The Simple Life

In our memory book from our time in Kenya, one of the captions says, "Life was more simple. Every morning we put our lantern out to charge so we could have light after the sun went down and the generators went off. We'd spend a lot of the day playing outside in the beauty of our new home. Jon had a lot more time to play guitar and write music. God taught us how to slow down and enjoy life for what it is."

Often times I forget to stop and enjoy the beauty and the simplicity of life, and have to actually experience it to even remember what that is. Yesterday we spent the afternoon at my parents' house about 25 minutes from where we live. They live out in the country. There are neighborhoods - sort of - but it's a lot more spread out. Life seems slower and simpler in these parts. I decided to walk "death hill", which is a 3+ mile walk up and down some big hills through a...simpler neighborhood. There are lots of trees, some ponds, farms, cows, chickens, horses and even some black swans along the route. At one point, I walked past a house as a woman was coming out, and she greeted her goats who were waiting for her on the front porch. Hmm, that's different (but it immediately brought me back to Kenya where there were goats roaming the streets, and up on buildings...as pictured).

As I was walking, I was thinking about a simpler life (not to be mistaken with Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie's ridiculous reality TV show...which I am guilty of having seen a few times.) So often, as I've mentioned before, God has given me the encouragement to be still and know that He is God. But, I just don't take much time to be still. I'm doing dishes, or folding laundry, or watching videos or playing with the kids, or feeding mush to a spitting baby, or driving Caleb to school, or...just going, going, going.

This morning I decided to just enjoy being with my kids. So, after I fed Hannah lunch, and after the (superhero) boys finished decorating their paper-towel-tube trumpets, the boys and I marched, skipped and ran around the dining room table in a "band" playing instruments to entertain ourselves and Hannah for a good 20 minutes (some decent exercise, too!). It was simple, it was fun, and it boosted all of our moods to be together, playing and enjoying life.

At the moment Jon is unemployed. What a perfect opportunity for Jon to be still and know that He is God. At the moment my kids are all taking at least a two hour nap at the same time in the afternoon. What a perfect moment for me to be still and know that He is God. (But here I am during nap time writing about it instead of doing it - ha!)

Why is it that we get so caught up doing, doing, doing and going, going, going - even in our minds? I obsess over how I look or if the house is clean - and I get so overwhelmed with my thoughts on those issues that I end up just letting them both go...doing nothing around the house, or not eating any better or exercising any more. It's just so easy for my brain to just keep going and never stop - about so many things. I want my brain to be consumed with godly thoughts and ideas, rather than worldly obsessions. I want to take a 3 mile walk in my mind every day and just enjoy the simplicity of life...the peace and quiet of God's rest and comfort. I feel like it's in these times that He will speak to me most clearly.

God, teach me and all of us who find ourselves so busy to just slow down and enjoy life for what it is.

Maybe I'm Not Just the Girl Next Door

I had a funny memory this morning (which probably doesn't go too far into the past as I find I still do this a lot) when Caleb, Johnny and I were singing a song from one of their kid's worship CDs. Remember thinking you knew the lyrics to a song but you were just way off, and didn't realize until someone overheard you singing and made fun of you for your interpretation? So, on this CD there is a song about God having created the world, and about what He did on each day (the theology of that is a discussion for another day). The song says, "On day two, God knew just what to do..." As we were singing this Caleb busts out with, "On day two, the Noof is fun to do..." I thought that was pretty funny, and even funnier was Caleb's insistence that these words were right, and even funnier thinking about how many times I've defended my lyric interpretations. He's getting so old!

Recently, Caleb informed us that he had changed his goals for his future. For as long as I can remember, he has wanted to be a Monkey Farmer (where he got that from, I may never know), but he now wants to be a Garbage Truck Man. He's been fascinated watching the garbage trucks come by, with a guy hanging off the back - I admit, that does look fun, and I guess the money is good. Okay, Caleb, it's your life! I will admit, though, that I am a bit disappointed, as I was planning to live vicariously through Caleb in his monkey farming. When I was kid one of my dreams in life (this is sad, I know) was to hold a baby monkey wearing a diaper, and feed it a bottle. I was looking forward to Caleb's dream, but now I will get excited for him about riding the back of a truck for the rest of his life.

About two weeks ago, our friend Jameer came over to hang out (as he does just about every afternoon after school). Jameer is 6, and he lives in the apartment complex right next to our house, right at the dead end. I asked him when his birthday is, and he didn't know, but what he did know was that his mom drives a black Cadillac, and that it has rims. Ah, the things we find important to teach our kids. We've had Jameer over for dinner before, and that boy has eaten like he hadn't eaten all day. We don't know if our skinny friend really hadn't eaten all day, or if he just enjoys scarfing down loads of food like an animal. I asked him recently why we never see his mom and dad, and that we'd love to meet them sometime. He told his mom said that she would NEVER come on this street.

