God's Protection 4 Years Ago Today

I just got the neatest little reminder on my phone. It buzzed/jingled and a reminder popped up. I never set those things so I was wondering what in the world it could be.

"God protected you 4 years ago today..." was all it read. Hmmmm, March 3. Ah, yes. March 3, 2007.

I was 9 months pregnant with Jonah. Our cheerleading friends gave me a sweet shower to celebrate becoming parents. Bear went mountain biking with some friends. At the end of the day, we were all in the emergency room at Eastside Hospital in Snellville and not because of the baby...

Bear broke his neck.

It was the best thing that has ever happened. Isn't that crazy?! But it's so true. God carried, sustained, and rescued us through it all.

“Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob,
   all the remnant of the people of Israel,
you whom I have upheld since your birth,
   and have carried since you were born.
Even to your old age and gray hairs
   I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
   I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

With whom will you compare me or count me equal?
   To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?"

Isaiah 46:3-5, emphasis mine

I'm so thankful that He hasn't stopped. Even in Imbeeyah.



Four More Nights!!!!!

Just look at how short our prayer chain is!!! Woooooo-hoooooooooo! Four more nights 'til Daddy's home and it can't come soon enough!

I got to talk to Bear tonight for about 45 minutes which is crazy long. The past two times I talked to him last week was about 4 minutes a piece so it felt like forever...but in a good kinda forever way. :) We've been tearing off a chain every night & praying for the "Imbeeyan" people. Jonah's prayer stays pretty much consistent:

"Dear God, Please keep my Daddy safe in Imbeeyah. Amen."

Several nights ago, his prayer grew.

"Dear God, Please keep my Daddy safe in Imbeeyah and help them to know the Bible is Your True Word. Amen." (emphasis on True. Word. He was very dramatic emphatic.)

Sunday night, we went to the circus with Tantie, Cobb, and the Squishes. (The Squishes are my sisters unborn twins until we know the genders, which we'll probably keep the name but change any female twin(s) to Squishie(s) to make it more feminine. Yes, we're that weird.) Esther Grace has begun an obsessive love affair with elephants. I'm sure I'll blog more on that later. At least I don't have to worry about getting one as a pet. Annnnnnyways....

As we were walking through the parking lot towards the Gwinnett Arena, the sun was setting and I snapped  a picture with my phone. It doesn't do it any justice.

The light was streaming up into the heavens and it was just beautiful. Breathtaking. It was about 6:30 p.m. and I realized that it was about 5:00 a.m. the next morning in India. I told Jonah, "Do you know that the sun is setting here but in India where Daddy is, it's just coming up? God is sending our sun to light Daddy's morning!" It was such a neat thought. That night, Jonah's prayer grew even more....

"Dear God, Please keep my Daddy safe in Imbeeyah and help him to put light into the Imbeeyan peepul's hearts. Amen."

Tonight, we prayed Proverbs 19:21 from our prayer chain.

"Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails."

In previous nights, we've prayed about God's guidance and leading those from darkness to light. Jonah's prayer?

"Dear God, Please keep my Daddy safe in Imbeeyah....and could You just help him and guide him? Amen."

My heart could not be fuller! I think it might burst on Saturday when I've got my entire family home! :)

"Imbeeyah"

We've made a prayer chain for Daddy while he's in "Imbeeyah". There's a link for each night he's gone with Bible verses that we can pray. When we get to the heart at the top that says "Daddy's Home!", it will be time for him to be back.

Jonah wanted to write "Daddy" all by himself. Not bad for a three-year-old but I'm biased. I know for a fact there are others in his class at preschool that could do way better. They're also girls, but you know....

Last night, while we were praying Ephesians 4 for Daddy (specifically verses 4 and 15) Jonah asked if we could tear off two links.
     "I want Daddy to come home.....now."
I know, Buddy. Me too.

After he went to bed, I was finishing up my lesson for BSF and kept getting hung up on one particular question. The lesson asked me to list promises from anywhere in the Bible that are encouraging me at the current time. There are so many! Where do I even start?! I was thinking about in John 17 when Jesus prays for His disciples and asks God to keep them safe by the Name He gave Christ. I tried to turn there but for some reason my mind kept thinking that "sheep" was in that passage and I know the sheep passage is in John 10 so that's where I ended up. Of course, that's exactly where God wanted me.

