current critters

an assasian bug
and yes, as it's name suggests it attacks
its prey and injects poison into it.











a black cricket we've had for two weeks


















a woolly bear caterpillar making it's caccoon


















we've had "cricky" for several months now.

details

last sunday we held a baptism service after church. em didn't see it, but noticed the water in the tank after church, so she started asking questions.
"why is there water in the tank?"
i answered, "because a couple of children were baptized today. after they decided to ask Jesus into their hearts..."
they got to go swimming in church!" em interrupted.
"no, pastor dunked them under the water to show that they wanted to obey God and that they love Jesus."
i stopped. emmy looked concerned. "what's wrong, em?"
"did he let them back up?"
"yes, yes, yes! he always lets them back up!"

"a" is for anaconda!

last friday's show and tell:
emmy brought her rubber anaconda to school.
she advised her class that anacondas are constrictors
and
they eat people whole.

that's my girl.

million dollar evening

we just returned from a capitol fund-raising banquet at our church. we are building a children's wing. we have a fantastic children's ministry, but not enough room for the munchkins. 2.1 million was pledged this evening. of that amount a little over 1 million was collected tonight. nearly paying off our existing debt!

attempt great things for God
expect great things from God

to God be the glory
to God be the glory
to God be the glory
for the things he has done!

little con

emmy convinced the teacher's assistant in her class to make dots in the shape of the letters she needed to write for her seat work. decreasing the amount work she needed to do and making handwriting significantly easier for her. miss lopez discovered emmy's manipulation on the last question and told emmy to write out the last answer on her own. em realizes handwritting is difficult for her (and nothing else is), so if you can talk someone else into doing the work...

to be or not to be

maddie has decided (for the moment) to be a doctor when she grows up. she'll exclaim, "i'm mcateer." (her ped.) good news for our future health care costs!
emmy wants to be a dentist. more good news for our pocket book.
of course after helping pay for college and med school, we will expect free medical and dental care.

pray, pray, pray

Please be in prayer for the Mayse babies. The doctors are pleased with how they are progressing. Praise the Lord!

Kaitlyn & Hannah are on ventilators. Tyler seems to be doing the best. The CAT scans came back with no problems and that is a praise! Please pray for the girls that they would be able to breathe on their own and for all of the babies that they will continue to gain strength.

Kim is slowly recovering from the birth. She is going home today.

the triplets were born this week at 28 or 29 weeks. the parents are members at our church and would appreciate your prayers on behalf of their little ones.

makeup party

emmy and i painted our nails this morning. fun times with my five year old. note: my finger nails have rarely been painted since college. maddie's are painted too - purple!

words, words, words

1. One book that changed your life:
the seven cries of a spirited child - arp
Narnia

2. One book that you’ve read more than once:
Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter series, charlie and chocolate factory

3. One book you’d want on a desert island:
Bible, Narnia and Harry, family picture albums
i picture myself floating to the island on a book case, so there are quite a few books.

4. One book that made you laugh:
James and the Giant Peach - Rold Dahl
maddie, emmy and i love it when the aunts get taken out by the peach.

5. One book that made you cry:
The Four Loves - CS Lewis

6. One book that you wish had been written:
i'll take a strong-willed child over a spirit-less child any day.
or
just because she won't count to ten for you doesn't mean she can't count to 100,000

7. One book you wish had never been written:
if i wanted to offend i would respond: books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder, but since i would hate to offend anyone i will not answer this question. :-)

8. One book you’re currently reading:
Mousetrap and other Plays - Agatha Christie
currently Witness for the Prosecution

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read:
Perelandra - Lewis

10. Now tag five people:
1. Sara
2. Lauren
3. Christy
4. Sara

servant's heart

the other evening i was working in the computer room when i thought i heard something odd upstairs. so i made my way up the stairs and heard a familar voice filling the entire second floor. pavarotti seemed to be giving a free concert in maddie's room. then another familar voice greeted my ear's over the famed tenor. "swing your leg over the side. you can do it, maddie. all the way over." emmy was very busy coaching maddie on how to climb out of her crib.
"what are you doing?", i exclaimed.
"i'm helping maddie in her time of need."
i burst into laughter.

