Iron Sharpens Iron

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. " Proverbs 27:17

I think of this verse when I think of our dear friends, the Looneys. We met them in New York a few years ago and then wished them farewell as they moved back to Texas. We miss them dearly, but are thankful that God allowed us to develop such a sweet friendship of transparency and accountability, laughter and fun in such a short amount of time. It's not often that the husbands AND the wives each have a relationship based on these things. 

We treasure any amount of time we are able to be with them, and last week we were able to have six days with them back in the City. We had such a great time and it was another confirmation of how precious their friendship is to us!

Here is Jes with Kate (making her sassy face). 

Our romantic dinner at Uva. No, I do not have a brooch on - it must be the light or something. Strange. 

He is Risen...

...He is risen indeed!

I pray that you and your families had a joyous Easter weekend, celebrating The Resurrected and The Life. Our family had a very nice Easter, celebrating with our friends and family (Uncle Dan) here in the City. 

We went to an Easter egg hunt in the park on Sat morning with some friends. Can you find Kate? :)

Then on Sunday, Kate wore a dress that her Great-Grandmother bought her and she looked so precious, so of course I had to have a little photo shoot! Here are a few of my favorites. She will be 9 months old this week!

Happy Monday!

The Good Shepherd

Our pastor is leading us through a series studying the "I AM" statements of Christ in the book of John. It has been powerful, revealing, convicting, and intriguing. You can download the sermons online here, if you would like, as we have studied:  I AM the Bread of Life; I AM the Light of the World, and then last week,  I AM the Good Shepherd. 

We talked about what a "good shepherd" does for his flock and about non-charming characteristics of sheep, to which we are compared time and time again in scripture. (Thanks, God) Several points moved me and reminded me of the title of this blog, Greener Pastures, and why I used that title to begin with last year.  (click here to read) 

It's good to go back and re-read at times. Of course, some things have changed but the reality is still there. I am in need of a shepherd. He not only leads me to greener pastures and still waters, but He wants to make sure I am alive in the fullest sense of the word and that I flourish. I was reminded that a good shepherd doesn't just lead his sheep to any grass, because not all grass is fitting for sheep to eat and some can actually make them very sick - even to death. But, a GOOD shepherd leads his flock to the greenest of pastures and the purest of waters. I love that picture. 

Maybe you continually find yourself with those thoughts of ... "life will only be greener if..." and the reality is that there is no green apart from Him. There is no life apart from Him. There is no flourishing and no contentment apart from Him, because we like sheep need a shepherd and Jesus Christ IS the Good Shepherd. 

As we prepare for Easter Sunday, I pray that this truth awakens our passion and our dependence on Him and I pray that we would continue to trust His direction knowing that it only leads to the greenest of pastures and the purest of waters. Our hunger and thirst is always met in His comprehensive and complete sovereignty. 

My Commute by David

I have asked David to be my guest blogger, because he is so eloquent and continually points out the most profound or funny or interesting things. So, here are some of his thoughts that I get to hear often, but I wanted to share with you (with his permission, of course). I hope this will be the first of many, as there are few things I love more than his unique insights and Godly passion. Enjoy.

The stench of human feces was too much for most to handle as the bystanders huddled away from the body that was curled up in the corner of the subway car.  Many got on with looks of disgust on their faces as the wretched smell made slammed into them when the doors slid opened.  Others upon realizing the source quickly exited the car looking for an open space on an adjacent car or choosing to wait for the next train.  Women covered their noses with scarves; men fought back the tears that the smell caused to well up.  Very few said anything, and nobody did anything.  This was not the time or place for people to get their hands dirty and no one would think of defiling themselves by getting involved with something (no longer someone as humanity had been stripped from him) so disgusting. 

This man had given up on life and soiled himself many times over as he lay hunched over on a seat next to his only possessions: a worn, stained suitcase with holes on the bottom and a plastic bag full of miscellanies.  He was asleep or at least pretending to be asleep so that he could avoid the downcast looks from the bystanders and hopefully escape the nightmare that had become his life.  Maybe at this point he didn't care any longer and certainly no one cared about him.  He wasn't going anywhere and he couldn't run from where he was.  No one wanted to help.  No one wanted to be there.  Especially him.  This is not how life is intended to be.

How does one show the love of Christ to this man?  The world of man responded by turning their backs and maintaining their indifference such that their daily paths would not be altered, their clothing not soiled, their lives uninterrupted.  We live lives of indifference to the pain and suffering around us such that our expectations, schedules and comforts will not be affected. 

Ones thoughts race through the causal events that brings someone to this point?  How did he get to this point?  What ill-fated decisions did he make to find himself without hope?  Drugs?  Alcohol?  Gambling?  Or some other vice that we can pin it to?  We can make up reasons not to help him and avoid the situation.  We can speculate as to what brought him to this point and we can rationalize our inaction as the best action and allow our hearts to be further hardened such that we know longer recognize or respond to the stimulus around us. 

