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Amassing August

August 29, 2019 by Lauren 28 Comments

Photo by moren hsu on Unsplash

It’s 97 degrees right now at 6:14pm in the Dallas area.  It actually doesn’t feel that bad considering most of the month temps reached 100.  That’s August in Texas and I say “GOOD RIDDANCE” to it.  While running errands, my deodorant outlives its usefulness in the 2 minute walk between building and car.  Color me over it!  Although we still have a month or two of wearing shorts around these parts, when the calendar turns to September I can at least START to imagine Fall around the corner.

 

Shelby attended Camp Blessing the first few days of August.  The owners and volunteers of this camp for special needs kids and adults do amazing work.  Shelby had a fantastic time while Chuck and I helped ourselves to some much needed respite.  Allie, my youngest, made the high school volleyball team on the 2nd and started games on the 3rd.  I’m excited that she earned her spot, but proud of how hard she worked to overcome her fear and anxiety.  To be honest, my girls don’t have to do anything to make me proud.  I was as proud as the proverbial peacock they day they were born and they hadn’t done a single thing.  If you feel the same way about your kids, make sure they know it.

 

Our church hosted Brett Kunkle, co-author of A Practical Guide to Culture:  Helping the Next Generation Navigate Today’s World.  I think I’ve mentioned the book here a time or ten.  I can’t say enough good about it.  My family also attended a prayer event there called Battle on Our Knees.  We spent time in guided prayer for our students, teachers, administrators and parents for back to school.  I can’t think of a better way to spend our time.  This month has also driven us to our knees for some loved ones fighting through medical and spiritual challenges.  Our hearts are a little heavy but it’s so reassuring to know that God carries that load for us.

 

Mid month Allie and I joined her cousin and my sister-in-law for a little girls weekend.  We traveled down I-35 for our other sister-in-law’s baby shower.  We ate, celebrated the next Baby Sparks and did a little back to school shopping.  When we got back in town we hit the ground running with Freshman orientations for parent and child, fundraisers, meetings, volunteering and a pep rally – all in preparation for the first day of school.  Both girls met the challenges of the first weeks with grace and aplomb.  I’m so thankful.  Allie will be in two choirs this year and had a lake party to get in tune with her new friends (see what I did there?).  And next week we have a meeting to kick off another round of Special Olympics for Shelby.

 

In entertainment news, we took the family and two of Allie’s friends to see Blinded by the Light.  So good.  This movie, based on a true story, follows a Pakistani teen in England in the 1980’s.  Bruce Springsteen lyrics motivated him to rise up from the persecution he faced and the old fashioned patriarchy of his family to chase his dreams.  I liked it so much that I woke up thinking about it the next morning.  Critics agree with me.  Fourteen year old middle class American girls – not so much.

 

Chuck and I (big Dallas Cowboy fans – don’t come at me, haters) got to tour the world headquarters of America’s team at the Frisco Star.  We had such a good time gawking at this state of the art facility and hearing about some of the fun history of the team.  Did you know Emmitt Smith’s scouting report shows him to be careless with the ball and lacking work ethic?  Please, did you SEE him on Dancing with the Stars?  Yeah, me neither.  We also saw the back-up QB Cooper Rush and Jason Witten, who is my husband’s favorite player.  Probably mine too.  I won’t post those pictures because I accidentally illegally took them.  I somehow missed the announcement that we could take pictures of anything except other people.  Oops.

 

I just finished reading The Wondering Years by Knox McCoy.  I love, love, love the Popcast podcast he co-hosts with Jamie Golden and was stoked when my best friend surprised me with the book.  If you enjoy some snarky humor and an unorthodox take on growing up as an evangelical Christian, grab a copy.  And use my link.  I would so appreciate it.  Today, I picked up Sex, Jesus, and the Conversations the Church Forgot by Mo Isom.  It comes highly recommended.  And last, I’m using Seeing God’s Hand:  Through the Art of Sign Language by Connie Rowland in my daily time with the Lord.  The author sweetly encourages me through the pages to look for God’s hand in the world.  What a timely message for us all today.

