FAIL.

I found out that I have been lacking in things to say the past month or so, so in an attempt to remedy the situation, here is a post.

I was greeted this past Sunday by the church's music director, Jeremy. He was wondering if I wanted to play for Holy Week Masses, and since I was planning on contacting him about joining the ministry again (now that Rachel's getting better about her so-called feeding schedule), I was all for it. So! Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday, I'm back to playing for them. ^^ There is a rehearsal tonight, so we'll get to see how long the raptor can go without me. Bwaha.

I do need to break out the clarinet this afternoon, though - I saw a few keys in the music that I'll need to finger through before I screw up multiple times in front of everyone at rehearsal. ;_;

On learning to knit: knitty.com has become my new stomping ground for doses of non-gamer, Internet-facilitated (and that phrase may not exactly be what I'm looking for) human interaction. Or, rather, knitty's chat channel. A few things I've learned from that and the cloth diaper community (because, well, that's how I got into knitting in the first place):

NAK: Nursing At Keyboard - the first 3 months, that pretty much was my default state whenever I was online. I've gotten better at one-handed speed-typing. I think.

Stash: Whatever it is you like to hoard, but feel embarrassed about hoarding (at least, to people outside the community) - From the CD community, cloth diapers, of course, and from the knitty channel, the Yarn Stash. We had a discussion on what counts as a yarn stash on the chat yesterday; by rationalizing that any planned project yarn doesn't count as stash, and that all yarn is for a future planned project, stash counts all lead to 0. This made many chatters feel better about themselves, I think. I myself have <10 skeins of yarn, and need to keep it that way.

Ah, by the way, I finished some longies for the raptor. I'll need to post a picture sometime.

The Good Life

This has been an incredible day.

This morning I was awakened by the cries of a hungry Isaac. I was able to take him back to bed with me to nurse. When the others wake up first the morning routine is more hectic and I have to fit nursing him somewhere between breakfast and getting dressed. Anyhow, I really enjoyed holding him close and cuddling him. I am somewhat sad that he will not be nursing much longer. He has been losing interest, probably because there are so many tastier things to eat, and so much exploring that needs to be done.

By the time he was done, Abigail was awake. And from this point on things were hectic. Sammy had physical therapy this morning, and Papa came over to play with Abigail. Since I knew it would be lunch time right after PT, I decided to crock pot a meal. I made barbecue beef. Unfortunately, I forgot to plug the crock pot in.

So after therapy, I had to scrounge together a quick lunch. Paul thought quesadillas sounded yummy, so I put leftover taco meat and cheese in tortillas for him. Then I fed the kids leftover pasta and made myself a salad.

After lunch Isaac took a nap and Abigail, Sam and I played with the not quite impossible sticker book. Each page has silhouettes of different objects on it. The objective is to find the sticker that matches the silhouette. For me it is possible because I can read the captions below the silhouettes. Then I search through the hundreds of stickers to find the right objects. Then I hand them to the children, and given the right page they can usually figure it out. It was challenging but a lot of fun.

Then I put Sam down for nap. Abigail didn't seem too tired, so I didn't make her take a nap this afternoon. But I was exhausted. So I napped while she stayed up and played. When Isaac woke up. We found her sound asleep on the living room floor.

Once everyone was up we went to the park. I pushed the stroller and Abigail rode her bike.

Then after the park it was dinner time. So I packed up the BBQ and made a picnic for us. We then drove up to ITT and had dinner with Paul.

After dinner we stopped at the nearby Salvation Army store. My intent was to find clothes for the boys. We found some. But I also bought one pair of ice skates (way too big for my children, but they'll grow into them), one baby sling (which my baby is almost too big for but it was a really great price, and I'm sure it will be useful eventually), and one bicycle (with flat tires that hopefully just need air added) and not new tubes.

One the one hand the extra expenditures were frivolous and I should not have made them. On the other I still spent less than if I had gone to a department store and bought my boys each one outfit.

I love Salvation Army!

One of the coolest things that happened today is that when bed time came around Abigail and Sam raced each other to see who could get to bed the fastest.

Sammy won, since Abigail forgot her bear and had to come look for him.

But really I think I won.

Confirmation

Last night my parents were confirmed in the Catholic Church. It was an interesting ceremony.

