Sometimes the briefest conversations leave me with the deepest thoughts. You know what I mean? John Piper once wrote that "books don't change people: paragraphs do. At times even sentences." (and of course that's all I remember about that particular book, lol) Today I spoke ever-so-briefly with Rob Hamby, who was my campus minister (RUF) at Furman for my senior year in high school through my junior year of college. Anyway, long story short I haven't talked to him since I got married, and haven't seen him for longer than that. He asked how I was doing, and since he's a pastor and all, and a respected friend, I confessed "it's wonderful, being married... but honestly, you technically know you're "totally depraved," but I didn't believe I was totally totally depraved until I got married. Now I know ...all this sin just comes out. (I laughed) Ryan reminds me that it was always there, it just maybe would have stayed hidden longer." Then Rob said, in that quick way of his, exactly what I was thinking, in a way I'd never said it:
"That's right, marriage changes everything. It's a whole new way of looking in the mirror."
We said our goodbyes and "God bless"s, and hung up. Who knows when I'll get to enjoy his & Kendall's company... I'm sure their kids, Wells & Simeon, are nigh unrecognizable to me by now. But, Rob, wherever you are, your words have again taught me. "A whole new way of looking in the mirror." The mirror...seeing myself, in reaction to another, in the eyes of another Image-Bearer; another "God-with-skin," as Ben Patterson puts it. A whole new way of seeing myself as Scripture reveals me to be... a whole new avenue for the Sword of the Spirit to lay me open.
Amen.
It's off to watch Final Fantasy VII, Advent Children with my Mirror. Hey, Trin, I recognize the music!! :)
---EDIT:--- Sunday, March 2nd:
From my friend Kelsey's Blog...
"[...] Or how living in community truly causes you to see yourself? Which can make you want to just completely run the other way and not face any of your own sin or false identities. This season in my life, Jesus is my Healer. I find him taking the broken pieces and healing it in His time and His way, but also finding that He is bringing complete freedom and healing in areas that seem to have an unpliable grip and stronghold."
I pray that last part is true of me!
Friday, February 29, 2008
Business as Usual?
I'm currently listening to Wayne Grudem's 5-part series which is so graciously available for free download through Sovereign Grace Ministries' store. Too often, we don't talk about money as the very spiritual thing (as Ryan Fullerton reminds) that it is a holy way, then are suprised that people do unholy things with it...that doesn't make sense! I really found Grudem's session on investment helpful. As my Dad pointed out, we do have to live in the world, and in some ways the mere fact of our being here advances the causes of sin. Everything's so connected: when I buy one thing, my money goes to the company, which may support other less wholesome things, etc. I guess that means we should work even HARDER to advance causes of the Kingdom?
Anyway, as I said I'm really appreciating the talks, but have several nagging questions which I fear Mr. Grudem doesn't address at all. So much of our consumerism --our "good business" as he calls it-- in the States is driven by an impoverishing of other nations. There is a short flash video online that is a helpful starting point. Taken with a grain of salt (there's no need to sound like a snarky liberal nor to over-simplify facts) there is ample food for thought for the Christian...
Anyway, as I said I'm really appreciating the talks, but have several nagging questions which I fear Mr. Grudem doesn't address at all. So much of our consumerism --our "good business" as he calls it-- in the States is driven by an impoverishing of other nations. There is a short flash video online that is a helpful starting point. Taken with a grain of salt (there's no need to sound like a snarky liberal nor to over-simplify facts) there is ample food for thought for the Christian...
There are two main problems I as a Christian see with our modus operandus today:
1) harmful stewardship: irresponsible impoverishing of the earth's natural resources-- the dumping of un-biodegradable substances (such as plastic) into natural areas, like the seas, is harmful pollution, not merely a stride forward in human comfort and convenience-- it's absolutely contrary to everything God does in caring for and creating His creation.
2) lack of neighbor-love --when we dump our trash or impoverish the lands of the "Third World," we actually harm those living nearby. We also take advantage of them when our companies fail to provide good working environments or provide a living wage, or when we buy from companies which fail in these areas. There is nothing holy in laziness or selfishness... and often that's what makes us into a nation of consumers.
These questions of neighbor love, and of responsible stewardship/care for Creation pop up that aren't addressed if all we look at is the end product in American hands. Sure, a piece of plastic may seem convenient (helpful), cheap and good use of creativity, but is it really? Something which is so "cheap" here in the US is really soooo expensive, and someone has to pay it. At times the hidden costs are shocking: the "Made in ___" products we buy so cheaply (ex. electronics) are, at times, assembled by imprisoned Christians in horrible conditions, or the ones we buy expensively (ex. gems) are, all too often, obtained at the cost of children's or other innocent lives (watch Blood Diamond if you need convincing).
- What about all the by-products of its production, including fuel and energy used to ship it?
- Where will it go when I'm done with it? (most plastics ARENT bio-degradeable) How will we increase the earth's productivity (which Grudem reminds us is good) if we're polluting it?
- Where did it come from (is it a resource that is too limited to consume so much of it? did we retrieve it responsibly or recklessly?) For these last 2 questions, we have to remember that spoiling land isn't loving to the people who have to live on or around it...
- What about the ones who assembled it-- how were they treated? Reading biographies of some members of the persecuted church, and how they were forced to assemble electronics for sale in the West, under horrible conditions in prison camps, I realize why China can sell stuff so cheaply...
What are your thoughts? I'm trying to make sense of this all myself, and would be interested in you all's perspective as those devoted to God's Word and His Smile.
--The Szrama Mama
[Side Note: We have some friends who run a food co-op here in Louisville, and they have some very strong opinions about being Christians and consumers-- ecological responsibility, neighbor-love, etc. They take it a little further than I'm comfortable taking it without binding someone's conscience where Scripture doesn't, but still, they make you think.]
1) harmful stewardship: irresponsible impoverishing of the earth's natural resources-- the dumping of un-biodegradable substances (such as plastic) into natural areas, like the seas, is harmful pollution, not merely a stride forward in human comfort and convenience-- it's absolutely contrary to everything God does in caring for and creating His creation.
2) lack of neighbor-love --when we dump our trash or impoverish the lands of the "Third World," we actually harm those living nearby. We also take advantage of them when our companies fail to provide good working environments or provide a living wage, or when we buy from companies which fail in these areas. There is nothing holy in laziness or selfishness... and often that's what makes us into a nation of consumers.
