Even though I've made ribs and they turned out good (or maybe "good enough") tonight was the first time I made ribs that knocked our socks off. This was completely different. Deliciously different.
Every other time, I simmered the ribs for about an hour, and then put on the barbecue sauce to grill them for a few minutes. This time I looked up a variety of online recipes. Most said to boil the ribs as I'd always done. But some recipes said not to; one said that you boil all the flavor out so that you have great broth but not-great ribs.
The trick is to cook them very very very long on very very low heat. Neither Gary nor I wanted to tend the grill for the whole day. So I applied a rub (some sugar, salt, spices) to both sides of the meat and let it sit for an hour. Then the racks of ribs were laid on large pieces of foil. I poured on barbecue sauce and sealed up the foil into a tight package. Then those packets baked at 250 for about six hours. When it was nearly time to eat, I opened the packets, poured on another tablespoon or two of BBQ sauce, and popped them under the broiler for a few minutes.
These were the best ribs I've ever eaten in my life. I've never been much of a rib person, but I could definitely have eaten more than my share of the meat tonight!
Saturday, March 27, 2010
John 18:4
In the Garden, when Judas showed up with the soldiers --
Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, "Whom are you seeking?"
Knowing all things that would come upon Him. When the soldiers arrived, He knew what was coming, and still He went forward to face it. A Lamb goes uncomplaining forth...
Interestingly, when He answered, "I am He" a few verses later, they drew back. Jesus --who, humanly speaking, has everything to fear-- goes forward. The thugs --who, humanly speaking, have nothing to fear-- are the ones who retreat. Love goes forward, in spite of suffering. Unbelief pulls away from that love.
Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, "Whom are you seeking?"
Knowing all things that would come upon Him. When the soldiers arrived, He knew what was coming, and still He went forward to face it. A Lamb goes uncomplaining forth...
Interestingly, when He answered, "I am He" a few verses later, they drew back. Jesus --who, humanly speaking, has everything to fear-- goes forward. The thugs --who, humanly speaking, have nothing to fear-- are the ones who retreat. Love goes forward, in spite of suffering. Unbelief pulls away from that love.
Friday, March 26, 2010
The Disciples on Maundy Thursday
I don't get it.
Jesus tells them that one of them will betray Him. They must've thought He knew what He was talking about. They didn't doubt the veracity of what He said; they apparently assumed they were capable of such treachery: they all asked, "Is it I, Lord?"
An hour or so passes. Judas left to fetch the soldiers. Jesus is teaching the others. He says that Peter will deny Him. Peter says "no way; ain't gonna happen." And "they all said likewise." In other words, they thought Jesus was completely off-base about this.
Why? If they thought they were such staunch followers that nothing could make them deny, then why did each one ask if he were the one who would betray the Lord?
Jesus tells them that one of them will betray Him. They must've thought He knew what He was talking about. They didn't doubt the veracity of what He said; they apparently assumed they were capable of such treachery: they all asked, "Is it I, Lord?"
An hour or so passes. Judas left to fetch the soldiers. Jesus is teaching the others. He says that Peter will deny Him. Peter says "no way; ain't gonna happen." And "they all said likewise." In other words, they thought Jesus was completely off-base about this.
Why? If they thought they were such staunch followers that nothing could make them deny, then why did each one ask if he were the one who would betray the Lord?
Today's Laugh
I haven't made time to hunt up jokes this week since my last batch of pre-dated blog jokes ran out. A bunch of you probably saw this one already on the newest episode of my favorite geek show, Big Bang Theory, but I'm posting it anyway since I busted gut over it!
Why did the chicken cross the Mobius strip?
To get to the same side.
Why did the chicken cross the Mobius strip?
To get to the same side.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Honey-Roasted Chicken
Yeah, yeah, I know "honey-roasted" makes ya think of peanuts on an airplane. I bought a chicken a few days ago. Andrew decided that "honey-roasted" sounded good. Where he got that idea, I haven't a clue. But we hunted up some recipes, merged them, and tried it out.
