March Update

Over halfway there...! and in need of prayer.

Time is flying. We are nearing the end of our 3rd year at Covenant, and our heads are spinning with the wonder of it all. This time has truly been a blessing to us, and we are amazed at the experiences the Lord has given us since we arrived. When I started attending Covenant in 2007, we decided that it would be best for the family if Kelsey did not take classes right away. Murrin was 8 months old, and McKenna was not yet preschool age. Now, with two degrees on my plate (I was accepted into the Master of Arts in Counseling program this December!), 2 more years to go, and the girls getting more independent, we feel we can not pass up the opportunity for her to get a degree while we are here (the seminary generously offers free tuition for spouses of full-time students). So, as of last semester she started taking classes (part-time) for credit. We are very excited and grateful that she can receive such good teaching and equipment for free! A good friend of mine use to say, “Cheaper is better, free is the BEST!” Yeah! With the hope in mind, Lord willing, of teaching at university level sometime in the future, Kelsey will begin that path by working towards one of the 48 credit Master of Arts degrees offered by the seminary. Our plan is for her to continue part-time (after this year she will have 35 credits left to complete), graduating with me in May of 2012. Please pray for us as we seek to honor the Lord in our family, studies, and work.

Our girls are getting big. Every parent that I talk to that has children older than mine always say to me, “Cherish the time you have with them, before you know it they will be graduating from college.” Well, they have not graduated from college yet, but they sure are growing up quickly. McKenna starts Kindergarten in the fall and she is very excited about it. We went past the school she’ll be attending the other night. It was dark, and since they were having a parent-teacher meeting the lights were on and cars were parked outside. McKenna said to me, “There are people at my school. What are they still doing there at this time of night?” Maybe we should get her signed up for security detail.

In addition, Murrin starts pre-school and she can not wait. Since McKenna currently goes there, Murrin sees this as another opportunity to follow in her sister’s footsteps (she thinks her sister hung the moon). She loves to go into the school to play with the dollhouse and sing whenever she gets the chance. The teachers love her already.

2 years to go, but... 1. Our trusty laptop is on the fritz. A loose connection problem (related to the viewability of the screen), has become worse with time and an unfortunate accident which caused the hinge to break. I have continued to limp the computer along, but this has been one of the reasons for the delay in our communication. The screen becomes unreadable and I find myself tapping it to make it work, as old images of slapping the television in to clear the screen float through my head. I fear there will soon come a time when it will give up the ghost, if you know what I mean. We do not have the funds to replace this much needed tool for study and writing. IF any of you have a laptop you are thinking of replacing, would you consider donating it to us?
2. In June our family will be moving. Please make a note of this. The change should be quite easy for everyone–including you–as we will only be moving down two floors from where we live now. We currently live in 441 I, after June we will live in 441 C. This will put us on the bottom floor and should benefit us in many ways. It may not seem like a big deal, but we are so thankful for the change. I also believe our downstairs neighbors will find this change appealing as our girls are very active (thump, thump, thump).

Please pray: –That the Lord will give us strength and enthusiasm for the next two years. (They say that seminary is a marathon not a sprint. We try to pace ourselves, but at times life comes at us so fast we resort to “Killing the closest alligator,”as one of our professors says). Pray that the Lord would put us in positions where we might thrive–not just survive.
–For our involvement in our church, Chesterfield Presbyterian Church (CPC). The Lord has provided us with many opportunities to serve there. Kelsey has been involved in leading worship at CPC and has even gotten involved in singing back-up for two different bands. Thankfully they do not have too many gigs right now, but she enjoys this very much as it provides her an outlet to express her musical gifts. I have taught a few adult Sunday School classes and just started working with Jr. High students again on a weekly basis.

We thank God for you. Please, do take the time to let us know how we might pray for you, as we think of you and pray for you often and would love to have more direction in our prayers!

Itching to get in the Dirt

I know, I've got to hold my horses, 'cause it's a community garden I'm "running" here....but after a lovely several hours with a fresh-breath-of-air friend from the past, I just want to live in the garden.

But I can't, just yet, so I sip my kombucha in honor of her visit and I contemplate re-stringing my guitar to get my creative fix....I swear it will happen soon. For now, a bit of reflection. I find myself trying to balance life between the familial (one studiously busy husband, 2 playfully busy daughters), the amicable (dear, intense friendships), the academic (which I love, which stimulate me, but for which I am more and more unprepared and from which I derive more and more humility as it is revealed to me that my old brain is not as keen as it once was), and the creative (music, garden, writing) spheres of life. Thankfully, they have a great deal of overlap (and are all under the grand heading of the worshipful). I just find myself wishing for a bunch more time....and having to hold all things loosely (no perfectionism allowed here, thank you!).

As soon as any of these become items of my worship instead of items through which I worship, then the idol factory that is my heart comes whirring to life, cranking out miniatures that would look an awful lot like me under scrutiny.

