The Rich Young Ruler

When Jesus heard that, he said “Then there’s only one thing left to do. Sell everything you own and give it away to the poor. You will have riches in heaven. Then come, follow me.” This was the last thing the official expected to hear. He was very rich and became terribly sad. He was holding on tight to a lot of things and not about to let them go. Seeing his reaction Jesus said. “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who have it all to enter God’s kingdom? I’d say it’s easier to thread a camel through a needle’s eye than get a rich person into God’s kingdom.”
“Then who has any chance at all?” the others asked.
“No chance at all,” Jesus said, “if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.” Luke 18:22-27 (The Message)

Several of our friends are experiencing “Rich young ruler” moments right now. It’s really hard for me to not want to swoop in and “rescue” them from these difficult faith decisions. Why is that?! I still have a warped view of what is BEST.

We certainly have had our RYR moments. We used to call them our Abraham moments... The first was when the Lord restored everything we had run away from in Boston - “fleeing from sin”. We left there broken, we left everything, but in His hands. When He brought us back to New England three years later it was to a nicer home that we owned, a better job, a “better” town - Cambridge (it’s hard for me to say one town is better than the North Shore towns - we love them all. But Cambridge was a lot closer to Boston, and we were living in the city), an awesome place to worship: the Cambridge Vineyard (still the only place that Gavin and I both felt completely at home) and a new family - Rae was two years old and Reece was only a few months. Everything we left was restored, except even better!

The moment that was our most difficult decision of faith was after we had been back in Boston for about a year. The Lord called us to leave everything and move to Ft. Thomas, KY - just outside of Cincinnati, to help plant a community based church. We were leaving the best paying job Gavin had ever had, our first real home, the city we loved, the church we loved, friends that remain a powerful gift from the Lord, the east coast - to go to the Midwest.......no offense to the any Midwesterners out there, but I’m just an east coast girl.

We obeyed, though it truly was the most difficult decision we’ve ever made, and moved into a tiny two bedroom apartment with 70’s decor, without a job (Gavin had begun his own business), and with two little girls.

Planting a church is very difficult. You learn more about how NOT to do things than anything else...at least that was our experience. It is a clumsy, fragile and most-of-the-time messy process. Though that season was very difficult, it was also one of the most rewarding.

..interesting that even now I have this urge to paint it pretty - to make sure there is a happy ending.... there wasn’t..at the time. It was a painful time. We gave everything and put ourselves out there ...and got hurt. We obeyed and did what God called us to do, and it was hard....

The written word is so final and ominous....

There was definitely a lot of sweet, and yummy fruit from that season - I want to highlight that point.

Has the hurt been redeemed? Absolutely! Our dad is the Great Redeemer and He has proven that name to us. Every hurt has been redeemed and we have been blessed abundantly by the community in Ft. Thomas. We have life long friends there, God-parents to our children there, and we continue to partner with them in ministry. They are a great part of our lives and ministry. We cherish them and even have grown to like Cincinnati...:)

Let me quickly tell you the end of that story: We had been in Ft. Thomas for about 18 months when Gavin felt the Lord’s leading to move us here to D.C. This, too, was an extremely difficult decision because we were very much so invested in our community church. I thought Gavin was wrong. We should either move back to Boston, where we still owned a home, or NC where our family was. We were expecting our Eliot at the time. I submitted, however, and we moved here to D.C.

The moment I walked into the house the Lord had completely provided, I felt rescued. I had this wind of peace rush over me. I knew we were home and exactly where we were supposed to be. Big Daddy has since blessed us with an amazing home that allows us to host many families for worship, living life together, etc., an awesome city, friendships that I’ve always hoped to have, and a growing community of believers that are starting to realize there is more....and see it! ...and two more daughters. (it is fitting that we have two Carolina girls and two Virginia girls)

This place I told everyone, very arrogantly, would be a “pit-stop”, has become home and I can testify that the Lord is faithful. We’re going on our fourth year here, and we have experienced His promises to be true.

Luke 18:29 (The Message) No one who has sacrificed home, spouse, brother and sisters, parents, children - whatever - will lose out. It will all come back multiplied many times over in your lifetime. And then the bonus of eternal life!

So why would I want to “rescue” my dearest friends from experiencing God’s richest blessings?! ....because it is hard to watch them get there. Lord, please help me to stay right where you want me - present to walk through this difficult time with them, yet out of the way. I trust you, Lord. I know that you are good. I know what you have for us is so much more amazing than anything we have planned for ourselves. Let your peace that passes all understanding comfort them through these hard decisions and draw them close. I trust you.

