Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
Blessed
We had the doctor visit where they do an ultrasound looking for heart, brain, and other organs being healthy.
During the ultrasound, they can oftentimes tell if the baby is a boy or girl.
First, the technician saw all the stuff she was looking for in a healthy baby at 20 weeks in the womb.
Then she showed us that the baby is a girl! What a blessing!
But many people have pointed out, in many ways, that I am done. Ruined. I have worried about having a little girl because I am a big softie (I know, it doesn't seem like it) and I really do not need anyone else to spoil!
I find myself strangely interested in dresses and pink now, wondering what do I have to learn. I kind of know the drill with boys.
It's an amazing thing to see the little girl in there-- sucking her thumb, rolling around. There is one view of her looking right at the ultrasound, and there's a huge eye! I can only thank God for blessing me with another child, and taking me on a new adventure.
Just like with the boys, I can't wait to see her and hold her, to be there along all the stages of development, to hear her voice and get to know what she thinks.
During the ultrasound, they can oftentimes tell if the baby is a boy or girl.
First, the technician saw all the stuff she was looking for in a healthy baby at 20 weeks in the womb.
Then she showed us that the baby is a girl! What a blessing!
But many people have pointed out, in many ways, that I am done. Ruined. I have worried about having a little girl because I am a big softie (I know, it doesn't seem like it) and I really do not need anyone else to spoil!
I find myself strangely interested in dresses and pink now, wondering what do I have to learn. I kind of know the drill with boys.
It's an amazing thing to see the little girl in there-- sucking her thumb, rolling around. There is one view of her looking right at the ultrasound, and there's a huge eye! I can only thank God for blessing me with another child, and taking me on a new adventure.
Just like with the boys, I can't wait to see her and hold her, to be there along all the stages of development, to hear her voice and get to know what she thinks.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Three Kings and The Old Testament
This morning, I preached on one of my favorite days of the Church Year, the Epiphany, and one of my favorite Scriptures, Deuteronomy 6:1-9.
They may not seem like they go together.
The Epiphany celebrates the Wise Men seeking, finding, and paying homage to the baby Jesus.
Deuteronomy 6 is the famous “Shema” passage, “Hear O Israel, The Lord our God, The Lord is One.”
What connects these two is verse 9, Moses’ command that the Israelites should write the Law of The Lord on the doorframes of their homes.
When I was a kid in Germany, there was a beautiful ritual: on January 6, Three Kings Day (Epiphany), some guys dressed like wise men would come to your door, explain their gifts, and take some chalk and inscribe on your door something like this: “20+C+M+B+10.”
The 20 and 10 are the year. The letters they bracket are the initial of the wise men whose names were Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. The point was to recognize that the wise men had come, seeking diligently after Jesus.
I have wondered if there is not something deeper going on. Could it be that what they were writing was the Three Kings’ recognition of Jesus as the Messiah? And that if they were writing that on the doorframe of the house, they were indeed writing the Law on the doorframe, because Jesus is the Word (including Deuteronomy 6:1-9!!) made flesh?
In those days, I just wanted the candy they would give out after they had said their bit. But now, I think about the Wise Men recognizing Jesus, and how I recognize Jesus, and I think of the blood of the Passover Lamb that was smeared on the doorframes of the houses to protect the Hebrew slaves from the Destroyer who was about to fall upon Egypt.
There is so much to say, so much to think, about The Word made flesh, dwelling among us, showing us the Father’s glory, full of grace and truth.
The challenge this year is to be like the wise men, to diligently search for Jesus.
That is, we must study the Word. And after we have studied it, we must change our thinking to be in line with God’s ways. And then we have the critical moment: to obey the Word, turning neither to the left or to the right.
They may not seem like they go together.
The Epiphany celebrates the Wise Men seeking, finding, and paying homage to the baby Jesus.
Deuteronomy 6 is the famous “Shema” passage, “Hear O Israel, The Lord our God, The Lord is One.”
What connects these two is verse 9, Moses’ command that the Israelites should write the Law of The Lord on the doorframes of their homes.
When I was a kid in Germany, there was a beautiful ritual: on January 6, Three Kings Day (Epiphany), some guys dressed like wise men would come to your door, explain their gifts, and take some chalk and inscribe on your door something like this: “20+C+M+B+10.”
The 20 and 10 are the year. The letters they bracket are the initial of the wise men whose names were Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. The point was to recognize that the wise men had come, seeking diligently after Jesus.
