bekahcubed

Categories The Week in Words

WiW: Legalese

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The Week in Words

The owner of the House of Dreams is a lawyer–which means our lease is super-official with all sorts of legalese.

This Agreement of Lease is made and entered into with reference to the following facts:
1. Lessor is the owner of those certain residential premises commonly known as the House of Dreams.
2. Lessees desire to lease from Lessor the said premises, and the Lessor is willing to lease the same to Lessees upon the terms and provisions hereinafter set forth.

And on and on it goes.

Legalese isn’t that exciting–at least, not to me–but this bit is exciting, because in the end, when we signed our names, we had possession of the House of Dreams.

Yesterday, in our celebration of Reformation Sunday (at my new church–which I absolutely LOVE), we talked and read about a different kind of legal term, a term which grants us something far greater than the House of Dreams.

“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whome God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
~Romans 3:21-26

Yesterday, we read of justification. A legal term. Being legally declared righteous. A legal term that grants Christ’s righteousness to anyone who through faith in Christ Jesus receives God’s grace.

There is no legal term more precious to my ear than this. No truth that has transformed my life more than this.

That God in His grace grants justification to sinners–myself, the worst.

Yesterday, we celebrated the day Martin Luther pounded his 95 theses onto the doors of Wittenberg chapel, sparking the Reformation that changed the world. And its rallying cry was a legal term: justification.

Justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

Hallelujah, what a salvation!

Collect more quotes from throughout the week with Barbara H’s meme “The Week in Words”.

Categories Memes

Have you ever?

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Stolen from Teresa Dawn per her gracious offer.

Have you ever…

{X} Started your own blog

{X} Slept under the stars
If you count the time I fell asleep on the yard swing reading a book–and was accidentally locked out of the house.

{ } Played in a band

{ } Visited Hawaii

{X} Watched a meteor shower
Best ever, Mexico 2008. Lying on the big trampoline with Caroline and the other Bekah. I didn’t see as many as Bekah, but I still almost reached 100.

{X} Given more than you can afford to charity
I liked Teresa Dawn’s answer “Well, more than I thought I could afford and certainly more than I would have spent on myself, but I didn’t starve to death afterwards.” I’ve given what I thought was sacrificially only to find that God supplied for my own needs in abundance.

{X} Been to Disney
Walt Disney World in Orlando, Summer 2006. It was with an enormous group, but my little group was comprised of myself and eight guys. Enormous fun.

{X} Climbed a mountain
So there was this one particular mountain in Yellowstone. I’d scouted all the hiking and tried to find something that would be appropriate for the whole family (and that wouldn’t tax me medically too much). I thought I’d found the perfect one. We climbed it safely, got down, and discovered that it was flagged as “not recommended for those with respiratory or heart problems.” Oops. Well, I’m glad we climbed it anyway–I ended up just fine.

{ } Held a praying mantis

{X} Sang a solo
Only at church, though

{ } Bungee jumped

{ } Visited Paris
Coveting those who have–Lord, forgive me.

{X} Watched a thunder and lightning storm

{X} Taught yourself an art from scratch
If sewing, quilting, cross-stitching, embroidery, crochet, paper-making…. count as “an art”

{ } Adopted a child
No, but I pray that I might someday

{X} Had food poisoning

{ } Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

{X} Grown your own vegetables

{ } Seen the Mona Lisa in France
More covetousness. Bleh!

{ } Slept on an overnight train

{X} Had a pillow fight

{ } Hitch hiked

{ } Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

{X} Built a snow fort
Hollowed out piles from the snow plows. Oh yes!

{X} Held a lamb
Not sure if it was actually a lamb–But I have held a sheep, at any rate. I enjoyed my animal science class thoroughly!

{X} Gone skinny dipping

{ } Run a marathon

{ } Ridden in a gondola in Venice

{ } Seen a total eclipse
Path of totality for a solar eclipse will cross through the Midwest in 2017. I’m planning on being there!

