7.26.2006
I'm Moving--Come on Over!!
The boxes are packed, the U-HAUL is loaded, and it's official...
I'VE MOVED.
Things are still a mess, but the welcome mat is out and I've got a big pitcher of sweet ice-tea just waiting for you on the front porch. Come on over!!
My new address is: www.thisonesforthegirls.typepad.com
Hopefully at Typepad
She lived...
~Happily Ever After!! ~
Come along with me...the best is yet to be.
7.25.2006
Classical Education--Chanting
One of my favorite parts of homeschooling over the years has been all of the classical chants that we've learned. Chanting is an intergral part of the grammar phase of Classical education and my kids have learned a plethora of information this way--the seven continents (sung to the tune of London Bridges,) the water cycle (sung to the tune of "O My Darlin'," and tons more. Things that couldn't easily be set to music were chanted out. I created this chant of the 43 (then 41) presidents, ten years ago when I was teaching my older two children--and it was so catchy that even my then-3-year-old-son learned them. (Oh and wasn't he cute reciting all of them with his little lisp.)
I realized this past school year that my youngest student had never learned them and so I made it a summer goal to GET THE JOB DONE! This time, my computer-techno-son helped us by downloading all of the pictures of the presidents off of Wikipedia, and then he set the chant to video. Chanting really works for us! Hope it works for you too! p.s. It really pained me to let everyone in blogland hear my twangy voice--but that's just how much I love y'all. You might want to turn the volume down. :)I can't even bear to think about...
Camp Superman
Hey Kids--Sign up today for CAMP SUPERMAN!
You can be a Camp Superman camper if you are between the ages of 8 and 14 and are willing to follow the requirements.
Camp Superman Requirements:
- Make your bed every morning without complaining.
- Clean your room every day. Camp Director will do spot checks right after breakfast and lunch and just before lights out.
- Practice your instrument for 30 minutes everyday--and here's the real kicker--WITHOUT COMPLAINING!
Camp Superman -- Sign up today!
The advertisement above is really just another attempt
by the Ray mom to bribe her kids to work. She makes no apologies for this.
It is in compliance with the Ray Family Rules;
publications of the Ray Family Rules are available in alternative formats.
Camp Superman is an Equal Opportunity Employer
and does not discriminate in providing services and employment.
Blogger Trouble
Blogger won't let me make paragraphs.
This makes reading my posts quite difficult.
I am tired of you Blogger.
A Good Day
Today was a good day.
I've mentioned before that I get a real thrill out of boxing and labeling things; seriously folks, give this girl a roll of masking tape and a Sharpie marker and I get downright giddy. So today, I decided that our medicine cabinet was completely out of control and would be the area of attack. I went down to our local handy, dandy, Dollar Store and purchased three of those little plastic drawer sets. I labeled each drawer appropriately (one drawer for stomach medicines, one drawer for allergy and sinus medicines, etc.) After it was completely organized, I stepped back to stare at it and sigh with that satisfied feeling that only comes after throwing lots of stuff away and labeling the rest.
As I was staring and sighing, I heard the distinct sound of someone slashing in a swimming pool or a bathtub. Then I heard, "Weeeeee!!!" Oh, no--it's Jane in the toilet again. I sprinted to the bathroom, pulled her away from her water world...and immediately called a family meeting."
"Everyone--in the hallway--NOW! See this door RIGHT HERE?" (Pointing at the bathroom door.) "It is now an official Ray Family Rule that this door MUST BE CLOSED AT ALL TIMES until Jane learns that it is not her swimming pool." I was hot, I was steamed, I was using a loud voice. Suddenly, one by one, all of the kids started laughing, and I started laughing too. Even Jane started laughing--just because we all were. And I remembered not to take everything so seriously.
It really was a good day. :)
7.23.2006
Living in Mayberry
Mary, over at Owlhaven, is hosting an Opinion Saturday. This week, she asks:
Why don't you tell me something you've done in your adult life that as a kid you NEVER in your wildest dreams thought you would do.Well, I grew up just outside of Tulsa, a fairly large town of 400,000; my graduating class had 330 kids. Living only minutes from the city--shopping malls and fast food restaurants were just a part of my life before marriage. So, I never would have believed you if you had told me that I was going to live in a town... ...with fewer people than the church I grew up in. ...over an hour away from a decent shopping mall and twenty minutes from a Wal-Mart. ...with no bridal registry shop, no dress shop, and no McDonald's. ...that only graduates about 50 kids per year. ...that is covered in corn fields. ...where everybody knows everybody, and everybody looks after everybody. ...where the entire town knows what mischief your kid has gotten into, BEFORE you find out about it! But even if you could have convinced me of all of that, I NEVER would have believed you if you had told me that... I was going to love living in Mayberry. :)
7.22.2006
Oh Baby, a meme!
