Wordless Wednesday: Smiles

This photo was taken at the boys’ last basketball game.  Gabe was an excellent fan and supported his brothers well. 

Linking up with Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom.

A Baby Dedication

Yesterday was a special day.  However, the Engineer joked that if we had any more children they probably wouldn’t get dedicated until they were in high school. 

Most people have their children dedicated relatively soon after their child is born. 

On average, we have dedicated our precious legacies around 15 months of age.

Sigh.

But alas, Naomi was dedicated with her good buddy, Ashton.  (You may remember this fun post – written before I used LiveWriter --  with one of Ashton’s sisters.)

We kept the day simple, as we are feeling a bit busy and overwhelmed these days and had the grandparents over for brunch.

My friend, Brooke took the pictures and I think she did a swell job.  The images are shot in raw.  I’m not convinced that raw is better for editing.

What is a baby dedication? 

Taken from what we see in the Bible, such as:

Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (Luke 2: 22b),

Because Jesus was set apart and presented to the Lord, we have chosen to follow suit and present Naomi to the Lord.  (I often picture the Lion King for some reason, when I think of a baby dedication.)

It is a time set aside, usually during a Sunday morning or time when believers are gathered together, to present the child to the congregation.  Here we proclaim that Naomi (insert your child’s name) is God’s. 

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.  (Ephesians 2: 8-9)

We vow to bring her up in the knowledge of Scripture and belief that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. 

Fathers,do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)

Additionally, the fellowship of believers agree to help train Naomi up in the ways of God, by being Sunday School teachers, involved in the Awana program, youth group, etc.

Likewise, we have our parents there (Grandparents) because they are also involved in the nurturing of our children.

This “dedication” does not equate to salvation.  Nor is it necessary for salvation.  It is a ceremony . . . a benchmark where we take a stand and promise to train her up according to Scripture.  Not brain wash her . . . but train her up. 

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.  Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. . . .

The LORD commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the LORD our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today.  (Deuteronomy 6:  4-8, 24)

 

An Unusual Egg Salad

Last week, I lacked most of the ingredients I needed to make egg salad.  I decided to improvise. I hope you enjoy this nourishing egg salad as much as my belly did.

Ingredients

• 4 hard boiled* eggs
• 1 tbls counter top yogurt
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 tbls capers
• 1 head of Romaine lettuce (or iceberg)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Smash the eggs. 

Mix in remaining ingredients (minus the lettuce, silly goose).  Salt and pepper the salad to your liking.

Skip the bread, and scoop a generous amount of egg salad onto a washed lettuce leaf.  Swaddle the salad with the green leaf and enjoy.

* To boil and egg, place desired amount of eggs in a pot.  Cover with water.  Bring water to a boil.  Keep the water gurgling for 2-5 minutes.  (The longer the cooking time the firmer your egg yolk.)  Take off heat, drain water, and immediately immerse in cold water.

The Ride of a Lifetime: A Review

Had I known what this book was about . . . I would not have agreed to review this book.  I was haunted by its words and the images it evoked in my overactive imagination.  I should have read the other reviews more closely.

I can not handle books dealing with the occult, with a strong focus on evil.  Though this book ends with evil being overcome . . . it left me feeling ill. 

I know that there is a battle occurring on earth that we can’t see, as Scripture tells us so . . . and I don’t ignore that this war is waging . . . but I don’t like to read about it.  It causes shadows to become monsters and for me to focus on evil rather than the truth and freedom found in God’s Word.

I read the beginning . . . . and had to stop before I reached the middle . . . and then picked up the last two chapters.  I could not fall asleep with the little that I read. 

If you have an imagination that naturally runs on steroids, DO NOT READ The Ride of a Lifetime.  Don’t open your brain to the images contained in this book.  However, if you can handle the type of fiction contained in this book . . . then you will probably enjoy this read.  It is a Frank Peretti style book.  (Which I can’t choose not to read anymore.)

Undefeated: A Movie Review

Last night the Engineer and I had the privilege of viewing the new documentary Undefeated.

If you like football, you will really enjoy this docudrama which recently earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary.  But even those who are indifferent to the gridiron will enjoy the life lessons in this true story.  It is a heartwarming story depicting the human struggle to rise above seemingly impossible circumstances.

 

(photos from the Undefeated website)

Undefeated is a story about the Manassas Tigers, an underprivileged football team from one of the roughest neighborhoods in Memphis.  Operating on a shoe string budget and only 17 players on the roster, the Manassas program makes a dramatic turnaround at the hands of volunteer head coach, Bill Courtney.

Courtney was a man who believed in the young men of Manassas and was willing to sacrifice so much in his own life and family so that others could have a chance at a life full of opportunity.

What the Engineer and I appreciated most about this documentary was that the focus wasn’t necessarily on the X’s and O’s of football.  Football was merely the backdrop by which these young men learned that character, hard work, discipline and commitment could open up doors of opportunity.

“Football doesn’t build character.  It reveals character,” is a line that Coach Courtney drills into his players.  The film closely tracks the character development of three players both on and off the field.  The results are amazing as one player learns to control his anger after returning to the field from a year in juvie and two other players earn the right to go to college by hard work on the field and in the class room.

What will strike you about Coach Courtney is how much he sacrificed for these young men.  Bill Courtney readily admits the toll his coaching took on his family and his business.

After growing up fatherless himself, Courtney devotes himself to serving as a surrogate father for many of the players.  The movie reveals his internal struggle with the need he sees in the lives of the Manassas players and yet not wanting to be an absentee father in his own children’s lives.  

Bill Courtney volunteered.  He gave of himself and it COST him something… actually it cost him a lot.  BUT he didn’t give so much of himself that it cost him his family. 

I can’t help but wonder what would happen if only more of us were willing to give our lives for others and still love our families well the way Bill Courtney did.

Watch the trailer here. 

P.S.  If you want to see how fast a 315 pound 16 year old can run, check out this YouTube video. 

Thanks Grace Hill Media for allowing me to review this fine documentary.  I was not paid for this post and freely gave my (our) opinion.