Vienna Calling

Christmas time!!!

2011-12-12T13:14:00.002+01:00

It's so pretty!

Thomas' mom, Bonnie, is with us for the holidays and we're having a great time!

Enjoying some hot drinks at the market.

Ian is in a stage where he refuses to smile for pictures. I'm going to remind him of this at his wedding rehearsal dinner someday.

or just show this one where he is acting crazy!

little Daniel

I will have to do a birthday post soon. He'll be 1 year old this weekend! How good God has been in preserving his life and giving us a year with him. We take things for granted don't we?

I'm so thankful for all my boys and the years God has granted them. Praise the Lord!

Merry Christmas!

i want to say

2011-12-12T13:13:00.002+01:00

that I've been trying to upload different videos for about 2 weeks now and they won't load. So I have tried to update this blog... but it's not happening the way I wanted.

so there... I feel better saying that now.

Thanksgiving pic

2011-11-29T08:54:00.002+01:00

well, this picture was taken after lots of Turkey had been consumed :) But nevertheless, here we are at school celebrating a traditional meal with some of our high school Seniors. There are many international kids in this class and many had never had a traditional Thanksgiving meal. So along with some other sponsors, we cooked up some Turkey and fixins' and introduced the 'fullness' of Thanksgiving :)

It was fun and you can definitely tell our family is tired from all that eating!

2011-10-31T18:04:00.002+01:00

A little Austrian music for you :)

We FINALLY went on a Alpine hiking trip: It only took us 6 years to do it!

2011-10-31T17:48:00.002+01:00

Well, here we are in the Austrian Alps. We had an amazing time on our trip during our fall break from school. God provided in a huge way for us to go and finally enjoy the alps in the country we've lived in for so long. We are truly grateful for this experience and will never forget it!

Enjoy the following posts of more pictures from our adventure.

2011-10-31T17:29:00.002+01:00

Ponies that a man owns on the mountain! He drove up while we were passing by and asked the older ones to help him catch them with the extra harnesses he'd brought

Beautiful forests!

Suspension bridges throughout the hike and

Thomas is in the middle there with Daniel in the backpack.

Schladming, Austria = Beautiful Alps!

2011-10-31T17:04:00.004+01:00

Daniel did great in the backpack!

Taking a break with some hot chocolate at a small hut on the trail

Medieval Festival

2011-10-20T13:23:00.003+02:00

We went to a medieval festival in Eggenburg, Austria last month. It was fun and we even dressed up this time. I got in for cheaper because of my makeshift outfit. Yes, that's a cloth diaper on my head ;) The boys had swords tucked into their belts with Daddy's shirts on.

It is such fun to dress up and become part of an era long past. Good food and drink, some cross bow fun for the boys and a new set of arrows for Thad's bow back home. Ian even got a new dagger.

We're thankful for these unique experiences and love that our boys get to see "real" knights and their massive swords.

The Ebb and Flow of Life

2011-10-19T14:11:00.004+02:00

Sometimes I think we have nothing to post about and sometimes we have too much going on to take a moment to post about that. I'm sure you've noticed, as a sweet friend pointed out, we've yet to update in 3 months. Has nothing happened? Or too much going on?

I always want life to be predictable. You know, same schedule and same expectations each day. I thrive in an organized environment. Planned meetings with friends are right up my alley. I love orderly closets full of clean smelling clothes, squeaky clean kitchen counters and when I've been efficient in my tasks, you can probably hear my contented sighs as the day ends.

BUT... life is not always organized, scheduled, efficient or clean. It's often spur of the moment, messy and sometimes wearisome, discouraging and hurtful.

Is God in control of all of those moments? Even the ones that bring nothing but pain? Does His grace reign down on me when I'm whistling while I work and the times when I'm struggling to get out of bed?

You see, I want to be the perfect blogger always filling everybody in on our life. Showing my new recipes, crafts and family photos sounds so fun to me. I also have blog envy where I salivate over the nifty, savvy mom's blogs out there. But I must stop and realize that there is a time for everything. The ebb and flow of this blog, I believe, is a testimony to the ups and downs of our life.

Walking back through our posts, I can see the times where life was rolling along and there were good, energetic days for us. Then you can tell when a new baby comes or sickness rolls in, the blog kinda remains stagnant. The same post up there forever!

I guess what I'm trying to say is: I'm learning that God has appointed this day for me. Whatever happens in it, messy or clean, His grace is still there poured out over me. He has no expectations of me.... He knows I'm imperfect. There is a time for all kinds of things and all of those things cannot happen at the same time. I can be at a place in life where I am on top of all the daily activities and smiling. Or I can be at a place in life where I'm hurting or so unbelievably tired that nothing gets accomplished.

I like our blog. It shows our life. In the long interludes between posts, you can just assume life is too busy to stop and blog. You can picture spilled milk, a whining baby, runny noses and chicken nuggets for dinner three nights in a row.

But most of all you can pray that whatever kind of season it is for us, that we would soak up God's grace and keep running forward to finish this race, our race on earth. That our hearts would overflow with thankfulness and He would be glorified.

What is the ebb and flow of your life? Do you cling to Him in every season? Blogging or non-blogging seasons? :)

Chicken Nuggets? Yes. Pants? Not so much.

2011-06-15T16:23:00.006+02:00

Now that I have your attention with that headline, let me tell you a story. It's a story about life with little boys. If you have kids, you've probably had at least once major incident where your kid, ehem, exposed him or herself publicly.

Seeing as we live in Europe, this is a normal part of life. People let their kids pee (and do other things) anywhere and no one thinks anything of it. A few years ago at the rest stop along the Alabama/Mississippi border, Thad decided to drop trou and pee all over the sidewalk. As horrifying as that was, Ian managed to top it this year.

I may be wrong for doing this, but I lay all of the blame at the feet of the Chick-fil-A organization. Perhaps if they had a sign like this up in all of their restaurants, none of what I'm about to tell you would ever have happened.

If you know my wife, you know that while she is in Austria she feens for Chick-fil-A like a heroine addict does for a fix. So naturally the first meal she wanted to eat on our journey from Atlanta to Jackson was Chick-fil-A. We go into the store and the boys immediately went into the indoor playroom and did their thing.

After ordering food, we all sat down to eat. When we finished eating, Ian, as is his habit, annonced that he had to go "poop." We've tried for months to get him to keep this info to himself and to just go and do his business. Clearly what we're doing isn't working. So, Ian left to do his thing and we continued eating.

