Tante Heidi and a Tuesday Visit

Aunt Heidi came to visit us this week. It seems that her place of employment has left the Chicago area and she is between jobs. This gave us the benefit of seeing her since we are always so busy and our paths rarely cross. We were glad she could come up. We took her to Meijer Gardens to see the butterflies before they are all dead. We also took her for dinner at Johnny Carino's across from the Gardens. Good times!
Here Anna is smelling the Orchids. She knows that Orchid walls are a great part of Malysa tradition. It is alleged that Oma has an Orchid wall in Naples. We have yet to see it, but that is the story. Anna loves Orchids and she claims that the tiny ones are the prettiest.
Owen thought that smelling them would get him some attention as well. He is cute, but does not look like he is really in the Orchid spirit.

Here Lydia and Anna were snuggling at the Michigan Farm. Anna received this new pink monkey from Tante Heidi. The poor thing has the unfortunate name of Jungle Love... we will call him the pink monkey in our house.
Here Tante Heidi and the kids were playing in the hay. The Gardens has a great barn that was built in 1910 and then moved to the Gardens to be placed at the Farm. I had to share a story of throwing hay onto the bailer at grandpa's farm. When you do that for an afternoon your arms are as cut as a teenage girl on Lifetime.

The koi pond was pretty, but there was only a half dozen koi in the whole thing. Last summer we at lunch at it and there were well over 100! Where are all the fish?
Here is one of Anna's notorious power hugs. They look cute, but Owen hates it! It is unfortunate when ones face turns blue.

Thanks for coming Tante Heidi! Too bad about the Italian butter container getting broken at Carino's though. It was fun to watch that little guy clean it up for 40 minutes though. Good thing we tip well!

My Boys

Today the boys got a chance to bond a little. They wrestled and bit each other. It is quite a blast to watch. Of course, Samson, the step-dog, was not allowed to play with us.

Home Again, Home Again, Jitterty Jig

I am home from presbytery. It went very well. A full report may follow.

American Fiesta

There is a new Broadway play that will premiere next month. American Fiesta is about a collector of Fiesta Ware and how fiesta relates to both 'blue and red' states. Blue and Red were original colors when Fiesta was introduced in the 1930s.

The spin on the play is that homosexuality has to be brought in. I am not sure if it is because it is trendy to talk about homosex or because Fiesta has become so popular amongst this population of people (well, the men anyway). It is a shame that a great play about an American Icon has to be ruined with same-sex trash. Straight men can collect Fiesta too (I hope)!

Columbus, Indiana? Where?

Next week I will be in Columbus, Indiana for presbytery. I have only been through Indiana other than stopping to fuel my car.

Columbus Reformed Presbyterian Church will be hosting this event. I am travelling with Rev. Lanning and Mr. Sikma who are going on business concerning our local congregation.

The fall meeting held at Southfield was a really great experience. I have enjoyed getting to know the ministers in the RPCNA. I hope that this meeting will go equally as well. I know some of the issues that will be discussed with me and I am looking forward to seeing how the Lord's hand will work all of this out.

Quilts for Soldiers

Our friends, Shane and Toni Dunmire, have a son, Zac, that is in the Marines. He is being deployed to Iraq in July. Toni has a special request and I hope that some of you would be compelled to help. Here is a letter I got from Toni this week:

I am making it my mission to make Rag Quilts for all the guys in Zac's platoon (about 60). Their deployment to Iraq has been moved up to July. If you would like to help me in this quest, you can send me masculine flannel fabric, cotton batting or money for me to buy it or pay for postage to send them. I will send a copy of the receipt so you know where your money went. Please do not feel obligated in any way!! This is something I want to do, I just thought if any of you ever wanted to do something for our troops, but didn't know what, this would give you the opportunity. I spoke with Zac and he said he knows the guys would appreciate it.

Thanks for your time! And thanks for your help!

Toni Dunmire
20620 Welch Hill Rd.
Corry, PA 16407

I hope that some of you would be glad to help out. Zac is a really neat kid and has shown a lot of courage by signing up service in such a time as this!

Butterflies are in bloom

We got to go to the Meijer Gardens for the first time of the new season. We love to kick off Spring with the butterflies at the Gardens. They have a really cool clear butterfly this year.
Lydia enjoyed the sun...for one minute.

This butterfly was really pretty. It was blue-green and the texture looked like velvet.
There were a lot of this one. They seemed to fly in groups. Click on the picture and you can read his expression, "I've got two weeks to live and I have to be on display for you!"
I edited a paper while we walked to the 'Michigan Farm". This year they have added a lot of great sculptures to the farm.

