Through the Glass Dimly

SIN It's a big word. The word sin makes us think about murderers, rapists, thieves... you know.. the big stuff. The stuff those people "bent" toward evil do... Those people you have always known with that wild and crazy look in their eye.  That neighbor kid who points his finger at you and then with crazy in his eye "shoots" the "gun" and blows it, and walks off.. You know the one... the kid who you are sure is going to grow up to have some problems socially because of his angry heart... The one kid you don't want your kid hanging out with because you are unsure of the character of that particular child. In fact you are pretty sure that kid is going to grow up to be some sort of bad guy. But what about the other stuff... The white lies... the little bit of gossip here and there... Neglecting to do the thing you know is right, and doing the wrong thing instead...  There is evil in all of our hearts, and it may feel small. Fa...

  "Man's eye is not single, he has ever a side glance towards his own honour, has too high an estimate of his own powers, and so is not qualified to behold the glory of the Lord. It is clear, then, that self must stand out of the way, that there may be room for God to be exalted; and this is the reason why He bringeth His people ofttimes into straits and difficulties, that, being made conscious of their own folly and weakness, they may be fitted to behold the majesty of God when He comes forth to work their deliverance."--Spurgeon How true it is that we are so prideful that we put ourselves on an equal playing field with the God who created the heavens and the earth. We think we have the power to do so much. Yet we can do so little. Looking back I can see the hand of God moving in such GREAT and majestic ways.  Last night I read my prayer journal from 2004. This was a really tough time in my life as a young adult, and I was brought so close to God during this ti...

Years ago... back in the ol' university days, when time was a blanket and I was buried underneath it not knowing that this kind of time  would not be forever. This was the kind of time that I was able to sit and drink coffee and no one would bother me as I spent hours delving into the scripture and writing in my prayer journal.  I thought this would be a normal occurence in my life, and for the REST of my life. Little did I know that building a business, and having two beautiful little girls, all within the course of 3 years would completely alter my perception of time.  To be honest, the majority of my time "spent with God" is just in the mundane moments of day to day. My conversations with God start in the midst of cracking an egg into a bowl. Adding a splash of milk. Praying for grace.  I turn on the shower and reach for the soap. The filth and grime of summer feet and a central air conditioning system that barely works reminds me of that filth and gr...

There's this guy in the bible named Abram, and he's married to this woman named Sarai. God made a REALLY super big promise to them. Even though they had already passed child bearing years and had not once conceived a child (this is before the days of birth control and IVF etc), God promised them that they would get pregnant and have a son, and that he would be the father of a GIANT nation that would fill the earth. They waited. And waited..... for TWENTY YEARS. And nothing. So Sarai decides it's time she took this promise into her own hands and "redefine" the promise. Not good. Not good at all. Sarai decides that what God ACTUALLY meant was that SHE (Sarai) should find a woman to give to her husband to make a baby with.... Totes not the promise. So Sarai gives her lady's maid to Abram as a wife. And.... big surprise. They have a son. So that causes a whole different set of problems, for another discussion another time... but what most stands ...

As I sit at my kitchen table with the window open and the grey Kelowna February sky lighting up the room, the smoky smell of Texas Red Beans and Rice is flooding the room as it simmers on the stove top. My two tiny girls are running around playing with my big chunky necklaces, and Josh is playing the guitar making up songs about what they are doing. I am so blessed. I haven't written in a long time. I believe I was still pregnant with Maggie the last time I wrote, and she is almost 2 years old now, and Ellie is 3 years old, super talkative and getting so grown up. My life is a much different place now. Super busy, but so full to the brim of happiness and all things that are good. 2013 saw our photography business BOOM. After 3 years of business being a bit slow, things got very busy very fast. We saw a 700% increase in our business, and this year is shaping up to be even busier.

Menu at the Barnett Residence Tuesday Cauliflower Chickpea Curry (twas delightful) Wednesday Whole Wheat Fettuccini Tofu Alfredo (deceptive yet tasty) Sensation Salad Thursday Baked Rainbow Trout (a friend caught this for us while ice fishing, excited!) Baked Potatoes Steamed Brocoli  Friday Veggie Pasta Homemade Bread Saturday Red Beans and Rice Cornbread Sunday Left-Overs Monday Tofu and Vegetable Stir Fry Tuesday Mexican Beans and Rice and a Vegetable Wednesday Pork Fried Rice Vegetable Stir Fry Thursday Spinach Frittata  Hashbrowns Friday "La Bamba" Beef Burritos Saturday Vegetarian Taco Soup Sunday Left-Overs Monday

Ellie is at a stage where she'd prefer to do everything herself. She wants to be able to brush her teeth. She wants to be able to eat yogurt with a spoon by herself. She'd prefer to be allowed to stay up until she wants to go to bed, which is always much much later than when she is actually tired. Tonight, I watched her as she was frustrated with all that she could not do on her own and felt like I could really relate. Two years ago, last week, we mailed Josh's immigration application in. We were told the process would take about 8 months to a year. Last week, two full years ago to the date, a decision was supposed to have been made regarding his immigration. We are sitting in anticipation of what the outcome will be. Meanwhile... I worked for a full year during Josh's immigration process, and then the Lord graciously surprised us with a baby girl in December. A month later, Josh was granted a work permit, and we felt finally free and able to get back on our own...