Little Ones to Him Belong

On Sunday mornings I am privileged to teach a class of adorable preschoolers. Curtis thought it was something that might take away the “baby bug”, but I’m afraid he is mistaken! The children range in age, from newly 3 to almost 6, and each week I learn so much. Not only do I learn as I prepare for the lesson, but I get to see the world through the eyes of people that haven’t been on the earth for very long. Although they are younger in age, and younger in their walks of faith, they teach me.

Shelby is a Sunday morning “regular.” Any given Sunday, she will come prepared with her children’s Bible that she gleefully complains is “sooo heavy!” and then pretends to fall over. She is also one of our resident comedians. Her joke makes me laugh every time. And while I know she is merely noticing the size of the Bible in comparison to her small frame, I can’t help but think and pray that as she grows older, the picture book she holds in her little hands never becomes too “heavy” or burdensome. I hope she is able to find freedom in that heavy book, and moreover, in her Creator.

Antonio is four years old. His family regularly attends the church but, due to the option of attending two different service hours, I only see Antonio half of the time. I have been delighted to see Antonio’s social growth over the passing weeks. The first time I met Antonio I couldn’t get any words out of him- he preferred to speak in snorts. Yes, snorts. Pig snorts to be exact. Of course, I couldn’t help but laugh and even join in sometimes. As endearing as it was, I hoped for the day when Antonio might feel comfortable enough to use his words. This past week, I was not prepared for what happened when class was over. Antonio’s mom was at the door to pick him up; he ran towards her and I thought that was the last I’d see of him until next week. Upon handing his mom his craft and lesson book, he immediately turned around and ran towards me, arms open and grinning. I quickly crouched down so I could give him a proper hug and not an armful of legs. (Which turned out to be a really good decision because I’m sure his running jump would have made me lose my balance) He didn’t say anything, but he gave me the best little person bear hug I have ever received. His actions were far more special than any words he could have used that day.

Needless to say, the pain of waking up early on Sunday morning quickly turns to joy. I am so richly blessed to have the chance to interact with these children of God. It is an ever-present reminder for me that I, too, am a child of God; still growing and still remembering that where the spirit of the Lord is, there is indeed freedom.

Dancing Through the Darkness

Life presents endless occasions and reasons to show gratitude to God. Personally, I am thankful each morning I wake up next to my husband, in a warm house, and that I get to walk straight into a warm shower. Although my heart does recognize these blessings, you won’t hear me audibly shouting ‘Praise the Lord!’.

Can you imagine actually saying sentiments of your heart, aloud? All the time?

‘Thank you, Lord, that there is one bunch of asparagus left! Without it, dinner would just not be what I had in mind,” or “Praise Jesus for this perfect parking spot!”

I mean, you would start to get some seriously strange looks. But, would it be such a bad practice to get into? Perhaps doing so would conflict with our attempts to appear as a fully functioning members of society and therefore isn’t very realistic… but it’s a thought.

We’ve all seen musicians-from Kanye West (the least humble human on earth, maybe with the exception of Brandon Flowers) to Carrie Underwood “Thank Jesus” when accepting awards; and although they don’t always specify what they are thanking Him for, we assume it’s for the gifts they were given. Likewise for the occasional athlete that will look or point upwards in acknowledgment of the Person who enables him or her to physically achieve.

What if we took these models of showing appreciation, but applied it to moments of disappointment and loss? What if people saw us praising God, even in times of sadness, loss and uncertainty? What if Kurt Warner got on the mic post-Super Bowl and exclaimed, “Praise be to God for this loss!”


It’s all too easy to thank God for an award or something else wonderful. How much more loud would our testimony be if people saw us praising through our sorrow?


And how much more would our faith stretch and grow if we chose to dance through the darkness?

(a portion of this blog was inspired by the blog of a friend)

An Affair to Forget

I’m back!

Yes, I have finally returned from my blog sabbatical, stocked with fresh material. By now I’m sure I’ve lost all three readers I once had, but I’m okay with that. I’m finding I treat this blog as I once

treated my journals when I was growing up; I only write when something noteworthy happens in my life. In my youth, something “noteworthy” typically revolved around a boy I liked or friend who hurt my feelings. Now, a more mature me chooses to blog about happier snapshots of my life- like how adorable my niece is.

Today, however, I am blogging on something that makes me the opposite of happy.

I am blogging about something that makes me angry. Very, very angry.

Over the past few months I have been hearing a radio ad promoting an up-and-coming website. The website is called ‘Ashley Madison.com.’ As the ad explains, they provide a service that attracts new members every twenty seconds. Wow. This must be something pretty extraordinary, I’m thinking. The ad goes on to explain exactly what ‘Ashley Madison’ is all about : “It’s for people already in relationships, but in need of something more.”

More? This can’t be…. Are they talking about…. What in the world?

With furrowed brow, I continue listening to a conversation between two girls (actors).

“I’ve been seeing this new guy, and he’s fabulous!”
“Does your new guy have a friend?”
“You don’t need his friend. Just go to Ashley Madison.com.”

Their latest ad includes various people, sharing their relationship woes.

“There just isn’t any passion in our relationship anymore.”
“My wife used to be my lover. Now, she’s just my best friend.”
“We used to have sex all the time. Now, we never do.”

Ashley Madison’s suggestion in curing your already struggling relationship? An affair!

An affair.

An affair?

A banned Superbowl commercial for this very website had the tagline, “When divorce isn’t an option.” I am relieved they chose to not air such an advertisement.

Never before in my life have I ever wanted more to be a marriage and family counselor. I would offer free services and would advertise on the same stations that air the Ashley Madison ads. Anything to prevent more people from joining this affair-encouraging, cheating-promoting, infidelity-glamorizing website.

I hope, wherever you live, that you don’t have radio stations that play this ad.

It’s a harsh realization that this is the world we live in today; a realization that, when all is said and done, doesn’t make me mad as much as it makes me sad. Really, really sad.

(Sorry about the downer everyone. Happier blogs to come!)