Belated Birthday Buzz

I've been meaning to post about Drew's birthday bashes for a week, but I wanted to get some pictures up and with our oh-so-slow dial-up, that's like an all-day affair. So, today I have access to high-speed internet and decided to take advantage.

We had two parties this year: a fun, relaxed family party with grandmas, grandpas, aunts and uncles as Como Park in St. Paul, and then his very first "kid" party at Phelps Park here in town.

We had a Curious George theme for both parties and I had way too much fun (and stayed up way too late!) making monkey cupcakes. They were a little putzy but totally easy and I think they turned out pretty cute!













The big present this year was a bike. I was a little conflicted about it (how can my baby be old enough for a bike??) but Daddy was SOOO excited to give it to him! We managed to convince him before hand that he wasn't getting one, so he was oh so sweetly surprised and pretty much speechless with excitement!
(Doesn't he look so old all perched up there like a real boy?!)

Not 10 minutes after he hopped on we had our first catastrophe: a pedal came loose. Luckily, all available mechanics rushed to the scene to get him up and running again!
The weather for his family party could not have been more perfect, but we didn't get so lucky the second time around. (I think I should start recording the temp and humidity level on his birthday each year -- it seems it's always beastly!) 'Course the kids didn't care too much -- they just kept guzzling that lemonade!

The combination of cupcakes, presents, a playground and seven 3-6 year olds was mildly chaotic, but thanks to a sense of humor and the quick-thinking and creativity of my best friend Tracey and my husband, all went well and I think every one had a really good time.

So, I can't end this post without saying this: I love birthday parties! Yes, I admit, partly it's because I love picking out cute plates and tableclothes and figuring out how to make cute little cupcakes at one o'clock in the morning (sad, I know -- I just miss those all-nighters in college, ah the adreneline rush!). But, mostly it's because I love gathering all the people I love most in one place. I just love, love, love getting both my family and Brad's family together and being able to look around the table and see all the people that are dearest to me eating and talking and laughing together. And I love that they are all there because they love my son so much. What an indescribable gift God has given him -- and us! And, I have to say, I felt much the same way at his "kid" party: the little people at that party represent some of our family's closest friends--and Drew loves each one of them immensely. What a blessing!

So there you have it. The boy is officially four and I've got a whole year to figure out how to make a Thomas the Tank Engine cake! Any ideas?!

He Leadeth Me...O Blessed Thought!

Monday morning found me feeling scattered. After an absolutely wonderful weekend (more about that later) I had a messy house, a huge pile of laundry and a to-do list a mile long with no idea where to start. For a number of reasons, I was feeling distant from God and frustrated with myself. After going through the motions of doing my bible study, I got in the shower and started to tell God how I was feeling: I had let Him down (again) and while I knew in my head He loved me, I didn't really feel it in my heart that morning. I confessed some specific sins and then, feeling kind of sorry for myself, asked God if he would just reveal himself in some way to me that morning.

I got out of the shower, got dressed, and was in the bathroom getting ready when I realized I was humming. At first not sure what tune it was, I started to sing the words. To my surprise, this is what I was singing: "He leadeth me, he leadeth me, by his own hand he leadeth me; his faithful foll'wer I would be, for by his hand he leadeth me." At first I couldn't figure out how I'd gotten that hymn in my head, until suddenly I was overcome with the realization that God had answered my prayer by literally putting a song in my heart! I immediately dropped to my knees right there in the bathroom and thanked God for his overwhelmingly tender and personal love for me. Then I went downstairs, got out my hymnal and sang the whole hymn back to God in praise.

He leadeth me, O blessed thought!
O words with heav'nly comfort fraught!
Whate'er I do, where-e'er I be,
still 'tis God's hand that leadeth me.

He leadeth me, He leadeth me,
by His own hand He leadeth me;
His faithful foll'wer I would be,
for by his hand He leadeth me.