"I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd." John 10:16

Suddenly, my prayer turned from "Keep Bear safe, keep Bear safe!" to "Get those sheep, get those sheep!" Strange how God just turned my perspective around, isn't it? It's not about my fear, worry, and loneliness. It's all about Him and His glory. Always has.

So, Babe- wherever you are in "Imbeeyah"....get those sheep!

SSMT #4

Bear's in India and as I'm typing this he should be landing in Mumbai. They will be spending the night in the airport and then flying out to Hyderabad on Tuesday morning at 6:25 am (their time).... about 8 pm tonight (our time). I've been praying all morning that God provides them with a safe, quiet place to sleep so that they'll be fully rested and protected. I've also been praying Ephesians 6 over them like crazy!

We dropped Bear off at the church Sunday afternoon to meet up with the rest of the team. Jonah has cried several times over the past week in anticipation of Daddy leaving and going to "Imbeeyah" to tell the "Imbeeyan peepul" about Jesus. Sunday, he decided that if he pitched a fit than maybe Daddy would stay. It's been a great opportunity to teach Jonah that sometimes obeying God isn't the most fun thing. Daddy doesn't want to be away from us for two weeks. Daddy isn't looking forward to not seeing us nor is he excited about cuddling up with David at night either. (I know for a fact that he is very excited about what God's going to do in India though.) Regardless of the stuff we don't like, Daddy is being obedient to God and as Bear says, "It's better to be gone and be obedient than to be here and be disobedient. God's Will is the best...and safest...place to be." Amen to that! I can only imagine how much of a grump Bear would be if he were here over the next two weeks. So, it's been good to help Jonah see that we are to obey the Lord regardless of how we feel about it. Obedience is obedience and we're called to do it. No excuses.

As we pulled out of the church parking lot Daddy-less, I was trying to hold back my tears so as not to scare my children. My heart was breaking over the upcoming fourteen nights without Bear. Fourteen nights without someone to talk to before falling asleep. Fourteen nights getting the kids to bed by myself. Fourteen nights not having that security of Bear's back of solid muscle to hide behind when I hear a noise at night. Fourteen nights of restlessness. Fourteen! (I don't even want to calculate how many meals, loading/unloading of the car, diapers, etc. that is without MY MAN!)

Chris Tomlin's song "Our God is Greater" was playing on the radio. Yes, I know this song is way overplayed but it was like hearing it for the first time. He is greater. He is stronger. Greater than India. Stronger than my twisted up feelings in my chest. Higher than any other.

My previous memory verse for SSMT was Zephaniah 3:17:

"For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will sing over you with joyful songs."

(emphasis mine)

He did just that. How faithful is our God?! My next verse that I will be memorizing is a bit different. I personalized it just for me....

"[She] will have no fear of bad news; [her] heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord." Psalm 112:7

The Scripture actually reads "They" and "their". I'm pretty sure the Lord won't mind. I really wanted to memorize it in it's entirity of context but I don't think I could handle the entire 112nd chapter of Psalms! But it's a perfect prayer for "Imbeeyah" and the "Imbeeyan peepul" and the team's families at home.

"Praise the LORD. Blessed are those who fear the LORD, who find great delight in his commands. Their children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever. Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous. Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice. Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD. Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes. They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor, their righteousness endures forever; their horn will be lifted high in honor. The wicked will see and be vexed, they will gnash their teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing." Psalm 112

Silent Night, Holy Night

{Bear with me. I understand that the leaves just changed on the trees and I promise I'm not skipping fall and jumping straight to December. There's an alternative motive in me posting this...which I'll tell you at the end.}

No, I'm not talking about Esther Grace sleeping the whole night through. (Although she did sleep until 8:45 this morning! Woo-hoo!) I'm talking about Christmas! I'm so excited! You may not know this about me but when I first met Brooke, my sis-in-law, and we roomed together at UGA, I had a countdown on my calendar until Christmas. And it was May. No joke.

