Busy Little Bee

Whew! It's 9:10 on Friday night, and this is about the only chance I've had to stop going for a while now. August has been a busy month for us here. I normally have a very laid back schedule... a lesurely breakfast, swimming in the pool, relaxing during the baby's naptime. Seriously, this stay-at-home mom stuff is awesome.

But this month... wow! I've had a few things keeping me insanely busy:

Eve's Birthday Party - Our little girl is turning 8. I can't believe it. Tomorrow, we're having a party for her. This is the first party she's had since she was 5, so I went all out. (Which is exactly the reason she hasn't had one since she was 5! Have I mentioned that I'm lazy?)

We're doing all Webkinz, all the time for the afternoon, so I have been designing games, drawing backgrounds and cutting out figures for said games, as well as baking a cake and decorating it all on my own.

This is kinda tradition for us. The only time Eve's had a store bought birthday cake was when she turned one. I actually made her one and decorated it with Barney, but I wasn't into animal products, so I left out the eggs and substituted apple sauce instead. That does not work. It was pretty gross. So, we went and got her another one from the store.

Visit from my MIL - On Sunday (which is Eve's actual birthday), my mother- in-law is coming. Preparing for her visit hasn't been that stressful. She's an awesome lady who thinks I'm the most organized person in the world. So, I really have to do little to impress her with my housekeeping skills.

But we did have to get some details squared away with where she'd stay, and this included putting a bed in Ashlyn's room for Eve to sleep on so Wilma can have Eve's room to herself. After the bed was in place, I went to work getting some odds and ends on the wall, including a cool piece of art that my friend Kristin made for Ashlyn's 1st Birthday.

School - AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! This year Billy and I decided to save some money by using the library as our curriculum. After all, the curriculum runs around $500-600, and that's some nice cash to pay down our van loan. Not to mention, I minored in history in college, taking several U.S. history classes, so how hard could it be to teach my 8 year old the basics?

OMGoodness! That was some stress and a half. In the end, it was just me trying to do too much to make the year amazing. Resources out there are endless and trying to process them all and pick the best was overwhelming me to say the least. But once I talked to my good friend Kara about it all, things have been cool. She directed me to a neat website that is kinda a 1-stop shop for free downloads and info.

I figured out a basic schedule, and things fell into place pretty nicely for the first 12-weeks of the year. I'll tackle the rest of the year over Christmas break.

Storytelling Problem

I love this quote from the book I'm currently reading - Blink by Malcolm Gladwell.

"We have, as human beings, a storytelling problem.  We're a bit too quick to come up with explanations for things we don't really have an explanation for."

Perhaps the most ironic thing about this is that I think Gladwell himself does this quite expertly in his book The Tipping Point, which Billy recently read and discussed at length.  Oh, well.

Declutter Challenge Week 2

This post is part of the August Decluttering Challenge.

August 8 - Spent lots of time in Ashlyn's room decluttering.  Instead of spreading it out and doing just 1 item a day, I decluttered several things at once -

A lone shoe that I haven't found the match to in several months.

A Dots T-shirt that is too small to wear and too stained to give away.  It's now in the rag basket.

A bagful of clothes for Ashlyn to grow into now have a nice home on a closet shelf instead of on her bed.

Hung up her curtains.

Put her bumper pad back in her crib.  It had been sitting out a few weeks after being washed.

Hung up pictures, decluttering them from the closet storage.

August 12 - Put some phone numbers into Gmail contacts and threw away the papers they were written on.

August 13 - Decluttered my e-mail inbox.
 

Personal Policies

1. I always clean the kitchen and the bathroom first.

2. I like to save the dishes from dinner for the next morning.

3. Corn on tacos is tasty.

4. I use a blue pen as a book mark in most books. This really ruins the spine, but it makes note-writing in the margins much more convenient and blue shows up against the black print well.

5. I like to read more than one book at a time. This way, if I want to read, I have options of what book to read based on what I'm in the mood for.

6. I like slightly large coffee cups. This way I can have room for cream and sugar without sacrificing any room for caffeine.

7. Except that I really prefer skim milk and Stevia, instead of cream and sugar.

What are some things that make you you?

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What is the Simple Life?

As a homeschooler, I run into a lot of people who glamorize the "simple" life of Laura Ingalls. These women like the idea of stringing cranberries and popcorn for Christmas decorations. They blog statements like, "Oh, to return to the simpler days!"

Excuse me???

Have you watched Little House on the Prairie? Sure the Christmas decorating seemed fun and quaint, but what about the episode where Charles (and the rest of the men) had to go find work in Mankato for 3 months, leaving the women behind to farm and take care of the kids? (episode 3, season 1) That doesn't sound so simple to me.

Another movement toward "simple" can be found on Shaun Groves' blog. Now you all know I think his blog is the best on the web, after Billy's. So, when you go there to read about his idea of simplicity, make sure you also subscribe to his feed.

But Shaun's idea of simple seems to completing twist the word around. Can you please tell me what's simple about un-plugging and re-plugging and un-plugging cords into outlets? Or how about washing all dishes by hand and hanging up laundry to dry? Sounds very simple, huh?

But I'm passionate about simplicity. Seriously. So passionate that 4 years ago when the e-harmony profile asked me what the one thing that I was most passionate about was, I answered, "simplicity."

So, what's simple to me? Simple is scaling back on the abundance of consumerism, yet appreciating the convenience of the 21st century. Simple is finding value in nature and giving priority to beauty and friendship around us.

For a great look at my kind of simplicity, check out this week's simplicity tips from Beth of My Simpler Life. (And while you're there subscribe to her feed to!)

Declutter Challenge!

August is the month for the Declutter Challenge over at My Simpler Life.  The goal is simple: declutter 1 item a day throughout the month of August.  Post about it every week, and be entered to win organizing tools.

So, here we go....

This week I decluttered:

August 1: Baby bath seat
August 2: an area rug we no longer need
August 3: CD cases/liner notes (I kept interesting photos from them  for craft projects, then I threw the rest of them away)
August 4: box of items that I'd already designated for donating, but never took
August 5: threw away papers that had clutter up the kitchen table
August 6: computer table got a quick once over
August 7: took some dashboard wipes from the house to the car

I don't have pictures this week, but I hope it still counts.  Things have been hectic... hence the lack of posting.  We had an injury that required some emergency room care, but don't worry.  She'll be fine!

Music Monday > Breaking Up Just Breaks My Heart

I commented over on Kat's Music Monday post just now, and mentioned what a good show it was to see Monk and Neagle live. (Opening for Bebo Norman, no less. I swear that's what heaven will be like.)

So, I thought I'd take a look at their site to see what they're up to currently.

What I found is that there's yet another band that I'll have to add to my list of "Sad to See You Go."

Other bands are -

Five Iron Frenzy

No Doubt









Sixpence None the Richer

New Kids on the Block (Although I hear they're making a comeback... again.)











Anyway, back to Monk and Neagle. Neagle, it seems, has decided to leave the open road in favor of the family. I commend him for that.

But it's still sad to me because Monk and Neagle were seriously a breath of fresh air in the Christian music community. They had a great sound more like Jack Johnson than anything you'll hear on the local Christian station. And their harmonies! Man... those are amazing.

