Friday, April 4, 2008
Amazing books
I am currently reading two books: "Dangerous Surrender" by Kay Warren and "What Happens When Women Walk in Faith" by Lysa Terkeurst. They are really blowing me away. Kay recommends the above song, and I totally agree. It captures how I feel; how I want to feel! I am also participating in a "Daniel Fast". (See http://www.danielfast.wordpress.com/) I am not ready to comment a lot on that, other than I felt led to fast on behalf of our adoption and nothing "fit" until I came across this plan.
Some quotes from Lysa's book: "Leave the way you've always done life and start doing things differently with God. Leave the attitude, leave the stubborn pride, leave the right to be right, leave the control, and biggest of all, leave the unbelief."
"God does indeed have a plan. Not just a good plan. Not even a really good plan. God has the perfect plan."
Psalm 68:6a, "God places the lonely in families..."
"A life that requires very little faith is not a life that God will use. When we are willing to embark on a life that requires faith, we are more aware of God and His ability to provide for us in every detail of our lives. We won't wait until everything in our lives is in order and then decide, "Okay, now I have the time to work on living by faith." We will never have everything in order, and faith can't be dispensed like a can of soda from a machine. Faith is learned through life."
Psalm 37:5, "Commit everything you do to the Lord, trust Him, and He will help you."
"When you're embarking on an adventure with God, it's easy to get bombarded by all the "what ifs" of the task at hand...Instead of looking at the impossibilities of the adoption, we (Lysa and her husband) ultimately decided to step out in faith according to shat we knew God was telling us to do. When doubt began to take root, we depended on God to work out the unknowns...We knew we served a big God who could handle all that we had to cast upon Him."
That's just a taste to whet your appetite. On the adoption front, we have not yet received the waiting child DVD, and Scott and Jake are out of town until Sunday evening. So we will not be making any decisions in the next day or so. Though I am on pins and needles as I wait! Noelle is as excited as I am, so that makes it fun! We check out the list and photos almost every day.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Quick update
We have been traveling again. Scott and I spent five days in Puerto Rico on a business trip that he won. Yeah, Scott. It was over Jake and Noelle's spring break, so as soon as we got home we left for the weekend with them. We skied in Galena and then went to an indoor water park in Wisconsin Dells. The skiing was awesome! It was the best when all four of us were skiing down the same run. Heaven, here on earth. The waterpark was crowded.
On the way home I was feeling contemplative, so I was thinking, dreaming about checking out the waiting child list when I got home. Scott says...maybe we shouldn't adopt since we can't even get along as a family for a weekend, or something like that. I am like OK, what planet have I been on. We had a little episode in the hotel this morning but other than that I am thinking it was so awesome for the four of us to be together. And, I am crushed. Then I am thinking, "GET BACK SATAN!!! DON'T MESS WITH THIS CALLING!"
So when we get home, Scott says to Jake, "do you think we should adopt?" OK, Jake is the "Are you crazy, you're adopting" kid. But he says: first, by the time this adoption is done I'll have a career. We laughed. And then he said yes. We are a better family than most, and no one is perfect. I told him that one of the things that I had been thinking about in the car was "Blessed are the peacemakers..." He definitely is that.
Man, I love my crazy family. Try having three first-borns and a crazy eleven year old girl in one family! I know that we are called to bring another one into this mix, heaven help them!
Prayer request: Now that we are adopting from Ethiopia we are adopting from a waiting child list. It feels a little like shopping for a child. I pray that God would direct us.
Thanks for taking this crazy ride with us.
On the way home I was feeling contemplative, so I was thinking, dreaming about checking out the waiting child list when I got home. Scott says...maybe we shouldn't adopt since we can't even get along as a family for a weekend, or something like that. I am like OK, what planet have I been on. We had a little episode in the hotel this morning but other than that I am thinking it was so awesome for the four of us to be together. And, I am crushed. Then I am thinking, "GET BACK SATAN!!! DON'T MESS WITH THIS CALLING!"
So when we get home, Scott says to Jake, "do you think we should adopt?" OK, Jake is the "Are you crazy, you're adopting" kid. But he says: first, by the time this adoption is done I'll have a career. We laughed. And then he said yes. We are a better family than most, and no one is perfect. I told him that one of the things that I had been thinking about in the car was "Blessed are the peacemakers..." He definitely is that.
