Random Quotes

Here are a few pieces of conversations I have heard between Holly and the girls in the last few days.

"Rebekah!  Don't eat Josie's Milk Bones!"

"No Gabby, I don't think that cow is trying to drink out of its own udder."

"Gabby, why are you crying?"
        sniffle sniffle "I don't know."

A hint of spring

The sun was shining, the temperature was warm, and our friends were waiting for us at the park.  We know how to enjoy the day.  There would have been more pictures, but I was busy bike riding with my friend, pushing small children on a scooter, and talking.  What a great reminder of what is in our near future. 

Ice Skating

We had the opportunity to join our home-school group for adventure at the ice rink.  Since it was the first time for the kids, they had a few spills, but fell with smiles. 

We began the day with all smiles.

Before...

After.

Looking good for Gabby, not so hot for her friend Rachel.

Getting ready for an impressive jump.

By the wet pants and tired facial expression, Gabby has hit the floor a few times and is ready to go home.

Looking good.

Samuel takes a break with his friend, Devon.

What is Truth????????

This past Sunday, in the World Religions class I am leading at church, the topic was the politically correct culture of today which has led to the vast acceptance of moral and ethical relativity.  This has led me over the past week to really think about truth and what it means.

 We have been led to believe in the schools and the media today that truth is relative to who you are, your culture, and your personal moral convictions.  The culture today does not allow anyone to put forward a standard, lest someone feel left out, convicted, or expected to change.  What is right for you is right for you, just don’t tell me it is right for me.  You believe that abortion is wrong?  That is fine for you, but don’t tell me I’m wrong and don’t tell me what to do!  But the problem is that it is either right or it is wrong, it cannot be both.

How is it that we have gotten so mired in intellectual infancy that we are able to say that opposing points of view are true, when they are diametrically opposed to one another?  The reason is that as soon as we affirm that there is in fact truth, we have to ask the question, “Who gets to define truth?”  Does the culture get to define truth?  If 51% of the members of a given culture are in favor of a practice or belief, does that make it true.  I believe the flaws in this point of view are obvious.  While it can be argued that the majority of the population of Germany in the 30s and 40s did not know or necessarily approve of the extermination of the Jews, it is undeniable that, at a minimum, the majority at the time approved of the discrimination towards the Jewish people.  Was this acceptable at the time since the Jews were in the minority?  There are numerous examples of this throughout time and across national and ethnic borders.  So if truth is culturally based, then we have no grounds upon which to say these atrocities were wrong.  They were simply a product of a different time and a different culture.

While I am not in line with much of his theology, Thomas Merton (a Trappist monk from Kentucky) coined the phrase, “No man is an island.”  This is so true.  What we believe affects what we do, and what we do affects others.  We cannot completely withdraw from the world and become an island buffered by vast emptiness which insulates us from the thoughts, beliefs and morals of others.  The truth which we hold to has an impact upon the lives of others.

So the question remains, if there is truth, who defines it?  Do I say what is true for me, and you say what is true for you?  We hear this so many times in our culture, “Well, that may be true for you, but…”  The problem comes when my truth and your truth are in conflict.  If my truth allows me to take your property because you should be sharing with me anyway, as soon as I do so, the immediate response is going to be, “You can’t do that!”  The problem that this poses to the one who says that truth and morals are relative to the individual is that they have in that instant judged my morals incorrect and theirs to be the ultimate standard.  So they have then become the definer of truth, something their beliefs don’t allow them to do and be intellectually honest.

The fact of the matter is that truth leads us to the divine.  I cannot define truth.  You cannot define truth.  Ghandi cannot define truth.  No matter how good we think we are, we are fallen, flawed, sinful, and selfish.  But if there is truth to be had, some would argue that we have no way of knowing it.  They would argue that all religions are flawed and all have some elements of truth, so you have to just pick and choose from the myriad in existence.  But if there is a divine being that defines truth, this being must be good or evil.  If this divine being is good, he would surely reveal to us what truth is and what the standard is we are expected to meet.  Only an evil god would leave us living in fear and doubt as to how we should live, what is expected of us, and how we can meet that expectation.

