Help Me Make Lemonade

If you're in my email address book, you know that my account was hacked this week. The thief took over my gmail account and my facebook account in order to scam money out of my friends. Please tell me you didn't send any. It's been a long few days trying to get back as much information as I can. I've lost my entire contact list and will have to rebuild it over time. It appears he also got hold of my credit card number, so that's another little mess to clean up. After I get everything fixed, I'll post a blog on how to protect yourself better. I've learned a lot.

The hacker's note read to the effect that I was held up at gunpoint in London and would you please wire me $1500 so I can get home.

The irony is, I've been trying to figure out the best way to ask people to send $1500, not for myself but for some missionary friends who have a specific need right now. I didn't ask because... well, frankly... I was embarrassed. I feel like I've asked for a lot and that people must be getting tired of me reminding them to turn in their missions pledges or give towards a certain cause. Well, now I'm really embarrassed because all of you got bothered by someone using my name and my address.

I'm not saying that God hacked into my accounts. Not unless he has a phone number in Nigeria. I don't think he works like that. But I do know he can redeem bad situations to use for good.

So here's my idea:

Instead of sending your money to a scam artist, why not put it towards a good cause? You might have heard that the dollar is not doing so well overseas. For missionaries who depend on the dollar, it means their spending power has been dramatically cut. Our friends in Brazil, Ben and Juliana Roberts, find themselves unable to afford a lot of things, but their most immediate need is to provide education for their boys. They've had to pull their two sons from school because of the expense. They would like to homeschool, but Brazil only allows home education if it's done through an accredited institution.

For Juliana to teach her boys at home using the Calvert school, it will cost them $1500 for the year.

Instead of wiring money to England or wherever, why not drop a check in the mail?

Make it out to Cloverdale Church of Christ and earmark it for the Roberts' education fund.

Mail it to:

Cloverdale Church of Christ

3000 E. Park Ave

Searcy, AR 72143

If you want, leave an anonymous comment telling how much you'll send so we can all keep tabs. Help me redeem my crummy week by being a blessing to someone in need.

Help me make some lemonade.

A Must Read

I don't have the Koonce family blog in my blogroll but I'll be adding it soon. Marty just wrote a series of posts about his recent trip to Togo that are encouraging, exciting, and - as he says - surprising. Scroll down to January 10 and read to the top and join me in praising God for people like Papa Koffi and Hammer and Ablavino and Bertain (formerly Houndzo).

Koonce Family Blog

Dragon Party Time

I always feel like I've accomplished something when I pull off a birthday party. Our house is small and with 11 kids over on a rainy day, feels even smaller. Look at that smile, though. It was worth every minute.
This year's theme: dragons (a compromise of sorts since the birthday girl figured boys wouldn't enjoy a Hannah Montana party - nice of her to consider their feelings).

For those of you who are looking for dragon party ideas of your own, here's what worked for us.

I made dragon wings for each child out of felt so I didn't have to sew the edges. The wings velcro on with ribbon at wrists and neck. Note to self: sew the velcro on better next time.

Each child was given an egg with a dragon inside to take care of for the whole party. They were instructed not to open the eggs. (eggs from Dollar Tree, dragons from Joann's Crafts)

Activities:

Build a dragon out of legos

Make an origami dragon

Dragon egg relay (where the kids race with their dragon egg in a spoon down the hall. Each kids used his own egg and tried not to drop it. We made it harder on the older ones by making them go backwards)

Treasure hunt - I filled a "treaure chest" with bags of treasure goodies - candy necklaces, silver kisses and gold chocolate coins). I made really simple clues on index cards like "Mirror, Mirror on the wall." The kids ran to find the clue but before they cold open it, they had to perform a task (count to 100, do 10 sit-ups, spell their name out loud, etc.) to make the game last longer. The treasure hunt was a huge hit and hilariously funny to see a mob figuring out the clues and working together.

