Sacred Mundane: The Blog

• Secret waterfall swim-spot along I-15 in Arizona. 112 degrees!
• Silly pictures at the wedding.
• Cool mornings.
• Sir Malcolm and the Missing Prince.
• Heidi’s constant request: “Can you read a ‘tory without a book?” (which means she wants us to tell a story.)
• Papa’s amazing tales of Princess Heidaroonie and Cowboy Dutcharoonie.
• The Columbia River.
• Freshly mowed grass.
• Eating salad straight from the garden.
• Kids in the wading pool.
• Laughter.
• Good friends.
• Struggles.
• Getting stronger.
• Choosing to trust.
• Resting in Him.
• Jesus Calling.
• My own bed.
• Psalm 28.
• That joy comes in the morning.
• Philippians.
• Pressing on to what is ahead.
• Raspberries.
• U-pick.
• Kids playing in the mud.
• Mud on the lightswitch, the sink faucet, the hand soap, the counter … evidence of their fun summer escapades.
• Summer dinners.
• Fresh fruit, veggies, I love this season!
• That He lifts us out of the pit, again and again and again and again … Great is His faithfulness! 

It’s always fascinating for me how each vacation becomes themed by whatever ideas were prevalent on the pages of the books I carried along. Past trips have been marked by The Same Kind of Different As Me, Half the Sky, and The Glass Castle.  I love that each book-themed trip becomes a sort of educational, retreat-like experience. It’s like God has a special life-curriculum in store for me each time, and the particular books are my assigned texts. 

This past trip was another example of this. My four reads on our roadtrip were Love Has a Face: Mascara, a Machete, and one woman’s Miraculous Journey with Jesus in Sudan;  The Missional Mom:Living with Purpose at Home and in the World;  One Million Arrows: Raising Your Children to Change the World;  and Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God. Wow. Talk about a themed trip! Michele Perry’s tales of the miraculous in Africa have me ready to pray for every person I meet. Helen Lee’s missional mom perspective has me singing, “Finally! Someone who speaks of motherhood in terms of mission, purpose, glory, and kingdom rather than just pitting “SAHMs” against “working moms.”  It’s such a beautiful read, I want all my friends (and all of you!) to read it. Julie Ferwerda’s passionate words on parenting had me dabbing my eyes and underlining like crazy as I dripped sweat in the 111-degree sunshine by the pool at our Las Vegas hotel. And then, on our 12-hour drive home, Francis Chan’s voice, smooth and clear, read his own impassioned plea with American Christians to embrace God’s Crazy Love and actually live the way Scripture tells us to. To give, share, lay down our lives. To let go, believe God, live by faith. All four books surrounded me and pressed down around me, molding and shaping my life. I’m so grateful that our 8 days were not only fun and relaxing, but spiritual life-changing as well. 

So, what’s my point? It’s this: We must become lifelong learners. Oh friends, if we do not frequently open our minds and hearts to hear, listen, heed, and be shaped and influenced by others around us, we become so narrow-minded, so stilted, so bound and set in our ways. It is so easy to just float through life. To go on vacation and do nothing and turn off our minds. And although rest is certainly spiritual, we never go on vacation spiritually. Whether we’re reading the newspaper or Francis Chan or a riveting piece of fiction, we must engage in such a way that we’re always learning, listening, growing.  Asking, “God, what are you speaking to me through this?”

One common theme throughout all 4 books: We are so prone to be set in our ways, stagnant and stuck. We put God in our box, sink down into our Christian sub-culture, and never question or challenge the way things are done. We are wise to allow others (often through godly books) to poke and prod us and challenge us, to hold up the mirror of God’s word and allow us to take a long look and ask, “Why?”

In my opinion, reading is the best, cheapest, easiest way to challenge and broaden your horizons. Tsh also suggests these ways to keep your mind sharp and keep learning:

• Read. 
• Read quality.  
• Turn off the TV.
• When you do watch TV, watch quality. (We love documentaries!)
• Surround yourself with other learners. (People who want to grow.)
• Be around people who are different from you.
• Keep up with the news. 
• Make a list. (Things you’d love to learn about or learn how to do.)
• Say “I don’t know” to your kids. (Then look up their questions and learn about it together! I’ve learned more about the Oregon Trail in one week than the whole rest of my life, just because of their questions.)
• Just do something. (Pick one topic, read one new article, search one new website, try one new home-made item. Just try something! The best way to learn is to try.)

