A New Beginning

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T00:00:00.000-06:00

"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons." Galations 4:4-5 (ESV)

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14 (ESV)

"But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days."
Micah 5:2 (ESV)

"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring[a] and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Genesis 3:15 (ESV)

"And in your (Abraham's) offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed..." Genesis 22:18 (ESV)

Comfort, Comfort, Ye My People

2011-12-23T06:00:00.000-06:00

Today's Advent hymn, "Comfort, Comfort, Ye My People" by Johann Olearius and again translated by Catherine Winkworth, is by the request of Pete.

"Comfort, Comfort, Ye My People"

Comfort, comfort, ye My people,

Speak ye peace, thus saith our God;
Comfort those who sit in darkness,
Mourning 'neath their sorrows' load.
Speak ye to Jerusalem
Of the peace that waits for them;
Tell her that her sins I cover
And her warfare now is over.

Yea, her sins our God will pardon,
Blotting out each dark misdeed;
All that well deserved His anger
He no more will see or heed.
She hath suffered many a day,
Now her griefs have passed away;
God will change her pining sadness
Into ever-springing gladness.

Hark, the Herald's voice is crying
In the desert far and near,
Bidding all men to repentance
Since the Kingdom now is here.
Oh, that warning cry obey!
Now prepare for God a way;
Let the valleys rise to meet Him
And the hills bow down to greet Him.

Make ye straight what long was crooked,
Make the rougher places plain;
Let your hearts be true and humble,
As befits His holy reign.
For the glory of the Lord
Now o'er earth is shed abroad,
And all flesh shall see the token
That His Word is never broken.

And, since it was Pete who requested this one, the video is a brass quintet recording of the hymn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Xare0pbxxs&feature=related

Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending

2011-12-22T06:00:00.000-06:00

Today's Advent hymn is Charles Wesley's "Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending."

"Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending"

Lo, he comes with clouds descending,

Once for ev'ry sinner slain;
Thousand thousand saints attending
Swell the triumph of his train:
Alleluia, alleluia!
Christ the Lord returns to reign.

Ev'ry eye shall now behold him
Robed in glorious majesty;
Those who set at nought and sold him,
Pierced and nailed him to the tree,
Deeply wailing, deeply wailing, shall their true Messiah see.

Those dear tokens of his Passion
Still his dazzling body bears,
Cause of endless exultation
To his ransomed worshipers.
With what rapture, with what rapture
Gaze we on those glorious scars!

Yea, amen, let all adore thee,
High on thine eternal throne;
Savior, take the pow'r and glory,
Claim the kingdom for thine own.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Thou shalt reign, and thou a lone!

This is not my favorite tune for this hymn, but it is the one that is in our current hymnal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08cGl44SWGM

Hark the Glad Sound

2011-12-21T06:00:00.000-06:00

Today's Advent hymn is "Hark the Glad Sound" by Philip Doddridge.

"Hark the Glad Sound"

Hark the glad soung! The Savior comes,
The Savior promised long;
Let every heart prepage a throne
And every voice a song.

He comes the pris'ners to release,
In Satan's bondage held.
The gates of brass before Him burst,
The iron fetters yield.

He comes the broken heart to bind,
The bleeding soul to cure,
And with the treasures of His grace
To enrich the humble poor.

Our glad hosannas, Prince of Peace,
Thy welcome shall proclaim,
And heav'n's eternal arches ring
With Thy beloved name.

This is a fun organ arrangement of the hymn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GxACjvrujo

Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates

2011-12-20T06:00:00.000-06:00

Today's hymn is "Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates" by Georg Weissel and translated by Catherine Winkworth.

"Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates"

Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates!
Behold, the King of glory waits.
The King of kings is drawing near;
The Savior of the world is here.
Life and salvation He doth bring;
Therefore rejoice and gladly sing.
To God the Father raise
Your joyful songs of praise.

A righteous Helper comes to thee,
His chariot is humility,
His kingly crown is holiness,
His scepter, pity in distress,
The end of all our woe He brings;
Therefore the earth is glad and sings:
To Christ the Savior raise
Your grateful hymns of praise.

How blest the land, the city blest,
Where Christ the Ruler is confessed!
O peaceful hearts and happy homes
To whom this King in triumph comes!
The cloudless Sun of joy is He,
Who comes to set His people free.
To God the Spirit raise
Your grateful hymns of praise.

Fling wide the portals of your heart;
Make it a temple set apart
From earthly use for Heaven's employ,
Adorned with prayer and love and joy.
So shall your Sovereign enter in
And new and nobler life begin.
To God alone be praise
For word and deed and grace!

Redeemer, come and open wide
My heart to Thee; here, Lord, abide!
O enter with Thy grace dinne;
Thy face of mercy on me shine.
Thy Holy Spirit guide us on
Until our glorious goal is won.
Eternal praise and fame
We offer to Thy name.

