Our Open House Adventure

I’m honored to be a part of Ed Cyzewski’s ongoing series on Doing Justice. I wrote about Nathan, Love, and Justice and if you haven’t read it, or the series, I highly recommend it.

 

Nagoggle

RAILROAD OPEN HOUSE:
JUSTICE + LOVE

Nathan turned 13th on March 8th. The day he was born it was 70 degrees F. The next year it snowed 8 inches. Parenting him has been just as unpredictable. And now we have full-fledged puberty!

Puberty is a hard time for everyone….but for a young man with autism and the family that loves him…it’s harder than “normal”. He’s at once his age (noticing bikini-clad women in commercials, playing video games, growing 6 inches in 18 months, getting acne, fighting with sister, and the rest) and also seems much younger in many ways and can’t grasp things many of his peers do. The phrase “one day at a time” is turning into a mantra I say for sanity.

For a special birthday celebration we opened our house as a kind of Model Railroading, lego display tour with snacks and goodies. We invited loads of people. Grace abounded.

As I’ve reflected further about that day, I sense the presence of God. Those from our church family made special efforts to come. He was lavished with good will, generosity, and affirmation about himself, just as he was. Not a bad day, I’d say!

Here are some photos of the day. (Sorry to say we didn’t get any good video clips.)

 

 

 

 

Would you like to help Nathan add to his layout?

If so, you can donate to his train layout by clicking here.


(If you’ve donated–Thank you for contributing to Nathan’s passion! We will update photos of his railroad purchases from your generosity in the near future.)

JESUS NEEDS NEW PR!

 

Welcome Matthew Paul Turner readers. If you enjoy Jesus Needs new PR, you’ll like me and I’ll like you, and you’d enjoy a subscription. It’s not we have to couples’ skate sometime to Millie Vanillie– Or trade silly bandz. (But, we can work that out too. Whatever you’re comfortable with.) 

You might be here for the “Rape of Dinah” article here: http://wp.me/pri9O-mL
The LEGO depiction of this can be found in its misunderstood version, of course, here:
WEIGHTY TOPIC. I welcome your insights or comments. I encourage you to poke around here for a little bit, and subscribe to this blog. Just to be clear–some articles here are fairly serious, and others are more light/zany. Ah variety.
You could be a delightful or even snarky  reader base for me, and that would be a dream come true. Because I’ve always loved you.
Thanks for taking some time to visit. xox
PS Thank you MPT and Ed http://inamirrordimly.com

My Christmas gift for a fan, inspired by St. Nick

I’m giving out something especially fun this Christmas, but first, I  want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas, and hope that 2010 will be a blessing for you.

Bishop Nicolas giving treats

When I started this blog in February 2009, I didn’t know what would happen. I couldn’t imagine the outpouring of kindness and devotion that would come. I started with about 10 hits/visitors a week, and now I get that many by 6 a.m. Thank you all for coming along with me this year. I will be working on this blog, writing almost every day to engage the heart and mind, and injecting fun and humor as well. Plus, in February, I like to give gifts, because it’s my birthday month, so stay tuned for that too, if you like getting amusing, or helpful goodies in the mail.

I thank you so much for your friendship and support. Technology can produce wonderful connections, growth, healing, and joy. It has for me, and I hope you find it here too. I encourage you, if you haven’t in a while, to check the blog categories, and archives to see what you’ve missed.

This is the time of year when my family and I celebrate the advent (arrival) and the most gracious gift of Jesus, the Incarnation. In the spirit of generosity, inspired also by St Nicholas, and many other spiritual giants, I’d like to extend an opportunity to all of you, by way of a contest for a special and very fun Christmas gift. I wish I had the resources to give each one of you this funky gift, I found while cruising around the “interweb,” but alas, the joy of giving will still be there, and I’m SO excited to send it out!

This handmade wallet is quite the neat treat. Made from genuine legos, it’s a snazzy gear for holding plastic cards, bill money, keys, tissues, mints, coins, chap stick, receipts for Christmas gifts you have to return, or other small objects. It’s a fun conversation starter, or a unique gift for a lego lover, (especially a “boy,” ages 5-55). It will also be enjoyed by anyone (male or female) with a taste for fun, or a penchant for innovative, and creative design.

It will be given to the 100th responder that does one of the following:

1. Follow Life As Prayer on Facebook and Twitter http://LifeAsPrayer.twitter.com, and send out a message about it.

2. Retweet this: < @LifeAsPrayer has a funky Lego Wallet Christmas gift for the 100th RT > *(Please include 1 reason why you like Life As Prayer, or how you found out about it.)

3. Send 2 friends (new visitors) to view the LifeAsPrayer blog, and have them leave a comment containing your name.

That’s it!

Have fun.

~MERRY CHRISTMAS~