Yesterday I sent out an update on our orphan internship project, and some neat updates on widows care and RazomGo.com platform. You can read it clicking here.
It’s been a wild time for so many of us. Life’s rhythms feel more like heart palpitations. I have been busy writing and reading the past two weeks, taking two courses at Fuller essentially doubled what I had been used to.. but I survived! I’ve never read so much in my life.
This past month I finished around 8 books and 30 some articles averaging 10-30 pages each. I am not a reader, or wasn’t, so it’s a small miracle I stayed the course. I really enjoyed most of them, to the point that I moved slowly and digested as much as I could. I’m getting faster with speed reading, so when something isn’t as interesting I can motor pretty nicely 🙂
I will be posting some more of my writing soon. I’m still trying to find my own writing style. The more I read, the more I am appreciating the crafted word. Words are powerful when conveying ideas that move the heart, open the mind to new realities. So many words flying around social media, so many useless and cruel ones as well. I’ve stepped back from reading or posting for the next season. I have found it liberating to be incubated inside Fuller with the 20 or so journeying classmates, the safety of a community of learners, debating, caring, listening, unpacking and reconstructing our ideas has been an enormous blessing. It’s given me hope and vision for cultivating more of this in our context as a family and among our local and international community.
We are learners. That’s what a disciple means. To learn. In our world, I think we’re losing the art of unlearning, and relearning. We’re not containers of facts or right thinking, we’re learners of Christ, His ways, His heart. This is a posture of ongoing learning and formation. It’s fun to learn, but it’s hard at the same time. I was reading the other day how the brain literally releases pain chemicals when we’re learning something new.. as if we’ve stubbed our toe, but in a mental straining sort of way. There’s a reason we like to stay, to stop motion in the brain, its a muscle that doesn’t voluntarily want to flex. Much easier to watch TV, there’s a reason why we call that ‘vegging’.. .the electrical energy and impulse all but stops when we just receive and don’t exercise our thoughts, process, wrestle and consider other options. Lord help us stay learning, malleable, willing.
Spring weather is, well wet and chilly these past few days.. few bursts of sun break through, but so far truly Spring. The kids are jumping on the trampoline each day, playing with the dog, and recently Tucker has been learning to play the drums. We grabbed them a few weeks ago during Covid quarantine.. may as well get some use while the Cafe is closed. He’s really picked it up.. And Noah is now taking electric guitar lessons.. he’s also doing well learning several chords and learning to play songs from either video games.. or most recently Clearance Clearwater Revival – we introduce the kids to classics and many genres.. can’t have them return to US and not know good music 🙂
Battery is almost dead. Deb and I just went for a walk, we walk about a km, but we need more. I do not like being 45, it feels as though I’m getting much too stiff, too quickly. I also can’t eat as much as I used to, especially at night. I heard about this, but how can it be so quickly. My dad always said he never felt older than 18.. I’d say 25 (thus I act older than my dad).
About to rip up old wood from our aging and now dangerous 2nd floor deck over our garage. It lasted about 10yrs not bad, but now I have a mess on my hands. Also down at the big house, most of it is rotten. The cafe deck is still doing ok, but probably only has 2-3 yrs left. Why do we use wood for things? I now see the purpose of cement and tile. It’s a handful keeping 3 properties up to date.. Monday we have a guy coming to pour a sidewalk at our house because its cracked and water is getting into our foundation. This house stuff has been put off for too many years, staying home this much as allowed me to recognize it and no do something about it… I plan to have the boys help so we can all learn this cement ritual.. in Ukraine if you can’t mix cement you are the village idiot. (cough cough).