Archive for May, 2007

May 27th, 2007 The Peg Leg Blues

My friend Greg Hewlett has put together the most astounding bit of political activism I have ever seen. The issue is detailed here and here. In summary, insurance carriers claim to cover prosthetics, but they typically don’t follow through on that claim if the prosthetic takes advantage of modern technology.

But that’s all a bit dry. Here’s Greg telling it like it is. Spread the word!

May 24th, 2007 Little Readers

This is a familiar sight at our house:

Two little rumply-haired boys in robes/jammies reading together on the couch early in the morning. It is one of their favorite things to do. It is also one of Mommy’s favorite things for them to do, because when engrossed like this, they are at peace with one another. No cross words, bickering over a toy, or whining to me about what evil the other has just done.

But there is also humor within this picture. Please note that both boys have a Magic TreeHouse book: this is a recently-discovered series in our family, and the children have been getting every book they can find out of both the city and school libraries. Which is understandable for Abigail and Jonathan, because, well, they can actually read. Words, that is. And Treehouse Books are definitely reader books. There are not a ton of pictures to help tell the story if you can’t figure out what the funny-looking symbols all over the page mean. Personally, I’d have a hard time enjoying these books if I was not a reader.

But Nicolas doesn’t agree with me. That precious boy of mine can’t read a single word, but he LOVES reading TreeHouse books. In fact, he tells me that he’s “read” eleven TreeHouse books now. Really. And he believes he has. Every time Jonathan picks up one, Nicolas chooses one for himself. Unless of course, as he tells me, he’s “already read that one”.

It’s so cute. He wants to be just like his big brother, and “read”. I, feeling sorry for him (thinking he cannot possibly be enjoying the process of patiently running his chubby finger underneath every. single. word. in. the. entire. book. - which is what he does in order to finish reading it, mind you) offer him countless picture books off our shelves, and he politely declines, saying he’d rather read his TreeHouse book.

Until this past weekend…when Jonathan began the first in another series of books which we own: the Hobbit. I wondered which TreeHouse book Nicolas might choose to read from while sitting next to his big brother. But the four-year-old calmly reached into the same grouping of books from which Jonathan had selected the Hobbit, and settled down comfortably with his own volume: none other than Fellowship of the Ring.

May 23rd, 2007 Onesimus

I’m hoping someone out there can help me understand something. In light of this:

You shall not give up to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you. He shall dwell with you, in your midst, in the place that he shall choose within one of your towns, wherever it suits him. You shall not wrong him.
Deuteronomy 23:15-16 [+/-]Deuteronomy 23:15-16 [15]"You shall not give up to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you. [16]He shall dwell with you, in your midst, in the place that he shall choose within one of your towns, wherever it suits him. You shall not wrong him. (ESV)

Why did Paul give up Onesimus to his master (see Philemon 8-16 [+/-]Philemon 1:8-16 [8]Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, [9]yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you--I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus-- [10]I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. [11](Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) [12]I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. [13]I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, [14]but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. [15]For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, [16]no longer as a slave but more than a slave, as a beloved brother-- especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. (ESV)
)? Was it to make restitution for the theft which appears to have taken place?

May 23rd, 2007 A Rebellious Son

I was listening to Deuteronomy this morning when a phrase caught my ear.

If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and, though they discipline him, will not listen to them, then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives, and they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall purge the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear, and fear.
Deuteronomy 21:18-21 [+/-]Deuteronomy 21:18-21 [18]"If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and, though they discipline him, will not listen to them, [19]then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives, [20]and they shall say to the elders of his city, 'This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.' [21]Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall purge the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear, and fear. (ESV)

Now look at what Jesus has to say about his accusers.

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.
Matthew 11:18-19 [+/-]Matthew 11:18-19 [18]For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' [19]The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds." (ESV)