(I couldn't find an even half-way decent video of this one, expecially with the tune I like.)

Savior of the Nations, Come

2011-12-19T06:00:00.000-06:00

The Advent hymn for today is "Savior of the Nations, Come" by (most likely) Ambrose of Milan and later translated into German by Martin Luther.

"Savior of the Nations, Come"

Savior of the nations, come,

Virgin's Son, make here Your home!

Marvel now, O heav'n and earth,

That the Lord chose such a birth.

Not by human flesh and blood,

By the Spirit of our God,

Was the Word of God made flesh -

Woman's offspring, pure and fresh.

And, another video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqKpdIFX5LE

Advent

2011-12-18T12:53:00.002-06:00

Ok, before anyone complains that I haven't blogged in a long time, I already know. Frankly, while I enjoy this blog, it hasn't been a priority lately. I have thought about it a couple of times and just have not gotten around to it. However, I am posting now.
Last year I posted about Advent. Because it is already there for the world to see, I am not going to recap it all again. However, while it is getting closer to Christmas, once again, Advent is getting forgotten. So, in the week leading up to Christmas, I am going to share some of my favorite Advent hymns, which I also think tend to be some of the best and most powerful of all hymnody. (Everything I will be posting is in the public domain.) I like so many Advent hymns, I won't get to post them all. Still, hopefully you will see some of your favorites and maybe see some new ones as well. Enjoy!

The hymn I am posting today is a very old hymn (written somewhere between the 5th and 10th centuries). It is a newer hymn for me, though, having just been introduced to it last year. Frankly, I think it is fantastic and a great way to start off this hymn collection.

"Creator of the Stars of Night"

Creator of the stars of night,

Thy people's everlasting Light:

O Christ, Redeemer, save us all,

And hear Thy servants when they call.

Thou, grieving that the ancient curse

Should doom to death the universe,

Hast found the healing, full of grace,

To cure and save our ruined race.

Thou cam'st the Bridegroom of the bride,

As drew the world to eventide,

The spotless Victim all divine

Proceeding from a virgin shrine.

At whose dread name, majestic now,

All knees must bend, all hears must bow;

All things celestial Thee shall own,

And things terrestrial, Lord alone.

O Thou, whoe coming is with dread

To judge the living and the dead,

Preserve us from the ancient doe

While still we dwell on earth below.

To God the Father and the Son

And Holy Spirit, Three in One,

Praise, honor, might and glory be

From age to age eternally.

Amen.

Here is a link to another page that has the melody: http://http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/c/r/crestars.htm

And, a you tube video of the hymn with a slightly different translation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOXOE2caXpo&feature=related

Happy Advent!

The Last Frontier

2011-07-09T13:24:00.004-05:00

We just got back from a fantastic vacation to Alaska, with brief stops in Canada and Seattle. Of course, coming back to 90 degree temperatures in southern Illinois has not been as enjoyable. So that I can try to remember the cool Alaskan air, here are some highlights of our trip.

Day 1
Today we flew out to Seattle. We cashed in our frequent flier miles for the flight and flew first class. (It was the same number of miles to fly first as it would have been to fly coach.) After checking into our hotel, we wandered around Pike Place Market a bit and ate dinner at The Athenian (which is a restaurant that happens to also be featured in Sleepless in Seattle).

Day 2
We wandered around Pike Place a little more this morning and stopped for coffee at the original Starbucks. We then headed over to our ship, the Carnival Spirit. The ship left Seattle and started heading up towards Alaska.

Day 3
We spent the whole day at sea. There was some beautiful scenery outside, but it was a bit chilly, so we didn't spend much time outside. Our ship had an onboard naturalist, Michelle, who would let us know if there was any wildlife around the ship and also did several presentations throughout the trip on glaciers, whales, and the other wildlife we would see. This was our first formal night on board the ship, and we ate both lobster and duck for dinner.

Day 4
It was pretty cold (about 50 degrees with a decent breeze and drizzling rain), but we still spent most of the day outside. While we stayed on the boat all day, the boat cruised through the Tracy Arm Wilderness Area, and particularly, Tracy Arm Fjord. (For those who do not know, a fjord is what is left when a glacier melts and is deep enough even for a cruise boat to get through.) It was beautiful. I think we took more than 100 pictures this day. It is impossible to describe to beauty here. It is something that simply needs to be experienced.

Day 5
The ship docked in Skagway, AK today. We spent the morning at a National Park Service center that descibed the role Skagway had in the Yukon gold rush. A ranger also took us on a tour of the town and pointed out some the the historical highlights. We also wandered around the town a bit. In the afternoon we had booked a shore excursion through Carnival. Our tour went to Liarsville, a recreated tent city on the edge of Skagway that ahd been formed by stampeders during the gold rush. (It was called Liarsville because the journalists that had been reporting the gold rush had told so many lies about it.) We then drove in a bus up the Yukon highway to the summit and a little into the Yukon territory in Canada.

