Wondering

I've been wondering how to do Advent and the Christmas season this year.  Every year, I want it to be meaningful.  It's a teaching opportunity for the kids, and it's a reason to open myself up to God in an intentional way.

But I also want simplicity.  It seems like a time to pare down, not a time to add more obligations in a month full of additional services, concerts, cooking, shopping, parties and events.  These activities are often meaningful and memorable...not sure I necessarily want to cut them out...but how to simplify?  (How to simplify life in general, not just the holidays--I am always wondering!)

I wonder what it means for me to look for Christ's coming, and to prepare myself, like the virgins trimming their lamps.  I want to be watchful and wakeful, full of expectation, not sleepy and lulled by the distractions of this world and especially of the season.

I wonder if a key may be found in this verse:

So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed in the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ--that's where the action is. See things from HIS perspective.  (Col. 3:1-2, The Message)

I wonder how, in the holiday rush, when it's so easy to be absorbed in the things right in front of me, do I see what is going on around Christ, see HIS perspective?  Christmas is so much more than just "the reason for the season" or a remembrance of His birth.  Christ came in the manger 2,000 years ago; He is coming again in the future; but He is coming now, continually, always, into the hearts and minds of those who are open and expectant.

Do I expect him to show up in the holiday baking?  At the Christmas pageant, at the Christmas concert, around the dinner table?  At the mall?  In the tree decorating?

How about when the kids bicker over the ornaments, fight over who gets to lick the spoon, or when flu takes us all on Christmas Eve?

I wonder if another key is found in this collect from the Book of Common Prayer:

Oh Lord our God, make us wakeful and keep us faithful as we await the coming of your Son our Lord; that, when he shall appear, he may not find us sleeping in sin but active in his service and joyful in his praise; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"Active in his service and joyful in his praise."  I wonder if the key is not in what I do to make Advent and Christmas meaningful, but in how I do it?  Whatever it is?

Eyes up, on Christ, where the action is...while hands bake, trim, wrap, purchase, light...with a heart to joyfully serve and praise?

I wonder.

What are you wondering about?

(This post is linked to Kerry's Nativity Carnival--check it out!)

(Also to Ann Voskam's Walk With Him Wednesdays.)

Collects for the First Sunday in Advent

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.


Oh Lord our God, make us wakeful and keep us faithful as we await the coming of your Son our Lord; that, when he shall appear, he may not find us sleeping in sin but active in his service and joyful in his praise; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Although I am profoundly grateful for the many blessings God has given me, I don't have time for a profound post today.  Too many people in the house, too much fun and laughter playing Uno, Catchphrase, and right now, that mind reading game with 12 magazines on the floor and a pointer, that you keep playing until everyone figures out the trick.  In fact, I only have time for a quick post because I figured it out right away!

So from the bottom of my thankful heart comes a Thanksgiving funny for today:

A few weeks ago Chicklet was helping me look through some boxes of old clothes.  We ran across an outfit that she wanted to try on.  It was sort of a prairie-style blouse, skirt and apron--way too large for her, but she donned them anyway.

"Look, Mom, I'm a pomegranate!" she exclaimed.

It took me a minute.

"Oh, you mean...a Pilgrim?"

Update on the Birthday Girl--Blondechick19!

She's a college girl now.

She got a music scholarship, so she's been taking voice lessons, participating in choir, and singing with the worship team in chapel.  She sang recently at our All-Church Talent Show:

She probably wouldn't want me to post this, since it wasn't her very best performance; she was at the Urgent Care the next day for an ear infection AND an upper respiratory infection.  But no one else could tell!

She's planning on switching majors, though.  She can still be in choir, voice lessons and worship team, and probably keep most of her scholarship, but she can tell she's just not cut out for the hours in the practice room that a music major requires.  She's not thrilled about her required keyboard lessons or Music Theory class either.  Music Theory is, in fact, the bane of her existence this semester.

And she's coming home tonight, on her birthday, for Thanksgiving break!  Her siblings are excited.

(I call this "the blonde team." Half our kids have the white-blonde hair, and we honestly can't figure out where it came from! No blondes among their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. Yes, my husband is half Norwegian, but Grandpa says that out of the 11 in his immediate family, only one sister was blonde.)

Mugging for the camera is one of her favorite activities!

These two have always been close.  Ask either one of them who their BFF is, and they will name the other.

