Christmas at the Stanleys, part 1

(I wrote this post a while before Christmas, but never got around to posting it until now.) 

This is now our second Christmas together since we got married.  Neither of us are die-hard “traditional-ists,” so we are still figuring out what exactly “Celebrating Christmas” looks like for us.
Isaac did not bring any particular Christmas tradition to our marriage. I, on the other hand, do have a few things that I look back on as a part of how we celebrated Christmas growing up:
- Making a big batch of peppernuts soon after Thanksgiving is a must in order for it to “feel” like Christmas!
- Almond toast, Grandma Lehrman’s cheese ball, Christmas punch, and home-made summer sausage also come to mind. 
- My family did do a gift-exchange.  While at times it did feel like it was easy for it to become all about the gifts, I do remember always reading the Christmas story Christmas Eve before ever opening any presents.  Reading the Christmas Story is a must!
- In Brazil, we did not have relatives around to celebrate with, so many times, it became an opportunity to get together with the other missionaries who lived nearby.  They were, and still are, practically family!
- It almost feels like something is lacking without some kind of special service at church—if not on The Day, at least sometime close to Christmas.  Brazilians love having special services at church, so there was always a Christmas program.  Some years it was more elaborate than other years, but there was a program nonetheless.  I think this part of “Celebrating Christmas” is the part where I am the most stuck on “this is how it is supposed to be!” and I realize how how much it is still very much a part of my mentality!
- In the more recent years, I have been struck over and over again during this season of the year, how incredible Christmas really is!

Think about it: God. Became. Man. What?!?!? No religion ever portrays its god to be in equality with those who are in subjection to him. But the One True God did that very thing: Lying there in a manger, helpless and utterly dependent on His earthly parents, the glory of the Father was revealed to mankind in human flesh, Jesus Christ! 

Do we have reason to celebrate Christmas?  You better believe we do!  It really is not about whether or not we get all  of the particular traditions right. If it involves traditions for you though, go right ahead and have fun! I like how one person says, when writing about celebrating Christmas and understanding the balance between traditions, as well as remembering the very reason there is Christmas, something along the lines of “If you godliness does not imprint on fudge, it is not true godliness.”  

Rejoice!  Emmanuel has come!  

On Blogs, Blogging, and Bloggers

I recently read an article about two kinds of blogs: there is the kind that has all original material and then there is the kind that uses the blogspot as an avenue to share what other people have already come up with.  “Aha!” I thought, “Maybe that is my problem: I keep trying to come up with original posts that have some unique perspective to shed on the particular subject at hand, when instead, I could just share stuff that other people have already posted!”  (Maybe that’s cheating, but I don’t care…what rules about blogging are there to cheat on anyway?)

So with that in mind, here are a few blogs that I enjoy checking their latest post:

I stumbled across Courtney Reissig’s blog a while ago and it is like a breath of fresh air.  Although I can’t exactly put a finger on how or why, her writing resonates with my soul.  She writes about girly stuff (also known as womanhood, femininity, wife-hood, ministry-hood, motherhood) without being too girly about it all.  This post echoes a sermon I heard the other week on Psalm 121 and is a timely reminder of where our help comes from! I haven’t gotten around to reading as much of her blog as I would like to, but she has good stuff there!  Check it out!

My husband introduced me (if you could call it that) to Tim Challies.  His daily posts have a whole smorgasbord of links to other bloggers, with subjects ranging from videos on latest and greatest advancements in the airline industry to tips on organization to raising children to challenges to dig into the Word in order to transform your mind. (And yes, he was the one writing about the two kinds of blogs.) You’re bound to find at least one article on his blog that interests you!

My sister-in-law, Rachel Shively, is documenting her adventures as a newly-wed living an intentionally simple life.  Her Pineapple Upside-down Cake instantly became a favorite for a “special morning breakfast” at our house!  She has also posted on some of her latest projects, as well as musings on spiritual things.  You’ll like her blog! 

Kevin DeYoung’s blog is probably in the same category as Challis’ blog—widely varied in subject, solid theological content, as well as interesting and easy to read.  He has “Monday Morning Humor” for those of you who like to watch short video clips just to get a laugh.  He has also written several books: the most recent one being Taking God at His Word, which is on my list of books to finish reading.  This post on writing was an inspiration to me and all of my ideas of wanting to be more diligent in blogging.

I enjoy checking out Moriah Avrick’s blog, The Birdie Blog.  My husband met her the year he went to Appalachian Bible College, and for some reason I friended her on FB and started following her blog, even though I’ve never met her.  I appreciate her recent post on joy.  I like her artsy-ness, brutal honesty about life, and ability to find joy and thankfulness in those small things in life.  Maybe the reason I like her blog is because something about it almost feels contagious.   Perhaps you’ll think the same thing…

And there you have it!  Have fun checking out some new blogs and hopefully your spirit is encouraged as you do so!

