sit up big boy - 2

When we all were hanging out Thursday after I had worked, Samuel showed me what he had figured out while I was gone. One day Samuel needs support sitting up. The next he doesn't. Another milestone completed.

Tute, tute Tamuel

frisbee

Since the weather turned nice last spring, Terry and I have been playing frisbee with each other, just tossing it back and forth during lunch hours. I've gotten a lot better - Terry gave me some tips.

So for a while, Noah was just watching us. Then Terry made him play with him (you have to insist Noah try anything new). Turns out, Noah was pretty good at it! And he likes it.

I was watching Terry and Noah toss the frisbee around from the kitchen today and realized how good he'd gotten. He even throws straight to daddy!

It's so nice how Noah is big enough to do some real games with us.

He can even catch. He's such a big boy.

Looking for God in HP - Chapter 1

Okay. I've read the first chapter of Looking for

God in Harry Potter three times now and done a little research. I hope I've got a handle on it b/c it is the most important chapter for nay-HP-sayers. So I want to get it right.

(All unmarked quotations are from John Granger's book Looking for God in Harry Potter.)

The number one thing Christians have against Harry Potter is magic. They think that it's "all" about magic, drawing young minds into the occult. So that definitely bears some attention.

Strangely enough though, Harry Potter isn't even about magic. It's contains magic, but that is not the subject of the stories. Lord of the Rings contains magic. Chronicles of Narnia, Shakespeare's The Tempest (which I've read but can't remember) and L. Frank Baum's Oz stories contain magic. Hey, even the Bible contains magic! So the question is, Does Harry Potter draw you into the occult?

Mr. Granger thinks it no less likely than being drawn into time travel by reading science fiction. So unless you're Napoleon Dynamite's Uncle Ricco, you should be okay.

But seriously, if anything, HP encourages "a rewarding spiritual life" b/c the "stories 'sing along' with the Great Story of Christ..." I've found that in HP and especially LOTR, my spiritual walk is actually enhanced and enriched. God has often taught me things through these books. I'm not suggesting to read them instead of the Bible, but He does bring things to mind.

So, the magic. What is it?

There are two types of magic.

1. Invocational

2. Incantational

Invocational magic is sorcery, meaning "to call in" a demonic or spiritual power like Nikabrik attempts in Prince Caspian with the White Witch. This is a no-no, what the Bible is talking about.

Incantational magic, however, is different. It's in keeping with English fantasy and means, literally, "to sing along with" or "to harmonize." When I first read that definition, I got a picture of Aslan singing Narnia into being. And that makes perfect sense. If all of creation came into being by "God's creative Word, or his song," (here I wrote Aslan in the margin), then his Song/Word is still active in this world and our lives. So to use magic in story form, like HP or Narnia or LOTR, is just a plot device, a literary device, a motif, to "sing along" with what God is doing.

Furthermore, incantational magic is a "part of God's world, much like Natural Law or morality. It is something that is deeply interwoven into the universe" (Facing the Facade). This reminded me of The Simarilion. The Valdar heard God's song of creation and went down to complete it. Sounds like more magic.

Here is the best way I've seen it explained, from a Christianity Today article:

"Incantational magic, by contrast, is about harmonizing with the will of our creator—and that's the sort of spells we find in the works of Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein, two of Rowling's favorite authors.

Now, Wiccans might argue they're simply seeking harmony with nature, while Buddhists seek inner harmony with the world around them, and the Jedi of Star Wars seek harmony with the Force. But to me, the magic in Harry Potter doesn't get as far as invocational vs. incantational. It's more like the mutant powers of the X-Men in that it's something that certain characters are born with—in the world of Harry Potter, you accept it and move on [italics mine]. There's no religion or worship involved (other than references to Halloween and Christian holidays like Christmas and Easter), and only the evil dabble with the "Dark Arts." Thus children are taught Defense Against the Dark Arts as a subject in school.

You accept it and move on. It's just a story. And it doesn't pull you into the occult. It draws you up into God's Great Story.

