Sitting Shiva for Jesus - repost

This post is from last year's Good Friday. I pray you have a blessed Good Friday.

Today, I sat shiva for Jesus.

We opened our home to friends and strangers for a Stations of the Cross for children. At each station was lovely art, a short devotional, and an object lesson. (I'll share details and photos after Easter.)

Truthfully, I wasn't sure how it would be received. But, after my children and I went through the Stations just prior to our first guests, I realized the impression it all made. Truly, it was the Lord's doing.

The house was hushed with just the whispering of parents and children, and in the background thoughtful, gentle, choral music played. What a blessing to see families gathered so closely around the stations- many of them kneeling or sitting in conversation and thought. The kids were engrossed, as were the parents.

I didn't know that it would feel so much like a funeral vigil, but it did. Among Jews, it is a custom to "sit shiva" when a close family member dies. The mourners quietly recieve visitors, who come to just sit - not necessarily to socialize. After the first session ended and our family returned to our normal noise level, I realized how purposeful the earlier silence felt. It was then that it occurred to me that we were sitting shiva for Jesus.

And it felt right.

How are you observing Good Friday?

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Easter Sunday Meals

Over on my seasonal food blog, To Every Meal There Is A Season, I've posted our Easter Sunday menu (breakfast, lunch and dinner) with links to recipes. Looking for some menu ideas? Click on over and see what I've got cooking!

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Easter Sunday Menus

Easter Sunday is fast approaching and I'm late making my plans. Perhaps you are, too? Are you looking for some last minute ideas for your Easter Sunday meals? Here's what I have planned (with linked recipes!).


Breakfast
Breakfast Casserole with Sausage (the "old stand-by", but it is good and I have the sausage already cooked and ready to go in my freezer)

Armenian Easter Bread - "Choereg" (if I can get to the middle eastern grocery for the mahleb spice needed)

Fresh Fruit and yogurt


Lunch/Snack
Deviled eggs and veggie platter (we'll get home late after church where we will have had snacks)


Dinner
Leg of Lamb with Rosemary (cooked in the Dutch Oven - I like the ease of letting the pot and the oven do the work!)

Ginger Ale Salad (a fruit salad in jello - southerners can't have a special meal without some congealed salad!)

Gratin Dauphinois

Asparagus with Bernaise (I know the usual is Hollandaise, but I just love the flavor of Bernaise with asparagus) (here is a "quick" version)

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble a la Mode


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Gratin Dauphinois

Gratin Dauphinois - Oh, so yummy and delicious! This goes great as a side dish to so many main dishes (beef, chicken, turkey, pork, lamb) and even could be part of a "vegetable" platter-type dinner. This recipe is the Julia Child version from my favorite: Mastering The Art of French Cooking, Volume One. If you want, you can even make it ahead a little and reheat/finish cooking just before serving (see directions for this at the end with "**")


2 lbs boiling potatoes
1/2 clove unpeeled garlic
4 T butter
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
4 oz (1 cup) grated Swiss cheese
1 c boiling milk


Preheat oven to 425 degrees. peel the potatoes and slice them 1/8 inch thick. Place in a large bowl (or sink) of cold water. Drain when ready to use.


Rub the baking dish with the cut garlic. Smear the inside of the dish with 1 T of the butter. Drain the potatoes and dry them on a towel. Spread half of them in the bottom of the dish. Divide over them half the salt, pepper, cheese and butter. Arrange the remaining potatoes of ther first layer, and season them. Spread on the rest of the cheese and dicide the butter over it. Pour on the boiling milk. Set baking dish over heat and when simmering, set in upper third of preheated oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender, milk has been absorbed, and the top is nicely browned. (As the oven is hot, and the dish shallow, the potatoes cook quickly.)


**You may hold the dish for half an hour, loosely covered, over simmering water. For a longer wait, stop intial cooking just before all milk has evaporated. Set aside uncovered. Shortly before serving, dot with 2 T of butter, reheat on the top of stove, and set in a 425-degree oven for 5-10 minutes to finish cooking.


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Palm Sunday resources

Real quick link... Barbara at Praying for Grace has collected some resources for Palm Sunday (for kids). If you stop by, leave her a comment and say thanks for her work!

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Peter Piper's Picks: April 4th

Welcome back to Peter Piper's Picks! Here's what I've been reading recently:


Cindy at Dominion Family took a blogging break last year, but a few months ago she began blogging again...and I'm so glad! She always has great insights. Last week, she shared her thoughts about online friendships - how real are they?


