It’s hard to believe she is turning eight! I am overwhelmed with joy at the awesome person Elizabeth is turning into, while at the same time, I’m feeling very sad at how fast this is all seeming to happen!
I’m sure that in eight more years, she’ll be turning 16 and I’ll be feeling similar feelings of happiness and sadness, so I really need to just be ‘in the moment’ right now and enjoy every moment of “eight” that I can!
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As someone who teaches “Western Culture” to Asians living in China, I often have to think and evaluate things that normally I might just take for granted. For example, if I was taking a test on American Culture and they asked: “America’s national pastime is __________” I would quickly fill in “Baseball” and wouldn’t even re-think it for a second! But is that really true?
I came across an article on CNN’s website that suggested that baseball has not been America’s National Pastime since the 1950′s! Hmmm, interesting – he might be right!
He ended up talking about the explosion of ‘choices’ that Americans have to occupy their time, especially with the popularity of portable devices that serve up limitless amounts of distraction. He asked the question: “Do today’s Americans simply enjoy the screens they carry with them, or are they psychologically addicted to them — is it a pleasurable pastime, or are they hooked?”
So, what do you think? If you were helping me prepare my lecture on “American Culture” that I will teach my students next semester, what would you suggest I tell them is “America’s National Pastime”?
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Our little baby Nate just turned 5! It’s hard to believe that our little guy is five years old!
Time sure has flown by since he was born at Harris Methodist Hospital in Ft. Worth, Texas!
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This is our second time to go to this Pumpkin Patch, the last time we were in Texas, we brought Elizabeth and Anna here… so I guess now it’s become an official ‘Tradition’!
And now, back to 2012, with the Webel SEVEN at the Pumpkin Patch!
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As our family prepares to return to China, one of the (many) things that is on our list of high priority tasks to accomplish is to get everyone’s immunizations up-to-date. Getting immunizations, especially the ‘travel immunizations’ that are not offered at the normal places, are not fun! However, they are necessary if we are going to travel to the places God has called us to go and they are potentially life-saving, so we are doing them.
(Now if you are one of the Dr. Mercola disciples that is against immunizations, go ahead and stop reading this blog post, medical facts and best practices don’t seem to interest you anyway.)
Our family has to have all the ‘normal’ immunizations, but then we have to take it up a level and get immunized against some nasty things that are usually not huge problems here in North America, things like “Japanese Encephalitis”, “Yellow Fever”, “Rabies”, “Hep A, B,” “Typhoid”. I know, fun stuff! Continue reading
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As many of you know, my wife and I have gone through an amazing journey of tears and joy this past year. One of the results of it all is our precious new son, Luke. He is a gift from God in every sense of the expression.
My wife and I had the honor of having a wonderful newborn photographer photograph our new son shortly after he was released from the NICU and the results are AMAZING! I still have not settled on my favorites, maybe you can help – which one(s) do you like the most?
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The Thorn by Martha Snell Nicholson
I stood a mendicant of God before His royal throne
And begged him for one priceless gift, which I could call my own.
I took the gift from out His hand, but as I would depart
I cried, “But Lord this is a thorn and it has pierced my heart.
This is a strange, a hurtful gift, which Thou hast given me.”
He said, “My child, I give good gifts and gave My best to thee.”
I took it home and though at first the cruel thorn hurt sore,
As long years passed I learned at last to love it more and more.
I learned He never gives a thorn without this added grace,
He takes the thorn to pin aside the veil which hides His face.
“I Stood a Mendicant of God” The Next Chapter – Steve Saint
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
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Hope celebrated her 1st birthday, I believe the cake was the highlight!
Look at those pieces of cake fly!
It’s hard work smashing a cake!
Hi mom, dad said it was okay to do this… really, he did!
The big sister’s trying to capture the moment.
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Those of you who know me, know how much I love my iPad. Since my father-in-law bought me the iPad 2 last year, I have found ways to use the iPad in just about every aspect of my professional and personal life!
I use it to teach from, projecting Keynote presentations and showing video clips to my students. I use it to read and respond to Email. I use it to read and study the Bible (I even have a ‘read-through-the-Bible’ function in my BibleReader that keeps me on track!) I communicate with family and friends using Skype, I share and view photos and videos from family and friends. I keep track of the news, the weather, sports, all on my iPad. The list of all the things I do with my iPad is too long for me to list here… needless to say, I take the iPad with me most places. Continue reading
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