Life as a Lewis

I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness; for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name. -Psalms 138:2b Because blogging (and picture taking) has unfortunately been at the bottom of my "to do" list, I'm combining the past few weeks. While I had actually been doing a tiny bit of journaling, I never published. Do you know my computer has been broken for nearly 6 months now, which means I haven't uploaded pics from my big girl camera (who used to be the love of my life) in 6 months? How do I remedy this!!??  Five on Friday - August 24 edition 1. Brian's introduction to bus driving was rough, but a consistent route after the first week made a huge difference overall. A steady route is so much simpler than showing up and being handed something new every single day! What seemed like an easy answer to (1) keep our insurance and (2) have time for a full-time job in ministry is turning out to be not so simple. It's not any less of...

I'm trying not to complain, but (1) I'm documenting for the family and (2) I know  there are other families besides ours with too much busyness, a crazy schedule, grumpy teens, etc. so read on with fair warning that I'm venting a bit. The past 2-3 weeks are reminiscent of August 2014 when Brian and I simultaneously started new jobs and the kids went back to school. It was challenging 4 years ago, and it's challenging now. The details are different - this time it's Brian starting 2 new jobs and kids going to middle school and high school - but the challenges are similar. We've gone several 24 hour periods without even laying eyes on Brian (or only saw him on stage at church), even more days where we steal 5-10 minutes in the same space before going our separate ways - indications that our schedule is out. of. control. He leaves the house at 5 a.m. to drive a bus and his evenings are full of meetings and church happenings; the beginning of school mean...

The Lewis Family verse for Fall 2018: Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. -Colossians 3:14-17 ***** 1. Where, oh where, has the time gone? The Lewis family now has a 9th grader and 6th grader. It dawned on me just this morning that next summer Camden will have his license. Did our last family summer just happen and I didn't even recognize the end of an era? It was really great to have Brian with us on the first day of school - something that hasn't happened in foreve...

Where to begin? Let's start with our whirlwind trip to Little Rock for the annual denominational convention, which included youth competition in areas such as music, art, drama, and multiple Bible categories. Rory competed in a children's choir and individual drama. Camden competed in Bible memorization and vocal solo. Becky and her boys (along with a large group from her church) were present and competed in many categories. We spent 2 days running back and forth between competition rooms. Our hotel rooms were miraculously side by side. I have no idea how that happened, but it was awfully convenient! I'm not sure how we missed taking a picture, but we did - only a quick (but cute) one of the cousins. Brian is officially not  a teacher, is  a full-time pastor, and is  a bus driver after passing his test Friday. The county's previous record was 21 days of training, but Brian completed it in a mere 17 days. This was not an easy process, and I am so proud o...

I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears.  Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy. -Psalm 34:4-5 I am desperately behind in blogging because summers are bananas. What happened to lounging around? Binge watching your favorite show? Eating ice cream every night.? Okay, we've actually got that one down. I'm just going to hit a few summer favorites and call it good. Eating . . .  Anyone else having a hard time cooking in this heat? We've been pulling out cheese, summer sausage, crackers with some fruit and veggies multiple times a week. And Rory is baking. Babysitting  . . . As a thank you to some friends, we've done a little childcare these past few weeks. Our kids have had a blast playing and so have we. It's also a good reminder that I'm not sad we're past the younger stage. Camden couldn't be there one night so he left out his legos for the boys. :) Surviving . . .  We...

I've never given much thought to psychology, counseling, or therapy. Not until my oncologist suggested I might benefit from talking to a professional, that is. Maybe the fact that I stopped taking medication without permission and increasingly spent my time crying and feeling incredibly anxious were her first clues? She sent me to a psychologist who specializes in oncology.  I showed up to my first session with absolutely no expectations. I know very few people who have utilized counseling. I didn't have negative feelings; counseling was just a complete unknown. I walked away from that first 1-hour session with every single bit of my makeup cried off but feeling 100 pounds lighter. I didn't realize how much I had been withdrawing from everyone around me, how much I was hiding from my family and my doctors, how many tears I was shedding. Riding the ups and downs of cancer has never been easy, but I've managed fairly well until recently. As Dr. PC walked through vari...

Hatred stirs up quarrels, but love makes up for all offenses. -Proverbs 10:12 1. Our lives changed pretty dramatically Sunday, when 180 Church offered Brian the job of pastor. This means he will no longer be teaching but will instead be a pastor and part-time bus driver (in order to keep our very excellent insurance through the school system). Way back in 2004 when we brought home an adorable 8-month old Camden, I was devastated to return to work and leave him in daycare. We decided there would be no more additions to the Lewis family until we could figure out a way for me to be a stay at home mom. At the time I was working at a college (our alma mater) and Brian could take classes tuition-free. So he returned to college for an additional 2 years to complete requirements for certification to teach in Tennessee. He taught his first class in fall 2007, and I will always be so grateful for the way God provided a way for me to stay at home with the kiddos. When he started the proces...