Here is Anna in the backyard garden. It smelled great in there- tons of bulbs in full bloom!
Here is on of the sculptures at the farm. Owen tried to feed it grass. He was not interested in eating.
Here is the famous Alexander Calder mobile that my dad tried to spin. I laugh every time I walk by it. I have never seen so many security guards! And the sirens! Wow!

I would suggest getting a membership this year if you have not in the past. Remember that the Tuesday night music series is coming up in August! What a great place to visit!

So, is this the real thing?

There are many signs that Spring is in the air. Today we have our windows open and the smell is so nice. The kids are excited and we are hoping that the season is ready to burst forth. There is always so much gardening to do around here and we are all looking forward to getting things back how they belong. Owen and Anna want to be outside all of the time now. Today I think we may go play at the Gardens and see the butterflies for the first time this season. I hope that they have that blue butterfly that is the size of a hand again this year.
Sunday was the beginning of all of this goodness. Here is Mrs. Lanning stealing some sun before we entered the chapel. When we were there Anna wanted to walk over to Dr. Beeke's house so that she could see him. We walked over (but he was at the MacArthur conference in California). She then wanted to run through the woods behind the seminary. Of course, I would not allow her to do that since that is where all the wild and crazy seminary drop-outs are forced to spend the rest of their existence.
However, the greatest sign that Spring is just around the corner is the fact that the Crocus are coming up all over the place! They are in full bloom. The tulips and other bulbs are coming up, but the Crocus are already singing the praises of Springtime.

Can't Say

I would tell you what we are doing, but I have been asked not to. I guess that the pictures are going to have to tell a story that only history will reveal. It takes a lot of work to do the job of an historiographer. Just ask Lydia how much of the last 4 months have been spent on 5 typed pages.

Children at Play

Only Lydia's daughter can use this line while playing, "Okay Owen, it is time to go to Target".

They Conspire Against Me...

I must say that today was a long day of classes at the seminary. We are having a special class called "Minister and His Family" in which we go through all the Greek exegesis on how a minister and his family are to behave themselves. Of course, all ministers fall short to some extent, but it is something that we are all called to nonetheless. The guest lecturer is Rev. David Lipsey who is finishing his doctorate in Nouthetic Counseling at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He is also the future father-in-law of Rev. Terry Klaver.

So I get home from class and take Sedgwick out for some afternoon business. I told Anna and Owen that they were not going out with me because I did not want them to get all wet in the midst of the snow storm. Of course I was using authority over my children since I just got back from 9 hours worth of lecture, one of which discussed the obedience of the minister's children.
Thank the Lord, they were obedient. They did not follow me out in the snow as is the normal routine.

Anna believed that I had delegated the authority over Owen in my absence. She thought that it would be wise to lock the door behind me so that Owen would be compelled to obey his father. I turn around, upon Sedgwick's completion, and turn the door handle to find that I am, yet again, locked out of my home! This time I was at the back door which is a beautiful French door with18 panes of glass. Owen waved at me and smiled, not realising that I was stuck outside in 35 mile-per-hour wind and pouring snow.

I knocked.

And knocked.

Anna finally came to the door, 'hi papa!' Anna please go get your mother. She said okay and I watched her go into the family room downstairs to get her.

A few minutes pass and Anna comes back up. I knock and say through the glass, 'Anna did you get your mother?' She said, 'Oh yeah!' She then ran back down stairs to get Lydia.

What an event. Was it last Saturday that Owen locked me out, now Anna? I will have to ask Rev. Lipsey how to deal with this type of problem according to the Scriptures!

Side Note: This is Anna's new favorite hat. It is a $1.00 item from Target's junk section. She insists on wearing it out of the house even. It is not my style. It is a mix of Anne of Green Gables and Southern Fundamentalism.

Five Blessed Years

Five Blessed Years

Five years ago today Lydia and I were married at the Chapel of Reformed Bible College. We sang Psalms, read Scripture, and were married according to the Reformation form written by Peter Detanus. Reformed Christians have been using this form for nearly 500 years. It was a blessed event in which the glories of Jesus Christ were proclaimed. We thank Him for 5 years and pray that the Lord would grant us many more.
In the past five years the Lord has blessed us in many ways. The greatest of which being Anna Grace and Owen Justice. We look forward to our new baby as well. The Lord is gracious and kind unto those that love His name.

