Be RADICAL

This is why we don't want to leave Birmingham, and why we are willing to as God leads us elsewhere.

www.radicalexperiment.org

"May God give us grace in the days ahead to radically alter the way we live and the way we look as a church in order to align with His heart for His people, for the lost, and for the poor around the world."  - The Church at Brook Hills

"We'll take India" - Our church is immediately sending $525,000 to Compassion International to sponsor the rest of their needs in India for their child development program.  Amazing to be a part of such a Christ-centered radical church family.  Amazing.

Square peg, Round hole

I feel like I have just had an epiphany of sorts.  I'm listening to a man from England talk about the failures of the typical public education systems in developed countries.  His point is mainly that our schools push children to right or wrong and math and english but fail in the arts and creativity section of learning/teaching.  Who says that you have to be good at math and english to be successful?  In reality, God made us all different, so we will be good at different things in different ways.  As I try to teach Jordan to sit still, work on his handwriting, numbers, reading - I realize his brain works differently from mine.  He's really smart but a different kind of smart than I am.  It's not my job to conform him to be and learn more like me, but to find what talents God has given him and nurture those.  

Not a Coconut

There is this song we listen to in the car (the boys and I, not Tony and I) - 

The fruit of the spirit's not a coconut, 

the fruit of the spirit's not a coconut, 

if you wanna be a coconut (cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck) 

you might as well hear it, 

you can't be a fruit of the spirit.

So I am thinking about patience and how I lack it many times with my boys.  It is a fruit of the spirit, therefor, I should have it right?  Sometimes I have lots, but I notice, as my energy drains (especially in the evenings) the patience goes out the window.  I really don't think you can realize how impatient you are until you have little ones.  They try it like nothing else can (except perhaps the lines at wal-mart, but I digress).  So I will continue to pray for God to give me a larger portion of patience and hopefully this fruit will grow.  I don't want my kids to remember the times I was impatient when they look back, I want them to remember a loving, patient mom - stern but loving.  :)  Again, I guess it's about pride and selfishness and me giving in to my flesh that's tired instead of living in the spirit.  Oh pride, when will you leave me alone?

Ode to the Flu

Achooooooooo!!!!!

Go Away Flu!!

Booooo!

Friends visit

Some old friends - Robert and Jill Stokes came in town for the weekend with their 3 little ones.  We had a really great time visiting with them and taking them to church with us.  They have twin girls who are 5 and a baby, Joseph, who is 7 months.  The boys had a great time playing with Lottie Ann and Samantha and entertaining Joseph.  Tony and Robert went to High School together so they go way back.  We have vacationed together a couple of times and, who knows, maybe we'll all be on the mission field together one day.