Not Yo Momma's Jam!

Mason jars are making a comeback, peeps! And the greatness is...most of the DIY ideas are cheap and easy! I even spray painted some of them white (using a paper star cutout taped to the front to leave a star-shaped impression). Here are some picture of our backyard and how I turned those suckas into mood lighting for the patio! :)

Saturday.

Mr. Anderson hard at work on his Integrative Systematic Theology Paper. Want to join?

Change in Thumb Colors

I have notoriously been known as a "brown thumb."

That would be the opposite of a "green thumb."

My dear husband dubbed me with the name two years ago, when in an attempt to transform our backyard into a springtime haven....I managed to slowly kill everything green in sight.

The following year, my mom came out to visit and helped me plant an entire garden full of color and growth...even eatable things! The challenge seemed simple. Maintain.

Two months later....the reign of "brown thumb" returned.

It seems as though it is inevitable, but for some reason, every year when that warm weather and fresh air blow in...I seem to forget that nasty colored phalange and skip on over to the nearest nursery to spend a small fortune on varies assortments of perrenials, annuals, herbs, and tomato plants.

People....this year is different. I have researched. I have magazines, websites, plant food sticks, watering cans and new pair of gloves! Don't stop me!!

This is the year of a new kind of thumb color!!

Sup World!

I feel like I should start this post like I started my diary when I was 13.

"Dear Diary,

So sorry that it has been a while since I've written. I have been so busy..."

(which....I think I would LOVE to know what I was "busy" with when I was 13)

But for reals....

Sorry it has been a while. I would like to say it really has been because I've been busy...but really it has been because I've been busy being not-busy. At least for the last few weeks.

That is right.

I checked out.

See ya on the flip!

Hasta Luego!

Sianara!

(that is about as far as my "goodbyes" in other languages takes me)

It was a nice little break away from the chaos of life because let's see...since we last talked we have braved a Tsunami Warning, redone our backyard, planned and executed an amazing Oregon Mission Trip, thrown an end of the year 200 person party, managed to loose the capabilities of reverse in our car, fight off and be somewhat conquered by spring allergies, hire a summer intern, take a trip to St. Louis, on top of the usual day to day small groups, youth groups, Sunday School, meetings, worship, planning, organizing, cleaning, as well as solve the world's dilemma of world peace.

Ok...maybe not the world peace thing...but we are working on it.

After some much needed R&R at the Heyse B&B and some fantastic soul time with old friends and new family members....I'm feelin....well....back.

And apart from the couple days under the weather with some cold-like symptoms...and after the heroic attempt at caring for me by my husband (which lasted about 12 hours before he gave me a puppy dog look and with a great sigh said "I'm ready for you to feel better") I'm ready. I think. 

I am so needy!!!

           So this past week my incredible wife Jessa has been out of town visiting her loving family in St. Louis. The time that she gets to spend with her mom, dad, and the “sister’s of glory” is priceless for her. One of the things I cherish about my dear lady is that she values time with her family. It brings her overflowing joy. That being said….

            Every time she leaves for an extended period of time I am left to my primitive, male, quesadilla eating devices. I forget to do the simplest things! Finding my socks become an all morning adventure, brushing my teeth is like climbing Everest, and don’t get me started about the deodorant (mostly because I can’t find it.) I thought I was developing as a husband! I really didn’t think I was this needy, for reals!

            Through the trials of laundry, watering flowers, and learning how to properly iron a dress shirt (still looked like it was at the bottom of laundry bag)….all of this got me thinking about the life that Christ led. More specifically the “humanness” He shared with us. You see, most days I see the life of Christ and how He lived and instantly become overwhelmed by the task of mirroring it. If I can’t find my left shoe in the morning, then how am I ever fully model my life after Christ?

            What I am discovering is that Christ lived a life that was fully God and fully human. Growing up I never heard, was taught, or led to understand the humanness of Christ. I understood and sort of grasped the death/resurrection portion of the story, but the humanness portion was left out. Until recently. For me, Erik Peter Anderson, to know that Jesus experienced the elements of the human experience brings me relief. It’s as if Jesus is right here next to me saying, “Erik, you silly goose, it’s going to be ok. I’ve been there….” It leads to me see that my needs are not as isolated and “out of the blue” as I might believe. Christ felt the needs that I wrestle with and feel defeated by today (well maybe not the sock part…)

 A tender moment I see this playing out in His life is when he experienced my biggest need right now, companionship. …He needed His friends… In Matthew 26:36-38 - When faced with the prospect of betrayal and death, Jesus requested that his three closest friends support him in his hour of despair. Seeing this side of our Savior ushers me into a moment of liberation. He did not experience life in a sublime realm of perfection. Christ felt as I feel. I don’t have to feel alone when the going gets tough. We can have moments and seasons where we lean on others when we are weak or need guidance. Because the truth is…(and I hate to admit this)…I can’t do it alone. This aspect is so foreign to me. For me, knowing the full goodness of God and Jesus -  is knowing the full, true humanness that allows us to be free from our expectations. Understanding His humanness is why I now discover His fulfilled perfection, which extends hope into my life. Through His humanness I find what I have been looking for all along….me. It’s time to rely on the one who knows where we’ve been….

PS – Jessa – I really have no idea where I would be without you. Thank you for always being there.

PSS – It’s time to come home….  I Love you. 

Erik