Fridays Rock!

Every Friday, Rhonda goes to meet with some of the ladies from the Springs.  They say it's a bible study, but I have my suspicions about that...  Anyway, on Fridays, I get to hang out with my 21 month old son, Graysen.  We don't do much craziness, but it's just us.  No girls, no Barbies, no Polly Pockets.  This morning it was the red wagon, the swing and the basketball, mixed in with water puddles and mud.  When I come into my "office" to check mail and write something like this, he follows me in, pulls up his chair to his computer and sits and taps on the keys while watching the default screensaver on the Mac Mini that signifies the monitor is not plugged in.  We work.  Today, we are heading out to get lunch for Garin.  We'll take it with us to the school and hang out with her and her class.  It's going to be fun.  Mom might join us after her "study" but if she doesn't, we'll be okay.  

Does our Father God ever get pumped about His time with us?  I think He does.  I think it thrills Him to watch us "play in the puddles and scoop up the mud" sometimes.  I believe God is a personal God and that He is involved in and cares about my daily life.  Just like I do with Graysen!

Backing in to Daddy

This morning Graysen and I were in the living room getting situated for another great day.  He has a new toy from McDonald's that lights up his world right now.  He's only 1, so it doesn't take much.  The toy is a little shooter...you put a small "ice" piece into the barrel and then push a button and it shoots out.  When it shoots, he just giggles.

This morning I was sitting on our ottoman.  After Graysen would shoot the piece, he would go get it and then start to put it back into the barrel.  He's just learning it so it takes him a while.  As he was doing it, he would turn with his back toward me and back into my legs.  It was like I was his personal "docking station."  He did this over and over.

This isn't something new for him, but today I experienced it differently.  Graysen kept returning to what was safe and who he knew would hug him and help him put the piece back into the barrel.  My relationship with God is also like this.  I need to "back into Daddy" on a regular basis because that is where I find encouragement in the journey and answers to many of my problems.  For me, this looks like this.  When I need to back in, I will grab my bible and go out by the lake and just sit with God's Word and talk to Father.  I might grab my guitar and just sit and sing songs that only make sense to me and to Him...and sometimes not even me!  I might go find a group of other Christ-followers and worship with them.  I might put on my headphones, turn out the lights and listen closely to a song that makes much of God and less of me.  I might go for a walk, ride a bike, go play golf alone, etc.  It's important for me to get away and get alone with Daddy.

It's during these "backing in" times that I am able to gain a little perspective on the rest of my life.  I need to do it more than I do and often I can feel my soul begging for it.  How do you experience this backing in?