What I read this summer

As far as reading goes, I'm moving back into school mode, so I thought I'd take stock of what I actually read this summer. I did not meet my 25 book desired goal, but I did enjoy a rich assortment of reading. Here is what I read, along with a (short! don't want to bore you) review.

1. Doing Things Right in Matters of the Heart by John Ensor. This short little book was the Girl Talk book club choice, and I read it and liked it and recommend it to any single or dating person. Emily, I am bringing it for you to borrow. (wow, I just re-read that and it sounded so flippant like "hey, read this FUN book if you are on the dating scene -- like, for sure!" But what I really meant was "I agreed with the underlying principles of this book -- sort of the I Kissed Dating Goodbye for this generation. The author has straight his theology on man's depravity and God's plan for marriage").

2. Shopping for Time by the Girl Talkers . . . I've already said enough about this one, I think!

3. Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney. This was the best book I've read on Titus 2 -- every married woman should read it!

4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This was a re-read I'd been dying to do, and I enjoyed it even more the 2nd time around, since I'd been in Scout and Jem's world for a couple of weeks when my little sister Abby was staying with us. She read it and loved it so much she started right over and we got the movie from the library and everything.

5. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare. Another re-read. Just as good the 2nd time. I'm very fond of this book.

6. Safely Home by Randy Alcorn. This is another one I've written much about. If you did not hear me before, hear me now -- I haven't met anyone yet who hasn't been wowed. Ask Morning Rose!

7. Love, Ruby Lavendar by Deborah Wiles. This was my bedtime book during Camp OUTT: light, sweet and original. The title comes from a series of letters a little girl writes to her grandmother, who is also her best friend. It would be a great book to read with your daughter. Some good scenes of forgiveness and understanding when Ruby finally forgives a mean girl who has really done her harm.

8. Each Little Bird that Sings by Deborah Wiles. (Another re-read), One of my all-time favorite children's books, it won the read-aloud award in 2006, and makes me think somehow the author had access to my own brain as a child. Comfort Snowberger lives above a funeral home and goes to all the funerals. The book certainly has some sad parts, but it is peppered with humor (such as Comfort's tips on how to act at funerals and what sort of food to bring), and will leave you wanting to make funeral-dinner potatoes.

9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling. This final book in the famous series was my favorite. The link I included in the title takes you to an excellent article in Christianity Today which summarizes much of my thinking better than I could. Check it out if you are a Potter fan or skeptic. Here is a picture of me reading the first chapter aloud at midnight to some of the people at the Ultimate Night of Magic thrown by my darling old bookstore, Blue Kangaroo Books. The hundreds of other people who were there were in line for their books, and thus not in the picture. I did have a handful of teenage boys stop by to hear me read and as they left, called out "thanks! You're a good reader!" Awww.

10. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis. I explain here how I read this book for Camp OUTT. It's maybe my favorite Narnia story (after Last Battle, and LWW, and . . . )

11.Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. All of you who had to read this in high school will say "what? You didn't know that?" when I say that I was taken aback by the violence and darkness of this book. I suppose up to this point I've chosen to read the sweeter Dicken's classics, which I like a great deal better. I can't argue, though, it is a good book, full of superb characterization, which is my favorite element of literature.

12. What Is a Healthy Church? by Mark Dever. This smaller version of his book Nine Marks of a Healthy Church is designed for lay people, and has a frank, clear manner that makes it easy to read as well as personally challenging. Totally recommend this to anyone thinking about leaving, looking for, joining, improving or just being in the life of a church.

13. On Asking God Why by Elisabeth Elliot. This is a good book to read one chapter of each day along with your devotions, or any other time you need a short chapter with a truly good deep thought in it. That said, this book is not best read as a whole -- each chapter is on a different subject (unlike my favorite Elliot books: The Path of Suffering and Shadow of the Almighty). It's probably a collection of devotionals she wrote for her newsletter. But it's her pen, and it's good stuff!

I've read several chapters of a slew of other books, including The Four Loves, The Last Battle, Relationships, From Homer to Harry Potter, When Sinners Say I Do and others I grab if I'm on break at work. I'm off to class required reading!

Jill

Guess whose baby this is?? My title gave it away, I know, but this is Jill Humrichous's (Weisert, I mean, of course) little girl, Lauren Rose. She is such a darling and good baby (think of all the goodness flowing from Humrichous blood) that we sneaked into our no-kids apartment complex like contraband.

My dear old friend Jill came to visit me this weekend -- just overnight -- and it was precious to sit and talk and enjoy yumm-o food with her. (Direct quote: "I hope you don't think I'm being really piggish but I really think I want to eat that cannoli . . . "). Total Jill.