I must admit that I felt a little awkward, since I had to sit all by myself (Paul was home with the children, and the only other people there I knew were in the "reserved" section. I did not know when I was supposed to do what or hymns we were supposed to be singing. Plus, since the congregation is huge, nobody knew that I was an outsider, and nobody went out of their way to be friendly.

There were eight people confirmed in the ceremony last night. All of them had previously been baptized in another Christian denomination. The other RCIA candidates (those who were baptized Catholic and those who are unbaptized) will all join church later, and the bishop, who was not present last night, will be there for those ceremonies.

After the ceremony there was a reception for those confirmed. Unfortunately, the priest forgot to announce the reception. So there were about 20 people and enough food to feed at least 100 if not more. I felt bad for the person who had made the preparations. Fortunately, the high schoolers were also meeting last night. I am sure they were able to put a dent in the food.

My mother ended up choosing the name Monica for her confirmation name, her second choice was Bridget. My father went with Joseph. This is because he desires to be a protector of children, and not because he likes to be buried upside down. If you don't know what I'm referring to please check this out.

On a completely unrelated note: Paul and I have been learning a lot about Ninjas lately. If you need a good laugh, look here.

Warts and All

Paul's humongous wart formed a humongous blister. So yesterday he went back to the podiatrist, who drained the blister and cut away the excess dead skin layers. It seems the doctor was very much surprised how large it had become. As he cut away the skin, he discovered that underneath the wart was a large vascular clump. It would seem that the reason Paul formed such an excessive wart on his heel is that he had a blood vessel malformation which it was able to feed on.

The doctor then called in a prescription for more codeine, dressed the wound and sent Paul on his way. Paul was supposed to leave the bandages on until this morning, but last night it was obvious from the degree of bleeding that the wound would need to be redressed. Unfortunately the blood had clotted partially around the lowest layer of gauze. Fortunately, I had enough experience with wound management (from Sam's tube surgery and the boys' circumcisions that I was able to deal with the wound. Also, fortunately we had some pretty potent topical antibiotics leftover from Sam. (Yes I know that you aren't supposed to use prescriptions on someone they weren't prescribed for.)

I made the comment that when we got married I hadn't particularly envisioned staying up all hours of the night to treat my husband's warts. It's definitely in the "in sickness" clause of the marriage vows. But I guess there are a lot of sicknesses that sound a lot more romantic. Anyhow, my husband knows now for sure (not that he doubted) that I love him with all my heart. (Wife and Mother : Not a job for the weak-stomached or faint-hearted).

In any case we were able to get the wound redressed (we repeated this morning). It is obvious that this wound is far greater and far slower in healing than the doctor anticipated. Paul did not go into work today. But I think by tomorrow he'll be able to manage (on crutches). He probably could have managed a half day, but instead he has spent the whole afternoon on the phone with his co-workers.

In the meantime, I am exhausted since the boys are both sick. Isaac has croup and an ear infection and Sam has the stomach flu. I, on the other hand, am fighting a cold and still not quite recovered from my bout with the flu.

Poor Abigail just wants things to get back to "normal".

Originally, I was going to take the kids to see "Seussical the Musical" tonight. Obviously that won't happen.

Somewhere in the Middle Where Things Get Tight!

I hate paying the bills. Ever since we got married I have been designated the family financial manager. That means it is my job to pay all bills, balance the checkbook. And review our budget. I also do a majority of the shopping, so I guess in a since it is easier for me to keep an eye on things than it would be for Paul.

Paul really has no clue how much money we spend on various things each month. He may have some notion of our mortgage and utility bills. But nearly all other bills have pretty much doubled since the last time he paid attention.

Then there's the checkbook. Supposedly each month I balance it. This is really not a very good description of what I do. Basically I just try to make it not quite so lopsided (or something). Lately, my method of keeping the checkbook on track is to look at our online balance, figure out which things haven't gone through and subtract them out. I do this every time I pay bills.

Tonight I wrote checks for all the bills I need to pay. Then I looked at our online balance. OUCH! I then selected the bills that need to be paid really soon and stuck those in the mail. The rest will have to wait until after payday. We would be considerably overdrawn if we paid them all now.

I don't know if this means I am a bad financial manager or what. There are just always unexpected expenses. I informed Paul of our situation and he was very much taken aback. He had wanted to take me out to Takaoka (Japanese steakhouse) this weekend, but that will have to wait.

