My respect for single parents was more lip service until this week.
Granted I don’t have it all that bad, but with Kyndall gone I feel strangely stranded and even a little helpless. It makes me respect the people who face this every single day and still come out on the other end as normal people.
Saturday afternoon, Kyndall’s mom called en route to the hospital where Kyndall’s grandpa was admitted. His critical situation called his children to his bedside one last time – those wheels were already turning.
Kyndall wanted to go and that was reasonable – the rules are different at these times. In the “shake of a lamb’s tail” Kyndall was on a Missouri-bound flight and I was putting two girls to bed on my own.
Indeed he died that very day.
In selfish personal reflection I am brought back to when my own grandfather died; the sadness and unexpected happiness I felt when he passed. It defined me for a while. An interesting pool of emotions I can dip back into again at any time with no effort at all.
Anyway, funerals take time and now she will be gone until Wednesday. A whole new set of logistics comes around. How can I go to work? We have never had any daycare kind of thing. But then along comes my church and before Sunday lunch the situation is solved with more people volunteering that I probably even need. Wow.
But I’m still alone, if you think about it. Putting the girls to bed my heart felt a small tug, a burden for those who don’t have an upcoming Wednesday or Thursday when Mom or Dad are scheduled to come home; a small pain for those who set a place for “aloneness” at every meal. Bless them.
Sunday, January 23, 2005
Where did God come from?
Saturday, I tossed Anna Laura in the car and went to the library. Kyndall stayed home with a napping Alexandria. On the way to the library we listened to Zoe Girl a Christian band with a song called “I believe in God” blasting on the radio.
I am always surprised how much Anna Laura picks up when I think she is too young. Apparently she was listening to the words of the song when she asked me to turn it down so she could ask me a question.
She asked, “Where does God come from?”
Can you imagine such a profound question? It’s like in high school I had a lot of friends who were foreign exchange students. Again and again they would ask me meaning of words or customs I understood intuitively and had never tried to put into words that made sense.
Here was Anna Laura doing the same thing but on – oddly – a grander scale.
We took the next couple minutes talking about where everything other than God came from like the moon, Mommy and anything I could spot outside the window – her pat Sunday School response was always that God made everything.
I saw why she couldn’t figure out where God had come from. At least her logic gene seems pretty strong.
Anna Laura can count, and really high, but she doesn’t understand the concept of zero. You can ask her if she wants 5 cookies or zero cookies and it’s up for grabs on which she will pick. She just doesn’t understand that there is a number that actually represents an absence of value.
Because of this I knew my answer to her would not make much sense, but I also knew she would accept it from me with a childlike faith that her daddy understood the answer even if she didn’t. God didn’t come from anywhere; I told her, no one/nothing made God.
She moved on with a little smile to mask her confusion – but to just make sure she understood I asked her back, “Where did God come from, Anna Laura?” Her response, wrong but cute was, “Jesus.” I guess my explanation was not as clear as I thought.
Well, a 2 year old doesn’t really want to talk about the multiplicities allowed in a single godhead but I couldn’t just keep quiet on the anti-Trinitarian notion that God and Jesus were the same. So I asked Anna Laura what my name is – it’s cute she knows I am Jerry and occasionally will call me that if I am not paying enough attention to her.
Then I asked her if I am her daddy – which she affirmed. Then I asked her which I was – am I Jerry or am I daddy? Word games are not the distraction of choice for a toddler and I could see it was not going far but at least I planted the seed (following a little more explanation before we reached the library) that Jesus and God were not two people.
Being a parent charts some strange new worlds sometimes. It’s hard enough for me to understand some things – let alone explaining them, especially with words with fewer than two syllables, but I’ll keep doing the best I can.
I am always surprised how much Anna Laura picks up when I think she is too young. Apparently she was listening to the words of the song when she asked me to turn it down so she could ask me a question.
She asked, “Where does God come from?”
Can you imagine such a profound question? It’s like in high school I had a lot of friends who were foreign exchange students. Again and again they would ask me meaning of words or customs I understood intuitively and had never tried to put into words that made sense.
Here was Anna Laura doing the same thing but on – oddly – a grander scale.
We took the next couple minutes talking about where everything other than God came from like the moon, Mommy and anything I could spot outside the window – her pat Sunday School response was always that God made everything.
I saw why she couldn’t figure out where God had come from. At least her logic gene seems pretty strong.