3 Things that Scare Me
- Daddy growling at me.
- The nurse at Dr. V's who gives me the shots. I cry at the very sight of her, even when it's not shot day.
- That’s all, I think. I don’t scare easily. I even like fireworks!
People Who Make Me Laugh
- Daddy- When we play our game. I say "Daddy?" and he says, "What, Jane?" and then I laugh, and laugh and laugh.
- My big sister Abbey- We play the game "Peep eye!" Oh, how I love this game.
- My whole family when they play the "Laugh at Jane" game. They all laugh at me and then stop abruptly--then I just burst out laughing everytime. My family really likes this game.
3 Things I Love
- My "baby." It's a beautiful, handmade blanket with pink rosebuds on one side and I DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT. In fact, one time my parents were 5 miles down the road when they realized I had left my baby at home and they turned around to get it. It is very important to me and I'm glad they realize that.
- Trying to get my hands inside of the toilet before Mommy can catch me!
- Rocking in my mommy's arms, after she's read the Rainbow Fish or the book with the picture of the kitty.
Things I Hate
- Bed. Time.
- My car-seat for long periods of time.
- When the lady at the bank only gives our van 4 lolly-pops. She knows good and well that there are FIVE of us in that van. No problem though I just cry and cry until one of my siblings gives me theirs. :) It. Always. Works!
Things I Don't Understand
- Why my kitty doesn't like it when I pull his tail.
- Why my mommy tries to feed me anything besides macaroni and cheese.
- Why mommy won't let me have free reign with her Baby Gap card.
Things On My Floor
- My Playskool scooter
- My Barbie cell telephone
- A box of my favorite books
Things I'm Doing Right Now
- Sitting in my playpen
- Playing with my other play telephone
- Talking to the person on the "other end" of the phone.
Things I Want to Do Before I Die
- Beat my brother Titus in chess
- Sing with the Ray family singers at a chautauqua. (I'm trying to talk them into letting me play the tamborine for them this September. I think I'll be a real addition
- Get a hold of that Baby Gap card.
Things I Can Do
- Sing Eye of the Tiger, We Will Rock You, and Chain of Fools all with perfect pitch and rhythm--though the lyrics are a little off. My versions go as following:
CHAIN OF FOOLS
Jane, Jane, Jane! Background singers: Jane! Jane! Jane!) Jane, Jane, Jane!
Jane, Jane, Jane!
Jane's a Jewel...
EYE OF THE TIGER
Jane! Jane, Jane, Jane! Jane! Jane! Jane! Jane, Jane, Jaaaaaaaane!
- Point at the kitty in one of my favorite books and say, "Ki-ee, Ki-ee, Ki-ee" in the cutest, sqealiest voice you ever did hear.
- I say "Thank-you!" and "There ga go!" when you do something that pleases me. My mommy told me that all southern women have good manners, and so I'm starting early.
Ways to Describe My Personality
- Happy
- Stubborn
- Easy going--the church nursery ladies always say that they forget I'm in the nursery because I just play by myself. Although, recently, I've taken to swiping the other kid's sippy cups.
Things I Cannot Do
- Understand the problem with playing in the toilet.
- Go to sleep without sucking my two middle fingers.
- Speak very many real words. Actually, I think in sentences and THAT'S the problem. My mental capabilities have surpassed my verbal skills and this is a frustatration to all who know me as I repeat the same "sentence" with the same sounds and intonation over and over. Nobody around here "gets me."
Things I Think You Should Listen to
- ME!
- My mommy singing
- My mommy reading Rainbow Fish
Things I Think You Should Never Listen to
- The word, “No! No!"
- The word “Night night!"
- The words “Here, Jane, try this new food. It’s not macaroni and cheese, but I think you’re really going to like it..."
Absolute Favorite Foods
- Macaroni and Cheese--in fact, I think it would be great if this was served 3 times a day, everyday!
- Ice-Cream
- Applesauce
Things I'd Like to Learn
- How to swim
- How to play the piano like all of my older brothers and sisters. I'd be better at this if my mommy would let me "practice" more.
