What causes you to laugh out loud? William has an Aunt Nanny (aka. Amanda Jones) who has a drawer full of Groucho glasses. This picture of William wearing a pair of her glasses reminded me of a sign that I saw on my honeymoon. Karen and I were walking on the streets of downtown Boston, wasting time in between a late lunch at Cheers and a baseball game at Fenway Park, when we came across a sign in front of an old church building. It read, "Laughter is the beginning of prayer." I had no idea what it meant and to be honest, I am still not sure what it means. But I really like the thought that it should be laughter that causes me to pray. I don't typically think in this way. More often than not, it is sadness or anxiety or difficulty or concern or hurt that causes me to pray. This world is so full of these things. But, perhaps as a follower of Christ, these should not be the things that cause me to pray. Just maybe it is laughter that should cause me to pray. Eugene Peterson paraphrases Matthew 5:4 in The Message, "Blessed are those who mourn right now, for one day they will laugh out loud." What if it were the coming of this day of laughter that caused me to pray? On this coming day, those who are hungry will be fed; those who are thirsty will receive water; those who are orphaned will experience family; those who are broken will find healing; and those who are poor will know the good news. What if I allowed the joy of this coming day to be my starting point for prayer instead of the sadness of the present day? In other words, what if I prayed daily, "Your kingdom come." Every time the hungry are fed, the thirsty receive water, the orphaned enjoy family, the broken find reconciliation, and the poor hear the good news, God's heavenly laughter breaks into our earthly reality. We get to experience the joy of that coming day every day as we care for William. I can't help but laugh out loud and according to that church sign, laughter is the beginning of prayer.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Laugh Out Loud
What causes you to laugh out loud? William has an Aunt Nanny (aka. Amanda Jones) who has a drawer full of Groucho glasses. This picture of William wearing a pair of her glasses reminded me of a sign that I saw on my honeymoon. Karen and I were walking on the streets of downtown Boston, wasting time in between a late lunch at Cheers and a baseball game at Fenway Park, when we came across a sign in front of an old church building. It read, "Laughter is the beginning of prayer." I had no idea what it meant and to be honest, I am still not sure what it means. But I really like the thought that it should be laughter that causes me to pray. I don't typically think in this way. More often than not, it is sadness or anxiety or difficulty or concern or hurt that causes me to pray. This world is so full of these things. But, perhaps as a follower of Christ, these should not be the things that cause me to pray. Just maybe it is laughter that should cause me to pray. Eugene Peterson paraphrases Matthew 5:4 in The Message, "Blessed are those who mourn right now, for one day they will laugh out loud." What if it were the coming of this day of laughter that caused me to pray? On this coming day, those who are hungry will be fed; those who are thirsty will receive water; those who are orphaned will experience family; those who are broken will find healing; and those who are poor will know the good news. What if I allowed the joy of this coming day to be my starting point for prayer instead of the sadness of the present day? In other words, what if I prayed daily, "Your kingdom come." Every time the hungry are fed, the thirsty receive water, the orphaned enjoy family, the broken find reconciliation, and the poor hear the good news, God's heavenly laughter breaks into our earthly reality. We get to experience the joy of that coming day every day as we care for William. I can't help but laugh out loud and according to that church sign, laughter is the beginning of prayer.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Extreme Peekaboo
On Saturday, William won the award for being the first Coffman child to receive stitches. He is very proud of this prestigious honor. Every time he raises his right arm, he gives a big thumbs up to show his approval. His right pointer finger was accidentally closed in a bedroom door during a game of peekaboo with siblings. The tip of this finger had to be surgically restored. The soft mitten cast is to keep him from messing with the sutures for the next two weeks. He really has been a champ through the whole experience and especially enjoys bonking dad in the face with his new weapon.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Brothers and Sisters
With each new child, we have arrived at a point in time when it is hard to remember what life was like before the addition of the newest one. We have reached that point in time with William.
Our little family has been so blessed by his addition that it is difficult to recall what things were like before his arrival. The greatest joy for me has been watching the interaction between the new brothers and sisters.
Not only will Bailey, JP, and Milbrey Ann argue over who gets to be with William, but William will scream for them to come to him when they are in another room. Most recently, due to William's ability to crawl up our stairs, we had to gate off the stairs. The sweetest moment will be when the older three are playing upstairs and William is downstairs standing at the gate yelling for his siblings. A very talented friend, Kristy Cope, took these pictures for us to celebrate William's first birthday. I thought she captured well the sweet relationship that is forming between these four brothers and sisters.
Our little family has been so blessed by his addition that it is difficult to recall what things were like before his arrival. The greatest joy for me has been watching the interaction between the new brothers and sisters.
Not only will Bailey, JP, and Milbrey Ann argue over who gets to be with William, but William will scream for them to come to him when they are in another room. Most recently, due to William's ability to crawl up our stairs, we had to gate off the stairs. The sweetest moment will be when the older three are playing upstairs and William is downstairs standing at the gate yelling for his siblings. A very talented friend, Kristy Cope, took these pictures for us to celebrate William's first birthday. I thought she captured well the sweet relationship that is forming between these four brothers and sisters.