I think that perhaps all women should take accounting classes as preparation for being housewives.

Excuse me now, while I go pound my head against a brick wall.

The Week That Was

Caution: The following post covers discussions of warts, vomit and baby poop. Those of you who are squeamish may wish to tune out now.

Monday as far as I can remember was a normal day. I was kind of achy all over and didn't feel hungry, but I just attributed this to normal wear and tear.

Tuesday morning, I still didn't feel great, but plans went on as normal. This included an appointment for Paul with his podiatrist. The reason for the appointment was the attempted removal (again) of the wart on Paul's left foot. Some of you may remember about a year ago Paul started treatment to have a wart removed. This is the same wart. The doctor has tried many methods to little avail. So this time he pulled out the big guns; he injected bleomycin (a cancer fighting agent) under the wart to kill the blood vessels feeding the wart. After the appointment Paul drove home and limped into the house.

His foot pain was pretty bad, so I drove him to work. Then he decided to take off early and I loaded the kids up to pick him up. By this time I was feeling pretty queasy and didn't feeling like cooking, so we decided on old shoe for dinner. We were a pretty funny sight at the restaurant I am sure.

In any case, by the time we got home Paul could barely walk and I was projectile vomiting. (Obviously we should have gone straight home). For the next three days Paul lay on the couch with his foot propped up with ice off and on it. The doctor ended up prescribing codeine. The wart is now swollen and black and blue. It is painful to look at. Meanwhile. I was not able to keep anything (even ice was a problem) for two days. By Friday morning I was able to eat popsicles. And tonight I ate real food! The doctor prescribed medicine that has helped a lot. Unfortunately I had to stop nursing Isaac for two days.

I was afraid Isaac would not want to nurse at all again. But that was not a problem. Yesterday morning he was more than willing. And I guess he nursed more heartily than I realized. Last night, he awoke during the night and I entered his room to check on him. I smelled a distinct odor. It smelled like newborn baby poop. You parents know what I mean. The yellowish stuff that isn't really stinky that babies that are only on breast milk have (since Isaac eats a lot of solids he hasn't had this for awhile). He must have nursed an awful lot because he was up to his armpits.

And speaking of baby poop. Sammy had for the first time in his life form bowel movements! The doctor recently started him on a juice drink with added protein. He is obviously digesting it well, so we are very happy about that.

Sorry if I grossed anyone out. Being a mommy really has changed my perspective on this sort of thing.

Sacred water cannon

I have never been a big fan of theology. When I have had to listen to theological debates, I have often felt supremely frustrated. Can't I just go and follow my Christ. Does all this really matter?
Last night I was reading John Calvin, and a discussion of baptism. It really surprised me when he said of the means of baptism (I paraphrase here) "We should really stop bickering, this doesn't matter." I told this to Paul, and his response was "Calvin said that? I thought he was all about bickering?" So we decided to call the belief of Calvin "sola bickeres"

Now before you Presbyterians (or other reformed traditions) are all on the attack. Please let me say that I admire many things about Calvin, if I did not I would not have been reading his work. But if you have read his work, you must admit that he is overly opinionated and able to reach grand conclusions from tiny statements in scripture.

So for all of you non-theologians who are really bored by my religion-minded blogs, I apologize. And for all of you theologians who are way smarter than me, I apologize. This is just me trying to muddle through things in my own way. I promise to include an amusing (to me anyway) anecdote at the end of the discussion.

Anyhow, I've been thinking about baptism a lot.

Does the method of baptism matter? I think I'm going to go with Calvin on this one and say no. I found an interesting passage about this in the Didache (dating to the second century) which said that it was best to baptize in living water (e.g.) a stream, but that any water would work, and that if immersion was not possible then pouring was acceptable. So immersion is preferable, but other baptisms are not considered any less effective. The Free Methodist Church teaches that the person being baptized (or parents in the case of a child) may choose which method they prefer.

Second, what is baptism anyway? I asked this to Paul. He said "You know it's that service at church when they dunk someone in the water." I gave him the look and he shrugged at me and said "An outward sign of an inward change?"

This sounds a lot like the baptist view point. According to the baptists (and some other denominations), baptism is merely symbolic. No actual grace is conferred through the act of baptism.

