I Like To Move It, Move It

We're gonna move it, move it
We're gonna move it, move it
We're gonna move it, move it
We're gonna... MOVE IT!

Can't wait to move it, move it
Can't wait to move it, move it
Can't wait to move it, move it
Can't wait to... MOVE IT!

I like to move it, move it
I like to move it, move it
I like to move it, move it
We like to... MOVE IT!

It's official now. We're moving to PA! Yaaaaay!

Sir John Hawkins' Secret Treasure

For my daughter's 5th birthday we had a pirate themed party. All of the children (and some of the adults) dressed up as pirates. One of the activities was a treasure hunt. To introduce the treasure hunt to them, I made up this story.

Most of you don't know this, but I am related to a real pirate: Sir John Hawkins. He was a famous pirate, but there is something about him you won't find in any books . Sir John Hawkins had a secret; a secret treasure that he didn't tell anyone about. He didn't even tell his own crew because he wanted to keep it all for himself. To keep anyone from finding the treasure, he buried it in a place that only he knew about. Unfortunately, he never got to enjoy his treasure. Shortly before his last voyage he made a map. But he didn't want just anyone to find the treasure and was afraid the map would fall into the wrong hands. So he tore the map into several pieces and hid each piece in a different place. Then he gave one piece to his son and told him about the treasure. He said that if he could find the rest of the map he could have the treasure. His son never found the rest of the map or the treasure, so he passed his piece of the map on to his children. And so it has passed from generation to generation and finally to me. Today I am passing it on to my daughter. Maybe with your help the long lost secret treasure of Sir John Hawkins will be found. You will know when you have found a piece of the map because he hid a gold nugget with each. Each piece of the map will lead you to the next. Once you have found all the pieces, put the map back together and it will lead you to the treasure.

The treasure hunt was a huge success. There was only one snag. About halfway through the hunt I realized that the treasure had driven off. We hid the treasure in the trunk of our car and my husband had gone home briefly to grill the hotdogs. My father-in-law came to the rescue. He went and fetched back the treasure and by the end of the hunt the pirates found the treasure in the trunk of his car. The treasure was a pinata.

What's the Magic Word?

Yesterday I volunteered in my daughter's kindergarten class. I really enjoyed it. It reminded me of my old job. For the most part the children were delightful and very polite. During recess I sat at a small picnic table watching the children and chatting with them. Then I met a little boy who stood out from all the rest. He plopped down on the bench next to mine, flung his foot on the table in front of me and demanded, "Tie my shoe" in a very obnoxious voice. I was slightly taken aback by his tone after talking to all these polite children. I replied, "Excuse me? Could you ask me nicely?" He said, "No, we don't talk nicely at my house." I told him, "Well, that's not going to get you very far. People won't want to help you if you don't ask nice." He demanded several more times that I tie his shoe for him, refusing to be polite. Each time I told him that I would be glad to tie it for him when he said "please". Finally, he kind of glared at me and grudgingly said, "Please tie my shoe for me." It wasn't quite the response I was looking for but I gave him credit for for saying please and smiled at him as I tied his shoe.

I feel sorry for the rude little boy who hasn't been taught even the basics of courtesy and politeness; who lives in a place where "we don't talk nicely at my house."

Colossians 4:6 "Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man."

Second Generation Christians

I've recently had a few discussions with a friend who was saved later in life. We were talking about the differences between Christians who were saved later in life and second generation Christians who were saved at an early age and lived a very sheltered life. Both types of Christians have their pros and cons which can strengthen or hinder their work in various ministries. As a second generation Christian myself, I have experienced the negative aspects and am working on trying to figure out how to fix them to make them positive. My friend who was saved later in life has helped me put some things into perspective.

Heather, who is also studying second generation Christians, wrote in her blog post that she believes strongly in exposure to and interaction with the "real world". I agree with that. Some Christians try to keep themselves and their children too separated from the world. This can create some problems. It can hinder their ministry to the unsaved and new Christians because they can't identify with them or understand them. Sometimes it can cause them to look down on "worldly" people and they could end up unintentionally offending them. Christians who have been exposed to the world know where they're coming from and can tactfully present the truth without offending. I'm not saying a sheltered Christian can't do the same but it will be harder for them.

