Photo Courtesy of africa at freedigitalphotos.net

Am I making progress? If I am really honest, it seems to me that the question is odd, even a little ridiculous. As I get older and death draws nearer, I don’t seem to be getting better. I get a little more impatient, a little more anxious about having perhaps missed what this life has to offer, a little slower, harder to move, a little more sedentary and set in my ways. Am I making progress? Well, maybe it seems as though I sin less, but that may only be because I’m getting tired! It’s just too hard to keep indulging the lusts of youth. Is that sanctification? I wouldn’t think so! One should not, I expect, mistake encroaching senility for sanctification! But can it be, perhaps, that it is precisely the unconditional gift of grace that helps me to see and admit all that? I hope so. The grace of God should lead us to see the truth about ourselves, and to gain a certain lucidity, a certain humor, a certain down-to-earthness.

Donald Alexander, ed., Christian Spirituality: Five Views on Sanctification (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 1988), 32.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from Jesus + Nothing = Everything.

The gospel is good news for losers, not winners. It’s for those who long to be freed from the slavery of believing that all of their significance, meaning, purpose, and security depend on their ability to “become a better you.”

Tullian Tchividjian (2011-10-03). Jesus + Nothing = Everything (Kindle Locations 604-606). Good News Publishers/Crossway Books. Kindle Edition.

Contrary to what I had thought, I did not need easing circumstances, relief from difficulty, and distance from pain in order to be free. I was learning that the freedom Jesus secured for me is not freedom from pain and suffering here and now. Rather, it’s freedom from bitterness, anger, fear, resentment, self-pity, offense, and hopelessness in the crucible of present pain and suffering; it is freedom from my burdensome sense of “I deserve better,” the encumbrance of entitlement. I was realizing that only the gospel can free us from the enslaving pressure to defend ourselves. That’s real freedom—God-sized freedom!

Tullian Tchividjian (2011-10-03). Jesus + Nothing = Everything (Kindle Locations 927-931). Good News Publishers/Crossway Books. Kindle Edition.

Grace’s good news—always welcome, always refreshing for us—is that for freedom Christ has set us free, and he intends to keep us free. His amazing grace has loosened our chains; our shackles no longer hold us back. We must lay aside the sin that so easily entangles us, the sin of “submitting again to a yoke of slavery,” the enslaving stress of having to make something out of ourselves. When we transfer trust from our success to Christ’s success for us, we experience the abundant freedoms that come from not having to measure up. And this indeed we can do, but only in the light of the gospel.

Tullian Tchividjian (2011-10-03). Jesus + Nothing = Everything (Kindle Locations 1300-1304). Good News Publishers/Crossway Books. Kindle Edition.

My greatest need and yours is to look at Christ more than we look at ourselves. The gospel empowers us to escape our predicament of being curved in on ourselves. In the gospel, God comes after us because we need him, not because he needs us.

Tullian Tchividjian (2011-10-03). Jesus + Nothing = Everything (Kindle Locations 1587-1589). Good News Publishers/Crossway Books. Kindle Edition.

The world isn’t captivated by people trying to give the impression they have it all together. That’s not what draws them. What captures their attention is the sight of humble, desperate, dependent people who acknowledge their sin and who point to their Savior as the only one who can rescue us. The world, in other words, needs our confession, not our competence.

Tullian Tchividjian (2011-10-03). Jesus + Nothing = Everything (Kindle Locations 1601-1604). Good News Publishers/Crossway Books. Kindle Edition.

One of the reasons we experience so much failure in the Christian life is that we think more about obligations then we do gospel declarations. We focus on the imperatives, but we pass over the indicatives. We fail in our doing because we fail to grasp first what Christ has already done. This leaves us powerless—running on our own steam. Only when you realize that the gospel has nothing to do with your obedience but with Christ’s obedience for you, will you start to obey. The only Christians who end up getting better are those who realize that if they don’t get better, God will love them anyway.

Tullian Tchividjian (2011-10-03). Jesus + Nothing = Everything (Kindle Locations 2043-2047). Good News Publishers/Crossway Books. Kindle Edition.