Then I wonder: Why get baptized at all? Since when did Jesus ever command us to do something that accomplished nothing and was merely symbolic?

Our churches official doctrine on baptism is that it is a sacrament, and therefore a method by which God confers grace onto the believer. It is also the symbol of belonging to the new covenant of atonement, just as circumcision was the rite of the old covenant. Because children are included in the new covenant, they may be baptized as infants. However, in our church very few people have their children baptized, instead we dedicate them to God. The dedication ceremony is very similar to a baptism in some senses. It focuses on the parents commitment to raise the child in the Christian faith. Moreover, as parents we are giving our children to God, understanding that they are gifts from him and that we will do our duty to teach them according to his ways. Then, the church also pledges to stand by the child and to help in his Christian upbringing.

Then when the child is old enough to understand, he may choose to receive the sacrament of baptism.

The more I research these ceremonies and the Catholic understanding of baptism, the more convinced I become that the baby dedication has come to be "Baptism without water" and that baptism for the dedicated child is standing in the place of confirmation.

You Catholics who understand these sacraments as actual conveyors of grace, may be cringing at all of this. And you may perhaps be wondering how a dedication could possibly have the same effect as a baptism. I'm sure the church would say that it did not. But I will also remind you that the Catholic church does say that although we know God works through the understood sacraments, that He is God and he is not tied to these sacraments (I am really wondering why I did not right the page number and exact quote for that down). The Catholic Church also teaches a "Baptism of Desire" in which the desire for baptism produces the fruits of baptism (water or no).

In my research I have found very little defense for the Baptism of adults only and very much for infant baptism. An interesting note about choice baptism advocates is that they tend to believe that a child has no guilt of sin until the age of understanding (and therefore no need of forgiveness). As a mother, I will vouch that my children can know very well right and wrong long before they are old enough to understand the theology of baptism. And at the same time they can know and understand that Jesus loves them is their helper. Should I deprive them of the benefit baptism affords?

I will also say that I do not believe that baptizing a child is a guarantee of salvation. And no matter how much I might will it, their is only so much I can do to bring about the salvation of my children. But with God's help I will claim his promises.

And as a mommy I ask myself: What would happen if we do have the children baptized. The church, I am sure would not have seen such a sight in quite some time!!! Can you imagine?

For now, Paul still has great qualms about infant baptism. And since he is the spiritual head of our home I will follow his lead. And I will trust in his decisions, knowing full well that God's grace is much more powerful than any sacrament can contain.

And now for that story I promised.

Yesterday in Sunday School we had this great conversation about how believing in Jesus causes us to have a water canon shooting out of our stomach. This was an excellent follow-up to the previous discussion about being cannibals and eating Jesus. At least I have to hope maybe the high schoolers are actually getting something out of Sunday school.

Anyway, since baptism is supposed to be with living water, all we need is to find a person with living water and have him stand over the children.

It makes me think of the time Abigail and I went for a walk and the fire hydrant on the corner was open (for no apparent reason). It gushed and gushed water and Abigail was soaked from head to toe. (I was only soaked up to my waist). In retrospect, I would have let her play even longer, since opportunities like that are rare.

Amazing Grace!

Last night Paul was able to get off work a little early (having already put in over 50 hours for the week), so we were able to have a date night. Nana and Papa watched the little ones as usual.

We went to see the movie Amazing Grace. If you have not seen this movie, go and see it! It is totally wonderful. It really makes you think about the horrors of the slave trade, but also about many topics applicable to how we should live our life today. I found it very encouraging, though also challenging in some ways.

Moreover, it is quite humorous. Not in a slapstick, comic relief way. But in the way that displays human character. You laugh because you can relate to it.

For those of you unfamiliar with the story, Amazing Grace tells the story of William Wilberforce and his long-suffering fight to abolish the British slave trade. In doing so it shares his personal faith journey as well as his friendship with William Pitt (Prime Minister of England), and his courtship with Barbara Spooner. The characters all really came alive for me.

I do believe this is one of the best movies I have ever seen.

So go out there and see it! Let Hollywood know with your dollar that we want them to incredible movies like this one!

I stand alone on the Word of God

One of the key dividing points between Protestants and Catholics is the idea of sola scriptura, meaning by scripture alone. The Catholic belief is that of sola verbo dei (by the word of God alone), and prima scriptura (scripture first).

