Speaking of Names, Part 2

So in my previous post, you read a little bit about the meaning of the name Rachel for Carrie and I.  As you may have heard, Rachel's middle name is Elizabeth, and this name also contains a great deal of meaning for us.  So please allow me to explain a little bit.

First, you can read about Elizabeth early in the account of Luke's gospel.  Elizabeth was the wife of Zechariah, a man who served as a priest at the temple in Jerusalem.  One day he went in to perform his priestly duties when, to his surprise, he encountered an angel/messenger from God.  That angel told him that his wife Elizabeth would bear a son, despite their advanced age, and that he would give him the name John, and that John would be great and would be filled with the Holy Spirit and go forth in the power of the prophet Elijah.  Zechariah doubted the word of the messenger, and thus was struck dumb, unable to speak.

However, once Zechariah finished his duty at the temple, he returned home to his wife, and she conceived a child.  She kept herself hidden for 5 months, knowing that there was something special about this child.  That's when we are told that, in the 6th month of her pregnancy, another messenger was sent into the world, to speak to her cousin Mary, to give a message of good news and hope that we hear quite often around Christmastime.  And as the messenger spoke to Mary, she wanted to know how this would be possible.  The messenger then directed her to go visit her cousin Elizabeth as her sign of reassurance, since nothing is impossible with God.

So when Mary went to visit Elizabeth, we are then told that, at Mary's greeting, the baby inside Elizabeth leaped in her womb, and that Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.  It was at this time that the reality of what Mary would do seems to have hit her, since she broke out in a song that has come to be known as the Magnificat, a beautiful song about how God looks upon the lowly and humble.

At the time of the birth of Elizabeth's son, Zechariah was still unable to speak.  So they asked Elizabeth what name the child should have.  Elizabeth responded that his name would be John, and when Zechariah was asked, his muteness was broken, and he proclaimed that the child's name would be John.  Then, filled with the Holy Spirit, Zechariah spoke about what his child would do, and the people noticed that the hand of the Lord was upon this child who would later on become better known as Jesus' cousin John the Baptist.

Perhaps you can see the theme of having to wait for a child in both of these names.  Sure, waiting for almost 7 years of marriage is not really all that long, though some of you know the journey that Carrie and I have been upon which has led up to Rachel's birth.  However, in both cases, these women gave birth through something seemingly miraculous, after having waited so long and so patiently.  We also see that both women played significant roles in the ancestry and announcement of Jesus, and that really strikes a chord with us.  In addition, the name Elizabeth means "consecrated to God".  As you may know, we feel very strongly about Rachel's faith life, and fully intend that she will know her God who has rescued her and made her His very own.  So when you put her two names together, Rachel (little ewe lamb) Elizabeth (consecrated to God), you can see that there is even deeper meaning to her names than just the biblical characters she is named for.

Our hope is that our Rachel Elizabeth will one day be one who does great things in the name of the Lord.  And now you know a little bit about the meaning of her name, and so we ask that you keep her in your prayers, especially until she is baptized and claimed by God as His own dearly loved child in just a few short weeks.  Until then, here is a really cute picture that you can enjoy of her!

Speaking of Names

I would imagine by now that most of you faithful readers know about our recent addition to our family.  One question that always seems to come up when a new addition to a family arrives is how the particular name was chosen that was given to that new addition.  So today I want to take a few moments to share some of the significance of our daughter's first name, Rachel.

If you aren't familiar with the biblical story of Rachel, I encourage you to read about it starting in Genesis chapter 29.  I'll try to sum up her story here.

Jacob had been chased from the land promised to Abraham because of his deception of his brother, Esau.  Arriving at his grandfather's land, he watered the sheep of a young lady named Rachel, whom he instantly fell in love with.  He worked for 7 years for her father for the right to marry her, only to be deceived by his to-be father-in-law, who switched her older sister for her in Jacob's bed.  Jacob then agreed to work an additional seven years to marry Rachel, which the Bible says flew by quickly.

Jacob did the usual husbandly duties with his wives, but Leah (Rachel's older sister) proved to be far more fertile.  After having several sons, Rachel had Jacob sleep with her servant.  This produced two more sons, after which Leah did the same thing.  It wasn't until the 11th son, Joseph, that Rachel was able to conceive and have a child.  Joseph instantly became the favorite, likely because he was the first child of the wife that Jacob truly loved.