(It is one of my great joys and blessings that my kids all seem to like and enjoy each other.  I don't know if we've done something to cultivate this or if it's just a gift!  I think homeschooling has contributed to a great extent, and it's probably the right mix of ages and genders too.  Recently B16 told me that one of the best things about being home this year has been re-establishing his relationship with B12--they are enjoying each other a lot.  Too much, sometimes, given their school workload--but I am so grateful!)

Blondechick likes hats.

She also likes babies. 

(So does B16.  A few weeks ago, in the car, he said, "You know, Mom, B6 isn't really a little kid any more.  We haven't had a baby around for awhile now, I just realized.  I miss having a baby in the house.  I can't wait to have a baby.")

She's had her trials.  She's sworn off boys for the time being, and she's drawing closer and closer to God.  She's learning new things about Him and about herself.  He is meeting her in her moments of pain and difficulty.  It's clear that He is moving in her life, making Himself more real to her, and she is responding to Him.

What a great "birthday gift" for her parents, to see the child we've loved and prayed for her since before her birth 19 years ago drawing near to her Creator, listening to Him to tell her who He made her to be, what that unique mix of personality, talents and interests is all about.  We've always been curious, with her, to see how God would direct and shape her strong will and personality.  We've done our best to do that, and it hasn't always been easy.  As she grows older, we have to trust God to take over that role for us more and more.  To see her responding to His leadings makes my heart burst with thanksgiving.

Happy Birthday, daughter.  You are a delight, and a source of laughter and great joy to us.  Thank you for being yourself, and for striving to learn who you are in God's eyes.  He made you to be a uniquely beautiful gem!

Afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted, 

I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise, 

your foundations with lapis lazuli. 

I will make your battlements of rubies, 

your gates of sparkling jewels, 

and all your walls of precious stones. 

All your children will be taught by the LORD, 

and great will be their peace. 

Isaiah 54:11-13

Thanksgiving Plans and Menus, Plus

I really want to write this morning--it's my Saturday morning time of solitude at Panera--but I also really need to think about my grocery store trip after this, so I can spend some time this afternoon cooking ahead.  So I'm mixing menus into this post. Thank God my stomach is nearly normal again--it makes it much easier to get excited about cooking and menu planning!

Tomorrow, after church we have friends coming over for lunch, and I've been racking my brain for what to serve them.  It's always hard to have a hot lunch ready after church, and we often do sandwiches or bagels, but we're tired of those, and my friend needs to eat low-carb.  I think I'll make taco meat this afternoon and put in in the crockpot in the morning.  I can have the tomatoes chopped up ahead of time too, and I'll have extra lettuce so my friend can make a taco salad.  Perfect.

If they're still around for dinner, or even if they aren't, we'll probably just throw in some frozen pizza.  That's usually the game plan for Sunday nights--a Sabbath rest for the cook (me), easily expanded for guests, and always a kid-pleaser.

Monday lunch will be a get-your-own affair for me and the Bantams, and Papa Rooster if he's working at home;  Chicklet8 and B6 will be at school.  Monday night we have piano lessons after school, right into the dinner hour, so I either need to have something in the crockpot or the oven...or make a quick stove-top something when I get home. I know--we haven't had my sister-in-law's Baked Potato Soup yet this fall, and I have potatoes we need to eat up.  I'll put that in the crockpot and add a salad and those sweet multigrain rolls I have in the freezer.  (49 cents a package on clearance last week at Aldi, and they were so yummy!)

Okay, Tuesday, same as Monday's lunch plan...but on Tuesday evening, I'm picking up Blondechick and her stuff from college, and then we'll keep on going into Chicago.  It's her birthday, and all she wants is a mother-daughter shopping spree at the big Forever 21, and dinner out--maybe at the Cheesecake Factory, I think she said.  I'm sure the Bantams will have finished off any taco leftovers already, but hopefully there will be leftover soup for the gang at home. Then when Blondechick and I get home, we'll all have birthday brownies and ice cream together.  Can't believe she will be 19!!

On Wednesday, I have parent-teacher conferences in the morning, and I'm eager to hear from C8's and B6's teachers!  It seems like they are doing well.  The kids will all be off school, and Blondechick will be there too, so to celebrate, we'll have French toast, sausages, and o.j. for lunch.  For some reason, my kids think French toast is just the greatest thing, and I love it too.  It takes time to make the quantities we require, however, so we don't have it that often. My parents arrive that afternoon, and I will have one of our eternal favorites waiting in the crockpot, beef stroganoff (beef stew meat, cream of mushroom soup--salt, pepper and onion powder to taste--add sour cream and mushrooms at the end), along with Butternut Squash Soup and a salad.