These questions of neighbor love, and of responsible stewardship/care for Creation pop up that aren't addressed if all we look at is the end product in American hands. Sure, a piece of plastic may seem convenient (helpful), cheap and good use of creativity, but is it really? Something which is so "cheap" here in the US is really soooo expensive, and someone has to pay it. At times the hidden costs are shocking: the "Made in ___" products we buy so cheaply (ex. electronics) are, at times, assembled by imprisoned Christians in horrible conditions, or the ones we buy expensively (ex. gems) are, all too often, obtained at the cost of children's or other innocent lives (watch Blood Diamond if you need convincing).
- What about all the by-products of its production, including fuel and energy used to ship it?
- Where will it go when I'm done with it? (most plastics ARENT bio-degradeable) How will we increase the earth's productivity (which Grudem reminds us is good) if we're polluting it?
- Where did it come from (is it a resource that is too limited to consume so much of it? did we retrieve it responsibly or recklessly?) For these last 2 questions, we have to remember that spoiling land isn't loving to the people who have to live on or around it...
- What about the ones who assembled it-- how were they treated? Reading biographies of some members of the persecuted church, and how they were forced to assemble electronics for sale in the West, under horrible conditions in prison camps, I realize why China can sell stuff so cheaply...
What are your thoughts? I'm trying to make sense of this all myself, and would be interested in you all's perspective as those devoted to God's Word and His Smile.
--The Szrama Mama
[Side Note: We have some friends who run a food co-op here in Louisville, and they have some very strong opinions about being Christians and consumers-- ecological responsibility, neighbor-love, etc. They take it a little further than I'm comfortable taking it without binding someone's conscience where Scripture doesn't, but still, they make you think.]
Saturday, February 09, 2008
At MEIJER
The program covers leading, oral generic antibiotics with a special focus on the prescriptions most often filled for children. The following are FREE with your doctor’s prescription, regardless of insurance or co-pay:
Amoxicillin
Cephalexin
SMZ-TMP
Ciprofloxacin
Ampicillin
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Erythromycin
Amoxicillin
Cephalexin
SMZ-TMP
Ciprofloxacin
Ampicillin
Penicillin VK
Erythromycin
Sites my husband would like...
These are largely gifts from Matt Foreman...
Helpful tips for managing very small children.
The coolest houses ever!.... makes me jealous. Except...what happenes if your tree dies?
Motivations when sleeping in sounds better than church.
And... for all you "regular guys" out there... (except...some of us don't really like diamonds...)
Helpful tips for managing very small children.
The coolest houses ever!.... makes me jealous. Except...what happenes if your tree dies?
Motivations when sleeping in sounds better than church.
And... for all you "regular guys" out there... (except...some of us don't really like diamonds...)
A Tribute to Ronald H. Thompson, Jr. aka My Dad
My youngest sister, Anna, wrote this essay for a class assignment as well as an encouragement to my Dad before his latest eye surgery (which took place successfully yesterday). Praise the Lord for a successful surgery, for my Mom who will faithfully care for my Dad during the recovery, and for the way God has worked in my Dad's heart to make him a true Father to his daughters. We love you, Dad! And we love Jesus more because of you.
If you can, go give your own Dad a hug. Or call or send a quick email. They spend a ton of time, energy, emotion, and money on us, first with the whole raising thing, then the whole education thing, then the you're-out-of-the-house-but-I-still-want-to-be-here-for-you thing. Not to mention the hours of prayer, Scripture reading, thinking of, shopping for, grieving for and rejoicing with that faithful, Godly parents spend on our behalves.
Praise God for inventing families! :)
--Christina
It was always a given that my father would come home sweaty and out of breath. Since before I can remember remembering, I had known my father was a very competitive road cyclist. Winning the State Championship in this event was no small feat, especially to do so twice. When I was only four or five, I thought it was quite normal for your dad to ride his bike across town to work. I can recall the first time I realized that my father's biking was not just like grilling burgers in the back yard. It was not something every father did.
At about six or seven, I was naturally curious, and was snooping through some bookshelves in my parents' room. I came across a scrapbook of sorts, the kind with the static pages that make your hair stand on end if you lean too far forward. The first few pages had some pictures of my father in his college years, playing Monopoly in his bell-bottom jeans and muscle shirts. As I turned the pages, I began to see more and more of his cycling pictures. I had known he had been part of a team, so those photographs of him surrounded by teammates in spandex were hardly surprising. I then flipped a page and came to a newspaper article about a biking accident my father had been in. This greatly interested me. The article mentioned a broken collarbone and possibly stitches. I pulled the article off the static page to see if it was genuine. It was. I flipped a few pages farther forward and found even more articles and pictures of my father in his "glory days" of cycling. I had known these times had existed. I knew my dad had been South Carolina State Road Biking Champion twice in his life. I did not wonder that many other fathers had done the same. But to have your picture in the newspaper? Better yet, to have an entire article written solely about you? That was something special. Perhaps my father had some unique qualities I had never considered.
After my father was involved in a biking accident around 1995, he quickly became competitive in running. I, once again, did not comprehend how dedicated and talented he was. I knew he was fast, but, after all, he was a grown up, and they always did things better than kids. On so many Saturday mornings, I can recall my dad asking me to ride my bike while he ran beside me. The first two or three times, I agreed, but I soon learned that even in this situation, my dad was much faster than me, and it would only be fifteen minutes before I was begging him to slow down.
My father has always been sensitive to my interests, however strange they may be. I took on a keen love for turtles in elementary school. Turtles: those ugly greenish brown creatures that smelled of algae and would snap at your fingers and nose if you got too close. My father somehow understood. I have a solid memory of one such example of his sympathy to my bizarre hobbies and obsessions.
I was playing in my grandparents' back yard in Blacksburg, VA. Our family was visiting them the summer I was going into the third grade. I was crouched down, digging in the dirt with a stick. I heard my father calling my name anxiously. I turned to see him running up the hill, sweaty and in running clothes, as we so often saw him. He was bearing some sort of rock in his right hand, and he lowered it towards me as he approached in the yard. As I leaned in closer, I saw it was not a stone, but a tortoise. His head and limbs here tucked into his shell in fear, but as my dad placed him on the ground, he cautiously stretched his head out. I beamed in satisfaction. "Anna, I was running on Main Street and I saw this turtle in the median of the road," he said, panting. He wiped sweat from his face and continued, "I knew you would want to see him, so I picked him up and ran back with him." He spoke loudly. He always spoke loudly. I poked at the shell and smiled up at my dad. He grinned back, happy with my happiness. I set to work to find a container to house my new pet in. My father came to the conclusion that it was a box turtle. I know now it was really a tortoise, so it was in actuality a box tortoise. Whatever it was in zoological terms, I named him Elliot. It seemed like proper name for a turtle.
