Pasta Test

Last time I shopped at Aldi, there was no whole-wheat pasta. When I asked the clerk, she said it had been discontinued due to lack of sales. Oh no! We'd been so disappointed with whole-wheat noodles in the past, and Aldi's was not only cheap but also a great product. We didn't have choke down the brown pasta because it was "good for us." It actually tasted great.

Yesterday I bought one box each of five different brands of pasta. In separate saucepans, I cooked about 1/4 cup of each kind. Here are our conclusions:

Hogsdon Mill has the brownest taste of the ones we bought, but it was edible.
15.8 cents per ounce.

Da Vinci 100% whole wheat also tasted brown, but acceptable.
19.9 cents per ounce.

Racconto 8-whole-grain pasta had a nicer texture and a lighter taste than the two 100% ones. It's a blend of grains: wheat, rye, buckwheat, kamut, spelt, etc.
16.2 cents per ounce.

Ronzoni Healthy Harvest and
Barilla Whole Grain
were our favorites. They're both half whole-wheat and half white. The taste and texture is much closer to the white pasta we'd been used to prior to discovering the now-gone pasta from Aldi. The ingredient list and nutrient list on the Barilla and Ronzoni look very similar to the label on the Aldi box.
Barilla = 9.0 cents per ounce
Ronzoni = 10.5 cents per ounce

For nutrition reasons, I'd prefer to buy Rocconto. The taste and texture is comparable to the Ronzoni & Barilla, but the mix of whole grains has a variety of minerals that you don't find when eating just wheat. But the Rocconto is almost twice the price of the Barilla. I think that means Barilla wins out for our family.

Let Me Not Be Ashamed

Our psalm for this week is 25. Four times David talks in this one psalm about being ashamed or not being ashamed. I don't know about you, but I tend to think of ashamed as pretty much equivalent to embarrassed.

But the word shame is in "ashamed." Shame isn't really a feeling so much as it as a status that comes in the wake of one's behavior. We pray in the Sixth Petition "that God would guard and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful nature may not deceive us or mislead us into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice." That part of the Lord's Prayer sheds a different light on what David is saying in the psalm.

Facebook

In an attempt to cut down on my computer time, I've decided to ban myself from Facebook four days per week. I intend to cut my friends-list in half or more. When I originally signed up for Facebook, my plan was to "friend" only close family and a couple of friends. I was "hidden," and my list consisted of around 20-25 people for many months.

Then Facebook took away the option to be hidden. The recent changes on Facebook seem too overwhelming for me to figure out at this point in my life. Facebook wants to give us more reasons to interact on their site, and that's the exact opposite of what I want. Given that I've spent the last few years trying to curtail my attraction to goofing on the computer, this seems as good a time as any to back off in this one area. I'm not willing to axe the whole account (at least, not yet) because I want to see baby pictures and wedding pictures and reunion pictures, all of which are easy to share via Facebook.

If I believed in signs from God, I would say that He sent several this week confirming that this is a good plan. Please don't take it personally if I 'unfriend' you or fail to respond to FB messages. I'm just trying to spend more time with In-Real-Life interaction than electronic conversations.

Wish me luck.

When the Ark Set Out

The pillar of cloud/fire led the Israelites in the wilderness. At the end of Numbers 10, we hear what Moses said when they started out journeying and what he said when they stopped.

Psalm 68 (written by King David about 500 years later) starts with the exact same words that Moses said whenever the ark set out.

I think that's so cool. I love seeing in the Bible how we keep saying the same things over and over through the centuries, how we keep repeating what the previous generations have prayed. Those words which sustain our faith are words which transcend the years, the decades, the millenia.

Two Silver Trumpets

God instructed Moses that there should be two silver trumpets. They would be used to notify the Israelites when to gather, and when to pick up camp and move. They would be used as a call to arms and, at other times, as a call to worship. (See Numbers 10.)

So look at Psalm 81. "Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon, at the full moon, on our solemn feast day."

How 'bout that? Those trumpets referred to in the psalm weren't simply the brass in the orchestra used for worship. They were sacramental trumpets. (Don't look at me like that! They were. Look at the story!)

Boring Ol' Update

We keep trying to find time to work in the garden. Andrew and Maggie helped me a lot at the end of last week, but it's been raining constantly since Friday night.

Rachel was here on Sunday. Katie and the girls came over too. Ah, enjoyment!

My mom is home from hospital and rehab, enjoying being back in her own house!

Someone was sent home sick from work. I was the only one available to sub. So I will have three full days this week instead of two. So much for washing sheets or going to the grocery store. Actually, I'm quite pleased that we managed to eat Real Meals both yesterday and today, in spite of my paid-job interfering with cooking.

Also regarding job-news, the best teacher we have at our branch is taking a promotion at another branch. Oh, I will miss him! I have to ask a lot of questions and learn a lot before he goes elsewhere. He has such a calm way of teaching, but always explains well and gives opportunity to the learner to be doing some thinking instead of just rote copying, but he's fun and no stick-in-the-mud. That other branch that stole him away is sure lucky to get him! Thankfully, I really like the person who will probably replace him.

