From JaseMiller.comI’m excited to announce that we’re going to reclaim this space for more regular updates to our story. The advent of WordPress 3 brings with it some functionality I have wanted on our site for a long time. Stay tuned for some fairly major changes to the site in the very near future. Thanks for your continued interest in our lives, and please keep us up to date on yours!
For now, join our new mailing list on the sidebar. More to come…
I know it’s been far too long since we have posted anything here. I assure you that our few words should not be taken to mean that not much is happening! Tonight as Danielle was teaching some lessons, Kate got out the largest book we own full of photos of baby animals. It was a gift to Brennen from our wonderful neighbors, but Kate really seems to enjoy trying to interact with them on the page. Here are two short videos from tonight.
It is amazing to me how many fairly simple events present themselves as new things when you have a young child. Kate’s first birthday was on Thursday, October 15. We celebrated with a small family celebration in which Danielle and Brennen surprised Kate with some balloons, a small cake (which alas, she could not enjoy with her food allergies), and some gifts. The gifts were a particular hit with Kate. Brennen seemed to enjoy the festivities, too. He really likes birthdays, and likes to encourage us to have them often. I, on the other hand, feel less and less eager to see another year pass.
Somewhere in my brain (between sleep and lack of sleep) there is a list of ‘new things’ to mention, but I only remember one at other at the moment. Brennen has been discovering the healing benefits of ice. The other day on our way to Racine to celebrate Kate’s birthday with the Gaithers, Loftins and Scharnicks, we stopped at Woodman’s grocery store. Brennen, Kate and I dropped Danielle to get a few items and we headed off to Auto Zone for some new brake pads for the car. Unfortunately, I got Kate and Brennen out of the car, locked the car door and closed it—right on Brennen’s hand! The horror flooded over me as I had to use the key in the door to unlock it before opening it and freeing his hand. I put them both straight back in their seats and since we had a cooler with refrigerated food in the back, I grabbed a large ice pack and had Brennen place his hand on it. Remarkably—whether a simple act of God’s amazing mercy, or a combination of God’s mercy and outstanding Volvo engineering—he recovered quickly without any bruising or lingering pain. By the time we reached Racine it seemed he had forgotten about his hand. I’m really thankful, but I still shudder to remember the scene of my son’s hand caught in the car door. Now, whenever he hurts his toes or foot by ‘accidentally’ kicking the wall he cries for ‘ice’.
It’s not an accident that we gave Kate the middle name Joy. Despite all the struggles she has undergone already in her nearly 11 months “wireless” (to borrow a phrase from our friends the Richards), Kate is a remarkably joyful baby. Last night as I was finishing at the dinner table, Brennen took his toy hammer and began spinning some plastic gears off of it. Each time a gear hit the floor Brennen called out, “Oops!” and Kate laughed harder than I’ve ever heard her laugh. Brennen just kept her rolling with laughter by doing this same action again and again. I dashed into the other room and grabbed the computer so I could record some of it. So, here’s a short audio clip of Kate laughing (though to get the full effect you had to be there)!
Recently we were blessed to spend a week at my family’s farm in Missouri, and Brennen and Kate loved it. They were constantly excited, and thankfully, also able to sleep fairly well because of all the extra sensory input! Near the end of our stay, I was walking the land with Brennen and pointing things out. He was asking his favorite question about everything: “What’s that?” He pointed to some small trees tied to posts on either side. I explained that the posts help the trees grow straight when they’re young. I then pointed to some larger trees nearby which were maturing and pointed out that they didn’t have guideposts alongside anymore. I realized that this is the way we grow, too. God places us in families and as children we need a lot of guideposts to help us grow straight. As we mature, however, these become less important and eventually unnecessary (or even a hindrance if not removed). Could this image of trees and guideposts also suggest some dynamics of discipleship? I think it does.
Jason is on his way back from Rwanda on his way to London. We have been staying in touch via text messages, instant messaging and e-mail. I cannot wait to hear his voice again! He is well. The trip has been much of what they had hoped. They made new connections and had many conversations along with other unexpected (or expected, depending on how you look at it) adventures.
I have been in Milwaukee since last Thursday when Brennen got the “all clear” from his doctor (he had a nasty virus). It has been wonderful to be with my family. Brennen and Kate are having a blast! I have learned much about my other family, the family of Christ through Brennen’s sickness. I was blessed and completely cared for during the days of his sickness when I couldn’t get to Milwaukee. Thank you and bless you all!
Prayer has been our connection in all of this. It has been the only constant and reliable connection between Jason and myself. It is the connection each of you have with Jason and the rest of the team, the connection you have with me and Brennen and Kate. I am so grateful for this connection that has nothing to do with internet or phone connections (be they fast or slow!). I am so grateful for Christ who intercedes for us, for the Holy Spirit who speaks for us when we have not the words.
Thank you to all of you who work at staying connected through prayer and through e-mail or phone. Jason and I are so very grateful. We want to know what is happening in each of your lives so we can stay connected for you as well.
When Kate goes to sleep Brennen is fond of saying, “Baby Kate sleeping”. He emphasizes the SLEEPing part of the phrase quite appropriately. I just want to announce that Kate slept through the night last night! She has only done this a handful of times in the past six months, and the hope that she might sleep more regularly in the future is almost too good to imagine. But I am hopeful!
These days all of our schedules are so challenging to manage that we thought it was possible no one would be available for Alpha this Spring, but thankfully that’s not the case. We do have friends interested in joining us for Alpha, and we’re really excited about it!
I think this will be a great excuse to get to know each other better, while also exploring the basics of Christianity together. We do so appreciate everyone’s encouragement and prayers that our Sunday afternoons together would be delightful for all, and also that Brennen and Kate would take their afternoon naps on those days without much of a battle. :)
Just this morning I was having a conversation with a friend about how distant we tend to remain from one another relationally, and I’m hopeful that these afternoon meals and discussion will begin to counter that tendancy in our lives.
This Sunday we begin the Alpha course, 10 weeks (including an extended weekend) of a study on the basics of Christianity. At this point we have yet to discover if any of the friends we invited will be joining us! There is much preparation involved in having people in for a meal and I would LOVE to know ahead of time who is coming. All this to say that God has been making me aware of the fact that this is a spiritual work that we are doing. The battle is being fought on a spiritual plain… I cannot see it, but it is happening none the less. I am excited for the growth that will happen in our lives as we find ourselves in this place of need. God is the only one who can provide the people for this course. I am also excited about going through the basics again myself. Somehow I had forgotten that it helps to always be reviewing the basics. This is true in every area of life, certainly true in regards to our faith. So… if you aren’t busy Sunday afternoon, join us. Or better yet, pray!
Some days you can’t wait to crawl in bed and know you get to start over in the morning. This was one of those kind of days… Actually it has been one of those kind of months. Both Jason and my computers died (RIP) and the cars have been taking turns as well. I realized last week how unimportant all of that is when Brennen came down with a fever and went into a febrile seizure. He is fine now except for a cough but I look at him in a new way. Life is so very precious. I guess that’s why we get up in the morning and try again. This world is not my home but I am glad for the time we have. Glad for the grace God gives us.
Christmas Snuggles
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The Miller Saga is the story of one family's walk with God. It is a story with numerous entry points since it is a story in-the-making. God's perspective on our lives is all that ultimately matters, but we want to share the journey with others. My rendering of an African proverb illustrates this: Traveling in haste? Go alone. If, on the other hand, you want to travel with fullness of life into eternity, follow Jesus and bring as many friends as possible. We're honored to consider you among our friends.
