The Difference Between Boys and Girls

The great differences between my two eldest children were, once again, made very clear to me yesterday as we were eating lunch.

Lily: "Is this jelly on here? It is jelly? Mmm, I like jelly! This is special jelly! Is it honey? No, it's not? It's jelly? I like jelly!"

Malachi: (chew, chew)

Lily: "Yum! This is tasty! I like this! Look, Mommy I'm eating very quickly! Am I eating quickly? I am? Yeah, I'm eating quickly! Look, I'm eating very fast! I am? Yeah, I'm eating lunch very fast! I like special jelly!"

Malachi: (chew, chew)

Lily: When I'm done I'll get a snack? I will? Yeah, when I'm done eating I'll get a snack! I'm eating very quickly. I like this! This is special jelly!"

Malachi: (chew, chew)

Well, at least they come by it honestly.

Advent Thoughts #3

As “good Protestants” we try to not give to much attention to Mary so as to not make the same mistake as the Catholics and idolize her. But this woman was amazing. Joseph, too, endured much shame for his part in this story.

Imagine being pregnant and unmarried. Imagine walking into church on Sunday with a huge belly and watching your church family avert their eyes as you pass by. Or hear their forced casual comments as they try to be polite while trying to not mention the obvious. Your fiance walks in and then no one at all will speak to either of you for fear that your shame will somehow rub off on them. Add to that the fact that half the people there think you should be dragged off and stoned to death (Deut.22).

Joseph and Mary endured much for the glory of their God. And the Bible speaks nothing but praise of both of them. It’s no wonder God chose these two people to raise His only Son.

Andrew Peterson’s song, “Labor of Love” (sung by Jill Phillips) holds a very special place in my heart. I remember sitting with Gaby and listening to this song with tears running down my face a few short days after Evangeline was born . It is about what the labor and birth must have been like for Joseph and Mary and it's very, very beautiful. You can listen to it here (scroll down to "Behold the Lamb of God" and click on Open Player) or just read the lyrics:

It was not a silent night
There was blood on the ground
You could hear a woman cry
In the alleyways that night
On the streets of David's town

And the stable was not clean
And the cobblestones were cold
And little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
Had no mother's hand to hold

It was a labor of pain
It was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love

Noble Joseph at her side
Callused hands and weary eyes
There were no midwives to be found
In the streets of David's town
In the middle of the night

So he held her and he prayed
Shafts of moonlight on his face
But the baby in her womb
He was the maker of the moon
He was the Author of the faith
That could make the mountains move

It was a labor of pain
It was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love
For little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
It was a labor of love

-"Labor of Love" by Andrew Peterson

Pool Time

It's been at least six posts since I've put up pictures of my adorable kids. Here's two out of three with a partial shot of Joshua thrown in as a bonus.

Advent Thoughts #2

Something that I think about sometimes is how real Jesus is. Far too often Bible stories are told as just that- stories. They are really history. When kids are taught about Christopher Columbus in school it is regarded as fact, but when we talk about Jesus it somehow ends up in a different category and doesn’t feel as real. There’s actual history and then there’s “Bible times” which sort of existed in a different dimension of quasi reality. No one actually says this, but you know that thought is there.
What a lie this is! What could be more real than the One who created everything real?

Jesus is God. Jesus is man. Jesus was a baby inside His mommy’s belly and he was born in a really gross and unappealing way (like all babies are) and he pooped and spit up and fell down a lot and got boo-boos and went through puberty and that awkward stage that we all go through (and some of us never get out of) and did everything that a real, normal person does (except sin.) He was and is real. He has a real body and everything just like I do. When I pray I am talking to a person. Sure, I can’t see that person, but does that make Him any less real?

The same Jesus that I pray to was born a very long time ago in a real stable to a real woman. He was real then and He is real now and someday I will see Him and then I will fully know how real He is.

Advent Thoughts #1

As some of you may know, we Gardners don’t celebrate Christmas. I should think, though, that it’s obvious by our words and actions that we certainly DO celebrate Jesus’ first Advent into this world and everything glorious that came from it. We are saved from death and wretchedness forever because Jesus was born and that is something to rejoice about!
I have some quotes and thoughts about the Advent that I’d like to share with you all. Most of these quotes and thoughts come from or are inspired by Andrew Peterson’s album, “Behold the Lamb of God.”
Let’s take some time to dwell on the marvelous truths that we know and adore: Jesus was born, He lived a perfect life, He was murdered and then He was raised from the dead and now reigns eternally in Heaven and on earth. Praise Jehovah!