So, bands break up. And it breaks your heart when you realize that the music you love will be all you can heart from them again.

What band did you hate to see breaking up?

*this post is part of Music Mondays

Surprisingly Painless

So, today, I had to get my car title and driver's license transferred to Alabama. I was fearing this day like no other.

Since moving to Alabama, I've run into a few hang-ups with the government. The child support rigamarole I've had to go through was beyond obnoxious. And I already wrote about the Farmer's Market confusion.

So, I was planning on hours at the courthouse for the tags followed by hours at the police department for my license. But it was actually a piece of cake.

In and out within 15 minutes at each place. Quite uneventful. Not at all like other visits to other BMVs.

Music Monday > Songs We Wish We Wrote

Ever hear a song and get so jealous that you didn't write that amazing sentiment or tremendous melody?

Happens to me all the time, but recently "I Saw What I Saw" by Sara Groves has been at the top of the list of songs I wish I wrote.

It's awe-inspiring and yanks the tears from my eyes. I hope you enjoy it, in the kind of way that makes you want to serve God in new ways.



What song do you wish you wrote?
*This post is part of Music Monday

Sites to See > July 25

Check out these links to some helpful sites:

SmileBooks: If you're looking for a way to make a super classy photobook, this is it. While the prices are a bit higher than other printers such as YorkPhoto.com, SmileBooks has way more options and classier designs than most of what I've seen before. When ordering use the Coupon Code BZZFRIEND to receive 25% off all Classic or Deluxe SmileBooks (Offer expires 10/31/2008).

We Are What We Do: Based on the idea that little actions go a long way toward changing the world, this site encourages people to track ways they've helped. Some of the actions include reading to a child, replacing one light bulb, or taking a bath with your honey. You can browse through a list of actions that others have suggested or input your own. One super fun function is the "dare" function, where you can dare other members to accomplish an action toward bettering our world.

The Point: This is a site that makes it easy to organize people towards a common goal. They have 3 types of campaigns: ultimatum ("do x, or we'll boycott"), fundraisers ("let's pay for a new playground in the community"), and carrot campaigns ("do x, and we promise to buy more"). I know several readers are into grass roots, and this is a great way to get that going.

Check out these sites and let me know which was your favorite in the comments section below.

*these sites were discovered at thefrogpond.

To Help a Friend > Enter and Win!

So, I just got done with a fun little graphics/coding project that I'm pretty proud of.

Misty at Rainy Day in May mentioned wanting a giveaway button that readers could put on their pages to let others know about her awesome generosity.

I think you all know that Misty is my most loyal blogging pal, so I thought I'd use all my vast amounts of graphics and html knowledge to help a sister out.

Here's the result:

Enter Monthly to Win

<!--START RAINY DAY GIVEAWAY--><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(166, 77, 121);"><a target="_blank" href="http://mistywagner.blogspot.com/search/label/giveaway"><br/><br/><img border="0" alt="Rainy Day GiveAway" src="http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m206/rainydayinmay/rainydaygiveaway.jpg"/></a><br><br /> <font size="2">Enter Monthly to Win</font></br></div><!--END RAINY DAY GIVEAWAY--><br /> </div></div><!--END RAINY DAY GIVEAWAY--><br /> <br />

Be sure to visit today and mention that I sent you when you enter her contest.

Broken Hearts and Open Doors

Just got back from a monthly dinner at my church. The incidental part was that we had yummy ice cream and I sang with Billy to lead God's people in worship.

The amazing part was the missionaries that spoke to us about a recent trip to Rwanda.

A young woman from our church named Tammy went with e3 Ministries in June. So, tonight, she got a chance to show a DVD with pictures and video clips, as well as to talk about the trip and the ministry that they did and that they experienced.

Her recurring theme was, "that just made my heart melt." Whether it was the passionate nationals who were praying for her to have a son (they were shocked that she was married without kids, and didn't really understand that it was by choice) or the young African boy who took such joy in daily carrying her backpack down the mountain, Tammy was overwhelmed with gratitude to the people who showed her God's love so deeply.

And then, the full-time mission workers spoke.  Parts of their talk were statistics.  Heart-breaking, gut wrenching statistics - the number of households run by 11-year-olds, the number of orphans, the number of deaths.  And also amazing, God glorifying statistics - the number of converts and church plants.

One thing that I thought was a riot was what this missionary told us the purpose of American trips was.  It was not so we could waltz in there and tell news that no African knew; it was so that we could provide opportunities and avenues for nationals to share the gospel in places they can't get into on their own.

Apparently, white skin is welcome anywhere.  So, often, the Americans act just as a way to open the door for the Africans to have a platform to speak from.  Africans are ready and raring to get the gospel to their countrymen.  And we can help them just by being white.

Of course, after hearing from these missionaries, my heart is re-broken for the little boys that I met in Jamaica 3 years ago.  I'm praying tonight for Glenton Smith, Lynval Campbell and Jerome Davis.

Music Monday: Free Music from OurStage.com

Last week, I wrote about Derek Webb's initiative to get free music out there for the public.

Another website I've come across recently is called OurStage.com

It's an avenue to find some new music by independent artists. More developed than Noise Trade, it recommends music for you based on your ratings.

I found some great accoustic/folk type stuff, but there's also countless other genres.

Check it out to see the sample downloads before you commit to a free account.

Here's to good music, for a good price. ;)

This post is part of Music Mondays.

How We Decide

Let me say that I'm no expert here, but I know enough to know that we're all different, and those differences have much more to do with our personalities than it has to do with our culture.

Billy's reader recently turned up this graphic. It was part of a post that tried to glorify the Chinese decision-making process and undermine that of the Americans.

I take issue with the labels, of course. But even more, I take issue with the idea that one of these ways is preferable to the other.

For example, what process do you think I used here?

Today, I went to the Farmer's Market. I had some coupons for $20 of free produce. Now, I'm used to a Farmer's Market that is just a bunch of tents of individuals. You pay cash to each individual person. I've never heard of coupons being used at these.

So, I supposed (hesitantly) that it must be an actual store, and perhaps I could use my credit card if I spent more than $20.

On my way, I almost turned around because I wondered if there would be anything left since the market was closing in 30 minutes. I thought things would be picked over, so I turned on a side street to head back home. But as I turned around, I thought that this farmers market might take their leftovers to another affiliated market in town that was open 7 days a week. So, maybe there'd be plenty of food left. And I would need produce this week, so maybe all the produce would be pretty fresh, since it's local, and it would be worth my time. I continued on my original course.

I arrived to find that it was a very normal Farmer's Market. This was completely outside my paradigm. I didn't understand how this would work. How do I use coupons when I pay individuals? Will they take my debit card? How likely are they to have a way to process that in their tents? Would they even take my check? What if I spent $5, could I get change back from my $4.00 increment coupons? What if multiple people were selling the same thing? Now, I'd have to travel back and forth from tent to tent comparing and evaluating.