Woooo boy!
For a 5# chicken, we used:
about 2/3 or 3/4 cup honey
about 2 Tbsp lemon juice
about 2 Tbsp olive oil
1/8 or 1/4 tsp Emeril's Essence
about 1/2 tsp salt
about 1/8 tsp pepper
Stir together the glaze/marinade stuff.
Rinse the chicken under running water; shake off excess water.
Put chicken in a big ol' plastic bag.
Pour the honey stuff all over the bird, both sides.
Close bag; smear the marinade all around the bird.
Marinate for 4-6 hours in the fridge, turning the bag over every 1/2 hour or so.
Bake in high-sided roaster (I used the crock from my crockpot) at about 375. It takes about an hour for a 3# bird, and a little more than 2 hours for a 5# one.
After removing chicken from the roaster, dump the liquid from the roaster into a skillet, and boil it like silly to reduce it. This makes an awesome dipping sauce for the chicken. Or to pour on your veggies. Or to dip bread in.
This was super easy and super tasty, and we have to make it again.
Woooo boy!
For a 5# chicken, we used:
about 2/3 or 3/4 cup honey
about 2 Tbsp lemon juice
about 2 Tbsp olive oil
1/8 or 1/4 tsp Emeril's Essence
about 1/2 tsp salt
about 1/8 tsp pepper
Stir together the glaze/marinade stuff.
Rinse the chicken under running water; shake off excess water.
Put chicken in a big ol' plastic bag.
Pour the honey stuff all over the bird, both sides.
Close bag; smear the marinade all around the bird.
Marinate for 4-6 hours in the fridge, turning the bag over every 1/2 hour or so.
Bake in high-sided roaster (I used the crock from my crockpot) at about 375. It takes about an hour for a 3# bird, and a little more than 2 hours for a 5# one.
After removing chicken from the roaster, dump the liquid from the roaster into a skillet, and boil it like silly to reduce it. This makes an awesome dipping sauce for the chicken. Or to pour on your veggies. Or to dip bread in.
This was super easy and super tasty, and we have to make it again.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Comfortable with Yourself
Andrew has a HUGE space between his two front teeth right now.
Today, as we're leaving church, Kara is coming down the driveway in her minivan, and Andrew dawdles around in the road, blocking her. As he finally moves and she drives past, she yells out the window, "Well, I could say something really mean, like 'Don't worry, I'll just drive through the space between your front teeth.'"
Oh my gosh. We cracked up! Andrew went back and high-fived her for such a great zinger!
As we were driving home, it crossed my mind that I would have been devastated if somebody had said something like that to me when I was in high school. But not Andrew. And I thought about Jane's fabulous post yesterday on homeschoolers having their own individual style, and knowing themselves, and not being Conformists Of The First Degree.
When the kids were young, and my mom was looking for gift suggestions, I would tell her about toys or kits or games they might enjoy from Timberdoodle or one of the offbeat toy catalogs. Mom would frequently comment on what neat toys there were, so different from what you see at the major big-box stores. I think the interest in unique playthings is kinda sorta symptomatic of my kids being their own individual people and not cookie-cutter kids.
Today, as we're leaving church, Kara is coming down the driveway in her minivan, and Andrew dawdles around in the road, blocking her. As he finally moves and she drives past, she yells out the window, "Well, I could say something really mean, like 'Don't worry, I'll just drive through the space between your front teeth.'"
Oh my gosh. We cracked up! Andrew went back and high-fived her for such a great zinger!
As we were driving home, it crossed my mind that I would have been devastated if somebody had said something like that to me when I was in high school. But not Andrew. And I thought about Jane's fabulous post yesterday on homeschoolers having their own individual style, and knowing themselves, and not being Conformists Of The First Degree.