How did you and your husband meet?
We met our freshman year at Bucknell. His roommate was dating mine and brought him by to visit one day. I didn’t talk to him much that day, but soon after that we saw each other in the cafeteria and ended up always having lunch at the same time because of our schedules. So we started sitting together almost every day. After a few months of that, we finally started dating! He proposed on New Years Eve of our senior year and we got married the summer after graduation.

Where was the first place you lived internationally? Can you tell a little more about the experience?
The first place we lived was Barcelona. It is by far our favorite place we have lived so far and we would love to go back! Chris played for L’Hospitalet and then got released and we moved just down the road to El Prat, a leb plata team. It was tough because I was just getting settled in and finally got a real job when he got released. I was freaking out because I didn’t know how often that actually happens to players and didn’t know how fast his agent would find him a new team. Luckily we only waited a week and moved literally 10 minutes away. So I could keep my job and stay in Barcelona! It was my first time away from my family and friends in another country, so at first it was really hard. I probably cried every other day until I finally snapped out of it and got used to doing things on my own! I definitely had to learn to be more independent. I was so lucky that the first city we lived in was such a great one and I am sure that helped with my homesickness. It took a little bit of adjustment to get used to a big city and get the hang of the metro/bus system, but then I was able to venture out on my own. I minored in Spanish, so I loved that I could finally put it to good use and improve on it. I go back almost every year to meet up with friends.

How many years has/did your husband play(ed)?
Chris is playing his fifth season now.

What cities have you lived in internationally?
We have lived in Barcelona and Palencia, Spain and Gottingen, Oldenburg, and now Bremerhaven, Germany.

If you had to pick a favorite international city, which one was it and why?
Barcelona because it is just full of amazing things to do and see. There are so many sporting events, art exhibits, parks and music and theatre performances, etc. I love the Spanish culture and the language, but in Barcelona, its even better because they have their own Catalan culture, Spanish culture, and that of many foreigners living there. The city has an endless supply of great restaurants and shops as well as perfect weather and a beach!

Please share one funny moment in your life as a Basket Wife.
During our second season in Spain, Chris asked me to drop him off at the bus for their road game. It was early in the morning, so I just left the house in these really embarrassing striped pajama pants I somehow owned, glasses, and unbrushed hair obviously thinking I wouldnt have to see anyone. So I drop him off and drive back home only to realize that he grabbed MY house keys when he got out thinking they were his. So I started ringing the doorbells of people in my building so I could get in to at least try to get my door open somehow, but no one wanted to let a stranger in! They wouldn’t listen to me! I was really starting to panic because I didn’t have my cell phone or even any ones number to call. So I had to drive to the fitness studio that was a sponsor of the team and also where we worked out and go inside so they could call the team for me. After standing there in front of everyone for 20 minutes, they finally reached the manager and he brought me a key. Looking back I can definitely laugh about it, but at the moment I was panicking that I couldn’t find anyone to help me and was running around without money or a phone in my horrible pajamas.

What is the toughest struggle you have encountered in your life as a Basket Wife?
I think the toughest struggle I have encountered in this life is the struggle with not having my own career. I went to a good school and studied hard. I really wanted to work in HR. I had a job in Barcelona, but the 1.5 hour commute each way and not seeing Chris at all with his practice schedule ended up getting to me. Each season after that has gotten more and more difficult for finding work. Since then I have taught English myself and spent two years working part time for a travel agency in the office and remotely. I am not working now, but still trying to find something. I have never completely given up and always look for a job, but I don’t want to take a job unless it is actually going to help me with what I want to do later. I don’t want to take any more jobs where I am sitting there typing numbers into spread sheets or getting paid minimum wage to do something it doesn’t take an education to really do. I have learned that I am happier being unemployed than working in a job that doesn’t fit me at all! I look at my resume and get upset every time I am about to send it out because it looks like a disaster! I have finally accepted that now just might not be the right time for my career and have tried to focus on learning the languages instead. I hope that becoming tri lingual and having all of these experiences abroad will help me to somehow get a job in the US when we finally move back!

