If You Plant it, Will it Grow?

I own a dvd called The Merchants of Cool that delves into the details of marketing and how successful companies get teenagers to buy into products.  In the documentary, they talk about two basic approaches to boost the popularity of something.

1.) You go out into the community and you talk to teenagers to find out some of the things most of them have in common.  Then, you take those ideas and capitalize on them to bring the people to you for the source of all the things they like.

2.) You come up with something you want people to like and you simply create hype around it to get them thinking they like it.  Sometimes, they pay people to gather around something and act like it is cool.  This baits other people to follow suit and actually start liking this thing simply because others do.

The more I pay attention to trends, the more I notice these two principals are basically still at play and still working very well for marketers.

Where is this going?

I've noticed this hasn't been too much different with church.  I have been to A LOT of churches.  I have search for a "good" church in different cities and states.  And these experiences have taught me a lot.  Back when I started out on my own, and I was looking for my own church for the first time, I thought I knew what I wanted in a church. 

I wanted something nondenominational with people around my age.  Seriously, that's what I wanted.  And the more I think of it, those were my only two requirements.  I found that, and I quickly learned that I didn't want what I found. I didn't feel connected to the church.  Even though people my age were there, I didn't feel I could relate to them.  So, I kept looking.  I ultimately found a church that matched some of the things I was looking for; however, I had then really wanted a church mostly as a social function.

As I moved on in life, I started finding many churches that met my first two requirements that left me lacking Spiritually.  I didn't feel like my desire to learn and grow as a Christian was being met.  I had to find something else. I had to get past my bias against denominations. I decided to stop judging. I found a great church.  I realized that I didn't know what I was looking for.

Yet, I was still leaning toward that one denomination of that one church because I felt comfortable with it.  I got down to Georgia and I found myself in the deep South with a totally different set of options in the way of churches than what I found around me in Virginia or even North Carolina.  I found a church there by meeting Christian people first who I really respected and finding out where they went to church.  This brought me to a different denomination...one I had prejudged and ended up finding myself completely wrong about it.

When we came back up to North Carolina, it was time to find a church again.  The last time we were here, the hunt for a church was difficult.  I had come to the conclusion at this point that there were only a few things I wanted.  Yet, my goals had changed. First, I wanted to be in a church where the people truly cared about each other.  Second, I wanted to be in a church where I wanted to go to church! I know that sounds strange, but I felt like certain churches just make you feel at home.  I wanted to feel at home.  Third, I wanted to feel like the messages were solid and the doctrine was sound.  We had to go through several churches to find these things before.  This time, one church just jumped out at me.  We tried it.  We stayed.

We have grown to love the church.  Unfortunately, the church is small. There are only a few people our age attending.  But we feel so LOVED and ENCOURAGED by the people there that we feel it is our church home.  This experience (and one other one in the past) has had me wondering what makes a church grow? It seems that some churches look for what people want, they find a way to relate to the people, and they bring people in that way.  Other churches are popular just because they are popular.  People want somewhere to get connected and the easiest way to do that is to go to the biggest church in town.

But what happens when you have a great church and the people just aren't there because they are at the bigger church down the street? Many haven't even tried the church.  Maybe they are like I was before and they already don't want to try a church because it is attached to a denomination.  Maybe they come in and only see 5 other couples their age and that's just not enough for them.  What will get people to come in? And then after that, what will get them to stay?

I sometimes think you need to have things there to get people there. Some people want youth groups for their kids.  Some people want to see a sea of people their age. But I think that to keep people, you need to care about the people. And to care about the people, you need to reach out to them and be there for them.  I don't know though because I have never really done outreach for a church.

I am wondering these things because our church is about to go through a major change.  Our pastor is retiring and a new one is coming in. I desperately want the change to be good, but I don't think change just for change is good. Many churches are departing from truth found in Scripture because some of it isn't popular anymore. I don't want to lose that just for change. 

And I am also wondering what is growth? Is it numbers? Maybe it is a solid group of people who are committed to each other and to the church. I would rather be part of a congregation of 100 people who are truly loving and devoted Christians than one of 1,000 who attend church just because it is something to do. 

The Lord has taught me so much through different churches, and I hope to learn something amazing through this experience.  I hope to actually have answers to my own questions.

The Good Shepherd

According to our pastor, this Sunday is Good Shepherd Sunday.  Therefore, his sermon came from John chapter 10 concerning Jesus comparing himself to a shepherd and his sheep. Without quoting the entire passage he was using, the portion of Scripture basically talks about how Jesus is the good shepherd and those who truly are his sheep listen to him and follow him.

