. There is not a single category under which I can legally apply for permanent residence.

...there are very few categories under which one can apply for permanent residence, and unless your employer is sponsoring you or you are marrying in, you have to be a bit of an über-mensch (as in, a scholar of international standing, a Pulitzer prize winner, an Olympic athlete, to name some of the examples listed on the website) to qualify.

...What I want you to know is that there is no line. Immigration is not like Disneyland, where if you pay enough money and queue patiently for several hours, anyone can ride Space Mountain. There is not a single line that I can stand in on my own merit. Even with language and education and money and privilege aplenty, even though I don't come from India or China or Mexico, there is no line for me. 

Definitely read the whole thing for a huge dose of empathy and education.


2. Alice Seeley Harris was a missionary who helped take down King Leopold's barbaric reign in the Congo.
Harris was one of two women I'd never before heard of until I learned about their heroism last month. Katelyn Beaty wrote about Harris in a compelling article that argues for the importance of women wielding power in society and working outside the home:

The year before Alice and John had left for Africa, Kodak had debuted its Bulls-Eye camera, which could process photographs without a darkroom. Alice began using one to document Congolese who had been beaten and maimed by officers, first sending photos back to the magazine of their host agency, the interdenominational Congo Balolo Mission. Within five years, Alice’s photos had circulated beyond the magazine, composing the Harris Lantern Slide Show, which was shown throughout England and eventually the United States. Ordinary citizens who had assumed Leopold’s rule was civilizing and beneficial were faced instead with the irrefutable carnage of colonialism.

3. Nellie Bly was a groundbreaking 19th century journalist and aviator.
A Google Doodle introduced me to this remarkable woman, whose reporting on the plight of the oppressed led to systemic reforms in the 1800s:

She spent 10 days posing as a mental patient in New York's notorious Blackwell's Island and returned with stories of cruel beatings, ice cold baths and forced meals. Her reporting led to reforms of the system and set the tone for her career. She exposed corruption and the injustices of poverty by telling stories of the disenfranchised, the poor and women. When she covered the Chicago Pullman Railroad strike in 1894, she was the only reporter to share the strikers' perspective.

4. "Belgian waffle" is an oronym (at least the "Belgian" part).
This word-of-the-day/history lesson came from my favorite cooking blog, Smitten Kitchen. Deb informed me that "the Belgian waffles we know of in America are an oronym (word of the day alert!) of the 'Bel-Gem Waffle,' the Brussels waffle vendor that brought them to American via the 1964 New York World’s Fair, and started something of a national waffles craze. 'Bel-Gem' mutated into 'Belgium' then 'Belgian' and the name stuck.

Oronyms (I'd never heard the term before) are a pair of phrases which are homophonic. When pronounced without a pause between words, phrases which differ in meaning and spelling may share a similar pronunciation. One popular example: "ice cream" and "I scream."  


5. Peonies are the state flower of Indiana.
I get a little obsessed with peonies every May, as evidenced by my Instagram feed. My white ones here in the South are always the first to bloom and the first to go; after they are sad and dead, I get to enjoy pink ones around the neighborhood and my northern friends' peonies of all varieties. A native Hoosier friend shared that they are the Indiana state flower. Much preferable to Tennessee's state flower, which I just now looked up and found is the iris. I hate irises.


6. Tulip poplar trees flower in the spring, and the petals look like candy corn. 
I learned to recognize these trees a couple of years ago from a favorite picture book that we check out of the library every fall, Autumn Leaves. It wasn't until this spring that I noticed they actually flower. And when the petals fall, they remind me of candy corn:

7. Cold-brewed coffee is significantly better than regular coffee.
I really enjoy iced coffee, and until last month, I made it by refrigerating regular coffee. Finally I got around to trying this cold-brewed business I'd heard about--Smitten Kitchen (who else?--I feel like she shows up in every one of these "things I learned" posts) convinced me. It turns out there is a scientific reason why it's better: when you don't use hot water, you don't get the bitterness. Just smooth and dreamy coffee goodness. I find I need far less sugar this way. It's also convenient because while it's a bit of a pain initially, you end up with a big jar of coffee concentrate that will stay fresh in the fridge for quite a while.

Lately I've been doubling the Smitten Kitchen basic recipe. The concentrate is fantastic with a 2:1 or even 3:1 ratio of whole milk to coffee...but that's a lot of calories. My compromise is something like 1:1:1 coffee, milk, and water, with a splash of half and half and a little maple syrup. The creamier it is, the less sweetener I find I need, and I think the fat calories are a whole lot better for me than the sugar. The Pioneer Woman has a recipe for brewing an entire pound of coffee at once, which would be great for a crowd.


