There are so many movies that are great, epic movies…movies that are on every “Greatest 100 Movies Ever Made” list…movies that everyone knows quotes from even if they never saw the movie…movies that you can’t believe your friends or spouse or family members have never seen.

A few of these movies would be “The Godfather”, “The Untouchables”, “Taxi Driver”, “Midnight Cowboy”, “Pulp Fiction”, and “Good Will Hunting”. The list goes on and on. I, admittedly, have not seen all of these movies, but I do know some of the best lines. Who doesn’t know “Hey, I’m walkin’ here,” from “Midnight Cowboy”?

What I find with so many “great” movies is that they have an incredible amount of foul language in them. “Good Will Hunting” was an great screenplay but I couldn’t focus on it because of all the bad language. We just watched “Silver Lining Playbook” and again, a really good screenplay, but so much unnecessary bad language. Both movies would have been perfectly good without it.

So why is it there to begin with? Why do we use them. I suggest that “bad” words are used to describe or give emphasis. But who said those words were “bad” to begin with?

That made me think about other words we use, like awesome, glorious, great, majestic. All of these words are used to describe God. I use them to describe Him and things in everyday life. For example, I might tell Paul he took an awesome picture or if I have something really good to eat I might say it is glorious. But these are words used to describe the God of the universe. The One who is holding me together as I type these words. Why would I use the word glorious to describe food in one breath and in the next use it to describe Him?

Maybe it’s that I don’t know the definition of these words. Let’s define them.
Awesome – Expressive of or inspiring awe. These leads one to define “awe”, which is an emotion variously combining dread, veneration, and wonder that is inspired by authority or by the sacred or sublime. 
Glorious – possessing or deserving glory; marked by great beauty or splendor
Great – notably large in size; remarkable in magnitude, degree, or effectiveness; eminent, distinguished; chief or preeminent over others
Majestic –  having or exhibiting sovereign power, authority, or dignity 

It seems simple to me to call a wave totally awesome now. Not that I do that, but I am sure somewhere in the world there is a surfer on a beach who has called a wave totally awesome today. Does it undermine the word glorious when I use it in reference to God and a slice of pie?

What would it look it if we did the same thing for words that describe God that we did for “bad” words at some point in history? We made “bad” words have a “bad” meaning. Why not have “Godly” words have a “Godly” meaning again?

Wondering if I can understand dogs better now,
The mom of Lily Puppy

When you go overseas on a short term mission trip you expect some God-sized moment, an emotional response to what you see and experience, to never want to leave, to hear God more clearly…the list could go on.
While in Cuba the people around me were having these moments. It’s not that I wasn’t. I just don’t think I ever had a HUGE moment. I had small whispers of moments.

When we were sitting around in the hotel room in Miami for our first team meeting Meredith and Ashton started playing and singing. They weren’t one phrase in before the rest of us joined in. That moment brought a team who had only know each other for a few hours into a closer relationship with one another. That was the moment we became a team. But it came in a whisper of a moment.

Watching the sun rise over the ocean was magnificent. Before the sun ever reaches the horizon, its rays are taking over the darkness and not matter how much the darkness tries to stay it can’t. The light from the sun is just too strong. The grandness of who God is and that we can see Him in every part of creation hit me…in a gentle whisper.

Sitting with one of my teammates as she poured out her heart at the sadness and hurt she was feeling about not getting to see the children we’d spent two days with was heartbreaking and encouraging. It was heartbreaking because she was hurting. She loves big, with all she has, with no hindrances. That was encouraging. And God spoke in a whisper to me as I spoke with her that it is okay to love even when it cost us something. After all, that’s how Jesus loves us.

Listening to a Cuban pastor explain the wonders of God and worshiping Him as we all sat crowded and sweating in small living room was one of the highlights. The words were almost whispered as he spoke them.

Watching my teammates as they interacted with children and teenagers was encouraging. I couldn’t help but stand back to watch them, smiling to myself. Seeing that God uses the quiet and shy of us, the outgoing, the funny, the enthusiastic. I realized this on a Thursday afternoon while my teammates played thumb war with children they couldn’t communicate with and again, it came to me in a whisper. 

Seeing a woman who’d been very quiet and meek during the week boldly leading her church in worship. Unashamedly boasting in Christ as she led in the praise of her Lord, Savior, King and Redeemer. And although everyone was singing loudly, I heard a soft whisper.

