Isn't it Ironic?

Here lately, Candice and I have been singing lines from "Ironic"--the Alanis Morissette song that was popular when we were in grad school. We've had two waves of inspiration for singing this song:

First Wave

We're trying to sell our house. A family we know has been working with the same realtor we have told us at church that they held an open house alongside a garage sale and it generated activity on their house. A few days later, their house sold.

We called our agent the next day and asked if we could add an open house alongside the garage sale we had planned. She agreed to arrange an open house for 9-to-noon on Saturday. For the first time ever, we decided to have a two-day garage sale, starting on Friday. The traffic on Friday was brisk--people were waiting curb-side when we opened our doors at 7:30 AM. That traffic motivated our kids to set up a coffee and lemonade stand on Saturday (with some help from our entrepreneurial neighbor).

Early Saturday morning, we set up for day-two of our garage sale and worked hard to stage everything for our open house. We opened the garage door with gusto, ready to get to work. But no one came. We waited for more than an hour--an eternity in garage sale time. Eventually a trickle of people came through, but hardly any wanted lemonade or coffee--and no one showed for the open house.

At noon, we moved everything back into the garage and closed the door. We apologized to the guy who was manning the open house and went inside to get lunch and put our little guys to bed. In the process, Candice noticed there was a message on our voice mail. Someone wanted to see our house in 30 minutes. We scrambled to make a lunch to-go and spent an hour at the park.

Second Wave

We were a two-car family for a long time, but we sold our Jeep on Craigslist a few weeks ago as part of our "clear the decks" mission. We're now down to our minivan. Because we plan to travel cross-country soon, we asked a mechanic we've been working with for years to give the van a tune up. (Ironically, he was working on the van when we got a call requesting a showing on our house. We ended up borrowing car seats from our neighbors to put into the mechanic's 1980-something conversion van and drove off ruffled and unshowered so that we could get everyone out of the house).

Our mechanic did the tune up and made a couple of minor replacements. "If you haven't changed your timing belt, I would have that done," he added. We thought he'd already done that so we looked through our paperwork in the glove box. We couldn't find anything and his records weren't turning up anything.

We made an appointment to have the timing belt replaced and prepared to come up with the $600 or so it would cost. Then we made a more intensive search through our paperwork to see if we could find a record of the work being done. We looked through binders of paperwork for each of the past ten years. We couldn't find a couple of those years but reviewed enough to assume the work just hadn't been done.

Yesterday morning I drove the van to the repair shop to get the work started. Around mid-morning, I felt motivated to start cleaning out our storage room. It was there, in the midst of old photos and memorabilia. Piled in a Whole Foods bag with some stray papers was a binder for the year 2007. A few papers in, I found an invoice from our mechanic, along with a record of our timing belt being replaced December 6, 2007.

I called the guy who was replacing our timing belt, but got his voice mail. I left a message asking him to stop the work. He called back later to say he would stop but that he was already a third of the way into the complicated repair and that we'd have to pay for the work he's already done. He ended up giving us something of a break, but we still had to pay $180 with nothing to show for it.

These ironies hurt a little more when we're already feeling vulnerable in a time of transition. And yet we trust God's goodness and provision. Something tells us we're going to look back on these challenges some day and laugh at how this transition chapter unfolded.

EARLY Will I Seek You

"During this morning's quiet time, it dawned on me -- well before dawn -- that I've become dependent on time alone with God. And the only way I can get it is to get up early. Of course in Colorado, rising before the sun often brings the benefit of actually seeing the "purple mountains majesty." But that stunning view of Pike's Peak alone isn't enough to wake me. It's what happens when I miss that window that motivates me to roll out of bed."

I wrote that in 2006. And it's still true. Today I had to roll out of bed on Steve's side of the bed because our three-year-old was camping out on the floor beside mine, and mercifully, still asleep. He wakes up earlier than any of the other littles. 5:30 isn't unheard of.

Usually he joins me for coffee, preferring to drink the sips I've forgotten, once they're cooled. (Truth be told, it's Steve who gets up even earlier than me, and brews a pot of coffee. Not sure I'd be able to get up early without him!) He's also taken to grabbing the journal I keep for him, along with a sharpie, and scribbling on the empty pages. By now, nearly every page is full; half with my prayers for his present and future, half with his doodles. I think the doodles will mean more to me someday than any words I've written.

"Nothing gets me off to a worse start than oversleeping only to wake to the sound of kids already up and raring to go. No quiet. No alone time. And no peace. I need the daily direction I get when I spend time reading the Bible. The Psalms and Proverbs are especially helpful during this demanding season of rearing small children. Having uninterrupted time for listening for God's voice -- specifically asking Him what the priorities for the day should be -- and meditating on what He's already said to me in his Word, has become the most important thing I do each day. When I don't, I feel like a ship without a rudder and a car with no gasoline. I lack both direction and power."

I need this reminder. It seems I'm motivated to get quiet and listen in seasons. But never do I not need it. I just forget. Or get too busy. Lord, remind me.

"It really does make a difference.

