Baby videos

I'm putting up a couple of videos of Naomi Joy for the sake of those who don't have Facebook.

We have arrived at a fearful crisis

"We have arrived at a fearful crisis. Things cannot long remain as they are. It behooves all who love their country--who have affection for their offspring, or who have any stake in our institutions, to pause and reflect. Confidence is daily withdrawing from the general government. Alienation is hourly going on. These will necessarily create a state of things inimical to the existence of our institutions, and, if not arrested, convulsions must follow, and then comes dissolution or despotism, when a thick cloud will be thrown over the cause of liberty and the future prospects of our country."

Pretty well sums up the days in which we are living, doesn't it? These words may take us on the scenic route of getting at truth, but they do get us there. We all sense that we are at a crossroads as a nation, and that the future of our country hangs in the balance. We do not know which way the winds of politics will blow, but we do know that God is more than capable of turning our darkest nights into brighter days. As a nation we have been at crossroads before, and God has graciously allowed us to continue on--and sometimes even to grow stronger from the challenges. I trust that he will do so again.

Certainly when John C. Calhoun of South Carolina wrote these words in 1834, he was feeling the same sense of desperation that we feel today. His immediate fear was that Andrew Jackson was usurping powers not granted him in the Constitution and that the country would become subjugated to the whims of a single man. We need not immerse ourselves into the politics of 19th Century America to understand the issues or to know if Calhoun or Jackson was right. Our goal in these days is to consider those who have gone before, whether good or bad, and recognize the gracious hand of God in following years. Others have had mortal fears of our country's dissolution, and those fears have proven unfounded. America did not disintegrate with the presidency of Andrew Jackson. It may be that many future problems were born from the steps that he took, but these steps also may have given successive presidents the authority they needed to manage wars of frightful proportions.

We must remember that we only see small pieces of the intricate plan that God is unfolding. We do not know what will be ultimately good or bad for our nation or for ourselves. May we pray for the wisdom of God to live in these uncertain times, and the gracious faith to trust the Author of tomorrow's history.

Peach Picking

We are so busy right now we hardly have time to think; don't ask me how I have time to post this--it might have something to do with it being almost 1 AM and I've been working on paperwork till now. We did take time out today to drive about 20 minutes to our favorite peach place. It's a simple old farm with a Norman Rockwell landscape: fruit trees, rusting tractors, and worn-out buildings. But the peaches are large, tasty, and cheap (50 cents a pound; and as the old farmer told me last year, "We'll just round that down since we don't bother with quarters").

Are these peaches or grapefruits?

The kids like the chance to ride in the back of the van as we drive out of the orchard to get our buckets weighed. (Philip was just there for the picture.)

Peach juice on the chin makes for a happy boy.

Making sure the quality is good.

Peek-a-boo.

What is it with kids and ladders?

Sarah Beth kindly said, "I'll stop and smile for you."

My favorite part: the scale. It has to be a hundred years old (and I don't see any "PA Department of Weights & Measures" stickers on it). This year it was "about 70 pounds." They do take off about a pound each for the buckets. Now what are we going to do with them all?

What might we do in eternity?

These thoughts came to me as we were discussing our resurrected bodies in Sunday School this morning. I scratched them down in my journal as quickly as I could write. Although this is sanctified (I hope) speculation, I think it is helpful to consider the possible glories of eternity. So here goes.

"What if there truly is no edge of space, just as there is no end of time? What if the universe is unbounded? Imagine the thought of having endless time to explore endless space! To wander around the surface of stars that even now with telescopes look worshipfully beautiful as they whirl and twirl in all their exquisite colors? As the friends of Daniel were in the furnace and not burned, might our new bodies be made to visit stars--to "walk" on them--to explore the final frontier? God has made this universe so vast that humans can't even see all the beauty and glory he has created. Might he give his children the utter delight of enjoying him and the till-then forbidden places?

For now there are places of beauty too far or too bright or too much unlike us for us to survive there. Has he given us these things to remind us that he himself is untouchable? That there are certain things that are off-limits? To be enjoyed from a distance and to be yearned for--to want to experience first-hand but be denied--the Promised Land as viewed from Pisgah as it were. In eternity when we will be made new and able to see the glory of God without dying, might we not also be able to experience these now-forbidden things?"

