Cadbury World

Thank you for your patience (Gran) in waiting for the pictures from our wonderful Christmas in England!  I'll try and post them soon!!

Here's the first, from a trip we took to Cadbury World.  This was a special trip - no, not because I am a chocoholic, but because we arranged to meet up with two little girls (and their mums) from the Moebius community.  Chocolate and new friends - awesome!!

Mums!

Babes!

Who takes kids to play mini-golf in the snow?  Scott!!

Excited to finish Genesis!!

Getting some bible in before church starts!!

Christianity offers a view of God that is strikingly different from any other.  In Christianity there is one God.  He is all powerful. He takes an active role as father to every human being.  His most striking feature is not anger or power or transcendence or even creativity, but instead is his relentless, all-consuming love.  No one would have just made up such a God.  The idea is too outrageous.

This is a God who comes from heaven, from all of his perfection and purity and might, to us, in all out weakness and impurity, and puts on skin, taking the form of a helpless baby all in pursuit of your heart.  This is God who, when turned down, ignored, rejected -even violently, even blasphemous lay - finds a new way to express his love and issue the invitation.  This is a God who has never given up on winning your heart.  Never.

The entire Bible is a love letter to humanity in the form of a story, so that we'll see what God has seen since he first created us; so that we'll know all the ways we've insulted his love and all the ways he has redoubled his pursuit.  This is a God who gives us the freedom to say no but insists on giving us every possible, conceivable chance to say yes.  He has been called "The Hound Of Heaven" because he never gets off the trail.

The Old Testament is a story of our foolish, self-destructive rebellion as God's people.  He offers us a special relationship, and time after time we take his gifts and turn away, choosing one idol or another instead of the amazing opportunity he has for us.  By the end of the Old Testament, people have turned so far away from God that heaven seems silent.  There are no more prophets.  There is no more deliverance from enemies.  God seems to have abandoned the human race, though in truth it's just the opposite.

And the God, in the deepest and most startling expression of his relentless pursuit, sends his own Son.  God is back, and this time, it's personal - not that it hasn't always been for him.  But now God has put everything on the line.  He has given his one and only Son.  Being God, and knowing all things, he knew exactly how it would come out.  He knew about the arrest, the unfair trial, the beatings, the mocking, the crucifixion.

The event of the coming of Jesus represents just how far God is willing to go to win your heart.  He had to make a choice between your heart and the life of his Son.  "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son" (John 3:16).

Can you feel him coming after you? Can you hear his footfalls?  Can you hear the whisper that says "I will not take no for an answer"?

In Charles Dickens's David Copperfield, a family lives by the sea in an old abandoned boat.  The father figure, an aged retired fisherman, has an adopted nephew and niece.  He dotes on Emily, the niece, and his greatest aspiration is to see her married and happy with a fine young man.

But Emily has other ideas.  She is taken in by a fast-talking, handsome man who promises to marry her and show her the great sights of the world, if she'll run away with him that night.  She does, and it soon becomes clear that he has no intention of marrying her.  Since this is the mid-1800s, her name is ruined, and the name of her humble family is ruined.  It was understood in such situations that someone who messes up on this scale shouldn't even think about going home.  A young lady has no recourse but prostitution.  And that's what happens to Emily.

Her grief stricken uncle understands all this, but it makes no difference.  He takes every penny to his name and leaves to search the entire world for his niece.  He will visit every dark seedy street corner in every town in Europe until he finds her, because his love for her is completely unaffected by what she has done.  He simply can't stand to lose her.  So he searches for many years, until all his hairs gray.  Finally he locates her and brings her home.  She can't believe he had come searching for her; she can't believe anyone would care about her.  But he is happier than he has ever been because his child has come home.

Jesus told a similar story, this time about a prodigal son who left and whose father ran out to meet him when he returned.  That's our God - our jealous, insistent, loving God.  While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  While we were yet sinners, God kept coming.  And he still does.  He is doing so in my life and in yours.  He hates everything that becomes an obstacle between you and him, everything that blocks your view of him or threatens to keep you from hearing his voice.  He wants you, and not just some of you.

He is jealous for your whole heart.

- "gods at war" by Kyle Idelman

Real men wash dishes!

I have a ton of pictures to post from our trip to the UK over Christmas, but this one has stood out to me today!

My 87 year old Grandad washing the dishes while Scott dried.  I overlooked it, even after I took it.  But come to think about it today and it struck me that I never noticed that Gramps does this.  Washing dishes seems like something that older generations might consider "woman's work" but here he is!

Since my grandparents have been married for well over 60 years I can only assume that team work and sharing responsibilities is crucial.  I don't remember who did the dishes when we were kids spending vacations at their house, but it seems unlikely he started to do it recently!

The other part that I love, is that Scott is helping him!  Not one to shy away from some dishes when time allows, he stepped up to help when I was only too happy to sit on my butt and be served.  One more way that he is "better" than me - to see a way to help, and to take the initiative. 

Hopefully I'll learn from him!

Pageantry

Today was the Family Christmas Celebration at church.  This year the kids acted out the story of the nativity.  Emma was an angel, Toby was an animal - perfect, right?!  (I couldn't video it because I was on stage narrating, just like I did back in Junior School!)