****************

Where shall I begin this little Advent series? Well, it begins where it should- with a cry for help.

“Deliver us, deliver us
Oh Yahweh, hear our cry
And gather us beneath your wings tonight

Our sins they are more numerous than all the lambs we slay
These shackles they were made with our own hands
Our toil is our atonement and our freedom yours to give
So Yahweh, break your silence if you can

Deliver us, deliver us
Oh Yahweh, hear our cry
And gather us beneath your wings tonight”

Excerpt from “Deliver Us” by Andrew Peterson

Every creature on this earth is born into sin and misery. Our sin binds us in a vicious captivity. Then the Savior came to earth and shattered our chains with His life and death.
I am a vile sinner. Every morning when I wake up I feel the presence of my sin and every night when I go to sleep I can look back on the terrible things I’ve done throughout the day. I hate my sin. I yearn for the day when I will be finally and completely free from my sins. And that day will come because of what Jesus did. I am forgiven (what a glorious truth!) and my sin is no longer my master. Little by little my Jesus is changing me into the beautiful creature He wants me to be. And that is why He was born in a dirty little stable as the son of a lowly carpenter. To rescue me and to rescue you. To deliver us from captivity and bring us to freedom forever.

For Your Listening Enjoyment

This is one of those songs that I like for no real tangible reason. Enjoy!


P.S. The video is rather dumb so just listen to the song.

Our Latest Project

Before:

After:

Little Beauty

Alyssa

Sabbath Quote and Thought

"Ever lift Thy face upon me
As I work and wait for Thee;
Resting ’neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus,
Earth’s dark shadows flee.
Brightness of my Father’s glory,
Sunshine of my Father’s face,
Keep me ever trusting, resting,
Fill me with Thy grace.

Jesus, I am resting, resting,
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart."

Hymn by Jean Pi­gott

As we sang this hymn in church today I was moved to tears by this line:

"Resting ’neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus,
Earth’s dark shadows flee."

Sometimes this world's shadows are so thick that I can barely see my way. But if I rest in Jesus then the shadows really do flee and I find hope again. What does it mean to rest in Jesus? To trust Him when He says," I love you, child, you are MINE. I am in control now and I always have been. I gave up my own life for you. Surely I will bring you through this, too."

Jesus has said that to me many times and yet I still doubt Him. Oh, foolish heart! How can I doubt the only One who has ever kept every promise that He has made to me? When will I be freed from my sin? Oh, Lord, keep me ever trusting, resting and fill me full with Thy grace.

Just Because It's Spiffy

Pretty neat, eh? The blur in the background is Malachi.

More Slugs & Bugs

As promised, more songs from Andrew Peterson and Randall Goodgame's children's CD, Slugs & Bugs & Lullabies:

God Made Me

God made slugs and bugs and rats and bats
And nasty bees that don't say please
They'll sting your elbows and your knees if you chase them

God made snakes and snails and killer whales
And if you were a baby seal
Then you would make a tasty meal for orcas.

But God made me like He made the sea
He filed it up with green and blue
He sent His Son, his only One
To fill me up and make me new.

God made everything that was or is
Or will be (what a crazy biz)
I can't believe that I am His forever

Now I listen very carefully
Because He lives inside of me
That could be gross, but it's not 'cause it's
Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior!

God made me like He made the sea
He filed it up with green and blue
He sent His Son, his only One
To fill me up and make me new.


Now on a more serious note (this is my favorite song on the album):

You Can Always Come Home

I love you today and I love you tomorrow
I love you as deep as the sea
I love you in joy, and I love you in sorrow
You can always come home to me

There once was a man who found him a treasure
Buried out under a tree
He sold all he had just to own it forever
The treasure is you, you see

I love you today and I love you tomorrow
I love you as deep as the sea
I love you in joy, and I love you in sorrow
You can always come home to me

There once were some sheep safe on the farm
And one little lamb got loose
The shepherd went out and carried it home
That little lamb is you

I love you today and I love you tomorrow
I love you as deep as the sea
I love you in joy, and I love you in sorrow
You can always come home to me

Pretty Much the Cutest Smile Ever

And I'm talking about Evangeline's smile, though Joshua's is pretty cute, too.

