Perfect Plans and The Living Word

Does anyone remember Ally McBeal? I don't recommend the show for the content, but I loved its artistry. I am Ally McBeal, in a redeemed sort of way. Ha! Ha! I love the way she would picture the perfect scenario in her head and then the backward record zi-i-i-p sound would shake her back to reality and what was really happening.

This morning had a perfect beginning. My husband got up and showered, then woke me to let me know he had a fire ready for me in the fireplace. I got up and made a cup of hot, throat-soothing, green tea, helped my hubby pack up a plate of treats and write a card for his co-worker, moved the car seats, and then settled on the couch - in front of the fire- with my Bible- and my hot tea. Perfect!

But, alas, the treat tray shifted, a cookie broke. It all needed re-packed. In helping Bill with his rush to get out the door, the fire got out of control and filled the house with smoke. I rushed to open the door and fan the smoke out before the smoke alarm went off and woke all the children. Z-I-I-I-I-P!!! There went perfection. I plopped down on the couch in a smoke-filled room, with the door open to the 30 degree temperatures.

God was merciful to me this morning, and I was still able to spend some good time in the Word before the first little munchkin woke up. But the other scenario...kids up, smoke alarm going off, cold house, no quiet time...is the more typical event in the life of a mom whose heart is set on having time with God. The best plans and intentions often end up in frustration and shattered hopes. I think it is even harder on moms who work so hard to make time with God happen, and it is continually squashed. To make the sacrifice of getting up early to have that time, to have it slip from your hands like oil, often causes more anger than not having planned the time with God at all. Such is the point of my unpublished book.

So this is for all my weary mom friends: I was explaining to a friend this week who was hashing out with me her own feelings about the guilt that comes from not being in the Word like she wants to, and yet literally being almost physcially held back from the opportunity to do so. I was encouraging her, and I'd like to do it for you as well, to dwell on the Living Word. Jesus is the Word. He is the Living Word, the Word made flesh. God's Word is his breath, his thoughts, his council to us. But when the Living Word lives inside of you, He can breathe that same Word into you when you don't even have time to sit and read. Now, don't run away with this and think I'm someone who believes that whatever thought comes to your mind is from the Lord. But when your heart is seeking, when you are hungry and desperate to hear from Him, TELL HIM!! Ask Him questions. "Lord, I don't know how to handle this. What should I do?" "Lord, I'm torn to pieces about this, what do I do with my feelings?" "Lord, I'm angry right now, how do I be Christ to this person?!" God is spirit and we must worship Him in Spirit and truth. Don't be afraid to hear from Him through your Spirit. He is the Living Word, and He will answer Your questions. This isn't a substitute for being in God's Word. Because His Spirit will often help you recall Scripture you've learned before to answer your questions. If you are NEVER in the Word, there is nothing to recall. But, dwell on the Living Word.

Our pastor and worship team focused on John 1 this week in our Christmas services. I was once again soaked in these thoughts of the Living Word Who was in heaven with God and was God, Who had a hand in all of creation, Who became flesh to dwell among us, and breathes His Word into us. So for all of you who haven't been able to have a chance to curl up in front of the fire with your Bible yet today and are bouncing a fussy baby on your knee, take a minute to ask God to breathe into you - and then read this:

John 1 - Study This Chapter

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. 6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

15 John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'" 16 From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.

Soak it in!

Just for fun!
After three years, my trusty black leather, Rockport boots that I found for a buck at the Liberty Lake yard sales finally lost a heel. So this week has sent me on a mission to find something to replace them with. I've tried on more boots than I knew could exist, but my picky foot just doesn't adjust to much. I even found myself at Macy's surrounded by $120 pairs of shoes, drooling over designs and being reminded that I am indeed a Balzer. Having four babies increased my feet by 1-1/2 sizes and my 40 pair shoe collection that I entered marriage with quickly dwindeled to one or two trusty pair per season. So, the black boots are essential. My older, bigger, pickier feet, however, keep me from indulging in $120 pairs of heels. I only admire from afar, which is probaly a very good thing. I ended up at Ross, trying on every pair they had in several sizes. The thing about Ross, though, is that their shoes are looped together, so walking around is simply a Tim Conway shuffle. After narrowing down my options to two possibilities, I knew that I needed to wear them around the store for awhile to make sure they didn't start hurting after awhile. So, here I am, shuffling through the whole store to the tune of "Happy Holidays" over the loud speakers. I couldn't resist adding a little hop every now and then, knowing I already looked ridiculous anyway - and some of you still think I have it all together!