first call

the moment we've been anticipating since the first day of school finally arrived.
miss lopez (em's teacher) called us thursday night. there had been an incident. apparently, emmy wanted to sit by lexi during reading time, but two other girls were sitting by her, miss lopez advised emmy to sit on the "c" or the "u". emmy didn't like the choices, so she sat behind lexi. (she's a problem solver.) after reading time miss lopez dismissed the children (by letter) to line up to go home, but since emmy didn't have a letter, she wasn't dismissed. after all the children were in line emmy asked why she wasn't allowed to leave. miss lopez stood her ground and said, "you were given a choice and you didn't make it. before i'll let you go, you need to sit on the letter"c" or "u". after whimpering for a moment, emmy realized the battle was lost and moved. (to the "u")

i'm sure this won't be the last we hear from miss lopez.

ridin' on the bus

wednesday marked a momentous occasion in emmy's young life. i relented and allowed her to ride the bus. my little manipulator waited patiently for the moment mommy weak. maddie was making it very clear that she did not want to take emmy to school. so while i was arguing with a crabby two year old, emmy formulated a plan. she weaseled up to me. looked up with her big brown eyes and said, " you know mommy, i could just take the bus. just for today."

so off she went with a smile of triumph spread from cheek to cheek.

when i picked her up she said, "i think i'll ride the bus tomorrow."

i reminded her - "but you said 'just for today' emmy."

she responded, "yeah i've been thinking about that. i think i'll ride the bus tomorrow too."

so my little one flew the coop on the wings of a big yellow bus.

flying faith

i never thought i would be spending large portions of my day searching for crickets and grasshoppers in my backyard with my little girl, but alas, that's exactly what i've been doing for months now. i never thought i would learn about God's provision and his love via a super-sized flying cricket, but recently i did.

i caught a mammoth flying cricket. ( it landed right in front of me and my net.) but it escaped from the insect habitat when i tried to free a another cricket. emmy forgave me, but she was disappointed and asked me to catch another one. well, if you've ever seen one of these things you know that they are difficult to catch. afterall, they can fly. so after a half hour of searching, i half-heartedly prayed for a stupid cricket to fly into my net. guess what happened a minute after i prayed. yep, an enormous cricket flew right into my net. oh me of little faith!

emmy was thrilled to have a winged pet cricket. and i was thrilled to tell her that God does hear us and answer our prayers even when they seem ridiculous. God gave her the cricket. her response, "wow, so God told the cricket to jump into your net for me?"

"absolutely"

find your wings

It's only for a moment
that you are mine to hold
The plans that heaven has for you
will all too soon unfold
So many different prayers I'll pray
for all that you might do
But most of all I'll want to know
you're walking in the truth
And if I've never told you
I want you to know that
as I watch you grow
I pray that God will fill your heart with dreams
and that faith gives you the courage
to dare to do great things
I'm here for you whatever this life brings
so let my love give you roots
and help you find your wings
May passion be the wind that moves
you through your days
and may convictions keep you strong
guide you on your way
May there be many moments
that make your life so sweet
but more then memories
I pray that God will fill your heart with dreams
and that faith gives you the courage
to dare to do great things
I'm here for you whatever this life brings
so let my love give you roots
and help you find your wings
It's not living if you don't reach for the sky
I'll have tears as you take off
But I'll cheer you as you fly
I will give you roots and help you find your wings

mark harris

day 3

they did nothing

except...

the neighbor's dog, zoey, escaped and ran into the school. of course, the k-5 students were sent out to find the lost pup and bring him home.

i don't remember k-5 being so exciting and dangerous.

day 2

she did "nothing" again today.

tales from the kindergarten crypt

after further inquiry i discovered what happened on em's first day of K-5.
talk about having a bad day:
"during recess a girl swung so high on the swing that she hit a tree and had to go home. " (it's important to note, there are no trees near the playground.)
"then the rest of the class swung into the trees. some of them went home due to their injuries. some of them stayed. those who stayed got pinched by a mad crab who lives by the seashore next to the school." (indy is known for it's beautiful coastline.) "they all went home and i was left alone with miss lopez" - one tall tale by my little stephen king.

i wonder what will happen on day two.