But I didn't have a stroller. I expected a shopping cart, and now I weighed whether it would be too inconvenient to carry my daughter while balancing my re-usable shopping bags, my wallet, and my coupons. Or I could just make her walk, which would immensely hinder my progress as 18-months-olds are well known as "slow moving vehicles."

So, was this all worth it? After all, I'd already spent the gas that I was so concerned about wasting. Still, I just didn't know. What if I couldn't use my coupons? What if I spent the time to find what I wanted, filled my bags, juggled my daughter, and then found out my stuff wasn't accepted. I saw no tent that seemed "in charge" to check with ahead of time. I was concerned that the vendors would be annoyed to answer my questions when there were plenty of "paying" customers they were already helping.

So, I headed home without getting out of my car.

You can see that this decision-making process is not "A" to "B" (i.e. I must not be a very good American).

And can you also see that this "Chinese" decision-making process is not necessarily better than the "American" one? It can actually be pretty painful.

See, investigating all the options around a decision takes a long freakin' time. It brings up concerns that then have to be squelched. It often actually makes one scared to make the wrong decision. (Or even a less than perfect decision.)

So, I headed home, empty-handed, deciding that I just wasn't ready for this.

I came home feeling pretty lame, but better prepared for the next time I venture there. (And in the meantime, I'm going to call a contact number I found online and ask!)

Billy makes decisions more like an "American" (which is funny, cause his eyes are way more slanty than mine!).

If he had come along with me, he would have said, "We're here. We're gonna check it out. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. But it might, and you can't win if you don't compete at all."

He decides solidly, without a lot of mental gymnastics, and he knows that it's okay for his decisions to be less than perfect.

While there are times to be cautious, 90% of the time, if the decision is in Billy's court, I feel pretty darn proud to be American.

How do you tend to make daily decisions? What about monumental ones?

Farmer's Market photo courtesy: empracht

Have You No Shame? a.k.a. You're Lucky I Don't Have a Photo

So, I've written before about how much time we spend at the pool, chilling in the coolness while the rest of the city is steaming in the 95 degree weather.  Not to rub it in, or anything.

But something I just can't get over every time we've gone is the fat girls in the bikinis. 

It brings to mind a comedian I saw years and years ago.  (I wish I could remember who it was, I'd insert a YouTube vid here.)  He talks about these woman with rolls all around their backs, stomach hanging over their waistline, and he wonders,

At what point does she look in the mirror and say, "Man! I look good!"

Billy says he thinks it's just the style these days to wear a bikini no matter how big you are, but I just don't see how that ever made it past the fashion police.

Call me old fashioned, but I'm still interested in a bathing suit that hides the flaws and flatters my figure. 

I'll go for the solid black tankini, thank you very much!

Feeling Curious? Ask to Pray

A couple of years ago, my family had a pretty huge thing going on. There was trauma and lots of tears. There was traveling involved. There was embarrassment and grieving. There was a lot of requesting for prayer.

I remember very distinctly a phone call that I got at that time from a woman at my church. She was calling to find out the situation so they could "know how to pray."

Now, maybe I'm too sensitive (ok....I know I am), but I was instantly disgusted. While I appreciated any prayer we got from our friends, I felt like this woman was really just feeding her curiosity.

I bring this up because my mom asked me to pray for a friend of hers last night. All I know is that she is going through what is the hardest time of her life (one that's lasted 60+ years, so this must be big). Whatever it is brings a lot of embarrassment to this woman, and she asked my mom not to share any details.

So, what did I do? I prayed.

See we don't need to know about the situation, because honestly, our understanding is pretty darn insufficient anyway. That's why the Spirit and Jesus pray with and for us (Rom. 8:26, Hb. 7:25).

It's our hearts that matter in prayer, and pretending that we'll know how to pray because we know the details is a pretty shallow habit. Pretending that God acts based on our understanding of someone's needs is even worse.

But the positive side is this: our prayers are still effective (Js. 5:16). They are aromatic offerings to God (Ps. 141:2, Rev. 5:8).

So, when we don't know what to pray, we pray anyway. Because God looks at whether we intend goodness and not whether we understand his will.

2 Great Causes

Today's fasters are Pete and Brent. These are guys that are normally in Billy's circle, and I try to let him have his own sphere that I stay out of. But today, I had to comment on their sites and link 'em up.

Pete's writing about legal action taken in the name of justice for the poor and oppressed. He highlights an organization that puts ethics back in the often corrupted field of the law. He interviews a friend who's involved with the International Justice Mission.

Brent is writing about something dear to my heart -- a local crisis pregnancy center. He has some heartwrenching stats and some uplifting info on the hope-filled mission of these dedicated people.

Please visit them today, and offer your prayers for their sustenance.

Ear Candy

I just downloaded some music for free from NoiseTrade.com. It's apparently a project of Derek Webb's. So, of course, I had to get his music.

I also got some new tunes from Sixpence. I mean, the tunes aren't new, at least I don't think so. But they are new to me. So, that's cool.

HT: Shaun

Wordless Wednesday > My Eyes Are Not Normally So Big

Go check out Amanda for a contest on photo booths.

HT: Misty

Only in America...

I seem to be hearing this phrase a lot lately, normally in a derogatory way. It's used primarily to dig on some kind of shortcoming that a person wants to attribute to our country.

In case you're tempted to do so yourself, consider this quote:

"The national budget must be balanced, the public debt reduced, and the arrogance of authorities moderated." Cicero (106-43 BC)

I'm not the kind of person who buys into the idea that we're all so different. I don't believe that problems arise because of where you are. See, sometimes, problems have nothing to do with the country, and everything to do with humanity.

Human nature is one thing that isn't bound by culture or time.

Please Don't Call Me a Mommy Blogger

Sure, I'm a homeschooling SAHM of dd7 and dd1.5, wife to dh=hotness. Sure, I wake up to leaky diapers and spend my days picking up toys and feeding kids. Sure, I write about my kid's development and quick make-up fixes, but I'm so much more than that, too.

It's kinda like that age-old debate between working moms and stay-at-home moms (okay... not age-old, but at least since the 60's... and isn't that forever ago?). There's the issue of whether or not a daycare should raise your kids and whether it's too mind numbing to be engaged with 2 year olds all day. But in the end, the SAHM is honestly frustrated because the working mom tells her that she's "just" a mom.

So, I read recently that to blog well, you need to have an identity, to pick your niche so to speak. It's talked about all over that people need to know what to expect from you, that you need to target an audience that wants what you're going to consistently give them.

So be it.

But this one's not gonna do it. Cause I while I may have some child-rearing experiences I want to share, I'm just as likely to tell about struggling to love hateful people, or considering my own pleasure to be a means of pain for others. I'm just as likely to write about my awesome apartment, as I am to review a book for church leaders.

But either way, I'm not just a stay at home mom, and I'm not a mommy blogger. So, sorry if you were looking for something predictable. But I just don't do niches.

Up to Our Eyeballs

I got a voicemail today from a very nice sounding young man named William Page. He was calling with concern because his records showed that our loan payments were overdue, and he hoped that we could work together to come up with a loan restructuring plan based on our current financial situation. He urged me to call soon so we could begin avoiding foreclosure immediately.

I didn't call. In fact, I deleted the voicemail.

