Concerts in The Garden

And the girls occupied themselves with this adorable bit of entertainment:

Concerts in The Garden

This is what the boys did while waiting for the concert lawn to be opened:

New Reading Statistics

From a Random House/Zogby poll:
Despite the growing availability of other formats for reading-such as online or with an e-book reader or PDA-- the vast majority of readers still like to read the old-fashioned way - 82% said they prefer to curl up with a printed book over using the latest in reading technology, a new Random House/Zogby poll shows. Women (85%) are more likely than men (79%) to say they prefer reading printed books. Reading printed books also has greater appeal among older respondents, although it is by far the preferred method among all age groups.

Just 11% of respondents said they are comfortable reading books in other formats, such as online or with an e-book reader or PDA. Men (13%) are more open than women (8%) to reading books in other formats, as are 13% of those younger than age 30, compared to just 6% of those age 65 and older.

And yes, most of the polled readers admitted to judging a book by it's cover.

Read the rest here.

Reflections at The End of Another School Year

Yesterday was my last day teaching and now we are (finally!) on summer break. It was pretty crazy and we simply let the kids party all day (which is more tiring to teachers than when we are learning - go figure!). At the end of the day I had to face saying a permanent goodbye to half of my class, those who are moving on to a new location in the fall. I hate this part every year. I didn't think I would miss my "teacher testers" (class trouble-makers), but you know, I think I will. I find it interesting that those who are hardest to deal with are usually the most loving overall towards their teachers. They would come in all excited in the mornings, wanting to give me a big hug and tell me about anything special they might have done between the time I had sent them home and they returned, as opposed to my well behaved children who calmly walk in and could care less for the teacher's notice. Funny, huh? Anyway, as I spent some time with a parent picking up his child yesterday afternoon (a tester child), I noticed that he kept dropping hints that referred to his wife being by herself and having to care for their four children on her own. The light began to dawn and I began to think quickly of a tactful way to ask if they were separating. Sure enough, the dad is moving to another part of this area. Suddenly I felt a rush of sympathy for my little problem student. No wonder he had been so difficult this year. All the turmoil and frustrations he had witnessed at home influenced his behaviour when he was me. He was only trying to express his hurt and confusion. If I could only take back our spring semester, I would have be a more understanding, patient teacher with him. I would have spent more one-on-one time with him, hugged him more often and tried to make school time a joy for him, as it must have been the one stable event in his unstable life. One thing I have learned is to not just assume that the child is at fault for their behaviour, but to try and understand if there is more at work than what I can see. I do sincerely regret my missed opportunities with that little boy. God help me to learn from the mistakes that he graciously shows me I have made.

Human Hybrids

This is sickening:
Scientists at Newcastle University announced last month that they had created the first part-human, part-animal hybrid embryos in the UK.

Sadly, this is being considered as a "moral" and "ethical" procedure in Britain:
The measures, part of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, are aimed at updating laws in line with scientific advances.

They will be voted on in the House of Commons over the next two days.

Mr Leigh opened the debate on Monday, with an amendment prohibiting outright the creation of hybrid "admixed" embryos.

Unfortunately, the BBC reports that ...After making a strong personal case for using hybrid embryos at the weekend, Mr Brown is expected to be backed on this part of the bill.

Writing in the Observer newspaper, Mr Brown called on MPs to back the use of hybrid embryos, saying such scientific advances could speed up treatment for cancer and conditions such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.

Read the rest of the report here. God forbid this comes to pass...

Kathryn at Four Months

Celebrating Mom

Ashley's lovely table arrangements

What could possibly be in this box?

Special cupcakes from our favorite cupcake bakery

Myanmar Death Toll: 15,000

This is so tragic. My heart goes out to the people in Myanmar. I am curious about the Christians there since it is a country under an oppressive military rule and non-Buddhists are often persecuted.* It makes me sad to think of the many people swept into eternity so quickly. Sometimes I reflect complacently on the globalization taking place, the new missionary outreaches which were previously unavailable to closed countries. This tragedy reminds me that the work is far from over, every day people are dying who have never heard of Christ and the cross. I hope I shall never again be complacent and satisfied to sit back while others perish. Even if I can't go to Myanmar personally, I can go there in prayer.