That's when disaster struck. From behind I heard the words no parent wants to hear in a restaurant after your kid has left to go to the bathroom: "Daddy, can you put my pants and underwear on me." Now, Ian is four years old and knows how to put pants on. That said, sometimes he's lazy and brings his pants and underwear to us to put them on him. We've been refusing to help him and so he eventually puts them on himself.

I immediately jumped up, all the while noticing the horrified and amused looks on the faces of my fellow patrons as Ian stood there in all his little boy glory. I grabbed the dude and took him back into the bathroom. When we came out, multiple individuals where smiling and laughing. We were able to continue eating our meal and we certainly got a great story out of the experience.

I'm both excited and slightly terrified about what else awaits me as a parent this summer, given how things have started off.

Easter weekend

2011-04-27T10:25:00.003+02:00

Easter weekend

2011-04-27T09:58:00.003+02:00

2011-04-11T15:40:00.002+02:00

all 3

2011-03-29T21:21:00.002+02:00

Daniel has found his hands.. and he loves them. They go in the mouth as often as he can find it.

my boys painting with some awesome roller paints we found at the store

2011-03-29T21:10:00.002+02:00

Here's Daniel in the Bath :) censored of course..

Stop Baby Stop Baby.....

2011-03-25T16:01:00.002+01:00

I thought it might be fun to show off my middle born son. He's a rocker too. Just a little bit of Good Weather Forecast to listen to this sunny day :)

Worth It

2011-03-25T15:55:00.002+01:00

well I thought I'd better put something very worthwhile on here for the first post in some time. Here is Daniel with a shout out to his Uncle Jordan in Iraq. We support him and his family during this time of deployment. Daniel is rocking the military colors and wants the whole world to know how proud he is of his uncle Jordan.

We are praying for you Uncle Jordan!
Love from all your nephews....

Love this Review

2011-02-27T10:10:00.001+01:00

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tullian/2011/02/21/every-story-whispers-his-name/

We love this Children's bible and use it in our own home. Please consider getting it for your family too!

Surrealism in Wien

2011-02-03T08:04:00.003+01:00

I'm in our local grocery store the other day perusing the frozen food isle and what do I hear over the speaker system, "Jackson" performed by Johnny Cash and June Carter. Now don't get me wrong, I understand globalization and how the internet brings all kinds of crazy cultural interaction, but being in an Austrian grocery store and hearing a song about your hometown (I don't care what people say, it's Jackson, MS not Jackson, TN) which happens to be in the deep South is the definition of surreal.

Latest Sermon

2011-02-02T11:46:00.002+01:00

When I post these, I'm not trying to be a narcissist or anything. I just think there might be one or two of you who may be interested in hearing some of the teaching I'm able to do here in Vienna.

http://viennachapel.org/Repentance/9/276

winter wear

2011-01-30T13:02:00.002+01:00

it's snowing here again!
just thought i'd post some cute boys in their winter wear..

this is what we wear when we go sledding!

continuation of previous post

2011-01-13T11:41:00.002+01:00

It was a privilege to have my parents here visiting for this special occasion. Their Christ like lives and prayers have made me who I am today. I was reminded that generations will reap what we sow. As I looked around at my boys, I saw that the hand of God was in this from long ago. Blessings upon blessing is definitely the caption here. Raise your sons and daughters for Him and see your grandchildren raised in the admonition of the Lord. He is faithful to bring this to pass!

Baby Dedication

2011-01-13T11:26:00.004+01:00

On January 9th, we had the blessing of dedicating our sons Daniel Lawrence and Ian Thomas to the Lord before the church body here at the Chapel.
What a privilege it is to offer back to God what He has given you as a gift. Children are from the Lord! We are only stewards of His creation and Thomas and I pray that we will honor our God as we raise them to know Him by reading His word to them. Our deepest desire is that they know Christ as their Saviour and then walk in that newness of life. Salvation by faith in Christ alone is only the first step in being made new. We have to use that same faith to walk with Him daily in order to grow and change. We want this for our sons!

Our pastor, James Devenish, was so kind to lead us in this dedication before the believers here.

Christmas catch up

2011-01-13T11:17:00.003+01:00

A blessed Christmas with many gifts

Daddy helping with the toys

The boys gifts to each other... I think Thad wanted the gift he gave Ian. Isn't that always how it is?

Daddy's little Elf (t-shirt)
He is milk drunk here... at least that's what we call it ;)

Christmas: The day grown men get a chance to play with toys and it's not weird.

2010-12-29T14:42:00.008+01:00

See what I mean. Christmas is were adults get to act like kids by playing with the toys they spent their hard earned money on for their children. Being the good father that I am, I decided my boys needed NERF guns. And by my boys, I of course mean me. If the last 72 hours have taught me anything, it's that everyone needs a NERF gun in their life. There is nothing more satisfying than shooting your kids and or spouse and releasing some frustration. Be sure to note that they will shoot you back, so be prepared.

The awesome thing about the guns we bought is that they have velcro on the darts thereby preventing your kid from cheating when you're playing dart tag. Memo to my kids and all the other little munchkins your age: We (people in our late 20's early 30's) make the toys now and we know what cheating little turds we were when we were kids. So, don't think for a second we would create games that would allow you to cheat us...we're winners...always have been, always will be. Believe that.

I believe the phrase the kids are using these days is "pwned." Take that boy.

I got Thad some cool looking toys made by LEGO called Hero Factory. Essentially, these are the LEGO version of Transformers, but for about 1/3 of the cost. You can also take them all apart and mix and match the pieces. I thought this was cool until the little guy created this...whatever "it" is.

Now I'm no child psychologist (although I did get a B in that class in community college), but I don't think you need to be to think there might be something wrong with the 5 year old that created this thing. Scratch that, this thing is awesome and I'm actually a bit ticked off I didn't build it myself. I love my kid because he builds stuff like this. It shows imagination. I mean, the kid is related to me so what chance did he really have of avoiding having some major issues?

Anyway, here's his explanation of how this thing "kills the good guys." Pray for us.

A Christmas Pageant...sort of

2010-12-24T18:01:00.002+01:00

Tonight we had our church's Christmas Eve service. Part of the evening included a small play put on by the 3-5 year olds. They did a great job and it was neat to see Thad and Ian part of the show.

One of the things I love about my kids is that they are freaking weird just like their dad. When given the option of what animal he wanted to be in the program, Ian subsequently selected cheetah. Epic.

Hey, you don't know if there was a cheetah at the manger. Were you there? I didn't think so. Some may think the boy odd...I would call him eccentric.

Thad was a wise man. This was an easy task for him to perform given that he is from the Gardner family.

Merry Christmas all. We hope your Christmas Eve and

Christmas are as joyful and exciting as ours!