Learning–including spiritual formation and growing in relationship with Jesus and others–is probably my favorite part of life. And summer is the perfect time to grow as a life-long learner. Try something new. Read a book. Try making things from scratch. Invite someone over you don’t know very well. Spend time with people who are different. Jeff and I were given free tickets this weekend to a huge “Barn Bash” wild west BBQ event in NE Portland. I am certain we will be oddballs, and I have no idea what to expect. But I know for sure we will be with those who are very different from us and I’m so excited to learn, grow, and meet new people.

So, friend: How can you grow today? What can you read? Who can you meet? Where can you go? I pray this weekend is a blessed opportunity to grow, stretch, engage, and flourish in this life-long learning journey. Have a great one, and thanks for reading.

Ahhh… yes! It is 8:23pm Wednesday night and I just now slid into my bed, my own bed, and leaned back into the familiar pillow, the familiar scent, the soft feel of home.

Home. There’s no place like it.

On the 12+ hour drive from Salt Lake City, Utah to Portland, Oregon, there is one spot that always makes me almost giddy with excitement:

The first glimpse of the Columbia River. It comes as Highway 84 winds around a curve and down over the top of a hill, and there it is: glistening, wide, always larger than I remember. Even though there are still 4-5 hours until we pull into our driveway, it is always the Columbia River that brings a smile to my face and makes me feel I’m finally home.

As I read Pioneer stories, they had the same feeling. Young Laura tells of the Blue Mountain pass, the grueling last leg of the journey, and the crazy-excitement they felt when they finally reached the Columbia river. Ahh… yes! 

Although the pioneers were “home,” their real work began. They didn’t arrive to already built homes or established farms. They arrived to … bare land. They had to hurry to build homes before winter, hurry to clear land and begin farming. Hurry to gather enough supplies to carry them through the cold months ahead.  But even though there was work to do, they had reached their final destination. They were home.

There is no greater feeling.

Coming home last night felt like that for me. Sure, there is a pile of laundry, and the car is full of crumbs and french fries fallen between the seats. The fridge is empty and the dishwasher full. But … we are home. There is just no greater feeling, in my opinion, than coming home to the place I was meant to be. With my littles and my man, all under one roof, snuggled down in our beds. Home.

The long journey makes home just that much sweeter. 

But even though home is my favorite place in the world, it isn’t without its struggles. The kids were extra tired and so was I, and I snapped at Heidi when she wanted to play longer in the bath. I gave Jeff a “look” when he let them read books longer than I wanted. One of my potted plants had died. When the kids needed a snack I stared at the empty refrigerator and told them to go to sleep.

Even in the midst of blissful homecoming moments we still have our moments.

But do you know we have such a greater Home waiting for us? There are times I catch glimpses of what it will be like. When I walk through my home and can’t help but smile and know that I was created to love these kids, this man, to make this home and do this life. That’s home. When I slide into this bed and just bury my face into my familiar pillow and inhale this life. That’s home. But I am still fallen and so these glorious glimpses of home are still tainted by my sin.

But someday, oh friends, it will be so glorious when we go home! We will not be tainted by sin, by fatigue. We’ll never lose our temper or give our husband that look. We’ll never feel hungry or tired. We’ll never be behind in our chores or discouraged by all that needs to be done. It will be here sooner than we realize.

Heaven is closer than we think.

On our drive home yesterday, we (my parents with us too)  listened to the entire book of Crazy Love by Francis Chan on audio book and had a little revival right there in the car. His chapter, “You might not make it to the end of this chapter” reinforces this idea. We have no idea how long we have until we arrive at Home. And it will be more glorious than any Oregon territory. It was be a fullness of joy we cannot even imagine. We are wise to live every single day in light of eternity.