And in still more job-news, my regular schedule was changed with the start of the school year. There are a couple of minor downsides to the new schedule, but it also opens up two important days annually that I look forward to but had to miss this past year. So what worked best for my manager turned out to be what works best for me too! Can't get much better than that.

Saturday we all worked together on garage cleaning. We found plenty of items that had gone missing. This past weekend I also managed to clean off all the kitchen counters and the bedroom dressers. WHY are they already littered with papers and misplaced items? Already?!!

We watched The Blind Side again tonight. Yowza, that is one FANTASTIC movie.

Love Means ...

Love means "I will do whatever it takes so that you might live."

-- Kenneth Korby

Day of Atonement

In Leviticus 16, God tells the people about atonement. The bull is sacrificed. The goat is sacrificed. The sins of the people are imputed to the scapegoat, and it is driven away. But one thing seemed so odd.

The Holy of Holies had to be atoned for. The altar had to be atoned for. What? These places are not sinners. They didn't do sin. The Holy of Holies is the place of God's saving presence. This place is so holy that even the high priest can't enter, except once a year, after bathing and donning the holy garments and entering with the blood of atonement and the incense to cover the mercyseat. But still, God says several times in the chapter that the tabernacle and the altar and the Holy of Holies must be atoned for. They are in the midst of an unclean people.

It looks like our sin contaminates even the holy things that come to us. It's like the Holy of Holies shows us that Jesus (the true Holiest Place, the true Tabernacle) gets polluted by being among us unclean people, like as if our sin made Him to be the sinner. Thank God that Jesus is also the sacrifice which purifies.

A True Treasure

If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.

Thorin Oakenshield, spoken to Bilbo
shortly before Thorin's death

Birthday "Cake"

Andrew thought birthday donuts sounded like a better plan than birthday cake.

Yummy!

Anniversary

Picnic in the park last week:

Our dear Frederick the Wise (aka Ed Suelflow):

After we heard a firm admonition from Pastor that it is not HIS anniversary but OUR anniversary, I will not label this picture "the honoree." But in some of the pictures you can see some members of the congregation, so that makes the whole "pair" for the anniversary.

Garden Mistakes

Liz asked about pruning raspberries.This is what I accomplished a couple of weeks ago. Thing is, I shouldn't have. Because I didn't prune shortly after the canes were done bearing, they were too crowded. Next year's canes didn't grow strong enough. The wind has bent and broken too many of next year's fruiting canes. What I should have done (given my neglect in July and August) was to prune out all of this year's fruiting canes and some of the baby canes. But I should have left plenty and then pruned again in spring. Right now, I have no margin for loss to winter's ice and snow and deer. But for the sake of Liz's education, this IS how thick the bearing-canes should be standing when a person is done with the spring pruning.



The strawberry patch has been a project screaming for attention for about 10 weeks now. Mark & Julie loaned me their Mantis [tiller] and I love it. It's lightweight enough that I can handle it. It took me three hours to spade up the weeds and eliminate that row by hand, till deeply and add manure, and replant strawberry crowns/plants. So, only about 12 more hours to go.

I can't believe how exhausted I was from fixing that one row. I couldn't make supper, clean, or do anything last night except collapse and relax. Not good. I felt so lazy. All I did was three measly hours of manual labor, and then I was shot. The plan was three more hours each day until I was done. But rain interrupted today's efforts. That does wretched things to my momentum!



Look at those miserable cucumber vines. The fungus got 'em. And yet, they bore. Not much, to be sure, but they did bear something. The powdery mildew also plagued the volunteer cantaloupe vines that showed up in the compost pile. And yet, we have 8 nice cantaloupes out there ripening. "God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayer, even to all miserable gardeners, but we pray that He would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving."

On a science note: I think this fungus problem in the garden is helping me figure out things in the Bible where it says the crops were destroyed, and yet there was still something left for the next plague to come along and destroy.

The Deep Recesses of Memory

For many years we recited one chief part of the catechism each day of the week. It keeps the words once-memorized accessible in one's brain. During the last few years, we would say that day's catechism portion on the drive to chapel. This summer we slacked off. When we began to resurrect the habit recently at the start of the new school year, I was surprised by what came out of my mouth.

The words from the 1943 catechism are popping up in unexpected places. I have been using the 1986 catechism since 1986 (or before?). I've been teaching it; I've been reciting it; I've been praying it; I know it. And then, here we are -- the fourth commandment: "give them honor, serve and obey them, and hold them in love and esteem." The second article: "who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, ..." Good grief! Where did that come from all of a sudden?

Nineteen Years Ago

Once upon a time, on this very evening, I was in a fit of vacuuming, mopping, dusting, doing laundry, and washing dishes. Yes, it was late. Yes, the children were already tucked in for the night. It's called "nesting." I remember taking a break to watch Rush; that was the brief stint when he had the television show, and it was less than two months before the Clinton/Bush election.

The next morning, we made it to the hospital in record time; I have no idea what the speedometer might have said. Twenty-two minutes after I waddled into the ER, we welcomed the biggest newborn we'd ever seen.