It was, of course, precisely the message I needed to hear that morning. I left the hymnal open to that page all day as a reminder, and I let God lead me from one task to another all day. Things I thought were top priority slipped quietly to the bottom of the list and I spent a great deal of time playing with my boys, listening to friends who needed to talk--I even took a 20 minute nap. By the end of the day, however, somehow my house was in order and by mid-week I had accomplished everything on my list without stress and before it needed to be done.

My enemy will say, "I have overcome him,"
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing to the LORD
for he has been good to me.

Psalm 13:4-6

Happy Birthday!

I distinctly remember laying in bed one night shortly after Drew was born and saying to Brad, "I feel like it's going so fast!! He's already four weeks old. I feel like we're going to blink and he's going to be four months old, and then blink again and he'll be four years old!" Brad just smiled at my melodramatic self.

Well, we blinked. And blinked again. And yesterday our little Drew turned four years old.

Brotherly Love

The other morning Liam and I were down in the living room before Drew woke up. Eventually, we heard Drew get out of bed and begin to play in his room. Liam crawled to the bottom of the stairs and stood, waiting expectantly for his brother to show up. He didn't. After a while, Liam gave up and crawled back into the dining room to play. Pretty soon, Drew came down the stairs, asking, "Where's Liam?" (It's often his first question of the day.) As soon as Liam heard Drew's voice, he dropped his toy and scurried across the floor, shouting, "Doo! Doo! Doo!"

King Over the Flood...and the Worship Service

One of the blessings of being a worship leader is seeing how God uses the songs we sing on a particular Sunday to speak to certain individuals and situations. I do see my role as pastoral and consider it part of my job to have a feel for what's happening in the lives of people in our congregation, so sometimes I am a conscious part of this process. More often than not, however, I'm as surprised as anyone at how God has orchestrated the perfect set of music for a certain situation.

Today was one of those days. Right before the service started I had two conversations. One was with the new pastoral intern for family discipleship our church recently hired. She and her husband had driven from Chicago yesterday and moved into their apartment last night; she was being introduced to the congregation today. She admitted she was very nervous and I could see the anxiety on her face: this was the congregation she would be serving for the next year and she had never been to a service or met any of our people. The second conversation was with a dear friend of mine who's in the midst of a very chaotic and stressful time in her life--and things were coming to a head this weekend. When I asked how she was doing, she couldn't even answer.

As the service started and we began to lift up the Almighty God in worship, I could see both women begin to relax as they let go of their own situations and focused on the awesome qualities of their Heavenly Father. And then we started to sing "Still" by Reuben Morgan:

Hide me now, under Your wings.
Cover me within Your mighty hand.

When the oceans rise and thunders roar,
I will soar with You above the storm.
Father, You are King over the flood.
I will be still and know You are God.

Find rest my soul in Christ alone.
Know His pow'r in quietness and trust.

When the oceans rise and thunders roar,
I will soar with You above the storm.
Father, You are King over the flood.
I will be still and know You are God.

Before this morning, I would not have been able to give you a compelling reason for why I chose to do that song this week. As I watched my friend sing, with tears streaming down her face, I was overcome with thankfulness to God for working through my choices to speak to her so powerfully today.

Immediately after this song, we went into a time of sharing and praying together as a congregation. The leader of our women's bible study stood up and shared, through sobs, that their family had suffered a tragic and sudden death this week. After a time of praying together, what was the hymn we had already planned to sing?

Abide with me--fast falls the eventide;
the darkness deepens--Lord, with me abide;
when other helpers fail and comforts flee,
help of the helpless, oh, abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day;
earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
change and decay in all around I see;
O Lord who changes not, abide with me.

I need your presence ev'ry passing hour;
what but your grace can foil the tempter's pow'r?
Who like yourself my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, oh, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with you at hand to bless;
ills have no weight and tears no bitterness;
where is death's sting? Where, grave, your victory?
I triumph still if you abide with me.

Hold now your cross before my closing eyes;
shine thro' the gloom and point me to the skies;
heav'n's morning breaks and earth's vain shadows flee;
in life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

Isn't God good?