12:00pm plus 13 years

"what did you do in school today, em?"
"nothing."

8:50-9:30am

"when will they let me in?"
"when will the bell ring?"
"why can't i go in?"
"what time will they let me in?"
etc...

she entered confidently.
no tears (from either of us)
no hugs (for me)
just a fleeting "see you later, mom."

growing up...

6:40am

"we're up at the same time!" - em on her first day of school.

tomorrow

school

west end

presenting our new dining room set:

where a kid can be a kid

chuck e cheese

emmy celebrated her b-daywith her cousins.
a good time was had by all. also a bit of advice,
go to chuck e's in the morning. they had the
place to themselves.

a bug's life reprise

with tempertures soaring into the upper 90's the bugs in our habitat are frying. anyone for chocolate covered crickets?

10:44pm

my ever-lasting splendor...

one













two













three












four












five
















I pray the Lord will hold you close
and keep you through the night
that you will wake up smiling
in the early morning light
that he will always comfort you
and make you brave and strong
i pray that you will follow him
your whole life long
i pray that you will grow up
to be wise and good and true
i pray that you will please the Lord
in everything you do
i pray that you will hear his voice
and learn to sing his song
i pray that you will follow him
your whole life long
i pray the Lord will bless you
with his presence every day
and i pray he will protect you
every step along the way
help you love what's right
and lead you far away from wrong
i pray that you will follow him
your whole life long.
twilla paris

a bug's life

one minute your hopping along enjoying God's green earth minding your own business and the next minute a giant leans down, scoops you up and places you in a little plastic bag. suddenly, the temperture falls and you become very drowsy.

such is the life of a bug roaming our backyard.

today we caught three grasshoppers and a cricket. let me re-phrase that. i caught them. a daddy long-legs and a unfortunate green ladybug joined one cricket and one grasshopper in the deep freeze. (i can hardly believe how quickly they "fall asleep" in the freezer.)

what's even more remarkable? i'm touching insects. what i'll do for my own little stink bugs!

jung

While on vacation i made nate's family take the test.
here are the results:
nate's parents: dad - INTJ and mom - ISTJ
joel and lauren: joel - ENTJ and Lauren - INFJ
oh, so fun!

There is no guilt here
There is no shame
No pointing fingers
There is no blame
What happened yesterday has disappeared
The dirt has washed away
And now it's clear

There's only grace
There's only love
There's only mercy and believe me it's enough
Your sins are gone
Without a trace
There's nothing left now
There's only grace

You're starting over now
Under the sun
You're stepping forward now
A new life has begun
Your new life has begun

And if you should fall again
Get back up, get back up
Reach out and take my hand
Get back up, get back up
Get back up again

matthew west

jonah prayed to the Lord his God:
in my distress i called to the Lord,
and he answered me
from the depths of the grave i called for help,
and you listened to my cry.
when my life was ebbing away,
i remembered you, Lord,
and my prayer rose to you,
to your holy temple.
those who cling to worthless idols
forfeit the grace that could be theirs.
but i with a song of thanksgiving,
will sacrifice to you.
what i have vowed i will make good
salvation comes from the Lord


then the word of the Lord came to jonah a second time...

and jonah obeyed and went to ninevah.
the ninevites believed God.
He had compassion on them.

there's only grace
there's only love
there's only merecy and believe me it's enough
your sins are gone
without a trace
there's nothing left now
there's only grace

what i did on my summer vacation

DINOSPHERE - children's museum
emmy and maddie dressed up as dinos.
the dome ceiling had hogwart's dining hall characteristics. however, the very realistic thunderstorm terrified maddie and we were forced out of dinosphere



























examining dino fossils














manning a sub














CHESS - first kill














HAPPY 4TH














maddie lifted the sparkler over her head a couple of times. thankfully the falling sparks missed her eyes. her angel works over time.












