In honor of losing my last grandparent this year, I thought Thanksgiving would be a nice time to reflect on the huge blessing that all of my grandparents have been to me.
I'm not going to lie. When it comes to grandparents, I hit the proverbial jackpot. Neither set of grandparents had much in the way of money or anything like that, but what they did have were the biggest hearts on planet earth! And time. I think that's what I treasure most about my childhood with them was the time we spent together. They were all so much fun to be with!
My Grandma T was my dad's mom. She was clever and witty and could be very very funny. She was also the person who started my love of all things crafty. When I would spend time at her house in Vermont she always had some sort of craft project for me to do. Or she would put out random supplies and let me create whatever came out of my little girl brain. She used to let me help her cook. And one of my favorite things (my husband will laugh at this) was washing dishes after dinner was over. I never liked doing dishes at home, but something about Gam's house made it fun. (Yes, we called her "Gam." When my brother and I asked her one time what she would prefer to be called by us, she told us, "You can call me whatever you want to call me... Just not Granny. That just makes me sound too OLD!")
My Grandma M was my mom's mom. She was the huggiest person I ever knew - until my son was born. She was little and round and soft, and hugging her was just the best. Even when I grew taller than her and had to lean over to do so. Somehow that just made it sweeter. Grandma was just a fun person to be around. She had a laugh like no other. Really it was a giggle that was completely contagious. And if she had a glass of wine (truthfully it was more like a half a glass) she would turn red in the face and giggle at any and every little thing. From her I inherited my love of hot black tea... and hugs.
My Pop was my dad's dad. Growing up I thought of my Pop as someone who could literally do anything. He could fix anything, make anything, grow anything, open every jar that I couldn't (which was a big deal when I was little!) Pop was sort of a jack of all trades. In his career he was an electrician on the Long Island Railroad. But in his life he was an amazing woodworker, mechanic, gardener, and was also a pretty good cook (when he did cook). I was able to do things when I was with Pop that I never was able to do elsewhere. It's like he knew that I was capable even if I was young. I used to help him garden, and mow the grass on a riding lawnmower. The one and only time I ever swung an ax to split firewood was with my Pop. From him I developed a love of working with my hands and the love of the smell of sawdust and gasoline.
My Dziadek (Polish for grandfather) was my mom's dad, and the Last of my Mohicans. He was only month shy of his 94th birthday when he passed away this past summer. My Dziadek had a wicked sense of humor. He made me laugh so often that just thinking of him makes me smile. And he could tell great stories. About 8 or 9 years ago I developed an interest in genealogy. Unfortunately all of my other grandparents had already passed, but I took advantage of Dziadek's memory and sent him a bunch of pages of questions about his family and his childhood and all kinds of stuff. Not only did he reply to my questions, he hand wrote 85 pages of stories about his life and sent them to me in a big envelope. I took that document and transcribed it into a book and gave copies to mom, my brother, and my aunts and uncle. The older I get the more I appreciate what his impact on me has been. My love of family stories, my love of a good joke, how to kill someone with a newspaper (that's a story for a different day... LOL) and how to share your life and home with generosity.
"Every good and perfect gift is from above..." Thank you, God, for your gift of grandparents.
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Book Review: 52 Little Lessons from A Christmas Carol by Bob Welch
A Christmas Carol is my all-time favorite Christmas story. I love the book. I love the movies - all of them - from the 1938 version with Reginald Owen, to the 1999 TNT version with Patrick Stewart, to the 2009 animated version with Jim Carey. I even love the 1992 Muppet Christmas Carol.
I watch these movies any and every time they are on. It's a story of regret, redemption, and grace that never gets old to me. When Scrooge realizes that it's not too late to change and that he still has the power to affect the world around him for good, I cry. Every time. (Much to the amusement of my kids!)
Naturally then, Bob Welch's 52 Little Lessons from A Christmas Carol seemed like a "must read" to me. I was not disappointed. It's a small book, but I enjoyed it all the way through.