Jesus was not merely being insulted. He was being called a rebellious son of Israel, worthy of death! Now what about that reference to wisdom? Interestingly, the only other place the phrase “glutton and drunkard” is found (other than the parallel passage in Luke 7 [+/-]Luke 7 [7:1]After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. [2]Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. [3]When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. [4]And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, "He is worthy to have you do this for him, [5]for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue." [6]And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. [7]Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. [8]For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." [9]When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith." [10]And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well. [11]Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. [12]As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. [13]And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep." [14]Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." [15]And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. [16]Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and "God has visited his people!" [17]And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country. [18]The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, [19]calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" [20]And when the men had come to him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, 'Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?'" [21]In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. [22]And he answered them, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. [23]And blessed is the one who is not offended by me." [24]When John's messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? [25]What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings' courts. [26]What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. [27]This is he of whom it is written, "'Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.' [28]I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." [29](When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John, [30]but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.) [31]"To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? [32]They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, "'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.' [33]For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' [34]The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' [35]Yet wisdom is justified by all her children." [36]One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and took his place at the table. [37]And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, [38]and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. [39]Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner." [40]And Jesus answering said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he answered, "Say it, Teacher." [41]"A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. [42]When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?" [43]Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt." And he said to him, "You have judged rightly." [44]Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. [45]You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. [46]You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. [47]Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven--for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little." [48]And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." [49]Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this, who even forgives sins?" [50]And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." (ESV)
) is in Proverbs.

Hear, my son, and be wise,
and direct your heart in the way.
Be not among drunkards
or among gluttonous eaters of meat,
for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty,
and slumber will clothe them with rags.
Proverbs 23:19-21 [+/-]Proverbs 23:19-21 [19]Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way. [20]Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, [21]for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.

So what deeds of Wisdom is Jesus referring to? Let’s back up in Proverbs a bit.

Wisdom has built her house;
she has hewn her seven pillars.
She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine;
she has also set her table.
She has sent out her young women to call
from the highest places in the town,
“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
To him who lacks sense she says,
“Come, eat of my bread
and drink of the wine I have mixed.
Leave your simple ways, and live,
and walk in the way of insight.”
Proverbs 9:1-6 [+/-]Proverbs 9:1-6 [9:1]Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn her seven pillars. [2]She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine; she has also set her table. [3]She has sent out her young women to call from the highest places in the town, [4]"Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!" To him who lacks sense she says, [5]"Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. [6]Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight."

It seems to me Jesus is accusing his accusers of chasing folly rather than embracing wisdom by mistaking the feasting and mirth of the kingdom for gluttony and drunkenness. I’m guessing we have a similar problem in the culture of the American church today.

May 22nd, 2007 A Fully Operational Bathroom

Well, dear Readers, I hope I am not boring you with my minute by minute accounts of our work around here, but the progress that we have made on the house the last few days is so exciting. On Wednesday morning, in our third bathroom, none of the bathroom “appliances” worked. The toilet had died, the sink was out of commission due to a leak which was damaging the vanity cabinet, and the shower was as it was when we purchased the house, that is to say, minus knobs for turning on the water (but the previous owners did leave some handy dandy vice grips affixed to the stems),

and potentially installed incorrectly - we were awaiting the plumber’s test to see if there was a leak below the house, which was a devastating possibility. Despite our knowledge when we purchased it that the house had some need of TLC, the original inspection had not revealed that the shower might actually be unusable; if after testing, the plumbers discovered that it leaked under the house, all the tile would have to be torn out and redone, either a really major project, or a really major expense. So we awaited the verdict on the shower with some nervousness.

While we could certainly live with a nonworking bath for some time (after all, when we first moved in, we only had one working bathing place, and one working toilet), the combination of the mess in front of us along with the anticipation of actual overnight houseguests who were soon to arrive, spurred us on to want to fix the room up as best we could. As we told you on Wednesday, Jay tackled the toilet first.

After our plumbers gave us the glorious news late Thursday that actually the little shower was just fine, no leak, no problem, Jay set about to figure out how to attach knobs to the 1965 piping. Our plumber would have done it for $450, including parts, by replacing all the piping and valves in the wall (and leaving a nice hole in the wall to boot) but we were already paying them so much money for things we certainly had no business doing ourselves, that Jay wanted to try to do this job himself. He succeeded, with some unconventional methods, in getting everything working properly, so instead of the vice grips which had been left, we now have shiny chrome knobs. How fancy - well, compared to the vice grips.

Jay also installed a nifty extender to allow the shower head to be moved appropriately into various positions for people of differing heights. On Saturday, we all visited Lowes and found a pretty faucet to install in place of the nonworking and very corroded original one.

For about an hour, Jay sawed and fought with stubborn piping underneath the cabinet, and complained about rust particles in his eyes from time to time, but finally emerged triumphant: he had replaced the shut-off valves and hookups to the faucet underneath, and as the finishing touch to the sink, put in this lovely fixture.

I love the porcelain “hot” and “cold” knobs!

