Faith

“Imagine you are on a high cliff and you lose your footing and begin to fall. Just beside you is a branch sticking out of the edge of the cliff. It is your only hope and seems more than strong enough. How can it save you?

If you’re certain the branch can support you, but you don’t actually reach out and grab it, you are lost. If instead your mind is filled with doubts and uncertainty that the branch can hold you, but you reach out and grab it anyway, you will be saved. Why?

It is not the strength of your faith but the object of your faith that actually saves you. Strong faith in a weak branch is fatally inferior to weak faith in a strong branch.”

—Timothy Keller, The Reason For God (New York, NY: Dutton, 2008), 234

Happy Birthday, Luke!

Happy 8th Birthday, Luke Davis Wall Anderson!

What an absolute delight you have been to my soul. When you entered this world, I became a mother, and absolutely nothing has ever been the same again. Thank goodness!

You are my favorite little boy in the whole wide world. I like the way your eyes sparkle when you're telling a great story, I like the way you concentrate when you read, unable to hear anything going on in the room around you. I like the way you eat--with so much gusto. I like the sound of your laughter, and the great fun you have in telling a knock-knock joke. I like the way you play your guitar, sing into your microphone, and belt out some good ol' tune. Speaking of singing, there is nothing I like better than to hear you singing in church. You sing with such enthusiasm and sincere love that I sometimes just close my eyes and listen to your heart.

I like to watch you open a present--you rip into the paper with so much anticipation, and if you happen to find Legos inside, well, the world's just a happier place.

I like how loyal you are to the people you love, and that is a characteristic I believe you will have your entire life.

I like how much you love animals--stuffed and real--and how each has a special name and a unique position in your heart. I like that our whole family knows about Arf and Spot and Puppy and Mickey, and how these four have traveled to so many places with us and slept under so many different roofs.

I love to watch you perform--at Grandparent's day, during your school programs, and especially at church in the theatre room and puppet room. You perform with--well--pure, little boy joy.

I love your hugs.

As I have told you many times, my dear son, your name means "bringer of light", and I love how the light of Jesus' love shines forth in you as you live out the calling of your name and your heritage in Christ. I also want you to know how much like Barnabus you are--I call you Barnabus a lot, because I see in you the distinct spirit of encouragement that lived in the Barnabus of our Bible. What a blessing you will continue to be in the lives of others; how precious and sweet your words are and will be. How precious and sweet your words are to me.

But even if your were none of those things, I love you because you are you--a miracle, a gift from God, a blessing, and chosen and made with the Master's hands. As much as your Dad and I love you, God loves you more, and He will hold on to you your entire life. He will always be with you.

I love you, Luke!
Mommy

Security

"My people can safely camp in the wildest places . . . I will make my people and their homes around my hill a blessing . . . No one shall make them afraid."
Ezekiel 34: 25, 26, 28 TLB

"He keeps His eye upon you as you come and go."
Psalm 121:8, TLB

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning." Lamentations 3:23, RSV

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty." Psalm 91:1, NIV

"Great faith isn't the ability to believe long and far into the misty future. It is simply taking God at his word and taking the next step." --Joni Erickson Tada

Because I'm too tired to create my own clever thoughts . . .

I was reading an article on CNN.com today; the author, Lisa Kogan, describes, from her vantage point in life, “[g]ood reasons to put on a little lipstick and venture out (or at least put on clean pajamas and raise your window shade a couple of inches)”into the world—in other words, reasons to get out of the bed when the world at large might seem vastly unappealing. Here are four items from her list of eight:

• Junior high is just one long daisy chain of nonstop mean, and you have officially survived it. That's right, my friend, you may have to face locusts, drought, and World War III, but you can now go forth secure in the understanding that seventh grade is over. [Since I vividly remember 7th grade, with my Dorothy Hamill frizz, my big, square glasses, and my top two front teeth that were turned sideways, I can heartily amen this one.]

You will never have to read "Beowulf” again [well, this one doesn’t apply to me], or feather your bangs again. The enormity of this revelation must not be underestimated.
[I would also add that you won't ever have to read Moby Dick again--ack--or wear leg warmers--big ack.]

• My delightfully decadent friend Stephen Whitlock recently discovered a recipe for bacon ice cream (DavidLebovitz.com), and get this -- the first step involves candying the bacon! Let's all take a moment of hushed reverence to contemplate this. [OK, I don’t get this one. Bacon ice cream? What a waste of perfectly good ice cream.]

