The Roof

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."  John 14:27

This is the story of our roof, a story of God's glory once again saving me from the wreck I so easily make myself into....

About two and a half years ago, Kevin became increasingly troubled by the condition of our roof.  Though we were not having any problems with it, no leaking, it did look pretty worn and several shingles were missing.  Wanting to stay ahead of any sort of catastrophe, Kevin asked that I get some estimates for replacing the roof.  Parker was a baby at the time, my grandmother has just moved away from us, my sister was pregnant....there was a lot going on.  But he was insistent (and I'm a very patient and obedient wife) so call for estimates I did.  All. Over. Town.  Do you have any idea how many roofing companies there are in Houston?  Of the 9 people I called, only 3 companies actually responded and/or showed up with an estimate.  Of the 3 estimates, all 3 companies used the same products and yet their costs were $2000 apart.

By this point I'd had it.  I was tired, overwhelmed, resenting the expense.  We were arguing.  I had no idea what to do.  So I did the best thing I know to do when I find myself in the middle of such a situation....I prayed the situation away.  I have faith that God cares about the big and small in my life, so I prayed that we would know (1) when to replace the roof, (2) that the money we needed would be there and (3) that I would know which company to use.  When Kevin got home from work the next day and asked how the roof stuff was going I said, "Oh, I prayed about it."

"That's your plan?" He asked.

"Yes," I replied.

He said, "Okay." 

I said, "Okay." 

We moved on.

This spring we finally replaced the roof.  I walked out the backdoor one morning and a gutter was hanging off the house and a little voice inside me said, "Now."  I called a roofer that a friend of ours used a few months prior.  He lives in the neighborhood, came over that afternoon with an estimate and the roof was replaced by the end of the week.  As roof replacements go, it was about as easy as they come.

What I've learned from our roof....there are things we must endure and search for peace in later.  The loss of a job, the passing of a loved one, a broken relationship.  And then there are the things we need to find peace with first, before we can move on.  When this whole thing started my attitude was in worse shape than our roof.  All I could think of was how much money it would cost and how much trouble home maintenance is.  My prayer was as much a prayer for peace as it was for a sign.  But God transformed my heart, changed my attitude and made me ready.  I felt thankful for our home and His providence instead of stressed over repairs and finances.   

As the hymn goes...."Oh, what peace we often forfeit; Oh, what needless pain we bear; All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer."

The Lord is not a genie, a magical wish granter.  But He does care about the big and the small in your life.  Each answer is different, but His desire the same....peace.  Not as you might expect it.  Not as the world says you should have it.  But as He knows you need it.

Pray boldly, friends.  Pray specifically.  And pray for peace.

XOXO....Kelly

 

Happy Summer!!

It's summer!  Our total lack of routine and my newly-adopted mentality to NOT plan ahead so much has put me a little behind in my blogging this season.  I've actually enjoyed the summer immensely so far, but am sure by mid-August I will be ready for the kind of comfort that only regular bedtimes and a laundry schedule can bring.  Until then....who wants cereal for lunch???

In the midst of all of our summer fun, Kevin and I managed to escape for a delicious kids-free dinner together.  The evening was magical.....we had a gift card and a free babysitter. (A huge thanks to my sister, Christi, who is currently in 1st place as our favorite sibling.  No offense to the rest of you, but you know, free babysitting.  Hard to beat.)  We don't get a lot of nights out alone together, so we try to make the most of those we have.  We had a delicious dinner at Pappas Steakhouse.  If you've never been to a really nice restaurant with Kevin Long, you should try to do so some time.  He asks the waiters questions like, "Is this bread free?", eavesdrops on the conversations of the people sitting around us, and insists that the valets "treat her right" when he hands over his car keys. 

Another highlight from our summer so far...Parker pooped on the potty.  It has only happened twice, but that's enough to restore my hope that he will indeed move out of my house one day and become a contributing member of society.  He still licks EVERYTHING and writes all over himself with marker, but frankly that doesn't put him too far off from a lot of adults I know.  So again, we're making progress.

We have swam, played Monopoly, watched movies, read books, built forts.  I feel like we have truly enjoyed each other in a way we sometimes forget to when schedules, homework and discipline get in the way.  I know we can not live in this world of cereal and sunshine forever...that schedules, homework and discipline are good for us...so I am especially grateful of this season of rest.  It does feel like that, too.  Rest.  Which is kind of funny because most people wouldn't consider the amount of time I've spent with four young boys the past month and a half as restful.  The Lord does work in mysterious ways.....

But, yes.  Rest.

