Haiku - Boulders, Rocks, Stones and Pebbles

Must take it out now!
I thought it was a boulder…
Pebble in my shoe.

This haiku is part of an online poetry project called One Deep Breath. The topic was Boulders, Rocks, Stones, and Pebbles. I try to go with the first thing that the topic brings to mind. It's funny how much a little thing can hurt!

My Dear Syd

Tonight was a special music night at Littlerock Elementary - the 4th grade was performing music to honor local veterans. My dear Sydney was part of the choir - she even had a solo!

She had felt a little nervous at home getting ready, and I could see that she was still feeling it at the show. So many parents! Waves of proud faces, eyes wide, knowing smiles, cameras and crying babies littered throughout this parental sea! And somehow Sydney is supposed to just sing out like she's at home...

Well, she did great! What a sweet voice. If you have kids, you know that at some point they begin to gravitate towards things, finds strengths, discovers loves and interests. I think Syd is discovering hers.

But I didn't need tonight to know that. Setting up all of her toys in concert fashion while she plays disco CD's and sings along was a big indicator. She is just too cool.

Haiku - Loneliness

My iPod guards me
Beats and sounds drown out my fears
Quickly fill the void

This haiku is part of an online poetry project called One Deep Breath. The topic was loneliness, and I was reminded that we mask loneliness in different ways.

Take My Luggage, Please!

So I am speaking at our church for three weeks on luggage; the teaching series is called "What About My Luggage: Unpacking Doubt, Guilt, & Control". From the feedback I got from last week, there are a few thoughts that many of us have floating in the back of our minds:

1. We have doubts packed away in our spiritual luggage
2. We do not feel like we can open our bags and ever let that be seen

I know there's several reasons for this (judgment, fear, how we will be viewed, etc.), and it stinks. But God is bigger than our doubts, and if we open our suitcases up, our doubts can become an invitation to know God in deeper ways.

So hey, as a pastor with some doubts of my own, it has been a real refreshing thing to study and speak on. If you want to download the audio, it's here. In a couple days I will talk about unpacking guilt. Ugh. Another thing that weights down our luggage.

I Love Thursdays...

Thursdays are just cool. It's my work-from-home day, accompanied by my endearing four year old sidekick Libby:

Then the rest of the kids come home from school. After we all eat dinner together, we take the Fab Four (our kids, not the Beatles) to a kids' Bible study down the street. From here, Kristy and I spend the evening in town together - usually conversation at Starbucks or a walk-through / talk-through of Costco.

After this, we pick up our kids and move on to bedtime (stories, songs, prayers, & hugs), and then Kristy and I bound upstairs to relax and catch The Office. Thursdays are great.