Free & Brave

"And that, my dear, is why our country is the land of the free and home of the brave." I concluded Karen's mini-history lesson with these words this morning as I buttoned-up her 4th-of-July-onesie. She displayed her appreciation for my rant on patriotism by sneezing so that milk came out of her nose.

As I dabbed at my sweet little mess with a burp cloth, I began to wonder if the words I'd just shared with her were true. Sure, back in 1776, our forefathers fought against one of the greatest world powers of the day to defend their inalienable rights. But are 21st century Americans as brave as our Revolutionary forerunners? Are we as free as they hoped we'd be?

On Mother's Day

My mom and I at my baby shower. Many of

our guests drove quite a distance to show

their love and shower my baby with gifts. The

least I could do for them was wear a ridiculous

hat made of ribbons and bows (the handiwork

of my friend, Emily). 

I’d like to dedicate this post to my mother, Carol.

Mom, as I look forward to raising my daughter-to-come, I’ve been thinking about all the ways that you provided for me, taught me, and helped me to grow. Little Karen is so blessed to have a grandma as fun and inspiring as you.
This Mother’s Day, I’d like to share a list of things about you that I’ve always admired:

1. Your Faith
I’m thankful that you raised me in Christ’s love. I love the way that you pray, cherish God’s Word, and are always ready to talk about what Christ has done for you.

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“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes …” Romans 1:16 (NIV).

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I'm All Verklempt!

Baby Karen's crib and bedding (from a

family member who was too eager to wait

until the baby shower). The crib mattress

is a generous hand-me-down from our

friends, deAnn, David, & Havah.

Verklempt: (adj) - Overcome with emotion; clenched; also written ferklempt. Etymology: Yiddish. Dictionary.com

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Sometimes English words just won't do. I've resorted to Yiddish to describe how I feel when I think about all the well-wishes and thoughtful gifts from friends and family who are overjoyed to welcome our firstborn into the world.

We haven't even had a baby shower yet, and our nursery is already filling up with necessities and sweet little outfits that were too cute for our friends to pass up. Beyond that, not a day goes by that someone doesn't express their excitement and speak a blessing for our child-to-come.

It's so obvious that our baby is loved before she's even born. Chris and I couldn't be more thankful.

As I gaze into our child's crib in the morning light, I can't help but think about a photo that a friend of ours, Pastor Rob Tucker, took during a mission trip last summer. It captured an adorable Ethiopian child (maybe 4-months-old), looking up from inside a rusted metal bucket.

Songs that Make Me Happy

15 Songs that Make Me Happy Angelina (1945) – Louis Prima Papa Loves Mambo (1954) – Perry Como Paperback Writer (1966) – The Beatles Oh Happy Day (1967) – The Edith Hawkins Singers Our House (1970) – Crosby, Stills & Nash Oye Como Va (1971) – Santana Call Me Al (1986) – Paul Simon 500 Miles (1988) – The Proclaimers Just a Little Talk With Jesus (1996) – Donnie McClurkin Brighter Day (2002) – Kirk Franklin The Best is Yet to Come (2002) – Donald Lawrence Oh Praise Him (2003) – David Crowder Band Pure (2005) – Superchick Happy (2006) Ayiesha Woods Say Hey (2008) – Michael Franti

What does it mean to be in the world but not of it? (See John 17:14-19.) At one time, my go-to response to that question would have been a list of behavioral do’s and don’ts. I’ve revised my thinking since then, thankfully. While Christians are called to live a sanctified life, we can easily fall out of balance when we focus our energies on outward cleanliness and neglect what’s inside (see Matthew 23:25-26). I wish I’d grasped that revelation instead of a pair of scissors a few years ago when I sanctified my music collection. As a shy child who rarely connected with kids my age, my parents played the most influential role in shaping my music preferences. They both enjoyed the chart-toppers they’d grown up with in the 60’s and 70’s. My dad’s tastes were a bit more eclectic, though, in that he also loved classic jazz, 80’s hits, and pretty much anything with a dance beat in a foreign language.

Love is Like a Bucket of Chicken

Each year, when I flip a page of the calendar from January to February, I'm gripped by a sense of excitement coupled with anxiety. Although the calendar photo of a puppy licking a kitten is mildly consoling, I can't help but wince when my eyes drop to a date smack dab in the middle of the month: my husband's birthday. It happens to fall on the day known to the rest of the world as Valentine's Day.

Double the pressure? I'd say so.

After some intense prayer (and a few emotional breakdowns in the shopping mall), I usually manage to pull together a gift bag full of thoughtful things that Chris wouldn't think to buy for himself. Then, when the 14th rolls around, I do my best to look nice, shower him with admiration, and carve out some quality time for gift-giving and strawberry shortcake.

I'd say things went pretty well this year. We ended up working late, but Chris seemed to enjoy the gifts. He also bought me a bouquet of flowers and a bucket of fried chicken. What can I say? He knows me.

Now that a week has passed and the roses are wilting, I've begun to wonder what it would be like to wake up each morning with a mission to show my husband how much he means to me. I'm not talking about gifts and cake. (Although, more cake is always a good thing.) But rather, what would it be like if my sensitivity to his emotional needs were heightened? What if I were keenly aware of how I can affirm him, serve him, spend quality time with him, or share a gentle touch or a gift—just when he needed it most?

Jesus said there's no greater love than when we lay down our lives for our friends (John 15:13). Those of us who are married have been blessed with a life-long best friend to love. Too often, though, familiarity and busyness cause us to neglect our spouse in one way or another. We lay down our lives for our jobs, or our children, or our aging parents, but somehow our spouse's needs fall by the wayside.

Left unchecked, feelings of emotional neglect can cause us to become dangerously susceptible to temptation. When a seductive image fulfills a longing, or the milk man comes along with some compliments we haven't heard in a while, we can find ourselves headed down a slippery slope.

I'm no counselor, but here are a few suggestions on...
How to open the door of communication about your needs:

Reflections on the Game

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Update (9:21 AM, 2/4/2013): We're having a girl!

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I watched some of the Super Bowl tonight... I might as well have tuned in to a Japanese game show sans-subtitles. I didn't comprehend a thing the commentators said, and the action on the field was all a blur of burly men crashing into each other.

Call me un-American, call me a typical girl, call me dull; just don't call me and try to explain the rules. I've resigned to the fact that football is beyond me, and I'm at peace with that.

I came away from the game with just two bits of understanding: (1) The guys in purple won, and (2) beautiful women sure got a lot of screen time. Between the cheerleaders, the halftime show, and the commercials, I saw enough flawless females to make me a little sick inside.

How Do You Keep a Dream Alive?

Chris and I spent several hours on Saturday clearing out the spare bedroom to make room for our baby-to-come.

It was an exciting process, but it was also a true reality check: We’re going to be parents (yikes), and our townhouse will soon be filled with baby things. We’ll have to restructure both our priorities and our living space to accommodate our little one.

For me, that means bye-bye art studio, hello nursery.