When the kids were young, and my mom was looking for gift suggestions, I would tell her about toys or kits or games they might enjoy from Timberdoodle or one of the offbeat toy catalogs. Mom would frequently comment on what neat toys there were, so different from what you see at the major big-box stores. I think the interest in unique playthings is kinda sorta symptomatic of my kids being their own individual people and not cookie-cutter kids.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Socialism and Communism
The definition of socialism is a political and economic system where the government/public owns the means of production, such as land and factories.
The definition of communism is a political and economic system where the government/public owns the means of production, such as land and factories.
Wait a minute. Those two look suspiciously similar.
So what's the difference between socialism and communism? According to my World Book encyclopedias, communists say that communism will be a freewill endeavor, and that socialism is a step on the road to communism. Under socialism, unfortunately, some of those greedy people have to be coerced into paying their taxes and doing what is right for their fellow man. The encyclopedia also reports that socialists see communism as the system where people are forced to participate in the system, but that socialism can be democratic and freely entered into.
I guess it depends on whether you call yourself a socialist or a communist. Either way, it's the other one that is the big bad bully of a system.
Of course, we know the history of the Communist Party in Russia and other nations, where the government terrorized and even murdered its citizens, discouraged religion, and curtailed freedoms. So what is it about Socialists that's different? Here's a quote from the encyclopedia about socialism:
Ah. I see. So the socialists (as opposed to the communists) honor the nation's constitution and work for reconciliation between the political parties. Of course.
The definition of communism is a political and economic system where the government/public owns the means of production, such as land and factories.
Wait a minute. Those two look suspiciously similar.
So what's the difference between socialism and communism? According to my World Book encyclopedias, communists say that communism will be a freewill endeavor, and that socialism is a step on the road to communism. Under socialism, unfortunately, some of those greedy people have to be coerced into paying their taxes and doing what is right for their fellow man. The encyclopedia also reports that socialists see communism as the system where people are forced to participate in the system, but that socialism can be democratic and freely entered into.
I guess it depends on whether you call yourself a socialist or a communist. Either way, it's the other one that is the big bad bully of a system.
Of course, we know the history of the Communist Party in Russia and other nations, where the government terrorized and even murdered its citizens, discouraged religion, and curtailed freedoms. So what is it about Socialists that's different? Here's a quote from the encyclopedia about socialism:
Most socialists are firmly committed to work within the framework of a country's constitution. They seek to cooperate with all parties.
Ah. I see. So the socialists (as opposed to the communists) honor the nation's constitution and work for reconciliation between the political parties. Of course.
Just Stuff
Yesterday we thoroughly enjoyed an afternoon of sitting around with Rachel and Anthea (and part of the afternoon with Philip), laughing and talking and eating and laughing some more! And Anthea is going to come back for Easter Vigil!
Rosie was treed by a neighbor's escaped dog yesterday, and then last night I dreamed the wolves were closing in on Athena.
The orthodontist looked at Andrew's palate today. Even with the big space between his front teeth, he has to keep cranking the expander for at least another week. They don't care about the space between his teeth -- the doctor cares about how his molars are lining up. Wow, by the time his top molars are slightly outside his bottom molars, he's going to look like an 8-yr-old who's singing "All I Want for Chrithmath Ith My Two Front Teeth."
I didn't plant the spinach last week, anticipating having the little sprouts die in the cold of the weekend. Maybe I could haul myself out to the backyard now? I just remember the year I planted early, and late plantings and early plantings all came up at the same time. (Not unlike reading skills, where --by age 12-- the kids who learned to read at age 4 aren't any further advanced than the kid who learned to read at age 9.)
Between choir and the kids doing the Palm Sunday Gospel from Luke, Maggie is going to be at church every afternoon this week. A good homeschooling mother would ensure that Andrew gets a lot of individual attention during those hours. I'll make a stab at being good...
Rosie was treed by a neighbor's escaped dog yesterday, and then last night I dreamed the wolves were closing in on Athena.
The orthodontist looked at Andrew's palate today. Even with the big space between his front teeth, he has to keep cranking the expander for at least another week. They don't care about the space between his teeth -- the doctor cares about how his molars are lining up. Wow, by the time his top molars are slightly outside his bottom molars, he's going to look like an 8-yr-old who's singing "All I Want for Chrithmath Ith My Two Front Teeth."