Another example of good magic harmonizing with God's Greater magic is in Narnia where Prince Caspian uses Susan's horn. This is musical magic. "Caspian blows on this divinely provided instrument in his crisis. By sounding a note in obedience and faith, Caspian harmonizes with the underlying fabric and rules of the Emperor over the Sea, and help promptly and provincially arrives."

My friend Megan had some insight as well:

The whole series was just amazing. And for all the complaining christians do (who usually have not even read it) about how we should beware involving ourselves in witchcraft, they seem to miss the mark almost entirely. Reading with discernment is important in anything you read, we should never stop thinking and discerning, but the magic is a plot device, a motif, just as Narnia is, to teach us about our real world by taking us up out of it. We all need to be discerning, and no one "has" to read the books- but anyone warning emphatically against them who HASN'T read them through needs to keep in mind, for all their opinions, in the end, they actually don't REALLY know what it's about.

Her comment about missing the mark entirely is a good one. Like I've already said, these books are not about magic. "An Orthodox Christian bishop has noted that Harry haters 'have missed the spiritual forest for the sake of their fixation on the magical imagery of the literary trees." There are robust and deep Christian imagery in these books. There are so very many good things to be learned through the story. The story is not about magic.

And finally, I'll revisit the fear of HP as a gateway to the occult. I personally believe that HP does not lead anyone into invocational/bad magic any more than LOTR, Narnia or the Bible does. I suppose that cannot be proved, but I have not heard that Satanic followers have increased b/c of HP. "And even if children were being seduced into the occult because of their desire to do spells, I have to hope this would be understood by thinking people as a shameful, tragic aberration, more indicative of the child's spiritual formation than a danger in the books." There is much to be gained in the books and no fear to be had. In my opinion of course.

(After having bought Looking for God in Harry Potter and committed to reading it and reviewing it, I found out that he wrote another book summarizing the complete series - How Harry Cast His Spell. I'll just finish this book and get the next when I'm done!)

hills alive '11

In mid-July Terry brought 16 students up to SD for the Christian music festival Hills Alive. Me and the kids went too, though he couldn't drive me. I drove my 3 kids and 2-3 girls also.

Here's Samuel on the way up. He did well for that part of the drive. But on the way home, he did horribly. He cried loud for most of the 7 hour drive. He hates his car seat like he hates sleeping on his back.

On our second stop we found this poor little guy stuck to my headlight. No wonder there was a feather stuck on my wipers.

It was hot, hot, hot, as it always is. Here is our camp the first day. Those 3 smiling girls were in my van.

That pop felt so good on my face. And doesn't "Mountain Drops" sound like something Terry would make up?

Before church on Sunday, Terry took the students to the cave that he prints t-shirts for - Sitting Bull Crystal Cave.

We attended our old, home church - where we met, were married, were involved in a super small group and where we even had Noah dedicated. It was so good to see old friends. Jon held Samuel for a while.

This is what Daniel got everyone calling Terry: Teryl.

$3

I got these at a garage sale last week for $3. I don't care for the picture so my plan was to replace Scary Cook with my own photos. They are nice frames. Especially for $3.

Here is what they were originally. Each was $24.99.

The result turned out well, though this is a bad shot. You get the idea. Nice 8x10 frames. For $3. Did I mention that? $3.

den before and afters

Our basement/family room/den has seen a lot of changes since we bought the house (see here). However, in the single month that we renovated before we moved in, I didn't have time to complete all the painting I had planned for the walls. We had painted it all the same color but my idea was to add stripes to the paneling - one shade lighter than the wall to add some variation and make the room appear taller. You see, the ceiling is very low. Since I already was doing the paint thing, I thought I'd knock it out. Only took 2 days all by myself and I really like it.

So here's looking towards the windows before:

After:

Behind the couch before:

After:

East wall before:

After:

hazel and blue

Everyone says Noah and Samuel look so much alike. Noah has hazel eyes, a long nose and face, super long eyelashes and floppy ears. Samuel has blue eyes, a short nose and progressively longer and thicker eyelashes. They both have full lips and a thin build. But I think Samuel just looks like Samuel.

