Haiti--We Feel Your Pain and We Respond

Please Give whatever you can.

WORLD VISION

Take me on an Adventure

As part of my 2010 Goals, I am trying to read 24 books this year. That's two a month and at least one has to be non-fiction.

Thus far, I seem to be on track.

Currently, I am devouring Wild At Heart by John Eldridge.

And I am sorry it has taken me this long to read it.

It takes me into the inner workings of the man's soul, which I foolishly thought I understood. I am beginning to realize how much I really don't understand at all. I thought with how much I knew Brian, and how much we have talked even on this very particular subject, that I understood.

No. I just vaguely had some comprehension. That's it.

The beautiful thing is not only the book and touching on the "wildness" of the soul in a man... but my reaction to it.

How romantic.

Eldridge talks about the man needing a battle, an adventure, and a beauty. He speaks about the wildness that's in a man and how God is like that and created it. He stands back and looks that the church full of good-moral-ed but bored Christian men. You know, "The Really Nice Guys." And for women...boring. What kind of portrayal of Jesus are we giving?! Jesus was not "a really nice guy," being Mister Rogers doesn't get you murdered.

It's all screaming at me--"how romantic." I don't like chick-flicks and over the top fluff. But this is the real stuff. The excitement that women are after. And the amazing part of it is... I want to be a part of it! The adventure doesn't end when the beauty is saved. What kind of hero stops? No, the adventure is about something bigger--and the beauty is then along for the adventure as well.... sigh.....

I was explaining this to a couple of my girlfriends, about how wonderful it is to see a man on an adventure with a battle to fight. He's dangerous. He's robust, ruddy, and smells like dirt.

What does this adventure look like? Is it being a good husband and father? Yes... but mostly no.

William Wallace fought for something beyond himself. Freedom.
William Wilberforce fought for something beyond himself. Abolition of slavery.
Jesus fought for something beyond himself. Salvation.
Jim Elliot fought for something beyond himself. Gospel to the people in the Amazon.
Martin Luther King Jr. fought for something beyond himself. Equality.

Being on an adventure IS being a good husband and father. Of course, there is more to it, but having purpose and living by example IS being a good husband and father.

An adventure has a RISK factor. Something could go wrong--we could lose everything. But if it's beyond ourselves it's worth fighting for. And the adventure isn't about saving the beauty... It's having an adventure and saving her along the way.

______________________
Open Road by Nathan Lee

I don't know the way from here
been living under rocks and stones
its time to learn to see things clear
i can feel it in my bones
well I'm movin' on

I'm runnin' down an open road
like gasoline and fire
you can't shut me down
or burn me out
what am i living for
if I ain't climbing higher
don't wanna be has been
just wann be headin'
where I'm sposed' to go
until I die I'll be the man on the open road

it used to be sleepless nights
somewhere out under the stars
I finally found the morning light
you never thought I'd get this far
well I'm movin' on

This is the song for the morning after

2010 Goals

2010 already.

A New Year kind of creeps up on you, especially with all the excitement of the holiday season. Then BAM--it's the New Year, complete with taxes, clearance sales, really cold weather (at least for us in Minnesota), and New Year Resolutions.

I have been thinking a lot of New Year Resolutions. I never really took them seriously until a couple of years ago. So, I decided to make a goal and stick with it through out the year and see where it went.

Last year I committed to reading the Bible in a year and reading 12 books.

How did I do?

Well, I'm finishing up on the Bible in a Year. I only have a couple of minor prophets to go through and then I will complete it! So, It'll take me a year and a couple of weeks, but I will have read through the Bible!

I am really sure I read through 12 books... But here in lies the problem, I have no way to prove that. I forgot to write them down. So, I'm going to say I accomplished this.

This Years Goals:

Judging from my last year's goals, I am going to create goals that are measurable and attainable--but slightly out of grasp so that I have to strive.

I also was challenged to think of goals for the following areas:

Faith

Family

Friends

Finances

Fitness

Fun

2010 Goals

1. Faith-- Memorize 1 verse a month (with my children). And continue with a bi-weekly Bible Study.
2. Family--On the off week of Bible Study, Date night with my husband.
3. Friends--That's the Bible Study.
4. Finances-- Become Unit Manager by March, 100 new recruits (sound crazy check out this inspirational video!), and 3,500 in sales/month.
5. Fitness-- Run at least the 5k in our town. And be at my goal weight by June.
6. Fun-- Take my husband to Puerto Rico for free by achieving goals through lia sophia.

So, that's a lot for Goals! But I have learned, if you aim at nothing--you'll get it every time. So I'm aiming, striving for a Goal. And I have them written down--so I can't "forget" them by June!

