Happy Advent to You!

I hope this season finds you in true longing, expectation and preparation for Christmas and Christ's return.  Perhaps you grew up in a tradition like me where your only association with advent is the calendar that you open day by day-- sometimes filed with candy!  To my recollection, I don't remember our church having an advent wreath, but I sure remember midnight Christmas Eve carol singing and candle lit service.  However, over my adult years I've been exposed to more traditional/liturgical practices of faith in college, Boston & even Portland.  I'll keep my Sunday School lesson short, but the gist of it is that in Church history Advent is celebrated as a preparatory season "it is a season of looking forward and waiting for something greater; both for the annual celebration of the event of Christ's birth, and for the time when Christ will come again." (check out)

This would explain why when I printed a daily advent Bible reading (that has become more like a weekly catch up) so many of the passages were about the day of the Lord, God coming to judge the earth, etc.  I mean, I was pretty much expecting sweet baby Jesus stories.  You know, the sugary sweet story of traveling 120 miles when 8+ months pregnant, giving birth in dirty cave with animals, Herod seeking to kill the baby and successfully wiping out all newborn males within a region, angels singing, and drummer boys rum-pum-pum-pumming. (Note, I was pretty sure I wouldn't find the drummer boy in my readings). 

God sure likes to deal in our messy lives doesn't He?  I mean, that is why this story is so glorious and mysterious.  Why else for 10 centuries have we been celebrating the tale of an teenage girl's "illegitimate' birth?  God, the creator of all things and invader in our lives said, I'm going to fix the fall, I promise there will be a Savior.  Can you believe the anticipation?  For hundreds and hundreds of years they looked for this 'son of man', this 'root of Jesse', this 'good Shepherd', this 'messiah' to come. And then in the fullness of time-- He came!  Not as a strong king, not as a rich prince, but as a humble babe. 

And the glory of advent, the longing, the anticipation is still there, because He has promised to return.  We will see Him in the clouds and He will be the great judge of all things, and He will right all wrongs and wipe every tear from our eyes!  I can celebrate that this Christmas.  I look around and I see the world crumbling, nations rising and falling, children starving, families broken, people in pain, our ecosystem derailed and I think... there's a King coming who will right all this wrong!  And this time He is coming with a legion of angels, riding on a white horse, with his sword at His side.  I can celebrate that!  Let us long together.

"For to us a child is born,
   to us a son is given,
   and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
   Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

"Look, he is coming with the clouds,”
   and “every eye will see him,
   even those who pierced him”;
   and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”
   So shall it be! Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”  Revelation 1:7-8

Total Baby Blow Out

I experienced my first TBB0 (total baby blow out) last week.  Apparently this explosion had been occurring for perhaps the last month on a random basis, but as a fortunate nanny, I had missed out.  Sure, one time it happened upon my arrival in the morning, but as the mother was the one changing him for the morning, I missed out on the festivities.  Not last week.  No sir.  You know, I didn't even hear the explosion, & for all I know it could have happened up to 15 minutes prior to my discovery.  Smiling, laughing baby sits in goo and giggles.  

Where is the manual on changing a diaper that has exploded to the back of the child's armpit?  How do you remove such clothing items, that are smothered in poo and only have about 3 buttons on either end?  How do you remove poo'd clothing without then getting poo on everything else in site?  How do you clean a squirming (but happy) poo'd baby who has little motor skills and likes to wiggle when naked?  How do you keep a baby from adjusting the water temp in a sink?  These are the questions I asked myself.  I felt like the child might have turned octopus!  Next time we have a TBBO, we're headed straight for the tub.  No holds bar. Clothes and all. After all, they're ending up in the washer anyway, right?

How did Mary do it?  I mean she surely didn't have a sink, or spare diaper, or baby wipes.  Those were some tough momma's back then.  I bet Jesus had some TBBO.  I'd love to hear some of her tales.

Merry Christmas to all!
"For unto us a Child is Born!" Isa 9:6

Bringing Back the Board

I have a nine year old sister.  Shocking, I know.  Yes, same parents, etc.  And with this knowledge of a youngin' a whole generation different than myself (18 years) I have that whole, "when I was a kid thing" going even though she's not my child.  And so, I'm going to moan a little while,

When I was a kid children played outside. When did this stop happening?  Is it because our neighborhoods aren't "safe" enough?  Or did the TV monster eat up children's desires to breathe fresh air?

When I was a kid the extended family came together.  I'm sure that for many of you fortunate folks out there, your cousins, aunts, uncles, etc, are still close by.  But it seems like each year people move farther away due to job opportunities, etc.  With the rise in divorce it seems like kids don't get to see extended family on holidays because that's the designated 'other parent' day.  It's sad.  Especially with the decrease in family size.  Rather than having oodles of cousins this generation has like 3.

When I was a kid I had to do chores.  Crazy huh?