I LOVE CHRISTMAS! I do. I just can't help myself. It's a family genetic trait as far as I'm concerned and I've got both sides of the tinseled tree covered. My MeMaw loved it. Mom loves it. They've always done the designer holiday with white lights, ornaments that are coordinated with the living room, wrapping paper that coordinates with the ornaments, and desserts that only appear once a year. We're talking divinity, homemade (from scratch!) German chocolate cake, coconut cake, etc. On the flip side, my Nana loves it. She has gone the more traditional route with colored lights, red, green, and gold ornaments, and she always has a carafe of apple cider. Mmmmmmm.

Bear, on the other hand is what you would call...um....a humbug. I'm ashamed to admit it but he has got the worst ability to get into the Christmas spirit. He can't stand the commercialization of it at all, with which I whole-heartedly agree, but it bleeds over into other areas. Jonah's first Christmas we took him to ride the Stone Mountain train and I thought Bear was going to just sit in the car. He was SO against it. I pleaded with him to just try it. What did they do on the very. first. stop? The little lady welcomed everyone and said that before we began our trip, she wanted to take the time and tell us the true reason for Christmas: God's gift of Jesus. God coming to man because we can't come to Him. Sweet. (And score 1 for Kristen.)

Over our almost 7 years of marriage, I've won Bear over bit by bit. And he's won me over to his way of thinking on many things too. One thing I love to do is send Christmas cards- especially since we have so many family and friends that live so far away. I'm pretty sure we didn't send one last year since we sent out Esther Grace's birth announcement so close to December so this year I can't wait! We've already had a family photo session with David & Stephanie from Speedbump Love. (Wonderful photos, cheap price tag. Cute story behind the name.) Now the daunting task of choosing a card that's cute but also includes the true reason for why we celebrate our Lord's birth....and without it looking like it came straight from the Renaissance period.

Sidenote: Have you ever noticed that? If Jesus is included, why does it always have to look like it was printed straight from one of the Ninja turtles? Not that there's anything wrong with that....

So. Shutterfly.com has a great assortment of cards and they're reasonably priced too! And I love that I can download my favorite pictures myself and don't have to wait on a third party to do it. Mainly because they'd probably pick a picture of me that would make me look fat and we can't have that. ;) Here are some of my top picks-

If I follow Nana and go the traditional route.....

Love this one because I can put so many pictures of the kids on it!

Love this one with the many names of Christ on it. Mmm-nothing gets me through the hustle better than to call on His name. And the passage is from Isaiah!

I like this one too. Gosh- so many choices!

I dressed our family in chocolate brown and different shades of blue for our family pictures. (Note to Self: Check out the cards before the pictures next year.) So, if I decide to go with a coordinated style more befitting of Mom and MeMaw....

I've always loved pictures of the star of Bethlehem because I feel like the Lord gives me a "star" everyday to encourage me to keep pursuing Him. He just makes Himself so real! I also like this one.....at least it's got brown in it, right?

But I'm pretty sure the winner is.....

Act surprised when you get it if you're on our list! ;) And I promise we'll put pictures of us on it too.

But the goodies don't just stop at cards. They have calendars too, which make great presents for grandparents or anyone who loves those baby pix. And you can also order your pictures as a canvas! I think this is the coolest and looks just like those rooms in the Pottery Barn catalog I'm always drooling over. What are you planning on doing with Shutterfly.com this year?

{Now for the real reason for this post. Shutterfly.com has offered 50 free cards in exchange for this review. Go on over and check out the promo!}

Nine Years Ago Today

I have many dates logged into my memory that can only be described as God-appointed. A cool night in February 2001 is one of those.  Though I'm not quite sure of the exact date, it's like it happened yesterday. I had been at the University of Georgia since that spring after transferring from Georgia College & State University mid-sophomore year. I had been commuting about 40 minutes every day while living with my parents since the transfer was kind of a last minute, not-thought-through decision. This boy that I had met suggested that I meet his sister because she was in need of a roommate. I thought, "Well, how bad can it be? He's a Believer and she lives at one of the campus ministry houses. Sure!"

