Priorities

My work, my mission is to disciple my children.  And Time = Love.

That I may anchor in the sacred text, giving the Spirit space to whisper and correct often.

That my time would be given to my Entrusted, and that they might see my deep love and respect for their Dad...my very favorite.

That I'd continue to train in health and turn from the destructive Standard American Diet and sedentary lifestyle.  

That I'd begin my school days with Read Aloud to emphasize that this is our school.

That I'd choose to forget and resist looking back.  

That I'd take my hurts to God - the healer. 

That I'd get quiet...truly silent, maybe even on my knees before the One I chase through scripture.

That worship would not be 25 minutes on Sunday, but instead a regular outcry in our home.

That I'd protect my heart and mind from political polarization and internet algorithms designed to keep my face and mind tethered to my phone...missing precious minutes with my living gifts!

That I'd pursue less social obligations to not mistake unimportant disguised as urgent.

That I'd say no to fleeting faces and YES! to Danika, Jensen, Kanaan, Jaxan, Kadan and Daniel.

That I'd step down from Bride and counseling until my health is consistently nurtured and prioritized.

That I'd keep my ministry times to Sundays from 12-2pm and occasionally to Mondays at 6:15pm. 

That bearing fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, generosity, faithfulness and self-control would be a constant guide and metric.

Good Job 1Mosaic

'You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.'  Galatians 3:26-28

The message below begins at 29 minutes and articulates the countless conversations that I had with my God and my husband in 2020.  I am saddened by so many in the Church and the lure of angry politics, and wild fundamentalist-driven conspiracy theories. Witnesses for the Gospel have been irreversibly damaged and the culture war has casualties that I ache for.  Many believe they are righteous 'soldiers' but in reality they have made love of country an idol.  May God, by grace, teach us to love our neighbor, which is evidence that we love Him.  

To my Entrusted, God's Word is our trusted anchor...principles matter and posture matters.

'People won't take advice from people who hate them.'       ~Thomas S. Kidd

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=292tYSjBUdE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkDNp4ATCso

So full of kindness, that it's coming out of her mouth!

    In our family we have the 'Boys', the 'Best Friends' and the 'Baby'.  We also have two very cool parents that love 90's hip-hop.  Love it.  And Kim Walker-Smith.  They are musically eclectic.  The Best Friends have little in common in terms of interests, but over the past 4 years have developed the sweetest friendship.  

    I have a unique opportunity daily, as I watch their relationship unfold in ordinary ways...meals, art projects and play... SO much play.  Jensen is the younger brother and is famous in our home for his exceptional manners and words saturated in kindness.  Danika is a stronger leader in the pair, but also well-versed with life-giving words for her brother.  Their words are good and creating a bond and connectedness that is inspiring.

    Friday night was peaceful and offered the slowness needed for a fancy tea party.  Fancy, as in 12 tea-lit candles, ginger-spiced tea with honey and silly songs sang in the nearly-dark kitchen.  I was not the host, but simply an invited guest.  I was given the task of refilling teacups and more importantly eavesdropping on this special friendship.  Niceties and gentle words filled the dark room.  Although the atmosphere was unique, the tone between this two was not.

    At one point, I praised my DJ for her chosen kindness, "Danika, you are so full of kindness, that it's coming out of your mouth!" We laughed but it wasn't actually a joke.  Truly, kindness was the overflow of her heart and their love for one another.  This is not a gift from the Heavenly Father.  It is fruit of a cultivated and tender heart toward God.  Our heart, soul, mind pour out of our mouth. 

"Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones."  Proverbs 16:24

Thank you Jensen for this powerful example and the goodness it fills our home with.  And thank you Danika Joy for using the power of your tongue to speak life into the hours you spend with your Best Friend.  May your friendship always be a safe-haven!

 

How To Make an Impression...or at least how we are trying.

Meet Danika Joy aka DJ.  This is my one and only girl.  She is precious to me and evidence of wild grace.  My boys were all prayed for.  Danika however, was a childhood dream so big that I never even brought the idea of her to God in petition.  I loved to fantasy about having a girl, named Danika, but never felt audacious enough to ask.  She is 5 and full of life...a little spicy at times and deeply compassionate!

The responsibility to raise her to fear God in holy reverence that leads to wisdom is daunting.  She is incredibly sweet and equally resolved at times.  She loves what she loves (cuddling with a movie) and hates what she hates (vegetables and cleaning her room).  So I tiptoe at times and question myself regularly.  How do I love her well?  How do I leave such a strong impression of love that will have deep, lifelong roots?

Relational equity.  This phrase is a core value of parenting in our home.  It simply means that we have nurtured relationship so well, that we have earned/saved/invested in our relationships for the future.  It is a conscience effort to till the soil of our children's heart, in hopes of reaping a harvest-connection later in life.  We are working daily with every moment we get with the Entrusted to leave an impression.

Think of the artistic days of play-Do or perhaps you've been fortunate enough to hold actual clay.  Remember silly putty?  These forms of matter can be manipulated with pressure.  You are able to change their shape with firm hands, giving the lifeless object structure.  This is true of children too.  As the guiding adults, we have an awesome task of applying firm, sturdy parameters and expectations to the young years in the home as well.