So on Saturday evening, for the first time since we moved in last September, Abigail was able to shower in her own little bathroom. She was so excited, especially because it felt “cozy” (read “it is very, very tiny, perhaps the tiniest shower ever built”), and because she could bring the showerhead down to a ridiculously low level, exactly even with her 8-year old height.

Now, because I am who I am, I feel the need to insert the disclaimor here that I don’t feel children need to enjoy a bathroom of their own, even if they are the only female sibling among three brothers. I have had conversations with many a person who insisted their children of different genders should not have to share a bathroom, and been admittedly horrified about such statements. It would appear that along with our general affluence that we seem to enjoy as a nation, we have somehow come to expect a number of things related to our and our children’s quality of living which are totally unnecessary. But that is really a topic for another blog, now isn’t it? And, perhaps you may think it’s all well and good for me to comment on not needing extra bathrooms for our children: after all, I am the mom whose daughter has that third bathroom!! But, I digress…..

When we set about looking for homes closer to school, a third bathroom, let alone one for Abigail per se, was not on our list of wishes - the idea never even crossed my mind. But this house ended up being the right price in the neighborhood we really liked…..and as you are learning, no one else wanted to deal with its host of “little” issues!! The split fourth bedroom and third bath it offered were appealing both for our daughter as she grows older and perhaps desirous of some more privacy than her three younger brothers are often wont to give her, and because we knew Abigail’s room would double as a guest room for any visitors, whom, we surmised, might enjoy the little bath off to themselves too. All in all, it has worked out beautifully, and we feel it is a huge and unexpected blessing.

Saturday night we were able to share that blessing with our very first real overnight house guests (not including some sweet little friends of Abigail’s who have been here for sleepovers). Here they are…come to stay at House of Horne: the famous Bloggys!!!

What fun we had visiting with them. They were of course perfect houseguests, and left the bathroom cleaner than they found it. Jamison is just that way, you know!! We were so delighted they could stay with us, and thankful for their visit which helped to prompt such a major fix-up of the little bathroom’s functioning parts. While we have aspirations of texturing over old wallpaper, and painting the room a much more appealing shade of something than what is currently on the walls (this brown glaze with beige trim was used in several places throughout the house - same as was in the entry originally), we are so glad to have a functional and usable bathroom. Hooray!!

May 21st, 2007 Children’s Artwork in Home Decor

I see great articles in magazines about personalizing your home’s atmosphere - there are so many ways to do this, and make a beautiful home that is (to me) more appealing than the picture-perfect, professionally-decorated, periodical-worthy spreads we tend to drool over. Don’t get me wrong - I can use lots of help and advice with decorating my home, and sometimes wish my budget allowed for professional guidance, but, as a sweet and highly encouraging friend of mine says “Where is the fun in that?”

Anyway, I’ve seen various references to using children’s art as decor in the home, and know that using things our children have created certainly qualifies as personalizing our space. Most of us with children have more than a few masterpieces our progeny have put forth. Admittedly, I don’t want to frame and hang all of them, or even the majority of them, but I have for the first time, put one behind glass and displayed it in our home, and I like the result. I want to share it with you even though photos don’t really do the project justice, IMHO, and even though the walls around the display remain unpainted, etc, etc….

I needed a piece to fill the largest compartment in our living room built-ins (have I mentioned that I LOVE having built-ins in our new home? This is new territory for me) and I had no pieces tall enough to do justice to the space. My sis-in-law suggested hanging something - we talked about a tole tray as an idea - but my budget won’t allow for one of these right now, so I set about looking for something close to free, and happened on a painting of Abigail’s that I like, and an old frame from which I had removed the original picture, hoping to use it in a different setting. Last Thursday, with the children in tow, I popped over to our nearby Hobby Lobby for help. Within 15 minutes and for just $4 I had a custom mat cut to work with the unusually-sized artwork, and the non-standard-sized antique frame, and the entire piece put together and finished out with the proper hardware so that we brought home a ready-to-hang picture. It fits well in the space and helps to personalize the display in the built-ins too. Abigail is very pleased, to say the least. Here is the finished product:

And here is the view of the set of built-ins. Keep in mind that since they are recessed, it’s nigh unto impossible to take a photo which shows everything and still looks straight and balanced, but believe me when I tell you that the picture is nicely hung within its little section on the wall. We are enjoying this space so much, and love the feel it contributes to our living area.

