Coffee CubBuster

What motivates us to do good? Selfless acts have roots in all kinds of soils. Some is dense with hypocrisy, while others are weak with insecurity. Either way, when we are honest, we'll often times see the crumble of selfish motivation. We'll give and sacrifice for a time, and then begin to resent those who aren't giving back. When we serve with the expectation of being served in return, we are often bitter and empty. I am rarely described as cynical, and I have witnessed many volunteers who see the truth that it is better to give/serve than receive. However, for some reason it tends to be easier to give of yourself in isolation to those you may never see again, and therefore expect nothing from, than to give to those closest to you who may remain in your presence most of your Earthly life. This selflessness tends to waver in it's motivation. Why on Earth do people continue to give up their needs, wants, desires, "rights," dreams, for others when they never f...

The last week has been a bit rough... But like anything else, there are little glimpses of Heaven to keep you going in the midst of the hard.... When everyone is exhausted... Something has to happen to bring the laughter back... He LOVED my water bottle. After a wonderful weekend, this week has been another hurdle.... Poor Levi has been spitting up a lot more, and we are trying different trouble shooting mechanisms to figure out how to keep his meals down. In the meantime, he got a new g-tube button size to hopefully keep that sucker in place. (The button buddy was my own purchase.) :) Also, his feet are uber sensitive because he can't bang them around anymore; he is kind of hating his new leg braces. We are hopeful that he'll adjust quickly and be ready for the snow board slopes this winter. The first and only time he's ever been in the bumbo without anything on his legs to hold him back! Go Levi! I have a feeling Levi is going to have A LO...

We are called to "Give Thanks" in all circumstances, which includes hand foot mouth virus, which I think should be called hand, foot, mouth, and body because it appears in many other places as well. After a "health advisory" email Monday morning from Silas' PMO class, I was notified that in his tiny Friday morning classroom, a child had unknowingly come to school with HFM. I was not familiar with the condition, but that soon changed. The fever started literally hours after I read the email. Fortunately, it seems to be running it's course quickly, and so far no one else is getting any symptoms. (Please pray for our little Levi!) While itchy and fussy best describes Silas at the beginning, middle, and end of the day, he also quickly forgets he's "sick," so we are giving thanks to quiet moments at home together. Sweet, snugly moments should always be on the gratitude list. We have also been a bit disappointed with the "home nurse car...

Contemplation. My natural and unavoidable state on a semi-regular basis; my alter ego that scares away all beings who prefer to skim the surface of life like water skis on an empty morning lake. Contemplation. My default, which allows me an opportunity to move forward during any given season. Contemplation. My avalanche of words that I camouflage as a blog. Through recent contemplative moments, God graciously spoke to me through repetitive words found in multiple books I'm currently reading. I typically can't stand to open more than one book at a time, but grad school changed that rule drastically. As I have confronted the realities of losing my better half, way before I ever expected, I have wrestled with how we are to love our spouses like "Christ loved the church" without admonishing them exactly like Christ and the church. It's neither serendipitous nor coincidence that two of the books I'm reading have helped me address this very topic. It...

If it's going to rain for a week straight, and cabin fever is inevitable, there's no better place to be than a real cabin. Matthew and some of our closest friends helped me celebrate my 31st birthday just north of Atlanta in a rental cabin. While we encountered flooded rivers, power outages, and non-stop showers, we were just happy to be away from our home because it's been almost a year since we slept away from our home (very unusual for a family that loves to travel and has extended family all over the U.S.).  It was probably a blessing in disguise as little Levi wouldn't have made it through a hike, and he probably would have sweat to death with a bonfire.  Thus, we crushed those lemons, and made jumbo, indoor s'mores instead.  There's something about watching the simplicity of a child enjoying a s'more that makes you forget all your troubles. If only we could all live in the moment as children do. They aren't thinking about the rain, and they...

Exactly three years ago when I was first pregnant with Silas, and we thought we lost him, I stared directly into the face of a woman with fragile faith. While I believe that same woman has been strengthened through her trials of late, like a child, she needs to be reminded of God's goodness, and she needs to recover some of those timeless lessons. There's a story in the Bible about Jesus "calming the storm." While aboard a ship with his disciples, the sovereign King falls peacefully asleep. His trusted companions soon panic during a raging storm. Calling to Jesus, they cry for help. "Doesn't [He] care that we may drown?" They question. Jesus responds with simplicity, "Why do you have such little faith?" The disciples obviously knew that their Savior could bring thunder and lightening to a halt, hence their plea, but their fear, control, and vision of how things should happen caused them to doubt Christ's motivation. While I knew God could ...