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birthdays, dress up and stepping out in faith

Sooo…because I knew we’d have birthday cake on Saturday for P-man…I decided to make a cookie cake for his birthday dinner. His b-day just happened to fall on Tuesday night–our regular “Dinner with the Dentons”. This November, we will be going strong with our Dinner with Dentons every Tuesday night…our commitment to community with old neighbors:)…for almost 4 years now. Wow. Crazy how time flies.

A little Raspberry Razzle Dazzle Cookie Cake (my favorite is the raspberry sauce…you just boil 2 cups of raspberries with 1/2 cup sugar…mash together as it boils and then cool before pouring on so it doesn’t melt the cream cheese icing on your cake)

Rico Suave picked up some candles on the way home so we wouldn’t have to use tea candles like we did for Isaac’s cake a few weeks ago;)

We met another family for “P.E.” today at the pool:). The McBrayers have kiddos the same ages as our kids…so it was a fun morning playing with them and then lunch together. So thankful to have other families to hang with and do homeschool life with. Their youngest and our youngest were crib-mates at the same orphanage in Ethiopia…so I feel like they are kind of family:).

Later–mommy made a rap for the kids. It’s posted on YouTube–but totally password protected for only our kinfolk to see. Trust me–if you saw it, you’d think I lost my mind:). Maybe I have:)

THEN…the kids were inspired by mommy’s rap and wardrobe choice for the rap…so they put on a little diddy for Rico Suave and me after dinner…

And Isaac–he was busy LAUGHING and then trying his best to figure out a way to get both he and Mater on the table to join the kids in crazy:)

Yes, we dance on the coffee table over here:)

And that’s our fun and crazy folks. It’s real life here–and we sure have fun…but there is definitely more to it over here…

Stepping out in faith…

I feel as if we are finding our “new normal”…as if we are finally getting in our grove. And I don’t mean with homeschool and our most recent changes.

It’s been YEARS of trying to “get into our grove”…and for so many years–life just seemed crazy.

BUT NOW–our life truly is CRAZIER than it has EVER been before–but it feels so much easier. So much calmer. So much more joyful. So right.

HIS WILL.

The Lord continues to make ways in our life when there seems there can be no way…like there is no more room for more–and for us…really–there isn’t. And that is where we begin to walk by faith and not by sight.

I feel as if for too long–our life made sense.

That maybe–it looked (and still looks) no different than “the normal American life”.

It’s not that I want to be different. Yet I do because His Word says that we are called to live different. But–it’s not that I WANT to be different…because my flesh some times want to fit in…and just be normal (whatever normal is).

Tonight, as I was reading–I felt this question on my heart…or rather questions:

AT WHAT POINT DO YOU START STEPPING OUT IN FAITH ANDREA? WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO LIVE COMPLETELY ON THE LORD’S STRENGTH AND NOT YOUR OWN? AT WHAT POINT DO YOU TRUST HIM FOR WHAT THE WORLD SAYS WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOUR LIFE…BUT BY STEPPING OUT IN FAITH YOU ALLOW HIM TO RECEIVE ALL THE GLORY AS HE BLESSES YOUR STEPPING OUT IN FAITH?

What am I going to live for??? To make my kids happy??? To make them “fit in”??? Or…am I willing to step out in faith daily and follow the Lord however He is calling–and trust Him to be the one to take care of my sweet ones…my family…all that I cling to and hold dear??? Because–really…my deepest desire isn’t for my children to be happy…but holy. It isn’t for them to “fit in”…but to bring Him glory and it may mean going against the grain completely. And how will they ever know or learn if we don’t live in reckless abandonment…closing our eyes–reaching for His hand…and saying, “Where you go, I will go.” And to have these little chicks follow in line behind that…instead of the worry, the want and the ways of the world…SURELY this is how the Lord intends us to raise them.

I watched this video again today…and it reminded me…of my little chicks. And what I would do–if my little Frankie baby…or my precious ITY…or my sweet Lou or beloved Pman were across the world–alone on the streets…waiting for help…for someone to come…

“You see…there’s a cast system in heaven… and it looks so much different than the one we have here. While our culture often defines your value by your car, your home, your school, your…your…your–the cast system of heaven looks much different. The orphan…the widow…the poor…the handicapped child in an orphanage that no one wants to bring home because the world sees her as a burden. Jesus looks down and sees the most beautiful princess of all. What if she were my daughter? What if the boy on the street in the Horn of Africa dying of thirst RIGHT NOW were my Frankie baby?? I’d book a ticket. I’d stop at nothing to get to him. THEY ARE HIS. And He died for them.

We continue to pray that we would be quick to follow His call whatever it is on our lives. I pray for our precious daughter in China…that God would make it so clear to us what He wants for our family as we are on the special needs list. I’m so proud of Richard who is steadily working on our home study and hopefully we’ll be ready to turn in our paperwork in a few weeks. He and Christy’s husband just bought their tickets for Zambia to go love on Wiphan kids in FOUR WEEKS…so I’m secretly hoping we are finished with our home study by then…it’s only taken 6 months so far–but we are going at the pace we feel the Lord leading us at–and we are 100% sure it is the right timing for our precious one and our family to be perfectly paired up at the same time!

Blessings to you all!!!!

XOXO!

Andrea

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Sonya - August 25, 2011 - 2:26 pm

Andrea, you cannot know how God uses you in my life. Tonight we start foster care classes, and I’m scared out of my gourd! What the heck are we thinking?! WHY are we doing this again? We can’t subject our children (adopted, 9 months and 4 years old) to this!! Fear. And “coincidentally”, God brought me this post and video through you. I’ve followed you for a year, being challenged and changed by your words. Thank you for that, for sharing what the Lord has done with you so that others can be blessed. We’re not called to go overseas (we tried! God said no!) at least not now, but we ARE called to those deprived and abused and lost children of the streets of our city. Who have been hurt by those who were charged to care for them. To get messy and dirty in our perfect American life. Scares the pants off me, but I think I need that. I’m too close to the world and my personal comfort. Thank you, thank you–that video was exactly what God knew I needed!

Sandi - August 26, 2011 - 10:46 am

I love your encouraging words! They just fill my heart up to read them! I learned to cut my boys’ hair to save an extra $600-700 a yr to give. But this week my 7 yr old started fussing because he wanted to go to the “normal” salon “like his friends”, even though his hair looks perfect. SO as I cut his hair I began to talk about how he is sacrificing for God to help feed/clothe his older brother in Africa. We spent the entire time talking about how different his brother’s day was compared to his “privileged day”. He realized that being “different is special”, that even he can help others by making small daily sacrifices! I think it is so amazing that you are teaching your kiddos to have a heart for God. This was better than morning coffee! Thank you!!!