Clifton Dr. is three streets away from being in Youngstown. We have a great amount of diversity on our street, which was one of our favorite things about living here. It's awesome to see the mixed race families, the black teens hanging our with the white teens, and our kids playing with their black friends and their white friends. Our end of the street seems to be tough, though, and I don't know what to do about it. Our white neighbors to the right are a great family who we spend a good amount of time with. Our kids are good friends and play together just about every day. To the left of us is the apartment complex which houses a lot of black families, and it honestly seems like they do everything they can to NOT say hi to us. (This sounds like a general statement, but it literally is everyone who drives by.) I feel like I've tried everything. When our neighbors drive either in or out of the complex, and I'm outside, I try different things. I look at the car, waiting for someone to look over so I can give a friendly smile or wave. I look only out of the corner of my eye sometimes, so they don't think I'm just staring at them. I wave - even when no one is looking out their window. No one EVER even looks over. I just don't get it. It's the adults, not the kids. The kids are fantastic, and friendly and wonderful friends of our own kids.

One small breakthrough that we had was a couple months ago when we got home from being out with the family. I saw some kids sitting on one of the complex porches, so I went over there with Caleb and Johnny. There were about 6 kids, and when we went over we found out there was a birthday party. One of the adults came out and offered cake to the boys, at which they accepted excitedly. We sat on the porch with the kids, while they played with my hair and Johnny's hair with such fascination. Jon came over at one point, and one of the guys came out of the apartment. They talked for a few minutes, but it turned out that this guy didn't live at the complex - he was an uncle just there for the party. So, still nothing from our neighbors. No one else came out that day, and to this day, nearly 7 months since our move in date, not one person has even glanced over as they drove by. What can we do about this?

Last night after dinner, all five of us were outside playing, as we like to do every night before bed. The boys' friends Jameer and LaRon came over to play, and Jameer's cousin Jo, whom we had met one other time came too. Jo, who is 12, came right over and hugged me as if we were old friends - it was sweet. The boys all played catch with Jon (which was one of the cutest things ever), and Jo showed me some of her cheerleading and dance moves, and told me about school. I was so sad, because it was as if no one ever watched her, or got excited for her, or cared to listen to her. I took a few pictures of them all and Jammer acted like the kids in Kenya and Uganda did - as if no one had ever taken this child's picture before. How do we reach these neighbors through this barrier of culture, or stereotypes, or assumptions? I guess for now, we show these kids love - we show them how a mommy and a daddy can love each other and their kids. Maybe these kids aren't seeing that at home, and we are their example for their futures. Maybe I'm making assumptions...

Thoughts?

Here We Go...'Sexual Immorality'

What a conversation that has been happening about homosexuality! For those who have been following along, WOW, huh?! I know! Well, my friend Matt asked me in his last comment what my definition of sexual immorality is. I began answering it as another comment, then thought, "heck, how about I just be that 'controversial blogger' for awhile." So, here goes...

First, let me just say that while I am pretty sure that God may very well give the okay for homosexual relationships, that He doesn't give the okay for homosexual sex outside of marriage...just like He doesn't for heterosexual sex outside of marriage. And this obviously poses a problem for homosexual Christians, because in most states it is not yet legal for them to marry. So, next comes my "definition' of marriage.

Actually, my mom and I just talked about this very question. I guess a vague answer that I would say to Matt's original question is that sexual immorality is a sexual act outside of what God has given you blessing to act upon. This may be different actions for different people.

Okay, NOW come my thoughts on marriage. One of the cool things about God is that He knows us better than anyone else - even ourselves. He goes straight to out heart and knows us very deep. I believe He ultimately judges our heart...not our checklists or rights and wrongs. So, marriage...are we married when we are committed in our hearts to another person or when we check off everything on our checklist, 1.) ceremony 2.) priest/pastor/judge/"by the power vested in me" 3.) ring on the finger 4.) one witness to sign the papers 5.) marriage certificate??

There is a man and a woman who have been 'partners' for over 20 years. They live together, share family, holidays, love, sexual relations, etc. They are and have been fully committed to one another for all of these years. Is their sex life one of sexual immorality? I believe not. In their hearts, these two are married...more married than a lot of actual married people I know!

There is a man and a woman who have been married for 5 years. He is committed to her in love, friendship, sexual acts, etc. She is committed on the outside, but her heart is somewhere else...and with someone else. Is their sex life one of sexual immorality? For him, I would think not, but for her, I would suggest that she is being sexually immoral when engaging in sexual activity with her husband. There is no love or commitment involved.

(Side note: both are true stories of couples I know.)

This is why I have a hard time with the whole checklist mentality. I don't believe God has a check list. He doesn't have the rules that we think He does. He has a heart for His children - us. HE KNOWS our hearts. Sometimes we think we know someone and their intentions way more than we actually do. That's when we start to point fingers with our list of dos and don'ts. I know I've pointed fingers at inappropriate times. I know people have done the same to me. It's done nothing but hurt, not help.