Rachel would bear one more child, Benjamin.  Sadly, she died during his birth, since his labor was difficult.  Thus, we find the story of Rachel not to be the "happily ever after" story of fairy tales, but the all too frequent human ending to stories.

Rachel's name has a great deal of meaning for us. First, her name means "ewe" or "little female lamb" in Hebrew.  We are so thankful that she will be baptized and be one of the sheep that Jesus calls by name.  Also, her story of the challenge of having a baby is one that we can relate to in some way.  Rachel's arrival and addition to our family has been something that we have waited for, and at times, have wondered if the day would ever arrive.  She was Jacob's favorite wife, and you would be hard pressed to find another person in our lives that is more favored than Rachel.  And, just like it was for Jacob with his Rachel, we can truly say that our Rachel was well worth the time and the wait and the effort that we have been through in waiting for her.

I have to say that there is a bit more than this, but even this much is challenging to put into words.  Truly, words cannot express how deeply thankful we are for our little lamb, and just how much we realize that she was truly worth the wait.

21 Weeks

What could I possibly be posting about 21 weeks? Well, right now, 21 weeks is fairly significant for Carrie and I. That's because that is how far along she is, pregnancy-wise. That's right, we are 21 weeks pregnant! How exciting, and what a reason to give thanks to God!

We found out early in September that we were pregnant. Because we have been pregnant before, and those pregnancies have not come to full completion, we were pretty cautious, both about telling people, and about the kind of care we made sure Carrie had. But we are happy to say that we have gotten through the tough parts, and everything is proceeding as it should be.

In the past couple of weeks, Carrie's belly has started to really push out. We are at the point where the kid is about 2/3 of a pound, and about the length of a banana. We've even felt a few pushes or kicks in the last week or so, which has gotten us both pretty excited about where things are heading.

To answer a couple of questions that I think you may have, Carrie's due date is early in May. So sometime around then, we will be giving thanks to God for His new addition to our family. And the second answer is, no. When we had our big ultrasound appointment about a week and a half ago, we did not find out if the baby is a boy or a girl. All along, I have had a very strong sense that the baby is a girl, but you will have to wait to find out until early in May!

We are very excited, and we hope that you join in our excitement. God really is good, and we look forward to the next 5 months of joy and excitement until we meet this new life that we will get to share.

Pondering a Decade

Every once in a while, things happen in life that make us pause, look back, and reflect on where we have been in life. We think about our accomplishments, about how we have grown, what all we have learned, and we ponder where life will take us as we move forward. Usually, these times happen when something significant occurs, such as a major change or an important date.

In just two short days, I will celebrate the fact that I have been at my current job, post, and position for 10 years. Ten years! A full decade of one job, working with many great and wonderful people. A good number of you reading this have been a big part of my life, and so you know what these ten years mean.

I have to admit that I never really anticipated staying in one location for a full decade. There are some wonderful things about the place and location where I am, as well as some wonderful people. While there are challenges, the joys of my work have been some of the best of my life. Serving people, serving God, growing in both personal and spiritual ways, these have been some of the highlights of my time here.

Ten years of serving people and serving God have flown by. Who knows where the next ten years will guide my beautiful wife and I? Only God knows right now, but I can honestly say, I look forward to the journey, and am so very thankful for the role that so many of you have played in the journey I have been on thus far.

Overcoming Prejudice

Okay, raise your right hand right now and repeat after me. "I'm prejudiced." Okay, confession is good for the soul. You've got it out now. But you aren't alone. I also have to admit that I am prejudiced.

Recently, however, I have overcome a prejudice. Growing up, I remember that I absolutely hated...tomatoes. Okay, maybe that's not one of the more offensive prejudices in the world, but it was a prejudice nonetheless. I distinctly remember not liking them at all as I grew up. On one occasion, my mom even told me that I couldn't get up from my chair at lunch until I had eaten a small, cherry sized tomato. I took my glass of water and swallowed the thing whole, just to get it over with.

But about two years ago, I was confronted with my prejudice. I had just taken up running as both a hobby and a means of keeping fit. In the reading I was doing, there also was quite a bit about foods that were good for runners. One thing that kept coming up again and again were tomatoes. They have lots of good vitamins. They have antioxidants. They carry all sorts of good things for runners and their recovery.

So I started looking for ways to include tomatoes into my diet in less than obvious ways. Tomato sauce in dishes instead of whole tomatoes. Small slices on my sandwiches. But it seems like this is the way to start overcoming prejudice. If you expose yourself to something you dislike a little at a time, it seems that it starts to grow on you.

