Bless the Children

When I put the boys to bed tonight DW asked for "a blessing." On nights that I remember I place my hand on his head and say, "May God bless you with the ability to hear his voice." I was watching the Jewish Jewels program one day and the mother said that she prayed this over her children at night. What a blessing.

That program made me curious about the blessings that Jewish parents say over their children. On Friday nights fathers (and sometimes mothers) place hands on their sons and say, "May God make you like Ephraim and Menashe." Why Ephraim and Manasseh? The following information is from Aish.com

• "Ephraim and Menashe were the first brothers among our forefathers to live without rivalry."
• "Ephraim and Menashe were brothers who lived in harmony, for their life focus was the highest example of working for good for their community and people."
• "Of the 12 sons and their families, these two were the only ones to grow to maturity outside of the Land of Israel. Yet despite great odds, they still remained steadfast in their commitment to Judaism. We cannot always guarantee that our children will not be exposed to a negative environment. We therefore give them the blessing to be like those who were not tempted by their immoral surroundings and maintained their ethical and righteous behavior."

I hope that my two sons can live together without rivalry, look to the needs of others, and be committed to serving Christ all their lives in spite of the world. What a blessing that would be!

How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity. (Psalm 133:1)

Take Up Your Cross

Today's text was Mark 8:27-38 "...If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me..."

The idea is that taking up your cross is voluntary. Our circumstances are not "our cross" if they are things that we have no control over - serious illness, natural disaster. It's our response to life that is our cross. I can choose to focus only on myself and my desires or I can choose to follow Christ no matter what happens.

The cross-bearer chooses the way of love over self-centeredness.

Spiritual Disciplines

Could the week have gone any faster?

I'm trying to take these spiritual disciplines to heart. The last 2 Sunday sermons have challenged me to incorporate these practices into my every day life. It's especially challenging when I have so many other things tugging at me.

Spiritual Disciplines that enable me to "sow to the Spirit" and not to my own flesh (Gal 6:7-10):

1. Prayer: Ask for guidance; pray for myself and others; pray every day, not just when I feel like it
2. Meditation: Listen to God's word; rehearse God's deeds; remember his works; put myself in a spot where I hear God's voice
3. Study: A process more analytical than devotional; challenge and change the way I think

I need to spend more time doing all of these, but I especially love the idea of rehearsing God's deeds. We're called on to remember his mighty acts. Several Psalms outline God's actions saving Israel from slavery. I know that I don't do this enough.

I'm LinkedIn

A couple of years ago a former colleague directed me to LinkedIn - a networking website. I set up a profile and sent out a couple of invitations.

Then I had a baby.

Now my network is expanding. I've received a handful of invitations recently from former colleagues. I've even sent out a couple of invitations.

This is fun. My biggest hangup is my ego. Everyone else has a title. My title is "mom". I just can't put something desperate like "domestic engineer". That just looks like I'm trying a little too hard. "Mom" is an important job - I just can't get over the fact that it looks a little lame on a business card. Like I said, my biggest hangup is my ego. My boys think I rock!

Northeast Presbyterian Church

Worked a bit on the NEPC website tonight after our power was restored. We're still maintaining the site even though we're going to First United Methodist now.

Good article in the St. Petersburg Times today about the split at NEPC - "Church heals from emotional split". Boy is that an understatement! Really praying that NEPC continues to thrive. Leaving there was a difficult decision, but the right one for our family right now. DW loves going to church with other kids his age. JW is happy in the nursery.

Weekly Writing Challenge

A couple of weeks ago I found a website - Faithwriters.com. They have a weekly writing challenge which is a fun way to work on a different writing problem each week. The first challenge was to write on the topic "Bold (emotionally)". I entered and my piece was picked for 3rd place at the beginner level. What fun!

Here it is....

The Longest Walk

John wiped the sweat from his palms as he stepped onto the floor. This was it. His heart thundered in his ears. His mouth – a desert with no taste, no feel, just dust bereft of even a drop of water. He took another step. The crowd behind him grew restless. The buzz of barely suppressed laughter filled his ears, daring him to go further. There wasn't time to hesitate. He had to make a decision. He stepped forward.

Thinking back, it all appeared so effortless. He watched his companions take the floor, graceful in their movements. When the music and noise swelled it created a comfortable bubble from which to observe the proceedings. Then it was his turn. Faces turned toward him; some nodding in mirth; others shaking with pity for what was about to happen. Yet, he was prepared. He realized that he had been preparing all year for just this moment. Every sense was alert, ready to move forward. It was time.

