Father’s Day Reflections 2017
Father’s Day has always been an incredibly bitter sweet day for me. For many years the bitter was all I tasted as I was filled with a lot of anger, pain and resentment. My dad has never lived up to my expectations; yet I imagine he hasn’t lived up to his own expectations either. This […]
Homeschool Recap 2017
I guess yesterday was our last school day of the year. It was supposed to be Wednesday but due to family sickness we bumped it back! The kids have been anxious to have a last day and with a big vacation coming up this seems logical. I see the value in marking an end to […]
Being the people we are raising our kids to be-Trying New Things
I love my daughter. I love all 3 of my daughters. I love my son too, just in case he’s reading this, (he’s not…he’s five). Our oldest daughter is 7 and she is smart, determined, and loves to read. She takes leadership of many things, siblings included, and she is a perfectionist, which is a […]
Marriage 12 plus years in
It’s funny how after 12 plus years of marriage I can still feel “new” at this whole wife thing. I mean, how long do you have to live in a role to have it figured out? One would think twelve years is long enough to work out all the kinks. Why is grace so hard […]
Family Mission
*This post is coauthored by Matt and Jessica I (Jessica) admit I like to be organized and have a plan. I plan and write down everything… And this always proves to be helpful. We (as a society) make lists for the grocery store, house projects, ideal vacation spots… So it always amazes me a little […]
Reflection
My oldest daughter raced down the hallway of our hotel in a rage. She felt “shorted” and was refusing to come into our room with us. It was 4 pm and our day had been filled with many emotional breakdowns from each of the kids. I was tired and hungry and ready to relax, but […]
Quick Date
Last night Matt and I went out for a quick date to a local coffee shop. It was only for 2 hours but for 2 hours we had a chance to breathe. I spend most of my hours mothering so it can be hard to remember at times another very important role… Being Matt’s wife. In […]
Schematic of loss
We met at the pavilion; an obtusely tall, angular building resembling something more at home in the mountainous panorama of my native Wyoming then here in brown Kansas. It’s December, though not happy December, plangent with snow or Christmas cheer. It was appointment day. As we met, there was talk of me taking the kids […]
Regular Hospitality
My good friend and mentor Brad Brisco, along with his wife Mischelle and their two boys have spent the last year 
providing foster care in our community. During that time they have housed over 40 different kids and in this post he shares a little bit about what he and his family have experienced and learned. Just a taste…
I can’t fully articulate how we have been blessed over the past year. That is the funny thing about biblical hospitality, just when you think it is about welcoming the stranger, for their benefit, you realize that it is you who is being blessed by the presence of the “stranger.”
My first reaction when reading Brad’s account is how absolutely radical this is! Yet upon further review, Hospitality of this kind should be the most normal action of the follower of Jesus. Instead of this hospitality being radical for us, it should be regular.
As Jessica and I consider adoption in the future as part of God’s plan for our family, I encourage you to join me in prayerfully considering how God is calling you to look after the orphans and widows in your community.