merry christmas

illuminated joy

He came to illuminate the darkness. To save us from our blinded state. To cast off the shadows of the unimportant. To keep us from hiding our shame. To reveal Himself.  To light the way to the Father.

"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12

Welcome the Light...Merry Christmas!

spoken gratitude

Roxie, Yarra, Rebekah and Kily
Christmas 2010

1. friends

2.  feeling relaxed

3. Christmas movie morning in our jammies with hot chocolate and mochas

4. broken and contrite heart being repaired by the Master

5. deformed gingerbread men made by my daughters

6. Christmas parties at our house with lots of friends

7. that the turkey did not come with feet, head or feathers. (still haven't looked inside to see if the "bits" are still there)

8. Dan waking up to a clean house and no work to do

9. Gladys' potato soup served on Christmas Eve

10. our family and friends far away...we miss you and love you more than you know

prepared hearts

light of the world

Wrapping presents, decorating the Christmas tree, gathering around the advent wreath,singing songs of praise to the MOst High, praying on our knees...but then what? As much as we have received from Him, as we are empty vessels filled by His love, we must pour out on to others so we may be filled again and not go stagnant. Easily done to care only for myself and my redemption, but a waste to not share the love which I have so generously received.

"In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."
James 2:17

The simplicity of these acts of kindness, of love, of beauty is lost on me when I am focused on myself and my agenda. Oh, those of you who know me know that I have an agenda. True faith and my aganda are incompatible.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

James 1:27

a few of my favourite things

chicken curry pasta salad

This is a salad that I make in HUGE quantities for the week before Christmas. I serve it at every gathering at my house, be it planned or unplanned. It is the perfect salad to have around as it gets better everyday that it is in the fridge (never eat it the first day) and it looks pretty and is hearty enough to be served as a light dinner so we always have something on hand to feed our guests. I set up a Christmas buffet and put out pretty bowls, napkins, a glass filled with forks and the big bowl of salad. Then I set out bowls of fruit like clementines and pineapples and plates of our homemade cookies along with more napkins and small dessert plates. Then I have glasses, water pitcher, sodas, mugs and teacups, coffees and tea selections. All of this is surrounded by tea lights and after a 10 minute set up the buffet is prepared. So even if someone drops by (like they did last night...one of Dan's highschool students and his girlfriend came over to spend the evening) the meal is prepared. If you have a large group, this salad is easy to balance on your lap so seating is not an issue.

I got this recipe from my friend Drahuš. She served it to us the first time we ever visited the Czech Republic and I fell in love with it.

Drahuš' chicken curry salad

1 package fusilli pasta cooked
1 small jar mayo
4 chicken breasts cut up into chunks and fried (or whatever you call it when you swish it around in the pan with oil until it's cooked...sauteed?)
1 bag frozen peas and carrots and steamed
1 can peaches cut up into small chunks
2 T curry powder (or more to taste)

Combine cooled pasta, chicken chunks, peas, carrots and peaches into a large bowl. Stir together mayo and curry powder and add to salad mixing thoroughly. Put in the fridge to eat the next day allowing all the sauce to be absorbed by the pasta and chicken. Enjoy!

When I make this I usually double or triple the recipe and put it all in our garage where it is colder than our freezer. I take the salad out an hour and a half before company comes to let it warm up and get creamier. I also add way more curry than the recipe calls for...

daybook

december 21

outside my window...

the sun is shining and icicles are dripping from the eaves. The sky is a cloudless gorgeous blue and the snow is sparkling with a million facets of crystals. Sunglasses needed...

I am listening to...
Matisyahu's new holiday song "Miracle"

I am wearing...
dark blue jeans, knee-high black boots, gray long-sleeved shirt and a black belted cardigan.



