I'm going to miss this

When I'm sweltering hot and wishing for mountains and grass, this makes it all worth it! I'm never willing to spend my cash on it, but we can always count on the kids' youth leaders to fork over their hard earned salary.

One day, these custom designers are going to get a native English speaker editor and my days are going  to be a little melancholy. 

Paradox

I think the most easily recognizable paradox in the Bible would be the one that states, one must lose his life to save it (or maybe the last shall be first and the first shall be last).  I recently read a book by Charles Colson entitled, The Good Life, in which Colson discusses the many paradoxes of life. Like all his books, it's packed with incredible depth and insight into God's call on our lives. 

But it reminded me of Jeff and how he is trying to see his call in being a father, and it reminded me of how he is trying to live these paradoxes out in front of our children. Because we aren't missionaries and we don't live in abject proverty, I think it's hard to see us living our call. And, believe me, I regular step out of what I feel God is asking us to do and act like a complete fool wanting my own way, or worse, wander around in a delusional mess thinking that I'm missing something.

But, then I read things like this, 

"What we strive for can often be what we least need. What we fear most can turn out to be our greatest blessing." 

Or this,

"Freedom lies not in the conforming to the world's expectations or even realizing what we take to be our deepest wishes; it lies in follwing the call on our lives. Each of us is called to some work, and our ultimate joy and fulfillment will come in our obedience to that mission." 

Jeff seems to live by this: "The outcome depends on how we choose to react to a crisis. It's not so much what happens in life that matters as how we react." 

I think this picture is hilarious!  It reminds me of two things.

First, Taylor's expression is that of Jeff's.  He truly believes you either get better from situations or you get bitter.  Claire's expression is indicitive of me! I get frightened and want to protect or insulate to the point of missing the blessing and growth. 

The kids know a "daddy trip" is available to them on birthdays 5, 8, 11, 14, and 17 (after that, they have to start taking Jeff).  It's a trip alone with Jeff, one child/one parent (the girls opted to go together this time, but it's not preferable and Jeff says he will go back to one-to-one after this exception to the rule).  When we lived in the states, the trips were confined to the lower 48, which only had to be implemented because someone almost invariably asked for Alaska or Hawaii for their "weekends" away with dad. 

Jeff loves the one-on-one time with each child, and the trips have created some amazing memories, but it's not so much the places, as it is knowing that "Daddy wants to do this with me." And, while Jeff takes the kids to places of their choosing, he so often pushes them to try new adventures in those places. He gives them the courage by just being present.  As Colson writes so beautifully, "To live the good life, we have to understand how much our lives belong to others, and what a good thing that it."

Our church in HK, Island ECC, gave chopsticks out each week for our pastor's series, Be Cool. We now have six sets (and, yes, we use them) that remind us to live for one another: Fellowship with one another, Forgive one another, Accept one another, Serve one another,  Love one another, and Encourage one another. If you want to listen, our pastor is on the same level with Tim Keller - truly - and his name is Brett Hilliard. Here's a link to his podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/hk/podcast/island-ecc-podcast/id266782036?mt=2

Reading my mind

Except for Sherlock and Downton Abby, I don't see the TV - and I know I'm not missing much. Jeff watches movies with the kids on the weekends and I read. Although, I admit, I find myself pulled in by a good movie or by The Brady Bunch or some other 70s TV show that the kids watch (because they don't want regular TV either). But, for the most part, I am with book in hand for entertainment and refueling. And, the great thing about HK is that I am constantly in a taxi or a bus, and I can read in both for long periods of time because it takes so long to get anywhere!

Recently, I came to realize how many times I have finished a book I didn't like or have finished a book I found was somewhat opposing to my own views. Every author needs a chance all the way to the end; and I often find a nugget of something I like. 

More than anything, I find many of the authors I read arrange words and thoughts in such a way that express my very own words and thoughts. Often enough, I read and think to myself, "Yes, that's exactly what has been swimming around in my brain, but I couldn't put it into words." 

I am thankful for the words on the pages and for the organizing of my thoughts by someone unknown to me. I am thankful God gifted people to do this because I feel - once the my thoughts are organized by this stranger who will never know me - as if I wrote the pages myself, listing the thoughts before the action.  Whereas these authors are living the action and then recording the thoughts. It doesn't matter to me the order. 

 Recently, I finished these three books, Love Does, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, and Moment Maker (I also finished a couple of great novels, but those don't make my point as well, although I do often find the same thing happens in novels).  All three of these books are essentially about the same thing - living a good story.  They are living the stories (have lived the stories) and they are listing those stories on paper for people like me. I don't want to live their stories any more than these authors want me, or anyone else, to live their stories. But the authors seem to know they are the mouthpiece for so many, the vision that someone needed to see in order to move forward on a life story that is just waiting in the wings for them to take up and call his own.

I sadly read a review of Bob Goff's book, Love Does, and the reviewer stated, "I could do those things if I had his money." Those comments make me sad. It's not the money. Yes, it makes some of his stories extraordinary, but it's not the money.  I wanted to guide that reviewer to the story of Goff in his early years of marriage when he bought land on the water and couldn't afford a boat and a house, so he bought the boat and his family lived in tents for two years until they could afford the house (he didn't tell that story in his book). 

Wow! Time flies

Not that anyone notices that I'm not writing on the blog, but when I started this blog, I told myself I would actually chronicle our time in HK so that I would have something to look back on when I'm trying to remember that I acutally lived here.

Of course, I did notice the last post was just a few days before we decided to pull the girls out of their school and homeschool them for the remainder of the year - possible reason to stop posting, but no excuse for losing my intention.

But today I sent eveyone (except our helper) out of Hong Kong, so this turns out to be a perfect day to catch up on EVERYTHING. At 8am the Jeff and all the kids headed to the airport - the boys to catch a flight to the States, and Jeff and the girls to catch a flight to Singapore (daddy trip).

The things I want to remember:

First, this is Ellis' luggage for seven weeks of travel (including his carry-on for the plane).  And, it's probably more than he needs.

Second, the change in the kids has been dramatic since landing in HK almost one year ago. As the boys were walking out the door with smoothies and bagels in hand, I realized how calm they both seemed, despite being on their way to board a plane for a 15 hour flight without anyone but each other. Their confidence and independence has increased many-fold since our move (language barriers and trecherous bus rides to thank for that).

On the other hand, these two (who are also much more independent) think they are headed to Sentosa for a weekend of swimming with dolphins. Little do they know what awaits them in Singapore! Taylor Swift. 

Jeff kept the concert tickets a secret. They arrived at the hotel, had dinner, and then walked to the arena. Taylor asked what he was doing and he said, "Let's just see about tickets." Taylor knew about the concert but she also knew it was sold out since the day she asked about going. Jeff worked his magic to find the tickets, but the girls continued to think the concert was sold out, so they were focused on Sentosa Island (still a great adventure). Once they got to the arena, Taylor said, "Daddy, they won't let us in without tickets." This is when he showed them their THIRD ROW tickets. Cool Daddy.

So, as the boys are flying over Canada, asleep in their pods, the girls have been asked by one of the guards to come forward to stand closer to the stage! Crazy. Jeff said little girls everywhere were crying with admiration. He's creating some wonderful memories. Love does, as says one of my new favorite books.