Spending time with my teammates, laughing, sharing, crying…knowing that something special was happening and we were experiencing it together. That created a bond that I don’t think will ever be broken between us. And it all happened in whispers of moments.

Realizing that I wasn’t spending my time thinking about my children, missing them, crying for them, longing for them was something that happened when I got back. And I heard in a whisper Christ is sufficient in all things.

Seeing Paul baptize people in the sea. While everyone around me was cheering with excitement, I was still, listening to a whisper say that I would never forget that moment because it was a moment God had orchestrated.

We often overlook whispers, not realizing how much God can teach us about Himself in those moments of softness. 

The Sunday we were in Cuba was incredible. However, I could never tell you what happened like Paul could. He experienced something that day that the rest of us saw from a different perspective. That said, I hope you enjoy reading about our Sunday afternoon in Cuba from Paul’s point-of-view.

If I wrote down everything that happened in Cuba you’d be reading for approximately 3.27 hours. You don’t have the time to read that and I don’t have the time to write all of it. And honestly, there are some things that are hard to put into words…you just have to experience them.

So, instead, I am going to write about some of my favorite things that happened.

On Tuesday, after we had finished working with the children and teenagers we (the ten of us that made up our team), the pastor of the church we were working at that day, his wife, Santiago (one of our translators), and a few other Cubans were hanging out waiting for our ride to come pick us up.

Meredith and Ashton, the two teenagers who had come to lead worship, began playing their guitars. Then Meredith passed her guitar to Santiago. He began playing and singing a Spanish song. The little bit I was able to pick up on would translate something to the effect of “I live to be in love with You”. But it is so much more than that. So much emotion and feeling and power gets lost in translation. I wish that I could accurately convey the meaning and power behind the words as he sang them.

As he continued, the other Cubans in the room joined in. As we Americans picked up on what was being sung we joined in. It was a powerfully awesome moment. Words don’t do it justice. But even more powerful was what happened afterwards.

Santiago began telling us about why he worships. At one point, he said, “When we worship God tells the angels in heaven to be quiet because his people are worshiping Him.”

How theologically sound that thought is, I do not know. But it is a beautiful thought.

I think everyone in the room knew how special what we were experiencing was at the time. It was a God-filled moment in time. Something that we forever bond those of us in that room.

I hope I never forget it.

Lily is starting to teach Caleb how to do things. “No, Caleb. We don’t don’t throw things,” or “No, no Caleb, it goes here” (referring to a puzzle piece) or “Caleb, you have to look both ways before crossing the street.”

Caleb is starting to be able to make Lily laugh. He chases her around the house, creating continuous screaming and laughter. He gives her hugs even when she doesn’t want them (he usually tries do give hugs while she is watching a movie – it’s almost always during a climatic part). He looks at her adoringly and mimics everything she does.

I imagine them doing so many things as they get older. And though I know that life will be different than I imagine, it’s still nice to dream sometimes.

I dream about…

Lily on the first day of 2nd grade, holding Caleb’s hand as he starts Kindergarten, explaining the lunch line, recess, and that mommy will be there to pick them up really soon.

Caleb interviewing any boy that dares come pick Lily up for a date, making sure he knows the “rules” that go along with taking his sister to dinner and a movie.

Lily cheering madly for Caleb when he hits his first home run, yelling so loud she’s hoarse later that night.

Caleb holding on to his sister, not wanting to let go, when we drop her off at her college dorm room.

Both of them overwhelmed with excitement as they see each other be baptized. 

These are just a few of the things I imagine and dream they’ll do. Like I said, I’m sure some of these things won’t go as I imagine. But I do hope and pray that they face whatever life brings them together, side by side and hand in hand.

We made a spur of the moment decision last week to go to Asheville for a night…and what a great decision it was! Paul, aka the researcher of all things in our family, found the Sweet Biscuit Inn  for us to stay at. It is nestled between other dreamy mountain homes far enough from the downtown noise that you can sleep with the windows open and only hear the rain falling and the wind whistling through the many trees outside your windows but only a few minutes from area attractions. 

The owners, Christian and Claudia, are absolutely wonderful. They are so very hospitable and kind…they even ran to the store to get us some milk for Caleb to have when he would wake up the next morning….at 5:00am. (He clearly did not get the “we’re on vacation” memo)

Here’s a quick tour of this incredible home.

