Endless Summer?

So how has your "summer vacation" been? Overall, ours was kind of a washout. In the interest of full disclosure I'll have to admit that I tend to get rather high expectations for "lasts." You know, "the last time I go out with my girlfriends before we get married," "the last time we'll eat at this restaurant before we move 800 miles away,"..."the last summer before our first child enters the world of 'real' school."

Yeah, this is that summer for us. And instead of being a footloose and fancy free, traveling the west kind of summer, it was really a nose-to-the-grindstone-stick-close-to-home kind of summer. We barely left the county, let alone the state, and I think our only overnight trip was a quick 24-hour jaunt to The City to meet some famous bloggers at BlogHer and to ride the cable cars from the beginning to the end and back again. And then we hurried home to get grinding again.

And alas and alack, (what's an 'alack' anyway?) School starts in a week. And next week there's orientation on one day and the "Back to School BBQ" on another, so in essence, our last unofficial week of summer ended today. Phoo.

So this is where you come in. Help a girl out and let me live vicariously. What was your summer vacation like? Did you take any fabulous trips? Have any memorable getaways? Tell me about it! (And feel free to link to any blog entries you might have made on the subject.)

"Are you taking notes?"

I was at the Beth Moore simulcast a week ago, and she stopped at one point in the midst of her message and asked, "Are you taking notes?" At first I thought it was a general question, intended to wake us up so we didn't miss something important.

The camera followed her off the platform to the shadows of the front row where she followed up her original question. "How old are you?" A 10 year old in the front row caught her attention. I can only hope her next words had the impact on that young girl as they did me...

"The Word of God will be on your tongue."

Can you imagine?

Would you feel that you'd been struck by lightening if a speaker (Beth Moore no less!) stopped their message to say those words to you?

And her mother! I can only imagine that mom going home and writing on her blog or in her journal about that message to her daughter. One of those instances like when Jesus told Mary "didn't you know I'd be about my Father's business?" and Mary went away and "treasured all these things in her heart." (Luke 2:41-52)

I believe that all 70,000 of us might have seen a prophecy at that moment (and that is not something I say often--maybe ever--or lightly). Beth Moore recognized the spirit of that young girl; a heart that is seeking to take in God's word so that, as we were reminded "Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee." May it be so, Lord.

Beth's message was rich with so many things to take away, but it was that exchange that stuck with me as I drove home.

10 years old.

Taking notes.

God's Word.

Beth noting that a child seeking God's word at that age has the potential to accomplish great things for God.

My oldest son is 5. He's heading off to kindergarten in a couple weeks. It feels like such a deadline to me. He'll be exposed to kids that I don't know and might not approve of. He'll be taught things that we don't necessarily agree with. Sure, I could keep him home and teach him myself and monitor all his playmates, but for now, that isn't what God has called our family to do.

It does make me aware though of making the most of the time that I do have with him. I need to make our moments together count. "Impress (these things) upon your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." (Deut. 6:7)

Bug knows all his letters and is beginning to recognize words, but he's not really able to "take notes" in the sense we saw that night. But he can read my life. As Paul said, "You are a letter of Christ...written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts." (2 Cor. 3:2-3)

I am struck that I want to be sure to live my life in a way that when my son is 10, he is ready to listen to a new level of teaching; that he's ready to hear someone say, "The word of God will be in your heart."

Olympics '08

(Insert Olympics theme here...)

So, what are your thoughts on the Olympics? Do you have favorite events or favorite athletes competing this year? Will you be watching?

Does the Olympics supercede politics for you, or is it a politicized event?
Should President Bush have gone to the opening ceremony? Should China have been chosen as host? Any other thoughts? Speak up!

Spiritual Tattletale?

"Pblllltttt"

"Moooom! Bug's spitting!"

I don't know about you, but I don't have any patience for tattling. If someone is in imminent danger of physical harm, I want to know about it, but otherwise, deal with it or drop it. I've tried to empower my kids to let someone else know when they're breaking a rule or doing something they shouldn't; they don't need me to intervene for every random thing. At least, that's my theory.

I thought I'd outgrown tattling a long time ago. "Deal with it or drop it." But how often do I sit in church and think "So-and-so really needs to hear this," or fill my prayers with "Lord did you see...?"

I wonder if God gets tired of hearing me whine about my perceptions of someone else's slights and wants to respond, "I know. I see. I'll take care of her."

"But how about you concentrate on what I've asked you to do?"

Ouch!

Photo from "Funwithfood" iStockphoto.

