Just Rachel

Quoted

2012-02-01T08:58:00.000-08:00

This would be the first step in apostasy; men first forget the true, and then adore the false.

- Charles Spurgeon

Bible Tuesday - Cathedral Edition

2012-01-31T08:57:00.000-08:00

Now when the king lived in his house and the LORD had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.” And Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.”

2 Samuel 7:1-3

King David asked God to let him build a temple. God responded by saying "Look Dave, there is no place big enough to hold me." (This is a loose translation.) Here's what He actually said:

But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: Would you build me a house to dwell in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’ Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

2 Samuel 7:4-13

God knew that the temple would be David's way of honoring Him. So He allowed David's son Solomon to build the temple. He didn't NEED a temple but, eventually, He would allow it to be built. What God knew then (that David could not even begin to comprehend) was that men will turn a building into an idol pretty quick. The zeal to build a dwelling place for God (as ridiculous as that sounds) is pretty common to mankind. And pretty much ever since King Solomon's temple, men have been building churches, temples, mosques, cathedrals and family life centers. Some were built with honest intentions. Some others...not so much.

But I think even the most avowed atheist would have a hard time standing in front of one of these massive cathedrals without considering the God they were built for. And, for me, these impressive cathedrals of stone will always lead me to be that much more in awe of my God that is far too big for these human chapels.

A Day in Antwerp

2012-01-30T05:59:00.000-08:00

After a miserable day trapped in an Antwerp hotel room, I determined to head out on my own even if I accomplished nothing more than wandering around looking like a complete idiot.

So I wandered around Antwerp looking like a complete idiot.

In the past I have been really lucky when travelling to foreign places with Kevin. He generally has to work for at least part of the trip. (Which is why we got to go in the first place.) So, in that respect, I am used to sightseeing alone. I enjoy my own company. It isn't a big deal. But our previous destinations have all been big tourist destinations. So I am accustomed to heading to the concierge desk, picking up a brochure and booking a tour to wherever. The tours always speak English and basically shepherd you around like a three year old. I love it muchly.

But Antwerp is not the tourist mecca of Belgium, That would be Brussels and we were miles from there. So no tours. No concierge. No room service. I know I sound like a spoiled brat but...it is what it is.

So I had a few places that I wanted to see. A couple of museums. A cathedral. (Did you know that I would rather see a cathedral than eat when I'm hungry? Well, it's true.) I also had a map. Now for a normal person this should have worked fine. But, for me, it could have been an international incident. I am, without a doubt, the most directionally challenged person you know. It's kinda legendary. And that is in Tennessee. Where all the signs are in a language I can understand and with cell phones and GPS.

My first stop was at the Ruben's House. I will post a slideshow later. I know you are waiting with bated breath. Be patient. I managed to get cash from a weird ATM, buy a ticket and make my way through the tour without incident. Things were looking up.

At this point I only had one problem. I had overslept breakfast service at the hotel and while I wasn't hungry, I really, really needed a cup of coffee. Really. As I wandered the streeps of Antwerp beating myself up for not bringing a pair of earmuffs, I hopefully scanned the shops lining the street for a coffeeshop. In a bitter ironic twist, I didn't see one friggin Starbucks in the whole city. I did, however, see a shop called illy. This appeared to be a coffee shop. I walked in and was enveloped in warmth and coffee smells. I assume they sell something there but there is no menu, no register, nothing to indicate that you haven't just accidently wandered into someone's sparsely decorated all white home. In America, someone would have greeted me with a "Can I get you something, hon?" In Antwerp, I was met with the bored stares and silence of two guys who may or may not have been on Sprockets in the early 1990's. I left without coffee.

I continued on my journey and saw just one place more fantastic than the other. I think European people are just far too accustomed to being surrounded by beautiful architecture. It's everywhere. At one point I stood in the middle of a throng of commuters both pedestrian and bicyclers trying to get a picture of this magnificent building. I'm sure those Belgians were curious as to why a chubby American was holding up traffic to photograph a bank. By the way, I think it says a lot about us as a society when your banks are nicer than any other buildings. But that's a rant for another day.

While I was enjoying my walk, I was beginning to get concerned. No cathedral in sight. I was generally in the area it should have been (I hoped?) and how hard can it be to find a cathedral? I turned a corner and stopped dead in my tracks. High above the buildings in fron of me, I could see it The Cathedral of Our Lady. I almost started to cry before I even saw it and then the bells started to ring. I am old enough to recognize and enjoy a good life moment when it happens. I thoroughly savored this one.
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More Cathedral talk in tomorrow's Bible Tuesday.

Quoted - Blue Like Jazz Edition

2012-01-25T03:30:00.000-08:00

"Rick tells me, looking back, that he was too proud to receive free grace from God. He didn't know how to live within a system where nobody owes anybody else anything."

- Donald Miller

Bible Tuesday

2012-01-24T04:14:00.000-08:00

"but God shows His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8

God confronted me at Famous Daves's.

Now look. Famous Dave's has some mighty good BBQ but it's not exactly the kind of venue wherein I expect to receive a revelation. My thoughts at this place generally go no deeper than "How do they get this brisket so tender?" But that day was different.

Kevin and I were having lunch. We were talking about Jesus and the Gospel of Luke. This may seem like a strange lunch conversation to you but, for us, it's a pretty normal topic. One of God's greatest gifts to me is a husband who will actually listen to me talk about spiritual things. I don't take it for granted.

So during the course of our discussion, I mentioned a concept I had just read in a book called Ten Things Jesus Never Said. The author asked why we (as Christians) expect lost people not to act lost. The idea was simple yet shattering. As we were talking about this, I began to think about how I pray for people to 'get their act together' and/or to 'get saved'. I'm not sure when I became this person. The thought did not make me happy. Then God spoke to me.

Lemme try to explain here. There was no burning bush. The voice of James Earl Jones did not boom through the sky. I believe God speaks to me. Not every day. Not in an audible voice. But when it happens, I know it is God.

So sitting in a booth eating BBQ, I felt God say "You don't trust me to change people."

What!?!?

That thought sent me reeling. The very cornerstone of my life is trust in God. Yet at the same time I was mounting a defense against this statement, I knew that my actions proved otherwise. When I focused on praying for people to change their behavior, the unintentional effect of that prayer was that I did not trust God to change it for them. Friends, there is more sin in that thought than in the entire city of San Francisco. Or Manhattan. Or take your pick of Godless cities. The simple fact is that I know better.

You see, I spent most of my life around Christians. But it wasn't meeting some Christian that changed my life, it was meeting Christ. Once I had that experience, my behavior changed immediately. My mind was changed along with my heart. And don't miss this. My encounter with God did not eliminate sin from my life, it just eliminated my love for sin. Yeah, you heard me. Look around at the world. People love their sin. And they love it because they don't know any better. They don't know what the price of that sin really is and they have no idea how much it cost God to pay it.

God did not wait for me to getmy act together. What hope did I haveof being better without Christ? The HolySpirit is the only power that can change us. I know this. So why did I expect other people to change without it? It’s akin to demanding to know why someone's houseis dark when they have never even heard of electricity.

So I am resolved to quit praying for you to change. I am praying for God to change you. I trust Him to do it because I am living proof that He can and will. I'm not going to blame you anymore for living in the dark because I believe God has the power to turn on the light.

Quoted - Piper Edition

2012-01-21T06:40:00.000-08:00

Fear not, you can only be killed. (Matthew 10:28)

Kindly puts things in perspective, huh?

Amsterdam

2012-01-20T08:33:00.000-08:00

Free slideshow design personalized with Smilebox

I met Kevin halfway through one of his very long business trips in Amsterdam. I flew into a very, very large airport. I'm a way inexperienced traveler and I wasn't looking forward to navigating that monster alone. Luckily, Kevin got up 'crack of dawn' early and met me at the gate.

After he poured a cup of coffee into me, my first coherent statement was "How long have I been on that plane? It was Thanksgiving when I left home and now all I see are Christmas decorations." Kevin looked at me strangely and said "They don't actually celebrate Thanksgiving here, Rachel." And sure, in hindsight, it's obvious that Europe would not celebrate the first harvest feast of American Indians and Pilgrims but I can't see how it's possible to make it through the year without having cornbread dressing to look forward to.

So clearly, I am a kinda idiot tourist. I don't even try to act otherwise. But at one point, we were standing in the middle of Amsterdam in a very busy area full of people when another tourist singles me out and asks "Do you know where the red light district is?" Look. If you stop me in the grocery store and ask me where the Windex is, I can probably hook you up but that's about the extent of my directional capabilities. Andthere is no way that tourist could not have known that about me but...of all the freaks standing in that square, I feel like a chubby southern housewife was about the least likely person to be able to help with her question.

Quoted

2012-01-19T07:22:00.000-08:00

"A woman's guess is much more accurate than a man's certainty."

- Rudyard Kipling

Ya'll know this is true.

Book Review - 2 Mary Russell

2012-01-18T07:40:00.000-08:00

I cannot stop myself.

I am gorging on these Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes books like Little Debbie cakes during an ice storm. And my excuse for both scenarios is the same. They're just so stinkin good.

A Monstrous Regiment of Women finds Mary Russell about to turn 21. This is a big deal because she will finally be old enough to inherit her parent's estate and send her mean old guardian aunt packin. As part of her new freedom, Mary heads to London to propose marriage to Sherlock Holmes. Before she gets a chance to propose, Holmes guesses her plan and this makes Mary real, real mad. She goes off on her own for a few chapters. While there, Mary meets up with an old friend from Oxford who then introduces Mary to The Temple. The Temple is a church run by a very charismatic female preacher. Mary is intrigued and mistrustful of the preacher. She insinuates herself into the organization to solve the mystery of the disappearing benefactresses. And when I say 'disappearing", I mean murdered.

It's a very interesting book. The author is also a Old Testament scholar (although this is not a Christian book, so don't be scared) so the sermons and discussions between Mary and the Temple members are quite thought provoking. But, in the end, it's just a great story and the chemistry between Russell and Holmes is what makes it so immensely readable.

Here's the thing. O, Jerusalem is one of the last novels written in this series. But the story occurs much earlier in the timeline. It actually falls chronologically before A Monstrous Regiment of Women. For that reason, I chose to read it next. Also, the library had this one but the next book was checked out so I decided this was the way to go.