Annetta and her kids came to visit that morning. A little later Gary fetched our kids. They stopped at the fast food joint across the street from the hospital. The kids rejoiced over burgers and fries while Gary and I dined on steak and champagne. A little later, we took our sweetie-pie home to snuggle and love.
Isn't he just the cutest thing? And he still is!

A Pietist Meets Leviticus

What? A person is unclean because he was working in the field and accidentally touched a dead frog? A person is unclean because of certain bodily functions that are unavoidable? Yesterday's story from Leviticus 4-5 mentions guilt due to hearing someone else utter an oath. Today's story from Leviticus 5-6 mentions sinning when you're unaware of it. And the one that (years ago) really made me mad at God -- a person is unclean because of touching her husband's or child's dead body to prepare the deceased for burial.

How on earth is anybody supposed to remain clean???



Um ... yeah ... exactly the point.



I used to think "being clean" was what was most important to God. I thought what mattered to Him was whether I was a good girl. So it seemed very unfair of Him to set up rules that we just could not obey fully. When we studied Leviticus a few years ago, Pastor repeatedly emphasized two things we learn from the sacrificial system: to point to Christ's sacrifice, and to show the people that they could not obey the law and needed atonement from outside themselves.

So what I used to think was unfair is actually a good thing. It was God's way of showing that we can't do the law, no matter how hard we try, no matter how scrupulous we are. It is impossible for us. There is only One who is clean. Our cleanness is imputed to us because of Christ's blamelessness. The law's demands were never intended to be our checklist, but were given to show us our impotence. And that's good news -- even though it's plenty weird to be rejoicing in our impotence. Because Christ is our strength, our ability, our refuge, our perfection.

"The Gospel gives what the Law demands."

The Office of the Holy Ministry

What's the difference between a pastor and a DCE? Between a pastor and a principal? Between a pastor and a deaconess?

Recent "Pressure Point" articles in the Reporter have addressed the topic of what happens to a congregation in the transition between pastors. At the end of this month's article, a question is raised: "Why is it that our church body addresses congregational issues when pastors leave and not for called workers -- teachers, DCEs, etc?"

Of course, the response was "Good point" along with a statement that the previous articles should apply to all church workers and not just pastors.

But my thought was different. Yes -- good point! It's true, the effect on a congregation of a pastor's leaving is vastly different from when another church worker leaves. That right there ought to be evidence of the difference in office.

Do we not see that the pastor is in the stead of Christ? The DCE is not. The principal is not. The deaconess is not. That doesn't mean these workers are unimportant. But they do different work. These other offices are good, and the people in them serve the neighbor in God-pleasing ways. But these other offices are not essential to the Church. The pastoral ministry IS. That's why the pastor's departure (whether he has been faithful or a scoundrel) is such a big deal for the congregation.

My Strawberry Bed

Actually, when the crabgrass flowers, it's rather pretty.


Pssst -- This is not a good thing to have discovered.

Reservation Glitches

When Gary and I went to check in to our bed & breakfast for our anniversary celebration, we were stunned to find that we didn't have reservations. Did I make reservations at a different bed & breakfast? We called the only other one in Spring Green, and no, they didn't have us down either. We were immensely thankful for the innkeeper who helped us!

This past Saturday, when we returned for Installment #2 of our anniversary celebration in Spring Green, I was dismayed to find that the tickets were dated for Friday. I had ordered Saturday tickets, but it was clear as day that the tickets in my grubby little hands were for the previous day. I thought surely I was losing it! How could I botch up so many things?

But we managed to work out that situation too. And oddly enough, it turned out that another couple we talked to on Saturday also received tickets different from what they'd ordered. And then, today, I received a phone call from the interim innkeeper we'd stayed with last month. (She's like a vacancy pastor or a substitute teacher, filling in when the B&B owner is away.) They are sending us a check for the price difference between the room I'd reserved and the nicer room we ended up taking when we arrived to find that they had no record of our arrival, and someone else in the room we'd requested. It turns out that the very same thing happened the next day to another guest at the B&B.

So now I'm wondering what was going on in the bits and bytes of the Internet over summer. Usually everything flows smoothly. But this many reservations gone wonky? Did anyone else bump into these kinds of glitches in mid- to late-summer?

Isaiah 1:18

Come, let us reason together:
Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow.
Though they are red like crimson,
they shall be as wool.

"Like wool."
Wool comes from a lamb.

Isaiah 61 says, "He has clothed me with the garments of salvation. He has covered me with the robe of righteousness." And "He" is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Be Transformed

Y'know how some Christians are prone to telling us we need to change the way we think, how we need to be more spiritual or whatever?

Someone recently pointed out how Romans 8 tells us that He predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son. And Romans 12 tells us that we should not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewal of our minds.

Be transformed.
Be conformed.

Those are passive verbs.
It's what's done to us.

We don't conform ourselves to the image of Jesus. That's the Holy Spirit's job. We don't transform our own minds, but we are the ones who are being transformed.