2010 here I come!!!

Beyond Christmas Gifts...

America spends about $450 BILLION on the holidays... (and some of that is crap we don't want)

We've DOUBLED our amount of storage in the last 10 years for all of our crap.

We spend all this money to show people that we care... Can't we do it more effectively?

___________________________________________________

Last night I was talking with some of my friends; mulling over the Holiday spirit and Holiday consumerism (which we all buy into, and we all complain about).

Giving gifts isn't a problem. Giving a lot isn't a problem. But just giving with out thought--is a problem.

What if we gave some of that "giving money" that some of have or don't have...but give anyway... What if we gave to help those in need... especially those that don't have clean water.

WATER

Not having enough water.

I don't think about it much because I have it.

A LOT of it.

It's easy to get to (my kitchen). I turn it on and can let it run. It's hot. It's cold. I can fill a glass in seconds and give it to my children. I can cook with it. Bath with it. And drink it.

But how many people don't have that?

1 in 8

Sometimes women and children need to walk 3 hours to clean water--and that can be a dangerous trek.

80% of diseases and death are because of unsafe water and sanitation issues.

________________________________________

What if we gave some of our Christmas spending to an actual cause?!

I challenge you to give some of that Christmas money and give it to a Cause... something BEYOND YOURSELF.

Try:

WORLD VISION

CHARITY:WATER

or another organization of your choice.

You can still give it to someone, in their honor.

It'll probably be better than that Walmart or Target gift anyway.

If you do; I encourage you to post about it: post on here. Put it as your facebook or twitter status. Spread the true holiday spirit of holiday giving.

How I Feel Tonight...Because I don't know how to feel

FireFlies

By: Owl City

You would not believe your eyes
If ten million fireflies
Lit up the world as I fell asleep

'Cause they'd fill the open air
And leave teardrops everywhere
You'd think me rude
But I would just stand and stare

I'd like to make myself believe
That planet Earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay
Awake when I'm asleep
'Cause everything is never as it seems

'Cause I'd get a thousand hugs
From ten thousand lightning bugs
As they tried to teach me how to dance

A fox trot above my head
A sock hop beneath my bed
A disco ball that's just hanging by a thread

I'd like to make myself believe
That planet earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay
Awake when I'm asleep
'Cause everything is never as it seems
When I fall asleep

Leave my door open just a crack
(Please take me away from here)
'Cause I feel like such an insomniac
(Please take me away from here)
Why do I tire of counting sheep
(Please take me away from here)
When I'm far too tired to fall asleep

To ten million fireflies
I'm weird 'cause I hate goodbyes
I got misty eyes as they said farewell

But I'll know where several are
If my dreams get real bizarre
'Cause I saved a few and I keep them in a jar

I'd like to make myself believe
That planet Earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay
Awake when I'm asleep
'Cause everything is never as it seems
When I fall asleep

I'd like to make myself believe
That planet Earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay
Awake when I'm asleep
'Cause everything is never as it seems
When I fall asleep

I'd like to make myself believe
That planet earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay
Awake when I'm asleep
Because my dreams are bursting at the seams

Caribou... I miss you.

It's 10pm. My husband is at home with the kids, and I need to get out. I need to breathe a little bit, go out, DO something.

And this is when I miss my Caribou...

I miss the aroma, the atmosphere, and of course the warm cup of fine coffee in my hand. I miss spending time with friends, and hanging out. I miss reading a book there, where people are moseying in and out, chatting, and studying.

I miss having a place to go at 10 o'clock at night!

Everything around here is closed, or intensely boring. I drive around, running little errands, and walking really slow through the aisles of Walmart. There is nothing I want. Nothing I need--other than to be out.

So, I make my way back home, with more from Walmart than I would have spent at Caribou. Oh Caribou... I miss you...

Truen (behind the name)

"So, do you have a name picked out?"

"Yes, finally, we have it narrowed down!"

"Oh really?! What's the baby's name?"

"We aren't going to say."

We did keep people in suspense at trying to figure out Baby #3's name. For most of the pregnancy we didn't have any trouble keeping it a secret, because we had no idea! No name seemed to fit, and what names we had we couldn't both agree on. (And no, we are not sharing "the list" either.)

We usually don't share the name of our child, because we either don't know; and if we do know, we don't want to hear all the comments... "Oh, the kids will call him....." "I had a really mean 3rd grade teacher with that name..." "My dog's named that!" "That name reminds me of..."

I don't really care what other people think of the name, because it's not up to them. But, for my own sanity, I didn't want any doubts. The name is a choice between Brian, God and me.

