Assumptive Thinking

Our church is doing The Truth Project dvd's in many of our small groups. It has proven to be an eye-opener for alot of the adults as to what exactly a Biblical World View is. But what about our kids? In typical Focus on the Family fashion, they have come up with a whole series of Odyssey cd's just for the kids called The Truth Chronicles.

As a disclaimer, we are more of a tv family. We just don't do alot of story tapes, cd's, books on tape, etc. But someone loaned me the CD's so I thought I would try it out. My kids are in public school...they need all the extra Biblical World View they can get!!

A couple of weeks ago, I listened to the first 15 minute with J on the way to gymnastics. The story line came to a good stopping place just as we pulled in the parking lot. As we walked into the gym, I asked her what we had just heard about the definition of "truth". And she promptly replied something along the lines of, "truth is based on God's reality not on what the world would say is reality." And then she skipped off to practice her splits.

Needless to say, I was excited! It wasn't verbatim what the cd had said, which made it even better. She was absorbing it and making it her own!

So Jenna and I listened to some more Truth Chronicles on the way to and from small group on Saturday night. (It was just the two of us, for a variety of reasons that are random and hard to articulate so I will spare you the details.)

Again, she was completely engaged in the story, and was sad to hop out of the car and into bed.

When I started the car on Sunday, the Chronicles automatically started where we left off. All four of the kids willingly listened (even though it was the middle of the story) and when we pulled in the parking lot they let out a big groan as I turned off the car. They were right at an interesting part. (I am not kidding, even my teenage boys!!)

That in and of itself is enough to make me want to highly recommend this series from Focus on the Family. But it gets better.

Last night, while watching a new cop show after the kids were all asleep, one of the actors said "everything evolves" in the midst of a casual conversation. Immediately, my truth antennae flew up and I said to D, "Assumptive Speech!"

The Chronicles are impacting me as a highly educated and discerning adult! I'm not too proud to say, "Yep, I learned that from an Odyssey CD."

Strange Conversations

D and I have had some strange conversations lately.

Conversations about college. Financing higher education and our role in that as parents. Locations for that higher eduction and our role as parents in that decision. Tattoo's and our role as parents. (It is a big thing with college kids these days.)

Conversations about marriage. Specifically arranged marriages. Marriages that don't take place until our kids are in their mid-twenties. If then. (Not seriously, but we like talking about it like we mean it.)

Conversations about what happens after our last one does marry. Downsizing, career, and travel options that will open up. The "bike" on which we will leave from the reception, decked out head to toe in leather. (Seriously. Just you wait and see!)

Strange conversations to be having when it was just yesterday that we were having conversations about our own college classes. Our upcoming wedding plans. A bigger home with more space and the "safe" mini-van for hauling babies.

Strange conversations!!

The Couple that Laughs Together...

I added another "fun but cheap" date idea to my list. I stumbled on it by accident simply because I desperately needed cards for three of my sibling's birthdays in the next two weeks.

We have enjoyed laughing together over greeting cards before, but it has typically been tempered by having our kids with us and having to be careful about which cards they are looking at. You parents know exactly the kind of cards I mean... old wrinkled couples in a bikini and speedo, inappropriately dressed hotties wishing naughty birthday greetings, and animated animals with gastro issues. And now the cards are multi-media. They say things out loud that may or may not be worth repeating!

Anyways, without kids in tow, we felt the freedom to open any and all cards we wished. We had a good laugh over what my sister would do if I sent her this one or what my brother would say if I sent him that one. It was fun! I suggest you give it a try sometime.

And if it feels too cheap, by a latte at the Starbucks on your way in!

We are Dog People!

So it has been a couple months since Truck has been gone. Our poor sore hearts miss the big black galoot, especially with it warming up outside. We still have Hidey Cat to comfort us, but we are finding that kitties are poor comfort when deep down we are dog-people. So the search is on. Take a look at what we are thinking may just be our next "pain in the neck".



It is a golden-doodle, thank you very much. They don't shed (so he could be inside with us all winter), they hunt and swim (not that D gets to hunt that much), they are adorable (just look at that face), and they are big (why that matters, I am not sure but for some reason it does). What more could our family want?! We even have a breeder, an Amish farmer up north who comes highly recommended by a family in our church.