Our stay in Blacksburg only lasted a few more days, and my mother instructed me to say goodbye to Elliot, and to release him into the wild. I was greatly disturbed by this, and protested strongly, arguing that we had a creek in our backyard, and that Elliot would be much happier there than in Blacksburg. Somehow, my father convinced my mother, and my activist older sister Christina, to let me take the turtle back to Greenville with us. I can remember the four-and-a-half-hour car ride with Elliot clawing at the cardboard box the whole way home, joined by my sister's pleas of "Just let the poor thing out!" My dad even convinced my mom to let us use her back porch as a temporary home for the box turtle. He helped me construct a cage of sorts from chicken wire and two-by-fours. He also kept Christina from helping Elliot break free from me, his captor. My father even made a brave attempt to conceal his amusement, and suppress a smile when I revealed to him that I was training Elliot, and that I had even taught him how to swim. I am afraid my dad is not made of iron, and may have been unable to keep from howling with laughter. Then the sad rainy day came when our creek overflowed and the water rose to the turtle pen my father and I had built. The current swept Elliot The Box Turtle away. Although I was greatly saddened by the loss, I had assurance that Elliot was safe somewhere. I had, after all, taught him how to swim.
I have much to learn about the workings of this world. I am a mere freshman in college. What do I know about Corporate America? I am not even old enough to vote. What do I know about politics? I have never been in love. I do not pay rent or a utility bill. I am still an ignorant child in many aspects. But however long I live, however much I learn about the world, however much I am forced to grow up, I will know this. My father is extraordinary. He would stop at nothing to make sure I was happy and well cared for. He bears no regard for himself or his reputation when it comes to his family. He came to every soccer game he was in the country for. He was always willing to drive me to tap, ballet, and hip-hop. I can still remember hearing his booming voice at the swim meets. He listened through countless piano, violin, choral, and hand bell concerts. Running three miles with a tortoise in your hand is no small accomplishment. Nor is winning South Carolina State Road Biking Championships on two occasions. Nor is attaining a personal record of a four minute twenty-one second mile. Nor is, even at the age of forty-seven, being able to out run any guy your daughters try to bring home. However much understanding I gain from this life, I will never fully comprehend my daddy's love for me.
Bravo, Anners: not only did you encourage Dad, you also wrote a hilarious, thought-provoking, and moving essay! You'd better get an 'A' for that!! :)
If you can, go give your own Dad a hug. Or call or send a quick email. They spend a ton of time, energy, emotion, and money on us, first with the whole raising thing, then the whole education thing, then the you're-out-of-the-house-but-I-still-want-to-be-here-for-you thing. Not to mention the hours of prayer, Scripture reading, thinking of, shopping for, grieving for and rejoicing with that faithful, Godly parents spend on our behalves.
Praise God for inventing families! :)
--Christina
"Not Your Average Dad"
by Anna K. Thompson
10:09pm Thursday, Feb 7th, 2008
At about six or seven, I was naturally curious, and was snooping through some bookshelves in my parents' room. I came across a scrapbook of sorts, the kind with the static pages that make your hair stand on end if you lean too far forward. The first few pages had some pictures of my father in his college years, playing Monopoly in his bell-bottom jeans and muscle shirts. As I turned the pages, I began to see more and more of his cycling pictures. I had known he had been part of a team, so those photographs of him surrounded by teammates in spandex were hardly surprising. I then flipped a page and came to a newspaper article about a biking accident my father had been in. This greatly interested me. The article mentioned a broken collarbone and possibly stitches. I pulled the article off the static page to see if it was genuine. It was. I flipped a few pages farther forward and found even more articles and pictures of my father in his "glory days" of cycling. I had known these times had existed. I knew my dad had been South Carolina State Road Biking Champion twice in his life. I did not wonder that many other fathers had done the same. But to have your picture in the newspaper? Better yet, to have an entire article written solely about you? That was something special. Perhaps my father had some unique qualities I had never considered.
After my father was involved in a biking accident around 1995, he quickly became competitive in running. I, once again, did not comprehend how dedicated and talented he was. I knew he was fast, but, after all, he was a grown up, and they always did things better than kids. On so many Saturday mornings, I can recall my dad asking me to ride my bike while he ran beside me. The first two or three times, I agreed, but I soon learned that even in this situation, my dad was much faster than me, and it would only be fifteen minutes before I was begging him to slow down.
My father has always been sensitive to my interests, however strange they may be. I took on a keen love for turtles in elementary school. Turtles: those ugly greenish brown creatures that smelled of algae and would snap at your fingers and nose if you got too close. My father somehow understood. I have a solid memory of one such example of his sympathy to my bizarre hobbies and obsessions.
I was playing in my grandparents' back yard in Blacksburg, VA. Our family was visiting them the summer I was going into the third grade. I was crouched down, digging in the dirt with a stick. I heard my father calling my name anxiously. I turned to see him running up the hill, sweaty and in running clothes, as we so often saw him. He was bearing some sort of rock in his right hand, and he lowered it towards me as he approached in the yard. As I leaned in closer, I saw it was not a stone, but a tortoise. His head and limbs here tucked into his shell in fear, but as my dad placed him on the ground, he cautiously stretched his head out. I beamed in satisfaction. "Anna, I was running on Main Street and I saw this turtle in the median of the road," he said, panting. He wiped sweat from his face and continued, "I knew you would want to see him, so I picked him up and ran back with him." He spoke loudly. He always spoke loudly. I poked at the shell and smiled up at my dad. He grinned back, happy with my happiness. I set to work to find a container to house my new pet in. My father came to the conclusion that it was a box turtle. I know now it was really a tortoise, so it was in actuality a box tortoise. Whatever it was in zoological terms, I named him Elliot. It seemed like proper name for a turtle.