I didn't plant the spinach last week, anticipating having the little sprouts die in the cold of the weekend. Maybe I could haul myself out to the backyard now? I just remember the year I planted early, and late plantings and early plantings all came up at the same time. (Not unlike reading skills, where --by age 12-- the kids who learned to read at age 4 aren't any further advanced than the kid who learned to read at age 9.)
Between choir and the kids doing the Palm Sunday Gospel from Luke, Maggie is going to be at church every afternoon this week. A good homeschooling mother would ensure that Andrew gets a lot of individual attention during those hours. I'll make a stab at being good...
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Less-than-fully Appetizing
I'm putting together the Mexican Casserole of Awesomeness for Sunday dinner.
I love refried beans. Truly, I do. But I do wish that, when you open the can, it looked a little less like dog food.
I love refried beans. Truly, I do. But I do wish that, when you open the can, it looked a little less like dog food.
Orthodontia
Andrew has been using an expander the last week and a half. He doesn't want me to post a picture, but it's done its job. The expander has created a nice big space between his front teeth, through which he can whistle and shoot streams of water.
It looks like this has prevented the need for palate surgery!!
It looks like this has prevented the need for palate surgery!!
They're Moving
Thursday was Match Day for the fourth-year med-school students all across the country. For those of you who hang out in LCMS circles, it's pretty similar to Call Day for the vicars and pastors. The doctors receive their assignments. Like vicars and unlike pastors, there is no option to say no. The residency will be for 4 or 5 years.
Rachel's blog announcement is here.
As Rachel said today, it was the news we were not ready for. We had pretty good reason to expect that Matt would be placed in Milwaukee. It wasn't until Tuesday afternoon that it finally occurred to me that Milwaukee wasn't a sure thing, and there were several different Midwest metro areas that might become their new home.
Everybody says it's great that Chicago is close. But right now, I'm thinking about how seldom Matt will be able to see his brothers. And they will have to find a new church home. And I suspect that for the next few weeks I'm going to fail at holding back tears when I see little Joseph helping his grandpa usher at church, or when I see Hannah run up to Grandma Louise and give her a hug before choir, or when I hear Barbara and Laura and Cheri talking about babysitting their grandchildren. All the exciting prospects of living in a "world-class city" don't seem quite enough today to compensate for the fact that they're going away from his family, her family, and their church.
But we'll get used to it, and I'll smile again. I'm very proud of Rachel for being cheerful and upbeat for Matt. I'll have to get my act together before I see him tomorrow morning.
Rachel's blog announcement is here.
As Rachel said today, it was the news we were not ready for. We had pretty good reason to expect that Matt would be placed in Milwaukee. It wasn't until Tuesday afternoon that it finally occurred to me that Milwaukee wasn't a sure thing, and there were several different Midwest metro areas that might become their new home.
Everybody says it's great that Chicago is close. But right now, I'm thinking about how seldom Matt will be able to see his brothers. And they will have to find a new church home. And I suspect that for the next few weeks I'm going to fail at holding back tears when I see little Joseph helping his grandpa usher at church, or when I see Hannah run up to Grandma Louise and give her a hug before choir, or when I hear Barbara and Laura and Cheri talking about babysitting their grandchildren. All the exciting prospects of living in a "world-class city" don't seem quite enough today to compensate for the fact that they're going away from his family, her family, and their church.
But we'll get used to it, and I'll smile again. I'm very proud of Rachel for being cheerful and upbeat for Matt. I'll have to get my act together before I see him tomorrow morning.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Just Like It Always Was
This evening we watched a dvd that was a cross between a travelogue and a food show. It was a show about sandwiches across the nation. A month ago we watched a similar show about ice cream stands. Besides some majorly delicious looking sandwiches, one thing jumped out at me.