Here they are side by side. Noah was proud of himself. He doesn't ever try to hold Samuel so when I encouraged him to do so he was pleased that he could. He said he had big muscles.

Looking for God in HP - intro

I'm going to like this book. It's just what I needed and I can tell that he and I are on the same wavelength of understanding.

What am I talking about? Read here first.

First off, I think it's hard to criticize a book you haven't read. Read the Harry Potter books or read this book. John Granger will help you to see what they really are about.

...

I really appreciated Mr. Granger's personal story about how he came to read and love these books. He is a devout Christian. He and his wife home school 7 children. He knows all about literary "stuff" in a way that I so do not. He read the first book overnight (b/c of course you can't put them down), loved it, had his mind completely changed about the books and went out to buy the other 2 (there are 7 total now).

This is my favorite quote out of the introduction: "Of course people everywhere love these books, I thought. These stories resonate with the Great Story for which we all are designed." That is exactly why I love these HP and Lord of the Rings. B/c God designed me to love stories similar to His.

Furthermore:

"My thesis is essentially this: As images of God designed for life in Christ, all humans naturally resonate with stories that reflect the greatest story ever told - the story of God who became man. The Harry Potter novels, the best-selling books in publishing history, touch our hearts because they contain themes, imagery, and engaging stories that echo the Great Story we are wired to receive and respond to. Looking for God in Harry Potter is a step-by-step walk through these images, themes, and stories to reveal the core of the Harry Potter books and why they are so popular: they address the need (really an innate need akin to our need for physical nourishment) that we have for spiritual nourishment in the form of edifying, imaginative experience of life in Christ.

Because the Harry Potter books serve this purpose, they are excellent vehicles for parents wanting to share the Christian messages of love's victory over death, our relationship to God the Father through Christ, even of Christ's two natures and singular essence. Based on our reading of Harry Potter, I have had conversations with my children about heaven and hell, the work of the devil in the world, and our hope in Christ.

C.S. Lewis said that the best books 'instruct while delighting.'"

"Because of all the sound and fury in the popular media and coming from many pulpits, it many seem incredible to you that harry Potter is not contrary to Christian faith but a series of books nurturing faith, especially when their Christian and literary antecedents are understood."

Well said Mr. Granger! I can't wait to read more!

Looking for God in Harry Potter - the explanation

I love Harry Potter.

That is probably no surprise to anyone who knows anything about me. I just plain love those books. The movies are fine. The books are am-a-zing.

Since the last movie of the entire saga came out recently (June 15, 2011) I've been even more excited than normal. Consequently I've had no small amount of curious comments about HP. You know, being a Christian and all (even a "pastor's wife," whatever that is), how can I like such obviously Satanic stuff?! Okay, so maybe I'm overstating the "curious comments."

I'm not a "well read" person. I'm not a literary genius. I find that I have a hard time explaining why it is that I love HP so much and why I don't think it's a bad thing. I say things like, God teaches me while reading HP (and also Lord of the Rings - which is another huge obsession of mine. and Star Wars). I say, The magic is just a literary device. I say, I just love good verses evil stories.

But these explanations fall short of what I mean to say, how deep and rich the Harry Potter series is. So, thanks to my friend Megan and her new found love of HP, I've bought a book to help me explain exactly what is good and right in Harry Potter. It's called Looking for God in Harry Potter by the appropriately named John Granger. I think he's Hermione's dad...

As I read it I'm going to blog about my favorite portions. B/c I'm sure there will be those. By just reading the cover I got thoroughly excited. I even took it to the optometrist this afternoon so I could squeeze in a little more reading and had to stop myself gushing all about it.

So there. Read if you'd like to know more about HP and why it's really okay. Even more pastor's wives.

sit up big boy

Today Samuel is 6 months old. The days are slow, the years are fast.

Anyway, our wiry boy is working on sitting up. He's getting a little help from daddy too.

He really would like to be on the move though. When I'm holding him (always facing out) he lunges forward as if to grab the world. He likes to try to walk while holding our fingers. He's grabbing everything he sees. Pretty soon I won't be able to keep track of him!

a touchy subject

As I listen to Rimrock's pod casts, I find that I want to write about the things I'm learning. Because, well, this is a blog, after all.

