Someone turned 8
Drawing Pokemon characters and trying to keep them off the ground in the Vortex or Wind (3 fans…I have an imaginative, elementary teacher hubs)
Decorating cookies
Dinosaur painting
Arm wrestling tourney
He saw me putting my shoes on early Sunday morning and accompanied me on a sunrise walk to the river
He took this shot
Morning light is the best light
Using their Exploration Place coupons
I like this picture
My recent (temporary) companion
Man, I love them.
And your 7 Days?
Well. Dan reports back this morning. And I get a faint hint of Fall in the air at times (especially on these rainy days we’ve been having).
Thought I should do an update on how the Summer Bucket List went.
Summer reading program – Honestly? We made this deadline by the skin of our teeth. Like, set the alarm for 40 minutes and don’t get off the living room floor with books until it went off…the morning of Deadline Day.
Homemade ice cream – Yeppers
Dry clothes in the sunshine – Only once or twice.
Picnics and cook outs – Uh huh
Camping with friends – Nope, but big plans for in the fall
Farmers’ Markets and Gardening – This was spotty at best
Eat at When Pigs Fly BBQ – Not yet
Dan’s Graduation Party – Check
Practice, practice, practice reading and writing – More like practice, practice…
Watch fireflies on the patio – This usually happened from inside the boys’ room looking out the window – on nights when they went to bed too late from other activities
Time with extended family – Yeah, baby
Jump rope – Nope. Do we even have one? Where did this one come from?
T-ball and Baseball – You better believe it
Run through the sprinkler – Tons
Riverfest – We honestly didn’t spend the money this year. We had talked about splitting the cost with friends, then didn’t do it
Bike rides – Regularly
Chore Dance Parties – Lots of music was played. Chores were done. Not sure these went together as much as I had in my head at the time of writing this
Pray for summer teams as a family – Yes, but not nearly as much as my idealist self wanted
Play soccer in the street – Yes
Make this from Pinterest…and this – I don’t want to talk about it
Adult Specific:
Trip to Colorado for my cousin’s wedding (sans children) – It was glorious
Make curtains for the office – Yes, but they’re too long and I need to hem them. But, happy they got done and thank you sweet friend who helped me power through on this before the Graduation Party
Paint Side table – Ummm…
Date Nights – Yessir
So, not bad. We enjoyed ourselves. Man, I love this season.
How was your fam’s time? Anything you were glad you got to do? I’d love to hear.
Ezra 1:5 & 6:
“Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites – everyone whose heart God had moved – prepared to go up and build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem. All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings.”
Let’s try to get into the minds of this displaced group. Starting before the exile.
So. God has chosen your race, out of all the nations on the earth, to make His Presence known and display His glory to the whole world. This is not because you are a mighty nation or better than others. No, it’s because it is His choice.
Unlike those of us under the New Covenant, God’s Spirit did not dwell within the very being of His people. Aside from some recorded instances when the Spirit of the LORD came upon someone, He chose to manifest His Glory in the Tabernacle and then the Temple. So with this awesome responsibility of His Presence and power among you – before the eyes of all – you are to keep your part of His Covenant with you. Especially, having no other gods before Him.
However, if you’re from the older generation, that is not what you experienced while still in Jerusalem. The priests, whose job is to serve the community, don’t even know how to blush. Everyone clings to deceit. And Jeremiah, a prophet telling the Truth, is weeping that pride will cause the LORD’s flock to be taken captive.
But wait. Was this the heart condition of every one of God’s people in Judah?
What I love about God is the reckless Hope He always gives. He makes sure to mention those who do not shift their confidence to idols:
“But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8)
Living in Him is the only way to live.
Nevertheless, the majority of your people are grievously sinning. And you see in your lifetime what Jeremiah predicted:
“Their land will be laid waste,
An object of lasting scorn;
All who pass by will be appalled
And will shake their heads.”
(Jer. 18:16)
Jerusalem beseiged. Temple and city destroyed. Many Jews exiled.
So what about daily life in your new foreign land? You are allowed to live communally and preserve many customs. In fact, Jeremiah even wrote a letter to our exiles, passing on to them that their Word from God was to build houses, settle down, plant gardens, marry & have families, and seek the prosperity of the city in which they now lived. In fact, it is in this context of encouraging the deported ones that the famous Jeremiah verse was written:
“This is what the LORD says:
‘When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and will bring you back from captivity.'” (Jer. 29:10-14a NIV)
Isn’t He good? Even after everything, He is making sure His children know His love and hope and His desire to be the only One to whom they bow.
But even with this permission to settle down and preserve some customs, it is difficult in a decadent, ungodly society to stay true to the heart of God. Just ask Daniel.
So here you are. If you were young-ish when the deportation began, you are now at least 75 years old. In fact, Daniel himself was over 80 years old when he was thrown into the lions’ den. (That’s different than all those pictures in kids’ books, huh?) Many of your older family members and maybe even some of your peers have died.
Then you hear the news in 539 BC: Babylon has fallen to the Persians.
Next thing you know: The new king, King Cyrus, is proclaiming you can return home!
But…where is home?
Home for your children is this foreign land. They’ve heard stories of Jerusalem, but have never lived there. Your grandchildren probably know even less and have heard fewer stories. Even thinking about making a long, 4 month journey could sound daunting.
I think this is where we should remember how God always preserves a remnant of faithfulness among His people. Likely many were satisfied with their comfortable situation in a foreign land. But there were others who listened to the Prophets. Who learned to become Scribes to keep the Law accurate. Who still observed the Sabbath and circumcision.
And who, most of all, desired to once again worship Covenant Yahweh as He designed: with sacrifices in the Temple.