Refreshments:

Dragon cake from Family Fun

Dragon Breath punch (ginger ale, cranberry juice and orange juice in a bowl, set in a bowl of dry ice) The kids could blow in between the bowls to make the smoke come out. Note to self: no need to add ice to the punch, the dry ice froze it solid by the end of the party.

Decorations:

We happen to own every plastic dragon ever made, so the kids went to work hanging them from hooks and light fixtures. Stuffed dragons on the table and that was about it.

For thank you cards, we took a picture of each child sitting on a large stuffed animal. One of my older kids has drawn a picture of a dragon and is going to photoshop each child onto the dragon to send on individualized cards.

Back in the Nest

The fledgling has returned, a little older, a little wiser, and immensely proud of herself. And well she should be. She spent a week away from home, managed to wake up at 6:30 a.m. five days in a row (a miracle for a homeschooler), and proved she can keep up with the rest by earning an A+ in her legislative classes.

My job's not over yet, not by a long shot, but I'm realizing that it's in transition. This is the time to encourage and guide, to offer challenges, to encourage her to seek out her interests and cheer her on in her pursuits.

It's time to back off the nit-picking and trust her to figure out the small stuff on her own.

Letting go. I think this is the hardest job yet.

How Did I Miss This?

I've been to Lyon a few times and have seen many of the wonderful places the city has to offer from the Cathedral of Saint Jean-Baptiste to the old city to the Roman ruins, it's a fantastic place to explore and discover. Besides that, it's the gateway city to the Savoie region, one of the most beautiful places God made.

But how did I miss this - the Bal des Argents bookstore in Lyon? You've seen a cathedral, you've seen 'em all. But a bookstore? Everyone holds a different trove of treasures waiting to be discovered.

Doesn't it look like the magical kind of place where you could get lost for ages and not even mind?

*photo taken from flickr.com and featured on The Most Interesting Bookstores in the World.

Fledgling

One of my kids is taking a big step into the world tomorrow. I find as a mama bird that I'd love to have all my little chickies hang out in the nest and eat home cooking for a long time. They're getting big, though, and jockeying for position on the edge of the nest, ready to try their wings.

One week as a senate page at the state capitol. I wonder what she'll be like when she comes back to the nest. I bet her wings will be a little stronger.

Who Sinned?

May I just say that Pat Robertson is not my mouthpiece? I do not believe that the people of Port au Prince deserved this earthquake any more than the people of New Orleans deserved Katrina or the people of Thailand and Indonesia deserved the tsumamis.

Isn't it bad enough to suffer without the world laying the blame on your shoulders? While I do believe there are consequences to sin, I don't see the good of placing blame. It reminds me of the blind man in John chapter 9.

"Who sinned, this man or his parents?" the apostles asked Jesus.

"Neither this man nor his parents," Jesus replied, "This happened so the work of God might be displayed in his life... While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

The apostles saw the blind man, in his suffering, as an abstract example of how sin and punishment are connected. They could ask Jesus a question about whether the fault lay with the blind man or with his parents, listen to the answer and walk on to ask another question without ever really seeing the man in question.

Jesus saw him though. He saw him as a man who needed God, a man who needed healing.

Let's not sit around trying to decide whose fault the earthquake was or why a country that has already endured so much must endure even more. Let's do what Jesus did - heal the hurting. Let's be what he was - light to the world.

The Cartridge Fairy

I ran out of yellow ink yesterday. There was no spare, which meant a trip to the store to get a new one. Only the store we were at was all out and I didn't feel like chasing around town to find one.

We'd just have to live without.

So, every print job yesterday involved pushing print, then standing up and walking around to the computer to confirm that I really, truly did intend to print without yellow ink.

This morning when I came to my computer desk, an empty cartridge wrapper was sitting on the shelf where the printer sits. Nearby, in the IN box, was a yellow printer cartridge, unwrapped. I went down the family line to find out who knew anything about this mysterious appearance.

No one.