Billy and I have an ethic of living within our means. So, that means that we don't take debt lightly. We are careful to enter into any kind of arrangements where we owe anyone anything. We don't commit our money where it can't be fulfilled. Rather, we work to pay extra on the one loan we owe on our van.

After all, the Bible tells us to, "let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another..." Romans 13:8.

But I realize that not everyone lives this way. And my heart broke today listening to the call.

We got that call, I'm sure, as a cold call from a telemarketing agency trying to build up business for a consolidation company. It didn't apply to us, but odds are that it applies to more people than not these days.

Our country is so overwhelmed with debt. In Indiana creditors were calling us to get to our neighbors. The resident who lived in our apartment before us is defaulting on her loans (I know this cause I get her mail all the time and the envelopes proclaim it).

The other day, I fasted for those in captivity abroad. Today, I mourn for those who are shackled here in America.

Mark Driscoll Done Me Proud

If you've been hanging around here long, you probably realize that I have a love/hate relationship with Mark Driscoll (what Christian doesn't?)

I love his determination. I love that he has strong opinions. I love that he's reaching out to our post-mod culture without buying into its wish-washy nature.

But I hate his jerkiness. I hate his forceful and derogatory comment. And sometimes, I just hate his opinions.

But today, Billy showed me a video that I absolutely love.

It's Mark Driscoll being strong and determined, but also loving and compassionate.



A few things to note:

• The statistic he mentions of 1/3 of the congregation having been raped or molested is not limited to Mars Hill. This is a national statistic. It's sick, and it needs to change.
• Believe it or not, many Christians are still not willing to believe that abortion is wrong. There are many pastors who won't take a stand on this, and many more congregants that still want to be PC and pretend it's a "choice" issue. As someone who went through a crisis pregnancy 8 years ago and someone who's counseled others through them, I know that there are other, better choices. It's not about a choice or a preference. It's about life. And as Driscoll says, "A life is a life."
• At other times, I've heard Driscoll encourage people to attend small groups or get hooked into other community at the church in order to get encouragement or discipleship. Here, he offers to meet with this woman himself. I think that's a great balance between guarding your time and being available when people most need you.
  

40-Day Fast

Last week, I wrote about the beginning of the 40-day-fast, and since that time, you've seen links to other bloggers who were participating. I hope you've clicked through to a few to offer your support and to learn about some great causes.

Well, today, it's my turn, and I'm about as geeked as you can be to not have food for a day. I have a fasting partner, Steven Russell. We're not necessarily fasting for the same cause, just on the same day. Please go visit him after you finish here.

Fasting for the Persecuted Church

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:10

Tomorrow, we Americans will celebrate our independence. Ours, like any other, came through a hard journey and a great fight, starting long before colonization. Regardless of the bad rap that the Puritans and Pilgrims get in our history books, the truth is that they came here for religious freedom. Some came because they held a different conviction from the ruling powers. Others came because they wanted to reform the current church by setting a good example of purity. Either way, they moved here to be free.

Then when our founding fathers drafted the Bill of Rights, the right to this freedom was placed #1 alongside the freedom of speech, peaceful assembly, and the press.

No matter where our country's religious fervor stands now, we are still blessed with freedom to practice as we like. But we have millions of brothers and sisters around the world that don't have this freedom. These Christians are facing imprisonment, torture, and death.

In fact, the most recent statistics estimate 175,000 yearly murders and assassinations.

Of course, this is happening in the obvious countries - China, Iraq, Ethiopia. But persecution and torture also takes place in parts of Mexico and other democratic countries like Belarus.

This is where my student Vadim came from. His family had immigrated to America in 2000, as religious refugees. His parents owned a tailor shop, and he was enrolled in my writing class, but confused about where he was headed in his life.

Over the next year, I got to watch him find direction, to grow in his faith, to burn with passion, and to take the oath to become an American citizen. It was awesome to witness all this. I was proud of him and proud to know him. I am forever grateful that God chose to bless his family with passage to America.

But people in his home country - and around the world - still suffer.

It's easy to sit over here on the opposite side of the world and take our freedom for granted. It's easy to ridicule our churches and complain about all the ways they're "doing church" wrong. It's easy to forget that the reason we have posers in our congregations is that we have freedom and our lives are not in jeopardy just because we showed up to a gathering.

It's easy to feel secluded, far away from the pain. It's easy to go all day, all week, all month without thinking about the torture, bondage, and death that our family across the ocean goes through.

So, today, I am breaking away from what's easy. I'm praying today for spiritual perseverance, for faithfulness, for joy for our persecuted and tortured. I'm praying specifically that these Christians living in captivity will find peace in knowing they are free in Christ.

And I'm praying for Americans, too, that as we celebrate our earthly freedom, that we would be burdened to unify with our global family.

Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. Hebrews 13:3

For more information and ways you can help encourage a persecuted Christian, visit http://www.persecution.com or http://www.prisoneralert.com.

Why Fast?

After all this talk of food that's been going on here at This One Goes Out, my day of fasting is coming up quickly. I'll be abstaining from food on July 3rd. Billy will be taking a couple of shifts with the girls to allow me some time to be focused on God, unified with His desires, and listening to his prompting.

But all this raises the question, "Why bother?" While we can't say for sure just what fasting does for us or for that which we're praying for, I have my beliefs on why we should bother withholding food.

There are actually few times that I've felt called to fast. Once was when Billy and I were trying to figure out where to go with our relationship. Another was while we were living apart a few months ago and we were trying to sell our house. Each time I saw powerful things happen.

Scripture points to this power when Jesus' disciples question him about why they could not drive out a demon. They seem to have been able to drive other demons out, and they wonder why this one just won't listen. Jesus replies, "This kind can only be driven out through prayer and fasting." (Mt. 17:21, Mk. 9:29 NKJV)

In other words, there is a lot of power that Jesus has given to us already. We can personally do a lot to further God's kingdom, but sometimes the power is reserved and we just have to turn to him in a state of humbleness, remembering that we must rely completely on him to do the work himself.

So, tomorrow, I will be doing just that.

July Goals

Here's how I did on my June goals:

• Continue "real" exercise 2x a week, but also add in mini-sessions 2 evenings - Except for the week that I had insomnia, I did good with this.

• Find out about new car and drivers' licenses - I never knew how hard it would be to find out where I actually go to do this. I quickly found out the requirements for transferring my license and titles, but figuring out the location took quite a bit of effort. I think I got it, though.

• Decrease auto fuel usage by 10% (in terms of dollars!) - This was kinda a dumb goal. We ended up driving less, and if gas hadn't continued to rise, we would've made it. But as it is, we spent about the same amount as last month.

• Figure out some ways to eat healthy and cut the grocery bill - We spent 18% less this month than last month. I feel like we've had enough to eat and it's been quite good for us.

• File all my crazy papers - honestly, I don't know why I put the filing off so long. I set aside a couple of evenings that Billy was at band practice, and I whipped through this bad boy in a 30-minute session. What a relief!
• Shred unneeded ones - This was a little more difficult. When my 8-pages-max shredder started choking on one sheet at a time and overheating after 5 minutes of use, I knew I had problems. Eventually, my shredder was grinding really weird, and I'm a little scared to finish.
  