(disclaimer: just because I mention here and enjoy reading the blogs mentioned, please understand that that does not mean that I agree with everything on each one.)

 Skyscrapers everywhere...

      It's the familiar sights of the city. 

      It looks like home. 

People blasting their music [in the middle of the night]...

        Some might call it annoying or rude.  

        To me it is one of those [strangely] comforting and happy sounds of being home.  

Coffee and tapioca...

       This combination is hard to beat. 

       It tastes like home.

                                                           there are some things that just never change

                                                                [these are a few of my favorite things]

John Paton and Prayer

I recently started a book by missionary John Paton called Thirty Years Among South Seas Cannibals.  I am only a few chapters into it, but already, its story is captivating, while at the same time, an example to learn from.
Paton describes a particular event during his growing-up years in which there was practically no food in the house.  His mother’s actions in response to  God’s direct provision left a lasting impression on John's young mind, as well as his spiritual life.  He says:

“My mother, seeing our surprise at such an answer to her prayers, took us around her knees, thanked God for His goodness, and said to us: ‘O my children, love your Heavenly Father, tell Him in faith and prayer all your needs, and He will supply your wants so far as it shall be for your good and His glory.”  (pg. 50-51)

And it really is true.  Praying with those two things in mind—that God will answer according to what is best for us and that He will do it according to His glory—very much affects our perspective when we see God answer prayer in ways that may not be quite what we expected!

So often, we like to think that God acts identically, given identical situations.  But He does not.  Case in point, in discussing the very courage that Paton had in trusting God’s promises and His sovereignty,

“How do you claim the promises of God for protection when your wife was equally faithful but, rather than being protected, died; and when the Gordons on Erromana were equally trusting in those promises and were martyred?  Paton had learned the answer to this question from listening to his mother pray…. This is what Paton trusted God for in claiming the promises: that  God would do what was for Paton’s good and for His own glory.” (pg. 24-25)

That moment when...

...your mental concoction of a recipe for lunch turns out!

Let me explain:

Isaac made a pretty yummy dish of stir-fried rice today.

While I've had stir-fried rice dozens of times, I've never thought to try sweet-and-sour sauce on it (at least not when I've eaten it at home.)  This time however, it just "smelled" like it needed some sauce to go with it!  But...where is the sauce?

"I think I can come up with something" I thought.

I scooped some brown sugar into a small saucepan, and poured in about the same amount of vinegar.
It seemed like it should have some mustard in it as well, so I squirted some in.

The vinegar smell coming from the pan was a little strong, so I dumped some water in to water it down a little.

As it began to heat, I had the wild idea of putting several drops of red Tabasco sauce in it.

"Now, for it to all dissolve and come to a boil. Then I'll add some cornstarch and soy sauce."  

Once it came to a boil, I added the cornstarch and soy sauce and stirred it until it thickened.

Guess what?  It turned out pretty good!

At times I don't know how to adequately express myself.  Sincere longing, yearning, and seeking hard after the Lord often get stifled by my circumstances. This song, based on Psalm 84, has been a recent reminder of what I desire to be a reality in my life right now. 

How sweet the place where You dwell, O Lord, 

My soul longs and faints for You

My heart sings out a loud song of joy 

For I have known the living God.

I want to be where You are, O Lord

I want to be where You are, O Lord

I'd rather have just one day with You

Than be anywhere else

There's no good thing that You will withhold

From those who live to follow You 

I'd rather be Your servant, O God

Than have the riches of this world

Those who follow You go from strength to strength

Those who trust in You are filled with joy.

(c) Stephen Altrogge, 2008, Sovereign Grace Praise

Describe Him: Doctor

If you doubt whether such description should be given, take a look at the Gospel of Mark.  The very first chapter produces at least three accounts in which Christ exercises His power over physical illnesses. During His ministry, Christ healed countless people with infirmities ranging from leprosy, to fevers, to blindness and lameness.  It is in the story of Lazarus, where Christ raised him from the dead that we see a glimpse of why Christ many times healed those who were sick, or had already died: “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.” (John 11:4)

Mark 2:1-12 declares the event of the crippled man with his friends who let him down through the roof of the house.  While this story is often told with the culmination of Christ telling the man to “Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house” (Mark 2:11), in reality, that is only a side-note.  The verse immediately preceding Christ’s command to get up and walk reveals a greater reason for why He would heal the crippled man: “But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins…” Christ proved that He does indeed have power to forgive sins—that He is God!--by the very visible act of making to walk he who could not walk.

Today, God does not necessarily heal physical illnesses in the same way that Christ did during His ministry on earth.  However, we can be certain that He still acts in such a way that it is His best for that person…even if sometimes we do not understand His ways.  Keep trusting in His goodness!