Then on Thanksgiving Day, I'm not sure if my in-laws will arrive before or after brunch, but I'll make enough Sausage-Egg Brunch Casserole for everyone.  I have panettone and stollen to go with that (one of the Aldi advantages is their great European baked goods), and y'know those bags of frozen fruit they have at Aldi?  They're equivalent in price to fresh fruit, but already cut up for you, and we like it kind of half-thawed. So cool and refreshing.

We are NOT having turkey, we are having ham, because we love ham, and nobody...really...likes...turkey.  (I bought a turkey, for 48 cents a pound, because where can you get meat that cheap?  But we will have it some other time, and I will turn most of it into turkey enchiladas and barbecued turkey sandwiches.)  I will also make sweet potato casserole, because my kids just can't get enough of it--not the marshmallow one, but the one with brown sugar and pecan topping.  Yum.  We'll have a green salad with goat cheese, walnuts, dried cranberries and a sweetish balsamic vinaigrette that I make from scratch.  I suppose we'll make regular mashed potatoes too, because both grandfathers love them, and I'll also make "red apples" which was my grandmother's name for cinnamon candied apples (just peel and boil apples slices in sugar, water and cinnamon candies--lots, to give it a deep red color--oh, and a spoonful of instant tapioca for thickening).  My in-laws are bringing dessert and appetizers, and my parents are bringing pumpkin bread, Amish Friendship Bread, and sparkling grape juice...so we will have quite the feast!

I have two more days of lunches and dinners still to plan, with my parents and all the family home, but I don't think I need to buy those groceries today...this post is long enough...and I need to go shopping and get cooking!

What are YOUR Thanksgiving plans and menus?  What super-easy crowd-pleasing recipes do you turn to when you'd rather spend time with guests than be in the kitchen?

Job and Farm Report

Bantam20 is still looking for a full-time job.  It's been disappointing that there are so few available.

But in the meantime, God has provided a part-time job that is turning into more than we expected--for his brothers, at least!

Through a friend from church, we heard about a local farm that sells eggs, pumpkins, Christmas trees, wreaths, "kissing balls," butchered pigs and cows, jams, jellies, pie fillings, candles, veggies, and the list goes on.  They are a homeschooling family with five children who are nearly all grown and gone; their youngest son is the same age as B16.

After B20 and I met them and talked about the work--mowing, cutting greens, cutting wires, making boxes, making wreaths and kissing balls, and general farm chores--they offered to give him a try, along with both his younger brothers, sight unseen, if they were interested.

And they were!  Flexible hours, being outdoors, getting to work together, and getting paid--who would say no?  B12 was especially delighted, at his age, to find himself with a real job!

So they've been putting in time there as often as they can.  But the big obstacle is that pesky expectation by their parents, society, and the virtual school that they still put in a substantial amount of time per week getting an education, and it's been hard for them to add a job to that. One week when we had lots of good weather, they put aside their schoolwork to get in extra hours...and they've been trying to get caught up ever since.  So they are trying to find that balance.  B20 is available all the time, of course, but he's not as capable at some of the jobs, plus they like to have the boys working together, so their time limitations become his.

Chicklet8 is getting in some time on the farm, too!  She was invited to come be a helper on her fall break from school, and she happily swept floors, gathered eggs, picked apples, and helped scoop seeds out of pumpkins--and she chose to go back the next day too.  She "earned" her choice of any pumpkin in the barn--just in time to turn him into a jack-o-lantern for Halloween!

The mom and I are forming a friendship too.  Especially before B16 got his license, when I was dropping off or picking up the boys, I'd be invited to come in for a minute, and we'd hang out in her commercial-size farmhouse kitchen, where there is always a canning project underway.  I've helped prep veggies while we chatted about the work, the farm, teenagers, homeschooling, church, health and nutrition, and food in general.

It all reminds me of my childhood, and I'm glad my kids have this opportunity now.  I just wish the boys were faster at their schoolwork so they'd have more time at the farm!  I am glad their lessons are challenging and consuming, though.  I guess I just have to trust that God who provided this opportunity will also help realize it, one way or another, if not in the short-term--between now and Christmas they really need help--then in the longer term.  Thank you, Lord!

