Collection of Pictures

In no particular order, as usual:


For those who missed every single Facebook post from every single person on the East Coast this weekend, we got an early snow. Our neighborhood was lucky: we didn't lose power. But my neighbor lost her Bradford pear. We're calling it "the banana tree" because of the way it peeled itself off its trunk. Ha ha! We can laugh because it's not in our front yard.



Here's a shot of our cozy, snow-covered house. Except that we weren't ready for cozy, snow-covered weather so it wasn't as charming as it looks.



On the other hand, unseasonable snow goes away quickly, as soon as seasonable weather returns. This was all that was left in our yard the next afternoon: the kids' "Snow Crow" -- a scarecrow made of snow.

And more importantly, the snow went away in time for Halloween. The next few pictures were taken last week, when Mom and I finished the kids' costumes in record time.

Here's Stuart, dressed -- obviously! -- as a Golden Snitch from Harry Potter. The Snitch is a small golden ball in the game of Quidditch. If the Seeker catches it during the game, his team automatically gets 150 points. It's very characteristic of Stuart to want to be the actual ball instead of the player who tries to catch it.

All three in their Halloween finery: Daphne is a Kitty, Stuart is a Golden Snitch, and Addie is an Auror, also from Harry Potter. Aurors are like the Wizarding Secret Police, who go after the really bad guys.


Back view, just to show off these amazing costumes. They are amazing, because Mom and I put them together in a weekend. Note Mom's handiwork with the reflective duct tape on Addie's Auror cloak. (Pip didn't have a costume. He ended up getting quite enough candy on Halloween anyway.)



Oh, and then there's the whole reason we had to scramble to get costumes ready at the last minute: the fact that I spent most of the month on a mattress in the dining room with 102-degree fever. This is why my mother bought a one-way ticket and came 1000 miles to my home.

-- SJ

When Sparrows Fall

After Katie came to visit, after Mom came to visit, before Darren left town for a few days, before I got sick for three weeks... I read a book.

I'd seen a description of When Sparrows Fall by Meg Mosley somewhere or other. Darren did, too, and he brought it home to me. It sounded like something I'd like, but I had my reservations. It's Christian fiction, see. And looked like it involved a romance. While there are lots of things I can't stand, Christian romance is way at the top of the list.

But I gave it a shot. And I liked it. Very much, in fact.

The premise is that Miranda, whose domineering husband died two years before, balks when the pastor of her small, controlling church announces that they're all moving to another state.

Before the pastor can coerce her to sell, she takes a bad fall. She'd just changed her will to give custody of her six children to her brother-in-law, Jack, in case something happened to her. Jack is a divorced English professor who met Miranda only once. He immediately drives out to see to the kids. His ideas are in direct conflict with many of Miranda's church's ideas (think: only-dresses, no caffeine or medicine, lots of kids, and wife obeys her husband in all things). But he's a good guy, he truly likes the kids, and he's truly concerned about Miranda.

She, meanwhile, wants to be free from all the rules and burdens, but one enormous secret weighs her down. If the secret gets out, she could lose her kids to the state foster care system. And the pastor, of course, knows the secret.

There is romance between Miranda and Jack, but it's handled as a natural progression as the story unfolds, and it's pleasing. You don't like Miranda's late husband, Carl, who was controlling and unkind; but the author manages to cast him in a sympathetic light as well. The story holds together logically (or maybe I was just so caught up by the end that I didn't care). The ending is possibly a little sunnier than in real life, but that suited me okay. And it was very satisfying to see Miranda slowly take charge of her own life again -- that was the real core of the story.

Anyone who has lived under the burdens of "standards" and "authority" should probably find this book a good read. I'm certainly happy to have found a Christian author who can write something other than piffle.

-- SJ

7 Quick Takes, October 21, 2011

It's been a while, but here's a Seven Quick Takes for this week. More available at Conversion Diary.

1. Mam is here. The house is rejoicing. Sara is getting help as she recovers from 3 weeks of sickness (praise God, that seems to be gone now); the grandkids are getting a Grandma fix; and I am once again reminded that I am blessed beyond words in the mother-in-law I have.

