Baby food

Ok, so it's been officially a month since I last posted. Not that I havn't had anything to say...just that it's been a busy month. Anyway, recently I've really been struggling with God. I've felt sort of abandoned in a way. Like I've been talking but he just hasn't been responding. So I've sort of felt like "Hey, are you really there?". Of course I know he is. But I just havn't really felt it. So I've been asking him to show me that he's there. I know he doesn't have to do that. And I guess it shows a lack of faith on my part. But none the less - it's honeslty where I'm at.
So anyway, get this! We are at the end of the month in our pay period. Money will be ok again tomorrow, but today it's pretty tight. So I called Scott and told him we needed some more baby food to hold us over tonight and tomorrow till we can buy more. He was like...Ok.let's try to see if there's something else we can give him tonight and in the morning. And as I was on the phone with him my friend showed up at the door with ...you guessed it... baby food!
So I'm just so excited because it was one of those answers to a need that was so clearly God. He didn't have to show me that he's real and that he's listening, but he did anyway. And I'm overwhelmed!

swing set update

So our close friends Kurt and Shannon Hannah are giving us the rest of the money to purchase the swing set! We are so spoiled by our family and friends. I was so surprised and just overwhelmed at how good people are to us. They are not wealthy and to give in that way is not easy for them. Yet they gave anyway. It is another reminder to me of how God takes care of us above and beyond, and of how important it is to live life with people and carry each other's burdens as if they are your own. I hope someday we can do that for them.

Moses

So I was reading Exodus 4 and came across this part I don't remember reading about before. The story is of Moses agreeing to God's plan for him to go to the Israelites and tell them that he is going to lead them out of Egypt. On his way to them, Moses stops at a lodging place with his wife and son. Verse 24 says that the Lord met Moses there and was about to kill him. But Zipporah, Moses' wife, takes a flint knife and cuts off her son's foreskin and touches Moses' feet with it. She says "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me". And then the passage states that the Lord let him alone after that. My concordence says that Moses' son has to be circumsised before Moses can serve as Israel's deliverer. But what I don't get is that the Lord came to kill him. And if Zipporah hadn't intervened, the picture I get is that God would've killed him. That doesn't make sense to me. Why wouldn't God just tell Moses "Oh, and make sure you circumsise Gershom", rather than coming to kill him for it without any warning? Also, what's the whole thing about the bridegroom of blood? Any insite?

swing set

I'm looking for a wooden swing set for the kids. I have $130. I found one at walmart for $288. That seems to be the best deal I can find. But if anyone knows of a place that sells them for cheaper - or if you know someone who has one and wants to get rid of it, let me know. I'd like to get one by Memorial Day if possible. Any input would be much appreciated.

Life with Electricity

We lost our power this week. It's amazing how dependant we've become on light, heat, TV, white noise to help us sleep, hot water, music, hot stove, etc. At first it was somewhat exciting. Something new and different from the norm. But then night came and the house was cold, dark, and silent. It wasn't so fun anymore. In fact it was pretty depressing. We lit candles all over the house and bundled up in layers of clothing. Scott loved it! But as I sat on the couch trying to read my magazine by candlelight, and then woke up to Maren's elbows in my back throughout the night, I was ready to get the power back. We woke up the next morning feeling quite cold and realizing that there was no coffee, no hot shower, no morning cartoons for Maren. I took the kids outside (which was warmer than inside at the time), and we made hot chocolate on the camping stove. Then we packed up and went to our friends (Kurt and Shannon's) house. When we got home the power was back on. It's good to have 21st century luxuries back. Guess I'm spoiled :-)

Missio Dei

We had our first Easter service at The Grey Eagle in West Asheville. Things went great - though it was a small crowd. Please pray that we will not be discouraged by this - but that we would focus on the people we have built relationships with. Please also pray that we would be Christ to the people of Asheville - whether they join our church or not.

2 going on 30

At lunch today I was talking to Maren about the moon and about what an eclipse is. I told her that when the moon goes directly in front of the sun and blocks the sun from us, it is called an eclipse. Scott then stepped in and decided to show
Maren exactly how it works. He pointed at the plant on the table and said "Let's say this is the sun", and taking an apple said "and this is the earth". Then using a cork as the moon proceeded to rotate it around the apple and rotating both around the plant. During all of this rotating and explaining, Maren kept yelling out that the plant was NOT the sun. "The sun is in the sky Pappa!" And when Scott got to the part about the eclipse, Maren yelled out "No! Only girls where clips Pappa!" Scott finally gave up when Maren started trying to eat the earth.

When I was putting Mar down for a nap just now she bagan telling me this story of when she was a little girl and went on a hike with Pappa to a waterfall. She said that the waterfall was as big as a dragon, and that she and Pappa flew on the dragon back to the flowers... I love her imagination!