Sunday Funday April 2020
Another month gone? We had some really good times—with Easter, surprise snow, ABC Bible verses, floor hockey, and more:)
Prayers and Praises
Praises as Caid has found some really great people to mentor him in different areas, and that we (Caid and Rachel) are able to have marriage counseling and make sure to focus on our marriage flourishing.
Prayers as it is almost a year from when Caid really had serious and continuous daily panic attacks for about two weeks. While he is doing much better, it has been, and continues to be, a long uphill process in building good habits for stress, and finding the help and accountability needed.
Praises as Rachel is now “going into the office” twice a week. I am the World Renewal Brazil representative in the USA, which means I travel to meetings and churches to share about the ministry in Brazil, and do lots of paperwork from home, but I am also working with World Renewal as the Head of Publications, and so in April, have started going into the office in Greenfield two days a week (while Jessica enjoys grandparent time). It has been very fruitful and enjoyable for me, and I am excited to see it continue.
Praises as Sofia and Jessica have loved learning Bible verses (such a joy to us all) with their Critter County CD that they listen to at night. We are working on making sure we still get in some Portuguese study for the girls, as it has been easy to be lax on that since returning to the states. Prayers for that!
It was a time of lament as 8 people were killed in Indianapolis at a FedEx location. One of the young girls had grown up in our church, and it affected our community greatly. Your prayers are coveted.
Interweb Reads
Lots of posts from Fiveminutesoffergie.com this month! Learning to Lament on Whatever Wednesdays, Teaching Lent part 1, part 2 Passover, and part 3 Easter on Teaching Tuesday, and 10 different posts of great books I’ve read in the past on Friday Finds. Also, there are 6 new episodes to my podcast, That Missionary Life. On Instagram, you can check out the book I wrote about our family history for the girls called “Outside the Box.” I guess you could call it an “Instabook.”
Missionary/Christian life stuff: How to pre-raise support before you actually raise support by a Life overseas, The scariest Prayer, Analyzing my Allegiance, and Raising up a child in an age of deconstruction by Amy Medina, Little Brother Syndrome by the Culture Blend, The 7 Types of Rest that Every person needs by Ideas Ted, the Trouble with “Being a Voice for the Voiceless” by Relevant.
Stuff some people have labeled “political: “ Beth Moore apologizes for role in elevating complementarianism to matter of “1st importance” by The Christian Post (notice she isn’t saying it is wrong. She is saying the emphasis in gospel-level priority is wrong), John Wayne, Jesus, and the Struggle to Define the Christian Man by the Dispatch, Dear Mr. Graham, Let me introduce some friends by communicating across boundaries, Privilege is real. Here’s what to do about it by Relevant, Americans color outside the lines by the Dispatch
Other random things: The Salesman by Toronto Life, Lies we believe about Money by Relevant, How thrifting became problematic by Vox (many different ideas on here, but I’ve noticed the prices go up and my favorite non-goodwill thrif stores ALL close down in the past 5 years.)