Tonight, I made one of my regular pasta dishes for myself. One part of that dish included 10 Roma tomatoes, cut up into fourths or sixths, and then put in with my sauce. After they cook, the tomato pieces are still obvious in the dish, as is the taste. And, to my recent surprise, I have really started to like the bites with a part of a tomato in it.

What prejudice do you have that you could work to overcome in this way? Take it one small step at a time, and you may come to love it just as much as I now like tomatoes.

Proud of my Spouse

Yes, I am very proud of my spouse. This past weekend, she decided to step out and try something new. Now, I have to admit that I am a big fan of trying new things. You never grow if you don't try something new, and you never know, you just might be really good at it. So the two of us do think of new things to do every once in a while. That's why I'm now a runner, and that's why you can now call her a knitter.

Yes, that's right. Carrie is in the process of taking a class on knitting. This past Saturday, she attended a 2 hour beginners class to learn. Their project is a scarf, which will end up about 35 inches long. So she went there on Saturday and, in spite of a bit of frustration over the weekend, is well on her way to getting the first 10 inches done soon. As I type, she's sitting at the kitchen table with her needles clacking away!

You might think that a scarf for a beginner might have one basic design. But in this case, you would be wrong. Not only is she learning how to knit, but she's also learning how to purl (that word just sounds funny to me, but I digress). Every four stitches, she changes back. Knit 4, purl 4. I think she does 36 stitches across, which means that she has 9 times on each row that she has to change her style.

I think she's supposed to learn how to make a keyhole this coming Saturday, as her scarf is supposed to be a keyhole scarf. I can't wait to see how well she does. She even just finished her last row in a mere 5 minutes!!!

What new things have you tried recently? What would you like to try that you never have before? And what's keeping you from it? Step out there and take your first step into a new adventure!

Tastiest Pasta Dish Ever!

It is truly amazing what you can learn reading through magazines. Some time back, I subscribed to a magazine, Runner's World, which has helped me learn a lot about being a safe, inury-free runner. With much of what I have learned in reading through this magazine, I am probably in some of the best shape of my life, fitness-wise.

But would you believe that a running magazine is not only about running? Every issue, they give a number of healthy recipes that are friendly for runners. And then, in a recent issue, they even had a number of recipes from one of the judges on the TV show "MasterChef." Following some of his ideas, I have come across what is, to me, the tastiest pasta dish ever!

I typically start out with a pound of ground beef, a small onion chopped up, and about 3-4 cloves of garlic, also chopped. I cook these together over medium heat until the beef is cooked thoroughly. Then, I add three small cans of tomato sauce (it's been really great when I have made my own tomato sauce, but that's for another post!), rinse the cans with water and add it to the mixture, along with generous sprinklings of oregano, basil, ground black pepper, and then salt to taste. At this point, I usually will add any "extras" that I want, such as chopped tomatos, mushrooms, etc. I let this mixture cook for about 4-5 minutes, mostly to let the veggies cook a bit, but also to let the flavors all mix well together.

While this is going on, I also get my pasta going. I bring my pot of water to a boil, then add my pasta about the time that I'm pouring in the tomato sauce with the meat, onion, and garlic. Most pasta recipes say to let them boil about 8-10 minutes, but I only boil mine for about 6-8. Then, using a slotted spoon or sieve, I add the pasta into the sauce to finish. (I also will add some of the starchy water, as it helps the sauce to set better and provides a bit of liquid for the pasta to finish cooking.) Let it all cook for about 2-4 more minutes, and you have some of the tastiest pasta ever!

If you really want to put this dish over the top, just add a little shredded Parmesan cheese. It'll practically knock your socks off.

One of the best things about this recipe: I usually only have two pots/pans, two spoons, a knife, and a cutting board to wash afterward!

Tidbits, Odd Things, and a Bit of This and That

The Christmas tree is up. Our usual tradition is to put it up the day or two after Thanksgiving, but since we were out of town with some family commitments, we had to delay a bit this year. Right now, it has the lights, and the ornaments will start finding their way to the tree this weekend.

Carrie spotted a great deal for me over the past few weeks. I have a fairly large number of CDs in my collection that I rarely listen to anymore. She found a coupon to the local Hastings that gives you 5 extra dollars if you sell back 5 CDs. So far, we've had three such coupons, and I have made good use of them.

I have discovered a new favorite fruit. It's the asian pear, which has the taste of a pear, but the consistency more like an apple. We've signed up a few times for a local fruit and veggie pick-up, which has included these in our basket of delights, and I have truly taken a liking to these sweet delights!

