home again home again...

clippity clopp, jiggity jog... It feels SO good to be home again. We had a wonderful time in California, but travel is much work, Brighton is a TON of baby, and we missed our new home in Philadelphia. I can't believe I am saying that! Driving home from the airport I recognized small bits of Lincoln Drive (a main thorough-fare) as familiar and sweet. We really missed our church and our friends. Here is a shot from one of the last days in California. It was the first time I have ever seen the sun set into the ocean. Beautiful. (click the image for a larger version) Matthew

Photography

This is a photo I took yesterday. I have been enjoying color again. The new camera and I travel with Brighton in tow, especially when mamma needs a break. Love yall, Matthew

Christmas Eve in California

Its about 70 degrees outside. I'm moving to California! I would if I weren't really falling for Philly. Bummer :) Brighton's in the spirit. (want to see the larger version? - click on the photo). Prayer needs:Brighton's sleep schedule is out the window. We're sufferin'. Amy's folks got up to help us last night. The boy just aint sleepin. The last couple of nights he's been wide awake at 12:00am or 2:00am and/or 4:00am. Ugh. Pray for repentence. I am getting angry with God about all this, and its becoming clear that Brighton isn't the kind of kid who would do well to just 'cry it out' at this point in his career as a child. M

We're back

Amy and I are out in California in Los Osos, near Morro Bay and San Luis Obispo. It's been cold and rainy, but OH SO much nicer than Philly weather. Amy and I took a long walk this morning with Brighton strapped up in the Bjorn on my chest (as usual) and really had a chance to be thankful for each other again, and strangely thankful for all the crappy circumstances in our lives. We're always thankful for the good ones, like the Christmas bonus this year, and the hope that I might make a little money designing websites this next year, or the knowledge that Brighton won't be a sleepless cuckoo forever, BUT we are rarely thankful for the stuff in our lives that makes us feel unstable and unable. The ONLY reason to be thankful for terrible stuff is that it makes it really clear to these two nutters that Jesus is THE vine, and that we are little branches hoping to bear a few small grapes in one long lifetime, and we'll need the vine and all that he offers to even see the wee start of a grape or two, let alone, enough for wine at the great feast. So, hey, thanks for praying! I told you it works! Oh wait, no I didn't I'm usually a hopeless disbeliever. YOU told ME it works! Thanks for the reminder. Merry Christmas, Matthew PS. Just when I think I'm getting nerdy, and that I know what I'm doing, i go and delete the folder with all the important images (like the header :) Its back now.

Coming home

What happened! Its been almost a month since my last blog post! Anyone get sick of checking it to see that nothing was posted? I'm not a very good blogger :) I think I haven't really wanted to talk any more about all the hard stuff in our lives. It isn't received very well. I wonder how David felt in the when he wrote the Psalms. Those songs are desperate, their frickin' angry, angry songs, about the reality of a cursed world weighing on the heart of a king, a man, and how he forgot so often to surrender his will against that curse to his heavenly dad. In Psalm 119 David says "Revive me with your Righteousness". David felt dead, in need of revival, new life. King David, the guy who killed his friend to sleep with the guy's wife. King David, who God used in spite of himself. I wonder if anyone ever told David that he was a depressing person? I find his songs to be uplifting because they are true. Despite his pain, and his unbelief, God pursued David and offered him Faith, so that his songs, in the end, if not collectively, point upstream, toward the source of life. I want my song to point upstream. Please pray. Matthew