Our stay in Blacksburg only lasted a few more days, and my mother instructed me to say goodbye to Elliot, and to release him into the wild. I was greatly disturbed by this, and protested strongly, arguing that we had a creek in our backyard, and that Elliot would be much happier there than in Blacksburg. Somehow, my father convinced my mother, and my activist older sister Christina, to let me take the turtle back to Greenville with us. I can remember the four-and-a-half-hour car ride with Elliot clawing at the cardboard box the whole way home, joined by my sister's pleas of "Just let the poor thing out!" My dad even convinced my mom to let us use her back porch as a temporary home for the box turtle. He helped me construct a cage of sorts from chicken wire and two-by-fours. He also kept Christina from helping Elliot break free from me, his captor. My father even made a brave attempt to conceal his amusement, and suppress a smile when I revealed to him that I was training Elliot, and that I had even taught him how to swim. I am afraid my dad is not made of iron, and may have been unable to keep from howling with laughter. Then the sad rainy day came when our creek overflowed and the water rose to the turtle pen my father and I had built. The current swept Elliot The Box Turtle away. Although I was greatly saddened by the loss, I had assurance that Elliot was safe somewhere. I had, after all, taught him how to swim.
I have much to learn about the workings of this world. I am a mere freshman in college. What do I know about Corporate America? I am not even old enough to vote. What do I know about politics? I have never been in love. I do not pay rent or a utility bill. I am still an ignorant child in many aspects. But however long I live, however much I learn about the world, however much I am forced to grow up, I will know this. My father is extraordinary. He would stop at nothing to make sure I was happy and well cared for. He bears no regard for himself or his reputation when it comes to his family. He came to every soccer game he was in the country for. He was always willing to drive me to tap, ballet, and hip-hop. I can still remember hearing his booming voice at the swim meets. He listened through countless piano, violin, choral, and hand bell concerts. Running three miles with a tortoise in your hand is no small accomplishment. Nor is winning South Carolina State Road Biking Championships on two occasions. Nor is attaining a personal record of a four minute twenty-one second mile. Nor is, even at the age of forty-seven, being able to out run any guy your daughters try to bring home. However much understanding I gain from this life, I will never fully comprehend my daddy's love for me.
Bravo, Anners: not only did you encourage Dad, you also wrote a hilarious, thought-provoking, and moving essay! You'd better get an 'A' for that!! :)
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
The Shipleys
Chris Shipley was a pastor at Immanuel, and the best man in our wedding... here's what they are up to now, and how we/you can pray for them and their ministry! (click on the images to enlarge them)
--Christina
--Christina
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
The Real Enchilada
I've been promising more personal, introspective posts for a while now, and have at least one good one still in the editing stages... but this will do for now. It's largely adapted from an email and journal entries...
The Boy & The Girl
Ryan & I are doing well. We reach these sweet stretches where things are wonderful, and we're serving each other lots, and just having fun! My prayer is that those will be longer and longer stretches, with fewer inturruptions! Usually I'm the one to get cranky and break the mood... yuck. The Lord has recently shown me how often an emotion (usually anger) is the root of my sins against Ryan or in other areas, and I'm learning to ask for help when I feel it coming on. I get suckered into thinking that my feeling HAS to determine what I do, instead of truth. Can you identify at all? Pray for me in that way.
Encouragement
Along those lines, Ryan & I are teaching the kids at church, and right now the lesson is on Jesus growing up as a boy. It hit me that He knew exactly how it felt to be SO annoyed that you feel you HAVE to react in anger or frustration..."yet was without sin." He is THE person who can help me when I feel like I'm there-- THE proof that I CAN not get angry. That's been an encouragement lately.
Ryan just got home and relayed the final version of the T-house lesson he preached tonight, on Jesus walking on water (Matt 14:22-33), and it was amazing that his application was almost the same exact thing! That Jesus is near at hand with power to save, just when the temptation is fiercest (waves & wind strongest). He's walking on the water, calm and unsinking in the same storm. ("yet without sin") And the proper response to foundering faith is dependance-- prayer!-- not despair. "Lord, save me!" not "I'm going to sink! I'll never get out of this!" I think God's trying to get some point across to me... =D
Good Books
The Lord's been prompting my heart to examine myself-- to remember that my first duty is to be defined by godliness, not wife-ly-ness. You know? I'm supposed to be a GODLY wife, not just a wife. And I haven't been really cultivating personal holiness as much as I did before I was married. Which is natural, I suppose-- the whole 1 Cor 7 thing. No wonder sin has been more of a losing struggle latetly. No wonder I haven't felt "as close" to my Father as I have before. I don't want to let sin become rooted and such a habit that it keeps me distant from God! Anyway I bring all that up to say I'm reading Sin & Temptation (John Owen), A Hunger for God (John Piper), and other stuff that I hope will help. I'm also enjoying good doses of fiction. :) That stuff can be SOOOOO encouraging!!
Via Audiobook, I read F. H. Burnett's A Little Princess, which is a wonderful children's story, quite convicting: the heroine goes from tremendous wealth to starving poverty and ruthless hard work, and all the while is determined to act "like a little princess," always polite, honest, hard-working, and kind. So sweet. And I also read the Thoenes' Jerusalem Scrolls, which is set during Jesus' ministry. It's the story of Mary Magdalene, the centurion whose servant Jesus heals, and Martha & Lazarus (among other NT names), before and during their conversions. I was struck by how, well, un-Christian most of these people were...how cold they were towards Jesus, how self-righteous and unkind. It offended my imagination of them, of first-century Jews. But that's how they must have been... they crucified the Lord of Glory, after all! It's given me much encouragement (God can save anybody!!), and startling humility-- "what am I thinking? that God couldn't save someone that opposed to Him? He saved me!" "...as such you once were..."
I'm in a Book Club here, and it's great fun. Gets me to read books I'd likely not read on my own (not "my style" you know?), which in and of itself may not be a good thing, but paired with insightful discussion, it is! A great way to build friendships with thinking, godly women of all ages and walks of life!
Out & About
This weekend Ryan's taking me to see Phantom of the Opera downtown; my Christmas present. WOOHOOO!! We're going out to PF Chang's afterwards. I'm looking forward to that!!
There are several beats of my heart... may they be used to edify those who read! May you each receive what you need, and that always is God's grace.
~Christina
The Boy & The Girl
Ryan & I are doing well. We reach these sweet stretches where things are wonderful, and we're serving each other lots, and just having fun! My prayer is that those will be longer and longer stretches, with fewer inturruptions! Usually I'm the one to get cranky and break the mood... yuck. The Lord has recently shown me how often an emotion (usually anger) is the root of my sins against Ryan or in other areas, and I'm learning to ask for help when I feel it coming on. I get suckered into thinking that my feeling HAS to determine what I do, instead of truth. Can you identify at all? Pray for me in that way.