Is it really December when you live in the mountains in the north, and yet it's still in the mid-40s outside?

We ordered some pants for me from L.L. Bean a couple of weeks ago. My size is such that it is fairly difficult to find my size in stock at stores. So we ordered a pair (getting a $10 gift card along with the order). I received them this week, and they fit great. Then, in the catalog they sent along with the pants, we found some more pants on sale for an even greater discount. Two more pairs should be arriving at our door soon!

I have maintained my running through the winter. It's very likely that I am in the best shape of my life right now. Though today's 8 mile run was one that I really had to push through.

As you can tell, my thoughts are a little random today. Maybe in the next day or two, I'll get back to you with one of my usual thought-provoking, laughter-invoking posts. Until then, may God be with you!

Snakes in the Yard

For whatever reason, about three weeks ago, we began seeing grass snakes in our yard. Up until this point, we had gone the whole summer without seeing any. We'd spent a fair amount of time working in the yard and hadn't noticed any snakes until September hit.

And then we started seeing the snakes daily. We'd see them in the front yard and in two different places in the backyard. We didn't really know what the change was and why we started seeing them more. We did discover three places underneath our cement driveway and porch slab where they were coming from. We tried to fill the holes, but they kept coming.

Now, usually bugs or other creepy crawly things do not bother me, at least when it comes to killing them. I can handle flies and spiders. Cockroaches big and small don't terrify me. Worms are fine. I even dealt with seeing rats in Macau ok. The one thing I cannot stand are snakes. I hate them with a passion. They are sneaky and sly. They slither and hiss. They are just so gross.

As soon as we started seeing them in multiple places in our yard, I became bound to the indoors. I was no longer interested in working in the yard or going out to the garden. Seriously...how can something 12 inches long confine me to the home? I can't explain it, but it happened. So Scott, in all of his husbandly goodness, started out on snake patrol. He would go out in the morning and the evening with his shovel, hunting for snakes in our yard. He even developed a "hunting call" for them and had a hunting pattern to find them. Over a period of 10 days he killed 15 snakes! We had no idea there were that many.

And then he mowed our yard, and we haven't seen any since. It's been about a week without any snake sightings and I'm starting to feel that it may be safe to venture out into the yard again!

Summer Update

Hi everyone, I know you've all been waiting for our latest update with bated breath. Well, wait no longer. It's here (please keep your applause down!). We apologize for the lack of updates lately, as we've had family in town, cleaning to do, work to attend to, more family in town, more cleaning to do, and a number of other matters (like anniverary and birthday celebrations). But we are back and better than ever.

It's now August, and we want you to see some of the adventures we had in July. So be checking back regularly to see some of our adventures, hear our stories, and take part in the general merriment that is our lives.

10 Quick Takes for the 4th

Happy 4th of July! Happy Independence Day! Since you all have been wondering, here's a quick update on what has been happening with us:

1. We survived being apart for almost 2 weeks. This was a first for us as previously we'd only been apart for a week. What was unusual was Scott was the one gone this time.

2. Scott survived 2 weeks of intensive graduate courses in St. Louis. He took 9 doctoral credits in a mere 10 days. Granted, he spent the whole month prior to class reading 100+ pages of course books each day, and he still has 60 pages of final papers to write, but he's survived so far.

3. In addition to studying, he managed to find large chunks of time to spend with our Godson and his family who live near there. What a great privilege to be able to nurture that relationship.

4. We're getting new internet service! Yes, this is exciting. We're finally ditching our slow connection and going with a local broadband company. This means we'll not only save a bunch of money each month, but our speeds should hopefully be much faster. That equates to more blogging and picture uploading.

5. We're planning to buy 1/4 of a cow. Scott is thrilled I've finally given in to his desire for more meat at a reasonable price.

6. We're buying a 7 cu. ft. chest freezer this week for our 1/4 of a cow.

7. We purchased clearance vegetable plants and are trying to grow new veggies for the first time in our garden. For a whopping $3 we got 6 brussel sprout plants, 6 califlower, and 6 cabbage plants. We'll see how they turnout. Right now we have zucchini, tomato, pepper, eggplant, basil, and parsley growing well.

8. I have 2 weeks left of summer classes and then I'm on vacation for 5 weeks. This summer has been the least stressful of all summer teaching due to the extremely small class sizes. I have 7 students in 1 class and 1 student in the other. I have 8 students total in 2 classes! That has never happened before, but I sure enjoy how quickly I can grade papers.