 To go along with my last minute decision to transfer colleges, I had also decided to tryout for cheerleading on a whim. I had done it in highschool and thought it would be a good way to meet people at my new school. I am not a last minute kind of person. I don't like change and here I was upheaving everything I had known to completely redefine myself following a devestating break-up. I have no idea how to explain this sudden adventurous Spirit other than It was not my own.

I had no idea what God had
in store for me.

This boy that I had met was a cheerleader at UGA and was instructing a cheerleading clinic for prospective new girls. A bunch of cheerleaders were going out to eat after a long day of stunting and had invited me. This boy asked me to ride with his friend and on our way, we'd stop off at the CCF house and I could meet his sister. Well, needless to say, I have no clue what Brooke and I talked about. I barely remember her even being on that porch. (Sorry girl! I do remember all our late night talks though!) All I remember swinging on the swing with this boy that I had just met and hanging on his every word. He spoke of the Lord like no other guy I knew. His eyes were on fire as he described how God had called him to abandon dating over the past year and focus on just his relationship with Jesus. He was planning on going to China over the summer for an 8 week period. His name was Bear....like the animal.

Isn't he such a cutie? What a baby face!

Fast forward to October 2, 2001. After months of this boy coming around to visit his sister, hanging out,  and stealing our food, he asked me to come over to his apartment. Apparently, several cheerleaders were going to hang out and possibly watch a movie. I went over there and no one  was there. Just his roommate, Eric, who also cheered. Eric said, "I'm not supposed to let you leave." Ooookay.
     "Bear called and said he'll be right here."
     "Where's everybody else?" I asked. That got a puzzled look and a shrug.
      "I don't know what you mean," Eric said. Ooookay.
      "The movie? Weren't we all going to meet here and hang out?" This was getting odd. My heart was fluttering and I'm pretty sure it quit beating when Eric grinned and said, "Nah, Bear just wanted to talk to you about something." (I would find out later that I was referred to in the apartment by the guys as "The One".)

Bear's "Six Pack"- I should've known then he
was weird. And yes, their shirts say
"UGA Hottie Tossers".

About an hour later, (yes, he was that late), Bear walked through the door. He had been at a study group that went over and had rushed there. This could've been very serious seeing as the Turbodog, his '87 Honda Civic, had no brakes. He'd just throw it into neutral and use his parking brake. Yep, I'm serious. He asked me to go up to his room. Normally I would've declined an invitation to a college boy's bedroom at night and alone but Bear was completely different than any other guy I'd ever met. There wasn't even a hint of danger. (We dated 4 months before even thinking about kissing.)

We went up and he started acting really weird. He showed me pictures of his family, pictures of friends from highschool. It was very strange. He sat at his desk and began rummaging through his stuff like it was the most interesting thing on the planet. Well. Looks like I'd have to take the reigns on this one.
     "So. Eric said you needed to talk to me about something?" Freeze. Literally.
     "Um, yeah." Babble, babble, babble. This awkward exchange went on for what seemed like forever. In my head, I had expected this to turn into a dating talk. Bear's deadline for the Year of No Dating had lapsed and I thought that all his visits were his way of getting to know me. Guess I was wrong. I guess he really was visiting his sister. 

My dad took this after cheering at a game
one night. He probably wondered who in the
world was manhandling his daughter.

Earlier that fall, we had been having a serious discussion about God and redemption. It had come out that I had messed up physically with a guy that I had been dating for almost 5 years. I mean really messed up. Great, I thought. He's going to preach to me. The enemy was always using this against me, accusing me of being a fake Christian because I had messed up. He still does it to this day and I'm almost 30. Now I know why he was so active in his attack that night. He did not want this to happen. The phone rang, interrupting my thoughts. It was Brooke. She wanted to talk to me.

     "Are you dating my brother yet?"
     "Huh?"
     "Are you dating my brother yet?"
     "Um, no." What in the world?
     "Did you forget your key?" A complete and regular event in the life of Kristen Jarvis.
     "Yeah, probably."
     "Well, I'm locking the door and not letting you in until you're dating my brother." Click. No joke.
     "What'd she say?" Bear asked.
     "Well, she wants to know if we're dating yet."

