A Place Where the Life of God Flows

The challenge for us in the creation of good is not usually some big religious issue as we commonly think of it, but in the ordinary stuff of life - our day-to-day living in families, at work, at play.  The obviously well-kept secret of the "ordinary" is that it is made to be a receptacle of the divine, a place where the life of God flows.  

~Dallas Willard, "Life Without Lack"

August felt deliciously ordinary, like a "receptacle of the divine".  With routine settling back into place, it was easy to notice the beautiful, ordinary ways God left His fingerprints everywhere.  

-Like the bounty of the farmers market...including our favorite yellow watermelons.

-With the opportunity to see the Gebauers, precious colleagues and friends (aka superheroes), as they made a detour on a long road trip to come pick up some curriculum for one of their children.

-In gathering material and sewing supplies to send with Aaron when he travels back to the Solomons for a workshop on the Psalms in October.

-By providing a quick rest stop for our long time friends, the Conards, as they launch yet another kid into the world of college.  Working together and cheering each other on strengthens community and brings great joy!

 -Through continuing to steward our bodies well.  Three times a week, we still have "Bike and Breakfast" with three generations of my family.  The mornings are definitely getting darker.

Psalm 23

The focus of your thoughts significantly affects everything else that happens in your life and evokes the feelings that frame your world and motivate your actions. 

~Dallas Willard

I've been hanging out in Psalm 23 lately, thanks largely to this book, "Life Without Lack: Living in the Fullness of Psalm 23" by Dallas Willard.  So many beautiful ways abound to help us focus our thoughts, here are a few I've found that encourage me to meditate on Psalm 23:

-this lovely necklace based on Psalm 23:4 (and it's on sale!)

-beautifully scripted art of prayers inspired by Psalm 23.  I especially love how she phrased the first verse.

-my Psalm 23 playlist on Spotify

-one of my favorite hymn tunes, Nyland, with a paraphrase of Psalm 23.  "In Heavenly Love Abiding", which we found in an old hymn book, seems to be currently out of fashion and terribly difficult to find!

Wherever he may guide me, no want shall turn me back.

My shepherd is beside me, and nothing can I lack.

His wisdom ever waketh, His sight is never dim.

He knows the way He taketh, and I will walk with Him.

 

Friday Favorite Five

-Moodibars.  I haven't actually tasted these cuties, but I can imagine so many creative possibilities at home, the office, or in the classroom.

- the NeuroFaith podcast.  I recently discovered Dr. Curt Thompson's books.  They have given Aaron and me many topics for discussion and personal growth, and this podcast is a beautiful intersection of the science of the brain and our faith in Jesus.

- my new milk frother.  I kept buying the cheapest one, and it kept getting bumped and broken, so I purchased this one which includes a travel case.  It's sturdy and whips up a beautiful foam (with both almond milk and cow's milk) in no time.

- Roasted Root, my new favorite recipe blog.  I love her slogan, "Eat Well, Eat Often".  Real, delicious food.  I keep a stash of her various muffins made with ground oats.  In the freezer at all times.  (Right now it's the flourless oatmeal nut muffins.)

-NailAid Biotin Ultimate Strength.  This clear coat helps keep my brittle nails healthy and strong.  Because even though cellists have to keep our nails short, we still like to have pretty hands.

August

 The Hebrew sense of mercy and justice is the notion that God, and we by extension, is in the business of putting all things to right....To live out this biblical calling takes a great deal of hard work and prayerful interchange with others....The apostle Paul offers us additional help in his first letter to the church at Corinth, which includes a beautiful description of what it means to live as a community of people whose highest callings are to love and be known as well as to know. 

~Curt Thompson, "Anatomy of the Soul"

Katherine started back to school at the beginning of August to give us some wiggle room for field trips and time to visit her older siblings who keep moving farther and farther away.

Our neighborhood held a banana split party as an opportunity to get to know a new family that just moved in.  We have such amazing neighbors!

And Olivia came to visit for a few days, so she got to meet the new neighbors, too.

I'm so grateful for our shared back yards and for people who value community.

Having my gym buddy back for a few days was a delight,

as was hearing more music in the house again.

Olivia's spunky personality brightened up lunch with Grandma and encouraged each of us before she drove back to JBU to begin her sophomore year.

Houston, We Have No Problems

 

The first weekend in August, we made a quick trip to see Hannah and Benjamin to deliver some of the things they had stored at our house.

Somehow, my incredibly gifted husband managed to fit a loveseat, a deep freeze, a Christmas tree, and several boxes of games and books into the back of our van.  Katherine enjoyed her new schoolroom (yes, she wore her seatbelt).  Maybe all those years of moving back and forth have honed Aaron's packing skills.

Our first stop was to stay with Aaron's Uncle Tom and Aunt Mary, it had been almost ten years since we visited them last!  They are always so hospitable.

