Forbidden Fruit (Loops)

Posted on May 4, 2013 by dinahoverlien

And the Mother took the Toddler and put him in the Kitchen of Nonnie to explore and discover. The Toddler played happily in the tupperware cupboard and the utensil drawer for many hours. Then the Mother commanded the Toddler, saying, “You are free to play in any cupboard in the kitchen; but you must not play in the cereal cupboard, because you will surely dump out the boxes onto the floor and get your first taste of sweetened cereal which the Nonnie never bought her children when they were growing up.” But the Toddler saw that the boxes in the cupboard were pleasing to the eye and desirable to taste, so he opened the door over and over and over. Thus, the Mother had to repeat, “No, no” over and over and over.

The Nonnie stood back and marveled. Making a law forbidding the cereal cupboard was an excellent idea. What happened, though, was that sin found a way to pervert the command into a temptation, making it a piece of “forbidden” fruit (loops). (Romans 7:8, The Message)

Even a one-year-old can demonstrate biblical truth straight out of Romans 7.

Glory Days

Posted on May 1, 2013 by dinahoverlien

It’s been a glorious two weeks.

For a window of time, all the kids were home along with spouses, fiance and grands.

Counting PB and me, that makes thirteen…and counting.

Two more babes will join the tribe this year.

Here are some lessons from the past two weeks:

Keep looking out for each other.

You can never have too many bubbles.

If you just keep sucking it up, something good will happen.

Chocolate chip cookies are best at Nonnie’s house.

Make sure you get a little sunshine every day.

Things aren’t scary when someone big is holding you.

It doesn’t matter if you have a booger hanging out of your nose as long as you’re happy.

Double chins are cute.

Don’t under-estimate the power of a good nap.

These are the Glory Days.

Milk and Honey

Posted on April 20, 2013 by dinahoverlien

He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Deuteronomy 26:9

Over twenty times, the land promised to the Israelites was referred to as “a land flowing with milk and honey”. Now I know why. They were a new-born nation — babies in their relationship with God. They needed milk, with a little honey added in for sweetness.

Back in the desert days, the people yearned for their old Egyptian fare. In a classic case of selective memory they wailed, “We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost.” (Sure, food was free — but they weren’t.) “Also, the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.” (I can understand them missing the taste of fresh melons, but leeks and onions?)

God didn’t entice His new nation to Canaan with the promise of pickles and garlic. Oh, no. Milk and honey was on the menu because God knew that’s what they needed. It wasn’t a land flowing with steak and potatoes, burgers and fries, or beer and brats. Wholesome milk with a touch of honey — perfect for a young community.

Taste and see that the Lord is good. Psalm 34:8

Milk

Posted on April 14, 2013 by dinahoverlien

“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that you may grow up in your salvation.” 1 Peter 2:2

Newborn babies have one thing on their minds — milk.

They crave it, they cry for it, they live for the next feeding.

When they are hungry, their miniature mouths open wide as they frantically search for the source, then land it and guzzle like there’s no tomorrow.

They suck with all their might, jaw muscles pulling, drawing, tight and strong.

Milk is what they desire — milk is what they need.

Without it they would die.

So they cry out every few hours for more and more and more.

Elijah and Eleanor inspire me.

I watch their single-minded intensity and I am envious.

To want something so desperately and to be so completely satisfied by the nourishment it gives —

they are teaching me how to love God’s Word.

They also are reminding me that newborns require regular feedings and must be treated with gentleness and patience.

Neediness, dependence and messiness is to be expected.

Developing into a grown-up takes time.

May we give those newly born into faith the same kind of nurturing care.

Baby’s Breath

Posted on April 7, 2013 by dinahoverlien

Eli and Ella fit like puzzle pieces.

They smell each other and feel comforted.

They feel each other’s breath and rest peacefully.

“How good and how pleasant it is when brothers and sisters dwell in unity!”

Psalm 133:1

Awesome Easter

Posted on April 1, 2013 by dinahoverlien

I hope you had a lovely Easter.

I hope you breathed deep of the lillies.

I hope you celebrated the empty tomb.

I hope you worshiped the risen King of Kings.

I hope you ate candy and cheesecake and strawberry pie.

I hope you didn’t judge me when you drove by our house.

I hope you understood that just recently the snow banks melted enough to reveal the buried Holy Family.

I hope you know I begged PB to put the Christmas decor away before Easter

He tried. Honestly, he did.

But they were iced into the ground. Frozen solid.

So the pastor had a nativity scene set up in his yard for Easter.

Awesome.

Easter Beans

Posted on March 30, 2013 by dinahoverlien

When I was a kid, I don’t remember hunting for a basket full of candy and toys at Easter time. Instead, my mom hid jelly beans all over the house and I would spend most of the afternoon looking for the little gummy treats. Maybe my parents didn’t want the sacred holiday to be overshadowed by the Easter bunny. Or maybe sending me off to fill my own basket was a sure way to keep me occupied on a Sunday afternoon.

I was pretty good at searching out the sweets and always had plenty. However, when my cousins came to spend a few weeks in the summer and we pulled out the hide-a-bed, inevitabley there would be a sticky bean under the cushions. And in the fall, when I needed to look up something in the encyclopedias for school, a sneaky bean would roll off the top book shelf. In December, when we moved the furniture around to make room for the Christmas tree, a rogue bean was usually found behind the piano. It was like Easter kept showing up all year long, in the strangest places.

As I journey through the Bible this year, I’m finding that Easter still pops up in unlikely places. In Exodus: “I will redeem you with an outstretched arm.” (Exodus 6:6 ) In Leviticus: “It is the blood that makes atonement.” (Lev. 17: 11) In Psalms: “They have pierced my hands and feet.” (Psalm 22:16) In Isaiah: “He bore the sin of many.” (Isaiah 53:12)

Easter isn’t just a nice springtime holiday with yummy treats.

The resurrection of Jesus carries over into every day, all year long.

Like my jelly beans, the Easter story keeps springing up.

Keep up the hunt.