:: Happy pre-St. Patrick's Day!

So, I'm not really a fan of St. Paddy's Day...meaning the holiday. The man, St. Patrick?  Good Christian Saint whose death somehow became synonymous with green beer.  I'm sure there is a whole history lesson in there but mostly what I remember about St. Pat's Day is being pinched a lot for not wearing green.   How mean is that, seriously?!   I'm also not Irish and do not like corned beef or cabbage, so there you go.

"Radical" read-along

Have you heard of the book "Radical" by David Platt?  It's part of a church movement called "The Radical Experiment" which essentially challenges Christians to take a hard look at the way we live our lives.  It's extremely convicting and invigorating at the same time, and it's definitely not for "Sunday-only Christians" (or maybe it is...who am I to say?!).

Without going much further into it (you can do that on your own), I am excited to be a part of an online read-along of Radical, put on by another blogger, Marla Taviano.  The study starts Sept. 7 and will go over a chapter a week.  I am so excited about this!  I have read the first couple of chapters before and it's the kind of book that really needs to be discussed and brainstormed about.  Due to kids and other fun aspects of my life (insert sarcasm font here), I never made the time to finish reading.  So now I have motivation!  I am posting this on my blog to invite others to join along in the reading and subsequent discussions.  If you have a heart for missions and (like me) struggle with Matthew 19:21-22, this might be just the study you need!  Oh, and you don't necessarily need to have a blog to participate. :)

Meet Travis

THE STARFISH STORY
Once there was a wise man who had a habit of walking
on the beach early each morning.

One day, he saw a young boy far in the distance and,

as he got closer, the wise man called out, 

“Good Morning! May I ask what it is you are doing?” 

The boy looked up and replied, 

“Throwing starfish into the ocean to save them.”

Seeing hundreds of starfish scattered along the
shoreline, the wise man commented, 

“But you can’t possibly save them all!
There are far too many!”

With that, the boy reached down and
picked up another starfish. 

He threw it into the ocean and replied, 

“It made a difference for that one.”

For about 5 years now, Tom and I have been supporting a little boy in Uganda.  His name is Travis and we "adopted" him through the Mirembe House - Starfish Programme.  This program (and our monthly donation) helps him attend school and supplies him with text books and other necessities.  Travis, however, is not an orphan.  He lives with his Grandmother who is gracious enough to send us yearly updates on how Travis is doing, and to thank us for our support and gifts.  She always starts her letters with "Dear Godmother & Godfather Thomas Recke Family".  This is a special treat, knowing that through the grace of God, we have an extension of our family living in Africa!  That reminds me... funny story:  I showed C the picture and read him the letter.  The conversation went something like this...

Me:  "C, this is Travis.  He lives in Africa and we send him money to help with his education.  Do you want me to read his letter to you?"

C:  "Yes!" (jumping up and down and clapping...he is so enthusiastic, bless him)

Me:  blah, blah, blah (it didn't say that, but I'm omitting most of the letter here so as not to bore you too badly)..."tell me, how is my brother?  Is he good?  Is he getting taller like me?  Does he like football & running like me?"

C:  "I HAVE A BROTHER?!" (more jumping up and down, more clapping)

Me:  "Well, sort of.  Mommy and Daddy are Travis' Godparents (not literally, mind you) so Travis is like a brother...a God-brother."

C:  "I have a BROTHER!!  I want to see him!"

Me:  "We can't right now because he lives a long ways away, but hopefully someday we can travel to meet him."

C:  "I can't wait!  I'm going to go tell Daddy I have a BROTHER!!"

Me:  "Make sure you bring the letter with you so Daddy doesn't freak out..!"

C's reaction to all of this really brought home the kind of excitement and enthusiasm we should have as followers of Christ.  To help even one child is such a blessing...reminding us that we can make a difference in this world, one starfish at a time.

Thought for the day...

“Sometimes I would like to ask God why He allows poverty, suffering, and injustice when He could do something about it.”

“Well, why don’t you ask Him?”

“Because I’m afraid He would ask me the same question.”

(Anonymous) -a quote from A Hole in the Gospel, by Richard Stearn, President of World Vision.

My Cup Runneth Over...

So, you know how God chooses the most amazing ways to communicate when we need it most and, like me, we sometimes often forget to run to His Word for reassurance?  Well, lately I've been struggling with my decision to be a stay-at-home mom.  It's HARD!  It's a 24/7 job that seriously lacks in accolades.  Today I was online doing my typical stress-reducing blog hunt when I came across this blog.  One of her posts just spoke to me in a song she references.  Read these lyrics, and take heart all you moms out there!

These are the lyrics to "Sacred" by Caedmon's Call on their new album titled Overdressed.

This house is a good mess

it’s the proof of life

no way would I trade jobs

but it don’t pay overtime

I’ll get to the laundry

I don’t know when

I’m saying a prayer tonight

cause tomorrow it starts again

could it be that everything is sacred?

and all this time

everything I’ve dreamed of

has been right before my eyes

the children are sleeping

but they’re running through my mind

the sun makes them happy

and the music makes them unwind

my cup runneth over

and I worry about the stain

teach me to run to You

like they run to me for every little thing

when I forget to drink from you

I can feel the banks harden

Lord, make me like a stream

to feed the garden

wake up, little sleeper

the Lord, God Almighty

made your Mama keeper

so rise and shine, rise and shine

rise and shine cause

everything is sacred

and all this time

everything I’ve dreamed of

has been right before my eyes