I'm pondering...
"Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world. Some people laughed to see the alteration in him, but he let them laugh, and little heeded them; for he was wise enough to know that nothing ever happened on this globe, for good, at which some people did not have their fill of laughter in the outset; and knowing that such as these would be blind anyway, he thought it quite as well that they should wrinkle up their eyes in grins, as have the malady in less attractive forms. His own heart laughed: and that was quite enough for him."
-A Christmas Carol stave 5


"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here."
2 Corinthians 5:17




I am reading...
"A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. A Christmas tradition. This book is a reminder to me, and a comfort to me that we are not beyond redemption. That for this very reason Christ has come, to sponge away the lettering on our graves.


from the kitchen...pasta salad. Cooked chicken pieces, fusilli pasta, canned peaches, peas, carrots, mayo, curry

I am God is creating...
peace and order in my heart. He is showing me what needs to be cut away and what needs to be cultivated. 


towards rhythm and beauty...
Turning on the Christmas lights, lighting a fire, lighting candles. Stopping our hectic schedule for a moment, a mere moment, to sit before the burning candles on the advent wreath, reading scripture, breathing a prayer and singing together, mixing our voices as one family who worships God together.


I am hoping...for wisdom as my children ask difficult questions.

I am praying...
For this Advent season, that it is not just ritual, but within lies a desire to experience the living God and be forever changed by His son.


around the house...
preparations for an evening with friends.Rob, Sami, Jamie and Rachel are coming over for an evening of zombie board games. I will have a buffet set up of pasta salad, pineapple, clementines and gingerbread men with frosting for decorate-your-own gingie.

one of my favorite things... annual Christmas shopping trip with my girls. We are leaving in a an hour to go to the mall and to the high street. They have each earned some money by doing extra chores around the house and today they will buy their presents for our family. I have a few stocking stuffers to get for Dan and a couple of gifts for friends. Then maybe lunch at McDonald's...we will see. It is always a fun day with just us girls.

a few plans for the rest of the week...
Zombie evening tonight, girls' tea with friends tomorrow, Christmas gifts with our best friends on Thursday and then caroling at the castle and Christmas with our friends on Christmas Eve. Oh, and trying to bake a turkey. Hope it's already dead when we pick it up tomorrow...and maybe no feathers would also be nice.

invitation to a changed heart

repentance

the sacrifice of a broken and contrite heart

to a Saviour who sacrifices

the glory of heaven for a stinky manger

a throne for a cross

ruling heaven for tending sheep

all for us who despise him

my heart is filthy with my pride

my sin blankets it in a shroud

God of heaven who sent His son

Jesus who willingly died

for the sake of my lousy heart

forgive me

create in me a clean heart

one that desires you

it is the gift I have to give

the only one you want

Who brings this gift to Jesus this Christmas?

hodgepodge

feliz navidad

Christmas traditions should never turn into Christmas chores. Case in point: cookie baking. For some reason I felt compelled to bake up a storm yesterday even though I hadn't given myself an hour's break after a grueling semester at work. Not because I wanted to, but because it is a tradition and I felt that Christmas would somehow be lacking if I didn't. Also, we have eaten so many sweets and rich foods at our 6+ Christmas parties that I don't think our waistlines can handle cookies, but given all that I still set out to bake yeasterday. Trying to be cheery while we baked was difficult even though Christmas music played softly in the background and I was getting quite annoyed with Rebekahs's haphazard measuring and gross misuse of brown suger. After a stern lecture about keeping an orderly baking area I noticed a rather largish spoon being used to measure out baking soda and salt into our Toll House cookie dough. Rebekah had misread the "tsp" and put in instead "T" of both salt and soda. I lost my mind as we had just used up the last of our flour now requiring us to drive to the store. I was mildly aware of a steady stream of lecturing pouring forth from my mouth the theme of which was "Are you not now 13? Can you not accomplish such small tasks at your age?" whilst scraping the "dough" into the garbage bag held by the defendant. While I ranted, "Feliz Navidad" began to play and this struck us both as very funny and ironic. It truly broke the tension and I realized that this cookie baking is not about pumping out delicious baked goods, but about enjoying time with my girls...even the time in the car on the way to buy more flour for a ruined recipe. The cookies are less for eating and more a reason to be together.

spoken gratitude

1. Jesus, light of the world

2. picking out our Christmas tree (see tomorrow's post "Buy a tree, get a chicken"

3. Japanese ichigo daifuke (strawberry stuffed mochi)

4 .Danny's friendships with his highschool students

5. eating lunch at the teacher's table at work on my birthday (I had a working lunch meeting so I had a sub fill in for me at the Kindy table)

6. birthday presents

7. Lego "Creationary " game...like Pictionary only with Legos...cool

8. Vanoční trh  (Christmas market) in a medieval square in the freezing cold and snow

9. all the parents coming to our Parent's Day at school, watching the children's pageant and then making winter crafts with them

10. Townshend staff holiday party complete with juicy turkey, spicy and marshmallowy sweet potatoes and embarrassing games

Some of the students at Townshend International School produced a CD to raise money to help an orphanage in Zambia.  Roxie was asked to sing on this song, and was really excited for the chance.

prepared hearts

Then let us all with one accord
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord
That hath made Heaven and earth of nought
And with his blood mankind has bought
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!

