That for Which the World Has Waited

Hi friends. Welcome to my first display of blogginess! It’s a bit of a busy week here. Here are a few things that are going on…

1. We are fasting this week!!!! Can I get a whoop-whoop?

This week, our church is taking part in our annual, weeklong fast. Those who aren’t in ChurchWorld (sounds a bit like an amusement park or circus, doesn’t it? Sometimes it is.), aren’t always sure how to react to that statement. Many think it’s a practice reserved for hermits in a cave somewhere,

or that it’s like a detox diet, or even that it’s dangerous. Really, it’s just a way to clear our focus and remove some clutter from our lives to hear from God more clearly. Refraining from eating is just a part of that. If you’ve never fasted, you’d be amazed how we use food to mask how we’re feeling, as a buffer from real conversation, as a distraction from things we need to think about. So, fasting—however one chooses to do it, is a way to slow down, listen up a bit, and allows God to pinpoint things He wants to talk to us about. It’s a good time, but a challenging one as well! Of course, being preggo, I will not be doing a traditional fast, but will be giving up some “crutches” I use during the day (Diet Coke! Snacks! Ice Cream! The Daily Show!) Lord, have mercy. And He will.



2. Jason and I are planning the church calendar and talking vision for 2009.

Boy oh boy, that’s another post in itself! Our leadership team has a lot of great ideas and excitement, so we are working on putting some things on paper. And somewhere in the midst of all that this year, Baby #3 will enter stage right. (Nate says she will be named Tinkerbell.) So it will come as no surprise when I tell you that at the top of my prayer list for this fast is more discipline and structure in my life! I need to work smarter and not spend too much time on the Internets. (Oops.)


3. Ava starts kindergarten on Wednesday.

I can hardly believe it! We have been talking about “big school” for months now and the day is finally upon us. We are ready, I think. Management of expectations? In process. Uniform? Bought and ironed. School Shoes? Ready to go. Official school backpack? Yup. Big, ginormous sunhat? Got it. (That’s a requirement in this part of the world.) Having gone to public school in the States, all this uniform stuff is very novel to me—I had to get remedial help from some of the other school moms.

I never thought of myself as an overly clingy, sentimental mother, but I am ambivalent about Ava starting school. I am hoping that we’ve made the right decisions about where to send her, that we’ve prepared her for this, and mostly that I’ve enjoyed my time at home with her like I should have. Nothing like a heaping spoonful of mom-guilt added to the mix! She is so very excited though, and really thrived (thrived? throve?) in a classroom setting at preschool, so I think she will do well. I’ll keep you posted!

4. Nate is getting ready to start preschool next week.

Just one day a week, so not so drama-infused. But I have been feverishly potty training him so that I can pretend by next Wednesday that he’s been out of diapers for ages. ‘Cause I am so on top of things. We keep talking preschool, he wants to know what I’ll say when I drop him off (“Bye Natey, have fun--I’ll see you this afternoon!"), and what he’ll say, (“Mama, noooo! Mama, where are you?”) At least, that what he says he’ll say. I keep trying to edit that. Need more management of expectations, I suppose!

Anyhoo, welcome to my blog, folks. More to come on living down under, raising a family, and being in ministry. And other stuff too.