Now that it is spring, do you know what season it is for homeschoolers? CONVENTION season! Our statewide support group (NCHE) convention in NC is in late May. When is yours? Need some advice on getting ready to tackle it? Check out Deanne at Lifestyle of Discipleship's timely article.


A quick "shout out" to a somewhat new (at least to me) Anglican family-type blogger. I've visited her blog before, but have now added her to my GoogleReader...and my blog list. Amy at Splendor in the Ordinary...go say "HELLO!"


I'm really not trying to grind an axe here or make this my new soapbox, but this did catch my attention. First Things takes on the "Contraception Compromise".


Have you ever thought about setting up a "prayer closet", but found it difficult (or impossible) to sacrifice a closet? I have! Jen at Conversion Diary has asked for advice for this situation and has some great responses in her comments section.


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Baby L's 2nd week home

Today is two weeks since we made it home with Baby L. I actually seems like a lot longer. Here are some progress notes and highlights:

• Got a clean bill of health from our pediatrician.
• Since we had records of her vaccinations with lot numbers, our pediatrician accepted all her vaccinations from Ghana. No repeat shots!
• She has moved from a bassinett beside our bed into her crib in the girls' room! In fact, last night Ella and she slept in there (in the room, not the crib) together and they both did great!
• Speaking of sleeping, she has begun to let us put her down for naps before she has fallen asleep (but still when she is really tired and has been all snuggled up).
• Her bottle-feeding has really improved! She is now regularly taking 4-5 oz, sometimes 6oz and at least once she took 7oz at one time! We've moved up a nipple flow speed which has helped and she's taken to it without being stressed about feeling choked. This is really big news!
• She's begun trying lots of new baby foods. When she is interested in eating solids she does great, but when she isn't forget it!
• The dogs' barks don't make her cry anymore and she tolerates them coming to say "hello" more and more. She is also quite interested in the kitties.
• She still insists on being in Mama's arms at certain times and there is no putting her down or passing her off. We are glad that she is showing a tight bond, but it does make it hard to get things done.
• Nighttimes are improving, but still we wake up with her (or she wakes before we go to bed) around midnight to 1am and then around 4am. Better than waking every hour or so!

So, that is a quick run-down of her adjustment status. We hope to have her at church this Sunday for Palm Sunday. It will be a lot for her and we'll have to watch for signs that she is getting overwhelmed, but I think she'll do pretty well.

7 Quick Takes: April 3rd - What is Normal?

Today marks two weeks since I returned home from Ghana. It took about 10 of those 14 days to start to really feel "back to normal". Not sure whether that is more due to time change, culture reacclimation, or just being away from my own "normal" for a month and a half. How different "normal" can be from one culture to another! How different normal can be from one person to another!

So, what makes my life seem normal? My time away certainly has clarified what makes me feel comfortable and at home...

One
Pajamas. I adore pajamas...in fact my husband might say I have a slight obsession with pjs. After a long, busy day nothing feels better than peeling off the day's clothes and snuggling into a comfortable pair. Of course, you might guess I have quite a collection and it is a sad day when an old, favorite pair has to be retired.


Two
NPR. My daily routine includes quite a lot of NPR. Liberal bias or not, the stories on NPR are good and more often constitute REAL news (or at least REAL human interest) than what I see on local or national news shows, which I stopped watching a couple of years ago. I really watch very little news on TV.


Three
Morning Routine. Quiet house, dim morning light, warm cup of tea or coffee, reading bible and/or devotional, checking email, reading some blogs, looking over my day's schedule and waiting for the first child to descend the stairs, the sign day has truly begun.


Four
My spot on the couch. We have acquired by "hand-me down" a couch and a loveseat to replace our couch with chaise that had its springs sprung by rambunctious children. It didn't take long for me to find "my spot" on the loveseat. Settling in to this spot at the end of a day ready to enjoy a favorite TV show, a little conversation, and a glass of wine - very normal.


Five
My bed with down pillows and down comforter. I love, love, love my bed. Two christmases ago, my mom gave us a gift certificate to Bed, Bath and Beyond which we used to purchase really nice down pillows. Combined with our down comforter (which we've had forever) they make a most cozy, fluffy, snuggly bed!


