Thursday, November 6, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
From the Pumpkin Patch
Here are a few more Halloween pics. I figured out how to turn the vertical pictures so that you don't get a crick in your neck trying to look at them.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Birthday Boys
Noah & Matthew, my twin nephews, turned 1 last week. They enjoyed their ice cream cake. Well, actually Matthew ate a pretty large piece while Noah seemed to enjoy the frosting. I don't think he knew what to think about the cold part.
The Cake
Noah
Noah smiles at Mommy
Matthew with grandma
Matthew
The Cake
Noah
Noah smiles at Mommy
Matthew with grandma
Matthew
Monday, November 3, 2008
Twins 1st Halloween
We went to my sister's house to help pass out candy to the neighborhood kids. The twins wore their Halloween costumes. I share them here. Matthew is the Great Pumpkin and Noah is the Chick-fil-a cow. I thought it was so creative of my sister to make a sign for him to wear that says "Eat Mor Chikin"
Monday, October 20, 2008
Authenticity
Yesterday the house church I’m involved in definitely crossed the threshold to greater authenticity. (When I refer to group members I’ll use their first initial to protect their privacy). I know that J. is a part of our group because he forces us to truly be real with each other even when that might mean tension. He has said that even though we meet in homes we are no different than a traditional church if we continue to hide behind our masks. But living that out—wow it is hard!
We have been trained from childhood to be false—especially in church. Do we really want others to know that we were fighting with our spouse on the way to church? We paste on a smile and say, “I’m fine,” when someone asks how we are doing. For most of us 8 times out of 10 we are dying inside. Lately, when someone asks me that, I tell the truth when I’m not doing fine. Maybe they don’t enjoy the tirade that follows, but hey, maybe they shouldn’t ask if they don’t want to know. I digress.
Someone in our group confessed something to the group. Several members did what we all do when we are uncomfortable with a confession. They placated—denying the truth of her confession. But she admitted that she is a good actor and I could relate. I’m a professional at the “nice girl” façade. But we have to trust that people know themselves more than we do. If they admit something, we should validate them. We are not dealing with the problem when we try to deny its existence. Our response needs to be: praise the person for the bravery it took to be honest, listen to his/her heart on the matter, and help him/her work through it.
J. had the guts to point out that we weren’t really listening or helping her with our responses. He was right. That is the beauty of it. My hope is that we learn how to truly listen and respond properly. Christians are too good at placating one another and patting each other on the back. We shy away from the uncomfortable. As long as we do that, we are merely hiding behind our masks. We will continue to be strangers and won’t enjoy the true intimacy of communion as the church. True communion is knowing the best and worst about one another—and loving each other in spite of it. If we won’t even acknowledge the worst, we will never be authentic. I would like to share the following song written by the late Rich Mullins, my favorite musician. When I first heard this song over 10 years ago, I didn’t really get it. I do now. He is talking about Christians in the church. When we meet and are still strangers, we can instantly love one another because we have Christ in common. But we must lay down our fear of rejection and allow other believers to see the real “us.” If we want to experience authentic communion, we must trust others to love us even when they see us at our worst. When we can be real, the “communion” (bread & wine) will have a deeper meaning and we will understand peace. The second verse talks about how even when we begin to grow in our knowledge of one another, it is still hard to pull off those masks completely. We imprison ourselves and are lonely as a result. I think the struggle our group was having yesterday was that we were blind to her need because we know her mask—we were surprised and uncomfortable with the real person. Truth is we know that we are all wearing a mask. When someone breaks social protocols and removes the mask, the party is over. But true communion begins.
Peace
By Rich Mullins
Though we’re strangers, still I
love you
I love you more than your mask
and you know you have to trust
this to be true
and I know that’s much to ask
but lay down your fears, come and
join this feast
He has called us here, you and me
Chorus
So may peace rain down
from Heaven
like little pieces of the sky
little keepers of the promise falling
on these souls
this drought has dried
In his Blood and in His Body, In
This Bread and in this Wine
Peace to you, Peace of Christ
To you
And though I love you, still
we’re strangers
prisoners in these lonely hearts
and though our blindness
separates us
still His Light shines in the dark
and His outstretched arms are still
strong enough to reach
behind these prison bars to set
us free
This is not Rich Mullins because he did not do a video recording of it before his death. This is someone else singing the song.