The title tells you exactly what you're getting with this book. Coming in just under 175 pages, it is basically 52 short essays on various lessons to be learned through the story A Christmas Carol. Welch basically walks us through the story and pulls out things that we can take away from it - things like "Everyone has value," "Showing trumps telling," and " Grace changes everything" - using the characters from the story to illustrate his points.
Each (mostly) stand-alone essay is only a couple of pages long and the book can easily be read in small doses. I carried it with me when I was waiting for appointments, waiting to pick my kid up from school, and while others in the house were watching TV.
There really was a decent amount of thought-provoking material in the book - more than I thought there would be. And every time I thought I found my favorite lesson, I would read another to take its place. It is not an in-depth treatment of any one point, but it's not supposed to be. Overall this is a really good book that I definitely recommend.
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Book Review: Diary of a Jackwagon by Tim Hawkins
My kids and I love watching his Youtube videos; his brand of
humor is right up our alley. So when I saw that Tim Hawkins had a new comedy
book available, I had to read it. In Diary of a Jackwagon, Hawkins gives the reader access to
parts of his comedy journals collected over the past 20 years.
The only hesitation I had was that
his comedy delivery style wouldn’t translate to the written page. In some cases
that held true a bit, but for the most part, this was a really funny book. I
think the parts that I had already seen videos of were a little less funny than
they would have otherwise been, but for the most part this book was pretty
funny! It was a quick read that was easy to pick up and read a chapter or two
and then come back later to read some more.
Without giving anything away, some of the material in this book had me laughing out loud – in front of other people. I had to stop and re-read parts for them. (The section on the “hedge of protection” was so funny that I literally have to try not to laugh when I hear people praying that now!)
This was such a fun book that takes good-natured pokes at the Christian life... with the occasional jab at homeschoolers... :)
Monday, August 17, 2015
Insomnia... or "Reflections on Fear"
It's about 12:30 AM. Four hours ago I attended a meeting at my church to discuss a decision that was made regarding the elimination of our current Sunday Youth programming. Basically - no more Sunday School if you are in 6th grade or higher. The thought/reasoning behind this was that it would be more beneficial to everyone in the congregation if we were all one body on a Sunday morning - teens included. The big problem here was that it was never really discussed with anyone before the announcement was made. (When I say anyone, I mean there was not a meeting called with the whole congregation available to give their input on said topic. Having said that, I don't particularly agree with giving the whole congregation the ability to give their input. Not everything has to be done via committee. Just my humble opinion.)
My insomnia doesn't stem from any kind of internal conflict over whether Sunday School stays or goes. I, personally, don't really care if it stays or goes. I have one teenager who refuses to go (she is super sensitive to hypocrisy, and sees it an alarming amount in that room) and an elementary-aged child that will probably never be interested in Sunday School once they stop playing games and winning candy prizes.
My insomnia does come from the myriad feelings that this meeting brought up in me. Like I said, I really won't be affected whether Youth programming stays, goes, or takes a hiatus to come back as something altogether different. That's not my issue. I guess my real problem is seeing people for what they are. And if the tone of tonight's discussion is any indication, they are afraid.
[Side note: My friend is the one who ultimately made the decision, and in so doing, riled up the natives. A good number of which seemed intent on letting him know how unhappy they were with his decision making process and ability. I, and several others, trust that his decision was not made in a vacuum, but was discussed with other members of the staff and was made after a great deal of devoted prayer. (Hebrews 13:17)]
That is why I, more than 4 hours later, can not fall asleep.
Please understand that not everyone gave off the fear vibe, some shared completely legitimate concerns and suggestions. But a good number really did seem to speak from a place of fear of one sort or another. There was worry about not being included in decisions; there was fear of change; there was fear of not connecting with one's peers anymore; there was fear of losing the programming that was put in place by the former Youth Pastor who passed away last year; there was fear of not being able to handle the task of raising children without the assistance of Sunday School teachers; and so on.
Just to be clear, I am not putting anyone down. I can totally empathize with those fears and worries. But it really struck a nerve for me - are we missing something in our faith? Are we really trusting God in everything that comes our way? That's an easy thing to say when everything that comes our way is just how we want it to be. But when push comes to shove, it seems more natural to respond from a place of fear. But will we miss out on something greater because we are afraid to let go of what's here? Do we really believe all the Sunday morning worship songs that are sung with hands raised to God? Or does all that go out the window when we face the unknown? The uncomfortable? The different?
