A Varied Assortment of Topics I Don't Know How to Title

"Trust is the key to adventure."


-Alex Rover, Nim's Island


This afternoon, Dad, Ethan, and I went to the dollar show and saw Nim's Island, and I loved it! Definitely worth seeing. Flying lizards, monsoons, near volcanic eruptions, and random emails from an author on the other side of the world...great fun.


Nim lives on a secret pacific island with her father, is homeschooled :), and loves adventure stories. So when she gets in trouble while her father is stranded in a monsoon, her favorite adventure story author, Alex Rover, comes to helps her. (They've been communicating over email.)


The problem is that Alexandra Rover is terrified of the universe in general, orders hand sanitizer in bulk, and can't even muster the courage to go out to get the mail! But her alter-ego, Alex (her book character whom she alone can see) pushes her to risk the adventure...it's awesome. She has to travel across the world by big plane, little plane, bus, motor boat, heliocopter, and row boat in a monsoon and even ends up eating grub worms. Yeah, baby!


Everywhere she goes she's hanging back, but Alex, (an Indiana Jones/cowboy type) is always right there with her, urging her to overcome the fear side and do what is really in her to do. The results are hilarious and rather fascinating.


This past week I've been listing. Listing, as in making lists...or listing towards insanity. However you want to put it. In my mind, I think of how I could pack in this really organized way for Ukraine, and I start making lists in my mind, but because they aren't perfect, I don't write them down on paper. Believe it or not, I'm looking for the right kind of pen to make my list with. And at this point you may be saying, "honey, get a grip..." and I would agree with you.

So, no special pen. I made one list of toiletries and then went through some drawers and papers. I don't know what good that does except leave me with a tub of stuff I kind of want to take but definitely don't have room for. And it helps me rest at ease that there are a few less drawers and stacks I have to think about before I go. Or ever. After that, I sat on my bed with a tiny blank book I've hoarded since Christmas and a nice pen (I did find one after all!) and made lists of future lists I'm going to make :)

I'm just writing this to convince myself (and everyone else) once and for all how silly it is to worry over these things. Lists and more lists! All this Stuff. I just really want to forget about nail files and adaptors and AA batteries and deoderant and thermal underwear and find some pixie dust and POOF!!! Magically Be On The Plane. That will be a happy moment! I feel like Martha sometimes, but I know in my heart I'm Mary. Only one thing out of all these things is necessary...Jesu, joy of man's desiring.

It's kind of cool, actually, how my stress over preparations has been turned to good. I've woken up restless and unable to sleep a few nights, head full of tumultuous thoughts and little details. But then, when I started listening to music and focusing on the Lord, He started using my the dark, silent sleeplessness as an opportunity to share His thoughts about Ukraine! (Which, by the way, were a whole lot more exciting than mine!)

It's so great that in our weakest, most anxious and childish moments, God pours the power of His prayer and thoughts into us! It really is like Paul says: we are jars of clay. The "surpassingly great power" is from Him.

More and more, it's becoming evident to me that prayer is not something I can just decide to schedule or do. It's a gift from Him that requires only a willingness and readiness to recieve. We have to be willing to get in situations that are still and quiet (and often boring for a while!) but intercessory prayer itself is just the unmerited gift He gives His people as we get to know Him. He spontaneously infuses us with His thoughts, His spirit, His heart cries. And then we just say them back to Him!

I didn't ask to pass the infant morning hours in sweaty, hollow sleeplessness, and I sure wouldn't have stayed awake if it had been up to me, but in the midst my helplessness, God picked that time especially to share His thoughts with me! Cool!