Letters to my Daughters: on health and nutrition, my journey

My Darling Daughters,

Part of our family culture that is different from many others, is the way we approach health. There is a long back-story and some very specific things I believe about it that direct these choices, and I'd like to tell you about them...

When I was 14, I was riding my bike on our block, and proceeded to have a Grand Mal seizure and fall off into a neighbor's yard. After an ambulance ride, time in the ER, MRI, and later an EEG, they found that nothing was physically wrong with my brain, but that I had some abnormal brain activity. I was prescribed Tegretol and had monthly blood draws to check the level of it in my blood. I was on a relatively low dose, but it still made me have entire days when I was too dizzy to get out of bed. I all but stopped playing the piano because I couldn't think fast enough, which was very frustrating to me. Tegretol is known to be liver toxic, and can cause birth defects if taken during pregnancy, so we knew it was not a long-term solution.

Because of the potential liver issues, at that time patients were prescribed Tegretol for two years, and then taken off, in the hope they'd never have another seizure. They did this with me, and 7 months after coming off the medication I was sitting in English class and it happened again. Being wheeled through the high school library on a stretcher is not an experience I recommend trying out. Back on Tegretol, and desperately praying for healing.

At that point, my mom, who had always been fascinated by nutrition anyway, began looking for other answers. We heard about a doctor in Denver who had helped a girl with seizures that started in her teens, just like me, get off medication and not have seizures anymore. At the time he had a 6 month waiting list, so I did another 6 months with the familiar side effects. When we saw Dr P for the first time, I was 17. He was convinced we could help me heal and not have to take meds. I followed his advice, felt better than I ever remembered before, went off my meds, and things were looking so much better.

After a couple years, I started to drift away from his advice. I was working full time, and actually got hooked on getting a mocha before work every morning. Because milk hurt my stomach, I ordered soy. And though I started with decaf, before long I was enjoying full caffeine and the extra energy I got from it. When I quit my job and went away to Bible school, I hoped that I would be able to eat well enough to be ok. In the first two days at Bible school, it became obvious to me that what they were feeding us was not going to work. I felt terrible. I remember driving to Safeway in Estes Park, wandering the aisles looking for stuff that would help me function on the diet I was going to have to eat. A day later, I was having coffee at a staff person's house. She made some French press, and a group of girls and I settled in for a nice time of talking together. Except I took one sip of that strong coffee and had another seizure. I slowly woke up in the Estes Park ER, and my parents came soon after. I was determined to stay, and we worked out a way that I could cook all my own meals and take care of myself the way I knew I needed to.

The funny thing was, I had never really learned how to cook much. And now I was 2 1/2 hours from home and didn't have a choice. It was baptism by fire. I ate lots of really. bad. food. those first couple months. But pretty soon the people who (good-naturedly) made fun of my "healthy" meals at first, were drooling over my steaks while they went down to eat their casserole in the cafeteria. I got pretty good at cooking, and had no one to impress but myself.

I swore off coffee, but there were still things about my body that weren't working well, and stress brought on seizures. A couple years later I had another one, in a time that was very high stress financially. A couple years after that, another one, after getting up at 4am to catch a flight and not eating enough. By this time, I was pretty fearful. I was about to get married, we knew we wanted children soon. I knew I wouldn't be able to take the drugs during pregnancy, and I was beginning to wonder if what we were doing was working. After lots of prayer, I renewed my commitment to take good care of myself. If I didn't sleep well, I stayed in bed. I never went more than 2-3 hours without eating something with protein to stabilize my blood sugar. If I didn't feel well, I didn't drive. I often canceled my plans because of how I felt. I was very, very careful. During this time, I asked someone to pray for healing for me, and was told I had a demon that caused seizures. I didn't know what to think of that. Still don't, honestly.

No one knew how my body would handle pregnancy and birth, but we found out quickly since I got pregnant just two weeks after we were married. I successfully carried and birthed two babies. After Audrey was born though, I was feeling terrible. I now believe I had PPD, and probably would have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia as well. I began taking an herbal supplement to help balance some things in my body, and I reacted to that and had ANOTHER seizure, probably the strongest one yet. The side of my left eye and my chin hit the kitchen counter and floor and I had black and blue places on my face for nearly a month. My eye area has looked different to me ever since. Every seizure, I bit my tongue severely and could hardly talk or eat for several days.