We have been trained from childhood to be false—especially in church. Do we really want others to know that we were fighting with our spouse on the way to church? We paste on a smile and say, “I’m fine,” when someone asks how we are doing. For most of us 8 times out of 10 we are dying inside. Lately, when someone asks me that, I tell the truth when I’m not doing fine. Maybe they don’t enjoy the tirade that follows, but hey, maybe they shouldn’t ask if they don’t want to know. I digress.
Someone in our group confessed something to the group. Several members did what we all do when we are uncomfortable with a confession. They placated—denying the truth of her confession. But she admitted that she is a good actor and I could relate. I’m a professional at the “nice girl” façade. But we have to trust that people know themselves more than we do. If they admit something, we should validate them. We are not dealing with the problem when we try to deny its existence. Our response needs to be: praise the person for the bravery it took to be honest, listen to his/her heart on the matter, and help him/her work through it.
J. had the guts to point out that we weren’t really listening or helping her with our responses. He was right. That is the beauty of it. My hope is that we learn how to truly listen and respond properly. Christians are too good at placating one another and patting each other on the back. We shy away from the uncomfortable. As long as we do that, we are merely hiding behind our masks. We will continue to be strangers and won’t enjoy the true intimacy of communion as the church. True communion is knowing the best and worst about one another—and loving each other in spite of it. If we won’t even acknowledge the worst, we will never be authentic. I would like to share the following song written by the late Rich Mullins, my favorite musician. When I first heard this song over 10 years ago, I didn’t really get it. I do now. He is talking about Christians in the church. When we meet and are still strangers, we can instantly love one another because we have Christ in common. But we must lay down our fear of rejection and allow other believers to see the real “us.” If we want to experience authentic communion, we must trust others to love us even when they see us at our worst. When we can be real, the “communion” (bread & wine) will have a deeper meaning and we will understand peace. The second verse talks about how even when we begin to grow in our knowledge of one another, it is still hard to pull off those masks completely. We imprison ourselves and are lonely as a result. I think the struggle our group was having yesterday was that we were blind to her need because we know her mask—we were surprised and uncomfortable with the real person. Truth is we know that we are all wearing a mask. When someone breaks social protocols and removes the mask, the party is over. But true communion begins.
Peace
By Rich Mullins
Though we’re strangers, still I
love you
I love you more than your mask
and you know you have to trust
this to be true
and I know that’s much to ask
but lay down your fears, come and
join this feast
He has called us here, you and me
Chorus
So may peace rain down
from Heaven
like little pieces of the sky
little keepers of the promise falling
on these souls
this drought has dried
In his Blood and in His Body, In
This Bread and in this Wine
Peace to you, Peace of Christ
To you
And though I love you, still
we’re strangers
prisoners in these lonely hearts
and though our blindness
separates us
still His Light shines in the dark
and His outstretched arms are still
strong enough to reach
behind these prison bars to set
us free
This is not Rich Mullins because he did not do a video recording of it before his death. This is someone else singing the song.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Tigger & the Twins
My nephew Noah's favorite stuffed animal is Tigger. You will often see Noah talking to Tigger. Sorry none of these pics capture that. The minute a camera comes out, babies tend to have the uncanny ability to avoid recreating what they just did. Maybe Noah just loves Tigger's bright color or the way his slim body is easier to grasp and his nose prominent enough to eat--who knows. It is cute to watch him with Tigger. Matthew loves to maul Tigger to death as is evident from these pictures.
Friday, October 10, 2008
8th Anniversary Dinner
Dwight and I went to Dante's Down the Hatch for our 8th wedding anniversary. It was such a great experience. First of all, we love fondue. I also love ships, especially the idea of a ship inside a restaurant. We were privileged enough to receive our very own private booth with curtains for privacy. Apparently, it is really hard to get this booth called the pub. It is one of the few accessible seats so it worked out in our favor. The cheese and the atmosphere was wonderful. I probably wouldn't get the main course again. We had a wonderful time and can't wait to go back. Enjoy the slideshow below. You will need to click on the picture to go to the slideshow. Click on the arrows to go from picture to picture. You can go to http://www.dantesdownthehatch.com/ to view the restaurant website.
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| From Dante's Down the Hatch |
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