Home Archive by category "Life" (Page 21)

Category: Life

Leave the Shoes Behind

As I was sweeping up the empty Kidology HQ I noticed a favorite (and heavy!) puppet prop that I almost left behind! I had stashed it under the sink in the utility area so we missed it while packing. It is a pair of Gus, my puppet’s, shoes stuck in concrete! I’m sure the next tenants would have thought the previous occupants of the building were mafia that used to shake young children down for money judging by the size of the shoes! Actually, it is from a construction theme in Kids Church when Gus ignored some warning signs and stepped into wet concrete and got stuck! It took several men to carry him out and pry him loose to free him! Every time I see this prop it brings a chuckle as I remember his painful ordeal! And yet, at the same time, as I reflect on this funny prop and my silly puppet, I can’t help thinking that I too have my own reminders of times that I ignored warning signs and got stuck in my own messy situations. I too needed godly friends to pry me loose. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you…

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Broken Trucks and Our Heavenly Father

On our two day drive from Chicagoland to Colorado, I anticipated at some point our three year old would have a melt down from being strapped in a car seat for hours on end! And while frequent Rest Stops helped pace the trip, I knew sooner or later, the tears would come. So like any wise parent, I was prepared! I had purchased a huge semi-truck toy and stashed in in the back of the mini-van so when the revolt came, I could reward him for being so good and give him a toy to enjoy for the last leg of the trip. Well, it finally happened. At our last lunch stop, we were looking at toy trucks at a truck stop and when we said it was time to get back in the car the melt down  started, but I was able to kneel down, hug my son, and say, “Luke, you’ve been so good. Please don’t cry. I’m so proud of you and how you’ve done these past two days on our trip. Guess what? I have a surprise for you in the car – a truck! If you can stop crying and make it for one more…

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Moments in Time

There is just something amazing about these images of water captured with a high speed camera… Every time I come across them, I star at them… and study every detail… every ripple and splash… every color and reflection… knowing that if not for the camera’s super fast shutter… I could never enjoy this captured moment… stolen out of time for me… to hold in my hand… or in my mind… a moment… forever… how sweet it is! an accident? hardly! a planned disaster, actually! a beautiful mess. an explosion of motion and energy… caught in the motion of the moment… the camera catches what we miss every day. MAKES ME WONDER… what do we miss? What could we capture with the camera of our eye, if we would just focus throughout the day? A sweet smile? A gorgeous cloud? A curious animal? An enlightened moment? An encouraged person? What are the moments of our day that God creates that we miss? The splashes of his Grace? The colorful moments that He gives us? The green lights when we are in a hurry? The short line at the store? The empty parking spot near the door in a busy parking lot?…

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Timber-lee 2009

Hard to believe it’s been TEN YEARS that I’ve been speaking at Camp Timber-lee – since 1999. While I’ve taken a few summers off, I’ve made up for it by speaking several weeks during a few of the summers, so I’ve spoken here at least ten times, if not more. Every time is an awesome experience! I leave every year praying I’ll be invited back! I just love the kids here and their eagerness to learn and the energy with which they soak up the teaching. I try to make the Chapels as fun and life-changing as possible. What a gift to get to creatively open the Word every morning and evening for an entire week! If you are a camper or camper parent, ToyBoxTales.com is the site your kids are probably looking for, though you are welcome to follow my blog as well! Here are some photo highlights from Timber-lee 2009: Happy Campers! Mom and Luke! Luke, me and Tricia! This year was extra special because it was the first year for my neice and nephew to come to camp! I got to hang out with Parker when he did the High Ropes: Parker ready to climb! Parker leaving…

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A Shocking Yosemite Experience

Well, I was going to keep this kinda quiet… but word is getting out about my electrifying experience with lightening in Yosemite and the pressure for me to tell the “full story” is increasing, so I’m giving in hoping this doesn’t discourage anyone from coming to Yosemite Summit in the future! The question I keep getting is, “Were you really struck by lightening at Yosemite?” Well, since I’m typing this from my current location on earth (rather than heaven) the technical answer is, NO! But… I was in the middle of a strike that hit trees all around me and there is that mysterious jagged hole in my poncho to account for! So when I posted on Twitter and Facebook that my most exciting experience at Yosemite was being struck by lightening… it wasn’t much of a stretch! So here’s the story! We started out Day One with a spectacular all day hike that began at Sentinel Dome, where the view is absolutely breath-taking. Here we all are on the top of Sentinel Dome: After our chapel time and quiet times alone, we took the Ponomo Trail, a little traveled segment of a longer trail, in order to loop around…

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