Archives for July 2016

I’ve already been praying over this week…surrendering it all over to Him…laying everything down at His feet each new morning.  It’s hard to hand big things over…especially thing you feel you want to control, but His hands are better than mine.  His plans are better than mine.  I’m placing all my hope in Him.

I’ve still been doing my 30 Days of Bible Lettering.  I love my Bible journaling, but I have loved narrowing in on just one single verse each day too.  A new perspective.  A new creative twist.  Today I wanted to share days 5-10 to kick off this new week.

 Hope your weekend was good.  Hope you’re feeling hope filled and ready to love the crap out of this world.  Here’s to a new day!

First, thank you for your kindness.  Thank you to each of you who actually read my post and with an open mind and heart.  Thank you for listening to my thoughts and feelings.  I cannot say that enough.  I told Josh Kelley the other night I just want to get this right.  I want to get this life right so badly and to constantly try and think like Jesus would and bring Him glory.  I am ultimately a messed up sinner just trying to do my best and need buckets of grace.

This morning we woke to more lost lives.  To more hatred and evil.  To more of a fallen world in need of our Savior.  I keep saying over and over again “This is a mess.  We are a mess.”  I am so broken hearted for those police officers and their families.  I cannot imagine their devastation.  Here’s the thing:  We don’t have to take sides in this.  We can stand with and support our black sisters and brothers while simultaneously standing with and supporting our police officers.  It’s not one or the other.  We can be on both sides and that is where our family chooses to stand.

Last night I made breakfast for dinner.  Pancakes, eggs, bacon and fruit.  In some way I thought a yummy dinner…a familiar dinner…might ease my kids hearts as we discussed such hard matters.  We told them all about what had happened to Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.  I cried of course, but we had good open conversations where they could ask questions and say what they were feeling.  We talked about how we were going to a Black Lives Matter vigil and how we would stand up for this…how we wouldn’t be silent.  Hudson got teary.  Harper asked good questions.  Solomon was quiet.

Sol doesn’t talk about his feelings a lot.  I pry all the time to try and get him to open up.  I knew he would be quiet.  He’s a thinker.  After everyone had left the table he came over and buried his face in my neck.  I squeezed his little body so hard and asked how he was feeling.  He said “So sad.”

This morning I sat the kids down and again had a hard conversation, but told them about the police officers.  I cried again and explained we would stand with the police officers too.  That we always need to stand up for what’s right and what happened in Dallas was not right.  Hudson cried so hard.  Harper asked good questions.  Solomon this time quietly and simply asked “Was is a brown man who shot them?”  I answered all of their questions truthfully.  We talked about how police officers may feel today and how their families may feel as well.  I want my kids to be empathic and compassionate.

So today we made treats…chocolate chip cookies, funfetti cookies and rice krispy treats and delivered them to our police station.  Baked goods can change the world right?!?!  We also colored and drew signs for the vigil we are attending tonight.  The big kids all thoughtfully chose their own poster wording and it made my heart swell.  This is how we chose to not choose sides.  This is how we chose love and compassion.  This is how we are choosing to fight injustice.  There are so many other ways to do the same, this is just us.  We are saddened by all the lost lives this week and we will stand up for them.

Truthfully, yesterday was a pretty dark day for me.  So much so I didn’t even feel like myself.  I put my hope in people when I should have put my hope in Jesus.  I decided today would be different because I get to choose how I handle things and where I place my hope.

Again I wanted to share from a list I have been collecting.  Other people say what I am feeling so much better and so much wiser.  Please take the time to read them.

THIS article is ridiculously excellent.

“With the coverage of cases like those of Eric Garner, Mike Brown and Tamir Rice, the experiences of people of color in America have come back into the spotlight. And wherever your opinion falls on issues like these, believers are called to compassion. Our call is to mourn with those who are mourning.  Instead of arguing the facts of the controversial cases, fight to understand the underlying issues. There is a nation of people hurting, and who are you to tell them that they don’t feel pain? Christians, of all people, should put their arms around a hurting person. You don’t need to know why they hurt.”

 I saw THIS post by Tona Ottinger this morning.  Yes, yes, yes!  And then I cried because I feel this too.

“WHY OH WHY CAN’T WE GRIEVE BOTH???  WHY OH WHY is my news feed filling up with ‪#‎dallas‬ yet it has been almost silent prior?  Injustice requires us all to speak.  Yes, it does require us to pick sides….the side of justice.” 

 This article “What Shootings and Racial Justice Mean for the Body of Christ” is incredibly well written.  Please, please read.

