Used to Weird

It’s snowing outside. Yes. You read me right. It’s snowing. It was 65 degrees outside yesterday, and today… white fluffs of iciness. It isn’t accumulating yet, but IT’S SNOWING!

I could complain, but this is normal. The problem is that we got used to weird weather. It’s been unseasonably warm here (Easter weekend saw temperatures in the 80’s!), and we fell for the tease. Now we’re in shock because things are normal.

I debated whether it was just too cheesy to make the comparison, but it simply has to be done.

I think that this may be the state of the American church. We’ve gotten used to weird. We define sacrifice as sitting in an airconditioned or heated room, on a padded pew (or chair, as the case may be), and listening to someone praise God in song without fear, and enjoying learning the Word of God from a pastor who has usually been the beneficiary of Biblical education. When we hear about someone making a real sacrifice, we act as if it’s shocking.

I’m not insulting the church. It’s not that I want to hear about churches burning their pews and standing through services in order to show their dedication. I just want to make sure that I stay aware of the fact that this is not normal. Suffering is normal. Sacrifice is normal. What we have is unfair. I hope and pray that we appreciate it, and that we seek ways to use our dollars, time, and effort to glorify the One from whom we have received it all.

For now I say, “Let it snow!” Maybe then I’ll appreciate the warmth of Easter.

Feeling Old

My mom and dad saved a dress that I remember wearing when I was DeLaynie’s age. It was my favorite Sunday outfit, and now DeLaynie loves it, too. Yep. I feel old.

In other news, Edwin and I were very excited to bring home a new addition to our family...

lawn furniture.

We got it all set up yesterday, and now we’re basking in the glorious comfort of outdoor lounging.

For a little while, at least. The girls enjoyed the box that it came in more than the actual furniture.

I, however, grabbed a blanket and enjoyed my chair. Boy! I do feel old!

But it was a Pooh blanket that I swiped from DeLaynie. Maybe I have a few more fogey-free days left...

What Have You (or I) Given Up?

Many of you know that we thought that we would be in Nicaragua right now. God had a plan the whole time, which intended for us to be right where we are after attending training to work as missionaries. As an added bonus, we had the great privilege of getting to know lots of families who are now laboring in fields (literally and metaphorically) all over the world. We may not have the honor to be counted among them, but knowing them is infinitely more than we deserve.

Every once in a while I get hit in the head with how incredibly spoiled we are. Here we are, in the U.S., enjoying all of the amenities of American life, enjoying the shower of God’s blessings without the struggles that many of our friends are facing. We are called to be right where we are.

We have some friends who have been called to the jungle. They have made a video tour of their home. I gently request that you take the time to download it and watch it, keeping in mind that the wife is pregnant (bless her heart!). What a joy to know such people!

A Great Day at Church

Sunday was "Bring Your Own Friend Day" at church. This was Edwin's idea. The goal was to encourage current Sunday School attenders to invite friends. Edwin ordered T-shirts to give away, and we had an abundance of breakfast food available before study began.

It's been a long time since I've seen a church buy into an idea so completely. For the entire week prior, the common question was, "Who are you bringing?" It was more than a suggestion. It was an expectation. We had 110 people in Sunday School, which more than doubled the previous week. That's 110 people in Bible Study. 110 people listening to the Word of God. 110 souls being fed, encouraged, and loved.

As if that weren't enough, the students presented a human video that they had been preparing for weeks. It was the "Everything" skit (to the song by Lifehouse; you can look it up on YouTube), which presents the Gospel in a dramatic way. They did better than great. It was phenomenal. I've seen it dozens of times, performed by students in churches with exponentially more attenders, but no one has done it better.

That's what we call a good day at the office. Okay, so Edwin calls it a good day at the office. I call it a great day at church, but I think that may be splitting hairs.

I Gotta Business!

I am now a business woman, sort of. I haven't made a dime, but I have a website and business cards. That's pretty close, right? I have the privilege of filling in for Cindy (my favorite Zumba® instructor) on Monday.I absolutely love Cindy for bringing Zumba® to town. She's been wonderfully supportive. I appreciate her tremendously! I am so excited to see if I can survive my first class. And nervous. But that's obvious.