Video Treat

Okay. As promised, here is the video from our church talent show of our friend Michael singin' the blues. You will be amused and amazed, I promise!



As I said in the post about our talent show, instead of looking outward for applause, Michael goes inward for inspiration. All the verses were improvised on the spot--they are different every time, his parents say.  Oh, and Michael is only 8 years old.

Now, if enough people let me know that they watched this...I might be persuaded to post video of myself and Papa Rooster singing a duet....

Healing, and the Culprit!

I am healing.

Praise God!  And thanks for your prayers.

My probable ulcer has responded well to Nexium--an acid blocker--and a careful diet.  And I'm thrilled to say that I've been able to drink a small cup of coffee for the past few mornings!  With a big bowl of oatmeal or a bagel, to soak up the acid somewhat.

And I think I've identified the actual cause of my ulcer.  The ibuprofen/aspirin explanation didn't make sense to me, since I really don't take much of either.

BUT....

In the weeks prior to my abdominal pain, I did pick up a new dietary habit.  Every night, Papa Rooster and I snuggle up in bed with his laptop to watch an episode or two of a TV series.  And a few weeks ago, I discovered a bag of Jelly Bellies I had squirreled away some months ago, bought on the clearance table at the factory store.  (Yup, the Midwest headquarters are right here in Kenosha County!)  Now, I can't snack on chocolaty treats at bedtime, or I won't sleep, but I discovered that jelly beans gave me just enough of that sugar lift to help me stay awake, without keeping me up afterwards.  Plus they're low-fat, right? ;)

So I was falling asleep every night with a handful of Jelly Bellies in my stomach, and what else besides sugar is in jelly beans?  Citric Acid, Fumaric Acid, Lactic Acid, Maleic Acid, and Phosphoric Acid, just to name a few of the ingredients that might have contributed to an ulcer!

So the moral of the story is:

If you like your coffee in the mornings...don't eat jelly beans at night!

Talent Show 2011

We like to hold our semi-annual Talent Show near All Saints' or near Pentecost, because both are feasts that celebrate us, the church.  So we feast and celebrate the many unique gifts and talents among us!

We begin enjoying the talents of our many great cooks and bakers.  This time, it was a soup supper, with an array of crock-potted soups and chilis, bread and a sumptious spread of desserts!

Twelve-year old boys doing what twelve-year-old boys do best.

The two youngest members of Light of Christ, hoping for cookies.

This was the first time we had an art display at our Talent Show.

We have some very gifted artists!

After the meal, we fold up the tables and turn our chairs toward the stage. 

 Our first-graders led off with simple poetry they had memorized.  However, B6 was so overcome with a fit of the giggles that he couldn't get a word out!

We have quite a few budding pianists...

And a couple of budding choreographers!

We were treated to poetry, both serious and funny, original and not.  This is our Senior Warden's wife and primary Sunday School teacher for the younger kids, in costume and reading oh-so-expressively from a children's book.

This father-son duo brought the house down.  The son is autistic and delightfully unpredictable in his behavior, and it was great to see him participating with a big smile, and coming in right on time!

This couple is new to Light of Christ, but they are old friends of our family from our Church of the Resurrection days.  They set up and ran the sound for our show, and gave us an original and unusual composition, Peter Gabriel's "Mercy Street" juxtaposed with "Come Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy."  Haunting and beautiful!

But this young man, who sang two original acapella blues songs, was the most wildly popular act of the evening.  (Papa Rooster promises me we WILL figure out how to post a video.) The wig was for courage, but the moustache put him into character.  He wore a gray one for his first number, "It's Haaarrrrd Bein' an Old Guy." And this black-moustached man sang, "What's Wrrrrooooonnnnng With Me?"  And he improvised the verses on the spot!  His parents say they are different every time.  He doesn't even see the audience; instead of looking outward for praise, he focuses inward for inspiration.  It was quite a performance.

Blondechick even came home from college for the Talent Show!  With her music scholarship, she's been taking voice lessons and expanding her range up into first soprano territory, so she sang something she had just performed for a recital at school, "Think of Me," from Phantom of the Opera.  It was great to hear how much more mature her voice sounds already.

B16 played and sang an original song, "Your Forever."  And it's catchy!  Darn if I didn't have it stuck in my head for a day or two there.