Day 6
Today the ship docked in Juneau, AK. We did not really get to explore the town on our own because we had booked two excursions. On the first, we went to a closed down gold mine. We toured the compound, learned about hard rock gold mining, and got a tour inside the mine led by an actual gold miner (and not an ordinary tour guide). They are thinking about possibly reopening the mine, so we were fortunate that we caught it while they were still giving tours. In the afternoon, we got a bus tour of Juneau, visited a salmon hatchery, and then went out to Mendenhall Glacier. I wish we would have had more time at the glacier. There were beautiful hiking trails. We started on a trail to a waterfall, but had to turn around before we got there so we wouldn't miss our bus.

Day 7
Today we were docked in Ketchikan, AK. We did a self-guided walking tour of the town. Of course, it rained all day, which made it a little bit miserable. Ketchikan is known for the many totem poles around town. While on the walking tour, we visited a museum about the history of Ketchikan, a museum on totem poles, and the Alaska Discovery Center, which is a museum done by the US Forest Service about the natural history of Alaska, particularly southeast Alaska and the Tongass National Forest, which is the largest national forest in the US. (We visited the sister museum at Mendenall Glacier in Juneau, which is also in the Tongass National Forest.) Our day in Ketchikan was very short, however.

Day 8
We spent most of the day on board the ship. The ship had a short 4th of July party, which we attended. We also participated in the Chicken Olympics (one of those crazy things they can probably only get people to do on a cruise) and finished in third place. (My knees did get pretty beat up while participating.) They moved our dinner time up a little bit (although we were still rushed), because we stopped in Victoria, BC that night. We took a horse-drawn carriage tour of the town. It was a short stop and town was a bit of a ways from the boat, so we didn't have time to do anything else.

Day 9
The boat docked back in Seattle this morning. After checking into our hotel (which, fortunately, already had our room ready at 8:15 in the morning), we headed to Seattle Center. We first went to the Experience Music Project, which is a museum of music, particularly the Seattle music scene. (For example, they had an exhibit on Nirvana and an exhibit on Jimmy Hendrix.) The most interesting part (and the room with the most people) was the room where a video and computer program taught you a little bit about how to play rock band instruments. I learned to play the bass part for the song "Wild Thing" and tried to learn some power chords on the guitar (which I have always wanted to learn to play, although I was still not very good at them). In the afternoon we went to the Pacific Science Center, which had some wonderful exhibits. The best ones were on the science of fear, as well as the tropical butterfly house. In the evening we took a tour of the Seattle underground. It provided a lot of the history of the formation of Seattle and was very interesting.

Day 10
We flew back home today, arriving home around midnight. (We flew coach this time, though, as we paid for these tickets ourselves.)

I'll admit, I was not quite ready for this vacation to end and to be back in the real world. However, at least I will get to go visit some wonderful college friends next weekend, which helps me remember that my summer (while getting closer and closer to the start of another school year) is not yet over.

While we took more than 200 pictures on vacation, here is one that just barely begins to show the beauty of Alaska:

Kiss the Moose!

2011-06-16T12:59:00.003-05:00

After Bible Study this evening, Pete and I will be heading to our favorite place in the whole world (at least, it's my favorite place): Camp Lutherhaven. Pete was invited to preach at the Sunday worship service. After checking to make sure that he could actually miss this Sunday in church, he jumped at the chance. He also gets the privilege of leading the staff worship on Friday and presiding over communion. We are thrilled and excited to return to Camp and catch up with a couple of friends that we haven't been able to see in a while.
Why do we love Camp so much? Well, it is the place where we met and where Pete proposed to me. But, for me at least, the reason I love Camp is much deeper than that. It is a place filled with the glory of God. It is a place where my faith has (and continues to) grow and mature. It is so easy to see God's wonder in the midst of His wonderful creation. The people there form a loving community based around the saving work of Jesus. When I am at Camp, I am at home.
Words alone cannot describe Camp Lutherhaven. It is a place that has to be experienced. However, this might help you get a taste:

(2011 Camp Lutherhaven Promotional Video)

School's Out!