I listened to this sermon about a week ago but a part of it came back to my mind today that was so insightful. So I pulled the podcast (here) back up and transcribed the part that particularly interested me.

He's going to be referring to Rob Bell, his book Love Wins and the controversy therein.

The Dividing Line of Eternity

Pat Karn, 7/5/11

Mat 25: 31-46

12:46

We could have talked about eternal judgement and hell and all those. And by the way, lest you have been reading, considering the news in Time magazine and by some of the religious leaders now-a-days. Hell really does exist. It really does exist. And what hell is, is it’s a separation, a continued state of existence apart from God - who is the bread of life [John 6:35], the fount of living water [John 7:38], and is the light of the world [John 8:12]. And so that’s why hell is the place no one wants to go b/c it is a place of hunger. It is a place of thirst. It is a place of total blackness and isolation. It is everything that the human being is not designed to experience. Everything that we look for - light, food, life, water. Everything that we are wired for, everything that we need is in the person of Jesus Christ. And those who put their faith in Jesus will be with Him for all of eternity. Those who do not will receive the consequence of their choice. Their choice being - I don’t need a Savior. I don’t want a Savior. I don’t want to know that there’s a God. I don’t believe that there’s a God. I don’t think anybody needs to pay my debt for me, if I owe one. I don’t want to be with God. And God will honor their decision. And they will be separated for all of eternity from God. By their choice, not His.

If that freaks you out, listen to the whole sermon b/c there is hope.

I've always known Jesus was all of those things, but I had never realized that of course those things are absent from hell. And in this context, it makes so much more sense to me how Jesus said he was bread, water, light, life. He really IS those things.

Also, while I was reading this morning another verse stuck out to me. It was for me. But since it could relate to this subject, I'll include it:

John 6:37

"All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out."

I WILL NEVER CAST OUT.

That was very encouraging to me.

dungeon makeover - before and afters

I've already posted these on facebook but have to make them blog official.

When we moved into this house just over a year ago, we re-did everything except one bathroom and the lowest level, also know as "the dungeon." Terry came up with that name, of course, and it had sort of become a catch all area. But we planned on making the dungeon into a home school and work out room. However, it was so gloomy that I wanted some serious fun paint colors down there. I came up with the idea all on my own (I have to give myself props b/c I am not usually creative) and I love how it turned out.

Before: The view coming down the stairs

After: COLOR!

Before: Looking toward the school room half of the room

After!

And here's a shot with the shelves and school books on them.

Before: This window is very small and we only get sunlight through it in the mornings.

After. I got the curtain at Target. We sold our old desk and futon at a charity garage sale.

Before: You can see the desk and futon here.

After

Hall before

Hall after!

rice cereal time?

Last week, when Samuel was only 2 weeks shy of 6 months, I thought I'd introduce Samuel to some rice cereal. I thought he might like a little more sustenance before bed at night.

He hated it. I tried for 3 nights in a row and he just screamed as if he was stuck in his car seat. He's taking a break from it now. I wonder if I'm gonna have one of those babies who only like milk...

faith like one of these

We have learned that God seems to take Noah's prayers seriously. Very often we have him pray about various things and he gets a response. If we need an answer to something, we have Noah pray. For real.

Examples of Noah's answered prayers:

1. Samuel

2. Lots of lost toys, found

3. Owies healed

4. Monsters fleeing

5. Snap dog found many, many times

Today Terry took the kids and Snap to the building to print just a few shirts. They neglected to let Snap inside. (This happened a few weeks ago at the building and someone else found Snap in town and gave us a call [after we prayed].)

Noah suggested right away that they pray for Snap to return to the building. Terry thought perhaps that might be asking a little much since he had clearly taken off and last time he was not found near the building. So Terry suggested they pray to find him in town or at the building. No, Noah was insistent on praying for Snap to return to the building. So that's what they prayed for.