9. In 2 1/2 weeks the first of our company arrives, followed immediately by the second group, and then a week later the third group arrives. I'm looking forward to all of the visits and it's a nice change from our usual traveling.

10. Today marks 2 years of blogging! Happy blog-o-versary to us.

Happy Birthday, America!

Ash Wednesday, Lent, and Jesus

It's February 17 today. But if you look on quite a few calendars, you will also see "Ash Wednesday." For many Christians, this day is the beginning of a 40 day journey (not counting Sundays) to Easter, carrying us to the cross and the empty tomb.

During this season, Christians are encouraged to consider the price that Jesus paid for all our sins. Part of our Christian life during this time is to consider our own personal responsibility for Christ having to suffer and die, and then to turn away from those sins. The big word for this is "repentance", where we take an honest, inward look, search out our faults, confess them to God, and give thanks for the forgiveness that Jesus purchased for us on the cross. Then, we set our hearts and minds to "give up" those sins during this season.

That's the meaning behind Christians traditionally giving up something for Lent. Ideally, it would be some sinful action that we discipline ourselves from doing, though in more recent years, many find other things to give up. In older times, it was also encouraged that the Christian would add something to bring growth in faith and living, such as prayer, Bible reading, or something similar.

This year, for Lent, Carrie and I have both chosen to give up something. She is giving up sweets, while I am giving up any alcoholic beverages (except for the Lord's Supper). Carrie has recently added a daily time of morning prayer and Bible reading before work, which will continue through this season. (By the way, stay tuned in for a little more of an explanation from her about this. It's really interesting and exciting!) I really haven't decided if I will add anything, since I already do so much Bible reading, prayer, and other spiritual disciplines. If I do, I will let you know.

Do you have any Lent traditions? Any giving up or adding in? We'd love to know and to support you and pray for you in your journey.

100 Tidbits for our 100th Post!

We made it to 100! That's 100 posts on this blog. A small, yet monumental feat for us, since we didn't really know the direction this blog would go when we first started it last July. We knew we wanted to provide a forum for our family and friends to follow our lives, and we hope we have succeeded in that.

While we don't post nearly as often as we have ideas, we do feel that we've settled into somewhat of a routine of posting 2-3 times a week. We thought we would do something fun for our 100th post. We're going to share 100 things about us (50 each) that you may or may not know. Happy reading.

About Carrie:
1. I like to read.
2. I often have bigger stacks of books waiting to be read than what I'm actually reading.
3. I currently have 3 stacks of books to read- it's been a busy year.
4. My dream job would involve traveling the world.
5. I've traveled to 4 continents.
6. I've visited 19 countries.
7. I hope to travel to all 7 continents someday- yes, even Antarctica.
8. I once jumped off a mountain top in Venezuela- with a paraglider.
9. I'd love to be a contestant with Scott on Amazing Race someday, but fear I'd get too stressed and yell alot (see #10).
10. I need a lot of sleep or else I'm crabby.
11. I do better when I'm on a regular sleep routine.
12. I'd like to write a book and have it published someday.
13. I don't like pets (never had many growing up) because they shed too much.
14. I'm terrible at waiting- very impatient.
15. I once had a deer follow me home (I have the pictures to prove it) while I was out running- in the city!
16. I played on a women's rugby team in high school.
17. I once called the FBI to report illegal activity at a factory I worked at.
18. I'm fascintated by other cultures, traditions, and foods.
19. I love to organize things.
20. I am in charge of all the finances in our family.
21. I like having a monthly budget and sticking to it.
22. I failed my driver's license test on my 16th birthday because I was so nervous. My parents made me wait a month to take it again.
23. I prefer red wine to white wine now.
24. I like to do crafty things, but don't consider myself an artist by any means (you should see my stick people drawings).
25. I love getting things for free or at a radically reduced cost.

About Scott:
26. I grew up on a cotton farm
27. My BA is in Food Science.
28. I once worked at a preschool as a teacher.
29. I would love to go to culinary school someday to become a chef.
30. I have my MDiv in theological education.
31. I think thunderstorms are really fun to watch and hear.
32. I find satisfaction in working with kids and teens.
33. I am colorblind (you should see some of my outfits).
34. I own way too many books (but have read most of them).
35. I want to learn 4 different languages in a lifetime.
36. I can read Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.
37. I like cool to cold weather (70 or less).
38. I love the mountains.
39. I have actually cried after a commercial before.
40. I want to run a 1/2 and full marathon.
41. I am working on my Doctorate degree.
42. I'm an early riser (my wife is a night owl).
43. I rarely get sick.
44. I enjoy teaching.
45. I believe we should never stop learning.
46. I'm the captain of our church softball team.
47. I am trying to eat all foods of the world.
48. I enjoy gardening and growing different plants.
49. I try to see the best in others.
50. I think short naps are a gift from God.