When I was a kid 'bored' was not in my immediate vocabulary.  How can a child be bored?  They have a brain like a sponge, inordinate free time, books, toys, access to the imaginary world, and board games.  I understand that perhaps what a child might really mean by "I'm bored" is, "there is no one to play with me" and maybe really expressing loneliness.  But I think a large part of it is their brains are trained to be constantly entertained and have lost the capacity to imagine and create themselves.

I love films, theater, & good entertainment.  Don't get me wrong.  But, when that becomes a substitute for creating your own fun your brain dies a little.  Or at least it gets really fat & sassy & lazy.

One of my favorite memories of Thanksgiving growing up is playing oodles of board games with my cousins.  Battleship, Stratego, Life, Monopoly, Jenga, etc.  True, there were times we popped in Ben Hur and vegged like stuffed turkeys still able to gobble down one more helping of desert, but I remember games the most.  So, I'm encouraging you this thanksgiving to bring back the Board games!  Dust them off, crack them open, and get your $25 worth of play time in. :)

Bad Butter Ruins the Whole Bunch

In an effort to surprise my husband, I set out to make some molasses cookies he's been hankering for.  Not cooking in my own kitchen it took me a while to procure all the necessary ingredients, but alas, I found them all.  Ginger tried to hide, but I found her!  However, the only Crisco I could find was a little stinky.  I checked the date and it said use by 2008.  Well, maybe it will be okay I think?!

Wrong.  I kept hoping that maybe if I added the sugar it would be okay, or maybe now that the flour is in there it will remedy the problem, a little more cinnamon might do the trick?  I ended up making the whole batch. 36 cookies in all.  They looked beautiful and they smelled rancid.  I still can't get the smell out of my nose.  So sad!  I chucked the whole can of Crisco, scooped the remainder of dough into the can, scrubbed the bowls, and let the cookies cool off outside.  I kept the heat off & windows open for a whole hour and I think I can still smell it.

I'm sure the recipe is delicious and hope I can try again, and of course, I found another (good?) can of Crisco at the end of the whole matter.  But I wonder, will I ever be able to smell butter again and not want to gag? 

I should have remembered Jesus' parable "a little yeast ruins the whole bunch" (paraphrase Gal 5:9, 1 Cor 5:6) or "bad butter will ruin the whole batch".  Alas, the pervasiveness of sin and wrong thinking... it spreads and taints even what was once good (sugar-- yum! cinnamin--yum!) but it can't be redeemed, it was tainted.  I couldn't fool the flour and eggs that it would "be okay", they knew!  So no matter the outward appearance (and they did look pretty) they ended up in the trash, loaded right up with the stinky diapers.

Dear friends, let us throw off the sin that so easily entangles and causes us to stink-- and run the race with tasty buttery molasses cookies!  Let us loose this faulty mindset that a little sin or wrong thinking won't matter, it won't lead me astray if I just add some good ingredients on the side.  For I learned the hard way, bad butter ruins the bunch.

Battle for Obedience

In an effort to fill my time with my charge, I found an old Baptist Hymnal in their house and have been diligently scouring it for songs that I know from my hymn singing youth.  Encouraged to interact & talk to the little 4 mo. as much as I can, I find that singing is an easy way to have a one sided conversation, without feeling remarkably ridiculous.  While having our morning sing-a-long a few days ago I came across the classic "Trust & Obey" and was marked by the delightful simplicity and truth.

Here's a sample of the first verse and chorus:
As we walk with the Lord, in the light of His word, what a glory He sheds on our way,
While we do His good will, He abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey.
Trust and obey for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.


I've been thinking a lot about the "joy of the Lord" and how to purposely live in God's happiness, for as a sometimes admitted cynic at heart, being truly joyful (not just sarcastic) is not my initial outpouring of my soul.  In fact it isn't Mike Mason's natural disposition either, he wrote a book "Champagne for the Soul: Celebrating God's Gift of Joy".  I recommend checking it out as it takes you through a 90 day reflection on biblical happiness.

Two dear friends from small group used to tease each other as one was a classic sanguine and the other a classic melancholic.  The Tigger would say to the Eeoyre "If your happy you should let your face know."  Which always makes me laugh, for true joy is not a somber reality, but a bubbling brook.  It cannot be a fake painted grin, but an inward glow.  My face should know I am happy!

But what does it mean to be inwardly happy and at peace with the world and oneself?  I believe it must be the truth of this hymn, walking in obedience to God. Not to say that one can be walking in obedience and not happy, for there is always the opportunity for defiant submission, but rather, delighting ourselves in the law of the Lord (Ps 37:4)- is what truly gives us peace & contentment.

If we truly believe that God created us and knows what is best for what He has created, then it behooves us to live in accordance with His instruction manual. (aka, walk by the spirit)  I can use a toaster for all sorts of fun things like a door stop, or a holder for my favorite DVDs, I could even use it to light pieces of paper on fire, or to try and warm meat products, but in the end its really meant to toast toast.  It has to be plugged in.  You know, to work.  I mean, I could use the chord to tie up my bread bag, or the prongs to perfectly cut one inch slivers of my sweet peppers, but it's meant to give electricity to my toaster.  I think you get the idea.