Sweetest Worship Ever

On a recent Baby Dedication Sunday, I had a flashback of myself five years ago with my infant son nestled against my shoulder while we sang worship songs on Sunday morning. Until my boys were nearly a year old, naptime (and nursing time) landed smack dab in the middle of the service. When Bug was released from the hospital at not quite 3 weeks old (after his bout with RSV) we were told to make sure that he didn't get passed around a lot so he wouldn't be exposed to anything that might send him back. Since it was February and flu season, that certainly meant no dropping him off in the nursery.

So he spent those first few months sitting with me in the back row, the one "reserved for families with babies and young children" as the sign said. The row right in front of the cry room.

I was always careful to duck out at the first sign of a cry or coo. I missed a lot of sermons during those months, but we got to participate in the musical part of worship together.

Seeing those babies on their daddy's shoulders brought back how intensely sweet those times were. It was indescribably precious to introduce my son to voices lifted to God in praise; that the first music he heard was sacred. In those days, I never took it for granted. It was never routine, hearing it myself as though for the first time along with my baby was so meaningful to me.

I think we're a little too quick now to send children off to their own classes. Too quick to bar them from the service "that they might not be a distraction" (as one well known radio-church puts it on the signs outside their sanctuary). (Lord, let me never be such an old grump that my own distraction level is more important to me than welcoming a young soul into a service where You may get hold of their heart!)

I think we all lose out if we don't at least occasionally include them to worship with us. One church we visit when we're out of town even offers a special children's outline to help the kids follow along during the sermon.

Sometimes my five year old doesn't want to attend his class. Because I'm careful not to create circumstances that will make him resent church, I let him occasionally sit in the service with me. I believe there's value in him seeing us worship, listening to God's word, giving, etc.

I hope that as he grows he'll always be as comfortable in "big church" as he was during those first months as we sang and swayed and praised God together.

The Economy of Writing

I’ve realized that, like many Americans, shopping is a recreational activity to me. I don’t like going to the grocery store much, but give me free reign at Target and I can wander for a couple hours looking for “hidden bargains.” I know of people who have refined the process to the point that they keep detailed calendars with notes about when toys/outdoor furniture/electronics go to 75% off. (I’m not this bad, but I have to admit to following a couple websites where people share their information and list their great finds.)

It’s not all bad; I do try to stick to items I think I will actually use or give away. It’s nice to have a few things on hand for unexpected gift-giving occasions and it’s really nice not to be out with the crowds in December because I had my kids gifts finished off in July (at 75% off, even for the “big” gift).

But this year I noticed that I didn’t use a good percentage of my gift stash (I need to actually get to the Toys for Tots donation center this year) and I have more sets of Queen-sized sheets than I’ll put to good use.

I haven’t always been a recreational shopper. When Hubs was in grad school and we had no money, I actually made a sport of hitting the 4 local supermarkets to get the best possible deals on groceries. I seldom did any other shopping though because there wasn’t any money to spend; why torture myself with longing for things I wouldn’t otherwise want because I didn’t know what I was missing.

I was thinking about what I did to entertain myself during that period. I realized that that’s when I did the most writing. Any blocks of time that Hubs was busy with classes or meetings or whatever, I’d head to Barnes and Noble and read for inspiration, or get a cup of tea and take some editing to work on. It's funny to me that I wrote three books when we had the least money.

The shopping really started when the kids came along and I found myself needing to outfit a new being. I loved finding cute, new clothes for the same price I’d have to spend at a thrift store (without having to wade through racks of asthma-inducing musty old stuff to find the gems). It was also a good way to get out of the house and be among people for a bit even if I wasn’t going with anyone. My writing was already taking a back seat because I didn’t have enough brain cells left from the lack-of-sleep baby fog to form coherent sentences (I’m afraid I still suffer some residual effects of that condition!)

Recently I took a good look at our banking summary. You know, the one that tells you what percentage of your income goes to groceries, retail, eating out, bills, etc. It was not pretty. The “retail” category was as much as our monthly income our first couple years of marriage. And the “restaurant” column showed we spend more eating out than we do on groceries. That’s all really out of whack.

So, I’m newly committed to eating at home more often (which means making more effort to keep a variety of food in the house) and shopping for the fun it MUCH less. Funny that this new resolution comes at the same time that I’m newly committed to writing and was wondering where the writing time would come from. My plan is to revert to my old ways of claiming my writing time when Hubs takes the boys to play at the gym or on Sunday afternoons when they’re busy with naps and playing and sports.

So the joint benefit is that I’ll reconnect with my creative side and our budget will thank me (aside from the occasional splurge on books).

What about you? Is your budget balanced the way you want it to be? What do you think of the statement, “Is getting something you don’t need at a great price really a bargain?”

What do you do for “recreation?” Where/how do you claim those moments that refresh and recharge you?