Abide In Me

Those are the words I woke up hearing from my Dad this morning: "Abide in Me"

I'm weak, Lord. I lack self control. I need you. I know that I can't do [this] without you. The basics of life, walking in obedience, are impossible for me - my flesh is too weak. But I don't trust in myself. I know that I am nothing without you. Any wisdom I have is Yours - I know that. Any good thing in me, is You. My hope is You. I trust You. I know that you will take me further than I want to go and I trust you. I want all of You and I give you all of me.....all of me....all of me....

teach me, dad. I love you...

To Game or Not to Game...

That's actually NOT the question... Since I was a child I've loved to play games - who doesn't? Atari was our first family game system. My sister, brother and I loved playing "The Oregon Trail" and "Where in the World is Carmen San Diego" on the computer (oh, how things have changed!). Things really got interesting in college when we heard of "The Age of Empires"! ...and cheat codes - thanks, Greg:)

I love having game night with the kids. They LOVE having game night. Some of our favorites are "Sorry", "Clue for kids", and "Cranium".

My two older girls each have a Nintendo DS and Elle has a Leapster - for our road trips. I try to get games that have some kind of educational value, but they are also just fun little game systems.

I was lying in bed this morning thinking about games ...not at all obvious, I'm sure ...and I was convicted. Now I know there is nothing inherently wrong with these games, but I learned a long time ago that everything we have been given can be used as either a tool or a weapon. That decision is ours alone.

I was convicted because I've been using games as a weapon, as of late. Reece's DS has been confiscated due to her inability to locate it when needed, and it sits beside my bed. When I can't go to sleep - or don't want to yet - I've been playing her DS.

I heard a whisper this morning: "What are you trying to escape from?" All at once thoughts of how to use that time more productively began flooding my mind. ...productivity isn't really the goal when I'm lying in bed at midnight, mind racing. But time with my Dad, is. Those are usually the sweetest times of my day.

The Lord has been speaking to me through Kim Walker:
You won't relent until you have it all
- my heart is Yours.
I set you as a seal upon my heart,
For there is love that is as strong as death
Jealousy demanding as the grave
And living waters can not quench this thirst.
You won't relent until you have it all
- my heart is Yours.

and

all to you I surrender
everything, every part of me
all to you I surrender
all my dreams, all of me

and

Where you go, I go
What you say, I say, God
Where you pray, I pray
Where you pray, I pray

though the world sees and soon forgets
we will not forget who you are and what you've done for us,
what you've done for us

...there is nothing wrong with playing games. However, when your dad is calling you? ...you better put down your games, whatever they may be, and run to His side, right? There is nothing in this world like the voice of our dad - His words are life. ...the games will still be there when I get back.

Awake in the middle of the night

...awoken by a talking baby...  that's odd.  ...she doesn't sound upset.  I wonder what's going on with her.  she rarely has trouble sleeping through the night - thank you Babywise!!  ...maybe she'll go back to sleep.

...she's starting to get upset now.  ...something's not right.  I go to see what is the matter.  maybe she's gotten tangled in her blanket.  now that she's rolling over and trying to crawl that happens a lot more frequently...   her face lights up with such joy.  ..."I'm rescued!!  Thanks, mommy!" is all over her face.  She has such a sweet smile.  Her four little teeth, worn like a badge of honor, shining for all the world to see...  she peacefully looks to the door.  staying in her room is NOT a viable option in her mind.

she has a stinky diaper ...ah, that's it.  ...she clearly is not happy about turning back around and re-entering her room, even with the light on...even if she's getting her bum clean ...she wants to be out of this room...  "what's in your room, mommy?  ..or down stairs?!" is coyly expressed through her leaning body in that direction...

she's constipated....poor baby.  she has had such trouble with her little tummy from the beginning of her little life.  I keep hoping she'll outgrow it - teething has helped.  instead of the usual burning diarrhea diapers my other girls always had when they were teething - she's regular.  ...but tonight her little tummy is hurting.  ...juice!  I'll get her some juice!  that should satisfy her on many fronts - going in the direction of her leaning....

...she could care less about the juice, though she does drink some.  ...she's hurting - I can tell.  Lord, please heal whatever is going on in her little digestive system...  give me wisdom to know how to best help her little body function.

...I lay her back down.  ...she's not happy about that, but is tired and goes quickly back to sleep.  it's now 3:40 in the morning.  pitch black outside - probably the darkest the night will get, at this moment.  I'm tired.  ...as I go to get in my bed there's another little girl in my spot ...blondie.  we already had a short one in our bed from earlier in the evening.  how is it that two very little girls can take up an entire king sized bed? Gavin loves being crowded and snuggling with his girls....I need my space.  ...I think I'll go sleep with Rae - that never happens anymore.

...never happens anymore...

...and I'm reminded that this season of being up in the middle of the night will pass too quickly.  they are all growing up so fast.  so precious.  so proud to be their mommy.

I hear a whisper ..."enjoy the moment".

one day soon I'll sleep right through the night without a single interruption ..and it will be sweet...and lacking.

Three in Three!

