1 Day, 2 Events, 1 Reality

One Day: One August afternoon and we are all busy going about our daily lives, thinking our daily thoughts, doing our daily things. But, not all of us. Some of us are caught up in the joy of prayers answered, and some of us are caught still in our tracks by unexpected tragedy. All in one day.

Two Events: For several years there has been a little knot of folks dreaming and praying and working and praying some more to establish a college. A college based on the 7 Liberal Arts as modeled by the Medieval colleges which brought forth the blossoming of arts, culture, innovation and more. A college based on the 7 Liberal Arts seen through the lens of a Biblical worldview. New College Franklin finally came into reality and the first convocation ceremony took place yesterday with the inaugural class of students. There was great joy all around!

But, also yesterday, a young man went home to be in the presence of the Lord following a tragic car accident. He turned 19 years old on the day he went home, and he is undoubtedly celebrating his birthday with great joy in Heaven. However, his parents, family, and friends - indeed the whole community - are experiencing great and profound grief.

One Reality: The Christian life is a life full of paradox and antithesis. The antithesis concerns our life are we walk in the world, but not of it. The paradox of life - it seems - can be much harder to bear, but in the bearing of it is much richness and life. Within the paradox are the old familiar themes: Bought with a price to serve a Master, yet set free; we lose our life in order to find it; we are called to discern, but not to judge our brother; we die to ourselves so we can live for Christ; we give that we may be full; and most of all - like Christ - we die to be born again. He taught us saying, "...unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone: but if it dies, it bears much fruit." John 12:24. These little grains of wheat that we are and the little grains of what we do must necessarily fall into the ground and die in ways both small and great in order bear the beautiful fruit God has granted for us and for His glory. It is a hard thing for our minds to comprehend. We must walk circumspectly, throwing ourselves and our pain and doubt on the one sure thing, and that is Christ. Both the joys and the hurts of life find completion in Him who loves us enough to have sent His only son to die in our place for the penalty of our sins. To God be the glory.

Commencement Continues!

One week following Justin's graduation from Covenant College, his cousin, Joey Albin, graduated from Belmont University here in Nashville.  We had a whole week of graduation celebrations here!  It was really fun to have the boys graduate in such close proximity since they had been such good buds growing up.  

Joey and sisters, Erin and Courtney, help prepare for the party.

Mama Pops, Amira and her sister, Joanna, join in the festivities.

Sister-in-law Kathryn, hard at work preparing more food for the party.

                                                                Justin and Pops.

Justin and Joey with their proud grandparents.

Commencement

Commend - to entrust; to commit to one's charge; to mention as worthy of attention; to express approval of; praise.

Commence - to begin; start; originate.

Commencement - the act or time of commencing.

On May 9th, we had the privilege and blessing of watching our son, Justin, walk across the stage to receive his diploma from Covenant College.  He graduated with a degree in Biblical Studies and Theology, and we are so very proud of him and the calling on his life.  It was a glorious day!

 I don't think Justin could smile any bigger!  The happy man is shown here with his sweetheart, Amira. who travelled all the way from Egypt to be at Justin's graduation.

Justin, his proud parents, and his tired nephew.

"Don't worry, Dad was only joking.  The tuition check didn't bounce - you really did graduate."

Justin with his proud grandparents, Bob and Kathy Albin.

Alan, Kristin, and boys got up EARLY to drive to Chattanooga and see their brother walk.

The early start has caught up to Patrick, and Papa is happy to oblige him.

The next day, back at the house, we continued the celebration on the front porch with hamburgers and gift and card opening.  If you look closely, you will see that the Logo on Justin's shirt is for Cairo Covenant School where he will be teaching history next year.  We are truly amazed at our son and all he has done, all he is doing, and all he will do as he follows God's calling on his life!

After the Storm

"April showers bring May flowers."  

Showers?  In April?  In Tennessee?  Those of us who survive the spring storms to enjoy those May flowers (and we do) dearly wish we had those showers instead.  Springtime is stormtime here, and we sure get some rip-snorters.  

Here are a few photos following an Easter weekend storm that blew through and left a sparkling day in its wake.

Storm clouds bustle away to the south east.  I think the brilliant white of the Dogwood blossoms ties together earth and sky with the whiteness of the clouds.

Everything had a good cleansing shower, including these rain-slicked horses.

                                                                      Fresh and clean.

Water flowing from the hillside into the flatland of the valley.

Shadow and light with water under the bridge.  (We could develop a philosophy out of that, but I think we'll just enjoy the scenery!

Cakes on Fire!

Our grandson, Gilbert, recently had his 3rd birthday!  It seems like only yesterday that our lives changed with the arrival of this first grandchild, and here he is today, a 3-year-old Thomas the Tank Engine fan.  He had a Thomas cake, Thomas gifts, Thomas all the way around!  

"Oh, no!  Mommy has set the cake on fire!  Thomas might be burned!"

                                                     "Hm.... fire's pretty cool."

Gilbert makes a valiant attempt to blow out his candles.  This fire thing is really kinda fun!

Gilbert begins to unwrap the first of his Thomas toys while Daddy and Patrick look on.  Happy Birthday, GK, we love you!

First Fruits

This evening we sat down and enjoyed the first fruits of this year's garden!  We had a salad of lettuce, spinach, arugula, and the mildest little radishes.  Just tangy enough to go along the arugula.  Yum!