This book was difficult to read. It took forever. I wasn't sure if I had just read too many of this series in a short time or what. The story is set during a break in one of Russell and Holmes most dangerous cases. They leave London for a while to kind of smoke out the target. They head to Jerusalem to work on another case for Holmes brother, Mycroft who is an official with the British government. But for about half the book, you just aren't sure there is a case. They mostly wander around the desert with two surly guides. The descriptions of the physical discomfort, including thirst, hunger, bad shoes and no showers, were enough to depress me. I like showers and toothbrushes. It bothers me when people don't have them.

By the time you realize that they are, indeed, working on a case, the payoff is pretty good. The last half of the book redeems the tortuous first half.

Bible Tuesday

2012-01-17T11:43:00.000-08:00

On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him. And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not."

Luke 9:37-40

Jesus deals with demons quite a bit throughout the gospels. The thing I am continually struck by is that Jesus never gets mad at demons. He deals with them pretty unemotionally actually. He exercises authority over them. He expels them. He saves people from them. But He doesn't tie himself into an anxiety ridden pretzel over them.

Conversely, Jesus does seem to get very frustrated with people. And in every situation that I can think of, He is annoyed at their lack of faith. He calls the Pharisees hypocrites because they say they have faith in God but their actions prove otherwise. They are depending on their works. Not God. This bothers Jesus big time.

In this story from Luke, Jesus rebukes his disciples for their inability to heal a little boy. Their lack of faith kept them from removing the demon that oppressed the child. Jesus seems just exasperated with these guys. Here's the verse:

"O unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Luke 9:41

A little context might be helpful here also. This occurs right after Peter, James and John witness Jesus' transfiguration. The transfiguration is preceded by the feeding of the five thousand. These fellas had witnessed two pretty major miracles in as many days. And yet, when faced with a demon, they were powerless.

And so I'm wondering if we don't, all too often, head off to battle with the wrong weapon. If Jesus deals with demons without even raising his voice while calling his best buds 'perverse' for their lack of faith, them maybe we should pay attention.

Book Review - The Brass Verdict

2012-01-15T06:59:00.000-08:00

In about two months, I read three Lincoln Lawyer books by Michael Connelly and two books by John Grisham. I feel pretty confident that I could pass the Bar exam at this point. Admittedly, it was too many lawyer books but I couldn't help myself.

And I'm learning tons of completely useless information! Like did you know what a 'Brass Verdict' is? Me neither! It's basically where the justice system screws up and lets a guilty person go but then that jerk gets killed on the street by hoodlums, housewives or whatever. I'm not suggesting that a brass verdict is good but it's not completely objectionable in the scenario set up in this novel.

Quoted - Piper Edition

2012-01-13T14:30:00.000-08:00

"If you don’t read the Word and memorize the Word and meditate on the Word daily and delight in the Word and savor it and have your mind and emotions shaped by the Word, you will be a weak Christian at best. You will be fragile and easily deceived and easily paralyzed by trouble and stuck in many mediocre ruts."

– John Piper

If you don't know who John Piper is...you should. Let me just say that if I were still in middle school, I would have a picture of John Piper in my locker. Which would be weird because he looks like this.

But without the influence of John Piper, there would be no Matt Chandlers or no Mark Driscolls.

And that would stink, so thanks Dr Piper. I owe you a couple :)

Book Review - The Woman in White

2012-01-12T06:50:00.000-08:00

Nora Ephron made me read this book. She described her reading experience in one of her essays and I could not wait to get my hands on it. The book was hidden in the library shelves and still had one of those stamp pads in the back from old timey library days.

I judged this book by it's cover. It was tiny. No picture at all on the cover. It was that weird, pebble like plastic-leather stuff . The print was tiny. I am way on too old for tiny print. (I am not old enough for large print yet though.) I just could not get into it. And I felt really bad about it. It was just the kind of book I should like. I mean come on, Nora Ephron? If the person who wrote 'When Harry Met Sally" thinks something is good, you kinda have to assume she's right...right? But I gave up.

And then I tried again. While feeding my current addiction to all things Sherlock Holmes, I stumbled upon the Kindle edition Of The Woman in White. Here's the thing about the Kindle. All books read the same. Old books don't look or feel old. So I loaded it up (for free!) and took it with me on vacation.

Oh good grief!!! It was awesome!!!

It's this really great mystery which would be totally screwed up by today's DNA and other detective stuff but was totally legit in 1860. There is a lowly art teacher named Walter Hartwright, a few young ladys, a mean dude name Percyval (for reals) and a count. Seriously!!! Have you ever read anything with a count that wasn't fantastic? No. You haven't. There is mistaken identity, insane asylums, secret mail and 500 pages worth of YEAH. The mystery unravels to a very quaint climx. The kind of scandal that would not even phase a modern day five year old. And then it has a sweet, good ending. With a fat, happy baby as all books should end with.

Get a Kindle. Get a Nook. Get an iPad. Just get something digital and read this one. I'll give you a dollar if you don't like it.

Quoted

2012-01-11T08:04:00.000-08:00

"The question of fault feeds the fury of every storm."

- Beth Moore

I am wrecked by how true this statement is. There is no problem that occurs in my life that doesn't send me searching for a way to blame myself. Kevin is guilty of this too. Invariably when presented with a problem, his first response will be "I'm sorry." My response is usually something like "Well babe, I appreciate your apology but I really don't blame your for Obama's capitulation to John Boehner. I was just talking." We both waste precious hours of our lives trying to take the blame instead of looking for a solution. And, look, lots of problems in my life were absolutely my fault. No question.

But sometimes, life just goes awry. Sometimes kids do drugs. Even though you spend thousands of dollars on drug tests, psychologists, psychiatrists, medication, and security systems. Even though you beg, plead, preach, cry, punish, unpunish, blah, blah, blah. Sometimes husbands leave. Even though you are a pretty good, (not perfect), wife. And, sure, if given the chance, all of us would make (hopefully) better decisions if we could get a do-over. But just because a situation teaches you something about how you should handle the next situation doesn't necessarily mean the whole deal was your fault to begin with.

Bible Tuesday

2012-01-10T08:30:00.000-08:00

“Therefore, since we have been justified byfaith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Romans 5:1

Peace.

Can you imagine?

Without Christ,we are enemies of God. He can’t toleratesin and we roll around in it like pigs in the mud. We throw that word around a bit toocasually these days but being enemies is pretty hardcore. People hate their enemies. They plot destruction of their enemy.

So really, compared to that, peace with God would be more than enough,wouldn’t it? Jesus is our mediator. He works out an armistice. A treaty of peace between us and God. That alone would be pretty awesome, right?

Well, as usual, God goes above and beyond.

“For if while we were enemieswe were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we arereconciled, shall we be saved by His life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ,through whom we have received reconciliation.”

Romans 5:10

Try to picture this. We were God’s enemy. Jesusbrokered peace between us. God’s wrathagainst us was ended. But Jesus did somuch more than that. He reconciled uswith God. Reconciled means 'a change from enmity to friendship'. You could have peace with someone withouthaving reconciliation. When I think ofthe word reconciled, I always visualize a family reunion or two lovers whofinally make it work. Either picture works in this scenario. God, through the death and resurrection ofJesus, has taken us back. WE are welcomeat the family table. WE are welcome inGod’s arms.

Peace would have been fantastic. But God would settle for no less than fullrestoration.

Quoted

2012-01-02T15:46:00.000-08:00

"Prayer expands your sense of how you've offended God and minimizes your sense of how others have offended you."James McDonald

D'oh

2011-12-29T15:17:00.000-08:00

Have you ever done something really, really stupid? You know...like so stupid that as soon as you realize what you have done, you pray desperately for the ability to travel back in time.

Yeah well that was me after deciding to drive through our yard one dark night. Why oh why would anyone do such a thing?!?!

The morning light only made the situation worse. After trying to reinjure his hernia, my husband only managed to get his own truck stuck. So now we had two vehicles mired in our backyard. Our pride was not wounded. It was nonexistent.

Luckily we have a really nice neighbor who heard of my stupidity and took pity on us. In less than 30 minutes, he had rectified our dilemna. Thank God for Republicans with four-wheel drives.

Bible Tuesday - Movie Edition!

2011-12-27T08:53:00.000-08:00

I finally watched The Lord of the Rings movies. Not just the movies, the extra long, super nerdy, extended editions. I didn't not see them earlier on purpose. I just got real busy for about ten years.
But good grief, it was worth the wait. I love this thing more than doughnuts.

But the one thing that I keep coming back to is this idea of "The Return of the King". It's a pretty universal theme in literature (and Disney movies). A king in exile. A battle. His rightful ascension to the throne. It speaks to our human understanding that something is wrong with the world we live in. That we need to be rescued. It's that need that makes us weep when Aragorn finally gets that crown on his head. And it's that need that consumes me each time I read this:

Then I saw Heaven open wide—and oh! a white horse and its Rider. The Rider, named Faithful and True, judges and makes war in pure righteousness. His eyes are a blaze of fire, on his head many crowns. He has a Name inscribed that's known only to himself. He is dressed in a robe soaked with blood, and he is addressed as "Word of God." The armies of Heaven, mounted on white horses and dressed in dazzling white linen, follow him. A sharp sword comes out of his mouth so he can subdue the nations, then rule them with a rod of iron. He treads the winepress of the raging wrath of God, the Sovereign-Strong. On his robe and thigh is written, King of kings, Lord of lords.
Revelation 19:11-16 (The Message)

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ² And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. ⁴ He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
⁵ And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” ⁶ And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. ⁷ The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
Revelation 21:1-7 (English Standard Version)

Lots of people are scared of the book of Revelation. But I love it. Sure, there's a lot of blood. It's not pretty. Some bad stuff goes down. It also can be a little weird. There are things there that I can't begin to understand.

But it's all worth it.

Because in the end, the King returns.

Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Come quickly.

Next year's Christmas Card

2011-12-26T12:11:00.001-08:00

Quoted - Piper Edition

2011-12-23T11:05:00.000-08:00

The words of Jesus are the window through which we see the Light of Jesus. And through which we climb by faith.

- John Piper

Bible Thursday

2011-12-22T17:05:00.000-08:00

There have been many babies to become a king

But only one King became a baby

The idea of theophany captivates me at this time of year. If God could take on flesh as the person of Jesus Christ, why did He choose to do so as a newborn baby? Wouldn't it have been a whole lot easier to step into the streets of Nazareth as a full grown man?