Obviously, no one believes that all truth is contained within the scripture. For example, it is true that I took my children for a walk today, the Bible does not deal with this at all. So what is supposedly contained in the scripture, all spiritual Truth? First I will say, all Truth necessary for salvation is contained within the Bible. The Catholic church would not dispute this. Honestly, all Truth necessary for salvation is probably obtainable given only any one of the four Gospels.

So what is the distinction between the Protestant and Catholic beliefs: Primarily that the Protestants say that the Word of God is Scripture while the Catholics say that it also contains sacred Tradition and the Magisterium of the church. In scripture, God promises severe suffering to whoever would take away from or add to his Word. The Catholics say that the Protestants have taken away from it, the Protestants say the Catholics have added to it. Who is right.

First of all, on tradition. Not all tradition is Sacred. The Sacred tradition comes primarily from the early church fathers, 100 AD - 800 AD. Most protestants (myself included) no little or nothing about these church fathers. The earliest of these received direct apostolic teachings. Among the sacred traditions are the Nicene Creed and the Apostolic Creed, which are accepted by most protestants. How can that be? They support the most basic tenets of the Christian faith, and are easily supported by scripture. Huh? How is this different from prima scriptura? I don't know. So sola scriptura seems to be faltering.

The second part of sola scriptura deals with the interpretation of scripture. Luther claimed that scripture interprets scripture well enough for itself and did not need an interpreter. Therefore, if the Bible was available to the common man that would be enough. Now I have had many arguments about various Biblical passages to know that not everyone interprets things the same way. Moreover, the need for translation introduces greater propensity for human error, plus the translator often intentionally or not adds his own interpretation to the scripture by the words he chooses. To solve this confusion on can find a plethora of commentaries. We have at least a dozen commentaries. Besides this, there are volumes upon volumes of books on Christian living. Then we go to church on Sunday to here the preacher speak on some topic. Moreover, as members of a church we are expected to follow that churches doctrines or disciplines (which denomination you attend greatly affects the degree and type of disciples you are expected to follow). So if there is no need of an interpreter, then why on earth don't we just sit and listen to someone read the scriptures straight up with no additions or explanations.

On the other hand, the Catholic Church is able to rely on the pope and his bishops to interpret the scriptures. They can live by the Magisterium. Unfortunately, many Catholics have a lack of sufficient experience with and understanding of much of the Bible. This does not mean there is a flaw in basic doctrine.

Moreover, if the Bible was all there is. That would mean that God had stopped revealing himself to man. I know from personal experience this is not true. I have heard the voice of God.

So what is left of the sola scriptura argument then. "I don't believe that I should have to follow traditions not stated in the Bible and I should not have to submit to The Church's interpretation of the Bible."

I guess what I have always believed in is the prima scriptura argument. The Bible is the ultimate expression of God's word and nothing that is contrary to it can possibly be true. I think at least that most evangelical protestants would say the same thing.

Furthermore, the person who first steps out believing sola scriptura may easily lead himself to the heresy of solo (alone) which is that Truth is found only in an individual's interpretations (meaning that truth is different for everyone).

P.S. Praise God for sunshine and warm weather!!!!!

Help, I think I'm becoming Catholic!?!?!

Last night I just couldn't get to sleep. So what did I do? I decided to read something I thought would be tedious and boring. Apparently I chose the wrong book.

I picked Three Treatises by Martin Luther (obviously in an English translation).

Before I go further, remember back to what you have been taught. Why did the reformation happen? What was Martin Luther really beefed about?

Did you answer MONEY?

I wouldn't have.

Seriously, the book is page after page Ad hominem attacks on the pope whom he refers to as "The Avarice". And complaints because the Pope was asking the German people for money. Then he was sending Cardinals in to rule the German monasteries, and these cardinals were being paid money that had been going to the previous leaders. So as he saw it, Rome was taking over Germany by taking advantage of there piety and asking for money and submissions. Luther claimed then that Rome was using its power to live lavishly on the pains of others.

In actuality, at the time Rome was pretty much bankrupt. The reason is that the pope had waged wars that were far more than he could afford. This is why he asked for more, and this is why he allowed the sale of indulgences to occur.

It all seemed so petty that by page 50 I was in tears.

