Saturday Superlatives!

It's 9:35 on Saturday morning, and only three members of our family have stirred.  And guess what, I'm not waking them up.  Today we're cleaning house, washing clothes, and helping out with a work day at our church.  Tonight, we're going out to dinner because it's my birthday.  :)  What are you up to?

Favorite Picture of the Week

This is my daughter, Adelyn.  She's beautiful not just on the outside, but even more so on the inside.  Thanks, Fuller, for the great senior pictures!  

Silliest Video

What does the Fox Say?  Okay, I know I may be the last person on the planet to see this.  But, just in case you haven't, here it is.  I don't even know what to tell you about this video.  It makes me laugh. 

I do have to tell you though, when we still lived in Charlottesville, we learned what the fox says.  Because during certain seasons this fox would wander our yard at night making really annoying sounds.  

Best Mail

A couple of week ago I won a Giveaway from Kate!  This week, it arrived.  I got the brown colored one 

These journals are handmade, and I mean completely handmade by Akiru women who make the paper and sew the journal.  This small business initiative helps some of the most vulnerable women in Uganda make a living.  The sale of one journal feeds a family of four for a week.  Read more about The Akiru Project.  And then order journals for yourself and all your friends.  

Greatest Recipes

Chocoloate Chip Salted Caramel Cookie BarsFriday nights are Family Nights.  Sometimes that means ordering pizza and watching a movie.  Sometimes we have a bit more energy and are more creative.  So last night Katya and I made these amazing cookie bars.  Yum.

Oven Baked FajitasOf course dessert is the primary item on the menu for Family Night, but last night we had a pretty amazing dinner too.  When I've tried to make fajitas in the past, they were just kind of okay.  Nothing like what arrives to you on a sizzling platter at your local Mexican restaurant.  These weren't quite at that caliber, but they were really, really good.  I liked that I just mixed everything together and put them in the oven.  I could see fixing this in the morning and then just sliding it in the oven 30 minutes before you're ready to eat dinner.  We doubled this recipe for our family.  

Most Touching Video

You have got to watch this.  The raw honesty of this dad as he struggles to accept that his daughter has Down's Syndrome is a bit unnerving.  Who is this honest?  Thanks, Kent Williamson, for sharing.  You, Zoe, and your family are so dear to us!

Most Important Read

This is about porn and our kids, folks.  It's hard to read, but so important.  We need to know what is available to our kids at one accidental click.  We need to know how kids talk about it.  We need to give them tools for what to do when they stumble upon it, because they will stumble upon it.  We need to give them a non-condemning way to ask for help if they have chosen to do more than stumble upon it.  But, I believe we need to do more than be rabidly anti-porn.  

We need to lay out a banquet feast of beauty for our children.  They need to see healthy relationships between husband and wife.  They need to see that every person is made in the image of God, valuable and worthy or respect and honor.  They need to see that the longing of the human heart for intimacy is a God-given longing, but the enemy has perverted this longing into something that brings death and not life.  They need to see that porn will never meet the longing of their heart.   

We also need to pray for the victims of pornography, and for those who are working to rescue people from trafficking, forced prostitution, sexual abuse, etc.  

Fun Finley Fact of the Week

Josiah didn't win the Most Beautiful Eyes contest, but he was voted onto the Homecoming Court.  When he heard the results, he was not excited.  He even asked if he could get out of it.  But, he gets to escort a pretty amazing girl. 

What great articles, videos, recipes have been in your week?  What adventures have you had?  I'd love for you to share links and stories in the comments!

Next week, at the Riverside, we'll be in Philippians 2:1-4.  At the Riverside is a Monday-Friday devotion.  We're walking verse-by-verse through Philippians and I'd love for you to join us.  If you'd like to have at the Riverside arrive in your inbox each morning, just subscribe by putting your email address in the little box up-and-to-the-right.