- How to balance the checkbook--this would be a BIG help to mommy.
Beverages I Drink Regularly
- Milk
- Apple Juice
- Water
- I've had Sprite and flavored water on occassion, but not enough for my liking yet
Shows I Watch
- None yet, because my parents got rid of the TV a couple of years ago, but there are 130 videos waiting for me to watch when Mommy and Daddy think I'm ready!! Those Blue's Clues videos look pretty interesting, but not near enough to slow me down for long.
Babies I Tag
7.20.2006
Diversity
I can hear my 8 year old reciting the catechism from the next room over, as I type. Isn't that sweet?
Crawling around my feet, I've got my 18 month old singing: "Weee Wahhh, Weee Wahhh, COO-COO!" Interpretation? "We will, We will, ROCK YOU!"
You gotta love the diversity around this place.
7.18.2006
The Quicker Picker Upper- Works for Me
This is probably not a very creative Works-for-Me-Wednesday idea, but this really works for us, so I thought--"Why not share?" (It's not as lame as when I lauded the insulated sippy cup, I promise.)
At least once every other day, and sometimes everyday, I announce to the kids that we are going to have a 50-dash-pick-up. This just means that everyone in the family, from least to eldest, has to scurry around the house to find 50 items that are out of place and return them to their "home." Anything can count as a part of their "50." (A barrett, a match-box car, a string, a piece of trash, a pair of shoes counts as 2 items, etc...)
If the house is in real disarray, I'll announce a 75 or 100-dash-pick-up. It's the real "quicker-picker-upper." (And if you remember that old Bounty commercial, then you are as old as I am. Ha!)
As always, we're all so thankful to Shannon for continuing to host these fun Wednesdays. Be sure to check out all of the great ideas over there.
7.17.2006
All in a Day's Work
We don't have a cable subscription or a television satelite, and in our town that means that we receive no television broadcasting whatsoever. We allow Playstation on the weekends (starting on Fridays at 3pm and ending on Sunday after evening church,) the occasional dvd or video (we own 130--remember?? ) and of course, we adore Netflix. There are 3 main reasons that were instrumental in deciding to become a TV-free family. 1- We want our kids (as well as ourselves) to be readers instead of chronic TV watchers, 2- There's not a lot on TV that's worth watching and 3- We want our kids to work more than play.
Speaking of work...
In this day and age, teaching your children to work hard can be a difficult task. What, with dishwashers, (wouldn't take anything for it) washing machines, (couldn't live without it) and microwaves (absolutely love mine,) honestly, my kids don't know the meaning of the word. Indeed, I don't know the meaning of the word. So, when opportunities to teach a good work ethic present themselves, I often jump at the chance. We live in a small, Midwestern town whose alma mater describes itself as "a great, big, farming town." And it is. Farming is one of the major sources of income around here, and we have several farmers in our church.
So, once a year, we usually get invited to participate in a "corn party." Lest you think of a party in the hats and balloons sense of the word, let me assure you, it's not. A corn party involves first, picking the corn, then husking the corn, silking the corn, cutting the corn off of the cob and lastly, "puttin' it up," which just means you mix it up with a little ice water, a little sugar, a little salt and then you freeze as many Ziplock quart sized bags of corn as you can stand to have sitting in your freezer for the next year.
Since the temperatures around here have been running consistently over 100 degrees, we decided to have our own "corn party" in our very own garage (which is nice and cool.) Here's the blow-by-blow photobloggage of our day...
Out at the Farm- Up at 6:00 am
10:00am- "Corn Party" begins!
In the kitchen--25 quarts; a satifsying "fruits of our labor." Finished by 6:00 pm.
10:00am- "Corn Party" begins!
In the kitchen--25 quarts; a satifsying "fruits of our labor." Finished by 6:00 pm.
7.15.2006
Never Say Never
Except for the Ray kids, every child in the neighborhood owns one of those Powerwheel motorized vehicles. Actually, that's an understatement; most of the neighborhood's little darlings own bonafide FOUR-WHEELERS. They all go whizzing about while my children stand in the driveway, looking upon with covetous eyes. It became apparent about two years ago that my little Anna had been terribly bitten by the Powerwheel bug. She asked, she pleaded, she cajoled. Life would never be what it ought unless we bought her a powder blue, Volkswagon Beetle, Barbie-decaled Powerwheel vehicle. I was unwavering though--the answer was unequivocally "no." My line of reasoning was simple--they were too dangerous and they were most certainly too expensive. We don't ever spend that kind of money on any one child's birthday and that was that.