She is the daughter of my dear Pastor Joe (whom I've referenced quite a bit of late). In high school, Jill constantly encouraged me to "make Jesus your Best Friend", and challenged me to love God's Word. We have stayed in touch over the years, through college and marriage. Now she has entered a phase I've not yet encountered -- motherhood! But Jill is still old Jill. In fact, more like "Old Jill" than ever (as we fell asleep last night -- Josh took the couch -- she said "I'm turning my back on you, but don't think I'm mad at you" which is something like what she would say when she was little).

It is rare, to know someone for a very long time and still be kindred spirits. I know some people who live in the same town all their lives cannot imagine otherwise, but for me, with all the shuffling and reshuffling, the making of new best friends, it is a precious jewel from Jesus to have a happy agenda-free relationship with someone who knew you at your worst, and can currently talk together about the Best.

Good news! I think I have Jill convinced to start her own blog, since she is in the dark ages, and just only got the internet at home. Post me a comment if you would like to vote that Jill should start blogging (even if you don't know her, just do it!).

Look at that Humrichous face! She and Josh show their matching hairstyles. They got on quite swimmingly discussing their do's.

Sitting at Jesus' Feet

Today wraps up my 3rd week of "The 5am Club", and I wanted to share what has been -- by far -- the dearest blessing of this extra time in my life: sitting at Jesus' feet.

Each morning after a bit of tea and walking around to make sure I'm truly awake, I head straight for my chair-I-got-from-Julie, and plaid blanket-I-found-at-a-football-game. I'm reading through the Bible this year, and as much as I've really loved it, I had been cutting corners due to lack of time, mainly in the area of personal reflection. I wanted to journal some each day as a part of reflecting on the passages I read, but I was a bit uncertain how to begin (or continue, really). The chapter about "sitting at Jesus' feet" in Shopping for Time gave some simple but amazing ideas about journaling when you read God's Word. Instead of searching for "application" to "try and get something out of it" (oh! That expression pains me, and it must pain Christ!), they recommended writing sentences that began with either "God . . ." based on what the passage revealed about God, His character, or actions and "I . . . " based on what the scripture says about man, and thus, myself. This will continue to draw our attention to the Main Character of the story, and will lead us to appropriate conclusions about ourselves, warn us of sin, and encourage us in our faith.

I have found this extremely helpful. Clearly, it is no difficulty to journal when you have simple sentence starters like that! Often, I keep writing, drawing further conclusions from the text. I also make a notation of any "Rameh" I am given (I think that means "word", help me out here, my Greek-scholar friends). Many many years ago, my dear Pastor Joe taught us to look for times when the Word directly and immediately impacts you in your daily walk (for example: I am downcast because of a hurt in my life caused by someone I love, and I read Psalm 34 which tells me "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed . . etc."). When the Lord gives me those choice portions, I thankfully write "rameh" in my journal along with the passage and the situation it regards. It is rare and sweet, like a taste of wild honey.

I am just like a little baby crawling in this area. I have read my Bible daily for the majority of my life, but these little practices have made quite a difference in how I approach my reading. I am looking for any insights on prayer. Right now, I pray the scripture I read, and with that any confessions that need to be made are made. I also pray the scripture for others (for instance, if I read a passage about marriage, I pray for my friends' marriages or for my single friends who would like to be married). Making "grocery lists" of requests burned me out a long time ago, but I know it is good to be systematic in how I pray, so I wonder if any of you have a good system that has been a big blessing to your prayer life.

How do you tell stories?

Last night I began my first class here at Southern Seminary. It's true I am not pursuing a degree like Josh is, in fact, I am merely auditing the class (more later on the action-packed schedule we will be attempting to maintain), but it was a seminary class and I go to it, and plan to read and learn as much as I can on the subject. The name of the class is "Visual Arts and the Protestant Tradition".

Now if you're like me, that name just jolts you and you begin to salivate. Tradition? (I think history). Protestant? (I think Theology). Arts? I simply cannot wait to see how these things are intertwined. It is no ordinary class. The professor, Dr. Halla (you can't imagine the amount of "halla" jokes) is young and quite fascinating -- for instance, he came to Christ at a Stryper concert in the 1980's.

I was literally leaning forward with my jaw dropped during a good part of his lecture, it was so engaging. He was giving us an introduction to Christianity and the visual arts, and he was saying things I just never hear theologians say, and posing questions for us to ponder considering art and theology. We are going to be discussing the way art throughout history really did reflect protestant Theology (reformed Theology, specifically), mainly centering on the Reformation.

Our culture is increasingly visual based. Dr. Halla traced this shift in world wide culture back to the invention of photography, because that led to film, which leads to a whole new way to tell stories. How we tell stories is a huge indication of what kind of culture we live in. Before photography, the culture was largely text based, and stories were told through literature. Can you see why my jaw dropped? Telling stories? I'm hooked.