Man, I love my crazy family. Try having three first-borns and a crazy eleven year old girl in one family! I know that we are called to bring another one into this mix, heaven help them!
Prayer request: Now that we are adopting from Ethiopia we are adopting from a waiting child list. It feels a little like shopping for a child. I pray that God would direct us.
Thanks for taking this crazy ride with us.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Yummy!
For all my friends from the cast and crew of "Henry and Ramona", here is the recipe for Apple Berry Salsa with Cinnamon Chips:
Cinnamon Chips:
4 (7-inch) flour tortillas, I use Burrito size
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon (I don't actually measure the cinnamon and sugar, just eye-ball it.)
Salsa:
2 medium Granny Smith apples
1 cup strawberries, sliced, I use more
1 kiwi, peeled and chopped, I use more
1 small orange
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons apple jelly
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. For cinnamon chips, lightly spray tortillas with water. Combine sugar and cinnamon, sprinkle over tortillas. Cut into wedges (before cooking!), place in a single layer on a stone or cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool.
For salsa, peel, core and slice apples. Cut into quarters and chop with food chopper. (or dice really finely) Slice strawberries; chop kiwi with food chopper. Place fruit in bowl. Zest and juice orange. Add orange zest, orange juice, brown sugar and apple jelly to fruit mixture. Mix gently. Serve with cinnamon chips.
Approximately 70 calories and 1 gram of fat per serving (2 tablespoons salsa and 2 chips)
Enjoy!
Cinnamon Chips:
4 (7-inch) flour tortillas, I use Burrito size
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon (I don't actually measure the cinnamon and sugar, just eye-ball it.)
Salsa:
2 medium Granny Smith apples
1 cup strawberries, sliced, I use more
1 kiwi, peeled and chopped, I use more
1 small orange
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons apple jelly
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. For cinnamon chips, lightly spray tortillas with water. Combine sugar and cinnamon, sprinkle over tortillas. Cut into wedges (before cooking!), place in a single layer on a stone or cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool.
For salsa, peel, core and slice apples. Cut into quarters and chop with food chopper. (or dice really finely) Slice strawberries; chop kiwi with food chopper. Place fruit in bowl. Zest and juice orange. Add orange zest, orange juice, brown sugar and apple jelly to fruit mixture. Mix gently. Serve with cinnamon chips.
Approximately 70 calories and 1 gram of fat per serving (2 tablespoons salsa and 2 chips)
Enjoy!
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Adoption update
Last Monday, we submitted a request to Acres of Hope to return our dossier. Aaron Wilson called a couple of days ago and said that Patty (the director) would bring our dossier back from Liberia with her next week and he would return it at that time. He also said we would be refunded half of the program fee we have paid. We are very grateful for this. We were not sure that would happen. It would appear that the rumors about adoptions in Liberia may turn out to be true. The information about Liberia slowing down and possibly shutting down adoptions has been suggested by more than one other agency. We are relieved to be heading another direction.
We are about 98% sure that we will be pursuing an adoption from Ethiopia through the African Widows and Orphans Project (http://www.awop.org/). We are very impressed with Michelle Gardner and the other representatives that we have talked to. We are very comfortable with the process that they go through to try to help families in country before turning to adoption. We are pleased that they offer adoption training that is specific to Ethiopian adoptions.
As I consider what positive things have come from this wait, I love to speculate what treasure God has in store for us. Since we considered Ethiopia before Liberia, someone suggested that we had strayed from God's plan when we considered AoH. I guess we won't know for awhile. I do know that we have expanded our vision of what an orphan looks like for us, our picture of what our child might look like and how he or she might fit into our family. God is preparing our hearts to accept an older child if that is what He desires. He has worked on my heart regarding siblings, though I would be petrified!!! Scott is still not sure about that one. Pray for us as we consider the waiting child list. I love that they are waiting, rather than us waiting. I hope that makes sense. But it is scary to feel like we are picking out our child. When we were waiting for a referral it felt more like God was picking out our child. I pray that God would speak to Scott and I about the same child and that there would be no doubt in out minds.
I pray that God would work out the logistics of the training weekend so that both of our children could attend. The first training is in May and Noelle has a program at school that would be very difficult to miss especially since she has had Thailand and play absences. The next one is in July and I think Jake will be gone on his Argentina missions trip. I REALLY want Jake to go!