2011-05-22T20:15:00.003-05:00

Wednesday was a very big day for me. Why? Wednesday was the unofficial start of summer. One of the nice (and necessary) parts of being a teacher is a summer off. Now, my summer isn't really "off." I need to go in to clean out and organize my classroom. I have a box of books in my car that I need to find Lexile Levels (a little like reading levels) on this summer. I have curriculm to revamp and some new curriculm to plan. I have science center file folder games to put together. No, the summer isn't really a vacation - it's just time to get some of the things that I don't have time for during the school year because of students and parents that expect me to actually teach their children somethings during school. ;)
However, the summer does have benefits. My schedule is much more flexible. Today I went to a baby shower for a friend in St. Louis, about a 1 1/2 hour drive away. Now, while I would have gone on a Sunday regardless, the fact that I don't have to worry about school tomorrow meant that I got some shopping done while I was actually in civilization. I have read four books so far and am starting another. I still have four weeks left of graduate work, but I have time to get that done. If it would ever stop raining for an extended peiod of time, I could actually get some work in the yard done. Oh, and if I feel like sleeping in, I can actually do it. (I am finally starting to get something near enough sleep. Sleep depravity during the school year is one reason that teachers really need their summer.) Now, if we were still in St. Louis or near NYC, I would visit museums or do other local sightseeing activities. However, being far away from a city means that is not possible. Right now I am enjoying being at home, but that feeling will disappear pretty soon. Following my husband for his calling has put me in new, unfamiliar, and, frankly, sometimes scary territory. This summer will not only be relaxing, but also one that will likely include some personal growth. (If any of you have a teleporter hidden away in your attic, may I borrow it? It would make getting to civilzation a whole lot easier.)

The Mighty Mississippi

2011-05-01T18:03:00.004-05:00

There has been a great deal of terrible weather around the country lately. I follow the blog of another pastor's wife, and her family and community have been devestated by the Alabama tornados. We have been very fortunate, and I thank God that we have not had any real flooding in our own home. Some of my students, however, have had terrible flooding and had difficulty even getting out of their homes. I have had to drive the long way around to get to school, but doubles my commute time. Today we drove down to where the state highway was closed and took some pictures. Here are a few of them.

This is the state highway I usually drive to work.

Another picture of the state highway, with less zoom. You can see where the road is under the water a little bit from this picture.

I just thought this one was fun. I don't think any parking at all, even for emergencies, will be happening soon.

"The Lord said to Noah..."

2011-04-25T20:01:00.003-05:00

Back when I was in college, we sometimes sang a song in chapel called "Let It Rain." Now, I never particularly liked the song (as it really didn't talk about anything at all, and I personally like songs/hymns that actually talk about Jesus or the other two persons of the Trinity). Today I really don't like the song. Why? Because it has been raining practically nonstop since Friday. Our yard (that we worked so hard on last week) is completely saturated. We now have a small river and pond in our backyard. The school I teach at is in the middle of a floodplain. There is only 1 road still open to get to school, and it involves going way out of the way. In fact, if the state highway is closed tomorrow (which it may very well be), my 30-35 minute commute will easily turn into an hour and a half commute. Since we have a PTL meeting after school, I am seriously thinking about taking a change of clothes, some toiletries, and a sleeping bag to school tomorrow so that I don't have to go home before Wednesday.
I just want the rain to stop and life to be semi-normal again. However, it doesn't appear that that will happen anytime soon.

Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!

2011-04-17T20:21:00.002-05:00

"Ride on, ride on in majesty.
In lowly pomp, ride on to die.
O Christ, Thy triumphs now begin
O'er captive death and conquered sin."
- "Ride On, Ride On in Majesty" by Henry H. Milman

Today we celebrate Palm Sunday, also called Sunday of the Passion. Palm Sunday seems like such a joyous day, doesn't it? After all, the crowds cheered on Jesus as He rode into Jerusalem. Even though the Pharisees tried to rain on the parade, Jesus still had an answer to their criticism.
Even though the day seemed joyous, as Henry Milman points out, Jesus did not ride into Jerusalem to have a big party. He rode into Jerusalem to suffer terrible punishment for crimes He did not commit and a cursed death on a cross. He came to bear the sins of the whole world. This is in stark contrast to the joyous celebration on Palm Sunday.
Fortunately for us, the story does not end there. Christ's death conquered sin and his glorious ressurrection on Easter morning triumphed over death. So, maybe Palm Sunday can be a joyous day after all as a day pointing to both the ultimate sacrifice and the ultimate victory.

2011-03-31T17:04:00.003-05:00

I am always trying to find ways to help out my students. Unfortunately, money is very hard to come by. So, I apply for grants anytime I can. I currently have two grants that I've applied for where money is divided up through a voting process. Since we are a small school (38 students) and don't have a lot of people to help us vote, I'm reaching out to get everyone to help that I can. I would love it if you would vote and help out my students! You can vote one time per email address. Here are the links:
Reader's Theater Grant
Classroom Store Grant

"We didn't start the fire"