Encouragement
Along those lines, Ryan & I are teaching the kids at church, and right now the lesson is on Jesus growing up as a boy. It hit me that He knew exactly how it felt to be SO annoyed that you feel you HAVE to react in anger or frustration..."yet was without sin." He is THE person who can help me when I feel like I'm there-- THE proof that I CAN not get angry. That's been an encouragement lately.
Ryan just got home and relayed the final version of the T-house lesson he preached tonight, on Jesus walking on water (Matt 14:22-33), and it was amazing that his application was almost the same exact thing! That Jesus is near at hand with power to save, just when the temptation is fiercest (waves & wind strongest). He's walking on the water, calm and unsinking in the same storm. ("yet without sin") And the proper response to foundering faith is dependance-- prayer!-- not despair. "Lord, save me!" not "I'm going to sink! I'll never get out of this!" I think God's trying to get some point across to me... =D
Good Books
The Lord's been prompting my heart to examine myself-- to remember that my first duty is to be defined by godliness, not wife-ly-ness. You know? I'm supposed to be a GODLY wife, not just a wife. And I haven't been really cultivating personal holiness as much as I did before I was married. Which is natural, I suppose-- the whole 1 Cor 7 thing. No wonder sin has been more of a losing struggle latetly. No wonder I haven't felt "as close" to my Father as I have before. I don't want to let sin become rooted and such a habit that it keeps me distant from God! Anyway I bring all that up to say I'm reading Sin & Temptation (John Owen), A Hunger for God (John Piper), and other stuff that I hope will help. I'm also enjoying good doses of fiction. :) That stuff can be SOOOOO encouraging!!
Via Audiobook, I read F. H. Burnett's A Little Princess, which is a wonderful children's story, quite convicting: the heroine goes from tremendous wealth to starving poverty and ruthless hard work, and all the while is determined to act "like a little princess," always polite, honest, hard-working, and kind. So sweet. And I also read the Thoenes' Jerusalem Scrolls, which is set during Jesus' ministry. It's the story of Mary Magdalene, the centurion whose servant Jesus heals, and Martha & Lazarus (among other NT names), before and during their conversions. I was struck by how, well, un-Christian most of these people were...how cold they were towards Jesus, how self-righteous and unkind. It offended my imagination of them, of first-century Jews. But that's how they must have been... they crucified the Lord of Glory, after all! It's given me much encouragement (God can save anybody!!), and startling humility-- "what am I thinking? that God couldn't save someone that opposed to Him? He saved me!" "...as such you once were..."
I'm in a Book Club here, and it's great fun. Gets me to read books I'd likely not read on my own (not "my style" you know?), which in and of itself may not be a good thing, but paired with insightful discussion, it is! A great way to build friendships with thinking, godly women of all ages and walks of life!
Out & About
This weekend Ryan's taking me to see Phantom of the Opera downtown; my Christmas present. WOOHOOO!! We're going out to PF Chang's afterwards. I'm looking forward to that!!
There are several beats of my heart... may they be used to edify those who read! May you each receive what you need, and that always is God's grace.
~Christina
Snow Day!!
It snowed here today; school for me was canceled. I was looking forward to day of productive work, but God had other plans... my friend Ashlea ran out of gas, and called me so of course I ran to go get her, stopping by the Shuey's to borrow their gas can. As I was getting to the exit where Ashlea had run out of gas and left her car, I saw it being towed away! So then we had to track down where they impounded it, find it ("it's the car without any snow on it, row 22" -- as if that helped!), put gas in it from a can (which takes FOREVER), then drive to a gas station! Always an adventure with Ashlea around... then I went back to the Shuey's to return the gas can/tutor Morgan in Latin, and it ended up taking quite a while because I had to wait while they had lunch in the middle of it...
I worked a little, then ran out to the store to buy more GF flour to make banana pancakes for dinner... and Ashlea came over and we made Turkish coffee, then watched Chronicles of Riddick: Pitch Black (the first in a trilogy). It was about these people who get stranded on a desert planet right before an eclipse, and they find out the planet is inhabited by carnivorous radar-equipped things that only come out in pitch black... basically only 3 people survive and it's very unnerving. I'm glad I don't have to sleep by myself tonight! ... As you can see, not much work got done today!!
Amidst my changed plans, the Lord brought this verse to mind, brought up by several friends at our Ladies Fellowship last Saturday: "Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good." 1 Peter 4:19 <-- if those suffering are to do this, how much more those who are having a wonderful day!? I guess the general attitude of our lives is to go about doing good, entrusted to God and His will for the day.
Glad to be warm and loved,
--Christina
I worked a little, then ran out to the store to buy more GF flour to make banana pancakes for dinner... and Ashlea came over and we made Turkish coffee, then watched Chronicles of Riddick: Pitch Black (the first in a trilogy). It was about these people who get stranded on a desert planet right before an eclipse, and they find out the planet is inhabited by carnivorous radar-equipped things that only come out in pitch black... basically only 3 people survive and it's very unnerving. I'm glad I don't have to sleep by myself tonight! ... As you can see, not much work got done today!!
Amidst my changed plans, the Lord brought this verse to mind, brought up by several friends at our Ladies Fellowship last Saturday: "Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good." 1 Peter 4:19 <-- if those suffering are to do this, how much more those who are having a wonderful day!? I guess the general attitude of our lives is to go about doing good, entrusted to God and His will for the day.
Glad to be warm and loved,
--Christina
Prayer Request
Please pray for a particular family here if you remember--a mother who was living with them is no longer able to care for her daughter, and so my friends have temporary custody of the baby girl, "Katie." Needless to say, a fourth child-- an infant at that-- is quite a lot of stress on them, and a tough adjustment for their youngest. And please, please pray for Katie's mother. We aren't exactly sure where she is, and it's really cold here. We fervently pray that she is somewhere warm, safe, and drug-free, somewhere she'll be able to think and realize what she's done and is doing. We don't know where little Katie will end up-- pray for her, too, that she will be protected and placed in a caring, stable, Christ-centered home -- either with a profoundly-changed-mother, or a foster family, or our friends.