Six
The menagerie of pets. Ok, we don't really have a menagerie right now, but we do have two dogs and two cats. We used to have two lizards and their feeder crickets (which we also had to feed, so aren't they pets, too?). Normal is watching my cats and dogs do their funny, well-choreographed dance around each other. The cats sneak upstairs to avoid being excessively "loved" by the dogs. The cats sneak downstairs to make their mad dash for the kitty door. The dogs wait for the slightest cat noise or scent and then bolt after the cats. Sometimes one particular cat actually tries to seek out one or the other of the dog, but carefully to avoid attracting the attention of both. (When there is only one they are fairly gentle, but together they get all "pack"-like and a bit rough.)


Seven
Our books. We have a lot of books. Certainly not as many as some but more than most, I suppose. Often I find myself reading a different books in each room of the house - a book on homeschooling in the family room, a food book in the kitchen, a spiritual book in the library room, and a novel in our bedroom.

So, what is "normal" for you? Leave a comment here and then visit Jen at Conversion Diary for more "Quick Takes".

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Quiverfull Questions

Quiverfull on NPR? Yup! (HT: StandFirm)

But I must say there is a quote that really disturbed me: "'We'll be able to take over both halls of Congress, we'll be able to reclaim sinful cities like San Francisco for the faithful, and we'll be able to wage very effective massive boycotts against companies that are going against God's will.'"

I don't know - since when did this become the ultimate goal for Christian families? What about sharing the gospel? What about caring for widows and orphans? What about the poor, the sick, the oppressed?

Wait, let's back up. Is "quiverfull" a term you are familiar with? It is sort of "jargon" in many Christian circles...but not even all Christians would know what it refers to, I guess. The term "Quiverfull" refers to a verse in Psalm 127 that describes children like the arrows in a mighty warrior's quiver. The idea being that a mighty warrior would have LOTS not just one or two. (Of course, a really good archer might only need one or two to get the job done...but that is a different debate.) So, the Quiverfull Movement is one that encourages Christian families to see children as a blessing and to accept as many "as the Lord sends" - using no birth control of any sort.

Apparently, it has lately been the zinger topic in some liberal circles...you know, easy to "zing" with negative labels and attitudes, and generally writing it off as "nutty", without taking the time to really get to know some of the families who make up the Quiverfull Movement. (Do a google search and see how many negative articles come up on the first two pages.)

I did a lot of reading about the quiverfull movement (also called QF for short) around the time my husband and I decided we were not "done" (even though one of us had surgery to be "done"...which we then had "undone"). I read lots of the books, websites and such and was mostly convinced that this movement was on to something. Of course, this wasn't a huge leap for me. Since I was little, I've thought it odd that people who believe in a good, omnicient, omnipotent God would not trust him more with the size of their families. But there were some aspects to the basic ideas that I couldn't settle in my mind and some influences within the movement that I thought were going so far as to have missed the gospel in the search for "godliness".

Really, I found it hard to come to terms with the movement's emphasis that EVERYONE should be quiverfull (at least every Christian) and if they weren't they were sinning against God. All I'm going to say about that right now is that it strikes me as quite a legalistic approach to Scripture. (And having read the blogs and forums of some of these groups, it wasn't only a legalistic seeming...there was some pretty extreme legalism going on inside the group on all manner of issues.) There almost seemed to be an unspoken contest going on to determine who trusts God more, me or thee. However, legalism can be found in any group (Christian or not, religious or not...shoot, have you ever noticed the legalism in the Green movement...there it is "who is greener, me or thee".)

The quote from the NPR piece displays the attitude prevalent in the QF movement that I think is the most troublesome. There is quite an emphasis on gaining power through political positions in order to "Christianize" the country. (The QF is not the only Christian group today that holds to the belief that Chrisitans should be out to Christianize by conquest...it is also not the first Christian group to desire political influence and power...seems like I remember a Roman church that held political power for quite a few years - but that is a much larger topic!) And this is where I think it veers beyond, or rather, doesn't reach, the Gospel.

Christ eschewed political power as a means of evangelism, instead he chose and instructed us to evangelize by one-on-one interaction. Not only that, He also told us that "true religion" is the care of widows and orphans. This should be what we are filling our quivers with- children who love God and love their fellow human beings. Children who see the frailty and grief around them and want to present Christ to a dying world. And also, children who delight in God's gift of creation!

And while I have criticism for the QF movement, I also think that Christians in America can learn a LOT from the ideas of the quiverfull movement about getting our perspectives toward children and famlies in line with God's perspective. Why do we stop at one or two...because it is culturally acceptable? Because of finances? Our lack of patience? Or because we've invested time in prayer and thought and believe that is the Lord's will for our family? Which definitely sounds more like a people who believe in a God who loves them and their children.