What are we so afraid of? What if we started taking God at his word and started really living in the truth and trust that he's there and he cares for us. More than that, he lives in us. Can you imagine that? Any time at all, we have unfettered access to the CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE! Surely we can think of something better to do with that knowledge than become angry and fearful of the unknown.
I am not a theologian in any sense, I am just a person who needs to work out feelings in print. I realize I haven't answered any of the questions I posed, but I needed to get them out of my head so I can get some sleep finally. Maybe tomorrow I'll start working on the answers.
Friday, July 24, 2015
Book Review: The Printer and the Preacher by Randy Petersen
While I'm not entirely sure that the author proved his point of their friendship "inventing America," I really enjoyed the book nonetheless.
Petersen spent a good deal of the book describing the backgrounds of each of the two men. He described how the upbringing of the two played into the personalities of the men they would grow up to be. To me, it was fascinating and probably my favorite part of the book.
Another interesting thing for me was the description of the Great Awakening. Living in New England, it made me laugh a little reading the descriptions of the spiritual state of this area even in the 1720s and 30s. When the Great Awakening happened (before George Whitefield came to America) there was a "fear that people would become overemotional, seeking some passionate experience that had little grounding in good theology." Lots of thinkers, wary of passionate feelings. The more things change, the more they stay the same, I guess.
The friendship between Ben Franklin and George Whitefield was almost secondary to the book, in my mind. The individual men were both so interesting to me. What starts out as a business relationship that was mutually beneficial to both of them goes through various phases over the course of their lives and the two became good friends. Whitefield tried to convince Franklin that he really needed to put his trust in Jesus Christ. Franklin appreciated the effect that religious conversion had on people, ultimately making them better citizens - and good citizenship is what Franklin worked for throughout his life.
This was truly an interesting book and I feel like I have a new insight into the history of our nation that I had never had before. I like that.
Monday, May 25, 2015
Book Review: Devotions from the Garden - Finding Peace and Rest from Your Hurried Life by Miriam Drennan
What I found - aside from the beautiful photographs - was a devotional that I actually love to read. The author uses 90 widely varied topics, familiar to people who garden, and then draws parallels to how life with God is similar to that particular topic.
Each devotion is about 5 to 6 paragraphs in length and is followed up with a lovely, grace-filled prayer. For instance, the one devo that strikes a chord with me currently is called "Root Systems," and begins with a description of the unseen job that various root types perform for plants. She talks about what roots need in order to keep plants healthy and thriving. Then she poses questions to the reader as a way to help gauge how well you are (or are not) tending your own spiritual root system.
I know I'm not doing any justice to just how much I love this book. It's a small book, and the pages are nice and heavy because of all the photos. But it's just so much more than that. Her analogy to Christians as honeybees is a great reminder on being willing to do what needs to be done, no matter how menial the task may seem.
This is clearly written by someone who knows the joy found in gardening and the joy found in following God and beautifully intertwines the two. This would be a beautiful addition to the library of any gardener.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Book Review: Spiritually Strong by Kristen Feola
The book is separated into three main parts: The Core, The Exercises, and The Plan. The gist of the book is that your spiritual core is just as important to exercise as your physical core. In the first 2 parts, Feola describes both the physical and spiritual "muscles" as well as how to go about getting and keeping them fit.
The third part of the book is a 6-week plan implementing the information presented in the previous parts with the goal of transforming your body and soul for the better.
While Feola definitely has some solid information in here, I'm not entirely sure what I thought about the delivery. At times it came across a little heavy handed and left me feeling like there was no way I'd EVER be able to get my spiritual act together. The laundry list of things I do wrong, or don't do enough of, was a little overwhelming.
All in all, I'm glad I have this book, but not necessarily for its intended purpose. Rather than use it as a 6-week program, I intend to use it as a reference in my on-going study of the spiritual disciplines.
Sunday, April 26, 2015
...in God's likeness...