Children who live an overly sheltered life will have a big shock when they grow up and enter the "real world". If they are not prepared it could lead to problems later in life. They may end up experimenting in worldly things to see what they missed out on. Or they might become very legalistic, defining their spirituality by the "good deeds" they do and the moral lifestyle they live.

Faith is strengthened by the trials we face and many Christians saved at an early age are sheltered from the challenges that could anchor their faith. People who are saved from the world know what they are saved from. One of the problems I faced as a young Christian is that I didn't notice a big change in my life when I was saved. Yes, I was a sinner and did bad things, but how wicked can a four year old be? Those saved later in life can appreciate their salvation much more as they experience the power of the Holy Spirit turning their life around.

I'm not saying that people should put off salvation until they're older or that Christians need to experience a worldly life before they can be used by God or appreciate their salvation. I heard the story of one man who lived a sheltered life. Then he heard the testimony of another man who talked about how he was saved out of a life of drugs, immorality, and who knows what else, and praising God for saving him out of that life. After hearing that testimony, the sheltered Christian said, "Wow, I need to go out and get me a testimony like that." And he proceeded to go out and live a wicked life. The experience didn't give him a better testimony; it ruined his testimony and his life. One of the things I praise God for is that I was saved from a wicked life, not out of one.

I led a fairly sheltered life but I don't consider myself to have been completely sheltered. From a very early age I faced internal spiritual battles. I can remember at the age of 5 or 6 thinking things like, "Even though I'm a Christian, I could go out and steal something or even kill someone, and God would still love me. I would still go to heaven." I would contemplate doing some really horrible things, but then I would think, "If I did those things, it would make Jesus very sad, and I don't want to do that." So I chose not to live a wicked life. God has helped me to stay away from really bad things, but I have still been tempted by things in this world, and made bad choices. Most of my convictions today aren't ones my parents taught me or ones I learned in a Christian setting. My strongest convictions are ones I learned the hard way or studied myself to find out why I should believe or live a certain way.

When it comes to interacting with the "real world" I believe there needs to be a balance. The Bible teaches that we should be separated from the world. So we shouldn't try to look like them and act like them and think we'll reach them that way. But we also can't bury our heads in the sand, then look down on unsaved people and act shocked when they act worldly. Without partaking in worldly sins, we need to be aware of the ways of the world, understand where they're coming from so we can best help them.

Time Changes Everything

An unintentional gift given
A lesson learned
A test passed
A wrong forgiven
A grudge ended
A heart mended
A relationship restored
A peace delivered
A freedom gained
A new beginning
True love discovered
Real joy uncovered
A life changed

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;

Time changes everything.
98-08

Sleeping Beauties

Heather sleeping

My daughter sleeping

Somebody takes after their aunt.

Interview with a Kindergartener

My daughter just started kindergarten and she loves it. Every morning she runs down the sidewalk cheering, "Yay, I get to go to school!" I barely get a hug and kiss goodbye when I drop her off. I am so proud of her. So I decided to interview her about school.

Mom: Are you excited about going to school?

Shell: Yes, I'm lots and lots of excited!

Mom: What kinds of things do you learn at school?

Shell: I sing funny songs. I learn about some books we can read. I go to recess.

Mom: What kinds of books do read?

Shell: The seal one, a school book about a little boy who goes to school, and If You Take a Mouse to School.

Mom: What are you learning about numbers?

Shell: We did a number song. We made numbers with play dough. We counted to 30 today. Mrs. Ellis said I had to do it even though I already knew how.

Mom: What kind of things do you draw or paint?

Shell: I was an illustrator. I had to color Little Red Riding Hood and the wolf in Grandma's bed. I colored the cape red, hair yellow, left the skin white, and made the tongue red.

Mom: What kind of special things do you do at school?

Shell: I did a magnadoodle because I got my jobs done before it was time to clean up. I also did cubes and strings. I had to do blue, red, blue, red. I did puzzles and cutting (mouse to cheese).

Mom: Have you made any friends at school?

Shell: Yes, there's Jaylin, Jacklyn, Makenna (not sure if I spelled them right), and I can't remember the name of one of my friends.

Mom: Do you like your teacher?

Shell: Yes, 'cause she's nice and I like the stuff that she talks about. There's also no running the classroom.

Mom: Do you ever get into trouble at school?