INDY ZOO
emmy relaxing on a python













aunt lauren and hannah-bear petting a goat














emmy's goat














checking out the chickens


















pecked by the chickens


















LAKE MONROE
watching sissy tube













"i can do it myself"
(we didn't let her but i'm sure she could.)













grandpa, captain (uncle joel) and emmy













ahoy, mates!














emmy loved tubing and swimming in the lake















maddie did not! maybe next year.
(but we made her try twice. that may sound cruel, but boldness is a learned skill.)












the family soaking in the rays. notice hannah soaking in everything!












maddie loved to "drive" the boat.


















so that's what we did on our family vacation!

keswick at play

a couple of days ago em and mad were busy playing with their rubber reptiles. (no sugar and spice in our house) maddie took her snake and wrapped its body around a turtle and shouted, "snake killing you, turtle."
emmy took her lizard and exclaimed in a deep voice, "stop snake. i will punish you." she grapped the snake and threw it under the table. "i've punished you", she yelled.
so i asked, "emmy, why are you yelling at the snake?"
and here's the reply i received..."lizard is God and HE punished the snake who disobeyed HIM. "

my little keswickian.

so i said, "you know that God does more than punish. He loves us and take care of us and gives us what we need."
"yes."
*sigh of relief on my part*
"but lizard is God and he punished the bad snake"

moments later maddie retrieved the snake from"hell" from which the lizard god had sent it and entwined it about the turtle's body again.

this time the lizard god asked in it's lowest voice to "please stop killing the turtle."
the snake agreed and lizard god boomed, "good snake. i knew you could be good."

vbs

is over...
we survived

spiritual gifts

ok, our pastor has been preaching on the body of Christ lately. some good stuff that i never heard during my "fundy" childhood.

for example, (and maybe some of you don't know this :-), but there will be more than just baptists in heaven. it was nearly surreal hearing that taught from the pulpit.

last week, he taught an easy way to discover your spiritual gifts. ask yourself the following two questions:

what's in your heart? (God-given passion)
+
what's in your hands? (God-given abilities) God asked moses this ? at the burning bush.
=
spiritual gift

spitiual gifts aren't limited to the few mentioned in the Bible. they are examples. which makes more sense. God is too creative and multi-faceted to hand out the same couple gifts to everyone within the body of Christ. woo-hoo - that means i have a gift and so does everyone else.
now i must place it in God's hands and let him use it.

gamers

maddie playing dr. suess abc's.















emmy and daddy playing spyro on the playstation. (note maddie in the background playing computer.)











i didn't have a computer in my playroom growing up.
oh wait, i didn't have playroom. i didn't have a computer either -
not until we got married.

the icecream man cometh

the sounds of summer...

the painted house

"the wall is beautiful now."


















the table is beautiful too.
don't forget about the floor.













will i ever learn not to leave the darlings alone?













never fear - magic eraser to the rescue!

money tree miracle

i spoke with my sister this morning. bryan worked at a toyota plant most of this week. he's inspecting steering wheels or something like that. they told him on monday they would only need him on tuesday, but soon extended the offer through next tuesday. hopefully, the extention will last all summer. the plant is nearly two hours away, but the money is good, so the drive is worth it.

keep shaking the money tree.

money doesn't grow on trees

my dear nephew needs to find a money tree. or at least a job. he's been hunting for three weeks now with no hope in sight. last year God provided and bryan left school in may paid in full. as he approaches his sophomore year, he has no money, no job and no prospects.

