Late last week, I wrote about our neighborhood tribe.

That’s not our only tribe.

We are grateful to have multiple tribes.

I was reminded of that last night as we gathered at some newer friend’s home. They have an open invitation every Monday evening at their home for dinner.

No need to RSVP.

Simply show up, eat and hang out and leave whenever you need to. There is a 30 second thought that gets shared from the scriptures. PERFECT. This tribe is an important part of our schedule so far this fall – and we LOVE IT!

It’s a great, and increasingly diverse tribe. A tribe that includes people (and foster kids!) from all walks of life.

We also have our extended family tribe. We ain’t perfect, but we do love being together. And, man, do we have each other’s backs. So grateful for the Tessmann’s and the Eastway’s!

Another tribe that is important to us in our church tribe at City Life. We spent some time with a wonderful couple this past Sunday, and love serving with and listening to the people in this tribe. We have learned so much about the plight of the homeless, immigrants, and people (like us!) with real challenges.

I dare you to click on the link above and read the dream statements of our church tribe.

Tribes are important.

Who are you learning from this week?

Who are you engaging with that you might not normally?

Who are you asking to help parent your kids?

Who are you giving to this week?

Receiving from?

May we all dive deep into our tribes and work hard to merge them!

KE

We have a group of friends. OUR TRIBE.

It’s a rare group.

We all (well, almost all besides the one family that we LOVE DEARLY) have lived within 12 houses or so of each other for the last 3 years.

A couple of them have moved away. But they are still a piece of US and still make the trek to our little neighborhood to join us.

Every three weeks, we hire two very brave babysitters to wrangle the littles (@ one house) while the mommies and daddies have dinner (@ another house. DUH.)

The kids have a hoot. They really love being together. In the way that little kids do. Eating hot dogs and mac’n’cheese and getting super sweaty running around together.

Every now and then they bicker and fight. (OK. That’s mostly our kids…) But they are good little buddies.

The parents share a great meal, and the host family brings a question for conversation.

It ends up being beautiful, funny and poignant in so many ways. A real sense of sharing life – the ugly, pretty and all of it in between.

My parents had (and still have – Dave/Ruth, Mike/Marty, Jim/Betsy) a group of friends like this when I was a kid.

I noticed that. I got a glimpse of that value as a small child. And now we are experiencing it as adults.

The importance of a tribe of people is vital. To a family, to a friendship, to a neighborhood.

Who is your tribe? Who asks you the tough questions? Who loves you and your kids no matter what?

If you do not have any answers to those questions…

Won’t you be our neighbors?

KE

It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood, A beautiful day for a neighbor. Would you be mine? Could you be mine?…It’s a neighborly day in this beauty wood, A neighborly day for a beauty. Would you be mine? Could you be mine?… I’ve always wanted to have a neighbor just like you. I’ve always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you. So, let’s make the most of this beautiful day. Since we’re together we might as well say: Would you be mine? Could you be mine? Won’t you be my neighbor? Won’t you please, Won’t you please? Please won’t you be my neighbor?

“When is it ripe?”

“Can we cut it open?”

“I want to eat it NOW!”

“When can we enjoy it?”

“Why is it taking so long?”

“It’s still sour?”

“When will it be sweet?”

Watermelons are a conundrum to the littles boys in our house – and to the adults too.

You see, ya never know when a watermelon is ready or ripe.

It sits there on the counter top staring are you: “I dare you to slice me open. You might enjoy it or regret it.”

When is the right time to (___________________) ?

When will we be ready to (___________________) ?

Do you think we can afford to (___________________) ?

I really wish that (___________________) would slow down.

Golly, what can’t (___________________) just happen faster?

You never know what life is going to be like until you slice it open.

It might be sour.

It might be sweet.

It might be too soon. Or too fast.

Probably a little bit of all of those things.

Go ahead. Slice that life of yours right open.

Therein lies the mystery and adventure that we all crave.

