be-musings

Our Bible study group has been covering Old Testamant stories, specifically the heroes of the Bible. We studied part of the Macabees, which is a story that reinforces a definite trend in the history of the Israelites.
Numerous times we read about the Israelites being taken captive by another nation who takes over their land. I covered that briefly in the story of the people in Moses time, and that they had been captive for a few hundred years. Here in Macabees we find the same thing. And another Pattern" was repeated as was done before - the invading culture destroyed the Temple.
Why? Well, when plotting to domination of a nation, it would be logical to attack it where its identity is. Look at 9/11. A capitalist structure (the World Trade Centre) and a governing centre (the Whitehouse) and a security centre (the Pentagon) were targets. Smart moves for people wanting to make a point about the ability to dominate a nation. Some could argue that point with me, but since politics and war aren't my thing that's as far as I'll go I stand there in my ignorance.
Go back to the Jewish nation. Their temple was sacred to them. It was their identity, as a people set apart from every other nation. They knew what God they served. They had strong laws about how to do it. I think pride was involved in this knowledge. Sometimes the temple was a place of commerce - or at least the areas around it were. It gave them strength and united them. To destroy it would be to demolish the confidence of the people and taunt the power of what and Who they believed in. Smart war move.
Every time the temple was destroyed in an invasion, it was eventually rebuilt. That was the first thing arranged, as soon as it could be done. Sometimes it took years, but it was a priority.
My mind turns to the Christian, the one who believes in God. God has written his word in our hearts, and he no longer resides in a temple made of human hands. He resides in the lives of His believers. You might be able to recall some verses that mention things like this. In a way the new "temple" is way more difficult to be destroyed. It's easier to protect, because it isn't physical. For the Christian, the war isn't about land or dwellings. It's about the soul within. So, is it really more difficult to destroy it? I think that depends on how willing we are to protect it. Not to get too freaky on the puritan move (because I'm not), the destruction of where God resides is still a goal of some. We can protect it easily. But we can also give in easily if we want to. It all resides in the spirit and that which affects it. Staying away from pride, bitterness, and whatever else your thing is. I won't give you a list because what might be dangerous for you won't be for someone else. You know what your things are.
Sometimes we get torn apart a bit. But the responsibility for rebuilding is only partly ours, with a lot of help from God.

This week I helped a family move. The guy's lazyboy was 40 years old and in way worse shape than Scott's green one. Now if only that family would have an "accident" with their chair, that would render it mostly useless so that it would have to be put in the basement.
Oh sorry, I lost myself in a secret plan there.

Matthew got some tiny water pistols, so we had a water fight - in the house. We shrieked and raced around and got the furniture slightly wet. My mascara ran down my cheeks, as I kept running to the bathroom to wipe the black off each time, reloading while I did. It was such fun.
And then the dog, who was trying to join in the fun, bit my butt.

A six-year-old boy told his father he wanted to marry the little girl across the street.
The father, being modern and well-schooled in handling children, hid his smile behind his hand.

"That's a serious step," he said. "Have you thought it out completely?"

"Yes," his young son answered. "We can spend one week in my room and the next in hers.
It's right across the street, so I can run home if I get scared of the dark."

"How about transportation?" the father asked.

"I have my wagon, and we both have our tricycles," the little boy answered.
The boy had an answer to every question the father raised.

Finally, in exasperation, his dad asked,
"What about babies? When you're married, you're liable to have babies, you know."

"We've thought about that, too," the little boy replied.
"We're not going to have babies. Every time she lays an egg, I'm going to step on it!"

I have a theory about desserts. You can't really call it dessert unless it contains chocolate. I bend that rule in order to cater to other tastes, but this recipe contains the necessary ingredient in two forms. Warning: don't attempt a diet while making this dish.

The first ingredient is brownies, either in a 1 pkg. (20.5 oz) brownie mix - not the kind with the syrup pouch - or the following recipe (which I think is fabulous). Use a 9x13 inch pan. You could half the brownie recipe for a 9 inch square pan.

1 cup melted margarine/butter
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup flour
2/3 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Blend margarine/butter, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Add eggs; using a wooden spoon, beat well. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually blend into egg mixture. Stir in nuts.
Spread in greased pan. Next apply the topping as per recipe below.

Our family has had many wonderful and fun times over the last few months. We've hung out at home, church, the movies, restaurants. But that's usually with Scott. I haven't had a chance to do anything alone with both boys, other than being at home with them when Scott is out. Today we had our first family time where we had a common emphasis. God provided that opportunity. I'll show a web picture of the opportunity. No, this is not my basement. Mine is filled with music gear.



