A Season of Transformation

Christmas is my favorite time of the year. However, every year, I let the busyness of the season overtake my time to reflect. This year, I'm determined to take more time to reflect on Advent.

Our church has provided some great resources for reflecting during this time. There is a printed guide and also a daily interactive guide that will provide a unique vantage point on weekly themes. As we meditate on the transformations that Christ’s birth brought to our world as well as the transformations that are promised upon Christ’s return, I hope you will have the opportunity to reflect on the season too.

By Rev. Scott Seaton on Emmanuel's blog:

Today marks the first Sunday of Advent, a time of preparation for Christ's coming (the Latin word adventus means "to come"). On one level, the Church prepares for Jesus' "Second Coming." His sudden and dramatic return will be a time of sweeping transformation, ushering in the new heavens and the new earth. So it's altogether appropriate that Emmanuel's Advent devotions will center on the theme of transformation. This week, we consider the change from light into darkness. Step into a darkened room, turn on the light switch, and the place is suddenly transformed. How you walk in it, what you see, even how you feel--everything is suddenly and dramatically different.
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Happy Thanksgiving!

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!

Serve the LORD with gladness!

Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 100

Beauty Will Rise

This is probably the most honest 12 songs I have ever heard from a Christian artist. All I can say is WOW!

From Steven Curtis Chapman's website:
The result is "Beauty Will Rise," a stunning body of work inspired by a circumstance no father should ever have to endure. Steven is unflinchingly honest in his exploration of grief and loss. He asks the questions we all ask when horrible things happen to the innocent, yet throughout the album hope shimmers, faith becomes more real and even more precious, and the peace that surpasses understanding leaps from the page and becomes palpable.

Who are You God?
Cause You are turning out to be so much different than I imagined
And where are You God?
Cause I am finding life to be so much harder than I had planned
You know that I"m afraid to ask these questions
But You know they are there
And if You know my heart the way that I believe You do
You know that I believe in You
But still I have these questions

... from "Questions"

And, yet, he sings about how God is in control and how He is faithful.

I will proclaim it to the world
I will declare it to my heart
I will sing it when the sun is shining
I will scream it in the dark
You are faithful, You are faithful
When You give and when You take away
Even then still Your name is faithful
You are faithful

...from "Faithful"

I Am Thankful for...

I'm sure you've seen this, but I really like it.

I AM THANKFUL FOR ...

THE TEENAGER WHO IS NOT DOING DISHES
BUT IS WATCHING TV, BECAUSE THAT MEANS
HE/SHE IS AT HOME AND NOT ON THE STREETS.

FOR THE TAXES THAT I PAY, BECAUSE IT
MEANS THAT I, AM EMPLOYED.

FOR THE MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY,
BECAUSE IT MEANS THAT I HAVE BEEN
SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS.

FOR THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO
SNUG, BECAUSE IT MEANS
I HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT.

FOR MY SHADOW THAT WATCHES ME
WORK, BECAUSE IT MEANS I,
AM IN THE SUNSHINE.

FOR A LAWN THAT NEEDS MOWING,
WINDOWS THAT NEED CLEANING, AND
GUTTERS THAT NEED FIXING, BECAUSE
IT MEANS I HAVE A HOME.

FOR ALL THE COMPLAINING I HEAR ABOUT
THE GOVERNMENT, BECAUSE IT MEANS
THAT WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH.

FOR THE PARKING SPOT I FIND AT THE FAR
END OF THE PARKING LOT, BECAUSE IT
MEANS I AM CAPABLE OF WALKING AND
THAT I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH TRANSPORTATION.

FOR MY HUGE HEATING BILL,
BECAUSE IT MEANS I, AM WARM.

FOR THE LADY BEHIND ME IN CHURCH
THAT SINGS OFF KEY, BECAUSE IT MEANS
THAT I CAN HEAR.

FOR THE PILE OF LAUNDRY AND IRONING,
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE CLOTHES TO WEAR.

FOR WEARINESS AND ACHING MUSCLES
AT THE END OF THE DAY, BECAUSE IT
MEANS I HAVE BEEN CAPABLE OF WORKING HARD.

FOR THE ALARM THAT GOES OFF IN THE
EARLY MORNING HOURS, BECAUSE IT
MEANS THAT I AM ALIVE.

Ellie's New Best Friend

I believe this might be the best invention ever!

During my recent surgery, my doctor inserted the ON-Q® PainBuster® Post-Op Pain Relief System, which automatically and continuously delivered a local anesthetic to my incision areas for four days.

The use of this device meant no need for the prescribed Percocet and significantly reduced the pain level.

If you're having surgery, ask your doctor about it!

