A Pastor's Prayer for her Lenten People - 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

O God of Wisdom, who makes our wisdom foolishness,

We are humbled by our attempts to seek wisdom when in your eyes, we can know nothing except what you have revealed to us.

We are foolish when we think we know your grand plan for our lives, and suddenly,

something changes

something breaks

and our understanding falls apart.

We question you, and beg to know, "Why?"
"Why God? Why have I lost my job?
"Why has the cancer returned?"
"Why has he left me?"
"Why am I so broken, and why do I feel so unloved and hopeless?"

Our lack of wisdom and understanding leaves us to feel foolish and misled. So we come to you with our questions and brokenness and what it is you are doing with us in your grand scheme.

The stories we read are of little help at times, when we read of you,
becoming one with us in this dirty mess of a world,
and your Incarnate Being in Christ
schools Rabbis, though only a boy,
turns water into wine,
eats with outcasts
and succumbs to a ridiculous death on the cross.

It seems utterly foolish that your revelation to us is this odd witness, when we look for wisdom, and Jesus offers only clunky metaphors and dense parables.

But you, O God, know that we can see in a mirror dimly, and you promise that we will one day see clearly as we laugh at death, celebrate liberation from a job that was never a vocation, and find an even better love in true relationship with you.

Help us, Lord, to embrace the foolishness - not of our own failing actions - but of your ridiculous message of grace and peace
truth and reconciliation
turning the other cheek
the meek inheriting the earth,
life conquering death,
and a perfect love that you have for all of creation which comes from you and through Jesus Christ, so that we may know that in your wisdom and foolishness, we are your own children, who are bold when we pray:

Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever and ever.

Amen.

It is Finished...

Onto thy foot, I commend my sock.

It took me nearly 3 weeks from casting-on to kitchener stitching-off, but I've finished one, whole sock. Other than a few, minor first-sock glitches, it's perfect.

Perfect, that is, for a four-year old foot.
Or, for a grown-up with feet with the exact proportions of a Barbie doll.

I mentioned this all-too briefly in a previous post, but I felt that the great first sock project of Ought-Nine needed it's own blog lovin'.

This was my first real non-hat/scarf project. It's a little insane, I know. Socks can be purchased in stores these days, for less money than it takes to buy lunch (and they last longer than lunch, at that).

But the good and patient folks at Sheepish in Decatur are big into sock knitting. They swear that it's the only way to really keep your feet cozy and warm. The investment of time and some fancy yarn will be returning heaps upon pounds of good use for years to come. Yes, the skein cost $16, but I'll get at least two pairs out of it, and they will be washed and worn with love and respect.

You can't say that about store-bought socks.

I pray that I do not fall prey to the disease that is Second Sock Syndrome (REALLY!). I know that there are ways around it, but making one sock and then neglecting to ever cast-on/finish the other is completely something I would do.

But for you, sweet Jackson, I will continue on. I have cast on your sock's mate and it will be yours very soon.

Soon, that is, after I finish my whisper cardigan...

Reverend Soccer Mama

I am sure this is the first of hundreds of blog posts that will reference or be centered around my sons and their sporting events.

BUT, this is the first, and consequently, must be celebrated with the appropriate amount of pictorial documentation.

Jackson, along with two classmates from school, had his first soccer practice tonight.

Yeah, I know. This isn't even the first game, and I'm already geeked out beyond belief at how awesome this is. I get it.

It's PRACTICE.

But, friends, let me tell you that there is nothing more wonderful than watching your offspring look up to another grown up, receive and follow instruction, participate with friends old and new, and beam with the joy of accomplishment at completing a challenging new task.

And I'm just talking about the jumping jacks during warm-up.

Most of the other kids have both played soccer and have played soccer together. So, they're old pros now. But, Jackson and his buddies are new to this. That having been said, it mattered little since there were four coaches for the 16 kids on the field. They set up a rotational model of drills and exercises, and the kids got some really excellent four-to-one time with the coaches.


J really struggled with dribbling a ball through the cones. He couldn't quite get all of his limbs working together at the same time, but when we talked about it later, he said that it was the part he enjoyed most.

Man, I love that kid...

And lest you worry about Cooper, Kid Brother Extraordinaire!, know that he had a blast running around like he owned the place. I don't know that it occurred to him that he wasn't on the team, in some ways.


And I wouldn't fret too much about Cooper missing out. He found ways to occupy his time and build up his strength:

Look out, football fans. This kid's gonna grow up quickly...

Counting my chickens...

So, I tried to avoid making this a blog topic, but it's big. It's really big.