“But how can anyone deny, after seeing the sheer number of cases and after seeing those in which the situation is all too clear, that there is a problem in terms of the safety of African-Americans before the law. That’s especially true when one considers the history of a country in which African-Americans have lived with trauma from the very beginning, the initial trauma being the kidnapping and forced enslavement of an entire people with no standing whatsoever before the law. For the black community, these present situations often reverberate with a history of state-sanctioned violence, in a way that many white Americans—including white evangelicals—often don’t understand.”

“The stakes are even higher, though, morally than they are socially. If we believe that every person will stand before a Judgment Seat, we cannot then stand silently when we see injustice.”

THIS post by Jo Saxton brought me to tears.

“Yet as I prayed with some sisters last night, as I stared at the ceiling in the early hours I’ve been thinking and wondering what God calls me to in this moment. What he calls each of us to in this moment. I’m thinking of Jesus in Luke 4 where he proclaims words from Isaiah 61, speaking of good news for the poor and sight to the blind, freedom for the oppressed, release for the captives. And then his words, ways and works demonstrated his proclamation all the way to the resurrection. I’m reminded that I’m his disciple, his follower, learning to put into practice the life he lived…I’m thinking again of what Jesus meant when he said we were salt and light, engaged, involved, transformative. I’m thinking of Isaiah 61 and oaks of righteousness who restore places that have been long devastated.”

Loved THIS post by Glennon Melton…what we do and say right now really does matter in ways we may never understand.  I tell my kids almost every day what the Bible says about our words…they can give life or death…our words are so powerful.

“What we do and say right now matters. Will we respond with hate and fear? or shared grief and love? Ending cycles of violence starts with us in word and deed.”

THIS article talks about how we can’t blame the Black Lives Matter movement for the Dallas police officer’s deaths.  So good.

“Prior to the shooting, the protest on the streets of Dallas was peaceful and controlled. It was led by protesters who spoke out against the police killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. The deaths of these black men, which happened on consecutive days, catalyzed outrage and prompted protests in cities across the country. However, just because the movement aims to end police violence against black lives does NOT mean it encourages violence against police by black people. Black Lives Matter has never, ever insinuated that other lives don’t. And dismissing the movement’s real agenda ignores the torment and terror protesters faced Thursday night, too.”

Lauren Casper’s post HERE is crazy good.

“Battle lines are drawn and friends and family step firmly to their “side” while screaming at the other. We don’t need more enemies. We need more love.  Friends, not only is it possible to be deeply grieved by both the deaths of Alton Sterling & Philander Castile AND the deaths of 5 Dallas police officers… it is necessary. We belong to each other.”

THIS from Nate Homan brought hope.

And as a momma of 3 black children these two articles made me weep.  Please take the time to read and hear a different perspective than you might have heard before or even thought about.

Black Moms Tell White Moms About the Race Talk

Death White Parents of My Black Child’s Friends: I Need Your Help

Thank you again.  I hope you know I sincerely mean that.  You don’t have to visit my small place in the inter webs.  You don’t have to read my thoughts, feelings and words.  So truly, truly…thank you for doing so.  Means the world to me.

It’s 2am as I’m typing this post and ever since I read the first thing this evening about Alton Sterling’s death I’ve been just a mess.  I’ve tried sleeping and just can’t.  If I can’t sleep I can’t even imagine how our black brothers and sisters are tonight.  I checked my phone around 1am and read about Philando Castile and sobbed into my pillow begging Jesus to come soon.  Our world is a mess.  Just a freakin mess.

I have 2 black sons and currently 1 black daughter and my heart is over this.  Do you know how many times I have thought to video tape being pulled over by police?  Zero.  The thought has never even crossed my mind and I use to get speeding tickets frequently.  That is white privilege.  It’s real.  It’s a thing.  And I have it.  And if you’re white, you’ve got it too.  And I hate that I have it, but this is our world.  People go crazy about gender neutral bathrooms and politics and a beheaded lion and yet are silent when it comes to racial issues.  People stand up for aborted babies, the homeless, hungry and poor and fight against human slavery but yet silence when it comes to blatant racial inequality for our brothers and sisters in Christ.  I know it can be uncomfortable…I get it…I really do, but we’ve got to stand together…stand for each other.  I know as a white person I don’t want to mis-step or mis-say something…I worry about this post being worded right or interpreted wrong, but I’ve learned if we say nothing we are actually saying so much.  I don’t ever want my kids to think racism of any form is okay.  Ever.

The sadness runs so crazy deep that all of our children, but especially our 3 black children will grow up in a country still littered with racism and that we need to prepare them for so many unfair and unjust things…like how to make it home alive.  Thinking about their teen years literally makes my stomach turn and beg Jesus to just equip us, equip us, equip us.  We’ve already seen how with certain friends Solomon is left out or picked on or always made to be the “bad guy” in whatever they are playing.  He sees it and it hurts his feelings.  We’ve talked to him and Hudson about how to handle those situations when we’re not around…both of them standing up and saying something.