So far my New Year's resolution is in tact....three blogs in three days.....don't hold your breath!  ha!

I feel like the Lord is preparing my heart for a big change this year.  ...Expect the Unexpected...

Homeschooling has most recently come back to my mind.  This has been a four year process....  I thought I had been "let off the hook" but find myself trying to jump back on.  I get excited thinking about the many prospects.

Gavin and I had a long talk this morning about priorities.  What ARE our priorities when it comes to our children's education?  Do we want to expose them to as much as possible or make sure they have dear friends to go through school with?  Is academics more important than the social aspect?  If we cultivate a lifestyle of learning at home does it really matter what the public school system exposes them to?  Where will they have the most stimulation?  What about Reece who has found her confidence by being out from under Raegan's shadow, being at a different school - with her own friends, etc.? 

...then there's the dreaded homeschool mom stereotype....  Now I have to say I have some pretty cool friends that completely shatter that stereotype:  Anna, Kim, Denise, Melanie...to name a few.  They are all hot mama's that are creative, fun and create an awesome environment for a lifestyle of learning.  However, it is still a thought I have to battle - why do I care?  I shouldn't....

Balance is the spice of life!  It's also the place where true faith is discovered.  That's what I'm hoping to discover in the journey of this year....


Raegan has a lot of great ideas.  Jenny is getting excited about it, too.  I think about weekly museum trips to the Smithsonian....what an amazing place to live for homeschooling!  I think about being able to have music lessons during the day, gymnastics, trips to the library, art enrichment, starting our own Planting Sequoias co-op, science projects, etc.  What if we got a french au pair to live with us and help teach the whole family french?  Being able to travel and have an apostolic ministry would fit perfectly with homeschooling....

.....balance....  One day at a time - led by the Spirit. 

I really just want to be obedient.  I'm not looking for more work.  I know that I need alone time every day.  I enjoy the few hours I have while Reece and Raegan are in school....it won't be long before all the girls are in school!  I could always go back to school and get my Masters in education.  Teaching is definitely in my blood, though I tried to deny it.  I love to teach. 

I also feel a pulling to pursue an education in counseling.....  Maybe it's not children I'm supposed to teach, but something to do with Women's ministry or Family ministry.  That is also very close to my heart.  The Lord has certainly brought a lot of these types of opportunities our way over the past six years.  Would I really be able to do these things if I were homeschooling?

...Lord, I need you to make sense of all of these thoughts!  I truly just want to be obedient.  Give me wisdom to know what step to take next.  ...everything I am for Your Kingdom...I'm in Your hands and I trust you...

Our Disney Perspective

One of my dearest friends recently asked my advice on the Disney parks since we have a timeshare there and go often.  Here is what I wrote to her, just in case you are interested.

Where to stay:
Staying at one of the Disney resorts gives you the most benefits - there are special bonus hours for Disney resort guests and little perks that other guests don't have access to. If that's a little too much for the budget, staying in Lake Beuna Vista is the next best. You're minutes from the parks and most resorts have complimentary transportation to and from the parks.   We have a timeshare in Lake Buena Vista - if you're ever interested in using it, let us know!

Disney Parks:
The Magic Kingdom is the most fun for the little ones (and adults). It's also the most popular park - but that's for good reason. They really know how to do it! It's so magical!
We almost skipped ToonTown at the Magic Kingdom, but it ended up being Reece (5yrs.) and Eliot's (2yrs) favorite land. Their favorite thing was going through Mickey and Minnie's houses.  Also, be sure to visit the Hall of Presidents!!  Don't miss it!
The Animal Kingdom is second out of all the parks. It's a really fantastic zoo with bells and whistles. The Safari is awesome. Be sure to get there when that park opens and go there first. The animals are most active earlier in the day. By lunch time they're taking naps.  This past time we had a giraffe walk right up to our truck - it was amazing!  ...such a great experience.
Hollywood studios is good but it is a poorly laid out park. Still there are some good shows there: Beauty and the Beast, Indiana Jones, High School Musical...
The last one out of the four (for little ones) is Epcot. We LOVE Epcot, but it's a little "heady" for the little ones. Raegan is eight and she really enjoyed it, but the little ones missed a lot. They all enjoyed the Spaceship Earth area, The Land and The Sea areas; Innovations is awesome.
If you have a science lover they will be in heaven!!  The Innovations area is fantastic!  -a word of caution- evolution is very much an accepted philosophy around the Spaceship Earth area of Epcot, but not bad enough to skip.  We used each opportunity as a teachable moment.

