Guarding against the sinking sand

Nochka loves the top of the schkaff between Sarah Beth's bed and Hannah's. She perches there and watches the kids sleep at night.
Sarah Beth likes to taunt Nochka from her (much shorter) place on the ground. The Beatles poster was a gift from one of our English Club students.

But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love. I Corinthians 13 The Message

Mommy, does real quick sand pull you down that fast? John-John, while we watched The Princess Bride

It has already been quite a week here in the Hooks house, and it's only Wednesday! This morning Marc is getting ready to meet Jeff and Tim at our metro stop so they can go to the airport and pick up the team that is coming in from the University of Mobile. We are very excited about the things God is going to do through the team, and we're eyeing the schedule with some trepidation--it's going to be one busy week. Amidst all of the other stuff we must do, about thirty people will be here tomorrow for orientation and lunch, and we have senior banquet this weekend, which is taking a lot of our focus. Sarah Beth has a birthday party this afternoon, and we are also trying to finish up school for everybody. Yikes! Lots and lots and lots going on here.

It seems like I am always writing about something John-John has said, but he's really a pretty insightful little guy, if sometimes his insight is, well...unintentional at best. Last night we watched The Princess Bride as a family (before I went to bed at 9:00!), and he was enthralled by it. He has such a tender heart, though--and he doesn't always get jokes and sarcasm because of it. For example, we were all laughing at the scene where Wesley says to the unconscious giant, "Sleep well, and dream of large women." John-John turned to me and said, "It isn't funny when someone is hurt, is it, Mommy?" Hmmm....well, no, it isn't, but this is a movie, and we're laughing because...oh, forget it. Just watch the movie. But it was fun, and it's nice to be able to watch a movie that we can all enjoy, without language and innuendo that's hard to explain. John's question about the quick sand, though, made me think of one of my favorite songs. "In Christ Alone," a song on Travis Cottrell's Alive, Forever album, is the song I put on when I just want to stand at my kitchen window and lift my hands in praise. In the middle, he uses this familiar refrain:

On Christ, the solid rock, I stand
All other ground is sinking sand.
All other ground is sinking sand.

John's question made me think about everything but Jesus being sinking sand. And yes, I'm pretty sure the sinking sand pulls you down before you even know it's happening. It's all too easy for that to happen. Quiet time becomes something that you just can't find time for, you convince yourself that music is just music and tv is just entertainment, so it doesn't really matter what you watch or listen to...and before you know it, your life doesn't look any different from the lives of those around you who are unbelievers. One of the things I want most of all is to be different...so that those I come into contact with know and want whatever it is that makes me different. Marc and I have talked about the lies that Satan tell us that are so easy to believe--we will never learn the language, the kids will never make the transition, we will never have close friends here--but God tells us that is not the truth. He says He is with us no matter what. He says that we are not alone, and that if we ask, He will give us the world as an inheritance. He says that Christ is the solid rock, and the rest--the trivia, the minutiae of daily life, the way we feel--is sinking sand.

Well, it's time to get going and get some stuff done. We all got up early this morning--excited about all the stuff going on this week. It's fun to have teams in, though it is exhausting. Pray for us this week, that things will go smoothly and we won't get in the way of whatever it is God has in store for us. Also, please pray for a man named Kenny Pope. Along with his wife, Teri, Kenny leads our CEE teenagers in Bible study and worship at every MKR (Missionary Kid Retreat), and they are so important and special to us. Kenny had a serious spinal cord injury in a two-story fall this past weekend. Miraculously, after surgery yesterday, he is having some feeling in his feet and sitting up. I know that every MK in our region is praying like crazy for Kenny and Teri. Will you join them (and us)? Wherever you are in the world, I hope you're avoiding the sinking sand that can pull you under quickly, and that your fingers are not every color of the rainbow from the food color you put in the playdoh you made yesterday. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye