Come on, Nebraskans, and vote in a reading campaign that could result in 50,000 brand spankin’ new books for kids in our state!

Check out What Book Got You Hooked? and leave a brief comment in order to vote. You can vote once each day until July 31st, so go do it. We can’t let the Sooner State beat us!

True joy and freedom comes in relinquishing our definition of comfort. To take risks and give up fear…to look outside of ourselves toward God so we can love others. To allow God to be big and Jesus to be sufficient.

**Thanks to Christina for sharing her thoughts and experiences from Peru.

I feel like I grow the most, in a spiritual sense, when I go through difficult times. Right now I’m being challenged by sermons, passages of scripture (Hebrews 11), things friends and mentors are saying, and words full of meaning on blogs. The challenge is to find joy and peace in the midst of unfulfilled desire, to trust that God will keep his promises to me even when I can’t actually see what he’s doing. I can’t stand it when people are vague on their blogs about struggles (though sometimes I’ll admit it’s a necessary precaution), so I’ll just throw this out there… I really want to have more children and so far the Lord hasn’t given us another bitty Tredway. I want to not despair about this, but to trust God in his infinite wisdom to provide us with a baby, adopted or bio, it doesn’t matter.

To use the wise words of a friend, what I really want is “to allow God to be big and Jesus to be sufficient.” Amen, sister.

Click on the pictures above for more images of the Zion Church Picnic and time capsule opening yesterday. The Journal Star also has an article covering the event.

Though it might seem like torture to force my sister-in-law to smile while staring into the sun, I’m really pleased with the end result. There are some photos that make me happy — and rarely do those include shots of adults (chiefly because adults don’t like to pose for pictures). This is one of those warm, fuzzy shots for me. It captures Chelsea’s beauty and sweet spirit, plus I know she’s standing by the playground equipment because she’s playing with the niece she loves.

I’ve recently been encouraged by Jean Fleming’s words in A Mother’s Heart: A Look at Values, Vision and Character for the Christian Mother (NavPress, 1982). On page 30, Fleming writes:

Anyone who has tried to lead a Bible study while keeping a toddler entertained or to counsel a distraught friend while a baby cries in the background knows how difficult it can be. We [mothers] need to remind ourselves and each other that our family is our prime ministry and not a frustrating obstacle to “real” ministry.

At the end of the chapter, Fleming encourages moms to write out specific applications for one of the following goals. Instead, I chose to write out the goals, and post them on my fridge, as reminders of the scope of my job as a mother. Though the discipline aspect seems to loom greatly on my mind these days, there is sooo much more to parenting than that. These points remind me of how much I love being a mom to Livia.

• Teach my children what is good
• Enrich their lives with beauty
• Train them in obedience and respect
• Stimulate their interests
• Encourage them to attempt new things
• Pray with them

Livia’s imagination is growing by leaps and bounds these days. At any given moment, her name may be Jeff (from the Wiggles), Jofus (Joseph of the biblical coat of many colors), or Strawberry Shortcake. The name changes extend to the rest of the family as well. When Liv is Jeff, then I am instantly Murray and Jeremy is Pirate. The Strawberry Shortcake title was actually given by Jeremy after he became Bob the Tomato and I assumed the Larry the Cucumber role. (We don’t own a ton of Veggie Tales, so SS was the next best thing, fruit-wise.)

Liv’s interest in Joseph has increased due to Vacation Bible School. Pastor Keith’s depiction of the patriarch entertained all the kids that week – and my child began emulating him right away. Creating a hat out of a pair of purple panties, one pigtail visible through a leg hole, she declared she was Mad Jofus. Why so mad? I think it had something to do with her mean brothers who took her coat away and then sold her.

Mad Jofus has morphed into Special Jofus. Yesterday Liv insisted on being called Special Joseph and I finally pressed her as to why she was special. “Because I love you, that’s special,” she responded, kissing my leg with affection. Yup, my heart melted a little bit.

This morning I told her that I needed a new name if she was Joseph. I wracked my brain for ideas… Pharoah? Potiphar? Livia settled it for me: Pastor Keef.

The other day I found myself thinking of the fall, planning ahead food arrangements for the Zion Mom’s Group. I was imagining being a part of the team of women who, in years past, have done such a wonderful job planning and executing our gatherings in this room. The coffeehouse was absolutely central to the picture in my mind’s eye and it took me several minutes before I realized in shock that we wouldn’t be congregating in that space any longer. That room doesn’t exist anymore.

I never knew I could care for a building in this way. To be honest, I’ll be relieved when thinking of the old building is no longer painful.

Cousins, cousins and second cousins. We enjoyed a lovely Independence Day. Check out Renae’s Flickr account for even more fun.