Now, you must understand, my Anna's birthday falls on July 8th. And every year on July 9th, this child starts talking about birthday plans for the following year. She decides on a theme, an activity, the decorations, the guestlist. The girl is probably going to grow up to be a wedding coordinator someday. Come to think of it, she HAS already mentioned several ideas for her dream wedding. The girl loves event planning. I don't know where she gets this?!? At any rate, Anna has been announcing for about a year now, to just about anyone who would listen, her desire to own her very own Powerwheel. And if I was in earshot, I would always remind her that it just wasn't a possibility because they were too dangerous and they were most certainly much too expensive.
Three weeks ago, we got a phone call from a church member who had heard about Anna's heart's desire. This church member informed my husband that they had a used one that looked pretty good and still ran great and would we be interested? After discussing it at length and batting the idea back and forth for a great long while, we finally decided to look at the offer as God's provision and take it. We went and bought a new 12 volt battery and some girly scrapbook stickers to decorate the used mini version of a silver colored Silverado truck. Said Powerwheel was presented to Anna last Saturday on her 8th birthday.
You can now observe the reaction:
SURPRISED!!!
LET ME AT IT!
THRILLED BEYOND WORDS.
And all I have to say is, "Never say never."
7.12.2006
Still Hungry
I’m sure you’ve noticed--I haven’t even felt much like blogging lately. I mean, I still veg out with a few blogs during the baby’s nap time and all, but I just haven’t felt like writing anything. I think it might be Weight Watcher’s fault.
You see, I’m tired. I’m hungry. I’m tired of counting points. What I really want to do right now is go in the kitchen and rip open the package to one of Little Debbie's Cosmic Brownies sitting in the pantry. The Brownies miss me. I used to have a nightly date with them at this very computer spot, but now they have to go stag because I’ve been standing them up for several nights in a row. So I’m sitting here indulging one of my other loves instead: blogging. At least blogging doesn’t have any calories and is, in fact, an activity. Maybe I can start counting my nightly blogging as exercise.
Speaking of exercise, my husband and I went walking tonight and got in another 1.8 miles. We know it was exactly 1.8 miles because when we got back home, we were so proud of ourselves for walking what seemed like such a huge distance, that we immediately hopped in the van so that we could drive the same route and figure out our walking mileage by looking at the van’s odometer. Of course, ten minutes after we returned, I saw this Oh well. I like doing things the old-fashioned way anyway.
The fact is, I never think about food when I’m not dieting; but once I make the decision that I’m going to start counting calories and fat grams, I become like an alcoholic down at the corner store. I think about cookies and French fries and Caramel Lattes. I become downright obsessed, y’all.
So to try and meet one of my Summer Goals as well as provide for myself a little distraction, I turned into a whirly dervish and cleaned out my walk-in-closet. It was so bad, I didn’t even know where to start; I just stood in there for about five minutes and stared at the overwhelming mess. Finally, I remembered Elisabeth Elliott’s sage advice: “Just do the next thing.” OK-- I’ll start with our own personal video store three shelves of children’s videos. After I piled them onto my bed and counted them (130 if you were wondering—and that doesn’t include the baby videos like Blue’s Clues, Pooh, and Franklin that I have stashed away in the back of Jane’s closet) I ran to the Dollar store and purchased ten, clear, Rubbermaid boxes and boxed all of the videos in alphabetical order and then labeled the boxes with a Black Sharpie marker and blue painter’s tape. I just love boxing and labeling things and there was something about doing that got me kicked into gear. Before I knew it, I was taking a huge box of books to the library, a small box of clothes to the resale shop and a huge black trash bag out to the curb. It felt soooo good to clean out like that.
I’m still hungry though.
I Feel Bad
While it was certainly never my intention to make ANY woman--whether she has one child or twenty children feel "less than," I fear that I may have hurt a dear friend of mine, and I want to say how very sorry I am. My last post was really just about trying to express how I handle the struggle that sometimes comes with trying to raise a large family off of one income. (This has been fresh on my mind this week as we've lost a freezer full of meat and our refrigerator went out about two weeks later...) I was NOT trying to say that couples who choose to have only one or two children are selfish or are out of the will of God.
God is SOVEREIGN. He loves you, my dear friend; and he has a special plan for your family of four (Or whatever your particular circumstance may be.) Please never forget that.