About Carrie:
51. I'm going to Russia next summer with Scott.
52. I don't think I'll ever take an official job using my BA (DCE work). I think that degree was just a pathway to meet Scott and to go on to my Master's.
53. I traveled Europe by backpack with a friend for 5 weeks- on a budget- carrying our own toilet paper and jar of peanut butter.
54. I enjoy making a difference in people's lives.
55. I'm a sinner and frequently make mistakes- thankfully God forgives me each time.
56. I'm passionate about reading the Bible and letting God's Word change my life.
57. I'm in a Monday evening Bible study group with women ages 22-60 and love it.
58. I absolutely love my current job, but also look forward to the time when I'm a mom and stay home more.
59. I love nature photography, but don't have the patience or skill to become better.
60. I have little self-control when it comes to sweets, especially good chocolate.
61. I've held a variety of jobs in the past- t-ball coach, Bible camp counselor, assembly-line worker (see #17), warming house attendant, baseball field cleaner, babysitter, directory-assistance operator then the administrative assistant and hiring person, youth ministry director (see #52), EFL instructor, missionary, and professor just to name a few.
62. I left part of my heart in China and Macau.
63. I enjoy continued learning and taking classes.
64. I spent a month in Germany as a high school exchange student and was too shy to speak much German.
65. I used to run the 100 m in high school track and the 4 x 100 relay.
66. I went on an archaeologial dig in Israel and uncovered a Byzantine floor.
67. I like Curves (a gym for women) and it's the first workout routine that I've stayed with, for 2 1/2 years now.
68. I'm a firm believer in honesty, and have little patience with people who lie or deceive.
69. I enjoy doing pranks and practice jokes- though I don't do it much since college.
70. My mom called me Care Bear before they were invented.
71. I'm a bit ADD- I like making piles of paper. I call them my to-do piles.
72. I've become a bit of a germ-o-phobe. I have to wash my hands before I eat.
73. I was extremely shy when I was younger.
74. I tithe 10% to our church- not because it's required, but because we want to. And God seems to multiply the 90% we have left.
75. I enjoy new and unique experiences.

About Scott:
76. I would love a pet cat or very small dog someday.
77. I find comfort in silence and prayer.
78. I'm a steak lover.
79. I enjoy wine.
80. I have XM radio in my Sonata and love it.
81. I can eat a whole bag of Doritos at one time.
82. I admit to being a Star Trek/Star Wars junkie.
83. I am actually a pretty boring guy.
84. I am organizationally challenged most of the time.
85. Reading is a hobby of mine.
86. I also love watching movies- Pirates, Action, Sci-Fi.
87. I love playing games.
88. An ideal day would involve playing about 20 different games.
89. I enjoy cooking and find it relaxing.
90. I watch Food Network, Planet Earth, and Blue Planet.
91. My favorite sports teams are the Cowboys, Rangers, Red Raiders, and Spurs.
92. I would enjoy working in sports in some capacity- perhaps a broadcaster.
93. I have the best wife in the world.
94. I'm an active Christian.
95. I like reading most Christian literature.
96. I left the US for the first time when I went to visit Carrie in Macau.
97. I've since visited China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Thailand.
98. I've also visited Costa Rice and Mexico.
99. I'm a terrible photographer. Once I took a picture of a stationary starfish and managed to get only half of it in the photo.
100. Don't expect 200 things for our 200th post. I had a hard enough time coming up with 50 (see #83).

Congratulations if you are still reading! We hope you enjoyed reading our facts. It was fun for us to put them together, and we even learned a few new things! Here's to another 100 posts!

Ashes for a Birthday?

Ashes for a birthday...what in the world does that mean? I'll start with the first part- ashes. Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. From now until April 12th (Easter) we will be on a journey to the cross. Our times of worship on Sundays and Wednesdays will be focused on the suffering, sorrow, pain, and sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus. All of this culminates Easter morning at the empty tomb. The sacrifice of Jesus is made complete through His resurrection, and we celebrate with enormous joy that day.