I ran a test page. The printer said "No Yellow Ink," so I popped in the other cartridge, the mystery one, to check and see. It's brand new.

I guess the cartridge fairy came last night. I hope she comes again.

Hands Free!

Nothing makes me feel more secure on the road than the woman I saw driving today with a cell phone in one hand and cigarette in the other.

Rudeness

I was in a store tonight and was struck by the fact that a disproportionate number of people were rude. They parked their carts crosswise in the aisle so no one could pass. They pulled in front of me and then stopped suddenly. They left their carts along one side of the aisle and stood on the other side.

I wasn't in a hurry, but if I was, I would have been furious. What happened to common courtesy?

It's not fair to throw the generation out with the bath water, I know. Not everyone is rude. In fact most people are downright nice a lot of the time. It's just that all the pills seemed to be gathered in the middle of the aisles I needed to go down tonight.

I try not to be rude. I try really hard. But even I have my moments of disrespect. A few weeks ago I stood in a long line waiting to pay for one item. I got up toward the front of the line and, when a cashier called "NEXT!" I went to the register.

Another woman walked up behind me. "I was in front of you," she said.

She might have been. She probably was, but I honestly didn't see her there. I should have stepped aside and let her go first, but I didn't. I only had one thing. I was so flustered, though, that by the time the clerk went to hand me my receipt, I snatched it out of his hand and bolted from the store.

I'm sorry lady in front of me. I didn't mean to cut you off. I'm sorry cashier dude. I was embarrassed and I just wanted to get away. But I shouldn't have been inconsiderate. I'm sorry people in the aisles tonight. I shouldn't care more about reaching the Splenda and the shirts than I do about what kind of night you are having.

birthday boy

Once upon a January

On a day Familiary

A young couple birthed the firstborn son they had been waiting for.

He grew up his hair so curly

People thought he was a girly.

As a teen he was a burley surfer on the L.A. shore

Singer in a group of four

Single then, but not no more.

Went to college, did some scoping,

Found a girl (as he'd been hoping)

Didn't need no cattle roping to get her down the wedding aisle.

Got a job and had a child

Headed north into the wild

in a car with luggage piled

Mile after dusty mile

And they stayed for quite a while.

Teaching, fishing, sons and daughter

In a city made of water

happy as a playful otter raised his family in the rain.

Kids grew up, he was retired

found some land that he desired

planted trees and was inspired

his small orchard to maintain

and all his loved ones entertain.

Now we celebrate a new year

with a song and with a no-teir

cake (we're eating healthy for another week or more)

Soon enough we all with gather

on a trip to honor father

there's no person we would rather

Wish a happy birthday for

Happy day and many more!

Walkabout

My brother (the one who can't stand to sit inside when there's a perfectly good outdoors waiting to be used) has been here for the past two weeks. We've been going walkabout.

I see so much more when I walk than when I'm in the car - tiny buds of pussy willows threaten to burst out despite the fact winter has barely begun. Moles and geese share the fields, one below ground and one above. Chickadees and juncos chirp out empty threats from the safe shelter of their bushes. White and green and blue and yellow and red Christmas lights illuminate trees and houses and woven creatures that I think are supposed to be deer. Frosty fog hangs in the air as long as it can before it falls to the ground as a gauzy white blanket.

He's gone home now, so I'll have to walk on my own if I'm going to walk. Wanna go with me? We'll see all sorts of things we've been missing.

Merry Christmas

I hope you've enjoyed hearing the story of God's plan as much as I've enjoyed retelling it. The story, of course, doesn't end at Jesus' birth, but continues through his life, his death, his resurrection, and his continuing life in his people. The story goes on...

Now turn off your computer and go enjoy a day of love and sharing with the people you care about. And if you don't have someone like that around, go find someone you can care for.

Photo credit: fruity monkey via Visual hunt / CC BY

In the Fullness of Time

December 25

The time had come. The stars were aligned. God came to earth.