I road the 6-train for three stops from 77^th street to 68^th street to 59^th street  before exiting at 51^st street and taking a deep breath after passing through the doors.   By the time many of us exited the subway, we could no longer smell the man.  Our thoughts had returned to our daily lives and within a few steps of the subway car he would be completely forgotten or remembered only as a mockery to be shared with our friends/colleagues in disgust and as a badge of honor as to what we endured.  Oh the sadness that fills my heart to think that many will take this moment and convince themselves that they are the victim as they endured an uncomfortable commute and shed tears not out of compassion, but out of disgust.

What a sad world we live in when one can turn a destitute man on a subway into self-pity for oneself.  And judging from the reactions on that train, it happened over and over again… at 77^th street… at 68^th street… at 59^th street… at 51^st street… and I have to believe at each stop thereafter.  May the Lord awaken our hearts to the hurting world around us, but just as importantly may He force us into action and compel us away from indifference to deal with injustice without regard for our own comforts.  And may He forgive me for my own inaction in the face of such a need as I stood huddled with the crowd in avoidance of this man.

A Texans Survival Guide in NYC

I ran some errands yesterday and it made me think of the people, places and things that have allowed me to make it through the past 4+ years here in NY feeling somewhat "at home". Here are a few that come to mind (in no particular order). 

1. RoTel, of course, at Food Emporium on 83rd and 3rd. 

2. 2-Alarm Chili Kit on those cold days. Serve with cornbread or Frito's and you are right back in Texas on a Fall evening. 

3. Brother Jimmy's BBQ across the street - complete with Texas games, country music, and Sweet Tea!

4. Southern drama at the New York Junior League. Enough said. 

5. Apostles Church - our amazing family away from our own.

6. Taco Taco - the closest fajitas we've found to good ol' Tex Mex and they deliver! Bonus.

7. Rent a car and visit On the Border, Chili's, and Chick fil'A when a fix of chain restaurants is needed - about 20 short miles West in Paramus, NJ. 

8. Blogs and video chats- that allow me to keep up with all of my friends and family!

9. Dos Equis with Lime

10. My homemade chicken enchiladas, guacamole, and salsa recipes that just hit the spot...weekly! :)

11. Watching Friday Night Lights - ahhh... it just takes me back to Rockwall and High School. So funny.

12. Big Daddy's - a new diner on the Upper East Side - serves Tater Tots just like Sonic. Of course, it's not quite the same experience, but I'll take it. 

13. My group of moms that meet every Monday morning and have Girl Nights Out (G.N.O). 

14.  Central Park - where I can actually see a tree, hear a bird, and feel some grass. Oh - and the sun...if I'm lucky.

15. Last, but not least, American Airlines and advantage miles that allow for frequent trips back and forth to the real deal.

Anyone have anything to add?

Sister Fun

It's not often that I get to see my sister, Alicia, and in NYC at that! She lives in LA and it's difficult to connect on the phone - being three hours apart - let alone see each other in person. We had a such a fun time with her on Sunday and Monday; here is a little recap of our time together as we celebrated her birthday. 

Sunday afternoon we went to see a play on Broadway, called  august: osage county. I went with my good friend, Katy, Alicia and her friend. For more information on the play, you should read Katy's blog.  It is about a dysfunctional family and is a bit dark, but we found it so captivating; it had our undivided attention. Really interesting. There were a lot of actors in it who were also TV personalities...my personal favorite was Thatcher Grey (Meredith's dad on Grey's Anatomy). Did I mention it was 3 hours and 20 minutes long? 

We had GREAT seats and the best part was that we sat 3 rows behind Meg Ryan!! Yay for another celebrity sighting. She was so close to us and yet we couldn't take a picture of her because she kept looking at us. So - I took one right as she got in the car. Here it is. If you look closely, you'll see her blonde hair. 

Then, Sunday night David and I met Alicia and her friend at one of our favorite NY restaurants -  maybe my most favorite - La Esquina. You walk in a fast food taqueria and then go through a back door and down stairs, through the kitchen and then you get into the restaurant.  It is in SoHo and is a definite must if you are visiting NYC!

Monday, Alicia came over to see Kate and play. She taught Kate how to say "auntie" and she has been saying it nonstop ever since! Come on - how about MOMMY!? Not yet. 

8 months

Here I am - already 8 months old!

I can feed myself with small finger foods and I prefer that now to plain ol' baby food. I can roll everywhere and like to "scoot" a little on my hands and knees, but haven't completely figured out crawling yet. As you know, I have my bottom two teeth, but the top two are a PAIN to get in and so I am still working on those. I am so expressive and everyone stops me in public to talk about my big, beautiful, blue eyes. To answer your question, yes, my hair is still very much a strawberry blonde/light brown color. Most people still say I favor my daddy, but there are some who do admit mommy is in me somewhere. 

I can say Da-da and Ba and am working on Pa and Ma. I love blowing "raspberries" and have the most adorable giggle my parents have ever heard. If I haven't met you yet, please come see me - I would love to play.