My uncle recently sent us Zootopia which has created some new dialogues in our house.  Just this morning the kids went down a random rabbit hole of questions about prison and police officers while driving around town running errands which led to me telling them about how innocent people, especially black males, are in prison and how even black children have been shot and killed by police for no reason.  We talked about how there are lots of good police officers, but they are also human just like us which means they are also sinners just like us.  I felt like I instantly stripped a piece of innocence from them, but when faced with their questions I wanted them to know and I wanted to be truthful and gently tell them about these injustices.  I told them how I pray they have a deep sense of justice in their hearts and will always fight for what’s right and stand up for people who need them to stand along side them.  We talked about Just Mercy and how what if Mr. Bryan Stevenson had never stood up and fought for those innocent black men and boys…yes boys…who had been imprisoned.  How he was a world changer and a Christ follower.

I’ve thought about what we can do.  I’ve already found a vigil being held in Nashville for these precious lives that have been lost.  And I’ve been listening.  Listening is so key.  I am not black and if you are not black either then we will never ever fully understand the depth of pain and hurt our black brothers and sisters feel.  Ever.  Instead of saying hurtful things like #AllLivesMatter or listing out bad things a victim has done…like they deserved this…or other excuses I see thrown around on social media, we should close our mouths for a moment, pull in real close and listen tenderly.  When we listen we can learn and then we can stand along side each other.

I’ve also started a list I wanted to share with you.  These are Facebook posts and older articles about racial injustice and people’s real feelings which deserved to be heard and shook me up.

THIS is an old post, but so so excellently written about why it’s a problem to say “All Lives Matter”.  Please read the whole article…crazy good.

“It’s the same error people who respond to “Black Lives Matter” with “All Lives Matter” are making. It’s not that what they’re saying isn’t true. It’s just that it’s unhelpful. It’s an attempt to erase an actual crisis under the guise of being fair. And by continuing to use “All Lives Matter” to drown out the cry of “Black Lives Matter,” the real problems the movement is trying to address are being ignored. “All Lives Matter” is useless. It is destructive. It is hurtful. We need to stop saying it.”

THIS is an older post as well, but again so flippin good…why Jesus would be saying Black Lives Matter.

“Continually Jesus drew our attention not to loving people “in general” but to specifically caring for those we would tend to discount or condemn. Black lives matter is exactly the kind of thing Jesus would say.  Why did Jesus have this emphasis, and why should we? Because then as now, there are people who were marginalized, condemned, and shut out of the system, and the hallmark of Jesus’ mission and ministry is all about drawing our attention to them. It has to do with empathy for the “other,” for the one we would normally regard the “least.””

Grace Sandra Ward’s status HERE had me reposting as quick as I could.

“People will go a mighty long way to defend gun rights, until MAYBE a free black man has one. In that instance, he deserves to be shot down like a dog in the streets whether he’s 12 or 37, complicit or has an attitude.  We can’t accept this. If human beings can lose their marbles when a gorilla is shot or when bathrooms might become shared we can certainly demand justice for Alton & every one before him.”

I loved Jenni Chiu’s Facebook post HERE.

“Answer YES or NO:
When I step out of my front door, because of the color of my skin, I know what it’s like to feel hunted.  Yes?  No?
If you answered “no” then you are privileged. It does not make you a bad person. It does not make you a racist…But it does make you responsible.  The onus is not on a drowning person to save themselves. The onus is on the person walking by to pull them out of the water.”

I love all of this, but also so much that she asks reader’s what they can do to help and then comments herself:

“I can speak up when a friend or family member says something racist, even if it will make things “uncomfortable”. I can also find out where a vigil or a protest is happening locally and BE THERE. I can vote for and campaign for the people (even locally) who I know support racial equality. I can use my online platform to amplify the voices of my black and brown friends.”

THIS video posted by Brandi Riley was a live post initially.  It is so raw and real as she had just learned about the death of Alton Sterling.  Her words and vulnerability and the way she implores white women to say something and encourage the white men in our lives to say something too moved me to tears.  Please watch.

THIS status by Tona Ottinger…the commenter’s words…“I feel like I’m whispering into the winds of a hurricane”…just made my heart ache.  Nailed it…whispering into the winds of a hurricane…I just cannot even fathom the weight of these feelings and all they carry.

“When we whisper together in harmony it becomes a loud lament that can not be ignored.”

 I try and not be on Facebook so much, but have become a literal troll since I found out about these happenings this evening.  I don’t even know or follow the following, but rabbit holed…like my kids this morning…right into them and loved the words I read.