{X} Watched a sunrise or sunset
Best ever? Sunrise over the Atlantic with my STP team.

{ } Hit a home run

{ } Been on a cruise

{X} Seen Niagara Falls in person

{X} Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
If you count my visit to Sweden. It’s not like I went to see the church they were baptized in or anything.

{ } Seen an Amish community

{ } Taught yourself a new language

{ } Had enough money to be truly satisfied
Does money provide satisfaction? I think not. But God has, at times, given me grace to be truly satisfied in a variety of financial situations. Covetousness and discontent are, however, probably some of my most common besetting sins.

{ } Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

{X} Gone rock climbing

{ } Seen Michelangelo’s David in person

{X} Sung karaoke

{X} Seen Old Faithful erupt

{ } Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

{ } Visited Africa

{X} Walked on a beach by moonlight

{ } Been transported in an ambulance

{ } Had your portrait painted

{ } Gone deep sea fishing

{ } Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

{ } Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

{ } Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

{ } Kissed in the rain

{X} Played in the mud

{X} Gone to a drive-in theater

{ } Been in a movie

{ } Visited the Great Wall of China

{ } Started a business

{ } Taken a martial arts class

{ } Visited Russia

{X} Served at a soup kitchen

{ } Sold Girl Scout Cookies

{ } Gone whale watching

{X} Got flowers for no reason

{X} Donated blood, platelets or plasma

{ } Been sky diving

{ } Visited a Concentration Camp

{X} Bounced a check

{ } Flown in a helicopter

{X} Saved a favorite childhood toy

{ } Visited the Lincoln Memorial

{X} Eaten caviar

{X} Pieced a quilt
Several

{ } Stood in Times Square

{ } Toured the Everglades

{ } Been fired from a job

{ } Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

{X} Broken a bone
Three actually. My collar bone when I was a toddler and both bones in my forearm when I was a pre-teen.

{ } Been a passenger on a motorcycle

{ } Seen the Grand Canyon in person

{ } Published a book

{ } Visited the Vatican

{ } Bought a brand new car
Don’t really intend to. Consider them a grand waste of money.

{ } Walked in Jerusalem

{X} Had your picture in the newspaper
Senior year of high school when I was one of two homeschooled National Merit finalists in the greater Lincoln area. The picture was ginormous.

{ } Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve

{ } Visited the White House

{ } Killed and prepared an animal for eating

{X} Had chickenpox
Three times.

{ } Saved someone’s life
Depends on what you mean. I’ve sent people to the hospital with acute appendicitis that, if untreated, might have resulted in death–but anyone could have done that. I’ve adjusted tube feed or parenteral nutrition recommendations to prevent what could have been disastrous results. But, no, I’ve never dramatically pulled someone from the brinks of death.

{ } Sat on a jury

{ } Met someone famous

{X} Joined a book club

{ } Got a tattoo

{ } Had a baby

{ } Seen the Alamo in person

{ } Swam in the Great Salt Lake

{ } Been involved in a law suit

{X} Owned a cell phone

{X} Been stung by a bee

{ } Tell us where you were born
Wha… That’s not a “Have you ever” question! But I was born on West Wilkins Street in Lincoln, Nebraska–in the home my parents rented from the housing authority.

I’ve done 37 of the above 100. What about you?

Categories Flashback Friday

Flashback: Dressing Up

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My family didn’t celebrate Halloween. We had candy and tracts to give the kids at our door, but we never dressed up or went trick-or-treating. At least, almost never…

Flashback Friday buttonToday Linda asks… What was Halloween like when you were growing up? Did your family participate? If not, was there a substitute activity? If you went trick-or-treating, what were the rules, both for trick-or-treating and for candy consumption? What types of costumes did you wear? Were they store-bought or homemade? Did you carve a jack-o-lantern?….