A Christmas Eve Surprise

2010-12-24T12:19:00.003+01:00

Early presents from Nanny and Poppy.
Let the weekly photography updates begin.

(BTW, notice how festive we are by
decking out our kids in full Halloween garb)

More pictures

2010-12-20T19:27:00.002+01:00

The Arrival home from the hospital.

Thad and Ian sang at church on Sunday. About 2/3 of the way through the performance Ian decided to just sit down. Life is tough for a 3 year old.

Daniel Lawrence Gardner

2010-12-17T23:31:00.002+01:00

snow, snow, snow

2010-12-03T13:12:00.001+01:00

Ian trying to crawl up the mound

Thad conquering the mound

a snow angel

December is HERE!

2010-12-02T19:26:00.003+01:00

We've been up to quite a few things... Making funny faces is just one of them!

Kim, Joel and the kiddos came to visit us for Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful time as Joel cooked great food, the kiddos were kind and we got to go out one night to the Christmas markets alone :)

The four hoodlums. They are growing up so fast.

Yes, this was Halloween. BUT it was funny because Thomas told me he understood how it must feel to carry extra weight on the front only during pregnancy :) Well I'm not sure he can understand completely, but I am appropriately posting this as we're finally into our baby's birthday month. Daniel will be here soon and we are sooo ready!

Thanks for your prayers and keep looking for his arrival! We're down to 2 1/2 weeks more or less!

2010-11-21T21:02:00.002+01:00

Here was the 5th goal of the evening.

Disallowed Goal

2010-11-21T20:54:00.003+01:00

This was scored in the 3rd minute of play, but the guy was clearly offside.

Pre-Match with a view of the Ultras

2010-11-21T20:45:00.003+01:00

The "Ultras" are the hardcore Rapid fans. Here they are chanting and getting things going right before the match started.

Rapid Wien Christmas

2010-11-21T20:33:00.002+01:00

Rapid Vienna is one of Europe's most storied football clubs. They have a history dating back into the early 1900's and so it was a really cool thing that Thad and I got to go to a match as an early Christmas present to him. He thought the stadium was really cool but about 30 minutes into the game he asked when we were leaving. You can only ask so much from a 5 year old, right?

Here we are as the match was beginning. We had a great time with the other staff who went with us, and we're looking forward to checking out FK Austria (a rival club) sometime during the Spring. If I can get there, this will mean I've been to a match at each of Vienna's most famous stadiums.

Here are some videos of goals from the match that I caught. The match finished 5-0 to Rapid so it was no wonder I caught a few on camera. The videos will be in subsequent posts.

Halloween pics

2010-11-02T12:30:00.003+01:00

We have Batman and Frodo Baggins this year!

Thomas' art work on our pumpkin. Thad picked out the word glory. It looks really cool in the dark.

Thad's singing part 1

2010-11-01T11:36:00.003+01:00

Thad's fall program at school

2010-11-01T11:23:00.002+01:00

Caramel Apples

2010-10-29T13:23:00.003+02:00

I haven't vanished off the face of the earth... but rather trying to stay very much a part of it as I carry along this baby with me. I'm sooo tired. But I cannot wait to meet this little one and change our family once again! all that to say, I'm still here and cooking. It's just that I only cook once a week :)
The boys helped me make these last night for the season and I thought we'd share them with you! notice they both have their eyes closed while eating them. I guess they're just that good!

*Ian does lick off all the caramel and leave the apple :) Thad eats the whole thing just like me.

Like this post

2010-10-28T18:43:00.002+02:00

MISSIONAL MOTHERING

Read it and be blessed.

Funny Story (UPDATED)

2010-10-28T11:08:00.004+02:00

So, yesterday we went to the High school Boys soccer match against VIS, Vienna International School. Ian and I arrived a little late only to find Thad hanging out with a bunch of older boys and not wearing his coat, just like they weren't. It was cold! So I told him to get it on now! He says it's over on the other side of the field where Dad is coaching because that's where he left it before the game started.

I decide to make him run around the perimeter of the field to get it and come back quickly. So Thad turns and heads off to run around the field. I forgot he has a little brother who wants to do everything too! Well, Ian ran right after him and I was a little concerned but pleasantly surprised that he was following the perimeter just like Thad. I mean I can't chase him in my condition. So my friends and I watched him go and hoped he'd make it all the way to Dad, who is still coaching mind you. All the sudden Ian freaks out and runs across the field...... AHHHH! Straight down the line that forms the goal keepers box. The Ref is blowing the whistle and the players near him are trying to catch him but without success. He's headed straight across the field and no one is stopping him! So embarrassing, right? Well, a few minutes later he asks me about Daddy and wants to see him. But we have a long talk about how he will have to wait until the game is over and especially DO NOT run on the field AGAIN!!

Now keep in mind I'm very preggo and not about to chase him and he knows it. I keep talking to my friend and look up and he's on the field AGAIN! The ref is blowing the whistle and the players are laughing.... thank goodness. I'm sure Dad is NOT laughing and I'm completely mortified this time. Our friend who tried to stop him as he was entering the field heard him yell back at him, "You're not my Dad!" Wow, that's my boy's response to anyone who is trying to correct him. Not good.

Everyone else thought it was funny except his Mama, although I find it funny now as I'm blogging about it. Boys are too much and yet I'm adding a third one! I guess if these are the worst things my children do then I'll survive.

Ian, someday we'll tell your story when you are playing high school soccer. The one about the boy who interrupted a high school boy's match not once, but twice all because he wanted to see his Daddy :)

Train Up A Child

2010-10-25T16:37:00.003+02:00

Train up a child in the ways of the goal and when he is older he will get a scholarship...hopefully.
- Proverbs...uh...it should be a proverb.

So maybe this won't make his college recruiting highlight video, but it sure was fun. This is what you do when it's freezing cold, rainy, and just generally miserable outside.

Man Blog Update

2010-10-13T09:53:00.000+02:00

Arrogance and Sexual Sin

2010-09-16T16:29:00.001+02:00

THE CULT OF CELEBRITY - A post from Thomas' Blog

Sermon

2010-09-13T14:35:00.002+02:00

Thomas had a chance to preach a few weeks ago on Missional Principles from the Life of Daniel. Here's a link to the sermon.

http://viennachapel.org/MISSIONAL_The_life_of_Daniel/9/238

Man Blog Update

2010-09-13T06:08:00.001+02:00

http://thelayzmen.wordpress.com/

First week of School!