So what does it look like to avoid this graven-image manufacturing? I believe it is not running and hiding from passions & dreams in order to secure my heart, locked up in a kind of spiritually contemplative prison away from temptation, suffering, pain. Rather, I believe investing my skill, creativity, intellect, relational gifts where I can, stepping back often to gain perspective, watching things grow under the sight of Heaven, realizing I am not in control--basically, "holding things loosely"--is what I must do. Constantly reaching out and taking risks, making culture; all the while looking up and ahead, holding the hand of my Father, so as not to be completely undone when things fail or projects come to their end.

For, one day, all things will be made new, and the investment made here on earth will be proved to be the roots of tress of ever-bearing fruit...when heaven comes.

60 degree days

I know it's been a long time when I have harvested, put the garden to sleep, watched the winter wither what little landscaping I left, and seen my early risers return, since the last time I've written. [First man up this year: chives, shortly followed by spearmint....]

It's been a long year....not so much "year" in the traditional sense of the calendar...I mean a long academic year (and it's not over yet). Chip and I are studying together for the first time. I'm part-time, of course, but with nearly 20 credits between the two of us (per semester) and me teaching part-time at a home-school co-op (high schoolers) it makes for a studious life. Thankfully I have creative, restorative outlets and good friends, but now, as it's our 3rd year (of 5) of seminary (Chip has added a counseling degree - planning on Marriage & Family Counseling in the future, if He wills), the intimate friendships that had their foundations laid 3 years ago are beginning to dwindle as the Lord moves each of us into our areas of calling.

The first of my dear friends departed in December. Perhaps that's why I haven't had the heart to write. My stomach churns as I contemplate the loss of Colette. She is committed to me, and stands by on Skype - but it's not the same. I can't gaze into her gorgeous big eyes and read her intense looks and bask in her generous smile with me in St. Louis and her in South Africa. I miss her. It is like when I put the garden to sleep - a season has closed - I await the season yet to come when all things will awake, be made new, and raise their heads together in the light of the Son.

I will lose 3 more of my closest friends in the next 6 months. And there are only more leavings ahead. I pray I will, by His grace, hold open my heart and my hands, letting go of the ones who must move in His will, and making myself available for the others who will need a hand-hold as they come to this place, as we answer His call together, by His grace.

Home again home again

Back to St. Louis, and all's well....finally. Much ado about the car, however. Thankfully this was not outside of His plan: there are far worse places than Denver in which we could have been stuck.

All have been so generous and hospitable to us: we were in 13 different places over the 9 weeks we were absent. We were thrilled with the west: Montana, Wyoming and Colorado had mountains, hot springs, lakes, and canyons enough to delight us all....but we are so delighted to get home and back in our own space to get dirty or clean as we like ;) My girls are thrilled. As for me, it's back to the garden I go, and there is a ton of pruning to do, as is to be expected. I am enjoying cucumbers, zucchini, basil, rosemary, and onions. Tomatoes are on their way!

Dinner tonight was a lovely combination of grass-fed beef (sirloin) donated by good friends, roasted potatoes (another friend's contribution) with rosemary, zucchini with basil, and red wine (another gift). We have some special friends and family, what a delight to return home!

Montana

We'll, here we are plugging away at Field Ed. hours, and a lovely place to do it. We're in Helena, and doing an internship with some of the most lovely people I know. Here's a list of things into which I'd like to plug while I'm here:

Story time at the library (Wed. & Thurs., 10:30 am)
Free children's picnic at the park (Mon.-Fri., 12-1)
Live at Five (Wed., 5pm)
Farmer's Market (Saturdays)
Library hosted Book Club, June 25 & July 2

I need to:
Borrow a stroller; walk into town; check out the grocery stores; check out the parks....do some praying.

Garden-inspired eats

Tonight was quick-Asian at our house: a standby throughout the semester, but particularly fitted to finals week, as studies make everything else have to squeak its way in edge-wise.

Here is the Asian noodle "salad" I whipped up this evening, based off of a knowledge that I had only very un-Asian, angel hair pasta (decidedly Italian) and it needed to be worked in a different direction. Our community garden provided the inspiration for what happened next.

1lb cooked angel hair
2-3 tbls cilantro
1/4 cup chives
4 borage leaves (borage, for those who aren't familiar, is a cucumber flavored leaf...slightly "fuzzy" in texture, but delicious, and not a texture problem when minced)
3 tbls sherry vinegar (can substitute rice/rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar)
4 tbls toasted seasame oil (or to taste, as this can be strong)
1 tsp salt
1-2 tsps sugar

Mince all herbs. Once noodles have cooked, you have the option of running under cold water to make it a cool salad, or (as we did tonight) prepare it with still-hot noodles. Put noodles into a bowl, pour all of the ingredients over and mix well. It was lovely and refreshing, and I hope to have it tomorrow (cold) for lunch. It served as a beautiful alternative to rice under our veggies and tofu...light, quick, brain food (plus, Chip can eat the leftovers when he inevitably develops an appetite over his studies later tonight).

little witticisms

I've been teaching the girls the Lord's prayer...

...here is how it turned out in 4-year-old language tonight:

Our father who lives in heaven, hallowed be your name
your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven
give us this day our daily bread and forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors
and lead us not into ten-tissues but deliver us our email...

She didn't continue after I stifled a laugh--I think she could see my grin in the dark.