How do we think of life after death?

As we continue to process and think through Jacob's health and the future, we find ourselves thinking more about eternity. This is due in large part to the fact that we know from a human perspective there is not a lot of encouragement we can give him about his future here. So we are trying to speak much of the glories of eternity. This of course makes us contemplate eternity more, as we sometimes draw blanks when it comes to expressing those glories of the future state. Perhaps you are like me and you think of heaven as being "good" and "blessed," but it all still seems a bit vague. What are we actually going to do there? What is it like? Scripture says it is eternal joy, but what concrete images can we give our kids to help express these things? Even the other day Jacob asked, "Is there anything fun in heaven?"

This has gotten me to reflect on the Bible's descriptions and how New Testament people spoke of life after death. From those reflections I think that we need to rephrase our speech. How many times haven't you heard the phrase that someone has "died and gone to heaven?" It always seems like they missed out on the rest of their lives. But the New Testament gives a much different perspective. Instead of teaching our kids that we will someday "die and go to heaven," we need the New Testament language, which is much more to the tune of "die and go to be with Jesus in heaven." Over and over again it is about being with Jesus and not so much about going to the place. Now that is something concrete that we can give our kids (and ourselves). If we know Jesus well here, then we have one certain known thing to anticipate in heaven--getting to know Jesus in person. That is the one constant between this life and the next.

I thought I would put down some texts that reinforce this theme.

1) Luke 23:43, "Today you will be with me in Paradise."

2) John 17:24, "I desire that they. . .may be with me where I am."

3) 2 Cor 5:8, "We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord."

4) 1 Thess 4:17, "caught up to meet the Lord. . .so we will always be with the Lord."

5) John 14:3, "I will come again and take you to myself that where I am you may be also."

6) Phil 1:23, "My desire is to depart and be with Christ."

7) Phil 3:30, "our citizenship is in heaven and from it we await a Savior."

Some of these reflections are drawn from John Piper's main theme in God is the Gospel, that Christ died not primarily to forgive us, but to bring us to God. Piper also demonstrates that if we could be happy in a heaven that had every earthly delight but did not have Christ then we would not be one of his true children. Being with Christ is what brings his children true delight and joy, not being in a wonderful place. And laboring to know him well now is the greatest preparation for death that we can make; for then we know something of what waits for us across the river.

So let's get our wording right as we look forward to the future. Let us speak of "going to be with Jesus"--and let us make every effort to communicate the beauties and delights and pleasures that are to be found in him.

. . .in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

Psalm 16:11

Facebook

I just thought I'd let those of you who read the blog that I've transitioned somewhat to facebook. I tend to shoot up short snippets of the day or thoughts I've had (and the occasional picture) onto facebook and use the blog for more lengthy reflections or information. Just so you know that if you are on facebook you can find us, and if you aren't, you are missing some of the news we are sending out.

The Nearness of my God is my good

After a very trying day at work and what seems to be an endless succession of such days, I was much cheered by the words of Psalm 16 as we went through it this evening after dinner. I thought I would just post it here for others to reflect on.

Psalm 16

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.

I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you."

As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.

The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.

The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.

The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.

I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.

For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.

You make known to me the path of life

in your presence is fullness of joy;

at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

(ESV)

Philadelphia for the day

We had been planning to take a field trip day to Philadelphia in May, and since I've been working there the past two weeks, we decided to go today. Weather was 73 and sunny, spring is still busting out everywhere, and my mental map of the area is still fresh. It turned out to be a wonderful trip. Heavenly weather, angelic kids (only saw a couple of horns growing today), celestial traffic (ok, so maybe I made that one up).

The trip takes about two hours, and we got started by 8, so we had a nice long day without feeling rushed or too terribly taxed by getting home at 1030 tonight.

First stop of the day was the Brandywine Battlefield (20 miles or so south of Philadelphia). The Americans lost this one, but our kids didn't care. They were too busy picking buttercups.