So why don't I just take this class for credit? Initially, I was, but when I started being realistic about my weekly schedule, I knew I would make myself miserable. Sunday nights we have the singles small group, which Josh and I are helping to lead, Monday nights I have class, Tuesday nights is Pendergraph Women's ministry (I am on the board), Wednesday night we have church service at our dear Clifton Baptist where I work with the children's ministry, Thursday night is Seminary Wives Institute -- where I am enrolled in 2 little classes (Embracing Femininity by Jodi Ware and Mary Mohler and Worldviews with Dr. Mohler). I also work 40 hours a week! I love schoolwork, but I didn't think it wise to use all my leftover free time writing papers when we are really here for Josh.

I'll just be happy to sit in my little class and learn about Martin Luther and woodcuts.

O Taste and See

This weekend I had a quick excursion to northern Ohio to see my husband's family and to attend his sister's baby shower. Because of Josh's work schedule, he stayed behind, and I flew out the door Friday night ready to hit the road without much of a plan for driving myself 5 hours each way in less than 24 hours.

Not that I didn't know the way. I did. It's pretty easy.

Not that I had no gas or caffeinated beverages. Josh had gotten me all squared away.

But I had no plan for how to occupy my mind during those long quiet hours. Hadn't brought a MP3 player. I'm not much of a radio person. Clearly, reading is out when you are the driver (unfortunately). What would I do to keep from getting sleepy?

The Lord provided a great blessing for me. I opened the consule in the car, hoping to find an old Steve Green tape or something to give me a bit of a boost in energy (I'd been on the road for about an hour), and I found something even better -- tapes of my former pastor (Joe Humrichous) from 8 years ago. Now this might not sound like a gold mine to you, but they were just what I needed! They were, in fact, a source of a little revival that took place in my car making its way up I75 north.

God dealt with me about my pride -- how my heart would go out, and reach up a finger to touch God's glory by saying something to make others admire me, or striving and competing to be liked by my peers. This is my story -- my particular point of sin. I am so thankful for Christ's patience with me, to stir my spirit to know when I sin, for my heart to go "ouch" when I know I've done or said something for my own glory.

Mmmmm. . . I've tasted that honey of God's goodness. He provided those old tapes for me, and then granted me the grace to hear them. This was one of those times when God's correction was gentle -- I know it is not always so -- showing me that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

Here's one for you, Sara Foz

I painted this painting. It's a tree. I wonder if anyone can guess where I got the inspiration?

***Edit -- Julie was right! Here it is!***


As you know, Josh and I live in a tiny little apartment on campus here at Southern. The majority of the time, I am quite content with this little home -- walking to work, not tons of housekeeping, good price -- it has several advantages. There are seasons, however, where I struggle with discontent. I especially miss having a yard, and having a garden. The campus of Southern is beautiful, so I do, in a way, have a very large and lovely yard (as opposed to living in the heart of a city block with no green grass in sight), but not a little private piece of my own.

I decided to add a few little touches to sort of enhance my home to help me enjoy it better -- not that I hate it! Sara Foz gave me the inspiration to do a little artwork -- a very inexpensive way to add a very personal touch! So I picked a few paint colors that I wanted to add to the room, and Josh and I each made a painting to hang above the table -- sort of creating a bit of a dining space. I'm not finished yet (I want to paint the table, also!), but here's how it looks -- I'm quite pleased! I think the paintings look great together because we used the same family of colors. Josh says his painting looks like Spider Man's ripped up suit, but it does not! It's because he actually has artistic talent that he can hate on his work -- I, on the other hand, am so pleased that anything looks good, I feel like I'm Van Gogh or something!

Stay tuned. . . I have plans for another wall, and this time it's going to be BIG! (P.S. I know the flowers don't really match, but I got them at the Farmer's market, and I didn't want everything to be TOO matchy matchy, you know?)

Sale on my favorite children's storybook Bible!

I cannot say enough about The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. I realize that I constantly rant and rave about books in general, and children's books in particular, but if you don't remember any others I mention, please remember to check this one out!

I have seen several excellent collections of Bible stories -- each with merit in their own way, and I've seen quite a few bland, pathetic books that just do what they can to make a cheap buck off anyone who might want their kids to have a general knowledge of Bible stories (these often end up donated to the church nursery, where they are torn or chewed to bits). For a while I was a bit turned off on reading Bible stories, mostly because I knew in my own mind the telling and retelling of the same old stories could make the stories seem dull or old. I preferred the dramatic telling of those stories, perhaps enhanced by acting them out. I still enjoy that form of teaching, but since I'm sold out to read-aloud, I am so happy this book has come along to revive my passion for reading Bible stories.

The tagline for this book is "Every story whispers His name", and the stories are anything but boring. Starting with creation, and working through the Old Testament, these Bible stories are told in an amazing God-centered fashion, highlighting the gospel at every turn, and through it all, weaving a cord of Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. The author tells her readers:

"You see, the best thing about this story is--it's true. It takes the whole Bible to tell this story. And at the center of the story there is a baby. Every story in the Bible whispers his name. He is like the missing piece in a puzzle--the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture."