-now let's take a short break for me to hop on my soapbox - (it's one of my favorite places)

*he worked all year at school and was not paid enough to cover one month's bill. (an honest day's work for an honest day's wage is a biblical principle swept under the rug by the school)
*if he attempts to get a loan from the school, they will screw him in interest. (yet another biblical principle here that they like to ignore) of course, no gov loans, which are repaid at a lower interest rate.
*also, he will be working two jobs at school next year, but only paid for one. the other job is an "experience" job. yet another way the school steals from their students. eight hours a week of free labor multuplied by X amount of others working "experience" jobs. that's a lot of "experience."

sorry to those of you who attend/teach at the school - you know what school-
but atrocities like these happened while i was a student and they continue to happen. they were morally wrong then and they continue to be wrong now. it's not a pretty picture to paint but it is true.

all that to say, please pray that he will find a good job this summer. pray for God to provide a money tree miracle in his life.

love and marriage

nine years and counting...

pulp and cane

n- had a home-made birthday party last week. we spent two days making paper to make his cards with and an afternoon making his birthday cake. (ok, betty crocker helped with the cake for those of you who know me well.) the girls decorated the cake with enough sugar to put anyone into a diabetic coma. how sweet it is...







after two days this is all the paper we made. probably, won't be doing this experiment again.

exodus

in your unfailing love you will lead your people you have redeemed.
in your strength you will guide them to your holy dwellings.
ex 15:13

just thirty seconds

i made two fatal errors today. i answered the telephone and i started to wash the dishes.
it took approx. 30seconds to create these masterpieces of mayhem.

cast gift

my darling baptist thespians signed a WWII german flag and gave it to me as a gift on closing night. they're so thoughtful.

God is good. He provided above and beyond my wildest imagination. i was a bit nervous this year compared to the others. the cast had a difficult time focusing their energy and thoughts on this play, but in the end God gave strength to each of them. all praise and honor to God.

sophie's cell

there's sophie's cell.
lots of fun.

whatever happened to...

my orange headed, green souled friend?

pray for sophie scholl

i know sophie scholl is dead, but the play lives on and needs much prayer! we open friday and play through sunday evening. about a month ago, the man who plays mohr found out that he has cancer. he's been dropping lines ever since. completely understandable. so, mohr has his lines delivered to him in file folders every few scenes by bauer. and he's writing a lot of reports at the end in order to cover up the reading of his lines. please pray for all involved. two more rehearsals before we go live.

our latest science experiment

our "butterfly" emmerged from its chrysalis two days ago. emmy and maddie look for it every day, but i have a feeling it found a quieter place to live.

miniture lumps

"the worst attitude of all would be the professional which regards children in the lump as a sort of raw material which we have to handle."
on three ways of writing for children
c.s. lewis

man-made rules

"legalist in our churches today warn that we dare not teach people about the liberty we have in Christ lest it result in religious anarchy. the christian who lives by faith is not going to become a rebel. quite the contrary, he is going to experience the inner discipline of God that is far better than the outer discipline of man-made rules. "
warren wiersbe

church the way it used to be - part 2

i want to make it clear that i believe that some of God's people actually have convictions in the aforementioned areas. i respect that. we are created by a multi-faceted being and therefore it is highly likely that convictions from one human to the next would differ. however, we become so enamored with our own belief system that we dismiss other christian's convictions.

i do believe that someone who does have these convictions need to tread carefully on the souls of believers who do not hold so tightly to their laws. (notice, i used the pronoun "their" and the object "laws".) for examle, God's choice for musical instruments used to worship Him on Sunday mornings does not appear in any version of the Bible as far as I know. (correct me if i'm wrong - my friends in "the message cult".) i love the sound of a well played, quality organ, and i do not fault any church for choosing to worship with one. i do, however fault that church if they contentiously pulpit bash another church for differing worship choices.

my purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love , so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding in order that they may know the mystery of God , namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge...i delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is. Col 2:2-3 & 5

church the way it used to be

we recieved a leaflet in the mail yesterday.

"church the way it used to be"

all the men wore suits
all the ladies wore skirts below the knee. (i'm sure their slits were below the knee as well)
hymns sung out of a hymnal - "music that stirs the soul and not the feet"
piano
organ
occassional orchestra
they neglected to mention they had pews and not just chairs
yes, it is a very bj church.

the implication of the leaflet:
our church is right;
other churches are wrong.
it's just that simple.

WHAT?
i found the pharisees, but WHERE'S JESUS?

the girls need a bath tonight, so they smell pretty for church. don't worry they'll both be in dresses that are to their knees. after all, it is Easter. my knees will be bear. the drums will be assisting the keyboardists and guitarists (acoustic, electric and bass) play familar hymns of the faith and modren praise and worship songs that will be projected onto a large screen above the platform, chairs will be set up because we don't have any pews, coffee will be served before the service begins. pastor will wear a suit, but he's probably the only one. most importantly Jesus will be the focus, the center, the main attraction not the fashion, the chairs, the instruments. just Jesus.
more thoughts later...

missing

where are you? i miss my friend.

dream big

hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but when dreams come true,
there is life and joy.
prov 13:12

intj

well i took the test...
INTJ

fledge's insight

from magician's nephew:
i'm hungry, " said digory
"well, tuck in," said fledge, taking a big mouthful of grass.
"but we can't eat grass, " said digory.
polly and digory looked at each other in dismay.
"well, i do think someone might have arranged about our meals, " said digory.
"i'm sure Aslan would have, if you'd asked him," said fledge.
"wouldn't he know without being asked?" said polly.
i've no doubt he would, " said the horse (still with his mouth full). "but i've a sort of idea that he likes to be asked."

must see

sophie scholl: the last days

lil' rockers

emmy and maddie are proud owners of their first guitar.
pink
rock on...

theatrical question from the inanely naive

one of the best ?'s i've been asked in the past three years:
do the books come with instructions how to do all the sets and lights and stuff?

only in my dreams.

it would be handy if they came with a little man named "wan" who was willing to do all the work. (elea, i think you call your "wans" grad students. :-)

and the winner is...

heritage

sweet procrastination

things to do:
finish light plot
type light plot
enter plot into light director's book
revise sound plot
type
enter into sound director's book
gather all music to be used
get info to my "mix master"
figure jout what i need stage hands to be doing
type out
enter into stage manager's book
get promotional material from designer and get it to the printer
make an actual prop list
gather the rest of the props
order rest of the flags and propaganda posters
make "black-out" curtians for the set
find an artist to help paint set once it is finished
figure out the flooring for center stage
make-up plot
etc...

clean up the "snowflakes" all over the house inspired by the real snowflakes outside.
clean up and organize the toys all over the house

o.k. so i need to get this stuff done, but here i am indulging in sweet procrastination. i enjoy procrastinating. i thrive on stress. afterall, i still have nearly seven weeks until curtin.

wonderment

child of the pure, unclouded brow
and dreaming eyes of wonder!
though time be fleet and i and thou
are half a life asunder,
thy loving smile will surely hail
the love-gift of a fairy tale.
lewis carroll - through the looking glass

educational quandary

up until last week i felt confident emmy would be attending walnut grove christian prep school. it's a classical grammar and secondary school. emmy's personality and skill sets would adapt well to their environment. maddie, on the other hand, appears to have different skills and talents. i don't feel w.g. is equipped to handle.
so, we have an appointment to tour heritage christian. this school has ample opportunities for both girls. emmy may have to venture from her introverted bubble, but that's not all bad. they offer exceptional child classes starting in the first grade. they also have a computer lab which upon seeing, she declared, "it is good!" the classical school doesn't offer computers at all. quite disappointing for our little nerd. heritage features include a brand new building, an art room equipped with a kiln, a music lab, a library, etc. we think these will contribute greatly to maddie's education. she appears to be more"artsie" than big sis. also, their seniors ranked 4th in the state on their SAT's this year, so they are doing something right. well we welcome opinions. classical or progressive. small or large.

irreverent dance

i was treadmilling with "jack"; it's not as bad when reading lewis. in mere christianity, he states,
"God is not a static thing, but a dynamic, pulsating activity, a life, almost a kind of drama . almost, if you will not think me irreverent, a kind of dance."

this made me laugh b/c i was told that we can't dance in the play that i'm doing. getting tired of tyrannical christianity. i want to dance.

