Spilled Salad

I'm most likely consuming forkfulls of shoe dirt at the moment as I've committed to eat my salad that just spilled all over the floor. Yes, it spilled all over a high-traffic area of the playroom, but I am in no mood to surrender to wasting it or making another one. I've just about let this salad ruin my nap time break, which really is just 30 minutes before diving into work. To redeem it, I thought I'd post about how this salad should give perspective to my life - the things I value and the enormous need I have for Jesus Christ.

I value nap time and eating during nap time because I feel that by 1pm, I deserve a self indulgent break. I load up on coffee and lunch and head to the couch. I've been tithing the first part of the afternoon to the Lord by having 'Lunch with Jesus.' Unfortunately, this refocusing on Christ at 1pm is more like a time of repentance and cry for help than an enjoyable discussion with my Savior. I so, so long for the day when I can get myself out of bed and sing, 'In the morning when I rise, give me Jesus.'

Following my 'Lunch with Jesus' I sit down and work on freelance stuff and take mindless breaks to peruse social media. 

Perspective...

1. A majority of the world eats salads with dirt. They probably wish they could eat as glorious a salad as the one I spilled... and some just wish they could eat.

2. I am a living sacrifice, my whole day belongs to Christ. When it comes to 'deserving' anything, I simply don't.

Romans 12 - A Living Sacrifice

12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice^, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Humble Service in the Body of Christ

³ For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. ⁴
I have an enormous need for Jesus because I am so, so nothing without him. In Him, oh friends.. we can be living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. That is good, good news.

Wisdom from Albania

I always get an itch to write whenever I've set my mind and opened my schedule to knock out a couple hours of freelance work. Tonight, I took a brief click break to read a dear friend's blog entry about her toddler overcoming a fear of play-place heights which really touched my heart and inspired a little writing. A little writing about some wisdom I recently received indirectly from Albania.

Tripp and I have the privilege of knowing a family of brothers and sisters in Christ at RPCC who lived and served for many years in Albania. The parents are near the ages of our own parents, and their four children are grown and in their 20s. If we had life go our way this past Summer, we'd be living one floor beneath them and thanking the Lord for such near mentors and friends. However, the Lord's ordered our steps differently, yet we're still so grateful for their friendship and example.

These past few weeks, Tripp has stepped in to help with leadership responsibilities at RPCC while our Senior Pastor spends precious moments with his very ill father. It's been a more realistic glimpse into leadership and pastoring than Tripp had anticipated. Tripp would love for God to lead us into planting a church in a high-need area, and the last few weeks only confirmed his deep desire. For me, it confirmed that I needed to reach out and ask a sister with more experience than myself how this road is walked with grace and children.

I was so generously met with kind and rejuvenating words from the mother of the family of which we adore. She reminded me that children are a KEY part of our ministry, that they are important and including them in as much as we can only helps them see christian life better. She shared wisdom from another saying, 'Always talk to your children in the attitude you'd like them to have about their parents serving. On an occasion where they miss one parent, say, "Isn't it wonderful that Daddy can serve 'John' tonight?" She admitted that this attitude was hard to maintain at times where her patience was tried, especially special events for the children. I was reminded that children are flexible and if they must have an activity they've dreamed of another day, they may not actually mind. Or better, they may learn flexibility. Their daughter said that she wasn't sure how her parents kept up all the ministry they did, but always felt they did so much as a family. She didn't feel slighted, but she also didn't feel like she was the center of their universe. They talked about everything.

The reminder that David and Judah are a KEY part to our ministry, an important tool in serving Jesus,  blessed my heart unspeakably. I wanted to release my response in tears, but instead I kept it together so that our meeting could be brief. As David's become entirely mobile and now conversational, I've not been sure what to do with his wiggles and my desire to meet with women, design for church or host small group. Looking reflectively on my week, I am noting that I do have quite a few women that will not only come visit, but do my dishes or plop a child on their lap. It's already happening... Tonight I just told Tripp too, that he should be ready to say to David, "Isn't it wonderful that Mommy can serve the women of RPCC on a retreat this weekend?"

Glory to God, thank you for Jesus.

Lets go to the Shedd

My generous and aquarium-loving dad got us a family membership to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. Two adults and two kids are admitted free as our guests - so come on!!


A history of fish if you have a moment...

Before I could tell you about different animals at the zoo, I knew a 'placo' from an 'oscar.' In our childhood basement playroom, my dad built a 90+ gallon fish tank into a wall display, and come to think that was actually our family's second. The first fish tank of my life was featured in our living room. While dad was finishing our basement, my mom suggested the fish be permantly relocated. They took center stage in our playroom. The star was placo, the placostamous (sp?), or otherwise known as a 'bottom sucker fish'. Dad loved that catfish-looking guy.

When we moved 1 mile south in 1994, the playroom fish tank didn't make the trip. However! My brother and I were maturing and it was time for dad to outfit our bedrooms with proper tanks. Let me just say, I had my very own pets spanning angel fish to hermit crabs to hamsters. My brother maintained, with dad's practically professional help, a 90+ gallon tank of large (I mean bigger than your hands they were so huge) oscars and other friends/food. That wasn't the only tank in his room, though it was so grand the stand had to be placed on the strongest part of the floor. He had frogs, toads, snakes etc. all at different times.

Dad was always quick to make dreams of tank-pets come true. He was a dreamer right along with us kids, and still is. Dad's been eager to take David to the Shedd since before he could walk. Just last week he called to let us know he'd purchased a membership for our family and friends. We strategically went this past Friday to test out the arrival/departure logistics and exhibits. Our first stop was the dolphin show.  The sight of David sitting on Dad's lap, pointing at fins popping up out of the water saying, 'WOW COOL!' warmed my heart in a deep way. Dad's childhood was nothing near as safe and full as he made ours to be. It's a wonder he stepped into his Dad Shoes as fearlessly and joyously as he did. Dad's generosity and his overflow of love for us, and now his grand-kids, comes only from his secure and unfailling relationship with Jesus Christ.

When I think of my dad, I often think of 1 John 3:1 - how great is the love the father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God and that is what we are. The way my dad has sacrificially lavished on me points me to a deep and painfully grateful understanding of God the Father.

On a final note, my dad's nostalgia for fish tanks began as a child as well. We called his father 'Papa Junkin' because of all the amazing junk in his basement. Imagine hours and hours of entertaining hunts through mazes of antique and collected junk. When we cleaned my Grandpa Junkin's basement out years ago, there were many, many tanks. Dad did mention on Friday that he remembered visiting the Shedd when it was just the main large aquarium. The history of fish then must have begun a long, long time ago. So, I guess it's a history of love between son, father, grandfather, and now grandson. And God the Father has had his mighty hand on us all.