 

Last night as we were sitting around our Advent wreath reading from the Bible and singing Christmas songs this line hit me from "The First Noel": "That hath made Heaven and earth from nought". He made it all out of nothing. When was the last time you made something from nothing? Or, even had an original idea? A friend of mine once said of me (and if he is reading this he just might remember it, Travis) that I was a dwarf standing on the shoulders of giants. Meaning I used others ideas, retooled them, and came out smelling sweet and looking good. He's right. Even my jokes are old and my artistic ability is just OK. But then I look at a snowflake. Or a cloud. Or a pine forest after a frost. Or a sunset. Or hear a child's laughter. Or hear an opera singer. Or see a rainbow...you get where I'm going, right. King Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 1:9 "there is nothing new under the sun". What we do or are capable of doing may seem amazing, but it pales in comparison to the author of...everything. The inventor of laughter and humor. The creator of oceans and palm trees and weird birds and monkey butts. Things we couldn't have comprehended...God created. Brains...wow. LOVE...He made that. We just goof around with it. So, He who set the planets in motion and spun the universes with His own hand also sought a friendship with us, His best and most promising creation. His son, Jesus, showing again what they intended love to be, gave up Heaven to become small like us. But, unlike us, He loved and gave in ways we again couldn't comprehend. And then he gave and loved in the most passionate and intimate and perfect way possible...a completely unique way...

"and with His blood mankind hath bought"

a few of my favourite things

A Christmas Carol

"There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited, I dare say,'' returned the nephew: ``Christmas among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round -- apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that -- as a good time: a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!"
Fred, Scrooge's nephew

 (my favourite passage from the book)

daybook

december 14

outside my window...

bone chilling cold. wind. extra cold. snow that has melted and refrozen and gathered shards of ice crystals to form a beautiful, shimmering death trap.

I am listening to...
the new song recorded by Roxie and Armin on this new CD...see tomorrow's post for a sneek peek. Could someone help me to figure out how to put the song on my blog?


I am wearing...
Navy blue capris, a long-sleeved white shirt, wedgewood blue patterened cami and crop jacket, gray suede belt and gray maryjane wedges.


I'm pondering..."That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn." Rabbi Hillel


I am reading...
"A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. A Christmas tradition. The book is far better than any of the movies out there. The girls like it too.

 I am thinking...
about how lovely Christmas break will be. Three weeks off. Heaven.


I am creating...
Santa's workshop in my office. Last evening I spent time wrapping my students' gifts at my desk. Combined with the gifts brought in from their parents we will have quite a pile under our tree on Friday. I know they will enjoy opening them. 


towards rhythm and beauty...
Turning on the Christmas lights, lighting a fire, lighting candles. Stopping our hectic schedule for a moment, a mere moment, to sit before the burning candles on the advent wreath, reading scripture, breathing a prayer and singing together, mixing our voices as one family who worships God together.


I am hoping thanking God...for helping one of my students with his behaviour. Lord, thank you for giving me wisdom and patience. 


I am praying...
For this Advent season, that it is not just ritual, but within lies a desire to experience the living God and be forever changed by His son.


around the house...
This year we wanted to have a real tree as our fake pre-lit one blew it's lights last year. We thought we could go in the forest and cut one down as we see people emerging from there at this time of year carting trees around. When asked about this, our friend Miloš, the woodsman, said we can't cut one down but he could for us, maybe. Nothing else was said after that. A month has passed and we decided to take up Bauhaus (like a HomeDepot) on their "Buy a tree get a chicken" offer (see tomorrow's post). As we were decorating our tree (and eating our "chicken") on Sunday the doorbell rang. There was Miloš with a beautiful tree he freshly cut from the forest behind our house. It was small but you could tell he searched for a beauty for us. I gave him a kiss on the cheek and thanked him so much. (Anyone ever see "The Wedding Singer"? "This is information I could've used YESTERDAY!") We decorated the tree he brought us and it is by our front door. A beaut! Not one o' them balsams where all the needles fall off. ;)



from the kitchen... 
Turkey ordered. 6 kilos. Our first turkey here in CZ. Since it is CZ I am fully expecting the turkey to still be alive when we pick it up on the 23rd. I'll let you know how we fare.