I can't imagine putting an age limit on this book. My friend Christen was reading it to her daughter Hannah, and was personally challenged by the text, and Dr. Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NYC says "I would urge not just families with young children to get this book, but every Christian."

Are you sold yet? Well, I have good news! The Jesus Storybook Bible is 50% off all week at the bookstore where I work! Yes! Until Saturday, August 11th, this excellent book costs only $8.49. I would be more than happy to pick up a copy for anyone who does not live in the vicinity of a LW Bookstore. Or you could call and order it -- you can access the store's phone number from Southern Seminary's website, you'll just have to click around a bit! I do not get anything from the sale of this book or anything, I just wanted everyone to know about this great deal. You cannot even buy a used copy off Amazon for that price (and while you check that out, to see if it is so, I'll advise you to also notice that all 32 reviews of this book gave it 5 stars!).

More time!

How would you like to have more time in your day? Would you turn down, let's say, 2 hours of extra time -- not to sleep more or go to work, but 2 extra hours of time to read God's word, write letters to friends, do little jobs around the house, etc.

This is what has happened to me. My days suddenly got longer and with that an amazing blessing of tranquility has come with it.

Enter: Shopping for Time by Carolyn Mahaney, Nicole Whitaker, Kristen Chesmore, and Janelle Bradshaw -- the "Girl Talk" girls. I had been looking forward to this book ever since I heard it was coming out, because I maintain a little Girl Talk section in the bookstore, and I was excited to have a new feature to add to it. Little did I know that the Lord was about to bless me with a fantastic new book that would seriously impact my life.

It's ridiculous, but I was inclined initially to discredit it because it was so short. I pretty much figured that they couldn't tell me anything I didn't already know in so few pages (AUGH! The stupidity of my pride!). I just thought I'd read it and be done so I could say I'd read it to customers who asked. So last Saturday morning before I went to clean out Camp OUTT, I read most of the 96 pages on my parent's deck.

And it blew me away.

I guess I didn't really think I had a problem with handling my time. I felt okay about it. I got everything done, and I didn't go crazy. But . . . I was regarding my time as something I had an endless supply of, something that I could throw away and get more later. I was not redeeming the time, or considering my days. That is what this book taught me to do. It's not a self-help, "find 5 extra minutes by cleaning your bathroom this way" kind of book where half of it does not apply because you don't have a huge house to clean anyway -- it's a "get to the heart of it" kind of book. That's why it's so short. It won't waste your time with a bunch of extra stuff that you don't need, but challenges you to live intentionally, and to think wisely about your days. I just ate it up. It was so right on!

And SO . . . drumroll please . . . I have joined the 5 a.m. club. All week, I have gotten up at 5 in the morning to read my Bible and pray and read books and write letters and do quiet jobs around the house. The idea appealed to me the first moment I read it, because I always wish I had more time at home just to BE there, and this just made perfect sense, it fit me the way it fit me to become a vegetarian 10 years ago. I just liked it and it wasn't such a huge sacrifice, more of a reward!

I am not bragging, I promise. I don't have this thing down to a science yet. I will be sleeping in on Saturday (not sure about Sunday), and I echo the Girl Talkers who repeatedly reminded their readers that there is certainly nothing about getting up early that makes us righteous in God's eyes. I am not attempting to earn His favor by doing this, but just to enjoy His presence. And I will say, I have never HATED mornings. Sure, I like to sleep, but I've never been like zombie girl when I get up at 7:30, so I don't think it HAS to be for everyone. But I do want to tell you what a difference it has made in my life! Besides the obvious, external things like going to work every day with shaved legs and lipstick on (those things fall by the wayside when you just have NO time), I have enjoyed a blessed communing with Jesus each morning, and an overall impression that my days are so much longer! I had been reading my Bible everyday, but more in a "whenever I can" kind of way, fitting it in my lunchbreak, or evening or morning if I was really lucky. Now I intentionally have time in the word with a cup of tea in my hand to help jolt me awake (I drink coffee at work, and besides, tea is so much quieter).

Friends, I appeal to you to read this book. The dear girl talk authors have done an excellent job addressing women in all stages of life -- college, marriage, singlehood, widowhood, motherhood, etc -- and the time issues that they face. It really is a book for every woman. It is solid theologically (causing us to consider Who holds in His hands all of our "interruptions") and has a fun, appealing voice. If someone comments me and commits to trying out the 5 a.m. club with me for a week, I'll send you my book to borrow (and save you $12.99). If you want your own copy, for heaven's sake, buy it from Julie at the Blue Kangaroo (we also sell it at the Way of Life). I'm waiting to hear your comments. I betcha there are a few closet "5-amers" out there!