2011-03-20T19:28:00.002-05:00

A little over a week ago we attended a fire safety dinner. We went because it was a free meal at Ponderosa and it promised to be short. It ended up being mostly a sales pitch for expensive alarm systems using scare tactics. While we want to take precautions, we were not sucked into the presentation and left feeling as if it was mostly a waste of time.
Then today happened. While I still think the presentation was relatively worthless, today I was glad for the precautions we had already taken around the house. Today was a beautiful spring day. We had to run to the grocery store to pick up a few things, and, while we were there, we decided to pick up some steaks to grill for dinner. Now, grilling is one of Peter's favortie things to do. He was very excited about this. I was inside making some potatoes for a side dish when I heard a knock on the window. I didn't rush over. I figured his hands were full and he just wanted some help opening the door. When I got to the door, however, I did not see Peter. What I did see was our lawn on fire. After being stunned for a moment, Peter shouted, "Get the extinguisher!" I got it, and let him spray it while I got bucket fulls of water. We did put the fire out, but not before a decent portion of the lawn had been scorched. The reason for the fire? Not thinking very clearly, Peter put the grill on the grass. He also forgot to put the catch pan for the ashes back on the grill. He released ashes, and released them right into the grass. The ground is wet, but the grass is still dead and dry AND it was a breezy day. Let's just say that this was not the way we planned to start the grilling season.

Wordle

2011-02-01T21:26:00.003-06:00

For those of you unfamiliar with Wordle, it is a website that takes words that you input (or an RSS feed from a blog) and makes a word graphic. The words it finds most are the largest. I thought it would be fun to make one, partially to see what I talk about most here. Hmm, I'm not sure it is clear enough... (said with lots and lots of sarcasm):

Wordle: A New Beginning

Snow and Ice, Go Away

2011-01-30T19:21:00.003-06:00

I don't mind winter weather. In general, it doesn't bother me. No, I am not a huge fan of driving in the ice or snow, but I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and went to college in Michigan. I can handle it. However, no matter how often it snows down here, people claim that it doesn't snow and they don't know how to drive in it. (This is our first winter in this immediate area, but, as we are not terribly far from the seminary, this is our fourth winter in the general area. It has snowed every year we've been around.)
Because no one knows how to handle the snow and the district my school is in is rural, we close school at even the hint of snow. Last week, we finally had a full week of school. That was our first full week of school since the first week of January. While school has not been cancelled for tomorrow yet (and I am REALLY hoping that it won't be), I would not be at all surprised if school were cancelled both Tuesday and Wednesday.
I really feel for my students. It is hard to develop any sense of consistancy when school is constantly being closed. I also know thar for some of my students, school is the best part of their day. My students have told me that they are sick of snow days, and I can't blame them. I am hoping that maybe the current weather system will hold off a bit, or, at least, be not as dramatic as they are predicting. (It's not a good sign when the National Weather Service is already telling people to not travel on Tuesday morning, though.)

Adopt My Classroom

2011-01-20T10:22:00.004-06:00

I have added my classroom to the Adopt-a Classroom website. For those of you who don't know, I teach a a small, rural Christian school. Our goal is to:
SHARE Christ with the families of our congregation and community
CARE about each other as Christ cares about us
PREPARE children not only for productive living, but also for eternity

However, being a small school does have challenges. We don't receive the same kind of funding from the state that public schools do. Tuition alone does not cover all of our expenses. This means that buying "extras" is often difficult and would not be possible without various fundraising opportunities. So, while I don't plan to make a habit of posting this sort of thing on here, I just wanted to increase awareness. I encourage you to help out your own local Christian school as well, if it is by donations of items, money, or time. I am a product of a Lutheran preschool and grade school education, and I highly value it as being formative in who I am today.

(If you are interested in helping out my specific classroom or know someone who is, there is a link on the side of my blog.)

Oh, and why am I typing this in the middle of the day? It's a snow day, of course! (Number 5 this year.)

Taking Zinc

2011-01-10T17:05:00.003-06:00

Flu season must be in full swing. I have 11 wonderful first and second grade students in my class. Well, I usually have 11 wonderful first and second grade students. Today I had 5. Yes, only 5! Needless to say, I threw out all of my lesson plans for the day and winged it a bit. The students I did have loved the day, though, as they felt that they didn't have any real work to do. I hope we have school tomorrow, but they are predicting snow, and the district my school is in closes school for practically nothing, so I'm not holding my breath. It's hard to get into any schedule after the break if I don't have any students or if we don't have school.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T09:32:00.001-06:00

I wish everyone a blessed Christmas as we celebrate the Savior's birth! I hope that your Christmases are wonderful and Christ-filled.

The Advent of our King

2010-12-22T11:55:00.003-06:00

The season of Advent is nearing its end and the season of Christmas will be here soon. But, it's ot Christmas yet. While some people seem to think that Christmas starts right after Halloween and others consider the day after Thanksgiving the start of Christmas, I do not. While I am perfectly content to consider the day after Thanksiving the beginning of the holiday season (and a perfect time to start decorating the housee), I don't want to lose the wonder, marvel, and reflection of Advent.