And it was likely some from that group, “everyone whose heart God had moved,” who began to pack their bags, say their goodbyes, and start the journey Home.
Whaa? Free A&W Root Beer Floats today from 2:00 to close!
This is not a Root Beer Float
This Saturday is 2nd Saturday. Get your $5 cloth bag and get to saving by supporting local merchants.
If you register here, you can build Hulk’s Tank at the Lowe’s Build and Grow event this Saturday.
Free Board Game Night at Sedgwick County Extension Office Friday night from 7 – 9
Looks like the last Wichita Rec Center Free Family Event will be this Saturday at Boston Park.
Have a good one. Let’s soak up the last of summer vacay!
Fun friends in town
Aaannnddd….jump
Birthday party ideas
Dan’s plan: pictures with statues downtown
I love him.
Drive on, Caleb
This will be a fun addition to our city center
My friend killing it for Final Friday at The Workroom
It was a beautiful night
Chocolate chips in coffee grinder = chocolate dust
Cool (They were way happier about this than they look)
Fun friends on vacation in the States
Sweet one we haven’t seen since he was teeny!
Pool birthday parties are the best.
And your 7 days?
I read this post a long time ago, but I still regularly think about it. So I’m going to retype it here.
Chuck Swindoll – 10 Things I’ve learned in 50 Years of Leadership:
I’ve been thinking a lot about what it looks like in our current culture to love well, have unity among our many differences as Believers, and, yet, still stand on God’s Word as authoritative.
As I try to reconcile the above, this quote based on Jesus’ Parable of The Lost Son, keeps popping in my brain:
“In [the gospel’s] view, everyone is wrong, everyone is loved, and everyone is called to recognize this and change. By contrast, elder brothers divide the world in two: ‘The good people (like us) are in and the bad people, who are the real problem with the world, are out.’ Younger brothers, even if they don’t believe in God at all, do the same thing, saying: ‘No, the open-minded and tolerant people are in and the bigoted, narrow-minded people, who are the real problem with the world, are out.’
But Jesus says:
‘The humble are in and the proud are out.’
The people who profess they aren’t particularly good or open-minded are moving toward God, because the prerequisite for receiving the grace of God is to know you need it.'” Tim Keller, The Prodigal God
Let’s keep Truth married to Compassion.
Let’s have Grace that never turns away from Righteousness.
Let’s have the Gospel, Believers.
Ezra 1:1-4 NIV:
“In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing:
‘This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:
‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of his people among you – may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem. And the people of any place where survivors may now be living are to provide him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.’”
I love that 200 years before this decree, El Elyon, God Most High, saw it and told Isaiah about it:
“[He] who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please;
He will say of Jerusalem, ‘Let it be rebuilt,’
And of the temple, ‘Let its foundations be laid.’
This is what the LORD says to his anointed,
to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of…
For the sake of Jacob my servant,
of Israel my chosen,
I summon you by name
and bestow on you a title of honor,
though you do not acknowledge me.
I am the LORD, and there is no other;
Apart from me there is no God.
I will strengthen you,
though you have not acknowledged me,
so that from the rising of the sun
to the place of its setting
men may know there is none besides me.
I am the LORD, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 44:28-45:1a, 4-6)
At first, God through Isaiah seems a bit harsh. Cyrus is acknowledging God, right?
Well, it turns out the God of Israel was not the only god King Cyrus sought to appease when taking office (Study Bible, pg 635). He was trying to cover all his basis, in some sort of karma game.
Hmmm. Maybe he hadn’t heard yet the God of Israel doesn’t take well to His Holy Presence being treated flippantly.
Nonetheless, the reason Scripture provides for Cyrus allowing the exiles to return and rebuild the temple is “the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus…”
What does that do in your heart?
How often do you chalk things up only to human choice? Is it easy for you to see the hand of an all-knowing, all-powerful God in control of seconds and planets and heart beats?
If we ever start thinking our choices don’t matter, let’s run and get some wise counsel. Of course making good choices is important.
But if we come to the conclusion that only broken human beings are in charge of the grand, sweeping events in all of history and the future, well, we should probably run for the hills. Because that’s no good.
Thankfully, no matter how uncertain our times may seem, we have a King Who rules all kings. And He is on His throne.
For He is the LORD, and there is no other.
If you read nothing else, read this: My talented friend will be the featured musician at The Workroom for Final Friday tomorrow night, 6:00-9:00. (See all the participating locations for the Art Crawl here.)
My friend told me she had a great experience at Stearman Bar and Grill. If you’re up for a short drive to Benton, KS, you can watch vintage airplanes take off and land on their air strip while enjoying delicious food.
If you’ve ever thought about learning pottery, I know a guy. He works here.
Did you know your Summer Reading Program records are due tomorrow? Get em in and get your prizes.
The 8th annual Wichita Chalk Art Festival will be in Old Town this Saturday from 10 to 2. This free event helps to raise awareness for EmberHope. Come decorate the sidewalks along with local artists for a good cause.
Have a happy, intentional weekend!
Had a quick weekend trip to see my sister and we chatted about TP prices. It’s true. I read this on a blog a long time ago, but it’s one of my favorite little shopping tips.
When trying to figure out a good price, look at the square footage on the package. Then move the decimal point to the left two places. That is a good TP price.
For example:
Ignore all the talk about how many rolls. See the part on the bottom line in blue that says Total? In parentheses is 431 square feet. So scoot that decimal 2 to the left, and you realize you should not pay much more than $4.31 for this package.
Here is where you realize you will never be able to buy TP again without knowing this. I’m sorry. But at least when you walk by an end cap at the store and see a sign that promotes a “Big Sale” but you’re paying $5 more than you know you should…well, you can walk on by with a knowing laugh.
Any super quick shopping tips for us to share?