Will let you know if anything comes of it.

PS In case you didn't know this about us, WE LOVE PUPPIES!!!

Junk Mail

It happened again! J got another Flat-Whatever in the mail. Sometimes they are called Flat Stanleys. Sometimes they are Flat O'Mally's. Whatever! Talk about junk mail!!

And what really ticks me off is the way that the "letter" is worded. They make it sound so innocent and fun and...educational! In scrawling letters the request was made for J to "do something fun" with the enclosed piece of paper, write a story about that adventure, and then mail it back to the child's classroom . Enclosed with the letter was an Irish looking man colored in green crayon. Flat O'Malley!

I have just a couple of issues. First of all, I barely have time to make sure my 4 kids have all their homework done let alone making sure that this other kid in a different state gets her homework done.

Second of all, the letter should have been addressed to me or D because we are the ones who are going to have to do all the work on making this happen. Let's just be realistic, can't we!?

Thirdly, and the real issue that is most pressing, what on earth happens if we somehow manage to lose this Flat Irish Guy in the mass of paperwork that I am already laboring under? Because that is exactly what has happened. It is gone!! Vanished!!

Maybe his disappearance could be part of the Flat Guy's adventure. We could say we took him to D3's basketball game tonight (they made it to state--woohoo). The game was really fun until he got upset that D3 wasn't being played enough and was sitting on the bench. And then the Flat Irish Guy started yelling at the men wearing stripey shirts. This wasn't a very good plan since we were sitting on the front row. One of those zebra shirts snatched him off the bleachers and tore him up in little shreds. (Hmmm. A little graphic for 3rd grade. Maybe they just kicked him out of the game.) So he gets kicked out of the game and is killing time at the concession stand with a Coke when he all of a sudden realized he was Irish. He doesn't have to sit around waiting. He is like the Lucky Charms guy on the commercial. He can just "poof" and disappear back to where he came from...Ireland, of course.

What do you think? Think J's cousin (teacher, mom) will buy it? I think I am going to give it a shot. And the added bonus is that there is a very real possiblity that we will never be sent another Flat-whatever from this family again!

Note to self: Save yourself some stress. Next time the Flat-Whatever is sent to you, don't procastinate! Just do it and get it over with!!

Concealer, please!

The cosmetic home party was in full swing. Casual conversation circled the kitchen table as four ladies inspected newly cleaned faces in little white framed mirrors.

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Are the kids ready for Spring Break?

(Hmm. I am seeing some crinkly wrinkles starting to show around my eyes.)

Yes, they absolutely can't wait! How is it going with the new puppy?

(And a few worry lines in the forehead, though there is nothing to be worried about at the moment.)

Pretty good...she is healthier now that I make her own special food each morning. So are you still leading the discipleship program ?

Pause.

(Is that...oh, good heavens it is... another disgusting blemish on my chin?!)

Well, actually, it has been a really tough year. I am just now getting to the point where I can sometimes pray.

(Quick! Some one pass the concealer, please.)

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Honestly, it took everything within me to lift my eyes to her face, engage with what she had just said, and acknowledge her pain with an inadequite but very heartfelt, "I am so sorry. I am so glad it is getting better."

After all, we are Christians. We aren't allowed to have these nasty kind of blemishes. Right?!

The irony is that Christ can actually use our blemishes to point us and others back to Him! Like my friend that morning. She could have just dismissed the question with a casual "no" and allowed conversation to move on to the mini-quiches. But she chose not to. She was bluntly honest without inviting a pity-party on her behalf. And the interesting result was that our focus turned to look at God's faithfulness for a few moments instead of focusing on our fleshly bodies that will age and wrinkle regardless of the products we slather on it.

"For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord." Psalm 117:2

Note to self: Forget the concealer. It just keeps my focus on myself and my imperfections. Instead, be real and offer praise to the Lord for His perfections!

Dangerous Footage

I may regret this, but here it is. Go to the Dancing with the Stars video part and enjoy a good laugh! We are the grande finale, by the way.

http://www.communitybible.net/content.cfm?id=238