We have had some bad weather here in Mid-Missouri over the past two days. Crazy amounts of rain, pockets of hail, lots of lightning and high winds. Early Thursday morning I was awakened by flashes of light and claps of thunder as the storm seemed to be centered right over our little house. I woke up, wondering about tornadoes, hail, roof damage, and the possibility of any of our large trees falling into the house. »
This weekend, Molly and I attended The Art of Marriage hosted by our church, Compass Evangelical Free Church. I firmly believe that marriage conferences are always a good idea, especially when they’re hosted by the people in your own fellowship. When I told a co-worker about the conference we were attending, his first question was, “You in trouble or something?” My response was, “No, and I don’t want to be, so we go to conferences to prevent problems. »
High of 75 AND snow? What?! I have a weather app on my phone that I check daily. I am a planner and I like to have any and all information accessible that will aid me in my plans to be comfortable in the midst of what is to come. So, if it is going to be 70 degrees and sunny (thank you Jesus!) I want to know that I can bust out a pair of shorts and my Cardinals hat for my afternoon walk with the dog. »
This weekend will mark the six month anniversary of our loss. It’s hard for me to think that six months ago I was washing baby clothes and figuring out how to organize the little dresser in a small bedroom overtaken by two cribs. The grief is still there and it comes in waves. You think you’re doing okay and then something causes the swell to start – maybe it’s seeing a photo of a beaming new dad as he holds his firstborn son, or having the eyes of an infant meet yours while walking through the grocery store, or seeing someone with twins. »
As some of you may know, over the past few weeks I have been training for a triathlon. Trizou is a short triathlon taking place in early May. I’m really looking forward to it. The main problem with this is that I can’t run a triathlon… at least not yet anyway. While I fully believe I’ll be able to run and finish this race by the time it takes place, it’s become quite clear that I’m not ready yet. »
Allyn and I were married two years ago this December. At our wedding reception (which was epic BTW) we did a choreographed waltz to Norah Jones’ song “Come Away with Me” and it was a lot of fun and really, really good for our marriage. Now I’m not talking about the song itself or any of the deep theological principles found in its lyrics (hah!), but rather the preceding experience of learning to dance. »
It’s been cold here in the Midwest. I mean really cold – like 8 inches of snow, single digit temps, freeze your snot kind of cold. On days like these I am thankful for friends who are prone to cabin-fever. Friends like the one I walked with yesterday. This friend introduced me to mall walking, and yes, I know what you’re thinking, I’m much too young to mall walk, but really, can you find a better climate-controlled free track that always ends up at Target? »
I have a love/hate relationship with the mail. More often than not, my daily trip to the mailbox produces nothing more than offers to get a new credit card or switch to this or that cable company. Occasionally my mailbox produces documents that look like handwritten envelopes but turn out to be only a very generic invitation to trade in my car for a brand new car (and a hefty car payment). »
Whereas it hath been requested that an email subscription feature be added to the site “Everyday Ebenezers” (aka hedraios.net, hereafter known as “the site”), and whereas a suitable plugin has been found for such a task, a subscription form hath been added to yonder right side of said page on the site. If it interests the reader to become a subscriber, please feel free to enter your email address using the aforementioned field-on-the-right. »
Perhaps you’ve heard the term “ebenezer” before – maybe it makes you think of a certain Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge, or it calls to mind a melody from a familiar hymn, or, if you’re a student of the Old Testament you might recall in 1 Samuel 7:12 that Samuel sets up a stone and calls it “ebenezer.” The word comes from a Hebrew phrase that translates as “stone of help.” Samuel raises up this ebenezer following a battle with Israel’s enemy the Philistines, in which God shows up in a mighty way and gives Israel the victory. »