The year in question was the year my family was at Grandma and Grandpa’s farm over Halloween. Grandma seemed scandalized that we hadn’t ever gone trick-or-treating and she determined to remedy the situation.

We went digging through the dress-up boxes and scrounged ourselves up some costumes. My sister and I wore some old dresses that used to belong to our twin aunts. I’m not sure precisely what Anna was, but I was a princess-crowned with great-grandma Pierce’s Bicentennial Queen tiara.

Once our costumes were assembled, we loaded into the van for trick-or-treating. With the nearest neighbors a half a mile (ish) away, we didn’t have the option of walking from door to door. Instead we drove to one great aunt and uncle’s house to another. At each house, we stopped and chatted while drinking cider and enjoying homemade popcorn balls or other such treats.

In all, we probably visited a half dozen houses–and ate most of our booty at those same houses. It was pretty much the ideal Halloween’s trick-or-treating outing.

For all of our not celebrating Halloween when I was young, I sure managed to learn to enjoy dressing up in costumes. Now, I jump at every opportunity to wear a costume. I’ve been Richard Simmons at a birthday party. I’ve been a superhero during a “spirit week” the dining services staff held at Harper. I’ve been a biker chick for a youth group “Sponsor Hunt”. I’ve been a Nebraska football player (in their off the field uniform of wife-beaters and baggy sweats worn below the buttocks.) And, in my coup de etat, I’ve been an old woman.

I’ve blogged about a few of those costumes–click on the picture to hear the story.

Old Woman CostumeSuper Star CostumeRaggedy Anne Costume

Hear other people’s Halloween stories at Mocha with Linda’s Flashback Friday Meme

Categories Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday: Our House

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I had a ridiculously long day at work today–and probably won’t be able to finish everything tomorrow. But that’s okay, ’cause I’m gonna be back in Columbus again tomorrow evening.

Why am I traveling to Lincoln and then back to Columbus again, you may ask?

Because Anna and I got a HOUSE!

And not only did we get a house, we got THE house–the stupendous, amazing, perfect-for-entertaining house.

The House of Dreams

Today I’m thankful…

…for the big kitchen with lots of counter and cupboard space

…for the living room with a fireplace

…for the ginormous deck overlooking big backyard and the lake

…for the spare bedroom that means we can have people spend the night–in their own room

…for the bedrooms that face east, allowing us to enjoy the early morning sun (if we don’t have to be out of the house before the sun rises.

…for the two bathrooms which mean I won’t inconvenience Anna when I get up in a way-too-engrossing book in the tub

…for the family room that’ll let us chillax and do computer-y stuff together (rather than being holed up in our respective rooms

…for the lack of shared walls which mean that for the first time since we moved out of our parents’ house we can play the piano at all hours of the day and night

…for the craft room with its shelving that I’m itching to display my fabric on

…for the wood paneled garage that I’m probably WAY too excited about.

…for the house’s fantastic name (which I’m sorry I won’t be sharing online–instead, I’ll be calling it the House of Dreams)

Can you tell that I’m a little excited about our house?

But wanna know what excites me most? What excites me most is that I know this home will be an ideal means through which I can develop and grow relationships in this new town. I know it will be an opportunity to relaunch the ministry of home that I’ve let go dormant amidst the up-in-the-air-ness of the past year or so. I can’t wait to establish friendships, to find mothers who need their children babysat, to find girls who need an older woman to take them under her wing, to find people who need a place to hang out, to invite older and wiser brothers and sisters to join us for a meal. I can’t wait to host Bible study or have a book club or invite girls over to learn how to sew.

I’m thankful that God has given me a new start in a new town–with a new house that can serve as a launching pad for serving this new community.

Thankful Thursday banner

Categories Homemaking

A Coat for the Cold

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Today is the first truly cold day of the year for Nebraska (pretty good to get all the way to the end of November.) Yesterday, a front blew across the plains, bringing with it cold–and for some parts of Nebraska, snow.

