A Very Merry Christmas

Short and sweet...from our family to yours...we wish you the merriest of Christmases, a bright and blessed New Year, and pray that you find the love and goodness of Christ in every step of your path.

This will only hurt for a minute...

I just took the youngest Fossling to the pediatrician for her checkup.  It's so hard to believe that she is six months old.  I desperately miss the newborn stage already.  (For those of you who are thinking what I know you are thinking...nope...our quiver is full!)  In her typical fashion, she was all smiles and coos throughout the visit.  After the doctor examined her, we playfully looked at the pictures on the walls and I bounced her on my knee while singing songs.  Then the nurse returned with two little "stingers" filled with immunizations.  Before laying her on the table, I calmly told her, "It only pinches for a second."  Then, I lovingly smiled at her while the nurse administered the shots.  Not a peep for the first, but oh did she ever get red-faced for the second!  My heart broke.  I gently offered her a pacifier, rubbed her forehead and kissed her nose, and then held her close in my arms while  whispering, "Momma's here.  It's all done.  You did a great job!"  Within ten seconds she was smiling again and her face was as joyful as always.  Even I was shocked.
I have lost count of the number of times that life has merrily been rolling along when out of the clear blue sky, the thunder and lightning of painful circumstances invades a perfect summer day.  The loud crack of thunder from the shocking call of a friend who's marriage is falling apart.  The frightening flash of lightning when death steals a loved one.  The torrential downpour of rain when you realize that your family is crumbling.  The dark, black cloud that hovers overhead when financial burdens cannot be shaken.  These storms of life can come without warning and shake the very foundation beneath our feet.
It's incredibly difficult, near impossibly really, to think that our pain will not last forever when we are found in the middle of such circumstances.  Pain is real...it really hurts.  It can take our breath away.  And it's hard to think that what seems like eternity is merely a moment in the eyes of the One who sees your pain and carries your grief.  Because, although fear can force us in on every side, we are not crushed by it.  Our pain perplexes us, but we are not in despair.  Persecution encamps us, but we are not abandoned.  Hard times strike us down, but we are never destroyed by them.  We have no reason to lose heart.  Every day we are being renewed.  And our (momentary) troubles are achieving something greater than we can imagine.  If you don't believe me, check out what my dear friend Paul once wrote in one of his letters. (2 Corinthians, chapter 4, to be exact.)
My little baby trusted me enough, through the stinging pain of her shot, to know that she was going to be fine.  She doesn't see it now, but later she will know that I allowed that brief amount of pain to come to her, so that she wouldn't receive a greater harm from a potential disease.  I never left her side.  I held her in my arms.  I comforted her with my words.  I assured her with my promise.
I am amazed at how my daughter, who is only half of a year old, taught me something incredible today about how God loves me.

A Wee Bit of Fall-time Fun

We visited our very dear friends, the McLaughlins!
This picture of our littles is already outdated...
...we need precious Malachi in there now!

My lovely friend, Erica.
Our friendship is one of my greatest blessings and our times together always
"encourage one another toward love and goodness." (Heb. 10:24)

our pudgesicle

 little firecracker

 joyful chatterbox

best friends

our three little ladies

happy gal!

chubby little kitten

very silly fairies

even old pennies get shined up once in a while:)

The Business of Busyness

These days, I feel like I am the Mayor of Crazytown.  I guess that's what life with three very small children brings...constant activity!  We have always been busy people, but lately it seems like our house is Grand Central Station and our van is more of a NYC taxi.  And I'm pretty sure that we're not the only family that feels like we couldn't possibly jam one more activity or event into our already billowing calendar.  Our society is fast paced and in a way, you either fall in line or get dragged along.  I don't really remember it being like this when I was a little girl.  Maybe times have changed, maybe my parents were cautious, maybe my memory is selective.  Whatever the reason, it's of utmost importance to me to find the balm that alleviates the pressure of stress and over-activity that can plague a family.


For a pastor's family, a full calendar pretty much goes along with the territory.  And yet, I find myself towing a fine line.  My weak self often teeters between walking in love and thanks for the abundant blessings that God has poured upon me in this life and tip-toeing in exhaustion and weariness for the hectic and tedious days that often surround me.  Then it hits me...most days like a Mack truck...that my perspective is so often warped and centered around myself.  I wake up thinking of all the things that I have to do, all of the things that I don't have time to do but must do, and wondering, "How on earth am I going to do all this?  I don't have enough energy to keep up!"  Just then I feel that tap on my shoulder and whisper in my ear, "That energy is God's energy, and energy deep within you, God himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure.  Do everything readily and cheerfully - no bickering, no second-guessing allowed!" (Phil. 2:13-14 The Message)  Hectic or calm, chaotic or peaceful, crazy or sane...God provides for us just what we need, just when we need it.  And all in order to do what He has set before us, in the way that makes Him proud.  When I'm burdened with exhaustion and my mind is clouded by the fog of sleepless nights, I hear within my soul, "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."  (I can hear my sister singing it to me now.)


Too often, I allow my circumstances to dictate my focus.  An over-flowing calendar, the demands of ministry, the needs of three very small (and very precious) children, to-do lists, and endless errands can be overwhelming.  Do I choose to be overwhelmed with burden and stress or to be overwhelmed with gratitude, joy, and blessings?  Perspective is a difficult thing to get right sometimes.  Naturally, we physically can only see things from our own vantage point.  And most days I need that gentle reminder to draw my strength from the Everlasting Life, to drink from the Living Water, and to find joy in even the small, every day tasks that have been entrusted to me.  Because even in this business of busyness, I have what I need, to do what I need to do, in just the way I'm supposed to do it...when my focus is beyond myself.


My most recent reminder came from my oldest Fossling as I put her to bed last night...
"Dear God, thank you for this day that you made.  Thank you for giving joy in our hearts.  Please help Lydia not to cry tonight.  Please help Cecilia to sleep.  Please let all of your creation sleep.  Help us to do what is right even when it's hard to do what's right.  Help us to be kind and loving to everyone.  Thank you for our family.  And God, we love you, we just love you so much. Amen."

A First Time for Everything

Well, we're going to give the blog world a whirl.  I don't consider myself a writer...not sure if I'll ever really possess such skills.  But, at least you can take a peek into our little world and see what we're up to these days.  With three little girls, there's always entertainment!  Our hope is that you will see God at the center of our family and through the coming entries, you might catch a glimpse of how He has provided, loved, and sustained us.


More to come...(once I figure out how to do this blog thing!)...