Hebrews 2 may hold the answer.

For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Jesus had to become an embryo.
He had to become a fetus.
He had to become a newborn baby.
A two year old.
A teenager.
An adult.

Jesus could not be fully human until he experienced the same development that each of us must go through. But God chose to do that. He didn't have to. And that fact humbles and mystifies me.
What kind of love would propel God to step out of Heaven into the helpless body of a baby? And then surrender himself to the limitations of that human body up to death on a cross?

It's this knowledge that makes me break out into the ugly cry every time I see a nativity scene. Here's hoping you do the same :)

Bible Tuesday - Mo' Samson

2011-12-20T07:15:00.000-08:00

²There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and had no children. ³ And the angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, "Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son.

To be fair, this post has very little to do with Samson and a whole lot to do with Jesus.

I became a Christian when I was 28 years old. And even though I was a voracious reader, my exposure to the Bible was limited to say the least. So as I began my first real reading of the Bible, I was really only concerned with Jesus. Being a new Christian is an experience akin to first love. I was just consumed with Jesus. I could not get enough. (If you are lucky, that feeling lasts for the rest of your life.) I say all this to explain to you that I read the Old Testament for the first time, I saw Jesus or prophecies about Jesus everywhere. I didn't know, at the time, that these appearances had a fancy pants name. They're called theophanies or christophanies.

Baker's Evangelical Dictionary defines it this way : Manifestation of God that is tangible to the human senses. In its most restrictive sense, it is a visible appearance of God in the Old Testament period often, but not always, in human form.

So in Judges 13, 'THE' Angel of the Lord appears to Samson's mama. Angels show up quite a bit in the Bible. But sometimes 'AN' angel appears and sometimes 'THE' angel appears. When a 'THE' angel moment occurs, I always assume it's Jesus. I'm sure someone with a seminary degree could dispute this but I don't care.

Samson's dad, Manoah is not convinced about the angel situation.

⁸Then Manoah prayed to the LORD and said, "O Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent come again to us and teach us what we are to do with the child who will be born."

Guess what happens.

⁹And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field.

That verse makes me so happy. But let's keep going.

But Manoah her husband was not with her. ¹⁰So the woman ran quickly and told her husband, "Behold, the man who came to me the other day has appeared to me." ¹¹And Manoah arose and went after his wife and came to the man and said to him, "Are you the man who spoke to this woman?"

OK...here's where it gets awesome.

"And he said, "I am."

The Angel said "I am". For real. Remind you of anything?

^"14God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'"

Or how about this?

^"58Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am."

I'm not saying these two verse prove that Jesus appeared in human form during Old Testament days but it makes me happy to believe so I'm gonna go with it.

More on theophany tomorrow. Ain't you excited?

Quoted

2011-12-19T11:07:00.000-08:00

If you are in a wilderness being tempted by the devil, you might be right where God wants you (Matthew 4:1).

- Ray Ortlund

An Oral Presentation

2011-12-18T07:12:00.000-08:00

Let's just say that Katie is no fan of the public speaking.

So this is as close as we are gonna get to seeing her present what I am sure was a fascinating report on the life of Taylor Swift.

Quoted - Blue Like Jazz Edition

2011-12-17T14:21:00.000-08:00

"I believed if word got out about grace, the whole church was going to turn into a brothel."

- Donald Miller

I think a bunch of my beloved Baptist brethren feel this way too. And it's too bad because they need grace as much as the rest of us.

Book Review - John Grisham - Double Shot

2011-12-16T04:29:00.000-08:00

The Confession is John Grisham at his best. And his best is pretty dang good.

A scary looking parolee walks into a small church one day asking to speak to the minister. He confesses to the murdering a teenage girl 9 years ago. The man convicted for that crime is due to be executed within the week.

Grisham's finest book, in my opinion, is The Innocent Man, a work of nonfiction. Even if you are not a bleeding heart liberal (and I'm guessing you ain't) this book will make you question some long held societal beliefs. It's clear that Grisham took a lot of what he learned writing that book and used it as a springboard for the fictional story in The Confession. As the story unfolds, you witness how tragic that murder really was. You get to see just how many people are affected by one violent act. It's heartbreaking but, I think, necessary.

Grisham didn't take the easy road with this novel. He made decisions that hit the reader like a gut punch. But, in the end, I think he created a story that is believable even if you wish it wasn't.

The Litigators. Oy...

This is John Grisham at his worst. It almost seems like he didn't write it at all.

The premise is fine. Two ambulance chasing older lawyers with a firm that is always just barely solvent. Add to that a hotshot young corporate attorney who has a very early midlife crisis and winds up at their door.

After the very serious drama in The Confession, I can totally understand why Grisham would want to write a lighter novel. And there is nothing wrong with that except that, in this case, it is done so sloppy. For example, David, the young attorney, is lamenting the fact that his wife wants to have a baby. He works so many hours at his corporate job that he is never home long enough to get his wife pregnant. I'm not sure how realistic this scenario is but I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Then two weeks after he moves to the small firm, his wife is pregnant and shopping for baby clothes. Do what? I'm not saying this couldn't happen, I'm just saying that the timeline is a lil whack and any good editor should have told the author so. Doesn't it seem like a literary superstar like John Grisham would have a stellar editor?

The book does have a few interesting storylines and I wouldn't consider it a complete waste of time. But if you love John Grisham, I think you too will be left thinking that this could have been a much better book.

The Lazy Elves

2011-12-15T06:59:00.000-08:00

We really would like to destroy this Christmas tree.

But we are much too tired

to do it right now.

Quoted

2011-12-14T16:23:00.000-08:00

Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness.

- Martin Luther

Bible Tuesday

2011-12-13T04:37:00.000-08:00

Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah. ⁵ The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels^[a] of silver.”
⁶ So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.”
⁷ Samson answered her, “If anyone ties me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I’ll become as weak as any other man.”
⁸ Then the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied him with them. ⁹ With men hidden in the room, she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” But he snapped the bowstrings as easily as a piece of string snaps when it comes close to a flame. So the secret of his strength was not discovered.
¹⁰ Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have made a fool of me; you lied to me. Come now, tell me how you can be tied.”
¹¹ He said, “If anyone ties me securely with new ropes that have never been used, I’ll become as weak as any other man.”
¹² So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them. Then, with men hidden in the room, she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” But he snapped the ropes off his arms as if they were threads.
¹³ Delilah then said to Samson, “All this time you have been making a fool of me and lying to me. Tell me how you can be tied.”
He replied, “If you weave the seven braids of my head into the fabric on the loom and tighten it with the pin, I’ll become as weak as any other man.” So while he was sleeping, Delilah took the seven braids of his head, wove them into the fabric ¹⁴ and^[b] tightened it with the pin.
Again she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his sleep and pulled up the pin and the loom, with the fabric.
¹⁵ Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when you won’t confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven’t told me the secret of your great strength.” ¹⁶ With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it.
¹⁷ So he told her everything. “No razor has ever been used on my head,” he said, “because I have been a Nazirite dedicated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.”
¹⁸ When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, “Come back once more; he has told me everything.” So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. ¹⁹ After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him.^[c] And his strength left him.

Judges 16

Samson.

I have much too much to say about this joker. His character makes my brain run in circles.

Like the prophet Samuel or John the Baptist, Samson has a great conception and birth story. (I have a post about that coming some time later. I know you can't wait.) But that's where the similarities end. Between stories about him being stupid, we get one verse that says 'he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines for 20 years.' That type of verse in the book of Judges generally means that things went pretty well. It had to be nothing but the power of God that allowed Samson to keep it together for two decades. On his own, it barely seems like the dude could get his own shoes on.

And maybe that's the point.

Actually, I am pretty sure that is the point. Over and over throughout the Bible, God shows just what He can accomplish through twerps like Samson. And hopefully through twerps like me and you.

In his most famous story, Samson has been duped by Delilah. I hate to use that word. 'Duped' kinda implies that she had to work at it. Mostly she was just persistent. Don't you read this story and wonder what kind of moron couldn't figure that deal out? But even after that pile of stupid, God is at work. And that leads to one of my favorite verses of scripture. (Do you get tired of me saying that? I know. It is wearisome, ain't it?)

But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved. - Judges 16:22

Samson's hair was just a symbol of God's power inexplicably working through him. He lost it for a while but then it grew back. I have made a lot of Samson level mistakes. You know the kind. The stuff you look back on and wonder how anyone could do anything that stupid. I mean embarassing stupid. I've actually done that several times. I'm not proud to admit it. But I am proud to serve a God of second, third and sixty fourth chances. And I am thankful He can and does redeem the stupid over and over again.

Someone on the internet is wrong...

2011-12-10T07:02:00.001-08:00

I spend most of my life being outraged by one thing or another. It's an emotion I am well acquainted with. That being said, I am mystified by the level of outrage that the internet America seems to have against Michelle Duggar.

Asking me if I am a fan of the Duggars is like asking me how I feel about the family living down the street from me. I'm sure they are fine people. I wish them no ill will. But I don't spend a ton of time thinking about them. I have seen the Duggar's tv show a handful of times. I admit that I don't understand the desire to have that many kids much less homeschool the lil punks. But, more than that, I do not understand how or why you could hate this family.

An onslaught of just pure disgust was unleashed when the Duggars announced they were pregnant with their 20th child. Look the Duggars have a tv show that you can choose not to watch. If they show up on the Today show, just change the channel like I do every time I see a Kardashian. It's easy and you will feel a whole lot better.

I guess I wouldn't mind so much if people just voiced their opinion. But must you be so hateful? Now that this family has suffered through a lost pregnancy, is it really necessary for you to act like this is some kind of payback? When you state that this baby's death 'must have been God's will LOL', do you realize how pathetic you are? The loss of that child absolutely was God's will and I feel sure the Duggars would agree.

But I wonder if you would be willing to examine your own heart. Would you ask yourself what it is about this family that causes you to act like a complete moron. So much so that you would take time out of your life to comment on every internet article about this family with insults, taunts and just unadulterated obscenity.

God loves all you people but some of you are gettin on my last nerve.

Quoted

2011-12-07T08:30:00.000-08:00

"At Christmas, God moved into a very bad neighborhood and began rehabilitating it."