What is the greatest lesson you have learned as a Basket Wife?
That’s a tough question. I have learned a lot! I think one of the biggest things I have learned is that not everything can be planned and sometimes its better when you just live in the moment and don’t stress over every detail. I used to be one of those people who was really organized and had to have everything planned ahead. In this life, it’s often not possible to plan ahead and things happen that you would never expect. I have learned not to be so stressed about the little things, and that we have to stop and enjoy the life that we have! This basketball life won’t last forever, so I have to try to get the most of out if.

Photo Courtesy of africa at freedigitalphotos.net

If I can do enough of the right things, I will have established my worth. Identity is the sum of my achievements. Hence, if I can satisfy the boss, meet the needs of my spouse and children, and still do justice to my inner aspirations, then I will have proven my worth. There are infinite ways to prove our worth along these lines. The basic equation is this: I am what I do. It is a religious position in life because it tries to answer in practical terms the question, Who am I and what is my niche in the universe? On this reading, my niche is in proportion to my deeds. In Christian theology, such a position is called justification by works. It assumes that my worth is measured by my performance. Conversely, it conceals, thinly, a dark and ghastly fear: If I do not perform, I will be judged unworthy. To myself I will cease to exist.

Paul F. M. Zahl, Who Will Deliver Us: The Present Power of the Death of Christ (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2008), 11.

Can you be proud while you believe that your Savior was clothed with flesh, and lived in modesty, and made himself of no reputation, and was despised and scorned and spat upon by sinners, and shamefully treated and nailed as a common criminal to a cross?

Did Christ take upon himself the form of a servant so that you could domineer and have the highest place of honor? Did Christ not have a place to lay his head so that you could insist upon a home with luxurious furnishings?

Must you brave it out in your most fantastic outfits instead of your Savior’s seamless coat?

Did he pray for his murders so that you could demand vengeance for petty words and wrongs?

Did he patiently endure being spit upon and pummeled so that you could, with impatient pride, abuse others?

- Richard Baxter

- Being so used to the conversation focusing around your husband or your life that you struggle to remember to talk about others
- Interacting mostly with people in your same lifestyle so that as you talk about their struggles, you can talk about yourself as well
- Not knowing what is going on back home in your community, church or family
- Having small inconveniences or trials blow up into major catastrophes, whether in your house or just in your mind
- Thinking your struggles are relatively important and wanting to share them (or blog of them…busted) in such a way as to receive attention for yourself

Those are just a few examples of the way I have struggled with this lifestyle. I think it is part of the reason I struggle over whether to blog and why I decided to ultimately do away with social media. At the heart of all of us is the ultimate struggle to want to make life about us. And the basket life makes that struggle even tougher in many ways.

So this week I am just going to share some quotes I have read lately that have been challenging and encouraging to me not to make my life about me. I want to be someone who stops trying to “make something” of myself, but to rest in who I already am in Jesus. I hope you are challenged and encouraged this week as well,

The short of it was after trying to rehab his torn adductor muscle here in Ukraine for 5 weeks, an MRI showed that there was still a partial tear near the insertion of the muscle.  So the team offered him to go home to rehab for 2 weeks.  In State College, he would be able to rehab much easier with the resources in and around Penn State.  But for the whole family to go home for that time, didn’t make much sense financially or practically.  So I stayed here with the kids.

It was really weird to have him at home and us sitting in Ukraine.  The whole reason for being overseas is Joe and his job.  So to be here by myself felt odd.  But it did give me some good insight of what it is like when he is here on his own.  And also was a good opportunity for me to serve him even though ti wasn’t necessarily easy or convenient for me.  Here are a few lessons I learned in my two weeks:

1. Reading of others who have done hard things makes your hard things seem easier.  When we decided Joe would head home, I was reading a book called “Kisses from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption“.  It is the autobiography of a girl who goes to Uganda at age 18 and decides to spend her life there serving the poor and afflicted.  As a single woman, she not only pioneers a path for herself in this foreign country, but also adopts FOURTEEN children along the way.  When you read of stories like that, not only does your situation pale in comparison, but you are reminded that the same God who would strengthen a young girl to serve alone in a third world country is the same God who can strengthen you in whatever situation you find yourself in.  Which leads to my next point…

2. Focusing on who God is more than your own struggles is what brings true freedom and victory.  I am going to hit on this point more on Monday, but I realized while reading another book, “Jesus + Nothing = Everything” that too often our “good Christian thinking” of focusing on our own struggles is really selfish and unproductive. If we truly want to grow as a Christian, we need our focus to be on God and what He has done for us.  Although it seems counterproductive, the hard work of simply resting in God’s love and acceptance of us will bring more change in our lives than any work of becoming more holy that we can ever produce.