Grace Emmanuelle

Justice Daniel

Truen William

We wanted names that reflect the God that we know. The God who loves us. God in all of his glory... and the best way we can give him glory is to show it through our lives, and the lives of our children. We like names in the Bible, especially people that have characteristics that amaze us or gave God glory in amazing ways. But, when you look at those names, broken down in Hebrew, they usually meant things.

Elijah-- "the Lord is my God"

Isaiah--"the Lord helps me; God is my salvation."

Jacob--"By the heel."

Esau--"hairy"

Many people then would name their children based on their life or characteristic of the now.

For example, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers to Egypt. He was falsely accused of rape which caused him to be thrown into prison. While he was in this foreign country, in prison, he chose to serve God still, and he was able to prosper, be second in command in Egypt, and save the country from famine.

He also had two sons. The first he names "Manasseh" which sounds like Hebrew forget because "God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household." He moved ahead and didn't dwell on the pain of the past. The second son he names "Ephraim" which sounds like twice fruitful because "God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering."

Brian and I wanted to do the same... only we didn't realize it when we began. We had a whole list of names picked out for our first child. We thought, prayed, and searched for names. Finally, after our daughter was born we chose Grace Emmanuelle.

Grace-- For the grace that God gives us without us deserving it. He sent his one, only, and perfect son to die on the cross for us. That is nothing less than "grace." We don't deserve it and he was able to do it for us anyway. This is the biggest gift. Also, there was a song that meant so much to me at that time, "Grace" by U2 and sung by Nichole Nordeman.

Emmanuelle-- A beautiful name of Jesus. He is "God with us," the Hebrew meaning of the name. At that time in our life, we especially saw that God was with us, taking care of us and guiding us.

Then, our second child came along. A boy, Justice Daniel.

Justice-- God gives justice. He isn't passive and distant, but is intimate and hurts when we hurt. He gives Justice to the poor, the needy, and the broken hearted. He often uses us to be His hands and feet to give justice to the poor and down trodden.

"He has showed you, O man, what is good.

And what does the LORD require of you?

To act JUSTLY and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8

Also at this time in our lives, we were calling out to God for justice in so many areas of our lives. That he would mobilize us to help with social justice and we asked for justice in our lives as well. And God reigns. He loves justice.

Daniel--It is Brian's middle name, so Justice is also named after his father. And Daniel means "God is my judge," pretty well in line with Justice. Also, Daniel, an amazing prophet and boy that becomes a man that follows God even in a foreign country and culture. He is a leader, cultured, and devout while practical. He also prophesied about Jesus saying:

"In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory, and sovereign power; all peoples, nations, and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." Daniel 7:13&14

Not only does this describe Jesus, but Jesus says this of himself while he's on trial before his crucifixion. He claims to be the Judge, the one with all power (Matthew 26:64). He is then led away to be killed, only to rise from the dead and fulfill the prophesy.

Now, we have another son. And we struggled on the name. Many names are good, but aren't masculine enough, or they "sound" good but they don't have the meaning that we desired. Or... it just didn't roll off the tongue. Or... it was just plain weird. I have to admit... "Wrath" is a great name, but I had a feeling too many people would turn heads in a not so positive way! So, we finally chose, Truen William.

Truen-- Truth or True. We love that part of God. Jesus is the Truth, the Way, and the Life. His word is Truth. He keeps nothing in the dark, but brings the dark into the light. He is absolute, the plumb line. He is Truth.

At this time in our lives, we are praying for Truth. We desire it and seek it. We know that God does not keep things hidden.

"With my whole heart I cry; answer me, O LORD!

I will keep your statutes.

I call to you; save me, that I may observe your testimonies.

I rise before dawn and cry for help;

I hope in your words.

My eyes are awake before the watches of the night,

that I may meditate on your promise.

Hear my voice according to your steadfast love;

Oh LORD, according to your JUSTICE give me life.

They draw near who persecute me with evil purpose;

they are far from your law.

But you are near, O LORD, and all your commandments are TRUE.

Long have I known from your testimonies that you have founded them forever."

Psalm 119:145-152

William--There are two reasons for this name. One--after William, Brian's grandfather. His faith is one that we both have admired. He has a carefree approach to life, but grounded by a faith that is True and practical. He lives in this world without being of it. Two--William can be shortened to Will--another favorite of ours. God's Will in our lives. That He knows what is best for us and will help us and guide us. His Will is powerful and in control, even if we don't understand it.

There....the Truth behind the name Truen.

He's a beautiful addition to our family. We pray that he, and our other children, will be emboldened by their name. That they will take this name and know that it is part of who they are and who they can be. Because it's based on God's Grace, Justice, and Truth, we know that they can go far in glorifying him.