Category: Uncategorized

Here we go again with another “Five Minute Friday” post!  To learn more about “Five Minute Friday” (FMF), check out the linked image here.  Basically, each week there’s a word given for you to write about.  You start writing, no back-tracking, editing, etc.  At the end of 5 minutes, you stop.  Then you post it, and share in the community of words that were birthed during these 24-ish hours.  It’s cool stuff.
So here’s this week’s response to the word: “ afraid ”

She’s been doing it for quite a while now.  I know every parent with more experience will smile and tell us to “treasure these moments”, and we totally do.  But when you end up getting a heal to the nose more than once a night, the desire to teach your 5 year old where to sleep grows within you.  Every morning we ask her, “hun, what made you want to come to mommy and daddy’s bed last night?”

More often than not, she confesses, “I heard the train.”

We’ve explained to her what every reasonable person can understand.  Trains run on tracks.  There’s no way an engine pulling cars could be chugging along, take a look to the side and notice our home half a mile from where the tracks run and decide to head our direction instead.  We’ve laughed at how cute it is, that she might think a train could end up coming down our Avenue.  She smiles, and we understand there’s probably something deeper going on anyways, and work together towards overcoming it.

But there was that one time, just a few weeks ago, as we drove past a set of unused portion of tracks.  We were forced to slow down as we noticed 7 train cars de-railed and sitting in the field next to the hill the tracks run along top of.  A train was accidentally pushed too far onto old tracks.  We instantly knew what seeing this would do to our fragile girls’ bedtime fear.  We assured her…trains that DO go off tracks sometimes, don’t go very far at least?  There’s consolation there? 🙂

It’s a simple issue really.   She’s 5.  Trains make noise.  She loves mommy and daddy and our comfy, safe bed.

But someday she will learn what it means….yes, sometimes trains do go off the tracks.  Unexpected things happen. We don’t have control over our lives.  But God is with us.  Now, through the noisy whistle.  And then, through whatever may come.  She will learn how to draw near to her Father when she is afraid…

(fist pump in the air)  That one went pretty sweet.  🙂

 

“the girls would like to make a pirate ship, if you could pick up something from a store that has large boxes on your way home.”

It was a text I pretty much asked for.  In celebration of our homeschool schedule, we were able to attend a show at Millikin University this past Tuesday, called “How I Became a Pirate“.  It was parrrrrrfectly scheduled during me lunchtime. (sorry, a bit of pirate still in me)  So on my way home for lunch, I stopped by the local party store and picked up a few pirate dress-up items.  Eye-patches, fake earrings, and hats….about $5 total for an infinite amount of value really.

My girls went nuts when daddy opened the door dressed for the show, and offered them the same trinkets.  We proudly walked into the audience, as Kindergarteners from the local schools all turned around to see our eye patches and gasped, “Look….it’s a pirate family!”  I knew I’d done something good.

The show was high energy, and funny – even if much of the humor went over the heads of the kids.  (“find us online at pirates dot arrrrrgh”)  There was enough slapstick physical comedy, and throwing in the word “Booty” kept the kids rolling almost on command.

On the short drive home (we live 2 blocks away) we were still enjoying practicing the pirate lingo.  So I shouldn’t have been surprised when I received the above text from my wife just a couple minutes before leaving work.  Thankfully there’s an appliance store not far from my house downtown.  Here’s my conversation:

Salesman: Hello sir, is there anything I can help you with today?

Me: Yes, I need to make a pirate ship.  Do you have any carrrrdboard?

Salesman: (didn’t catch my wit) You’re building a pirate ship?

Other Salesman (obviously a dad): Oh, you’re looking for our cardboard pirate ships, right?

Me: Yes!

Other Salesman: Let me see what I’ve got in the back….

So I ended up with a hodge-podge mess of cardboard boxes and pieces.  With enough duct-tape, and a little help from my princesses, a pirate ship was born.  They’ve played in it a bit, and have begun to apply some paint.  (Remember the “Black Pearl” from Pirates of the Caribbean?  Ours is the “Pink Pearl”…less evil, more tutu’s)

It’s been a good reminder that entertainment does not need to be expensive.  We don’t need to buy new things…except perhaps a new roll of duct tape every now and then.  We need more last minute moments that inspire creativity and ask us to bring something to the table, instead of offering us passive moments of consumptive entertainment.  It’s moments like these…that my children help make me a better person – and I help them grow in very imparrrrrrrrtant ways.  (k, done with pirate-voice now)

I’ve just finished reading “The Radical Question and A Radical Idea” by David Platt.  It’s a great, short read and seems to contain much of the “meat” of the full books he’s previously written, “Radical” and “Radical Together”.  It seems to be a good gift idea (list price $9.99, & kind of a ‘Cliff Notes’ version of both books at 110 small pages total) for someone who would otherwise not read an entire “book”, but could really benefit from some of the thoughts/questions Platt raises.  I’ve read “Radical”, and found much of it to be a reminder of good points and challenging questions.  But I’d not yet gotten to reading “Radical Together”, so it was good to hear some of the thoughts presented there.

In “The Radical Question”, he asks “What if Jesus is worthy of more in our lives than a Christian spin on the American Dream?”  He gives examples of several people who seemed to have “achieved” what the world would look at as “success”, or “retirement”, or some stage of life where America says it’s okay to focus on ourselves.  In short story format, he reveals each of them sacrificing what they’ve achieved to pour their lives out for the sake of others.

I enjoyed his turning Bonhoeffer’s statement about the high cost of discipleship into a powerful question – “What does nondiscipleship cost us?”  The millions that are dying, and the hopelessness pervading our world, many people not ever hearing about the good news of Jesus Christ.  It’s a far greater cost than anything material we could give up.  I still struggle with his reminder that Jesus calls us to “hate” even our family/spouse/children.  Would I really risk their safety in the midst of persuing what I believe to be the will of God in our life?  I suppose we’re in the midst of that, with this adoption.  Taking on the financial costs, risking our lives in traveling to Africa, forever connecting our home with those suffering in the DRC…it’s a bit risky.

The second “book” presents the “Radical Idea” that our Kingdom-work should be more people-focused than places, professionals, or places.  He gives examples of what can happen when we worry less about creating ministries and then finding the people to fill the roles involved – and instead find the places God has uniquely gifted the people we already have for ministry in their lives.  This connects with me both as a pastor AND a parent.  That we would be equipping God’s people to be actively involved in Spirit-sourced ministry wherever they are.  That I would be equipping my daughters for a life sourced in the Spirit of Jesus, and not in fitting into any pre-conceived notion of a “pastors daughter”.

Throughout both “books”, I did find myself wanting more.  He continues to talk about disciples making disciples, which I like.  But it seems if you asked him “Why make more disciples?”, his answer might be “So THEY can make more disciples too!”.  The closest he seems to get here is something ambiguous about “making His glory known”.  In the first half he says, “..lets stop living as if this world is even our home.”  I think I’d focus more on how this world is being made INTO a redeemed and renewed home for us….and the “why” of making disciples being wrapped up on revealing Jesus as Lord already, etc…

But for that, we’d need a longer book.  🙂

So if you need a good graduation gift, or “short read” for someone who needs to hear these “radical thoughts” but wouldn’t make it through a longer book…..this is definitely a great book to offer.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.