First stop in Philadelphia: Liberty Bell.

Second stop: feed the pigeons at Independence Hall.

Who cares about a Declaration of Independence written by some dead guys? We've got live birds here to play with!

The home of Betsy Ross. The person who built this house had obviously never heard the song "Deep & Wide." (Though most of the older houses in the city were narrow like this one.)

Philip & Lydia rest their weary feet in Pew #58 at Christ Church. The golden plaque at the back tells us that this was George Washington's pew while he was president. . .and John Adams'. . .and Lafayette once sat here as well. But to our kids, just another place to have fun!

I'm getting hooked on cheesesteaks from this place. Not the place you'd normally take the kids for lunch ($4 grilled cheese & $6 cheeseburgers), but money was made to be spent!

Enjoying the Delaware River, with the battleship (and the state) New Jersey in the background. Jacob's comment: Is there something we can throw in the river?

Last stop of the day: Valley Forge.

Philip sporting some blue lips from the Italian ice mama shared with him.

The makings of a cold, lonely winter. The huts were intended to be 14 x 16 and sleep 12 men. No windows; just 4 walls, a door, and a fireplace at the back. Think of what those old soldiers suffered so that our kids could climb on cannons (and some other family could pollute the air with thump thump music). . .

God's Glory in Disability

John Knight, over at Desiring God, had this insightful way of communicating truth from Psalm 139. Knowing that disabilities are not things that God merely allows but actually intends (see Exodus 4:11), we can think about David's words in a fresh way.---

"With that in mind, what do you think about this expansion of Psalm 139:13-16? I've added some additional descriptors in italics to bring out what we really mean if we believe that God is sovereign over disability:

For you formed my inward parts with Down syndrome;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb without eyes.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made with cognitive challenges.
Wonderful are your works in creating me without limbs;
my soul knows it very well though my ears will never hear a sound.
My frame was not hidden from you as you made me with Apert syndrome,
when I was being made in secret with autism,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth without Hexosaminidase A.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance with spina bifida;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me with cerebral palsy,
when as yet there was none of them."

Here is the link for the entire post:

http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/2394_is_god_sovereign_over_human_disability/

Rags to Riches Philly style

I sit writing this post from the 8th floor of the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Center City, Philadelphia. The hours are marching on, helped in part by the rhythmic thumping of the joyful juveniles one floor below. What in the world am I doing in the land of Rocky Balboa on a Thursday night? After all, it is a work night.

Last week I was asked by my local manager to help fill in for a car-accident impaired foreman in the company's Bala Cynwyd (say kinwood) office, on the outskirts of Philadelphia. I was reticent at first because I knew it would mean leaving Sharon at home with the kids for two weeks. I will be coming home for this weekend, but two 5-day marathons as a single home-schooling mother of 4 wasn't something I wanted to dump on Sharon. But she was willing and flexible (thanks, God, for a good wife), so I committed myself.

I left for the first day away at 4:45 in the morning since I had a two-hour drive to get in before 7. The company's office is in a large old 1920s era house in a commercialized part of town. The company was already going on 15 years old when they bought the house and it has served as local headquarters ever since. The house has 3 stories, and the 2nd and 3rd are rented out as apartments. The 3rd floor is reserved for several employees who come to the US from the southern regions for most of a working year. The deal for me was that if I was willing to hole up in the upstairs with these guys, the company would give me more per diem since they would be saving the cost of a hotel . Ever the cheapskate, I said "Sure," --sight unseen.

When I got upstairs at the end of the first day, I noticed how dirty the place was. Tree guys are notoriously untidy (in cleaning out truck cabs I have found chicken bones, sandwich wrappers, cigarette butts, and even the occasional tobacco spit spot). You might only guess what their living quarters might look like. [In fairness, I didn't see the rooms of the other guys on my floor, so I don't want to accuse any actual person!] When I went into the bathroom I thought, great--no lid on the toilet; on second glance I said, never mind, No Seat on the toilet! Add to the list a non-functioning doorknob on my room (door did stay shut when suitcase was propped against it), some really unhealthy looking stains on the carpet, and some peeling paint on the walls, and you have a recipe for a sleepless night as you lay on the bed thinking about what might be crawling around in the dark.

