Love of My Life

Genesis 29:20

I wish I had known this verse when my bride and I lived apart for 3 1/2 years. Now it really does seem like it was only days but how neat it would have been to reflect on this verse during that time.

Rebekah

I wonder if it would be too much to ask God to prompt Pineapple's and Mango's future fathers-in-law to make these kind of of arrangements for my girls' husbands. It is a beautiful story.

Kid Parallels

It never ceases to amaze me how God uses children as a metaphor for us growing as Christians.

John 3:3-8
Hebrews 5:11-14

Recently Pineapple has been running to find Mango's pacifier whenever she thinks she needs it. And by saying "whenever she thinks she needs it," I mean, "whenever she thinks of it." It doesn't matter if she is crying, cooing, or sleeping - Pineapple will run to retrieve the nearest pacifier and run back to Mango and attempt to shove the binky in her mouth. I am quite sure that this behavior has mutated from the original version of mom & dad using the binky to calm Mango down when she is crying despite being fed, dry, swaddled and warm.

Is not Pineapple's immature and uniformed behavior like that of many of us? We see a piece of how God works in other peoples' lives (or perhaps our own) and so we become convinced that is the end-all to God's hand in their lives? Let me share some of my convictions that cause me to stumble less in my walk with Jesus:

- No TV
- Church once a week
- Christian radio
- Daily devotions
- Tithing
- Verse memorization
- Playing the piano
- Musing on my blog

You might be thinking, "I don't think any of that has anything to do with my race." Perhaps.

But let me confess something to you. Whenever I hear of someone who has money problems, the first thing I think is, "I wonder if they have been tithing." I don't think I say this in judgement, because I don't conclude that they must not be tithing and that is why they are having financial trouble. The thought just crosses my mind. It crosses my mind because I think my financially-trouble-free existence is God's response to my commitment to tithe. Whenever I hear of parents having problems with their teenage kids, I think, "I wonder how much tv they watch?" I don't think I say this is judgement, because I don't conclude that they must watch a lot of TV and that is why the parents are having discipline problems. The thought just crosses my mind. It crosses my mind because I think my walk with Jesus, growing fruit of the spirit, and respect for my parents has improved since I stopped watching tv routinely.

So maybe I'm the only one with this problem. The problem of taking God's solution (the pacifier) for our lives (Mango) and applying it to a situation that has so many more variables involved than what I can possibly perceive. I don't expect that I am, or God would not have mentioned the speck.

The Day of Rest

Has anybody cracked the code on how to take God's given day of rest once a week when you have kids in diapers?

Christmas Traditions

Now that we have a family, we are trying to solidify our meaningful Christmas traditions.

This winter, my bride and I discovered that we have the following traditions, firmly rooted in our six years of marriage:
1. Christmas photo (usually collage) and Christmas letter (in newsletter form, not just well-wishing)
2. Gifts
3. Stockings on the mantle for each family member

Now with children, we are trying to establish some more:
4. Christmas tree plus busting out the ornaments and lights
5. Christmas lights for the house
6. Advent
7. Singing Christmas carols as a family at least once a day every day between Thanksgiving and Christmas
8. Reading the Christmas story on Christmas Eve
9. Opening gifts on Christmas day
10. Family Christmas photo

Here are some that we've toyed with the last couple of years:
11. Christmas feast - prime rib, of course
12. Traveling

Some fragments of tradition from our childhood:
13. Extended family celebration and gifts on Christmas Eve: Christmas day for nuclear family
14. Christmas Sunday service / Christmas Mass

And finally, we're not sure how we're going handle the Santa Claus tradition.

I propose that all of our traditions should flow from the reason for the season. Hopefully we're not too far off the mark.

What are your Christmas traditions?

Santa is a Woman

Have you ever heard somebody say God might be a woman?

Personally I don't really care whether or not God really is a woman because I don't think God is limited categorically to gender.

I'm sure you've met people that really do think God 1. is female or 2. is not male. I don't think I've ever heard anybody claim that Santa might be a woman. Why do you suppose that is? I might be going out on a limb here, but I feel like those who assert that God could be a woman probably don't take the same stance on the possibility of Santa being a woman. I also feel and think but have no data to assert that those who take issue with God's sex probably don't feel that there even is a God, or that if there is one, it is not defined by the Bible or Christianity, and thus is just as much a mythological creature as Santa. So it is on this assumption that I say, "Santa is a girl." So it wouldn't be the same discussion if we were to agree that God is the God of the Bible (and thus our conversation regarding his gender-like aspects are simply you and I trying to better see God's face) while Santa is the male icon created by several hundred years of secular Christmas tradition.

Strange thoughts to have running through my mind on Christmas Eve...

Perspective

Do you ever look at somebody and suddenly consider him or her in eternal light?

I have found that playtime with the kiddos consists of kids playing, me watching. So during this inactive time my thoughts wander. Last time it suddenly struck me that God created Pineapple to serve Him. Of course, He created all of us to serve Him. It's just that in the busy-ness of everyday activity, it's easy to lose sight of the big picture. It's like I suddenly flip a switch and I realize how much more precious and sacred this little person is in God's eyes. I wish I could always think and do and love with this switch in the "on" position.

In the same stream of consciousness: parable of the talents. Having trouble explaining the connection. Signing off for now. Merry Christmas Eve!