Don't get me wrong, I know there was a lot of worldliness in the church at that time which needed to be dealt with. Furthermore, the pope had clearly gotten himself into a quandry by becoming overly concerned with political things.

But to split the church over this? Not for all the truly legitimate gripes that I had previously heard (maybe those come sometime later in the book, I hope?).

Wow...

Coming soon:

What is sola scriptura?
Misconceptions about the Immaculate Conception
Assumptions about the Assumption

I am hoping that all of you whatever your beliefs will tune in and help me out with these weighty topics

In the meantime, you can sit and ponder another deep (or not) question:

How do you respond when your three-year-old matter-of-factly tells you "Mommy, all of the girls' leotards are more fancier than mine, aren't they?"

I said "yes" But I am doubting this answer remains satisfactory forever.

Scrapbooking and Tumbling

Last night, after I put the children to bed I took some good advice, and had some ME time. I didn't watch TV, but even better I pulled out my scrapbooking supplies. Oh my! Have we really all aged so much the last two years? I had not worked on my scrapbooks since before Sam, so I am pretty far behind. I still could not bring myself to work on the pictures from right after his birth, but I did use pictures from his first days at home and a few of his first visits. I got about five pages done, and finally crashed around 11. Paul didn't get home until nearly midnight, and I was just too tired to wait up for him.

This morning Paul took Sam to gymnastics class. They both obviously had a lot of fun. The teacher even let Paul get on the giant trampoline (ostensibly so he could teach Sam how to jump). It is obvious that Sam is still pretty far behind his classmates, but he is making wonderful progress. I am so glad his physical therapist suggested it. I think Paul will continue to take Sam as long as these hours continue. I guess this is one of those little blessings in the midst of what seems like a real frustration.

On another note. I think I was about ready to sing the Hallelujah chorus last night upon the realization that I have M. I was starting to get concerned. I love my little blessings, but I don't think I am ready for another one.

I miss Paul

Paul is now working 1PM - 10PM Monday through Saturday. The long hours are really hard on all of us. There are some advantages to having him home in the mornings, so maybe I wouldn't mind the schedule so much if it was only five days a week instead of six.

A strange effect of the new schedule is that I suddenly have a lot more time alone. Yes, the kids are here, but they are go two bed at 8:30 and Paul does not return home until 10:30. Plus, I am not as exhausted yet when afternoon naptime arrives, so I am able to get more done. Don't get me wrong, my house is still a far cry from truly clean, but it does look a lot better. I have found that when the children are awake, the amount of time it takes to clean one room is the same amount it takes to destroy another.

Unfortunately, I am not as productive as I ought to be. I am really good at finding ways to waste my time. For instance, I've really gotten into this whole blogging thing. It helps me feel like I am more connected to other adults. I read several blogs of people I have never actually met. I sometimes wonder if any of them are reading my blog. If so, please don't feel afraid to speak up.

Puddle Jumping

Sunday midday and Monday afternoon I got to puddle jump. Granted, it was snowing Sunday here in Cleveland so all puddles would be ice at the moment, but I wasn't physically jumping in puddles like a small child wearing galoshes after it rains. What was I doing then? Well, there's a hint in Shae's last post. Give up? I went on an interview. The interview was with ITT in Ft. Wayne. The company travel agent thought I should fly. Thankfully, she did not register me for the flight that involved a 2-hr layover in Chicago (or the flight with a layover in Detroit). Had those been my only options, I was going to say "but I can get to there by car in less time." Instead, I rode a Beech craft 1900 -- a little twin-prop plane. It was a rather different experience than my red-eye from Seattle WA to Cleveland OH over Labor Day weekend. It was neat though getting above the snow clouds and seeing the sea of white. Not to mention seeing the frozen lake.

I have decided that arriving in the Ft. Wayne airport is nice because they give you a cookie as you leave. This was a happy surprise, and left me to wonder if other airports did this too, but I can tell you now that Cleveland-Hopkins does not.

Courtesy of the modern wonder that is a rental car, I was able to visit Shae and family. I figure that the worst case scenario of this trip would be that I got a free (more or less provided I get reimbursed) trip to visit my friends.

