Humdudgeons

I opened my Elisabeth Elliot devotional this morning and found this... the whole post is really good. If you want to read it, check out the link in my list of blogs that I read. It's really good. (Also the C.S. Lewis quote for today on this page is excellent!!)

"The word humdudgeon is a new one to me and I like the sound of it. It means "a loud complaint about a trifle."Heard any of those lately around your house? One mother thought of an excellent antidote:all humdudgeons must be presented not orally but in writing, "of two hundred words or more." There was a sudden marked reduction in whining and complaining."

Things about which I am tempted to complain this morning (but it would be less that 200 words).
Our car needs 2 new tires
My 16 year old son has the chicken pox
I have a headache

Well, I guess it's really not that much. In the grand scheme of things these are really minor irritations (well, for Joseph it's more of an irritation than that I guess). I really am glad for:

orange juice
a week off from school
cooler weather
a house to live in
food to eat
clothes to wear
my family
and the list goes on and on and on....

There is much to be thankful for.
I think I'll choose contentment today instead of humdudgeons.

Time Passages

I remember when my boys took their first steps. It seems like yesterday. I just watched one of my twin sons drive off with his dad for "driving practice". I took my other son out yesterday to practice just driving around the neighborhood (right turns, left turns, right turns, left turns... no U-turns yet). I almost cried at the realization that this is yet another new phase in their lives as well as ours. It seems like they just started walking.... right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot. Before I know it they'll be out of High School and on their own. I don't know where the time went.
All that advice I heard when they were babies about enjoying every moment. They were right.

Holocost

We happened to be watching public TV tonight... Rick Steves Europe. He was talking about Poland and spent quite a lot of time talking about WWII and the Jewish Holocost. It's painful to watch and see what happened during that dark time of history. At the Auschwitz death camp approximately 4 million Jewish people were executed.

This made me think of something from the Presidential debate last night. There was a question about Israel (don't remember exactly what it was). Both candidates said that we don't want to have "another Holocost". I wish I could have asked a question of them both about abortion. I should have looked up the facts, but I think it's about 50 million babies that have been killed since 1973! One picture of the death camp in Poland showed a huge pile of shoes (to give a visual image of just how many people were killed). Imagine how many pairs of baby shoes that would be!

Coming up in a few weeks, on October 21st is "Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity". Please check out their website. I plan to participate in this, to speak up for those who can't speak for themselves.
Maybe someday the world will see the horrible holocost that has been going on for the past 35 years and do something to stop it!

"To Tell the Truth"

We have the Presidential debate on TV. My husband was just saying how great it would be if we could see a banner running across the bottom of the screen with the actual TRUTH, FACTs as opposed to what is being said (on BOTH sides!).

I do appreciate it when the candidates actually answer the questions directly. It doesn't happen very often. I just found this clip on abortion. At least on this issue it's pretty clear where they each stand.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mem_xEcZHVY

God's ways or man's ways

I just finished book #2 in a series called "Chronicles of the Kings" (or something like that). It's a series based on the kings of the Old Testament. The book I just finished last night was about King Hezekiah. In this book he has just become king and decided to make major reforms in his kingdom. Judah had given herself over to rampant idolatry which had caused them to be slaves to another nation (Assyria). I'm finding so many parallels to our times (thinking of the financial crisis in particular).

Hezekiah committed himself to follow God's laws unswervingly in the face of opposition (and in the face of "common sense"). I am struck with how often (most often) God's ways simply don't make sense to us, but His ways are best (higher, greater, wiser). Throughout Israel's history God's ways don't make human sense, but when they trusted in Him and His ways, they were delivered. Think about the Exodus from Egypt, about Joshua facing Jericho (marching around the walls? C'mon! You gotta be kidding!), David facing Goliath, and the examples go on and on.

Toward the end of the book Hezekiah is faced with some choices as to how to defend his kingdom against impending attack from the Assyrians. Should he send tribute to them? Should he marshall his forces, build up his troops and weapons? Make sure the city's water supply is taken care of? God confronts him thorugh the prophet Isaiah, who tells him that first and foremost he should rely on God.... not on man's wisdom, not on military might, not on natural resources. He does this and the Assyrians leave!

I've been pondering all this today. I just read in Proverbs 3, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Don't lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." Then in Jeremiah 17.... "Cursed is the man who trusts in man (then a description of the man who trusts in man... a dried up bush in the desert), but Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord (described as a tree planted by streams of water).

With our current financial crisis, with all the stuff we face, with "global warming" and so many other crises. What will I choose? What will we choose? Go with Hezekiah's God (and our God!) and be a tree planted by streams of water (bearing fruit, not withering) OR - Go with man's wisdom and be like a dried up bush in the desert?
I want to be the tree.

Fancy concert duds

Here we are in our "concert duds". My son and daughter are in the concert choir at the High School and my son is also in the Madrigal choir.
The concert went well. *whew* Now we prepare for Christmas music. But, tomorrow I sleep in.

Concert clothes

My son tried on his tux tonight for our concert tomorrow. He's smiling, but really not very comfortable.