But warmth is the secret, often overlooked ingredient.  Like play-Do, taking time to hold the matter in your hands or perhaps holding A HAND, is so important.  I suppose with enough force you could force a new shape and get the objective you were after, but with warmth the process is so much smoother...for both the artist and the creation, the parent and the child. 

Firm is crucial.  Our children feel safe when there are clear and unchangeable rules.  Firm will create the order necessary to establish routines and rhythms that make a home functional.  Firm is focused on behavior.  But warmth, chases the heart and wins the relationship.  Warm is the follow up hug and gentle conversation.  Warm is the cozy hot chocolate after 30 minutes of snowy, outdoor play.  Firm is the non-negotiable bedtime.  Warm is the story before the light is turned off.  Firm is the set-in-stone date night.  Warm is making sure the sitter is one the kids love!

And here is where God affirmed that this was actually all his idea in James 5:

"The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. (Warmth) v.11b ... Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned." (Firm) v.12b    

Today, it is extremely likely that I will falter as I try to balance my firm and warmth toward my neighbors in our home.  But by grace, God the Father will never falter with me, his daughter.  He will meet with perfect resolve to continue the good work He is doing in me.  But I know the tenderness of the process so well.  Thankfully my only real responsibility is to pass on the example our Heavenly Father leaves with us, His children.

"Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel."  Jeremiah 18:6

 

RESisT is REST

Each January, we gather the Entrusted and review the hopes, dreams and 'word' from the previous year.  Then we set a timer for the number of minutes of the new year (2021 = 21mins.) and write in our journals for this allotted timeframe.  When the time is done we talk through our words.

I knew my word clearly.  I had seen it first a couple months ago as we read through James.  I was not looking for it, but it seemed to jump off the page:

'Submit yourselves, then, to God.  RESIST the devil, and he will flee from you.'  James 4:7

I remember reading this verse with fresh enthusiasm about what life might look like if the devil were to flee.  Daily we continued our trek through the New Testament and before long we read this:

'Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. RESIST him'  1 Peter 5:8-9a

And there was my word...resist.  To be honest, I didn't want this six-letter word.  It felt negative.  But I had confirmation in my spirit and I knew it was chosen for me.  So I let it begin to simmer in my mind and heart. 

I am a word-girl.  I love words.  They are powerful.  I am also extremely visual in my learning style, so this particular word actually had a beautiful word inside that I could see...REST.  

Have I mentioned that I am a tired Mom before?  Likely I have.  Rest is a lovely four-letter word that does something visceral to me.  It is synonymous with hope on my weariest days.  It is a word marked by goodness.

And so once again, by grace, I was given my word for the year.  Marching orders truly.  RESisT is to REST.  RESisT is REST.  My perceived negative word, was actually a formulaic gift from the Father.

So my friends and dear children, I will resist these things specifically to ensure the rest for my soul...Google, sugar and most importantly looking back.

I am not a virtual-type person.  Literally every friend I have is a real human/flawed/unique/image-bearing person.  The world of social media is foreign to me.  Google however, has become a quick go-to over the years for every recipe, trivia "fact" and curious background information.  It has lured me and held me captive to the screen of my phone.  Google is not evil, but it does not lead to my rest.  In contrast, books do offer solace and respite.  So in 2021 I will resist Google whenever possible and be holding the gift of thoughtful literature even more!

Oh sugar - you terrible thing that I love.  Sugar in all forms is the apple in the garden that just seems to whisper (at times screaming) slithery words... "Did God really say?"  I know that many would argue that sugar is not evil, but in my story it has led to repeated sin and taken me further away from the grace of Jesus, not closer.  Funny how often we ignore the sins of too much.  Sugar is a too much in my life.  Resisting will offer me rest, both physical and spiritual.

Resist looking back.  Back to New Year's Day.  As we took turns sharing our words for 2021, I was slightly reluctant to share, unsure if my preteen boys could understand the depth of RESisT.  Kadan listened to each point and after I mentioned that I plan to resist looking back, he spoke up "Mom resist looking back or you will become a pillar of salt like Lot's wife."  Oh that child.  Yes Kadan, exactly.  Looking back locks us in a posture of past hurt, past sin, past longings.  

"Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead." Phil. 3:13b

Paul wrote this fantastic call to forget what is behind so that the young church might grow in maturity.  I too want to grow up in this area and no longer be stuck looking back.  Thank you Kadan for seeing the connection between resisting looking back and the rest that lies ahead.

So RESisT is REST.  What word will guide you?

Political Nomads...and Disappointments to 81%, I'm sure.

Dear Entrusted, 

2020 was the most heated political year that Daddy and I have lived through.  Our take away from watching and living through the political mess, is this:  We do not have a space in todays politics.  We resonate with all the scripture that refers to us as strangers, aliens and pilgrims in this world.  We are politically homeless.

According to John Fea, a Christian and historian that is notably objective, only 19% of evangelicals did not vote for President Trump in 2016.  Daddy and I understand this minority.  Neither presidential candidate won our vote.  Certainly there are Democratic positions that oppose our faith, but President Trump has also personified a few positions that deeply contrast our example, Jesus.  