May 18th, 2007 Updates on Stuff Around Here

Today has been full of both ups and downs. First the downs:

Little Josiah woke with a 101+ fever, thus rendering him yucky-feeling and rather clingy for much of the day. Mommy wonders if she too has a touch of whatever he has, but either way, she has been less clingy. She is however, rather in need of a bath since her last shower was 48 hours ago. Unlike manly Jay, she was not willing to shower in the cold last night, so she has patiently awaited the return of the working gas hot water heater. The boys were sad that we could not attend our anticipated playdate with friends this morning due to the need to wait for city inspectors to approve the large repiping job our plumbers did the past few days.

But…on the upside:

A very friendly lady inspector arrived during the first half of the 8am to 5pm service window, and after looking everything over, quickly signed off on the job as well done (this means hopefully no more time or money invested on that part of the house!), our plumbers arrived not too long after to restart the furnace and hot water heater, Josiah took a good long nap, and tonight, for the first time since moving into our home, we enjoyed GRILLED MEAT because we now have a gas hookup for our grill. Here is a picture of us sitting down to one of the children’s favorite meals: hamburgers and corn-on-the-cob!!

Also, I am so happy to report that the toilet in the third bath is fully operational after Jay’s diligent work (and he can tell you this 3rd toilet was NOT the charm - heheh!). Actually, it was operational yesterday, but we were too busy having fun at our end of school picnic last night to report on such things here.

Replacing the toilet meant going with a taller, more modern version than the 1965 one we pulled out (notice how I casually use the pronoun “we”), and after installing the new potty you can see the old wallpaper which is now exposed…

…when they textured over this wallpaper however many years ago, they could not reach the area behind the original tank. So, I get to add “learning how to texture walls” to my list of new skills. I am thankful that this spot is in such a small and somewhat hidden area as walls go.

May 18th, 2007 Clean Water

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: Ask the priests about the law: ‘If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become holy?’” The priests answered and said, “No.” Then Haggai said, “If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?” The priests answered and said, “It does become unclean.”
Haggai 2:11-13 [+/-]Haggai 2:11-13 [11]"Thus says the LORD of hosts: Ask the priests about the law: [12]'If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become holy?'" The priests answered and said, "No." [13]Then Haggai said, "If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?" The priests answered and said, "It does become unclean." (ESV)

A basic principle taught by the clean and unclean laws was that death spreads. Call it the Transitive Property of Death. To be unclean was to be ritually dead, unable to worship, unable to approach God. Touch an unclean object, even hidden within a cover, and the uncleanliness spread to you. Leviticus 11 [+/-]Leviticus 11 [11:1]And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, [2]"Speak to the people of Israel, saying, These are the living things that you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth. [3]Whatever parts the hoof and is cloven-footed and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat. [4]Nevertheless, among those that chew the cud or part the hoof, you shall not eat these: The camel, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. [5]And the rock badger, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. [6]And the hare, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. [7]And the pig, because it parts the hoof and is cloven-footed but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. [8]You shall not eat any of their flesh, and you shall not touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you. [9]"These you may eat, of all that are in the waters. Everything in the waters that has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers, you may eat. [10]But anything in the seas or the rivers that has not fins and scales, of the swarming creatures in the waters and of the living creatures that are in the waters, is detestable to you. [11]You shall regard them as detestable; you shall not eat any of their flesh, and you shall detest their carcasses. [12]Everything in the waters that has not fins and scales is detestable to you. [13]"And these you shall detest among the birds; they shall not be eaten; they are detestable: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, [14]the kite, the falcon of any kind, [15]every raven of any kind, [16]the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, the hawk of any kind, [17]the little owl, the cormorant, the short-eared owl, [18]the barn owl, the tawny owl, the carrion vulture, [19]the stork, the heron of any kind, the hoopoe, and the bat. [20]"All winged insects that go on all fours are detestable to you. [21]Yet among the winged insects that go on all fours you may eat those that have jointed legs above their feet, with which to hop on the ground. [22]Of them you may eat: the locust of any kind, the bald locust of any kind, the cricket of any kind, and the grasshopper of any kind. [23]But all other winged insects that have four feet are detestable to you. [24]"And by these you shall become unclean. Whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening, [25]and whoever carries any part of their carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. [26]Every animal that parts the hoof but is not cloven- footed or does not chew the cud is unclean to you. Everyone who touches them shall be unclean. [27]And all that walk on their paws, among the animals that go on all fours, are unclean to you. Whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening, [28]and he who carries their carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening; they are unclean to you. [29]"And these are unclean to you among the swarming things that swarm on the ground: the mole rat, the mouse, the great lizard of any kind, [30]the gecko, the monitor lizard, the lizard, the sand lizard, and the chameleon. [31]These are unclean to you among all that swarm. Whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until the evening. [32]And anything on which any of them falls when they are dead shall be unclean, whether it is an article of wood or a garment or a skin or a sack, any article that is used for any purpose. It must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the evening; then it shall be clean. [33]And if any of them falls into any earthenware vessel, all that is in it shall be unclean, and you shall break it. [34]Any food in it that could be eaten, on which water comes, shall be unclean. And all drink that could be drunk from every such vessel shall be unclean. [35]And everything on which any part of their carcass falls shall be unclean. Whether oven or stove, it shall be broken in pieces. They are unclean and shall remain unclean for you. [36]Nevertheless, a spring or a cistern holding water shall be clean, but whoever touches a carcass in them shall be unclean. [37]And if any part of their carcass falls upon any seed grain that is to be sown, it is clean, [38]but if water is put on the seed and any part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you. [39]"And if any animal which you may eat dies, whoever touches its carcass shall be unclean until the evening, [40]and whoever eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. And whoever carries the carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. [41]"Every swarming thing that swarms on the ground is detestable; it shall not be eaten. [42]Whatever goes on its belly, and whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet, any swarming thing that swarms on the ground, you shall not eat, for they are detestable. [43]You shall not make yourselves detestable with any swarming thing that swarms, and you shall not defile yourselves with them, and become unclean through them. [44]For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground. [45]For I am the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy." [46]This is the law about beast and bird and every living creature that moves through the waters and every creature that swarms on the ground, [47]to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean and between the living creature that may be eaten and the living creature that may not be eaten. (ESV)
teaches this in detail.