"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness... Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?" ~ James 3: 9,12
One of my favorite books in the Bible is the book of James. I am a very practical, common-sense kind of person. I don't do well with abstract thoughts and I often miss symbolism. But James is about as practical and easy to understand as it gets. Here is a man writing to Christians who, presumably, have put true faith in Christ. His letter is a "how to" guide for Christian living. It is a "how to" guide, that in my humble opinion, needs to be taken out, dusted off, and re-read by some of my modern day Christian brethren.
Anyhow, when I saw this story and some of the comments on it - from PEOPLE OF FAITH - I was pretty angry (but I'm Unoffendable now thanks to Brant Hansen, so it didn't last long) and then I was terribly sad.
My initial anger was at the thought that a fellow follower of Christ, who, by nature of being Christian, is shown unimaginable grace and mercy every day, would be so quick to think refusing to serve a person based on outward appearance is God-honoring. (Do you see the irony in that sentence? A Christian is refusing to serve..... That's our whole raison d'etre!!)
After my anger subsided, my emotion turned to sadness. I have a wonderful relative who happens to be gay. I pictured that person going into a store and being refused whatever it was he wanted to buy because the person who stood on the other side of the counter was passing judgement on him. I imagined how humiliating that would be for him and I wanted to cry. I also wondered why he would ever want to know my God (assuming, of course, that he doesn't - but how do I know? Maybe he knows Him better than I do!) based on the "loving" reception he just received on God's behalf.
This brings me back to my favorite book, James. The wisdom of this book which can so easily be grasped by anyone, is something believers should be striving to live out. One of the most instructive parts of this letter is as follows:
If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.Don't miss that line. Mercy triumphs over judgement. Think about what that really means. And that's what we are told to do - be merciful. And just in case we aren't sure why mercy triumphs over judgement, keep reading in James. Chapter 4 verse 12 tells us all we need to know. "There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you - who are you to judge your neighbor?"
Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. ~James 2: 8-13
I'll tell you - we're nobody.
And yet, we are of infinite worth to God.You know who is also of infinite worth to God? My relative. And you know what? The woman who was refused service in the name of my God? She is loved infinitely more than she will ever know - especially when those of us who do know tell her she isn't. That she's broken. That she's a sinner. If I knew who she was I would have one thing to tell her - "Welcome to the club." We're all broken. We're all sinners. And that's the beautiful thing about God's grace. It's big. Really really big. And his love? Even bigger. (John 3:16) Thank you, God.
One last thought - if you read the gospels and you understand Jesus even a little bit (if you need a little help on this, read Mark 2: 13-17), then ask yourself this question: If Jesus was in the store with the woman being refused service, which side of the counter do you think he'd be standing on?
Friday, April 10, 2015
Book Review: Unoffendable by Brant Hansen
For the past several years my family and I have been huge fans of Hansen.We listened to him faithfully when he was on the radio, and I still listen to him via podcast. So despite my initial skepticism at the thought of giving up my right to being angry, I gave him the benefit of the doubt. (His track record of honesty, humor and biblical knowledge made that easier for me to do!)
And in all honesty, this book was fantastic. Using stories from his own life (some of which made me laugh out loud), as well as illustrations and quotes from other authors, Hansen effectively puts forth his argument.
Using Scripture, from both the Old and New Testaments, we are shown what God has to say about anger, and who has the right to be angry (not us!) as well as how we are supposed to live our lives with gratitude, love and forgiveness, sharing God with those who may not know Him... and being blessed by the choice to live that way.
As an experiment, I decided to try being unoffendable. (By the way, it's amazing how much practice you get when you make a decision like that!) But it has actually been a pretty cool thing. Not that I have a bad temper or anything like that, but I make the choice each time that something that would normally bother me just doesn't have the power to do so. Mostly it's stupid stuff like other drivers on the road or things like that. But the other day my teenage daughter was in a "mood." She was cranky and just generally not nice to be around. Rather than play into it and argue with her (like I normally do) I just walked away and did something else. A couple hours later she came into the living room and sat next to me and apologized to me for being mean before. She knew I was reading this book, so I said to her, "Thanks for the apology, but don't worry about it. I'm unoffendable!" She smiled, put her head down on my shoulder and said,"I'm so glad you're my mom."