• Finish choosing photos for the baby book - DONE! And not just the choosing, but also some of the editing, uploading, and arranging on the memory book template from YorkPhoto.com

JULY GOALS:

Finish Ashlyn's baby book and order it, along with other pix I haven't wanted to pay for yet
Prepare lessons for the first 4 sessions of schooling for fall
Go on a date
Figure out what to do with my papers that need shredding
Decide on a cause to support

Southern Hospitality

Today, we headed out to a local park for a church picnic. Good time, of course. Hanging out with no agenda usually is, right?

I talked for a while to some ladies that I haven't spent enough time with yet, and we had a nice time praising God for his creation.

But it was after the singing that I really got my socks blown off. Our pastor, Dorothy Ann, called me up to join Billy in front of everyone (Ugh! I thought. I hate having people look at me.). She then announced that we were about to get pounded.

We looked nervously around as people began hitting fists into open palms. (Now, excuse me a second, please! Aren't y'all a bunch of Christians? What happened to the whole 'love thy neighbor' thing?)

Our eyes were then directed to a picnic table in the corner that was secretly piled high with food. A "pounding," it turns out, is an official Alabama welcome. People from our community brought a pound of food each to help us stock up our kitchen.

A "pound,"however, in Alabama equals at least 48 oz. We were stocked up and stocked again.

But it wasn't enough. No ma'am.

Our new friends not only purchased a ton of food for us, they also loaded us up with all the leftovers from the picnic. There was nothing I could do to convince anyone that they could take some, too, if they wanted.

Let's just say all my grocery money saving just got a whole lot easier.

Thanks, Chase Valley. We love you, and we're blessed to serve here.
before after
not to mention all of this:

Power to be Brave

This last week, Chase Valley had a week of Power Labs for VBS. I missed most of it cause I was staying home with Ashlyn getting some organizing done. (Well, that... and the fact that the only kids I like are my own and those of my friends. Ouch. I know. But it's true.)

Anyway, our Sunday messages have been linked to the VBS lessons of things that Jesus gives us the power for.

Today, we talked about the power to be brave. Pastor Fred talked about the song, "Voice of Truth," which I for one love. I'm not a big fan of most Christian music, as I think I've mentioned before. And I'm really not a fan of the style of music that Casting Crowns producing.

But man! this song has a powerful message.

There's this balance in Christianity that is often hard to find. On the one hand, we want to be real. You hear the word "authentic" thrown around like it's going out of style. We're supposed to admit our weaknesses and our struggles. The last thing that we want to do is be fakers who pretend everything's fine when it's very obviously not.

But in our authenticity, sometimes we get so wrapped up in our feelings that we forget Truth. Sometimes, we choose to let our feelings tell us what's true, instead of letting Truth tell us how we should feel.

So, I love this song. Because no matter what the circumstances, no matter how I feel... Jesus is the Truth, and he really does give us the power to be brave.

Ways to Save - Bonus Idea

And you all thought I only had 6 ideas for saving money for groceries.

But this one actually comes from someone else.

On Wednesday, Brian Seay wrote his 40-day-fast post for Compassion and shared something that his family does for dinner on a weekly basis.

Rice and Water.

That's it. Nothing more.

I think this is an amazing idea for 2 reasons.

First of all, it helps a family identify with another world that can so often slip from our thoughts. An ongoing commitment to eat a meager meal once a week reminds kids (and parents!) how much we really have. After all, we'll get up the next morning and eat something different. People in Africa, or China, or the DR will eat the same thing over and over and over.

This also helps to save grocery money. Billy and I talked last night about implementing this and intentionally using the money we save to feed someone who's starving. We haven't decided yet if that will be in the form of finding a child in another country or giving to a local ministry who feeds those in our own area. But the $20 that we save a month will not go toward buying more gas or paying for more A/C. It will go somewhere for God's work.

Ways to Save- Part 3

Earlier this week, I started telling you about some ways that we are trying to cut down our grocery bill this month. The verdict's still out on how effective this all was, but my current predictions are that we saved about 15 - 20% of our last month's bill. Pretty good if you ask me.

Today, I'll wrap up the series. If you missed part 1 or part 2, be sure to check those out, too.

5. Go to the store once a week, and then be a food nazi.
In the last installment, I told you that I've been planning meals and snacks a week at a time. From there, I make my shopping list and I go to the store on Monday. (This is my errand day, which is a gas-saving tactic, but that's a different post, right?)

If we stick to the plan, things are fine. If Billy drinks a glass of milk that I didn't strategically plan (gasp!), things don't go so fine. (trust me... I wasn't pretty) But I am not going back to the store. So, come Saturday, we may be having one egg each and dry toast for breakfast. But it's all good, cause on Monday, we all appreciate a real meal a little bit more.

Obviously, I have to work a bit to perfect it, but my theory is that if I'm in the habit of not returning to the store, then we'll save money on those nickel/dime trips that can quickly add up.

6. Check out the food pyramid and change our portions.
Eve and I learned about the food pyramid for science and if you look at what an actual serving size is, you'll realize that you're probably eating way too much. So, one of the things that I am definitely still learning to do is eat less. I'm not one to indulge and stuff myself anyway, but if my government says I only need 5.5 oz of meat a day, then who am I to argue?

Okay... that was just a little bit sarcastic, but really. Most of us could stand to eat smaller portions. This was hard at first, but I have a couple of suggestions that I've used to help the transition happen more smoothly.

First of all, we are, in fact, making it a transition. I have intentionally cut back on portions but not to the extent that we're done in two bites and a gulp. We're eating smaller portions now, but we still have a little ways to go before we're down to the recommendations.

Next, we drink more water. You hear this all the time, but I think a lot of people forget about it. I know I do. But between spacing out our meals and cutting back on portions, we've come to rely on the truth that we're often thirsty. We tend to drink water at each meal, and also have a few glasses in other parts of the day. I haven't measured to see if we're at the 64 oz. recommendation, but I'm sure we're close.

Ways to Save - Part 2

Yesterday, I told you a couple of the tricks I'm using to save money at the grocery store. Here are a couple more.

3. Stock up on sale items that we will use in the future.
If you are the kind of person that allots a weekly amount for groceries, this can throw your budget out of whack. For example, this week a lot of what we use often was on sale BOGO. So, my tally at the register was $139. I almost threw up since I try to keep our bill under $100 a week. But ultimately, it will benefit us because I won't be buying those items this week. So, it should even out.

Another spin on this is to buy larger sizes of things. For example, I can get a 3 lb. chuck roast for less $/pound than I can a 1 lb. slab. So, when I get home, I had to cut it in half and freeze it separately for 2 meals.

4. Plan our meals and snacks.
Each week, I take about 2 hours on Sunday to plan our week's activities and food. One area where some meal plans fall short is that they only account for dinners. But I've found that if I plan all our meals and snacks, I am able to buy the right amount of food without going over and wasting. I'm still new at this, so there are kinks to work out. For example, sometimes we have left-overs so I plan those into the meal plan. But other times, we eat all of the prepared food, and then we're left scrounging for the next day's lunch. Still, all in all, it's worked.

