Wait A Minute, Mr. Postman...

Want to send Burrito a note of encouragement? Follow the directions in the Twitter message on my side bar or follow this link: Birmingham, AL E-Couragram!

Resistance Is Futile!

Twitter.

I've resisted it. Truly I have. And it hasn't been hard since I didn't have a texting plan on my cell phone until last week.

I mean, really...

Do I need to be texted when my neighbor finds a great buy on toilet paper? When my friend from church decides to boil eggs for her salad? Do I need to know that a fellow PTA mom is up from her afternoon nap?

Ummm... no! I'm blissful in my ignorance, thank you very much!

Until this morning.

Unexpectedly, an event in my life made me dash home, jump on the computer and set up a Twitter account. I'll bet you're thinking, "Wow, it must really be something special!"

And you'd be right!

This morning, I dropped Burrito off at our church where he and 30 other students and 9 adults loaded up in three vans to head to Birmingham, Alabama.

Once there, they are partnering with World Changers for five days on projects that include painting, roofing, building and repairing decks and doors, and yard work, as well as walking the neighborhoods and sharing Christ with those they meet.

So what about this event made me run home and set up a Twitter account?

All cell phones have been left at home during this trip, cutting off communication with our kids. And that's okay. I understand that they need to be immersed in what they are doing. Set apart so that God is able to stretch them beyond what they think they can accomplish. All without the security net of being able to "phone home."

Just before the last kisses where planted and the final wave given, our youth pastor announced that they had set up a Twitter account to keep us all up-to-date on what was happening while they are traveling and working. (I may or may not have actually heard angels singing at that moment.)

Would you join me in praying for Burrito, the team, their projects, and the people they encounter?

I'll be posting their Twitter updates on my sidebar as they are sent. This way, you will also know what is going on and can pray appropriately for them.

Confessions: How do you do it?

I am doing something a little different this year in my quiet time. I am reading the Bible through - which I've done before in various ways - but this time in chronological order in the New Living Translation. It has been awesome! The New Testament flows pretty easily as it's organized in most versions of the Bible, but the Old Testament can seem rather disjointed in its typical ordering. It's been so satisfying to read it this way and to enjoy the flow of it.

I'm especially appreciative of reading the Psalms as they fall into the events. The Psalms are always great to read, but even more so when you have a fresh understanding of the events that inspired them.

Because of reading the Bible this way, I really cannot skip a day's reading. It would be kind of like studying U.S. history starting in the colonial days and then jumping into the current events without knowing what happened in between! It's been a really good external motivator to keep up with my reading. On the rare occasion that I have missed a day, I double up - usually by trying to find two times in the day to read.

So, how do you do it? Cover to cover? The "flip and point" method? By genre?

Sabbath Blessings

"And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." (Romans 12:1-2 NLT)

An update coming soon...

You won't believe what's been cooking around here - lots of good stuff. Come back later and I'll tell you all about it. There will even be pictures!

Happy Father's Day!

I love you, Dad! XO

A Follow-Up To My Backyard Friends

Remember this little guy?

Since this is a family blog, I declined to show you the photographic proof of his "maleness" in my previous post.

But, then some of you looked for the proof.

I do have the proof... in case you were wondering.

The End.