Shattered Glass

This past week was a little bit of a trying one in our neighborhood. It was also one full of lessons and reminders of exactly why we live here. One of our new next door neighbors Madji has become fast friends with our kids. He is 11 and plays outside with our boys almost everyday. This past week Madji along with our boys learned a valuable lesson on grace.

Wednesday afternoon Bennett, Preston and Madji were playing in our front yard. At some point they,  being boys, decided it might be a fun idea to hit rocks with tennis rackets. Bad decision. Madji hit a couple of rocks up and they went perfectly into our other neighbors car window. Picture above :(.

Braxton and I went outside to talk to Madji and the car owner. Madji was visibly shaken and was worried about what his mom would do. Madji's mom came outside and we explained what happened. My boys were watching from the front door and then without us knowing they ran upstairs and emptied both of their piggy banks. Preston and Bennett ran outside holding a ziplock full of money saying, "Mom, here take our money, please pay for the window. We don't want Madji to get in trouble.

Braxton then tells Madji's mom that we will pay for the window we will take the punishment for Madji. Madji then collapsed into Braxton's arms crying. In fact we were all crying. Even the car owner.

It was a beautiful picture of grace. Paying a debt we did not owe. My boys giving without being asked. The car owner even took a very minimal amount of money saying he would go get a piece of glass and fix the window himself.

That night as we tucked the boys in we talked about grace and how that is exactly what Jesus did for us.

I'm glad it happened. I'm glad my boys and Madji got a true picture of grace. Of what it looks like when Jesus takes the shattered glass in our lives and makes it whole again.

Parched Soul

My soul was feeling parched this morning and so I spent some quiet time praying and asking the Lord to refresh and renew my spirit. To empty me out of myself and fill me up with Him.

Two hours later a sweet friend (not knowing my prayer) sent me this devotional by Max Lucado in an email. It was a waterfall of refreshment. Thank you Lord, thank you for your loving kindness that comes through even in emails.


Jesus’ final act on earth was intended to win your trust.

This is the final act of Jesus’ life. In the concluding measure of his earthly composition, we hear the sounds of a thirsty man.

And through his thirst—through a sponge and a jar of cheap wine—he leaves a final appeal.

“You can trust me.”

Jesus. Lips cracked and mouth of cotton. Throat so dry he couldn’t swallow, and voice so hoarse he could scarcely speak. He is thirsty. To find the last time moisture touched these lips you need to rewind a dozen hours to the meal in the upper room. Since tasting that cup of wine, Jesus has been beaten, spat upon, bruised, and cut. He has been a cross-carrier and sin-bearer, and no liquid has salved his throat. He is thirsty.

Why doesn’t he do something about it? Couldn’t he? Did he not cause jugs of water to be jugs of wine? Did he not make a wall out of the Jordan River and two walls out of the Red Sea? Didn’t he, with one word, banish the rain and calm the waves? Doesn’t Scripture say that he “turned the desert into pools” (PSALM 107:35 NIV) and “the hard rock into springs” (PSALM 114:8 NIV)?

Did God not say, “I will pour water on him who is thirsty” (ISAIAH. 44:3NKJV)?

If so, why does Jesus endure thirst?

While we are asking this question, add a few more. Why did he grow weary in Samaria (John 4:6), disturbed in Nazareth (Mark 6:6), and angry in the Temple (John 2:15)? Why was he sleepy in the boat on the Sea of Galilee (Mark 4:38), sad at the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:35), and hungry in the wilderness (Matt. 4:2)?

Why? And why did he grow thirsty on the cross?

He didn’t have to suffer thirst. At least, not to the level he did. Six hours earlier he’d been offered drink, but he refused it.

They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but *he did not take it.* And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. (Mark 15:22–24 NIV, *emphasis mine*)

Before the nail was pounded, a drink was offered. Mark says the wine was mixed with myrrh. Matthew described it as wine mixed with gall. Both myrrh and gall contain sedative properties that numb the senses. But Jesus refused them. He refused to be stupefied by the drugs, opting instead to feel the full force of his suffering.

Why? Why did he endure all these feelings? Because he knew you would feel them too.

He knew you would be weary, disturbed, and angry. He knew you’d be sleepy, grief-stricken, and hungry. He knew you’d face pain. If not the pain of the body, the pain of the soul … pain too sharp for any drug. He knew you’d face thirst. If not a thirst for water, at least a thirst for truth, and the truth we glean from the image of a thirsty Christ is—he understands.

And because he understands, we can come to him.
-Max Lucado

Face Lift

A couple of weeks ago UPS delivered a package to our house. No, it was not this precious baby in above picture. It was something for work but during the delivery the UPS man started a conversation with me. He was new on the route and completely confused at why I was living in this neighborhood. We have had these conversations with other delivery men in the past but during this particular talk he said something that has stuck with me.

The conversations usually go something like this, "Umm...(as they look around the neighorhood) nice house?" Yes, it is in the form of a question. Like, "are you Dorothy and did you know that your house is not in Kansas anymore?" I then reply, "Do you want the long answer or the short answer?" Then I go on to explain why we live here and yes I knew about this neighborhood before I chose to move here.