exercise

i did it
20 minutes
treadmill
out
of
breath
doubt
will
do again
what was
i
thinking

identity theft

missing: one 40lb tomboy.
long light brown hair with bangs completely covering her big, beautiful, brown eyes
date missing: thursday
nate and i had an interview with the headmistress at "genius" school. emmy and maddie stayed with a friend. upon returning home that day, emmy asked if she could wear her cinderella dress.
her cinderella dress.
i said, "you want to do what?" it has hung in her closet, untouched for two years. in fact, the one and only time that she wore it (previous to thursday), i forced it on her body as she lay kicking and screaming. on friday she asked to dress up again. thankfully, it only lasted an hour and she was back in shorts (yes, it is only 30 degrees) and turtle neck.

worse yet, the day came several weeks ago when she asked if she could have a barbie. i thought i had escaped barbies, but alas, i am going to have to start shopping in the little girls aisle. (just for the record, we bought her a barbie for v-day. barbie is somewhere in em's room naked. )

if any one sees my little tomboy, i would like her back. i'm not sure what to do with a "girly" girl.

whizmo

whizmo - to fly
the baloon whizmoed away.
from the dictionary of emmy's grand and wonderful imagination.
time for me to whizmo to emmy's room

whispers

1 kings 19
"the Lord told Elijah,
go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by
then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. after the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. after the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. and after the fire came a gentle whisper. then elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave."
elijah cleared his mind. he ignored the rumblings of his situation and focused on the stillness. that's when he realized that that whisper wasn't just another distraction, but the voice of God. our pastor preached on this last week. you can look it up at hamiltonhills.org.

piano lessons

yesterday, we were listening to andre watts play chopin. i asked emmy if she would play like that some day. she responded "yes, teach me now" too bad she doesn't want to follow the written notes or timing, but one day...

nine

it has been nine years since our engagement.
nine splendid years
i wouldn't change anything
hard to believe so much time has past
it's a lifetime ago. world's away.
i wouldn't want to go back to my life before n-
i was empty. i was out of place. but i didn't know it.
now, i am complete. i am centered. i am free to be me.
nine

how sweet it is

roasted marshmallows
it's been years
oh so delectable

puddleglum

maddie - "not happy"
but like her fictional friend she lifts her chin up and puts her best foot forward.
constant

restoration

but as for me i will always have hope;
i will praise you more and more.
my mouth will tell of your righteousness,
of your salvation all day long,
though i know not its measure.
though you have made me see many troubles,
many and bitter,
you will restore my life again;
from the depths of the earth
you will bring me up.
ps71

out of context

but God will shoot [him] with arrows...
i'm confident the psalmist wasn't
speaking of cupid's arrows , but . . .
ps 64:7

first excuse

yesterday, i asked maddie to help clean up and she replied, "i tired." this was the first time she used an excuse to avoid doing something she didn't want to do. typically, she just runs away shouting, "No!" or "No way!"
excuses, excuses, excuses...

waiting

i'm afraid it's been too long to try to find the reasons why
i let my world close in around a smaller patch of fading sky
but now i've grown beyond the walls to where i've never been
and it's still winter in my wonderland

i close my eyes and try to see the world unbroken underneath
the farther off and already it just might make the life i lead a little more
than make-believe when all my skies are painted blue
and all the clouds don't ever change the shape of who i am in You

i'm waiting for the world to fall
i'm waiting for the scene to change
i'm waiting when the colors come
waiting to let my world come undone

when i catch the light of falling stars my view is changing me
my view is changing me
my view is changing
i'm waiting...

jars o f clay
waiting for the world to fall
narnia

to a dear whimsical boy i don't even know

the time has come to realize
and see the plan you've been designed for
so face the fear of all unknown
and see the heart inside
so open up your eyes

jeremy camp
narnia (inspired songs)

all is vanity in maddie's closet

maddie hid in her closet today in order to avoid her nap. when i found her and picked her up, she started touching all the clothes in the closet. she came across the dress she wore in a wedding in october and said with a radiant smile, "i pretty!" obviously her self concept is in tact even with the scar on her chin.