The object of his dreams grew closer with every footfall. Then he stopped, frozen. John couldn't tell if it was the anticipation of the event to come or the fear of the ridicule he would meet if he turned back that mortified him the most. He was in no man's land now. He swallowed the urge to run away.

Halfway there. He couldn't turn back and admit failure. The only way out was forward. Doubt nagged at him, stalling his steps. Rejection would be the realization of his worst nightmare. Yet, the end might be sweeter than he had ever imagined. The journey's end might bring the fulfillment of all his dreams.

He looked up at the clock. Time was running out. He said a prayer. No matter what the outcome, he had faith that God would carry him through. A smile lifted the corners of his lips. His steps became lighter. Courage filled his heart as he closed in on destiny. The music faded and he heard his friends behind him, willing him on as the last song began. At the last dance of his Senior year in high school, John Palmer took a final bold step and held out his hand to the woman who would one day be his bride.

-”May I have this dance?”

-”I thought you'd never ask.”

So where does the time go?

We were laughing last night about the large gaps in time between the last few blog entries. A year does seem a bit excessive, but there are many reasons why it just didn't seem as important to blog as to attend to the tasks at hand.

So where did the time go?

• Graduate school
  
• Diaper changes
• Cooking and feeding
  
• Cleaning up afterward
• More diaper changes
• Going to the grocery store
• Going to storytime and the park as often as we can
• More diapers
• Laundry
• Giving birth
  
• Sleeping when I can
• Going out to buy more diapers
• Other duties "as assigned"

Blogging was the last thing on my mind.

My blog is back

OK. It has been awhile since I did any blogging. I started blogging with the best of intentions and 2 children happened along the way.

#1 son is almost 3 and #2 son is just over 7 months.

Now that my Master's program is finished and my children are sleeping (better) it's time to start back to blogging.

Master's Thesis - Almost finished?

Looks like I'm in the final stages of completing my Master's Thesis. Maybe I'll start blogging again?

Been a Long Time

Long time since I last updated the blog. Hurricanes. Baby born. Taking care of baby.

Now we're photoblogging!

I'm finally able to put some pictures up on this blog with Flikr. Just needed a little help troubleshooting.

It's a boy!

Baby Boy W, originally uploaded by KarenWilber.

Here's the first ultrasound picture of Baby Boy W at 20 weeks. The ultrasound pictures are incredible. I can't believe the detail.

I can always tell who has just had their first ultrasound. They sit in the waiting room and look at each picture over and over again.

Now it's my turn!

Flickr

Well...now I'm trying , a fancy photo sharing thing. I can see this test post, but I'm not having any luck uploading the photograph.

Baby Boy W at 20 weeks. He's a little bigger than average or a little farther along. I won't be making any plans for mid-late October!

Posted by Hello

Giving "hello" a try for photoblogging. Looks like there's a current technical problem that Blogger is working on. The library at Ephesus

Posted by Hello

Baby on the Way

Haven't posted in awhile. Last post was when I discovered I was pregnant. Been very busy!

CBS | Late Show Top Ten Archive: February 25, 2004

This is either pretty bad or pretty funny. When things make it onto Letterman, they're pretty mainstream.

CBS | Late Show Top Ten Archive: February 25, 2004: "Top Ten Things Heard Outside The New Mel Gibson Movie


10. 'Hey -- no shoving, Monsignor!'
9. 'I don't know why they added subtitles -- everyone speaks Aramaic'
8. 'I'm hoping my medium Mountain Dew will miraculously be changed into an extra large Mountain Dew'
7. 'These 'Lord of the Ring' films are getting odder and odder'
6. 'Was this really based on a book?'
5. 'Twelve dollars for a movie ticket? Now that's a sin, am I right, people?'
4. 'The Pope loved it almost as much as 'Barber Shop 2''
3. 'Uh...I don't feel like dinner right now.'
2. 'That was awesome when Trump fired Pontius Pilate'
1. 'Don't tell me the ending'"

PBS: Heritage: Civilization and the Jews

PBS: Heritage: Civilization and the Jews is the companion site to the 9-part series. Dr. Triblehorn used a couple of episodes in our New Testament Survey class at SPTS. Good for 2nd Temple Period background. Links to a timeline, documents, lesson plans, and Jewish history websites.

Catholic Resource for The Passion

Found this via Mark Shea's blog.

http://passion.catholicexchange.com/

Blogging Article

Just got off the phone with a colleague and I want to keep this URL for future reference. http://www.infotoday.com/MMSchools/jan04/richardson.shtml
This article gives an overview of blogging and some of the tools that can be used.