Tim Keller

Bible Tuesday

2011-12-06T11:31:00.000-08:00

Numbers 11

The People Complain

⁴Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, "Oh that we had meat to eat! ⁵ We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. ⁶But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at."
⁷Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium. ⁸ The people went about and gathered it and ground it in handmills or beat it in mortars and boiled it in pots and made cakes of it. And the taste of it was like the taste of cakes baked with oil. ⁹ When the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell with it.
¹⁰Moses heard the people weeping throughout their clans, everyone at the door of his tent. And the anger of the LORD blazed hotly, and Moses was displeased. ¹¹ Moses said to the LORD, "Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? ¹²Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me, 'Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing child,' to the land that you swore to give their fathers? ¹³ Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me and say, 'Give us meat, that we may eat.' ¹⁴ I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me. ¹⁵If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness."

Moses is kinda having a bad day.

The Israelites are whining for meat.

And Moses is whining to God.

Moses says “I am not able to carry all this people alone, the burden is too heavy for me.” He also asks "Where am I to get meat to give to all this people?" But here’s the thing...God never asked Moses to carry the burden of the Israelites alone and He definitely did not ask Moses to provide meat for them. God was providing manna for the Israelites to eat daily. It was a kind of weird food but it provided all the sustenance that they needed. The Israelites didn’t need meat, they just wanted it.

Moses was overwhelmed by their wants when God had provided for all their needs. Sounds pretty familiar, doesn't it? Moses is upset because he can't make the Israelites happy. And he is having a hard time understanding why God is standing by just watching him fail so miserably at this task.

How often do we fall into this trap ourselves? Maybe it's a mom thing. But for all my 'tough love' talk, I really do want my family to be happy. And when they 'whine for meat', I feel like a miserable failure. But God did not call any of us to provide complete satisfaction and happiness to anyone. And attempting to do so is gonna lead to some pretty bad days.

Tebowing

2011-12-05T07:46:00.000-08:00

I hesitate to write this post. See I don't have a great track record when it comes to defending supposedly 'good' Christian men. But if loving Tim Tebow is wrong, I don't wanna be right.

Full disclosure here. I know next to nothing about football. And, for a long time, all I knew about Tim Tebow was that a lot of people hated his guts. I didn't think much about it. I don't understand sports people. I don't even bother to try.

But lately, the Tebow hate has infected every area of media I see. So I have been trying to write a post about it. Then this guy wrote what I have been trying to say...only way better.

I will only add this. If Tebow gets caught next week doing meth with a male prostitute, that won't prove his critics right. It will only prove that I should never, ever blog about anyone again.

Book Review - The Beekeeper's Apprentice

2011-12-02T09:40:00.000-08:00

Lord have mercy...I loved this book.

This novel is the first in a series ( a series - yeah!!!) It is a new take on Sherlock Holmes. In this series, Holmes is in his early 50's. He has 'retired' and is living outside London in a small country village. Holmes is literally stumbled upon by his 15 year old neighbor Mary Russell. Mary has lost her parents and brother in a car accident and is living with her aunt until she comes into her inheritance at age 21. In Mary, Holmes finds a comparable mind to his own. He takes her on as his apprentice.

Here's the thing. I have never read the original Sherlock Holmes. Everything I know about the famous detective, I learned from Robert Downey Jr. So I enjoyed this book without any preconceptions about how the characters should act. This book is chock full of cases to be solved. And I thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of them.

Quoted

2011-12-01T16:33:00.000-08:00

When I am in the cellar of affliction, I look for the Lord's choicest wines.

- Samuel Rutherford

Bible Tuesday

2011-11-29T06:50:00.000-08:00

Joshua 17

¹Then allotment was made to the people of Manasseh, for he was the firstborn of Joseph. To Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, were allotted Gilead and Bashan, because he was a man of war. ²And allotments were made to the rest of the people of Manasseh by their clans, Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. These were the male descendants of Manasseh the son of Joseph, by their clans.
³Now Zelophehad the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, had no sons, but only daughters, and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. ⁴They approached Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the leaders and said, "The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance along with our brothers." So according to the mouth of the LORD he gave them an inheritance among the brothers of their father. ⁵Thus there fell to Manasseh ten portions, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan, which is on the other side of the Jordan, ⁶because the daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance along with his sons. The land of Gilead was allotted to the rest of the people of Manasseh.

I always sit up and pay careful attention when women are mentioned in the Old Testament so this passage interested me big time.

Joshua and the Israelites have made war with just about everyone. They have won most all of the territory that God had promised them and now Joshua is dividing the land up and assigning it to the specific tribes. What follows is several chapters of very specific geographical description and a commentary on which Israelites ended up in each of them. But then, right in the middle of theses passages, Zelophedad's daughters show up. It says 'they approached Eleazer the priest and Joshua'. I like these gals already, don't you? From all indications these women have no male to stand up for them. No father, no husbands, no brothers. They don't even find an uncle to send with their demand. They do it by themselves. (And while I can't prove this, these chapters are just chock full of minute detail so it just seems clear that had these gals sent a male emissary, that info would have been included.)

Zelophedad's daughters state their claim. "The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance along with our brothers." They aren't begging or weeping or engaging in any hysterical behavior as far as I can see. They are doing a lil name dropping though which tickles me. I love that they are not ashamed to remind their priest and their leader that there is an authority higher than both of them. And here is the best part. So according to the mouth of the LORD he gave them an inheritance among the brothers of their father. Joshua hears whay they have to say and basically says...OK. How awesome is that?

This knocks down some biblical fallacies in my opinion. First, a misogynistic God would never allow women to inherit property...especially not 'The Promised Land'. This passage proves to me (for probably the zillionth time) that God is a whole lot more fair than man would ever be. I don't get the impression that Joshua planned to give these ladies their inheritance until they asked for it. I'm not suggesting Joshua was trying to cheat them out of anything, I just don't think they ever crossed his mind. Men are funny that way. But these daughters were clearly on God' mind. And I love adding yet another passage to my arsenal that makes it very clear that there is nothing wrong with demanding the inheritance that God has promised us.

More Fall 2011

2011-11-28T21:48:00.000-08:00

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Quoted

2011-11-27T16:20:00.000-08:00

The sum of all divine doctrine is simply Jesus Christ.

- Martin Luther

Book Review - Double Shot

2011-11-26T19:52:00.000-08:00

More Lincoln Lawyer books. I love these so friggin much.

I'm not sure if I am reading them in the right order but it doesn't really seem to matter. In this one, Micky Haller is working mostly on foreclosures. One of his foreclosure clients gets accused of murdering a bank employee. If you have any interest in law, then this book will tickle you. If you don't...well I'm assuming you won't be attempting to read this one anyway.

Fair warning...There is a twisty ending and it may make you sad, mad and/or annoyed.

I think this is an earlier one. I like that Connelly writes these books in a way that eliminates cliffhangers and continuity issues. In this novel. Haller is asked to work as a prosecuting attorney. A child killer has had his conviction overturned and the District attorney wants to retry the case. He asks Haller to serve as the prosecutor to eliminate any conflict of interest.

It's an interesting turn of events. The detective Harry Bosch that Haller is usually battling in court is his partner in this case. (Also, some kind of way, Mickey and Harry are half brothers. This must have been revealed in one of the books I haven't read yet.)Mickey gets to work with his ex-wife Maggie who is also a prosecutor on the case. It's fun to watch Mickey work out of his element. The author is allowing this character to grow and change and that alone makes me anxious to read what happens next.

Quoted - Blue Like Jazz Edition

2011-11-25T14:19:00.000-08:00

"Early on, I made the mistake of wanting spiritual feelings to endure and remain romantic. Like a new couple expecting to always feel in love, I operated my faith thinking God and I were going to walk around smelling flowers. When this didn't happen, I became confused."

- Donald Miller

Halloween shopping

2011-11-24T21:31:00.000-08:00

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All of us at Kline Manor love Toddlers and Tiaras. Ava begged me for months to let her compete in a pageant. To shut her up, I told her she could dress up like a pageant girl for Halloween. Hair, makeup and shiny dress. Katie wanted in on that action so we headed to Ross (home of super cheap formalwear if you have a need) to find the perfect outfit. Two days and around 55 dresses later, she made up her mind.

Quoted

2011-11-23T16:28:00.000-08:00

The slightest sin is nothing less than cosmic treason when we realize against whom we have sinned.

- Jonathan Edwards

Bible Tuesday

2011-11-22T11:33:00.000-08:00

The agony of the cross of Christ is not the physical torture.  It is the separation from God. The interruption of the holy intimacy between God and Jesus.

12 His disciples came and took away the body and buried it; and they went and reported to Jesus.
13Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself ; and when the people heard of this, they followed Him on foot from the cities.

Mathew 14:12-13 (New American Standard)

Jesus hears that John the Baptist has been killed. He ‘withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place’. Jesus is not surprised or shocked by what has happened to John. When John was still in Elizabeth’s womb and Jesus in Mary’s, Jesus already knew what was going to happen to John.

But Jesus’ reaction to John’s death gives us a glimpse of what happens when His humanity and deity meet. Jesus as God is not worried about John. He knows John’s work has been completed and that , while his physical head may be on a platter in Herod’s throne room, John's soul is reclining at Abraham’s bosom. Jesus as God knows that John is doing fine...in fact, better than he has ever been before.

But Jesus as man still mourns John’s death. Why? I think the first reason is pretty simple. Just as Jesus wept at Lazarus’ tomb, He is also affected by John’s death because, quite simply, He loved him. And now that human connection is over. But the second reason I think Jesus withdraws after John’s death is that this event pushes Jesus’ earthly story forward. From the moment Jesus is born in Bethlehem, He has been marching toward the cross. For all that we as Christians seem to want to glorify the horrors of death on a cross, I don’t believe that Jesus ever feared it. But I do think that He feared the separation from God. If we could see the horror of that, instead of focusing on a crown of thorns, or nail scarred hands, maybe we could understand why God puts up with so much ‘stuff’. Maybe we could understand why He continues to let this world spin, let evil work and let Satan roam. He does not want even one to perish. Jesus feared being separated from God for a few hours. Imagine how He grieves when those He loves make decisions that will separate them from God forever.

Book Review - Brideshead Revisited

2011-11-21T17:55:00.000-08:00

Oh good grief, this book was the suck.