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Pacifier Giggly Girl

Here she is playing her favorite game. We were still in Ghana and it was so much fun hearing her laugh!

The Family is Whole Again

Yes, we are finally home! Baby L and I arrived home late last Friday night (March 20th) to adoring siblings and relieved hubby. You can check out our homecoming story and photos, as well as some notes and photos from our first week home.

It is good to be home!


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My blogger friend, Jessica, has this great blog: Homemaking Through the Church Year and she is hosting a fantastic Lenten Carnival. She's done this before, but missed a year while having twins last spring. Oddly enough, that year I hosted a carnival called An Anglican Family Lent. Well, this year, I'm out of the country and she is back to hosting her Lenten Carnival again!

Hey, maybe next year we'll team up and have a HUGE carnival! :) Until then, go check out her carnival there are lots of submissions and they look GREAT!

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Getting ready for Good Friday

Last year on Good Friday my family hosted a "Way of the Cross" (or Stations of the Cross) for children and families in our home. It was really well-recieved with some 20 families (church and homeschool friends) coming to participate. I'd hoped to do it again, but with the extended African stay and a newly adopted infant in the house, I'm hesitant. I've thought about doing at our church office's chapel, however, there is something very comfortable for the participants about having it in one's home. So, I'm thinking it over.

Perhaps you'd like to consider doing this with your family, church and community? I started by planning this about a month out, so you've got time to do it! Next I determined how many stations and which ones. (Different traditions have different numbers of stations - some based solely on direct scriptural references and others on traditional church teachings. Enjoy the freedom here to select the ones that will meet your audience's needs.) I also decided what type of artwork I wanted to display and what object lessons I'd include. Finally, I found resources for devotional readings for each station.


Everyone who came was really blessed by the experience and so was my family!

Here are quick links to those posts:
The initial planning
Choosing the artwork and the stations
Devotions for a Way of the Cross for Children
Good Friday's Way of the Cross for Children
Sitting Shiva for Jesus



Are you planning a Way of the Cross, or other special event, for you family or church?


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The Unexpected Lent

This year's liturgical seasons have managed to catch me offguard. I tried to skip Advent, Christmas was a blur, and Epiphany was spent preparing for and traveling to Africa. The cycle has rolled on to Lent and again I'm caught unprepared. I mean - even this post is a few weeks late!

So, here I am in Africa.

About a week ago, I realized that this has been a Lenten journey, and in fact will most likely be a journey of just over 40 days: a time of prayer, fasting, and deprivation, but also of the joys of doing without and reliance on God's grace. A time of seeing how the majority of the world lives (seeing it, not truly experiencing it). A time of feeling far, far from "home" - spiritually and physically. A time of realizing that I really don't have as much control over my life as I'd like to think.

Early on we learned about the general African meal plan options: "010" (only a mid-day meal), "001" (only an evening meal), and "101" (breakfast and dinner). The heat saps your energy mid-day and seems to drain your appetite with it. So, we found ourselves suddenly on the "101" meal plan for quite a few weeks. Eventually, we managed to switch it up a bit, but eating more than two good meals still feels a little extravagant. If anything a very light lunch (of plantain chips or nuts and dried fruit) seems to do us just fine. I realized, "Hey, I'm fasting."

Everyday is a question as to what services we will have - will there be adequate water to bathe or do laundry? Will the internet (our vital and only connection with home) be operating? How about electricity - will it go out intermittently today? This last one is the least of our worries as travelers - most good hotels have back-up generators, so really, we haven't gone without electricity for more than a fifteen minutes or so. But it is disconcerting to wait and hope the generator does kick in...especially when sitting at a dining table in the pitch black! We are learning to do without something each day. And truly, these are minor situations. Well, maybe not the water when it is the 3rd day in a row with no real bath (remember we spend most of our days hot and sweaty unless we spend the entire day in our rooms which is miserable).

I've been challenged by wondering how much I really trust God to work out this situation. I know that he can...but waiting on his timing is difficult, especially when I see my kids getting more and more desperate to have their family reunited...and now that hubby is finally home, seeing my sweetheart having to deal with all the "catch up" of us being gone a month.

I've also learned a lot about how quickly I disintegrate into pessimism when the roadblocks begin to mount - of course that might be exacerbated by homesickness, cabin fever, and cultural adjustments.

