Free ink refills for your printer...

...this Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at Walgreens. Just take your printer cartridge with you (color or black ink) and use the coupon from their weekly ad flyer (it was in Sunday's paper but they always have them in the store right inside the door). I missed it last time but am planning to definitely get in on the deal this time around!

Make a photobook - it's easy!

Isaac's opinion of cute Easter hats

Grant on the move...

Happy B-day Jules!!

My sister-in-law, Julie, was my friend long before I ever thought her brother would look my way with any interest in his heart. It has been so fun to experience all four of my pregnancies within relative proximity of hers. The picture above was taken last summer in the mountains of Montana with our latest two beautiful babes!

One of my fondest memories of Julie (and I have many, many) is the night we went on a double date....to the men we would both one day marry. Robb and Jules were just getting back together and it was my first official date with Tom. The guys had really gone all out and planned a boat trip from the Bible college campus we attended in Florida to the restaurant we would eat at where we would dine outside and watch an electrical boat parade. Well, the plans went just a wee bit awry when Julie and I BOTH fell getting into the boat. We both scraped our legs up pretty bad on the cement dock....but acted like we were fine because we didn't want to go back. If memory serves me correctly Julie fell first....but I went down right after her with a loud exclaimed "ouch!"....to which she later told me she was so relieved to hear because she was hurting so bad but not wanting to look lame....I sorta covered the "lame" part for her! To make a long story short...the boat had problems, we had to turn around and go back, ended up going to a different restaurant after all...but the evening ended with a balmy walk along the intercoastals of Palm Beach (doing one of my still favorite things to do with my now husband) just talking about everything and anything.

Over 15 years later, we still have the scars to remind us of that crazy yet beautiful night. We now have 10 children added to our collective families, and the memories just keep growing with our expanding families.

Now it's your turn: I thought that some of you who went to school with Julie might enjoy sharing your favorite memory of Julie....or better yet, dig out the old pictures!

Augustine

I know you've all been on pins and needles waiting to hear if I made it to the end...and what meaty thoughts I have to share from my reflections on it. Let me say that this was a "plow read" through and through. I never would have finished without the accountability of my reading group. I am glad I finished but still have trouble putting it all together.

I loved the quote on the back of the book by editor Rosalie De Rosset (lit prof, Moody), "Augustine never thought of God without thinking of his sin, nor of his sin without thinking of Christ." It is a daunting task to think of writing a spiritual biography in which you lay open an account of your sin for all to read. I can't imagine attempting to do so for public consumption...but that is just what his account is.

Our reading group found his relationship with his mother to be rather co-dependent, though certainly a beautiful picture of a mother's unrelenting hope for her child to be in Christ. His relationship with his concubine, his illegitimate child, his view of women in general, and his parents insistence on a "suitable" marriage our all such foreign concepts through our 21st century lenses.

His knowledge of Scripture and ability to quote it and weave it into his memoirs incessantly is nothing short of incredible. In books 1, 7 and 10 he talks about the nature of sin, how it is really just a perversion of the good that God has created...and ultimately seems to say that the cause of sin lies in free will. Augustine is a true seeker and in the end comes full circle to the saving faith his mother raised him in (from book 1, "I was sealed with the mark of His cross and seasoned with His salt"), and prayed over him fervently in all his years of wonderings.

"Too late loved I Thee, O Thou Beauty of ancient days, yet ever

new! Too late I loved Thee! And behold, Thou wert within me

and I was outside, and there I searched for Thee; deformed I,

rushing amid those beautiful forms, which Thou hadst made.

Thou wert with me, but I was not with Thee. Things held me

far from Thee, which, unless they were in Thee, would not exist

at all. Thou calledst and shoutest, and burstest, my deafness.

Thou flashest, shonest, and scatterest my blindness. Thou

breathes odours, and I drew in breath and pant for Thee.

I tasted and hunger and thirst. Thou touchest me, and I

burned for Thy peace."

Although my life is very different than Augustine's if you were looking at them from the outside in, you may be surprised to see the similarities...left to myself I would "darken" every affection (Romans 1:21) I set my eyes upon...but left to the God who calls, shouts, bursts through, and shines blinding light upon my darkness...this God I need...He is the air I breath....my water and food...my peace.

Around the same time I was finishing Augustine, I received a copy of one of Selah's cd in the mail and I was moved to tears by the second song "There is a Fountain." The writer, William Cowper, struggled all his life to experience the assurance of God's love he penned so beautifully in these lyrics. He suffered a nervous breakdown, attempted suicide several times, and was even confined to an insane asylum for a time where he was straitjacketed for his own protection. It is said that on his deathbed, however, he looked upward with amazement on his face and said, "I am not shut out of Heaven after all."

There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel's vains
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains

The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain in his day
And there may I, though vile as he
Wash all my sins away

E'er since by faith I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply
Redeeming love has been my theme
And shall be till I die

And therein lies my journey mapped out...to ever remember what I am saved from...but also to truly lose the guilt of my stains (by Christ's atoning work on the cross) and allow Love to redeem my life's song.

Hearts

Last weekend I had the great privilege of traveling to Normal, Illinois to attend my 4th Hearts at Home Conference. Hearts is founded by Jill Savage, a pastor's wife and former teacher whose passion in life has become professionalizing motherhood (a title of one of her books) and affirming mothers in their decisions to pursuit their vocations with 110% of their being. Maybe later I will write more about what I learned this year...because there was a lot to glean. I was able to hook up with old friends from Michigan, my old pastor's wife and my old friend from church, Jill, who moved away last year, as well as travel down with some friends from here. I left feeling very encouraged that the "power of 15" effects so much...in 15 seconds, an attitude snaps; in 15 minutes, you can tackle so many jobs and become a better time manager; in 15 years, the better part of your molding influence will be had...make these years count...for the best...while you have them.

