I Hate Gravity... and other words of wisdom from little boys.

My children are the most hysterical children on the face of the earth. I'm not just saying that because I'm their mom... it's actually true. They even find themselves hysterical most times:) So today, I want to share some of their words of random wisdom so that you too can learn from the masters!

As I get ready to impart this great knowledge upon you, you must know that each, and perhaps, everyone one of the pearls have come from great moments of randomness. At times, no explanation, just the vomiting of great words. Other times, a subject being discussed and a random thought "squirrel" arrives and then just as quickly departs to another world, usually the world of the almighty IPOD TOUCH! A place where the black hole of Mother words fall deep and far from ears, and where young boys are sucked into an alternate universe with no hope of communication with their mother.

Our first words of wisdom: "I hate gravity." These amazing words of wisdom were given during a near sleep experience in the car... when Benny bolted straight up and told us what was on his mind, before laying back down in a near stupor! Imagine the greatness of it...it needs no explanation. "I hate gravity". I'll have to give you that one, buddy. My 46 year old body totally agrees with you there.

Next: We must note that this statement came following the I Hate Gravity statement, also with no lead in to know what the boy was thinking. "I don't want to be midget when I grow up!" He seemed very concerned about this, and I thought to myself, where have I failed my son in that he thinks he CAN become a midget when he grows up.

Another, I know you can hardly wait: "Dad, you can give mom a little sugar in the pool, but not too much. Too much sugar is creepy." Seriously... creepy? I realize that boys may think mom and dad kissing and hugging is a little gross, somewhat embarrassing, but creepy?

After 3 trips to Home Depot to finally get the right parts to fix the sprinkler, only to realize that it wasn't broken there in the first place. It was broken elsewhere, making this part not work. Jonah, realizing he needs to encourage his dad after the 3rd failed trip, says "Dad, you missed it by THAT MUCH!" Ouch! Need I say more.

One of my favorite words of wisdom came from Benny when I happened home from a walk one day to find him sitting at the top of the roof. As I began to panic, as any good mother would, and YELL at him to get his behind down off the roof and what was he thinking being on the roof, etc. Benny said, "Mom, calm down...breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out!" Stinker!! Of course, I did as he asked and then told him calmly to get down off the roof or I would tan his hide! So he went to the back of the house and calmly did a backflip, landing on his back on the trampoline (from the roof), such as a trapeze artist might exit his ridiculously crazy trapeze act that he's worked on for 10 years... aaarrrrggggghhh!

My very favorite words of wisdom that come from both of my boys are these: Mom, Love you to infinity +1 and if you say +1, I'll keep adding 1 to that. That's how much I love you". Well, little (maybe not so little anymore) boys of mine... That's how much I love you too +1 + infinity +1.

Words of wisdom from boys unencumbered by life experiences. They call 'em as they see 'em!

Gotta love Jonah and Benny!!

Freedom is most definitely not even close to being free

I've heard the phrase "freedom is not free" many times throughout my life. When I was young, I didn't really know anyone who was active in the military, so the phrase didn't seem to have much meaning for me personally. As I've grown older (I know it's hard to believe, but I am older:), I've come to appreciate that phrase in so many different ways.

Probably one of the most moving times that phrase has come to life for me was when I was visiting "Ground Zero" in New York City on 9/11. This was a couple years after the twin towers were hit. We decided to go down to the site on September 11th because the date had such special meaning. What we found once we arrived was one of the most overwhelming emotional and spiritual moments that I've ever had.

We started out by the church near where the twin towers used to stand. This is the church where many of the people sought refuge when the towers were hit, where many of the workers took refuge while searching for survivors and then during the rescue process and where many family members came to try to find out about their loved ones. In front of this church on the street was a ginormous bell on a trailer. The man in charge of the bell said that they took this bell all over the country to places where tragedies had happened and they would ring the bell in mourning. He then asked if we would like to ring the bell. Part of me said "no, that's much too personal", but another part of me really wanted to ring that bell. I can't say that ringing the bell put me any closer to those who were grieving family members, but it definitely put is in the emotional place of feeling a part of that day.