I'm not exactly sure what followed after that. I do know that the following conversation resulted in prayer, tears, and a commitment to follow the Lord together in whatever He had planned for us. I had to make sure I was clear about one thing though.
     "Just so you know, I'm serious about this. In for the long haul. I've done the long-term thing before, with a godly guy no less, and have nothing to show for it and I'm done with that whole wishy-washy dating with no purpose. If we're going to do this thing, we're talking marriage right now. Seriously. My heart can not survive another hurt like I've been through. Got it?" Who was this girl? What in the world did I just say? Did I just say the 'm' word? What??!!! Time stopped as Bear looked up at me and simply stated,
     "That's exactly what I had in mind."

Taken before a CCF worship meeting on
October 4, 2001. Dating a whole 2 days!

Nine years later, here we are. Two kids, a happy home, a healthy marriage and serving the Lord together. We actually brought Esther Grace home last year on October 2. Who knew this is what God had planned all those years ago? Tonight we actually celebrate Bear's grandparents 54th wedding anniversary. 54 years and still going strong. Oh, that Bear and I would be that blessed!

Taken at the boys' apartment right
before Eric's wedding.

It's funny that God's got us discipling youth. Bear's got junior boys and I've got junior girls. Hmph. Juniors. The very year that I began my journey to sin. What started out as a relationship that glorified God and was pleasing to the Lord slowly turned into a filthy, self-gratifying, path of destruction. I alone am to blame. I am the one who chose to ignore His law. I am the one that should've been pregnant in high school. I am the one who disregarded what I knew to be True, desperatly trying to plan out my life in order to avoid heartache. Ironic. That's exactly what I did. Much like a blogging friend of mine posted recently, I Deserved Cousin Eddie. (Read this if you get a chance. It's powerful!) I got Prince Charming.

Thank You Lord for Your revelation, redemption, and restoration! Thank You that You turn what this world intends for evil and use it for Your glory! Thank You for Your protection and provision! Thank You Lord for this wonderful life You've prepared for me! Thank You for this man that leads me, instructs me, corrects me, encourages me, and spoils me rotten! I am blessed to be called Your child and want nothing more than to serve You wholeheartedly.

UGA Homecoming Parade 2001
Coach didn't know we were dating. She took this picture.
Busted.

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

Did I Really Sign Up for This?

Yesterday I had my BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) Workshop. This is to kick off the new year of study. Yesterday's was particularly exciting because we begin a brand new study of Isaiah this year. It's never been done before by the BSF organization. Along with the new study comes some new guidelines and procedures. It's all very encouraging and thrilling. (I think I also love each new year because I'm truly a geek at heart and love all the office supplies that come with studying the Word! I always stock up on Sharpies, Post-Its, highlighters, etc. for the year.) Anyways, during our Workshop the leaders had to answer what we wanted God to do for us, through us, and in us this year as we study Isaiah. Well, since everything had been so new all day my mind automatically went to Isaiah 43:18-19:

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."

I want God to do a new thing in me! Everything else is new....Esther Grace has started showing her personality and WOW! She's a new thing! I'm going to have to parent differently with her and learn new things. Jonah's a new pre-schooler now. I want a new adventure with God, a new journey. I want excitement, thrill, a new revelation, a fresh anointing. "Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." (Psalm 51:12) Little did I know what would confront me when I got home.

I was putting Jonah down for a nap when Bear came in from work.

"I brought a guest home."

By the way he said it, I just knew some huge snake or possum from the side of the road was waiting for me in the foyer.

"Is it a what or a who?" I asked.

He just grinned and led me through the hallway to a small statured man who was wearing glasses and standing in the middle of my living room.

"This is Jörg." (The best way we could ever pronounce it was George but that wasn't even it. It sounds kind of like Yurg.)