one of my favorite things...
listening to Christmas music in the dark with only the tree lit. Reading the daily scripture by candle light. opening our Playmobile advent calendars and setting up the scenes.


a few plans for the rest of the week...
Christmas party at school, Staff dinner on Thursday, Bible study party on Friday, OM party on Saturday at our house, but today we celebrate my 38th  (UGH!) birthday and we will go to the vanoční trh (Christmas market) on the square right after school. I am pretty stoked. (froze our butts off at the Christmas market...literally. Running back to Dan's work and Rebekah was crying cuz she couldn't feel her hands anymore, then crying harder when her hands started thawing out...it's cold today...but we ate freshly roasted almonds, trdelnik, and freshly made spiraly potatochips at the market)

invitation to a changed heart

Tonight we light three candles on our advent wreath.

Three candles.

More light in the darkness.

"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.  Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."  John 3:19-21

Like the sun whose dawning brings in the light,

the King's coming changes all history.

Bursting forth suddenly, lighting up the sky,

He banishes the night.
from Watchman, What of the Night?

  

 Jesus said: "'While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.'"
John 9:5

 

life in this republic

culture clash

not Czech vs. American culture but

pop culture vs. God's culture

Last night during our Advent devotional we were discussing the genealogy of Christ. From Rahab to Ruth and Boaz and Obed to Jesse and King David. As we were talking about Rahab, Roxie, our resident singer, burst into her rendition of Amy Winehouse's "Rehab". Really not sure what to make of that...

Coming up to Ruth, Boaz and their son Obed, I read Obed wrong, too many text messages in Czech I suppose, and pronounced it as if it were the Czech word "oběd" which means lunch. There was alot of laughing during this Advent evening.

spoken gratitude

1. gingerbread men

2. falling asleep on Danny's chest while sitting on the couch

3. mulled wine, rich and spicy and hot, sipped in the snow in the courtyard of the medieval castle by our house

4. after a dark night there comes a new dawn and a day filled with hope, a day for rejoicing

5. making a mistake and owning up to it

6. cuddling with my 9 year old

7. hearing that I am doing a good job at work

8. laughing with the mums of my students

9. Roxie's song on the new CD (hoping to get the audio file to post this weekend...it hasn't been working)

10. new choco-orange milkshake at McDonald's

(just an FYI...I began my gratitude journal on January 1st and have logged 1046 entries. I am going to continue this habit.I can't think of anything sweeter than looking back at blessings that God has given with eyes that are looking for them when things get rough.)

prepared hearts

Veni, veni, Emmanuel
Captivum solve Israel,
Qui gemit in exsilio,
Privatus Dei Filio.
Gaude, Gaude, Emmanuel
Nascetur pro te, Israel.
Veni, O Iesse virgula,
ex hostis tuos ungula,
de spectu tuos tartari
educ et antro barathri.
Gaude, gaude Emmanuel
Nascetur pro te, Israel.
Veni, veni O Oriens,
Solare nos adveniens,
Noctis depelle nebulas,
Dirasque mortis tenebras.
Gaude, gaude Emmanuel
Nascetur pro te Israel.
Veni, Clavis Davidica,
Regna reclude caelica,
Fac iter tutum superum,
Et claude vias inferum.
Gaude, gaude Emmanuel
Nascetur pro te Israel.
Veni, veni, Adonai,
Qui populo in Sinai
Legem dedisti vertice
In maiestate gloriae.
Gaude, gaude Emmanuel
Nascetur pro te Israel.