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him for God is our refuge.
Psalm 62:5-8

I don't know what rest might look like for you these days.  I know rest can come in all forms, from vacation to mourning, celebration to grief.  The purest form of rest depends not on our present circumstances, but on our ability to take refuge in God amidst everything that may (or may not) be going on.  I mean, ideally we'd all be sitting at the beach looking out over the beauty of an endless ocean.  Or waking up to take a deep breath of fresh mountain air.  But in case you happen to be in Houston and your deep breath includes some sand from Africa that's blown across the ocean and into your backyard....

Don't let even that hold you back from God's perfect rest.  Your thoughts, fears, wishes, concerns, joy and sadness....let them rest upon His shoulders not matter where you are and what you're doing.  His refuge is a gift to you, His hope our greatest treasure. 

Happy Summer!

XOXO....Kelly

Offer them Christ

"Offer them Christ."  Said to be John Wesley's last words to Thomas Coke before he sent Coke to America to spread the Methodist Church.  Our pastor shared the story with us during his sermon one Sunday and the painting by Kenneth Wyatt that depicts the scene. 

 

Offer them Christ. 

Something in these words has resonated with me ever since.  If I was to declare one philosophy on making a youth ministry successful after my own service as a youth director, it would very much echo this sentiment.  Anyone can race go-karts, go to a water park, play basketball or compete to drink an entire gallon of milk.  You don't need church for that.  If you want youth to come and keep coming you've got to offer them something they might not get anywhere else.  You've got to offer them Christ.

Isn't that what always makes the difference?

My dad was (and still is) an amazing father.  He invaded our Barbie get-togethers with his remote controlled tank.  He took us on vacation and coached us in softball.  He attended concerts and plays and art shows.  His list of fatherly credentials goes on and on and on.  But not a one of these things would have had the impact on me that it did had he not offered me Christ alongside it. 

"If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal."  (1Cor 13:1) For where would I be if the Father's Love had not come to me through my own father's love?  All the fun and time and memories are just noise when there is no echo of God in them. 

For my sisters and I, there was no doubt growing up what God looked like.  He looked like my dad.  Thank you, Dad, for all you offered me growing up, for all that you were and still are as a father.  But most of all, thank you for offering me Christ.  Happy Father's Day.

XOXO....Kelly

Jupiter

On Wednesday night we discovered that Michael's pet gecko, Jupiter, had passed away.  We have buried dogs and flushed fish, but this death was significant.  As Michael's first pet of his own, he was understandably very upset to lose him.  And, of course, nothing brings out the tough life questions like the death of a pet.  As I struggled to explain many things I finally landed on this....that we don't know how long we'll have with the people or dogs or lizards or anything else in our lives.  None of us can know how or when the end will come for anyone.  So the best we can do is to take care of each other, the best we can, while we have the chance.

It isn't a complicated truth, to love one another.  We like to muddle it up pretty good, though.  Taking a position on this, having an opinion on that.  Time, energy, finances.  And believe me, I'm at the top of the excuse-making pyramid.  But several times in the last week or two I've heard someone talk about when you've been nudged to do something--like reach out with a phone call, deliver flowers, provide a meal--and put it off until you've talked yourself out of it.  I think perhaps God is whispering to me about this.  Take care of each other, He says. 

To love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your soul and with all your strength...and your neighbor as yourself.  There is no commandment greater than these.   

In the love and example of Christ, take care of each other indeed.  Those times we feel nudged to reach out to someone, but don't....that's all on us, putting the other commandments first.  Before and above all else, love God, love one another.  Only this, very simply, in whatever capacity you can manage.    

Michael did a great job taking care of Jupiter.  I believe he's in heaven now, the best of him alive and well with God.  And until we can see him again, may we do the best in love that we can, in His image here on earth. 

XOXO....Kelly

Last week.

Good riddance to last week!  It started with a tornado warning, kids up at 6:15 sitting in a closet with flashlights.  It ended with me shutting Parker's fingers in a door.  Somewhere in the middle there was storming, flooding, school canceled, the last day of Pre-K for Zachary and Kevin's appendectomy.  It's a new week now and a new month, so we shall have no more of that.  I have declared it.

Here's the thing about a week like last week.  No one thing is insurmountable, but all together it's just a big hot mess.  You've barely had time to process the first event before the next one is upon you.  You are pushed to the edge emotionally and physically.  It is at moments like these that the only recourse is to throw your arms in the air and declare, I give!