My Cute Little Man

This is Malachi wearing his "Dapper Dude Jacket" as he calls it.

Sabbath Quote

The Means by Which We Know God

• We know him by two means:

  First, by the creation, preservation, and government of the universe, since that universe is before our eyes like a beautiful book in which all creatures, great and small, are as letters to make us ponder the invisible things of God: his eternal power and his divinity, as the apostle Paul says in Romans 1:20.

  All these things are enough to convict men and to leave them without excuse.

  Second, he makes himself known to us more openly by his holy and divine Word, as much as we need in this life, for his glory and for the salvation of his own.

---From the Belgic Confession

A New Blog!

My niece Arianna and her friend Elsie have started a blog entitled "The Land of Fairytales." Arianna and I share a love of Fairies and we both seem to have excellent taste in blog templates.
Go check it out!

Four Cousins

Malachi, Alyssa, Lily & Evangeline

A Poem

Please take a moment to read this poem by John Piper. It is beautiful.

Happy Mother's Day

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining with all its brilliance, the sky was that shade of blue that makes you want to dance and the clouds were like puffs of pure white cotton hanging in the never ending blueness. I could feel the warm breeze on my face as I sped along on my trusty rollerblades.

I lifted my face to bask in the ethereal warmth when suddenly, from out of nowhere, a brick wall loomed up in front of me. I didn’t even have time to react. I couldn’t stop. I crashed into that solid wall going full speed, totally unprepared. The pain was blinding. I felt something shatter in my chest. It felt like shards of glass were exploding inside me, tearing holes in my veins and shredding my lungs to pieces. Breathing was impossible. Blackness. I had never known such pain.

That’s how I felt when my mom died.


Why do I write this?, you ask. First, believe it or not, it’s actually helpful for me. If I were to try to deny the existence of that pain then I would be a liar. If I forgot that pain then I would forget what I was rescued from.
Secondly, I hope to show you folks out there who still have your mom living on this earth what it was like to lose my mom so you can more fully appreciate your own mom.

When I change a yucky diaper I think about all my diapers that my mom changed. When I wake up in the middle of the night to care for a fussy baby I think about all the sleep my mom went without to care for me. When I’m exasperated at my children I think about what I must have put my mom through. And when I’m lonely during the day and ache for someone to talk to I remember how I could call my mom anytime to talk to her about anything and she would listen and understand.
Sure, my mom drove me crazy at times. It’s in the mother-daughter contract to get on each others nerves now and then. But she was my best friend and I loved her. And she loved me.

Imagine if your mom died today. Imagine never hearing her voice on the other end of the phone again. Imagine never again feeling her love for you. Is there something you would wish you had told her? Did you give her a hug the last time you saw her? Does she know that you truly appreciate everything she sacrificed for you? Does she know you love her?

Tell her. You never know if that brick wall will appear suddenly in front of you.

Bright Eyes

Kids Say the Cutest, (Darndest, Wisest, Adorable,) Things

I thought I had Lily trained pretty well: I’d ask her where she got her cuteness from and she’d smile and say: “From you!”
Smart kid, right? Well, it turns out that Malachi is trained even better. When asked where he got his cuteness from, without hesitating, he said, “God!”
Sigh. I guess I can’t argue with that one.
--------------------------

One Sunday afternoon I was doing some Catechism questions with Lily and Malachi.
“Who made you?” I asked.
“God!” they replied.
So far so good.
“What else did God make?”
“God made all things.”
I’m so proud of them.
“Where is God?”
“In Heaven,” Lily answers.
Close. Not too bad.
“Well, yes, but He’s also everywhere.”
Malachi didn’t seem to be paying attention to that one so I ask him again: “Where is God?”
“In there,” he says matter-of-factly, pointing to the Catechism. And to make sure I understand him fully, he clarifies: “In the book.”
Okay we’ll work on it.
----------------------

Yesterday at breakfast I was telling the kids how I had had a dream with snakes in it and that I was scared of the snakes. Lily said, “You don’t have to be scared.”
When I asked her why she replied, “Because Jesus will take care of you!”
How true. It’s good to be reminded of the great truths by a four-year-old.