Honestly, I was devastated. In spite of my careful eating and living, it happened again. And now I had two young children to care for alone while Nick worked every day. I was honestly terrified. I called several doctors, trying to find someone who would be open to seeing me without putting me on medication, because we knew we wanted more children. But we had no medical insurance. How would we pay for it anyway? We agonized over what to do. But then something happened. Another run through food sensitivities with Dr P found gluten as an issue. At this point, my energy levels were about 30% of what I considered normal. My whole body hurt all the time. I had terrifying thoughts and dreams and depression. I took gluten out of my diet, and literally within two DAYS, the pain was 80% better. Slowly, over the next month or so, the cloud lifted. I could think clearly, the pain was so much less.

That was 6 1/2 years ago, and thank God, I haven't had a seizure since! In the past year, we have led worship nearly every week, often getting up at 5 or 5:30am after 4-6 hours of sleep to have all six of us at church by 6:30am. I am still careful how I eat, but my body has withstood two more pregnancies and births, and lots of other hard use with no seizures. I am a living, walking miracle.

I have learned that eating lots of fat - animal fat, coconut oil, olive oil - makes my blood sugar stable and I don't get shaky and nauseous between meals anymore. I have learned that when I eat stuff I know I shouldn't (even when it's gluten free!), I still pay for it in stomach issues and zero energy. I have learned to continue to let myself sleep as much as I need. I take naps nearly every day.

I still have a ways to go - I have days when I have so little energy that I don't do much except feed and keep the children alive. But doesn't every mom? Stress wipes out my digestion and makes me feel terrible, and it takes a long time to recover when that happens. I hope that won't be the case someday soon.

Here's the thing: our food supply is not the way it always was. Over the years, plants have been hybridized and changed through genetic modification until they are different than they were designed to be. I recently read somewhere that the wheat of the Bible had 14 chromosomes. Our modern wheat has 35. At some point, our bodies say, "I don't know what this is. ATTACK!!!" Everyone's body does this at a different point. I am a sensitive person, Spiritually, Emotionally, and Physically. So maybe my threshold is lower than some people's. I'm not honestly sure. But I do know that God led me to this way of life, this way of eating and living. I found it interesting recently when I came across Deuternomy 22:9 - "Do not plant two kinds of seed in your vineyard; if you do, not only the crops you plant but also the fruit of the vineyard will be defiled." Did God say this because He knew hybridizing crops would mess them up? I don't know. But I wonder!

There is a balance here, because I see some people fall off into intense fear about what they eat. There is absolutely no way to control the source of everything you ever eat. That's something we must trust God for. But buying the cheapest food to be had, blessing it to your nourishment, and expecting it to do no harm is not wise either. If God wanted the temple covered in pure gold, why would we put trash into our bodies which are the living temple of the Holy Spirit?

I don't know what food will be like when you are grown, daughters. Right now there is a battle raging over whether or not to label GMO's in food. I don't know who will win. Other countries don't want America's GMO's anywhere near their food supply, and for that I am grateful. Maybe we can contain them to this continent and avoid having the world's food supply contaminated with them? Just because they have not been proven to be harmful doesn't mean they aren't. We are dealing with a massive scale scientific experiment conducted on humans. It's pretty bad. I hope, whatever happens, that you are able to understand why we made the decisions we made, and be passionate about health. People are hurting all around us - unable to find answers for their health problems. Sometimes the answers aren't very fun. Sometimes they require long-suffering and perseverance. But I hope that I can instill in you the ability to never give up on finding answers. I didn't give up, and answers came. And never leave God out of the equation - one touch from Him and anything wrong in our bodies is made right. He wants us to be well and able to carry out everything He has planned for us. But He puts within us the wisdom to seek the answers, and He put within the world at creation, amazing healing agents like plants and nutrition science, that can help.

The way of our family with food is not the easiest, cheapest way, but I believe it is God's will for us. I am so grateful to be healthy and capable. That's why I wanted to tell you this story, so you will remember my testimony of what God has done for me, and understand why we're different. You each have your own health issues and stories of your own that are being written right now. I challenge you to do your own reading and research, and not just believe what you are told about health. It can be confusing at times, but when you're seeking God you have an advantage that other people are missing - they're doing it in their own wisdom, but you can do it with God's. It won't always be popular, and sometimes you might even find out you were wrong. But the journey is worth it.