Papa Rooster and I sang "Do You Love Me?" from Fiddler on the Roof.  As a Norwegian channeling his pseudo-Jewish roots, here he's trying hard to get me to say I love him, while I'm busy with my planner and iPhone.

Finally, I admit that after 25 years of cooking for him, cleaning his house, living, fighting, starving and sleeping with him, I suppose that I do love him.  (If you don't know the song, do look it up for YouTube; it's such a funny, moving little love scene.)  It was fun for us to do, since we celebrate 25 years of marriage next month!

Then my in-laws played an older couple reminiscing about their youthful romance, in the duet "I Remember It Well," from Gigi.

Him:  We met at nine

Her:  We met at eight 

Him:  I was on time 

Her:  No, you were late 

Him:  Ah, yes, I remember it well 

We dined with friends 

Her:  We dined alone 

Him:  A tenor sang 

Her:  A baritone 

Him:  Ah, yes, I remember it well

My in-laws are former Broadway performers, and it's delightful to see them continuing to do what they love!

Finally, we commence with the dancing.  First, our old friends from Rez, sometime swing dance instructors,  taught us the basic swing step and the "she-goes" turn and the "he-goes" turn.  But things quickly degenerated into steps that even the littlest kids could do.

Everybody got into it, but no one was free-stylin' as impressively as our Senior Warden!

And that's the way we roll at the Light of Christ semi-annual, all-church Talent Show!

High Feast of All Saints

It was a glorious service.

We had two confirmations...

and received nine new members!

We had a wonderful message from our Senior Warden.  (Have I ever mentioned how deep the preaching bench is at Light of Christ?  We have SIX fine teachers besides Father Rooster, which is one of the huge gifts from God that makes the bivocational thing doable for him right now.)

It's always a gift to have our Bishop with us.

Father Rooster's brother has started to drive up every Sunday from Chicago--with his wife and daughter often, too--to help anchor our worship team vocally and in the guitar department.  His talents and presence are another gift!  We are also blessed with a professional violinist as our worship leader.

They performed a beautiful musical setting of the Beatitudes in place of the usual spoken Gospel reading.

And with so many children at Light of Christ, it's always delightful to include them in our special services!  They learned Adrian Snell's "Our Father" and performed it as an offertory, so we could all join in with the new tune during the Eucharist.

I love each one of these children, but I have to point out my niece, in the front row, in pink, standing next to B6 in yellow plaid; Chicklet8 is right behind him.

The Holy Spirit visited us in so many ways during the service, but our musical worship was especially inspired.  Another gift!

And our fellowship in the Lord continued with a coffee-and-kringle reception afterward, and then a clergy lunch.  So good to have our Bishop AND his lovely wife with us on this visit.

Except for this last one, all photography by Bantam16, with Father Rooster's Nikon D700.  Didn't he do a great job?

So much to be thankful for!

Hosting the Bishop

We are hosting the Bishop this weekend.  And his wife.

I know, it sounds intimidating...a little overwhelming...and probably pretentious.

All of which is why I get a chuckle out of saying it, because the truth is so underwhelming.  They are the easiest people to be with.

And they have a busy schedule, so they're not even here all the time.  Well, one or the other, and then both for the last day. And we're eating out several times, so it's not like I have to come up with scads of meals to serve.

That is the most overwhelming part to me, with any visitor.  Have I ever mentioned on this blog that I don't particularly enjoy spending time in the kitchen?  It's not that I hate cooking...there are just so many other things I'd usually rather do.

I am giving them brunch today.  Tonight is easy--we have a soup supper at church, and I did make chili and brownies to contribute. Tomorrow Mrs. Bishop and I will go out for breakfast, and tomorrow night there is a group going out for pizza.  I don't know if my digestive system can handle much besides the bread there, but I'm grateful not to have to cook!  On Sunday, we are having a special All Saints' service, the Bishop is confirming a couple parishioners, there is a reception afterward, and then we'l have lunch out with the Bishop, Mrs. Bishop, and Mr. and Mrs. Deacon.  Sunday night I finally get to serve them a meal, and I know they will want something light by that time--and I won't be able to spend that one afternoon in the kitchen--so we are having tacos.  No, that's not a typo.

It's great that their visit falls at the same time as one of our best church events--our semi-annual Talent Show!  After our soup supper, we'll have entertainment that ranges from humorous to serious, from piano solos to a boys' band, from first graders reciting poetry to my70-something in-laws singing "Ah Yes, I Remember It Well" (from Gigi).  Papa Rooster and I are singing a duet from Fiddler on the Roof called "Do You Love Me?" about a couple who've been married for 25 years.  Our 25th is next month, so it was the perfect choice.