Here is the prayer that was prayed as we were married before God:

Almighty God, Thou who dost manifest Thy goodness and wisdom in all Thy ordinances, and from the beginning hast said that it is not good that man be alone and therefore hast created him a helpmeet to be with him, and ordained that they who were two should be one, and who dost also punish all impurity; we pray Thee, since Thou hast called and united these two persons in the holy state of marriage that Thou wilt give them Thy Holy Spirit, so that they in true love and firm faith may live holily according to Thy divine will and resist all evil. Wilt Thou also bless them as Thou hast blessed the believing fathers, Thy friends and faithful servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; in order that they, as coheirs of the covenant which Thou hast established with these fathers, may bring up their children which Thou wilt be pleased to give them, in the fear of the Lord, to the honor of Thy holy name, to the edification of the Thy Church and to the extension of the holy gospel. Hear us, Father of all mercy, for the sake of Jesus Christ, Thy beloved Son, our Lord, in whose name we conclude our prayer.

Alice Liddell: as in Liddell weird

We are watching Alice in Wonderland right now (well, I am 'studying' for an Ecclesiology exam). I did some grade A Google research on Lewis Carroll and I must say that I am quite creeped out.

This picture is Alice Liddell, the namesake of the movie. It seems as though our Opium addicted writer proposed to her when he was in his mid 20's. She was 11. The relationship did not work out because of another relationship that was going on with her mother at the time.

Another strange point is that he became some sort of recluse in his old age and was an Anglo-Catholic priest in a small parish. I have also heard that there may be a connection with 'Jack the Ripper', but who knows? I am still a bit creeped out by him.

Spring Is Here! I love it!

It was so nice today! We loved smelling the freshness that Spring brings as well as seeing all of the flowering trees begin to bud. We were able to dust off the Birks and go sockless again. This is one of my favorite time of the year as I anxiously await all of the flowers to come back.

The smell of green grass and freshly laid mulch. Reading on the patio with the sun on my back! What a great day it has been thus far!

Anna noticed the Crocus and the Daffodils are looking beautiful already.
We walked through the neighborhood as well. It is great to see all of the people starting their flower gardens for the season and cleaning up the mess that winter leaves.
Isn't it great to be able to get out of the house and to go for walks and hear birds and feel the light spring breeze?
Oh wait, I shoveled piles of icy snow today. I also had to dig our vehicle out of the driveway. Oh yeah, I woke up to the scrape of shovels, the gassy hum of snow blowers and the endless push of city plow trucks. Oh, yeah, I must have forgotten.. Spring is still two weeks away, and that is only the official date.

We will persevere.

Mr. Birn, Could I have your buisness card, please?

Today I get an email at work that Lydia has discovered something that was potentially dangerous:

We know that Owen has been infatuated with the freezer lately and thinks that it is fun to freeze Thomas the Train and to steal Popsicles and eat them in the corner of the family room.

Tonight, it seems that Owen has decided to freeze HIMSELF! Lyd heard the lid (punny) close and went to see what he had taken out of the freezer. Nothing! He placed himself in the freezer!

We have decided to lock it from now on.. yep, probably a good idea! If we were not Christian people, we would sue Costco, General Electric, anyone that owns freezers, the US government for not making the hospital that delivers children give boy-freezer warnings, and whomever reads this post.

But seriously, think if Lydia was not downstairs with him what a horrible event this could have been... a lot like how Walt Disney ended up.

Replace Maggie for Lydia--and there you have it.

The Betrothed

“You must choose between me and your cigar.”


OPEN the old cigar-box, get me a Cuba stout,
For things are running crossways, and Maggie and I are out.

We quarrelled about Havanas—we fought o’er a good cheroot,
And I knew she is exacting, and she says I am a brute.

Open the old cigar-box—let me consider a space;
In the soft blue veil of the vapour musing on Maggie’s face.

Maggie is pretty to look at—Maggie’s a loving lass,
But the prettiest cheeks must wrinkle, the truest of loves must pass.

There’s peace in a Larranaga, there’s calm in a Henry Clay;
But the best cigar in an hour is finished and thrown away—

Thrown away for another as perfect and ripe and brown—
But I could not throw away Maggie for fear o’ the talk o’ the town!

Maggie, my wife at fifty—grey and dour and old—
With never another Maggie to purchase for love or gold!

And the light of Days that have Been the dark of the Days that Are,
And Love’s torch stinking and stale, like the butt of a dead cigar—

The butt of a dead cigar you are bound to keep in your pocket—
With never a new one to light tho’ it’s charred and black to the socket!