I love you!

Letters to my daughters: on marriage

My dearest daughters,

I want to write you about marriage, but I honestly don't know where to start. I don't know what the world will be like when you are grown, but right now traditional marriage is a rather unpopular and emotionally-charged topic. There are so many things I want to write to you on this subject, but each time I try, I find that I would have to write so much more than one letter to explain it all.

Here is what I hope and pray for each of you:
-That you will come to have an understanding of God's love and care for you, so that you will understand WHY He says what He says in the Bible regarding marriage. He's not trying to kill your fun, He created you and knows how you work. You can trust His advice on this subject.

-That you will pursue God with your whole heart, and meet your husband as he travels that same path. This is how your dad and I met, and I really know of few marriages that are as easy and fun as ours is. We honestly just enjoy being together. Now, we still have our share of struggles and things to work through, but we have chosen to be each other's best friend. (And really, it's not a hard choice to make - I kinda like that guy!) If you are both pursuing God when you meet and you're moving the same direction, then if you continue to pursue God throughout your life you're likely to KEEP going the same direction, together!

-Marry your best friend. Take enough time to become best friends before getting married. Life gets hard sometimes. Having babies is life-changing. Sometimes money seems impossible. You really never know what life will bring your way. But the thing that carries you through when things aren't really very fun is friendship, not passion. Passion goes out the window when you are up at 2am with a baby that won't. stop. crying. But if you're best friends you can still, even with that crying baby, somehow (sometimes) give each other a look and laugh together. And if you are one day married and realize you aren't best friends, work on it. Spend time together. Be interested in what he's interested in (Nebraska football is...not even ON my priority list, but I will listen to stories he wants to tell me about it for a little while). Look for his good traits (often the things you fell in love with before start driving you nuts once you're married, but you can learn to appreciate them all over again.) ONLY SPEAK OF HIM POSITIVELY, except in rare circumstances and only with a person you trust who can help you learn how to love him better. Budget money for date nights, even if you go sit at a fast food place because you have no money to spend. Be his friend.

-Work out the important stuff before you get married. How many kids do you each want? Where will you go to church? What kind of a relationship do you each want with your families? Will you stay home with kids or work? How will you discipline your kids? Who will handle the money (preferably both of you, together)? Can you deal with any situations you're marrying into that may not change (health issues, in-laws, etc.)? Where will you live? How do you see God and what do you want to teach your children about Him? Obviously your answers to some of these questions may change as you grow, but they are so important to answer. Before we were married, we dated for about 2 years, 4 months of that we were 10 hours apart. We did premarital counseling with a couple from our church where we talked through a lot of this. We had enough time and encouragement to tackle these big conversations and there weren't many surprises after we were married. Your dad and I usually have similar thoughts on all of these subjects, and because we are friends, if our minds change or we feel God changing our hearts it's possible to talk it through and come to an agreement.

-Put your marriage even before your kids. Society right now is, oddly, simultaneously hyperactive about the welfare of children, AND disrespectful of them, I think. When you create a family culture where the kids are the center of the world, they grow up believing they are. Someone who thinks the world revolves around them is...not a pleasant person to be around. Don't be mean to your kids. Make sure their true needs are met. But you can enforce things like time to talk after your husband comes home from work, while the kids play. Leave them with a trusted babysitter for a date night once a week. Expect them to help care for your home so it's a pleasant place to live. Don't let them run the show. The stability of your marriage is everything to your family. If your marriage is stable and loving, your kids will probably come out alright. If you neglect your marriage, you might lose it AND the kids.

-Just be nice to each other. I think this goes an amazingly long way. Pay attention to the tone of your voice. Choose your words wisely. In Proverbs it says, "A wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands a foolish one tears hers down." You have the power to choose which you will do. Choose to build, even when it's hard. As a side-note here, some people find sarcasm to be funny. Nick and I have very little tolerance for it, and almost never are sarcastic. We protect each other's hearts by saying what we mean, in love. Sarcasm can really hurt, but in a way that is not usually acceptable to bring up because the person who hurt you will say they were only kidding. Usually there is an element of truth to it. Don't be sarcastic. Just say what you mean.

This is a long letter and I could easily write more, but I will stop here for now. Maybe I'll write another part later. I love you, and want you to have all of God's best in your life. Some of this is wisdom I learned from other women whose marriages I admire. Always stay open to input from people who have thriving marriages! I'm praying for your husbands even now, when you are still young.