This also helps when I have a list at the store and don't veer from it because I know that all my food is planned for. So I don't need to add things here and there. I do allow for flexibility for snacks. For example, I may plan for the kids to eat animal crackers for a bedtime snack, but at the store, we see that vanilla wafers are on sale. Whatever... it's the same type of food. But the principle is that I might substitute, but I don't add food to the list (except when stocking up!).

If this sounds a little rigid, just wait. More to come...

I Love Who I Am

Today, Sara at On Simplicity wrote to clarify some strengths of introversion.

I appreciate this like no other.

Often, people admire those who are socially outgoing, who love to be around groups of people, and who always have something to say.

But that's not me.

I am typically staying back socially... until I know a little more about you. I'm not letting it all hang out before I know your story. I love being with people, but I tend to prefer one-on-one or smaller groups. I thrive in settings where I can speak if I want, but feel no pressure to perform on the spot.

I prepare. I think things through. And when I do something, I do it well. (Hey, this is my blog... I'm totally allowed to brag about myself.)

There are lots of different labels that personality tests will give. Introvert, meloncholy, phlegmatic, to name a few. Regardless of what you call it, the point is that people who are introverts have a lot to offer.

Go on over and check out Sara's post today and let her know what you think.

Ways to Save - Part 1

Yesterday, I told you guys (er, uh girls, mainly) that I'd be posting a few entries on things I'm doing to save money on groceries.

Before I post my first couple ideas, let me make this disclaimer: I don't know for certain that these are all money-saving ideas. They are things that I'm trying. I haven't perfected them, so I don't know exactly how much I'll save with them. That is to say, I don't know if they are all worth the effort. Dollars saved may not be worth the time invested, but since I have more time than I do money, I think they are probably worth my while. You'll have to decide on your own if they're worth yours.

Also, let me define the word "groceries" for you. When I say groceries, I pretty much mean anything I buy. I don't buy anything... ever. Okay...that's not totally true. I spent $5 on some shoes for Ashlyn just last week, but mainly I just buy necessities, so things like toiletries, food prep or storage tools, etc. are all considered groceries as far as our budget is concerned.

So now... the moment you've all been waiting for.


1. Buy AngelFood boxes.
AngelFood ministries is a nationwide distributor of low-priced, but fairly high quality food. For $30, you can get about $75 or more worth of food. I'm not sure how they accomplish that, but it's been a good thing for us this month.

You have to pre-order their boxes, and then pick up at the scheduled 2-hour window. I would recommend picking up at the beginning of the window or your meat will be thawed out.

In order to use everything that comes in the box, I've enrolled in Menus4Moms menu service, which is $2 a month. (The site is a bit hard to navigate around, so expect to have to be patient with it!) They will send me a meal plan for the ingredients in this month's box. This has helped me because in the past, I've wasted AngelFood because of not knowing how to prepare it.

This brings me to my next point...

2. Eat what's available.
AngelFood has stuff in it that I wouldn't normally want to eat, such as pork and beef. But the price is so good, and the meat is actually fairly lean, so it's a good choice for saving money and staying healthy. So, since the food is available to us, we're eating it, whether it's our first choice or not.

This also goes for things I buy. For example, this week Kellogg's reduced sugar Frosted Flakes were on sale for less than the store brand's regular frosted flakes. They don't taste quite as good, but they are better for us and cheaper -- this week, anyway.

And speaking of sales... tune in tomorrow. :)

This Week on This One Goes Out...

This week is the beginning of a powerful "event" called the 40 Day Fast. The deal is that various bloggers will be fasting one day each and writing about a cause that they are focusing their prayers on. I'll be participating on July 3rd to write about... something. I'll also to putting up a link in my sidebar to the featured bloggers. Be sure to check that out.

In a somewhat related topic...

This week, I'm also focusing on one of my goals for June. We were hoping to save money on groceries while keeping the health of the family in mind. This is a task and a half sometimes, as a lot of the money we currently spend is on fresh fruit and vegetable, whole wheat bread, and fresh meat. This is as opposed to canned foods, poser wheat bread, and frozen foods like chicken nuggets.

After the month's over, I'll give an update on all my goals. But for now, I thought I could share some of the things I'm doing to try to cut back on our grocery spending.

Hope you'll stay tuned and offer your own thoughts on both of these topics.

Can I Pray for You?

Yesterday, I wrote about how insanely tired I was. I expected to go to sleep early and to stay asleep forever.

But when nighttime fell, I was awake. And I stayed awake... until 3 am.

And it occurred to me that there's not much to do in the middle of the night when you've read every book in the house, and you're too exhausted to clean. So, I got online and wasted time. A lot of time.

I went back to bed at 3 and discovered a better way to spend my annoying waking hours.

So, I want to ask you how can I pray for you tonight when I can't sleep?

Please leave a public comment or send me a private contact to let me know what your needs are.

I'll be talking to God around midnight, I would guess.

Compassion Bloggers

On my sidebar, you'll see a new element from Compassion International.

About two months ago, Shaun Groves helped Compassion launch a new campaign to bring awareness of Compassion's work and the families they help to the world-wide web. I hesitated to join in. I'm not one for bandwagons.

But after investigating a bit, I felt like this was something I could honestly endorse. It's something I could do something with, whether it was just the next big thing (normally a turn off to me) or not.

So, I applied for their trip to the Dominican Republic in November. (They are still in the process of selecting a crew for that.)

I didn't put anything on my blog about this, though, until today. The main reason is that I am not a poser. (Although, announcing that fact on my blog may in fact qualify me as one.) I don't like to talk about something I'm not sold out on. I felt a little hypocritical to say, "You should send your money to Compassion," when I myself do not send my money to Compassion.

It's a hard thing to wrestle with. I constantly write on here the latest ways that Billy and I are trying to conserve and reduce and simplify and save. But we still aren't there with any extra money. It's hard to read other people talking about giving up $20 worth of Starbucks coffee a month in order to help Haitians. We don't spend money that way.

We buy gas and groceries.

The one thing we pay for that is not necessary is the internet, but this actually helps us save gas as Billy works from home at least once a week.

But today, I decided that if I believe that every little bit helps (and I do), and if I believe that our motivations and our hearts are more important than the uncontrollable outcome of an action (and I do), then my heart is to see children taken care of in the name of Jesus. And while I may not have the means to financially support them right now, some of you do.

So, I've chosen a widget that features a child in need of support.

Please look at it each time you visit my site. If you are compelled to help this child for $32 a month, you can click through to commit.

To find out more about Compassion, visit www.compassion.com.

God bless you for looking.

Insomniatic Slacker

I am in a bad cycle of not being able to sleep. And it's catching up to me today in the form of a horrendous headache. Ouch!

On another note, if you're interested in reading my short column on coming to terms with post-second child slacking, you can access it on the bottom of page 5 of this month's Evansville Parent.

Seriously? You Call This Humor?

Every so often, I find a pretty funny thing on the Onion. Often their humor is lame. Many times, the articles are mediocre attempts at satire.

But lame humor is one thing. Complete irreverence for the suffering of others is another.