It was awesome and the kids were so great in their roles.

You can't help it, when reading the story from scripture, over and over, to contemplate "WHY?"  Why did God send Jesus?  Why did he come in the undignified and lowly manner that he came?

The Christmas story does not begin with the virgin birth.  It begins in the Garden of Eden, when man (and woman) disobeyed God and brought a curse upon us all, that would mean we were guilty of sin and unable to dwell with God, as He had originally intended.

Fast forward hundreds of years and despite the continued disobedience of man, even God's chosen people, Israel, God had promised to send a messiah - a savior who would repair the chasm between us and God.  The messiah would need to do something major to cover the debt that our sin had created.

There was really only one thing that could atone for our sin, a sacrifice.  Throughout the old testament, Israel tried to follow the rules of sacrificing blemish-free lambs and other offerings to pay for their sins.  But they fell short.  Since each person is born with the inheritance of sin, no human qualified to be a sacrifice for all - and I doubt any one would have.  

And so Jesus, "the Son", the living Word who existed before even the world, stepped down from his throne in Heaven and came as a baby.  The Father gave his one and only son over to die.  (Important to note; even though God knew Jesus would be resurrected, any parent should be able to concede the immense sacrifice that he made - to even allow your child to suffer such pain and anguish temporarily is unthinkable.)

But the sacrifice didn't stop there.  Jesus came as a baby - a vulnerable, helpless baby.  He was born to a young virgin and her new husband - they were poor and in transit.  He did not come as a majestic and powerful ruler, but a humble, homeless wanderer.  He escaped death as a child only to be hunted down some 30 years later.

Jesus did not live in palaces, did not indulge the pleasures that earthly rulers revel in.  Jesus came on a mission and a deadline.  Jesus sought out the lowest in society, not to exclude the upper classes, but to ensure that ALL PEOPLE could see that He loves them just as much as the next guy.

Even the angels announced the birth first to shepherds.  And in those days, shepherds were not the gentle, lamb-loving folk we might imagine.  They were the maligned, the outcast, the fringe of society.  

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

Luke 2:10-11 

NO ONE is excluded from the message of hope that Christmas brings.  NO ONE is excluded from the gift of salvation that Jesus offers.  NO ONE is too bad/evil/messed-up that God does not love them.  NO ONE needs to go to hell.

Jesus came to suffer and die, so that you and I don't have to.  He came to bring us entrance into eternal life, and rescue us from the eternal death we face without Him.

Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

John 14:6 

This Christmas forget about all the "good" things you've done, and are hoping will outweigh the bad.  Ask God to forgive you of all the things that He considers sin, and to give you a second chance, a new life in Him.  There's no time like the present (see what I did there?!)  You don't need a priest, a counselor or a vision. 

If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:9

It is December 13th, right?!

These are my shoes today!!

Prayer

Every Tuesday a small group of women gathers in at our house for bible study.  We have a lot of laughs, snacks and tears, but we also tackle deep issues of faith.  Recently I was sharing some of my questions about prayer, and the need for it. 

I am a firm believer that I want God to do what he thinks best.  I might ask for things in my heart, but over all, I trust him.  So I pray like Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane - "not my will, but yours be done."  But often, I don't pray because I figure that God will get it done according to his will - if God is sovereign, and "works all things out for the good of those who love him", what is "prayer" for?

On my way in to work, after this recent conversation about praye, listening to KLove radio (as always), I felt God talking to my heart - no, I wasn't hearing voices!!  I recalled "The Lord's Prayer" and a study we have done on it in the past.

There is more to praying than asking God to do or change things.  And praying must be important because Jesus himself told us to do it.  But as with all things from a loving God, he did not leave us clueless, he gave us directions to pray like this:

Our Father, who art in heaven,
Starting a conversation with a loving acknowledgement of who God is, and his position in our life.   

hallowed be your name,
Declaring reverence for the Creator of heaven and Earth, praising Him as he deserves to be praised.  This reminds us that God is to be respected, honored and obeyed.

your kingdom come, your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.
God is not a dictator or bully.  He has given us free-will and does not impose his will on us.  Therefore, this is an invitation to let God move and act in our lives and through our lives.  Without the invitation, I believe, he respects our choice to move in our own power instead of his (crazy as that makes us!)

Give us each day our daily bread.
Requesting his provision is an acknowledgement that indeed, all good things come from God.  Whether it's the food on our table, the job that pays the bills or the very breath of life each day. 

 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
One thing is for sure, when we ask God to forgive us of our sins, he is quick to do so.  But Jesus is clear that we also are required to forgive others - to let go of the debts we feel we are owed, emotionally and maybe literally - and as such God will forgive us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
This is interesting to me, because God does not tempt us and often we lead ourselves in to temptation through poor choices!  I do know that God will always offer us a way out.  The Bible says that "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." 1 Corinthians 10:13

And some versions say:

For thine is the Kingdom, the power and glory for ever and ever.
I love this line, because it declares the power, sovereignty and eternity of God's kingdom - which is a truth we need to hold to, as our hope for the promises of eternal life in heaven, and the power of Christ's death and resurrection.