Remembering Linda Franklin

The New York Times
By SARAH KERSHAW
Published: October 16, 2002

It was a tumultuous year for Linda Franklin. But hers were not just the stresses of working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the time of terror, or the reflexive motherly worries about her children and the health of a first grandchild about to be born.

A year ago, at 46, Ms. Franklin, an analyst for the F.B.I., had faced the prospect of her own death: a diagnosis of breast cancer and tests showing the disease so advanced that she had to have a double mastectomy, relatives said. Then, late in August, they said, her 18-year-old niece was killed in a car accident, and there was a funeral, a wrenching family gathering that turned out to be the last time she saw her parents.

Despite all that, there were to be cheerful things ahead as Ms. Franklin made her way on Monday night with her husband to Home Depot.

There was the first grandchild, of course, and Ms. Franklin had recently received a clean bill of health from her doctors and was making good progress in her physical therapy. She was adored at her job at the F.B.I.'s National Infrastructure Protection Center, where she had worked for four years as an intelligence operations specialist in the cyberdivision and was considered a keen analyst, colleagues said.

She and her husband, Ted Franklin, a network engineer for a Washington technology company, had recently bought a penthouse apartment in Arlington. It was bigger than their red-brick, two-bedroom, one-bathroom condominium on South Wakefield Street, which had accommodated so many relatives in need of a place to stay and stray animals that Ms. Franklin had taken in.

Their condo, along a tidy row of town houses on a gentle street in this Washington suburb, was virtually all packed up; moving vans had already carted away boxes and furniture.

It was the new penthouse apartment -- and all the planned repairs and tinkering they planned to do after moving in on Friday -- that drew the Franklins to Home Depot, for what was their last errand together, friends and relatives said. As the couple loaded up their red convertible, Ms. Franklin became the suburban sniper's ninth kill.

''She was the most giving person I know, ''said Paul Hulseberg, who worked with her
and remained a close friend after he left the bureau. ''There were times when there were six adults living in this two-bedroom town house. Because if anybody in the family needed anything they came here.''

Ms. Franklin, 47, had begun her career as a teacher. Her father, Charles Moore, who lives with his wife, Mary Ann, in Gainesville, Fla., said she was bent on teaching and interested in community service from a young age. She spent part of her childhood in Indiana, but the family moved to Florida while she was in middle school, Mr. Moore said. She studied education at the University of Florida and then spent years working overseas -- in Guatemala, Honduras, Germany, Okinawa and Belgium -- as a high school English teacher employed by the Department of Defense. She raised two children, a son and daughter, as a single mother, before marrying Mr. Franklin eight years ago. She also raised a second niece, Mr. Hulseberg said.

''She was tough, she went through a lot,'' Mr. Moore said.

He said that after years of teaching she got ''burned out,'' and when she heard the F.B.I. had jobs available she applied and ''the F.B.I. snapped her right up.''

Mr. Moore said he and his wife were planning to go to Arlington next week to visit their daughter, something they did three or four times a year. ''I don't think we'll ever go there again,'' he said flatly.

Robert S. Mueller III, the F.B.I. director, issued a statement today, saying, "Tragically, a member of the F.B.I. family last night became the latest victim of the Washington, D.C., area sniper killer.''

Mr. Mueller continued, ''The employees who worked with Linda -- and all of us -- are deeply shocked and angry over this tragedy.''

Outside the Franklin home today, an F.B.I. colleague of hers read a statement from the family expressing devastation and appealing to the public for help in catching the killer.

Mr. Moore's voice was devoid of emotion as he listed his daughter's accomplishments and described her life in a numb monotone. ''It hasn't sunk in yet,'' he said.

At the Home Depot where Ms. Franklin was killed, a memorial was set up this afternoon in the parking space on the lower level of the parking garage where she was shot, and Arlington residents drifted over to the spot, some weeping, to stare or leave something behind. The spot was surrounded by four orange cones. Inside the cones, there was a pot of white chrysanthemums, with three American flags stuck into the soil. There was also a statue of an angel, a stuffed red heart, four candles and a bouquet of carnations tied with a red, white and blue ribbon.

A neighbor of Ms. Franklin's, Verena Mueller, who did not know the latest victim, stood on the sidewalk near her home today sobbing uncontrollably as she recounted her plans for Monday evening: a trip to the same Home Depot, a few miles away in Falls Church, at roughly the same time Ms. Franklin went, to buy Plexiglas and wood to fortify her greenhouse for the winter. By 8:30 p.m. on Monday, Ms. Mueller said,
she realized that she had not finished the measurements, so at the last minute she postponed the errand.