Anna Laura can count, and really high, but she doesn’t understand the concept of zero. You can ask her if she wants 5 cookies or zero cookies and it’s up for grabs on which she will pick. She just doesn’t understand that there is a number that actually represents an absence of value.
Because of this I knew my answer to her would not make much sense, but I also knew she would accept it from me with a childlike faith that her daddy understood the answer even if she didn’t. God didn’t come from anywhere; I told her, no one/nothing made God.
She moved on with a little smile to mask her confusion – but to just make sure she understood I asked her back, “Where did God come from, Anna Laura?” Her response, wrong but cute was, “Jesus.” I guess my explanation was not as clear as I thought.
Well, a 2 year old doesn’t really want to talk about the multiplicities allowed in a single godhead but I couldn’t just keep quiet on the anti-Trinitarian notion that God and Jesus were the same. So I asked Anna Laura what my name is – it’s cute she knows I am Jerry and occasionally will call me that if I am not paying enough attention to her.
Then I asked her if I am her daddy – which she affirmed. Then I asked her which I was – am I Jerry or am I daddy? Word games are not the distraction of choice for a toddler and I could see it was not going far but at least I planted the seed (following a little more explanation before we reached the library) that Jesus and God were not two people.
Being a parent charts some strange new worlds sometimes. It’s hard enough for me to understand some things – let alone explaining them, especially with words with fewer than two syllables, but I’ll keep doing the best I can.
Friday, January 21, 2005
Bed Rails for Kids
Here's a sample: Safe Sleeper 48" x 20" Bed Rail BR48 by Dex Products.
Well, it's about that time for Anna Laura (2.5 yrs) to start thinking about a bed - or at least getting the railing off her crib. Naturally we don't want her to roll onto the ground so we are researching Bed Rails.
Do you have any experience with Bed Rails that you can share? Or, what brand did you buy - and are you happy with them? Thanks for leaving a comment.
Well, it's about that time for Anna Laura (2.5 yrs) to start thinking about a bed - or at least getting the railing off her crib. Naturally we don't want her to roll onto the ground so we are researching Bed Rails.
Do you have any experience with Bed Rails that you can share? Or, what brand did you buy - and are you happy with them? Thanks for leaving a comment.
Thursday, January 13, 2005
My Comments on Alias Season 4 Episode 1
I simply must comment on Alias Season 4 Episode 1 before I see 2 (I taped it for tonight’s Alias party). Too many times I have said that the first 5 episodes of Season 1 are what have kept me through the weaker episodes of Season 3 (and sometimes Season 2). Now Season 4 can inspire me to renew my vows.
What I liked about S04E01 was: the gang is back. I admit it was hard to swallow the SD-6 replay but they dedicated two hours of Sydney’s angst to it and after a while I just let the Suspension of Disbelief take over and enjoyed the new plot direction.
What I did not like about S04E01 was: the weak episode. They are up to their bad habits of killing cool bad guys the moment we start to like them. They also had some really weak dialog in this episode.
Not to nit pick but it seems the “secret” entrance to APO is a little easy to spot and a little hard to get to during rush hour. Not smart placement if you ask me; but hey, it’s not my job to build secret black op lairs.
I will grant amnesty to Alias only because I realize that this episode was trying to change the direction of a pretty big ship, which it accomplished – and kudos for the perfunctory mention of Rambaldi.
What I liked about S04E01 was: the gang is back. I admit it was hard to swallow the SD-6 replay but they dedicated two hours of Sydney’s angst to it and after a while I just let the Suspension of Disbelief take over and enjoyed the new plot direction.
What I did not like about S04E01 was: the weak episode. They are up to their bad habits of killing cool bad guys the moment we start to like them. They also had some really weak dialog in this episode.
Not to nit pick but it seems the “secret” entrance to APO is a little easy to spot and a little hard to get to during rush hour. Not smart placement if you ask me; but hey, it’s not my job to build secret black op lairs.
I will grant amnesty to Alias only because I realize that this episode was trying to change the direction of a pretty big ship, which it accomplished – and kudos for the perfunctory mention of Rambaldi.
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Reason to Pray
Recently some friends were over for dinner. When it came time to bless our meal I was startled that she did not know how. We made it through because “how” is the easy part. That made me start to think it might be smart to re-think through the “why” on prayer.