Apparently, my husband had picked up this man from the side of the road in downtown Atlanta. Jörg had flown into Atlanta on Monday and was backpacking through America for the next 3 months. No plan. No itinerary. Just him, a bicycle, and a backpack. My husband's dream. He had been standing on the side of the highway with his road map trying to decide where to go when a large truck rushed past him. The wind ripped his map out of his hands and into the traffic. The next person that talked to him was Bear Oh. And he would be staying with us for the night. WHAT?????!!!!!!

I panicked in my head. God, this is not a new thing. This is a crazy thing. This isn't an adventure, it's insanity. Didn't Elizabeth Smart get kidnapped by a homeless man that her dad employed? All these thoughts raced through my head as I extended my hand, smiled, and graciously said, "Hi. I'm Kristen."

I got to talk with Jörg all throughout the evening. He explained to me that his mother is a fan of "How you say, Old American Criminals." Huh?
"Like Kojak," he said. Gotcha.
That's how he improved his English. He bought her a set of DVD's for her birthday. He would watch them in English and then they would watch them together in German at night. I told him my favorite was Matlock. His mother is also a huge fan of "Gone with the Wind". Who's not? He said that he called her as soon as he got to Atlanta to tell her how disappointed he was.
"It's all gone. Nothing is left of the Old South," he sadly stated.
I told him of Madison and the legend of how Sherman left it intact on his march to the sea because of a lover who lived there. His eyes brightened as I explained that it was only about a 30 minute drive from our house. He said that he had read a lot on the 'Old South' before he left home and did desire to visit Savannah on his trip. Funny, I thought. We have several things in common. He shared pictures of his two daughters, 21 and 18, with us and laughed at our two little ones running around. He seemed very nice. Of course, I'm sure Ted Bundy did too.

The more he talked about his family, God began to do a work in my heart. I started to see him the way God sees him. He's just like me. He said that his 3 month journey in America was a spiritual one. He was looking for peace. He believes in God and says he obeys the 10 Commandments but doesn't believe in Jesus. 

Okay, God. So I'm in sheer panic mode on the inside but if my husband thinks this is a Divine appointment, I'm supposed to submit, right? I mean, that was in the vows somewhere I think. But I'm pretty sure it didn't include random strangers in our home. That part was definitely not in the vows. You know what echoed through my mind right then?  "The King will reply, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." (Matthew 25:40) That was mixed in with a little of Hebrews 13:1-2, "Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so some people have entertained angels without knowing it." What else could I do?

So we all went to church together. Guess what the message was about? Isaiah 43:18-19 I'm not even kidding you. It was 80's Night for the youth, which I'm sure confused the heck out of Jörg. I tried to explain to him that we don't normally dress that way but I think something got lost in translation. He just nodded politely but I think this is the point when he started to think that he had been hijacked by serial killers. Especially when one of the boys walked in wearing a full fledged woman's leotard and started doing lunges down the aisle. The whole gist of the night was that everyone looked pretty silly dressed like the past and when we go back to our old ways of life after we accept Christ, we look pretty foolish. I mean, the whole point of this Christian life is to move forward.

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:12-14

You see, Jörg's past life was filled with sadness and despair. He lost his job working with Volkswagen when the financial crisis hit Germany and the banks refused to loan people money for new cars. He lost his house when he had no income to pay the mortgage. He lost his wife when everything was gone and she desired something more. Now he desires something more out of life, some could say a new thing, and has come here to America to find it. Jesus is it.

I'd like to say that he prayed to receive Christ right then and there. Honestly, I don't even know if he understood a single word. I do know that I prayed for him then and all through the night- every time I woke up to the sounds of what I thought was someone prowling around our house stealing every valuable we own. I wish I could tell you that I was victoriously bold and proclaimed Christ with every word I spoke. The truth is I put the kids in their jammies, put them in our bed, locked our bedroom door, and made Bear sleep on the couch to make sure our guest stayed put all night long. I completely fumbled through the whole thing. Maybe next time I will be more courageous. What am I saying? Next time?

This morning Bear took Jörg to Madison after a shower, a big breakfast, and a good night's sleep.

"For the record," I said as I passed Bear in the kitchen, "this doesn't happen again."

After about 5 minutes, he said,
"For the record, I heard you. If it really makes you that uncomfortable, it won't happen again."

For the record, I hope God heard that too.