And Blondechick is coming home from college for it!

Well, they are here...better put on my hostess cap!

Pain

What is the difference between having a pity party and feeling sad about a circumstance?

A friend just asked this in an email, and I'm intrigued.

I'm not very good at either one, I admit.  I tend to soldier on no matter what, but I've been learning that this is not a healthy or helpful response to difficulty.

And I'm in pain right now.  Real, physical pain.  It sounds like I have an ulcer, though I tested negative for the H pylori bacteria. So it was probably caused by my preference for an ibuprofen and an aspirin whenever I get a headache, which is a couple times a week.  Here I thought I was safeguarding my liver by not taking acetimenophen--although it never worked as well for me--but now my duodenum is paying for it.  Sigh.

But I'm not just having abdominal pain; the referred pain to my back is actually worse most of the time.  And since coffee, tea and caffeine are stomach acid triggers, I've been having terrible headaches getting weaned off them.  And feeling tired, of course. Fatigue and pain don't mix well; they set off alarms in my body that make all my muscles tense up.  Then I get tension headaches to add to the caffeine withdrawal headaches.

And I'm getting tired of soup.

And I badly want some of my kids' Halloween candy.

Waaaaaahhh!  I think I would like a pity party, after all, please.

But I just keep going.  Work distracts me from the pain, and besides, the world would end if I slowed down, right?  Part of me wants to just go to bed and read all day, but I can't.  Too many events and visitors and obligations and responsibilities.

I just realized that I've barely prayed for myself, for healing or any other need, since this pain began. I have prayed for others, though, more diligently than usual.  What's that about?

I remember another time of great pain.  It was psychic, not physical, and all I could pray during that time was "Lord, have mercy on me."  I had no other words than that.  I look back and I still don't see what good came out of those events, except that I learned to lean into Jesus in a way I never had before.  I wasn't able to soldier on as usual during that time.  I stopped reading my Bible, stopped journalling, slowed way down on the blogging, said no to many good things, and in some ways, I'm still not recovered. But every week during that time, it was another free fall into Jesus' arms, and He caught me each time.  Despite my lack of words to tell Him what I was feeling.

I think this time I've spoken too many words about my pain.  My friends, my parents, my in-laws, they all know about it and are praying, and that lifts me up. I feel it.  But I've probably turned to them instead of turning to Jesus and resting in Him.  The other time, I had to keep my pain to myself.  It wasn't something I could share with very many people.  It drove me to Jesus' arms instead.

We need others, though.  I have depended on the prayers of others when I could not pray for myself.  I needed understanding when all around me, life was clouded with misunderstanding.  I had grief to process, and it helped me to process it with others.  But it wasn't pity that I sought or needed; it was strength.  Strength in prayer, in encouragement, in perseverance.

Oswald Chambers said:

Why shouldn’t we experience heartbreak? Through those doorways God is opening up ways of fellowship with His Son. Most of us collapse at the first grip of pain. We sit down at the door of God’s purpose and enter a slow death through self-pity. And all the so-called Christian sympathy of others helps us to our deathbed. But God will not. He comes with the grip of the pierced hand of His Son, as if to say, “Enter into fellowship with Me; arise and shine.” If God can accomplish His purposes in this world through a broken heart, then why not thank Him for breaking yours?

I'm honestly not sure what that's saying about Christian sympathy and prayer, but I know that suffering is something to be received from God's hand just as much as blessing, and that in this life, we will have trials.  And yes, trials will build godly Christian character like James says.  But more importantly, they push us toward God.

So we feel the pain.  We don't push it away or deny it's there. We feel it, and we see the pierced hand of Christ extended to us, and we take it.

And we tell our friends what we are going through.  Their job is to take our hand, and place it in His hand.  Maybe they do that gently, or maybe they do it with a swift kick in the pants, if we need it 'cause we're lookin' for a pity party.  Maybe the swift kick is the simple question, "Are you taking care of yourself?"  We need our friends to speak truth to us, to be mirrors for us to see ourselves...good and bad. Sometimes we need a meal, or a night out, or someone to hold our hand, but as long as it point us to Jesus and not poor li'l me, it's not a pity party.  We need each other.

But we need Jesus more.