shining face of Moses

Have you ever stopped to ponder the glory of God? For someone like me, it's hard to consider how BIG God is!

Last night, Carly's story-bible covered sections of Exodus. The children of Israel had [literally] been led out of Egypt by a pillar of cloud from God. In Chapter 19, God commanded the Israelites to come to the foot of Mount Sinai, for He was going to come down on the mountain in the sight of everyone. The special instructions for the Israelites were: "Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death." (Read more from Chapter 19 for more details.) I wonder if someone tried it. And died. God came down onto the mountain, and there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast and fire. Did the people think it was just a good light show? No, they were afraid. They trembled. Even the mountain trembled.

In Chapter 34, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai, "the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God." Because of this, the Israelites were even afraid of Moses! So Moses put a veil over his face.

For a six-year-old listening to this story, many questions arise. What's a veil? Why did his face shine? Because God's glory is so great that even talking to God made it shine, and Moses didn't even look directly at God! Why were the people afraid? Because you die if you look at the fullness of God. Why? Because that's how holy God is. That's how perfect He is. I'm no good at answering 'why' questions. Coincidentally, Daddy came walking into the bedroom and answered them for me.

Do we realize how GREAT God is? This is a very feeble attempt at explaining it. God is SO great!

as of late

not in the mood

Carly wanted to capture Sister #3, Isaac, and I.

shootin' blue rock

hot springerle

preschool Christmas program

the Polar Express train, coming down the front steps

their first attempt at a gingerbread house from scratch

santa

A very important discussion took place the other day. The kids were discussing whether Santa was real or not. We've always told them the truth about Santa. Oh, maybe that dashes some fun childhood games that could have been, but we've still told them that Santa isn't real, reindeer don't fly, and we buy the kids' Christmas presents. You can call us (me) Humbug.

If you watch "Polar Express," you'll see our reasoning. When the Polar Express train arrives at the North Pole and Santa makes his entrance, there is an extraordinary amount of Santa-worshiping going on there by thousands of little elves and kids. Santa is exalted as one might exalt God, and that bothers me immensely. Perhaps this is just a "Polar Express" problem, but I think our society puts far too much emphasis on Santa Claus where all the praise should be to Jesus.

Isaac got to thinking about Santa the other day, and he concluded, "Santa Claus is old, and old people can't go down chimneys!!" He thought a while and exclaimed, "Well, if he DID go down the chimney, he'd burn his butt!" Carly jumped on that one. She said, "Isaac, don't say the B-word!"

Jesus is the reason for the season.

signs of a sick kid

Isaac was going strong until yesterday at my family's Thanksgiving celebration.

4:00 p.m.

Cuddled on my lap humming "Rock of Ages" in almost monotone. Over and over and over.

After several times through this song, he got up to play some more.

5:30 p.m.

Cuddled on Jared's lap singing in very slow motion...."You've got to move it, move it....you've got to move it, move it....you've got to move it, move it...." That was monotone, too.

6:00 p.m.

Crash on the bed.

NEXT DAY

Picking up Legos while humming "I'm in the Lord's Army" over and over and over. Still marching in the infantry slowly while laying on the floor. And his "Yes, SIRs" aren't quite considered enthusiastic.

It'll get better.

mind wars

Have you ever thought of your mind as a battleground? For believers in Jesus, it is. One preacher preached that our call as Christians is to be spiritually stable, and spiritual stability is a result of how we think.

Several times yesterday, Philippians 4:8 popped into my head. Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Of course, I couldn't recite the whole verse from memory, but "whatever is true, whatever is right" summed it up pretty well. Daydreams and even night-dreams got the best of me. It was a mind war: truth vs. untruth, real vs. unreal.

The amazing thing about these battles are: the Spirit of God invades our thoughts. Romans 8 tells us that "those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace." So when we're instructed to "set our minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth," does that mean we never fail?

My good friend used the word intentional (actually talking about something else, but it fits here). We must intentionally take every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). We will fail in our own strength, but in His strength we must intentionally be transformed by the renewal of our minds (Rom. 12:2). How do you do that? Test everything; hold fast what is good (1Thes. 5:21). If you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding...you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God (Prov. 2:1,2,5).

Whatever is TRUE...the only truth to dwell on is the Word of God. Christ.