Here's a final little blessing! This afternoon when I got home from work, I found the house all straightened, a rug put down in the living room, the laundry done, etc. Josh sweetly did all my weekend jobs for me because he told me he was helping me "shop for time, too". Now what will I do tonight while he's at work? Hmmm . . . maybe a nap! :)

Generosity

Every summer I am pleasantly surprised by the way the Lord provides through the generosity of others. As the bounty of the garden starts rolling in, my dear Christian brothers and sisters share the wealth of fresh veggies with us. There is a period of time (which I never wish to end, keep in mind) that I fairly live on tomatoes. I have conceived of ways to include tomatoes in my breakfast, lunch and dinner, and enjoy every rich ruby red bite. If we are given green tomatoes or zucchini, we enjoy a favorite dinner: fried green tomatoes and fried zucchini.

We can almost live off the spread we are given, and I wouldn't be sorry to do so! It may seem a small thing to share your garden harvest, but believe me, this generosity is not overlooked. If you have a garden and share your abundance with those who don't, thank you for being generous in this way. If your gifts are from a heart who longs to make the name of the Lord great and one who loves your sister in Christ, then it is not useless. "If I bestow all my goods to feed the poor and give my body to be burned but have not charity, it profiteth me nothing" I Corinthians 13:3. Christ tells us that anyone who gives a cup of water in his name is really giving it to Christ Himself!

What can we give? Maybe you are someone with extra time. I met a dear friend here who works full time and is married and has many responsibilities of ministry at our church, but she sees herself as a person with time to give, so she often seeks out people who need some quality time invested in them and goes out to coffee -- even late at night! I have recently seen the Lord show Himself strong by providing money through faithful friends who just want to be a blessing -- donating money for healthy snacks for the kids at Camp OUTT, for instance. If we have no time, money or extra resources, we can always give words! I am discovering how important are words that encourage, and I think the Lord is beginning to build that awareness in my life, so that I might speak words of grace to my fellow heirs with Christ. Whatever it is that you have -- give it in the Lord's name!

And if you are trying to pawn off those tomatoes . . . I have more room in my fridge.

A Great Way to Spend 2 Weeks

Thanks so much everyone, who prayed for our Camp OUTT venture. It was such a blessing and a blast. The days seemed long and packed, like they did when you were a kid in summertime -- in fact, there were several nights when I left Camp OUTT at about 10pm, looking at the moon, and being amazed that I had been there so long that day! (our camp day did not last until nighttime, it was another child-care ministry we had during the 2nd week of camp that caused us to stay so late). Note: this first picture here of the staff is sans Josh because he had already left to come back to L-ville to work. He was there the whole 2 weeks, otherwise, and I cannot fully express my appreciation for a husband who loves children and knows how to have fun with them for hours and hours on end!

It was hard, initially, to come out of the VBS mindset where you only have 2 hours, so convey truth, truth, truth as much as possible in a concentrated amount of time. I slipped back on the glove of Camp OUTT, though, where you target individual kids with specific teaching throughout the day as you enjoy quite a lot of fun with them, showing them Christ. And then we be strong in our teaching time (which Josh did and it was great! We used "Who will be King?" which is such a great resource and FREE 8 lessons online!). When you have a child for 8 hours, you partly show them that you mean what you say in your lesson time by talking to them, getting to know their lives, playing with them (how recently have you gone down a slip 'n' slide? um . . . they're sort of painful!), just enjoying them, and being ready to speak truth. We had 2 days of thunderstorms, and several of the children were very frightened (it was sort of major), but it was such a great opportunity to explain that God controls the weather; it is no accident. And we show them how a Christ follower responds to having their plans changed, even by the weather.

I am so glad that the Lord gave us "Who will be King" because I think we have tons of kids who have only ever learned "be saved, ask Jesus in your heart" kind of the gospel, and not really anything about the Lordship of Christ. So I have a vision now, of showing all the "Jesus is in my heart" kids what true salvation is (please understand what I am saying here -- I wish to clarify in children's minds that salvation is not a trite wish in which you get a genie to come live with you!).

I had one girl this week, who is the Camp OUTT veteran, Tierra. As far as I know, she does not go to church, but comes to Camp OUTT every year, and it is AMAZING to see her growth in Christ (she was converted the first summer), even without Christian teaching. She remembers almost everything she learned from years past, and it is amazingly gratifying to see that the Lord used our work, and is upholding what He has done. It was so good to see her, and have deep conversations with her. She truly has wisdom about hard things in God's word, I was just so thankful to see it.

Here are some highlights:

~Food fight! This is a Mandy original! A planned food fight in which the staff and the kids all attack each other with cheap food made just for this purpose. It was a sort of Friday surprise for everyone the first week. Also -- optional. Only 2 kids sat out though, hmmmm . . .