For my part, I’m thankful that amidst the busyness of the last month or so, I’ve had opportunity to make alterations on my coat so that I have a nice, snazzy, warm winter coat.

New coat

Once upon a time, this coat was double breasted style in a size much too big for me. My sister was giving it away–and I had it along with several items in the back of my car to take to a used store drop-off. For whatever reason (probably that it wasn’t bagged like the other items), I failed to put it in the drop-off and ended up taking it home.

Eventually I moved it to my trunk, figuring it would be handy if I got stranded somewhere without a coat. If that were to happen, who cares that it’s much too big for me and in a style that is completely unflattering to my figure?

Then I started hankering after a nice coat–a real working woman’s coat rather than the hand-me-down parkas and sweaters I’ve been cobbling together. The thing is, coats can be expensive–and I’m cheap.

That’s when I remembered the coat I had sitting in my trunk.

I thought, “I wonder if I could alter that.”

Now realize, I’m pretty bold when it comes to crafting–but tailoring is not really my forte. It’s taken me a long time to get comfortable creating clothing–and I’m still not sure that I’m really there.

But the lure of saving a hundred bucks was too much to pass up–so I took out my seam ripper and got ripping. Double breast to single breast, remove an eight inch panel from either side of the coat, recut the sleeves and sew them back on, re-attach the buttons, figure out how to deal with that pesky lining.

Scary? Yes.

But the results are worth it. For pennies (in thread) and four or five hours worth of work (several of which I did while nominally watching a football game), I have a “brand new” coat for the cold.

Categories Book Notes

Musings on laying down arms

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Unless something spectacular happens in the last dozen chapters, I won’t be writing a full review of Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms. Maybe it’s just me–or maybe it’s the slow pace that I’m taking through the book–but I think this has got to be the most boring book Hemingway has ever written.

I plug along, one chapter at a time, taking it like a dose of medicine before the dinner that is a book I actually enjoy.

The only redeeming value (thus far) has been the protagonist’s occasional conversations with the priest who serves alongside him on the Italian front of the Great war.

When I last wrote about a conversation between the two, it was the priest who had something useful to say. This time, the protagonist has a real point.

[The priest asked] “Then you think it will go on and on? Nothing will ever happen?”

“I don’t know. I only think the Austrians will not stop when they have won a victory. It is in defeat that we become Christian.”

“The Austrians are Christians–except for the Bosnians.”

“I don’t mean technically Christian. I mean like Our Lord.”

He said nothing.

“We are all gentler now because we are beaten. How would Our Lord have been if Peter had rescued him in the Garden?”

Basically, the protagonist suggests that we only lay down our arms when we recognize that we’ve been beaten.

To hear Hemingway’s description, it appears that the Austrian/Italian front was largely static–the armies just pushed back and forth over the same bit of land in a tug-of-war that seemed to never end.

When the Italians were losing ground, they were humbled. They saw that their fighting was accomplishing nothing, so they were ready to lay down their arms. When the Austrians were losing ground, ostensibly they felt the same way. But it would only be when both were humbled, when both realized that fighting was getting them nowhere that both parties would be willing to lay down their arms.

But the protagonist does more than simply muse on the conditions under which surrender is possible. He makes a statement about Christianity and surrender–even Christianity and disarmament.

Equating imitation of Jesus Christ with Christianity, he states that only in defeat do we truly become imitators of Christ–because it’s only in defeat that we lay down our arms.

I find this idea fascinating in light of my current book club discussion of Tolstoy’s The Kingdom of God is Within You. We’re wrestling with this idea that nonresistance to evil is a Christian virtue–perhaps even, as Tolstoy and some other might suggest, THE Christian virtue (which, by the way, I happen to disagree with–I would say that THE Christian virtue is love. I am, however, wrestling through how nonresistance to evil makes up a component of that Christian virtue of love–but I digress.)

Is nonresistance to evil a primary means by which Christians are to imitate Christ? I’m still turning that topic over in my mind. But Hemingway’s little commentary has made me think a bit further.