I have wondered if there is not something deeper going on. Could it be that what they were writing was the Three Kings’ recognition of Jesus as the Messiah? And that if they were writing that on the doorframe of the house, they were indeed writing the Law on the doorframe, because Jesus is the Word (including Deuteronomy 6:1-9!!) made flesh?
In those days, I just wanted the candy they would give out after they had said their bit. But now, I think about the Wise Men recognizing Jesus, and how I recognize Jesus, and I think of the blood of the Passover Lamb that was smeared on the doorframes of the houses to protect the Hebrew slaves from the Destroyer who was about to fall upon Egypt.
There is so much to say, so much to think, about The Word made flesh, dwelling among us, showing us the Father’s glory, full of grace and truth.
The challenge this year is to be like the wise men, to diligently search for Jesus.
That is, we must study the Word. And after we have studied it, we must change our thinking to be in line with God’s ways. And then we have the critical moment: to obey the Word, turning neither to the left or to the right.
Sabbath
We had a wonderful Sabbath day today. I went to get the boys from their grandparents’. Then we went to church. Joe decided to stay up with me. As we were taking the offering, Joe saw some anointing oil we keep in the pulpit. He asked if he could anoint me. He put some oil on my head and prayed for me. You can really preach if your little man anoints you with oil, prays for you and asks for a blessing.
We came home and were lazy. We slow cooked a roast in some wine, onions, carrots, and celery. We watched football and napped as the aroma drifted through the house.
We sat down at the table, each one of us thanking God for the sweetness of the day, for being blessed.
And then we played Family Game Night on the Wii.
In a new year, you think that maybe every Sunday can be like this.
The boys have had their baths, we have said prayers together, and now the house is quiet. We’re warm and it smells like roast.
We came home and were lazy. We slow cooked a roast in some wine, onions, carrots, and celery. We watched football and napped as the aroma drifted through the house.
We sat down at the table, each one of us thanking God for the sweetness of the day, for being blessed.
And then we played Family Game Night on the Wii.
In a new year, you think that maybe every Sunday can be like this.
The boys have had their baths, we have said prayers together, and now the house is quiet. We’re warm and it smells like roast.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
How Barb and I Met; or, The Lord Brings Peace
Barb came with us to Illinois for Christmas with Ica’s family. We all survived being in the Hyundai. And Barb was welcomed in, and fit right in. John got UNO Spin for Christmas, and we played it a lot. Whenever I sat next to Barb, she would pummel me with all the bad cards. Skip. Draw 2. Draw 4. I started making snide comments. When it got too much I asked her, “how are you getting home?”
She said “I lived on the street and know how to hitchhike. I might get home before you do.” Ha, I love it when people talk smack. But there is a lot to how Barb and I got to a kitchen table in an Illinois farm house on a cold, cold night.
I had not been at The Rock long when I first met Barb and Holly. I remember seeing them; they would come into the Sunday Service, and it was a bit annoying that a few people would jump up to see what they wanted. Those were days when we probably did not value worship as highly as we should have.
Anyway, one Sunday after church, Barb, Holly, and Old Joe were hanging around in the parlor, and someone asked me about helping them get a hotel room to get out of the heat. Barb and Holly were homeless. And at this point, I need to tell you that Holly is a man, and you would not dare ask him why he had a woman’s name...
So, I huddled with two men who helped make decisions about benevolent spending. Both of them were concerned about Holly and Barb not being married. My concern was what if they ask more friends in off the street and something happens to the room? Since none of us could get clear about it, we decided not to get them the room.
That caused serious problems. Holly and Barb started cussing me good.
I don’t put up with that and so I told them to get out of the church. They stopped for a second, stunned, and then went back on the tirade. So I showed them the door.
Afterwards, someone who ministered to them told me sardonically that I had ruined three years of building a relationship with them. I was still tense from the cussing I got, and I shot back something like, “if you’ve been working with them for three years, why are they still raging alcoholics?”
Fast forward a few weeks. I am on the corner of Broadway and something, maybe 12th, maybe Fairlawn. I see Holly and Barb. They had been panhandling across the road. Holly came up to me, gave me his hand (a hand like a butcher block. Gee, he could have crushed me). He said, “I am sorry for cussing you. You were right, it’s ok.”
I apologized to him for getting jacked up, and we became friends that day. Well, maybe not friends. But at least he would still come around.
Something like the last 6 months of his life, Holly got off the streets and became something like sober. Barb got into a place, found a job. But Holly had spent too much time in prison, too much time on the streets, and being in a building was hard for him. Maybe that’s what happened. Or maybe just too much life got to him. He passed away.