I love you,
Michelle
7.09.2006
Jewels
Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if we only had the average American family; you know--one boy and one girl--the life we would have had if we'd stopped having children after Abigail and Truett were born. It's not that I ever regret any of our children; truly after my Lord and my husband, my children are my dearest treasures. But with great blessings, come great responsibility and sometimes (like when the refrigerator goes out or the van needs an expensive repair) I wonder if life would have been easier if we weren't trying to provide for so many.
So I was reading Mary's (Owlhaven) post over at Largefamilies and it really resonated with me. My husband always says, "We ARE rich; our riches are our children." And it's true. But go over to Mary's post and read her thoughts on the subject of choosing children over riches. She expresses the thoughts of my heart in a beautiful way.
And thanks, Mary. Mothers of large broods soaked up the encouragement from your pen today.
WHEN HE COMETH Little children, little children, Who love their Redeemer, Are the jewels, precious jewels, His loved and His own. Like the stars of the morning His bright crown adorning, They shall shine in their beauty, Bright gems for His crown. ~Words-William O. Cuming 1856; Music-George F. Root 1856
7.08.2006
Want Accountability?
Several have asked how my Weight Watchers is going. Well, I don't look like Jennifer yet, but I'm getting there. :) I've decided to keep my own little personal Weight Watcher's blog over at Counting Points. If you'd like to join in, just leave your daily tally of points under each day's comment section.
Love can get a little crazy
Another van conversation between my ten year old son and myself.
Titus: Mom, why was that movie rated PG-13?
Me: I think it was because of the violence, son. That movie was a little scary for kids.
Titus: I was just wondering if it was because of the love.
Me: The love?
Titus: Yeah... Y'know Mom, love can get a little crazy sometimes.
7.07.2006
Do you have your dress shoes? Yes, Mom.
Do you have pantyhose? YES, Mooom.
Do you have the i-pod; you're not going to lose the i-pod are you? Yes, I have it Mom and noooo, I'm not going to lose it. Mom, I have everything, really.
OK.
And such goes the conversation between myself and my live-in-nanny dearly-beloved-first-born. She just boarded a chartered bus and took off for a week at the National FCCLA conference in Nashville, Tennessee. Her parliamentary procedure team took first at state and now they're traveling to compete at the national level.
All I have to say is, "Why isn't she still wearing diapers and drinking from a sippy cup?" I can't believe they let babies 14 year olds travel without their parents like this.
I'm really going to miss that girl.
7.05.2006
Breast is Best
Someone asked me the other day--"Did breastfeeding hurt?"
Well, yes, it did. In fact, it hurt like crazy for at least the first month with all five of my babies. But we got through it and eventually, we landed on the other side of things. So, if you're thinking about breastfeeding and you're just not sure; OR if you're in the middle of those first excruciating weeks when your entire body is sore and you feel like throwing in the towel--read this article.
"We're the only species on the planet that drinks another species' milk," Geraghty said. "Human milk is what these babies need."
Get Your Ice Cold Drinks Here
I have some bad news and then some good news. Which do you want first?
OK- I'll give you the bad news first. (People always want the bad news first.)
The bad news is: I can't take my refrigerator everywhere I go, and neither can you.
The good news is: they now make insulated sippy cups.
I cannot believe that I am just now discovering the insulated sippy cup. I don't know if they didn't make these 7 years ago (the age of our next to the youngest child) or WHAT! But I love them! I can pack two or three of these little babies on a day trip and have something cool for Jane to drink all day long. The milk or juice may not be super cold by the end of the day, but it's NOT SPOILED! I got mine at our local five and dime store (I don't know why I call it that--it's the most expensive store EVER) but I'm sure they're at Wal-Mart stores everywhere.
Highly recommend 'em!
7.04.2006
Happy 4th
7.03.2006
On Weight Loss Motivation
After a fabulous weekend with my husband in which I totally surprised him for his birthday by taking him here, here, here, and here, I came home and decided there was only one sensible things for me to do. Start. Weight. Watchers.
In case you were wondering where I got my weekend inspiration, the movie we watched had Jennifer Aniston in it. And so, if you’re needing a little weight loss inspiration yourself, I highly recommend going to see a movie starring a 110 pound, these-hips-have-never-seen-childbirth kind of actress. At least, staring at Jennifer on the big screen for over an hour and a half definitely did the trick for me.