Advent is a time in which I focus on my sin and the need for a Savior. Yes, I said it. I am a sinner. Those words sting and are not easy for my often perfectionistic self to say. After all, who wants to admit that they are not perfect? Certainly not me. But that is what the season of Advent is about. It is a time for me to reflect on my sinful nature and the fact that I do not deserve anything and cannot achieve anything on my own. I need a Savior. I need someone to take my sins and bear the punishment for them. I need Christ.

After all, isn't that what Christmas is all about? If we didn't need a Savior, what reason would the Father have to send his Son to have a human birth? Christmas is meaningless without the realization that it is only necessary due to our fallen nature. Christmas is meaningless if I am not a sinner in need of a Savior. As you prepare to celebrate Christmas, don't lose the importance of Advent. As John the Baptist said, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" (Matthew 3:2, ESV)

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

2010-12-10T22:27:00.002-06:00

While I don't plan on usually posting book or movie reviews, I am going to post a little about The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. This is a spoiler alert. If you haven't seen the movie and don't want to find out anything about it, STOP READING NOW! With that warning...

I really was disappointed with the movie version of VDT. While more pieces of the plot line existed in this movie than in Prince Caspian, the most major theme was distorted. The movie looked at a theme of temptation and the inability to resist temptation due to the green mist (which is NOT in the book). While temptation certainly exists in the book, the book is not as much about temptation as it is about the depravity of humans and the redeeming power of Christ (Aslan) through baptism (Eustace's de-dragoning) and Word (the appearances of Aslan to the various characters). In the movie, the characters are not totally responsible for their actions, as the evil mist caused them to act certain ways. However, in the book, each character is held responsible for his or her actions. Only Aslan can save. In the movie, however, the characters defeat the mist on their own with their quest. This seems to be so anti-Lewis and his ideas for the themes of the books.
I strongly debated whether to even see this movie after being so disappointed by Prince Caspian, but I decided to see it anyway because of the change of both the director and distributer. However, I am pretty sure I will not be seeing any more (if they are made). I simply can't take the intense pain while sitting in the theater anymore. (And my fellow patrons probably don't want me sitting there either, as I tend to madly flail my arms in disgust when I am frustrated.)

Happy New Year!

2010-11-28T17:12:00.004-06:00

Yes, I do mean my title. No, I realize that it is not January 1st, but today is the beginning of the season of Advent, and, therefore, the beginning of a new church year. I know that it has been awhile since I have updated, but I thought the beginning of a new church year would be a great time to do so. I was hoping that at some point life would calm down a little, but, that simply isn't the case. While I would love to say that when my Master's degree is over in June I will have some time again, but, everytime I say that, something else happens. However, it is time for me to write again. And, frankly, I've been so busy that I don't even know where to start. So, instead of writing a bunch about myself, I would like to use this entry as a tribute to C.S. Lewis.
Those of you who know me know that I am a little obsessed. I participate in a Lewis forum (even when it closed and moved to Facebook), and I am a proud member of the 2467317 Club. (If you don't know what that is, I'll leave it to you to figure out. Here's a clue - it deals with the Chronicles of Narnia.) Lewis has so many fantastic quotes, but here is one of my favorites from Mere Christianity (and is an appropriate one for the Advent season):

"Enemy-occupied territory - that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful kind has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage."

Happy Advent!

2010-10-11T17:03:00.002-05:00

I am enjoying the long weekend. Yay for Columbus Day! We didn't have kids at school on Friday, so it was a short day with only CPR and First Aid training. I also enjoy having Mondays off, because it means that the next week is only a four day week. This week will be extra short, because we are taking the whole school (when your school only has 40 kids, it is not that big of a feat) on a field trip to a "zoo" and a nature center for the whole day. Then, next Friday, Pete and I are going to take a much needed mini vacation. We have season passes to Six Flags but have barely been this year because it is further away now that we have moved. So, we are going to go on Friday, spend the night, and go on back to the park Saturday. I am very much looking forward to our mini getaway!

Popeye, Shrek, and the Rep

2010-09-22T17:04:00.002-05:00

Things have been quite busy since my last post. The weekend of September 10-12 was the Popeye Picnic in town. I don't think we will ever spend that much time at this particular festival ever again. (I wound up spending almost 15 hours there over the weekend, and Pete pulled in a good 17.) One of the highlights of the weekend was the 5K run/competitive walk. We didn't think we were quite in shape enought to do the run, so we did the walk. We both ended up coming in second in our age group (although I had more people in my age group to compete against than Pete did). It was good exercise and a good motivation to be ready to do the run next year. (Oh, and we got trophies, too! My students thought it was great.)
Last Friday we went up to St. Louis to go see Shrek the Musical. They changed it quite a bit from the Broadway show, and it was abit of a disappointment. But, it was nice to be able to eat dinner at a Bread Co. (Panera) and do a little shoe shopping in a place that actually has multiple good eateries and stores to shop in. (Boy, I never thought that I would consider St. Louis the fun place to be!) This Friday we will be back in St. Louis to go to the St. Louis Repratory Theater's production of You Can't Take It With You. We plan on getting sushi for dinner (something you definately cannot get here), and hopefully spending time with some friends.
As a side note, the senior pastor at our church declined the call he had received, so there are no major changes there for now.