Since 2015 our incumbent has used the slogan 'Make America Great Again'.  To the average citizen, these words are simply words.  To Christians that share our conviction that God's Word is sacred and deserving of reverence each day, these words beg the question 'How does God define great?'  Naturally, our renewed (in Christ) mind will wander to verses like the greatest commandment to love God first and neighbor as self second.  Is this what President Trump is referring to in the use of great?  We remember the great commission, and that 1 Chronicles 29 amongst many others calls only God great.  Jesus uses the word great to describe the greatest as the servant, the lowest.

American evangelicals that traded political interests for genuine study and commitment for God's word, seemed especially drawn to President Trump's repeated use of the words WEALTH and POWER.  These words have been used over and over and over to drum up support.  We understand the enthusiasm.  Who doesn't want wealth and power?!?!  But as Christians joyfully enslaved to God's holy Word, are these words endorsed by the Author of life?  

The Bible is strikingly clear about the traps of wealth and the useless pursuit of it.  The Bible teaches us from Ecclesiastes that death is the fate of us all and gathering possessions is futile.  Much better language in terms of financial position is stewardship.  God offers us many persons and parables that offer wisdom to the importance of not being a financial fool.  But wealth?  This word is hard for Daddy and I to endorse and because of our deep love for Leveque, Haiti you will not be raised to chase money or to elevate wealth.  

John Wesley had a lot to say about money.  Here is a favorite quote: "Money. Get all you can, without hurting your soul, your body, or your neighbor.  Save all you can, cutting off every needless expense."

As we studied John Wesley, we learned that his ministry began out of extreme poverty.  As God blessed him, he followed the New Testament example in Acts and continued to live very modestly.  But counter to culture, he gave his blessing of wealth away with extreme generosity and careful stewardship.  May we learn from this humble servant and be known as faithful teachers on God's behalf, not as pursuers of the finite.

Power.  Even typing the word evokes tension.  There is One who is powerful.  One. What if current political figures replaced this over-used and self-serving word with HUMBLE?  Imagine a slogan: Make America Humble Again.  Imagine a pursuit to get low, to care for the marginalized, the immigrants (like our ancestors were)...or here's a radically humble idea that God designed, to value the other side...yes, even the other political side. 

President Trump also used the word safe for both the 2016 and 2020 campaign.  Safe.  Entrusted, our deepest prayer measured by weight, is that you will love and trust God.  If you do, then safe is His name.  His Word says that the perfect love of the Father drives out fear.  Fear dies when we receive Jesus.  We no longer have to work like tiny ants building a fortress from evil or people that look or live differently than us.  We do not have to fear culture.  Culture saddens our tender, submitted to holiness heart, but culture should not cause fear.  Jesus overcame the world and we are simply passing through, wanderers.  The government is on His shoulders, not the other way around.  Safety is already here.  Fear is an age-old weapon to control those that do not have faith in the soverign God. 

The final word that Daddy and I share concerns with is Again.  A surprising number of evangelicals look at our country with a narrative of US history that is nostalgic and/or incomplete.  As we examine both our country's history alongside Biblical history, we see two distinct narratives.  There is a beautiful story of a young country and patriotic heros that broke away from parlement control and birthed a new nation, with the hope of freedom to prosper.  This is a wildly popular set of memories with so much of modern-day culture marked by it with holidays, monuments and street names to commemorate.  

Both Daddy and I want to encourage you to be thoughtful in scholarship, as Apostle Paul admonished.  There is a second narrative to our country - a second set of stories, heros and hopes of freedom to prosper.  This is the lesser known legacy of the African American.  This portion of American history is less-sexy.  Slavery, Jim Crow laws, literacy tests, explicit racism and no protection for black voters until 1965.  The final ship carrying kidnapped shipped arrived in 1820, 50 years after some declared our country 'freedom for all men'.  Many evangelicals make careless statements like "That was a long time ago".  As God gave us minds, we must use them to humble ourselves and consider objective observation and study.  

Looking back at the past 400+ years of American political pursuit, we can see that America has been great and greater for a select population and sadly America has pieces in its fabric that we don't want to ignore or dismiss with phrases like "Make America Great AGAIN".  The implication is damaging.  Humble, stewards that trust our God and care for the other side, this is our Father.  And as beloved children, this is our political ambition. 

One final 'word'...policies.  Many evangelicals have said again and again that President Trump should be considered aside from his extreme personality and moral failures and that policies should be considered primarily as votes are cast.  To this, we simply say 'We agree wholeheartedly.'  And after examining the policies, proposals, proproganda and positions of both sides, letting them slip through the filter of God's Word, we remain politically nomadic. 

Matthew 22...The Greatest commandment is to love God and the second is like it...Love your neighbor as yourself.

God's Word is our daily (micro) and lifelong (macro) guide.  It informs every single decision.  We believe that words are extremely powerful...literally holding the power of life and death (Deuteronomy 19).  Words are the means used by God to create the world and Jesus is named the Word (John 1).  Words matter.

Now, I must go HYGGE my youngest three...another favorite word I hope you know by experience.

Scattered and Alive