Over and over and over again, the customers at these popular little restaurants said things like, "This place hasn't changed a bit since I came here as a child." Or "What others restaurants around here have the same decor they had 50 years ago?" Or the owners would say, "We haven't changed the recipe one bit. This sandwich has been our secret for success for decades."
Nobody was looking for "improvements."
Doing the same old thing was cherished.
But we don't even have that much sense about the life-giving liturgy.
Over and over and over again, the customers at these popular little restaurants said things like, "This place hasn't changed a bit since I came here as a child." Or "What others restaurants around here have the same decor they had 50 years ago?" Or the owners would say, "We haven't changed the recipe one bit. This sandwich has been our secret for success for decades."
Nobody was looking for "improvements."
Doing the same old thing was cherished.
But we don't even have that much sense about the life-giving liturgy.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
I Can Do All Things
Faster than a speeding bullet!
More powerful than a locomotive!
Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)
It's a verse we hear a lot. It's often used to encourage us to try harder, to persevere, to set our hearts and minds to solving a problem. After all, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And God wants us to succeed, right?
But I can't run a 3-minute mile. And I can't carry 500# on my back. And I can't jump over the fire station. And I never will, no matter how hard I try, no matter how diligently I work at improving myself, and no matter how long I persevere. There are limits on what I can do. I can't survive on 4-6 hours of sleep a night, even if I think it would give me an extra 3-4 hours per day to clean house and grade schoolwork. I can't run an exemplary, rigorously academic, individualized educational program for six different people and keep house and cook and stay sane. I can't keep up on current events and be involved in community events if I'm going to do the work set before me.
Bummers.
So what does that verse mean, then?
Pastor said it's not a theology of glory verse; it's not about accomplishing all sorts of tasks to our heart's content; it's not about "succeeding." Look at where Paul tells us that he can "do all things." He's talking about being satisfied with Christ's forgiveness and his preaching, no matter what earthly circumstances he's living in. So, ultimately, being able to "do all things" has a lot more to do with
living in faith in a loving Savior even when things are not agreeable
than it has to do with
changing circumstances so that they are agreeable.
More powerful than a locomotive!
Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)
It's a verse we hear a lot. It's often used to encourage us to try harder, to persevere, to set our hearts and minds to solving a problem. After all, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And God wants us to succeed, right?
But I can't run a 3-minute mile. And I can't carry 500# on my back. And I can't jump over the fire station. And I never will, no matter how hard I try, no matter how diligently I work at improving myself, and no matter how long I persevere. There are limits on what I can do. I can't survive on 4-6 hours of sleep a night, even if I think it would give me an extra 3-4 hours per day to clean house and grade schoolwork. I can't run an exemplary, rigorously academic, individualized educational program for six different people and keep house and cook and stay sane. I can't keep up on current events and be involved in community events if I'm going to do the work set before me.
Bummers.
So what does that verse mean, then?
Pastor said it's not a theology of glory verse; it's not about accomplishing all sorts of tasks to our heart's content; it's not about "succeeding." Look at where Paul tells us that he can "do all things." He's talking about being satisfied with Christ's forgiveness and his preaching, no matter what earthly circumstances he's living in. So, ultimately, being able to "do all things" has a lot more to do with
living in faith in a loving Savior even when things are not agreeable
than it has to do with
changing circumstances so that they are agreeable.
Today's Laugh
I used to think the brain was the most fascinating part of the body.
Then I realized, hey, look what's telling me that.
Then I realized, hey, look what's telling me that.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Getting to Know the World's Greatest Inventors and Scientists
This series doesn't look as interesting as the other two, but I want them sorted out for perusal anyway. After all, how will I know where to plug them into our history outlines if I'm looking at names that I may be unfamiliar with? (A few of these "world's greatest scientists" I'd never heard of until I was hunting up the artist series and stumbled upon this series and the President one, written by the same author.)
