I read a book last week

and I cannot stop thinking about it. I highly recommend it. It's called Same Kind of Different as Me. (Click on the link and you can read the synopsis.) It was just one of those books when you put it down, you sigh and say "Wow, that was sooo good!". It didn't just make me laugh and cry, it provoked my heart to understand more of what the Lord has for me. He has called each of us to care for others, to love them as we love ourselves. What exactly does that mean in my small, small world? Am I passing opportunities by to share the Love He has so mercifully shown me?
Okay, so go buy the book or check it out at the library and let me know what you think. I would love to get your opinions!

Video

Seth was a kind man today. He made me a movie of some birthday clips from yesterday. (By the way, when you see Josiah bending over to blow out his candles and I say "Oh Gosh. Wait a minute.", it's because there was a long string of spit ready to drop right on the cake. Yep. Thankfully, I caught it before anyone tasted the "essence" of Josiah.)

Josiah's Birthday

The weather could not have been more beautiful yesterday. I hope when I am older and the kids have grown, that I will never forget days like yesterday. Spending an afternoon with family and friends. The smell of grilled chicken wafting by on the wind. Watching little munchkins running around in the freedom they so love. And then, when it's all over, piling back into the car. The kids with their sleepy eyes and the contentment of having played their little hearts out. The parents trying to keep tired meltdowns to a minimum.
As much as I want to recall the rainbow colored moments, I also really want to remember the storms that bring those rainbows into existence. The panicked feelings of "did I forget anything?". The tantrums of a 2 year old who feels the injustice of not being allowed to dip his finger in the icing again. "You let me do it before, LET ME DO IT AGAIN!" The whining of a 5 year old who has reached his limit of allowing most of the attention to be directed to his little brother.
All of it creates "a day in the life of" and I wouldn't trade any of it for the world. It was a good day...

Enough of the rambling, here are some pictures.
This is my first attempt at a decorated birthday cake. Final verdict? We buy them from now on!

Birthday Boy. Nothin' cuter than a little boy in overalls.

Partay consisted mostly of our care group friends. They're awesome! Grammy and Papa let us have it at their house because they have a bigger yard. The kids appreciated that.

Mr. Dan teaching the fine points of lawn croquet.

Highlight of the party. Papa's neighbor insisted the kids get a tractor ride. So fun!

Best thing about this? The entertainment was free =)

Someone Turned 2 Today!

Yep, it's true. Josiah is a full-on two year old. All the joys and frustrations wrapped up in one cute Josiah man! He gets his own little party on Saturday so I will definitely post pictures from that...

I Can't Stop Laughing

You guys have to read Seth's new post here.

It's pretty darn funny.

Please tell me...

...how someone can wake up in the middle of the night with hiccups! That's right, last night at approximately 1:15 am, I woke up with full-on hiccups. How weird is that??

Vision

"I know the God who speaks. I want to know the God who acts".

One of the teachers at IHOP, Allen Hood, spoke this a few months ago. It pretty much sums up all that Seth and I have been feeling lately. When do we get to see the "greater than these" signs and wonders that Jesus spoke of? How long do we have to wait to walk in this power and authority?
The Lord has placed us in the midst of a people who are ready. Ready to contend for the things we have only dreamed of.
I love our home group. I mean, really love the community the Lord has placed us in. Our group is one that consists of strong leaders. Leaders that you can truly see the Lord do amazing things through in the future. But, for now, He has put us here. Together. For a reason. Most of us are around the same age. Young couples with young children. The Lord has, in His wisdom, also placed older couples in the group for balance. And there are many times where we can perceive His wisdom through these couples' experiences. These last months, we have really concentrated on building relationships with each other. We have shared meals. We have laughed and laughed. We have prayed each other through difficult circumstances.
Now we are ready for that next level. Last Thursday we spoke of this "prompting". A plan was formed. God has placed each of us in different environments, different mission fields. We all have situations where we would love to see the Lord break in. So that is what we are going to concentrate on. Praying specifically each week for each situation...the salvation or the healing or the miraculous provision. Focusing our week on this and expecting the Lord to give us all words of knowledge, dreams, and Scripture to encourage the one who must step out in boldness to carry out the Lord's plan.
I am so excited because I know I am finally going to see the things my heart has been longing for.
There was one concern during our discussion of this. "Will we still have the dinners?" Absolutely. Because the Lord has placed in our group some really, really good cooks! =)

Easter Sunday

What a great day! We celebrated Easter with lots and lots of friends today. A wonderful couple from our home group invited us all over for brunch and an Easter egg hunt. They have a beautiful home with an amazing 1.5 acre backyard. Perfect for 8 children, all under the age of 7!
This was Josiah's first "real" Easter egg hunt. I'm not certain he has the concept yet but he sure was cute...


I even managed to capture one more picture before the batteries in my camera ran out. This is Josiah's cutie-patutie friend, Elise.

Family Video

Usually Seth posts our family movies but since he has decided to spread his posts out, oh like a couple months apart, I am going to go ahead and post it on my blog. This last year's turned out really cute. Hope you enjoy!

Still At It

Apparently our feathered friend has not taken the hint. As I type this, I hear "Plink, Plink, Plink". What happens to a bird's ability to think when its head is thrown up against a hard window over and over again? I mean, it's not like he had much to begin with!

Looking Back and Walking Forward

Yesterday I had to hunt through my old journals to find an entry I wrote a few years ago. As I read through my writings from 2004, I was just amazed at what we had to walk through that year to get here to Kansas City. It was so difficult yet it was so full of the Lord's grace. We walked step by step while instruction was given only one direction at a time. Circumstances with family and friends drove us, not away from the Lord but straight into His heart. Desperate not to walk in unforgiveness. Determined not to let bitterness take hold. As we received nourishment every day from His Word, His beautiful and kind Word, it strengthened our resolve to follow His will.

3 years later and I am still amazed by our story. Only because it was written by a Hand who always knows the very best. Moments of bewilderment of why the Lord moved us here to Kansas City are becoming less frequent. Because we are beginning to see. We are being established in friendships. We are being given glimpses of our destiny. And it looks so much different than we pictured it 3 years ago, 5 years ago. As we grow in Him, this view will undoubtedly change again and again. Because our destiny is less about us and so much more about a stunning King who will have His Bride. An utterly abandoned Bride who thinks nothing of what man can do to Her. A Bride with a focused gaze, listening only to His Words and walking in His will.

We have so much to look forward to because we have looked back and recognized His goodness and His faithfulness. He never changes. And that is just so comforting!