The front stairs lead you to the place I could have spent the entire day and a half. All I would have needed was a jug of sweet tea and a glass with ice in it. It is….the front porch…

 with double rocking chairs on one end…

 and a swing on the other. I mean, can’t you just hear the Judds singing “Rockin’ to the Rhythm of the Rain”? ‘Cause I did the whole time.

When you walk in, the stairs immediately draw your attention as does the “season tree”. Right now, it is still decorated for Spring, with butterflies and birds hugging the branches. At the top of the stairs is a Yamaha baby grand, (be still my heart) on which house concerts are given.

 

 

 In between the bathroom and bedroom was a large living area with a trundle bed and our hosts had set up a pack and play for Caleb. The bookshelf was lined with everything from history to classics, and toys lined the bottom shelves. We spent all of Tuesday night playing dinosaurs while we watched Ice Age. A good time was had by all.

One of the best things about the house is that there is no central heat and air. Each room has its own air conditioning unit and radiators. Why is this a “best thing”? Because it means you can lift all the windows, turn on the ceiling fan and sleep like baby.

Last week we decided to go to Asheville for a night. Paul found us a great place to stay called the Sweet Biscuit Inn. You can read about the loveliness of it here. We had many adventures in the 24 hours or so we were there.

Our first adventure was to the Pisgah National Forest, about 30 miles south of Asheville. It is an outdoorsman’s dream, with hiking, mountain bike trails, horse back riding, tubing, canoeing, hunting, fishing, waterfalls, and camping. We hiked a 1 mile kid friendly trail, which the kids loved!

Off we go!

The map reader

 This is the swinging bridge that hangs above a deep ravine. I don’t do swinging bridges or deep ravines. But there was no other way to the other side. So I put on a brave face for the kids, took a deep breath and Caleb and I started across the treacherous bridge. We started off ok, as you can see above…but then…

 the bridge started to sway back and forth violently (well, maybe violently is a strong word to use, but swaying is NOT the same as still). I picked up my baby and I sprinted to the other side like I was being chased by a momma grizzly bear who had just woken up from hibernation and was ravenously hungry.

 Tell your nerves to calm down…we safely made it to the other side. However, I think I lost a little respect in the eyes of Caleb for running like my life depended on it across a bridge that was made for children.

The rest of the hike was not as eventful as the crossing of the bridge. Lily and Caleb had a great time and both were well worn out by the finish.

But it’s not time to rest! We’re off to Adventure #2….

There are tons of waterfalls in and around the Pisgah National Forest. We chose to go to the Looking Glass waterfall because it was only 4 miles away.

 I think this is the largest waterfall I have ever seen. These two pictures were taken at the top, but you can walk all the way down to the water and swim a few yards from the waterfall.

When I saw the waterfall I could not get the waterfall scene from “The Last of the Mohicans” out of my head. I just kept seeing empty canoes crashing over the falls. That changed when I saw the teenager on the right side of the picture. I just kept seeing him being swept down the river by those rapids he is standing in.

After a bite to eat, we headed to Adventure #3, which was more for the grown-ups and less for the kids…we went to downtown Asheville. Sadly, for some reasons I have really no pictures except of food.
Downtown is really cool and hippy. Street musicians are playing on many street corners. Antiques shops, art galleries, and very sheik restaurants line the Main Street.
       
When we put the kids back in the car to go find the bed and breakfast (which you can read about here) and less than five minutes later, this is what we saw….          
 

 

My brother had THIS EXACT dinosaur when we were kids. Seeing it threw me into a state of nostalgia.

We started Day 2 with some antique browsing, which was the highlight of the trip for the kids I think. Then we headed to Adventure #3…

 There were bears….

 Mountain lions…

Sheep…

 Wolves… (I began wondering if all the animals had been drugged because they were almost all sleeping)

Amphibians and reptiles…I should go without saying that upon entering this building I found a corner that was far, far away from any type of reptilian animal and sat while Paul chased two children around the building.

After gazing at the several other animals, we headed to the Biltmore Village for some lunch. The rain started after that so we loaded up the kids and headed home.

Thanks Asheville. A good time was had by all.

Paul and Wesley, our Campus Pastor, went camping this morning. They’ll be back at some point tomorrow. So far, this is what has happened in our day since Paul left at 5:00 am.

1. I scrambled to find something the kids would eat for breakfast. Thank goodness I had some nutritional off brand Cookie Crisp in the cabinet or the kids would have had meltdowns having to eat toast.