"When I said, 'My foot is slipping,' your love, oh Lord, supported me.  When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy."  Psalm 94:18-19

These are the days the Lord has made for me, days to rejoice and be glad in.  Though my circumstances are not always ideal, not a moment goes by where I am not held in the perfect strength of Jesus Christ and His love for me.  My feet may be slipping, but my spirit is steady, resting in an exact me-shaped niche in His hands.  I am not forsaken.  I am loved.  The Lord does not roll his eyes at my anxiety and worry, but expects it, soothes it, turns it into peace.  And so, I give. 

..........Still--seriously, though--I've had enough.  Here's to June.  :)

Blake. 

Taking out the trash, moving on. 

Now who's ready to party? :)

XOXO.....Kelly

Don't limit God.

"How much Greater is the God we have than the one we think we have."  --Gregory Boyle, Tattoos on the Heart

Do you limit God? 

I never thought much about it until a Bible study lesson a few years ago with a group of high school students.  We were talking about God as our Abba Father, where we seek an intimate relationship with Him instead of just regarding Him as one in a position of authority over us.  Those students in the room that had good relationships with their parents had no trouble with this view of God.  But those that had experienced a degree of familial strain could not make the connection between the God of authority and the God of love.  I had never considered how much impact the role of a father figure might have on someone's relationship with God, the Ultimate Father Figure.  I wondered, what else do we do to limit who God is, either in our own perspectives or for others because of our actions?     

I suppose it's hard for us as the very human beings that we are.  We approach the Gospel with a black and white outline of who God is and what He does and use our life experiences to fill it in with color, add detail subject to our own perspective.  But surely God is not confined to the outline on the page. 

Our church's confirmation class a few years back attended mass at a nearby Catholic church.  During a meeting with the priest ahead of time, one student asked about who would go to heaven and who would go to hell.  Father Lockey's reply.....To judge a person in any capacity is to presume that we can understand the depth of God's mercy and we simply can not. 

Yes, I think God's outline is far, far beyond the page indeed.

It's easy to try to limit God.  We do it without even thinking we're doing it.  But, oh how much greater, deeper and wider is His love for us.  We can get there.  We can serve instead of judge, worship instead of complain.  We can forget the lines all together and instead be open to what He reveals to us, when we're not so busy trying to figure out what it's going to look like. 

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your innermost being, so that Christ may dwell in your heart through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted in faith and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure with the fullness of God."  Ephesians 3:16-19

May God be limitless to you today, friends.  Limitless.

XOXO....Kelly


 

"There isn't a thing you don't have to teach them."

"There isn't anything you don't have to teach them," says my friend, Cathy, of raising boys.  And this is good advice.  Like, why do I have to tell them they can't pee in the trash can?  Or make a zip line out of bungee chords in the back yard.  Or lick things.  When you become a mother you are well aware of all the big things ahead of you--potty training, reading, driving, tying shoes.  It's all the little things that you don't see coming. 

My mom taught me how to sing.  Not the do's and the re's and the mi's or how to stand up and breathe from your diaphragm.  But how to pick a song you love and work on it and sing it for someone.  How to make the words sound like real words and the notes sound like your own.  I got to sing alongside her for many years in our church choir, not to mention my aunt and my sisters, until she and Dad moved to Pittsburgh four years ago.  Singing a duet with my mom is still one of my greatest joys, her the alto, me the soprano.  It's as if God knew exactly what He was doing when He placed me in her womb.  :)

When Kevin and I joined a new church a couple of years ago, I was hesitant to join the choir.  Despite all that music has meant to me for so long, I couldn't imagine singing without my mom next to me.  It had always been such a family thing.  But it would have been a disservice to all that has taught me not to try, so I showed up one Wednesday night to give it a shot.  In a room full of strangers, I was placed next to a lady that reminds me so much of my aunt it's spooky sometimes (a little nod from God that I am not alone, I like to think) and I began to sing.  And before long, I realized that all my mother had taught me about singing during all those duets wasn't so much about the two of us, her and me, but the One above.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb...your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days were written in your book before one of them came to be."  Psalm 139:13, 16

This is what God does through a mother.  He sees the plans laid out for us and carefully places in just the right hands.  The hands that know the lessons we need to learn.  Did my mom know all that she was teaching me as she was doing it?  I don't know.  But God did.         

This Mother's Day I get to sing a little song with Michael in church.  I will sing and he'll play the piano along with me.  I hope he has a good time doing it.  I hope he's not too nervous and has a great experience.  I hope he likes it so much he'll want to do it again.  And I hope, twenty years later, he'll look up and have learned something from it, not just because we did it together, but because it brought him closer to the One above. 

Happy Mother's Day.
XOXO....Kelly