words

It's always interesting to me to observe the different eddies and swirls in the flow of life with God. I never talk enough about Him, and it's partly because all the words that we're used to hearing and speaking to describe Him are precisely that - we're used to them, and they tend to lie flatly in my mouth. Terms like spiritual growth, living water, revival- all precisely descriptive, but it's not only non-native speakers of Christianese who tune out at their mention. We all do. In my unending quest to stray from the expected, lately I've been trying to find words that aren't stupor-inducing to describe that vivid reality of His presence. And I'm not having much success. He is so far beyond our words sometimes that I feel like it's almost inappropriate to try and force Him into them.

I think it's for that same reason that His Word is living (Heb. 4:12). It's not just the Bible being described as living, it's that His own words about Himself are multi-dimensional, active, not stale, and not confined to our short-sighted descriptions. We use dead words to try to put God into our understanding; He uses living words to give us a starting place to expand our knowledge of Him. His words are just the beginning - to actively take us from just that, words, into the vibrant knowledge of Him that includes our senses and hearts and souls. Yes, His Word is truly active - it awakens, it grips, it shows, it lightens, it cools, it quenches, it ignites, it soothes, it troubles, it feeds. It is exquisite in that way only He can be.

O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. (Ps. 51:15)

pic of the tornadic storm, from the south

Click the link for a fantastic pic of the storm on Flickr.
Barn Storming on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

tornadicism

At about 5:30 PM on Friday night we had a tornado come right through Lansing. I happened to be working late that night and was at the International Center on campus, and got herded into the basement with everyone else who was there. Of course I was freaking out as my cell signal cut out in the basement and Justin and Ellie were at home, about a mile north of the damage. There were a few hundred people crowded into the MSU Bookstore sitting and waiting it out.

It turns out that the storm produced an F3 tornado in Potterville, southwest of Lansing, and was still rotating by the time it got to the city. The rotation went right through the South Side, within a block of some of our church members' homes. Luckily no one was hurt and there are just a lot of trees and branches down in the path area. Our favorite Fazoli's restaurant had its windows smashed in by a flying billboard.

the end of an era

It's official: last night I packed up the oboe, went to the UPS store, and sent it off to RDG in Los Angeles to sell on consignment. I have to admit, I did feel a sentimental twinge although it's been sitting in my closet for the past 10 years. There's nothing like that distinct oboe smell when you open the case... although the romantic sentiment rapidly turns south when I start thinking about reeds.

I forgot how much I always had to explain to the general public about what an oboe is. The guy in the UPS store got that faintly amused look when he asked why I needed so much padding and I explained it was an instrument. "What kind of instrument?" I told him a wooden one that could crack with big temperature changes. Look of amusement deepens... then changes to incredulity as I tell him I need to insure it for $4000. "What, do you play in the Boston Pops?" he asks, still laughing. I tell him no but the people who play in the Boston Pops play this type of instrument. I then told him it was an oboe, and then watched him type O-B-O into his form. I politely added the E on the end for him and after laughing at me some more he promptly charged me the $83 I needed to ship it. I just hope it gets there in one piece!

dad is hilarious!

Here's a video Justin made while I was gone last week... I'm glad Ellie was having such a good time.



http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8544935170061197192

catching my breath

Ellie napped a lot Saturday and Sunday which gave me snippets of time to finish reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Quite a satisfying conclusion, although I wish we had seen whatever happened with Hagrid and Madam Maxime...

This month has been a whirlwind. I'm taking a short breather to write a blog entry - will probably randomly type on it most of the day before posting, as I'm sitting here at work, back full-time already, and purposefully swamped. Keeping busy here is helping me to keep my mind off of how much I want to be at home with Ellie. I'm trying to stay grateful... that I have such a good job and tons of new opportunities at work, that Ellie is receiving such great care from family and friends and not strangers, that I'm here and not halfway around the world like a friend of mine whose nine-month-old is in Korea while she is here finishing her studies. I'm glad that I started consciously trusting Ellie's life to God's perfect care as soon as I found out I was pregnant. It doesn't make it less difficult to do so now but I have such a peace that she is in His hands, whether I am present or not. The last thing I want to do is make an idol out of her upbringing or try to take an inappropriate place in her life. I know we will always have a special bond as mother and daughter... but I want her to know that her heavenly Father is the One that has perfect love for her.