The book cover had a blurb declaring it 'the best novel of the 20th century'.

Seriously?!?!

It wasn't even that blurb that sucked me in. I mean Ulysses usually makes the top of every "Best Novels of the 20th Century" list and I wouldn't read that pile of doody if you paid me. No. What conned me into reading this book was the picture of Emma Thompson on the cover. Apparently she played one of the main characters in a movie adaptation of the book. Emma Thompson does not do crap books people. Until now apparently.

I can hardly explain this. The main character Charles is a soldier in WWII. His unit moves camp and ends up at Brideshead. Charles begins a long flashback about how he came to know the family that once occupied Brideshead. So far, so good. That's a pretty awesome setup in my opinion. I had high hopes at this point. Great intro, beautiful sentences, English countryside. What could go wrong?

Ugh.

What follows is 300 pages of meandering nonsense. Charles falls in man love with Sebastian. Sebastian is a drunk. The family is worried about Sebastian being a drunk. They all move on with their lives for about ten years until Charles meets Sebastian's sister on an ocean liner. They are both married to other people. They fall in love? They begin an affair. They cause scandalous divorces. Sebastian is still a drunk. I don't care about any of these people. Blah, blah, blah.

It took me over a week to read this 300 page book. I'm never gonna get those days back.

Quoted - Tozer Edition

2011-11-20T12:02:00.000-08:00

"Much of our difficulty stems from our unwillingness to take God as He is and adjust our lives accordingly."
AW Tozer

Did you ever question your parents? I mean out loud? To their face?
I made the mistake of doing this to my mother a time or two. She responded the same way each time with this question: "Who do you think you are?" There may also have been a curse word in there somewhere. But I knew very well what she meant. She was the mom and I was the kid. I knew she loved me and wanted nothing but the best for me. It was my job to be a kid and leave the hard stuff up to her.

We do this same thing with God. Whenever some tragedy occurs be it minor or catastrophic, you will invariably hear someone ask "How could a loving God allow this to happen?" I don't have a good answer to that question...ever. (If I had the answer, I would write an awesome book about it though.) But God is God and I am not. I believe He loves us all. I believe He has a plan for me. Some days I have to try hard to remember that I am the kid and God can handle the hard stuff.

Book Review - Gone With A Handsomer Man

2011-11-19T17:29:00.000-08:00

Here's all you need to know about this book. The main character, Teeny, catches her fiance playing naked volleyball with two chicks. She climbs a tree and proceeds to pelt their naked selfs with peaches. She gets arrested. Her high school crush, Coop, has just returned to town and happens to be a criminal defense attorney. Convenient, ain't it? Why does Teeny need a defense attorney? Because someone killed her cheatin, no good fiance. Teeny is the prime suspect. Hijinks ensue.

Quoted - Blue Like Jazz Edition

2011-11-18T14:14:00.000-08:00

"God was no longer a slot machine but something of a Spirit that had the power to move men's souls. I seemed to have been provided answers to questions I had yet to ask, questions that God sensed or had even instilled in the lower reaches of my soul. The experience of becoming a Christian was delightful."
- Donald Miller

Early Fall 2011

2011-11-17T21:04:00.000-08:00

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Quoted

2011-11-16T16:29:00.000-08:00

So great & boundless is God's wisdom that he knows right well how to use evil instruments to do good.

- John Calvin

Bible Tuesday

2011-11-15T12:29:00.000-08:00

18 John's disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, 19 he sent them to the Lord to ask, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" 20 When the men came to Jesus, they said, "John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?' " 21 At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. 22 So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.23Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."

Luke 7 (New International Version)

John the Baptist sends his disciples to ask Jesus if he is the ‘one’. My commentary states that John has doubts because Jesus is not turning out to be the type of Messiah that he expected. I don’t agree with this. I think John is just having a really bad day. Or perhaps week. John is in prison and I am willing to bet that he was pretty confident he was not gonna leave prison alive. John has made it clear that it was wrong for Herod (the tetrarch) and Herodius (Herod's sister-in-law) to be together. Calling a ruler out on his adultery is never going to make you popular. John knew time was short. So in a sad, desperate moment John had doubts.

I love how Jesus responds to John. He doesn’t roll his eyes and complain about John’s lack of faith. He doesn’t get angry and say "That no good cousin of mine couldn’t possibly be a prophet if he doesn’t know who I am.” No. Jesus responds with this abundance of love. He says " Go tell him what you have seen. Tell him that the lame walk, the deaf hear, the dead are raised." What Jesus says, in effect is, "Tell John what he already knows. Confirm the truth he has known since he leapt in his mother’s womb when he was first filled with the Holy Spirit." Jesus understood weakness. He is not threatened by our doubts and questions. He knows how pathetic we are and how our cicumstances can often alter what we believe in our deepest soul conviction.

To quote Beth Moore, "He knows how scary it is to be us."

Book Review - Then Came You

2011-11-14T13:31:00.000-08:00

If anyone but Jennifer Weiner had written this book, it would have been awesome. It's a really interesting play on the idea of what makes a family. But Weiner is a much better writer than this book allows her to be. She always gets tagged as a 'chick lit' writer. I find that whole term offensive but no one seems to care.

Then Came You is about how one baby gets made. The story focuses on the egg donor, a college student with an addict for a father who donates the egg to get money for his rehab. She's also a lesbian in case you are interested. The surrogate, a low/middle income stay at home mom of two little boys. She is in an interracial marriage and her husband is not happy about the surrogacy. The adoptive mom, a gold-digger with a good heart who married a multi-gazillionaire just a little bit too late to have kids of her own. The gazillionaire's daughter also plays a leading role.The whole thing just feels a bit to contrived for me. Like the interracial marriage. I mean, who cares? But the author makes a big deal about it. Same thing with the lesbian storyline. Big whoop. She's a lesbian. It seems like Weiner is trying to prove to me that she is politically correct and isn't that weird behavior for a writer in 2011?

This book is not bad but if you have never read anything by Weiner before, read Good in Bed first.

Quoted - C.S. Lewis Edition

2011-11-13T11:38:00.000-08:00

The truth is, what we call interruptions are precisely our real life, the life God is sending us day by day.

Book Review - Seabiscuit

2011-11-12T19:45:00.000-08:00

Laura Hillenbrand may be the finest writer of the 21st century. She is just amazing. You may remember my gushing review of Unbroken. It is seriously my favorite book of all time other than the Bible. I knew after reading it that I had to read Seabiscuit. I just wanted to see if it was the story or Hillenbrand's writing that made Unbroken so dang good. The answer, I discovered, was both.

Even if written in a straight, journalistic style, the story of Seabiscuit is pretty awesome. But Hillenbrand does ridiculous amounts of research and creates, in the end, a story that doesn't feel like nonfiction. A good example is her treatment of jockeys. She doesn't just give you a brief overview, she brings you into their world. You read about the ridiculous measures jockeys went through to keep their weight at unnaturally low levels. You see the dangers they face every time they head for the track. She does this with every aspect of the story and, yet, it's never boring.

Read Unbroken first, then read Seabiscuit. Do what I'm telling you!!!

Quoted - Blue Like Jazz Edition

2011-11-11T11:31:00.000-08:00

Donald Miller on the early days of his Christian life. It felt the same for me :)

"For a while, I felt as though the world were a watch and God had lifted the lid so I could see the gears."

"The truths of the Bible were magic, like messages from heaven, like codes, enchanting codes that offered power over life. a sort of powere that turned sorrow to joy, hardship to challenge, and trial to ooportunity. Nothing in my life was mundane."

Summer 2011

2011-11-10T20:46:00.000-08:00

Free digital slideshow generated with Smilebox

Only took me until November to get summer pictures posted. Look for my Christmas album in late April :)

Quoted

2011-11-09T16:25:00.000-08:00

The true god of your heart is what your thoughts effortlessly go to when there is nothing else demanding your attention.

- Tim Keller

Bible Tuesday

2011-11-08T11:30:00.000-08:00

So in the course of my normal bible reading schedule, I have come back again to Leviticus.

Oy.

Leviticus will test the mettle of even the most studious theologian...which I ain't. I fully believe 2 Timothy 3:16 ( All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness...) So I read Leviticus with the knowledge that God has something for me there. I'm not saying it's easy. I'm just saying I do it.

In Chapter 9, we encounter something pretty odd. Aaron, Moses’ brother, is doing his first official acts as high priest for the Israelites. The tabernacle has been built ( according to God’s blueprint) and Aaron and his sons are getting to work. They kill a calf for a sin offering (v8). They don’t just have to kill it though. They have to drain the blood, rub some of the blood on the altar, pour the rest of it at the base of the altar, remove some of the organs to be burned and then haul the rest of the carcass to a place outside the camp to be burned. Then they move on to the burnt offering. They kill a ram, throw the blood against the altar, cut the animal up and offer each piece to be burned. Then they have to wash the entrails. Yep, you heard me. Wash the entrails and burn them also. This continues with several other animals and a grain offering.

All this occurs in the brand new tabernacle. The tabernacle has been a project made to God’s specific design. Everything in it is of the highest quality. All the furniture and instruments are covered in gold or some other precious metal. All the fabrics are fine linen embroidered by a master craftsman. Even Aaron’s priestly garments are of a specific design and made with exacting standards. Now, can you just imagine what the inside of that tabernacle looked like after all these sacrifices were made? What about Aaron’s clothes? My guess is that whole place looked like a scene from Stephen King's nightmares. Tide with Bleach doesn’t even exist for these people. Do you think those blood stains ever came out?

All this leads me to wonder if that was God’s point. Does God want this carnage to remind the Israelites(and us)of just how damaging sin can be? The tabernacle is a forerunner of the temple and later, God will say that our bodies are the true temple. Because of sin, that tabernacle became a bloody mess. How much more so the temple of our bodies when we sin?

And yet we must remember that this was never God’s original plan. His intended home for us was a garden. A beautiful place where we could be in constant fellowship with the one for whom we were made. We chose the blood soaked sand of the tabernacle when we demanded to do it our own way. God cannot be in the presence of sin. He cannot. Yet His desire was still to have relationship with us. So, until it was the appointed time for Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice, these shadows would suffice.

