Sweet Thoughts from Lucy

I just have to share this.

Lucy, our 3 year old, asked me to sing Keith Green's "There Is a Redeemer" at bedtime tonight.  As I sometimes do with our nighttime songs, we talked through the verses first, discussing what they mean.  I sang to her the last verse:

When I stand in glory
I will see His face
And there I'll serve my king forever
In that holy place

I talked her through this verse, saying that one day we will get to see Jesus face to face at last (she often wishes to see Jesus), and that we'll get to serve him as our king forever.

"Yes," she murmured through the pacifier in her mouth, "we'll serve him breakfast and lunch and dinner."

I laughed, then explained that there are other ways of serving Jesus -- loving people, singing songs to him, just being with him.  "And hugging and kissing him," she added.  "But I might feel a little too shy to hug and kiss him."

"Well," I replied, "what do you want to do when Daddy comes home?"

"Run and hug and kiss him!"

"When Jesus comes and you see him, you'll feel the same way."

South Carolina

In just a few days the whole family will be headed south to spend a little over a week down in South Carolina.  I was there last May meeting with various churches and individuals, and I quickly learned why all my Carolinian friends during seminary days had such a deep yearning to return home.  I mean, I could understand why Texans missed Texas so much, but South Carolina?

Now I understand.  The people, culture, and geography of South Carolina have a unique warmth and beauty, and it's quite easy to step into their embrace, at least as visitors.  A few days of walking through Charleston and eating with the folks of South Carolina is enough to make me want more.  I'm glad to be bringing my family with me this time.

Sunday, December 6th we'll be at Church of the Good Shepherd, where my good friend Shay Gaillard pastors a wonderful community of folks.  Sunday, December 13th we'll be at St. John's, a church that has embraced us with surprising excitement and depth of commitment.  We also hope to get some time with Holy Cross, one of the first churches to partner with us.  In between we'll connect with as many other people and communities as possible, while also spending some family time together before making our final push to Texas.

(By the way, we'll gladly receive any recommendations for top-notch seafood and barbecue while we're there.)

Moving to Texas

Right after Christmas, we're moving from our home in Ambridge to my parents' home in Sunnyvale, TX -- the beautiful Ten Acres.

Originally we had planned to move before Christmas, but the schedule is too tight.  We've been focusing our energy on partner development -- writing proposals, visiting churches in the area (we've had good times with the folks at Trinity in Beaver and St. David's in Venetia), making phone calls, writing letters, and updating address lists.  We're also preparing for a week visiting the Diocese of South Carolina (December 5-14), strengthening our relationships with the churches already supporting us and seeking out other partnerships there.  In between, Leslie is beginning to pack up the house, we continue selling off what items we can through yard sales and Craig's List, I'm wrestling with doctors' offices and insurance companies to try and switch our health insurance, and the kids keep going forward with school, ballet, and gymnastics.

So we're moving to Texas right after Christmas.  Leslie and the girls will fly to TX, while my dad drives up in his pick-up to help Jesse and me finish putting things in storage and make the drive to Sunnyvale.  Once there, we'll get the kids settled into their new school, and then re-focus on partner development, spend time connecting with our teammates, the Morrow's, and hang out with family and friends in the area.

We plan to leave for Uganda as early as possible in 2010.  We still need to raise about 50% of our budget, so much prayer and work is ahead of us.  In the past several weeks, however, we've seen such encouraging signs of God's faithfulness and affirmation of our call that we're not discouraged.  We're often weary and sometimes overwhelmed, but our confidence continues to grow -- because we're confident in the One who has called us.

Happy Birthday to Me

Although I'm not thrilled about turning 39 (more on that later), I love daddy birthdays.  The days leading up to it are full of hushed voices and surreptitious card making and unintended hints and shouts of "Don't look in here!" and over-compensations ("Did you go into the basement?!  I mean, there's nothing down there, no surprise or anything, but did you go down there?  Did you see anything?!").

I was up first this morning.  Then Jesse came down for his morning tea, and immediately greeted me with a "Happy Birthday, Dad," followed by a sweet hug.  5 minutes later, Georgia came down with crazy  static hair and sleepy eyes and Paddington bear, and gave a "Happy Birthday, Daddy" and a hug.  Another 5 minutes, and then Lucy joined the growing crowd.  A quick whispered argument between the sisters ensued, then Lucy stood sullenly for a few minutes, and then out came a sweet "Happy Birthday, Daddy," and then she motioned me to come in close, and she gave me a kiss on my unshaven cheek.  That's a real gift from her -- she hates to kiss scruff, and I'm normally required to wait until later in the morning to give or receive kisses from her.  Leslie came down as I added two more tea bags, and gave me a hug as well.

The kids scattered, then came back with the cards.  Here's Georgia's:

 

The inside reads: "Happy Birthday.  Dad I love you and your a GREAT DaD love Georgia."

Here's Jesse's:

 

The outside reads: "For The Awsomest Dad Eaver."

The inside reads:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!

Once there was a dad. But he was no ordinary dad. He was the best and awsomeist dad ever!  His son thout he was cool, his daughters thout he was cool, and his wife thout he was cool. Why? HE WAS COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear Dad, I do think you are cool, and it's true. Have a great birthday. From Jesse.

And Yoda is saying, "Have a good birthday you will."

And then Jesse gave me a present he had picked out himself.  Two brand new nerf swords so we could continue our evening duals.  (Our other swords are beginning to fall apart.)

After the older two left for school, Leslie, the younger two girls, and I slipped away to Cafe Des Amis in Sewickley for a birthday breakfast of yummy swiss & mushroom omelets, strawberry crepes, cappuccinos, and yogurt with fresh raspberries.

This evening we're off to a friends' house for dinner with a few friends.

I may not be thrilled about turning 39 today, but I do love doing so with my family around me.

A Part of the Whole

This past weekend was the 144th annual convention of my diocese.

(For those of you who aren't Anglican, once a year all the leadership of our diocese comes together to hear from our bishop and standing committee, and to make decisions about our life together.  The business can be as mundane as approving budgets or as exciting as welcoming new congregations into our community and hearing about who they are and what they're doing.)

So this past weekend was our 144th gathering, but it was my first time to attend.  All clergy come, as well as appointed lay people.  I was just barely recovering from several days of sickness, and in some ways barely present, self-consciously sneezing and wiping my nose off to the side, clutching my coffee for warmth.  I came both out of sense of duty to the diocese, and with the hope of making connections with folks for our mission.  I came ready to be bored.

I left realizing (and regretting) how much I've missed by skipping other diocesan events.  I will just share two reasons.

First, I need to remember and reenter the reality that my family is a part of something bigger -- bigger than just our family, bigger than just our congregation, bigger even than our mission to Uganda.  Being at the convention reawakened me to that reality.  All over the Pittsburgh area and beyond, there are individuals and communities loving God and his people in so many ways, and we're a part of that family.  Whatever we do in Ambridge or Africa is one part of a whole work that's being accomplished in and through a wonderful organism, an amazing body of Christians called the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh.

That's one of the reasons we're Anglican -- we're not just part of a lonely parish struggling to make it on its own.  We're part of a larger, interdependent community that shares in the trials and joys of serving God.

Second, I need to remember and reengage with the wonderful people that make up this diocese.  I saw so many women and men there about whom I thought, "I wish I had more time to get to know that person, to be with those people."  These are people following the command of Jesus to love each other, even at the cost of laying down their lives.  You see it in both their weariness and their joy.  (For one example of this, see Father Scott Homer's recent post to his blog.)

I'm grateful my family is a part of this family.