I can't believe their "American Voices" post today that laugh in the face of Tim Russert's sudden recent death.

It's really quite disgusting to make fun of someone so shortly after passing.

Humor doesn't have to come at the expense of those who can't defend themselves.

Seriously. Grow up.

A Run for My Money

It's been a little while since I wrote much about our little one, but today she just showed so many new skills that I can't help myself.

Here are some recent milestones in little Ashlyn's development:

1. Falling off the couch headfirst.
2. Climbing into the cabinets.
3. Playing in the toilet water.
4. Climbing into the bath while the water's running, while fully clothed.
5. Sticking letters on her head.
   

This is where it gets fun!

When the Living's Easy

Today was quintessential summer.

And I've had Sublime stuck in my head because of it.

After a couple of hours of school, the girls and I headed to the pool to catch up with our neighbors. It was the intense sunny time, so we lathered on sunscreen and dipped in the pool for some cooling down. After about an hour and a half, Ashlyn began falling asleep in her intertube, so I decided to head home and give her a proper nap. She slept for 2 1/2 hours. Amen!

During that time, Eve played here and there, but eventually went outside to run around with the kiddos across the hall. This is where summertime burst in.

Playing outside for hours on end. Dripping with sweat and loving every minute. Coming in for rushed drinks and bathroom breaks.

It made me happy to see my daughters with a normal and healthy childhood.

And it's days like this that remind me why being home is the best thing for all of us.

It's Official... I'm Too Old

The saying goes, "If it's too loud, you're too old."

Well, count me in with the crowd of fogies, I guess.

Last night, Billy and I took the girls to an all-city worship night at Shae's Express coffee house. I wanted to go because 1) I like being with Billy and he was going, and 2) I'm running tech this morning at Chase Valley, and you can't really worship God all-out when you have to concentrate on getting the slides up at the right time.

Unfortunately, I didn't really worship that much last night. I tried, at times. But as I said, I'm now too old, and I couldn't stay my mind or heart on God for the commotion on the stage. I was too busy hoping that I wasn't causing permanent ear damage to my baby by keeping her there.

There was one catalyst for bringing me to worship, though, and that was an old man who was twirling orange flags. Honestly, it creeped me out slightly at first because here he was this sixty year old with a bit of a gut twirling flags like a high school girl. But honestly, it was a beautiful expression of worship. It captivated me and both my girls, and I found that I could worship with my soul a little bit more easily when I watch him instead of the band.

I wanted to catch him after the set and tell him that I appreciated him. But I had to make a bee-line for the bathroom, and when I got out, he was gone already.

In My Reader

In college, my friends made fun of me for holding the record of least movies seen... or heard of for that matter. It didn't really bother me. At that time, I found that most movies failed to hold my attention for 2 hours, so they really seemed like a waste of time. I'd much rather sit and watch 4 episodes of Seinfeld back to back to back to back.

Anyway, as I peruse the many offerings the blogosphere has to offer, I have come to the conclusion that my pattern has continued, and I'm nominating myself for the award of least blogs in your reader award. It seems like most bloggers I come across follow significantly more blogs than I do.

Again, this doesn't bother me. I see no need to go out and find more blogs because most of the ones that I've tried out have failed to capture me. I may subscribe for a while and then delete it from my reader because what I thought had potential really ended up in the lamer category.

But I thought I'd share the top blogs that I've found... ones that I have subscribed to and faithfully read for several months.

Number 1 blog: Billy Chia. Okay, okay... I know. I'm in love with the author, so it's a little bias. But in fairness, I fell in love with him over e-mail, so it's his writing that first captured my heart. I happen to love his blog, too. I think that he offers good insight that goes beyond the triteness that I find everywhere else.

The First Runner Up is... Shaun Groves. I will admit that I have never actually heard any of his music. But that's just because I don't like Christian music. Nothing against him... just his genre. Regardless, I love his blog. Billy and I agree that he has a good mix of serious posts that prod deep with questions and light-hearted family fun posts that give you a glimpse into his home life and his love for his wife and children. He's got a good sense of humor and strong ethics.

Tied for 3rd: Misty and Jessica. These girls are both moms that are in similar stages of life as me. Misty has an older elementary girl who she homeschools. Jessica has a son around Ashlyn's age. These blogs are completely relationship blogs for me. We comment on each other's posts religiously, and the benefit I get from reading them is simply to have some friends. That is reason enough.

Finally, a new blog that I've come across that I can see myself liking and I hope that I'm not disappointed -- Nury Vittachi. The few recent posts I've read have been pretty hysterical. Of course, the first one I read was linked to by my sister. It dealt with linguistics, and we all know what a sucker I am for a linguistics post. (And I am not joking at all, either.)

So, there you go... the blogs that made the cut for the pickiest reader in cyberspace. (Does anyone still use that term?)

Crappy Mom

My 16-month-old got a sunburn on her arms today because we were at the pool for 2 hours, and I only applied sunblock once. Needless to say, a lesson was learned, but I still feel like a loser.

What Do You Do With Truth?

"You can never be the same after the unveiling of a truth. That moment marks you as one who either continues on with even more devotion as a disciple of Jesus Christ, or as one who turns to go back as a deserter." --Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

Why Apartment Living Beats the Snot Out of Owning a House

When Billy and I moved here, we had lots of people encouraging us to buy a house, but we opted for an apartment instead. Oh, I am so glad we did!

Here are some reason I like renting an apartment instead of owning a home:

Yard Work: We have the best of both worlds here in the apartment. We have a grassy field out our back door for the girls to run around, but we don't have to mow it. We also have a little tucked away area between our patio and the air conditioning unit where I plan to put some plants next year. But if I don't get around to it, it's not a big deal, because landscaping isn't something I have to maintain while renting. So, if I want to, I can. If I don't, then I don't have to. Who can complain at that?

Cooling Off: We just got back from swimming in the complex's pool. It opened 2 weekends ago, and we've been making nearly daily trips to cool off for about an hour at a time. Not to mention that living on the bottom floor of an apartment building seems to keep us cooler than living in our one story house did. It's currently 92 degrees here, but it's quite comfortable in our apartment without the a/c on. In fact, the only times I've used the a/c so far has been while cooking dinner or working out. Those are times you tend to get extra hot, so I've needed the cool-down. Hopefully, this will reflect well on our bill this summer. (Of course, we'll have to see if this is still a good thing come winter, when our hot air rises!)

Size, location for our money: For the same amount of monthly payment, we could get a $100,000 home loan at the current rates (according to mortgage-calc.com). This is about what our last house was worth, and trust me, we are not wanting to go back into the kind of house you can get for $100,000. It will either be so old that we'll constantly do repairs, or so small that we'll literally trip over each other on the our way to the 1 bathroom (been there... trust me, I don't want to go back!), or in a location that is too busy for my tastes. So, here for a comparable cost, we gained 400 square feet, including one bathroom, and we have no responsibility for repairs, and we have a nice suburban feel with a lake to walk around.

Seriously, if renting this apartment, isn't a gift from God, I don't know what is.

Merchandise Credit is from God

...so are 3 hour long gymnastics camps.

