God's Provision

After hours of delay, Ashley was in surgery 120 minutes. Doctors said it went text book perfect! She has had little pain. Rested well - we all did! That's God!

Even the wheelchair was right!

He is our Provider. As we need it. Each minute. Each. Breath.

Thank you Father!

Easier?

Anyone who says things get easier with time has never had a child with a chronic medical condition, or put their child on an operating table multiple times. They've never waited years to conceive a child then have that dream fade like a wispy vapor.

However what does get better with time is Gods grace. It grows richer and thicker. It wraps you like a warm, worm quilt. It quiets your mind. It brings rest to your body when sleep alludes you.

Grace. So amazing. So pure. So free.

Lessons from A Soccer Season

I can't believe it's almost over!  Just a few more games and Chris's first year on Junior Varsity will be done.

Those close to us know I'm insane.

You see, conditioning started the second week in June. After a two week break after Club play.  Every day, for two hours.  Plus 10 sessions of personal conditioning to strengthen and protect his back.  Then, he had one week off in August.  This is the 285 day of the year.  He's played soccer approximately 191 days of those 285.  That's 67% of this year.  At an average of 2 hours a day that's 382 hours of play.  There have been roughly 6,840 hours in this year to date.  Approximately 20% of this year has been spent with a soccer ball.

Twenty percent of his life his year has been spent on a Mission Field.  We teach our kids what we so firmly believe - you are all called to go.  "Go into all the world," means the soccer field, the dance studio, the doctor's office, the grocery store, your business and even the blog-o-sphere.  

At one point the fatigue of the season hit him.  He asked to not go to practice.  We knew he was tired - did you read those statistics?   But he had made a commitment.  We made him go.  Then he went to Youth that night.  Commitment is hard, service is not always fun.  It's about learning to be a Man.  A Man of Character.

A Man of God.

Sometimes it means standing alone.

Doing what's right when no one else does.

Leading the pack.

Treating people with respect.

Going the extra mile.

Being early.

Staying late.

Supporting those who are cruel.

Loving those who are mean.

Keeping your mouth shut.

Speaking up for those with no voice.

And before someone goes "holy" on me and yells about a "balanced" life - Chris has also learned an important lesson on his own this year.  As he saw himself spending more and more time in the sport, God began to deal with him on how much time he spent on his relationship with God.   Each day he spends time alone, reading the Word of God.  Studying his Father's plan.  

I don't believe in a "balanced" life.  I believe in an integrated life.  We are born-again Christians.  It's who we are.  It's what we believe.  It permeates every pore of our being. 

We are not perfect - far from it!  Just ask someone who lives with us!  But we are working each day to be closer to our Father.   We take God with us everywhere!  He doesn't get left on the doorstep.  The warm-up bench.  The waiting room.  The office door.   We believe God uses every opportunity, ever failure, every success;  every bump in the road, mountain top high and valley low - everything! to bring us closer to Him.

Even 191 days of soccer.

Another lesson learned.

PS - I will not even being to add up how many miles we've driven.  Let's see, 2-a-days;  3-a-days;  training;  Albuquerque league, Denver Showcase, Tournaments.........

Funny.

So in my zeal to blog, since I hadn't done so in weeks, I posted on the wrong blog.  The hazards of keeping two going I suppose.

www.livinginhishope.blogspot.com - my other site.

The irony is, I'm writing about planning and letting God direct.

I wonder why God "directed" my steps to post there.  Someone must need to read some tidbit I posted.

Obedience.

That's all He asks.

A Good Parent

What is a good parent?


What do they look like?  What do they say?


Are they always smiling?  Laughing?


Do they know how to make the best french toast?  Meatloaf?  Bread?  Scrambled eggs?


What do you say a Good Parent looks like?

A Life of Worship

"The highest form of worship is obedience."  - Mark Palmer

Makes me think.

I want to live a life of worship.  I want to do it to the best of my ability.  I want it to be worthy of the God who has given me life.

But what is he asking of me?

I voiced this to Ashley.  Her answer?  Maybe he's telling you to be still.

Hmm.

Still.

Stillness.

Quiet.

The hardest part of living.

Going and Going and Going

For the first time in weeks I looked around and, well, breathed.

There's always things to do.  And there's still a list on my desk.

But fall is in the air.  And somehow the list doesn't seem so important to me.

School is going.  Assignments being made and kept.  Run kids places in the afternoon.

Soccer.  Dance.  Church.  Groceries.  Doctors.  Therapies.

It's all good.

No worries.

I'm liking this breathing thing.