2010-09-02T12:51:00.002+02:00

I thought this was a good picture of how old Ian is looking these days. This was actually taken in a series of photos trying to capture the perfect one for his mug shot for visa paperwork. Thomas took these... and I complained about the dirty shirt Ian was wearing the whole time. :)

First Day of School picture with his Austrian tute which is filled with an assortment of sweets and treats.

Chelsea Football Club backpack. Yes, he's totally into soccer like his Dad! But I should mention this is his Daddy's rival team to the club he loves and Thad doesn't seem to care. Sometimes life isn't fair.....for Dads that is.

Mode of transportation. He uses the scooter to get to and from school while Daddy walks. I guess Thad will have his stories when he's older that will start something like...."when I was your age, we biked a 1/4 mile to school." We'll see what happens when the snow comes in! I'm sure the stories will get better!

Thad feeding deer at the wildlife refuge

2010-08-17T16:22:00.003+02:00

Hiking

2010-08-17T16:17:00.002+02:00

We went hiking in the Wiener Wald and it was a fun time of exploring and enjoying the outdoors

Yes, this is Ian in a hobbit outfit. Isn't he adorable!! This might be the outfit for Halloween this year!

New Staff

2010-08-03T16:57:00.006+02:00

Picture this...well, I guess you don't have to because it's right here. I'm listening to my 80's mix CD, wearing aviator sun glasses, and driving 4 munchkins (our boys and two girls that belong to some new staff) back to our home. It's The Dad Life in full effect. Not to mention that the kids were all rocking out to Kenny Loggins' "Highway to the Danger Zone" made famous in the opening scene of Top Gun. Just call me Maverick Dad.

We've really enjoyed getting to know the new staff. It's been a busy few days as they fight jet lag, go through basic Vienna Orientation, and avoid freaking out about all the new things they'll be dealing with in their lives. Here are a few pics.

The Overbys

Amanda

The Johnstones

We had some more staff arrive yesterday, but I haven't gotten their pictures yet. Please join with us in praying for these folks that their transition would be smooth and that God would use them in powerful ways to minister to students here. Pray also that we would have servant's hearts and seek to give of ourselves and our time to help them adjust to being here.

I painted the table BLUE!

2010-07-26T13:02:00.002+02:00

Wow, sometimes I have a thought for a design in my head that turns out so different outside of my head. BUT, I love the surprise outcome of the project you've been working on.

Yes, my breakfast table is blue and I have to say I love it. It makes me want to eat Mexican food every night. I call it my fiesta table! Everything looks good on it including my white plates.

Project completed, successful.

Yes, he's an MK

2010-07-22T10:11:00.002+02:00

This is such a hilarious picture to Thomas and me. We told Thad to smile for the pic and he shows us the peace sign. We both about fell over laughing. Neither one of us told him to do this or showed him how. He has seen kids at school do it and he actually said he saw it on some pictures at school. Only an international kid would do something like this. Such a reminder to us that he is definitely a Third Culture Kid. That or he's been around too many lovable Koreans :)

Corn eatin' fool

I cannot believe I'm going to have another BOY! Where will he fit in a picture like this? I love taking this type of picture and can't wait to have the new one... maybe he'll fit under my chin?

Mamas of boys know that there is nothing sweeter than the love and loyalty of your boys now and the promise of strength and leadership for the future.

I'm in my 20th week today and of course that means I'm halfway to the end. We cannot wait to welcome our new boy and see what laughter he brings to this family!

For the Grandparents!

2010-07-20T21:41:00.002+02:00

The Good Ole Summertime

2010-07-20T21:36:00.002+02:00

I must note this is a gift from our Director, Ken, before he left. A soccer grilling set.... how funny and appropriate!

CRIBS - Vienna Summer Addition

2010-07-13T12:20:00.005+02:00

Summer in Vienna has its perks. See, there are people who own cool stuff that you don't and they leave for the summer and need someone to take care of their cool stuff. This is where you come in, assuming you can bite the bullet and be apart from friends and family back in the states for over a year.

The Gardner family is currently experiencing our own version of MTV CRIBS. We currently alternate living in an apartment, a home in the city with a great backyard, and what we have dubbed our "vacation home" in a small town outside of Vienna. We have also had access to at least 3 different cars at various stages of the summer, and I really feel the only thing I'm missing is some bling so I can feel like the white chocolate rapper I am on the inside.

That's better. In the words of 2pac, "Picture me rollin'..."

Just like living the high life as a rapper comes with a price (you're on the road all the time...you can't go anywhere because you're famous...you have to have major dental surgery to fill your mouth with platinum, gold, and precious jewels...and you'll probably be shot at least once), so does our Vienna Summer.

We wanted to stay home this summer so we didn't have to live out of a suitcase for 2 months and move from house to house. Oops. That's exactly what we've been doing for the last 3 weeks. Maybe we've become subconsciously nomadic as a result of how we've lived the past 4 summers. It certainly seems that way since we've chosen the same type of life for this summer.

Despite all of this, we really have enjoyed our summer and we are truly grateful to those who have blessed us with homes and cars for the summer. The boys have loved having backyards to play in and Wii's to play with. Thad is actually pretty good a Wii bowling. I'm also Tiger freaking Woods at Wii golf...err...maybe not Tiger...how about Phil Mickelson. Less off the course drama with that choice.

You can pray that we will settle in a bit and that I'll be able to get some work done with some things. What you can pray for specifically:

What to teach through in chapel this year as well as a chapel theme.

That the visa situation for Mollie and the boys will be worked out by the end of August.

For Thad's summer work to be ready for school in August.

For a 4 week series I am planning for our church's youth group that will begin next week.

Of prepping sermons, gluing heads, and fighting birds.

2010-07-07T20:10:00.007+02:00

I'm assuming that, having read that title, you are sufficiently interested in hearing about my weekend. See, most people just ask you how your weekend was so that they can then tell you about theirs but, I'm smarter than that. So here goes.

Preparation is great. I love it. I especially love prepping for sermons because I get intensive times of studying the Word. The last several times I've preached, I have done most of my prep work at school and things have gone fine. Now that school is out though, I do my prep at home which apparently exists in another dimension filled with Thomas the Train DVD's, apple juice, and small creatures that constantly scream when bitten by one another, throw things, and announce the success of their toilet trips to all who are in hearing distance.

After spending some time writing a general outline for my sermon on paper I decided to sit down at the computer and hammer out the specifics. It was right then that I heard the all too familiar thud of a little boy falling off Mommy and Daddy's bed. After the fall comes the few seconds of silence where they gather up the scream. That eventually came, but then came another one...from Mollie.

Cue the freak out. After falling off that bed once a week since he could walk, Ian picked this time to bust his head open. And I mean open. I didn't see skull, but there couldn't have been much more between us and it. So we headed to the hospital and got him all glued up.

