Expanding Family

Years ago, Meredith and I made the decision to not have more than two children.  We've constantly felt blessed to have two great kids.  However, there have been times when I wondered what it would have been like to have more.  Meredith, who pukes her guts out for 9 months of pregnancy has thought about it less than I have.

Before our kids were born, we had two dogs, both of them Westies (Duncan and Macduff).  As we all moved through life together, and our lives got busier, and our money grew thinner, and the dogs got older and became more expensive, I made the decision to get rid of them.  We gave them to a couple who have literally spent thousands of dollars ensuring their welfare.  It was a tough decision made years ago.  Michael still prays for those dogs.  I've wondered what our life would be like with them still in our lives.

And then, God graciously gives us a small taste.  Within the last few months, our family has expanded.  No, Meredith didn't get pregnant (that would be Biblical Mary-like).  We have "adopted" another "child" for a few months.  She's actually a full-fledged adult finishing college.  She does fill up a room and requires her share of bathroom time though.  Her name is Leah...because that's what her parents named her.

Not long before Leah joined us, we adopted a dog...a Westie.  Found by some friends who couldn't keep him, we took him in.  He was matted and full of fleas.  Now, he's part of the family.  His name is Luther...because of Martin Luther and Martin Luther King Jr. and Luther of the kid's show "Zeke and Luther" and because of Luther Vandross.

Leah's not really our child.  Luther is not Duncan or Macduff.  But I'm thankful that God would be so graceful to send them our way.  We love them both.

Preparing For The Inevitable

As we've watched our kids grow over the past few years, we knew that a time was coming when they would pare down their activities and focus on only a couple.  A few months ago, Karoline decided that she wanted to dance.  Not being a great dancer, she had a lot of work to do in preparation for the tryouts that came a couple of days ago.  So, she doggedly went after it.  I bought some wood so the multi-purpose room in our house could also receive the role of dance studio, and every time Karoline had any free time, she was in there.  She stretched, worked and anticipated the upcoming tryouts.

The dance team that she wanted to be a part of isn't church-league softball, where everyone gets to play.  The tryouts are real, and historically, some girls don't make it.  At the beginning of the summer (months away from tryouts), I realized the urgency of instilling identity and value into her.  Yes, it's something I've always prioritized as a dad, but it was time to turn the volume up on that.  Therefore, the summer was filled with "daddy-daughter time" and a constant flow of words from me telling her how valuable she is, how beautiful she is, and how special God created her.

I did all of those things anticipating the very real possibility of  Karoline experiencing rejection.  As it turns out, she made the team.  However, I'm going to keep the volume up on building into my daughter because I know that rejection is inevitable.  There will be boys and teams and "friends" that will challenge her view of herself.  When (not if) rejection comes, I hope she lays in bed at night knowing who she really is.  I'm doing more than hoping for that, I'm working for that.

Not In Control

A good friend of mine called last night.  After much effort and prayer, he and his wife had their first child.  Then, while still in the hospital his wife is diagnosed with advanced leukemia.  Diagnosis yesterday, chemo today.  She'll be in the hospital for at least 21 days, unable to see their newborn.  

On the same day his wife is diagnosed with leukemia, his brother has brain surgery.  Wow.  

As I'm talking with my friend, another friend of mine is beeping in.  I don't answer but call him back.  He was calling to tell me that his toddler inhaled some "foreign matter" and is having to go under anesthesia and have it removed.  Wow.  

You can take away a lot from these revelations.  One thing I know for sure..we are absolutely not in control.

Growing Up

Just the other day I ran into someone that I haven't seen in 16+ years.  We spent a few minutes re-connecting about our lives and about other people we have in common.  Then she said, "I guess we all had to grow up sometime."  I agreed and we went about our separate ways.  Later that day, I began to wonder who she was talking about?  Herself, the people we have in common, or me?  She was probably talking about all of the above, but I hope she was talking about me.  As I consider a lot of the choices I was making 16 years ago...I hope she was talking about me.

Reconnecting

I had lunch with a friend from my church today.  He's been going through a difficult divorce, and through all of the pain, he pulled away over the past few months.  Even though I knew about the struggles he was facing, as he pulled away, I neglected to pursue him.  We talked openly about all of that, and I gave him an honest excuse for my part.  I told him about how my schedule was full of meetings with people that were seeking to meet with me.  His response was, "Yeah, but the people who pull away are the ones that are hurting the most."  He's right.  So, after that conversation, I'm left reconsidering my time and priorities, who I available for and who I'm not.  I'm also rethinking about how we "do community" at Istrouma.  It was a great lunch.  I'm thankful for my friend, our God, and how I've reconnected with my calling to walk alongside people going through difficult seasons.

Go Day Part 2

As we sought to serve Baton Rouge, my team split up and tackled 3 projects.  We tackled overgrown lawns of two of our widows because we need to begin with those in our household (Gal 6:10).  I primarily worked with my kids and two of their friends cleaning up an overpass in the neighborhood adjacent to our church.  If we miss the people next door, we've missed everything.  Many people, from the neighborhood, waved and shouted their thanks out of their car windows.  Some people stopped to thank us for our small sacrifice, and we got to point to the big sacrifice of Christ.  It was a GREAT day!

GO Day

Tomorrow our church is embarking on what we are calling "Go Day".  Instead of holding our regularly scheduled worship service and Sunday morning classes, we are going out into the surrounding community to serve others.  The tag line for this is, "Don't just go to church, go BE the church."  In anticipation for the event, here are some things that I like about it already:

It forces us to challenge our presuppositions about what "church" really is.

Because it's not regularly scheduled, I've had lots of Christ-centered interactions with people I don't normally come in contact with when I'm living out my "regular schedule".

"Go Day" has prompted many to see ideas of how they can serve others outside of this morning, which means that this event is serving as a catalyst for ongoing ministry.

Families will do this TOGETHER.

My kids are excited about it.  They can't wait to paint over some graffiti under an overpass near our church tomorrow.  It's going to be a good memory.