Shell: No, never. I got moved today but not because I was in trouble. Kayla was talking. I never get my name written on the board either.

Mom: What is your favorite thing to do at school?

Shell: Playing on the playground at recess. I also really like scissor cutting. I also like hopscotch, running on the grass, playing duck, duck, goose. I also like reading books. The seal book is my favorite. It has cute little seals and the whale tries to eat them. It's funny. (laughs) I really like everything I talked about today.

African Safari

This past week we had Kid's Krusade at our church. It went very well and many children got saved (over 30). I even had the privilege of leading a girl to the Lord. God is so good!

The theme for Kid's Krusade this year was "African Safari", which was of special interest to me since I used to live in Africa. I was able to talk to the 5th graders about life in Africa and show them pictures.

My daughter got to attend Kid's Krusade for the first time this year and had a blast. While we were decorating the auditorium the night before the Krusade, someone brought out a large, life-size tiger to decorate with. (There are no tigers in Africa, by the way.) My daughter went over to the tiger and was looking it over. When she was done she went over to the youth pastor's wife and asked, "Why does that tiger have a little triangle thing under it?" Miss Angie tried not to laugh as she answered, "That just means it's a boy tiger." You never know what's going to pop out of my daughter's mouth.

Happy Father's Day!

For Father's Day I made a special video for my husband of him and our daughter using their special song, Bubbly. Happy Father's Day! I love you, Stephen!

Santa Lucia

This past Christmas I decided to carry on an old family tradition. When I was a little girl, on Christmas morning, my mom would dress me up as Santa Lucia, complete with electric candles in my hair, and I would carry hot cocoa and a piece of swedish tea ring to each member of my family.

Last year my mother-in-law, who grew up in Sweden, told me the story of Santa Lucia and how it is celebrated in Sweden.

"Lucia was a saint, a very good person who brought food to the hungry people in Sweden during the longest, darkest, winter night, a long time ago. [She] wore a crown with candles to brighten the dark days in Sweden."* She was later martyred. This is just part of one version of the legend.

Now, Santa Lucia ushers in the Christmas season. Early in the morning of December 13th, the oldest daughter in the family in Sweden has the privilege of being the Lucia, wearing a long white gown sashed in red, with a wreath of lingonberry leaves on her hair. Candles - now usually run on batteries - are set into the wreath. Her sisters wear white gowns with tinsel in their hair and around their waists. Boys in the family wear tall pointed hats with stars on them. The "Starboys" traditionally are associated with the three wise men. The children awaken their parents and offer them coffee, saffron-flavored buns called Lussekatter and ginger snaps, called pepparkakor.*

This past December my daughter was Lucia. Since my husband leaves for work early in the morning I invited a friend over to celebrate Lucia Day. On December 13th, I got up early and made cinnamon buns and coffee. Then I dressed my daughter as Lucia. Since I didn't have a Lucia robe, she wore one of my husband's white t-shirts. She did a wonderful job serving us and later that evening serving her daddy. For Christmas her nana got her a book about Santa Lucia and a Lucia robe.

Santa Lucia is a fun tradition and I celebrate it in honor of both my moms. I know the holidays have come and gone but I wanted to share that story anyway.

*Taken from Lucia Morning in Sweden by Ewa Rydaker

Celestial Wonders

Reading Heather's blog post, "Contentment on a Moonlit Night", stirred some nostalgic memories in me. Watching the eclipse of the moon was just the beginning of our delights in God's celestial wonders.

Who needs fireworks when God puts on a brilliant lightning display?

Try outrunning a storm with the rain beating down right behind you.

Watch a gorgeous sunset from high in the branches of a flamboyant tree. The most talented artist could not create anything more colorful or beautiful.

Invite your friends to a night around the campfire, complete with shooting stars... and deliver. Don't forget to make a wish!
What can compare to the amazing star-studded skies of Africa?

How comforting to look out the window of the plane and see a perfectly round rainbow with the shadow of the plane in its center. God promises to watch over us.

All of these things I experienced with delight and wonder. Since I have left Africa it seems I am too busy to notice the wonders of heaven I once enjoyed. Too long has it been since I gazed at the stars, watched an entire sunset, and marveled at God's amazing handiwork. I have forgotten to look up. As the Psalmist says, "When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; what is man that Thou art mindful of him?" "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handiwork." Look up!