''We all go shopping there,'' she said, referring to Seven Corners on Arlington Boulevard, near where the shooting occurred. ''That's my mall, that's my Home Depot.''

Who Is the First QB To Beat All 32 NFL Teams?

Here are some clues:

He went 24 for 31
He threw three touchdown passes
He had 271 yards
He will be 40 on Saturday

Oh, and it was the first game against his former team!

Is the Third Team the Charm?

(AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

Year #2 where I have to say, "yep, that's what it looked like." Only this time, it's Brett Favre in a Minnesota Vikings jersey (OUCH, I can hardly type that!). This was after his first TD throw to rookie Percy Harvin.

The "Cheeseheads" fantasy football team begins its fourth season. Here are today's starters:

QB • Peyton Manning • IND
RB • LaDainian Tomlinson • SD
RB • DeAngelo Williams • CAR
WR • Braylon Edwards • CLE
WR • T.J. Houshmandzadeh • SEA
WR • Reggie Wayne • IND
TE • Chris Cooley • WAS
K • Mason Crosby • GB
TDSP • Minnesota Vikings • MIN

Remembering 9-11

Today is a day to remember the Moms, Dad, Wives, Husbands, Sisters, Brothers, Aunts, Uncles, Nieces, Nephews. The list just seems endless. We remember all that were lost that day eight years ago.

We also remember all that have put themselves in harms way to protect us. Thank you.

Also see I Remember, Eleven Tears and In Remembrance

We'll Never Forget You...

Couldn't resist.

You know the type, right?

A Banquet On-a-Stick

The Minnesota State Fair is one of the marks of the end of summer. What I failed to realize is the intensity in which Minnesotans go about the Fair. There are many who actually plot their once-a-year food path. Some strategize on how many days they'll make it to the Fair. The first initial question is not what you saw at the Fair or what you did at the Fair, but what you ATE at the Fair.

One of the actual food categories is "On-a-Stick." You can find 79 booths were some type of food can be eaten on a stick. One of my favorite descriptions was from Ole and Lena's:

NEW foods this year: Deep Fried Norwegian Banana Split (banana wrapped in lefse, deep fried and topped with ice cream, chocolate, pineapple and strawberries) and Krumkake, made fresh and rolled into a horn shape then filled with whipped cream and topped with your choice of fresh fruit! Tater tot hot dish on-a-stick with cream of mushroom dipping sauce, Uff Da treat (a filled krumkake topped with caramel sauce and butter roasted pecans)

A Banquet On-a-Stick: In All Its Glory!


Not to be outdone: Pastor On-a-Post

FAVunREtired...and it Gets Worse

I believe I'm having a nightmare and I'm waking up to seeing Brett Favre in purple, and then I realize, I'm not sleeping!

Viking fans hail; Packer fans wail.

Out of the Mouths of Four and a Half Year Olds

Yesterday, we were at lunch after church with a bunch of friends. I was sitting across from one of the kids who asked how old I was.

I replied "thirty-X."

A few minutes later, I realized he was blowing on me (picture a kid blowing out birthday candles).

I asked him what he was doing.

He said, "I'm turning you into a dinosaur."

Nationals Game

A friend gave us two tickets to tonight's Nats game: Section 115, Row B. Right next to the visitors' dug out! However, only made it through the fourth inning, we're fair weather baseball fans.

Gramma or Grampa

A visit to the upper Midwest this past weekend resulted in the following conversation between my Dad and my 29-month old niece.

Dad: I'm GRAMMA

Niece: No, you're GRAMPA

Dad: No, [pointing to my Mom] that's GRAMPA, I'm GRAMMA.

Niece: No, you're GRAMPA

Dad: No, [insisting] I'm GRAMMA

Niece: No...YOU a MAAANNN! You're GRAMPA!

On Washington Photo Safari Location

I was Brian's guest on the Washington Photo Safari's DC Monuments at Night.

Brian got a few new tips on night photography and I took some pictures of him taking pictures!

Happy Independence Day!

This is one of my favorites. Enjoy. Happy Independence Day!

Air Force Memorial

We visited the Air Force Memorial this evening.

God is God, and He is Good

Recently, I have been dwelling on the theme of "God is God, and He is good."

I think it's easy to agree with that statement when life seems to be going well, and there's minimal challenges.

How about when life isn't exactly what you thought it was going to be? How about when someone you know dies of cancer and leaves a wife and three young daughters? How about when a dear family friend has a massive stroke, and his recovery path is not clear? How about news you receive about your own health?

I think that's when I dwell even more on "God is God, and He is good. Always good." Difficult circumstances are not easily explained in earthly terms. Colossians 3:2 reminds us to, "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."

So I also dwell on:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28