But until then, we spend the next 6 weeks reflecting on our sin and pain that caused Jesus to have to sacrifice His life, so that he could give eternal life to all. Tonight at church we had ashes imposed on our foreheads in the sign of the cross. Those ashes were made from the burnt palm branches of Palm Sunday last year and symbolize repentance.

Not only is today Ash Wednesday, but it is also Scott's birthday. No, I did not give him ashes for his birthday, but it was an interesting combination of events for him and definitely a long work day. This birthday was rather uneventful for him compared with some birthdays of the past.

The first year I moved out here I arranged a surprise party for him with a bunch of church people. He showed up wearing this grungy Senor Frog's t-shirt. He didn't have a clue. It was pretty funny.

Another year we had an international birthday party with a friend who shares the same birthday as Scott (Happy birthday, Amy!). We dressed up in clothing from around the world, smoked a hooka, and celebrated together.

This year...rather boring of a birthday celebration, but it just seems hard to celebrate on a day that marks the beginning of Lent. Plus, he's becoming somewhat of a birthday grump- not wanting to celebrate his birthday too much, so I don't push it. People did surprise him at church yesterday by singing. That was pretty fun.

Another year older, another year wiser, another year of growth, another year of blessings! May you continue to delight in the Lord all the days of your life! Happy birthday, Scott.

Pancakes, Shrove Tuesday, and History

A happy Shrove Tuesday to all of you. But perhaps you read that and wonder, "What is Shrove, and why on a Tuesday? And what do pancakes have to do with it? Please allow me to explain for a moment.

For many Christians, the forty days (not counting Sundays) that precede Easter are known as the season of Lent. Lent is typically a season of sorrow over sin, and is marked by remembering what Christ endured for us in His death on the cross, which is called His Passion. As Christ gave up so much for us, many Christians typically "give up" something for Lent, as a remembrance of that sacrifice.

In Christian history, it was desired to enter into this season with a repentant and forgiven heart. Therefore, on the Tuesday before Lent began (a day known as Ash Wednesday), the faithful would go to their priest to confess their sins and hear of their forgiveness in Jesus. This action, known as shriving, is what gives the name to Shrove Tuesday.

But where do the pancakes come in, you ask? History has several different ideas of where they came from. One thought is that, as the many faithful came to confession, there would be so many that you could literally be waiting for hours. Therefore, an easy to prepare meal was provided, with pancakes being one of the easiest. Another tradition says that, since Lent is a time of fasting, many of the kinds of food found in pancakes needed to be out of the house, and so a feast of pancakes would take place on the Tuesday before Lent.

Regardless of the reasons behind it, Shrove Tuesday continues to be a special day in many Christian circles. This goes for even Carrie and I, who tonight joined with many from our congregation to enjoy a meal of pancakes and a time to prepare for the upcoming season of Lent. Blessings as we enter the season of Lent.

Purple Mountain Majesty?

You've likely heard of the "Where's Waldo" books before. Today, I have a new game for you. Instead of looking for Waldo, look at this picture and see if you can find the mountain in it.
Give up? It's right in the middle of the picture. The reason you can't really see it is this mountain valley phenomenon called the inversion. When it gets cold outside, the coldest air gets trapped in the valleys, and then a warmer layer of air moves over the top of it. This traps all the pollutants from cars, cows, factories, and the like into the precious air that we breath.

Here's another view of the inversion, looking at some of the other mountains around us. Remember, most of the year, these pictures would be perfectly clear.

Our state is known for this. We even have "green", "yellow", and "red" days. Green means good air. Yellow, somewhat bad air and people are encouraged to limit driving. Red means you should stop driving, pull out your bicycle, bundle up, and then ride around, exerting yourself to breathe in all the bad air and make it go away. Oh, yes, stop your wood-burning stove, too, because that's going to make it even worse!

So basically, we await the next major storm to blow through, blowing out all the bad air (for a while), until the next layer of warm air settles over us and we get to do it all again.

So if you call us and hear us coughing up a storm, you have a little better understanding of why we so "love" our "purple mountain majesty" during the winter months.

(If you need more proof of this, here's what was on the front of one of our papers.)

January 6 means Epiphany!

That's right, every year on January 6, we have the Christian holy day of Epiphany. In some Christian traditions, it's also called Three Kings Day, to commemorate the journey of the Magi (often called wise men) to see the young baby Jesus. In addition to that, this day also concludes the 12 days of Christmas, and begins the season that fills the time between Christmas and Lent (which begins with Ash Wednesday).