Monday, January 21, 2008
The Vine Lady
From my visit last weekend to Nashville. I was visiting my Aunt Robin, Uncle Duncan & their two cuties, Caroline (4) and Luke (2)...with "baby Jack" on the way! One of Caroline's favorite local attractions is "the Vine Lady" who makes her appearance at the Opryland Atrium. Caroline even dressed up as the Vine Lady for Halloween! Anyway, the two of them were SO cute watching her and going to say hi to her, and then of course being the Vine Lady. TOO CUTE! The Vine Lady herself is rather impressive, I must say. (and I think her aim is to somehow appear seductive...but the stilts kind of negate that, I think...)
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Response to my Previous Post
Here it is in full:
"You are trying your best to be a good preacher, lady, but you have no authority from God to preach like this to a man and you have no idea what you are talking about. You are deeply misguided."
D. Cloud
Hey! At least I got a response, proving my response was at least skimmed!
--Christina
"You are trying your best to be a good preacher, lady, but you have no authority from God to preach like this to a man and you have no idea what you are talking about. You are deeply misguided."
D. Cloud
Hey! At least I got a response, proving my response was at least skimmed!
--Christina
Monday, January 14, 2008
Warning about Patch the Pirate?
Looking for some music for my choir, I came across an article warning against the inherent evil in "Patch the Pirate" music. That sort of thing galls me, for so many reasons. Two that come to mind: 1) this type of "Fundamentalist" thinking gives people a list of do's and don'ts and tells them that's how to be righteous. It grieved and angered me in Rome (the Catholic churches where pilgrims are promised pardon from any sin if they visit all 4 "big" churches), and in the lives of friends raised around Bob Jones University. NO!! ONLY throught JESUS are we made righteous!! The list either creates false hope or despair, depending on whether you do them or ont 2) because I love music! I've studied it, and throughout history "secular" music has been called sinful by one faction of the church or another...and then the age turns, and all of a sudden "Amazing Grace" is "the original tune" defended by old-timers, instead of being a contraversial tune to the textual composition of a questionable ex-slave-ship captain. How many "hymns-only!" defenders realize that hymns were scandalous when Watts wrote them-- "Psalms only!" was the conservative cry back then! Anyway, here is my response. Feel free to share any thoughts you may have:
To whom it may concern-
I just stumbled across your "warning" about Patch the Pirate music, and was physically sickened and at the same time incredulous. " The music would be right at home in a nightclub or a sleazy Broadway play and could easily conjure up such unwholesome images as that of a saucy woman sauntering across a stage."
Why would any child gets these images in his head? Where would they even get such ideas!? Any such association is, I'm afraid, a residue of Mr. Cloud's own sin-filled past, not a result of anything inherent in the music itself. ("To my great shame, I lived a very wicked and worldly life before I was saved, and I know as much about worldly music which is fitting for wicked environments as any other man.") I won't try to dissuade anyone of this "the Devil has a beat" position based on the hundreds of Scriptural and reason-based approaches, because my guess is that you are unwilling to consider them, and that better men and women than myself have tried to show you the sad, Judaiizer-istic errors in your this thinking. But I will say this: when Jesus saved Nicodemus, a Pharisee, do you think He would have warned him to now avoid anything that reminded him of his erroneous, pride-full self-righteous unsaved way of life-- to avoid anything smacking of Judaism? What about when He saved the woman caught in adultery-- would He have warned her to avoid anything that reminded her of her own tainted past-- maybe certain scents, certain sorts of fabrics? No... those saved from their own prisons of pride (legalism) now dedicated their desire for outward holiness and keeping of high holy days to the glory of Messiah; everything had new meanings for them now! For them, Jesus' blood redeemed everything that Satan had tried to twist to evil. Likewise, those saved from their prisons of license now dedicated everything once dedicated to self-indulgence to the worship of Messiah; one such sinner broke her box of nard to annoint His feet. Others surely married and enjoyed sexual intimacy (worship) with their husbands or wives, to the glory of the One who has bought all pleasure for His people.
There is nothing beyond the reach of redemption; not even a weak sinner's association with music he once enjoyed as a rebellious sinner. Sure, scars take time to heal, and some may do better avoiding certain "triggers." But they must be careful not to force the result of their weak consciences to label as 'evil' that which God created and called "good." Let the strong bear with those who are weak, until the weak can be taught and built up and be made strong, with consciences set free from condemnation, and bodies wholly dedicated to righteous living. (Rom. 15) In other words; let those whose consciences are weak and can't handle music that reminds them of situations where they sinned be helped along until they at least see that what led them to sin was sin in their own hearts (James 4:1) , not anything inherent in the situational musical soundtrack itself. "The world" is within our own hearts!! (Mt. 15: 10-20)
In Gospel bonds, and no other,
--Christina Szrama (Pre-K and Middle School Music Teacher)
To whom it may concern-
I just stumbled across your "warning" about Patch the Pirate music, and was physically sickened and at the same time incredulous. " The music would be right at home in a nightclub or a sleazy Broadway play and could easily conjure up such unwholesome images as that of a saucy woman sauntering across a stage."
Why would any child gets these images in his head? Where would they even get such ideas!? Any such association is, I'm afraid, a residue of Mr. Cloud's own sin-filled past, not a result of anything inherent in the music itself. ("To my great shame, I lived a very wicked and worldly life before I was saved, and I know as much about worldly music which is fitting for wicked environments as any other man.") I won't try to dissuade anyone of this "the Devil has a beat" position based on the hundreds of Scriptural and reason-based approaches, because my guess is that you are unwilling to consider them, and that better men and women than myself have tried to show you the sad, Judaiizer-istic errors in your this thinking. But I will say this: when Jesus saved Nicodemus, a Pharisee, do you think He would have warned him to now avoid anything that reminded him of his erroneous, pride-full self-righteous unsaved way of life-- to avoid anything smacking of Judaism? What about when He saved the woman caught in adultery-- would He have warned her to avoid anything that reminded her of her own tainted past-- maybe certain scents, certain sorts of fabrics? No... those saved from their own prisons of pride (legalism) now dedicated their desire for outward holiness and keeping of high holy days to the glory of Messiah; everything had new meanings for them now! For them, Jesus' blood redeemed everything that Satan had tried to twist to evil. Likewise, those saved from their prisons of license now dedicated everything once dedicated to self-indulgence to the worship of Messiah; one such sinner broke her box of nard to annoint His feet. Others surely married and enjoyed sexual intimacy (worship) with their husbands or wives, to the glory of the One who has bought all pleasure for His people.
