When the Saints

I caught this song on the radio tonight. I cried like a baby. I've had the impression that "social justice" is a dirty word for some of us, as though it implies a watered-down gospel. But caring for widows and orphans, and surely fighting for the freedom of the least of these, is true religion.

When the Saints
by Sara Groves

Lord, I have a heavy burden of all I've seen and know
It's more than I can handle
But your word is burning like a fire shut up in my bones
And I can’t let it go

And when I'm weary and overwrought
With so many battles left unfought

I think of Paul and Silas in the prison yard
I hear their song of freedom rising to the stars

And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them

Lord it's all that I can't carry and cannot leave behind
It all can overwhelm me
But when I think of all who've gone before and lived a faithful life
Their courage compels me

And when I'm weary and overwrought
With so many battles left unfought

I think of Paul and Silas in the prison yard
I hear their song of freedom rising to the stars
I see the shepherd Moses in the pharaohs court
I hear his call for freedom for the people of the Lord

I see the long quiet walk along the underground railroad
I see the slave awakening to the value of her soul
I see the young missionary and the angry spear
I see his family returning with no trace of fear
I see the long hard shadows of Calcutta nights
I see the sister standing by the dying man’s side
I see the young girl huddled on the brothel floor
I see the man with a passion come kicking down that door

I see the man of sorrow and his long troubled road
I see the world on his shoulders and my easy load

And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them

For more information about how to combat human trafficking and slavery, please visit

Not For Sale Campaign

International Justice Mission

With Boots On

Luke and Ellie finished reading The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe Friday night. About a week ago, Ellie found our DVD of the recent film adaptation, recognized the lettering on the cover, and begged to watch it. We told her that when she was finished with the book, we would watch it together and fast forward through any scary parts.
Saturday, while Clar was napping, we sat down with Ellie to watch the movie. We muted the television during some really intense scenes, (spoiler alert, I guess, in case anyone doesn't know what happens... but really, you should stop reading this and go read the book right now), including the wolf chase scene and the killing of Aslan. She loved the movie, and was excited to start listening to Luke read Prince Caspian during her bath Saturday night.
After her bath, she out on her robe over her pajamas, pretending it was her coat, and insisted on wearing her boots to bed. She said she was Lucy, and I know she was getting ready to go to Narnia. I remember hoping, in every big house and in every unexplored yard, to find another door to Narnia. And I know she was getting ready, just in case she found herself suddenly in Narnia during the night.
My favorite scene in the movie is not explicitly from the book, but it captures so well for me the feeling I have after reading the books, the desire to go to Narnia. Part of the way through the credits, Lucy goes back to the wardrobe and realizes that the Professor is already there in the room. He tells her that she won't find the wardrobe open to Narnia again, and that he knows, because he's tried. The look on his face is so sad, and it reminds me of my own desire to go to Narnia.
And since Narnia, like all that is truly beautiful, points to the one Truth, I recognize that I should desire heaven with the same intensity. That, in fact, when I want to go to Narnia, what I really want is to be with my Lord. All these things are saying, "It is not I. I am only a reminder. Look! Look! What do I remind you of?" And I must, like my daughter, prepare myself for a sudden adventure, go to bed with my boots on each night, and say with the same passion, "Come, Lord Jesus!"

Happy New Year

This feels like week 2 of back-to-normal. Luke came home from deployment, and then it was the Christmas season, and now we're finally settled in at home with things pretty much the same from week to week. Except that there's no "back" to normal! It's a new normal all the time! Clar isn't walking yet, but he easily pulls himself up to coffee tables and shelves and chairs, so there's a whole new level of the world accessible to him. Ellie has been asking about school, so we're trying some very first wobbly steps into the world of homeschooling. I should know this already, but it turns out that with small children, there is always a new normal.

I know I didn't post anything about Christmas. We celebrated Christmas, at least twice, but I was so busy celebrating that I didn't take many pictures. The highlight of our trip was sledding in the Colorado snow. Ellie received a sled from her grandparents and responded with all the excitement a parent or grandparent could ask for. She boldly sledded down the hill by herself on the first try, went straight for a tree, leaned back, and slid right underneath the branches. As she says when she tells the story, (which she will do with very little prompting), "Good thing Daddy wasn't in the sled!"

Clar also tried sledding and loved it, although he prefers to go with Daddy rather than Mommy, who is not the world's best sled driver. Usually, when we come to the end of the year, Luke and I find ourselves looking back and marveling at all of the unexpected changes the year brought. And this year is no exception. Luke's entire deployment, from finding out he was going to coming home, was all part of 2009. Additionally, this year, we look forward to lots of changes that we know will come in 2010. We're planning a big career change and a big move. And those are just the changes we're planning! It is good to know that God is never surprised and that He is in control of all things. We look forward to 2010 with joy and excitement as we wait to see what God will do.

Cleaning Day

My wonderful husband earned a day off with his impressive fitness test skills, and he's using it today to help me clean the house. Seriously. I haven't really gone through with a trash bag since before he deployed, and there have been a lot of cases of moving stuff from the front of the house to the back. So we have a list, and a plan, and a whole day to take care of things. Flylady would not be proud, but my intention is to keep it clean by, you know, picking up after myself and my children every day after this. 2010 Resolution #1, I guess.

The Birthday Boy

Clar turned 1 on Tuesday. We waited until everyone in our family was healthy and celebrated last night. Because, as Ellie pointed out, "today he's still one!" I'm glad my children are so understanding about our non-calendar-anchored celebrations.

Clar brings so much joy to our lives. He's excited, inquisitive, and affectionate. He's starting to communicate more and more with his little words and signs. He loves his big sister and wants to do whatever she's doing, but in a more destructive way. He makes his opinions known now. He loves light switches and vehicles and balls. He loves hats (and he isn't picky, anything can be a hat for Clar!) He also loves dogs, and again, he isn't picky about whether the animal he thinks is a dog is technically a horse or an elephant. It is my joy and privilege to be his mommy and to watch him and guide him as he grows.

Happy Birthday Clarence!

Luke is home!

Praise God! We welcomed Luke home from Afghanistan last night. It was so nice to celebrate his homecoming with so many friends from church and work. We thank God for bringing Luke home to us. Everything else I try to write about this is inadequate, so I'm going to stop here.

Almost Everybody

We were thrilled to spend this last week with Grammy and Grandpa, Uncle Joe and Aunt Megan, Uncle Frankie and Aunt Kori, Aunt Becky, and her fiance Ben. It started snowing during the worship service today and still hasn't stopped. It's just cold enough for snow, so the flakes are my favorite kind, big and fat.

We took a family picture this evening. It's so wonderful to see my brothers and sisters growing up and bringing their spouses to our family. It's also bittersweet, because I long for my own family to be together again.

We are so proud of Luke, we love him so much, and we are so excited for his homecoming!