Oh, seriously. It was heaven on earth. No one who knows me would ever doubt my undying love for my family, but gosh is was good to drop Eve off for an extended time at her gymnastics studio.

Ashlyn and I headed over to TJ Maxx to use a Merchandise Credit voucher we had left over from a gift we returned. See, those stores that let you get cash back when you return a gift just screw those of us that are overly responsible with our money. If we get cash, it immediately goes into our budget and ends up paying for something like rent or lights. But I had no choice today other than to go and buy something that I would never buy for myself - ever.

We've had this card since Christmas, and Billy insisted that I take today to get some new pajama pants, since mine have no fewer than 5 holes in the upper legs and, ahem, other areas. I ended up getting the pants, a father's day present, sandals for Eve, and a pair of goggles without spending a thing.

It was nice to get a treat and not feel guilty about where my money should be going.

So, thank you, God, for merchandise credit.

Beautiful Day

I'm about to unveil the extent of my dorkiness. Mark this day on your calendars, it won't happen again. Billy will love this. He accuses me of always wanting to look cool and not doing fun things because I'll look like a dork. He's right. But here, in all my dorkdom, let me tell you about my beautiful day.

As you faithful readers know, I've been gearing up to be organized. With a new baby and selling a house, schedules flew out the window. But now that we're fairly settled in the new place, I've been aiming to get some structure back in our lives. Oh, my gosh! Is it ever glorious!

Last night, I spent some much-needed time planning my week. I use Google Cal, and I have 4 calendars that I keep. Here's what my week looked like online:


So, here, I have my green events, my red reminders (i.e. anything Billy doesn't need cluttering up his calendar view), my purple meal planning, and Eve's pink. Google rocks and e-mails me one agenda for the day to print out and reference.

The day was highly organized, highly productive, and highly full of scheduled fun (and delicious food, I might add).

Commenting on my brilliant rigidity may now commence.

June Goals

Here's how I did on goals for the month of May:

• Work out 3 times a week - eh...it was more like 2, but it was something, at least.

• Pick out photos for Ashlyn's first year baby book - we're up through 8 months on this one.
  

• Figure out a scheduling/calendar system that works for us - looking good...Billy and I use GoogleCal to coordinate between the two of us, and I have a separate calendar book for taking with me. It's a little cumbersome to have both, but since I don't have a way to carry Google around, I have to use both for now.

• Read a couple of non-fiction books - The Emerging Church and Why We're Not Emergent. I also read The Bridge to Terebithia.
  

• Change address on magazine subscriptions - I called mags to do this, and found out that the post office did this one for me! How sweet of them.

• Use the decluttering calendar a couple times a week - Ok...so I only used it a couple time this month. The result is a couple of very organized dresser drawers. Long overdue!

• Spending Fast Update - We did it! The only thing that we bought that was not a utility or food was a bathing suit for me. I know, I know...it doesn't seem like a necessity, but trust me... when your plan is to stay home as much as possible all summer in order to save gas, you have to take advantage of the complex pool. I thought about putting the purchase off until June, but I was at Wal-mart getting diapers (total necessity!) and I figured I should just go ahead and get the suit to save another trip.
  

June's Goals -
Continue "real" exercise 2x a week, but also add in mini-sessions 2 evenings
Find out about new car and drivers' licenses
Decrease auto fuel usage by 10% (in terms of dollars!)
Figure out some ways to eat healthy and cut the grocery bill
File all my crazy papers/shred unneeded ones
Finish choosing photos for the baby book

Book Review: Why We're Not Emergent by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck

I found out about this book from my old buddy Dan Kimball. It's a critique on emergent that he recommended as a fair look. You can read Dan's review, too. But read mine first.

The Set-Up

This book is written by two very different guys. One is a theology-loving logical kinda guy. He's a 30-year-old pastor in a college town. The other is a story-telling journalist, artsy type. He goes to the pastor's church.

In the intro, they tell the reader that they won't try to combine their personalities into one voice; rather, they each wrote separate chapters, and the rest of the book kinda flip-flops back and forth chapter by chapter.

The Good

These guys did tons of reading to prepare for this book, especially the pastor. His source list was insane long. I have to give a lot of credit because it can be really difficult to trudge through books that go against your deep-seeded convictions. It can be an angering process and an overwhelming one, too. But these guys kept at it and really had some determination.

They also presented their concerns with love. I thought their hearts were very much in the right place as I read their beefs with emergent. I've read lots of critiques on the "movement" and this one was by far the nicest spirited commentary. So many of the critiques lose all credibility because they appear to be rants showcasing a laundry list of grievances and sentencing participants of emergent to hell.

These guys were consistent in their overarching complaint: emergent is an over-reaction against an extreme example of conservative (and I would add - unChristlike) Christianity. These guys point out that emergents offer false dichotomies based on reacting to judgemental, stuffy, legalistic Christians. In shifting so far the toward liberty, they are just as guilty at straying from the Christian message.

The Bad

These guys did tons of reading to prepare for this book. While I admire their persistency to trudge through this, I thought everyone knew that emergent is a conversation and you have to talk about it for years on end to understand what anyone has to say. I say that mockingly, but honestly, I would've appreciated if these men had had conversations with some of the guys whose books they quoted. As it were, the journalist "interviewed" people who were probably not qualified to give much opinion, certainly not any expert opinion. For example, his story about how post-modernism hasn't really taken over the culture to the extent that emergents claim it has was based on a conversation with a college kid. That doesn't really hold a lot of water for me. I mean, how much did you really know as a college kid?

In fact, I'm not really sure the journalist added much to the book except some clever style. Not to say his clever style wasn't appreciated. I actually quite enjoyed his chapters. But I think the book as a whole would have been better if they hadn't separated the chapters by author. As it is now, the book has 2 kinds of chapters -- boring ones with tons of great information (by the pastor), and interesting ones with no real point (by the journalist). Had they worked to use the pastor's info and the journalists style, they could've had a book that was great, instead of just good.

The Verdict

If you're looking for a critique of the emergent church, this is a good choice. Though a bit difficult to trudge through at times, it is generally easy to read and clear. It presents a fair look and offers better solutions to the problems that emergents are also trying to solve.

I recommend it as part of your investigation into what the emergent church is.

My New Calling

Okay...maybe I won't be going into graphic design full-time, but I am pretty excited about the graphics that I made for this morning's worship service at Chase Valley.

I used to mess around on Photoshop and do goofy things like this:



But then I met Billy, and he showed me how to actually use the program, and now I can do cool things like this:

original photo by *hiro008

May Goals

Well, it seems like life has settled down again. It's good to be back together as a family, and we're pretty much settled in except for the stuff that never had a place in Indiana, and will take forever to get a place here in Alabama.

So, I'm looking for a bit more structure to our days, and I thought a good place to start would be in monthly goals. Sure the month's half over, but I've been working on these all along anyway. I just thought I'd share them with you.

Goals for the months of May:

Work out 3 times a week
Pick out photos for Ashlyn's first year baby book
Figure out a scheduling/calendar system that works for us
Read a couple of non-fiction books
Change address on magazine subscriptions
Use the decluttering calendar a couple times a week
Open a bank account down here