In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Hebrews 9:22

Book Review - The Shack

2011-11-07T10:48:00.000-08:00

I really love Mark Driscoll. I don't worship him. He's just a man. But I generally agree with him. But on the subject of The Shack me and Driscoll have to part ways. I still like him. I still plan to listen to him. But I'm mad at myself for accepting his diatribe against this book without investigating for myself. It's the kind of thing I make fun of people for all the time. Lesson learned...hopefully.

Let me start with a few caveats. The Shack is not scripture. It is not the inspired word of God. It is a novel written by a man. But this book made me examine some of my beliefs about God. It changed me and that's not a bad thing.The Shack is about a man named Mac whose daughter is murdered. God invites him to the shack in the aftermath of that tragedy. Mark Driscoll is correct about how God is personified in this book. God is portrayed as a black woman. But, get real. that doesn't mean the author is promoting goddess worship. It's just a literary device. I don't think God is a black woman. I also don't think he is a white man. He is God. My brain is not big enough to even begin to define him. But the author of this book is trying to portray what he believes the trinity to be. And I think he does a pretty good job. Can we be honest here? Most mainline Christians love Jesus, are scared of God and are just confused about the Holy Spirit. Is this book the answer to that? I doubt it. But it will get you to think about what you believe and why.

The funny thing is that the part of The Shack that doesn't seem to be controversial is the part that ripped me to shreds. Over and over, the trinity try to explain to Mac about how they love us. God's love is pretty easy to understand when it's directed at me. Of course God loves me. I'm delightful right? But the mystery of God's love is that He loves an evil murderer as much as he loves me. That's a hard one. And yet, it's the truth. Why does God allow this cruel world to keep moving forward while children get brain cancer and women get raped and men get murdered. How can he stand it? Especially when he has the power to stop it at any time? Can't we just fast-forward this whole business and get to the good stuff? And the answer is simple and horrifying. God allows this mess to continue because he is desperately in love with us and he wants 'all to come to repentance'. Imagine what that kind of love must be like. It's inconceivable to me.

The Shack won't answer any questions for you. In fact, it will create a bunch of new ones. It's not doctrine. It's not supposed to be. Just read it and remember...God loves you but he is especially fond of me :)

Ain't we cute?

2011-11-06T12:51:00.000-08:00

Why pay good money to a professional photographer when your church creates a new directory every few years?

Quoted

2011-11-05T16:25:00.000-07:00

Trust the past to God's mercy, the present to God's love, & the future to God's providence.

-Augustine

Book Review - Silver Girl

2011-11-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

I really wasn't that excited about reading this book. It came in at the library at the same time as A Game of Thrones. I was about 40 pages into that one when I made the egregious error of leaving it in the bathroom. (Yes, I read in the bathroom. Where else would I find the time? Multitask people!) Anyway, Kevin found my book and I never got it back. So, in desperation, I turned to this book. It wasn't half bad actually.

Silver Girl is a novel but the author bases her main character on Bernie Madoff's wife. Meredith Delinn is the wife of Freddy Delinn who has been convicted of a 50 billion dollar ponzi scheme. She is universally hated by her friends and most of America. When she loses everything but the clothes on her back, her old friend allows her to spend the summer in her Nantucket beach house.

Elin Hildebrand is big on Nantucket. All her books are set there so this is no surprise. In order to enjoy this book, you have to get past the 'oh sure, of course she has a rich old friend with a friggin beach house' thing. It wasn't easy. But if you can get past it, it's a worthy read. In this book, Meredith doesn't know anything about her husband's scam. No one believes her, of course. But it is an interesting way to view both the real and fictional character.

Quoted - Blue Like Jazz Edition

2011-11-03T11:26:00.000-07:00

"I don't think you can explain how Christian faith works either. It is a mystery. And I love this about Christian spirituality. It cannot be explained, and yet it is beautiful and true. It is something you feel, and it comes from the soul."

- Donald Miller

Band Of Gold - The Next Generation

2011-11-02T07:08:00.000-07:00

I always hoped my kids would be in band. It was a selfish hope. I loved my high school experience and I wanted my girls to have it too. I would try to explain it to you but, honestly, if you weren't a band nerd, the whole concept is just gonna seem ridiculous to you.

The high school band in MJ allows kids as young as 8th grade to march. When Savannah was finishing up her 7th grade year, I casually asked if she was interested in trying it. She was not enthusiastic about the idea. She said, "Mom, I will march when I am in high school band and I have no choice." I didn't press the issue. A few weeks later she breathlessly begged me to let her try out for color guard. A flag changed my kid's whole perspective on marching band.

What followed is a blur of practice, band fees, football games and competitions. Those kids practiced twice as much as I ever did in high school. (And I thought we practiced a whole lot.) I (privately) questioned every decision made by her band director and was proved wrong each and every time. Basically, the guy knows what he is doing and I don't know doodly-squat about marching band anymore.

But I realized over and over why I coveted this experience for my kids. Band teaches you to get over yourself. In band, you always put the group above yourself. You sacrifice your time, your sweat, and sometimes your mental health for a greater goal. The show...it's all about the show. If you weren't in band, you might watch this video and think - 'Big whoop...a bunch of kids marching around to entertain during halftime'. But for us, this is a masterpiece. The culmination of months of blood, sweat and tears.

Savannah has worked so hard. Practice twice a week. Late games Friday nights. Early contests Saturday morning. She made it through her first season with straight A's and just a few meltdowns. I could not be more proud.

There are a lot of kids in this family. Who knows what kind of activities the other ones may pursue? Whatever they do, I will support them 100%. I will go to the concerts, the play, the games, the practice, whatever. But the Band of Gold is my legacy. I can't help how much I love it.

Quoted

2011-10-15T08:44:00.000-07:00

"Nothing sets a person so much out of the devil's reach as humility."

- Jonathan Edwards

And, yeah, I know you think the devil isn't real and that you make fun of me for believing it. Good luck with that.

This blog...

2011-10-14T08:37:00.001-07:00

has been interrupted by marching band.

Sweet merciful savior.

I had no idea how much driving would be involved. I got a lot to say about many things...as usual. Hoping I can get them posted sometime before Christmas.

Book Review - Summer Rental

2011-09-17T07:56:00.000-07:00

Nobody cures a bad reading slump like Mary Kay Andrews.

I was having one of those weeks. The kind where every book I opened was completely uninspiring. It was depressing. Then I got the happy email from the library informing me that Summer Rental was waiting for me. I knew things were gonna get better.

Mary Kay Andrews is no John Steinbeck. That's not meant as an insult. She's a fun Southern writer. There is no shame in that. Summer Rental is about a group of friends who rent a ramshackle beach house for a summer vacation. Normally I shy away from books about 'female friends reuniting...blah, blah, blah". It's a very tired fiction formula. But this book (mostly) avoids the cliches. The friends each have interesting life circumstances that don't feel contrived. There is a mystery roomate and a cute landlord. Seriously, what else could you need?

Quoted - Blue Like Jazz Edition

2011-09-16T07:27:00.000-07:00

"The goofy thing about Christian faith is that you believe it and don't believe it at the same time. It isn't unlike having an imaginary friend. I believe in Jesus; I believe He is the Son of God, but every time I sit down to explain this to somebody I feel like a palm reader, like somebody who works at a circus or a kid who is always making things up or somebody at a Star Trek convention who hasn't figured out that the show isn't real."

- Donald Miller

Book Review - Black Heels to Tractor Wheels

2011-09-15T08:53:00.000-07:00

I think I have mentioned how much I love The Pioneer Woman. I stumbled onto her blog while googling "Best chocolate cake". Not only did she have the best chocolate cake recipe, she had so much more. She shared so unapologetically about almost every aspect of her life that I felt like we were close friends even though we never met. She also got me in trouble. The Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummond) refers to her children as 'punks'. Obviously she loves her kids so 'punks' is not an insult, it's a term of endearment. I copied this habit of hers to disastrous consequences. Lesson learned...hopefully.

Black Heels to Tractor Wheels is the story of Ree's courtship and early marriage to Marlboro Man. It was originally published in chapter long installments on her website. She added some new material when she compiled the stories into this book. If you have never visited her website, you will still enjoy the book. Ree is hilarious and completely unassuming. She pokes lots of fun at herself which is my favorite hobby as you know.

Quoted - C.S. Lewis Edition

2011-09-13T16:20:00.000-07:00

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.

- C. S. Lewis

Book Review - Rescue

2011-09-12T08:34:00.000-07:00

This is hard for me to admit. This book was the suck. Anita Shreve is one of my favorite authors. In fact, her novel Fortune's Rocks is on my top ten list. That's a hard list to land on people.

But something has gone awry. It's almost like this book was not even written by the same author. Rescue is about an EMT that meets a troubled woman following a car accident. They fall in love, marry and have a daughter. The woman is an alcoholic who eventually abandons them. The EMT raises his daughter alone. A near tragedy brings them all back together 15 years later. I can't really apologize for the 'spoilers' in this review because you can pretty much anticipate the entire plot by the time you have read the first twenty pages. Had this nonsense been written by a first time author, I guess you could give them the benefit of the doubt and hope for better things in the future. But this was written by an accomplished veteran novelist. There simply is no excuse for this pile of drivel produced by someone who has proved she can do so much more.

Quoted

2011-09-10T16:31:00.000-07:00

They that know God will be humble; they that know themselves cannot be proud.

- John Flavel

The Way We Were (Are)

2011-09-09T08:28:00.000-07:00

20 years ago I graduated from high school. I was apathetic, at best, about attending my class reunion. At my 10th, my group of friends ended up in the hotel lobby apart from the rest of the class. We were band nerds. We were used to being on the outside looking in. But years of maturity made us realize we kinda liked it on the outside.
So when my friend Kristena suggested that we have a mini-reunion with just the people we liked, I felt we had a genius solution. A few of us met at my house with a whole bunch of kids. (Yes, most of them were mine. What's your point?) We ate. We laughed. I said the phrase "I don't remember" around 1000 times. So much had not changed. Kristena still has the exact same hand gestures when she tells a story. Dawn still has the face of a teenager. (Wrinkle already dammit!) And Andy is still...well...Andy.

But many things have changed. Chris has two kids. (Who would have ever thought he would be a dad?) Inconceivable. And he's really good at it. And, for some reason that made me proud as if I had anything to do with it. Jason's voice is so deep now. When did that happen? Everybody else sounded the same but Jason sounds like he could sing bass with the Gaither Vocal Band or work as a DJ.

