Today I’m thankful for:
* A long, uninterrupted nap that makes me feel myself again
* The time and means to make presents
* baby signs
* ‘cooler’ weather
* getting to see Bryce throughout the day
Being tight on money means that most of our presents this holiday season are homemade. Today I repurposed an old tablecloth into a half apron! I had seen a few cute vintage style ones at Anthropologie, so I did my best to make my tablecloth into a cute apron. I didn’t quite have enough blue fabric of the portion of the tablecloth that I cut, but did have some yellow fabric lying around that were made into the waist strap and pocket. It was really fun! I even added a few pleats, a pocket and scalloped the bottom edge. Perhaps I’ll make more.
Today I’m thankful:
* For a toddler and dog who entertain one another
* For a strong heartbeat in Baby #2
* That we have everything we need
* For friends far and near
* For a healthy marriage
Today I’m thankful for:
* A good night’s sleep!
* Going to the women’s community group
* Getting to sit by myself in Starbucks with a book
* My mom watching Ezra so I can study
* Birds chirping in our back yard
Inspired by TulipGirl’s daily blogging through the month about being thankful, I thought I’d follow suit. When I’m a cranky mama from not getting enough sleep with a constantly messy house, remembering my blessings sure helps reorient my perspective.
Today I’m thankful for:
* A husband who enjoys talking with me on walks
* A very cute little toddler who is funny, smart, and sweet
* A big mug of tea in the morning
* A God who is faithful and has a plan for us, even as we wait to see what that is
* Naps
I want to congratulate good friends, Jon and Katie, on the birth of their third child, Levi Paul, who arrived safe and healthy although a month early! Here’s the birth story.
We’re waiting on Hays Baby Girl #2 to make her appearance too. Stay tuned for details (perhaps on Sarah’sblog or on Serving Seattle?). Update: Margaret Anna Hays was born on November 17th. Congrats guys! (Funnily enough she was born on Judith’s due date — whom I suppose is still waiting for their first. And sorry, Craig and Judith don’t have a blog, so no links).
And across the Pond, McFarlane Baby Girl #2 is due to arrive in December. I’m excited to hear about Lori’s VBAC as I’m hoping for one too.
I won’t go into how many babies are expected this spring. I think I know of at least 6 other women due in April besides myself — crazy!
Anyone care to take a guess? I’m 20 weeks pregnant (halfway! Where did the time go?) Wednesday. But tomorrow we have our (approximately) 20-week ultrasound at the hospital. I’m not looking forward to having to drink loads and loads of water in preparation. We are hoping that the little one (affectionately known as “Dos” since s/he’s our #2) lets us know if s/he is a he or a she.
Anyone want make a prediction?
UPDATE is in the comments section!
We’re having a party tonight to celebrate Guy Fawkes Night. Back in 1605, Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the British Parliament and as I take it the English tend to celebrate the foiling of the plot while the Scots celebrate(d) the attempt. In any case, mostly it’s a night for fireworks and bonfires in the UK. But as we have neither here tonight, we’re at least doling out the British food: beef and ale casserole with leek and mustard mash, bangers and mash (with onion gravy), and of course, sticky toffee pudding. We’ll be watching the movie V for Vendetta while we overindulge in meat, potatoes, and sticky toffee goodness. It’s as close as we can get to Britain these days.
Thinking about voting soon, I came across Denis Haack’sblog, which is associated with their magazine, Critique, published by Ransom Fellowship. (As a side note, both Critique and Notes from Toad Hall are distributed for free — of course RF needs donations to survive — but the short magazines are really amazing for Christians developing engagement and discernment with our cultures. Go sign up!)
Back to the topic at hand: Denis Haack recently posted an insightful article by James Skillen. From Denis: “His theme: “Taking Citizenship Seriously: Christian Responsibility in Today’s Political Context.” The three talks were certainly appropriate for this election year, without veering off into topics that appropriate for only this particular election. Skillen, the president of the Center for Public Justice, has spent a lifetime reflecting biblically on Christian faithfulness in the politics and citizenship.” The article can be read in its entirety here.
Denis’ most recent post is in response to a woman sharing this article mentioned above with her friends as a way to stimulate dialogue. Sadly the friends thought the article entirely one-sided and so she wrote to Denis to ask his advice about how to deal with this mess. One part of his reply I find particularly helpful:
First, many Christians have come to believe that conformity is a measure of commitment—in other words, that believers should necessarily share not just identical doctriness and ethics, but opinions and activities. However, having a Christian mind does not mean that there is a “Christian line” on every topic. Life and reality are far richer and more nuanced than that. Second, many evangelicals, having decided that a conservative ideology embraces their political leanings, begin to confuse conservatism with Christianity. It’s a subtle process, but also a deadly one, since no ideology should be infused into the gospel. Third, few understand that political ideologies are not neutral, but are, to use a biblical theological category, idolatries. Each one, conservatism included, takes one aspect of created reality and elevates it to a position where it defines the rest of life—making it into a god, a sovereign.
Yes, it is widely the case that the Evangelical Christian world has associated conservatism with Christianity, while of course there is a whole new generation of Evangelicals — if they even call themselves that — who as a friend has recently posted about (here and here), are voting without reference to standard “Evangelical” issues such as abortion but instead voting Democratic as it (at least on its platform) aids the voiceless in our society.
It’s a muddy soup and frankly I’m still not exactly sure who will get my vote on the 4th. But if you are a Christian, I ask that you would take a step back from your record of voting and consider if you’ve fused liberalism or conservatism into the gospel. Because if you believe that and act like Jesus is King it really doesn’t matter who becomes President.*
(Also, for further reading, Bryce has recently posted a quote from John Piper about voting here as well as including the link to the entire article.)
*I do have to add that yes, it matters and has consequences, but it shouldn’t define us.