1. Jesus did it.
Jesus “came from heaven to earth to show the way” not only to the life hereafter but also the way we should live while still on earth. Jesus repeatedly prayed throughout the gospels when he was blessing things, healing things, bringing forth things (such as John 14: 16) and when Jesus was alone in the garden. Because “Jesus did it” is the first reason we have to pray ourselves.
It is sometimes confusing to Bible readers as to why Jesus would need to pray to the Father when we understand the doctrine of the trinity teaching Jesus and the Father as one; we cannot understand the communicative relationship between the godheads but we can accept Jesus’ actions as (at least) instructional.
2. Jesus taught it.
In Matthew 6, Jesus tells us “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…” and continues with the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus would not teach us to do something that he also did not expect us to do. Because “Jesus taught it” is the second reason we have to pray ourselves.
3. Communication
Here are the ingredients that do not make up prayer: speaking, chanting, singing, standing, kneeling, laying down, clasping hands, holding hands, raising hands, closed eyes, opened eyes, crying eyes, bowed head, poetry, special clothes, or anything else. Although they show up when people pray, they are not a required part. Prayer is simply communication – and not necessarily words. “Communication,” then is the third reason we pray ourselves.
Another part of communication is the opportunity to take the time to listen.
4. Confession
1 John 1 tells us to confess: “8. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” To whom do we confess? God. How do we communicate our confession? Prayer. Because we must “confess” is the forth reason we pray ourselves.
Sometimes people ask if they must continue to confess their sins. The act of salvation is a “global” confession of all sins and sanctifies us completely for all transgressions whenever they are committed. Further confession, therefore, is not in attempt to gain forgiveness – as that is already fulfilled through initial salvation – but as an act of repentance that omits our guilt and commits our lives to seek holiness from that point forward.
5. It makes things happen
In Matthew 21: 22 Jesus says, “And all things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” He never promises everything we want, but in accordance with his divine Will we can act as vessels of his fulfillment. Miracles, healings, and peace can all be the fruits of intercession. Because “it makes things happen” is the fifth and final reason we pray ourselves.
I am satisfied with the exhaustiveness of this list. We pray for a reason. Not only ought we but we also should. The Bible makes it clear and Jesus’ lifestyle models it.
1. Jesus did it.
Jesus “came from heaven to earth to show the way” not only to the life hereafter but also the way we should live while still on earth. Jesus repeatedly prayed throughout the gospels when he was blessing things, healing things, bringing forth things (such as John 14: 16) and when Jesus was alone in the garden. Because “Jesus did it” is the first reason we have to pray ourselves.
It is sometimes confusing to Bible readers as to why Jesus would need to pray to the Father when we understand the doctrine of the trinity teaching Jesus and the Father as one; we cannot understand the communicative relationship between the godheads but we can accept Jesus’ actions as (at least) instructional.
2. Jesus taught it.
In Matthew 6, Jesus tells us “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…” and continues with the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus would not teach us to do something that he also did not expect us to do. Because “Jesus taught it” is the second reason we have to pray ourselves.
3. Communication
Here are the ingredients that do not make up prayer: speaking, chanting, singing, standing, kneeling, laying down, clasping hands, holding hands, raising hands, closed eyes, opened eyes, crying eyes, bowed head, poetry, special clothes, or anything else. Although they show up when people pray, they are not a required part. Prayer is simply communication – and not necessarily words. “Communication,” then is the third reason we pray ourselves.
Another part of communication is the opportunity to take the time to listen.
4. Confession
1 John 1 tells us to confess: “8. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” To whom do we confess? God. How do we communicate our confession? Prayer. Because we must “confess” is the forth reason we pray ourselves.
Sometimes people ask if they must continue to confess their sins. The act of salvation is a “global” confession of all sins and sanctifies us completely for all transgressions whenever they are committed. Further confession, therefore, is not in attempt to gain forgiveness – as that is already fulfilled through initial salvation – but as an act of repentance that omits our guilt and commits our lives to seek holiness from that point forward.
5. It makes things happen
In Matthew 21: 22 Jesus says, “And all things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” He never promises everything we want, but in accordance with his divine Will we can act as vessels of his fulfillment. Miracles, healings, and peace can all be the fruits of intercession. Because “it makes things happen” is the fifth and final reason we pray ourselves.
I am satisfied with the exhaustiveness of this list. We pray for a reason. Not only ought we but we also should. The Bible makes it clear and Jesus’ lifestyle models it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)