Not the Sunday I Wanted!

After we had cleaned up everything from dinner today (Sausage, Bean and Spinach Soup, yum!), I decided to go to Staples to get the last few things on the boys' supply list. Matthew needed eraser caps and both of them need dry erase markers, and both were on sale this week at Staples. Plus, they had a spend $30/save $5 coupon, so I thought I'd get the rest of what I needed. I headed over there, and got everything I wanted (except for the crayons which were NOT a quarter a piece like I thought), and headed out. I decided to stop at Kroger on my way home and get some pudding mix since I had a graham cracker pie crust I needed to use. I headed in there, grabbed the couple of things I needed and headed out to go home. I jumped in the van, turned the key, and got. . .

NOTHING.

That's right. The car was dead. I called Jeremy, but there wasn't a lot he could do since he had all three boys, including a napping Andrew at home. I stood around for a while, hoping that someone would notice my distress. Finally, I decided to put the hood of the car up. Well, nothing attracts men like a woman staring blankly into the engine of her vehicle. I had a guy come right over and ask if I needed help. He pulled his car over, and then pushed the van into a better position so the jumper cables could reach. We kept the cables on for a while, and while they were attached, I could get the electronics on the car to work, but it still refused to turn over. We kept trying, but it just wasn't working. So, I used my Emergency Roadside Assistance I have through Progressive :-) and called them for help. The first question the lady asked me was if I was in a safe place. I guess the parking lot at Kroger's is pretty safe, though I was getting a little warm. (J/K, I know what she was really asking) She also asked where I wanted the car towed to. Not really the best question for me. I'm standing there in a hot parking lot, under the beating sun, and I can't come up with anything. Finally, I told her Pep Boys. Thankfully, that was within the 15 miles they will pay to tow. I called Jeremy to have him bring the boys, so I could go home and he could go with the car. Repair shops are a man's job in my book, plus, I was really hot and wanted to go home. As I'm waiting for the tow truck, I put the hood down and close the doors, having conveniently forgotten that the keys are in the car, and the locks engaged the last time I tried to start it. Now, I'm standing in a hot parking lot, next to a locked car with nothing but my cell phone. (And Cool Whip probably turning into a hydrogenated mess in the car!) Before disaster struck, though, Jeremy came with the boys, and the tow truck showed up at the same time. I headed home, leaving them to tow the car. I went home, laid on the bed in the air conditioning, and had a glass of water. Nice.

Of course, Pep Boys is going to charge us $95 just to figure out what's wrong, and who knows how much more to fix it, but my Service Engine light had been on anyway, and emissions tests are just around the corner, so it was an expense I was going to have to pay anyway. But finding out this week I'm losing $750 in salary between now and December and now the car expense is a little stressing. Guess we'll see what happens.

Too Many Books!

Ask anyone who knows me (and especially people who knew me when I was a kid), and they will tell you my absolute favorite thing to do is read. I literally do not remember a time when I wasn't reading. I know that by the time I was in first grade, I was reading Little House in the Big Woods. I have more books in my house than I have bookshelves for, and we could have gone on three or four vacations with the money I've spent on books since we've been married.

Well, God knew what he was doing when he brought us here to Gwinnett County. The library system here was named best in the country a few years ago. What I love about is that it's a county-wide system. As long as I live anywhere in the county, I can go to any branch in the county. Plus, the entire catalog is online, so if I find a book I like, I can place a hold on it online. It's fantastic.

The only problem? Actually, there are a couple. One, I always forget to return the books, so I'm pretty much keeping the entire library system afloat with my fines. Two, I get too many books! Right now, I have three that I'm in the middle of reading. I started A New Kind of Conservative earlier this week. Then, I got World Without End by Ken Follett from my hold list. Finally, today, the library sent me a notice that three other books I had put on hold were ready. So now I'm reading The Other Boleyn Girl. My problem is that I worse than a little kid about books. As soon as I get a book from the library, I want to read it right away! So, I have three books floating through the house, laying on the arm of the couch, or the firplace mantle, or on the floor beside my bed. No wonder I can never find them when they're due.

What is a Red Letter Christian?

Okay, before I start, this is a REALLY long post, and I didn't even say everything I wanted to. But most of it can be condensed into three words: READ THIS BOOK!