[NO, I'M NOT PREGNANT.]

Friends, with this post, I join the host of other mama-bloggers who have made reference to their children's potty training enterprises. Enjoy.

Okay. Last night, we discovered as we were putting the boys to bed that we were out of pull-ups for Cooper (always a sign that the house is running smoothly, no?). So, I plopped him into an cloth diaper from days gone by. He's been out of diapers for at least a year. He hated it. He looked insulted. "I NO NEED DIAPERS!" He insisted.

Well, he showed us. When he woke up this morning, he marched into the kitchen, unsnapped it, and dumped it into the washing machine. I went to put something else in a few minutes later and discovered a (wait for it!)...

TOTALLY DRY DIAPER!

I'm assuming he must be totally, completely potty-trained! Sure, I know that I laid on the smugness about this topic months ago, but he's clearly a potty prodigy. He's been completely dry at home and school for the last 8 days, so that's definite progress.

I think I'm done with pull-ups forever.

...One little chickie still in an egg... two little chickies still in an egg... three little chickies still in an egg! Oh! These chickens will be so numerous once they all hatch successfully!

Judge not, lest ye be judged.

Photographed Sunday on the bathroom wall of a local eatery. (If you can name it, I'll send you a prize!) I love it when wall art spurns thoughtful critique.

Envy, coveting, greed, and other deadly sins found here!

If I'm going to be using this blog as a Lenten Discipline, then I might as well work on some form of confession.

A few weeks ago, I was perusing my Stats on the blog. (No, this is not the confession.)

I discovered that a reader had found me through this site: Top 50 Blogs in Atlanta, GA - NetworkedBlogs.com:

Go ahead and look.

It's a list of the top 50 blogs that are networked on Facebook. So, of the Facebook blog users, I was the second most popular in Atlanta.

Woo. Hoo.

I should have been thrilled - and really, I am. But I'm so close to being the #1 blog that I can't stop obsessing over this site. I've been as far behind as 20, but then that gap was narrowed to 2 readers. TWO!!

(This is where the confession part comes in.)

I need your help, readers. I need you to click that weird widget thing to the right that says, "Join my Blog Network!" or "Follow Reverend Mama!" I need you to do it because I'm giving up envy and greed for pride. I figure this is a two-for one opportunity. You've been loyal, devoted, kind, and witty. You leave comments and you forward to friends. I love that. I love you. Now, I just need this tiny little favor. I need you to help me triumph over the blog that is not as clever or witty or impishly adorable as Bob Loblaw's Law Blog.

Tobias Fünke: So what are your plans for this evening?
Bob Loblaw: I thought that maybe I would stay in and work on my law blog.
Tobias Fünke: Ah, yes. The "Bob Loblaw Law Blog". You, sir, are a mouthful.

Oh, how I miss that show...

Sunday Reflection: Mindfulness and Glory...

Today was the first day of Spring.

The clock gave us an extra hour of daylight, and after church and afternoon naps, we biked to McKoy Park. We mused over the bizarreness that a week ago, Atlanta was doused with golf-ball sized snowflakes, and our Sunday afternoon consisted of making a snowman. Today, we dressed in shorts and pumped up the bike tires. God's sense of humor is HILARIOUS.

Before this, we had the delight of lunching with some friends from church, who are preparing for a baptism. The baptism is for their daughter, who is 10 years old. She is the one who has prompted this decision, and her mindfulness is leading the whole family into a great relationship with the church community. It's rare and lovely to encounter such age-defying decisiveness.

Jackson's face captures the joy that exuded from all of us as we biked swiftly to an afternoon of fun. Even Dementor Bike offering to suck only a partial bit of the joy of life from Matt as he bravely pedaled with Cooper cheering him on.

We dined at MoJo Pizza in Oakhurst, which is famous for spicy sauce and absentmindedly slow service. We got wise and called ahead, offering to pick up our order (and then eat it on their patio... mwahahahaha!). A large Mr. Pete's pizza was nearly ready, and the boys got to have dessert before dinner, which has happened approximately never in their lives. They sucked down push pops and munched on ice cream sandwiches while Matt and I enjoyed cold beverages and then we devoured our main course.

We biked home and prepared for bed. Cooper tried on the sock that I'd completed the night before. It's done, and unfortunately, I made the beginner mistake of not following my pattern, so it's sized for a four year old instead of a grown-up.

Jackson is thrilled.

Today was a good day. It was more than good, really. It was glorious. Simple. Easy. Restful. Fun. Mindful and joyous.