Then they went ahead and finished the shirts, ran a couple errands and then drove around town looking for Snap - to no avail. Terry was just about to give up when he thought they'd better check up at the building since Noah prayed specifically for that and was quite insistent about it. And there was Snap.

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe you have received it, and it will be yours." Matthew 11:24

"'Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.'"

I exist for such a time as this

I was listening to a sermon podcast from my parent's church yesterday and something he said really struck me. I thought I would share it. Perhaps others think in the same messed up way that I do.

Esther 4:14

"For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

Designed for Service

Bill Ewing 7/12/11, 28min in

"I want you to think about this. There was a Godly woman in the Bible. Her name was Esther. Esther was put into a tough situation. And in the midst of her situation, we’re not going to go into the story, she had an opportunity to go before a king and plead for her people. She makes a comment. And I want this to be kind of a comment of your life for this week, at least this day. I exist for such a time as this. Think of that. I want you to be able to say it to yourself. I exist for such a time as this. Now how was this made to put flesh on it in light of what we just did? #1 I understand what God did and lives in me and as God comes in me and inhabits me and lives through me then I am called for this purpose. Why am I here? I am here to love and to serve. I exist for such a time as this. You’re on your way home from work. Rough day. People didn’t appreciate you. You're coming home and you’ve just got a text from your wife. Things aren’t too good at home. Things aren’t happening well with the kids. There’s just been a fight. This is where the rubber hits the road. You pull over to the side of the road and you stop and you say, I exist for such a time as this. I was born to serve my wife. I was born to love her. This is why I live on this planet. You can make that true for every single time of your life. Every time something happens you’ve got now the opportunity to forgive because your spouse or your friend has just harmed you. People you were born for this moment. This is why you exist. I exist for such a moment as this: that I will be the loving extension of forgiveness to my spouse. This is the secret of serving. This is why you live. If you live in this, I promise you something by my own experience, occasionally, but by what I see in people’s lives, when you live fully aware of who you are, fully aware that you only have whatever God’s given you, and now you live to serve and now you live to love, you will live free, you will become all that you were intended to be, and you will live in your element."

I exist for just such a time as what's happening right now...

Esther did not have over-whelming proof of God's purpose for her and neither do I. I do not hear God's audible voice telling me just exactly what I should do and neither did she. She simply found herself in those circumstances. And she acted because it was God who put her there.

He is sovereign, after all. Even over me.

God has put me in this place. He brought Terry to me purposefully. He meant to give us the children we have. He meant for us to be living here, working here. He meant for me to be where I am in this day, right now. His will is now. I exist for such a time as right now in this very moment.

I have always thought pretty much the opposite: That I am not where God wills for me. That I have no purpose. That His will is a mystery, complicated and hard to find or figure out. That I will have no purpose until I can figure it out. Well, what if God's will for me is NOW? How freeing is that? I don't have to look further than what's happening in my life at this moment, even if it's not grandiose, like I always thought it had to be.

This gives more meaning to these verses that I've always loved, but had a hard time with since I didn't know what His plans and purposes were for me.

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you..."

Ephesians 2:10

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

Proverbs 16:9

"The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps."

fireworks

July 3 evening we went to some friend's to hang out, have dinner, whoop up playing Kan Jam and set off fireworks. It's crazy down here with the fireworks. Annoying really. I just don't get it. But we are getting more and more fireworks every year for the kids. Their favorite is the parachute guys. Evie's shot over the road and Daddy had to fetch it from the corn field. Noah ran after and fell in the mud.

Daddy is smiling about what Noah told him after Terry told him that he should come and show me how muddy he was. Noah told him, "NO! She can't see me like this!" Hilarious. He didn't want me to laugh at him.

They like the tanks too.

Brent and Pastor Rick working the snakes. Boys will always be boys - it's not the kids playing with them ;)

Observing the fireworks from a safe distance. If there is such a thing.

When we got home at 10, Terry let the kids stay up even later - til 11 - to shoot off even more fireworks. They stayed up late the following night as well. Ug. They didn't even want to finish watching the fireworks on the 4th. They wanted to go to bed. So did I!