CONFESSION: I'm cheap and so I got Mollie to at least attempt to braid his hair around the wound to hold it together and avoid a trip to the hospital. It didn't work and, truth be told, I felt a bit bad about it.

And now to the next morning. I got up early and really got things going. I was typing out my notes and outline and generally feeling good about life. Mollie and the boys got up and I was still able to work. Then, Mollie screams again. This time I ran wondering to myself who it was that was seriously injured this time. I found her in our foyer with the kitchen door shut looking terrified. She then informed me that a bird was in our kitchen. Here I am almost done with my sermon and now I have to go and get an animal out of my kitchen.

ANOTHER CONFESSION: I hate nature, and I'm kind of a big girl when it comes to nature invading my home. So, being the big, tough girl that I am, I armed myself for battle as you can see below:

I used Thad's grabber thingy (do those things have real names?) to subdue the beast. I wanted to kill it, but Mollie likes nature and I wanted to be sensitive...plus I didn't want guts on my floor. So I picked the bird up with the grabber and put it in a bag. I was convinced it had a broken wing because it didn't try to fly, but that didn't stop me from deciding to dump it out of our window eight stories high. Mollie again protested, noting that if it did in fact have a broken wing it would'nt be able to fly. I offered a retort by telling her that if it had a broken wing it was going to die anyway and at least this way he'd experience flight one last time.

I confess, I didn't really say that last part about flying one last time, but I should have. Anyways, I threw the bird out the window and, miracle of miracles, it started flying. And so all was well with the world.

I eventually finished my sermon which can be heard her e if you really care. Ian's head is fine and as far as we know, the bird is also doing well.

Thomas' Blog

2010-07-05T17:20:00.002+02:00

...is going again now that he and his friends actually have time to think and write. Here it is if you want to check it out again.

www.thelayzmen.wordpress.com

Our Trip

2010-06-16T11:24:00.003+02:00

Class group hug :)

Yep they're cheesy and loving it!

Last night, that's only mineral water...

The game on the first night. They had to all stand on a towel... no one could be left off or touching the ground

The three amigos adventuring in the Adriatic. I think they saw a baby octopus!

We were refreshed and truly enjoyed our experience with them. Thanks for your prayers for us and the class as well as our little boys!

Senior Trip

2010-05-28T10:33:00.002+02:00

Please pray for us this week as we leave to go to Croatia with 14 Seniors from VCS. Thomas and I will be chaperoning with 3 other teachers. Please pray for safety, wisdom to deal with any circumstance and for great memories to be made. We pray that these students will be able to transition well from Vienna to wherever their college may be, but we hope we can help them begin that process on this trip.
Please pray for our boys as they will stay at some other families homes during this time.

Thanks for praying and caring!! Looking forward to reporting about our time with these seniors.

Ian is 3 years old!

2010-05-23T08:17:00.002+02:00

He wanted me to draw on his face :)

We went to the huge city park and rode the train around it. He has always wanted to and we decided that would be a fun birthday present!

He was very excited about it and kept whistling like a choo choo while we rode along.
Happy Birthday Ian!!

JR. Formal

2010-05-18T17:17:00.002+02:00

Our Juniors at VCS hosted a great evening honoring the Senior class. We enjoyed being there and hanging out with all involved. It was held in an old palace downtown. These kids don't know how good they have it!!!

Day at VCS

2010-05-18T16:57:00.002+02:00

Our little boy was tested on Monday in order to begin the process of entering Primary in the fall.
He thought he was so grown up going to school and getting tested. They said he did great and hopefully we'll get the go ahead to put him in the kindergarten in the fall!
Isn't he cute!?

Our Sweet Boy is 5 yrs old!

2010-04-24T08:18:00.001+02:00

Happy Birthday Thad! We can't believe you are 5 and yet with all you can do, it seems fitting :)

2010-04-14T17:39:00.002+02:00

2010-04-14T17:34:00.002+02:00

Ice Skating Again

2010-04-13T13:33:00.002+02:00

Thad ICE skating

2010-04-13T13:22:00.002+02:00

2010-04-06T13:27:00.002+02:00

2010-04-06T13:05:00.002+02:00

2010-04-06T12:57:00.001+02:00

you can make neat images at www.wordle.net

2010-03-17T16:21:00.003+01:00

Loving Life

2010-02-16T12:26:00.001+01:00

Brotherly love...

Mommy love...

Love Hot Chocolate!

Love painting our brother like a Dalmatian....

Love new clothes from grandparents..

Oh what kids will do....

2010-02-13T11:12:00.002+01:00

More Croatian pics

2010-02-10T15:30:00.002+01:00

Top of the hill in the old town center

A warm place to stay

Wish you could see all the apartments that look so run down or communistic in architecture.
A very interesting mix of new and old. Although in this case, what's new looks old and what's old looks glorious!

Croatia

2010-02-10T15:23:00.002+01:00

We recently went to Croatia with some friends for various reasons over our Energy break. It was a quick and successful trip and we saw some lovely sights along the way.

Bloggity Blues

2010-02-10T15:21:00.000+01:00

Yep, I'm getting tired of being stuck inside for the winter!! So I'm changing and rearranging and that includes the blog. Sorry if it throws you off... but it makes for a nice change around here :)

Getting Crafty

2010-02-05T10:45:00.002+01:00

I like making homemade products like face wash, deodorant, toothpaste or just homemade vanilla extract. I was thinking it would be nice to have some labels to put on my jars. Maybe I'll get some fun stamp in the future, but for now there is a site you can go to and choose vintage labels. Here are a few that I plan on using. The one above with butterflies would just be beautiful on a jar of bath salts. Don't you think??

I have tons of these and look forward to printing them and labeling my goods!

*** More to come on our trips this week. God was good to us and provided some fun adventures during our Energy Break this week of February.

What's Growing on Around Here

2010-01-28T09:08:00.000+01:00

I'm trying to picture warmer days since we keep getting mounds of snow. But since I can't find the sunshine today, here's some of my cheery plants indoors.
They make me smile.

Dino toes

2010-01-15T12:55:00.003+01:00

When you want to be a dinosaur.... this will have to do!
My eldest son came up with that all on his own :)

I Recommend...

2010-01-14T12:49:00.001+01:00

This:

Olive Caper Relish
~adapted from Gourmet Magazine, March 2003

1 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives, rinsed and drained
2/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons drained bottled capers, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large clove garlic, cut in half
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/8 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes

Instructions -

Put all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Don’t puree.

So yummy!! I put it on salads or eat it on bread or crackers with cheese.