8. Dry shampoo totally works. 
I've been hearing about this for years but only recently got around to trying it out. Amazing. I'm a fan.


Head over to Chatting at the Sky for a roundup of more May lessons. And leave a comment--what did you learn last month?

Things I Learned in March and April

HOW is it that time again already?

I missed March, so here's a roundup of two months' worth of random things I learned. (Thanks as always for the inspiration, Emily!)

1. Steve doesn't really like the Psalms.
What in the actual what? This earth-shattering information came to my attention in a discussion around the table with our small group. One of the other guys said he doesn't like them either. They were lamenting being in Psalms for their daily reading...my eyes about fell out of my head. How can you "not care for" PSALMS?!?! Does. Not. Compute. This did, at least, lead to an edifying conversation in which we rejoiced that God gave us a wide variety of Scripture to enjoy, knowing that some parts would speak best to some personalities and other parts would speak more loudly to others. (But seriously. How can you not like Psalms?)

2. I can buy my own birthday flowers. 
Once upon a time I believed the entire world should revolve around me on March 18 each year. Turns out I am growing up. I have learned to lower my birthday expectations and embrace what comes, rather than getting worked up about what *doesn't* come. Flowers just aren't a thing Steve does. He's got a million other strengths; bouquets aren't one of them. I went to Kroger a few days after my birthday and realized, you know what? There is nothing stopping me from spending ten bucks and treating myself to birthday flowers. Plus, then I can get exactly what I like. (If only I knew how to arrange them...)

3. Daffodil is the common name for all flowers in the Narcissus genus. 
All jonquils are daffodils. But not all daffodils are jonquils. And buttercups have nothing to do with any of these. OK, so I didn't actually *learn* this--I'm sure I won't remember any of it--but it was interesting nonetheless. Bottom line: daffodil =/= buttercup, and those yellow and white flowers along the side of the road in early spring are NOT buttercups.

4. I, the champion speller, was misspelling two words. 
I probably would have sworn to you it was "miniscule" until I saw this tweet:

Oops! I misspelled "minuscule" in my column today. Fixed online, still there in print http://t.co/KgrnDNe1yv But it's a minuscule error.
— Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof) April 12, 2015

Somehow around that same time I discovered that "benefited" does not have two Ts. What?! I would have also fought you over insisting it was "benefitted." The single T actually *still* looks wrong to me.

5. The first major genocide of the 20th century was 25 years before the Holocaust. 
April 24 is known as Armenian Remembrance Day, because on April 24, 1915, Ottoman Turks killed more than 200 Armenian intellectuals in Istanbul. More than a million were killed in 1915-16. It seems that pretty much all unbiased scholars confirm this was indeed genocide, but the Turkish government rejects the term and has scathing denouncements for anyone else who attempts to use it (which has caused some controversy as President Obama apparently called it genocide years ago and promised to do as president, but has not actually lived up to that declaration).

In fact, "the man who coined the word genocide, Raphael Lemkin, was thinking of the killings of Armenians in what is now Turkey when he created it." Alarmingly, there's also an infamous Hitler quote regarding this: In 1939, defending his decision to invade Poland and describing his genocidal intentions, Hitler said, "Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?"

As a direct result of the 1915 genocide, Armenians are one of the world's most dispersed peoples. I had never before heard of any of this until now, the 100th anniversary. More information can be found here: Q&A: Armenian Genocide Dispute

6. If you rearrange the letters in "Presbyterians" you get "Britney Spears."
This little tidbit came from my favorite writing professor, who retired this month--she posted a photo on Facebook of a note she'd gotten from former students long ago, "Things We Learned from Mary Brown," and this was on the list. Ha!

7. Two words: Roasted Broccoli. 
As Jude's adorable little friend would say, "Oh My M. G." I could polish off an entire pound of broccoli cooked this way, all by myself. I first got the recipe here, where it's referred to as Crack Broccoli (it really is that good). My favorite cooking blog, Smitten Kitchen, also posted a recipe for "crispy broccoli" just this week. But I think that it can be simpler than either of these recipes.

Contrary to the Crack Broccoli recipe's insistence, the 1/2 teaspoon of sugar is *totally* unnecessary and should be omitted. The salt called for is also way too high (and that's coming from someone who LOVES salty things) and you really don't need to go up to 500 degrees (I'm feeling a little sensitive about super-high oven heat since cracking my favorite stoneware last weekend...plus who wants a 500 degree oven in the summer?). Smitten Kitchen uses a lower temp, but all kinds of unnecessary ingredients. All you really need is a pound of broccoli, 3 T melted butter (I don't think EVOO is  advisable at high temps) and 1/2 tsp kosher salt. Toss and roast at 425-450 for about 10-15 minutes or until nice and brown. Devour.