The real problem for me is that I've gained nearly 20 pounds IN THE PAST FOUR MONTHS. (That translates into two dress sizes or four bags of flour strapped across my abdomen--in case you weren't sure.) Four months ago I was TWENTY pounds lighter. Four months ago I weaned my fifth baby. Four months ago, things started going downhill fast.
So back to Weight Watchers. I don’t think I want to “officially join” and go to the weekly psycho-therapy-pump-you-up-sessions. I think my plan is going to be to get one of their little charts and stay under my allotted points and watch the pounds fall off like magic. In case you didn't know it, you can glean a lot of Weight Watcher’s information off of Google. Things like--if you weigh a certain amount, you get to eat 20 points a day and a Big Mac from McDonald's will cost you 13 of those points. Looks like my days at McDonald's are numbered.
Or maybe not. As I looked over the Weight Watchers McDonald's chart last Sunday, I noticed that the Crispy Chicken Salad was only worth 6 points. Maybe I won't have to give up my set in stone tradition of NEVER COOKING ON SUNDAYS after all. Let's see, I'll have to drop the hot-fudge Sundae which is 8 points (or maybe more since I always get extra hot-fudge.) Cokes are definitely out, but I've been doing good on the no-soda thing for a while. I THINK I CAN DO THIS.
Sunday afternoon, I went up to the cash register to order my very first McDonald's Crispy Chicken Salad. The lady behind the cash register asked me if I wanted the Ranch dressing or the Vinaigrette. Ohhhh, I forgot to look up how many points the salad dressings are worth. Well, that’s not even a choice SINCE I DON’T LIKE VINAIGRETTE. It's bad enough having to eat lettuce instead of a Quarter Pounder—surely I can have the Ranch. "OK- Ranch please." I ordered for the rest of the family, got everyone’s food parceled out and sat down to enjoy my McDonald’s salad with some friends of ours from church. I was feeling so proud of myself for ordering the salad that I went ahead and ate the chocolate chip cookie that my husband so lovingly offered.
When we got home, I sat down to tally everything. I had a ball-park figure in my head of how many points I had consumed that day, but not an exact figure. OK, let’s see here. I skipped my usual frosted cake donut that I always get at the coffee and donut table at church. Boy, am I lucky I did that--that would have been 7 points. Alright—I’m cruisin’! Now let’s add up the lunch points. Crispy Chicken Salad: 6 points. Ranch Dressing: 6 points. WHAT?? 6 points?!?!?! You mean to tell me that I doubled the point value of my salad by saying “Yes” to Ranch and “No” to Vinaigrette??? THAT MEANS THAT I COULD HAVE EATEN A BIG, YUMMY, CHEESEBURGER FOR APPROXIMATELY THE SAME POINT VALUE!!! That cookie that I had so proudly taken was worth another flippin’ 4 points. In one meal, I had managed to consume 16 of my 20 allotted points. Not. Good.
With 4 measly points remaining, I ate one half of a bologna sandwich with mustard and no cheese for supper and headed for bed. As my husband and I were brushing our teeth, I looked over to his side of the counter and said, “Honey, thanks for a great weekend. Y’know—I think you look a lot like that guy in that movie--you and Vince Vaughn share a similar jaw-line.”
“And you, my dear, look exactly like Jennifer Aniston,” he (wisely) replied.
Who needs Weight Watchers when you’ve got a guy like that?
6.30.2006
No time for blogging today...
because I'm too busy TAKING OVER Jule's comment section over at Everyday Mommy! **blush** I was sitting here at the seminary library, waiting for Spencer's last class of the week to finish and thought "Why not just 'check a few blogs.'" I know what you're thinking--and no I am NOT addicted to blogging. I can stop ANYTIME I want.
Seriously, ladies (and the three gentlemen who read this blog too--you know who you are), there is a great discussion going on over at Jule's place about the way we "do church.' Julie asks:
Is what we think of as Church really how we should do Church?" Does the standard format, which you'll find at almost every church on Sunday morning, line up with Scripture? Does it line-up with the early church? Are we doing it all wrong, but don't even realize it?Start with this post and then move onto this post and then JOIN IN. Or if you're not ready to join in, at least THINK about these things. This is a great topic that all Christians need to chew on.
6.29.2006
A Thought for You Today
My favorite Elisabeth Elliott quote:
There is always time to do the will of God.