We had a great memorial service for him at church. He wanted “Freebird” played. If there ever was someone who fit that song, it was Holly. I said a few words from 1 Cor 13-- not about love, but transformation, because, boy, had Holly changed. The Lord had done real work in his life.
Some friends spoke. And Barb mentioned briefly about me and Holly patching things up on Broadway. She said, “You don’t know how close you came to getting hurt real bad.” I laughed nervously. “I have never seen Holly apologize to anyone about anything. And it meant a lot to him that you could apologize to him.”
So you can tell that Barb and I did not get off on the right foot. She pretty well hated me. About 6 months ago, Barb had lost her job, and things were getting tight in the apartment she had. She couldn’t make it. She moved in with a roommate, but that did not work out, and she wasn’t making that any better.
Some of us started to wonder, what will happen? We can’t let her get back on the streets after she has been doing so well-- clean and sober, flourishing in the ministry of the church, a stalwart and staple of the St. Anthony’s service.
I don’t think we had any question, and Jessie offered to let her stay in our “Upper Room.”
I can’t imagine that! We have talked and laughed about how this should not be. We should still be tense, eying each other warily if we would even consent to be in each other’s presence. But the Lord has other plans. Instead, in the evenings we all gather in prayer as a family and thank God for the blessings we are too each other.
She said “I lived on the street and know how to hitchhike. I might get home before you do.” Ha, I love it when people talk smack. But there is a lot to how Barb and I got to a kitchen table in an Illinois farm house on a cold, cold night.
I had not been at The Rock long when I first met Barb and Holly. I remember seeing them; they would come into the Sunday Service, and it was a bit annoying that a few people would jump up to see what they wanted. Those were days when we probably did not value worship as highly as we should have.
Anyway, one Sunday after church, Barb, Holly, and Old Joe were hanging around in the parlor, and someone asked me about helping them get a hotel room to get out of the heat. Barb and Holly were homeless. And at this point, I need to tell you that Holly is a man, and you would not dare ask him why he had a woman’s name...
So, I huddled with two men who helped make decisions about benevolent spending. Both of them were concerned about Holly and Barb not being married. My concern was what if they ask more friends in off the street and something happens to the room? Since none of us could get clear about it, we decided not to get them the room.
That caused serious problems. Holly and Barb started cussing me good.
I don’t put up with that and so I told them to get out of the church. They stopped for a second, stunned, and then went back on the tirade. So I showed them the door.
Afterwards, someone who ministered to them told me sardonically that I had ruined three years of building a relationship with them. I was still tense from the cussing I got, and I shot back something like, “if you’ve been working with them for three years, why are they still raging alcoholics?”
Fast forward a few weeks. I am on the corner of Broadway and something, maybe 12th, maybe Fairlawn. I see Holly and Barb. They had been panhandling across the road. Holly came up to me, gave me his hand (a hand like a butcher block. Gee, he could have crushed me). He said, “I am sorry for cussing you. You were right, it’s ok.”
I apologized to him for getting jacked up, and we became friends that day. Well, maybe not friends. But at least he would still come around.
Something like the last 6 months of his life, Holly got off the streets and became something like sober. Barb got into a place, found a job. But Holly had spent too much time in prison, too much time on the streets, and being in a building was hard for him. Maybe that’s what happened. Or maybe just too much life got to him. He passed away.
We had a great memorial service for him at church. He wanted “Freebird” played. If there ever was someone who fit that song, it was Holly. I said a few words from 1 Cor 13-- not about love, but transformation, because, boy, had Holly changed. The Lord had done real work in his life.
Some friends spoke. And Barb mentioned briefly about me and Holly patching things up on Broadway. She said, “You don’t know how close you came to getting hurt real bad.” I laughed nervously. “I have never seen Holly apologize to anyone about anything. And it meant a lot to him that you could apologize to him.”
So you can tell that Barb and I did not get off on the right foot. She pretty well hated me. About 6 months ago, Barb had lost her job, and things were getting tight in the apartment she had. She couldn’t make it. She moved in with a roommate, but that did not work out, and she wasn’t making that any better.
Some of us started to wonder, what will happen? We can’t let her get back on the streets after she has been doing so well-- clean and sober, flourishing in the ministry of the church, a stalwart and staple of the St. Anthony’s service.
I don’t think we had any question, and Jessie offered to let her stay in our “Upper Room.”
I can’t imagine that! We have talked and laughed about how this should not be. We should still be tense, eying each other warily if we would even consent to be in each other’s presence. But the Lord has other plans. Instead, in the evenings we all gather in prayer as a family and thank God for the blessings we are too each other.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Back Home
It may not seem possible, but we got 5 people and all their Christmas loot in a Hyundai Elantra.