Then there’s the protagonist’s final question. “How would Our Lord have been if Peter had rescued him in the Garden?”

What if Jesus had let Peter “deliver” Him in the Garden of Gethsemane? What if He had urged the use of the sword against His enemies?

Jesus would have emerged triumphant on this earth, a military leader. He could have gotten out of there. He could have escaped death.

And he would have been utterly defeated.

Jesus’ victory was not to be found in wielding the sword. His victory was not found even in self-defense. His victory occurred when He surrendered–to God’s will and then, for God’s sake, to man’s.

He could have won an earthly victory in the Garden, but if He had; He’d have lost the eternal battle. And so Jesus, recognizing the eternal defeat earthly victory would have meant, surrendered to earthly defeat in order to gain the heavenly victory.

How often, I wonder, do I fight earthly battles under the illusion that somehow earthly victory means something eternally? Oh, that I could see with the eyes of eternity–and surrender the battles here that if fought and won would only engender true defeat.

Categories Family & Friends

Guess Who?

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On the day of our fantastic BET (Burn Evil Things) Party, I took some photos of my friend’s and family’s hair. I thought I’d set them up as a matching game–to see who can recognize who belongs to what hair.

Hair Sample Hair Sample Hair Sample Hair Sample
Hair Sample 1 Hair Sample 2 Hair Sample 3 Hair Sample 4
Hair Sample Hair Sample Hair Sample Hair Sample
Hair Sample 5 Hair Sample 6 Hair Sample 7 Hair Sample 8

Your choices for people are Mom, Dad, Anna, Myself, Joshua, Daniel, Debbie, Timothy, Grace, Mary, Joanna, Steve, Katie, Abigail, and Joseph.

My apologies for any differences in color due to the flash on my camera. I guess that’s what makes this fun :-)

If you don’t know these people but still want to play, you can check out the sidebar cast of characters for the first eleven names. Katie is the blonde in the fourth and fifth photos of the BET collection. Abigail and Joseph have their own album (from that same day) here

Correct answers will post next Monday afternoon–so you’ll have plenty of time to guess!

Categories Homemaking

Save big money, Get great service

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Two and a half years ago, not long after I started blogging regularly, I wrote of how I prefer the “Save Big Money” Menards over the more patronizing “You can do it–we can help” Home Depot.

I didn’t have any real reason for choosing one over the other–except that in my priority list saving money falls above getting help.

But just because Menards doesn’t advertise their customer service doesn’t mean they don’t have customer service–and don’t do a great job at it.

Take today, for example. As I was wandering about my local Menards, at least five associates asked if they could help me. When I started wandering in the lumberyard, someone immediately came over to help me. When I asked for pegboard–which just happened to be inside the building along a completely different wall–he graciously walked me right over to it, talking me through my options for size and thickness. Later, I’d found some of my other items but now I needed doweling. Again, I was in the wrong spot–but again, an employee walked me right to what I needed. At any other store, I’d expect to hear an aisle number when I ask for an item. At Menards, the employees always take me directly to what I’m looking for–and often dialogue with me about my options and what else they can do for me.

Menards listBut that wasn’t all. After I’d finished up my shopping and checked out, I approached the sliding doors with my cart. The four foot by two foot piece of pegboard started to sway in today’s brisk wind. Before I had a chance to steady it with my hand, an employee was there to help (incidentally, it was the same employee who’d helped me find the pegboard in the first place). He lifted the pegboard out of my cart and offered “How ’bout I just carry this to your car for you?”

I led the way to my car and thanked him as I unlocked my door, fully expecting him to place the pegboard back in the cart. But he didn’t. Instead he asked whether I wanted it in the backseat or the trunk. He arranged it into my trunk and put the rest of my cart’s contents in after it. He noticed a wallet (empty) that was lying in the trunk and pointed it out to me just in case I’d lost it and didn’t realize it was back there.