This morning the basement was flooded a couple inches deep, and Scott bailed out 13 garbage cans full of water. Enough to do some damage control. He put the gear up on tables...I've never seen water run out of the seams of an amp before.

When Scott was at work tonight I was doing laundry, and noticed the water at least a couple inches deep in the hallway. When opening the band room, I saw it was flooded again as suspected. But the water was several inches deep by now. So, I called the boys to help bail again. It was a bonding moment. I don't know what Ben thought, but Nathan and I enjoyed the process - it was kind of fun. I figure the moment needed to be savoured for the team effort and the "youthful" feeling of having to rescue something that wasn't working out quite right. It reminded me of the van pushing scenes in Little Miss Sunshine. A pain, but a good pain.
Matthew didn't like the experience so much. He was in bed, but knew what was happening. He said "I know the door and walls are going to come crashing in from the water. I just know it." He has my taste for drama. I would have thought the same thing at his age.

At last week's study we talked about Moses and the Israelites. Man those people were sure reluctant and had excuses about why they couldn't do things. Moses said on more than one occasion that he wasn't eloquent enough to address the Israelites or Pharaoh. Funny, for a man who was educated in the ways of the Royal Family and would probably have practised addressing audiences as part of his grooming. Then there are the people themselves. Each miracle or plague that came, they were impressed so briefly then critical. They wanted out, but yet didn't want what it meant.

Scott told me about a man who was at Miracle Valley, the recovery place at which he works. He was removed from his family when he was 4, and placed in a residential school. His family didn't visit him for the first year, and came occasionally after that. He was denied practising his First Nations culture and had to comply with the system.
When he was 12 he went to juvenile detention for a minor crime. If he was your kid he probably wouldn't have gone there, but because the residential school didn't want a fire-starter, he became a ward of the state and spent 3 years in juvie. At 17 he went to prison for stealing a car with some buddies, to take a joy ride into town. At 25 he was briefly released, then was returned for theft. He is still in prison, except for this past year in recovery where he is monitored and not allowed on out-trips. He is 54 years old.
You might think that he is the perfect example of a "bad egg" who has received just punishment for your behaviour. If you've heard this kind of story before you might be the person who thinks it wasn't his responsibility but rather he is a product of his environment. I can't say which is the right opinion, if we even should have one.
This man has been institutionalized for his whole life. For most of his adult like he hasn't experienced common freedoms of walking down the street, going to the pool, making his own decisions about where to eat or sleep, choosing how to spend his money. In fact, money is somewhat foreign to him, though he has some. He admits that if he is released he honestly won't know how to survive in the outside world. It reminds me of the old guy from Shawshank Redemption who hung himself because he couldn't handle what we call "real life".

This reminds me of the Israelite people during the time of Moses. Captives to the Egyptians for 450 years, the ideal of freedom ran strong as it would in a downtrodden nation. Perhaps stories of the past glory and of future hope were told around their fires in their houses. Their reality was one of a ghetto life. Imprisoned in their communities, unable to leave the nation, slaves who were beaten, killed, forced to work for a people who flaunted their affluence and their pagan religion. It would have stuck in their craw. Of course they wanted out.
But at what cost? They knew of nothing else, and to change their lives so drastically would mean an abrupt change. Welcome in one way, but frightening in most ways. How would they do it? Why wouldn't God make it so miraculously easy for them to leave? Or better yet, to take over the territory?
The Israelites were institutionalized, like Scott's client. I haven't had the same experiences as them, so I can't say for sure how I would have reacted in their position. Initially I thought they were whinier than I would have been, until I thought about their history. Sometimes I think they were unfaithful, but then I know I'm a wimp and I might respond the same way if I were in their situation. Fear and uncertainty. Take me away, but make it easy. And tell me where I'm going and how we'll get there. But then, that's not always a luxury we have. Sometimes a next step has to be taken before anything else can be seen.

As wonderful as laminate is for cleanliness and allergy prevention, it can sometimes be difficult to get clean without streaking. I have a couple tips.
Fill a small spray bottle with 1 part vinegar to 3-4 parts water. Warm water is nice.
Put on some fun music, toss a couple of bath towels on the floor, and tell your child that you're having a "dance-off" and the best dancer wins. The only rule is that you each need to stay on the towels while you move your feet around. Spray the area that you will be dancing in, and work your way around the room this way.
It worked for Matthew and me for about 5-10 minutes. Then he said "You're just trying to get me to help you clean the floor." I didn't deny it, and he continued for a little while longer. In order to encourage more participation I let him do the spraying, but this can be a dangerous approach. Especially with a comedic boy. Let's just say the water bottle wasn't always pointed at the ground or inanimate objects.