Holidays

It seems that for many Americans, a holiday is about what you do. What are the traditions that make that day stand out from the rest of the year? How you celebrate that day is essentially what that day is. For example, one might say, "every year we have black eyed peas on New Year's Day and we watch football, and that is what makes that day special." Given, a holiday is definitely celebrated by what you do. But it seems that quite often, no thought is given to the reason behind the celebration. Sure, we have Thanksgiving where we remember the Pilgrims primly dressed in their black and white and the Native Americans with the big feather headdresses. But, true depth in the purpose for celebration is often lacking.

For many Christians, we are seeking to change this. We are trying harder to educate our children about the history of our Holy Days and focus more on the meaning for the celebration while we prepare the Turkey, etc. I think that is why so many of us have a problem with celebrating Halloween. We have trouble celebrating when there is no cause for it. Not that we think that there is anything wrong with children dressing up and getting candy. It sounds like fun. But, what is the reason? Simply stated, there is no cause for celebration. We could get all into the pagan roots of Samhain and how evil the evening is. Meanwhile, it isn't likely that any of our neighbors are celebrating Samhain, they're just celebrating harmless costumes and candy wondering what we abstainers are so uptight about. What it boils down to for me is that my heart just isn't in it. And if my heart isn't in it, then why do it?

In our Protestant home, we like to make a big deal of Reformation Day. I consider this as basically the Independence Day of the Protestant church. It is a day where we can rejoice and celebrate God's sovereignty in preserving the church and his truth as written in the Bible. Last weekend, our church held a festival where I got to plan the games. All of the games were centered around the Reformation and were great fun. Here are some pictures of covenant children celebrating their heritage:

a young carpenter in a hammering contest

The stained glass shoppe was a hit

My firstborn is trying to pin the theses on the door.

Here's wishing you all a Happy Reformation Day!

The Fall

I suppose the issue has been around for awhile. But, lately I've been contemplating sin and genetics. It seems that there is always new scientific research which leads to the conclusion that this or that various sin is genetic. (although, I have yet to see a scientist call it sin) From a worldly perspective, we look at this research and say, "Oh, that poor sinner, he can't help it, it must be okay for him to do it, then." This genetic research is one of the main reasons for popular acceptance of homosexual behavior.

However, if we apply the world's logic across the board, then we must accept murder as okay because psychopathic disorders are deemed genetic. So, perhaps we only accept genetics if the compulsion doesn't infringe upon the rights of other people which would leave out the psychopaths. In that case, is the genetic tendency toward addiction acceptable? Should we just give up upon alcoholics as a lost cause and allow them to give into their predisposition to become addicted to alcohol? Maybe we only allow it if they don't beat their families while in a drunken rage. No. Sin is sin.

I believe that because of this mainstream acceptance, many Christians have had a knee-jerk reaction loudly proclaiming that homosexuality is not genetic. I am far from being an expert, but I question that knee-jerking. Personally, I don't have a problem with the research that concludes that these sins may be genetic. I reason that the Fall was complete and total. For sin to seep to the genetic level is not unfathomable to me. In fact, I suppose that if they did a research study to discover whether the sin of pride were genetic, they could easily nail me as a genetically prideful person. Just because I am (supposedly) predisposed to this particular sin, does not make it okay for me to disobey the word of God. It only means that one person will struggle more intensely with a particular sin than other people will. I have always believed that each of us has certain sins which we struggle with more than others. "Shall the thing formed say to him who has made it, "why hast thou made me thus?" No.

Our constant struggle with sin is only a daily reminder of our need for a Savior. If we say that sin is okay, then we lose that need. If we lose that need, then all is lost indeed.

A Day in the Country

Last Sunday, after church we made the 45 mile trek to an apple orchard where they hold a big pumpkin patch day of fun for the kids every October. This is our third year to go, so I suppose it's becoming a tradition. The kids always love it. And it's so nice to spend the afternoon outdoors with them. Again, the little lady slept through the whole thing. When we were out, we noticed that the farmhouse and ten acres across the street are for sale. I'm thinkin' about moving...

