To play, or not to play?

I find I'm constantly struggling to balance taking care of the kids with taking care of the home. The kids would love 12 hours of non stop attention, yet the Everest of laundry beckons. Bacteria swims freely in the sink overflowing with dishes. But, shamefully, I often prioritize a good looking house over good feeling kids. It's HARD to sit down and play with them! My imagination wears wrinkles, and my silly bone is broken. But, today, I decided to play. (Please don't come by unannounced- if you do, I'm going to make you do my dishes!)

But the results were worth it!

I'm finding I really like my kids when I take the time to play with them, talk with them, and just BE with them. When I view them as a hindrance to my housework, it makes for a very bad day.

Hey YOU....

I have become a lazy blogger. Perhaps it's the unshakable weight I feel when I pick up the proverbial pen and whimsically wonder what it is I could possibly write that both connects you with the silly goings-ons of our family and yet also carries eternity in each stroke. It seems simple enough to divide the two, and yet is equally unimaginable to separate two things that really aren't two things at all. Our family exists to know God and show God (neither of which we do perfectly). Some of that knowing and showing comes in the antics and fun seen in rearing four pint-sized people, and some comes in the joys and sorrows of being church planters in Tenerife.

You know what else is weird?
Hey....I'm talking to YOU.

That's right, you sitting there behind that bright LED screen. Yeah, how weird is that? When I blog... I am writing to you. I may or may not know YOU very well, but I'm giving YOU a window into our very real lives. Maybe you're a dear friend. Maybe you're a stranger stopping by for a quick read, but I hope YOU have a chance to get to know my God better from having paused here. 

One thing I'm certain of- the minute my life stops being about knowing and showing CHRIST, it is no longer worth writing about.  

That being said, my less philosophical reason for having been a lazy blogger is that we have had a very busy two months. We are thankful to have had Nathan's parents here for a month-long visit. They are a blessing to us in so many ways. Beyond their friendship, it's an unspeakable joy to have family here to love on our children. Living across the pond makes me appreciate family all the more deeply. 

We also celebrated Christmas, two birthdays,had multiple sicknesses (don't worry, we're all still alive and well), and moved from one house to another, all the while continuing to be involved in the ministry of our dear church here. 

One of our greatest joys is participating in baptisms at our church. Last week, we had the joy of seeing five people get baptized in the sea. While the waves were very impressive...

 they weren't as impacting as the testimonies we heard of God changing lives.

I continue to think God humorously has it in his plan for us to have a ministry to mechanics here, as well as electricians and doctors. Despite our "trials," I'm confident He's up to something far greater than I can see.