6.28.2006
Better than Popsicles
Looking for a yummy, easy-to-prepare, healthy, summertime snack for the kids? Me too! For some reason, it seems like food always disappears more quickly around this place when summertime hits. My idea? Try frozen grapes! Yup, it's as easy as it sounds; just grab a bag of grapes from your local produce department and place in freezer. Once frozen, the grapes are about the consistency of a popsicle but much yummier!!
Mmmm. Mmmm! Enjoy!
6.27.2006
39 and Holding...
Everyone knows how much I love you dear. But today, I'm laying it out there for the whole world to see. I want everyone to know that I think you are...
Happy Birthday, Babe. I love you.Unforgettable
Unforgettable, that's what you are Unforgettable though near or far Like a song of love that clings to me How the thought of you does things to me Never before has someone been more Unforgettable in every way And forever more, that's how you'll stay That's why, darling, its INCREDIBLE That someone so unforgettable Thinks that I am unforgettable too
PERFORMED BY NAT KING COLE, 1951
LYRICS AND WORDS BY IRVING GORDON
6.26.2006
Every Nation
The year was 1992.
I was 22 years old and we had just moved into the parsonage--a brand new double-wide "manufactured home." After months of living in a cracker-box-like seminary apartment, I felt like we were now in "high cotton." And we were! Literally. If you peered out of the windows on the north, east, or west side of our home--rows and rows of snowy white cotton plants were in view--all the way to the horizon.
The sign at the edge of that tiny Texas town read: "111." To give you a little perspective, the CHURCH in which I had been raised ran 2,000 in Sunday morning attendance. I'll never forget singing "He Lives" for the first time in that small church's Sunday morning worship service and missing the CYMBAL CRASHES. In my mind, you were supposed to hear those throughout the chorus weren't you? I was experiencing a little culture shock to say the least.
However, the biggest shock was waiting for me just a few weeks later over in the parking lot of our church. I was walking back from the post-office when I saw some African-American boys just hanging out over there, shooting a little basketball. I smiled and waved as I walked past them and kept pushing Abigail in the stroller. It was getting to be late afternoon and I needed to finish supper before Spencer rolled up the gravel drive from a long day in class.
Before I could reach my front door, I noticed "Doris" slowly pulling up in her gold colored mini-van. As I kept pushing the stroller down the side walk that connected the church lawn with my lawn, I could hear from behind me a loud Texas drawl: "Yewww boys don't need to be playin' on the church's property! Now run along!"
"What?" I thought, "Surely I didn't hear that correctly. We hadn't lived there long, but surely the folks at our church ENCOURAGED the children of our community to play with its basketball goals. I must not have heard that right." As I quickly glanced backwards, Doris was rolling-up her van window and the boys were walking off in the opposite direction, heads hung low. That was the day I discovered that I was now living in the Deep South--a place where the world is still distinctly divided by an imaginary, but oh-so-real line. A place where blacks and whites still attend “their own” churches. In fact, our church had even written a line into its by-laws that excluded African-Americans from church membership. Unbelievable. My preacher-husband fought against that way of thinking for the next two years until we finally moved back to Arkansas after Spencer’s graduation.
We were sitting in the bedroom, surrounded by moving boxes, when the phone rang. It was “Pete”--a regular church attender and good friend. He was wishing us farewell; telling us how much we’d be missed. But before the last good-bye he said, "Spencer, you see it our way now, don't you? You can understand it’s just the way things have to be, can’t you?" He was referring to the race issue and he wanted Spencer's final and long-sought-after commendation of their wrong way of thinking. "No, brother, I have to say that I'll never be able to see this issue your way." We left that church and that town "agreeing to disagree."
Fast-forward fifteen years later. I was thinking about all of that today as I was chasing Jane around the Rec Room at the seminary's student union in Kansas City. My husband is currently working on his doctorate and the kids and I had tagged along for a day of fun in the city. Spencer’s class was running a bit over, and so I let the kids get out of the van to play a little pool and air-hockey. After we'd been there for five minutes or so, a group of black children (children of seminary parents) had joined in the fun. It didn't take long for my boys and those boys to start hooping and hollering and high-fiving--acting like they were all long lost cousins. And my mind went reeling back in time to the night when Doris sent those children away. I silently thanked the Lord that my kids hadn't grown up with a regular dose of that kind of bigotry and prejudice and I mentally renewed my commitment to teach my children about the love of Jesus for every boy and every girl- red and yellow, black and white.
“And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth.” ~Acts 17:26