He didn’t come to thrash and punish, but to love and save. He came as a baby and grew through all the stages we’ve all been through. His life wouldn’t be easy, but it began with great fanfare, with visitors bearing gifts from the east, a flock of shepherds, and the beautiful welcome of the heavenly host.

What a blessed moment, the moment when God put on skin and started his life among us.

Today’s Ornament – The Manger

Today’s Bible Verse – Luke 2:14

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

A Hard Truth

December 24

If you think it was hard for Mary to believe she was having God’s baby, imagine how her fiancé Joseph, a humble carpenter, must have felt. Pregnant? By the Holy Spirit?

Sure.

But when an angel of God appeared to him and told him the drill, Joseph didn’t get rid of Mary quietly. He married her. He loved her. And he raised the child with her for God.

Today’s Ornament – The Hammer

Today’s Bible Verse – Matthew 1:21-22,24

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

Write It Down

December 23

A baby was born to Elizabeth and Zechariah, their promised son. Everyone expected them to name the unlikely baby after his father – Zech Jr. But God’s instructions were clear. The boy would bear the name John and he would prepare the people to receive Jesus. Zechariah, unable to speak unless he obeyed God’s instructions, wrote the name JOHN on a tablet. Zechariah regained his voice, but John’s voice would one day be much louder.

Today’s Ornament – The Tablet

Today’s Bible Verse – Luke 1:63

“John is his name.”

Mother and Child

December 22

Don’t you think Mary and her cousin Elizabeth shared a special bond from then on? The young unwed mother and the woman too old to be pregnant…but who was indeed pregnant? Mary, after she found out she was pregnant, rushed off to visit Elizabeth. From within his mother’s womb, John the Baptist recognized his Lord. Jesus had that effect on a lot of people.

Today’s Ornament – The Mother and Baby

Today’s Bible Verse – Luke 1:41-42

When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!”

Favor Found

December 21

If we had to design the family God would choose to be born into, we might pick a royal family, or perhaps a nice middle class couple. But God, as you might have noticed by now, likes to use unexpected people to fulfill his promises. And so he chose Mary, a young unmarried woman, probably only a teenager. It wasn’t about her pedigree or her accomplishments. It was about her heart.

When God told her, through the angel Gabriel, that she would conceive a baby by the Holy Spirit, she didn’t scream or laugh or pinch herself. She asked a couple of questions and then she agreed to be obedient. Just like God knew she would.

Today’s Ornament – The White Lily

Today’s Bible Verse – Luke 1:30-38

But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God." "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

He's Coming Soon!

December 20

The time drew near. God’s people had returned to their homeland (yay!) but their land was occupied by the Roman empire (boo!). Everything was in place for God to come to earth. But how would the people recognize him? He needed a messenger to let people know he would arrive soon. He chose to bless an old barren couple, Elizabeth and Zechariah, with a son who would announce the coming of the Lord.

John the Baptist he’d be called, and he’d be a bit of a weirdo, hanging out in the desert, living on bugs and wild honey. But the people would flock to him, for he would promise them the answers they had been looking for.

Today’s Ornament – The Grasshopper

Today’s Bible Verse – Luke 3:4-6

As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God's salvation.' "

Rebuilding the Walls

December 19

God’s people, as they have a way of doing, rose to the top. Esther, a beautiful Jewish orphan, was chosen by the king of Babylon to be his queen. She saved all the Jews from being wiped out by an evil plot by Haman, one of the king’s highest officials.

Nehemiah rose to the position of cupbearer for the king, a job of great importance, but he longed to return home to check on the remnant of Jews who remained in Jerusalem. The king allowed him to go back and even to rebuild the walls of the city. God was preparing his people to return home to worship him.

Today’s Ornament – The Wall

Today’s Bible Verse – Nehemiah 9:30-31

For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you admonished them through your prophets. Yet they paid no attention, so you handed them over to the neighboring peoples. But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.