Next Sunday, a group of children, youth and adults will come to our neighborhood to live in our homes for the week, paint the home of one of our church members and help prepare our tutoring center for a busy summer of ministry, and lead sports and art camps for children in our community. This… Continue reading Vacation with a purpose
Category: South Central
What we really care about
Late Saturday night, our apartment suddenly filled with the noise of hovering helicopters. I peeked out the bathroom window and saw at least four, just sitting above us a few blocks away. I looked out the living room window and counted six. Clearly it was a news frenzy, so I flipped on the TV for… Continue reading What we really care about
Out on the curb
Saturday afternoon, Aaron took me for a walk around the block and we ended up at our good friends’ house around the corner for a few times down the slide and some fun playing catch with their big pink ball. As we were leaving their house to come back home, a piece of furniture that… Continue reading Out on the curb
Backyards and washing machines
When Doug and I moved here, we brought with us the nice washer and dryer that I had bought during my single in Portland days. Having done the laundromat/quarters-in-the-basement thing for years, I had really come to appreciate having my own laundry facilities. The first year that we lived here, I can remember various people… Continue reading Backyards and washing machines
The power of disappointment
We have a good friend in an unfortunate situation right now. There are some avenues of relief open to this friend, but there is a stumbling block; an obstacle that, while on the surface appears easy enough to remove, in reality touches on some deep issues of pain and fear that paralyze him. Doing something… Continue reading The power of disappointment
Jingle Bells
Mercy’s favorite song right now is Jingle Bells. The other day I was walking the kids over to my sister’s house to play (they are our surrogate back-yard) when Mercy asked me to sing Jingle Bells for her. “Sure!” I said, as I started to sing. As I walked down Kenwood in the afternoon heat,… Continue reading Jingle Bells
The spectacle to end all spectacles
I am fairly accustomed to the feeling of being a spectacle here. The white woman pushing her two white babies around in a very large stroller contraption is bound to make some heads turn around here. Yesterday, a good friend and her dog came to visit for the afternoon and we took the kids for… Continue reading The spectacle to end all spectacles
A few thoughts…
You know you are at a park in Pasadena when… your children are the only kids there not wearing Crocs. the primary athletic event is Ultimate Frisbee. between you and your husband, you know half the people playing frisbee. every other parent pushing their kid on the swings is on their cell phone. the parking… Continue reading A few thoughts…
The gospel: “Follow me…”
By late afternoon yesterday, I had heard more police helicopters in one day than I had ever imagined possible. Along with sirens and cruisers racing down our streets, it was enough to unsettle. We spent the early evening over at my sister’s house in her backyard, enjoying dinner (and lots of space for the kids… Continue reading The gospel: “Follow me…”
Our newest neighbor
This past week, we noticed a busy little hummingbird outside of the kids’ room windows. The hummingbirds usually buzz around the palm trees, but this one seemed intent on visiting the strand of porch lights. At some point, we realized he/she was building a nest, and we decided that his/her name was Sam. I just… Continue reading Our newest neighbor