~Kick the Can takes over as the new favorite game. For one thing, it's easy to play no matter how many people you have around to play it. For another, littler kids can get the idea and play along because there aren't too many rules. We did play a round of Capture the flag, though, which will always hold a high place on my list of fav Camp OUTT games.

~Making our teams Native American tribes, to go along with our western theme. My team was the Mohawk tribe, which all the kids got into really fast. Josh was going to try to grow a Mohawk in the 2 weeks, but that was a little harder than we thought. I just loved my tribe in small group time. They all did a fantastic job thinking about and discussing the scripture we memorized and pondering hard questions I posed for them such as "what thing in your life do you think you might sometimes love more than God" (after a lesson about the rich young ruler). This was probably my favorite time of day.

~Watching children who usually are babysat by television or computer games fall in love with simple pleasures like climbing trees, jumping rope, playing in the huge sand/mud pit with hoses and shovels, digging rivers and lakes.

~Reading time. After lunch we read The Voyage of the Dawn Treader which is maybe my favorite Narnia book. Two specific parts were just ideal for discussion about Christ -- the part where Eustace becomes "undragoned" and the end where the children see Aslan as the Lamb, and he tells them they must learn to love him in their world under a different name. Aslan says "This was the very reason why you were brought into Narnia, that by knowing me here a little, you may know me better there." That is the reason I like to read these books to the children! Of course they love Aslan, and then I tell them that they love Aslan because he is Jesus!

Quick Update

My loyal readers!

I am so sorry for my absence from the Blogosphere. I sadly have no internet access at my parent's house, which is where I am staying while visiting Illinois. Camp OUTT is going swimingly, like something from a dream for me. I will give a full report whenever I next have the opportunity.

Thank you for your prayers! God has been so gracious and good to us in a myriad of ways by providing everything from kids, to snacks to sunshine after rain. We have had some great conversations with the kids about God's providence.

I can't write anymore now! More later!

What I love about Kari

Josh's sister Kari and her husband Lukas spent this past weekend with us, as I mentioned in the last post (which would mean Misty, Anna, and Sarah all knew the correct answer -- but only one prize, sorry!). We had great fun with them, of course, anybody who has ever spent 5 minutes with Kari/Lukas have left with their sides splitting with laughter. Just about all my voices (and the voices I frequently pass on) are "Kari voices" -- half the kids in our old youth group could do Kari "fake excited" voice. Add Josh into the mix, and "Bubby" and "Sissy" are just about "redonkulous" together. Kari is a sort of Mark Twain, constantly inventing new words, names and accents that are as realistic as they are hysterical, making them stick and become forever a part of our vocabularies.

I love how Kari makes us laugh. But I noticed something else about Kari that I really appreciated this weekend. She and Lukas have been married for 2 1/2 years now, and she is expecting their first little one, Max Garrett. Kari has officially moved past the newlywed stage, but I haven't seen her grow tired of her husband. She hasn't fallen into the common pattern of whining and nagging, scoffing and disrespecting that is typical of marriages today -- even Christian ones. I see Kari respect Lukas, naturally look to him to make the call, admire and laugh at him with fondness and even adoration. She doesn't take him for granted, or treat him like a child (which is, I think, easy to slip into when you have a husband that is very funny). She brags on him, and builds him up. They are great companions. It's easy to see that they are on the same team.

Maybe that is not a big deal to you. To me, it is amazing. The majority of wives, young and old, get in a pattern where their relationship with their husband is sort a tug-of-war game, a constant battle. I just finished reading Carolyn Mahaney's Feminine Appeal, which lays out the Biblical pattern for wives on how to relate to their husbands. I appreciated Carolyn's warm encouragement to the reader to remember how you felt about your husband when you first fell for him, to really look at him, and consider him and all his qualities. This is a great book! I couldn't recommend a better one on this topic (needless to say, I lent mine to Kari -- hope she reads it and is encouraged).

Girls -- those of you who are wives -- take a moment to take stock and consider how you relate to your husband. If someone observed you and wrote a blog post about it, how would you be evaluated? Is it quite clear that you love him? Can your children tell?

Little Max will have one thing going for him right away (besides the fact that he will just HAVE to have an incredible sense of humor) -- he'll have a mommy that esteems his daddy just like the Bible says. And that, Kari, is one of the greatest gifts only you can give him.

Which pregnant sister-in-law?

Guess who's here visiting us??
There are prizes for the first correct answer. You must be able to tell me this girl's name. Not mine.

Liberty

Tonight I realized that I had stopped being thankful for my freedom because I shifted so much in my thinking about my country and government. It's true that it was good in some ways to shift my thinking from an idyllic near-worship of freedom and justice -- one's country can easily become one's idol, right? -- but maybe my pendulum shift went a bit too far.

While I don't think I'll ever be quite the libertarian I once was (I think my understanding of human depravity has altered that forever), I do want to consider all the blessings in my life and thank God for them. I think this is part of Philippians 3 "I know how to be abased and how to abound". Where there is abundance, it could be easy to worship the plenty -- so I need to learn how to be content in the midst of my abundance.