I just finished the book Red Letter Christians by Tony Campolo. To say that it challenges you would be too trite. What it does is look at the politics and culture of America through the red letters of Jesus. To be honest, after every chapter, I had to stop and think about what I believed and ask myself whether it lined up with the teachings of Jesus. I'll admit, I am a product of my upbringing when it comes to social issues. That's not to say that my parents didn't teach me to care for others. They did. But, I grew up in a middle class household, in a middle class town where I went to a middle class school and hung out with my middle class youth group. While I heard about people in need, I never really came "face to face" with them, so to speak. However, here in Atlanta, I see, almost everyday, people who break the heart of Jesus. Atlanta is the center of child sex trafficking. In 2004 almost 12% of people lived in poverty. I'm sure that number is dramatically higher now since the unemployment rate here in Georgia has reached 10.1%. In addition, I teach in a school where over 50% of our students are on free or reduced lunch. According to the federal government, my school is considered high-poverty. It has caused me to change many of my own beliefs of what a Christian should be.

What does a Red Letter Christian look like? Well it is someone

who espouses an evangelical theology, but who rejects being classified as part
of the Religious Right. We don't want to make Jesus into a Republican. On the other hand, we want to say it loud and clear that we don't want to make Jesus into a Democrat either. (pg 17)

I'll be honest. The beliefs in this book will make people angry. They are not what we hear from religious radio, and they're certainly not what "mainstream" religious leaders are saying on Fox News. Campolo admits that.

The message in those red letter is radical, to say the least. If you don't believe me, just read Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 5-7. In the red letters of this sermon, Jesus calls us to an "upside-down Kingdom," far away from the dominant values of the modern American consciousness. For instance, Jesus tells us that we cannot be sucked into a system that seeks life meaning and satisfaction in materialism and self-gratification while still claiming to serve God. Furthermore, he
challenges many of the social policies that too many Evangelicals fail to question. Consider the fact that he calls us to be merciful (see Matt. 5:7), which has strong implications for how we should think about capital punishment-and since Jesus tell us to love our enemies, we probably shouldn't consider it an option (see Matt. 5:44). These words should cause us to examine our attitudes about war, as well. Most important, when we reflect on all Jesus had to say about caring for the poor and oppresses, committing ourselves to His red-letter message just might drive us to see what we can do politically to help those He called "the least of these" (see Matt. 25:31-46). (pg 22)

This book touches on the global issues of the environment, the War, Palestine, and AIDS. In every chapter, it challenges the mainstream Evangelical beliefs. Are Christians supposed to be the caretakers of the creation God has given us? Is the War in Iraq a just war, and how has it affected the Iraqi Christians who are now terrorized by al-Qaeda? Is support for Israel a Biblical belief, and how do Christians reach out to the 15% of Arabs that are Christian? Do we lump them into the "all Palestinians are terrorists" group? How should the Church respond to those who are suffering from AIDS, especially those in third world countries who cannot afford the medicine they need to survive?

It also hits on the hot button issues of today. He discusses gay rights and gay marriage. He believes that government should get entirely out of the business of marriage and only offer civil unions. Marriage should strictly be a religious institution. I don't know how I feel about that. I am firmly opposed to gay marriage, but some of the issues he brings up have caused me to do some serious thinking. He also discusses gun control and education (a topic near and dear to my heart). In both of those issues, what we need to look at is how to help those who cannot help themselves. Every day, 8 children are killed with a gun. How can we, as Christians, stand opposed to control these deadly weapons? In the same way, why is ensuring that our children learn in the safest of environments not important to us? I do disagree with his assessment of NCLB. I feel that it has harmed our schools in numerous ways. He also talks about abortion and reaching out to those who find themselves in a crisis pregnancy. He also covers immigration and crime, including capital punishment.

Finally, he talks politics. What should we expect from those who lead us? Where do special interests come in? How should we, as a nation, view the Federal Budget? Is the fact that we have record deficits be a concern for Christians? (In his view, absolutely) The book is almost prophetic as it talks about how our borrow and spend approach to life will someday come back to haunt us. (This book was written in 2007 when unemployment was at approximately 4.5%)

One point he talks about in-depth is health care, a topic that is something that we are definitely hearing alot about today.

Today (2007), nearly 47 million American, 8.3 million of them children, are without medical insurance. These uninsured people are hardworking Americans who face financial ruin if they, or any member of their families, are hit with a catastrophic medical emergency. That we as Christians [do] not support. . .a plan that would provide health coverage for every man, woman and child in this country should be viewed as far more than an embarrassing failure of the Church.