• Mabel, a 14-year old beagle. Mabel suffers from a chronic greeting disorder that manifests itself as follows: I leave the room for 10, maybe 12 seconds. Upon reentry, Mabel welcomes me with a level of enthusiasm usually reserved for soldiers returning from three years in a POW camp -- a one-dog mariachi band of pure, unmitigated joy. There's something to be said for a bit of good old-fashioned, uncomplicated affection, even when it comes from a shedding, slightly incontinent 14-year-old beagle. [No dog at our house, but we do have 2 delightful children who provide plenty of pure, unmitigated joy.]

So many more things--fun and slightly more serious--that we all could add to Lisa's list. What would you like to add? Please--send my way!

Blessings on you all!
Jana

The holidays are coming . . .

I just saw this on Anda's blog and thought it was relevant, convicting, and inspiring as we enter this holiday season. I hope you will take a minute to watch it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVqqj1v-ZBU

Blessings on your day!
Jana

Book Review #2

Rules by Cynthia Lord (recommended for grades 4-7)

From School Library Journal "Twelve-year-old Catherine has conflicting feelings about her younger brother, David, who is autistic. While she loves him, she is also embarrassed by his behavior and feels neglected by their parents. In an effort to keep life on an even keel, Catherine creates rules for him (It's okay to hug Mom but not the clerk at the video store). Each chapter title is also a rule, and lots more are interspersed throughout the book. When Kristi moves in next door, Catherine hopes that the girl will become a friend, but is anxious about her reaction to David. Then Catherine meets and befriends Jason, a nonverbal paraplegic who uses a book of pictures to communicate, she begins to understand that normal is difficult, and perhaps unnecessary, to define. Rules of behavior are less important than acceptance of others. Catherine is an endearing narrator who tells her story with both humor and heartbreak. Her love for her brother is as real as are her frustrations with him. Lord has candidly captured the delicate dynamics in a family that revolves around a child's disability. Set in coastal Maine, this sensitive story is about being different, feeling different, and finding acceptance. A lovely, warm read, and a great discussion starter."

I'm considering this one for my book list; have any of you read it?

I love the layers of teaching possibilities, and as I flipped through and skimmed the chapters, I was struck by many of the rules Catherine created for her brother to help him successfully navigate through life. A sampling:

Not everything worth keeping has to be useful.
Sometimes people laugh when they like you. But sometimes they laugh to hurt you.
No toys in the fish tank.
If you can only choose one, pick carefully.
Take your shoes off at the doctor, but at the dentist leave them on.
When you say something stupid, gloss over it with superfast talking and maybe no one will notice.
Open closet doors carefully. Sometimes things fall out.
Sometimes things work out, but don't count on it.
When someone is upset, it's not a good time to bring up your own problems.
Flush!
Looking closer can make something beautiful.
Sometimes you've gotta work with what you've got.

Any thoughts? Any books you would recommend?
Thanks!
Jana

Book review

As I am preparing to teach children's/young adult literature for the first time, I'm trying to tune in to what young children are reading and what kinds of books pre-teens and young teens are reading these days.

One of the most current series of books that have gotten a great deal of "buzz" in the pre-teen/teen world is the Stephanie Meyer's books, the first of which is titled Twilight. Many adults have been reading this series, but what I've noticed in blogworld is how many times I hear the blog writer mentioning that her daughter is reading the series or that she & her daughter are reading the series together. These moms applaud the lack of profanity and sexuality in these books (at least in the first one), and they all mention how nice it is to get a "clean" read.

Hmmmm. The hero of this story--Edward--is a teenage vampire, and the heroine--Bella--is in love.

We were talking about this series in our office the other day, and we all agreed that we were concerned about the message these books give young girls: that it’s all right to be in love with a handsome, perfect boy who is not only dangerous, but wants to kill them. With so much positive press, and pre-teens loading up on these books, my question is this: are we the only ones who think this message is dangerous?