On a lighter note, here are some pictures of our Independence Day celebrations with Andrea and Jason Erb and my friend Heather. We took a picnic/cookout to the park, and then walked down to riverfront park to watch the fireworks. It was a lovely evening with our friends!

We were ready for the rain!

Boys love to grill, I guess

I opted for a potato-salad-and-deviled-egg dog instead of a brat


Here is my homemade cherry pie with Andrea's homemade ice cream
Name this cute couple: hint they are laying upon a Maranatha blanket that one of them got while in concert band playing the trombone. And their last name sounds like green things that you might use to season food.
Also count the uncheckable things in the picture. ***I counted 4***

Matters of Prayer

Lately I have been so moved to pray all throughout the day. You know how it is when the Lord keeps pressing certain matters on your heart, and you feel so strongly passionate about it that you are moved to pray over and over, and it doesn't feel repetitive or dry. That is how I've been since Saturday. Here is what I've been praying for, and I hope you might join me!

1. Camp OUTT -- as of right now, we still have plenty of openings. I met with Mandy and Amanda (other leaders) on Saturday, and we are feeling pretty squared away in most areas, and now we're just crying out to the Lord to bring us kids! It seems like a super short notice, but it's so true that all along, God has known which children to bring, and what time to bring them. Would you pray, specifically for more unchurched kids to come?

2. Emma -- my sweetie little sis is in Europe with Word of Life, working in VBS, youth rallies, etc. I am praying for this to be an incredible time of growth and joy in Christ as she ministers all day every day. I'm also praying for her safety -- with the strange events going on in London.

3. Camp -- 2 of my other sisters, Abby and Nancy are at Word of Life Camp in New York. I'm praying for a challenging time of growth and strengthening of faith for them. Particularly, I'm praying for Nancy to be wise and guarded while on the island (if you don't know WoL camp, the senior high campers are on this island which is awesome, but they are sort of free to roam a good part of the day). The kids are also participating in International Teens Involved this week, and I'm really praying for them all to do their best. Abby and Nancy are both in choir, and Abby is in an instrumental/vocal group, praise team and drama. A bunch of other kids in the youth group are also participating in preaching, singing, teaching children, etc. I'm so proud of them, and I wish I were there to encourage them, so I'm praying for them across the miles!


Thanks for joining me in this!

***Edit: I got news that 5 unchurched kids were signed up for Camp OUTT since Sunday -- WOW! It's really exciting to see the Lord answer our prayers! ***

Sissy Love

Abby and Nancy (my 2 youngest sisters) have been staying with us since Friday. It's been great. They have been such good sports about taking down their beds every morning, setting them back up at night and organizing and re-organizing their suitcases and belongings to keep them all together in one spot in our bedroom. These things are necessary, you would understand, if you have spent any time in our home. It is quite small. I'd never have believed that 4 people could live in it so comfortably! I guess I'm getting the girls ready for camp next week, and they're helping me be a little more flexible in my home. I remember when my friends James and Christen were living in the Barnabas house by our church along with James' parents, and so James and Christen shared a bedroom with their 3 children, including a newborn. It really blew me away, and I sort of woke up to my own selfishness about the space I felt I needed. It's good for us to adjust our schedules and lives to make room for people!

Some fun things we've done include:
~Shopping and buying matching flip-flops at J.Crew, and then taking millions of pictures of us with the shoes (Johanna's gift of the flexible tripod was useful for this!

~Lots of eating out! We've gone to Josh's restaurant 2 times, a yummy fish place by the riverfront, coffee shops, Krispie Kreme, J. Gumbo and even Sonic (that's high living there!).

~Swimming at the pool here on campus, and at our friends' house.

~Reading, reading, reading! Abby pulled To Kill a Mockingbird off the shelf the first day she got here and said "I'll try to finish this while I'm here". It's on her summer reading list. She sure finished it -- in less than 3 days! We are planning to have a movie night tomorrow night and watch the movie version of the book (which is quite good, for anyone who has not seen it). I pretty much just have everybody bring a book with them everywhere. It's been a good break from television/Myspace. :)

~Tonight we are having a spa night. I hope my mom doesn't kill me! I gave both of them highlights! (see pictures below) We also are whitening Nancy's teeth (she is a recent braces wearer) with this cool stuff from Rembrandt that only takes 2 hours, and then you're done. It seems to be pretty effective! It was Nancy's birthday on Sunday, so this mini-makeover is her birthday present. I also gave her a bunch of clothes, and we are experimenting with hairstyles that are suitable for her hair type (curly and fluffy!). Does it look like Abby is worried about my concocting her hair dye? She shouldn't be! It turned out great! (I PROMISE, Mom!)

