Church at 30,000 ft.

Today I was flying and, due to there being no movie on the flight, decided to listen to a podcast on Romans 1:18-32. The sermon was exceptionally good but was hard to hear because it was about the fact that, left on our own, we not only worship ourselves but do terrible things to each other. As the preacher is listing many of the horrific examples of our utter and total depravity I am suddenly very aware that I'm sitting between two men and I'm traveling alone. It occurs to me to be fearful. And then, as though on cue, the man next to me starts singing Amazing Grace.

He can't possibly know what I'm listening to for two reasons: one-I'm using my earbuds and two-he's asleep! I noted this fact by using my masterful skills of deduction and observation. Also, he was snoring and drooling moments before and after the song. And his eyes were closed and... He was singing in his sleep, ok! The point is that he had no idea what I was going on in the seat 3cm from him.

But God, who is rich in mercy, knew exactly what was on my heart. You see, the man next to me shared with me earlier in the flight that he just lost his wife...yesterday. I was sitting there trying to figure out how to minister to him and he ministers to me, in his sleep no less! He had just suffered great loss yet he sings about God's grace. Tears filled my eyes as I imagined this was exactly the same hope the author of the old hymn was expressing when he penned the profound lyrics to "It is well with my soul". What a powerful reminder and incredible blessing. While I was dead, Christ made me alive by His grace. He loves me despite myself. He loves me and cares about the smallest details of my life. Amazing. Thank God there was no movie on that flight.


A few days after this flight God showed me an even deeper lesson...

God is bigger than my fears. Even if something horrific happens to me, He's still bigger than all of it. He can be trusted to be in control of everything. He is almighty God, maker of heaven and earth. He can breath life into dust and He can cue a sleeping man to sing of His amazing grace at the precise moment I needed comfort. He addresses my fears, He doesn't brush them off. He pays attention, always. "He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of His understanding." He is absolutely everything that I need.

my first costume/birthday party

It was the moment I knew my party was a success.

The night before I felt like calling it off. I was too nervous that it would flop and be boring. But it was too late to back out gracefully because I'd sent out invitations and had been talking about it for weeks. I was going to have a birthday party. There was no getting around it. "Can't go around it! Gotta go through it!" The words of 'Goin on a bear hunt' swirled in my head.

I wasn't sure how it would go with all my worlds colliding but I knew I loved everyone who I invited and I hoped they would at least tolerate each other. They did much better than tolerate, they seemed to get along pretty well!

I knew I was having a wonderful time but I wasn't sure how they rest of them felt until that moment. The one that blew my worries and expectations away. "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably (exceedingly abundantly above) more than all we ask or imagine" I almost missed it. Had the wind changed a moment earlier or the crowd gone outside a moment later, it would've been too loud for me to overhear the conversation that took my silly party to whole other realm of beautiful.

The moment I keep referring to was a simple yet powerful discussion between my dad and another dad. These two men are completely different in almost every way. Though separated by 25 years in age and walking vastly different lives they have one powerful thing in common. They each have a son with a developmental disability. This commonality bonds them in a unique way and they can talk about their experiences.

I didn't hear the whole conversation but I didn't need to. What is sealed in my heart as treasure are my dad's words "when he was diagnosed I had a family member come up to me and ask what sin I had committed". It wasn't the words themselves that blew me away but the fact that my dad was sharing that painful memory with a man he'd known for all of 25 minutes. He rarely talks about those days, and never with new people.

It has long been a dream of mine to bring parents, especially dads, together who have wisdom and empathy (not pity) to share with one another. The thought hadn't crossed my mind that it could happen at my costume birthday party amidst food, games, and music. But there it was happening before my very eyes! I'm just so very glad I didn't miss it.

Here are a bunch of pics from the best birthday I've had since last year ;) enjoy!!

I made my invitations because I had a specific look in  mind and didn't want to pay for it.

Mary Poppin's tape measure

my mom and my (honorary) sister Jen
(my mom's still learning how to take selfies)

Mary Poppins, Bridesmaid, Blind Referee
these two will do almost anything for me :)

Vicky, my friend and coworker 

Cousins 

these two boys make me so happy
Logan came as Captain America
Jeremiah came as Spiderman
I get to hang out with them each week at church. They teach me a lot.

Emma came as Belle
(She's Logan's little sister.)

The wonderful Dewey Family

This picture just makes me smile every time.

Superheros!

The serious picture...

and the silly picture.
(I labeled them in case you couldn't tell them apart. hehe)

Yolanda
aka Jeremiah's mom
aka my weekly dose of encouragement

the kids were pretty tired of posing at this point but they still humored me

I can always count on Caleb to be silly with me 

What's a Mary Poppins party without chalk outlines drawings?

my favorite picture of the day
both our dreams came true;
He got to have a long white beard and I got to be Mary Poppins

It really was practically perfect in every way. :)