The kids were downstairs watching cartoons waiting for our Saturday tradition: donuts from Dunkin’ and juice for breakfast. ‘Oh Shoot! It’s Saturday’, I thought while I dressed, the battle sounds of Spiderman and his nemesis rushing into my room and reminding me of the day. ‘Shoot, shoot, shoot’ I thought with every step, ‘how the heck am I going to do Breakfast with Jesus, when I’m breakfasting with the kids? Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot.’ When I rounded the steps into... Read more
We’re snowed in today, which means the kiddos are home for a snow day and we got off to a late start. They had oatmeal and I made myself French toast with Martha Stewart’s recipe I found on Huffington Post: Do you see the Barbie car in the background? I had to fight my daughter off of my breakfast this morning. Which goes to show maybe I should do these before the kids wake up. Like at 5am when they’re... Read more
I just got in from a last-minute, emergency supply run to the grocery store before the big blizzard hits the Northeast! As I sent the kiddos off to school today, I decided to make a huge pot of beef stew for dinner to keep us warm and comfortable while we hunker down and wait for the snow to pile up. Tomorrow when they’re out of school for a snow day, we’re probably going to make a snow –man. Scratch that,... Read more
This morning, my alarm went off at 5:45 for the first of my 31 Breakfasts with Jesus, I swore into my pillow and went back to sleep. Great start to 2014, wouldn’t you, say? Two hours later, knowing if I didn’t move soon the kiddos would hijack my quiet time, I finally rolled to sitting, stretched, and mentally ran through the contents of my bare pantry (today’s grocery day). Having eggs and bread and maybe a piece of bacon somewhere, decided... Read more
The five-minute reflections will be my first few thoughts and a take away from my study, written in the Five-Minute Friday fashion of setting my timer and letting my words flow. I had dreams of writing lovely 1000 word reflections for you, but isn’t this the curse of New Year’s “resolutions”? We see the perfected version of ourselves and we try to live “as if”. We alter our diets drastically “as if” we’re used to living without sugar in our... Read more
Today I’m joining Leigh Kramer’s “What I’m Into” link. My husband came in an hour ago and said, “Babers, I’m on with the kids; go write at Starbucks for while”. I really, really love that man. It’s been cra-zy in my house this break, it’s probably always this loud and unsettling when my three kids are home for holiday break. By day seven, they’re bashing into each other in our tiny apartment with nothing but time and opportunity to run... Read more
Earlier this month, my daughter caught a cold, the first cold of the season, in fact, which always hits her the hardest. Her nose becomes a facet, her lips redden and chap, her night song of coughs and moans start half an hour after she falls asleep and we know we’ve hit the climax of her cold when her right ear inflames. Late one night she wandered downstairs where I was working, cupped her ear and begged me to hold... Read more
This post is in response to my Story Session’s weekly prompt. Today’s prompt: Write a post about your one word for 2013 OR/AND write a post about your NEW word for 2014. Almost two years ago, I was in a funk. Life was bland and monotonous. The same actions over and over and over again filled my days: wash dishes then dirty dishes, make dinner then plan tomorrow’s lunches, correct wayward child extend grace to an angry child, pray hard,... Read more
Things have been so busy around here with planting our church, New City Covenant Church. It’s been wonderful but exhausting…like, I came home from Operation Turkey Sandwich, turned on whatever holiday flick ABCFamily was airing and passed out on the couch letting the kids fend for themselves— from my understanding there were jelly sandwiches and cream soda involved in their T-Day lunch. But whatever, they were fine—hopped up on sugar—but fine, while TC and I rested from a very exciting... Read more
To my Sisters in the Suburbs: I know you. You hear urban ministers like me say things like, “Jesus didn’t commute from heaven to earth, he moved in and lived among the the poor” and in the back of your mind you wonder, ‘what does that look for me? I mean…I have kids, a mortgage, and a career. I want to look like Jesus, but I’m not street savvy at all…I mean…what does that look like for me, a believer... Read more
Shalom in the City
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