If we are truly seeking God and His will for us as sexual beings, He will let us know what we can and cannot do to remain sexually moral people.

One more quick thought I have...let's say there is a woman pastor who knows without a doubt that God has called her to the ministry - to lead and pastor a body of Christ followers. Who am I (or anyone else) to say to her, "Don't you know what the Bible says about women in ministry? You must have misheard God - He would never have called you to that. You're wrong!" Similarly, who am I to say to a gay Christian, "What? God has given you His blessing to marry this other man? He never would have blessed that. You must have misheard God. You're wrong!"

If we understood God completely, the world would be a very different place. But, we DON'T! He is almighty, and so far beyond our comprehension - there's no way I can wrap my brain around it all. So, since I believe God doesn't have a checklist (aside from the ten commandments), who am I to judge what others are doing as right or wrong? GOD sees into their hearts, not ME!

So, now come the comments, I guess. What are YOUR thoughts and definitions on sexual immorality?

What the Bible says - and doesn't say - about homosexuality

http://www.soulforce.org/pdf/whatthebiblesays.pdf

I want to thank both Jan and Matt for the time and energy that they put into their responses about my last post. I was expecting "the debate" about homosexuality to begin at some point after what I wrote in my last blog, and it did. (That's a good thing, and certainly not a bad thing!) We all have different opinions. For me, I guess, the bottom line is that I am not convinced that practicing homosexuality is a sin in and of itself, and therefore will not judge a practicing homosexual as a person living in sin. The link I put above is a great resource for anyone trying to figure out where they stand on homosexuality and the Bible. I'll warn you, it's not a short read, but it's INCREDIBLY interesting, and I would encourage anyone to read it. (I especially like the fourth and fifth premises.)

Let's keep talking!

An Awesome Experience!

On Friday as I drove home from my first MOPS (Mother's of Preschoolers)Group, the boys were in the back singing along with their CD, "Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus, for all you've given me." It was such a sweet moment hearing Johnny try and keep up, and Caleb trying to stay on pitch. It was even sweeter thinking through what they were singing, and realizing, truly, how much I have to be thankful for.

I am incredibly thankful for the time I had last weekend to get together in Washington DC with a few of my college girlfriends. It was an awesome time of reconnection, and we had a great weekend exploring the city and meeting new people.

Our last night there we had the pleasure of bumping into some guys who ended up taking us bar hopping. It sounds worse than it was, I assure you! Ben, Mark and Drew, three gay men, struck up a conversation with us on our way back to our hotel at about 11:00 Saturday night. Immediately we felt comfortable with them, and just laughed and had a good time chatting. They invited us with them to a gay bar, which none of us had ever been to before. I was SO excited about it. We had such a great time hanging out with them, having a drink (for those who need their names cleared, I was the only one who had a drink...), and just getting to know them and hearing some of their stories.

I was especially excited about this, and the timing of this because of our series at New Hope that we're going through called, "They Like Jesus, but Not the Church." As a church, it seems we've really screwed up in a lot of ways, one of them being the way we treat homosexuals. It's assumed by so many that Christians are homophobic, judgmental, negative people who hate gay people. The video for that week of the series was so powerful for me. While we were hanging out with our new friends, I had the chance to throw appropriately into the mix of conversation that we happened to be Christians. The conversation didn't go any further than that, but it really didn't need to. I'm left with the hope that God will use that opportunity for those guys to think about Christ-followers and realize that not all Christians (and I would hope this is true of most Christians)are stiff, gay-bashers who are condemning them to hell, but are loving and accepting of them as people - children of God. After all, we have ALL sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Who are we (whether we believe that practicing homosexuality is a sin or not - and I think I may not) to throw stones at another, when we sin like everyone else.

I am so thankful for this time which was a great end to an awesome weekend. I was so energized from this experience, and really felt in my element. I'm glad that God works in all kinds of ways, even through hanging out in gay clubs - or any clubs, for that matter, and I believe He will work through this experience - even if only in a small way.

What's YOUR Miracle?

According to the recent poll, we all believe that miracles do happen, and most of us believe we have experienced at least one at some point. There was mention of babies forming inside of a woman, which I agree is an incredible miracle that I have been blessed to experience three times now (and will experience no more, for those of you who think we're going to have another!). Since a whopping 11 of us claim to have experienced a miracle, I am curious to have you share what those were for you...for those who would be so willing. Simply leave a comment to this post for others to read. Thanks for sharing! I know that I am ALWAYS inspired when I hear about the way God works in other people's lives. God works in so many ways...even through dreams, I have learned (which is a topic for a post another day). So, please...if you would...share with us how you have seen God's hand in your life.