Moving at Light Speed

2010-08-29T13:12:00.002-05:00

Life has been running a million miles an hour, and I'm not quite sure when it will stop. School has started, which means I am busy teaching 1st and 2nd graders all day long, while trying to meet the often very diverse needs I am finding in my classroom. For Pete, the start of school means the start of confirmation class every morning, on top of everything else. Oh, and should I mention that the senior pastor received and is considering a call to another congregation? The boxes still aren't unpacked, although we do have a workable guest bedroom. (Now we just need to get the boxes from the guest bedroom unpacked instead of simply moved to another room.) I've already gotten a little more of the cabinet harware for our kitchen cabinets installed today, and hope to get that at least close to finished. Oh, did I mention we will have company coming into town both next weekend and the weekend after? So, there is some pressure to get the house looking more presentable.
In the midst of all of this chaos, my confirmation verse has been sticking out in my head - "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." (Psalm 23:1) I need to trust in God and his guidance, even when life is crazy.

When It Rains, It Pours

2010-08-11T20:21:00.002-05:00

Things have been crazy since Pete's ordination. The realities of life have hit us with full force. First, our oven broke. We were making dinner before last Saturday evening's service, and it came out a bit burnt. I figured that the oven just ran a bit hot. About half an hour after dinner was over, we realized that the oven was still running, even though I had turned it off. It simply wouldn't turn off and got hotter and hotter until we turned off the breaker. When we turned the breaker back on, the oven automatically started heating up again. So, we are not able to use our oven. Hopefully our new oven will arrive this weekend so that we can do normal cooking again instead of having to use the microwave.
The check engine light in my car has been for about 2 weeks. Then, on Sunday, the check oil light kept going on and off, even though I had had an oil change less than 2 months ago. So, before we wasted the money titling the car in our new state and putting even more money into my car, we decided that we needed to buy a new one, especially since I have a pretty long commute and need to drive to Cincinnati this weekend for a wedding. So, today we spent about 5 hours car shopping, and I wound up with a new car. So, in the past month, we've bought a house, a fridge, a stove, and a car. I hope the big purchases stop there.

It finally happened

2010-08-02T20:56:00.002-05:00

Around 4 o'clock yesterday, I became a pastor's wife. It is official.

Trying to move in

2010-07-29T16:54:00.003-05:00

We have all of the boxes inside of our new house (except for a couple my mother-in-law is bringing this weekend). However, very few of them are unpacked. Our cabinet doors and kitchen walls are still being painted (the walls by a professional painter in the congregation). We do have TV service, phone, and internet, even though we don't have any doors on our cabinets. We are having family and a few friends over on Saturday evening, so I really hope that we can get at least enough unpacked so that people can have a place to sit and walk around!
People are coming into town because Pete's ordination is on Sunday! We are both very excited. It's also kind of fun to have people start referring to my husband as "Pastor." However, this is a small town, and the rumor mill about us has already started. When new neighbors who are not members of the church have heard the untrue gossip, you know that it's bad. For the other pastor's wives out there, how do you handle the gossip?

Exercising My Signing Muscles

2010-07-11T19:45:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we bought paint and cabinet hardware. Today we are packing the car with the painting supplies, an air mattress, and food that doesn't need any refrigeration, and tomorrow morning we head down to go close on our very first house. I will also open a new bank account and head down to my new school to pick up my curriculum and (hopefully) my keys. Life is changing drastically, and tomorrow seems to be an important event in that change.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