I love you.

Letters to my daughters: foundations

My dear daughters,

The most important thing, the place from which you can build all of the rest of your life, is your relationship with God. 

It's easy to say this, but harder to DO it. I see a lot of stuff out there that almost excuses busy moms from taking the time to read their Bible and pray. Certainly you shouldn't be weighed down with guilt about it, but neglecting your time with God is like shooting yourself in the foot! 

I have done several different things during my quiet time over the years. I was given a one year Bible when I graduated from high school, and I have read it all the way through about three or four times I think, since then. I don't always read a full day of the plan each day. It took me three years to get through the Bible one of the times. I also have an app on my phone and doing reading plans on that is very convenient, but it has started to be rather unsatisfying for me. Lately I've been reading and marking up the Bible my parents gave me the year I graduated from bible school. Maybe someday you will read what I've underlined and written in it and get a glimpse into my relationship with God. I would love to think so. 

With the health issues I've struggled with over the years, it has been important for me to get enough sleep. Especially with having had four kids in 7 1/2 years, that has been difficult. Now that Josie is sleeping well, it's becoming easier to wake up before you girls do to have time with God. When I couldn't get up early though, I would read while I made breakfast, before I fell asleep while you napped (I LOVE nap time!), and/or before I went to bed at night. 

Often I read more than once a day, maybe part of a day from my one year Bible in the morning and a Psalm at night. When I read the Psalms, I love to ask God to tell me what chapter to read and then turn to the number I hear in my heart. It always makes me smile how He leads me to just what I need to hear. I'm getting better and better at hearing His voice that way. 

If I wake during the night or have trouble falling asleep, I use that time to pour my heart out to God, talking to Him about whatever is bothering me or that I need answers for. I just finished reading The Circle Maker, and I probably need to read it again. That book has I think forever changed my prayer life. I also pray over you girls every night before I say goodnight. I pray for protection and good sleep and for you to know God more, every night. I have a handful of scriptures that I pray and claim for you every night. I wonder if you will remember what I pray when you are grown? It is usually pretty much the same, but that's because I want to continue to see those things in your life. I pray that prayer from memory over you, but it is no less heartfelt now than it was the first time I prayed it years ago. 

One of my favorite things to do is to worship. Ever since I was a little girl, I would play the piano and sing at the top of my lungs. When I was little I imagined my audience. It amazes and humbles me that now I get to sing with real people. God is so good. He puts in us these things that bring us deep joy, and then tells us that's what He made us to do. Amazing. When I get a worship song stuck in my mind and heart, it often does not go away until I sing it to God. I feel like I'm just scratching the surface of what God has to teach me about worship. I can't wait to learn more. The fact that we can bring God pleasure and joy by singing to Him and doing things for His glory brings so much meaning to life for me. Everything about life makes sense when it's an act of worship. 

I also listen to sermons and read books written by people I respect. Some of my favorites are Bill Johnson, Kris Vallotton, Lisa Bevere, Joyce Meyer, Andrew Wommack, and others. I have always read the books and listened to any sermons I missed at the church we attend also. I think it is so important to stay tuned in to what God is doing in your local church. 

Church...church can be a tricky thing. Perfect churches don't exist, as far as I can tell. There will always be opportunities for you to get your feelings hurt, have an argument with someone, or be deeply disappointed by something that happens there. But the thing is, I think that's part of why we're supposed to go to one. Your character is not usually tested until you're in relationship with people. And being in relationship with other people who believe like you do, can build you up in ways you can't get alone. Find a church where you can belong, and then decide to belong there. Go where God is doing stuff. It might be messy. Don't be afraid of messy. Just love people and be part of something bigger than you. 

Above all else, I pray that you will come to know God personally, intimately. You are safe with Him and you can tell Him every thought, every desire, and every hurt you have. Read His word. Learn to hear His voice. Do what He says. In this world you will have trouble, but Jesus has overcome the world. 

I love you!

Letters to my daughters: on grace

Dear Precious Daughters,

I can't start writing to you until I explain where we have been. 

I have always loved God, as long as I can remember. I have always been hungry for truth. Even as a child, when I would hear truth, it felt like taking a long drink of water when I'm thirsty. I am also a very driven person. I love to accomplish things, to think about and solve problems, at my worst I am compelled to impress people. So I set about to impress God. 