Hitji's Party

2010-01-14T12:21:00.003+01:00

We had a surprise birthday party for Hitji over Christmas break

Some of his classmates planned the party and I think they did a
great job encouraging their classmate.

We really like having the students in our home and so do our boys.

By the Way....

2010-01-12T11:24:00.004+01:00

It's been snowing a lot the past week and the boys have loved it! This past Wednesday we had a holiday and the boys and their Daddy
went out to play for about 2 hours! I love that Ian was barely able to walk in it at first b/c it was almost up to his little knees.

Here, a friend of ours is burying Ian in the snow.

Older brother trying to bring the little down as per his Daddy's instructions :)

Pretty cute

And yes, there was a snow man involved...

Make some bread today

2010-01-05T18:46:00.002+01:00

Nothing is better than a warm piece of
bread straight out of the oven!

Dress Up

2010-01-04T09:30:00.003+01:00

It's so fun to be a pirate and do your school work at the same time! He is circling the items he can buy with the money he's been given. Great idea for teaching what numbers are higher and lower than the given number. I made a list out to the side of how much he can spend and then put all the other prices below or above that price so he can see how it works.

I wish I could say Ian was doing his school work but he's just watching his obsession, Thomas the train. :)

Happy School Year to everyone and hope it is full of amazing experiences and may you gain
a deeper knowledge of this world God made.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2010-01-02T19:47:00.002+01:00

Christmas Favorites

2010-01-02T19:24:00.001+01:00

Staff Christmas Party - Silent Night

2009-12-18T08:41:00.003+01:00

I love this time of year! Singing Stille Nacht in German here in Austria where the song was birthed makes for such a beautiful and meaningful time. Our staff is singing it here and I get teary eyed every time. We will always remember these Christmases spent here in Austria.
Frohe Weihnachten!

Thad's Christmas Concert

2009-12-14T14:37:00.002+01:00

Smoothie boys

2009-12-08T13:38:00.002+01:00

My boys love Smoothies! It's a great way to get good vitamins in them that they wouldn't normally eat. I know I've posted about them before... but here's our Christmas smoothie!
Did you know you can put spinach in the smoothie and you cannot taste it at all?! Seriously, it only makes the smoothie green which is soo cool to little boys.
So celebrate the season with green smoothies!
Here's to your health...

I surrender!!!

2009-12-03T15:22:00.014+01:00

I know when I've been beaten, or at least when my wife has gotten a new camera and so I've decided to take my ramblings elsewhere. I have also managed to bring several friends of mine with me and we have launched out on our own. And so, I give you...

Don't judge us based on the title alone, go and check it out for yourself.

The LayZmen Blog

And now, I take my leave.

Thanksgiving with family

2009-12-02T20:20:00.002+01:00

One of the many booths worth looking at

Thad & Ian

Ian, Thad, Helen & Breck

The Rathaus with the advent numbers on the windows.

After our big thanksgiving day meal... we headed out the next day to the markets in Vienna. It was so beautiful as always! The kids had fun eating candy and pastries while we enjoyed hot punsch austrian style.
Enjoy the festive photos and wish so much you all could have the chance to visit us here during this season. It really is beautiful and charming.

Cousins having fun at the Christkindl Markt

2009-12-02T20:00:00.002+01:00

Wednesday Wisdom - Follow Your Heart?

2009-11-25T09:22:00.015+01:00

*** This post is interactive. Please scroll down to the bottom of the post and hit play on the youtube clip. We hope you enjoy your interactive experience.***
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"Living from the heart is business — the business of caring for self and others. Understanding this will take us past the age of information into the age of intuitive living." - Doc Childre

I think Solomon and the rest of the Bible might disagree.

The concept of following your heart is something that has become increasingly common within our culture, specifically pop culture. From children's videos to movies and music, this is an oft repeated saying that is rooted in a certain view of humanity.

The idea that man is basically good arose in reaction to the over emphasis on man's depravity during the Middle Ages. While it should be noted that man is a valuable, image bearer of God, the fact remains that he is still marred by sin. This biblical truth is almost universally dismissed as archaic by most. Almost all recognize that mankind has issues, but those are believed to be the result of nurture rather than nature.
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As we move into Ecclesiastes chapter 2 we get a glimpse into Solomon's decision to follow his heart. What we come to find is that, contrary to Doc Chidre's comment, when Solomon followed his heart he was self-absorbed rather than concerned with others. He served his own needs and pursued his own desires and, rather than being fulfilled and happy, what he found was only disappointment and despair.

The Test of Pleasure
Chapter 2 begins with Solomon's decision in his heart to "test" himself with pleasure. Following the flow of the text from chapter 1, this was clearly in response to his pursuit of academic knowledge. These intellectual pursuits only served to provide him with greater knowledge of the broken and crooked nature of the world (1:15, 18). Since intellectual endeavors didn't satisfy, perhaps gratifying his physical desires would.
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He began by examining laughter and worldly joy. These were meaningless and accomplished nothing (2:2). He then turned to alcohol to intensify his experiences. In the midst of this drunken revelry he seemed to analyze himself and his experiences using the wisdom that God had given him (2:3). The analysis of his condition revealed that this too had failed to deliver the satisfaction and joy that he was seeking.

CRIBS: The B.C. Edition .

In 2:4 Solomon explains that he turned from revelry to great building projects. These would provide clearly attainable objectives that would give him temporary purpose and would lead to even greater sensual experiences and enjoyment upon their completion. He built a great palace that we know from 1 Kings 7 took 13 years to complete. The palace was furnished with gardens, vineyards, parks, and all kinds of fruit trees (2:5-6). This palace was stocked with servants he had purchased and his wealth included more flocks of animals than any other king to come before him (2:7).

Within this palace he fully indulged himself in sensual pleasures. He had wealth and treasure to feast his eyes upon as well as musical performers to keep him entertained. On top of that, he indulged himself sexually. The second half of 2:8 tells us about his harem. This was a group of women, probably wives and sex slaves, whose task was to satisfy the king's physical desires. There is no need to go into detail here but Solomon had the opportunity to indulge himself in every possible sexual experience.

Temporary Enjoyment

2:10 is a really important verse that is sometimes not emphasized when Solomon's experiences are referenced. Solomon very clearly states that he enjoyed all of the things he was doing. It's shocking I know, but apparently sex feels good, getting drunk is kind of fun, and being rich gives you the chance to own really cool stuff. There was definitely a short term gain for Solomon. He states that his heart took delight in all that he had done. The problem with the heart is that gratifying it's desires can only offer enjoyment in the short run.

"Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun."

