Backpedaling, Again.

I wrote not too long ago against books that try to find an answer for every gray area out there. I think I wrote a little too strongly because it is good to try to do things as biblically as possible, and reading different people's opinions based on God's Word is a healthy thing to do for a Christian. Better a person wanting to learn than a person with their head stuck in the sand, right? I suppose my frustration stems from people who get stuck on a particular subject and never deviate from it. That's all. So, take me with a grain of salt whenever you read me. Now, no more of these topics 'cause I always seem to have to backpedal! (There's this thing called, "Thinking Things Through Before You Post", and I lack it).

Two Dutch Girls

To begin with, I don't primarily view myself as a dutch girl. I tend to think of myself as an American (oh be quiet, all you Canadians). But every once in awhile, my old Dutch heritage reasserts itself with vigor. Mike and I stayed at my brother and sister-in-law's house this past Christmas along with my sister Ange and her husband, Josh. Well, seeing we had the place to ourselves (my brother and his wife were gone for the holidays), we proceeded to make ourselves at home. Disaster struck on Christmas Day. We drove home from church, made ourselves a cup of coffee and found to our dismay that we had NO BAKED GOODS to eat with our coffee! This was terrible indeed! Neither of us had bothered to bring cookies with us from home, or had shopped! All the stores were closed (it being Christmas), and we didn't have the time to bake! Ange and I looked at each other in dismay while our husbands looked on not quite understanding what was troubling their dear wives (they are too American to understand). However, after peering through the fridge fruitlessly, we discovered a frozen almond tart in the freezer. It looked delicious. Of course, there was a little gift tag on the top addressed to my brother from one of his students - a christmas gift. That started the predicament - to open, or keep closed? Ange, being the braver of the two, said frankly, "Well, if someone was staying at my house, I wouldn't mind them snooping in my freezer and having a piece or two of cake." That decided it. The tart was opened, two large pieces cut out, and two dutch girls were satisfied; after all, they had something to eat with their coffee....

If I Gained the World

If I gained the world but lost the Saviour,
Were my life worth living for a day?
Could my yearning heart find rest and comfort
In the things that soon must pass away?
If I gained the world, but lost the Saviour,
Would my gain be worth the life-long strife?
Are all earthly pleasures worth comparing
For a moment with a Christ-filled life?

Had I wealth and love in fullest measure,
And a name revered both far and near,
Yet no hope beyond, no harbour waiting
Where my storm-tossed vessel I could steer-
If I gained the world, but lost the Saviour,
Who endured the cross and died for me,
Could then all the world afford a refuge,
Whither in my anguish I might flee?

O what emptiness without the Saviour,
Mid the sins and sorrows here below!
And eternity, how dark without Him-
Only night and tears and endless woe!
What though I might live without the Saviour,
When I come to die, how would it be?
O to face the valley's gloom without Him!
And without Him all eternity!

O the joy of having all in Jesus!
What a balm the broken heart to heal!
Ne're a sin so great but He'll forgive it
Nor a sorrow that He does not feel!
If I have but Jesus, only Jesus,
Nothing else in all the world beside
O then everything is mine in Jesus-
For my needs and more He will provide.

-Anna Olander

When Company Comes A-Knockin'

What are you like before company comes a-knockin' at the door? I find that I begin a haphazard cleaning spree but as the day looms closer to the expected arrival of guests, I give up. The old adage, "Nothing cleans like company" rings very true for me. I have never in my life spring cleaned and hate the idea of it, but have a guest, and I start to look around my house with a critical eye. Take this past week. We were going to have guests stay in our room and seeing that I had just read a blog post from someone who stated that cleaning your curtains was a MUST, I enthusiastically tossed my brown swag trimmed with beads and baubles into the washer with a new blanket. Of course, me being me, I never bothered to read a tag and contentedly pictured my curtain hanging in my room sparkling clean. When I opened the lid of my washer, I was dismayed to see brown beads and threads EVERYWHERE. My beautiful curtain had disintegrated in the washing machine. And to top it all off, the threads were stuck onto my new blanket. It took me an hour to laboriously pick each and every thread off. Perhaps the next time I have someone over, I will learn my lesson and take it easy on the cleaning business. But then again, probably not.

Confessions of a Two Year Old

I was busy making up the bed this morning when Jules toddled into the room. "Mom," she declared, "I didn't push the button." Hmmm, my suspicions thus arroused, I asked her, "What button did you NOT push?" "The button on the computer, Mom!" Stinker! She knows she isn't allowed to touch the computer, but the temptation must have proved to be irrisistable. Thankfully, no harm was done, but I had to laugh at the way she gave it all away by her statement. I suppose I should be grateful that at this point it is easy to see through her "sneakyness".

Central Park in the Fall

This past Saturday was a beautiful day. Mike and I decided to go into NYC for a picnic in Central Park. We did it in the Fall last year as well, and we had such a good time that we said we have to do it next year. I had despaired of doing it this year; after all, it is November, and I certainly did not want to sit on a blanket in Central Park in bitterly cold conditions. I am a wimp when it comes to cold weather-even though I come from the Great North. But Saturday dawned warm and sunny without a hint of wind and so off we went. It was loads of fun! We wandered around FAO Schwartz (a huge toy store), and managed to leave with no purchases tucked under our arms! I was tempted to buy a stuffed giraffe for Nanna (she loves giraffes), but Mike informed me that the large giraffe cost $800.00. Sorry, Nanna. No giraffe for you this year. (Last year we bought a small stuffed animal - Pluto - but it never made it home. He was left in Central Park). Then we went to a deli, bought some sandwiches, and made our way to the park. We picked a spot on a hill close to the outdoor skating rink, and Jules and Mike wandered around making friends with all the people who had dogs. (Gregarious doesn't even begin to describe my husband). We also were near the building located on a hill that houses chess games. People can wander up to it and the building has all these outdoor tables with an inlaid chess board in them. You go inside, get your chess pieces, and play a game. It was very cool - I never noticed that place before. After our picnic, we walked near the Plaza hotel and watched some black guys perform some acrobatics. (As we walked up to them, they shouted at the largely white crowd, "Don't be afraid folks. We're just a bunch of black guys dancing. We won't hurt you!") Interesting. As we turned to leave, a person dressed as Elmo came walking down the sidewalk. Jules didn't know what she saw! Then, off to the Apple store. Not my idea of fun, but you have to please the hubby, and Mike really wanted to see it. After that, it was a bit of window shopping, I could have had my picture taken with some Abercrombie model, but informed Mike I would pass. And Mike shrugged and said, "Why do you need a picture with him? Look at what you've got!!!" So, that was our picnic in Central Park.
P.S. not that I really wanted a picture with that dude, anyway. Just in case you get the wrong idea. :)

Jules in Church

As some of you know, Mike and I have been trying to get Juliet to sit in church with us during the service. It makes for...interesting services. I have to say, Mike has better success than I do. If he is the only one in church sitting with her he can get Juliet to last throughout the service. I think it has something to do with the look in his eye he can get if she's "acting up." Me, well, I ain't quite as successful. Usually I end up leaving half way through the service and sit in one of the cry rooms with her. Juliet wised up on that one last Sunday, for it was only me sitting with her in church and after making it through the "long" prayer, she whispered loudly: "Mom! I'm naughty! Take me to the 'little' church!" Apparently it is a little more fun to sit in the cry room than in church!