13 Hours of Rain

I received a local Christian bookstore's Christmas catalogue in the mail a couple of days ago. I perused through it and a few things caught my eye (like a Baby's First Christmas ornament which I could easily purchase at Hallmark ). However, there were three things that particularly annoyed me. Number One: "Christian" Marketing? In an attempt to sell a CD entitled "Dance or Die" by Family Force Five, the description states: "A very diverse band. Mix Pink Floyd, Smashing Pumpkins, and Backstreet Boys together and you've got Family Force Five." My husband is a HUGE Pink Floyd fan. He would be insulted. We both cringe at the Backstreet Boys. I guess we are not touching this CD with a ten foot pole. Number Two: Christian Fiction. Some plots involve women from the early 1900's, predominantly from European descent. Many stories are romantic in nature. Other plots mimic typical Hollywood themes such as government conspiracies, 9/11, and murder myst...

Why do I even listen to the news? Terror attacks in Mumbai, India. Political unrest in Thailand. Markets are tanking. "Do not call lists" do not work. Environment is falling apart. A building collapsed in Montreal. All of this bad news reminds me of an excerpt from Jack Johnson's song "The News": Why don't the newscasters cry when they read about people who die? At least they could be decent enough to put just a tear in their eyes. *sigh* I am going to watch my daughter sleep for a moment. Her life is at peace right now. Thank God.

I am my daughter's chief nutritionist. It is my job to monitor what she eats and how she reacts to the food she consumes. Every day I try to create a menu that has a healthy amount of grain, protein, fruits, vegetables, and calcium. I make sure her diet is free of added sugar and salt. She is encouraged to enjoy foods in their unadulterated form. Yet, at some point, parents introduce their children to the world of high salt, added sugar, and extra fat: french fries, chips, pop, candy, processed meats, cookies, donuts, chocolate bars, ice cream, etc. Hey, I indulge in these "pleasures" off and on. And I am not against completely eliminating the above foods from my child's diet (though I definitely will limit the intake!). However, I desire to model healthy eating habits for my daughter. An example of this is the amount of fruits and vegetables we are supposed to eat: 5 to 10 servings a day! Sounds like a tall order. But feeding my daughter has inspired me to eat more ...

"You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed." Psalm 139:15-16 My Dear Little Noble Princess, I love you, more than words can describe. Your Daddy and I are thrilled that you came into our lives. You bring joy and laughter in our home. You remind us to appreciate the simple things in life. Thank you. I praise God that He watched and protected you while your were being formed in my womb. I thank Him that He knows the beautiful and dark moments in your life to come. I pray that you will sense His presence early on in your life. It is our desire that you choose to follow Christ with your whole heart. We pray that our lives will encourage your spiritual development. I pray that you will grow up to be physically healthy. I understand that there will be times that you will get sick. Yet, ...

Last night I read the following quote from The Myth of Certainty. It resonates with my previous post: ...the pessimistic words of Job about the inevitability of trouble are followed with an affirmation (5:8-9): "But as for me, I would seek God. And I would place my cause before God; who does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number." These are my words as well. I am keenly aware that humankind is born to trouble. It is painfully clear to me that I do not have absolute certainty that anything I believe is true. My reason is inadequate in these things to guide me to a sure conclusion; my emotions often fail me (not infrequently by their absence). But I will remember that others have endured this situation before me. I will call to mind their testimony and my own encounters with God. Memory . I will seek out the fellowship of others who likewise struggle. I will forgive them their trespasses as they forgive me mine. Community . I will seek to run the race with endu...

Yesterday, in a moment of frustration, I took a black marker to an empty toilet paper roll and wrote, "Change Me!" Of course, my dear husband is not the only person in our household guilty of this crime. I have avoided the job of changing the roll as well. Nonetheless, I was having a moment of angst. Truthfully, it had more to do with issues of my personal past than a mere inconvenience in the present. Yet, all of this has got me thinking... there are times in our lives when we grieve over our past or present circumstances. And often, we make ourselves feel better by imagining situations far worse than ours. How many times have we heard (or said) "Well, I could be starving in a war-torn African country." Or "At least I am not going through what he/she is experiencing." But what if a person's current reality is absolutely awful and he/she can't imagine a life more atrocious than his/her own? What is that person supposed to do then? I am sure you hav...