Whatever is NOBLE...whatever is worthy of awe...the worship of God.

Whatever is RIGHT...righteous...think on what is consistent with the holiness of God.

Whatever is PURE...clean

Whatever is LOVELY...sweet or gracious

Whatever is ADMIRABLE...whatever is highly regarded (it's not the things of this world).

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:7).

our rock

1. Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
   Let me hide myself in Thee;
   Let the water and the blood,
   From Thy wounded side which flowed,
   Be of sin the double cure,
   Save from wrath and make me pure.
2. Not the labor of my hands
   Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
   Could my zeal no respite know,
   Could my tears forever flow,
   All for sin could not atone;
   Thou must save, and Thou alone.
3. Nothing in my hand I bring,
   Simply to Thy cross I cling;
   Naked, come to Thee for dress;
   Helpless, look to Thee for grace;
   Foul, I to the fountain fly;
   Wash me, Savior, or I die.
4. While I draw this fleeting breath,
   When my eyes shall close in death,
   When I rise to worlds unknown,
   And behold Thee on Thy throne,
   Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
   Let me hide myself in Thee.

k-love

A positive and encouraging alternative to regular radio. We have our bathroom radio tuned to Positive, Encouraging K-Love. You can even listen online. While it can be considered a cleaner radio station than secular ones, we listeners need to be on guard.

Before church this morning, the K-Love news room shared a "positive" news story as they do throughout each day. They shared a short blurb from this 'Yappy Hour' article. (Please click to read the entire article.) Apparently, the First United Methodist Church in a couple locations has started a pet ministry, where the church has a "service of blessing the animals." People bring their beloved pets to church. You can read more details in the article. Not only is this ministry bizarre; it's UNbiblical. People and animals are different. Animals do not have souls. People do.

That's not the main reason for my outrage, though. I am very bothered that a "Christian" radio station would even air this story. Millions of people listen to K-Love. Airing a heretical story and calling it a "positive" piece of news, thus implying that it is Biblical truth-- is BAD, especially for those listeners who don't realize the untruth of it all.

Conclusion: K-Love may sound positive and encouraging at first, but that may not always mean Biblical and true. "Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong" 1 Corinthians 16:13.

grump

[grmp]

n.

a cranky complaining person

Grr.

Do you want to hear me complain? My husband got to hear it tonight. Poor guy. Instead of feeling better afterwards, I felt dirty. To make matters better, I went to the deep-freeze and pulled out three fat cookies and ate them with milk. That didn't help anything but my gut.

Late one night, Jesus walked on the water towards the disciples' boat. They thought he was a ghost, and they freaked out. Jesus said, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid." Peter answered, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." Jesus said, "Come." So Peter did. He got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me."

It just seems to me that I've been a lot like Peter. Why do I get so caught up in circumstances and activities that I forget to look to Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith? One day (years ago), Jared described me as "busy, busy". I think ONE of those busy-s can be okay. So lately, this Veggie Tales clip kept popping into my head.

I'm not even sure what these guys were so busy with. I'm not even sure what I'm so busy with. I just know that "grump" and setting my eyes on earthly things have gone together. It's all meshed together with 5 cups of selfishness. Cookies didn't help, and neither did complaining. Jared's love and encouragement DID help, but what helped most of all was the realization of my sin and God's forgiveness of it.

While I'm posting You Tube videos, how about this reminder:

(The video stinks, but just listen.)

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2 ESV).

proven toys

K'nex.

Have you tried them? The box says Age 5 and above, but our kids both love them. The directions that come with them aren't great, but once you get the hang of something more complex than Legos, they're pretty neat. The worst part of K'nex for young kids is the fact that they generally need help building a huge creation when you are busy doing something else (see picture).

Perler Beads.

Once called fuse beads, these things come with different forms in each bucket of beads. This is a tedious, time-consuming project for kids. The tricky part is moving the form with its arranged beads to the ironing board without spilling. Also, it stinks to trip on a bucket of beads in the middle of the night; they're not easy to pick up or even sweep up.

Lincoln Logs.