Heh. That doesn't go so well. As soon as I'd start to feel like I had it all together, something out of my control would happen and I was suddenly a mess. I would go from pride to despair and back to pride every few days. In the midst of that pattern, Nick and I, hungry to know more of God, started listening to Andrew Wommack's teachings online. There were several reasons we were drawn to him. His style is mellow and calm, not showy. He says things in plain language, black and white. He has an obvious love for God. And he gives away all his talks for free. We had absolutely no money to spend, but since we could listen for free, we did. Daughters, no person has every answer about God. Andrew is just a man. But, he understands that God loves us and that when Jesus died on the cross, God's anger toward us was over. God sees us as righteous, just like Jesus. That truth, which seemed way too good to be true, changed our lives when Hannah and Audrey were babies. 

Suddenly, I didn't have to perform for God anymore. The guilt and shame that I had carried my whole life was gone for the first time, most of the time. But we were still painfully insecure. I still felt like I was messing up parenting, like I was a failure as a homemaker. 

It's been recent that I think I've finally come across an understanding of God that brings me peace and courage and confidence. I am already forgiven and the mistakes I make are covered by the blood of Jesus. But Jesus gave everything He had, He laid down His life for me. His forgiveness is the beginning, not the end of the story. I wasn't forgiven so I can sit on my couch playing on my iPhone for the rest of my life. I was invited into a grand adventure that is only made possible BECAUSE I'm forgiven. My obedience to God's word and the leading He gives me by His Holy Spirit, that obedience brings about His promises and His blessings in my life. I don't have to earn His favor, but I do have to follow His leading in order to have His best in my life. 

When I started living my life that way, doing the right thing even when I didn't feel like it, disciplining myself to clean the house, follow a regular routine, get up early to read my Bible, exercise, etc, all of a sudden my sense that I was a failure LEFT! But it wasn't me impressing God anymore, it was me living by His Spirit. And so far, living this way is sustainable. I don't crash and burn every few days as long as I stay full of who He is and what He's doing. It gives me hope for every area of life. Our home is probably happier than it's ever been. It took me eight years to go through that process, and I fully intend to continue growing and becoming more the woman God wants me to be. I don't want to miss out on anything He has for me. I want all of Him. 

Daughters, God is the perfect Father, and He thinks you are lovely in every way. He adores you. You can trust Him. His forgiveness makes it possible for you to live an incredible life, full of fulfilled dreams and deep joy. Things will be hard, because that creates character in us, so we become a deep well instead of staying shallow. But you can do it. Lean on Him with everything you have. Choose to have an obedient heart. Do what he tells you to do, no matter the cost. You'll never regret it because what He gives in return for your sacrifice makes your sacrifice seem insignificant in comparison.

I love you!

Letters to my daughters: Part one

Lately it seems everywhere I turn, I am getting messages about leaving a legacy. Does God speak to you that way too? Like, suddenly everybody talks about the same thing and you see the same thing in your quiet time and people ask you about it and it's like okay, okay, I get it, what would You like me to know??? :)

Yeah, it's like that.

I take very seriously, this job of training my four daughters. And yet, with everything it takes to care for four children, I get frustrated sometimes. The things I would like for them to know, things I would like to train them in, get passed over. I often rush through dinner preparation while Audrey looks on, because I have something else I have to do afterward, instead of letting her help like she always begs to do. To her credit, she watches anyway, and we have great chats while I frantically throw dinner together. But I wish I could do more. I am determined to read the Bible to the girls, and it's difficult to find a good time. So I read while they eat breakfast many days, in between reminding Tessa to sit down in her chair, asking Hannah to stop playing with toys, and handing Josie another piece of sausage.

I am often amazed at the level of sheer determination it takes to live with purpose. I can know all the things I SHOULD do, and do NONE of them, unless I am fiercely stubborn about what's important. And when I have not been as determined, I have lived with an overwhelming sense that I'm messing it all up. When I know what I ought to do, and don't do it because I'm lazy or have a disobedient heart, that's not okay. And I've been there. I fight against that daily. I know I will never meet every need my children have; God and other people must take their places in my children's lives and hearts as well. But I must do what I know is right. There are no excuses for laziness or rebelliousness.