Amy & Kim

Kim gave me a great resource while there called "Gather Round the Table." It is a Lenten devotional you can do with your families...very applicable for smaller children...purchased at www.creativecommunications.com for around a dollar. Next year I am buying them for all the kids I come in contact through childrens ministries.

Brooke & Laura (from Michigan)

Michelle, Melissa, Heidi (from up here),

& Jill (recently moved away)

"Good-bye" came too soon!

I John 4:19 "We love because He first loved us."

Please pray...

for my friend Amy. Following emergency surgery for a kidney stone, it is believed she had strokes in both of her eyes. She has little or no vision in one eye. You can go to her blog at http://www.amy-claudine.blogspot.com/ to daily know how to lift her in prayer. Amy is a beautiful wife, loving mother to three small boys, faithful believer and dear friend to me. I hurt so much for her and ask you all to join me in praying for restoration of sight to both eyes, for peace in the midst of this storm, for comfort to her, her husband and little family. As a young mom myself, I just can't imagine what she is going through. I'm at a loss for words but I do know that "the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words" (Romans 8:26).

Praying for Amy certainly changes what I view as important today and everyday.

Please join me.

Ms. Kimmycakes is a comin' to town...

Reading princess stories (while wearing princess jammies)! Our "guest" room is actually Maddie and Isaac's bedroom. Normally we move those two out when company comes over. However, Maddie was thrilled beyond words to get to stay in her room and have "sleepovers with Ms. Kimmycakes." She is still telling us now that she is "afraid to sleep in her room without Ms. Kimmycakes." Hmmmm.... Does the art of manipulation work on you, Kimber?

A lovely pic of my dear friend in front of a art exhibit made out of ice.

Here, Kim and I are standing in Millenium Park in front of the outdoor ice skating rink (Chicago's equivalent to Rockefeller Center in New York.)

Standing on the steps of the Art Institute of Chicago. They have been offering free admission during the month of February. We took advantage of this offer to enjoy our first visit there. Unfortunately getting delayed in traffic shortened our visit, but I was very thankful we got in after making that long drive. I was so moved to see White Crucifixion by Marc Chagall. One of the books our book club had read earlier this year, My Name is Asher Lev, has a similar work that it's fictitious character creates.

A treat to have tea with new and old friends becoming acquainted

My favorite picture from the weekend. Kimber is such an incredible friend and person. She was SO incredible with our kids, and they loved her back so easily. It was so moving for me to see Kim talk with my friend about caring for her mom. Kim has made very brave and selfless decisions that have allowed her to serve her family's needs so faithfully. When I am around her I am inspired to be more thoughtful, more selfless, more like Christ.

One of the highlights of our weekend was getting to watch the middle portion of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice together on Sunday evening. Tom was very willing to give up his seat on the couch...but nonetheless enjoyed throwing smoldering looks and doing his best Mr. Darcy impersonation--a highly sarcastic one (but I might add he IS the real thing for anyone wondering). Seems only fitting to end this post with a little Austen a la Kimber.

"My idea of good company is the company of clever, well-informed people who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company."

"There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart."

Phil Vischer

"He who has God plus many things has nothing more than he who has God alone." C.S. Lewis

I was privileged to attend a childrens ministry conference this past weekend at Elmbrook Church in Milwaukee (Stuart & Jill Briscoe's church). Phil Vischer was the keynote speaker and I was eagerly anticipating hearing his story. Veggietales have always been highly amusing for our entire family and many of the nuggets of truth they encapsulate have come up again and again ("The Thankful Song" being one of my all time favorites). I went to the conference expecting vision, passion, and ideas. I came away with a head full of thoughts but only one front and center...experiencing God alone, apart from a conference or fabulous ministry vision, is the only way to truly share Christ.

He talked about growing up with phrases like "God can't steer a parked car" and "Only one life will soon be passed, only what's done for Christ will last." He was from a family with large evangelical zeal who had great "success" in ministering to large numbers of people. He always felt that same urgency but it was only after the bankruptcy of BigIdea that he got the bigger picture. After watching every story, character, song, and rhyme he'd ever written become sold on the auction block to the highest bidder, he realized ministry was never meant to be about him, his efforts, his dream, or his ego. It's not about our strivings for Christ, but about our resting in Him.

In the second session he talked about burdens we carry unnecessarily as childrens ministry workers (and even in life in general):

1. Do you carry the burden of other people's expectations? *ouch!*

2. Do you carry the burden to entertain? "You can't compete with Nickolodeon and Disney but you can do something they can't--you can love kids!"

Ministry = making an invisible God, visible to the world (you don't have to insert yourself into that process at all, it's really not about us)

Real ministry starts not with God's love for kids, God's love for the world, but His love for you! Unless you are experiencing (really experiencing) that truth on a daily basis than all your striving are just about you.

Live and minister like you cannot lose ANYTHING you actually need.

what is NOT a snow day in wisconsin

Update: everything is relative...check out Vonnie's latest post to see what hard core winter really looks like.

Tom made it all the way home (he normally has a 40 minute commute...that day 2 hours) only to get stuck at the bottom of our driveway. We've had 56 inches of snow so far this year.

Our backyard...beautiful after the storm.

The street, looking north.

All of these pictures are for Jill, my weather happy friend. Without her, my kids would have gone to school wrongly attired many a time. Even though she moved to southern Illinois she still gives me a heads up on the "big ones." So, at your request, I hope these pics give you the warm fuzzies...actually we are the ones in need of warmth. Miss you all so much...and wish we could have hit the sleds with you this afternoon.

Ash Wednesday

This post was a really helpful read to reflect on Lent and how it can be beneficial to our family worship.