Also, in Ross, I have to add that I first returned another pair of boots that I didn't have time to shuffle around in at the store. I got in line, and there was an older man in line in front of me who was buying very young, hip, women's clothing. I was really impressed, thinking in my head what a great eye he has to pick these things out all by himself and how impressed the giftee will be with his taste -and his thoughtful effort, etc...when his wife joined him at the register from another part of the store and completed the transaction. zi-i-i-i-p!

Date Night
Bill surprised me this week by anouncing we were going on a date and he had even arranged childcare!! So after work Saturday, he came and picked me up. I surprised *him* by implementing something I learned from my "For Women Only" book about the need for our men to see effort on our part about our appearance. I had found a couple of steals at Ross to go with the new black boots and excitedly surprised him. Stacy (aka "childcare" and great friend) added to the outfit by gifting me with a beautiful cream wrap. Bill had gotten a few gift cards this year from his employers, so we went to Bonsai Bistro (an Asian restaurant). It was there I decided my calling was to be a food critic and write columns for newspapers.

Bonsai Bistro
Very few restaurants can compete with the Bonsai for view and atmosphere. Where else can you go and feel like you are almost sitting outside over the town, be surrounded by Christmas lights, watch the ice skaters glide across South Pole Skating Village, and be taken in by the serenity of the snow dusted mountains and sleepy lake? The view, comes at a small comfort price, though, as the windows also allow the reality of the winter chill to envelop you. Bonsai goes for a very mellow, dark atmosphere, which they believe to be relaxing; and the power surging of the lights was I'm sure was not their fault, but a bit distracting. I would recommend that if you are vision impaired, that you bring your own reading light to decifer the menu.

Which brings about the menu...So many choices! What a spread! I was grateful for our thoughtful and energetic server who cheerfully gave his favorite recommendations. Bill followed his advice and ordered a house specialty, General Tso's Chicken. It was delic! I regretably decided to play it safe and ordered something I was more familiar with, Almond Cashew Chicken. It was also good, but the wow factor was missing.

We laughed about the music. To us, music is part of the experience. In an Asian restaurant, I simply expect Asian music. So we were amused by the almost blaring, jazzy, easy listening something or other competing with the vocal exercises of the overly joyous bartender.

We capped off our night with something unique: Green Tea Ice Cream, a very creative way to say "dessert" Asian style - since the Asian world is so much better about not having dessert at all. Ever had a Green Tea Frap at Starbucks? Freeze it solid, and there you have it. Very good.

Overall, I give the Bonsai about 4 stars out of 5...but as most experiences, the company always adds the last star. Thank you, Bill.

...and for the rest...
After the Bonsai we headed over to the resort, just to be apart of the Christmas experience. We sat in the place we sat some twelve years ago to DTR (define the relationship), and how he needed to talk to my dad if he had any intentions towards me. Then we moved by the fire just to enjoy the atmosphere, and the overly-tired, working parents syndrome set in. We both began to nod off. So as quickly as we came, we left and drove around the beach to see Christmas lights. I was a little dissappointed. No one puts up lights anymore! I can't complain too much. We didn't either, but isn't there some town policy that if you live in the old, historic parts of town, or on the beach, that you have to put up lights and add to the festive spirit of the season? I guess part of the problem is that half the people who have enough money to live in those areas only live there in the summer. I think CDA should enstate a new law that snowbirds must hire decorators to light up their houses in the winter, so the local residents are not penalized by their half-commitment to the beauty of North Idaho. O.K. Totally joking...but its an idea.
All in all, we had a great time. The snow was softly falling, Stacy loaned us her car, so we felt like adults - but we stayed out 'til midnight like we were kids. - Very fun!

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas! Bill left for work at 7 a.m. and will go straight from work to church where he will sing in three Christmas Eve services, and we will join him for one. The kids and I are trying to get ourselves together to join the family for the day. Everyone is here! We enjoyed having three of the bros over for dinner and games and a little DDR (too fun!) last night. It is great to be together!