As we continued on, there was a fire station directly across from the twin towers...right across the street. When the towers were hit, the fireman at that station responded immediately and thus, most of them were lost. As we rounded the corner, we were struck by an amazingly haunting and beautiful sight. There, in front of the station, were many, many fireman in their dress uniforms. As we began to pass the station, they called a final call and all the firemen stood at attention. It was a surreal moment. We watched as grown men (big, grown men) stood at attention with tears rolling down their faces as they mourned their friends and loved ones who responded to a tragedy, not thinking of themselves, but putting the people in the tower first and running up those stairs.

We continued to walk around ground zero and noticed that people were filing down into the actual site. Shortly, we heard a loud speaker from the site and saw people lining up in front of a microphone. Then, the first name was read... I can't recall the name, but it was someone who was reading the name of a loved one... then the next person came forward and read a name. One by one, each name of every person who died at that site was read by a loved one, who stated the person's name and what relationship they had with them... brother, father, sister, husband, wife, son, daughter. By this time, our group had stopped and I truly felt like I could go no further. We just listened...then we started hearing, police officer, fireman... unbelievable. At this point, we couldn't even continue our tour, it was overwhelming.

When I think of those fighting for our freedom and our right to be safe from terrorists and whomever else wants to take those freedoms from us... this is the moment that I remember and I know that those who fight for me and my family do so at great risk. Our thanks can never be enough.

But that isn't the only type of freedom that I'm thinking about today. There's another kind of freedom that also wasn't free. I have a friend who suffered from a horrible illness. Towards the end of his life, you couldn't even recognize him. Just as someone who suffers from cancer can become frail and broken and unlike themselves, so did our friend who suffered from a completely different illness. My kids ask why bad things happen... and we have to tell them about a world that is much different than the one that God had planned for us. A fallen world, where sin is part of life and bad things happen to both good and bad people and that illness is not what God wanted for us. But God is gracious and merciful and good and He made sure that we had our freedom. Our friend is now whole and healed and free to worship God without the restraints of our world.

God's gift of freedom was most certainly not free. It cost God everything. Yet, He willingly and purposefully sent His Son, Jesus, so that we will now be free from the chains of guilt and shame and pain and suffering and sin and in the future, be free from eternity without Him.

So, today as we are remembering our Independence Day... it is certainly two-fold. First..be thankful for those who serve in our military and defend our freedoms and keep us safe from things like another 9/11. Secondly, be thankful to God for our freedom through Christ for a life that is abundantly more than we can ever ask or imagine. "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:36

A Christian Walk, What? Huh?

Have you ever wondered about that? Our journey to become more like Christ is most often called the Christian Walk. Have you ever been on a walk that was leisurely, with no rocks to turn an ankle, no curbs, no hills, no sudden rainstorms? I may have had that walk once or twice, but it's a vague memory.

i like to think of our journey to become more like Christ as "the Extreme Christian olympics) - please, no one be offended by my analogy... I'm just blogging here! We train for our whole lives, but as anyone who trains hard knows, you can't train exactly the same way every day or you'll hit an impasse and have a time of no muscle growth, no faster time, etc. Your training varies as your life varies.

One day our Extreme Christian Olympics training is run by Bob the trainer. Bob is sweet and caring and he wants us to succeed with our training that day. We speed walk on a completely rut and rock free track. We jog nicely on the treadmill on 3 with no incline. We swim 10 laps in the Jacuzzi. Then we rest and eat subway and at the end of our training day, we rest on the patio with a book... and eat smores. Our day was about dedication and perseverance and consistency and we did that.

Day 2 at our training camp brings Jillian and I'm terrified. I know that Jillian will make me cry in the first 5 minutes and then I will puke in the next 5 minutes and that will be repeated throughout the day. Our day consists of running seven miles through a mud bog while having people lob leeches at us. Running on the treadmill on a 10 incline with 30 second sprints at 10 miles per hour...no hanging on with your hands... don't do it!!! The day ends with 4 of your friends lowering you through the roof into the ambulance to get the care you need to be back tomorrow for another day. Today we learned about dedication and digging deep. We may have to work on that one again.