1706-1790
Benjamin Franklin : electrified the world with new ideas
electricity; other inventions such as lightning rods and bifocals
1847-1922
Alexander Graham Bell : setting the tone for communication
telephone
1847-1931
Thomas Edison : inventor with a lot of bright ideas
light bulb, movies, phonograph, etc
1856-1931
Daniel Hale Williams : surgeon who opened hearts and minds
first heart surgery
1867-1934
Marie Curie : scientist who made glowing discoveries
radioactivity
1863-1947
Henry Ford : big wheel in the auto industry
mass production; automobiles
1867-1948
The Wright brothers : inventors whose ideas really took flight
airplane
1878-1968
Lise Meitner : had the right vision about nuclear fission
radioactivity
1879-1955
Albert Einstein : universal genius
theory of relativity
1904-1950
Charles Drew : doctor who got the world pumped up to donate blood
blood banks
1907-1964
Rachel Carson : clearing the way for environmental protection
marine biologist and environmentalist
1911-1988
Luis Alvarez : wild idea man
radar
1934--
Jane Goodall : researcher who champions chimps
studied primates; environmentalist
1942--
Stephen Hawking : cosmologist who gets a big bang out of the universe
black holes; theoretical physics
1950--
Steve Jobs & Steve Wozniak : geek heroes who put the personal in computers
Apple computers
1706-1790
Benjamin Franklin : electrified the world with new ideas
electricity; other inventions such as lightning rods and bifocals
1847-1922
Alexander Graham Bell : setting the tone for communication
telephone
1847-1931
Thomas Edison : inventor with a lot of bright ideas
light bulb, movies, phonograph, etc
1856-1931
Daniel Hale Williams : surgeon who opened hearts and minds
first heart surgery
1867-1934
Marie Curie : scientist who made glowing discoveries
radioactivity
1863-1947
Henry Ford : big wheel in the auto industry
mass production; automobiles
1867-1948
The Wright brothers : inventors whose ideas really took flight
airplane
1878-1968
Lise Meitner : had the right vision about nuclear fission
radioactivity
1879-1955
Albert Einstein : universal genius
theory of relativity
1904-1950
Charles Drew : doctor who got the world pumped up to donate blood
blood banks
1907-1964
Rachel Carson : clearing the way for environmental protection
marine biologist and environmentalist
1911-1988
Luis Alvarez : wild idea man
radar
1934--
Jane Goodall : researcher who champions chimps
studied primates; environmentalist
1942--
Stephen Hawking : cosmologist who gets a big bang out of the universe
black holes; theoretical physics
1950--
Steve Jobs & Steve Wozniak : geek heroes who put the personal in computers
Apple computers
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers
There aren't as many of Mike Venezia's books on composers as there are on artists.
early 1700s -- Johann Sebastian Bach (baroque)
early 1700s -- George Handel (baroque)
late 1700s -- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (classical)
around 1800 -- Ludwig van Beethoven (classical/romantic)
early 1800s -- Frederic Chopin (romantic)
late 1800s -- Johannes Brahms (romantic)
late 1800s -- Peter Tchaikovsky (romantic)
around 1900 -- John Philip Sousa (marches)
early 1900s -- Igor Stravinsky (neoclassical)
early 1900s -- George Gershwin (popular, jazz, classical)
mid 1900s -- Aaron Copland (American modern & folk)
mid 1900s -- Duke Ellington (jazz)
late 1900s -- the Beatles (pop)
early 1700s -- Johann Sebastian Bach (baroque)
early 1700s -- George Handel (baroque)
late 1700s -- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (classical)
around 1800 -- Ludwig van Beethoven (classical/romantic)
early 1800s -- Frederic Chopin (romantic)
late 1800s -- Johannes Brahms (romantic)
late 1800s -- Peter Tchaikovsky (romantic)
around 1900 -- John Philip Sousa (marches)
early 1900s -- Igor Stravinsky (neoclassical)
early 1900s -- George Gershwin (popular, jazz, classical)
mid 1900s -- Aaron Copland (American modern & folk)
mid 1900s -- Duke Ellington (jazz)
late 1900s -- the Beatles (pop)
Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists
Mike Venezia is the author of this children's series. The books are geared for grade-school kids, covering the life of the artist and some of the famous paintings by each one. They're easy to understand. (I can handle these books, and art is definitely not my style.) Katie read these kiddie books over and over in her pre-teen years, and it was definitely a big factor in why she scored so high on the Humanities CLEP.
