I stole this from Cherissa

From A Reason for God by Tim Keller:

The biblical view of things is resurrection--not a future that is just a consolation for the life we never had but a restoration of the life you always wanted. This means that every horrible thing that ever happened will not only be undone and repaired but will in some way make the eventual glory and joy even greater.

Personal addition: This reminds me of God's words in Joel 2:25: "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten".

(And yes, that's probably the only verse I know in Joel. I thought it was in Habakkuk till I looked it up.)

Also worth mentioning:

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet
inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles
are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our
eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary,
but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

Latest Kid-isms

Mom has just corraled the kids into the bathroom at the swimming pool.
Baden: Why didn't you just go in the pool?
Mom (cringing): Because people swim in there! ...Did you go in the pool?

***

Baden: Mom, did Grandma Karen get my periscope in Paris?

***
Will: Dad, I want to play ton-ton!
Dad: Ton-ton? (Looking at clueless Mom for help)
Will: Ton-ton!
John (sudden realization, forms hand into claw; to Jaws theme song): Ton-ton, ton-ton, ton-ton...

Pics from the park

These are actually from last spring, but they provide some fun closeups of the kids!

The Bucket List

John and I were discussing our bucket lists last night on our date--things we'd like to do before we die. God's allowed us to actually do some of the things on our lists! For example, get married, (ahem) have sex, have kids. I would add to my "want to" list "writing a book that matters".



Other than that, I realized that my bucket list has actually gotten very short. As I start to see the reality of heaven, why do some of the stuff here when you could do it there to the nth degree, you know? Without sounding weird, God's dreams for me have way outshined my own. Don't get me wrong; dreams serve a purpose here. But I guess I don't want to get overly occupied with them when there's eternal stuff at stake.



I find myself wishing things I had the chance to invest in had two tags:

real price on earth ___

real price of heavenly resources ____

real gain on earth ___

real gain in heaven ___

This would really simplify my life. So many things have the pricetags switched here...

It ain't easy bein' green

Before

After


God has allowed us to PAINT! Yeah! We are no longer the big ol' olive sitting on Lemoncrest Lane.

Summer!

The last day of swimming lessons!

His strength is perfect...

Well, folks, I covet your prayers; you can now catch me on FamilyLife's MomBlog as the mom of preschool children (though my picture looks like I'm about seventeen). I am wholeheartedly enjoying it and feel like it's a "sweet spot", which blesses me! Please pray for humility, skill, creativity, and wisdom as God expands His kingdom through this. My new posts will appear on Mondays. I'd love to hear your comments.

Gas Crunch

I was humbled this week by a letter from Compassion, International talking about the global food crisis, a "silent tsunami," as it's been called. (Okay, I'm very embarrassed--I had no idea there was a global food crisis.) Apparently in a lot of developing countries over the last year or so, food prices have gotten to where daily wages are not even enough to purchase daily food alone. Last month I learned that for the lower and middle classes of Haiti, the standard of living has suddenly risen by 50%. Many people who used to be able to feed their children, the snippet said, can't do that anymore.

Trust me, I have to take deep breaths at the pump nowadays, and we're feeling the crunch. (Any hybrid minivans on the way, you think? Would I look dumb on the interstate with my bike and three kids in July?) But God has begun a shift in my perspective.

As un understatement, I still have a great deal to work out in my faith about what to do about poverty around the world. How should we then live?