It is with these thoughts in mind, that I want to start writing for my daughters, their daughters, and their daughters after them. I fully intend to live to 120 years old, since that's how long the Bible says we can live. But sometimes things happen. And I want my girls - all of them - for generations - to have the input of the women who go before them so they can benefit from it. Imagine if you could read the journal of your great-grandmother as she talked about how she pursued God, how she ran her household, and how she loved her husband. That's what I want to leave for my family.

I'm going to publish it here, partially because it's always helpful to have an audience - tends to keep me writing. And maybe, just maybe, it could be helpful to you as well. I'm not an older woman with 80 years of life behind me, but I do have four children, and our house is happily, chaotically peaceful most of the time. There are ways to DO that. And I'd like to share them. And I'd also like to hear your ideas about how YOU do that in your house. I'd like to write about things now, again in middle age, and again late in life, because I think all of those perspectives are helpful and useful and would be interesting to my daughters as they raise their own families.

Thanks for reading. :)

They're people...

We took the kids to the zoo last night. They were having Membership Appreciation Night and we needed to think about something other than the fire.

But everywhere we went, it seemed, there were mothers screaming at their children, that or otherwise belittling them in front of strangers. Now I realize emotions are running high everywhere, but with my own heart raw from watching people lose everything except their family, I wanted to grab each of of them by the shoulders, look them in the eye, and plead with them to remember what's important. I'm fairly sure some of them don't even talk to their dogs the way they were talking to those beautiful children.

Houses and stuff can be replaced. Memories stay even when places burn down. But children are people, and people are irreplaceable, of infinite worth. If you know the love of God, then you have at least an intellectual understanding of the worth of a human.

Maybe that's all you ever knew as a child - being screamed at. Maybe, like me at times, you've gotten into a bad habit. Fix it. Make a conscious choice. Apologize when (not if, but when, because it takes time to change a habit) you mess up. Change the tone of your home. There's no condemnation for those who are in Christ, so don't spend time regretting, but change it moving forward.

You must do things that refill your "tank" as a mother. Have friends. Read your Bible. Take regular date nights. Institute "quiet time" every afternoon, even if it's just for 30 minutes so you can breathe and hear yourself think. Do what it takes so you can talk civilly to your family. They are the only thing you have that will last forever.

Ahem. Hello? (Musings)

It's been quite some time since I did any blogging. There are various reasons for this, not the least being I have FOUR children. We always planned to have four children, but I must admit to being unprepared for the vast amount of work it takes to care for four children. Each one of them is so unique, and they continually amaze me, in good and in sometimes...challenging...ways. 

I've been feeling motivated to start blogging again recently. Blogging is a strange thing, because when you share thoughts and feelings, you're sure to find people that disagree. Sometimes not very kindly. That got to me after awhile, and I just quit. But I still love to write. And I think sometimes God teaches me things that would be helpful to share. So here I am, being brave. Be nice to me. Don't say things online that you wouldn't say to somebody's face. :)

It has given me courage recently, to be quickly approaching a year of leading worship now. There was a time not so long ago that I had completely given up hope of ever doing that again. Leading worship is a vulnerable thing to do. There are few things as intimate as one's relationship with God, and to lead worship is to display that relationship for all to see. It's the nature of the thing. I have taken comfort in the fact that none of the people who provide leadership to God's church worldwide, are perfect. Even the famous ones. And somehow God seems to be ok with that.

I wonder if I will ever get over the sense of privilege, of responsibility, and of just plain JOY that I get in being allowed and called to lead worship. Bill Johnson likes to say, "Once you figure out who you were created to be, you'll never want to be anyone else." I love that. I love that God hardwires us with passion and gifts. I love to talk to people about theirs. Leading worship is the thing that fills me back up for the week of pouring my life out for my kids. I love to see my church connect with God and be transformed in His presence. His presence is the only thing that really brings true change to hearts, and comforts us as we walk through life.

Being able to lead with my husband is sweet as well. We met and fell in love as we saw each other's heart for worship. Then we went through a season where we didn't do any of that. We learned to love each other for who we were, apart from what we did. And lately doing we love has been given back to us. Now the biggest challenge is just not to talk worship and leadership and how to best love people, nonstop. :)

Reading back over this, this is just one small aspect of our lives now. Not all aspects are as pretty or exciting, but by way of a reintroduction into our lives, I want you, reader, to know this. If you're still out there, I'd love it if you'd say hi.