So, I am renewed in my desire to pray, and my understanding of why prayer is so important.  In answer to our prayers, God may not change our situation, but he WILL change our hearts and minds.  Often that is all that is required for us to impact the world around us.

Fred's Footsteps

Our part in fundraising!!

(Watch it to the very end!!)

For years, when staying with my grandparents, I would see my grandma and great gran get their curls set by Carole, in the dining room on a Thursday afternoon!  It is one of my favorite memories, when Carole would also "do" my hair, in a braid or bun or something.  Then she would give me 5 pounds!

So it was funny to me, yesterday when I got my hair done (highlighted) and found myself under a similar dryer to Carole's! 

 

Came out good though!

Emma got a trim too!  We are ready for the Christmas season.

(It is blurry - selfie fail!!)

K-LOVE

Scott and I can be pretty unconventional at times.  For instance, we don't really get each other gifts for Christmas or our anniversary.  Instead we just try and demonstrate love without obligation!

So when Scott got us tickets to the KLOVE Christmas Tour (KLOVE being the Christian radio station I listen to and love!) it wasn't a gift as much as a gesture, demonstrating that he gets me!

It was a good 90 minute drive, but with the kids staying over at Nanna's (thank you!!!) we made the trip.

I'm not usually a live music person, but hearing and seeing songs I know so well, that have such meaning and can bring me to tears just hearing on the radio, it was AWESOME!!!

We were 12 rows from the front - closer than I sit at church!!  

This is one of the singers, up first, he had tears rolling down my face!  

There's music, and then there's worship music!!

We haven't put the big table away from thanksgiving yet - it's functioning too well as half dining table, half desk!!

I got some festive table covering from the dollar store, so at least it blends in!!

Party time

Last night was the Christmas party for Scott's new company.  This is the first one ever for us since carpenters don't usually get a party.  Now he's a superintendent, it's more of a corporate type job.

So, there was a dress code for us to meet!  We did pretty good

The party was on the 50th floor of one of the skyscrapers in the city.  There were some pretty great views.

We met lots of people, Scott got introduced to the top brass and we did our best to make a good impression.  Of course Scott already has a great reputation in the company, that's why they hired him!!

School pic

Toby's school picture...

He has such a hard time smiling naturally for photographers!!

He looks so much like Scott at the same age.  I'll have to get some pictures for comparison!

Birthday pics!

Easy baking

We made chocolate truffles with Emmas Easybake oven last night!

Apparently they were delicious!!

(See the oven by the window)

The good/bad thing about this oven is that everything is tiny and in small quantities. Good for us, but bad if they taste good!!

Some more pictures from today!

Tickles from Aunt Julie!

Deep fried turkey!!

Cupcakes!

Grown-ups (and Toby!)

With Aunt Kim and Derek!

And that's a wrap!!

Clean up time!

Happy Thanksgiving

We offered to host Thanksgiving dinner at our house this year (though thankfully Julie is still doing the turkeys!  I can not cook poultry!!), but with my in-laws, and Julie's in-laws, that's 11 adults and 4 children.  Our 6' table can handle a maximum of 8 people.

So we had to come up with a solution.

Rather than bring in folding tables, I asked Scott if he could build a new table top!  (I knew he could, but would he?!)

He did!

And voilà!

Seating for 12!

The kids had their own mini table!!

Complete with coloring table cover!!

The Thanksgiving story as recounted in schools may not be 100% accurate, but taking a day to give thanks is a great idea.

We have many things to be thankful for.  I couldn't have imagined being as blessed as we are; kids both healthy and doing great in school, Scott has a great new job that is less physically exhausting, and a visit with my family is so close I can touch it!  

But we couldn't do half the things we do for fun or serving God, if it were not for Scott's parents.  They are always there for us, from picking up chips that I forgot to get for Toby's class party, taking Toby to get a shot, or watching the kids so we can have a date and go to work!  I'm so thankful for my in-laws - and not many people can say that!!

Progress report

I had Emma's parent teacher conference last week.  I shouldn't take it for granted that she is doing so well, but it is hard - she's always been a great student.

We talked about some things and the teacher gave me a file of work she's done.  

What stood out most to me is this:

This is what we hold most dear in our family, and while it may seem odd if you do not share our beliefs, maybe you can appreciate what else is shows.

Emma is able to grasp abstract concepts beyond her immediate experience.  She is not following the crowd with her interests and values.  Her character is a direct reflection of this value, and her understanding of who God wants us to be.

We will continue to pray that her faith and understanding will remain at the foundation of her confidence in who she is and that her life has purpose.

This was cool too - Emma's star of the week poster, with this content, has been up in the classroom since November 9:

Apparently the lady who cleans the classroom reads all the kids stuff on the walls and told Emma's teacher that she went home and read all about Moebius Syndrome on the Internet.  How's that for raising awareness!

It was Toby's turn the next day and he too is doing very well.  He's doing well, if a little shy.  He's on sight words 31-40, which is pretty good considering he has no interest in reading!  We talked about what we can do at home to nurture his learning and how his teacher can help him talk more in group settings.

Good stuff!