*Nancy and cap being doused with dye.*

*Abby and her foils*

*Ta da! Josh likes Abby's highlights so much, he wants some of his own. Nancy's "after" picture will have to wait, as she is still in the middle of her whitening treatment!*

Worlds Collide

It was the great meeting of the blogs as 4 friends from LaFayette traveled to Louisville for the weekend to visit Josh and I: G-Knee, Smoothie King, MadMup, and Red Couch. It occurred to me that (with the exception of Jason), I knew all these people from earlier in my life, it has really been because of blogging that I have gotten to know them so much better.

Good times were to be had as we enjoyed delicious Italian food at the restaurant where Josh works, sipped coffee and played Settlers-or-Scrabble at our favorite coffee shop, or took a million pictures by the river after some fresh fish 'n' chips. One felt as though with all the cameras clicking, one might need to watch his words or actions, lest they quite suddenly appear on another's blog! In fact, as Mark so graciously pointed out to ME several times "watch out, Gret, you know that's going up on the blog!"

Below is my camera's pathetic attempt to capture G-Knee and I in front of the L-ville skyline . . . I hope Geen's camera captured it better!

Below is pretty much the way G-knee looked the whole weekend. And that is how Josh and Jason looked.

It was so fun to have you all, and I hope you'll not be strangers now! (*ahem!* this might be a little plea/suggestion to other good friends from college to make a little road trip down this way! *Sarah! Cough*)

My Dear Darling Sister,

Emma,

This is the letter I should have written you before your graduation, but I wanted to spend enough time to get it JUST RIGHT, so I have put off writing thus far. . . but no more.

In many ways, this night before you leave for your trip to Europe is the eve of your grown-up days, perhaps even more than your graduation or 18th birthday were. Don't worry if you don't feel grown yet -- neither do I, and I've been grown much longer. The Lord keeps our young girlish hearts young and fresh all our lives, if we stay teachable and pliable to Him.

I want to tell you, dear sister, how very much I love and admire you, and how you have grown to be so much more than I could have ever hoped or dreamed (or prayed). You are what I wished to be at 18. I frequently say that you are so much better a person, and so much more mature and grounded in God's word than I was even just a few years ago. Many girls are beautiful at 18, many are talented, many have popularity, wit, personality, strength of heart and character . . . you possess all of these gifts, and more. You have what many do not -- an unshakable identity in Christ, and a vibrant connection to Him.

I have seen you die on crosses He has asked you to bear, giving up a bit of this world for the next. I have seen you choose to do the right thing when it is difficult. I have seen you respond beautifully to personal suffering that perhaps no-one else could quite understand (like saying goodbye to our best friends) and hold your palms up to God, blessing Him for giving and taking away. I have seen what you have read in the Scriptures and good books lived out in your life. I have peeked in your room many times to see you reading your Bible or writing in your prayer journal or quiet time diary. For these things, and countless more, I am so proud of you.

As a toddler, you were our poser -- ready to please with your blonde little ponytails (usually with a rather large bow of some sort -- perhaps made from shoestrings or curly ribbon?). You wanted our lipstick, our perfume, our attention. As a child, I saw you learning and growing at church and home. I recall many nights when mom and dad were out of town that you would have fears about wolves or fire or other scary things, and so often I got to be the sister who would sit on your bed and talk to you and pray with you (I shudder to think what feeble help I attempted to bring). I could identify with your fears, as I struggled with most of those things myself -- well, maybe not the wolves. :) As an early teen, I saw all the ways you were superior to your peers, even though you did not see it. I knew time was just ticking before all boys everywhere discovered you . . . and I was right.

You have always been precious to me. Oh, sometimes I was a self-centered brat, especially during my teen years, and I pushed you aside for some stupid concern, I'm sure. I am so sorry for that. I am so sorry I got so wrapped up in myself that I did not forsee that you girls would become my dearest friends, and spend more time investing in you. I'll warn you from doing the same -- though there is no danger in that happening with you, I suppose. Nonetheless, you will likely look back and miss those nights Abby invaded your room and long to have them back -- I know I miss a million times over having you ask me to do your hair or paint your nails.

Emma, you know how to make right choices in matters of the heart -- you have told me the prayers you pray -- and I am confident the Lord will bring you much contentment and joy in this aspect of your life. I charge you to love Christ supremely -- adore Him with abandon, and He will give you the desires of your heart. I urge you not to grasp with your hands what the Lord will bring you with readiness, at the best timing. Rest in Him, dear girl, He'll make it all right.

I love you so much! I pray for your trip, and all your endeavors, that you will be filled with the peace and joy that Christ gives, and will glory in the beauty and adventure He grants you. I'll talk to you when you get back! I only wish I could see you off in the morning, but this will have to do the best I can. Across the miles, I squeeze you tight and kiss your rosy cheeks. Have a terrific time, darling!

~Gret