"Feeding Your Soul by Jean Fleming talks about how to have a quiet time. It's a very practical handbook that ends with a prayer that includes the line, "Make me what You had in mind when You created me ..." I love that image of a blueprint for my life; of a master designer drawing up plans for what my life should be. That's not to say I always conform to the plan. And often what should be is not what is."

I love that line even more, now that we have children. I want so much for them to become the people God had in mind when He created them. There's nothing I want more.

And so I get up early again. Today and tomorrow and the next day. There's just something about early.

O God, You are my God;

Early will I seek You;

My soul thirsts for You;

My flesh longs for You

In a dry and thirsty land

Where there is no water.

So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,

To see Your power and Your glory.

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,

My lips shall praise You (Psalm 63:1-3).

Dear Overweight Woman

And you are dear. I’ve been overweight and I’ve been the ideal weight, and I know the frustration and discouragement and agony that attends the former. But do not despair. There is hope. The overweight believer has just as much reason to hope for marriage as does the physically ideal one. Why? Because God is able. And marriage is a gift from Him; not a reward for those who manage to fit the current ideal of beauty.

Your worth and value come not from a number on the scale, or even from your ability to cut calories and get yourself to a gym to shed unwanted pounds — and believe me when I say I understand how unwanted they are! Regardless of your girth, you are precious. You are valued. You are worthy, because you are the crown of creation (1 Peter 3:18). You are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26). And yet you are utterly unworthy. Apart from Christ we are all unworthy (Romans 3:23, Luke 17:10). And we all stumble in many ways (James 3:2). Your sin is painfully visible. But it is not insurmountable.

You have the same access to the Risen Lord; to the One who said, “Your sins are forgiven, now go and sin no more” (John 8:11).

It won’t be easy. But the desire to please God — to honor Him with your body (1 Corinthians 6:20) — is a powerful motivator. And He will send the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, to help you (John 14:16). It is possible to overcome obesity. But the goal should never be to turn a head or even snag a mate. The ultimate goal and the one that has the power to change you, is God’s glory.

I love what David Platt writes in his book, Radical, in his chapter about the disciples. What a rag-tag group they were with little to recommend them as the right men to spread the Gospel through all the earth. Yet, he writes, “This is the design of God among his people. He is giving unlikely people his power so it is clear who deserves the glory for the success that takes place.”

Is it harder to attract a man when you’re morbidly obese? Yes. Is it impossible? No. Is it just too difficult to imagine that you could lose weight and get fit? With God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). And the more difficult your situation, the more glory God stands to receive when you are victorious through Him. (Two Christian women: Mandisa and Chantel Hobbs come to mind as good role models for the journey.)

Ask God to be glorified in your story. Even as you long and pray for a husband. Ask Him to help you lose weight, to guide you to people and plans that can help you develop a healthy lifestyle. And ask Him to write the story of your life in such a way that when you tell it, you will be able to make much of Him! I am praying for you.

Two Questions, One Party and the Perfect Appetizer

Today's Boundless Answers is for everyone who's dated an adult convert with a bit of an, ahem, past. The questioner writes,

...he's only been saved and living for the Lord for the past several years. He was never completely crazy before that, but he did have a reputation as somewhat of a partier and for always being with a different girl. He's completely changed since then, and as I've only known him for about a year, almost all that I know about him back then is through him. I trust him implicitly and know he's been completely honest about everything.

My problem lies with friends of mine (and my family) who knew him back in the day but haven't since he's changed. They hear we're dating and automatically see it as a problem because of what they knew him as. ...I just don't know how to handle or respond to comments or assumptions made by well-meaning people who don't know better. Especially when it's people whom I respect.

To read my reply, go to "But He's Changed."

In the latest podcast "Wishin' and Hopin' and Being Intentional," we answer another question about dating. This one's from a woman who's wondering how much time she needs to spend getting to know a man before she starts dating him. The key is how you spend your time together rather than how much time you spend.

We're always looking for good inbox questions for the show. If you have one, please email it to Ted at editor@boundless.org. If you act fast, there's still time to be featured on our 100th episode, coming up in just two weeks!

Friday's Boundless party was a hit. Especially Lisa's cheese dip. Ever since I started making hummus (and semi-homemade pita crisps) in my 20s, it's been my go-to appetizer.

Being the perfect starter, I figured why branch out? But Lisa's cheese dip is a close second. Maybe you have a recipe you'd like to place in the running?

December Decisions

Bake cookies for Friday's Boundless staff party, start browsing websites for gifts, make paper crafts, there's so much I love doing to get ready for Christmas that sometimes it's hard to choose! Since today is the deadline for Shutterfly's sale offerings, I think I'll focus on finishing up some photo gifts I started. Here's a screen capture of the September page of the calendar I'm making for Steve's Grandma.

In addition to making Christmas cards, calendars and photo books, I sometimes make homemade hot fudge and bake bread as gifts.

What are you busy with in these early December days? Do you have any suggestions for homemade gifts?

An Even Shorter Short Season

This fall, it only took one week to go from this:

to this:

After a short burst of glorious color and one outing to Pike's Peak, we started passing around a virus with cold-like symptoms and spent the better part of Indian summer indoors. Then yesterday the ice came.

