Archives for December 2015

It seemed kinda crazy to plan a personal retreat for only a couple days before N.J.’s arrival. I knew that when I blocked that day off a few weeks ago. But, it had to happen and it was the only time it could.

My husband sent me off with his blessing. No kids. No dinner to make. No bedding to change or laundry to do. No homework to help with or lunches to pack. Here in a hotel room with the thermostat turned up to 75 and a constant flow of decaf coffee, I nested.

I brought along a big bag of books thinking I needed some agenda, things to do. I barely looked at them. I spent my hours instead with one single page that Mark had put together for me. There was Scripture to read, familiar words but ones I read over and over in all different translations and was able to read in a new way. He had some words to go with it from one of his favorite thinkers who wrote a good while ago and yet somehow, 300 years later, seemed to have written me a letter today. And, he came up with personal questions for me to wrestle through that would get me to dig deep and consider some hard things. There I nestled in and lingered for a while, retreating from all the busyness and just simmering in the fact that I have a good, good Father who loves me and a husband who cares deeply that I would rest in that truth and become more like Him.

I’d say that is just the right place to be before another pitter patter joins us for a while. I’ve been blessed abundantly. I’ve breathed deeply. The house isn’t totally clean. The frig isn’t stocked. I still have to go to Target and buy some more itty bitty socks and an itty bitty potty. But, my heart is set on what it should be—or as close as it can be given where I am in the middle of the first and second advent.

 

It doesn’t seem all that long ago that we were sitting in a conference room. It wasn’t that welcoming of a room per se—standard carpet, some sort of chairs with conference-room-like cushions, some pitchers of ice water on a table in the back. But, 30 or so of us gathered there and something special happened. We sat in a circle, and we worshipped, like the kind of worship that makes you just want to close your eyes and slowly sway, soaking it all in. The Morlans from Seeds Family Worship were there, instruments of God’s blessing to us as they led us to the throne of grace. They had led us in worship throughout the Together Called retreat, and this was the perfect end. Just thinking about hearing Jessica’s sweet voice and Philip’s acoustic guitar followed by teaching by the man I love most in this world makes me long for this coming April to come quickly so we can do it again.

I asked them afterwards what those songs were and where to find them. I thought I knew every song they had, but these were new. They couldn’t give me an answer that satisfied me at the time because they weren’t anywhere I could get them just yet. They were just getting heading into the studio the following week to start recording them for their newest album—a collection of lullabies.

I had no idea then—as we were preparing for a newborn baby to leave our home—that when their album was finally published we’d be preparing for another baby to come into our home. I’m confident that I would have gotten my hands on When You Lie Down: Lullabies and Scripture Songs even without the anticipation of another set of little feet joining us in just a few days. But, it’s a pretty sweet thing knowing that it has arrived just in time to make sure that for the season N.J. is in our home, he will get to hear about Jesus through song every night when he lies down, and I’ll be singing along. He doesn’t know English, but I’m trusting in grace upon grace that his little heart will sense something special and that he’ll close his eyes, slowly sway, and soak it all in.

pssst—you could order it on Amazon and get your free shipping. But, if you buy it on Seeds’ website, you have the added bonus of being able to buy the digital copy, download it for yourself, and then gift the album to someone else to download too. They are all about sharing at Seeds. Love that.