One of my colleague's students gave her a copy of a book report from a young teenage girl who was responding to her reading of the novel. Here are some scary excerpts from the book report:

“’Edward in the sunlight was shocking. I couldn’t get used to it, though I’d been staring at him all afternoon. His skin, white despite the faint flush from yesterday’s hunting trip, literally sparkled, like thousands of tiny diamonds were embedded in the surface.’ My happily ever after, my very unattainable dream, is to be a vampire and live for all eternity with Edward Cullen. This dream is made unattainable due to the fact that one, vampires don’t exist, and two, Edward, my beautiful and perfect Edward, is actually a fictional character. . . .
The story between Edward Cullen and Bella Swan (my idol) starts off when Edward nearly kills Bella because of her unusually potent smell. . . . Now the story continues with Edward and Bella tempting fate, daring to actually let their love for one another grow and blossom into something so beautiful, but at the same time so dangerous. But in Bella’s defense, what girl wouldn’t be drawn to a fabulous, gorgeous, caring, and sensitive . . . well vampire? . . .
Edward is perfect. He is smart, he has a great capacity to love, and he is passionate. He is good at everything, and would give up anything just to be with Bella. He loves her unconditionally and with a passion that wouldn’t be equaled anywhere else. I would honestly give my left leg just to feel in real life what Bella gets to feel for all eternity in the books.
The way Stephanie Meyer writes the books makes it feel so real. You literally wake up in the morning and think you’re going to go to school and actually see Edward in one of your classes. You dream about Edward, you obsess about Edward, and you tie every little thing that happens in your life back to the book. It’s almost like the book takes you over, and your [sic] living in a different world. . . Twilight is an escape. It serves as a beautiful story that you can delve into and just forget the real world, to live a life that would truly be incredible. Sure it bred some illogical fantasies and spurred a dream that I know will never come true. But I believe I’m a better person for reading Meyer’s books. I believe that there is an Edward Cullen out there for me somewhere, and I’ve learned to wait for that and not settle for second best. Even if I don’t get to be a vampire and live forever like my ill-fated fantasy, I can still have my happily ever after, and I’m willing to wait to find it.”

Huh?

Oh my goodness . . . the horror of it all . . .

“I would give my left leg just to feel in real life what Bella gets to feel for all eternity in the books.”

The movie advertisements are scary too: something along the same line of sacrificing everything you believe in for love . . . how wonderful.

I keep thinking about the protests about Harry Potter and how people were afraid of magic being taught to children. Where are the protests about Twilight? And HP teaches some good values and this book seems frighteningly about sacrificing values.

On a lighter note, this is what another colleague said:
"I know I fantasize about Kevin Costner, but I would not give up my left leg for him. For one thing, I need both legs to run into his arms."

We digressed.

What do you guys think about this series? If you have pre-teens/teens, are these books popular in their schools?

Inquiring minds want to know . . .
Jana

Voting

On her blog, my friend Trisha recently wrote a post about her voting experience. Her comments stirred my own thinking about the subject.

I have always been a pretty casual voter. I hit the major elections, but am very random about voting in the "off-season" local elections and run-offs. Mostly this is because I haven't done my homework and don't know much about the candidates in either party. It is always a discomfiting moment to stand in the voter booth and be required to choose a candidate for whom to vote when you don't know one single thing about any of them--it's like a very bad scantron test moment, where one of the bubbled answers is possibly very right or is possibly very wrong, and the circle you bubble in with your #2 pencil might just have as easily been chosen with your eyes open or closed. (Maybe I'm disclosing too much about my test-taking skills here).

I digress.

I cast my vote on Friday for both the presidential and current state/city elections, and I was moved by the experience. Believe me, it had nothing to do with the setting--I was in a crowded line in a crowded grocery store, with one eye on the clock because I only had a very few minutes and one eye on the voting booths, so that I could quickly slide into the next available opening.

The machines have changed since my last voting experience. Everything has gone high-tech (no hanging chads here), and it was just complicated enough to give one pause--which is not a bad thing when one is casting a vote for the next president.

What a privilege it is to vote. What a glorious moment it is to have a voice--even a tiny one emanating from the line of a crowded grocery store in regular-old-town U.S.A. What this privilege means to so many around the world who are denied this right is unknowable by me, a gal who has the right to be casual--or not--about the entire voting experience, and who has never suffered under the tyranny of repression or oppression.

I placed my "I Voted" sticker on my jacket and left the grocery store with a renewed sense of determination to do more than just vote. When this election (and all the hoopla) is over, what will really matter is not that I cast a vote--but that I work in big and small ways in my own circle of influence to make lives better and to shine light into dark places, especially the dark places that live within me. Voting is one way to do that, but it lives among a million other ways to let my voice be heard.

So go vote; and when it's all over, and it will be soon, keep talking, keep working, keep helping, keep mending, keep planting, and keep harvesting. Keep your voice alive.

Jana