Today's drive to church was eerily lonely and one of the boldest red trees in our neighborhood was laying on the ground like a fallen sentry. (The marks on the trunk suggest there's a car out there with a badly dented fender.) I guess it's good we don't watch much TV—that kept us from knowing about a huge multi-car pileup on the slick interstate last night. If I'd known about it, we probably wouldn't have gone to the early service this morning. But I didn't. And we did.

It was good to be back after so many weeks of someone being too sick to go.

Now we're feeling nearly back to normal and in the mood for lots of this:

What's the weather like where you are?

All about Autumn

If you read my Twitter updates you know I'm thrilled that just one day into the new season we've already had two days of snow flurries. Snow! In September! I love Colorado.

Of course it helps me love this freakishly early taste of winter when the forecast for Saturday is warm and sunny. With a predicted high of 76°, it should be perfect weather for a trip to the apple orchard (one of our favorite family traditions). Traditions seem especially important this time of year: playing Peanuts Christmas at the first sign of snowflakes, making hot cider and hot chocolate for drinking by the fireplace, reading as a family after dinner, cutting out paper leaves, collecting real fallen leaves from the grass to press between pieces of wax paper (remember that from preschool?), and relishing the feeling of fleece after so many months of shorts and t-shirts.

Most of our traditions are a continuation of things we did growing up, though a few are new since getting married. How do you celebrate fall? What do you most look forward to in the change of season?

Of Carrots, Corn and Cookbooks

My newly-married friend Ashley emailed me yesterday in search of a good carrot raisin recipe. She of the I don't use cookbooks school of cooking was finally convinced that you really can't find everything you need for good cooking for free on the internet. "What's a good all-purpose cookbook?" she wanted to know. Better Homes and Gardens, I said. I've had my copy—a paperback—so long that I honestly can't remember when I got it. Not surprisingly, it's really dog-eared. And since many of the pages have actually fallen out of the book, they're usually out of order. No matter. I know where my favorite recipes are, well enough to find them without page numbers or a complete index. The lemon zest, tomato sauce, and au jus stains don't hurt either.

I wasn't able to help Ashley with a recipe. Carrot raisin has never been among my favorite muffin combos (carrot cake muffins with cream cheese frosting, well now, that's a different story!). But she did get me thinking about baking. So I pulled out a bunch of frozen bananas and whipped up some bread.

I doubled the recipe so I'd have enough batter for three loaves (two for us and another for a friend whose husband had knee surgery). I use smallish bread pans, so plan on only one loaf if you use a regular sized pan; or 12 muffins if you go that route.

Banana bread with pecans and lemon zest

(an adaptation of a BHG classic)

1&1/2 cups flour (I use white wheat for a heartier, healthier loaf)

1&1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cinnamon

pinch of salt (optional)

1 egg

1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 medium)

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup oil (I used canola)

1/2 cup chopped pecans (I roast my pecans in a 350 degree oven for 10 min before chopping)

zest of one lemon

(The cookbook labels those last two ingredients "optional," but in my book, they make the bread.) Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50 minutes or till center is set (test with a toothpick or knife). For muffins, bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

And as a footnote to the corn and chili chowder post below, I made it for lunch today and it was even better than I remembered (probably because I used whipping cream this time).

When Labor Means Rest and Babies

I've always thought of Labor Day as the official end of summer and a great reason to have friends over for a cookout. But this year, in addition to all that, as I was trying to explain to Harrison and Zoe the purpose of the holiday (and cutting out leaves for a garland), I was reminded of how blessed we are to live in a land where unions did their best work decades ago, ridding us of child labor and sweatshop working environments.

Not wanting to leave it at that, I read from Dickens' A Christmas Carol (the part of Christmas Present where the ghost lifts his robes to reveal the children want and ignorance). Then we read Matthew 11:28 (I was so glad to have stumbled upon it during my Daily Light reading last week). I had never seen it in the NKJV, till now.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Unions are a great good when they're focused on eradicating injustice (as opposed to, say, trying to coerce its members to elect this or that politician), but Christ is our greatest good—the only source of true rest.

In other news, Steve and I are on the Family Life Today broadcast again; this time talking about the Start Your Family Book (seems natural to talk babies following labor day). Yesterday we focused on the fears and anxieties that keep many couples (we were no exception) from plunging into parenthood. Today, we talk about the many ways children are a blessing.

Holiday Reading

Next to Christmas and Easter, Independence Day is my favorite holiday. I love the annual reminder that our freedom isn't free and that we have a rare history for which to be grateful. Steve and I started watching The Birth of Freedom last night and after we finish that, we're going to continue in our viewing of John Adams (it's amazing how long it can take us to watch a series these days!). If you're looking for some good reminders of how precious liberty is—and how costly—both are excellent. I'd also recommend reading the Declaration of Independence (thanks to the LA Times for republishing it here). And if you can play some John Philip Sousa music while you're reading, all the better. (You can get free MP3 files of his marches played by the United States Marine Band here.)