In short, Epiphany is the season where God reveals Himself in Jesus. It is a season of miracles, all of which proves Jesus to be the one true God in human flesh. And ultimately, this shows us that God cared for His people so much that He took on human flesh and blood to bear the sins of the world in redeeming His people.

So have a blessed Epiphany today. May you be like the Magi (or the wise men), and seek Him still.

Wilderness Sightings

Living in a somewhat rural area has some very unique advantages. For one thing, as Carrie has mentioned before, we get to see the mountains, unobstructed in many places. Where there are mountains, you can also be certain to find wildlife.

This past summer, when we had our garden, we had a friendly pheasant that would walk up and check it out. He must have found some yummy things there, for he kept coming back until our neighbors put up a fence (of course, leaving some birdfood in the garden for him may have had something to do with it!).

However, recently we had two interesting wildlife sightings. My office is located near the local university. Most often, unversity settings don't allow for much wildlife of the natural kind, other than squirrels. However, being in a mountain valley has its advantages.

About two weeks ago, near my office, a small herd of deer simply came wandering by. Carrie and I were watching as they casually strolled by, walking up the hill, and finally wandering up toward the university. By the time we could get our camera out, all we could see was the white of their behinds.

Then, just today, as Carrie, my assistant, and I were standing in my office, we looked out my office window and what did we see? A male pheasant strutting by, just outside the window. We were literally 5 feet away from him, separated only by wall, window, and door. As we watched him, he wandered past the window, proceeding up the hill toward a busy street where, hopefully, he looked both ways before crossing.

Wildlife outside your office. Just one more great thing about living in the mountains.

Reformation and All-Saints Day

Yesterday, Carrie posted about Reformation Day. It's a day which is special to many Christians, especially Lutheran Christians. However, if you take a poll of your neighborhood, it's likely most people will associate October 31 with Halloween and not Reformation. So why would Martin Luther pick a day which is commonly known by another name?

The reason is that in Luther's day in Europe, Halloween wasn't a holiday. Sure, there were many non-Christians (and probably even a few Christians) who celebrated on October 31, but these celebrations were primarily designed to drive demons out of the local village for November 1 (I'll explain November 1 in a moment). This usually involved someone dressing up as a demon, and then either being pacified by offering gifts to him, or being driven out of the village. Hence, the origin of trick or treat.

The reason for this is that November 1 has been long celebrated as All-Saints Day, a day to remember those who have died in the Christian faith before us. In the 1500s in Europe, this was a holy day celebrated almost as much as Easter and Christmas. On this day, most people in their villages or towns would go to worship, giving thanks to God for the eternal life of those who had died in faith. For many, driving out the "demons" made the city or village holy for All-Saints Day.

Luther chose this day to post his 95 theses because he knew that there would not only be many of the faithful attending worship, but so would many biblical scholars, pastors, and the like. Luther intended that some discussion would begin on some gross abuses, to get them corrected. His desire was to start some theological debate, but as history now shows, this was but the first step in a decades-long time that is now called the Reformation.

So as you remember All-Saints Day today, give thanks to God for his gift of faith to the many faithful who now are with Jesus forever. Give thanks, also, that God's message of saved by grace through faith continues to be boldly and lovingly proclaimed throughout the world.

Finally, if you are feeling really inspired to display some "Lutheraness" after reading this, you can always click here for some really cool (and maybe somewhat nerdy) Lutheran stuff.

Reforming Halloween?

Happy Halloween! Happy Reformation Day! 2 holidays on the same day? What is that about? Most of you probably know today is Halloween, but did you know it's also Reformation Day? Since we're Lutheran, this day has special significance in the history of our church, and all of Protestantism for that matter.

Nearly 500 years ago, a Catholic monk made a public display of his disagreement with the Catholic church over indulegences, penance, and the authority of the Pope. Thus, a new Christian movement was born. Luther's teachings focused on the idea what we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8) and there is nothing that we can say or do that has any saving power. We are saved through the blood of Jesus on the cross, and this is a free gift from God.

I've attended a variety of churches in my college and overseas days, but none do I theologically agree with more than the Lutheran church. This song is a humerous take on Lutherans, and small nuances within our church. The song is performed by a group called "Lost and Found." I can't verify all of the people included are actually Lutherans now, but I know some of them are. Be warned- the voices are a little (ok, a lot) nasal-ish sounding. Just listen to the words.

Click here to read the text if you can't understand all of the words.