If you are interested in praying more specifically for this impoverished nation, here are some websites with information:

Myanmar country profile and statistics on wikipedia

Persecution of Christians

Pictures of the devastation and more here

CNN story of the disaster

*From wikipedia: Many religions are practiced in Burma and religious edifices and religious orders have been in existence for many years and religious festivals can be held on a grand scale. The Christian populations do, however, face religious persecution and it is hard, if not impossible, for non-Buddhists to join the army or get government jobs, the main route to success in the country.Such persecution and targeting of civilians is particularly notable in Eastern Burma, where over 3000 villages have been destroyed in the past ten years.

Kathryn

Kathryn and her Mimi.

Kathryn looks over PawPaw's shoulder.

With her little pink lamb.

Awww... :-)

Pulitzer Awards: Pearls Before Breakfast

I know I'm a little behind with this bit of news (having been awash in a sea of strange occurrences last week left me little time for online reading) but I was glad to see that a Pulitzer was awarded to the Washington Post for an article that I read, enjoyed, and blogged about (here and here) last year.

From the Pulitzer website:
For a distinguished example of feature writing giving prime consideration to quality of writing, originality and concision, in print or in print and online, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

Awarded to Gene Weingarten of The Washington Post for his chronicling of a world-class violinist who, as an experiment, played beautiful music in a subway station filled with unheeding commuters.

I think it was a well-deserved prize. If you never read the article, be sure and do so - it's fully worth your time!

LUCY: 2004 - 2008

We were grieved to receive a phone call from the vet this morning informing us that our beloved little calico, Lucy, had died. These pictures recall our fond memories of her and all that she added to our lives while she lived.

We'll miss you.

Texas Bluebonnets

An Afternoon with Lang Lang

Mom, Ashley, Hunter, Lexi and I were able to experience a unique opportunity to see pianist Lang Lang, a favorite classical music artist of ours, at a special event yesterday afternoon at Steinway Hall. It was a very small, private event so there were no crowds to fight and Lang Lang took the time to meet his fans who had gathered. He signed cd's, joked around, answered questions (even while playing ping pong) and concluded the event by sitting down at a piano and performing Chopin's Etude Op. 10 No.3 and then a Chinese piece.

It was an incredible event, and I'm still amazed that I got to be a part of it.

Lang Lang arrives at Steinway Hall

Playing ping pong

A very humble and gracious guy, he always complimented the people around him

Being interviewed by the Star-Telegram

Here Lang Lang introduces the music he plans to perform

There are not words to describe how beautiful his playing was, especially in such an unique and intimate setting...

It was as though he was in my living room, playing on my piano.

Lang Lang and Fans

More Cupcakes

Take a look at these delectable looking chocolate peanut butter mousse-filled vegan cupcakes.
who'd have thought??

My favorite place to visit for an unforgettable cupcake is Sprinkles Cupcakes. It just happens to be very (dangerously) close to our church and offers the ultimate in cupcake eating. I am not kidding. You just thought that cupcakes were for kids' birthday parties.

Note to self: must take friend SW to their Phoenix location... ;-)

Springtime Baking Fun

idea from MarthaStewart.com

Kathryn Laughing

Easter Breakfast

Every Easter, for as long as I can remember, Mom has made it a tradition to set out a special breakfast, decorations and all. Now Ashley has taken up the tradition, and she and Mom go all out for the day:

After reading all of the Easter posts on Femina, we plan to make the Resurrection celebration even more meaningful next year for our family.

Singleness

While at the Ligonier conference last week I had the privilege of working with and getting to know some new friends, and in particular a girl my age who I especially enjoyed talking to over the entirety of the weekend (hey SW!!!). She raised a very thought provoking question during the conference and then again in an email this week, one which I have given a lot of thought to lately so it was amazing to hear someone else asking the same questions I have been for the last few months. Namely, what about singleness and the role of young, reformed Christians in this area? On the part of the single men, I wonder why more are not seeking out a marriage partner from a seemingly large pool of qualified, dedicated women in the church. What about women? What is our role in encouraging without flirting and being a friend and listener without compromising our emotional purity?