They've played with these for years. Somehow, we have accumulated three sets of Lincoln Logs, so the kids have taken to building Lincoln Log mansions. Isaac was in awe when he saw the Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City. He exclaimed, "Look at that HUGE Lincoln Log Cabin!" And if you've read old blog posts on here, you''ll know that Isaac even compares lengths of fecal matter to sizes of Lincoln Logs.

more fall images

Pumpkin Patch picnic day

We didn't even get a pumpkin, but we had a lot of fun.

So I over-edited these photos. Oops. :)

leaves

This was Carly's idea. She wanted me to take pictures, just like I did two years ago.

She even raked the leaves so they'd be in the same place.

Happy Autumn!

in memory of

Patches.

We adopted this kitten two years ago. The ugly truth is... my sister had too many cats, many with ringworm. She dropped Patches off at our house. See the ringworm on her nose?

Now, let me tell you the truth about cats. There are cats and then there are CATS. Patches was a cat; her grandmother was a house-cat. Barn CATS don't typically get along with house-cats, at least around here. Barn CATS hunt for their food if they're hungry. Cats with "house" in their blood wail at the back door hoping for some scraps from the table.

I used to like Patches, but she was a dumb, dumb cat. She didn't know the basic methods of survival; she actually thought Lucy wanted to play with her. Lucy really wanted to eat her. It's a wonder she lived to be full-grown.

She passed ringworm on to our kids. Her yeeeoowwwwing by the back door didn't bother us for a while, but pretty soon it got annoying. After she had her first litter of kittens, she developed a severe case of diarrhea and vomiting. And since then, she has walked with a hump back because she poops so often. Seriously, it's every 4 steps.

The barn cats shunned her. We started shunning her too; it stinks to be pooped on by Patches. Our deck got pooped on too.

Patches had three litters of kittens, all as clueless as she. Her kittens had a 12% survival rate.

This past Sunday, Patches went missing. Her kitten, Marmalade, has been bawling. Marmalade is also shunned by the barn cats. Marmalade was covered in dog slobber today. She's still alive and able to feed herself, but she's caked with dirt.

We aren't too upset about the absence of Patches and the whole situation, but a thought popped into my head this afternoon as the once-wild kitten came running, all crusty and smelly. This is what an orphan must feel like. The whole situation seemed painfully similar to what some people must go through. And I swallowed a hard lump.

farming with grandpa

awesome red socks

I got sprayed with dust taking this picture.

apples galore

Family fun with the cider press...

Everything in moderation...and that goes for apples and cider, too.

I warned Isaac to stop eating apples.

I guess he had to figure that out for himself.

Hours later.....Mommyyyy!!!!! Come wipe meeeeee!!!!

you are...

...what you read.

Do you believe it? I almost do. Rather, you become what you read.

Here I am, ranting again -- this time about books. Books are often viewed as sacred truth. It's because they're bound together in a nice, neat fashion with a pretty cover and a catchy title. It bothers me how influential some authors are. The books we choose to read shape our minds, whether we want them to or not. The Shack, for instance, is, in my humble opinion, a novel that raises many theological questions. One reviewer called it "a theological novel that teaches far too much unbiblical theology." If a person reads *too many* of these ungrounded novels or even shaky non-fiction "Christian" books, his own belief system could easily start becoming shaky. We may call ourselves "discerning" and tell ourselves we won't be changed by it, but we are what we eat.

Girl Meets God is an autobiography of a young woman searching for truth...somewhere within books stacked high. This woman is a prime example of how beliefs are altered from what you read. She claimed to have found the truth by the end of the book, but that's not what it seemed. This was another woman looking for truth in the wrong place, just like a blind, starving prisoner would grapple for crumbs in the middle of cold, dark, wet jail cell.

I could go on, listing more books that are not worth your time. You can visit the Discerning Reader website. I don't agree with everything the reviewers say, but they sure do bring up interesting points in their book reviews.

The bottom line...

Where do we find good truth? The only Book you can trust completely.

God's Word.

Read it.

And let yourself be transformed by it.

food for thought

My personal convictions don't typically make it onto paper, but this one's been brewing for a while. I am convinced that we are numb to what rubbish we feed our minds. The filth we allow to permeate and cloud our brains....we have no clue how detrimental it is! Do I dare stick a verse onto this conviction? Yes. Colossians 3:2 instructs us to set our minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

Accomplishing Colossians 3:2 is impossible in our own strength, and as long as we live in this world, we can only improve in merely striving for that goal...but still, not in our own strength. As a Christian, we are promised the Holy Spirit as a Counselor to open our blinded eyes, restore our spiritual vision and enable us to see the Truth of the gospel of Christ. We Christians will fail. We will sin. We are not perfect. But still, there are conscious decisions we can make that may enable us to stand firm and "do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Colossians 3:17).