2. After Caleb’s nap we journeyed to three different stores. In some cases only to get one or two items. Caleb and Lily were both covered in graham cracker crumbs in my efforts to ward off any crying, screaming, tantrums, meltdowns, breakdowns, and fighting. The crackers worked like a charm. Let’s hear it for portable snacks.

3. After lunch we made chocolate chip cookies. We proceeded to eat multiple cookies after they came out of the oven and cooled for a bit. Had it just been me I would have devoured them piping hot right out of the oven, but that’s not so great for the mouth of a toddler who can only handle things lukewarm at best. 

4. Nap time…peace and quiet.

5. More cookies were eaten.

6. I cleaned out the car seats discovering that years of cheerios, crackers, M&Ms, juice, goldfish, and cheez-its had crumbled or spilled their way to the bottom of said seats. It took me a good 20 minutes to get the cloths attached from the seat so I could wash them. It’s like the manufacturers want your kids to sit in all that built up gunk. Why else would they make it so hard to remove the fabric away from the molded plastic frame?

7. The kitchen was cleaned for the twentieth time. I refuse to clean it anymore today. My hands would like some time to deprune themselves.

8. Caleb woke up early from his nap. Guess instead of reading that book I will have to stare into the deep blue eyes of the boy who stole my heart. Life is so hard.

9.  Untangled the yarn that Caleb and the cat decided would be fun to string from one end of the house to the other. Ok, it wasn’t from one end to the other, but I still have a tangled mess on my hands. You know how hard it is to crochet a blanket when every 10 stitches you have to untangle a knot? It’s pretty not fun, let me tell you.

10. I switched litter boxes for one that has a hood on it. Hurray for no more cat poop being kicked up on my laundry room wall.

11. We read books. And they sat and listened!

12. We laid on my bed and tickled and laughed. My children jumped on  me. I am pretty sure Caleb almost broke a rib, but who cares? A good time was had by all.

13. I got really bored about 3:00.

14. In efforts to cure my boredom I decided we could clean out the craft boxes. The kids proceeded to string my yarn all over the office, throw tiny balloons everywhere, and mark themselves with permanent marker while I tried to make tissue paper flowers. Turns out that is not a good craft for a 3 year old or a woman with no crafting skills whatsoever.

15. Caleb knocked the bottom hinge off Lily’s door. Before you think I have Superman in 18 month size running around, the hinge has been loose for a while. I attempted to screw it back in the door frame. We’ll see how long it stays.

15. The kids did puzzles together while I sat on the couch and took a breather.

And we are now at the end of our day. Caleb is fast asleep. Lily will probably be up for the next 2 hours because it rained this afternoon and she had no outlet for her energy because her mother was bored and could not think of anything to do except make tissue paper flowers that she was not able to help make.

I wonder what kind of fun tomorrow will hold?

    Two weeks ago Nathan preached a great sermon that you can listen to on the podcast.  The topic was what do you do when you believe and trust in who God is and what He says He can do and when you ask Him for something, He doesn’t respond the way you want Him to. When you ask Him why, He says, “Because I said so.” Nathan went on to talk about James 4:14, how our lives are like a vapor or a mist that dissipates quickly. God has eternity in mind, while we only have our finite lives in mind. God’s response to our prayers is in view of eternity. So if He says, “Because I said so,” there is probably a really good reason…one that has eternal significance.
     That’s the sermon I heard the Sunday before all our plans came to a screeching halt. The news we received at first made me angry. I wanted to be anxious, scared and nervous. I wanted to find someone to talk to about the whole thing. I wanted to fix the problem.
     Six months to a year ago I would have done all of those things, and after I had done them all I would have turned to God, probably to help me as I fixed the problem. To be honest, I did talk to a couple of people about it, but the first thing I did that night when I was alone, which was in the car, was cry out to God. I wanted Him to help my unbelief. I wanted Him to help me trust Him. I wanted peace.

 And that is what He gave me.

     I am not angry anymore. I am not anxious or scared or nervous. I am not trying to fix the problem. I did talk to a couple of people about it, but I did not scroll my contact list to find someone who would listen and feel sorry for me and my situation.
    God is a great God, who has eternity in mind. I realized a few days ago that had Paul and I known about the situation we now find ourselves in a few months ago we would not have made some of the choices we made, which have been good choices. So we live every day trusting the One who made us and sustains us and has an eternal plan. And maybe there are many things that need to be accomplished before all those plans we had been making need to begin…things that will have an eternal impact.