THIS post is from Lovelyn Palm a white momma who has an older black child and you can feel all her feelings.

Brandon Clements status HERE begins with “Black Friends: I’m so sorry…” His empathy and compassion from the beginning is beautiful and I love his truth speaking with scripture.

“The book of Galatians calls Christians to bear one anothers’ burdens, and white Christians have faltered in numerous ways to even *recognize* the burden that comes with a history of oppression and racial bias, much less seek to post up under its weight with you. Thanks for your grace and patience as many of us who inherited a culture of indifference and blind privilege slowly learn to actually listen.”

THIS post from Alia Joy Hagenbach was simply written with deep sincerity and moved my heart completely.

“That video broke every bit of my heart as I know it breaks God’s heart. Our God is a God of justice and if we belong to Him, we cannot be ok when lives are so viciously taken. We cannot be okay when the very image of God becomes a hashtag over and over. We cannot be ok to stay silent and think this does not affect us. If the body breaks, we all break. If the body weeps, we all weep. Black lives matter to God, they should matter to us.”

 And I loved how HERE in so few words Eugene Cho makes such an important and profound statement.

 I know more people will bring more wisdom and empathetic words to this heartbreaking mess and these were just collected over a few hours, but I wanted to share.  As Christ followers I hope we choose our words carefully and choose to be kind, loving, compassionate and respectful…building each other up and not tearing one another down more.  I sit here praying and praying for the morning light to bring new hope and I keep reminding myself God still reigns supreme…He is still on His throne and He is still mighty and good.

Instagram is easily my favorite social media…my total fave.  There is so much goodness and it’s quick and easy to use.  Along with following friends & family I also follow some amazing creators doing amazing things.  People also use it sell things, raise money for important initiatives, hold auctions for medical bills and adoption funds, share fun items through giveaways, promote one another and even more.  In June I found the 30 Days Of Bible Lettering challenge and was on board immediately.  The concept is simple…letter however you want one Bible verse every day for 30 days.  They even provide a list with a Bible verse allocated to each day.

Summer is proving really difficult for me to keep up with my own small creative business and online Bible journaling classes.  And when I say difficult what I really mean is impossible.  I haven’t created much this summer at all outside my own personal Bible journaling.  When I saw THIS easy and fun creative challenge I was pretty excited.  This gave me a goal to create something with scripture once a day for 30 days.  It doesn’t have to be big…it can be small.  It doesn’t have to be fancy or detailed…it can be simple.  I can create however my day sees fit…so not a lot of time, no worries…just create with the time I do have.  It was just what my creatively dry feeling heart needed.

(“immeasurably” spelled wrong…I blame, my summer fried brain…or my lack of spelling skillz)

Today is day 5 so if you want to join in there’s still plenty of time.  You can check out all the challenge details HERE or follow along with mine HERE.  I’m @pitterpatterart…look me up and join in.

Happy Tuesday.

I am alive.  The Kelleys are all intact and just as crazy as ever.  Last week the kids and I spent the weekend and the majority of the week at Fall Creek Falls here in Tennessee with Josh’s family.

(tucked tee…cough, cough)

Josh had to work all week and there was no internet so I declared last week completely free and it was a great decision because by Thursday I was feeling quite toasty done.  Our littlest getting car sick and barfing spaghetti all over the back seat not once but twice in our 2.5 hour drive home in the middle of the night might have done me in.  All that to say, we’ve been home a few days and settling back in.  The end of our week and weekend were filled with laundry and normal everyday ins and outs of summer.

Fall Creek Falls was fantastic.  We swam and hiked and fished and played games and built rock towers and ate yummy food and swam some more and then hiked some more and then ate more yummy food.  By the end of each day all the kids were zonked.  We rocked late nights, semi late mornings…at least kind of late for kiddos…and we played card games like there was no tomorrow.

I made 5 batches of cookies.  I really wish I had thought to count how many cookies we consumed over the course of a week.  There was also gooey butter cake and a legit amount of candy making it’s way around.  We do this cabin thing right.

Not all the Kelleys were able to stay the full time, but when together everyone chipped in and did their bit of parenting.  Everyone helped make meals.  Everyone washed dishes and cleaned up and relaxed.  We had the best time, but we were all ready to see Josh when our time ended.

Now we’ve been in full on celebrating America mode.  In less than 48 hours Josh Kelley’s made two things of homemade ice-cream.  An ice-cream maker was all he wanted for Father’s Day…ask and you shall receive…especially when ice-cream is involved.  Tonight we’ve got ribs and BBQ nachos on the menu plus games and drinks and our own personal amateur fireworks display per Josh, his dad and Amon.  Happy 4th indeed!!