Day 3 Let's try teamwork...Bob and Jill say let's all work together today. We're climbing Mount Everest and no one gets to start back until everyone has reached the top. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? That will take all day... I don't have all day, I've got a pedicure planned, Kohl's is having a sale, $10 Kohls dollars back for every $50 purchased...you all better climb fast. You reach the top in record time....standing there tapping your toe, muttering under your breath about those that didn't really learn the lessons on day 1 and 2. You see Bob, who came in second mind you, touch the top and turn back down...."wait, everyone has to reach the top first before...but you can't finish because Bob is back with Betty, who know joins Bob and heads back again, both arrive with Becky and so on. You watch in disgust as each one gets more and more tired with each trip down to help someone else. They can't even make it up the hill without help, how will they ever get back down again. As the last person has barely made it up the hill, you start down, on your own. Fast... much to do, much to do. Not really watching. The loose rocks make the path slippery and you start to go down. Pain... I think it's only a strain. How in the world am I going to get down the hill on my own. I've got to get down on my own.... Then one person stops, 2, 3,4... Making a fireman's chair to carry you. You resist, they insist. You sit... they carry. When they tire, 4 others take over, when they tire, 4 more. And you are down. That my friend is the lesson for day number 3.

Day 4 = light day. Do a little jogging, a little swimming, rest, refresh.

Day 5 - Illness wins on this day - 0ne does not survive. Many others in critical condition, many others hurting in ways we don't even understand. Our lessons... can we use those... have we trained long enough? Did we learn the lessons? Dedication, Persistance, consistancy, digging deep, pulling through with nothing left to give, loyalty, compassion, teamwork, family work, going to the finish. WOW! Did I learn all that. Great... those are some great things to learn and know about and have in my brain. But did you do what I asked you to do? Huh, I say knowledgeably. I did what you asked, I trained, I learned, right...Did you do what I asked you to do? As in, do? Yep! Uh, no, not really, but I learned it really well, trained hard... Bob and Jill, killers you know, take no prisoners. Did you learn empathy, compassion, mercy, grace...these are things that can't be learned and not done.
You mean all this training was for nothing? Only if you choose to not do what I've asked you to do.... WHAT? What am I to do: You are the salt of the earth, the light of the world, love your neighbor as yourself, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, fast, pray, build your house on a rock, have faith like a mustard seed, ask and it shall be given, seek and you will find, forgive 70 times 7 times, be ready, do not bury your talents, love on each other, lower your friend to help, support them no matter the length of time, be Ruth and Naomi, be Peter, be James and John, be the woman at the well, be Mary and ponder things in your heart, be Esther and change your world, go and make disciple of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always until the end of the age.

Compassion, mercy, grace, forgiveness, character, loved, wonder, awe, assurance, beauty, belief, steadfastness, clarity, discernment, brokenness, wholeness,captivated, celebration, reverence, cleansed, comforted, peace, crucified, blameless, shameless, delivered, empathy, hopeful, integrity, alive, forgiven, miraculous, priceless, truth, I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see. These are the lessons learned during Extreme Christian Olympics Training, which by the way lasts the rest of your life!! You will see Bob and Jillian again, along with God and the Holy Spirit.

All this to say... we have great needs happening in our local world right now. A family in crisis unlike any crisis most of us have ever experienced. Our lessons have been well taught and sometimes hard fought. And truthfully, some have been learned kicking and screaming... but still learned. Are you compassionate? Can you bestow your gift of compassion on the Borrmanns and Burlesons? Have you been trained in love? Empathy? Hope? Celebration? How can you use that training to love on them? Be creative... be sympathetic, be sensitive to their needs, Use that training for something other than more training. Use it to be God's hands, feet, mouth, arms, hugs, car mechanic, house cleaner, meal maker/freezer person, Maybe you've been trained in giving? GIVE! If you are trained in compassion, be compassionate. You know who you are and what you've learned. Make God proud of the time and effort you and He have put in together in this life. Pass it on!! Go ye therefore....

Blessings,
Brenda