How did the interview go? Well, I was there from 8 am until about 2:30 pm. I saw enough of the building to feel horribly disoriented by the end of the day. The work sounds like interesting, honest-to-goodness engineering work as opposed to my current position where I am bored because they don't sufficiently challenge me. So it sounds like a good opportunity, while at the same time I must admit to being a little overwhelmed at the prospect of actual engineering work. I was asked various questions regarding what I learned at Rose and I felt so rusty as I was formulating my answers (this might also had something to do with the airplane ride the day before; though really I got enough sleep, I just still felt out of it).

Now, having been on an airplane all of 3 times in my life, perhaps the fact I have an aerospace concentration from Rose isn't quite as absurd. On the return flight I was actually fairly calm, which is great progress for me.

So, that is the story of my trip to Ft. Wayne. I may have some interviews closer to home in the near future as well, but I don't know yet. All I know is that it will be an adventure seeing where I end up next.

The other moral of the story is that while it was probably a great blessing that I was able to fly for this trip, I think next time I'd rather drive.

Communion

This morning on my way home from the doctor's office, I was listening to Joni and Friends
on the radio. I am not a big fan of Joni Eareckson Tada, but her program is sandwiched between Money Matters and Focus on the Family. Anyhow, Joni was talking about communion and how sometimes when she was taking communion she found herself distracted, and not really thinking about what she was doing. She also noted that sometimes when the plate of crackers is past for communion in her church, people try really hard not to touch crackers other than the one they were taking. I thought this sounded rather odd.

Here is a description on communion in my church. The pastor reads scriptures pertaining to the sacrament of The Lord's Supper and follows the ritual which is given in the Free Methodist Book of Discipline. The bread and cup (containing grape juice not wine) are uncovered. The pastor breaks the bread and says "The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ given for you" and then he breaks a small piece from the bread, dips it in the cup and takes the sacrament. Generally there is an assistant who holds the cup (perhaps an associate pastor or elder). Then the pastor will say "Come as you feel led" (Or something like this). Meanwhile, in our pews we pray to make our hearts right with God. When a person feels ready, he approaches the pastor breaks a piece from the bread and dips it in the juice. (To each person the pastor says "The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ given for you"). Then the person may proceed to the altar to pray before actually consuming the sacrament, or he may return to his seat and pray.

By the way: The method of communion by dipping bread into the juice/wine is called intinction.

Now you might see why the idea of not touching someone else's cracker might seem odd to me, since we are all taking from the same loaf of bread. Those people would probably be disturbed by us, I guess.

A couple of things that I appreciate about this method is that it makes taking the sacrament both very individual and very communal. I also like having the chance to pray and reflect (also repent) beforehand. Also anyone who has a personal belief in Christ is welcome to partake of the sacrament.

I know that different churches have different views on what the sacrament of Holy Communion truly is. We believe that the Real Presence of Christ is in the bread and juice. However, we do not believe that the bread and juice are literally the flesh and blood of Christ. I am not entirely sure how this is different from the Catholic view or not. I have been trying to read the official doctrine but I keep losing myself in it. (It was obviously written by someone much smarter than me).

I remember at one point hearing a science fiction story in which someone was going to take the sacrament after transubstantiation and use it to gather DNA and clone Jesus. Obviously this notion is absurd. However, if you wonder who told me this story, and then used it to mock Catholicism, perhaps he will remember himself when he reads this and fess up. (He is now devoutly Catholic).

Awhile back I was reading The Institutes of Elenctic Theology by Francis Turretin. In that book he argues that the communion is merely a symbolic undertaking. He reasons that if God is omnipresent he cannot be present in one place more others. This seems like baloney to me, since by this logic Christ could not have been a man and still a member of Our Omnipresent Father.

Kathy in the flour

In a past discussion of baby-proofing, Kathy mentioned a picture her mother had taken of her as a baby playing in the flour.

She brought the picture for us to see, when she was here yesterday, so I thought I would share it with all of you.

And some people like to shop?

Last night Paul watched the boys, and I took Abigail out shopping. What kind of shopping? Clothing shopping. For me! Which is one of my most dreaded types of shopping. But at least I don't need a new bathing suit.
I went to all of the anchor stores and to a few of the smaller ones. The verdict: I am funny-shaped. I came home empty-handed, but at least I got to spend the evening with my daughter.

Does anyone else have the problem where nothing fits? I finally decided that I would look online and possibly order from someone who could make a garment according to my measurements. I'm a little nervous about this, though. In the meantime, I will stick with my blue jeans and Paul's old T-shirts.