It was undoubtedly the best customer service I’ve received in my life. I’m bummed that I failed to take note of this particular fellow’s name, because he definitely deserves kudos.

So don’t be tricked into thinking that Menards is only about saving money–in truth, their service is fantastic too.

Truth in advertising should insist that Menards change their jingle to “Save big money, Get great service when you shop at Menards.”

For those who are curious, the pegboard and dowels are for a thread rack–a variation on this one from Sugar Bee. I also purchased a few drawer things to organize my ever expanding collection of sewing/craft stuff.

Categories What's on Your Nightstand?

Nightstand (October 2010)

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On last month’s nightstand:

On my nightstandOn my nightstand

What I actually read this month was…

I was a little surprised at how much reading I HAVE been able to accomplish this month. Nevertheless, you’ll see that I have plenty of books carrying over.

Fiction

  • Amorelle by Grace Livingston Hill (My Review)

Nonfiction

  • The Church Supper Cookbook
    A wonderful collection of recipes, several of which I’m determined to copy for my own personal use.
  • Crochet Inspiration by Sasha Kagan
    A collection of great crochet stitch variations with glossy photos, clear instructions, and charts if you prefer those.
  • Dreaming of Dior by Charlotte Smith (My Review)
  • Founding Faith by Steven Waldman (My Review)
  • Justice that Restores by Chuck Colson (Review coming later)
  • Money Saving Slow Cooking by Sandra Lee
    I wasn’t impressed. Too many processed foods, not enough that looked appealing.
  • The Narnian by Alan Jacobs (Review coming later)
  • Nothing to Wear? by Jesse Garza and Joe Lupo (My Review)
  • Not Quite What I was Planning
    Six word memoirs. These are great.

Juvenile

  • Children’s Picture Books author Balian-Balouch (10 titles)
  • C.S. Lewis: The Chronicler of Narnia by Mary Dodson Wade (My Review)

Currently in the middle of…

On my nightstand

The asterisk marks the book I picked up over the course of this month–all the rest are holdovers from last month’s list.

  • Ask Me Anything a Dorling-Kindersley book
  • *Boston: Moon Handbooks
  • The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande (Lisa’s Review)
  • Desiring God by John Piper
  • Dug Down Deep by Joshua Harris
  • A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
  • The Kingdom of God is Within You by Leo Tolstoy
  • Nina Garcia’s Look Book by Nina Garcia

On this month’s nightstand:

On my nightstand

Again, the asterisks mark the books I picked up over the course of this month–all the rest are holdovers from last month’s list.

Fiction

  • Love’s Abiding Joy by Janette Oke

Nonfiction

  • *30-Minute Get Real Meals by Rachael Ray
  • *Boiling Mad: Inside Tea Party America by Kate Zernike
  • How to Write & Publish a Scientific Paper by Robert A. Day
  • Making the Big Move by Cathy Goodwin
  • *Nasty, Brutish, and Long: Adventures in Eldercare by Ira Rosofsky
  • Radical by David Platt
    Reviews by Lisa of Lisa Notes, Vitamin Z, Sandra Peoples, Lisa formerly of 5M4B, and Carrie–basically, the whole world is talking about this one! :-)
  • *Four wardrobe makeover books–who knows how deep I’ll go into these
  • *Another Boston guidebook–cause I’m headed to Boston this fall for a professional conference!

Juvenile

  • Children’s Picture Books author BANG-?
  • The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner’s Dilemma by Trenton Lee Stewart
  • Nebraska an “America the Beautiful” book by Ann Heinrichs
  • Nebraska a “Celebrate the States” book by Ruth Bjorklund
  • The Old Motel Mystery created by Gertrude Chandler Warner
  • The Secret of Skull Mountain by Franklin W. Dixon

Drop by 5 Minutes 4 Books to see what others are reading.
What's on Your Nightstand?