Easter People are Re-people

Reid has a keen eye for truth and excellent ears. As I clue into what fascinates him--be it a certain video clip or a song lyric--I find meaning. Either meaning that he has gleaned or a message he is attempting to communicate with those who will listen. Or both.

I am learning to interpret this more quickly and trust his "stims" as creative and intentional. Admittedly, it has taken me awhile. What can I say, I'm slow.

Over and over, I am reminded and convinced that "he gets it." Like yesterday in church, when he repeated the third sermon outline point to me as a command, "Stop doubting mom, and believe!"

He may appear tuned out in his own world but, in fact, he adeptly straddles two worlds as Lucy did Narnia and London. There are no coincidences. He is communicating truth in a unique way--both receiving and proclaiming it.

This day after Easter, may I present this explanation of the resurrection Reid-style?

(Click here for the video link if you're on Facebook.)

Distilling the gospel to its most elemental, it is a three part saga:

God created man to dwell with Him in Eden.

The serpent undermined His authority introducing sin.

Jesus came to be sin for us on the cross to reconcile us with God.

It wasn't until the jillionth time (I'm estimating) that this segment was rewound and replayed on our set, re-rented from the library and re-searched on Youtube, that I realized the beauty of it. Leave it to Reid to recognize truth "Between the Lions."

The celebration of Easter at its core is that we are re-people. Repentant, restored, reconciled, resurrected, rejoicing, reunited with our God. Happy Easter!!

Serendipitous Victory

Some nights it just all comes together! (like it was planned in advance)

Last Saturday was the third in a series of six Youth Helping Youth concerts to raise money for Banding Together, a nonprofit with a mission is to provide music therapy scholarships and mentorships to kids with special needs. The Kingsmen have been the de facto poster band for Banding Together since it began. Certainly, they epitomize the mission. They are no longer alone, however. This once-a-month opportunity has attracted interest from other local high school bands who love applause just as much. And two new special needs bands are forming.

The Pacific Ridge School Rock Jazz Ensemble, Vast Zephyr, Dirty Gold, The Third Edition and North Coast Singers Capella group are also getting in on the action, performing to share their passion for music and raise money for kids with special needs who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford music therapy. They know firsthand the power music has to motivate.

Unbenownst to me, a professional videographer in the audience offered up his gifts in the moment to capture the evening and the cause on film. Thank you Sean Horton! Reid got roped into the interview since I'm the last to leave. I don't think he minded, do you?

What do you see? More than money raised, the quality of the actual performance, or number in attendance, I see joyful happy moms who once feared letting their boys play in public. I see an inclusive community of all ages. I see respect for differences. I see admiration. I see innate leadership skills in kids who are marginalized in other contexts. I see joy. I see freedom that comes through the power of music. I see full engagement. I see proud fathers in attendance. I see peace. I see the Kingdom.

David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their fellow Levites as musicians to make a joyful sound with musical instruments: lyres, harps and cymbals. 1 Chronicles 15:15-17

Applaud God, all people! His love has taken over our lives; God's faithful ways are eternal. Hallelujah! Psalm 117:1-2 The Message

your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:9-11

A Good Trade

He shot off the school bus forcing back tears. Running straight to his room, shutting the door he began an intense conversation with himself. "Mom, stay out I need privacy," may have been shown more clearly than it was said. I kept a distance while he brought a half dozen reusable shopping bags from the garage and filled them with the VCR tapes that line his desk. The self-talk was emotional and heart wrenching:

"Please don't take them away."

"You don't need those anymore."

"You can do it Reid. Just give me a bag."

"Allie I'm so sorry I've wasted your time." sobbing

"Will you forgive me?"

I sat on the stairs interceding, texting my prayer partner, and absorbing the significance of this cathartic scene. It was painful to sit and watch yet, promising. Wondering what had gone down at school that day, I was sure this must be a step in the progressive breakthrough we've been asking for. Victory is coming over the addictions and obsessions Reid battles. I knew for sure I hadn't prompted the video removal this time. It was entirely spontaneous and self-initiated.

As his tears and intensity subsided, I noticed the approaching dinner hour. In the drama, it completely slipped my mind that Tobias, Area Director of our newly launched Young Life Capernaum ministry, was coming at 5:00pm to hang out for their long anticipated "contact" time. Oh boy:/ Finally, now?! How would this possibly play out?

I spared Tobias the blow by blow and began the old spiel I give every first time caregiver and respite worker. Reciting the steps to structured success and doling out $5 for the ritual trip to Roberto's, I paused. Wait! The Spirit prompting me now, Let this be a new leaf. Let me show you the new thing I am doing.

I backed off, "I'll be upstairs if you need me, do whatever you want." Leaving them in the family room with the tv still on, I returned to my prayer stair. Before I knew it my tears started to flow.