This is why outside of Christianity, what we see is doubt and insecurity.  Within Islam, no one knows if they have met the standard and what their standing is with god.  In Hinduism, one can only hope they have done enough to break out of the cycle of reincarnation, if that is even possible.  This stands in stark contrast with the God of the Bible who tells us that He does have a standard, and His standard is nothing less than perfection.  But God in His infinite wisdom and goodness knew there was no way we, as fallen and depraved human beings, could ever meet this standard.  We could never do enough or be good enough to reach perfection.  So He provided a means of escape from the cycle of sin and death.  It was only through the perfect blood of His one and only Son that we are made clean.

So do I as a Christian get to define truth?  Absolutely not!  But I do have truth and know where to find truth.  We have a loving God who has not only revealed much of Himself to us, He has revealed truth to us as well.  It is only by following His truth, which leads us to the cleansing blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, that we are redeemed, and it is only by following the truth He has revealed to us in the Bible that we are sanctified.

Running with God

I could feel the coolness seeping through the window as I peered out at the snowy flakes drifting to the ground.  Occasionally they would swirl as a strong breeze whipped through them.  No sunshine.  No warmth.  No pretty flowers or leaves on the trees.  Nothing outside made a run look tempting.  I knew it wouldn't be my favorite run, but I knew the reward would be worth the work.  I laced my Saconys, took off my glasses, and opened the door, letting in a breathtaking gust of coldness. 

As I ran, snow flakes pelted my face and my eyes teared from the cold temperature.  The path became blurry, but that didn't stop me.  I raced on.  I knew where I was going.  I had run that path hundreds of times.  I knew every root, every rock, every dip, and every tree branch that arched over the trail at face level.  I didn't need a clear view of the path because I had received a clear view so many times before on those glorious spring and fall days when the sun reflected off the dew drops on the ground, making the grass glisten like diamonds.   I knew the trail.  I didn't need to see it clearly to run it.

My knowledge of the trail led me to ask myself if I had the same knowledge of God.  Did I know Him well enough that I could recognize His hand in my life even when the view was blurry?  Could I still trust His love for me even when my eyes filled with tears of disappointment?  Would I be able to press on in what He was calling me to do even when I felt life's difficulties pelting me in the face?  Do I know my God as well as I know my running trail? 

When I returned home and discarded my wet muddy running shoes and shed my damp jacket, I realized that I didn't know my running path the first time I ran it, or the twentieth time I ran it.  I learned each rock and each hill, only by running it, over and over and over again, even when I didn't want to.  Even when the cold threatened to take away my breath or the rain promised to leave me dripping.  I ran anyway, knowing the rewards would be worth the work.  So it is with God; a continual walk even when feelings are gone because we know the reward is worth the work.  Walking with God isn't always about the sunshine.  Sometimes we step through storms, but we never go alone.  And just as I've become familiar with my running trail because I've run it regularly rain, shine or snow, I've also come to know my King, a little more each day. 



Praise the LORD.  Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens.  Praise Him for His acts of power; praise Him for His surpassing greatness.  Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise Him with the harp and lyre, praise Him with tambourine and dancing, praise Him with the strings and flute, praise Him with the clash of cymbals, praise Him with resounding cymbals.  Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.  Praise the LORD.  Psalm 150

Legos, Legos, Legos

 I have done a few Lego posts in the past but this one is the most amazing. Not all the sets are pictured individually but they are all very cool. The black one is called the slicer because of the big knives on the side. The one with the yellow front in the far left is called the W-front because the front is shaped like a W. It is my most powerful ship.

 This house is called the patriotic house because of it's color. It is the biggest model pictured here.

 This robot is called a war bot because of it's armor and the gun's on it's arms. I would like to say I built it myself but actually I built it with a friend. It is complete with moving legs,knees,arms,and elbows. It also has armor that comes up over it's head.

 This speeder has two guns on the sides. It can pilot two minifigures. It also has an opening trunk and control panels.

This may not look very hard to build but it is actually the most complicated. If you don't know what it is then it is an American flag. It is complete with fifty stars but there is one flaw. Can you spot it?

Yes, it's only got 12 stripes not 13. I didn't realize this, however, till after I had finished.

I hope this has inspired you to build but remember if doesn't turn out like you want it to just go with it. Lego models can't go wrong.(Unless you drop it. That's never good.)