It started with chopsticks and coasters then quickly expanded to include corkboard hot pads. My little man found has taken to dwumming. Any song in our house now has a little extra percussion whether by chopsticks, pens, or the little palms of his hands. He was recently upgraded to a practice pad and his own set of kid-size drumsticks by our friend Dewwick who was kind enough to also throw in some lessons. The smile on my little man's face was bigger than every Christmas morning combined.

Derrick’s teaching strategy aimed higher than simply rudiments. He started out with the goal to instill a love for music in my son. His little hands have already drummed along to jazz and rock among other things. Derrick’s reasoning is that without a glimpse of the bigger picture he will lack the motivation to learn, practice and master the rudiments. 

Too often, we approach Bible study with only a rudiment mentality. It’s necessary and you should do it. The rudiments have become primary principles instead of building blocks of music.

Breakfast is not something I normally skip out on. It's part of my daily routine and I'm not one to forget to eat... except for this one particular day. And boy did I ever pick the wrong day.

A few weeks ago, my mom picked me up before the sun was up. We were off to the airport to teach at a conference. I wasn't quite feeling ready for food at that hour. I told myself I would eat later. We arrived at the airport, checked in, and went through security. We walked by a couple of restaurants but I told myself I'll eat later. I don't feel hungry yet. 

I was fishing three pieces of eggshell out of the mixture when out of the corner of my eye I saw him slip. Rather than washing in the bathroom, he tried to step onto the adjacent stool in attempt to wash his hands from the back of the kitchen sink. He missed his step and tumbled down to the ground with an loud thud. The cry that erupted was more than startled, it was one of deep pain. I scooped him up onto my shoulder and headed for the couch where we sat.

I held him as he told me about all the things that were hurting him. He sat in the comfort of my arms while we waited for his pain to subside.

We haven't always shared moments like this together. 

As we gathered around the table, our leader read one question aloud, "What would you say to a young mom who says she doesn't have time to be in the Word?" All eyes shifted to me, a young mom who has often thought, when in the world am I going to have a quiet time when there isn't even any quiet?

On Saturday morning I was waiting at a Toronto A&W for my breakfast. Things were moving a tad slow compared to your expected fast food wait time. 

This was my third morning eating A&W breakfast on that trip so I learned to expect at least a 10 minute wait. They have eggs from a shell and this girl needs the real deal.

The previous day I was in a hurry and all I had for breakfast was fruit. It left me weak feeling and hungry all day so that morning, I was prepared to wait as I knew the consequences of not eating.