English
Come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that morns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse’s stem,
form ev’ry foe deliver them
that trust Thy mighty power to save,
and give them vict’ry o’er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!
O come, Thou Dayspring from on high,
and cheer us by thy drawing nigh;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night
and death’s dark shadow put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!
O come, Thou Key of David, come,
and open wide our heav’nly home,
make safe the way that leads on high,
that we no more have cause to sigh.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!
O come, o come, Thou Lord of might,
who to thy tribes on Sinai’s height
in ancient times did give the law,
in cloud, and majesty, and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!

daybook

december 7

outside my window...

a brief respite from blizzards and a rise in temperature seeing a mix of rain and snow. Slush? Sleet? Not great snowman making weather, which, unfortunately was on the agenda at school today. Icicles haging of the roof of the school that look like they could kill a bear. Serious icicles. At least three feet long.

I am listening to...
the new song recorded by Roxie and Armin on this new CD...see tomorrow's post for a sneek peek.


I am wearing...
Brown pinstripe trousers, a dark aqua blue sweater, turquoise beads and brown pumps (as well as the ubiquitous and necessary snowboots)


I'm pondering..."That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn." Rabbi Hillel


I am reading...
"A Christmas Story" by Jean Shepherd. It is a collection of the short stories used to make the perennial favourite "A Christmas Story" the movie.


I am thinking...
about how to train and properly motivate the new teacher at school.


I am creating salvaging...
a relaxed, festive atmosphere at home after being thoroughly frustrated at work. Last night I was wallowing in self pity. But that isn't fair to my family nor myself. Rather just press on...nothing I can control anyway.


towards rhythm and beauty...
Turning on the Christmas lights, lighting a fire, lighting candles. Stopping our hectic schedule for a moment, a mere moment, to sit before the burning candles on the advent wreath, reading scripture, breathing a prayer and singing together, mixing our voices as one family who worships God together.


I am hoping...to help one of my students with his behaviour. Lord, please give me wisdom and patience. 


I am praying...
For this Advent season, that it is not just ritual, but within lies a desire to experience the living God and be forever changed by His son.


around the house...
Decorations complete save for the tree. This year we are buying a real tree as our 3 year-old pre-lit tree has died and so it will be displayed in my classroom covered by the kids' handmade ornaments. A real tree it is this year, only Czechs decorate their trees on Christmas Eve, so we must wait for the trees to go on sale. Next week maybe?
This Saturday...


from the kitchen... 
gingerbread men. A whole army of them. We found a great recipe, using ingredients we had and we found an awesome cookie cutter at Marks and Spencer. Sunday afternoon we turned on some music and began rolling out dough, punching out little cheerful man shapes and baking up a storm. After cooling in the snow (more like flash freezing) for a minute or so, they are ready to decorate. We made royal icing in three colors and set up an assembly line of sorts. Roxie on blue eyes, Dan on pink mouth and Krista on white buttons, hair and other details. Rebekah was in charge of decorating a few gingerbread men to resemble people from her class. They were delicious, really spicy and chewy. Man, they were good! Dan will take the bulk of them to his English classes in town for their Christmas parties. I took some in to give to my students during our Gingerbread unit this week and the rest ended up in our tummies.


one of my favorite things...

a surprise call from my husband at 6 pm while I am still at work wanting me to come pick him up from his work as it is too dangerous to ride his bike home on the ice. The offer of McDonald's for dinner makes the whole family happy.

a few plans for the rest of the week...
Bible Study group, a date on Saturday, and Saturday evening the Townshend School staff get together.

picture thoughts:

carcicle

Yesterday morning my car was encased in ice. Completely impenetrable. Scrapers just bounced off it. Knives...you're joking. Alas, de-icing spray, purchased by Dan, did the trick. Hurrah! Off to work I go!

invitation to a changed life

JEHOVAH-JIREH

    

The Lord Will Provide

 ¹ After all this, God tested Abraham. God said, "Abraham!". "Yes?" answered Abraham. "I'm listening."

 ² He said, "Take your dear son Isaac whom you love and go to the land of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I'll point out to you."  Abraham got up early in the morning and saddled his donkey. He took two of his young servants and his son Isaac. He had split wood for the burnt offering. He set out for the place God had directed him. On the third day he looked up and saw the place in the distance. Abraham told his two young servants, "Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I are going over there to worship; then we'll come back to you."

 ⁶ Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and gave it to Isaac his son to carry. He carried the flint and the knife. The two of them went off together.

 ⁷ Isaac said to Abraham his father, "Father?"