I'll start my own classes on May 1st. I'll be getting a business license and everything! The name of my company is Too Fun To Be Fitness. Say it out loud. Sweet, huh? Click here to visit the site and check out the information regarding the classes I'm starting. Let's pray that I can earn back the cost of training!

Spring is Here! (at least for a little while)

So you want pictures, huh? Well, we got 'em! It was extraordinarily warm this weekend, hitting the high 80's! Many years, it's still snowing at this time of year, so this was absolutely remarkable. We all enjoyed it. Even I didn't mind the heat, and we don't have an air conditioner!(This may not mean much to you if you don't know me, but I tend to stay in the nice, cool, air conditioned indoors all summer.) It's amazing how good it feels to be warm after months of cold. DeLaynie was all dressed up and ready for Easter when she received this hat and purse set. She would stand in front of the full-length mirror and say things like, "So stylish," "I need some blue eyeshadow," and turn around and say, "What a beautiful back I have!" Apparently, that stick is her walking stick. We're not sure where that concept came from.

See that pink? That's how the girls of the Carpenter (my mom's side) family prove that it's warm. Who needs a thermometer?

The girls received gift cards to WalMart for their birthday, which I parlayed into sand toys.

Saturday afternoon, we had our family Easter egg hunt. The girls had a great time. Ella, once she got the concept, ran around the yard yelling, "So happy!"

Easter morning came, and thanks to Edwin's dad and stepmom, the girls were completely outfitted, right down to purses, which they swapped randomly throughout the day.

I just love the sweaters!

After church we enjoyed the hospitality of not one but two wonderful families! We are so grateful for all of the love we receive here.

Ella absolutely loves chocolate labs. This family has two of them, and she squeals for them once we pull into their driveway.

This family included several kids, so we were able to hunt for more eggs, though my kids weren't as motivated as some of the others.

But Daddy made up for it.

All-in-all, it was a lovely holiday weekend! The cold may return (we've been warned about this possibility), but we're enjoying the break. Thank You, Lord for the sun, and for the True Light of the World!

How Was Zumba® Training?

Well, I did it! I'm now licensed to teach Zumba® classes! One thing that you should know about me is that in high school I would have definitely gotten, "Least Likely to Professionally Do Anything Involving Dance" had it been a category. I am a terrible dancer! It's okay. I'm perfectly fine with it. This isn't an expression of a lack of self-esteem, nor is it an insult. It's just a fact. Dancers are usually people who "feel the music," and it seems to me that they have a sixth sense for getting a step without studying it. These were the people in my class. I know that they have worked very hard perfecting their craft, and I admire them for it. I just don't seem to have the same kind of mind that they have. I'm an analyzer. I'm completely capable of getting it, but most definitely not on the first try. I have to watch it, understand every component, and then I have to digest it. (I can go through this process insanely fast in some subjects, but very slowly in others.) I'm perfectly fine with this aspect of my personality. It makes me good at some things, like understanding what I read. But it makes me a lousy dancer, especially on the first day. And it was a one day workshop.

The first thing that we did was called "Master Class". This is a Zumba® class as taught by someone who has completely mastered the steps and the attitude of Zumba®. I thought I was going to die! For over an hour, we did steps that I had never seen before. Okay, they did steps that I had never seen before. I'm not sure what I was doing. During the break, I prayed and read some Scripture. This was extremely helpful in helping me regain a good attitude. (I'm pretty sure that I looked sulky by the end of Master Class.)

After the first hour, things calmed down. We had lectures on theory and the basics of Zumba®, and we also practiced the basic steps. This was much easier. The day ended with a much shorter version of a Master Class, but I'm pretty sure that the trainer intentionally made the moves easier. He didn't want me to leave the place completely bummed, and I appreciate that.

I'm still a little sore, but I'm excited about starting to teach classes. I've got a lot of practicing to do, but I don't mind the work. Ella and I have been working on our moves together. I think Ella may be a natural, and we need at least one in this family.