2007 Part 1

2007 part 2

The cars

Today was interesting to say the least. Bill has been taking the van to work because it gets better gas mileage. The van has studded snow tires (thanks to a friend), the wipers work (though they stop in an upright position), and runs well. The heater, however doesn't work unless you get on the interstate, and the driver's side window won't roll up if you roll it down. So, it has some quirks. The truck, however, has four wheel drive and good tires, so it does o.k. in the snow. It does have a quirk in the wipers as well. Today I got to MOPS in the truck without a hitch; but sure enough, when MOPS was over, it was snowing hard. Heidi prayed with me over the wipers and one good wack on the motor box with the wrench and they started up. However, they quit about seven times on the way home. I would stop, hit the box with the wrench, close the hood, and they'd stop again. I finally got home very wet and cold and wondering about getting Clayton from school. As I pulled in, Bill was leaving for work. The van had a headlight out. He tried to roll down the passenger window to talk to me, but it was shaking like it was off kilter just like the driver's side! The wipers on the truck worked fine when I went to get Clayton, so I decided to check the mail and return some movies. While sitting in the parking lot at the grocery store, the "check gauges" light came on - so I checked, and the termperature gauge was all the way to the red! I'm thinking, "Great! I have to turn off the truck and cool down and figure out the radiator - and then the wipers are going to quit!" But as soon as the light came on, it went off, and the temperature gauge went all the way to cool. At the same time, the heat quit. Well, it kept blowing - ice cold air! Oh, well! The wipers were still going! So we went to the bank, and I know everyone thought I was an idiot for sitting under the roof of the drive-thru with my wipers on high speed - but I wasn't going to turn them off for anything! I pulled out of the drive-thru and my window wouldn't roll up! So, here I am: wipers working, heater not working, window down, in the rain driving home! Clayton kept telling me to hit the door. I finally did, and the window rolled up.

I don't think I'm going anywhere else until I HAVE too!

The "Happy Holidays" War

Riley, Ian, and Hayden are all out playing in the snow. Daddy is about to join them. Clayton is drawing in his room. The sun is peaking out of the clouds and lighting up the snow. My coffee is hot. It all helps take the edge of a morning headache. I’m enjoying the quiet to reflect and think through something I’ve been wanting to address for a while.

Merry Christmas. To me that phrase is one that brings me cheer and brightens my mood. To some it has no meaning at all because Christmas is of no significance to them. To some it has become fighting words - like those shouted in a debate. It is the comeback for “Happy Holidays.”

I’ve been increasingly disturbed this year at the amount energy my brothers and sisters in Christ have poured into fighting for a phrase. Songs have been written, videos made, sermons preached… Now lest you think I’ve forgotten the reason for the season, let’s look at some facts.

*Jesus wasn’t born on December 25...probably no time close. Historians believe it was sometime in the spring, gauging the time of year when Shepherds actually spent the night in the field with their sheep. The date, December 25 was originally a holiday in Rome for the sun god and about the time Constantine was converted to Christianity, the holiday became more of the holiday for the God of the Christians…moving from the original celebration in early January. In other words, the date isn’t significant. It is a tradition, coming from debatably pagan roots.

*Jesus never asked us to remember his birth. He asked us to remember His death. Is it wrong to remember His birth? I don’t think so. It was the fulfillment of a promise, of prophecy. It gave hope, and still does. It reminds us of why He came. But really, what are Christians more likely to make a hub-bub over. Easter? Or Christmas? Compare the amount of time you spend preparing for each. Compare the amount of money and resources you pour into the preparation of each. Compare the amount of time you spend sending greetings and emphasizing the message of the day.

Those who fight for the meaning of Christmas, would be wiser to fight for it in their homes and families than on the streets and over air waves. We fight to hold on to the phrase “Merry Christmas!”, but we still litter our lawns with penguins and snowmen and elves with lollipops. Is there anything wrong with those? No. St. Nicholas was a real person, a religious man, who became a figure in history because of his generosity to the poor. It isn’t wrong to remember him. It isn’t wrong to remember all things wintery and snowy. But what are we really fighting for? The holiday as we’ve come to treat it? Or the remembrance of Christ. Jesus? Or our flawed religion?

If we are fighting for the remembrance of Christ, then how do we do that? Do we yell words and boycott stores? Do we incite debates and mock those who don’t believe as we do? Are we upset about Christ being forgotten or that the face of our nation is changing? Truth is: not everyone does celebrate Christmas. Truth is: there are many other holidays during this time of the year that we as Christians (and others who are not) do celebrate. Are we upset that we can no longer assume that everyone around us believes as we do? Do we demand that because they all live in the good ‘ol U.S. that they must celebrate our holiday? Would you bend to Ramadan if you lived in Iraq? Is fighting over how to greet us going to change their hearts about Christ?

As I’ve thought and thought over this, I’m reminded of the person and character of Christ. Even if we think we are fighting for the remembrance of Jesus, what would He do? He didn’t ever fight for Himself. Why do we? He never did anything outside the will of His father. His mission on earth was to fight for us - to fight for the lost. To do whatever it took, to the laying down of His life to win the hearts and souls of those without Him. Shouldn’t our mission be the same? Are we really worried that God cannot protect His own reputation? Are we really concerned that Jesus needs us to fight for something he never asked us to fight for?