Open the old cigar-box—let me consider a while.
Here is a mild Manila—there is a wifely smile.

Which is the better portion—bondage bought with a ring,
Or a harem of dusky beauties, fifty tied in a string?

Counsellors cunning and silent—comforters true and tried,
And never a one of the fifty to sneer at a rival bride?

Thought in the early morning, solace in time of woes,
Peace in the hush of the twilight, balm ere my eyelids close,

This will the fifty give me, asking nought in return,
With only a Suttee’s passion—to do their duty and burn.

This will the fifty give me. When they are spent and dead,
Five times other fifties shall be my servants instead.

The furrows of far-off Java, the isles of the Spanish Main,
When they hear my harem is empty will send me my brides again.

I will take no heed to their raiment, nor food for their mouths withal,
So long as the gulls are nesting, so long as the showers fall.

I will scent ’em with best vanilla, with tea will I temper their hides,
And the Moor and the Mormon shall envy who read of the tale of my brides.

For Maggie has written a letter to give me my choice between
The wee little whimpering Love and the great god Nick o’ Teen.

And I have been servant of Love for barely a twelvemonth clear,
But I have been Priest of Cabanas a matter of seven year;

And the gloom of my bachelor days is flecked with the cheery light
Of stumps that I burned to Friendship and Pleasure and Work and Fight.

And I turn my eyes to the future that Maggie and I must prove,
But the only light on the marshes is the Will-o’-the-Wisp of Love.

Will it see me safe through my journey or leave me bogged in the mire?
Since a puff of tobacco can cloud it, shall I follow the fitful fire?

Open the old cigar-box—let me consider anew—
Old friends, and who is Maggie that I should abandon you?

A million surplus Maggies are willing to bear the yoke;
And a woman is only a woman, but a good Cigar is a Smoke.

Light me another Cuba—I hold to my first-sworn vows.
If Maggie will have no rival, I’ll have no Maggie for Spouse!


--Rudyard Kipling

Fat Tuesday? Ash Wednesday? Where were we?

Every Tuesday is Fat Tuesday in my home... and tomorrow the Ash-heads come out...I always feel a little bit embarassed for them!
Mmm...excuse me, Mr. Kerry...you spilled some religious superstition on your forehead.

Owen's Conspiracy

He may look as though he is studying the Martyn Lloyd Jones section of my library, but is actually deviously learning how to have the house to himself....
Today as Lydia and Anna were heading out of the door to Mrs. Birn's baby-shower there was a terrible event. Lydia and Anna were outside and Lydia asked me to come out and wipe off the snow from the vehicle (it seems that wearing Birkenstocks in the middle of February is not always the best of ideas).

I was more or less than happy to do this for her and I got the broom out of the kitchen closet. I told Owen that I would be right back and I closed the door on him (so he did not get his feet snowy). I could hear him knocking and being annoyed that his entire family was out-of-doors while he was stuck inside with the dogs.

I finished wiping the car off and Lydia pulled out of the driveway. I walked up the steps to the front door to the dreadful fact that Owen had locked the door! I turned around, knowing that I did not have my keys and that all other doors were locked, and yelled to Lydia as she waved and drove off!

I yelled, 'Lydia stop!' very loud as she drove away. I made a fool of myself waving and yelling as she drove north on Union Avenue. As she passed the Notliberal compound she must have noticed her over-sized husband doing aerobics in the snow (in his pajamas, mind you). She turned around and pulled into the driveway.

I told her that Owen had locked me out. She responded that he does not know how to do that. Oh, it must have been one of the dogs then. Well, whomever it was, I got back into the house and Owen was crying because he was scared. He is not used to his large father jumping up and down while yelling in the front yard... in his pajamas, mind you.

All was well and Owen and I did some father and son things while Lydia and Anna were away. We cleaned all of the vents in the house and a good time was had by all.

Dear N. Phillip Eshelman,

Please do your best to see to it that I SOON get a delicious, scrumptious Doner. With cucumber sauce, cheddar cheese, cucumbers, extra extra hummus, feta, that purple seasoning stuff, more hummus, and vinegar fries with feta.

Oh, I am in need (not want) (for Sami's). Also, dear Mr. Eshelman, I also would like you to find somewhere that has the perfect cheesecake (not Arnie's). I would have to say that I have been craving cheesecake since I bit into that delicious little thing I had at Mrs. B's house. That was absoultely pure perfection. So melt-in-your mouth perfect. Maybe we will have to try that Cheesecake factory stuff at Costco or Sam's. OR maybe I will attempt to make one!!