There is nothing beyond the reach of redemption; not even a weak sinner's association with music he once enjoyed as a rebellious sinner. Sure, scars take time to heal, and some may do better avoiding certain "triggers." But they must be careful not to force the result of their weak consciences to label as 'evil' that which God created and called "good." Let the strong bear with those who are weak, until the weak can be taught and built up and be made strong, with consciences set free from condemnation, and bodies wholly dedicated to righteous living. (Rom. 15) In other words; let those whose consciences are weak and can't handle music that reminds them of situations where they sinned be helped along until they at least see that what led them to sin was sin in their own hearts (James 4:1) , not anything inherent in the situational musical soundtrack itself. "The world" is within our own hearts!! (Mt. 15: 10-20)
In Gospel bonds, and no other,
--Christina Szrama (Pre-K and Middle School Music Teacher)
Friday, January 04, 2008
Photo-Documentary
Too many photos to post, so here's a link to albums (on Facebook) you may peruse at your leisure!
Louisville Going-Ons ...birthday parties, church functions, friends eating food, and even a Christmas Tea!
Our First Christmas Together... pictures from our time in Ruston, LA with the entire Thompson Clan, pictures from Ashley & Craig Sarratt's wedding, and of our brunch with our dear friends Chris & Val Powell, in Greenville/Taylors/Greer, SC. Click and revel in the glory of my darlings, Hannah & Noah!! :)
~the Mrs.
ps- It's cold here!!!
Louisville Going-Ons ...birthday parties, church functions, friends eating food, and even a Christmas Tea!
Our First Christmas Together... pictures from our time in Ruston, LA with the entire Thompson Clan, pictures from Ashley & Craig Sarratt's wedding, and of our brunch with our dear friends Chris & Val Powell, in Greenville/Taylors/Greer, SC. Click and revel in the glory of my darlings, Hannah & Noah!! :)
~the Mrs.
ps- It's cold here!!!
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
A little Bit of New Year Humor
Ryan & I found this hilarious... especially me -- I watched it 3 times in a row before Ryan proclaimed me ridiculous. Thank you, Uncle Jeff. Why are the alcohol (especially beer) commercials always the funniest? (Molson's "Joe Canada," "The Magic Fridge," "Dude!"... the list goes on) What do I find funny about this?... not sure. I think it's the guy's "Oh... you meant--"
Anyway, we've got days of snow, but no snow days. Which is good for the sake of learning, I know... but not so good for my half-baked lesson plans! ;)
Off to rest up. Til next time (and mind you, I've had quite a post brewing in my head for the past week),
-- happy to be Mrs. Szrama
Just for you Anna: (the aforementioned "Magic Fridge" commercial)
p.s. The Szrama Clan does not endorse the irresponsible, unholy over-consumption of alcohol in any form (especially not Bud Light... yuck!). We just think the commercials are particularly well-done.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
New Years Resolutions...
To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
For a great sermon on this text, listen to or download this one!
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
For a great sermon on this text, listen to or download this one!
Christians naturally want to resolve for good, and the Apostolic model for us is to pray for each other, that we might be empowered by His Spirit to FULFILL those resolves! Ryan & I want to be more purposeful and thorough in our prayers for you... for your resolves for good... for the glory of our Lord Jesus! Pray for us, as we resolve to pray for your resolves! :)
--Christina
--Christina
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Christmas Decorations
Welcome! (I made the wreath myself =D)
Some of you may recognize our somewhat scary cactus: now it's a Christmas Cactus!
Our "real" tree: Ryan surprised me by bringing it home and setting it up with tinsel & lights one night. The tree itself is stolen. Sort of... ask Peter or Jen Sieg. ;D
Our "gift tree--" the one you saw snowed-under gifts before ...on loan from Christy Fullerton.
Yay for Christmas Poinsettias!!
Another of my wreaths... that tulle from the wedding came in handy!
Our "Advent Line" (hehe, no wreath...)
Friday, December 28, 2007
A Very Thompson Christmas
the traditional Christmas pose: in front of the poinsettias...
Most of the Crew (minus my Mom, taking the picture) after enjoying National Treasure 2
Andrew playing with Ross (currently the youngest Thompson cousin)
Me singing with my Dad-- haven't gotten to do that in SO long (we sang Bob Kauflin's "In the First Light")
Daddy Ron feeding his "pippy" (puppy) Lucy
Riley pulling a Ryan (wearing the cool new watch from Uncle Bart!)
Conner in Daddy Ron's glasses-- he put them on and said "hey! these microphone everything!" Thursday, December 27, 2007
One More Day...
My friends Ashley & Craig are getting married tomorrow night! I tried calling Ashley, but the phone was off... made me think of the night before my wedding, NOT that long ago, when I tried to go to bed at a decent hour, and, try as I might, sleep would not come. I wasn't nervous or really even excited... I guess just happy. So, Ashley, I pray that you are happy right now... and also resting. :) (and I've heard that you've been sick, so I pray you're TOTALLY HEALED by tomorrow!) I know where Craig is-- in the hot tub at my Uncle's house, 5 houses down. If my family hadn't been so wrapped up in a HILARIOUS game of "Outburst," I would likely have gone down to crash it... ok, just to say hi to Craig. I tutored him through high school English & Spanish, come on! And he returned the favor in college, and got me through Physics.... ok, so that still isn't enough to motivate me to crash a hot-tub full of boys. Actually, i don't know what WOULD...
God give you both health and clarity of mind tomorrow. Ashley, if you're reading this at any time tomorrow (I know, not likely), then please, make up your mind to NOT stress, and to ENJOY IT! Craig, same to you. :) And don't do anything stupid that might ruin the pictures.
I love "Nights Before," don't you? One of the reasons is because they are inevitably followed by "Days of;" I mean, you couldn't have one without the other. But part of their glory is the delicious (or torturous) knowledge that this night WILL end, and then something will change; it's the Last Night, and then tomorrow will be the First Night. We love security, as humans; we like to be comfortable, even boring. But we crave change, too, calling it progress, improvement, fun. On the Night Before, we're looking at both, smacking our lips on the sweetness of the last of the known, and already anticipating the new taste to come. It's like a kid alternating between finishing one doughnut and smelling another. Smiling at both. The Day Of may pass quickly, but the Nights Before hardly ever do. They are endless, for all intents & purposes, until you look back on them.
I think... hmmm... I think I want to live my life here as a "Night Before:" enjoying every bit of it, even the stuff I naturally, uh, don't enjoy... and all the while whetting my appetite for Heaven. What was it those more sophisticated than I called it? The already-and-the-not-yet?