Right now, I need to know which of these books dovetail with our history studies. So here's the approximate chronological arrangement of the series:
1300 Giotto (Italian)
1500 Raphael (Italian)
1500 da Vinci (Italian)
1500 Michelangelo (Italian)
1500 Botticelli (Italian)
1550 Bruegel (Dutch)
1550 Titian (Italian)
1575 el Greco (Spanish)
1650 Rembrandt (Dutch)
1650 Vermeer (Dutch)
1650 Velazquez (Spanish)
1800 Goya (Spanish)
1850 Eugene Delacroix (French)
1875 Camille Pissarro (French)
1875 Degas (French)
1875 Renoir (French)
1875 Monet (French)
1875 Mary Cassatt (American-French)
1875 Georges Seurat (French)
1875 Winslow Homer (American)
1875 Cezanne (French)
1875 Van Gogh (Dutch)
1875 Gauguin
1875 Toulouse-Lautrec (French)
1875 James Whistler (American-British)
1900 Frederic Remington (American West)
1900 Henri Rousseau (French)
1925 Matisse (French)
1925 Picasso (Spanish)
1950 Chagall (Russian-French)
1950 Salvador Dali (Spanish)
1925 Grant Wood (American)
1925 Edward Hopper (American)
1950 Norman Rockwell (American)
1950 Grandma Moses (American)
1950 Georgia O'Keefe (American)
1950 Frida Kahlo (Mexican)
1950 Diego Rivera (Mexican)
1950 Jackson Pollack (American)
1960 Andy Warhol (American)
1960 Roy Lichtenstein (American)
Paul Klee (early 1900s, Swiss)
Rene Magritte (early 1900s, Belgian surrealist)
Dorothy Lange (photographer during the Depression)
Horace Pippin (early 1900s, slavery and segregation)
Alexander Calder (1900s, American sculpture and mobiles)
Jacob Lawrence (late 1900s, American cubist)
Faith Ringgold (late 1900s, American, story quilts)
Right now, I need to know which of these books dovetail with our history studies. So here's the approximate chronological arrangement of the series:
1300 Giotto (Italian)
1500 Raphael (Italian)
1500 da Vinci (Italian)
1500 Michelangelo (Italian)
1500 Botticelli (Italian)
1550 Bruegel (Dutch)
1550 Titian (Italian)
1575 el Greco (Spanish)
1650 Rembrandt (Dutch)
1650 Vermeer (Dutch)
1650 Velazquez (Spanish)
1800 Goya (Spanish)
1850 Eugene Delacroix (French)
1875 Camille Pissarro (French)
1875 Degas (French)
1875 Renoir (French)
1875 Monet (French)
1875 Mary Cassatt (American-French)
1875 Georges Seurat (French)
1875 Winslow Homer (American)
1875 Cezanne (French)
1875 Van Gogh (Dutch)
1875 Gauguin
1875 Toulouse-Lautrec (French)
1875 James Whistler (American-British)
1900 Frederic Remington (American West)
1900 Henri Rousseau (French)
1925 Matisse (French)
1925 Picasso (Spanish)
1950 Chagall (Russian-French)
1950 Salvador Dali (Spanish)
1925 Grant Wood (American)
1925 Edward Hopper (American)
1950 Norman Rockwell (American)
1950 Grandma Moses (American)
1950 Georgia O'Keefe (American)
1950 Frida Kahlo (Mexican)
1950 Diego Rivera (Mexican)
1950 Jackson Pollack (American)
1960 Andy Warhol (American)
1960 Roy Lichtenstein (American)
Paul Klee (early 1900s, Swiss)
Rene Magritte (early 1900s, Belgian surrealist)
Dorothy Lange (photographer during the Depression)
Horace Pippin (early 1900s, slavery and segregation)
Alexander Calder (1900s, American sculpture and mobiles)
Jacob Lawrence (late 1900s, American cubist)
Faith Ringgold (late 1900s, American, story quilts)
Today's Laugh
The doorbell rang this morning. When I opened the door, there was my mother-in-law on the front step.