I wrestled with what to do, since I don't like to complain and make people feel bad, but it was pretty nasty (thanks, Laura B, for that phrase). I am trying to learn to be more transparent with problems and get away from the mentality of the martyr complex that tends to reside within me. When they asked the next morning how it had gone, I spoke my peace. As I had expected, the local manager felt really bad, and said he would fix things for me. By that evening I had reservations for a room with a king sized bed at the Crown Plaza Hotel in the suburbs of Philly. What a marked contrast from the night before! I felt I could even walk in the room with just socks on my feet instead of shoes.

So tonight I find myself in the sister hotel in downtown Philadelphia. The other was booked solid for tonight, so I am experiencing the high life. I have to say this is the fanciest hotel I've ever been in, and I'm feeling a bit conspicuous. (At least I had the presence of mind to take off my oil-soaked climbing boots and sawdust-encrusted t-shirt before dropping in on the socialites of the big city. At the valet parking I forgot to leave my keys and they had to call my room to have me bring them back down. And walking through the crowds of guests, I felt a bit like My Fair Lady.

But the greatest part of this hotel is that it puts me in walking distance of all the neat stuff in town. Though we've always lived less than half a day's drive from the city of brotherly love, I'd never spent time here before. Tonight I put on the walking miles. I saw Tenth Presbyterian Church, where James Boice and Donald Barnhouse once pastored and where Paul Tripp is now one of the elders. I saw the "arts" district--what an eye-opener! I saw lots of other old buildings that no one beside me and a few other history wackos would care to have listed. I walked along the waterfront of the Delaware River where William Penn first landed. I ate at Campos ($8.50 for a Philly cheesesteak with "the works", and $2.34 for 20oz of purified tap water). As night settled in, I saw Independence Hall and scores of brilliantly illuminated buildings reaching for the sky.

So now I'm back, footsore and thirsty, but glad for this all-expenses paid chance to see a unique city and a critical place in American history. Now our plan is to take advantage of my scouting and grab a Saturday where we can repeat it all with the kids.

For now, this skinny Rocky can't wait to see his Adrian again.

Warm weather fun & field trip to Frederick

Philip discovers chocolate lollipops! Do you think he enjoys his food?

The next set of pictures is from our recent Saturday trip to Frederick, MD, where the museums were all open for a free day. I am back to researching the life of Francis Scott Key for a book I hope to write, and he lived for a while and is buried in Frederick. Two other benefits of the day: it counts as a school day field trip and we got to visit with Aunt Lois, cousin Jason, Cousin Hilary & kids (Jonathan & Abby) for the whole day (they live in Frederick, a little over 90 minutes from us).

Mt. Olivet Cemetery. Grave of Francis Scott Key & his wife (they are buried under the monument). Note how he is pointing to the flag--the star-spangled banner still waves.

Beautiful church steeples on the Lutheran Church in town. Just a random shot on a beautiful clear day.

Cousin Jason and Sarah Beth. We appreciate Jason so much for the love he has for the kids; they always look forward to seeing him; he has a real way of relating to them.

Lydia at the Rose Hill Manor kids museum. Once the house of a Maryland governor in the revolutionary days; now a hands-on museum.

Learning how old black & white photos were hand-colored. (They were just using paint with water.) Sarah Beth, Abby, Lydia, Sharon, Jacob, Aunt Lois, Jonathan, Hilary.

Aunt Lois treats us to Five Guys Burgers & Fries. That was a neat experience. More fries than you can possibly eat, a double-thick hamburger, and boxes of roasted peanuts for the taking.

Another random shot: Jacob taking a ride in my climbing saddle. The kids love when I bring my gear home for the weekend.

Lawn mower humor

Last year when visiting brother Josh in Pensacola, he told me he wasn't going to borrow things from people anymore because they always break while he has them: now he has something broken and the lender ends up with a new item (at his expense).

Now it's my turn.