And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.
Mark 5:25-29 [+/-]Mark 5:25-29 [25]And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, [26]and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. [27]She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. [28]For she said, "If I touch even his garments, I will be made well." [29]And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. (ESV)

Shockingly, when Jesus came on the scene, the exact opposite happened. Death had no dominion. Rather, life spread in abundance from the person of Jesus, even if he was covered by a garment. The woman with the flow of blood was permanently unclean (Leviticus 15:25 [+/-]Leviticus 15:25 [25]"If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, not at the time of her menstrual impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her impurity, all the days of the discharge she shall continue in uncleanness. As in the days of her impurity, she shall be unclean. (ESV)
), like a leper. So her healing was not merely medical, but rather made her fit to worship again. Whether the woman or a leper, whoever Jesus touched became clean. If their uncleanliness was due to an infirmity, then the infirmity yielded to the new life of Jesus and was healed. We see this pattern over and over in the Gospels, and it completely turns the entire framework of clean and unclean on its head.
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May 17th, 2007 Think Inside the Box

All my (adult) life I’ve dreamed of finding a quality box wine. It just makes more sense, as it allows lower product and shipping costs as well as an open storage time of a month or more. Lo and behold, this past month I have been thinking (and drinking) inside the box.

May 16th, 2007 Jay the Home Improvement Guy

Today we had some plumbers come to the house to start a job we had taken bids for back in the fall. They have their work cut out for them, replacing the copper gas lines under our pier and beam home with the more up-to-date variety. By way of aside, we will be without hot water for a couple days due to the need to shut off the gas during this operation. Well, about an hour after they arrived, we discovered a major leak under the sink in Abigail’s bathroom, which had unfortunately soaked the cabinet in which the plumbing was housed to the point of damaging it. Then in almost the same moment, the toilet in that same bath (and the only toilet in the house Jay has not replaced since we moved in) decided to give up the ghost. We joked to the poor plumbers that we suspected they might be quietly going around the house sabotaging things!

Well, anyway, as I write this, my manly man is replacing that dead toilet. Just lugging the heavy thing outside to dispose of it is a chore in and of itself. He hopes to finish installing the new toilet this evening, and at least begin work on the faucet which had also deteriorated to the point of needing replacement (hence the leak). Before we lived here, Jay had never learned to deal with plumbing issues or do a number of things that he has in these past seven months managed to get himself up to speed on. All of us around here are reaping the benefits of his hard work, and the house’s condition is improving, little by little.