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Who can say, "I have kept my heart pure?"

The problem with following our hearts is that they don't lead us to God. Proverbs 20:19 asks the above question. The answer, according to scripture, is that no one's heart is pure. We see this especially when it comes to relating to God. In Romans 1:18-32 tells us that man suppresses his knowledge of God and chooses to worship created things rather than the Creator. When man does this, his worship will almost always be directed towards himself. This worship manifests itself in many ways but especially sexually (Rom. 1:24-27).

As Solomon looked back on his pursuit of wealth and pleasure he honestly assessed the long term results. Nothing was gained and he was filled with an overwhelming sense of emptiness. He failed to see God as the giver of all good things and to enjoy the experiences of life from a position of worship. As we live a life of true worship we can enjoy life within the boundaries that God sets for our protection. As soon as we begin to live outside of worshipping the Lord we open ourselves up to long term disappointment and misery even if the short term of worshipping ourselves through sensual pleasure is enjoyable.

How has our thinking been impacted by the idea of following our hearts?

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Are we enjoying the experiences of life from a position of worshipping God or ourselves?

2009-11-19T11:13:00.007+01:00

Ok, so he was French and a 5 Point Calvinist (ha ha ha), but he also had some really good things to say. Continuing with our study of the Reformers in World History, we have now arrived at Calvin. I'll share some selections with you guys over the next few days.

"Read Demosthenes or Cicero, read Plato, Aristotle, or any others of that class; I grant that you will be attracted, delighted, moved, and enraptured by them in a surprising manner; but if, after reading them, you turn to the perusal of the sacred volume, whether you are willing or unwilling, it will affect you so powerfully, it will so penetrate your heart, and impress itself so strongly on your mind, that, compared with its energetic influence, the beauties of rhetoricians and philosophers will almost entirely disappear; so that it is easy to perceive something divine in the sacred Scriptures, which far surpasses the highest attainments and ornaments of human history."

-Taken from Institutes, Volume I

I love that Calvin doesn't say not to read the famous writings of the secular world. He encourages us to read them and to appreciate them. He does, however, point out that we must always be captivated by the scriptures. When we study the Word and understand who God is based on His revelation, we can more clearly see Him in the writings of the secular world.

Who, no matter their field of study, could ever compose poetry, portray emotion in a novel, write of the natural world, or analyze human history without intentionally or unintentionally portraying some element of the divine? We can only come to this appreciation when we are allowing our minds to be transformed (Rom. 12:2) by the scriptures.

2009-11-19T09:53:00.014+01:00

"These absurdities...are good trade, and procure a comfortable income to such priests and friars as by this craft they get their gain...What can be said bad enough of others who pretend that by the force of such magical charms, or by the fumbling over their beads in the rehearsal of such petitions (which some religious impostors invented, either for diversion, or, what is more likely, for advantage), they shall procure riches, honors, pleasure, long life, and lusty old age, nay, after death, a seat at the right hand of the Saviour?"

- Taken from In Praise of Folly (1512)

It's fascinating to me that the words of a man who lived so long ago can still ring so true today. Perhaps those of us who are followers of Jesus should be a bit more careful about who we give a mic. Maybe the church should spend more time reading dead guys than watching live ones.

Wednesday Wisdom

2009-11-17T15:45:00.019+01:00

"What is twisted cannot be straightened;

what is lacking cannot be counted."

Solomon's Advantages

Solomon closed the first section of Ecclesiastes with a lament about being forgotten after his death. This pessimistic look into his future is followed with a look back into his past. He reminds us of his high position in Israel as king (1:12) and goes on to explain that he sought to explore with his wisdom everything that a person could pursue in this life (1:13).

Solomon's wealth and power afforded him virtually unlimited resources to undertake this quest. There may be some alive today who have the wealth of Solomon, but none wield the absolute power he had. When he speaks to us about his search for meaning using unlimited power and means, we should pay attention. Unfortunately for Solomon all of this searching did not bring about the desired result. We have already been given his conclusion (1:2) and verse 13 begins his systematic overview of all of his areas of seach as well as things he learned along the way.
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His careful examination of the human condition revealed what he considered to be a great burden (1:13). No matter what a person pursues in this life or how hard they pursue it, the ultimate result will be a sense of emptiness. A key phrase here again is under the sun. Meaning cannot be derived from experiences of this world alone.

The World is Jacked Up

If you don't believe that, you haven't watched a Tom Cruise movie lately. If you think the world is a great place, let me suggest you watch War of the Worlds or Mission Impossible 3. Terrible.

Solomon points out the messed up nature of things in verse 15. When we examine the world, we can't help but notice something is wrong. Things don't feel right. How did they get this way?

We are told in Genesis that after man sinned God cursed the ground. Romans 8:20 sheds more light on this curse. There we are told that "the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the one who subjected it." Our experience of reality, the world around us and our lives, has been "twisted". As 1:15 says, what is lacking cannot be counted. The life that God set before Adam and Eve was like a road that was simple to traverse. Man was to cultivate the Earth and his life which would be a joyous process inwhich man would partner with creation. Unfortunately, as a result of man's sin, the creation was cursed and now works against him. Despite the good that can be expereienced in the world, the road of life has been twisted and made crooked. That fact is, for Solomon and us, a tremendous frustration and burden (1:13).

Solomn's Pride/Wisdom/Disappointment
After Solomon observes the condition of the world, he returns to the recounting of his quest. In pride, he examines himself and concludes that he is more wise than any who have come before him (1:16). This scene is remeniscent of Nebuchadnezzar's prideful declaration that he had built Babylon the great with his own strength (Dan. 4:29-30). That statement preceded a great fall that eventually brought brokeness and humility. The humbling of Nebuchadnezzar involved him living life in madness as an animal. Interestingly, Solomon's experience would be somewhat similar and would bring humility and a turning towards God.
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Solomon tells us that he decided to pursue both wise and foolish living (1:17). This verse is really a summary of all that is to follow in the book as he will go on to describe each of these pursuits in detail as well as the lessons he learned along the way. His ultimate conclusion is again repeated, all of his efforts were akin to attempting to catch the wind. The chapter itself concludes with a terribly sad but true statement.
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"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;

the more knowledge, the more grief."

The more we come to know about the world around us and the older we get, the more we come to see the fallen condition of both the world and ourselves. Solomon pursued happiness, pleasure, and meaning in this life with limitless resources and power. All he got in return was misery and disappointment because this world and nothing in it can ever fully satisfy our deepest longings. C.S. Lewis made a similar observation in Mere Christianity.

"Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exist. A baby feels hunger; well, there is such a thing as food. Men feel sexual desire; well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was meant for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not mean that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing."