That.
Because "Today is the Day of Salvation." Christ "for once saved those who are being saved." We're living in the Kingdom, and waiting for the Kingdom. We're groaning for redeption, and fully redeemed. We're longing for His presence, and enjoying it already. Like a Bride trying to sleep for the last night in her old bed...
Ok, so I was going to post a picture of Ash & I together, and wound up taking quite the pictoral stroll down Memory Lane. Here are a few for you to enjoy. :)
October 2002-- Ashley & I in front of Miabi's, Eastside's Homecoming (both freshly graduated from h/s)
Summer 2003- Craig, Me, & David Sapp, rock climbing in Kings Mt, NC. Attractive harnesses, don't you think? (that was back when Craig worked for Rocks & Ropes!)
June 2002-- Craig switching bathroom signs on our Mission Trip to Mezquital (he was supposed to do that...)
Ashley with her Daddy & Kristen Hatfield, same mission trip
September 2006- Triple-Play Date Night- Ryan & Lydia Donell had Craig & Ashley, and Ryan & I over for dinner & games. Ahhh, young love.
Can't wait to see that last dating couple be sealed!! :)
--Christina
God give you both health and clarity of mind tomorrow. Ashley, if you're reading this at any time tomorrow (I know, not likely), then please, make up your mind to NOT stress, and to ENJOY IT! Craig, same to you. :) And don't do anything stupid that might ruin the pictures.
I love "Nights Before," don't you? One of the reasons is because they are inevitably followed by "Days of;" I mean, you couldn't have one without the other. But part of their glory is the delicious (or torturous) knowledge that this night WILL end, and then something will change; it's the Last Night, and then tomorrow will be the First Night. We love security, as humans; we like to be comfortable, even boring. But we crave change, too, calling it progress, improvement, fun. On the Night Before, we're looking at both, smacking our lips on the sweetness of the last of the known, and already anticipating the new taste to come. It's like a kid alternating between finishing one doughnut and smelling another. Smiling at both. The Day Of may pass quickly, but the Nights Before hardly ever do. They are endless, for all intents & purposes, until you look back on them.
I think... hmmm... I think I want to live my life here as a "Night Before:" enjoying every bit of it, even the stuff I naturally, uh, don't enjoy... and all the while whetting my appetite for Heaven. What was it those more sophisticated than I called it? The already-and-the-not-yet?
That.
Because "Today is the Day of Salvation." Christ "for once saved those who are being saved." We're living in the Kingdom, and waiting for the Kingdom. We're groaning for redeption, and fully redeemed. We're longing for His presence, and enjoying it already. Like a Bride trying to sleep for the last night in her old bed...
Ok, so I was going to post a picture of Ash & I together, and wound up taking quite the pictoral stroll down Memory Lane. Here are a few for you to enjoy. :)
October 2002-- Ashley & I in front of Miabi's, Eastside's Homecoming (both freshly graduated from h/s)
Summer 2003- Craig, Me, & David Sapp, rock climbing in Kings Mt, NC. Attractive harnesses, don't you think? (that was back when Craig worked for Rocks & Ropes!)
June 2002-- Craig switching bathroom signs on our Mission Trip to Mezquital (he was supposed to do that...)
Ashley with her Daddy & Kristen Hatfield, same mission trip
Nov 2002- Ashley with me, right after I cut 18" off my hair (she was my moral support for that, and for the 2nd hole I had pierced in my ear for my 21st birthday... ahh, good times)
March 2005- Ashley talking with kids in the Acapulco Orphanage- a mission trip we took through Furman's RUF... hehehe I have lots of pictures of Ashley, it would seem...
March 2005- Ashley talking with kids in the Acapulco Orphanage- a mission trip we took through Furman's RUF... hehehe I have lots of pictures of Ashley, it would seem...Can't wait to see that last dating couple be sealed!! :)
--Christina
Monday, December 24, 2007
Merry Christmas!
Clockwise from bottom: Bart (my Dad) w/ Karina (my Mom) on his lap; the Charlie Thompsons: Ross, Collin, Aunt Paige & Uncle Charlie (my Dad's youngest and tallest brother); Andrew (Rusty's oldest), Aunt Anne (Rusty's wife) & Nicole (my middle sister), standing; Mama Blanche (my grandma's Mom); the Szramas; Daddy Ron & Mama Peggy (reigning pair); Conner (Rusty's youngest), Anna (my youngest sis), and Riley. My Dad's younger brother Rusty was taking the picture, and their sister Robin & her family couldn't make it this year. She's quite pregnant with "Jack," their 3 child.Most of "the Thompson Clan" is gathered here at my grandparents' house in Ruston, LA. Actually, their home (the one all the grandkids have always known as their house) is quite a bit OUT of town, set on its own 48-acres complete with woods, creeks, pond, and meadows. It's also equipped with 4-wheeler trails, a VW Thing, dirt bikes, a shooting range, lots of guns, a trampoline, and my Uncle Rusty's under-construction new GORGEOUS house & shop.
I'll post pictures of our ambles through the woods with the dogs & my grandpa later. I shot a shotgun for the first time in 4 years or so, and was relieved that I could still aim & shoot ok. I wouldn't have wanted to be shown up by my little cousins. Although, Riley (who was with us) is so sweet and encouraging that he wouldn't have rubbed it in if I hadn't been able to shoot the bottle out of the tree at all.
Most of us stayed up late last night, after letting the kids open one present each. We played Rummikub, the game Ryan bought Andrew, and just swapped stories. Charlie & his brothers kept us in stitches, mostly recounting all his childhood mishaps resulting in broken bones! Then this morning we had a big Christmas Dinner, a day earlier than usual, because my uncle Charlie had to leave in the afternoon.
The older set of boys (Dad, his brother Rusty, and Ryan) are making quite a ruckus trying to fly their new remote-controlled helicoptors inside... Aunt Anne, Nicole, Anna & I just finished several rounds of 'Blokus,' one of the games "the little boys" (Rusty's boys) got for Christmas. It was quite a lot of fun! After 15 years with Anne as my aunt, we're just now starting to see her competitive, jokester side. :) We opened all our presents tonight, after the Christmas Eve Candlelight service... I am still in shock from the Phantom of the Opera tickets Ryan got for me!!!
All right, I'd better go find my child and get him ready for bed... :) More pictures and thougts to come--
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
~Christina Maria
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