Treehouse Adventures: Live. Love. Explore. Together.

TREE HOUSE
A tree house, a free house,
A secret you and me house,
A high up in the leafy branches
Cozy as can be house.
A street house, a neat house,
Be sure to wipe your feet house
Is not my kind of house at all- 
Let's go live in a tree house. 
― Shel Silverstein, Where the Sidewalk Ends: The Poems and Drawings of Shel Silverstein

Have you ever had a treehouse adventure?  There's something magical and exciting about the feeling you get as you're about to embark on this grand, albeit pretend, concoction of whims and problem solving.  Sometimes it's clouded in secrecy or surprise.  Other times it is a battle you fight with comrades.  In every case it is something that brightens your spirit and strengthens your roots.  I've discovered that this special place and feeling is what I want my family to experience regularly when we're together.  

Checking out a fuzzy caterpillar.

I want our family to be a free, secret you and me, cozy as can be house where we can all find the things we need from each other.  A tree house away from the hard world where we play, regroup, have heart to hearts and prepare for the battle ahead.  When personalities clash or down time is crowded out by schedules, families find it hard to connect and enjoy each other.  Like so many other things, if we don't set out to intentionally create a vibrant spirit that binds us to each other, it isn't likely to develop easily on it's own.  With our time sucked into electronics, meetings, umteen practices or events separate and way from our family, there is little time to invest in each other the way we were designed to - the way we need to.

The spirit/vibe/nature/dynamic of our family effects us the rest of our days.  Being a part of this family will mean more and more every year.  The impact on others will sink deeper and deeper, like a vine gaining strength the further it goes.  I think that is worth getting it right, don't you?  

So we have begun Treehouse Adventures.  We might not necessarily say it out loud, but every time we go on a trip, take a walk to visit the horses, read books together or even take on the most mundane projects together, we are investing in our family, every one investing in each other.  I know that a lot of families and communities do stuff like this all the time, but perhaps never label it as anything.  Doing things together is what's most important, but I think verbally and outwardly acknowledging it to each other highlights the importance and value of it all.  

There are many complaints about the deterioration of the family and communities that value one another.  We complain that our spouse/children/friends aren't filling our needs or taking part in our lives.  We complain about poverty and crime.  We complain.  And then we go right back to our phones or televisions and expect the change to come from somewhere else.  I'm guilty of this all the time.  But our families are the first place we will learn from.  If we're demonstrating and nonverbally advocating disconnection, then so much is lost before it has had a chance to start.  We should not and shall not ever get rid of distractions and sources of disconnection, but intentionally seeking treehouse adventures within your friends and family life helps us to make good use of the connected opportunities we do have.

Life is so hard sometimes in so many ways.  Let's bring more good into our families, our marriages, our moments and experiences - overcome the evil with good!  What does your treehouse adventure look like today?

What You Do Matters

The life you are living today is so powerful and may have effects so lasting and far reaching that the direction of families will be changed for years and years to come.  In some ways, that might be a little daunting or overwhelming, but it's not meant to be.  There are a couple of families on my heart right now, one awesome kid in particular that is facing a big mountain to climb.  The struggle and anguish this world often gives us is heartbreaking and ugly some days, no way around it.  Personally, I hate it so much not to be able to heal a child or bind a marriage back together.  With God all things are possible, but His will sees farther than we can.

But no matter what the future days hold, we can change the world today.  Whether it is being diligent to get that trash out to the curb on time, staying away from a drink just one more week, or showing others why the life and death of Jesus matters, you can change the world for good.  And that's what it's all about.  It's easy and tempting to get caught in the lie that we are islands to ourselves or that carving out a picture perfect life is what's important.

The beauty of our world is that in so many ways, it is open-ended.  We have choices, opportunities and at least a little bit of time today.  Use today up for so much good.  Got mountains of paperwork?  Do it with a smiling attitude.  Kids driving you crazy (this is directed at me)?  Cherish the time you have with them.  Absolutely unhappy with your life and circumstances?  Make a plan to change your attitude or direction.  Here's the most important one: Do you see someone hurting and a way to help? Do something.

The life you live today will influence somebody.  They inturn will be more inclined to act or not.  They might conquer because they saw you do it.  Or they might never attempt that mountain because of something you said or never did.  We can't control the choices of others certainly not any more than we can control everything in our own life.  But we know this is true, in giving or receiving: What you do matters.  For good or bad, it's going to make a difference.

Lately I've been more easily consumed with other people's pain and struggles, especially where I could do nothing but pray.  I needed the reminder to live life and spread the good of Jesus in all circumstances I'm in, not just suffer away over the things I can't change.  Whether it is your own personal tragedy/struggle or the pain of others, let's glorify God in all things.  Without that option, what else is there?

Mark 12:29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

No Nonsense November: You Can Do Better

If there is one thing I've learned about myself over the past few years, its that I can always learn to do better.  Challenges are always hanging around, but if I work at something long enough, hard enough, with extra information and help, eventually I'll get the hang of things.

And if there is one thing I've seen about the world we live in, its that we believe so little about ourselves and God's ability to work and grow.  The complaint is usually the first thing to enter our mind and exit from our mouth - I wish {enter problem here} would change.  I, for example, have a list of things that has bothered and depressed me for years going back to adolescence.  Things like my complexion, my weight, my relationships, my financial status, my to-do list, my stress...etc.  We all WANT to be better or different, but whether by ignorance or laziness, we just think its not possible.  "I've been this way my whole life!" "You think I'm bad, you should've seen my parents.  I'm doing great compared to them!" Or that the only way its possible is to be completely miserable (discipline) and who can live like that?  Am I right?

Well, it's a lie that I'm sure the devil started.  You can do better!  It doesn't matter what you've come from, what you've spent the last decade learning to be right (while it was sooo wrong), or how messed up things are right now.  You can change your perspective, your habits, your responses.  We can be an active participant in our life instead of a victim.  God is waiting for that desperate but determined plea for help when we finally admit we're not going to do it alone.  But we put him off with delusions that it's too hard anyway.

It's common to get a little teary eyed at the person who was born with a condition or had a terrible accident or was found in an abusive situation and then applaud their courage and persistence in rising above their circumstances.  They are an inspiration, we say.  Yes, yes they are.  They have defied the odds.  Combatted hardship and rejection.  And they succeeded!  It is wonderful.  So, then what is my excuse?  No, really.  What is your excuse?  Is it harder than any possible scenario I've described?  I daresay there might be a few who have comparable situations, but for the rest of us, what's our problem?  I have all of my limbs, no degenerative disease and was not abused as a child - or any other tragic thing I can think of.  As a young teenager I was heavily rejected by some girls who I thought I was friends with and now I constantly have to remind myself to relax and that any friend isn't hating every second with me.  So I guess if you want to classify that as some tragic situation, ok, but still I'm sure we all have those kinds of stories.  So, what?

You can do better.  I can work smarter.  We can change those problems.  Or at least we can grow.  It's hard to change, for sure.  But why wouldn't you want to be healthier and happier? Really? You'd rather just complain about it? Well, I get that.  Sometimes its easier to complain than to work.  But I'm over it, myself.  I'm ready for results and steady growth.  Extremism is for the birds, but balanced growth and change.  Yeah, I'm feeling it these days.  Hope you will too!