Rest

You know, it's amazing how wonderful five solid hours of sleep can feel after a few weeks with a newborn. For two nights in a row now, the babe has slept from 11 pm to 4 am. Then she nurses and goes back down until 7:30 or 8:00. Wow, I can totally handle this! Let's hope that tonight she goes for three in a row.

Yes, I do feel more energized. Enough to even skip my afternoon nap two days in a row. This afternoon, the soft sounds of Hem arose from the small CD player as the little two slept, the big girls cheerfully picked up their room, and I caught up on folding my mountain of laundry. Next, the girls and I did our first art lesson together and enjoyed some quiet drawing time outside in the somewhat cooler Autumn air. Sounds lovely, doesn't it? Well, it's not always this way. But, I am thankful for today.

My secret weapon through it all? Coffee. Yes, I have discovered to joys of having both a cup in the morning, and one in the afternoon. I know, I know, caffeine is not so good for you. However, I prefer to believe that God made that little coffee bean just for tired Mamas like me trying to do their job well.

The Fog

My little baby is four weeks old today, she hits the official one month mark on Saturday. I can't believe it. It's so wild how foggy a post-partum brain can get. I told a friend yesterday that this is about as close to the eternal perspective as we can get on this earth, where one month is like one day. Really, they are all just blurring still - I am so dizzy.

Each morning it's nurse the baby, change the diapers, fix the coffee(!), feed the kids, do the dishes, dress the kids, wash the kid's sheets that were "messed" during the night, do a little more laundry, get some lessons done with the big girls, try to smile and dance a little with the kiddos so they don't get scared that Mommy's turned into a zombie, do some dishes, pick up, pick up, pick up, and crash for as long as the wee one will let me.

It's not all chaos. I do get to witness some sweet moments of sibling love, or catch a sticky squeeze from my little man. And today, Daddy came home for lunch in the work truck which is brown, instead of his personal truck which is red. And, as he was pulling out of the driveway, my silly second daughter shouted "Daddy really needs to wash that truck, it doesn't even look red anymore!"

And so, we dance and we laugh. We do and we rest. Life is dizzy, but it's giddy.

It's time for me to crash.

True Community

We consider ourselves blessed to be a part of a very sweet, gospel-driven church plant in our community. This church has furthered our view of what community is through their love for us, especially during this recent pregnancy and delivery. This Sunday, we'll bring our new little one to be baptized. And, I wanted to share with you a letter to our church that the pastor is allowing us to put in the bulletin:

"Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As we bring our new baby to be baptized this morning, we can not help but reflect upon what a blessing each of you is to us. We are so thankful to be a part of such a wonderful, covenant community. We have felt the love of Christ so strongly through your words and actions.

As we blissfully announced our pregnancy, you shared in our joy. As we endured morning sickness, you sympathized and encouraged. As Mama's belly grew, you had nothing but sweet words to say about that growing child inside. When bedrest was ordered, you rushed in to lighten our load. And, when our baby arrived, you rejoiced with us. Your precious gifts, and wholesome meals delivered to our house have made this time of transition much more peaceful.

Each of you is dear to us, and we are so grateful that our little girl was born into this loving church family. She is here today, healthy and strong, because of God's goodness and your faithfulness.

With love"

We hope that we can be such a blessing to others in the future!

Perfection

We are blessed to live near a big city with a nice symphony. And, not only that, but this symphony performs children's concerts for three bucks a ticket! So, every year, we get to go to four concerts - it's wonderful.

This morning was a girl's morning in that I pawned off the little man on a friend. (one lap baby is all I can handle on a field trip!) So, the little ladies and I set off for the well-timed, 45 - minute concert. I always love taking my children to hear the symphony. The experience of good quality, live music is one that is so rich and I want for them to be exposed to it as much as possible.

This morning, as I was enjoying the sleeping baby in my arms, and the lovely sounds of Mendelssohn's Symphony #1, I was struck by the beauty of precision. The music wouldn't be nearly so lovely had not each instrumentalist practiced his part to perfection. So often, I am satisfied with 'good enough' in my own efforts. But, my laziness deprives the world of beauty. While we can't truly be perfect, we were told to:

"be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect" Matthew 5:48

And so, good enough really isn't. We are called to strive toward precision which best displays the perfection of our creator and leads to His glory when we give it to Him. May our efforts be our best so that the beauty can be seen.