There were lots of our 'group' who couldn't attend but we went ahead and had a great time without them. The kids got along great. Loudly...but great. Dawn married the ultimate band nerd (He's a director!!!) so we bonded with him immediately.
I think we turned out pretty good. I had not seen these guys in a very long time but, though it is a cliche, it seemed like just yesterday that we were riding that school bus to a Friday night football game. I loved them then. I love them now. I can't wait twenty more years to see them again. I'm planning on no more than 5.

Quoted - Tozer Edition

2011-09-08T11:49:00.000-07:00

"When I understand that everything happening to me is to make me more Christlike, it solves a great deal of anxiety."

AW Tozer

Book Review - Kevin Leman Edition

2011-09-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

I wasn't actually interested in having a new husband or new kids by Friday. I am always interested in having a new me by any day though. I read all three of these books in the same week. (They are short and easy to get through.) The author, Dr. Kevin Leman is a pychologist and a Christian. Here's all you need to know about the the first two books. If you want a new husband by Friday, don't demean him. Treat him like an adult and have lots of sex with him. To this advice I respnd with a hearty 'Duh'.

If you want to have a new kid by Friday, Dr Leman suggests that you tell your kids to do something once and then walk away. If they do it, great. If they don't, you allow them to experience the natural consequences. I'm sure he is right about this but I am personally fighting an uphill battle on this one. Raising two families of kids with different expectations of responsibility, politeness and behavior in general is not easy. And, pretty much, I suck at it.

Having a new you by Friday is a little more complicated. Dr Leman first identifies your personality type. Unfortunately, I don't fit neatly into any of his categories. I did identify a lot of other people's personality types which was actually pretty helpful. I spend too much of my time wondering why people do the stupid nonsense that they do. This information gave me much insight into answering those questions. The next step is identifying your birth order. This was easy. I am a textbook firstborn. Control freak, perfectionist...your basic nightmare. The interesting thing about this part was discovering how few of our combined children fit the category of their birth order. The last part of the process was thinking about specific childhood memories. This was quite illuminating for me. It's fodder for another post though...after I think about it for 15or so years. The thing I really like about Leman's approach is that he doesn't allow you to use personality or birth order or childhood experiences as a crutch. He wants you to identify them in order to see why you react to situations in the way that you do but also realize that you have the ability to change. A firstborn can lighten up. A lastborn can start acting responsibly.

I'm sure there are people who are completely happy with themselves. They like the way they look, act and think. If someone doesn't like them, they never internalize it. They blame the other person and move on.

I am not one of these people.

But I might be one by Friday...or possibly Saturday.

Quoted - Blue Like Jazz Edition

2011-09-06T07:25:00.000-07:00

"The decision was simple once I asked myself, Is Jesus the Son of God, are we being held captive in a world run by Satan, a world filled with brokenness, and do I believe Jesus can rescue me from this condition?"

- Donald Miller

Stop the Madness

2011-09-05T07:29:00.000-07:00

Lately I have spent a lot of time with some ladies who...how do I say this nicely?...seem to have more money than sense. You know the ones. They attend all these home parties that sell different nonsense. They not only attend, they buy mass quantities of this stuff and then decide to sell it themselves which leads to even more parties where they buy even more stuff. It seems they all eventually get bored with whatever they are selling and then move on to the next thing.

This is not a post in judgement of these women. It is a serious inquiry. I am desperate to know how these purchases are justified...if only in their own mind. For example, several years ago the big thing was pricey baskets. (I was a single, working mom at the time so no one invited me to these parties. Thank God.) I had an aunt who became obsessed with these friggin baskets. She had them everywhere. Here's my question. When you buy one or a dozen baskets that cost 300% more than any basket should reasonably cost, what are you thinking? Do you just love the basket and really what business it it of mine how you spend your money? Do you think you are going to create an heirloom? Are you planning to leave them to your kids? Because honestly investing that money in a pitiful savings account would have been a much better idea.

It seems the baskets were followed by a candle party craze. I missed that one entirely. This was followed by the scapbook, card making phenomenon that entranced every woman with the ability to take photos. I have nothing against scrapbooking or cardmaking. A lot of my friends love it. I have just always been too cheap to pay good money for...paper. The newest one I have been introduced to is embroidered bags. Even my 13 year old child was invited to one of these. The brochure features a backpack that you can get your initials embroidered on. It costs 86 dollars.

86 DOLLARS!?!?!?

Again, I am really not trying to be ugly here but who in their right mind pays 86 bucks for a backpack? I mean these parties are marketed toward the middle class. This is not some silly thing that Manhattan socialites are doing. This is targeted toward women who, in my experience, would normally be very prudent with their family finances. What is it about the idea of a 'party' that sends this type of woman off the deep end? Is it just peer pressure? And, if so, can we please stop it? I'm just wondering how many women are out there fighting with their husbands over money spent on cooking stones that they never use or paying high interest credit card rates on baskets they sold at a yard sale.

I'm just gonna stick with what I do best. Wasting Kevin's money on exercise equipment and diet programs.

Quoted - Blue Like Jazz Edition

2011-08-23T11:24:00.000-07:00

"My belief in Jesus did not seem rational or scientific, and yet there was nothing I could do to separate myself from this belief."

- Donald Miller

Happy Anniversary Kevin!

2011-08-22T08:42:00.000-07:00

Three years!!!

Last year I wrote this for you.

This year I'm gonna let Aretha do the work.

Looking out on the morning rain
I used to feel so uninspired
And when I knew I had to face another day
Lord, it made me feel so tired
Before the day I met you, life was so unkind
But your the key to peace my mind

Cause you make me feel, you make me feel, you make me feel like
A natural woman

When my soul was in the lost-and-found
You came along to claim it
I didn't know just what was wrong with me
Till your kiss helped me name it
Now I'm no longer doubtful of what I'm living for
Cause if I make you happy I don't need to do more

Cause you make me feel, you make me feel, you make me feel like
A natural woman

Oh, baby, what you've done to me
You make me feel so good inside
And I just want to be close to you
You make me feel so alive
Cause you make me feel, you make me feel, you make me feel like
A natural woman

Happy Anniversary hot stuff. Never forget that death is the your only way out :)

Quoted - Tozer Edition

2011-08-17T11:59:00.000-07:00

"We are too quick to live this life and forget that there is another world to come...this is not the end."

AW Tozer

Book Review - The Distant Hours

2011-08-16T06:59:00.000-07:00

I totally judged this book by it's cover. In this case it worked out pretty well. I just stumbled upon this novel at the library. I had never heard of it or the author but the jacket description had me hooked.

The Distant Hours is the story of Edie Burchill and her mother. Her mother was sent to the English countryside during WWII to live with a family she did not even know. (Did you know this went on? I thought it was just the kids from Narnia. live and learn.) The family she stayed with consisted of three daughters of a famous author. They lived in a friggin castle with a moat. Seriously. The author was weird and his daughters were weirder. Edie can't get her mother to talk about the experience so she sets out to investigate on her own. She visits the now-elderly sisters at Milderhurst Castle. Time has not been kind to this family. All three sisters are still living but are also varying degrees of 'nuttier than a fruitcake'.

Let me admit something. This book scared the tweet outta me. It's not a horror novel but it just has this creepy feel to it. Don't read it late at night alone. But do read it. It's creepy good.

Quoted

2011-08-15T16:26:00.000-07:00

No man can be thoroughly humbled until he knows that his salvation is utterly beyond his own powers...

- Martin Luther

The Challenge - Fail Edition

2011-08-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

So remember how I was going to read the bible in 90 days?

Yeah.

About that. I failed. Guess how long it took for me to fall behind?

No seriously. Just guess.

ONE DAY!!!!!!!

I could not keep up with the reading schedule for 24 friggin hours.
The only excuse I can provide is that I really had no idea how overwhelming the kids would be this summer. By the time they finished demanding breakfast as if I were a short order cook (which, I guess, I kinda am) they were anxious to know the day’s activites. It goes without saying that I had not planned the day's activities.

Nevertheless, the fault is entirely mine. I have read quite a bit this summer so the 12 Bible pages per day should have been completely doable. But I find it impossible to just ‘skim’ the Bible. I can read a novel at the pool while watching the kids and talking to a girlfriend but the Bible requires my complete attention.

I really miss my complete attention.

I hope to find it again soon.

Quoted - Blue Like Jazz Edition

2011-08-13T07:22:00.000-07:00

"Christianity offered a decision, a climax."
"I had always hated hearing about it because it seemed so entirely unfashionable a thing to believe, but it did explain things. Maybe these unfashionable ideas were pointing at something mystical and true. And, perhaps, I was judging the idea, not by it's merit, but by the fashionable or unfashionable delivery of the message. "

- Donald Miller

Summer 2011

2011-08-12T16:06:00.000-07:00

This free photo slideshow made with Smilebox

Quoted - Tozer Edition

2011-08-11T11:58:00.000-07:00

"Many come short, being satisfied with the works of God rather than hungering for and reaching on to God Himself."

AW Tozer

Anna's Baptism - Part 2

2011-08-10T07:45:00.000-07:00

This free picture slideshow generated with Smilebox

Being a step-mom is kind of a pain. You have these children that you love but you have no unbreakable connection with them. Divorce, custody arrangements, any number of things could separate you from them and there is not one thing you can do about it. The don't belong to you and you have no rights to them at all. I am not suggesting that stepparents should have rights to those kids, I am just explaining why that reality is scary and hard.

So Anna's baptism was simply one of my best days ever. Because now Anna is my sister in Christ. And nothing can ever change that.

I love you so very much Anna and I am so happy that you are part of my forever family.

Quoted

2011-08-09T16:32:00.000-07:00

Peace if possible, truth at all costs.

- Martin Luther

Anna's Baptism - Part 1

2011-08-08T06:54:00.000-07:00

Picnic, Baptism & Hail Storm of June 2011 from Friendship Community Church on Vimeo.

Here is the 'professional' video made by Trey McCampbell. Anna is about halfway through.

Quoted - Blue Like Jazz Edition

2011-08-07T07:17:00.000-07:00

"I think the devil has tricked us into thinking so much of biblical theology is story fit for kids."

- Donald Miller

Email musings

2011-08-06T07:22:00.000-07:00

I have no job. Due to that, you would think my email would be minimal. You would be wrong. More often than not, the contents of my inbox are just weird.