3. Getting through hard times is always easier when you your focus is on others.  All 4 kids were sick at one point, we lost power, we had cold, windy weather and few places to go and yet through it all, for the most part I had joy because I was serving Joe and the kids.  But even more than that, the service was ultimately for God and the joy that He promises for those who pour themselves out for others.  One of my favorite quotes is from John Piper when he says in speaking of dark times in life, “If you want the clouds to roll back, start pouring your life out for others people.” (A Hunger for God: Desiring God through Fasting and Prayer).

4. It is slow moving when you are over here by yourself, but that time can be used constructively.  The hardest part for me was not that it was necessarily hard but that I had SO much time.  The part I like about being over here is the slow pace of life, but when you are without your spouse and his job, that pace seems to slow to a crawl.  It was in this time that I was able to spend even more time with the kids, get extra sleep, read a ton, and catch up on e-mail, Skype and phone calls with friends.  I was also able to concentrate of loving my husband over a distance.  I realized how when I am home and very busy and Joe is overseas, I don’t do as well with that as I would like.  Now that I have seen how quiet it can be over here, I hope I can support and love him better when he is the one overseas by himself.

I am thankful for the lessons that were learned and for God using that time to chip away at sin to reveal more of Jesus in me.  But as much as I am thankful for it, having my husband back is going to bring great joy too

So I wasn’t surprised when I saw her pictures of a house she had made for her daughter from an old refrigerator box.  It turned out so adorable, I asked if she would write about it for this blog.  It would be a great project for anyone, but especially for those of us who live overseas and the idea of paying for a playhouse you will only use for a few months doesn’t seem like the best use of money.  Eddie gave a wonderful step-by-step description along with pictures and also got pictures from her friend who made one too to show the creativity variety that can go along with a project like this.  Thanks for sharing, Eddie.

While discussing with a friend of mine the outrageous price of a plastic playhouse in Italy, we decided to just build one. Seriously, how hard could it really be? Kids can get hours of entertainment out of sheets and chairs building forts so just imagine the fun with a cardboard box with some life added to it! What I didn’t expect was the amount of fun I myself would have also. My friend lives in Rome so we shared photos of our progress. To start off, she recommended that I simply go across the street to the electronic store and ask for an empty refrigerator box. Even better is that while walking my dog one evening, there was an empty one right next to the garbage can. It was dark outside already so you can imagine the reaction of the guy who was also walking his dog when he witnessed me and my little shih-tzu trying to empty out all the Styrofoam and plastic wrap from a huge box next to the dumpster. The box was huge and even dragging it back to the apartment was a feat but we accomplished it. Here is where the fun begins.

It’s a relatively inexpensive project and most of the materials required you probably already have lying around your house. For this house, I used the following:
1 – a ton of construction paper. I used as many light colors as possible.
2 – glue sticks. I believe I used between 2 – 3 to complete everything.
3 – packing tape. I used clear and the brown colored one.
4 – scissors
5 – ruler or something with a straight edge
6 – these were extras but I had a spare set of curtains that we no longer used so I cut them apart to make the curtains for her house.
7 – paint and brushes
8 – for the door I went to the supermarket and bought this plastic type board that costs roughly 2 euro.
9 – a serrated knife (which I found easier than the scissors to cut through the cardboard)

I didn’t do these in any particular order (aside from the establishing the structure). In fact I would often start one thing and then begin another before completing the prior mainly because I would get bored and just needed change. Also because I would run out of materials for one step so I would start another until I had a chance to run to the store.

STEP ONE: I cut the box along one edge as well as the ends so I could lay the cardboard completely flat. I then raised the sides so to that the four sides of the cardboard now account for 2 side walls and 2 sides for the roof. There is no bottom. I would suggest doing this part on a carpet so the sides wont slip on the floor surface. The trickiest part of this was manipulating the ends (the front and back of the house) because these pieces overlapped one another. Its almost like wrapping a gift where you need to close off the ends, but with thick cardboard its not so easy. I used a TON of tape. Don’t worry about how ugly it might look now as you’ll eventually cover everything up with construction paper anyway.

