'special' friends

dear emily,

my friend brenda just chastised me for neglecting to write you.
you would love her, because she has all the same aspirations and
has succeeded in raising five amazing children.  she is also very
'crafty' like you!

we have homeschooled our 10 children together, taken vacations
together, saved each other's lives multiple times, and endured our
husbands' best friend status for over 25 years.  when the Lord gave
brenda to paul, He was really handing a special present to me.

so, i guess this is really about friends, again.  i don't think it is
possible to raise Godly kids in a vacuum.  they begin to tune us out
as they grow up, but continue to listen to wise men and women
who have poured love and fun into their lives.

my girls pay special attention to brenda's wisdom and would
shudder to disappoint her.  she has taught them how to cook, put
pills down dogs' throats, be mountain women, and make 'brenda
balls' (delicious peanut butter filled chocolate candies.)

her extremely high standards for purity have made a profound
impression on each of them.

the boys think paul is the coolest dad ever and love to ski and fish
with him. one of my favorite paul stories is of him on the stream,
untangling his hook from a branch, saying casually, "fishing
rod-$300, patagonia vest-$150, waterproof pants and shoes-$200,
....the ability to cast, priceless!"

during those outings, he has taken numerous opportunities to spur
them on to pursue adventures in the Lord.

...some friends are more loyal than 'brothers'.   proverbs 18:24

love,
lea

out of the mouth of babes

dear emily,

i have been mentoring a six year old girl named taylor who has stolen my heart.  today, i recited luke 2 to her, worrying that all the census taking might be a little above her head.  she said, "my mom would have to go all the way to california to register."

she asked me if i could bring mcdonald's for our lunch, and when she saw that i had a happy meal for each of us, said, "oh, you remembered to bring one for my brother!"  gulp...i hope he didn't mind drinking iced tea.

when she noticed that there were two happy meal toys, she promptly gave one away to her friend maya, who then gave her toy to taylor.  i started to say, "see, if you share..." but she finished, "someone shares with you!"

i thought i was doing a good deed to befriend an impoverished child, but she is much more generous and thoughtful than me.

it's almost as if the Lord is saying,"ok, we really need to get this poor lady a mentor!...how about that sweet, little taylor?"

love,
lea

awesome pastor's wife

dear emily,

our pastor's wife, sandi paschal, is teaching a 12 week class to help young moms train up their children.  she is a very inspiring, awesome role model and has raised three precious, spirit-led children.  it makes me happy that someone with her authority has such a heart for young women.

so....if you are near tulsa's first methodist church on wednesday nights at 6:30, go!

emily, if you ever want to make the trip over with some friends, we can put you up here and babysit your kids while you go to the class.

merry Christmas,
lea

He's got the whole world in His hands

dear emily,

a few months ago, shelby called to have your adorable, three year old samara sing me a song in her sweet little voice.  then i sang 'He's got the whole world...' i could hear her start to giggle, and then shelby laugh hysterically. when she could talk, shelby said, "samara thought you sang 'He's got the whole world in His pants!!!"

this reminded me of max when he was about four, and hans and i were all dressed up for a black tie event.  as we were leaving, max looked up to see my fancy dress, and asked, "mommy, are you going to get  married?"

what a sweet illustration of misunderstanding.  we must be at least that confused when trying to understand the One "whose ways are not our ways."  i wonder if He, along with His loving companions, chuckle at our blunders.

i am singing 'i wonder as i wander' on sunday and have been so moved to consider the babe who came to die for us all.  to think that He divested Himself of His glory and came to live among us...

ephesians 4:10 tells us that He then ascended higher than the heavens to not only have the whole world in His hands, but to also fill the whole universe!

i'm with samara on that one,
lea

grace

dear emily,

have you ever noticed that some women are just naturally gracious?  one of my idols is an 80 year old great grandma, who sings like an angel, looks perfectly beautiful ALL THE TIME, and always has the most gracious and kind words for everyone.  it is so tempting to hate her...except she is just too lovable!

today, a man said that she should teach classes to young women, because they don't seem to understand how to be ladies.

here's what i think she would say:

1.  love the Lord with all your heart, mind, and strength...and your
     neighbor as yourself.

2.  take a little time each day to put yourself together (hair, make-up,
     clothes that flatter.)

3.  if you think kind thoughts about people, your kind words will follow.

4.  stand up nice and straight.

5.  be well prepared for everything you do.

6.  have a sense of humor and don't take yourself too seriously.

7.  encourage those who need it and be a friend to the lonely.

i'm going to ask her for some more tips...

lonely moms

dear emily,

a sweet, young friend was telling me how lonely it can be as a mom and how much she longs for more encouragement and adult companionship.  as much as she adores her little boys, they can't really converse about cultural events, politics, or fashion.   her precious husband can only answer so many, "does this make me look fat?" questions.

my friends and i, along with our numerous kiddos, had standing play dates at the park, lunches at mcdonalds, and bible studies at the church.  the children enjoyed these outings as much as we did and were motivated to finish chores and school to have some fun.

it's much more rewarding to push the swing for the 100th time, while commiserating with a friend about her marriage, lack of sleep, and Christmas errands.  exchanging a glance with someone who understands, helps ease the frustration of untangling another skirmish on the playground.

as women, we have such an intense need for fellowship that we have to feed it...or become lonely.  in the olden days, they sewed or canned together.  we have to figure out what we can do.

a few things come to mind:  take turns helping each other with housework, let the kids watch a movie while we wrap packages together,  have baking days, etc.  any chore is more fun with a friend.

it is comforting to know that the Lord understands all about our need for companionship and even described Himself as a friend who sticks closer than a brother.  He also gently leads those with little ones.  how precious is that?

deep and wide

dear emily,

a wise woman steered me to the scriptures when praying for my children.  i just insert their names and pray, believing He is able to do what He says.

ephesians 3:14-19

"for this reason i kneel before the Father, from whom His whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.  i pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen ____ with power through His Spirit in their inner being, so that Christ may dwell in their hearts through faith.

and i pray that they, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how WIDE and LONG and HIGH and DEEP is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-

that they may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

love,
lea

ps.  i include your little ones, too.