Thoughts on Three

So now I have three. Hudson is three months. Ella is 4 1/2, Lilly is almost 3. What do I think about this new addition/new rhythm in my life? It is dynamic, it is chaotic, it seems utterly and absolutely right. I cannot imagine my life without any of these little people. For the first 6 weeks of life with Hudson, I felt like I was set at the starting block of a big footrace for which I had been training for years, and then someone came along and cut my legs off. I felt ready to race but it was out of the question because I didn't have the necessary tools that I had trained with. But there was a sudden change in the wind. People who are little girls in my home settled into a disposition of having different expectations, and got used to the new sounds and routines that were ushered in. Ella and Lilly have become quite flexible, patient for the most part. Ella is in fact utterly patient, Lilly has her struggles when she needs me "NOW" or so she thinks. But the blessing of this baby's entrance is indisputable in the moments when his sisters snuggle close, caress his little head, and speak incoherences in sing-song that bring rich and sparkling smiles to his entire face. Love is all around!

The Gift of Paul

In recent months I have been going to a Bible study of sorts at my church, specifically for moms. The speaker is a mother of 8, sharing her thoughts on "practical Christian living for women". One of the most helpful ideas, though they've all been illuminating, is her encouragement to give God the best part of our day. That could be any time you have some peace in your home. This has freed me up. My longheld belief that devotions should be done in the morning or you've blown it for the day and you might as well wait and try again tomorrow wasn't helping me at all. Now, I look forward to the time I know I will have quiet all around and can spend time reading the Bible and praying. I get excited! That's not happened to me before.
I have been reading through the New Testament, a few chapters a night. In my reading I have found the apostle Paul to be a key character for apologetics. This man was a Pharisee, and a zealous protector of the Jewish law and tradition, killing and arresting Christians or "followers of the Way". After a single interview with Jesus on the road to Damascus, he is utterly transformed - shifting his beliefs and his rhetoric 180. He was bent on telling the truth to everyone, risking his life. He made his travels and boldly spoke and preached and reasoned with Jews and Gentiles - it seems clear to me that nothing but the truth could cause this dedication, this fearless capitulation of a message. He had seen, he understood, there was a message he needed to convey - he was bursting with the truth of Jesus' resurrection, with the fact that he was made witness to God's Son. The words and witness of Paul are a gift - he gives us another compelling reason to believe.