STEP TWO: I cut out a large portion of one end of the house for the door. I had to be very careful here though because of the way the ends were closed, if you cut too high then the house is most likely to cave in. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I used a TON of tape. I also cut out two windows on each side of the house and used tape to cover the edges to avoid any papercuts and to just clean it up.

STEP THREE: This next step was probably my favorite but most tedious part. The roof. I used a plastic container for the round edges and made one template which I traced over and over again for each strip. I also used extra cardboard laying around to cut long thin strips and placed them underneath each row of “shingles” to give it a 3-D effect before laying the next row down. I also made sure to boldly outline each shingle so you could easily distinguish them. I used a combination of glue and tape (wrapped to make it double-sided) to lay down the roof shingles and I used only tape to lay down the cardboard strips.

STEP FOUR: This was my husband’s idea and probably one of the most sensible ones. I traced two large circles on one side of the roof using a cake pan to outline it. I then cut them out using the serrated knife. This allows for more “peek-a-boos” while playing but more importantly, it allows for more light to enter.

STEP FIVE: I attached the plastic material type door to the front. I just used tape and even cut out some pieces of the plastic beforehand to use as hinges to prevent the wear and tear from opening and closing the door.

THE REST: Super easy from here.
For the interior I filled the space with construction paper. I just used lighter colors so she could color and draw where she wanted. I cut out strips for window borders. I used tape and glue for all of this. FYI – before adding the cut out pieces for the curtains, I taped and glued them to the windows and then taped the border on top of that.

For the backdrop I painted a fireplace. I tried my best to copy the one from her favorite book “Goodnight Moon” (given to us from the generous Crispins which we read every night. She always says “hot” now when she sees the fire so I thought this would be a good way for her to interact with the house. I also added some extra photos we had lying around of her and added them above the fireplace to simulate a mantle.

For the ceiling I painted and cut out stars from old scrap paper I found lying around and glued them to the ceiling. “Stars” were a new word for her so she was excited. I also painted a moon.

For the backside of the house I cut strips of construction paper and made an attic window. For the bottom portion I just painted grass, a few flowers and a few bricks. I then just glued and taped it to the backside.

For the sides I just made some flowers using construction paper. I also cut out pieces of brick from the cardboard and then glued brown paper over it which I then attached to the house. I wanted to give it a 3-D effect but I think it was more work than its worth. You can simply just use the construction paper. I also cut out flowers from old scrapping paper someone had given me. Even gift wrapping paper would work if it had a fun design. I also cut out grass using green construction paper.

For the door I purchased it already red. I just added some strips of black construction paper to give it some character. I covered the inside of the door using construction paper and painted “Vivienne’s Place” and painted a window.

When everything was finished, I used clear tape to smooth out all edges and sides because I was just so worried about paper cuts. After a good month of use I can tell that the curtains are going to have a hard time keeping up but I can’t figure out a better way to keep them attached. I didn’t want to use staples or any other small objects because Vivi is still so small and I don’t want to worry about her putting things into her mouth. Other than that, I had a blast building it and Vivi is having a great time playing in it. Best part is that I wont feel guilty about leaving it behind once the season is over!

Pictures of Eddie’s friend’s house:

Pride is an insidious thing. Just when you are convinced that you have one of its tentacles under control, another one snakes out to grab you. Oh, it has probably been there all along, but you never saw it before. So off you to to try to bring it under the Spirit’s control, and in time, by God’s grace, you do. Then, just as you’re thinking you’ve got it under control, out wriggles another one. Pride is like a garment with a million secret pockets that you’re constantly discovering.

Lou Priolo, Pleasing People: How not to be an “approval junkie”, page 113

1. A good video from Ray Comfort on abortion for those of you who would consider yourselves pro-abortion.

2. John Piper’s latest Sanctity of Life sermon “They Poured Out Innocent Blood“.

http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/they-poured-out-innocent-blood