Of course, it’s easy for me to say - after all, I’m the one doing the delicate typing while he splashes around in the toilet muck - but I feel such a sense of satisfaction every time we accomplish something which improves and beautifies our home. It is very hard work, but so rewarding. And I am very, very proud of my favorite home improvement guy.

May 15th, 2007 A Fun Weekend

By way of checking in with our faithful readers, since I have not been much of a blogger lately - I want to say that I enjoyed such a nice Mother’s Day weekend. Jay tells me that Mother’s Day Weekend is a contradiction, but I like to think of the day stretching out over both Saturday and Sunday. He certainly helped to make it a lovely couple of days for me.

Saturday morning our entire family had a wonderful, if a bit wet and messy outing to Dirty Dawgs, where our faithful canine “enjoyed” a very thorough bath. If you have never been to Dirty Dawgz, I highly recommend it. It’s like a self-service car wash, only with dogs! Saves you the mess and hassle of having all your own products and tools for the job at home, if you don’t have a great place to bathe your doggie there. But it’s much cheaper than sending doggie to the groomer’s. I wish I had a picture of all of us to show you, but we did not bring the camera along. Suffice to say that Sid smells and looks much better than before we went!

Saturday afternoon, Jay made lunch, and fed everyone, including me, and then watched the three boys so Abigail and I could attend Aunt Jamison’s first baby shower. It was a great time, and such fun to help celebrate the impending arrival of Baby Isaac. I was so sorry to have forgotten my camera for this event as well, but Aunt J has some pictures up on her blog.

That evening, Jay again stayed home, saw to supper himself, and watched children so that I could take Abigail and Nicolas down to the Majestic Theater to enjoy Cousin Ellie’s first ballet recital, in which she danced the part of a butterfly. She performed beautifully, and finally, I brought my camera along to commemorate the occasion! Here is the aforementioned little butterfly, along with two of her admirers:

The official Mother’s Day began with a cute little redheaded boy peeking at me from the side of my bed, smiling sweetly and saying “Happy Mother’s Day” while handing me a card he made himself in school, and which he had been secretly hiding in high anticipation of the day on Sunday. It should be noted that this presentation was all the more cherished because the little boy, who is a very early riser, obediently waited until after 7am to appear in our bedroom!!

After church, all four children went to sleep and then I actually got to take a nap too. Those of you who know me well are aware that I seldom nap - when children are resting, I usually opt for working on things that are harder to accomplish with several little people to keep after. So this nap was a rare treat for me! How refreshing!

Sunday evening our whole family went out to Texas de Brazil and enjoyed a sumptuous feast to celebrate Mother’s Day - and Grammy and Grandy joined us for the fun! We don’t often eat out as a family and to visit such a nice restaurant with four little ones made us a tad nervous, but they all behaved so beautifully (so did Grammy and Grandy, I am happy to report!), and really relished the new experience. You can visit the entire album of photos from that evening, but I will leave you with this shot of all of us afterward standing by the “bath” as Josiah called it.

Thanks again to my sweet husband for helping me to enjoy such a full weekend of special activities. And, a Happy Belated Mother’s Day to my two wonderful Moms, and all the other Mommies reading this!

May 15th, 2007 From slave to master

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.
Exodus 20:17 [+/-]Exodus 20:17 [17]"You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's." (ESV)

And you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. And you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.
Deuteronomy 5:21 [+/-]Deuteronomy 5:21 [21]"'And you shall not covet your neighbor's wife. And you shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.' (ESV)

I was at a luncheon a couple months ago with Jim Jordan and seem to recall he made reference to the change made to the tenth commandment between Exodus and Deuteronomy. As you can see from the verses, the wife is moved from a position of being inside the house, one of the possessions of the man that are part of the household, to being outside/above the house, which would put her in a position of mastery over the house and its possessions.

Here’s an idea regarding this change in the command. When the ten commandments were first given, Israel had just left Egypt, the house of slavery (Exodus 5:2 [+/-]Exodus 5:2 [2]But Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and moreover, I will not let Israel go." (ESV)
). The second telling of the ten commandments takes place right before Israel enters to possess the land (Deuteronomy 5:33 [+/-]Deuteronomy 5:33 [33]You shall walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess. (ESV)
) at the end of Moses’ life. I’m wondering if the tenth command mirrors this change in Israel’s status as they move from slaves in Egypt to a position of mastery in the promised land. I’m sure it has significance beyond this reference to the history of redemption, but it seems to tie in with Israel’s changing status.