The Joys of Condo Living

It is actually rainy here in Southern California today. I am resting and enjoying that all 3 childern are napping. I am enjoying something else too--that I live in a small condo. The reason: Less Cleaning! Although our home in Kansas City was not large by many standards, it always felt like there was some housework to be done. I still have housework, but with a home half the size, the housework has been cut considerably as well. Plus, because it is so small, I cannot do much cleaning without waking up all my kids during nap anyways. Hopefully, this will mean more time to do other needed things like rest, spend time with Jesus, make dinner, stay caught up on laundry (I am actually caught up currently which for those friends who saw my basement mountain of laundry in Kansas City, this may come as a shock).
Many friends have been asking how we have things set up with 3 kids in a one bedroom condo. We ripped out the shelving of our walk-in closet and set up the girls bunk-bed in it. We managed to put a little shelving back in to hang up some clothes. There are no windows (obviously) in the closet and curtains over the door way which means great naps and longer sleeping in the morning (yeah! more sleep). The only down fall is that their "closet bedroom" is directly across from the bathroom so any bathroom visits during nap time must be done in stealth mode with absolutely no flushing. I put Caleb's cradle in our bedroom and he is sleeping quite well there. I have taken advantage of nearly every place for storage that I could think of in our 680 sq feet: containers under our bed serve as the linen closet, the trundle under the girls' bed is where Dave and I store our clothes that don't fit in the dresser, our night stand dresser has become Caleb's dresser and the balcony had become the playroom (which works our great except on rare rainy days like today).
Lucy misses the freedom of the backyard and frequently escapes from our condo when the door is opened. Last week she escaped and Caleb was sleeping so I could not chase after her; I didn't worry about it because she generally comes back on her own. Then, I checked my messages to discover that she had charged up to one of our neighbors who was out walking her dog and the neighbor was calling the pound if we didn't come to get her right away! Yikes! So, we take off looking for her (I was still in my PJ's, no bra and teeth unbrushed), but it was too late, the animal control already had her in custody! They fined us because she is not spade, but thankfully gave us a fix-it ticket for not having her registered here yet (we did just move here 3 weeks ago). I think the gal had mercy on my seeing my state--PJ's, baby, ect.. This is definitely not Missouri.
I am finally winding down after a steady 3 months of high gear (not to mention the month of child birth/new baby before that). It feels so good to just relax for a minute. My dear friend Jill

from Charlotte is visiting this week and made it my goal to be mostly unpacked by the time she arrived. I reached my goal even though it meant not even going to the beach once since we moved. This week, weather permitting, I might actually get some sand between my toes.

Well, there is a little guy here waking up and needing to nurse.

A land they did not know

Three weeks ago we loaded up the "moving horse trailer" and headed West to our new/old home in San Clemente, California. There have been no shortage of tears and emotional break downs for me since that time. We have moved multiple times in our marriage and I think I counted over 20 moves to different homes since I graduated from high school (over 10 years ago), but this was by far the most difficult move for me. I am sure that having a family of five and a larger home to pack added to the difficulty, but mostly I think it has been the saying good-bye to a place and a community of friends that I have grown to love like no other place or people in my adult life.
I have thought often of Abraham and Sarah moving to a land they did not know; it was not just Abraham that had the faith to move, but Sarah left her family and friends too and went along. We don't here much about her response in the book of Genesis, but in 1 Peter 3, we are told of her faith in the Lord to follow Abraham (thus following the Lord). Today I prayed that the Holy Spirit would teach me the fear of the Lord; that the hosts of heaven would say of me that I am a woman that fears the Lord. I want to tremble at the reality that I will stand before the God of Heaven, the Lion of Judah, and give an account of how I have lived my life. I want to give the cup of cold water (or apple juice) to the least of these (my children) as unto Jesus. I am aware of how far I am from this place and how desperately I need a transforming work and empowerment each day to walk this out in a pleasing way before the Lord.

I was given an image in prayer today of the stench of sacrafices to false idols that rises up from our city. Saturday night in his dreams, all night, Dave heard the chorus from a Jason Upton song, "Better trash our idols if we're gonna be in the army of the Lord . . . " As I work on settling into my home here, I am asking the Lord, what are my idols? What are the things I worship and have become bound to? Am I worshipping the created image or the Creator? Security? Comfort? Food? Pleasure? Play? Beauty?

I miss the constant challenge to go harder after the Lord that living in Kansas City amongst such amazing women and men of God brought me. I pray for more of the Holy Spirit to help Dave and I set the pace amongst the people we are called to lead here. I feel the call to fast and pray in a new way--a desperation for it. We have left the nest and are learning to fly on our own. It is a scary thing, but glorious because of the Lord doesn't enable us, it will not be done--there is no doing this on our own.

Today, I am still unpacking and trying to figure out where to put everything. I am trying to find peace in the midst of chaos. I am trying to set my heart on being thankful for our home and situation rather than complaining about it.