I am so hungry. You leave me at home with no car and unable to feed my cravings! Whine.

If you have kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews......

WoW. These women are spectacular! Guess what? They now have stuff for BOYS! I love it Tammy! I had to advertise for you. (If I should not be using Manda's picture, then let me know...) And the photography makes things all the better!

Now, get busy on those slings! I have been waiting for those since you put the link up.

Check it out, folks. Nice stuff. We will be ordering soon.....

Scarlet Stitch

Wendler, My Love, My Friend

We finally finished all of the work that needed to be done at Wendler this week. Actually, Lydia painted while I laid the new floor in the hall and bathroom and then repaired the toilet back to its former throne-status. The above picture is the only one that I really had time to take. I brought my laptop so that I could listen to the Marriage and Family Living Series by Dr. Joel Beeke. Man, that is convicting stuff- if you think that you love your wife enough, listen to it. If you think that you submit enough, listen to it. I have heard that this may be a book at some point. I hope so.

Anyhow, when I packed my laptop, Anna and Owen both had to pack theirs as well. I am not sure what lectures they were listening to though! So, while laying a new floor, I got to be fed by the good doctor. Well worth the time and energy.

We actually ran out of time for painting and we hired Durell Flood to finish it for us. Wow! If you are looking for a painter, call him. Perfection! His Reformed theology comes through in every brush-stroke!

This weekend our new tenant moves in. We are excited to have someone after the few month stint of emptiness at the apartment. It was good though; you really learn how to balance your budget in times like this.

I took a 3 minute video tour of the place so that everyone could see it. It looks really nice and we are so thankful to everyone that helped.

In the comments section please write a few of your favorite memories from Wendler. That apartment has really meant a lot to many people's spiritual growth. Man, we sure had some fun times there!

Night

Lydia and I have been fans of Holocaust studies since we were at Calvin. While we studies there, Elie Wiesel spoke at the Faith and Writing Conference. Although Wiesel does not claim to be a Christian, and remains reluctant to speak about his spiritual life in public, he brings a lot of insight, through common grace, into human nature.

Many of his books are worth reading, Night remains his magnum opus despite being around 100 pages. I have also enjoyed reading many of the essays in his 2 volume shorter writings.

Today Mr. Wiesel was assaulted by a well known 'Holocaust denier'. This is quite tragic and shows that antisemitism remains strong in the world. We should pray for Mr. Wiesel as well as his Jewish brothers, knowing that the promise in Scripture is that one day the ancient people of God would be reconciled to His Son, Jesus Christ.

Nerds and Time Management

Face Book opens all sorts of new ways to waste time on-line. Thanks Mr. Facebook for stealing life from me!

"Television is one of the greatest life-wasters of the modern age. And, of course, the Internet is running to catch up, and may have caught up. You can be more selective on the Internet, but you can also select worse things with only the Judge of the universe watching. TV still reigns as the great life-waster. The main problem is not how much smut is available, though that is a problem. Just the ads are enough to sow fertile seeds of greed and lust, no matter what program you're watching. The greater problem is banality. A mind fed daily on TV diminishes. Your mind was made to know and love God. Its facility for this great calling is ruined by excessive TV. The content is so trivial and so shallow that the capacity of the mind to think worthy thoughts withers, and the capacity of the heart to feel deep emotions shrivels." (emphasis mine)

(John Piper, Don't Waste Your Life, p.120)

Spatzi I lands in Grand Rapids

Lydia's mom, Irma, and her friend Angie came over this week for a visit. The Spatzi I landed a little after 1 pm on Thursday. I was in class until 1:50 and then worked at 3:00 so I did not have a chance to visit with them as much as Lydia and the kids did.
Of course they brought bags of gifts along for the children; books, clothes, and electronic gadgets. Anna and Owen had a nice time showing off for them. Lydia made them apple crisp (using the Marion recipe) that they seemed to enjoy.
After the usual conversation and their longing for time in Florida, where the grass is always green and the sun always shines, they decided it was time to head back to their husbands in Chicago and pack their bags! Enough of this winter for them, they are all off to Florida until mid March. See you then.

Tammy Anderson

Look at this picture of Tammy Anderson when she was a little girl. I bet her parents would have never dreamed that such a God fearing, health conscientious, and active young girl would grow up to marry my buddy Shawn. God sure has different plans than we do!