But are we living in an age when Christians, for the most part, do not often think of their true Home. CS Lewis said it like this:

“If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next… It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’: aim at earth and you will get neither (p. 134).” Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

How often do we think about our true Home? How often do we prepare for it? Live for it? Do we really live in such a way that testifies to the fact that this world is not our home? Do we really believe that in just about 1 second all that we have will be gone, except for those dear souls who know and love Jesus as we do?

As we finished our final–long–leg of our 8-day roadtrip journey, I must admit, my mind was fixed on home. 

Where is our mind fixed? Could it be that we’d be the most effective at doing good in this world if our focus was fixed on the next? 

As we finish these Lessons from the Trail, that is my final takeaway. To live with the end in mind. To look to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. To know that our momentary troubles are working for us an eternal weight of glory. To quit fretting and fiddling with momentary concerns when forever looms and this world so desperately needs His love.

It’s a long journey, and a grueling one at that, but the end is so glorious. Amen? It’s been a joy to travel with you, and thanks so much for sticking with me along this trip. I’m so grateful for traveling partners like you.  Thanks.

It was Aunt Jeannette who had to leave her harmonium behind. (Yes, I had to google harmonium to see what it was.) They had come to the Blue Mountain range, their final mountain pass before reaching Oregon territory. Many had already been forced to abandon their wagons, as wheels and axles had broken. Trunks had already abandoned, extra supplies tossed aside. Many brave pioneers had already lost their lives.

But in this final stretch, in order to cross the mountain range, all had to lighten their loads. 

I can only imagine there was sorrow mixed with excitement. On the one hand, they were near their final destination. On the other hand, they had to leave behind almost all their earthly possessions in order to climb the final mountain pass and reach their as yet unseen Home. It was must have been scary: Is this enough food to last? Will we be able to replace these items when we arrive? How did they know what to take and what to leave behind? They couldn’t have known for sure, but they knew one thing: They had to significantly lighten their loads in order to survive.

Only what was absolutely necessary for the journey was to be kept. 

Friends, I have been praying much this trip and asking God to speak to us, not just generic feel-good lessons, but messages from Him. What does He want us to know? I believe this is one that He wants us to know:

We are in the final days of our journey.

No, I’m not some end-times alarmist here to tell you the world is ending tomorrow. But we are living in the last days, that is for sure, and even as Jesus walked this earth He exhorted us again and again to live as in the last days. He taught us that His return was imminent. He taught us to keep our candles lit, to continue watching and waiting and remember, We have not yet arrived.

To the man who built bigger barns, to hold more and more of this stuff, God said, “You fool!” While the man gathered up more and more stuff, he was completely unaware that his end was just around the corner.

So what am I saying? Am I saying we can’t have roomy houses, take vacations, or have two cars? No, not at all. But I do believe there is a message for us: Lighten our Loads.

I have seen beautiful examples of this. My brother’s family and another family moving in together, permanently, to live in community and share resources, freeing up more to give. That’s lightening their load. A dear young couple I know who is selling their too-much home and getting freed from the weight of debt in order to live simply and generously. That’s lightening their load. Dear friends of ours who left a grueling career lifestyle in order to change vocations and spend more time with family and serving others. That’s lightening their load.

Lightening our load is simply tossing aside what isn’t helping us along the life of faith. Any extra weight. Hebrews 12:1 says it like this:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

This morning at 6am we embarked on the final leg of our Oregon Trail journey: Utah to Portland. Our large bag of snacks, once full, is not nearly empty. Only a few water bottles remain. We are near the glorious end of our adventure.

We just don’t need much anymore. 

What, dear friends, might be slowing you down? What might be an added weight? A sin that trips us up or even a good thing that’s just unnecessary. Only the Holy Spirit can speak individually to our hearts and pinpoint what He wants us to lay aside for our final leg of the journey. Though it be scary, it is also exciting … for it enables us to travel this final stretch unencumbered.

{I can almost hear the ocean. Can you? What might God want you to lay side today? Praying for grace for you as we travel our final  800 miles. Thanks for journeying with us. We’ll finish tomorrow. Thanks for reading.}