I think, in short, that was the entire sermon. If we believe in Jesus, we follow him.  If we know he is our shepherd, we listen to him and find comfort in him. Those who are saved know who their savior is.  In a world full of contradicting theology, there is comfort to be found in the fact that Jesus Christ's voice can be heard today by his own sheep. The more we tune our ears to hear his voice by choosing to listen to him, the more we simply listen to his voice.

There was a part in the sermon where the pastor mentioned that true Christians do not need to be persuaded to do what Christians do.  He was saying that as you come closer to the Lord, you simply want to be with the Lord. If you are his sheep, you want to be in his pasture. That means, you want to go to a church where you feel you can commune with God.  And you want to go there often.  That means you want to freely give to others because that's what your heart wants to do.  If you are a sheep of the good shepherd, you choose to love, you choose to obey.  This is not because that's what you think you ought to do but because you are compelled by the Love of Jesus...the good shepherd. 

He also mentioned that we crucify Christ today.  I thought this was interesting because that was something I was actually thinking about recently.  I was noticing that people seem to sacrifice Christ in exchange for what's common.  If Christ starts to become unpopular, people are quick to move toward what is popular.  I see a lot of controversy rising these days over personal opinions and beliefs. People form beliefs and that is what they stand by, and I feel we are straying from the truth.  If we want to hear the voice of the good shepherd, we need to be silent and willing to listen.  Otherwise, we are simply crucifying him for what makes us happy and comfortable. 

If we are his sheep, we hear his voice.  When we are his sheep, our lives change.  We cannot stay the same. We are compelled by his love to do what is right because he makes us want to.  That is what it means to be a sheep of the good shepherd.

Gordon Lee: Mr. Jabber Walky

Gordon Lee is 21 months old today. He is growing and developing so quickly that I can't even list some of the things he has learned to do.  Every day, there is something new.  Sometimes, he really shocks us with the things he can do/say. I am not sure if his speech is typical for a child his age or not.  I am thinking he is probably right where he is supposed to be.  But he seems very interested in examining language and finding the best way to communicate.

He understands the difference between singular and plural language.
He calls diapers "doctors" for some reason. However, when he sees only one, he will say, "A doctor." When he sees more than one, he says "doctors"
He calls one car "a car." When he sees several he says "cars."
The one word that confuses him right now is bus because the singular form ends in an "s." So because he doesn't know what to do, he will just say "bus and bus and bus" or "bus bus bus" when he sees several. Most of the time, he will try to say it for each one he sees.

For example, if he says something and we don't respond in the way he expects, he tries different approaches.  First, he will attempt to say it more than once just to make sure we hear him.  If we continue to not respond, he will try to say it again in a different way.  Still, if that doesn't "work" in his mind, he will then try to physically show us what he wants. He has really been enjoying going for bike rides, and he frequently asks to go.  Since his seat is attached to his daddy's bike right now, he will say, "bike seat, Dada?" asking to get in the seat for a ride.  He will then instruct his Daddy to get on the bike saying, "Sit Dada" and pointing to the seat. Directly after returning from a bike ride yesterday, Gordon Lee decided that he was not done and wanted to go back out.  So, this is how he chose to communicate.
Attempt 1: "Up Mama" "Up Dada" "Bike Seat"
Response from Daddy: "We just went for a bike ride.  We will go for another one tomorrow."
Attempt 2: He walks to the door, puts his hands on the door leaning into it and says, "bike seat bike seat"
Response from  Daddy: Same as before "We just went for a bike ride. We will go for another one tomorrow."
Attempt 3: Still standing at the door, he calls out "Bicycle! Bicycle!" in the plainest, clearest English he can produce.
Finally, after the same answer that we would not be going back out, he resorted to throwing a tantrum...which still didn't get him his way
But he DID get another bike ride the next day as promised.

Gordon Lee is CONSTANTLY jabbering away. And he is frequently asking questions. Some of his language is indiscernible, but you can tell that he is really saying something and trying to communicate based on his tone. And some things, I actually don't understand unless I happen to catch them on camera and play them back. However, there are times in the midst of his chattering where some very clear sentences and statements come out. 
Here are some of the things he has said in the clearest, plainest English.
-Coming into the driveway, he points and says, "That's Daddy's car!"
-This morning in particular he wanted to go see his daddy. When I told him daddy had already left, he said, "Where did Daddy go?" I answered "He went to get the car fixed." I showed him my missing vehicle in the driveway; however, upon seeing that his daddy's car was still sitting there, he determined I must be incorrect. So, he answered, "See Daddy's car. Where Daddy?"
So, then I took him upstairs to show him that his daddy was, in fact, gone. At this point, he responded, "But where Daddy go?" Oh my!
-Every now and then, we have a conversation that doesn't end up so cyclical. A few days ago, he told me he wanted some "nanas" for lunch.  I told him they were all gone.  He went to the kitchen counter pointing up as if they were simply out of sight. I lifted him up to show him that the bananas were all gone saying, "See, the bananas are all gone." He responded, "Oh nanas all gone."