What if! What if? What if we changed our goal? What if we changed our motive - to fight for those around us! To fight for the lost, for those in bondage, for those lost in their sin, for those in chains to a cult, for those who don’t understand or grasp truth! What if we were simply kind to our checker and inquired about her day and identified with her? What if we did something special for our school officials? What if we took a plate of cookies to our neighbors with an ornament that really shared who Jesus was? What if we began to ask God how to fight for those around us and begin to wage war for their souls - remembering that they are not our enemy? They are not the object of our frustration, but the enemy who has captured their minds and stolen their hearts.

Lest you think I’m anti-Christmas, I’m not. I enjoy remembering a long-awaited promise being fulfilled. The promises I hope for in my own life are but a shadow to help me identify with a people who had waited thousands of years for their promise - their Messiah - a people who hadn’t even heard from their God in over 400 years. I’m touched by the simplicity of Christ’s birth and what God becoming flesh means for my life - my Savior! But this year, I left almost all our decorations put away. I didn’t see the point. If I want my family to remember Jesus, then should I fix their eyes on over-spending? Should I allow them to concentrate on what they might be *getting*? Should I distract them with countless knick-knacks that really say “It’s winter!” rather than saying, “Let’s remember Jesus!” Do we really believe what we say? Do we even understand our own message? Or do we just blindly get caught up in a movement.

This goes way beyond Christmas, but stirs us up uncomfortably throughout the year. If our goal is to fight for the muslims, the homosexuals, and the atheists, how would our perspective change? How would our methods change? How different could our world be by next Christmas if each and every Christ-follower became more concerned with the motives, methods, and message of Christ than protecting the traditions began by a Roman emporer? What if we truly embraced Who HE is and what He wants for others.

It would be wiser for those of us who claim Christianity to throw aside any concerns of fighting for our religion - to demand that the world respect us and our beliefs, to demand that our sacred Scriptures be left on the halls of courthouses and demand that our nativity scenes be left on the lawns of city halls - and begin to fight for the things Jesus fought for 2,000 years ago: the souls of men! He is still fighting for them today. Win the souls, and there is no need to fight for the religion. Fight for the religion, and never win the souls.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, AND Happy Holidays! - after all that means Holy days, does it not?
Love, Ang
Colossians 2:16-17

The Best Day Ever

This morning began by dividing up a huge chore list by five people. Each boy had three chores, which seemed unbearable. The only comfort was seeing 10 or so in mom's list. It was an experiment and training time to help prepare the family for mom returning to work. I have an interview tomorrow, and a for sure job in January if it will work with Bill's new schedule. Both are temporary, less than ideal jobs that will just help tide us over for a little while.

So after vacuuming and dusting the whole house, starting laundry, emptying all the trash, shoveling the walks, cleaning the bathrooms, putting away clean clothes, and picking up our bedrooms, we began to bake. We did our traditional peppernuts, gingerbread men, and skillet candy today. I ran out of brown sugar, so the heath candy will have to wait. Later in the day, we cleaned the basement, organized a bunch of papers, sorted some toys, folded some laundry, and iced the gingerbread men.

The reviews from the boys, "This has been the best day of my life so far!" Which tells me that a LOT of work won't damage any boy, when you mix a LOT of fun in with it. We accomplished a lot, the cookie jars are full, the house is clean, and memories were made.

A few funnies...

Well, this isn't super funny, but it does speak of the life with boys. I tried to help Riley climb on the roof to shovel it off today, but he was nervous. I wasn't going to force him, so I helped him back down. Later, while I was in the shower, Clayton and his friend stopped by from playing in the friend's yard. Riley asked for *their* help to get up. When he got to the top, he began to throw snowballs at them below. Now, the logical response would have been to walk away - out of reach of the flying snow. But, of course, a battle had to ensue.
Older boys: Stop throwing snowballs at us!
Riley keeps throwing.
Older boys: Riley! Stop or we're taking down the ladder.
Riley keeps throwing. Older boys take down ladder and leave to go back to the other boys' house. Riley is on the roof for 30 minutes or so in the cold with no way down. Later the older boys explain that they warned him, and Riley obviously wanted them to take down the ladder or he would have stopped!

Last week, Clayton discovered that noone has ever been able to eat a plain teaspoon of raw cocoa powder. Don't ask me how he found this out, but guess what that meant? Challenge! Clayton needed to be the first one ever to eat a whole teaspoon of cocoa powder. I suggested he do it over the sink (predicting the outcome). Of course, spew! spit! sputter! "That's awful!" Yes, there is a reason noone has ever done it before.

I wanted to share a song with you that is ministering to me. Travis Cottrell is one of my favorite worship leaders, song writers. He has a new album out that is uniquely him. Not often do we hear this kind of voice in modern, Christian music. It is a touch of Josh Groban, touch of Steve Green, and all Jesus. :D Anyway, if you click on his site on the right of my blog, you can listen to "Your Word Is Life to Me." Powerful!