I am so excited to be active in our adoption journey again! Doing nothing but waiting was killing me. At least now I get to redo our papers, etc. again. OK, maybe that is weird to want to do paperwork, but at least it seems like something is being done toward forward progress.
Psalm 9:1&2,
"I will thank you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High!"
We are about 98% sure that we will be pursuing an adoption from Ethiopia through the African Widows and Orphans Project (http://www.awop.org/). We are very impressed with Michelle Gardner and the other representatives that we have talked to. We are very comfortable with the process that they go through to try to help families in country before turning to adoption. We are pleased that they offer adoption training that is specific to Ethiopian adoptions.
As I consider what positive things have come from this wait, I love to speculate what treasure God has in store for us. Since we considered Ethiopia before Liberia, someone suggested that we had strayed from God's plan when we considered AoH. I guess we won't know for awhile. I do know that we have expanded our vision of what an orphan looks like for us, our picture of what our child might look like and how he or she might fit into our family. God is preparing our hearts to accept an older child if that is what He desires. He has worked on my heart regarding siblings, though I would be petrified!!! Scott is still not sure about that one. Pray for us as we consider the waiting child list. I love that they are waiting, rather than us waiting. I hope that makes sense. But it is scary to feel like we are picking out our child. When we were waiting for a referral it felt more like God was picking out our child. I pray that God would speak to Scott and I about the same child and that there would be no doubt in out minds.
I pray that God would work out the logistics of the training weekend so that both of our children could attend. The first training is in May and Noelle has a program at school that would be very difficult to miss especially since she has had Thailand and play absences. The next one is in July and I think Jake will be gone on his Argentina missions trip. I REALLY want Jake to go!
I am so excited to be active in our adoption journey again! Doing nothing but waiting was killing me. At least now I get to redo our papers, etc. again. OK, maybe that is weird to want to do paperwork, but at least it seems like something is being done toward forward progress.
Psalm 9:1&2,
"I will thank you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High!"
Meet Bessie!
Well, here I am playing Bessie Peabody! Neighbor of Henry and Ramona. It is way scary and though I try not to be vain, I sure hope I age better than this! Who knew what kind of impact a little purple makeup could make!
My favorite part, the girdle and stockings!
Sweet Ribsy, Henry's dog.
Six performances done and eight to go, unless of course we sell out and they add more!
Sunday, March 2, 2008
The following poem was borrowed from Brandi, who borrowed it from someone else:
Disturb me Lord to see the plight of millions,
homeless, starving
and fighting for life each day.
Disturb me Lord when I complain about my lack
when I have NO idea what lack really is!
Lord, disturb me,
so that I can see past myself
and venture forth being Your hands and feet.
Help me to dream big dreams
that only You can bring to pass.
"Disturb us, Lord,
when we are too well pleased
with ourselves,
when our dreams have come true
because we dreamed too little,
when we arrived safely
because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord,
when with the abundance of things we possess
we have lost our thirst for the waters of life;
having fallen in love with life,
we have ceased to dream of eternity
and in our efforts to build a new earth
we have allowed our vision
of the new Heaven
to dim.
Disturb us, Lord,
to dare more boldly,
where storms will show your mastery;
where losing sight of land,
we shall find the stars.
We ask you to push back
the horizons of our hopes;
and to push into the future
in strength,
courage,
hope
and love.
Sir Francis Drake
Disturb me Lord to see the plight of millions,
homeless, starving
and fighting for life each day.
Disturb me Lord when I complain about my lack
when I have NO idea what lack really is!
Lord, disturb me,
so that I can see past myself
and venture forth being Your hands and feet.
Help me to dream big dreams
that only You can bring to pass.
"Disturb us, Lord,
when we are too well pleased
with ourselves,
when our dreams have come true
because we dreamed too little,
when we arrived safely
because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord,
when with the abundance of things we possess
we have lost our thirst for the waters of life;
having fallen in love with life,
we have ceased to dream of eternity
and in our efforts to build a new earth
we have allowed our vision
of the new Heaven
to dim.
Disturb us, Lord,
to dare more boldly,
to venture on wider seas
where storms will show your mastery;
where losing sight of land,
we shall find the stars.
We ask you to push back
the horizons of our hopes;
and to push into the future
in strength,
courage,
hope
and love.
Sir Francis Drake
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)