He listens and smiles and then says, "I get it, you're giving this place a face lift." I kind of laughed and as he turned to walk away I heard laughter coming from our nine neighbors, I saw our across the street neighbor Caleb walking towards my house to quiz Braxton on the latest Grizzlie scoop, I saw a cute young couple who were just married in December and that we have come to know well walking down the street smiling, and I thought yes, that is exactly what we are helping, praying, hoping to do here.

It was not to my surprise a couple of days later I read this in scripture: "And now my head shall be lifted up above all my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy, I will sing and make melody to the Lord." Psalm 27:6

Thankful that the Lord has called our family here to watch Him give this place a face lift!

Limited Vision

When I was in third grade I had to start wearing glasses. At first it was just for reading but before long I was wearing them non stop. I had limited vision.  Looking back on pictures I realize how big those glasses were back then. Good grief! My sister says it looks like I had a scuba mask for glasses. So pretty.

Last night we had an SOS group come over for an exposure visit. This is where a college group that is doing work with SOS for Spring break comes to hear about the neighborhood. They ask us about our story, how we came to live here, what it is like to parent in this atmosphere, what others think, etc... We always enjoy these visits and the opportunity to share what God has done and is doing here. What an amazing privilege.

After they left last night I started thinking about being limited in our vision. You see when I was younger I had completely different sight than I do now. And not just in a literal sense. It was not until my mid twenties that I truly believe God started clearing up my vision and showing me some things. Things about His heart, His plan for my life, etc... I looked at those young college kids last night and thought there is a whole world for them to digest, they are eager, excited and I believe God is just now starting to peel back the scales from their eyes and show them His perfect vision.

And as much as I look back and see more clearly now I still believe we all have some limited vision. And this side of heaven we always will. Because of that there will always be things that don't make sense to us, like why young kids get cancer www.erikandkatekrull.blogspot.com, why earthquakes and tsunamis happen, why sometimes our plan doesn't work out.

But at the beginning of each day I put on contacts (not so ugly glasses anymore) and take the hand of the one that has perfect vision and trust he sees more clearly than I can and in that I find rest.

"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known." I Corinthians 13:11-12

And Then There Were Nine

A few blog post ago I wrote about getting new neighbors. Well, one of the houses that was for rent is now occupied. We have 9 new neighbors. One mom and eight children. They are refugees from Cameroon. We are still getting to know them and learn their names. Their ages range from 16 to 2. We have already had some great conversations with our kids about being intentional with them. And the fact that our kids are seeing 9 people live in a 2 bedroom 1 bath home is a great lesson in itself on being grateful, selfless, humble, etc...Starting tomorrow morning Braxton will be driving the two oldest to the bus stop at 6am to catch the MATA (Memphis public transportation system) to ride to school. I am praying for some great conversation time and for God to use that ride each morning to show those kids His love.

One of the ladies from our church who helped this family move in and get situated was telling me how thankful she was for this family to have great neighbors and thanking us for our time. She said she hoped we didn't get overwhelmed. I told her it is a large part of why we live here and that we were glad we could help. We were excited for the opportunity to love, teach and neighbor.

I hope to get the opportunity soon to photograph them. Maybe blow some of them up for them to have in frames. They are beautiful children on the outside and I can't wait to share with them about how they can become beautiful on the inside as well. A beauty that never fades.

Name Dropper

So I just watched this music video and have to share it. Never was a huge MTV fan back in the day but I love me a good YouTube video at least once every other week. Ahem..especially when it is someone I know. Or maybe don't know directly but know their mom or dad. Or at least see their mom and dad in church every Sunday.

Anyway, just watch and listen. Great song. Great Video. Worth your time. Then you can say, I read a blog of a girl, who goes to church with the mom and dad of Drew Holcomb from Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors. Go ahead drop that name, drop it like it's hot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RnGqjSWNEk

We're Getting New Neighbors!

One of my struggles I constantly battle living in this neighborhood is pessimism. You hear gun shots and you assume someone is dealing drugs, you hear a police car and you assume domestic violence, you see an ambulance and you assume the worst. It is a battle to keep your attitude in check and remember that there are rainbows and that our creator has put them there as a promise.

Over the weekend two "For Rent" signs went up on our street. One right across the street and one next door. The minute I saw them my mind went to pessimism. In general rental properties are not a positive in our neighborhood. Transient people who have just enough cash to get them through a month or two. People who are usually earning their money in not so positive ways. It is discouraging and frustrating.

As I was looking at the two signs and pondering who our next neighbors would be Bennett, our middle child, came into the room. Bennett is a rainbow in our life. A reminder of promises and hope. He is a positive child always seeing the silver lining. He can miss a wide open lay up in a basketball game and still be just grinning. He can miss the bonus on the spelling test and laugh at they way he thought it was spelled. So as I am drifting towards the negative about the future of the rental property Bennett lights up and says with all the excitement of winning the lottery, "We're getting new neighbors!"

Like the Lord himself was taking my shoulders and shaking them saying "Don't you get it?" "New neighbors, new opportunities to share the gospel, new people that I have created for you to be my hands and feet to." The very reason we moved here in the first place.

In Proverbs 4:23 it says "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." This is our family scripture this month and as I reflect on it I am reminded to guard my heart from pessimism. To look for the rainbows and the promises of God. And to have the pure joy that my 7 year old has even when negative assumptions rule our thoughts.