A related sub-lesson: You're supposed to peel broccoli. Who knew? I never did it before. But the outer layer of the stem really is woody and tough, and the broccoli gets much more tender (tenderer?) if you peel it off. Doesn't matter much when you're eating it raw or steaming it to death, but for this you'll want to take the extra step.


Head over to Chatting at the Sky for more fun and fascinating randomness!

Needing to Be Needy and Fighting Together

Breastplate of righteousness. Belt of truth. Helmet of salvation. Shield of faith. If you’ve been in the church a while, you’ve heard more than one call to “suit up” with Ephesians 6 armor. And if you’re like me, you’ve imagined yourself as a solitary soldier, dressed head to toe and ready for spiritual battle.

It wasn’t until much later that the obvious dawned on me: A lone soldier is a sitting duck. 

Last month at Ungrind, I wrote about our need to be honest about our physical needs and the glorious glimpses of grace seen in helping and being helped. Today, I'm over there discussing spiritual battles--because if it’s hard to ask for help with practical needs, it feels downright impossible to reach out for support when we’re emotionally or spiritually low. We’re embarrassed that we’re still struggling with the same old sin; we’re frustrated by how stuck we feel, maybe even too cynical to believe a friend’s words could make any difference. Yet we need each other even more here, in our most tender places of vulnerability.

Click over to read about how I'm experiencing grace when I'm needy and grace to help others fight. 

If You're Needy and You Know It, Clap Your Hands (Or: A Tribute to My Amazing Mother)

I wrote last month on Ungrind about the beauty in helping and being helped--how important it is to be honest about our needs and let others demonstrate Christ's love for us. Then I had opportunity to take my own advice...and oh my goodness, I am here to tell you it is good advice, if I do say so myself :)

They say that God does not give imaginary grace. He distributes it like manna; He provides what we need for this moment and asks that we trust it will be on the ground to meet us tomorrow. So I suppose that when I say, "I cannot even imagine being a military wife or a single mom--I could never, ever do it"...the reality is that if I had to do it, God would give me what I needed.

But I am thankful that to date, my worst solo-parenting challenge has been a two-week business trip. And I am not afraid to admit that His grace to me has come not in the form of supernatural strength and patience to push through on my own, but in the form of humility to ask for help and an extended visit from this beautiful, servant-hearted woman:

When Steve made plans to be in Europe for 13 days, and it became clear that I would not get to tag along, I emailed my mom. My parents were due for a visit this spring anyway--so, "please," I said, "could you come for part of the time I am on my own?"

Her response was to fly down for an entire week.

Grammy landed in Nashville on Wednesday, March 25, a lovely belated birthday present. And the number of mournful "I miss Daddy"s I heard from the mouths of little boys decreased exponentially. She took us out for lunch at Chuy's...

 

...and, as I rolled my eyes, bought Lego Bionicle sets the boys had been drooling over ("For Easter! Just let me--I don't live close so I don't get to do this very often!"). She played ball in the backyard, picked boys up from school, washed dishes, babysat, even vacuumed my floors. She read countless books; she helped me work on a project for the house; she took us out for frozen yogurt. Perhaps most valiantly, she let wiggly boys take turns sleeping in her bed :)

We dragged Elijah and Jude to a "GIRL movie" and took them on a field trip to Cheekwood.

In between all that, we chatted about everyday life; we delighted in the boys together and laughed at the funny things they say; we exchanged eye rolls at their drama. One night late in the week, after a particularly trying bedtime, I came downstairs, hugged her, and said, "THIS is what every night would have been like for the last week if you hadn't been here. And I would be institutionalized. THANK YOU."

We also spent an evening listening to Vietnam-era recordings of her parents and siblings, which I recently had converted to digital audio files. (The family sent cassette tapes back and forth with my uncle when he was in the Army in Vietnam, as apparently the quality of phone calls and/or opportunity to make them was terrible.) I'd never heard her dad's voice before, and it was fun to hear really young versions of my grandmother, aunt, and uncles.

Then on one of her last days here, when both boys were in school, we did a Stray Boots tour in Nashville! We loved the ones we did in New York a couple of years ago, and we each independently had the idea to try one of the Nashville ones. We had a perfectly sunny day for it and so much fun being tourists.

The only thing I regret is that I didn't do what Jude is inclined to do to me: grab her hand while walking together and say, "I'm so glad I have such a nice mama." :)

So I'm saying it now: I'm SO glad I have such a nice mom. She is an extravagant display of God's grace to me and my family.

Multitude Monday, Take 348

Thanking God this week for...

7250. this fabulous blog, where people who don't fit neatly into categories of "complementarian" or "egalitarian" are coming together for respectful, gracious dialogue. LOVE.
7251. Jen Wilkin's fantastic message on Exodus 1-2: "Fight Like a Girl"
7252. theology discussions over supper
7253. precious boys remembering Sunday school lessons, understanding, seeing Jesus
7254. Steve asking them great questions, teaching them

7255. Elijah choosing library books at school that he knows Jude will enjoy
7256. the blush of pink dogwood trees
7257. rain
7258. broccoli salad
7259. emojis

7260. the way others' insights and perspectives help me think about Scripture differently/more deeply
7261. frequent opportunities to discuss it with and learn from other women in person
7262. keeping us to the end--His ability to present us before His presence blameless with great joy
7263. the reality that when it seems all hope is lost and He is absent, the story is not over yet and He is still at work for our good
7264. the thrill of seeing your name in print

7265. the gift of having my name in the Lamb's Book of Life
7266. a dining room full of friends, children, noise, life
7267. homemade guacamole
7268. friends' precious 4yo telling me three times how much she loved my white chicken chili

7269. one friend's honesty about his struggles to understand/believe Scripture
7270. another friend's passionate, confident faith
7271. Steve sitting quietly throughout our intense conversation, then throwing in a decisive insight that blew all our minds :)
7272. this inspiring, challenging, fascinating biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer

7273. the gray-blue of a pre-storm sky
7274. the way the neighbors' white dogwood tree in peak bloom glows against it
7275. grace to reach out for help from the pit of despair
7276. Steve speaking words of life and hope to me
7277. teachers and staff at Elijah's school working hard after hours

7278. old journal entries that make me laugh/smile/give thanks
7279. the boys being thrilled about new books
7280. smiles from a friend's baby girl

7281. the boys' faces when we told them we were going to Lego KidsFest

7282. creative, fun-loving husband who's still a kid when it comes to Legos

 

7283. animal models made of Lego bricks

 

7284. the anticipation of peony blooms and strawberry season

After Easter

"Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise." (Luke 24:5-7)

Over and over Jesus had told them of His coming death, and they stiff-armed the prophecies. "No, Lord!" We won't accept this. Not what we had in mind. Makes no sense. It cannot, must not happen like that.

If you cannot or will not hear the bad news, you cannot, will not comprehend the good news.

If you do not embrace the painful, the ugly, that which is terrible and does not make sense--you will not be prepared for the weight of glory.

Without the death, there can be no resurrection.

With dull and disbelieving hearts reluctant to accept His statements about His death, they primed themselves for confusion and doubt about His resurrection. "They were perplexed about this" (Luke 24:4).

And yet. This resurrected Lord is the One who opens blind eyes. He does not leave them alone in their confusion; He sends His angels to proclaim holy truth, remind them of what they failed to believe. "Remember how he told you."

Still they did not believe.

So He came Himself. "Jesus himself drew near and went with them" (v. 15).

I'll wait while you go back and reread those words. Let them stun you: Jesus himself drew near and went with them.

"He went in to stay with them" (v. 29). He sat down with them. He ate with them. "He took the bread and blessed it and broke it--" This is My body, given for you.

"And their eyes were opened."

This patient, patient Jesus. The Lord has risen indeed.  

Multitude Monday, Take 347

Thanking God this week for...

7220. free iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts on Mondays--great way to start the week
7221. songbirds
7222. carrying sleepy Jude downstairs in the mornings, his arms and legs wrapped tightly around me
7223. redbud trees in bloom

7224. afternoon writing time
7225. Steve telling the boys at dinner, "Not all mamas are good cooks like your mama."
7226. the pleasure of imaging God by being creative
7227. a friend's critiques of my poetry serving as catalysts for revision
7228. Elijah is not too old to hold my hand

7229. his asking out of the blue for a notebook to take notes during the sermon at church
7230. his excitement over a cheap green spiral notebook
7231. friends around our table
7232. Steve's ambition + hard work = 14 tons of gravel delivered to fix our driveway
7233. Steve's humility + wisdom = recognizing it was going to be too massive an undertaking to move it all by hand, and renting machinery instead of killing himself

7234. a friend's hospitality
7235. this strange but delicious creamy kale and Brussels salad
7236. "Fear and Faith" panel discussion
7237. wise and winsome women of God talking theology and pointing women to Jesus
7238. an afternoon at the park