Ellie's first "swim!"

Taking a dip in Traverse City...

as if I needed a quiz to tell me this...

What Be Your Nerd Type? Your Result: Musician   Doo doo de doo waaaa doo de doo! (<-- That's you playing something.) Everyone appreciates the band/orchestra geeks and the pretty voices. Whether you sing in the choir, participate in a school/local band, or sit at home writing music, you contribute a joy to society that everyone can agree on. Yay! Welcome to actually doing something for poor, pathetic human souls. (Just kidding.)
Literature Nerd
Artistic Nerd
Drama Nerd
Social Nerd
Gamer/Computer Nerd
Science/Math Nerd
Anime Nerd
What Be Your Nerd Type? Quizzes for MySpace

talking

Click play for a video of Ellie "talking"... with a surprise ending!

Ellie is asleep, tentatively, in her baby seat for the moment so I'm taking advantage Iof the time. The speed with which she is growing and changing just floors me. This week she's been "talking" to us... babbling and making the cutest sounds back and forth. As soon as I get a good video I will post it. She's also a lot more interested in her toys and is awake for longer periods.

I'm starting to gear up for the inevitabe return to work. I go back July 2 and will fortunately be able to start back at half time, at least for a week or two. That will help me ease back in to the swing of things. I have such a strong peace from God about going back... He knows that I need that or else I would be even more of a mess than I already am. :-) He keeps reminding me that His hand is all over me having my job. It's so obvious that He wants me there and has continued to provide so many opportunities for me, both personally and to do well at my profession, not to mention giving me a job that I enjoy so much. Believe me, if I wasn't absolutely sure that God wanted me there, I would be going down to the welfare office in a heartbeat and gleefully signing us up for food stamps in order to stay home with Ellie! I am really coming to know Him more as my Rock that I hold on to during this time. I'm so thankful that Justin is going to be able to take care of her when I'm at work. He may need some help, but we'll know that soon, and we trust that God will provide.

In other news... we had Teen VBS last week, and had a teenager come to Christ on Sunday night! Praise God for that one! Please keep him in your prayers as our kids from this neighborhood face huge obstacles to their growth. We're gearing up for regular VBS next week. We had an awesome turnout last summer and are hoping to build on that.

Ellie Live...

Ellie loves to have her diaper changed... you can see her smile at the thought of it!

how time flies...

Yesterday, if you can believe it, Ellie turned 8 weeks old. She is just now starting to do well if i put her down in her bouncer or bassinet for a nap so I can get a few things accomplished, hence the lack of blog postings and the poor correspondence with many of you. She is finally beginning to act a bit more like a normal baby! Her reflux is much more under control, and she is having much longer periods of alertness. She's starting to be fascinated by her toys, our ceiling fans, and anything with a high contrast. She is just about the cutest thing I have ever seen.

We have had a parade of family for the last month. It's been great to see everyone. This weekend my dad and Lynne are here, hence the pic of Ellie and her Poppy. The last visitors were Mom and Richard two weeks ago, and the Millers came out two weeks before that. Next on the list are the aunties... Alison and Deena. We hope to see them this month sometime.

I have been keeping my Flickr site updated at the very least. For pics of Ellie, you can click here. Until I go back to work, large chunks of time are rare for me to post (Ellie is asleep in her bouncer right now, hand up in the air) but I will try and get as much up as possible.

She's Here

Sorry for the late post but it has been just a little hectic!

Elinor Ann Miller, otherwise known as Ellie, was born at 6:33 PM, Friday, April 6. She weighed 7 pouns 13 ounces and was 20.5 inches long.

Photos here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/praise711/sets/72157600063233155/

More to come soon!

latest update

Today Ellie weighed in at 7 pounds 3 ounces, according to the ultrasound. Her head is getting farther down and much more difficult to see. Good news.

the beginning of a long break

Today is the first day of my 14-week vacation. I guess it will really only be a vacation until Ellie gets here but I am enjoying these last few days, however many there may be. It's shaping up to be 75 degrees here today - extremely warm for March, and Ive already got all of the windows open.

It's a nice luxury to sit, sip my coffee, have my quiet time, and plan out what to do for the day... or just stare into space! I do have a bunch of thank you notes to finish. Here are some photos from the church shower as I mentioned before.


Lots of gifts from everyone!


Kadee and Jessica


Carolyn and the chow!