Those who declare that they are pro-life are hypocritical if they do not recognize how providing universal health coverage for the working poor is a pro-life issue. It would be one thing if the rest of the Christian community were like the Amish and chipped in to pay the hospital bills for those who lack health insurance. But we don't! Instead, we stand by the sidelines, shake our heads and say 'Isn't that a shame?' (pg 190)
(bolding mine)

Where did this book leave me? Realizing that I need to view the world through the eyes of Jesus. I see so many people saying "I'm a Christian, but I don't want my money to pay for other people's problems." According to Jesus, other people's problems are ours to take care of! In Matthew 25, Jesus commands us to take care of the poor, the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger needing clothes, and the one in prison. So what am I going to start doing? Dumping the self-righteous attitude that says "God helps those who helps themselves" and looking at those who are suffering with eyes of mercy. I'm lucky. In just three weeks, I'm going to be standing in front of 20 kids who all need to see Jesus' love. Many of them will come from homes I couldn't even begin to imagine. My prayer is that instead of being frustrated by the fact that they don't have their supplies, and their homework's not done, and they're always late, I will instead ask how I can be Jesus to them. How can I be a Red Letter Christian?

Andrew

We've always joked that Andrew's been our "high-maintenance" baby. He was early, he spent time in the NICU, there's his whole skull surgery deal, he was a late walker, and he's still not talking. That's what sent us to the doctor today. We had a hearing and speech evaluation done about three months ago, and the hearing evaluation showed some hearing lost in both ears. His pediatrician recommended we go to an ENT to see what was going on, so I made an appointment with a pediatric ENT. His name is Dr. Todd, and he was wonderful today. He looked into Andrew's ears, and even though Andrew's only been diagnosed with one ear infection, the doctor thinks that he's had mild ones on and off for a while. I guess there was some scarring on his ear drum. We also did another hearing evaluation. This time, his hearing tested in the normal range, but the tympanogram they did showed a negative pressure in his inner ear. The way the doctor explained it to me, negative pressure means that there's isn't enough air entering the inner ear through the Eustachian Tube. He said that most children outgrow this problem, and it is common for children who had oddly shaped heads to have this problem. It's also hereditary, but that not the case here. He told me that what's happening is every time Andrew swallows the pressure in his ear changes, so his hearing goes in and out. He said that makes it more difficult for language development that an across the board hearing loss, because the sounds are always going in and out. To solve this problem, Andrew will get tubes put in fairly soon. They'll stay in for about 8 months and probably fall out on their own. I would assume that we'll see if his speech improves before making any determinations about speech therapy. (The doctor did tell me that most speech evaluations, especially in young children like Andrew, are not very accurate since it's more subjective than anything else.)

I'll post when we get a date for surgery. It's outpatient surgery that will be done at Children's Healthcare at Egleston near Emory. I know it won't be the weeks of August 3rd or August 10th since that's pre-planning and the first week of school for me. I would also like it to be on a Friday since I'm pretty sure that it will take a day or two for Andrew to get back to himself. Hopefully, this surgery will get him hearing and talking soon!

By the way, the picture had absolutely nothing to do with the post, but I thought it was so cute, I had to put it up! I took this on the 4th of July.

Summer Fun!

Here's some pictures of the fun we've been having this summer.

On Nathan's birthday, we went to the pool. It was TOO HOT to go to the one close to us, so we decided to go to a pool that is completely indoors. Ahh, the joy of having a pool pass. I can go to any pool in the county. Nathan actually went down the little slide too! Matthew, of course, has no such problems. There's nothing he fears at the pool. He's like a fish. Nathan is a little more cautious.

Here are some of Nathan's cake and opening presents. He really liked everything he got, plus he's rolling in some dough. My Aunt Cheryl sent him $10 (Your thank you card's coming!), and Jeremy's parents sent him a gift card, so he (or I) will get to do some shopping. I'm trying to decide if I should be practical with it, since he could use another pair of jeans or two for school.

Last Saturday, our church had their carnival to celebrate the end of Backyard Bible Club. Instead of having one HUGE Bible School at our church, we go out into the neighborhoods and have Bible Clubs. We had over 20 this year all over the county. There were three just near us. Then, the church has a big carnival to bring everyone together. There are jump houses, games, and free food. (That's why we go. :-D ) It was unbelieveably hot, but thankfully there was just enough of a breeze to make it bearable.

Today, we got out the slip and slide that Matthew got for his birthday. It took a little while for us to figure out how to get it to work, but we were finally able to. Our yard is not very smooth or open, so they had to be careful how they slid, but they had a good time. I only let the water run for about 20 minutes since we are still under some watering restrictions, but I decided that since we don't water the lawn, this was OK. Hopefully, no one will turn me in since this is an odd day, and my address is an even number.

It's hard to believe our summer is over half done! I go back to school four weeks from Monday, and school starts five weeks from Monday. It's going by so fast.

Blog to Read

I try to read Stuff Christians Like every couple of days. First, it's hilarious. Second, it is such an accurate reflection of my own church experience that I wonder if he wasn't following me around in high school and college. And, third, there are days when his posts hit me right between the eyes and cause me to really think about my preconceived notions of the world. This is one such post. I'd editorialize about it, but I can't say it any better than he does.