Moving between parks:
It takes about 2 days to get through Magic Kingdom. Every other Disney park can be done in a morning or afternoon - you may just want to go back and do some of those things again. The transportation between Epcot and MK is excellent, by monorail, but transportation between the other parks is by bus.....not so great. Hollywood Studios does have an option of going to Epcot by boat, which is nice. Because parking is good all day at any Disney park, we found it easier to just drive to the other parks most of the time (except for Epcot to MK and visa versa)
Personally, I would do a hopper pass for a few days and use it to go between the Magic Kingdom and the Animal Kingdom - hit the high spots of Hollywood Studios and Epcot, but then get a ticket for Sea World.


Universal/Sea World vs. Disney:
SeaWorld and Universal both have an awesome option - when you buy a ticket for one day it is good to use for 7 days at no additional cost! It's such a great deal. The girls really loved SeaWorld. You could easily spend several days at SeaWorld.
Universal definitely has some fun rides, and Dr. Suess land was a huge hit, but the park doesn't run nearly as efficiently as the Disney parks.  We can't do Disney every year, and when we can't Universal is a great option.  However, if you have the funds and you have to choose between Disney and Universal, Disney wins every time - hands down.  If you have to choose only one park out of all of the Disney parks - Magic Kingdom wins.


Schedule:
The schedule that worked best for us was to get there when the park opens and stay until lunch. Head back to the resort, have lunch, swim, take naps, and then head back to the parks around 4pm and stay until we were tired. The parks have amazing fire works or lazer shows (except for the Animal Kingdom) every night. Epcot has an incredible lazer show at 9:30 every night. MK has awesome fire works, lit by a real Tinker Belle -which was neat for the girls - at 10:00 every night. Hollywood studios has a fireworks and lazer show at 9:30 - I think that's the right time - every night. We didn't get to that one.
One other thing: Mondays are the busiest day of the week for the parks. I don't know why. I read that before we went, but didn't really believe it.......there was no question of the validity of that statement once we were there..... Avoid going on Monday's if you can - unless it's just a really dead time of year, then it shouldn't really matter. Also, the busiest hours are between 11:00 and 4:00.

Saving Money:
Another great thing is that the parks let you bring in food. We saved SO much money bringing in our own snacks and sandwiches - when we did spend money it was on things we really wanted - ice cream treats, a gift on the last day to bring home, etc.

I think that's everything. Oh, yes, there's one more thing that we didn't take advantage of, but I hear is a wonderful thing for little girls, especially: Character breakfast, lunch or dinner. You have to book these months in advance, but I hear they are a sweet time. The Grand Floridian has the best one - or so I've heard. If your child dresses up, the princess she dresses as will spend extra time with her...just fyi:) I'm sure if you google Character meals at Disney you'll find lots of info, if that's something you're interested in.

That's all I've got - I hope it's helpful for your next trip to Orlando:)

Do I Dare?!

Wow, I really can't believe it's been so long since my last post. ....New Year's resolution: blog more, among other things....

I'll quickly say that we returned home last night (spent Christmas in Orlando at Disney World with Mom (Marno) and our Mom Stalvey (grandmother)) to an empty home for the first time in over four years.....

It was surreal, sad, exciting, and curious. We slowly walked around the house looking to see what all had been taken or left behind. Raegan and Reece cried. Eliot asked why they were crying and comforted her sisters. Sutton was thrilled to be home and out of the car.

We had our prayer time together, cried some more, talked about how we were feeling and put the girls to bed. It was a sweet time. We're excited to see how the Lord will fill this home this year. There is much to come and we are ready to be used however the Lord wants to use us. ...everything we are for Your Kingdom's cause....

Athena and the kids successfully moved in with her mom while we were gone for Christmas. This will give them a more long-term living solution while she figures out what life looks like as a single mom. We are still hoping for redemption and understand that God's redemption comes in many different and surprising forms.... Our hope is in Him.

We are looking forward to still seeing the kids and Athena weekly at our "Monday Midrash" and occasional Sabbath dinners. The girls are having a slumber party this Friday with Gia and Kiara. It's been an amazing year with them. We're so blessed to have been a part of their lives and them a part of ours! (slide show to follow)

Nick and Traci came to collect the remainder of their things. (Nick and Traci were married a few days after he returned home in November from the World Race mission trip through Adventures In Missions (AIM) where he has been since January. They are now living in N. KY/Cinci where he is from and his mom, sister and nephew currently live, as well.) We are thrilled for them and their new life together!!

...so, we have an empty home, for the moment, for the first time in four years. Jenny is still with us, but she doesn't count...:)

It looks like it's going to be a full year of ministry through our Planting Sequoias community here in NoVa. We're excited! We're anticipating how the Lord will fill our home. We already know of several different families that will be with us short-term. ...we'll see what is next!!

I love the Message translation of the "seek ye first the Kingdom of God" passage. (We sang that song last night - please forgive the KJ verbage:))

Matthew 6:33 (The Message)

30-33"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

I love you, sweet friends. I cherish your prayers and support. May this be a year full of overflowing cups for His people.

(I clearly don't know how to say anything "quickly")