For some strange reason, I sometimes think I know what's best, I know what will make me happy.  And it most certainly is not what is in the instructions or "proper care" of my manual.  How foolish I am.  As if the pot can say to the potter, "You don't know what you're talking about!"  (Isaiah 29:16)  No, at times I choose not to be a servant to right use, but a slave to my selfish, silly whims.  Of course my selfish, silly whims are not a better master.  Rather they drive me to madness and folly.  And really, in the end... death.  My dumbfounded ways of living don't equal a new and improved me, but a self centered all about Me.  It is a death to true relationship with God and others.  As I am enveloped in MY needs.  Ah, but living according to God's ways, now that's real life!  (Romans 6)  That's having boundaries, saying no to my silly whims, that's loving others and having relationships that are more than about what I want/need.  That's community.  That's fellowship.  That's joy.

But I guess it just comes down to the question, "Do I trust Him?"

On a lighter/entertaining note check out this funny cartoon blog "The God of Cake" which oddly illustrates my point!  My apologies in advance for the slight vulgarity at the end.

Falling in Fall

My husband and I often get those accolades that we "are in young love" and are still in the "honeymoon phase", and while we can't argue that we are deeply in love with each other as young (?) 27 year old idealists, we are also awakening to the reality of each other.  Friends for over nine years, a couple for one, lovers for now three months, I can say that I am "waking up" to the real hubby. As my husband put it, "I had fallen in love with the idea of you, and now I am falling in love with the real you!"

How easy it is to fall in love with the idea of something.  Of course its bound to happen, even if you have known the person for 40 years before marriage, there is still an 'otherness' of that person.  A distinction from who they are, to what you believe of them.  Yet, marriage is this wonderful concept of the otherness becoming one.  No longer can we cherish the image over the reality, for the distinction between the two is quickly apparent. 

So, I can say I'm still falling in love.  And what a wonderful season to fall in?  Each day and each moment I'm given the opportunity to try to understand and love the man and not the mirage.  I'm grateful that the man has much more substance and won't turn out to be a farce, nor will it be the paradise in the desert that it once appeared.  No, its a lot more gritty than that.  It involves a lot more than my imagination or selfish inclinations, it involves reality.  Our fairy tale come true.  The happily ever after has begun, the confetti has been swept up and yet love is still there-- waiting for us to choose it each day as we clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience bearing with one another and if one has a compliant against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.  And above all else put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. Colossians 3:12-14

Not as Fools

Greetings Neighbor,

I'd like to start my blog with a song (feel free to sing along & snap at the appropriate  time).

It's such a good feeling/ To know you're alive / It's such a happy feeling/ You're growing inside/ And when you wake up, ready to say/ "I think I'll make a snappy new day."  

It's such a good feeling / A very good feeling / The feeling you know that we're friends. 

Mr. Roger voice over, "You always make each day a special day. By just you're being you. There's only one person exactly like you in the whole world. And that's you yourself, and I like you.

It's such a good feeling/ A very good feeling/ The feeling you know that we're friends.

Hold on, I need to switch my proverbial shoes and put on my real sweater (OK, its actually a 3/4 length ae T).  Don't mind that its going to get to 91 degrees today, my husband knows, I still need another layer.  Perhaps, its the fact that I am once again employed as a nanny and my days are filled with nursery rhymes, Robin Hood, Peter Rabbit, bottles, burps, and rocking chairs, but Mr. Rogers has been coming to mind lately.  What a creative guy.  Didn't he make you just feel so safe & loved?  I want to just crawl up on his lap and hug him.  He reminds me of my grandpa, always singing or whistling a tune and tossing his hat on the door knob.

What ever happened to having neighbors, anyway?  Even in my run down community with old men sitting on their porch and grown-up 'kids' smoking outside I still wonder what happened to neighborhoods.  And I think they still exist in those disappearing small towns, and for those of us who don't have 'important' places to go, and have 'busy' as our middle name, or who are done with the work world.  As much as I despise yippie dogs, I suppose it does get the owners outside into the fresh air and meeting their neighbors.  After all, you need to know the owner's name so you can politely ask them to pick up the poop that you try to avoid each day on the way out the door.  Community gardens are becoming the 'thing' to do, and with my first attempt at gardening this past summer I hope they do spread like weeds.  For pulling weeds and sharing produce is a pretty neat commodity that allows us strangers to work along side each other and share part of life-- but still in the safe outdoors.

Hospitality and Integrity have been big themes in my life these past few weeks.  So with this blog, I'm hoping to share some of my "careful observations" (circumspection) on my thoughts on life and what I am learning.  There is sure to be some make-believe, some sappy smiles, and hopefully profound truths in these tales. Although I'm sure sometimes it will feel like I just needed to fill an episode, I hope you'll stay tuned.

"You rarely have time for everything you want in this life, so you need to make choices. And hopefully your choices can come from a deep sense of who you are." Fred Rogers

"See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is." Ephesians 5:15