She said, "Can I stay here for a few days?"
I said, "Sure you can," and shut the door in her face.
She said, "Can I stay here for a few days?"
I said, "Sure you can," and shut the door in her face.
Monday, March 15, 2010
When God Doesn't Answer
Or maybe I should title it ... When God Doesn't Answer the Way We Want.
A friend was telling me excitedly the other day about her grandson's surgery, and how things worked out perfectly, and how the right people were in the right place at the right time to discover his birth defect. There were so many ways God provided for physical healing and sustenance for everybody concerned. That is a beautiful and happy blessing for which we thank and praise the Lord!
But there's always this little bit of me that shudders inside whenever I hear people say, "You could really tell God was there, working" when temporal blessings abound.
What happens when it doesn't work out the way we want?
My god-daughter was born with a serious heart defect. She was baptized minutes before the Flight-for-Life helicopter whisked her away to the humongo Children's Hospital. Not only was Bethany's congregation praying for her, but so were all the churches in our circuit, and churches across the whole country.
Five and a half weeks later, Bethany died.
Her daddy said that he was asked again and again, "What did we do wrong? Weren't we praying hard enough? Why didn't God answer our prayers?" And again and again, he was given opportunity to confess that God had indeed answered our prayers, that He had granted Bethany the new birth, that He had drawn her to Himself, and that her little body was awaiting the resurrection.
Thanks be to God that He gave physical healing to this little boy that's connected to our church family. But even if He hadn't, He still would have been there, He still would have been caring, He still would have been working. God did not forget us when Bethany died; He did not turn His back on her but opened His arms to receive her, just as He had opened His arms to spread them out on the cross to die for her and cleanse her of all her sin.
I still don't know how to respond to a joyful expression of "God was really there with us!" when things go our way. Because it's true. He is there with us when things go according to our wishes.
But He's there, too, when things hurt and when things go contrary to our desires.
The Lord giveth.
The Lord taketh away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord!
A friend was telling me excitedly the other day about her grandson's surgery, and how things worked out perfectly, and how the right people were in the right place at the right time to discover his birth defect. There were so many ways God provided for physical healing and sustenance for everybody concerned. That is a beautiful and happy blessing for which we thank and praise the Lord!
But there's always this little bit of me that shudders inside whenever I hear people say, "You could really tell God was there, working" when temporal blessings abound.
What happens when it doesn't work out the way we want?My god-daughter was born with a serious heart defect. She was baptized minutes before the Flight-for-Life helicopter whisked her away to the humongo Children's Hospital. Not only was Bethany's congregation praying for her, but so were all the churches in our circuit, and churches across the whole country.
Five and a half weeks later, Bethany died.Her daddy said that he was asked again and again, "What did we do wrong? Weren't we praying hard enough? Why didn't God answer our prayers?" And again and again, he was given opportunity to confess that God had indeed answered our prayers, that He had granted Bethany the new birth, that He had drawn her to Himself, and that her little body was awaiting the resurrection.
Thanks be to God that He gave physical healing to this little boy that's connected to our church family. But even if He hadn't, He still would have been there, He still would have been caring, He still would have been working. God did not forget us when Bethany died; He did not turn His back on her but opened His arms to receive her, just as He had opened His arms to spread them out on the cross to die for her and cleanse her of all her sin.
I still don't know how to respond to a joyful expression of "God was really there with us!" when things go our way. Because it's true. He is there with us when things go according to our wishes.
But He's there, too, when things hurt and when things go contrary to our desires.
The Lord giveth.
The Lord taketh away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord!
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