Then we got to meet a very special guy, Larry, who has been a part of the Lavukal ministry team for several years.  If we had come a few days later, we would have missed him, since he's moving.  What a blessing to hear his story.

Our next stop was a treat for me, one of my former (and dare I say, favorite) cello students, Karen.  I hadn't seen her beautiful face since we left Pine Bluff in 2002,

but she rummaged up some pictures from the last time we saw her.  Benjamin was a baby!  We enjoyed spending time with her, her four beautiful children, and her husband.

Then we picked up Hannah and Benjamin, drove through Chick-Fil-A, and made our way to the parking garage at the airport.  Because when one of your adopted kids is flying through and has a long layover, you show up and bring supper.

Sunday morning, we joined Hannah and Benjamin at the church where Hannah has been assigned to serve with the youth and children for the next three years as part of pursuing her Master's degree.

Time spent with these guys is rare and precious, and we're thankful for every moment!

We recently hosted some sweet friends who were on a coast to coast road trip.

We hadn't seen Joy since she visited our village for Christmas and New Years in 2009. 

And we had never met her husband, Ryan, or their spunky daughter, Cora, although we have prayed diligently for each one of them to come into Joy's life.

We picked peaches together, 

played paper football together,

and made blackberry pies from the blackberries Katherine and I had picked just a few weeks earlier.

More July Bounty

We have all things and abound; not because I have a good store of money in the bank, not because I have skill and wit with which to win my bread, but because the Lord is my shepherd.  

~Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Thanks to our dear friends, the Hibbards, Katherine participated in Praise Works for the first time.

While she was playing her cello, mine went into the shop for some major surgery.  In a few months, this old lady will sound amazing and be ready to play for another 150 years. 

We found another surprise text from another adopted son asking if we were available for lunch after church.  Of course, we were!

We're loving the plentiful zucchini this time of year, it seems to be one of the few things growing even with the lack of rain we've experienced this summer.  And zucchini still makes me laugh every time I think about my "swimming bean" blunder!

I'm still in awe at the smooth roads here and just how easy it is to go move in the mornings.  And I'm especially thankful for my hubby that goes along with me to keep me accountable.  As one of my friends reminded me, "It's a mini date every morning."

In July, I finally got to meet my cousin's new baby, sweet Lily.  Two of my cousins and my brother all had babies within weeks of each other, so we are definitely enjoying the baby bounty.

July Bounty

Oh, July bounty poured in from every corner.  Our beautiful farmers market, Hannah and Benjamin's wedding, our anniversary, so many birthdays.

I made my mom a birthday cake (well, really it was four layer delight, which in my book is a million times better than cake) and we took it out to where she was camping for the weekend.

I found this treasure and just had to add it to our Arkansas home.

We discovered a text after church from one of our adopted kids asking if he could spend the night on his way back to Dallas, and of course we said yes!  The Choate Bed and Breakfast is always open for visitors.

This new-to-me dynamic duo of author and illustrator popped up in one of my professional development sessions, and now I can't get enough of these guys.  Books like "The Smart Cookie" and "The Bad Seed" help children and adults engage in meaningful discussions.

I finally took the plunge and registered for grad school.  Slowly but surely, on both sides of the ocean, I hope to continue to build my tool chest for teaching stringed instruments.

Twenty-Five Years of Marriage

We celebrated small and hidden, just like most of the work that has gone into our marriage of twenty-five years.

A little cabin nestled in Oark served as home base as we searched for more waterfalls, 

and traipsed around portions of the Ozark Highlands Trail.

We took time to continue working our way through Chip Ingram's study "Experiencing God's Dream for Your Marriage"

but we also made time for personal reading.  I haven't read fiction in such a long time, but the new book "The Murder of Mr. Wickham" was the perfect quick and enjoyable read as Jane Austen characters all gathered into one book!

We only took two nights away, but we crammed lots of beautiful hiking and sweet remembrances into our celebration of God's faithfulness.

I'm still in awe that He could take two people as night and day different as we are, and could forge a strong and growing marriage.

When we returned, we asked Katherine to join us for supper.  She is the best third wheel!  Our moms were very generous and provided a fancy meal for us to cap off our special time together.

 

The day after the wedding, my siblings and our kids who were still in town gathered to enjoy AdventureLand.

I've said it before, I'm a firm believer in the old adage "Families that pray together, stay together."

But I also hold to the tenet "Families that play together, stay together."

We live so far away from each other...the families that played together were from St. Paul, Minnesota; Portland, Maine; Conway, Arkansas; and Dallas, Texas. 

And we momentarily added a spunky little girl to the family when we asked her mom to pause and take our picture!

We laughed and roller coastered so very hard.

It was the perfect way to spend the day between the wedding and the long road trip home.