Flight Prayer Request

Hi friends and family!

We'd really appreciate your prayers that God would direct the timing and circumstances of our next trip to the States. Also that He'd workout out some super airline deals for us. Thanks for joining us in asking our big GOD!

Eden :)

Copy Cat

"Be imitators of God, as beloved children." Eph 5:1

I love to hear their spontaneous prayers or praises. I cringe when I see a bad eating habit (as in, putting the bowl to mouth to get the last gulp of milk :(. I love to hear them speak tenderly to one another and to hear my own words of consolation coming out of their mouth. It's precious and scary to see how much they observe and imitate of Andrew's and my behaviour. The good, the bad and the ugly with no filter.

As I watch Zeke and Tazara mimicking words and actions and attitudes. Learning each day from what they see and hear and digest of life. Ephesians 5:1 shines in a whole new light! "Be imitators of God, as dearly loved children." It's got me thinking...Do I spend time with and observe and imitate God, my Heavenly Father with the same energy and devotion that Zeke and Tazara do Andrew and me? Do I ask question after question and insist on an answer? Do I speak until He answers and insist on doing every little thing with Him? Do I admire and look up to Him and beg for His every inch of attention? Do I study His every move and ask to be apart of His work? Do I insist on sitting smack dab in the center of His lap with no second place seating arrangement? When I'm not heard do I repeat myself a thousand times and shout louder and louder above everything else? "What are you doing Abba?" "Can I go with you?" "Where are we going?" "Can I help?" "Is this how you do it?" "Am I jumping higher than yesterday?" "Am I four yet?" "Am I as big as Baba?"

I want to grow to maturity in righteousness and holiness in you! Help me be child-like in my seeking and following after you! And help me remember these little ones when I think of how You see me. My heart is full of love and tenderness for them and yet I'm also so aware of how small they are and how much they have to grow and learn. They think they're so grown up and capable, I smile and praise their progress and have to correct them over and over. Thanks for this simple verse, help me put it into practice.

What's my baby step for today Abba?

Greater love.

Carrying a basket in from the line I pass Zeke and Tazara playing in the sun-filled lounge. Sorting and folding and putting away little dresses, pants, togs and towels. Tears spontaneously wet my eyes as Steve Green's simple portrait of the gospel touches the mundane recesses of my heart. Overcome by the beauty and depth of God's love. The melody sings on to the words of John 5:13: "Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friends."

My worship filled laundry folding is interrupted by shouts and grunts as Zeke and Tazara argue and maliciously hurt one another. I look at them in bewilderment thinking "Really guys?! Are you for real? Do you even hear this song!?! Do you even get it?" My thoughts quickly turn to "Wow, how like me. You died to set me free and yet I still walk enslaved so often. I wound myself with the very lies and behavior and words that you paid royally with your own blood to defeat. Your love reaches to the heavens and I forget to ask for some to extend an inch worth.." I wonder if God sometimes watches the pain and confusion and struggle of his children and thinks: "really Honeychild? I've got all these overwhelming gifts and blessings for you to take hold of and your struggling there in your mess of lies and worry, anger and unbelief..." Thanks for your patience and tenderness Abba. Teach me how to take hold of the riches that are mine in Christ! I can't offer to my children or husband or friends etc what I don't first take hold of and know for myself.

My need. His supply.

I've been feeling snowed under lately. It's difficult to draw near to God when you don't know your own heart. I've been looking for some times of solitude to be still, open my heart before God and allow him to search and know me. Sunday evening was one of those times. I was flipping back and forth from Psalm 91 and Psalm 139. Both deeply meaningful psalms that have to do with warfare, oppression and God's intimate knowing of us. I've felt under attack and there have been places I've been afraid to let my mind go. 

As I meditated on these passages I pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down verse eleven of psalm 139 at the top:' “If I say “Surely the darkness will cover me and the light about me be night.” Even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.' Below this I wrote a column for fears/hurts/blocks to intimacy. I then listed the places that are scary for me to go. The fears and hurts that I don't know what to do with and I don't like to approach or look at or talk about or poke at. With these before me I again read Psalm 91 and 139 allowing God's truth, light and comfort to speak into my fears. 

I was reminded that this is familiar and comfortable ground for God. What is dark and scary and threatening to me is not so with God. The darkness is as light to Him. He lovingly fashioned my days and tenderly put together my life. It is in the environment of these fears, hurts, circumstances, that God desires me to flourish. He's made a way for me to flourish but I can't find it without His help. In John 6 Jesus describes himself as the living bread that we feed on to find life. This is the kind of self-counseling I need God to apply to my heart by His Spirit and through His word over and over, day by day. This is one nibble of truth applied to my story. I hope that God ministers to you also with His life and light in your times of need. (And when He does, I'd LOVE to hear about it! )

Word Portraits

Yesterday I was reading and journaling during nap time. At 2:30 Tazara grumpily staggered out, climbed onto my lap and then resumed her rest. Watching her sleeping my thoughts and journaling turned from Dallas Willard to Tazara Dawn:

"...Thank you for Tazara, for her joy, her unashamed confidence and sociability. She steals hearts by reflecting her kind intentions unto others and assuming their favor. She marches unawares into situations. Randomly following whatever notion her fancy takes without fear of danger or consequence.
She's affectionate and forgiving, pouring her love freely on those closely knit within her world. Her two and half year old heart and mind has her wanting to do it herself and stubbornly insisting on her own way. She's happy to try something new and she lets her voice be heard if she's not happy. She's got her share of emotion and can use her pout to manipulate if we're not careful. Abba, help us train this child and love her and keep her body, mind and soul safe. Help us feed her truth day by day in bite-size pieces and weed out lies that hurt and confuse her. May she dwell in the dawning light of your glorious presence  and love her place there in your delight. Give her courage and strength and grace to seek you first and find you in every decision, transition, and circumstance. Make her as keen for Your table as she is to empty her plate. Give her spiritual eyes as bright and beautiful as the sparkling blue ones she sees the world through. May she see and know You in her life. Give her ears to hear and a heart to know and love You. Give her a tender, soft and contrite heart. Resilient in life's struggles and protected by Your capably loving care.

Zeke, decisive and determined.  You're eager to please the ones you respect. Cunning and wise - calculating your moves, discerning what can be gotten away with and only pulling stunts when a back is turned. Your tender heart/ego is guarded relentlessly by your anger. Tazara hasn't succeeded in chasing away all of your perfectionism - you don't like trying what you can't master. You're cautious in all the right situations (new sports, new people, new food..) but reckless on occasion too. You love praise but you don't lose your cool/composure.  Animals captivate you. You enthusiastically share your world as you're thrilled by sights, sounds, discoveries and accomplishments. You know what you want and won't take second best. You're passionate about the foods you like when you like them and will patiently bypass a meal that doesn't please you. You listen well and are attentive. You can hide emotions until you don't. Abba, I love this boy to pieces. Grow and nurture his masculine heart after your own. Don't let it go unseen. His questions often astound me. Make him strong in all the right ways - full of love, wisdom and courage. Wise to what is good, innocent to what is evil. Protect and guard him. May he depend on you all the days of his life and never be let down. Teach him honesty and help him use his anger for good - to defend your name, not his own.