KE

PS – I’ve heard that a watermelon is ripe when you can push in the belly button (where the stem was) and it’s soft. Why did it take me 39 years to hear this?!?

Pulling into the drop off line this morning at kindergarten.

Feels like pulling into the pits at the Indy 500.

Bumper to bumper. Fast. Furiously paced. Get ’em in and get ’em out type of frantic madness.

Teachers directing traffic with waving arms.

And the voice of the tallest kindergartener (TK) in the back seat says:

“Daddy? I’m scared.”

ME – “I get scared sometimes too buddy.”

TK – “What are you scared of dad?”

ME – “People not liking me. Failing at my job. Lots of other things too.”

TK – “Yeah – but your job only has like 4 people in it. The sidewalk has about a billion kids on it and I don’t know any of them.”

We both laugh. Kinda nervously.

So I suggest, that instead of walking slowing into the building with his head down, he runs to find someone he does know in the crowd of bustling kids.

TK – “That’s a good idea dad.”

And then a miracle happens – He actually does it! Listens to me! Follows my direction!

PROOF THAT THERE IS A GOD. SERIOUSLY.

The Traffic Teacher gives me an airport-security-type-stern-look that says “Pull away from the curb sir. You’re holding up the line and the vitally important kindergarten start time…”

I pull away from the curb and get a glimpse of TK running and finding a kid that he knows.

He glances back with a smile.

And all is right in this little world of ours.

Being scared does weird things to us.

We shuffle our feet in fear, we focus on the cracks in the sidewalk instead of what’s up ahead and the potential that lies therein.

We isolate ourselves in the throngs of people around us – people who are fun, care about us deeply and want to share life with us.

All because we let fear overwhelm us.

May we run today! May we face the fear with eyes lifted high and our focus on the One who casts out fear in perfect love.

May fear never dictate our lives and keep our heads hung low.

Run! Eyes UP TK! There is a whole world full of joy and experiences ahead of you.

Sure – there will be bumps on that sidewalk. But you need to know that you will never have to go at it alone.

KE

 

 

 

Ran into a friend at a coffee shop last week.

They asked me how I was doing.

I wanted to lie to save face.

“Sad” I said.

My friend was not startled by this.

They listened (I had tears in my eyes from the sadness when, suddenly, they were sitting across from me at my table in the coffee shop).

I am realizing that I am sad about our older boy growing up. He’s only in kindergarten, but it’s been really hard on me.

I know… get some guts… other people have REAL things to be sad about Kevin. Like racism and hurricanes. (I’m sad about those things too. BIG TIME.)

I know – Every kid and parent goes through this season…

Get it together man – it’s no big deal. 

Those are the two lies I tell myself. Those are my sadnesses. To me, it is really real.

I’m sad that he has to navigate this world M-F from 7:55am-3:10pm without his mom or dad. (He’s doing wonderful at this by the way.)

I’m sad that he’s so tall that he barely fits on my lap anymore. (But… he can reach the top shelf of the fridge and get his own dang cup of milk now.)

So – what to do with the sadness?

Let it be sad… grieve some… cherish the memories… and..

SLOWLY Learn to Let Go.

Letting go is REAL tough. I tell myself that I want control over all of these things…

But really I don’t.

I want to learn to trust God more – and to let him into the sadness in a real and comforting way.

I’m learning that being vulnerable (even with sadness) is a good thing. It allows me to be me, and hopefully gives license to those around me to do the same.

That big boy of ours (the Tallest kid in 100 kindergarteners in his school) is going to be just fine… he’ll navigate the change with his wonderful teacher, and with us in the evenings and weekends…

I’ll be sad – maybe for longer than I’d like to admit… but I’ll be fine too. I’ve got tons to learn about this being a daddy thing, but I’m willing to let it shape me. I think.

Phew – there it is. Off my chest.

May we all dive deep into the sadness – meeting it head on and in vulnerability. May it shape us as we learn to let Go each day and trust Something/One mightier than ourselves.

KE