For example.

Today I received an email from Crossings Book Club. I am a member and they wanted me to "Reply to My Featured Selections". No big deal. Happens every month. Usually they offer great books by popular Christian authors. This month, the main book was a novel called The Amish Nanny. This brings the following questions to my mind.

1. Why would the Amish even need a nanny? Are Amish women suddenly hitting the work force in droves?

2. Haven't we really exhausted this genre in Christian fiction? I mean I get it. The Amish are a simple people. It's easy to use them as the center of Christian romance stories because you don't have to worry about sex scenes. Although, and I don't mean to be crude here, I bet you could write a novel about an Amish girl embroiled in a hot,sexy love affair and it would sell like hotcakes.

3. What's next? The Amish Housekeeper? The Amish Day Care Center? In the name of all that is Good people, please stop writing these books. If nothing else, try writing about Mennonites. At least it will change things up a bit.

The next email to catch my attention was from Curves. How does Curves even know me? It's like the one diet program I am proud to say I have not attempted. Does the internet know I am a chubby housewife? Has it somehow detected that I am a very likely candidate to sacrifice Kevin's hard earned money on the altar of their empty promises? Let me guess. Are they gonna tell me to eat less and exercise more? It's a revolutionary concept but...no thanks.

First Day of School!

2011-08-05T20:06:00.000-07:00

Quoted

2011-08-04T11:47:00.000-07:00

"The good news isn't that God is victorious. How can He not be victorious? The good news is we can be victorious, too."

AW Tozer

Les Miserables

2011-08-03T06:51:00.000-07:00

It’s no exaggeration to say that the music for the Broadway musical Les Miserables was the soundtrack to my high school years. I cannot remember how it started. But somehow my friend Debbie and I acquired the soundtrack …on cassette tapes. We listened to it constantly. Everywhere we went, that music played. We memorized every word. We sang along …loudly. When I saw the production for the first time at TPAC right after graduation, my life-long love for musical theater was cemented. Debbie and I spent money we didn’t have to purchase season tickets. We didn’t even consider the cheap seats. We saw so many great shows during our college years. Grand Hotel, Annie Get Your Gun, Guys and Dolls, Phantom of the Opera.

At some point, I quit going. It wasn’t a purposeful decision. I got married, had kids. Discretionary income and babysitters were hard to come by. I sold a car and accidentally left 2 of my Les Miz CD’s (I had replaced the cassettes) in it. I mourned the loss but never bothered to replace them.

Life went on without Les Miz until one afternoon when I picked the kids up from school. They had seen the 25th anniversary concert in choir class and they were hooked. I ordered a new set of CD’s and rediscovered my old flame. Oddly enough, the new production was returning to TPAC. I bought us tickets and began anticipating.

When the day arrived, I got lost in Downtown, as usual. It’s like a tradition really. We finally made it to the theatre and found our seats. The lights dimmed and the show began. The production was different but the experience was the same. What I love about Broadway is the consuming experience. When I sit in the audience, I am completely focused. I am not worried about anything. I am not even thinking about anything. That’s a pretty rare experience for me.

And while the ticket prices at TPAC are not friendly enough to allow me to take the whole family often, seeing the look on Anna, Kaylee and Savannah’s faces as they watched was worth every penny.

Happy Birthday Katie!

2011-07-26T07:59:00.000-07:00

Katie is ten years old.
I have known her now for exactly half her life. She’s still sassy. I’m guessing that will never change. She’s crafty. This year she has created a wide variety of items ranging from wallets to pillows completely out of duck tape. She loves to cook…and she’s pretty good at it. She has made the desserts for the last two gatherings we have had and everybody loved them. The most interesting thing about Katie, this year, is the way she has become what we call ‘the toddler whisperer’. If a 2-3 year old kid comes within a mile of Katie, they fall in love with her. It happens every time and I love watching her with them. She is so patient and sweet and so unlike her normal, somewhat grumpy, cynical self. I might have another baby just so Katie can help me take care of it.

On second thought…No.

Happy Birthday Katie! Let’s show 5th grade who’s boss.

Book Review - Dead Reckoning

2011-07-20T06:58:00.000-07:00

Yep...another Charlaine Harris book. I can't stop. I get on the wait list at the library before the new ones are even published. I may need professional help. If you already love the Sookie Stackhouse books or True Blood on HBO, then obviously you are gonna want to read this. If you have never read one then please, don't start. It's like a vampire monkey on your back people. It ain't pretty.

Happy Birthday Emily!

2011-07-16T07:51:00.000-07:00

Today is the big day.

18!!!

I met Emily when she was 13. Even then, she was looking forward to turning 18. I pray that being an official adult is all that she hoped for. She has a boyfriend, she has a car, she has a job, she has a European vacation in the works.

Happy Birthday Emily! Good luck world…

Book Review - All Over But The Shouting

2011-07-07T04:54:00.000-07:00

"If you have never had a Krispy Kreme doughnut, I do not know how to describe them to you. It would be like trying to explain young love to a celibate priest."

Dear Mr Bragg,

I was wondering if we could be best friends? I just read your book. I love you. I love your mama. I love that a kid from Alabama won the Pulitzer Prize. I did not grow up like you. My dad did not run off when I was young. I was not poor. But I was raised in the South and I do have a slightly crazy family. Those things are an important bond for us.

Tell your wife she doesn't have to worry about me. I am happily married. I love my husband. But I feel both our lives could be enriched if you called me from time to time. I could tell you about my nutty great aunt Annie. You could tell me about your uncle Jimbo. We could talk about southern food with reverence while our spouses roll their eyes at us. Don't you think your writing could be seriously enhanced by a deep, intimate friendship with a chubby Southern housewife?

Think about it and let me know.

Love,
Rachel

Quoted - Blue Like Jazz Edition

2011-07-06T12:28:00.000-07:00

"I don't think any church has ever been relevant to culture, to the human struggle, unless it believed in Jesus and the power of His gospel. If the supposed new church believes in trendy music and cool web pages, then it is not relevant to culture either. It is just another tool of Satan to get people to be passionate about nothing."

Book Review - The Lincoln Lawyer

2011-07-05T12:04:00.000-07:00

This guy is like John Grisham only slightly less full of himself. That's a good thing. I haven't seen the movie yet but I feel quite confident it will disappoint me. They always do.

This is a standard lawyer/crime novel. Mickey Haller is the Lincoln lawyer. He's kind of a sleazeball but in a lovable kind of way. His client is even scummier than him. There's also a wisecracking private detective. I just love private detectives, don't you?

If you are looking for something to read by the pool, pick this one up.

Margaritaville

2011-07-04T10:44:00.000-07:00

While on our cruise, Kevin and I booked an excursion to tour the Mayan ruins at Tulum. This involved a ferry boat ride from the cruise ship (anchored in the middle of the friggin ocean) to the beach at Tulum. Our excursion days earlier to Grand Cayman had consisted of a five minute trip on very calm waters. This trip was 45 minutes on ocean that looked like something out of The Perfect Storm. Let me tell ya, I was looking for the Professor or Mary Ann by the time we docked. Once on land, we boarded a tour bus for yet another 45 minute ride to Tulum.

We arrived at the site. Our tour guide encouraged us to visit the restaurant adjacent to the ruins after the tour. We thoroughly enjoyed touring the ruins. The buildings were magnificent but neither Kevin or I could stop looking at the beautiful beaches. White sand. Turquoise water. If you saw a picture of it in a magazine, you would swear it was photoshopped.

We completed the tour and found ourselves hot, tired, hungry and thirsty. How could we know how dangerous this combination would be? We grabbed a table at the restaurant. We ordered their famous tacos and a margarita. We were in Mexico. How could we not have a taco and a margarita? Our order arrived. Tacos served on a paper plate and Margaritas in a red plastic Solo cup. The food was ridiculously good and the drink was even better. We finished the meal and found we had a while before it would be time to return to the bus. We ordered a second drink. The waiter looked at us like we were nuts. We insisted. He served.

A little background may be helpful here. Kevin and I are not big drinkers. We share a bottle of wine from time to time. We have sangria or margaritas at Cinco de Mayo maybe once every six months. I knew that two drinks would get both of us a little bit tipsy but we had a 45 minute bus ride ahead of us. We'd sleep it off. It would be fine. We drank the 2nd margarita. The details I am about to share were gleaned from other members of our tour group. My memory of the whole shebang is pretty unreliable after #2 margarita.

First we bought souvenirs. International commerce should never be attempted while drunk. Learn from our mistakes people. We ended up with two luchador masks and a stone pipe in the shape of a foot. Neither of us smokes which makes that purchase a bit odd. Also, we have no idea what any of this stuff actually cost us.

Next we boarded the bus. At this point I am convinced that we are holding it together. I don't think anybody is aware of our drunken state. And, people, we were beyond drunk here. Never have I been so inebriated. While on the bus, we did not sleep. We did, however, spend the entire ride talking loudly about Scientology. Let me just tell ya, if Tom Cruise had been on that bus, Kevin and I would have got our butts kicked. I am told that the rest of the tour group enjoyed it though.

We got off the bus and somehow made it to the ferry. Let me ask you a question. Have you ever ridden a small boat on a big choppy ocean while drunker than Cootie Brown? I don't recommend it. We managed to not throw up which I felt was a big victory. At one point I overheard one of our group say something like "plus we have to deal with these two drunks!" Horror and shame washed over me. She was talking about us! I wanted to defend myself. I'm a good Christian with a low tolerance for alcohol! I was totally conned by that Mexican waiter! How could we have known that authentic Mexican margaritas are potent enough to inebriate Charlie Sheen?!?

We made it safely off the ferry and some kind of way made it back onto the cruise ship. It was very early afternoon at this point. We collapsed into our cabin and then this happened.

The details after that are a bit sketchy. what I can tell you is that we woke up around 7PM with massive headaches and regret. We ate large quantities of salty french fries and enjoyed the rest of our cruise.

**Note: The middle two pictures of Kevin were taken by one of his friends while we were on the bus. Notice the guy in the red behind him. See how he is laughing at us? We didn't see these pics until the friend posted them on Facebook. Remember the good ole days when you could make an ass out of yourself and just forget it? Facebook has ruined that forever. I bet somebody has video of this incident. Should I ever run for public office, you can expect that bad boy to surface