Aspirations III

Chicken farming aside, I'm sure whatever the boys end up doing with their lives, it will involve water and engineering something - maybe elaborate irrigation systems



- or automated egg collecting machines.



Last summer, we carved out a playground in the backyard and filled it with pea gravel. Every single day the boys spend the daylight building rivers and contraptions with pvc pipes, fittings and anything else they can find. Notice the candy cane? That is a faucet they made out of an old Christmas decoration they pulled the lights out of.

This week, Brit had a friend over and they made an outdoor bathroom. It had a faucet that poured into an old drain gutter. When I looked out the window, this all became evident, as they were peeing in the gutter. Then the water would wash it away into the "drain field", a.k.a. the gravel. Then they would wash their hands in the pvc spigot they had rigged. I tried to get a picture of this "in action" but failed.

Chicken farming and outdoor bathrooms... can this be a good sign?

Aspirations II

While we were at this surprise birthday, Brit determined his calling in life. He is going to be...hold on to your hats (or your pitchforks)... A CHICKEN FARMER. If you press him on it he is emphatic that he will not be a farmer, but a chicken farmer.

The people we were celebrating with have a farm, and thus have chickens that roam free in the farm yard - in a very charming way. They get all their eggs from the chickens. Brit loves to go there and chase the chickens, and "help" them fly, and hold them and look for eggs.

His actual words were, "IF I grow up (he keeps saying "if"), I am going to be a chicken farmer." This newest aspiration has lasted 1 week now, and is said with the most conviction of any of his ideas.

We may have to work on the terminology and anatomy of chicken farming, as Brit says that chickens "baaak eggs".

Aspirations

We were at a surprise 50th birthday party for a friend. Her brother brought his hot air balloon and was giving tethered rides there at the farm. Jack & Mom went for a ride. I was so proud of him. He was pretty scared. He would MUCH rather fly in Dad's airplane. This felt so out of control, so exposed. But, he was determined to do it, and he didn't try and fight his fear - he rode it out. Way to go Jack!

Somewhere over the rainbow...

Jack saw this rainbow at our airport - and noticed there are two. It is a complete rainbow. And at the end of the rainbow... Oh look! that must be our jet!

That baby'll haul the mail!

For those who know me or my Dad, you know that he has a huge arsenal of witty sayings that I share now and then. For Christmas, I compiled the ones I could remember, and published them in a hard-covered little read. You can preview it and get a taste of his humor, from the link in the title of this blog post.

If you want to self-publish anything, poetry, photos, family trees, recipe books, etc. www.lulu.com is a great place to do it.

WHAT BURNS IN YOUR HEART? part one

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Quote from "Wild at Heart" by John Eldredge.

Lately, in our life, we have been on a journey that has brought out that kind of longing. When a friend recently shared that quote, it resonated as words to explain what our heart was already birthing.

We have a group of wonderful friends here. Priceless, really. We are part of a small group bible study from church, but some of us wives have known each other for years through a women's bible study we were part of. We are learning to do life together. Not just "bible study", not just church, not just recreation, but the nitty gritty, sometimes ugly, sometimes incredible, always messy, always fluid-- LIFE.

Some of the times I feel most alive, and our family seems most strengthened, is when we are with these people. We are all incredibly different, and on some level, probably drive each other nuts. But there are very few others I would rather be crazed by!

I think this is the idea of community that God had in mind. When we are together, just doing life, when we are praying, talking, laughing, crying, challenging- it all feels like worship in a way.

I wish that for all of you.

This is very much a journey each of us has been on in one way or another, individually.

As we visit and do life, we find that we are all learning similar things, albeit through very different means.

Things like ...

• What does it mean to have freedom in Christ?
• How do I balance faith and responsibility?
• What does life abundant really look like?
• Do I really believe the God I say I believe in?
• What is "Life Worship"

and

• What is that thing that is burned into our heart - that cries to find expression?

These are the things we are finding some answers to. We are just at the tip of the iceberg, but the view is incredible! More importantly, God says that the Holy Spirit bears witness with the spirit within us, that we are children of God. (romans 8:16) For the first time in my life - I feel this in a tangible way. My spirit He placed in me, bearing witness with the Holy Spirit to reveal the Truth about all the things I mentioned, and more. How cool is that!

If you want to check out some reading that under girds a few of these things:

Paul's Idea of Community - Robert J. Banks
Victory over the Darkness - Neil T. Anderson

Check out part two of this journey that is unfolding as we type!