   "Yes, my son."

   "We have flint and wood, but where's the sheep for the burnt offering?"

 ⁸ Abraham said, "Son, God will see to it that there's a sheep for the burnt offering." And they kept on walking together.

 ^9-10 They arrived at the place to which God had directed him. Abraham built an altar. He laid out the wood. Then he tied up Isaac and laid him on the wood. Abraham reached out and took the knife to kill his son.

 ¹¹ Just then an angel of God called to him out of Heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"

   "Yes, I'm listening."

 ¹² "Don't lay a hand on that boy! Don't touch him! Now I know how fearlessly you fear God; you didn't hesitate to place your son, your dear son, on the altar for me."

 ¹³ Abraham looked up. He saw a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. Abraham took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.

 ¹⁴ Abraham named that place Jehovah-Jireh (God Provides) That's where we get the saying, "On the mountain of God, He provides."

 ^15-18 The angel of God spoke from Heaven a second time to Abraham: "I swear—God's sure word!—because you have gone through with this, and have not refused to give me your son, your dear, dear son, I'll bless you—oh, how I'll bless you! And I'll make sure that your children flourish—like stars in the sky! like sand on the beaches! And your descendants will defeat their enemies. All nations on Earth will find themselves blessed through your descendants because you obeyed me."

Genesis 22:1-18

Abraham was a great man of faith. God asked him to leave his people and his country and follow Him to a place that He did not reveal to Abraham. No map, no info. He followed. And without asking a million questions. The next part of the story is hard for me to read. God asks Abraham to kill his own son as a sacrifice for sin. Then He provides a ram as a substitutionary sacrifice. God knew what He was doing. It seems He wanted to paint a picture for us so that we might understand what He gave up for us when He sent His only son to die. Abraham loved Isaac. He was God's gift to Sarah and Abraham in their old age and he was meant to live as God had promised blessings through him. So Abraham must have been terribly distraught and dissappointed and confused. Yet he obeyed and trusted God that He had a plan. It must have pained him to walk up Mount Moriah and then bind his own son and lift the dagger. If I put myself in Abraham's shoes I can barely breathe. I think I would say no to God. I don't think I could give up one of my children as I have a hard enough time giving up dumb stuff that is meaningless. But in the achingly painful picture that He has painted for us we see just a glimpse of what He sacrificed for us when Jesus came to be born here on earth. He knew He was leading His son to the slaughter. Yet He did it. For us. For us. We who are bound on the mountain by our own sin, by our own doing, have been provided with a substitutionary sacrifice because Go so loves the whole world. And Jesus, who was without sin, bore our sin and faced death in place of us without flinching. God has provided for our greatest need. We have been rescued from the altar, unbound and carried home whole. Thank you doesn't cover it.

life in this republic

Zum Geburtstag viel Glück!
Zum Geburtstag viel Glück!
Zum Geburtstag liebe Rebekah

Zum Geburtstag viel Glück

Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday Dear Rebekah

Happy Birthday to You.

Hodně Štěští, Zdraví

Hodně Štěští, Zdraví

Hodně Štěští Milé Rebčo

Hodně Štěští, Zdraví

Rebekah turned thirteen on Thursday. We baked vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting and she brought them to her class. They sang "Happy Birthday" in English, German and Czech as these nationalities are some that are represented in her class.


                         

Shahab loves sugar and proceeded to become extremely hyper after indulging in the cupcake

Rebekah turns 13

The next day was Rebekah's birthday party. She had all of her best friends attend. We went to her favourite indian restaurant and ate and ate and ate. We brought cupcakes to the restaurant (vanilla with chocolatepeanutbutter frosting) and then went to the square in České Budějovice and the girls sang "Happy Birthday" as loudly as possible in English, French, Indonesian and Farsi. They were bummed that we were taking them home already as it was only 8 o'clock, but as we arrived at the school (where three of them live) there was a disco going on for the students. So we all danced to House, Techno, Reggae etc...dj'ed by one of the teachers and one of the students (Armin, whom you have met before in the Arts Festival post). We danced and drank virgin cocktails until 10:30...what a great party for Rebekah!

quote of the day

"If you enjoy being a task-master to unsanitary rebels then being a parent is probably right up your alley."
Adam Jones