2010-06-27T15:44:00.002-05:00

Pete and I believe that family vacation time is very important. It is important to both take a break and have dedicated family time, and also to explore the world. This year we decided to take a big trip, as it could be a few years before we will be able to take a trip of this magnitude or length again. So, two weeks ago we headed off to Great Britain. After a delayed and changed flight, we finally made it into London. We were able to spend 5 days/4 nights there and see at least some of the wonderful sights, including the Tower of London, the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, the New Globe Theater, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, and the British Museum, as well as other sights. We also got to see a performance of Billy Elliot in the West End. From there we rented a car and headed to Stratford-upon-Avon to see the Shakespeare sights and saw a performance of Antony and Cleopatra by the Royal Shakespeare Company. We spent the next day at Warwick Castle before heading up to York. In York we saw Yorkminster Cathedral (which was extra fun as I had gotten to sing a Vespers service there while I was in high school), the Jorvik Viking Center, and the National Railway Museum. We then headed up to Edinburghm stopping at a Roman Fort and Hadrian's Wall. In Edinburgh we got to see the Palace of the Holyrood House, St. Giles Cathedral (which I also sang at in high school), Edinburgh Castle, Craigmillar Castle, the Scottish Museum, as well as many other places. We also got to see a military dress rehearsal for the installation of a new Governor of Edinburgh Castle, complete with pipes, drums, and military band. It was very cool.
As much fun as we had, a major theme of our vacation was getting lost. We had reserved the rental car with a GPS, however, they didn't have any GPS available. It was then a scramble to find directions (without any cell phones or internet access). After getting lost in Oxford and missing our planned upon sightseeing and dinner, we finally bought an atlas. However, it still didn't have big enough detailed maps of some of the places we needed to drive. We really learned the geography of the parts of England and Scotland we drove through! It really made me appreciate the technology we have now, and realize the need for streets to actually have street signs in visible locations. I bet there is another lesson in this experience as well...

For what it's worth, it was worth all the while

2010-05-22T16:38:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was my husband's graduation from seminary. It has been a long, four year journey for both of us. When my husband started seminary, we were newlyweds. We lived in a small one-bedroom apartment near campus. I was afraid about making friends, as I knew no one in St. Louis. However, four years later, I am sad that the friends I have made will be moving far away and that I will be moving. Don't worry, I will not miss our current rental and am excited about the house that we are purchasing, but I will miss the convieneces of the city and the closeness of friends. I work with one of my best friends, but her last day will be on Monday, since she and her husband will also be moving to accept a call into the pastoral ministry. My godson and his wonderful parents will be moving ten hours away. Coming into seminary, we always knew that having to leave was part of God's plan. I could not have imagined, however, the friendships God has blessed me with and how hard it would be to move away from them. To all of my friends, both from seminary and from further in the past, know how much I treasure your friendship.

I Hope You Like Spinach!

2010-04-29T18:15:00.002-05:00

I only eat my spinach raw, not out of a can, so I hope that I fit in okay. Why does this matter? My husband received his first call to be an assistant pastor in Chester, IL, the home of Popeye. Yes, the main this Chester is known for is that the Popeye cartoonist lived there. They have a Popeye festival every year, in fact. So, in a couple of months, we will be loading up a moving van and heading about 70 miles south to Chester.
While I am excited about the call, I am also nervous. Chester is different from any place I have ever lived. I am a city girl. We won't be super far from St. Louis, but the fact that I'll need to drive 45 minutes to find a Target is a bit frightening.
One of the hymns the choir sang at the call service keeps running through my head.
"Christ be my leader by night as by day,
Safe through the darkness for He is the way.
Gladly I follow my future His care.
Darkness is daylight when Jesus is there.'
Written by Christopger Dudley-Smith

It's Finally Here!

2010-04-27T16:11:00.003-05:00

It's officially Call Day. It's only hours before the service. As I write this, my students are eating lunch, happily giggling and joking and completely oblivious to the importance of this day for me. I, on the other hand, am an internal anticipatory wreck. My stomach is tied in knots, and I'm currently glad that I packed a light lunch today.
Approximately 7 hours from now, I will finally know the information I have been waiting more than 4 years to know where Pete will get to be a pastor. While we think we might know where we are going, my presuppositions could change in an instant tonight. Even if they aren't, the journey ahead is still unknown.
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)

The Beginning of the End, or the End of the Begnning?

2010-04-21T16:55:00.003-05:00

I can use many different words to define myself. I am a teacher, a reader, a traveler, a Master's student, a writer, a lover of cooking and good food, and an independent woman. Oh, yes, I am an an almost-pastor's wife.
Growing up, I never ever imagined or wanted to be a pastor's wife. I like stability and the abililty to plan. Our vacation plans include a down to the hour (or sometimes minute!) itinerary that are planned months in advance. (I get this from my mother.) So, the last thing I ever wanted was to marry someone planning to have an unpredictable life. However, I fell in love with a pre-seminary student and married him just before he started seminary. Almost 4 years after getting married, we are at the end of his seminary education, with Call Day (the day he finds out his first placement) only 6 days away. We then have about 2 months to find housing (and close on our first house if it is a possiblilty), find myself a job, and move our entire lives. Did I mention that we are going on vacation in Great Britain for two weeks of that time frame? This is driving the planner in me nuts. Pete is not even a pastor yet, and I am already frustrated by the ministry life.
However, I do know one thing. God can work in any situation. Even if the call we get is not what we would consider ideal, God can still do good work anywhere. In the week before Call Day, Jeremiah 29:11 resonates: "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.'" (NIV) Even if I don't know the plan, there is someone who does. And that gives comfort.