So I needed another lawn mower (new year, new mower--this is getting to be a trend). Enter brother Mark who suddenly has a glut of mowers from the Parkers. So I don't want to buy something big right away, so, says he, just borrow it for a while to see if you want this old Allis Chalmers.

So I cart it home on Easter Sunday. Next week, I enjoy cutting my grass with a 4' mower deck. Hey, this is cool, I feel like I've got a real tractor here.

So last week I get it out for cutting number 2. Now I'm 90% done with the lawn and bang, boom, mower stops driving and a bolt comes flying out the discharge chute. Aw nuts (and bolts)!

The thing weighs a ton (seems like), so I come-a-long it into the shed for the night. Remember this is my 69 hours away from home week, so it sits until last night.

Monday night: finish cutting the lawn with the electric weed wacker (3 extension cords stuck together--now there's a great idea); next time I'll try the scissors.

Crawl under mower to see where flying bolt originated: lucky me, I just sheared the drive shaft collar & bolts off the back of the motor and bent the shaft.

Today: now I'm online trying to find parts for a 32 year old mower made by a company that no longer exists. So far I've found the drive shaft ($78), a bushing ($9.81), a fiberglass collar ($17.43) and I'm now waiting for a call back from the parts company to see if they have the sheared-off thingy from the Kohler motor (any guesses on how much that might be, if they even have it)? Hold that thought--he literally just called--good news, they have it; and the price? just $120.

I think you already know what the moral of the story is. . .

. . .get rid of the grass and plant concrete.

Promises, promises

So maybe I sound like a politician, but I had good reasons for not posting like I had hoped to last week. All told, I was gone from home 69 hours for work/commuting. Last night I was up till 12:30 since I had an order for 3 pens that needed to be done by today. So I am dragging but still alive. Due to a heavy backlog at work we were required to work the past two Saturdays (I had plans for the first one, so was able to get off), and we are scheduled for 6 days this coming week again. I don't know how long this will last, but till then life is crazy busy.

Since we do one major shopping trip a month, we were overdue for groceries, and Sharon couldn't go on Saturday like she usually does, because I wasn't home to watch the kids. So she did a partial trip on Saturday with all the kids: 3 ambulatory kids, one kid on her back, and one in her front! She said it went well.

Until later. . .

I'm not dead

I once promised that I wouldn't let 2 months go by again without posting. So far I've not broken that promise. I will try to get some more pictures and details up in the coming week. Honestly, having facebook has made me lazy!

Too late to put up anything more now, but I will try. . .

Random Shots

Jacob is 7! Thanks for the Lego Bricks, Uncle Daniel.

Philip is unsupervised! He pulled the oats off the shelf and the lid fell open. What fun!

(2nd Cousin) Abby Young becomes part of our tribe for a day. Yet another of Lydia's imaginative creations.

Philip hams it up. Don't worry, he isn't always this cute.

Sarah Beth does puzzles with her friend Martha. Yes, she is licking snot off of her lip!

This is Philip's favorite place to play. He spends hours in it at times.

There were three in a (bunk)bed. . .

(With Jacob's difficulties, we are so grateful he can do things like this, which he just recently started doing.)

Deja vu

I love this stuff! Global warming? "He who sits in the heavens will laugh."
So this lack of work will catch up with the finaces sooner or later, but for now we will relish the winter wonderland.

I don't even know what our official totals were for Saturday, but today is supposed to be another 12 to 18 inches. There was a lot of tree damage south of us, but we can't get the trucks out to do the work, and even if we could, now there is another foot of snow on the way.

Is this what they mean by being "snowed in?" 

(One of these days I have to build a porch roof!)

These are not fair, but foul (fowl?)-weather friends. Our feeder sits empty except on the snowiest days of the year. Hadn't seen birds in weeks and this morning they are hanging around our feeder looking for handouts. So I trudged through thigh-deep drifts to refill the feeder. How often we do this to God!

Obligatory snow pictures

Yes, we got a lot of snow (at least for us). And yes, everyone in the entire Mid-Atlantic is trying to show their little worlds how much snow they got. So I guess I will follow the masses and let my little world know what our little 1/3 acre looks like right now. Because of the drifting snow, it is hard to know exactly how much we got on average.