2. Here's a funny link called "Never try to hide from the deacons." I laughed and shared this with several other deacons I know :)

3. An excellent post on worship from my mentor Joel Klampert. As a worship leader, I should probably re-read this one every week as I prepare the song set. A good reminder that worship is not how we feel, but an active focus on God and His redeeming work.

4. Addie came out to the living room last night to complain loudly that a forbidden item had somehow gotten into our house. It was a Walmart bag. She was distressed that a relic of the Evil Empire was in our pantry, among the Target bags.

5. I am going to be preaching for our church's celebration of All Saints Day on October 30. Theme: You are not alone. God's grace in Jesus Christ has saved a countless host of people with problems just like yours. (This post is mostly a warning for Sara, because it's normal for small electronics in our house to go on the blink for the week before whenever I preach.)

6. A good quote I came across in a devotional this week: "We must strive to apply the Good News to the ever-changing conditions of the world but, courageously and at all costs, we must resist the temptation to alter its content or reinterpret it in order to make it fit the spirit of the present age." John Paul the Great.

7. I got two major projects off my desk yesterday, which makes me feel much more able to enjoy this weekend. Hurray for two days off from work!

--DJ

Mundania 32

* My life recently has been feverish. Not feverish activity, since I spend the majority of my time laid out on a mattress in the dining room. No, I've had a persistent 102-degree fever for nearly three weeks now. Just a fever: no other symptoms.

* Well, no other symptoms except that I don't want anything sweet, but I dream about eating spaghetti and potato chips for the salt. That's pretty much a symptom for me.

* Yes, I've seen a doctor. No, he can't find a definite cause. Yes, I'll be tested again for Lyme's Disease. Yes, it might be the sort of viral infection that Stuart had last February, when he had a fever for about a month.

* It's easier on the household if it's the eight-year-old son who has this fever.

* Darren is working double-shift, keeping his head above surface at work and then rushing home to keep the household running. Yes, he's a superhero, in case anybody hadn't yet figured this out (hi, New Reader!).

* Thank God for friends. They've delivered meals, cleaned the house, babysat, done bedtime duty while Darren was out of town, called to talk to the kids, and sent me texts and Facebook messages.

* And on Wednesday, my mama is coming back up to stay with us until I'm better. As in, she bought just a one-way ticket.

* On a completely different note, back before I got sick (those hazy, bygone days), I wrote this article for Recovering Grace, the website devoted to examining the teachings and effects of Bill Gothard's IBLP and ATI programs.

* Well, what do you know, it's time for a little ibuprofen. Too bad it doesn't taste like Sour Cream & Onion potato chips.

-- SJ

Independence

As parents, our task is to raise our children to be self-sufficient, independent adults. And Pip says, "Getting right on it."


He decided he wanted more cinnamon toast, but no parent was available to get it. No problem! Pictured above is:

1. Buttered bread
2. A very large quantity of salt

Darren got out of the shower in time to see Phillip attempting to figure out the toaster.

So, there are a few bumps on the road to independence, but Pip will be there soon. Today, cinnamon toast -- tomorrow, the world! (Just as soon as he figures out the van.)

-- SJ

The World Rejoices

Thirty-eight years ago, the world rejoiced when a dark-haired little baby boy was born.

Well, okay, not the whole world. Just a few small pockets of world in Nova Scotia and various spots in the Northeast. The lucky people.

There was a young couple in the Deep South who didn't know it was a significant day. They had no idea that one day their little girl would grow up to marry that little boy. That's because the little girl wouldn't actually exist for another three-and-a-half years. So really, this Southern family doesn't have much to do with this story at this point. But I'm writing it, so we're in here anyway.

It hasn't been the most festive anniversary/birthday season we've ever had. I've been sick for twenty-three centuries, and today Darren developed a cold. But you know something about Darren? He doesn't really complain. He sees what needs to be done, and he does it. He cherishes his sick wife. Which is why, as more pockets of the world get to know him, more people rejoice for that October day 38 years ago.

And see why I'm so anxious to get a foothold in this story, even three and a half years before I actually was anybody? Who would want to miss out on a guy like this?

Happy Birthday, DJ. Love you!!

-- SJ