He really shocked us on Easter Sunday when he heard a gun go off in the distance and yelled out "Gun shot!" We have no clue where he got that from.

Sometimes, I have a hard time proving that he does talk like this at times because Gordon Lee is selective about when he talks and what he says.  He is pretty shy, actually, and he usually doesn't talk around people that he doesn't see too often. He has also become very aware of when I am recording him and starts to "turn it off" when he sees me holding the phone up at him.  

Either way, at some point, he will be talking enough for everybody to hear and probably wont "turn it off" when we want him to!

I wonder if he is starting to take after his mommy in his interest and examination of the English language. Only time will tell!

Bubble Wrap Painting! A perfect project for toddlers

I saw a great idea the other day for using bubble wrap to paint. I had never even thought of this on my own. However, when I saw it, I then googled it some more and saw what pretty prints bubble wrap can make when used to paint.  This week, we are talking to our toddlers about things we can touch and exploring different textures. So, I thought it would be a great idea for them.

The project is so simple to prepare and so easy for toddlers to do. First, you simply cut bubble wrap into small squares (probably about 5 inches X 5 inches or so). I did not measure it. I just eyeballed it. Then, form it into a ball with the bubbles facing the outside and tape it up.

It is small and easy for a toddler to hold.  Then, you can really use anything nontoxic for paint.  You can make your own edible finger paints; I was fortunate to have enough (safe for toddlers) paint at my disposal.  

Put a small amount in a shallow dish or on a cup. Give the child the bubble wrap ball and allow him/her to dip it in the paint and then press it on the paper.

I had to show Gordon Lee to put it on the paper as his first instinct was to put it in his mouth. However, he had just eaten and found it much more fun to make "bubbles" on his paper.

Gordon Lee had a blast with it and did not want to stop. Here is his final product (complete with a handprint so we know it is his).

A King Yet a Servant

I can hardly believe how long it has been since I last wrote a blog.  Simply put, my brain was void of ideas, so I just didn't write.

Yet, for the last 2 weeks at least, there has been one prominent thought appearing everywhere in my life.  And I feel compelled to share it.   As many people know, I have chosen to work with preschoolers and most people think I'm insane for doing so. 
"Why don't you go back to the school system?"
"Maybe you can teach at a community college."
and then the perfectly blunt question "Why in the world are you doing this?"

And my answer "Because right now it makes the most sense."

And there is so much pressure everywhere for people to look down on me as if I am a nobody.  Or for people to view me as somehow cheating myself. But why?

What is success? It is what the world has deemed it to be. And since the world doesn't view my job as successful it is therefore nothing and should be beneath me. The idea is that just anybody can do it.

But the thing is that I feel like I'm doing the right thing where I am.  How is it nothing to be responsible for shaping the lives of children in their most formative and critical years? 

We had a training last Saturday where one of the teachers who works with me remarked that she is tired of this being such a thankless job.  She shared a story about a parent who saw her purse and asked her how she could afford a purse like that! She was astonished that the parent really looked down on her that much.  But while I think of the job I do, I see it this way.  If I am doing what God wants me to do, then I don't need any worldly praise or recognition of any kind.

I could very well be beyond "successful," admired by all, and not be serving the Lord. I'll take the former.

On top of all of that, I keep thinking about Jesus.  This is the Lord himself, choosing to be a nobody.  CHOOSING to allow people to look down on him. And this is because he wasn't living for here and now. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” (John 18:36)

And last week in church, we sang a beautiful hymn reminding me of my purpose in this life.
Jesu, Jesu, fill us with your love,
show us how to serve
the neighbors we have from you.

Kneels at the feet of his friends,
silently washes their feet,
master who acts as a slave to them.

Neighbors are rich and poor,
varied in color and race,
neighbors are near and far away.

These are the ones we should serve,
these are the ones we should love;
all these are neighbors to us and you.

Loving puts us on our knees,
serving as though we are slaves;
this is the way we should live with you.

Kneel at the feet of our friends,
silently washing their feet;
this is the way we should live with you.