Today, we bought part of our daughter's Christmas present at our favourite bookstore. After perusing several shelves of children's books, we returned to the tried, tested, and true: Dr. Seuss. We purchased Hop on Pop . Why? Lots of great pictures, fun colors, and simple words. However, we would like to expand our daughter's repertoire of authors. Any ideas?

"...lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace." (Apostle Paul, Ephesians 4:1-3) I am a control freak. I appreciate order instead of chaos. I cherish harmony. I avoid conflict. I often feel personally responsible for the maintenance of my relationships. I want everyone to get along. Sometimes, much to my shame, I wish people could just be like me. And, when my life seems out of control (or I am unable to control people), I rearrange the glasses in my cupboard. The glasses don't complain. They just move at my command. But Paul reminds me to be humble, gentle, and patient with others. He exhorts me to graciously accept the people around me despite their imperfections. Paul is not expecting me to mask conflict with the guise of harmony, but rathe...

Last night, my husband and I read Daniel 1. (What a great story of God's faithfulness to those who chose to honor Him during the Jewish exile.) Afterwards, my husband asked, "Did Daniel ever do anything wrong?" Of course, we know that nobody is perfect, including Daniel. However, the book of Daniel does not seem to reveal anything negative about his character. Yet the written accounts of many other great men of faith, such as Abraham, Moses, David, and Solomon, speak of their admirable strengths and their shameful weaknesses. What was the purpose of hiding Daniel's character flaws? Another curiosity... where was Daniel when his three buddies were thrown into the fiery furnace after they refused to worship Nebuchadnezzar's gold statue (chapter 3)? Nonetheless, the Book of Daniel is a fascinating and complicated book.

Remember... I try. But it is hard. I do not have close relations with anyone who is affected by war in the here and now. Yes, in my lifetime, several wars have transpired. Currently, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are being fought. Other nations are experiencing internal and external conflict. Yet the closest I have come to experiencing war is through the television screen. I have "witnessed" the horrors of war either through the eyes of the media or through Hollywood's depiction of reality. But I have the luxury of fast forwarding the images, changing the channel, or turning the atrocities off. There are millions of people who are not as lucky as I. Tomorrow, I will try to remember and pray for them.

Dear "Girl: 5 - 9 Years", Today we finished putting together your Christmas gift from our family. Here is what we sent you in your special "created-for-you" red and green box: A pink digital watch to tell time. Socks to keep your feet warm. Colorful ties for your hair and funky bracelets for your arms. A Winter Wonderland coloring book and wax crayons to encourage creativity. Two Dream Ponies , one pink, the other one blue. Strawberry Campino candies: Yummy! A toothbrush to clean your teeth after your sweet treat. Sparkling pencils... you may need them to finish your homework! A pink hand towel and grapefruit lemongrass Dove soap. A brown and pink teddy bear to cuddle with when you fall asleep. We have also enclosed a picture of our family and an individual picture of our daughter. She is much younger than you! But maybe, one day, you two will meet? It is our family's desire that you will enjoy each gift in your shoebox. However, it is our hope and prayer tha...

Time passes in moments... moments which, rushing past define the path of a life just as surely as they lead towards its end. How rarely do we stop to examine that path, to see the reasons why all things happen, to consider whether the path we take in life is our own making or simply one into which we drift with eyes closed. But what if we could stop, pause to take stock of each precious moment before it passes? Might we then see the endless forks in the road that have shaped a life? And, seeing those choices, choose another path? X Files, All Things, Season 7 Friends of ours recently had a baby. When I received the good news, I could sense the excitement and wonder in the parents' voices. A feeling of nostalgia crept into my heart. I couldn't help but go back to the moment when my daughter was born. It was amazing. It was a miracle. It was an answer to many prayers. Yet, there are times, like tonight, when I think of the "endless forks in the road" too much. While m...

1. Barack Obama... What a moment in history! Approximately 400 year ago, America began enslaving black Africans and did not stop for 2.5 centuries. The process to abolish slavery was a controversial and bloody ordeal: America's infamous civil war was deemed necessary to actually get the movement going. Under the leadership of Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, the thirteenth amendment to the United States Constitution was passed in 1865. This amendment officially ended slavery as we understand it today. At the time, southern Democrats endorsed slavery. Now America has elected a Democrat President with African roots. It is about time! 2. Toronto Maple Leafs... While many will argue that the Maple Leafs haven't really changed for years (it has been a long time since they experienced a successfully playoff run), last Saturday's game was a breath of fresh air. As quoted on TSN : "The New York Rangers were cruising along with a 2-0 lead midway through the third period and seem...