 

And that’s my month.  The good, the bad and the sweaty.  Thanks for following along.  I’d love to hear what YOU did this month.  Or what you’re reading.  Or watching.  Drop me a comment below.  Until next time, I love you, I thank you and I pray September treats you well.

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Back to School, Bad Movies and Martin Luther

August 15, 2019 by Lauren 26 Comments

Photo by Kelli Tungay on Unsplash

It’s that time of year.  I keep finding myself singing, “Gotta go back [guitar riff], back, back to school again.”  from Grease 2.  Please don’t close your browser over my bad taste in movies.  Over-the-top musical numbers aside, I do have a point.  Despite the miasma that is Texas in August (really, we are melting down here), it’s book hitting and bus riding time.

Watch the school zones, pack the lunch boxes and hold onto your graphing calculators.

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As we gather supplies and get our schedules in order I’ve been thinking a lot about my girls and all those they will encounter this school year.  I’m particularly cognizant of my little one.  At 5’9″ she’s not so little anymore.  High school and friends and new challenges beckon; much louder than I will in these next several years.  I know I haven’t always spoken kindly of my strong, stubborn girl.  Since my oldest is developmentally delayed, I’m in virginal territory parenting a typical teen girl.  And although some days it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do (at the start of summer I wasn’t sure we would both survive to this date), I now find I’m a little sad to think about being home without her in the middle of the day.  Well, with two part-time jobs I’m not home a lot in the middle of the day, but it was nice to catch up with her or sneak in an episode of 90210 together when I was.  I miss her already.

 

But it’s once again time for both my girls to shine their lights in bigger spaces.  And as preparation, God drew me back to a passage I prayed often over my bonus son during his formative years.  Philippians 1:9-11 NASB   “9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may [d]approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless [e]until the day of Christ;11 having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”  It’s always a little scary to send them out, but I have a promise from God that what He started in my girls, He will complete.  His purpose for them will be accomplished.  Look back at the same scripture passage linked above.  It’s all there.  

 

As we turn our thoughts toward academics and extracurriculars, I pray that I will keep first things first.  As important as classes and clubs and activities are, the most important growth and knowledge is spiritual in nature.  What my kids believe about God and their place in His plan supercedes all else.

 

I’m praying and planning all the things.  Praying for positive friend experiences, praying for opportunities to share the gospel, planning to be the biggest fan and cheerleader, and praying above all to extend love and grace to my girls in the same way God lavishes me.  Praying for the Holy Spirit to remind me that God is patient with me so withholding patience from my girls is not an option.  This is another year for maturation, not perfection.  Martin Luther described this better than I ever could:

This life, therefore, is not righteousness but growth in righteousness, not health but healing, not being but becoming, not rest but exercise.  We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it; the process is not yet finished but it is going on; this is not the end but it is the road.  All does not yet gleam in glory but all is being purified.  

 

Whether you are a student, have a student or love a student, I pray you THRIVE in Him.

 

Sharing is caring! If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of sharing it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to make sure you don’t miss anything, subscribe!

 

And look up these great writers I link up with every week:

InstaEncouragements, Literacy Musing Mondays, Hello…Monday,

Dream Team link up, The Good. The Random. The Fun.

BloggerClubUK, Tea and Word Tuesday, Purposeful Faith,

GraceFull Tuesday Link-Up, Different Dream,

Let’s Have Coffee, Welcome Wednesday, Recharge Wednesday,

Worth Beyond Rubies, #TellHisStory Link Up, Porch Stories,

Encouraging Word Wednesday, Tune In Thursday,

Stories of Hope, Moments of Hope, IHeart Verse Link Party,

A Blogging Good Time, Fresh Market Friday, Feature Friday Time,

Friendship Friday Blog Hop, Faith on Fire, Traffic Jam Weekend,

Faith ‘n Friends, Dancing with Jesus, Grace & Truth, Booknificent

 

 

Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links. If you purchase anything from one of these links, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.

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About Me

I love Jesus, my husband and caffeine. The order of these can change depending on how tired I am. When my two daughters, stepson, and 4 grandchildren get to be too much, I practice yoga. God graciously allows me to share our adventures, victories and flub-ups from my laptop. May He be glorified here.
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