Thank you, Brant!
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Newest Pursuit
After weeks of writing, editing, stressing, etc. I found myself sitting at at table with a bunch of women - some that I knew and some that I didn't. They were all eating and laughing, and having a great time. I was doing my best to not throw up!
And of course - I was slated to be the first to go. So when my time came, I stood up (shaking) and climbed the stairs onto the stage. As soon as my foot hit the top step I was completely calm. It suddenly became fun and I was totally at ease. I told my story, improvising and ad-libbing like I had done it a million times. The audience laughed, they seemed to enjoy what I shared. It was an amazing experience.
Not long afterward, I was approached by one of the members of the leadership team of the weekly bible study I attend. They were wondering if I was interested in becoming part of the lecturing team. I brought the idea home, thinking I would have to decline. (I have a tendency to over commit to lots of stuff - but I'm getting much better at picking and choosing!) But my husband was completely on board with me joining the team!
During the summer when the team met we looked at what the weekly topics were for the year and chose the topics that looked interesting to each of us. I chose a lesson called "Joy in Serving Others." It was based on a small section of Philippians (2:19-30), in which Paul speaks about Timothy and Epaphroditus.
I was supposed to write enough to fill between 20 - 30 minutes. My first draft was almost one hour long! After some serious editing, I was able to get it to about 25 minutes. It was definitely a LOT of work and studying, but it was so worth it. I have a whole new appreciation for that section of Scripture, that's for sure!
Delivering the talk was a little more intimidating than just sharing a story, but I did it and, again, I totally loved it! I only signed up for one lecture this year. Next year I hope to sign up for 2 - maybe even 3.
If you're interested in hearing how it came out, check it out. Click on LAUNCH MEDIA PLAYER. It will bring up a list. Look for the podcast from 2/24/2015, called Lesson 7: Why We Do What We Do.
Friday, February 27, 2015
Book Review - Simply Open: A Guide to Experiencing God in the Everyday by Greg Paul
The list of books published each year telling us how to live-an-amazing-life-now in just ten easy steps grows each year. Some of these are well worth the read, but after a while you start to yearn for something…deeper.
Simply Open: A Guide to Experiencing God in the Everyday by Greg Paul is that something deeper.
Paul, author of such books as The Twenty-Piece Shuffle: Why the Poor and Rich Need Each Other and Close Enough to Hear God Breathe: The Great Story of Divine Intimacy, has taken a different path for his latest by plumbing the depth of the often overlooked Christian practice of contemplative prayer. This simple practice of prayer and awareness can turn the ordinary into something extraordinary, a deeper spiritual journey in the midst of everyday life.
Paul uses something readily available to each of us as the gateway to spiritual awakening basing each of his first five chapters off a different sense.
Open My Eyes
Open My Ears
Open My Nostrils
Open My Mouth
Open My Hands
He then broadens his scope with the final two chapters, Open My Heart and Open My Mind, showing how to take the everyday awareness and make it something more.
If you have never experienced contemplative prayer this book is a great place to start.
Monday, January 19, 2015
Book Review: Vanishing Grace by Philip Yancey
I have never read anything by Philip Yancey before, but I am so glad I picked up his newest, Vanishing Grace: Whatever Happened to the Good News? This book was thought-provoking, well-researched and very well written. In it, Yancey basically poses the question from one Christian to another, "Why doesn't the world see us as dispensers of God's grace?" He then goes on through the book to tackle that question as well as propose solutions to how we can better serve a thirsty world with the life-giving water of Christ.
Yancey gives examples of how humility, self-sacrifice, and confidence in God are essential to being the type of people we are called to be. He shows, through various examples of people from different walks of life, how we can be "dispensers of grace."
This book is encouraging in that it inspires the reader to want to be better at sharing the love of God that we are so willing to enjoy ourselves... that never ending grace that we are partakers of that, if we are honest, we should be tripping over each other in order to share it with those in need.
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