Summer of '69

It was a great summer, the summer of 1969. In July, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first humans to walk on the moon. In August, three days of peace, love, and rock-n-roll happened in upstate New York.

And I was born!

This year, I was reminded over and over again that I was about to reach a milestone. Forty! The news did story after story about the fortieth anniversary of the moon landing and Woodstock.

Today is my fortieth birthday. I look back and think that when I was in fifth grade, my math teacher was forty-two. I thought that was ancient! So I am now officially ancient to all fifth graders everywhere. This honestly doesn't bother me.

This year, my birthday celebration happened in waves. We got my birthday presents, two three year old border collie mix dogs from the local shelter on August 1. I started working part time (which was a gift in an of itself) on August 10. And my parents flew in to surprise me on Saturday for a weekend celebration. It was great! If this is what happens when you turn 40, I'd gladly do it again!

Here are a couple of pictures of my presents and celebration:

Please Don't Judge a Book by its Movie!

I saw the movie "The Time Traveler's Wife" yesterday. I read the book last fall and raved about it to anyone that would listen. I saw the movie with trepidation, concerned that it was impossible to moosh 30 something years of time (and time travel) into a two hour movie.

I was right. It was impossible. I liked the movie, but only as one who had played out the book already in her mind could. I was like a proud mom watching the production of a school play. Not because she enjoyed the play, but because she knows the back stories: the time and effort the teacher in charge invested, the nervousness of her child as he walks onto the stage, the preparation of the costume. I watched the slivers of time in Henry and Claire's life on the screen wondering how anyone who hadn't read the book could understand each gut wrenching scene this reel of celluloid was trying to depict. I hurt for those who couldn't enjoy the movie as I did. And I hope that those to whom I've recommended this book will read it before they see the movie or they may never trust my recommendations again.

Faith.....

What is it?

Hebrews 11:1 says (in my New Living Translation) "What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see."

I've lived most of my life as a people pleaser. (Stay with me here. I promise I'm not on a tangent.) God recently told me to read Galations. So, I've started reading Galations. Immediately, I was drawn to Paul's statement in verse 10 of chapter 1. He writes, "Obviously, I'm not trying to be a people pleaser! No, I am trying to please God." This left me invigorated, but perplexed. I've been trying to please God by doing the things I think He wants me to do. But I always feel like there's more and I can't possibly do enough....so I give up. I stop talking to Him, I stop reading His word, I stop thinking about Him.

Then my gracious God led me to these verses in chapter 2, verse 19 and the first part of verse 20. "For when I tried to keep the law, I realized I could never earn God's approval. So I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ. I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me...."

There is no earning of God's approval. The only one who could do that seemingly impossible job is Christ. He has already done it for me so that I could reap the benefit of the approval of the author and creator of the universe.

It's a concept I can't wholly wrap my mind around. But, for me, today, in this very moment, faith is knowing that because Christ paid the price from my sin, I have God's approval through no work of my own.