Not only did Reid turn off the tv (an unheard of action usually requiring at least 10 minutes of negotiation and transition), but he promptly took the chord charts from Tobias' binder and broke into the purest form of worship this side of the pearly gates.

They continued for an hour through praise song after praise song about God's love. He Knows my Name...How He Loves Us...Mighty to Save...

Like a natural born worship leader, Reid called out lyrics to an invisible audience. Side by side they brought down the presence of the Lord to inhabit the praises of His people.

Those songs of deliverance perfectly timed, were the antidote to Reid's traumatic day, the encouragement of things to come, a replacement for what he laid down, and salve on the wounds of loss represented in those four shopping bags of dvd's.

All I could think of was how that day, that appointment--unbeknownsdt to us--had been ordained long before in order to answer our call for help and give him something better in return for the idols he was casting down.

Relating easily now, he and Tobias made a plan to sing every other Thursday leading others in worship. For such a time as this, Capernaum is in San Diego....and not just for Reid.

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:13-15

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me...to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair. Isaiah 61

iiiyeyeyiiiii

ipod true love
iphone motivation
imust learn self control
















Even Allie, of course Allie, who is the golden retriever in our family (according to John Trent and Gary Smalley's analysis of personality types in The Treasure Tree), felt bad for Reid who was close to tears watching the 3 of us--the entire rest of his family except the dog--load apps from the app store, phone numbers in the contacts, and snap photos with our new iphones last week. (Ok, last month.)

"He's so sad," she whined as we went to bed guilty and gloating over our new state-of-the-art functional toys. Reid went to bed with the gorgeous Apple packaging in which the phone had arrived. The boy version of a Tiffany's box, I suppose. With the embossed lid and superreal, actual size phone pictured on it, I thought it was a good consolation prize.

Let me explain how we become so well-endowed with Apple products. Jim's office switched over so he got his iphone as a business expense. Allie is enamored with all things cool--being 14--so saved her money to pay the for half the cost. We figured we would cover the usual and customary cell phone cost and she could earn the cool factor. I am not as cool. What I am, is clumsy. While riding bikes home from our pool, I took a spill onto concrete at dusk and my modest, little, former phone broke in half. So, you see, in order to reduce our carbon footprint and save gas money, Jim just picked up a third one for me while he was at the Apple store. (music maestro: Three is a magic number, yes it is...)

As a second disclaimer, let me defend our apparent cruelty in denying Reid one. I definitely feel like One Mean Mother as Melody at Slurping Life describes.

Reid has a little issue called impulse control. In the recent past, he has thrown more than one ipod across the room in a fit of rage shattering them on our non-porous slate floor. He has run ipods under the faucet to clean them. He has peeled them apart like deconstructivist artwork. Therefore, we are calmly and intentionally using this as a (hopefully) highly motivating life lesson that you must 1) take care of property and 2) earn the responsibility of having nice and nicer things. Isn't an iphone nicer than an ipod?

So, you can pray for Reid. It is hard work for him to control his impulses. The spirit is willing but the flesh (and brain chemistry) is weak. When Carla moved back to Canada she left her AT&T phone with us, thoughtfully suggesting that we could let Reid have it. "If you take care of Carla's phone then we'll talk..." I reasoned. "If you take care of the library CD's (and don't peel off the annoying stickers that cover the liner notes) then we can talk..." On and on it goes.

Boy, do we ride a fine line between raising the bar and asking too much. As I was explaining it to him, he was chewing the antenna off of Carla's phone. I wonder how much of the compulsive, impulsive, destructive behavior can he control? And how much will we have to accept as a reality to be managed, damage controlled, and run interference around? These are the rhetorical questions which confound our parenting beyond the norm.

This past summer before our arrival at a rental house in the Outer Banks, I inquired of the rental agent, "Could you remove all the videos and DVD's before we arrive?" No, was the short answer. I pressed a bit by explaining our family dynamic. She offered, "Why don't you just put them in a closet when you get there?" I thought, "WHY DON'T I JUST PUT THEM IN A CLOSET???!!! Are you kidding me?!!???!?! If it were that easy, lady, why would I be calling you?!? Do you honestly think I'm that stupid?!??! and he's that easily duped?!?!?!? This is a kid who MUST have videos. For cryin' outloud, he can smell electronics in the house next door. He sniffs 'em out of any garage, supermarket, lock box, or car trunk. This is not a run of the mill toddler; this is a 14 year old, intelligent, manipulative, adolescent, young man with an obsession!" "Thanks anyway," I said. We'll manage.


A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control. Proverbs 29:10-12


No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:10-12


To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. Matthew 25:14-16

photo credit: www.dannyfoo.com, www.pushpullbar.com/ forums/attachment.php?att..