One thing God has definitely convicted me on as I have pondered singleness is the false assumption that I am currently waiting on his will for marriage. I hear the term thrown around a lot in evangelical circles, that singles who do not currently have a prospective partner in view are "waiting" on God's will. If the will of our omnipotent God does not involve the here and now, but only the future, then what comfort and hope can there be found in his sovereignty? Obviously I am in God's will, it is just that his will now dictates that I am single during this time. Perhaps I am waiting on marriage, which is a correct statement, but not on God's will, for his will is now, this day, and not just tomorrow or for specific life events. I think this has been one of the most comforting assurances God has given me as I visit again the question of using my singleness to glorify him while I hope for future marriage.

Florida

I just returned yesterday evening from a mini vacation to Florida. I attended the Ligonier National Conference, an arts festival, spent time on a quiet beach, watched dolphins (they came very close to the dock I was watching from), got sunburned, had an airline adventure, visited with friends old and new, stayed in 4 different locations (it's a story), and had a great time overall.

Unfortunately, I forgot the camera...

(above photo taken last year)

Secret Believers

If you are interested in witnessing to Muslims or are just curious about how Christians live in the Middle East, then I highly recommend this book by Brother Andrew and Al Janssen. I had started reading it after hearing Brother Andrew speak last fall and had only made it about halfway through as other books demanded my attention (my book club keeps me busy!), but was able to finish it while lying in bed sick yesterday.

Here is the book summary from Amazon.com:

In his letter to his protégé, Timothy, Paul says, I have fought the good fight. In Arabic, those last three words are translated jihad. In Secret Believers, readers are introduced to Brother Andrews protégé in the Muslim world, Butros. In this riveting true story of the Middle Eastern Church struggling to come to grips with hostile governments, terrorist acts, and an influx of Muslims coming to Christ, readers will meet a group of men and women they never knew existed. The names and places have been changed to protect the real people in the real places. But the stories are true. In his most incredible and eye-opening book to date, Brother Andrew invites you to meet: Ahmed, a young Muslim terrified by nightmares until he is introduced to Isa (Jesus) Mustafa, a former leader in a fundamentalist Muslim movement that persecuted Christians Salima, a privileged young Muslim woman who is held captive by her family when they find a Bible in her possession Abuna, a priest faced with an aging congregation and constant threats to his beloved church and many more. Secret Believers not only gives readers a glimpse of the lives of these courageous believers, it also proposes four practical initiatives for Christians in the West to help these persecuted brothers and sisters. It calls us to join this new kind of jihad, leaving vengeance behind in favor of forgiveness, radical love, and unyielding prayer.

I was very surprised to read in the book's epilogue that although the US set Afghanistan free from Taliban rule, the new constitution in place there strikingly resembles the old Taliban constitution. So why are we over there if we are not changing things? Christians are very much oppressed, even under US supervision. Here is a recent report from Open Doors:

The status of religious freedom for Christians deteriorated in 2007 in countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan (from No. 17 to No. 15), Libya (from No. 26 to No. 23), Jordan (from No. 40 to No. 39), Belarus (from No. 42 to No. 41) and the Palestinian Territories (No. 42).

In Afghanistan, the major incident of the 23 South Korean Christians who were abducted in July 2007 gave the country a worse mark than in 2006, though other incidents also contributed to this.

Again, why did we go into Afghanistan to free people from oppression if they remain still under oppression?

I came away from this book very much impressed with the fact that I need to be more informed on what US policy is and is not doing in the Middle East. I encourage you also to do your own research and not be complacent hearing the news reports, which almost always fail to make us aware of the persecution of believers in other countries. Definitely not "news worthy" for our celebrity-saturated, consumerist driven news reports (I'm sorry, but I am still shocked to check news websites only to get celebrity gossip. It's why I visit international news sites now).

Go take a look at the Open Doors website. If you have never heard of Brother Andrew, I recommend you become acquainted with him by reading his autobiography, God's Smuggler.

Also, we need to pray for the persecuted church. As the book Secret Believers reminds us, do not pray for, but with them, for they are not just fellow believers but our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Easter 2008

Dr. Grant explains why Easter is so early this year and why it is an especially memorable occasion: Rare Easter