What difference would it make in our daily thought process if we started the day with real spiritual food? Are we feeding our minds with the media's trash when reading a book would be much more nourishing?

My fingers are pointing to myself. A while back, I checked out the movie Gladiator from the library. We've seen it several times. It's rated R for violence. If you've ever seen this movie, you'd probably recognize my favorite part. The corrupt emperor demands that the leading gladiator tells him his true name. Maximus turns around and says, "My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next." The awful emperor trembles, just like we want him to.

We call this entertainment. Entertainment that we watch when the kids are in bed, or entertainment that we PAUSE if our children walk into the room. This is just one example. What about most cable TV shows? What about our Facebook habits? What about the novel we're reading? What about feeding our minds with our own selfish inner-mind rantings for 3+ hours at a time? How nourishing is that?

Really, what is feeding our minds? How does entertaining myself with Gladiator fit in with the command to "do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31)? Not sure. Check out John Piper's interesting post on how to drink orange juice to the glory of God. A practical solution to Gladiator: don't check it out...or (m)any movies for that matter. A practical solution to inner-mind rantings: feed myself with God's truth...such as..."take every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5).

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:2 ESV). Christians should be different, living IN but not according to the world. There are good and bad choices we can make. Which ones are fruitful?

picnic conversations

The kids are sitting on the living room floor having a peanut-butter-and-jelly picnic.

The first 10 minutes were spent talking about school. Carly told us about a little boy who had to sit at the naughty-table during lunch. We decided to pray for this little boy at bedtime. Isaac announced that we don't have to bring anything with us to Heaven except our heart. "And we don't even have to carry it!!" he exclaimed.

After my sandwich was finished, the kids continued to have deep conversations and entertainment on the picnic blanket.

Carly: Are you supposed to be eating or talking?

Isaac: Talking.

Carly: Who went to kindergarten or preschool today?

Isaac: I went to preschool today.

Carly: No you didn't! I went to kindergarten!

Carly: (whispering innocently) You need to shut up and eat.

Myra: What did you say?

Carly: (blank stare)

Myra: Where did you hear that?

Carly: _____ said it.

Myra: And _____ apologized for it afterwards. Those are harsh words that we never say.

Carly: Isaac, you need to zip it!

Isaac: Mommy! Carly told me to 'zip it'!

----

Carly: Look! I'm making a snow angel.

Isaac: Aren't you supposed to be eating?

Carly: (singing) IIII aaaaammmm a man and a horse. God made us special. Go GREEN! Go RED! Go RED!

Isaac: Go GREEN!

----

Carly: Let's play a game. When I say 'GO,' whoever says 'God' first, wins. Whoever says 'Satan,' loses.

Isaac: Okay.

Carly: On your marks, get set, GO!

Carly and Isaac: GOD!

Carly: We both won!

It's a wonder anything was eaten.

first day of school

first days of school

It makes me feel old to consider how my anticipation of the first days of school have changed over the years.

As a new kindergartener...no recollection. As a young kid...excitement for using really sharp pencils and new crayons. Ahh, the smell of those crayons! As an adolescent...tremendous excitement! We always thought it would come faster if we went to bed reeeeaallly early. That didn't work; we could never get to sleep. As a high schooler, I loved going back to school, mainly for social reasons.

As a college student...I'd wince at my checkbook as I prepared for the first day of school. Being in college was fun, I guess, but being away from Jared was a big drawback. My main goal in college was to get done as soon as possible.

As a new teacher...gut-wrenching anxiety. The principal had told me my kids were "the classroom from hell." As they strutted into the building that first day, I crossed my arms across my chest. A teacher on my team walked with me and said, "Don't cross your arms; if you don't look confident, they'll eat you alive." The first days were indescribably educational.

As a parent...10% excited for this new opportunity. 90% wanting to hold on a little bit longer. In a year, I'm sure the inside of my cheek won't be so bitten raw.