Gordon Lee at 16 months

I haven't done an update on Gordon Lee in quite some time, so I figured today would be good to catch everyone up with a comprehensive look at his latest developments! :)

On Thursday, Gordon Lee will be 16 months old! It feels like time is flying by.

As far as language goes, he says
Mama/Mommy
Dada/Daddy
Baba
Bubble
Shoe & Shoes
Ball
Dog/Doggie
Outside
Nana (for banana)
Hey/Hi
No
Yeah

He also does sign language.
He does signs for
More
Milk
Eat and
Please

Every now and then he strings two words together.  He has said
Dada shoes (when looking at Lee's shoes)
and "A shoe"

If you can't tell, he is very into shoes! It's his favorite word to say and he says it all the time!

He is almost always rattling off something in his own gibberish!

If you say "dance" he will start dancing around the room or around in circles.  If he hears a song he likes, he will either dance to it or clap to it.

He prefers his Daddy over his Mommy (which makes me kind of jealous).  But he just loves his Daddy to pieces! He loves me too, but he is crazy about his Daddy.  He is interested in WHATEVER Daddy is doing!

He is also going through quite a lot of physical developments. He climbs a lot! He can climb out of his crib now, and he wasn't shy about showing me how he did it. He grabs onto the top rail with his hands and does a spiderman move with his feet on the bars and hoists himself out.  However, for now, we have moved the crib so he can't get out (it hasn't stopped him from trying though).

He loves to climb onto the furniture, and he does not like to be excluded from ANYTHING! On Halloween night, he threw a fit if he missed even 1 trick or treater at the door. So, we took him out on the front porch in a wagon and let him pass out candy. He had so much fun doing that!

He can unbuckle the top buckle of his carseat.  Thankfully, he has left it alone recently as he has discovered unbuckling one part of the carseat is not enough to get out.

He tries to put his socks and shoes on, and he also tries to put socks and shoes on our feet (even if we are already wearing them).

Recently, he has become very unhappy if he has a wet or dirty diaper and wants to be changed immediately. I am happy about this because it's a good sign that I can potty train him soon.

Gordon Lee also follows simple commands like "Sit down" "Lay down" "Bring (named object) to Mommy, Daddy, etc." Nap time has become very simple with him.  I only have to tell him to "lay down," cover him with a blanket, and he will fall asleep in a few minutes.

He is becoming increasingly interested in feeding himself and will now refuse to eat sometimes unless I let him feed himself.  He has not only been interested in using the fork or spoon but he wants to scoop the food up himself. 

He also still loves playing with blocks, and he is now making an effort at stacking blocks of similar size/shape.

He is a very happy baby most of the time.  He even has just cut his first molar and didn't even lose sleep at night over it! :) I am truly thankful for Gordon Lee!

The Story of Toto

All weekend long, Gordon Lee had been oscillating between acting healthy and sick. He would have a temperature and then it would go away only to come back again. He seemed to be losing his appetite, and I was somewhat concerned that perhaps he was developing a bug.  However, in spite of all of this, he seemed to have no trouble happily running laps around the yard and house.  On Monday morning, he was acting just fine with no fever.  Well, by that early evening, he was sick.  He had a fever and was vomiting.  He projectile vomited all over the backseat of my car (that was the first time I've witnessed projectile vomit and I hope it will be the last).  I felt so bad for the poor guy.  

The next morning, he wasn't doing much better.  So, I took the day off of work to take him to the doctor. (As it turns out, he had postnasal drip that made his tummy sick, but that is beside the point of this post..all of this is just introductory info).

Since I was feeling just fine and Gordon Lee wasn't too bad off, I decided to make a short trip to Kohls to make a return. I had the amount of my returned item placed on a Kohls gift card.  When I was finishing my shopping trip, I had roughly calculated the amount of items in my cart and realized I still had about $5 left to spend.

I made my way to the checkout line and saw this adorable puppy sitting on a shelf staring at us.

A few thoughts went through my mind.

1.) My little boy is feeling sick. It might be nice to buy him a little special something to cuddle.

2.) 100% of the proceeds go to helping sick children in the children's hospital. I am so thankful my son is only sick temporarily and not in a hospital. I think I should perhaps show my appreciation for that.

3.) This dog is exactly $5 and that is about the amount I have left to spend.

So, what do you think I did?

Of course I bought him.

Gordon Lee loved him and held onto him tightly in his carseat. He is now wanting to take Toto into his crib with him to sleep (the first stuffed animal he has ever wanted to bring into his crib).

And when I look at Toto, I think "Thank you, Lord, for my healthy child."