This was the first romp in the snow when they walked out the door.

I dug out a fort for the kids (later I went back with firewood blocks and plywood to shore up the snow).

My junior assistant took this shot of me in the biggest drift.

The wind blew the snow to the back side of the house and around every standing object. So did we get a dusting (on the left) or 5 feet (on the right)?

Our little mountain range.

Jacob crossing the Alps.

Some snow sculpting by the Master Artist.

Looking down our road.

I told the kids this was the only time they are allowed to play in the road.

Lydia dug her own snow cave out of another drift.

Since I pulled a major muscle in my back yesterday and am moving gingerly today, we were grateful that our neighbor showed up (as he usually does) to get rid of the wall of snow left by the snowplow!

With One Foot Raised

This was the recurring phrase used in a sermon I just finished listening to. Back in September, Sam Storms gave a message on a certain theme from the life of John Calvin. (Whether that name is loved or hated, it is a name that has undeniably changed the face of Western Civilization in the past 500 years. Since July 10 of last year was his 500th birthday, much was made of his life and contribution during 2009.) I was unaware until recently of the amount of physical suffering that he endured during his life. He dealt with chronic intestinal disorders, gout, ongoing severe headaches, and numerous other painful afflictions. But in spite of all these things, he accomplished a great deal of good for the church and never lost heart in what he was doing. I said "in spite of," but as I listened to this message, I learned it was more accurately "because of" these things.

Throughout his writings, he often reflected on heaven and its value to us as we live on earth. He showed how he had learned that God often sends us these trials because he loves us and wants us to remember that we are not at home in this world. In fact, being driven from our homes due to financial hardship or persecution is actually helpful to us because it teaches us how to be pilgrims. The same can be said for sicknesses--they teach us that our body is dying. And so that we might not think inordinately highly of marriage or family, he may even send us marital trouble or children who bring grief. God is not only the source of all good and happiness, he is goodness and happiness. Yet in our sinfulness we are so spring-loaded to grasp too tightly onto any good thing he gives us on earth and soothe our finiteness with something just as temporary. So in his kindness God has to pull those things away from us at times to drive us to himself.

Calvin wrote of how he had learned--because of his great suffering--to always live "with one foot raised and ready to make his departure." And so we are to follow his example. As Sam Storms eloquently illustrated this, "Plant a garden, or plant a church--with one foot raised. Enjoy your favorite football team--with one foot raised. Raise a family, learn Greek, run a political campaign--but always do it with one foot raised and ready to depart!"

For those who are interested in hearing this themselves, I'm including the link to the sermon.

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/MediaPlayer/4231/Audio/

Guest Post by Lydia

In keeping with the spirit of many who blog, today we will have some thoughts from our guest poster, Lydia Birx. She had some poems to write for school and I thought they were good enough to share with the rest of the world (or at least all 10 people who read this little piece of cyberspace). I've kept spelling and punctuation as she wrote it.

The Robins

There was a little robin,

Away up in the sky

And on the ground a baby wren

Cried "I wish I could fly."

The robin flew down lower,

And said "Hello, dear wren."

I'll change you to a robin

If you won't cry again.

And so, they lived together,

Up high in a small nest,

Then they had three children

And all five lived the best.

The Butterfly

A caterpillar crawls and squirms around,

Fuzzy and wolly on the ground.

Caterpillar crawls into his cocoon,

Waiting to open under sun or moon.

He stays in his cocoon and I'll tell you why,

Cause when he opens up he's a big

                                               BUTTERFLY!

Affections

Reflecting this morning on thoughts from Tim Keller's The Prodigal God. That I can feel excitement and pleasures in various earthly things shows me that I am capable of such emotions. And it must be they were not given simply to be felt over passing things. If God is greater than his created things, he must be capable of producing these affections in me. If I am never feeling such affections for him, there is an obvious deficiency or misdirection in my heart. As the prodigal son, we are all off in the far country of our choice, trying to find the joy and the at-homeness that can only fully and finally be found in God.