We've done without so many things that make us feel comfortable and "at home": internet, freedom to come and go as we please, clean and crisp clothes (let's talk about how lovely a dryer is and how it nicely re-tightens fabric stretched out by humidity and sweat), and reliably getting what you want to eat or drink (I don't mean filet mignon here, I mean things like: coffee or a nice over-easy egg).

I don't mean to kvetch here - there have been many bright spots, just as there are in Lent. I've gotten to spend a month here with hubby getting to know our new daughter. We've also developed a friendship (tested by fire, trust me) with the other adoptive parents. This will be wonderful for both girls as they grow up. And now with Erik back home, I get a little more one-on-one time with L. It is hard at times (like when I MUST hold her while I'm trying to wash my hair in the tub...do laundry in the sink...get dressed, etc), but I think (and have been reassured) that I will look back on these days as a "blip". Or maybe a "bleeeeeeeeeep" - just a tad longer than a blip.

I've also discovered that having hours to sit and ponder doesn't necessarily help me gather my thoughts...so please forgive me if this is disjointed. It is what it is. I feel out of sorts and it is evident in this post, is it not?

Blessed Lent to you all - include our family in your prayers, if you are inclined! Specifically, that we would be uneventfully reunited on March 20th!


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7 Quick Takes: Stuck in Africa!

Our 2 week adoption trip has turned into what will most likely be a 6 week adventure...if I'm lucky - and thus, the theme of my 7 quick takes today.

One
It is truly amazingly hot here. Really - like Africa hot. Even though the temperatures are not exceedingly higher than what we experience at home in North Carolina, the sun is much stronger and the heat is unrelenting. While here, I've realized that while it gets hot at home, we don't really have to deal with it as much at home - all our stores are air conditioned, our cars are air conditioned, and we have whole house air conditioning (not just a room or two).

Two
The past 4 weeks we have had to live day in and day out with a great deal of uncertainty: when would we get our approval, when would we get our visa (still a question), will there be electricity tonight, will there be water to take a bath or do laundry tomorrow, will our food arrive in the next hour, and so on. It teaches you to make do and live without holding too tightly to your own schedule.

Three
There are many sides to life in Ghana today. We've seen the extreme poverty that one often imagines in Africa, stayed in an area of lower to middle class apartments (our first guest house), currently staying in an upper middle class area (our second guest house), and we will soon enjoy another visit to Coconut Grove and its "upperclass" treatment. While there are areas that have no basic services (water, electricity, etc) within the city and outlying areas, there is also a very nice, modern, western-style mall. It is a culture of contrasts as it grows and strives to become a successful African democracy.

Four
The local cuisine is really delicious - at least to me! I'm a fairly adventurous eater, so others may not feel the same way...but I've enjoyed it all: Banku and Okra Stew, Jollof Rice, Red Red, Piri Piri, and LOTS of good fresh fish.

Five
"Obruni" - wow, who knew we'd get so much attention as "white people" (that is what "Obruni" means). The white mamas and black babies cause a big stir wherever we go. It is good natured curiousity usually, but the staring and pointing and shouting of "Obruni" is tiresome after a while. It is hard to be "on display" and watched so much. It is part of international adoption (and transracial adoption) to suddenly be "conspicuous", but that is all the more so here!

Six
The longer I stay here, the more I want to come back...but only so long as I can leave when I want to! We've had some major hurdles getting L's visa (and the other family traveling with us and adopting a similarly aged baby have, too). While I respect and appreciate the US's desire to make sure all adoptions are "clean", there is some disrespect being shown by the US Embassy for Ghanaian government's ability to do this in ways that make sense within their culture and legal system. I may post more about this when I return home as it is a long and involved story. We do believe that once our birth mothers' passports are completed (should be in 5 business days), we will be able to complete the US Embassy's requirements for evidence and we will recieve our visas! AND WE CAN GO HOME!

Seven
Thankfully, hubby has gone ahead and headed home to be with our other three kids. A month is just too long to be away...at least unexpectedly. I feel so much better knowing he'll be there soon. We expect that I'll have L's visa in about 10-12 days and should be able to leave on March 18th or 20th - depending on when we get the visa in hand. I'm not really looking forward to the 10 hour flight with my wiggly (she's amazingly strong and squirmy!) baby on my lap. But we'll manage!

Today is Ghana's Independence Day. I'm hanging out with L (who is having her morning nap - the only way I can manage any typing!) with the Independence Day ceremonies on the television. The uniforms make me wilt just looking at them.


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