Easter Fun

On Easter Sunday afternoon, the boys arrived looking all springtime fresh and ready to hunt MORE EGGS!  It doesn't take long to learn that those colorful plastic eggs contain CANDY!  Here Gilbert stops to open his first egg and see what's inside.

While Gilbert has learned that you must go looking for the eggs, Patrick still needs an assist from Uncle Justin and Dada.

Gilbert politely asks St. Francis if he may take the Easter Egg from off his cowl.

St. Francis was agreeable on this most Holy of days!

Patrick has found a blue sucker, and you can see from his expression that he's very pleased!  You'll be seeing more of this blue sucker, trust me.

Patrick brings the blue sucker over for Mommy to unwrap while Gilbert checks it out.

                              Lookout!  Ladybug has entered the picture!

Aww.... she only wants to help clean the sticky off Gilbert.

See, I told you!  The blue sucker shows up again.  Shall we title this photo BLUE BOY???

Easter Reality

"But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.  And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel.  And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but has risen.  Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise."  And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.  Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.  But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened."  ~ Luke 24:1-12

"Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.  Do you believe this?"   ~ John 11:25-26
Do I believe this?  Do you believe this?  We all come to a day where push comes to shove - do we believe?  Yesterday, Easter Day, I sat at the grave of our youngest grandson and grieved his loss.  The loss of his precious life, of our own dreams and hopes and expectations of life with him.  Grief is sharp and dull and heavy all at the same time, and a difficult burden to bear.  As I sat there with my burden of grief, it gradually lightened as hope in Jesus began to bathe me in its comfort.  Our Savior, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, bore the entire burden of all the grief and sin and brokenness of the world and rose again to life eternal, our elder Brother, our righteousness, so that we, too, may rise to life eternal.  Yes, I believe.  Beau was not at the cemetery.  So, with grief subsided, I could gather myself and go home to enjoy the small delights of the grandsons who play here on earth."Come and see, look on this mystery:

The Lord of the universe nailed to a tree.

Christ our God, spilling His holy blood, bowing in anguish

His sacred head.

Sing to Jesus, Lord of our shame,

Lord of our sinful hearts, He is our great Redeemer.

Sing to Jesus, honor His name,

Sing of His faithfulness, pouring his life out unto death.

Come you weary and He will give you rest.

Come you who mourn, lay on His breast.

Christ who died, risen in paradise,

Giver of mercy, Giver of life.

Sing to Jesus, His is the throne;

Now and forever He is the King of heaven.

Sing to Jesus, we are His own.

Now and forever sing for the love our God has shown."

~ Fernando Ortega

How'd That Happen?

Today is the 30th birthday of my firstborn.  How on earth did that happen?  Why, I'm only 35 myself!  Aren't I?  

It certainly doesn't seem that it could be 30 years ago that our 8 lb. 6 oz. baby boy arrived early one spring morning.  But, alas, it's so, and God-willing - the other children will be celebrating theirs soon in orderly fashion.  It's a funny thing how the seemingly eternal time of child-rearing is suddenly gone in a flash.  Whoosh!  No do-overs.  But, in the place of that little child you so carefully tended to, is an adult that you are pleased to call your friend.  What a blessing God has given us in the gift of children.  Even when they get to be as old as you are!

                                               Happy Birthday, Son!

Red Envelope Project

In just the first week of President Obama's occupation of the White House, he quietly reversed our government's ban on giving federal money to international groups that provide abortions or provide abortion information.  He also signed executive orders to allow funding for human stem cell research as well as providing federal funding for contraception.  As a Senator he voted against banning Partial Birth Abortion and the Born Alive Baby Protection Act.  

These actions do not represent the views of over half of the American population.  But, how can we make our dissatisfaction known to the President and the Administration concerning these policies?  

A Pro-Life project, the Red Envelope Day, is now underway.  We who hold life to be sacred from conception to death can easily and simply make our views known.  On March 31st, you can join me and millions of others in sending a simple red envelope to President Obama.  The envelope will be empty, but on the outside back part of the envelope, we will write:  "This envelope represents one child who died from abortion.  It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the world."  

Over 50 million lives have been lost to abortion since 1973.  Let's send over 50 million red envelopes to the White House on March 31st to represent those lives to those who reside in the halls of power today.  Won't you join me in doing this?   Thank you.

Justin and His Unusual Cake

A few days ago, Justin came home to celebrate his 23rd birthday.  It's not an easy thing for a mother to realize that her baby son is 23 years old (!) but we had a fun celebration and a fun weekend.

To add to the fun, big sister Kristin made a most unusual cake.  But it was a very appropriate cake for Justin who's left his heart in Egypt.  Here you can see three rice-krispy pyramids (two on a hill), the Nile River, and Egyptian fauna:  tiger, lion, and alligator!  Needless to say, we all derived a lot of entertainment from Justin's birthday cake . . . and it was good, too!
                          Here's the birthday boy and the baker of the cake.
                     Gilbert learns the joys of party blowers!  
                                       Balloons make great toys, too!
After the birthday festivities were over, all the spaghetti and cake washed from the boys and pajamas donned, Papa reads about Lowly Worm and all his friends.  Patrick thought this was great fun!
Ladybug thought this was great fun, too, and wanted to join in.  She even brought a toy!
Papa and the boys conclude a most enjoyable evening!