Solomon mistakenly believed that he could find enjoyment and satisfaction through the various pursuits of life. He learns the hard way that the world is a broken place that cannot be enjoyed or truly experienced apart from knowing the one who made it.

I heard a preacher say it this way: Life is like a can of peaches. It can be sweet, delicious, and enjoyable as long as you can get to it. You can look at the picture on the outside and imagine the taste, but without a can opener you can't truly experience the peaches. Life is like a can of peaches, but apart from God giving us the ability to enjoy it, we will only experience a shadow of what it could be. Solomon came to the conclusion that he had to acknowledge God to find meaning and purpose but took the long, hard road to make that discovery.

Do we look for satisfaction in this world?

Do we believe that our wisdom, or wealth, or power will bring us joy in this life?

May we look to the Lord as the one who gives our lives meaning and may we in turn enjoy the work of our hands that He has placed before us.

Sermon Idea

2009-11-13T17:06:00.005+01:00

I was sent this by my good friend Herr Reynolds and I thought it would be worth sharing because of its wit and wisdom (kind of a theme here). I teach something similar in my 9th grade Bible curriculum and I feel sure that at some point in the future I will preach a sermon on it. Until then, I'll leave it to the great theologian Craig Ferguson. He uses one or two "colorful" phrases so don't watch this with your kids.

2009-11-12T15:42:00.007+01:00

My World History class is currently studying the Renaissance and the Reformation. This is a facinating time period in Christian history because of the unique individuals that were working towards new movements in theology as well as church reform.

One of these men was Desiderius Erasmus. Born in Rotterdam as the illegitimate son of a Dutch priest, he managed to become one of the leading Latin scholars of the Renaissance period as well as a covert church reformer. As I have been reading some of his writings I have come across several notable quotations that I thought would be interesting to share with you guys. Enjoy.

"Would that the farmer might sing snatches of scripture at his plow and that the weaver might hum phrases of scripture to the tune of his shuttle, that the traveler might lighten with stories from scripture the weariness of his journey."

Taken from the preface of his 1516

version of the Greek New Testament.

What a convicting quote. We have come so far in our access to scripture, and yet we take that priviledge so lightly.

Wednesday Wisdom - Life: What's the point?

2009-11-11T21:00:00.019+01:00

"Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless."

After identifying himself as the author, Solomon gets right to the point in 1:2 and shares the conclusion of all his efforts and pursuits. Not really a recipe for a best seller is it? Especially considering the titles of certain books that you find on shelves nowadays. So what is the role of such brutal honesty in our world of best sellers and self help gurus?
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The world we find ourselves in today is an existential mess. We are constantly bombarded by messages that focus on our individual worth and desires. "Just do it", "Impossible is nothing", "Be yourself", "Have it your way", and others. We are also told by pop psychologists that self esteem is the primary thing we lack in dealing with our personal and relational struggles. The problem is that, with all of our focus on the individual, we have failed miserably to provide people with any life purpose or meaning that transcends their life experience or helps them to answer the big questions of life: Who am I? Where am I going? How should I live? Does any of this matter?
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Right from the beginning, Solomon takes a sledgehammer to all of these ideas. Does life here on Earth have any meaning? The answer from Solomon is a resounding "NO!" If the message stopped here than we would have to question whether this should even be in the Bible. Solomon, however, qualifies this proclamation of meaninglessness by connecting it to an important concept.

"What does man gain for all of his labor at
which he toils under the sun?"

The concept of "under the sun" is vitally important to understanding the words of Solomon in Ecclesiastes. The phrase itself is used 29 times throughout the book and illustrates that anyone searching for meaning within the realm of creation will remain unfulfilled despite his many pursuits. Real meaning can only be derived from outside of the temporal. The infinite must give meaning to the finite and therefore, in our quest for meaning, we must look to God alone.

Man vs. Wild
In verses 4-11 of chapter one Solomon takes up a lament for the finite nature of human life when compared with the seemingly infinite natural world.
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"Generations come and generations go,

but the earth remains forever."
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Scientifically and theologically we know that the world is not eternal. Solomon's point is that people are born and people die, yet the earth they inhabit continues as if nothing has happened. When the lifespan of a person is compared with the "life span" of the earth, the earth wins. In a competition of man vs. nature, nature always wins.

Solomon's overview of various natural phenomena is meant to show that even in nature, nothing is ever really satisfied. He moves from there to illustrate this point about the longings of people. Just as nature is never satisfied and fulfilled, neither are people, especially when it comes to seeing and hearing (1:8). Because of this, people will continually search for something new even though their really is nothing that is new under the sun (1:9).

Exhibit A

I give you...dum dum dum dumb...THE RETURN OF 80's FASHION. Run for your lives. The picture on the left is taken from a 2009 women's fashion catalog and the one on the right is from an 80's workout video. Notice some similarities? Those of you who are a bit older have seen this happen numerous times.
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And this is really what Solomon is talking about. There's nothing new under the sun, we just recycle old ideas and even old fashion. The people of Solomon's day were just like people are today, constantly seeking something new. As a result of never finding it, they recycled old things.
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Solomon's conclusion in this section is that just as nature moves on relentlessly, so does life. For people, this life under the sun will bring us no real joy and in the end we will make no long term impact (1:11). If you look at history, who do we remember the most? Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Darwin, Nietzsche. Most of them are not remembered because of their positive contributions to humanity. So what does this all mean? What was God's purpose in having Solomon point out that we live, we die, and we are forgotten?
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The Hebrew word that is translated as meaningless or vanity can also be rendered as "breath" or "vapor". The point that Solomon is making is that life lasts only for a short time. The world that we live in cannot offer us any meaning or purpose during this short time and so, as we will see, Solomon advises us to look outside of our world to God as the source of joy (2:25, 5:18, 8:15). Solomon rightly points out that most of us will probably never be remembered in this life, however, God is the one who does remember and judges and rewards accordingly (3:17, 12:13-14).

Let us take a look at ourselves and our lives. Do we buy into the various "meanings" the world offers us, or do we look outside of our experience to the Creator God as the one who can truly give our lives purpose?
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How, and by whom do we want to be remembered? Do we seek the approval of a meaningless world or of the God who made it?

Caramel Apples!

2009-11-10T21:02:00.002+01:00

When you get the craving... you gotta act on it! I'm a little late making these this year, but I had two senior girls come over and join me in making caramel from scratch, drooling over the finished product and eventually eating and slobbering on the apples.
It was great!

This one was made by Thad :) He was very excited about making them and ate all of his caramel leaving the apple.....
he's one smart cookie!