I'd like to thank my mechanic, Chip, at Japanese Autoworks, Mill Street, Lexington, for keeping the car humming even with 125,00 miles on it.
I'd really like to thank God for thinking up Christmas. I love the season, and was very happy to see so many friends and family, to get cards from all over.
I used to be a confirmed Luddite. I actually at one point got rid of computers and internet access. Next thing I know, I find that this thing called the internet keeps me in touch with friends I would have lost. And it seems that blackberries and google calendar actually allow technology to work for me. Much to my administrative assistant's chagrin, I can spend even more time out of the office...
that's a complicated way of saying Hi to all of my friends in cyberspace...
We were all playing UNO Spin this weekend. It is a really bad, bad game. You get sucked in. And you get really competitive. And then there is an even greater element of chance than in regular UNO. It got so bad I told Barb (after she had hit me about 10 times with "Draw 2") that she needed to start making other arrangements to get back to Lexington. She said, "You've got to remember, I spent time on the streets and hitchhiking. I might get home before you do." And then she hit me with another "Draw 2."
That reminds me... I need to tell the story of how Barb and I first met... it's a good Christmas story! Maybe it will be the next post.
There are so many goofy stories from Christmas... esp how JOhn and Joe really got into The Christmas Story movie. They agreed that Jessie is like the mom. John said he has heard her say, "Don't you give me that look!" and Joseph said, "when mom makes mashed potatoes, by the time she sits down, we want more and she gets up and gets it for us before she eats." Ha ha. Joe also said that he has told Jessie on more than one occasion, "Daddy's gonna kill John-John." Of course, they want Red Riders. Let me just say, Joseph probably wil shoot his eye out.
Bad mistake. Has not been proven to be a mistake, but it's coming soon: I let Joe watch UFC with me. Next day, we were joking around and he said, "I'm going to go all Clay Guida on you!"
Today, at 11:55 a.m., Jessie felt the baby move for the first time!
I'd like to thank my mechanic, Chip, at Japanese Autoworks, Mill Street, Lexington, for keeping the car humming even with 125,00 miles on it.
I'd really like to thank God for thinking up Christmas. I love the season, and was very happy to see so many friends and family, to get cards from all over.
I used to be a confirmed Luddite. I actually at one point got rid of computers and internet access. Next thing I know, I find that this thing called the internet keeps me in touch with friends I would have lost. And it seems that blackberries and google calendar actually allow technology to work for me. Much to my administrative assistant's chagrin, I can spend even more time out of the office...
that's a complicated way of saying Hi to all of my friends in cyberspace...
We were all playing UNO Spin this weekend. It is a really bad, bad game. You get sucked in. And you get really competitive. And then there is an even greater element of chance than in regular UNO. It got so bad I told Barb (after she had hit me about 10 times with "Draw 2") that she needed to start making other arrangements to get back to Lexington. She said, "You've got to remember, I spent time on the streets and hitchhiking. I might get home before you do." And then she hit me with another "Draw 2."
That reminds me... I need to tell the story of how Barb and I first met... it's a good Christmas story! Maybe it will be the next post.
There are so many goofy stories from Christmas... esp how JOhn and Joe really got into The Christmas Story movie. They agreed that Jessie is like the mom. John said he has heard her say, "Don't you give me that look!" and Joseph said, "when mom makes mashed potatoes, by the time she sits down, we want more and she gets up and gets it for us before she eats." Ha ha. Joe also said that he has told Jessie on more than one occasion, "Daddy's gonna kill John-John." Of course, they want Red Riders. Let me just say, Joseph probably wil shoot his eye out.
Bad mistake. Has not been proven to be a mistake, but it's coming soon: I let Joe watch UFC with me. Next day, we were joking around and he said, "I'm going to go all Clay Guida on you!"
Today, at 11:55 a.m., Jessie felt the baby move for the first time!
Saturday, December 26, 2009
good gifts
After my weire gift earlier in the week, I came home to another gift at my door. But this time it was Michael and Becca leaving us some coffee and coffee-covered almonds! What a gift to have good friends.
And to see old friends, to find new expressions of love from the friends I see the most.
It has been a peaceful two days... Rest. Cold and snow on the tundra. And the words of Romans 1:1-4. What a gift!
And to see old friends, to find new expressions of love from the friends I see the most.
It has been a peaceful two days... Rest. Cold and snow on the tundra. And the words of Romans 1:1-4. What a gift!
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