7239. a laptop + camping chair to sit and write while the boys played
7240. Jude telling the truth about his sin
7241. his brokenhearted repentance
7242. a new phone
7243. awesome customer service from Ting, our fabulous + cheap cell phone company

7244. approval from our pastors to extend our new Sunday school class beyond the trial period
7245. one of the women sharing how the class is stirring up her desire/motivation to be in the Word during the week
7246. lovely women around my table last night
7247. getting to snuggle a newborn

7248. Jesus succeeded where Solomon and David and all other kings failed
7249. building a house for His name, not of stone and wood and gold but of living stones, people knit together to display His wisdom and goodness and reflect His glory

Multitude Monday, Take 346

I miss blogging. I don't even know what happened here...but somehow I need to take some of my friend Danielle's advice about making space for creativity in the midst of motherhood. Unlike her, I struggle mightily with time management, and thus find myself mired in a cycle of feeling overwhelmed, escaping, and being ruled by the tyranny of the urgent.

I've been absolutely itching to write lately, and have even managed to scribble out a couple of poems. But I'm also feeling the pull to get back to this blog. I've been somewhat more back in the habit of giving thanks offline, but haven't been able to carve out the time to transfer lists here weekly. Here's to spring and new beginnings, and taking time a day late to thank God for recent gifts like...

7165. my BIL's engagement = a new sister-in-law coming!
7166. being pleased for all His fullness to dwell in Jesus and reconcile us by His blood
7167. we who were alienated an hostile can be holy, blameless, above reproach before Him
7168. running into friends at the park on a sunny afternoon
7169. boys cleaning out the van, actually doing a great job

7170. a spring break outing to Warner Park with friends
7171. boys getting filthy and having fun

7172.  boys' spontaneous gratitude: "That was SO FUN, Mom! Thank you for taking us to the park!"
7173. encouraging feedback about my work on the Simeon Course
7174. free drinks at Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts for my birthday
7175. physical and spiritual bread broken with our dear small group
7176. this beautiful moment of Jude and his friend huddled over the Jesus Storybook Bible while we grownups talked about a passage from John

7177. grace to parent patiently, not get irritated, uncover the real problem
7178. rare parenting wins that feel so rich and rewarding
7179. birthday phone calls, texts, Facebook messages, cards
7180. birthday dinner at Mafiaoza's

7181. Jude rapping Shai Linne lyrics while playing with Legos: "C-H-R-I-S-T! We praise! C-H-R-I-S-T! We serve!"
7182. my briefly lost fleece jacket found again, still lying on the sidewalk where I'd dropped it
7183. God is moved to pity by the groaning of His people
7184. full, forever healing for precious Rusty Schultz
7185. his and his mother's incredible testimony

7186. the glorious reality of Heaven that awaits us
7187. Jesus has defeated death--it will be the last enemy to be DESTROYED
7188. a weekend in Memphis with one of my favorite families
7189. coming full circle: Diane's kids babysitting for mine after I used to babysit for them :)
7190. What's App for communication with Steve when he was overseas

7191. adorable golden doodle puppies
7192. grace to cast off anxiety
7193. caring for me and wanting me to cast it on Him
7194. snuggling a friend's brand-new baby
7195. first forsythia blossoms

7196. rich time studying His Word
7197. a week-long visit from Grammy while Steve was out of town
7198. the world turning vibrantly green
7199. Grammy spoiling the boys AND me :)
7200. sweet, precious, earnest time in prayer with beautiful sisters from church

7201. Skype with Steve--and an unbelievable connection when he was in London. YAY technology!
7202. the tremendous affection I feel for my husband
7203. his sending me selfies in front of famous sights in London
7204. listening to an old recording of my grandparents' voices with my mom
7205. a gorgeous day for a field trip to Cheekwood

7206. sunlit tulips, and pansies that remind me of my grandmother

 

 

7207. hyacinth for days

7208. tulips, tulips and more tulips--and we barely saw a third of them in bloom

7209. Jude's preschool art fair

7210. Mom and I thinking alike, separately having the idea to do a Stray Boots tour in Nashville while the boys were in school

7211. sweet reunion with Steve after two weeks on different continents, answered prayers for his safety
7212. the way reunions and vacations and homecomings point to Heaven
7213. his bringing me Swiss chocolate
7214. grandparents babysitting so we could have a date

7215. a three-day, low-key weekend together as a family after a chaotic month
7216. an arm band for my phone
7217. poetry
7218. these crazy cuties, and the fact that their wedding outfits still worked for Easter six months later

7218. Jesus' patience with His unbelieving disciples
7219. He is RISEN, just as He said!